Faceting of Σ3 and Σ9 Grain Boundaries in Copper

Faceting is a well documented phenomenon known both for surfaces and interfaces, particularly, grain boundaries (GBs). Faceting can be considered as a phase transition when the original surface or GB dissociates onto flat segments whose energy is less than that of the original surface or GB. For the investigation of GB faceting a cylindrical Cu bicrystal with an island grain was grown by the Bridgman technique. Grain 1 in this bicrystal is completely surrounded by grain 2. The dissociation 9 3 + 3 proceeds during the growth of the bicrystal. The twins appear instead of {111}₁/{115}₂ or (110)_9CSL facet. GB faceting was studied at 1293 K, 1073 K, and 873 K. The profiles of the GB thermal groove were analysed by atomic force microscopy. Wulff-Herring plots and GB phase diagrams have been constructed for the 3, 9 and 9 + 3 GBs. With increasing temperature the facets with low-density CSL-planes disappear in the GB shape. GB roughening phase transition can be responsible for this phenomenon.     

Pulsed laser deposition of non-stoichiometric silicon nitride (SiNx) thin films

Silicon nitride (SiN_x) thin films of various stoichiometries (x) were prepared on Si (100) substrates applying the Nd:YAG (=1064 nm) pulsed laser deposition (PLD) process in the shaded off-axis technique at room temperature. The specific arrangement of this technique with perpendicular target (Si) and substrate surfaces and a metallic screen in between guarantees very low particulate (droplet) deposition and, thus, excellent surface qualities. Compared to the usually used on-axis deposition technique consisting of a parallel arrangement of the target and substrate surface, the coating surface covered with particulates is about 100 times lower reaching a maximum of 0.2% on 400 nm thick films. The variation the N₂ partial pressure affects the nitrogen content and the silicon bonding structure of the films analysed by means of SIMS and XPS, respectively. As a consequence the optical properties (e.g.m refractive index) are tailorable in a wide spectral range between 250 and 1200 nm. PACS 81.15.Fg; 78.20.Ci     

Techniques for measuring initial sticking in d-t fusion

Monte Carlo simulations are used to compare experimental techniques for the direct measurement of the initial sticking coefficient _s ⁰ in muon-catalyzed d-t fusion. Three methods based on observing alpha-neutron coincidences from fusions in a low-density D₂-T₂ gas target are investigated. The experimental systems use either a surface barrier detector or a thin plastic scintillator to detect the and , and mylar windows or a thin coating of aluminium oxide to protect this detector from the tritium activity in the target.     

H2-induced changes in electrical conductance of β-Ga2O3 thin-film systems

H₂-induced changes of electrical conductivity in polycrystalline, undoped -Ga₂O₃ thin films in the temperature range of 400–650° C are described. The sheet conductance of these films depends reversibly, according to a power law p ^1/3, on the partial pressure of hydrogen in the ambient atmosphere of the Ga₂O₃ film. A bulk vacancy mechanism is excluded by experiments and it is shown that the interaction is based on a surface effect. Changes in conductance are discussed to result from the formation of an accumulation layer due to chemisorption on the grain surfaces. Typical coverages are determined to be approximately 10^–4 ML for pH₂=0.05 bar and T=600° C. A possible explanation of the p ^1/3 power law is provided.     

Study of interaction between ZrO2 (YSZ) substrates and YBa2Cu3O7−δ superconducting films

The interactions between YBa₂Cu₃O_7– superconducting films and ZrO₂ substrates with different crystal orientations were investigated. Our results show that the crystal orientation of the substrate influences the orientations of the YBa₂Cu₃O_7– crystals, whose c-axis have preferential orientations parallel to the surface of 100 ZrO₂ substrates. The copper segregation in Y-Ba-Cu-O/ZrO₂ films results from substrate reactions. Y, Ba, and Cu atoms diffusing into substrates were detected by AES and RBS techniques. A thin silver film evaporated on ZrO₂ substrate as a buffer layer effectively slows down or eliminates the substrate interactions. The strong preferential c-axis orientation perpendicular to the substrate surface has been observed in the YBa₂Cu₃O_7– /Ag/ZrO₂ samples.This work has been supported by Science Foundation of Academia Sinica     

The influence of the “hot”-dimer adsorption mechanism on the kinetics of a monomer-dimer surface reaction

Hot dimers are molecules which after adsorption dissociate and each of the remaining hot monomers fly apart up to a maximum distance R from the original adsorption site. The influence of the hot-dimer adsorption mechanism on relevant aspects of the bimolecular catalyzed reaction of the type A – (1/2)B ₂(hot) AB is studied by means of the Monte-Carlo simulation technique. The temporal evolution of both the reactant's coverages as well as the rate of AB-production is evaluated and discussed. Due to the enhanced probability of hot species for encounters with other adsorbed particles, the rate of AB-production becomes faster when increasing R. This behavior may be relevant in the dynamic of some catalyzed reactions such as for example the oxidation of carbon monoxide on transition metal surfaces, i.e. ACO, B ₂O₂, and ABCO₂. Also the sticking coefficient of hot dimers and the average distance traveled by the hot monomers are evaluated and discussed.     

Attenuation of powerful ruby laser pulses in the atmosphere by resonant absorption of water vapor

The attenuation of a ruby laser pulse at the wavelength = 6943.8å is calculated under conditions of spectroscopic saturation for a parallel beam and a diverging beam with divergence angle = 10^–5 rad. It is shown that deviation from the Bouguer law may reach 45% at a path length = 2 km for an initial power level of I₀ = 0.5I_s for the parallel beam, and 20% for I₀ = 0.25I_s for the divergent beam (I_s, saturation power).Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 7–12, February, 1978.     

Analytic study of power spectra of the tent maps near band-splitting transitions

Successive band-splitting transitions occur in the one-dimensional map x_i+1=g(x_i),i=0, 1, 2,... withg(x)=x, (0 x 1/2) –x +, (1/2 <x 1) as the parameter is changed from 2 to 1. The transition point fromN (=2ⁿ) bands to 2Nbands is given by=(2)^1/N (n=0, 1,2,...). The time-correlation function _i=x_ix₀/(x₀)²,x_i x_i–x_i is studied in terms of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the Frobenius-Perron operator of the map. It is shown that, near the transition point=2, _i–[(10–42)/17] _i,0-[(102-8)/51]_i,1 + [(7 + 42)/17](–1)ⁱe^–yi, where2(–2) is the damping constant and vanishes at=2, representing the critical slowing-down. This critical phenomenon is in strong contrast to the topologically invariant quantities, such as the Lyapunov exponent, which do not exhibit any anomaly at=2. The asymptotic expression for _i has been obtained by deriving an analytic form of _i for a sequence of which accumulates to 2 from the above. Near the transition point=(2)^1/N, the damping constant of _i fori N is given by _N=2(^N-2)/N. Numerical calculation is also carried out for arbitrary a and is shown to be consistent with the analytic results.     

Weakly Bound States in Light Hypernuclei

From the viewpoint of critical stability, we discuss the three- and four-body structure of ⁶He, ⁷He, ⁴He, and ⁴H. With the + + N three-body model, ⁶He is found to have a three-layer structure of the matter distribution: core, a skin and neutron halo. Also the level structure of ⁷He with the three-body model of ⁵He + n + n is predicted. This stimulates a new study of neutron-rich and proton-rich hypernuclei. By performing a four-body calculation with both NNN and NNN channels and with both NN and NNN channels, we show that the N-N and -N couplings are very important in critical stability of few-body hypernuclear systems.     

What determinates the chemical changes of the internal conversion coefficients for inner atomic shells?

Calculations of internal conversion coefficients (ICC) of the E1–E4 and M1–M4 transitions for nuclei in ions show that the relative changes _i / _i of the ICC _i for deep inner subshells can differ significantly from the relative changes _i/_i of the electron densities _i at the nucleus. For the K conversion _i/ _i are many times greater than _i/_i. Especially large deviations of _i/ _i are characteristic of transitions of high multipolarity; however, for the M1 transitions they can also be significant. Illustrations of various dependencies of _i/ _iare presented for the conversion in the regionZ-50.     

Cyclotron instabilities of a two-component electron plasma

A study is made of instability at frequencies close to the electron cyclotron frequency _B and its multiples, subject to the presence of two different groups of electrons. It is shown that a mixture of hot and cold electrons ( _ph ² _pc ² ) in the region of frequencies s _B, s2 can be unstable with respect to waves of the flute type (k _z=0) with maximum increment _max ( _ph/_pc). _B, if there exists an interval of transversal velocities in whichF/ >0. When the curvature of the magnetic field is taken into account, even waves with _B can be unstable in such a plasma. The effect of spatial inhomogeneity of the hot component on flute-type instability and on two-beam cyclotron instability is also examined.The author extends his thanks to A. B. Mikhajlovskij for his valuable comments and discussions.     

Reactive pulsed laser deposition and laser induced crystallization of SnO2 transparent conducting thin films

Transparent conducting SnO₂ thin films with a thickness between 1000–2000 Å were deposited on glass, quartz and silicon substrates using standard pulsed laser deposition techniques with two different targets (Sri and SnO₂) and with three different laser wavelengths (1.06, 0.532 and 0.266 ) from a Q-switched Nd: YAG laser. Tin dioxide films with optical transmission over most of the visible spectrum exceeding 80% were obtained using a Sn target and a background oxygen pressure of 20 Pa. The electrical resistivity () depended strongly on the substrate temperature during deposition, with the lowest values of of about 10^–2 -cm obtained when the substrate was maintained at 400°C during deposition. Using SnO₂ targets, predominantly amorphous phase SnO₂ films were deposited on Si substrates and then transformed into polycrystalline Sn₃O₄ by laser induced crystallization ( = 1.06 m). Whereas these later films were essentially non-conducting as deposited ( > 400 -cm), the electrical resistivity was permanently reduced after laser induced crystallization by a factor greater than 1000 to a value of approximately 4 × 10^–1 -cm.     

Determination of the Dipole Moments of the Molecules of 4′-Substituted 3-Hydroxyflavones Using the Electrooptic Absorption Method

The dipole moments in the equilibrium ground ( _g) and excited Franck–Condon states ( _e ^FC) of the molecules of 4-(methoxy)-3-hydroxyflavone (FOM), 4-(dimethylamino)-3-hydroxyflavone (FME), and 4-N-(15-azacrown-5(-3-hydroxyflavone (FCR) in 1,4-dioxane were measured. Characteristic of these probes is excited-state intramolecular proton transfer. For comparison, the dipole moments of the molecules of 4-(dimethylamino)-3-methoxyflavone (FME3ME) were measured, for which the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer is lacking. It is established that in the case of FME, FCR, and FME3ME the dipole moments _g and _e ^FC are parallel to the absorption transition dipole moment m _a responsible for absorption. Among the compounds studied, FOM has the least values of _g and _e ^FC, only 9.4·10^–30 and 26.3·10^–30 C·m, respectively. The dipole moments _g, _e ^FC and m _a are not parallel to one another, and the angles between them lie in the range 4–55°. This effect is due to FOM not having a strong electron-donating group, such as an amino group.     

Electronic structure and optical spectra of YBa2Cu3O7−δ thin films in the infrared and UV region

Optical reflectance of YBa₂Cu₃O_7- thin films grown by laser ablation is measured within photon energies of 0.1 eV to 3.5 eV at room temperature. The spectra can be fit congruently with the anisotropic dielectric constants which take account of the intraband free carrier transition and interband transition. The anisotropic plasma frequencies are simulated to be _pl=2.18 eV and _ch=2.80 eV contributed from free carriers on the plane and in the chain, respectively. The interband transition occurs near 2.5 eV and is pertinent to a rather broad line width.     

Infrared Optical Characterization of PLT Thin Films for Applications in Uncooled Infrared Detectors

Lanthanum-modified lead titanate (PLT) thin films have been grown directly on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si (100) and LaNiO₃/Si (100) substrates by a modified sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the PLT thin films are polycrystalline. The infrared optical properties of the thin films were investigated using infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry (IRSE) in the spectral range of 2.5–12.5 m. By fitting the measured ellipsometric parameter (tan and cos) data with a three phase model (air/PLT/Pt) for the PLT thin films on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si (100) and a four phase model (air/PLT/LNO/Si) for the PLT thin films on LaNiO₃/Si (100) substrates, and a derived classical dispersion relation for the thin films, the optical constants and thicknesses of the thin films have been simultaneously obtained. The refractive index and extinction coefficient of the PLT thin films on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si (100) substrates are slightly larger than those on LaNiO₃/Si (100) substrates. Given the infrared semitransparent metal of Nickel currently used, the absorption of the Ni/PLT/Pt and Ni/PLT/LNO/Si multilayer thin films in this study is very large around 3.0 m and 5.7 m wavelength range and decrease to 15% or 20% in the 8–12.5 m wavelength region.     

Electronic structure of amorphous Nb1-x Si x films studied by X-ray emission and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

We present valence band spectra of the amorphous system Nb_1–x Si _x (0.2x0.8), of bcc-Nb and of a-Si obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, Al K) and X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES, Si K-emission bands). The samples were prepared as thin films by sputtering. The origin of all prominent spectral features was identified and consistently correlated to Si 3s-, Si 3p-and Nb 4d-derived states. The Nb4d-Si3p coupling is stable in binding energy over a wide concentration range. There is strong experimental evidence that the short range order changes considerably within the concentration interval 0.4x0.7, whereas the partial density of states of the Si 3p-electrons is clearly altered in the small concentration range 0.50x0.57.     

Fock representations of the affine Lie algebraA 1 (1)

The aim of this note is to show that the affine Lie algebraA ₁ ⁽¹⁾ has a natural family _, ,v of Fock representations on the spaceC[x _i,y _j;i andj ], parametrized by (,v) C ². By corresponding the highest weight _, of _, to each (,), the parameter spaceC ₂ forms a double cover of the weight spaceC₀C –₁ with singularities at linear forms of level –2; this number is (–1)-times the dual Coxeter number. Our results contain explicit realizations of irreducible non-integrable highest wieghtA ₁ ⁽¹⁾ -modules for generic (,v).     

Logically independent von Neumann lattices

Three definitions of logical independence of two von Neumann latticesP₁,P₂ of two sub-von Neumann algebras ₁, ₂ of a von Neumann algebra are given and the relations of the definitions clarified. It is shown that under weak assumptions the following notion, called logical independence is the strongest:A B 0 for any 0 A P₁, 0 B P₂. Propositions relating logical independence ofP₁,P₂ toC ^*-independence,W ^* independence, and strict locality of ₁, ₂ are presented.     

Mechanochemical Transformations in α-Fe2O3 – ICEMS Study

Integral conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy has been used to investigate the phases and transformations which occur when -Fe₂O₃ is wet-milled in vacuum for up to 144 h. In addition to the transformation to off-stoichiometric Fe_3–x O₄ observed previously by transmission Mössbauer spectroscopy, the room temperature ICEMS spectra reveal the presence of 10–15% -Fe₂O₃ on the surfaces of particles milled for more than 24 h. Time-of-flight neutron diffraction of an -Fe₂O₃ sample wet-milled for 200 h also provides evidence of the occurrence of a small fraction (4%) of -Fe₂O₃ in the milled product. The -Fe₂O₃ is likely to occur as a surface oxide layer and does not appear to play a significant role in the mechanochemical transformation of -Fe₂O₃ to Fe_3–x O₄.     

A Boltzmann map for quantum oscillators

We define a map on the space of quasifree states of the CCR or CAR of more than one harmonic oscillator which increases entropy except at fixed points ofx. The map is the composition of a doubly stochastic map T^* and the quasifree reductionQ. Under mixing conditions onT, iterates of take any initial state to the Gibbs state, provided that the oscillator frequencies are mutually rational. We give an example of a system with three degrees of freedom with energies ₁, ₂, and ₃ mutually irrational, but obeying a relation n₁₁+n₂₂=n₃₃,n _i . The iterated Boltzmann map converges from an initial statep to independent Gibbs states of the three oscillators at betas (inverse temperatures) ₁,₂, ₃ obeying the equation n₁₁₁+n₂₂₂=n₃₃₃. The equilibrium state can be rewritten as a grand canonical state. We show that for two, three, or four fermions we can get the usual rate equations as a special case.