Improvement of <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-ZnO/<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Si photodiodes by embedding of silver nanoparticles

The photo-current of n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunction photodiodes was improved by embedding Ag nanoparticles in the interface (ZnO/nano-P_Ag/p-Si), and the ratio between photo- and dark-current increased by about three orders more than that of a n-ZnO/p-Si specimen. The improvement in the photo-current resulted from the light scattering of embedded Ag nanoparticles. The I–V curve of n-ZnO/p-Si degraded after thermal treatment (A-ZnO/p-Si) because the silicon robbed the oxygen from ZnO to form amorphous silicon dioxide and left an oxygen vacancy. Notably, the properties of ZnO/nano-P_Ag/p-Si were better in the time-dependent photoresponse under 10 V bias. Ag nanoparticles (15–20 nm) scattered the UV light randomly and increased the probability for the absorption of ZnO to enhance the properties of the photodiode.     

Anisotropy of amorphous nanogranular composites CoNbTa-SiO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis></Subscript> and CoFeB-SiO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis></Subscript>

A comparative investigation of the magnetic properties of amorphous nanogranular composites (Co₄₁Fe₃₉B₂₀) _x (SiO _n )_{100 − x} and (Co₈₆Nb₁₂Ta₂) _x (SiO _n )_{100 − x} has been performed in the subpercolation region at temperatures in the range 4.2–300 K. The thermomagnetic dependences in the range 4.2–300 K and the processes of magnetization reversal and remanent magnetization relaxation at liquid-helium temperatures have been studied. It has been established that the average anisotropy constants of amorphous nanograins are equal to 3.6–7.0 kJ/m³ for the (Co₄₁Fe₃₉B₂₀) _x (SiO _n )_{100 − x} composites and 5–8 kJ/m³ for the (Co₈₆Nb₁₂Ta₂) _x (SiO _n )_{100 − x} composites. The fundamental differences in the concentration dependences of the anisotropy constant K _eff and the coercive force H _C have been revealed for the two systems under investigation. It has been demonstrated that, as the concentration of the metal phase increases, the quantities K _eff and H _C increase for the (Co₈₆Nb₁₂Ta₂) _x (SiO _n )_{100 − x} composites and decrease for the (Co₄₁Fe₃₉B₂₀) _x (SiO _n )_{100 − x} composites.     

Recent high-<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis></Subscript> results from STAR

We present selected recent results of multi-hadron correlation measurements in azimuth and pseudorapidity at intermediate and high p _T in Au+Au collisions at , from the STAR experiment at RHIC. At intermediate p _T , measurements are presented that attempt to determine the origin of the associated near-side (small Δφ) yield at large pseudo-rapidity difference Δη that is found to be present in heavy ion collisions. In addition, results are reported on new multi-hadron correlation measures at high-p _T that use di-hadron triggers and multi-hadron cluster triggers with the goal to constrain the underlying jet kinematics better than in the existing measurements of inclusive spectra and di-hadron correlations.     

Electronic structure of defective lithium cobaltites Li<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>CoO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

X-ray absorption, resonant X-ray emission, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopical methods have been applied for the study of the electronic structure of defective lithium cobaltites Li _x CoO₂ (0.6≤x≤1.0). Resonant O K α X-ray emission spectra of LiCoO₂ showed localized excitonic states due to a dd transition between occupied and unoccupied Co 3d states. On the base of measurements of Co 3s X-ray photoelectron, Co 2p, and O 1s X-ray absorption spectra, it was established that in defective cobaltites the electronic holes are localized mainly in O 2p states. An evidence of phase separation in Li _x CoO₂ has been found. It was shown that the semiconductor-to-metal transition in Li _x CoO₂ (x<0.76) at about 160 K is not accompanied by changes in the Co 3d electronic configuration which remains 3d ⁶.     

On the degeneracy of <Emphasis Type="Italic">SU</Emphasis>(3)<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis></Subscript> topological phases

The ground state degeneracy of an SU(N) _k topological phase with n quasiparticle excitations is a relevant quantity for quantum computation, condensed matter physics, and knot theory. It is an open question to find a closed formula for this degeneracy for any N >2. Here we present the problem in an explicit combinatorial way and analyze the case N = 3. While not finding a complete closed-form solution, we obtain generating functions and solve some special cases.     

X-ray spectra and specific features of the structure of lithium-sodium cobaltite Li<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Na<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">y</Emphasis></Subscript>CoO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The electronic structure and specific features of the structure of nonstoichiometric cobaltite Li _x Na _y CoO₂ (x = 0.42, y = 0.36) have been studied comprehensively. The calculated multiplet for the lowspin state of the Co³⁺ ion agrees with the experimental spectra. It has been established using X-ray absorption spectra measured in the total photoelectric effect yield and total fluorescence yield modes that the Li _x Na _y CoO₂ cobaltite is stoichiometric with respect to the alkali metal near its surface and is defective inside. It has been demonstrated that the charge compensation in the case of an alkali metal deficit in LixNayCoO₂ is due to holes in O 2p states.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">K</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">e</Emphasis>3</Subscript> decays and CKM unitarity

We present a detailed numerical study of the K_e3 decays to in chiral perturbation theory with virtual photons and leptons. We describe the extraction of the CKM matrix element |V_us| from the experimental K_e3 decay parameters. We propose a consistency check of the K ⁺ _e3 and K⁰_e3 data that is largely insensitive to the dominating theoretical uncertainties, in particular the contributions of . Our analysis is highly relevant in view of the recent high statistics measurement of the K ⁺ _e3 branching ratio by E865 at Brookhaven which does not indicate any significant deviation from CKM unitarity but rather a discrepancy with the present K⁰_e3 data.Received: 22 January 2004, Published online: 30 April 2004Work supported in part by IHP-RTN, Contract No. HPRN-CT2002-00311 (EURIDICE) and by Acciones Integradas, Project No. 19/2003 (Austria), HU2002-0044 (MCYT, Spain)     

Ab initio probing of the electronic band structure and Fermi surface of fluorine-doped WO<Subscript>3</Subscript> as a novel low-<Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">C</Emphasis></Subscript> superconductor

Ab initio calculations were performed to investigate the electronic structure and the Fermi surface of the newly discovered low-temperature superconductor: fluorine-doped WO₃. We find that F doping provides the transition of the insulating tungsten trioxide into a metallic-like phase WO_{3 − x} F _x , where the near-Fermi states are formed mainly from W 5d with admixture of O 2p orbitals. The cooperative effect of fluorine additives in WO₃ consists in change of electronic concentration as well as the lattice constant. At probing their influence on the near-Fermi states separately, the dominant role of the electronic factor for the transition of tungsten oxyfluoride into superconducting state was established. The volume of the Fermi surface gradually increases with the increase of the doping. In the sequence WO₃ → WO_2.5F_0.5 the effective atomic charges of W and O ions decrease, but much less, than it is predicted within the idealized ionic model—owing to presence of the covalent interactions W-O and W-F.     

The effect of the valence nucleons off the shells with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis> = 82 and <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis> = 126 on rotational characteristics of actinide nuclei

Our earlier results obtained for moments of inertia (M) in the case of 54 rotational level bands built on the ground state of actinide nuclei are taken for further analysis. In the current paper, resulting dynamic rotational characteristics, such as a ₀, a ₁, s ₀ and the R _4/2 parameter, are studied from the standpoint of their dependence on the valence nucleon number product N _p N _n and on the variable P = N _p N _n /(N _p + N _n ). New features of the nuclei deformation phenomenon in the actinide area arise when their dynamic rotational characteristics, mentioned above, are plotted in such a way as shown in the current work. The method of analysis presented here makes it possible to reveal nuclei with valence nucleon numbers for which the nuclear interactions are notable and those in which they are inconspicuous. E. g. when N _p N _n < 200 and P < 6 the strength of nuclear interaction gradually decreases with the increase of these variables. The strength of the nuclear interaction does not change significantly for N _p N _n > 200 and P > 6 — the rotational characteristics stabilise. Moreover, it is possible to establish the P variable as representing the effective number of interactions of each valence nucleon with those of the other type.     

Dielectron widths of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis>-, <Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis>-vector bottomonium states

The dielectron widths of Y(nS)(n = 1, …, 7) and vector decay constants are calculated using the relativistic string Hamiltonian with a universal interaction. For Y(nS) (n = 1, 2, 3) the dielectron widths and their ratios are obtained in full agreement with the latest CLEO data. For Y(10580) and Y(11020) a good agreement with experiment is reached only if the 4S-3D mixing (with a mixing angle θ = 27°± 4°) and 6S-5D mixing (with θ = 40°±5°) are taken into account. The possibility to observe higher “mixed D-wave” resonances, $ \tilde \Upsilon $ \tilde \Upsilon (n ³ D ₁) with n = 3, 4, 5 is discussed. In particular, $ \tilde \Upsilon $ \tilde \Upsilon (≈11120), originating from the pure 5³ D ₁ state, can acquire a rather large dielectron width, ∼130 eV, so that this resonance may become manifest in the e ⁺ e ⁻ experiments. On the contrary, the widths of pure D-wave states are very small, Γ _ee (n ³ D ₁)≤ 2 eV.     

Multiband tight-binding theory of disordered A<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>B<Subscript>1-</Subscript><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>C semiconductor quantum dots

Zero-dimensional nanocrystals, as obtained by chemical synthesis, offer a broad range of applications, as their spectrum and thus their excitation gap can be tailored by variation of their size. Additionally, nanocrystals of the type A _x B_{1- x} C can be realized by alloying of two pure compound semiconductor materials AC and BC, which allows for a continuous tuning of their absorption and emission spectrum with the concentration x. We use the single-particle energies and wave functions calculated from a multiband sp ³ empirical tight-binding model in combination with the configuration interaction scheme to calculate the optical properties of Cd _x Zn_{1- x} Se nanocrystals with a spherical shape. In contrast to common mean-field approaches like the virtual crystal approximation (VCA), we treat the disorder on a microscopic level by taking into account a finite number of realizations for each size and concentration. We then compare the results for the optical properties with recent experimental data and calculate the optical bowing coefficient for further sizes.     

Summary on high <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis></Subscript> probes

Results on high-p _T probes shown at the Hard Probes 2008 Conference are summarized, with an appreciation of the improvements in precision of the measurements and experimental techniques since the beginning of RHIC operation. Particular attention is given to the latest measurements of the nuclear modification factor of identified particles, photon-hadron correlation measurements, and full jet reconstruction.     

Elliptic flow and the high <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis></Subscript> ridge in Au+Au collisions

In this paper we look for correlations between intermediate p _T particle pairs and the v ₂ of the remaining low p _T particles. We find that the shape of the flow vector distribution, which is calculated from all low p _T tracks, depends in a non-trivial way on the angular separation between the high p _T particle pairs in the event. Our analysis is based on 200 GeV Au+Au collisions measured with the STAR detector.     

Effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis>-wave pairing in <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-type high-temperature superconductors with anisotropic impurity scattering

The temperature dependences of the resistivity of single-crystal films of the Nd_{2 − x} Ce _x CuO_{4 + δ} n-type superconductors with x = 0.14 (underdoped region) and x = 0.15 (optimal doping region) and different degrees of disorder δ have been investigated in various magnetic fields (B ‖ c, J ‖ ab) in the temperature range 0.4–300 K. It has been demonstrated that there are differences in the behavior of the dependences of the slope of the upper critical field $ (dB_{c2} /dT)_{T \to T_c } $ (dB_{c2} /dT)_{T \to T_c } on the disorder parameter for the underdoped samples (x = 0.14) and the samples with the optimal doping (x = 0.15). The study of the dependence of the slope of the upper critical field on the degree of disorder has made it possible to discriminate experimentally between the superconductors with the d pairing and anisotropic s pairing. It has been revealed that the relative stability of the n-type superconductor with the optimal doping with respect to disordering is possibly due to the strong anisotropy of impurity scattering with symmetry of the d type.     

The emission spectrum of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-AlGaAs/GaAsP/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-AlGaAs diodes under uniaxial compression

New experimental data are presented on the effects of uniaxial compression of up to 4 kbar along the [110] and [1$ \bar 1 $ \bar 1 0] crystallographic directions on the spectra of electroluminescence and the current-voltage characteristics of diodes based on n-Al _x Ga_{1 − x} As/GaAs _y P_{1 − y} /p-Al _x Ga_{1 − x} As (y = 0.84) heterostructures that were designed for injection lasers. With increasing pressure, the spectra show a shift to shorter wavelengths, reaching 25 meV at 3 kbar; the intensity increases 2–3 times as well. Numerical calculations were carried out on the band structure of the investigated heterostructures under compression along the [110] axis, which indicate the increase in the effective band gap in the quantum well (QW) GaAs _y P_{1 − y} , with a pressure coefficient of about 8.5 meV/kbar and reduction of the barrier height at the boundaries of the QW. The calculations predict the possibility that light and heavy holes crossover at pressures above 4.5–5 kbar. The increase in the effective band gap completely describes the experimental data on the shift of the electroluminescence spectra. The mixing of light and heavy holes when approaching the band crosspoint is the probable cause of an increase in the intensity of radiation under uniaxial compression.     

Radiative <Emphasis Type="Italic">K</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">e</Emphasis>3</Subscript> decays revisited

Motivated by recent experimental results and ongoing measurements, we review the chiral perturbation theory prediction for decays. Special emphasis is given to the stability of the inner bremsstrahlung-dominated relative branching ratio versus the K _e3 form factors, and on the separation of the structure-dependent amplitude in differential distributions over the phase space. For the structure-dependent terms, an assessment of the order p ⁶ corrections is given, in particular, a full next-to-leading order calculation of the axial component is performed. The experimental analysis of the photon energy spectrum is discussed, and other potentially useful distributions are introduced.Received: 9 December 2004, Published online: 21 February 2005PACS: 13.20.Eb, 11.30.Rd, 12.39.Fe     

Mechanism of charge transfer in <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-CdS/<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-CdTe heterojunctions

The capacitance-voltage and current-voltage characteristics of the n-CdS/p-CdTe heterosystem are investigated. Analysis of these characteristics demonstrates that the CdTe_1?x S _x solid solution formed at the n-CdS/p-CdTe heterointerface is inhomogeneous in both the conductivity and composition. The thickness of solid solutions is estimated from the capacitance-voltage characteristics. It is shown that, for the n-CdS/p-CdTe heterosystem, the current-voltage characteristic in the current density range 10^?8-10^?5 A cm^?2 is governed by the thermal electron emission, whereas the current in the heterostructure at current densities in the range 10^?4-10^?2 A cm^?2 is limited by recombination of charge carriers in the electroneutral region of the CdTe_1?x S _x solid solution. The lifetime and the diffusion length of minority charge carriers in the CdTe_1?x S _x solid solution and the surface recombination rate at the interface between the CdS layer and the CdTe_1?x S _x solid solution are determined. It is demonstrated that the n-CdS/p-CdTe heterostructure operates as a p-i-n structure in which CdTe is a p layer, CdTe_1?x S _x is an i layer, and CdS is an n layer.     

Exact Results for Topological Strings on Resolved <Emphasis Type="Italic">Y</Emphasis><Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic"> p</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">q</Emphasis></Superscript> Singularities

We obtain exact results in α′ for open and closed A-model topological string amplitudes on a large class of toric Calabi-Yau threefolds by using their correspondence with five dimensional gauge theories. The toric Calabi-Yaus that we analyze are obtained as minimal resolution of cones over Y ^p,q manifolds and give rise via M-theory compactification to SU(p) gauge theories on . As an application we present a detailed study of the local case and compute open and closed genus zero Gromov-Witten invariants of the orbifold. We also display the modular structure of the topological wave function and give predictions for higher genus amplitudes. The mirror curve in this case is the spectral curve of the relativistic A ₁ Toda chain. Our results also indicate the existence of a wider class of relativistic integrable systems associated to generic Y ^p,q geometries.     

Physical properties,crystal and magnetic structure of layered Fe<Subscript>1.11</Subscript>Te<Subscript>1-</Subscript><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Se<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> superconductors

The physical and structural properties of Fe_1.11Te and Fe_1.11Te_0.5Se_0.5 have been investigated by means of X-ray and neutron diffraction as well as physical property measurements. For the Fe_1.11Te compound, the structure distortion from a tetragonal to monoclinic phase takes place at 64 K accompanied with the onset of antiferromagnetic order upon cooling. The magnetic structure of the monoclinic phase was confirmed to be of antiferromagnetic configuration with a propagation vector k = (1/2, 0, 1/2) based on Rietveld refinement of neutron powder diffraction data. The structural/magnetic transitions are also clearly visible in magnetic, electronic and thermodynamic measurements. For superconducting Fe_1.11Te_0.5Se_0.5 compound, the superconducting transition with T _c = 13.4 K is observed in the resistivity and ac susceptibility measurements. The upper critical field H _c2 is obtained by measuring the resistivity under different magnetic fields. The Kim’s critical state model is adopted to analyze the temperature dependence of the ac susceptibility and the intergranular critical current density is calculated as a function of both field amplitude and temperature. Neutron diffraction results show that Fe_1.11Te_0.5Se_0.5 crystalizes in tetragonal structure at 300 K as in the parent compound Fe_1.11Te and no structural distortion is detected upon cooling to 2 K. However an anisotropic thermal expansion anomaly is observed around 100 K.     

Electron paramagnetic resonance of spin-variable metallomesogens [Fe<Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript>]<Emphasis Type="Italic">X</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">X</Emphasis> = PF<Subscript>6</Subscript>, SCN)

Significant differences in the manifestation of spin-crossover properties of the mesogen compounds [FeL ₂]X with oxysalicylidene-N′-ethyl-N-ethylenediamine ligands L and anions X = PF₆⁻ and SCH⁻ have been found by means of electron paramagnetic resonance. The electron paramagnetic resonance data and the quantum-chemical calculation within the density functional theory enables us to establish that the observed specific features are associated with the incorporation of the SCH⁻ ion into the first coordination sphere of the Fe(III) ion. The role of the transition of the material to the liquid-state phase in the formation of a low-dimensional (two-dimensional) structure with stronger intermolecular interactions has been revealed.