Ultrasonic thermometry simulation in a random fluctuating medium: Evidence of the acoustic signature of a one-percent temperature difference.

We study the development potential of ultrasonic thermometry in a liquid fluctuating sodium environment similar to that present in a Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor, and thus investigate if and how ultrasonic thermometry could be used to monitor the sodium flow at the outlet of the reactor core. In particular we study if small temperature variations in the sodium flow of e.g. about 1% of the sodium temperature, i.e., about 5°C, can have a reliably-measurable acoustic signature. Since to our knowledge no experimental setups are available for such a study, and considering the practical difficulties of experimentation in sodium, we resort to a numerical technique for full wave propagation called the spectral-element method, which is a highly accurate finite-element method owing to the high-degree basis functions it uses. We obtain clear time-of-flight variations in the case of a small temperature difference of one percent in the case of a static temperature gradient as well as in the presence of a random fluctuation of the temperature field in the turbulent flow. The numerical simulations underline the potential of ultrasonic thermometry in such a context.

Spin susceptibility of quantum magnets from high to low temperatures.

We explain how and why all thermodynamic properties of spin systems can be computed in one and two dimensions in the whole range of temperatures overcoming the divergence towards zero temperature of the standard high-temperature series expansions (HTEs). The method relies on an approximation of the entropy versus energy (microcanonical potential function) on the whole range of energies. The success is related to the intrinsic physical constraints on the entropy function and a careful treatment of the boundary behaviors. This method is benchmarked against two one-dimensional solvable models: the Ising model in longitudinal field and the XY model in a transverse field. With ten terms in the HTE, we find a spin susceptibility within a few percent of the exact results over the entire range of temperatures. The method is then applied to two two-dimensional models: the supposedly gapped Heisenberg model and the J(1)-J(2)-J(d) model on the kagome lattice.

Kapellasite: a kagome quantum spin liquid with competing interactions.

Magnetic susceptibility, NMR, muon spin relaxation, and inelastic neutron scattering measurements show that kapellasite, Cu3Zn(OH)6Cl2, a geometrically frustrated spin-1/2 kagome antiferromagnet polymorphic with herbertsmithite, is a gapless spin liquid showing unusual dynamic short-range correlations of noncoplanar cuboc2 type which persist down to 20 mK. The Hamiltonian is determined from a fit of a high-temperature series expansion to bulk susceptibility data and possesses competing exchange interactions. The magnetic specific heat calculated from these exchange couplings is in good agreement with experiment. The temperature dependence of the magnetic structure factor and the muon relaxation rate are calculated in a Schwinger-boson approach and compared to experimental results.

Two-step restoration of SU(2) symmetry in a frustrated ring-exchange magnet.

We demonstrate the existence of a spin-nematic, moment-free phase in a quantum four-spin ring-exchange model on the square lattice. This unusual quantum state is created by the interplay of frustration and quantum fluctuations that lead to a partial restoration of SU(2) symmetry when going from a four-sublattice orthogonal biaxial Néel order to this exotic uniaxial magnet. A further increase of frustration drives a transition to a fully gapped SU(2) symmetric valence bond crystal.

Numerical simulation of transit-time ultrasonic flowmeters: uncertainties due to flow profile and fluid turbulence.

Flowmeter measurement using the ultrasonic transit-time method is based on the apparent difference of the sound velocity in the flow direction and in the opposite direction. This method gives a flow velocity averaged along a particular acoustical path. To convert this path velocity to a velocity averaged over the entire cross-section of the flowing medium, the knowledge of the flow velocity profile is essential. However, the acoustical paths joining the two transducers are supposed to be straight and fluid turbulence phenomena are neglected. In this paper, we describe a numerical procedure to estimate the uncertainties due to these approximations in the case of fully developed turbulence. The ultrasonic propagation is modelled in 2-D moving inhomogeneous media via a ray tracing algorithm. Influence of mean profiles of temperature and velocity is studied on simple examples. Fluid temperature fluctuations and fluid velocity turbulence are considered in the stochastic framework to obtain average uncertainties on the measurements of the liquid flow rate.

Magnetothermodynamics of the spin- 1 / 2 Kagome antiferromagnet

In this paper, we use a new hybrid method to compute the thermodynamic behavior of the spin- 1 / 2 Kagome antiferromagnet under the influence of a large external magnetic field. We find a T2 low-temperature behavior and a very low sensitivity of the specific heat to a strong external magnetic field. We display clear evidence that this low-temperature magnetothermal effect is associated with the existence of low-lying fluctuating singlets, but also that the whole picture ( T2 behavior of C(v) and the thermally activated spin susceptibility) implies contribution of both nonmagnetic and magnetic excitations. Comparison with experiments is made.

[Which approach should be chosen for inverted nasosinusal papilloma?]. / Quelle voie d'abord choisir pour les papillomes inversés naso-sinusiens?

Inverted papillomas are a benign tumors arising from the external wall of the nasal cavity. Sinus extension is easy to evaluate pre-operatively by using the CT-scan. Lateral rhinotomy is therefore not the only way to removing these tumors. Vestibular and endonasal approaches can be considered. Surgical treatment must however remove the tumor tissue completely since recurrence results directly from insufficiency and must be completed by an histological analysis of the whole tissue after its removal in view of its frequent association with carcinoma.