We describe the Submillimeter Array (SMA) Polarimeter, a polarization converter and feed multiplexer installed on the SMA. The polarimeter uses narrow-band quarter-wave plates to generate circular polarization sensitivity from the linearly-polarized SMA feeds. The wave plates are mounted in rotation stages under computer control so that the polarization handedness of each antenna is rapidly sel...

We consider a thin elastic sheet adhering to a stiff substrate by means of the surface tension of a thin liquid layer. Debonding is initiated by imposing a vertical displacement at the centre of the sheet and leads to the formation of a delaminated region, or ‘blister’. This experiment reveals that the perimeter of the blister takes one of three different forms depending on the vertical displac...

An optically transparent thin-layer electrochemical (OTTLE) cell with a locally extended optical path has been developed in order to perform vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy on chiral molecules prepared in specific oxidation states by means of electrochemical reduction or oxidation. The new design of the electrochemical cell successfully addresses the technical challenges invol...

Static deflection as well as free and forced nonlinear vibration of thin square plates made of hyperelastic materials are investigated. Two types of materials, namely rubber and soft biological tissues, are considered. The involved physical nonlinearities are described through the Neo-Hookean, Mooney-Rivlin, and Ogden hyperelastic laws; geometrical nonlinearities are modeled by the Novozhilov n...

A new fundamental solution of deflection for plate buckling problems is first derived through the separation of in-plane stresses into an essential part and a disturbed part and by use of the resolution theorem of differential operator. A set of new boundary element formulas for the analysis of postbuckling problems of elastic plates are presented. On the basis of these formulas, in-plane and o...

We consider a thin elastic sheet adhering to a stiff substrate by means of the surface tension of a thin liquid layer. Debonding is initiated by imposing a vertical displacement at the centre of the sheet and leads to the formation of a delaminated region, or ‘blister’. This experiment reveals that the perimeter of the blister takes one of three different forms depending on the vertical displac...

The void percolation thresholds of random oblate particles and thin plate composites are measured computationally using the lattice mapping technique and the Monte Carlo simulation scheme. Two types of spatially uncorrelated inclusions have been investigated: oblate ellipsoids and elliptical thin plates, with which the site and bond percolation systems are developed separately. The results are ...