On the criterion of the crystal-liquid phase transition

A localization criterion is proposed for the crystal-liquid phase transition (PT). According to this criterion, the PT begins when the E _d/k _b T ratio reaches a boundary value E _d(s)/k _b T _m such that a solid phase is present above it and a liquid phase is present below it in a phase diagram. Here, E _d is the energy of atom delocalization, k _b is the Boltzmann constant, T is the temperature, and E _d(s) is the delocalization energy for a solid phase at melting point T _m. This criterion is shown to generalize the Lindemann criterion of melting to the case of crystallization and the Löven criterion of crystallization to the case of melting. This localization criterion is found to be applicable for both normally melting substances and substances that melt with a decrease in the specific volume upon the transition into a liquid phase. The relation of the localization criterion to the vacancy and diffusional criteria of the crystal-liquid PT has been studied. The inequality T _N < T _m, where T _N is the temperature of the onset of crystallization, is explained using the localization criterion. The calculated values of the T _N /T _m ratio coincide well with the experimental estimates. The maximum value of T _N /T _m is likely to be most probable in crystals with a bcc structure and a small value of the Grüneisen parameter. The T _N /T _m ratio is analyzed at the points in the PT where no change in the specific volume occurs and an entropy jump is nonzero.     

Negative-ion formation from surface scattering at finite temperatures

Temperature effects on negative-ion formation in positive-ion-surface scattering are studied within the framework of the time-dependent Anderson-Newns model. It is shown that the negative-ion formation is significantly enhanced at finite temperature T, provided k_BT is not less than the Anderson correlation energy U, where k_B is the Boltzmann constant. In the transient region (femtosecond timescale), temperature effects are, however, masked by large energy fluctuations.     

Anomaly in the lattice partition function

The lattice partition function Z(T)=σ_(Si) exp(−H/k_BT), where H, k_B and T are the Hamiltonian of the system, the Boltzmann constant and the absolute temperature, respectively, leads to a vanishing spontaneous magnetisation for all temperatures, independently of the lattice considered. This feature is related to the symmetry breaking in these systems. In comparing this relation to the well-known partition function Z(T)=σ_n exp(−E_n/k_BT) where E_n is energy, we observe an incompatibility which could be the reason that this partition function leads to a vanishing spontaneous magnetisation.     

Surface energy of liquid metals at the melting temperature related to bulk liquid structure

The product σχ_Tm of surface energy σ and isothermal compressibility σχ_Tm for liquid metals at the melting temperature T_m yields a length l ranging from about 0.2 to 0.5 Å over the entire range of liquid metals. The variation of l, which has been related brfore to the thickness of the liquid-vapour interface, is shown to be accurately represented by , where the constant c is determined empirically, K_B and N being the Boltzmann factor and Avogadro's number respectively, and S_Tm(0) the bulk liquid structure factor in the long wavelength limit at the melting temperature. A microscopic interpretation of l is proposed.     

Photoemission study of electronic structure evolution across the metal-insulator transition of heavily B-doped diamond

We studied the electronic structure evolution of heavily B-doped diamond films across the metal-insulator transition (MIT) using ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS). From high-temperature UPS, through which electronic states near the Fermi level (E_F) up to ∼5k_BT can be observed (k_B is the Boltzmann constant and T the temperature), we observed the carrier concentration dependence of spectral shapes near E_F. Using another carrier concentration dependent UPS, we found that the change in energy position of sp-band of the diamond valence band, which corresponds to the shift of E_F, can be explained by the degenerate semiconductor model, indicating that the diamond valence band is responsible for the metallic states for samples with concentrations above MIT. We discuss a possible electronic structure evolution across MIT.     

Aggregation of colloidal particles with a finite interparticle attraction energy

Aggregation of colloidal particles with a finite attraction energy was investigated with computer simulations and with gold particles coated with a surfactant. Computer simulations were carried out with the Shih-Aksay-Kikuchi (SAK) model, which incorporates a finite nearest-neighbor attraction energy-E into the diffusion-limited-cluster-aggregation (DLCA) model. Both the computer simulations and the experiments showed that (i) with a finite interparticle attraction energy, aggregates can still remain fractal, and (ii) the fractal dimension remains unchanged at large interparticle attraction energies and increases when the interparticle attraction energy is smaller than 4k _B T whereT is the temperature andK _B is the Boltzmann constant. The agreement between the simulations and the experimental results suggests that the reversible aggregation process in a colloidal system can be represented by the SAK model.     

Elastic,piezoelectric and dielectric properties of ZnO and CdS single crystals in a wide range of temperatures

A complete set of elastic, piezoelectric and dielectric constants of ZnO and CdS at room temperature was determined by the method of resonance-antiresonance. Elastic constants s^E₁₁, s^E₁₂, s^E₅₅, c^D₃₃, c^D₅₅, coefficients of electromechanical couplingk₃₁, k₁₅, k_t and dielectric constants ε^T₁₁, ε^T₃₃ of ZnO single crystals were determined in the temperature range 4.2–800 K. Elastic constants s^E₁₁, s^E₁₂, s^D₃₃, s^E₅₅, s^D₃₃, s^D₅₅, coefficients of electromechanical coupling k₃₁, k₃₃, k₁₅, k_t and dielectric constants ε^T₁₁, ε^T₃₃ of CdS single crystals were determined in the temperature range 4.2–300 K.     

A theorem for dissociation energy and binding energy of biexcitons in the isotropic model of a semiconductor

A theorem is proved for the dissociation energy W and the binding energy E_b of biexcitons in the isotropic model of a semiconductor. The theorem determines the upper limits of the values W and E_b for the given mass ratio $\text{m}{}^1{}_{\mathrm{e}}\text{m}{}^1{}_{\mathrm{h}}$.     

Diffusion activation energy versus the favourable energy in two-order-parameter model:A molecular dynamics study of liquid Al

In the present work, we find that both diffusion activation energy E_a(D) and E_a(S^ex) increase linearly with pressure and have the same slope (0.022±0.001 eV/GPa) for liquid Al. The temperature and pressure dependence of excess entropy is well fitted by the expression -S^ex(T,P)/k_B=a(P)+b(P)T+c(P)exp(E_f/k_BT), which together with the small ratio of E_f/k_BT leads to the relationship of excess entropy to temperature and pressure, i.e. S^ex≈-cE_f/T, where c is about 12 and E_f (=Δ E-PΔV) is the favourable energy. Therefore, there exists a simple relation between E_a(S^ex) and E_f, i.e. E_a(S^ex)≈cE_f.     

Universal temperature corrections to the free energy for the gravitational field

The temperature correction to the free energy of the gravitational field is considered which does not depend on the Planck energy physics. The leading correction may be interpreted in terms of the temperature-dependent effective gravitational constant G_eff. The temperature correction to appears to be valid for all temperatures T?E_Planck. It is universal since it is determined only by the number of fermionic and bosonic fields with masses m?T, does not contain the Planck energy scale E_Planck which determines the gravitational constant at T=0, and does not depend on whether or not the gravitational field obeys the Einstein equations. That is why this universal modification of the free energy for gravitational field can be used to study thermodynamics of quantum systems in condensed matter (such as quantum liquids superfluid ³He and ⁴He), where the effective gravity emerging for fermionic and/or bosonic quasiparticles in the low-energy corner is quite different from the Einstein gravity.     

Valence inhomogeneities in intermediate-valent Eu compounds

In each of the intermediate valent compounds EuNi₂P₂, EuPd₂Si₂, and EuPd₆B₄, the line width of the ¹⁵¹Eu-Mössbauer resonance attains a maximum when its isomer shift varies most strongly with temperature. We associate this anomalous line broadening with a distribution of the local Eu valence, which may be described by an inhomogeneous width, Δ, of the interconfigurational excitation energy, E_exc, in addition to the homogeneous fluctuation width, k_BT_f. Applying this model to the analysis of isomer shift, line width, and magnetic susceptibility, the model parameters Δ, E_exc, and k_BT_f are obtained. Δ is found to attain maximal values at temperatures where E_exc varies most steeply with temperature.     

Superconductivity in W5SiB2 with the T2-phase structure studied by the specific heat measurement and band structure calculation

The superconducting state of W₅SiB₂ with the T₂-phase structure has been investigated by a specific heat measurement and a density of state calculation. The estimated ΔC_p/γT_c and 2Δ(0)/k_BT_c values are 1.49 and 3.32, which are close to 1.43 and 3.53 within the weak coupling regime. The electronic specific heat data clearly indicates the absence of gap nodes in the superconducting order parameter, suggesting an isotropic s-wave superconductor. From the density of state calculations, we found that W d-orbital plays an important role for the superconductivity in W₅SiB₂.     

Survival of Virus Particles in Water Droplets: Hydrophobic Forces and Landauer’s Principle

Many small biological objects, such as viruses, survive in a water environment and cannot remain active in dry air without condensation of water vapor. From a physical point of view, these objects belong to the mesoscale, where small thermal fluctuations with the characteristic kinetic energy of k_BT (where k_B is the Boltzmann’s constant and T is the absolute temperature) play a significant role. The self-assembly of viruses, including protein folding and the formation of a protein capsid and lipid bilayer membrane, is controlled by hydrophobic forces (i.e., the repulsing forces between hydrophobic particles and regions of molecules) in a water environment. Hydrophobic forces are entropic, and they are driven by a system’s tendency to attain the maximum disordered state. On the other hand, in information systems, entropic forces are responsible for erasing information, if the energy barrier between two states of a switch is on the order of k_BT, which is referred to as Landauer’s principle. We treated hydrophobic interactions responsible for the self-assembly of viruses as an information-processing mechanism. We further showed a similarity of these submicron-scale processes with the self-assembly in colloidal crystals, droplet clusters, and liquid marbles.     

Theory of drift step-recovery diodes

A theory of drift step-recovery diodes as current interrupters in inductive-storage generators is elaborated. The theory includes the nonlinear dependence of the base resistance and barrier capacitance on the current passing through the diodes. Simple relationships are obtained for the diode parameters (the thickness and doping level of the base, the charge of nonequilibrium holes extracted from the base for the time T _B of high-reverse-conductivity phase, and the surface area and number m of series-connected diodes) and parameters of the loop (the capacitance and inductance of the energy storage and the initial voltage U C ₀ across the capacitance) that provide the generation of a voltage pulse with a desired rise time t _B and amplitude U _m on the load. For a given diode efficiency k, the maximal values of the overvoltage factor U _m/U C ₀ and pulse sharpening coefficient T _B/t _B are shown to depend on a factor proportional to

Breakdown of renormalizability in the Kondo problem in the high-temperature expansion of the free energy

It is shown that there are two energy scales in the Kondo problem: T _k and T ₀, one of which (T _k) is exponentially small in the coupling constant g. The second scale T ₀is proportional to the squared coupling constant. Perturbation theory is valid only in the region T? T ₀. The point T ₀ is apparently the crossover from weak to strong coupling. The first indications of the breakdown of the hypothesis of only one energy scale in the Kondo problem appear in fourth order of perturbation theory.     

Exact Fermi energy,susceptibilities, and their singularities for an electron gas in a uniform magnetic field at T = 0 °K

Exact analysis is presented to derive the magnetic response functions and their singularities of free-electron gas in a uniform magnetic field of arbitrary strength at T = 0 °K. The newly defined functions, Λ_μ(s) = ∑₀^[s])(s ? n)^μ of $\text{μ =}\text{?1}\text{2}\text{,}\text{1}\text{2}\text{,}\text{3}\text{2}$, are employed to obtain the Fermi energy, magnetization, and susceptibility as functions of B. It is revealed that the spin susceptibility is composed of two parts, χ_s1 and χ_s2, where χ_s2 is purely oscillatory diamagnetic. A graphical method of finding the Fermi energy ?_F(B) as a function of B has been obtained. The system is shown to become totally one-dimensional electron gas in the field B greater than $\text{B}{}_{\mathrm{\downarrow }}\text{= (2ηn)}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>2</mtext><mtext>3</mtext>}}$ and the total energy satisfies $\text{E}{}_{\mathrm{t}}\text{=}\text{1}\text{3}\text{?}{}_{\mathrm{F}}\text{(B)N}$. The obvious extension of the present theory to the Bloch electrons on the ellipsoidal constant energy surface is also discussed.     

Measurements of scintillation efficiency and pulse shape for low energy recoils in liquid xenon

Results of observations of low energy nuclear and electron recoil events in liquid xenon scintillator detectors are given. The relative scintillation efficiency for nuclear recoils is 0.22±0.01 in the recoil energy range 40–70 keV. Under the assumption of a single dominant decay component to the scintillation pulse shape the log-normal mean parameter T₀ of the maximum likelihood estimator of the decay time constant for 6 keV <E_ee<30 keV nuclear recoil events is equal to 21.0±0.5 ns. It is observed that for electron recoils T₀ rises slowly with energy, having a value ∼30 ns at E_ee∼15 keV. Electron and nuclear recoil pulse shapes are found to be well fitted by single exponential functions although some evidence is found for a double exponential form for the nuclear recoil pulse shape.     

Size-dependent energy scales in the ideal fermi gas

Abstract

The simplest model for the electronic properties of small metal particles is an ideal Fermi gas confined to a finite volume. When the confining region of size L has a regular shape such as a sphere or a cube, there are two distinct scales of energy which characterize the spectrum of eigenvalues near the Fermi energy E_F ≡ ?² k ² _f/2m. The inner scale δ ～ E_F /(k_FL)² is the mean spacing between successive energy levels, while the outer energy scale Δ ～ E_F /(k_FL) describes clustering of several levels, or shell structure. Consequences for the behaviour of thermodynamic properties are investigated. There are three regimes of temperature T: normal metallic (T > Δ), shell-metallic (δ < T < Δ) and semiconductor-like (T < δ). Finally, if the shape of a hard-walled container is allowed to vary so as to minimize the energy, it is argued that the optimal shape fluctuates between spherical and distorted as L is changed.     

Urfermionen im kubischen Gitter mit acht Punktlagen

Space is a cubic lattice of points with eight positions in each cell. — This proposition leads, in the limit of an infinite number of points and a vanishing lattice constant, to a Lorentz invariant Schrödingerian for motion if we assume, that only one kind of urfermions exists, and that transitions are possible only to next neighbours. Best adapted to the lattice is an interaction operator which is essentiallyHeisenberg's. In HF-approximation we derive the equations for the masses of quasi particles in the liquid of urfermions. In the now proposed lattice the masses are finite, if and only if the same is true for the interaction constant. We obtain the energyE=±√k ²+m ² and the massm=2.757W even in the limit. It is easy to see, why now we need only a finite value ofW.