NIST Technicalendar October 27 to October 31, 2008 The NIST Technicalendar is issued each Friday. All items MUST be submitted electronically from this web page by 12:00 NOON each Wednesday unless otherwise stated in the NIST Technicalendar. The address for online weekly editions of the NIST Technicalendar and NIST Administrative Calendar is: http://www.nist.gov/tcal/.

In this Issue: Meetings at NIST Meetings Elsewhere Announcements Talks by NIST Personnel NIST Web Site Announcements NIST Administrative Calendar (current)   NIST Vacancy Announcements (current)

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10:30 AM - Effects of patterning and spatial confinement on order in self-assembling systems
10:30 AM - Light Scattering of Semitransparent Sintered Polytetrafluoroethylene Films

No Scheduled Events

No Scheduled Events

10:30 AM - How DuPont is Driving Renewable Sourced Materials into the Market Space for Sustainable Growth
10:30 AM - How DuPont is Driving Renewable Sourced Materials into the Market Space for Sustainable Growth
1:30 PM - Magnetization Behavior in Exchange-Biased Patterned Nanostructures
3:00 PM - "Vendor-Affected WLAN Experimental Results: Opening the Pandora Box?" and "Fundamental Delay Bounds in Peer-to-Peer Chunk-Based Real-Time Sreaming Systems"

10:30 AM - Large Starin Deformation and Fracture of Hydrogels
10:30 AM - What are the Laws of Physics?
1:30 PM - Quantum Weak Measurements: A Generalization of the Exponential Decay Law

10/27 -- MONDAY

10:30 AM - CNST NANOFABRICATION RESEARCH GROUP SEMINAR: Effects of patterning and spatial confinement on order in self-assembling systems
Supramolecular chemistry offers promising routes for bottom-up fabrication of monodisperse, functional nanostructures. However, most applications require these nanostructures to be spatially ordered or aligned over macroscopic scales. Toward this end, we looked at methods of patterning and imposing spatial confinement on the micrometer and nanometer scales as ways to affect order in selected self-assembling systems, including DNA "origami" structures, 1-D peptide amphiphile (PA) nanofibers, and non-centrosymmetric mushroom-shaped supramolecular aggregates. In the first system, we are able to control the placement and orientation of DNA structures on chemically and topographically patterned surfaces and further use them to direct the assembly of nanoparticles. In the second system, PA nanofibers are patterned and aligned by soft lithographic techniques. We can guide the nanofibers around turns and show preliminary evidence that aligned nanofibers can direct cell behavior. Lastly, we use IR spectroscopy to probe the effect of surface chemistry and inclusion of a small molecule guest on the degree of order in thin films of polar, mushroom-shaped assemblies of rod-coil molecules.
Albert Hung , IBM Almaden Research Center.
Bldg. 217, Rm. H107. (NIST Contact: James Liddle, 301-975-6050, james.liddle@nist.gov)

10:30 AM - OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY DIVISION SEMINAR: Light Scattering of Semitransparent Sintered Polytetrafluoroethylene Films
Zhuomin Zhang , Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, zhuomin.zhang@me.gatech.edu.
220 Bldg, Rm. A363. (NIST Contact: Benjamin Tsai, 301-975-2347, benjamin.tsai@nist.gov)


10/28 -- TUESDAY

No Scheduled Events

10/29 -- WEDNESDAY

No Scheduled Events

10/30 -- THURSDAY

10:30 AM - POLYMERS DIVISION SEMINAR: How DuPont is Driving Renewable Sourced Materials into the Market Space for Sustainable Growth
Hari Sunkara , DuPont Central Research & Development.
224 Bldg, Rm. A312. (NIST Contact: Kate Beers, 301-975-2113, beers@nist.gov)

10:30 AM - POLYMERS DIVISION SEMINAR: How DuPont is Driving Renewable Sourced Materials into the Market Space for Sustainable Growth
Hari Sunkara , Dupont Central Research & Development.
224 Bldg, Rm. A312. (NIST Contact: Kate Beers, 301-975-2113, beers@nist.gov)

1:30 PM - METALLURGY DIVISION SEMINAR: Magnetization Behavior in Exchange-Biased Patterned Nanostructures
Magnetization processes in patterned magnetic heterostructures are of fundamental scientific interest and have important applications in information storage such as in non-volatile magnetoresistive random access memories (MRAM). Continuous miniaturization causes materials defects to play an increasingly important role in the magnetization switching behavior of these devices. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is the technique of choice for high spatial resolution characterization of non-ideal magnetic behavior and its relationship with nanoscale structure. In combination with novel phase retrieval techniques, Lorentz TEM has the potential of becoming an in situ quantitative technique for mapping magnetization reversal processes. We have used a combination of Lorentz TEM, magneto-optical Kerr magnetometry and micromagnetic simulations to characterize the behavior of micron-size exchange-biased magnetic nanostructures exhibiting vortex magnetization and imprinted with circular exchange bias. Circular exchange bias promotes a reversible vortex behavior and it controls the chirality of the vortex during reversal. It also stabilizes the vortex structure as a low energy state, acting against magnetocrystalline anisotropy which favors the formation of domain walls. Exchange bias suppresses stochastic processes due to thermal activation and cause the magnetization reversal to be reproducible over time, an important feature in applications. Phase imaging based on the Transport–of-Intensity Equation (TIE) is emerging as a novel method for mapping magnetization phenomena in situ in the TEM. The phase shift of the electrons containing the magnetic information is obtained from the intensity of the wave and its derivative along the optical axis alone, and does not require a reference beam as conventional interferometry techniques do. Examples of application of TIE to patterned magnetic heterostructures will be shown and the requirements for becoming a quantitative technique as well as its limitations will be described. TIE-based phase retrieval has potential applications in novel systems such as multilayered magnetic and multiferroic heterostructures for data storage and logic applications. Furthermore, TIE is not limited to magnetic systems, as it offers opportunities in mapping electric fields and charge transport processes at the nanoscale.
Mihaela Tanase , Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL.
Materials Building, MSEL Conference Room B307. (NIST Contact: June Lau, 301-975-5711, june.lau@nist.gov)

3:00 PM - ADVANCED NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES DIVISION SEMINAR: "Vendor-Affected WLAN Experimental Results: Opening the Pandora Box?" and "Fundamental Delay Bounds in Peer-to-Peer Chunk-Based Real-Time Sreaming Systems"
Giuseppe Bianchi , Professor of Telecommunications, School of Engineering, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, giuseppe.bianchi@uniroma2.it.
222 Bldg, Rm. B341. (NIST Contact: Nader Moayeri, 301-975-3767, moayeri@nist.gov)


10/31 -- FRIDAY

10:30 AM - POLYMERS DIVISION SEMINAR: Large Starin Deformation and Fracture of Hydrogels
Costantino Creton , Laboratoire PPMD, Paris, France.
224 Bldg, Rm. A312. (NIST Contact: Wen-li Wu, 301-975-6839, wenli@nist.gov)

10:30 AM - NIST COLLOQUIUM SERIES: What are the Laws of Physics?
For 300 years the orthodox view of the laws of physics is that they are immutable, universal, infinitely-precise mathematical relationships that were somehow imprinted on the universe at its birth. The hidden assumptions that underpin this view can be traced to cultural factors at the time that physics was first formulated as a discipline. In recent years, some have begun to question these assumptions. In my talk I shall focus on the infinitely-precise quality, arguing that it is an unjustified extrapolation, especially in cosmological models that place a fundamental information bound on the observable universe. The existence of such a bound forces us to confront the nature of the laws of physics in certain experimentally-realizable situations, e.g., entangled states of more than 400 particles. Paul Davies is a prolific author of popularized science books. Some of his more recent books will be available for review and purchase before and after the lecture.
Paul Davies , Director, BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University.
Administration Building, Green Auditorium. (NIST Contact: Kum Ham, 301-975-4203, kham@nist.gov)
Special Assistance Available

1:30 PM - PHYSICS LABORATORY COLLOQUIUM: Quantum Weak Measurements: A Generalization of the Exponential Decay Law
Quantum mechanical measurements are normally discussed in terms of projective von Neumann-type irreversible processes, but recently a new class of measurements has been proposed and experimentally tested. These are weak measurements carried out on identically-prepared ensembles. Weak measurements offer a new opportunity to test quantum mechanics when they are augmented with post-selection, i.e., retaining the measurement results for only sub-ensembles that satisfy a specified final condition. This generalization, which has been developed by Yakir Aharonov and his co-workers, remains within the framework of conventional quantum mechanics, yet permits interesting generalizations. I will consider how the familiar exponential decay law of unstable quantum systems is merely the strong measurement limit of a broader class of "decay laws" that permit the observer to select a sub-ensemble of systems that have decayed by a specified final time. I derive the generalized decay law, which is open to experimental test.
Paul Davies , Director, BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University.
221 Bldg, Rm. B145. (NIST Contact: Kum Ham, 301-975-4203, kham@nist.gov)


ADVANCE NOTICE

11/6/08 10:00 AM - CHEMICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY OFFICE SEMINAR: NIST to Receive "Citation for Chemical Breakthroughs" from the American Chemical Society Division of the History of Chemistry
NIST has been selected, along with Columbia University, to receive an American Chemical Society "Citation for Chemical Breakthrough" award in recognition of the isolation of the first isotope, deuterium as described in H. C. Urey, F. G. Brickwedde, G. M. Murphy, "A Hydrogen Isotope of Mass 2". Phys. Rev. 1932, 39, 164-165. This award program, administered by the ACS Division of the History of Chemistry, honors publications, patents and books that have made breakthroughs in chemistry and the molecular sciences that have been revolutionary in concept, broad in scope, and long-term in impact.
Jeffrey Seeman , ACS Division of the History of Chemistry. David Lide , NIST SAA.
Administration Bldg, Green Auditorium. (NIST Contact: Willie May, 301-975-8300, wem@Nist.gov)
Special Assistance Available

11/7/08 10:30 AM - OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR, NIST SEMINAR: NIST/SAA Portrait Gallery Ceremony 2008
NIST staff are invited to the Standards Alumni Association's 2008 Portrait Gallery Ceremony in the Red Auditorium on Friday, November 7, 2008, at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony will honor this year's inductees to the NIST Gallery of Distinguished Scientists, Engineers and Administrators: Donald R. Johnson, James E. Hill, Hratch G. Semerjian, Daniel T. Pierce, Kurt F. J. Heinrich, Robert F. Moore, Diana Nyyssonen, Richard E. Harris, Yong-Ki Kim, John M. Martinis. Friends and former colleagues are invited to join the honorees in a breakfast reception in the Employees Lounge starting at 9:30 a.m. Visitors should contact the Alumni office, 301-975-2486, or by email at alumni@nist.gov by noon on Wednesday November 5th to obtain a pass.
. . , ..
ADMIN Bldg, Red Auditorium. (NIST Contact: Anneke Sengers, 301-975-2463, johanna.sengers@nist.gov)
Special Assistance Available

11/25/08 10:30 AM - CNST NANOFABRICATION RESEARCH GROUP SEMINAR: Broadband Optoelectronic Characterization of Individual Semiconducting Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
While single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have shown tremendous potential for electronic and energy applications, a comprehensive understanding of their electronic structure is still lacking. One crucial limitation has been the availability of broadband optical data on structurally characterized SWNTs, due in large part to the specificity of experimental techniques to a limited spectral range and subset of diameters as well as the inaccessibility of the lowest energy optical transitions (spanning the near and mid infrared) in large diameter semiconducting SWNTs. In order to address this challenge, we have developed rapid, broadband, and high-resolution spectroscopic techniques for studying both the visible and infrared electronic states on an individual SWNT. We have accomplished this using a process which combines observation of resonant enhancement in the spectra of elastic scattered supercontinuum laser light with an infrared Fourier transform photoconductivity methodology. We present our determination of the optical response over the range of 0.3 to 2.7 eV from a set of SWNTs and examine the scaling of the optical features as a function of diameter and subband index. In contrast to traditional bulk inorganic materials, we find that optical excitation in these 1D nanostructures results in moderately bound excitons under ambient conditions. As a result, the ultimate utility of these materials in energy applications, either directly or as composite materials, depends on the rapid and efficient dissociation of the excitonic state. Using results from our infrared photoconductivity measurement, we will discuss the challenges in determining the mechanisms and potential efficiencies for exciton dissociation and collection in these and other 1D materials.
Matthew Sfeir , Brookhaven National Lab.
Bldg. 217, Rm. H107. (NIST Contact: Nikolai Zhitenev, 301-975-6039, nikolai.zhitenev@nist.gov)

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MEETINGS ELSEWHERE


10/27 -- MONDAY

11:00 AM - CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON/GEOPHYSICAL LAB. SEMINAR: TURBULENT LIFESTYLE: CYANOBACTERIA ON EARTH'S SANDY BEACHES--TODAY AND 3 BILLION YEARS AGO
N. Noffke , Old Dominion Univ..
Bldg, Rm..
Greenewalt Bldg., GL-DTM Grounds, Carnegie Institution of Washington, DC. (NIST Contact: Bjorn Mysen, 202-478-8900, seminar@lists.ciw.edu)



10/28 -- TUESDAY

No Scheduled Events

10/29 -- WEDNESDAY

No Scheduled Events

10/30 -- THURSDAY

No Scheduled Events

10/31 -- FRIDAY

No Scheduled Events

ADVANCE NOTICE

No Scheduled Events

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TALKS BY NIST PERSONNEL

VORBURGER, T. : STANDARD BULLETS AND CASINGS FOR BALLISTICS INSPECTION LABORATORIES.
European Network of Forensic Science Institutes, Expert Working Group on Firearms, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 10/16.

VORBURGER, T. : THE U.S. NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE AND PROBE-BASED NANOSCALE LENGTH METROLOGY AT NIST.
Simposio de Metrologia, CENAM, Queretaro, Mexico, 10/22.

WONG-NG, W. : THERMOELECTRIC MATERIALS, STANDARDS AND METROLOGY.
George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA, 10/27.

NIKOOBAKHT, B. : DIRECTED ASSEMBLY OF NANOWIRES AND SCALING UP NANODEVICE FABRICATION..
University of Arkansas, Department of Chemistry, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 10/27.

SHEN, V. : FREE ENERGY AND STUFF VIA FLAT HISTOGRAM SAMPLING METHODS.
Physics Department/University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 10/28.

DELONGCHAMP, D. : VERTICAL PHASE DISTRIBUTIONS IN ORGANIC PHOTOVOLTAIC FILMS.
4th Global Plastic Electronics Conference, Berlin, Germany, 10/28.

BECKER, M. : THE RESBIO METHOD - USING COMBI TO YOUR ADVANTAGE IN BIOMATERIAL SCIENCE.
New Jersey Center for Biomaterials, Hyatt Regency New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA, 10/29.

CICERONE, M. : PROTEIN STABILITY IN DRY, NON-NATIVE ENVIRONMENTS – APPLICATION TO DRUG DELIVERY.
New Jersey Center for Biomaterials, Hyatt Regency New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA, 10/29.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

WANTED: MUSEUM TOUR GUIDES
Calling All History Buffs! Do you have knowledge of, and interest in, NIST history? Would you like to learn more and share that knowledge with others? The NIST Museum is seeking volunteer museum tour guides. Guides are needed to provide museum tours, on an as-needed basis, to international visitors, conference attendees, student groups, and others who visit the museum. A training session for guides will be held in November. Please contact Keith Martin (x2789, keith.martin@nist.gov) if you are interested.
NIST Contact: Keith Martin, 301-975-2789, kmartin@nist.gov

HOW CAN YOUR LAB LIAISON HELP YOU?
Watch this new video podcast and learn what NIST Labs are saying about ISD's Lab Liaisons. (4+ minutes) http://nvl-i.nist.gov/index.cfm?videos/ISD_liaisons/
NIST Contact: Information Desk, 301-975-3052, library@nist.gov

INTERACTIVE LIBRARY AND PUBLISHING NEWS
We've revamped our library and publishing newsletter to include *your thoughts, *your ideas. We're taking our news and your comments to a new interactive level where we'll be conversing and exchanging information. ISD NewsCenter will release new articles or announcements twice a week. We hope you'll bookmark the site and return to it frequently or sign up to receive alerts. http://nvl-i.nist.gov/index.cfm?isdnewscenter/
NIST Contact: Nancy Allmang, 301-975-4189, nancy.allmang@nist.gov

VISITOR REGISTRATION FOR NIST EVENTS
Because of heightened security at the NIST Gaithersburg site, members of the public who wish to attend meetings, seminars, lectures, etc. must first register in advance. For more information please call or e-mail the "NIST Contact" for the particular event you would like to attend.
NIST Contact: . ., ., .

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NIST WEB SITE ANNOUNCEMENTS

No Web Site announcements this week.

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For more information, contact Ms. Sharon Hallman, Editor, Stop 2500, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg MD 20899-2500; Telephone: 301-975-TCAL (3570); Fax: 301-926-4431; or Email: tcal@nist.gov.

All lectures and meetings are open unless otherwise stated.

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