Diffraction reflection of a focused X-ray wave by a multilayer crystal

The Bragg diffraction of a narrow X-ray beam in a multilayer crystal is studied in the reflection geometry. It is shown by computer simulation of the experiment that strong integrated kinematic reflection occurs at any boundary of a multilayer crystal at the point of intersection of a narrow beam with the boundary. In contrast to the dynamic diffraction of a plane wave, attenuation of a narrow incident beam due to the reflection is small in comparison with the conventional absorption. As an example of a multilayer crystal, a Fabry-Perot interferometer is considered, which consists of two 70-μm-thick crystal Si layers separated by a 100-μm-thick air layer. The 12 4 0 reflection is studied at a photon energy of 15 keV. Three methods of formation of a narrow beam are considered: wavefront limitation by a slit, focusing with a parabolic lens, and focusing with a zone plate. It is shown that, for a local analysis of the thickness of layers and scattering parameters, the method of parabolic lens focusing has some advantages in comparison with the other methods.     

Mechanical properties of a TAS fiber: a preliminary study

The mechanical properties, including elastic moduli, hardness, fracture toughness and tensile strength of a glass fiber in the Te-As-Se system (TAS) were studied. The values for the hardness (1.4 GPa) and the fracture toughness (0.18 MPa √m) show that this glass is both soft and brittle in comparison to glasses from other systems. However, indentation measurements should be interpreted with caution due to an indentation creep phenomenon and to a delayed fracture process. In addition, the effect of treatments in air (relative humidity about 60%) at different temperatures below T_g were investigated. The main result of this study is that the studied TAS glass is sensitive to the presence of humidity, and aging treatments have a pronounced detrimental effect on the strength of the uncoated fibers.     

Tuning of a Dye Laser By a Liquid Crystal†

We describe how a cholesteric liquid crystal device can be used in a laser cavity to induce tuning of the laser line. Tuning of the order of 10Å is obtained by applying low voltages to the liquid crystals film. The problems, the advantages and the feasibility of the method is discussed, reporting several experimental data.     

Grazing-incidence dynamic X-ray diffraction from a crystal with a shaped surface

The dynamic grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction from a crystal with a shaped surface in the form of one-dimensional submicron grating has been investigated. The interaction between the specularly reflected and diffracted waves and grating harmonics is taken into account for noncoplanar diffraction under the conditions of total external reflection. It is shown that this approximation exhibits good convergence in the number of harmonics taken into account. The influence of the angular divergence of the incident beam on the rocking-curve shape is shown.     

Change in the state of a ferroelectric in a strong electromagnetic wave

Results of investigations of changes in the state of a ferroelectric crystal, through which an intense electromagnetic-energy flux is transmitted, are analyzed. It is found that the main parameters determining the phase transition change significantly in this case. In addition, some phenomena develop which are characteristic only of open thermodynamic systems (self-assembling dissipative structures arise). These phenomena manifest themselves upon generation of the second optical harmonic in crystals where natural matching is absent.     

Simulation of mass transfer in a kinetic experiment based on migration of flat layers of a solution in a melt in a temperature gradient field

Mass transfer upon migration of flat liquid layers of a solution in a melt under conditions of slow change in the average temperature at a constant rate has been analyzed for the dislocation and nucleation mechanisms of interface processes. It is shown that the experimental data on the dependence of the migration rate of flat layers on their thickness can be adequately described within the theory developed for strictly steady thermal conditions. A technique is proposed for determining the overall limitations on the mass transfer at interfaces and the migration rate in the diffusion mode from the experimental results obtained in a mixed migration mode.

     

Analysis of a random system of dislocations in a deformed crystal

Structure of deformed crystals is modeled by dislocation loops of random size nonuniformly randomly distributed in natural slip planes. This model is used to determine structure parameters from the harmonics of the diffraction line of a polycrystal. Practical analysis of the dislocation structure under real conditions of the diffraction experiment is performed.     

Phase transformation in a linear polycrystal with a rate law of n-th order

A phase transformation in a one component polycrystal starts to grow instantaneously and with a constant rate from the grain boundaries. After the time t there exist regions of the old and of the new phase. The derivation of the statistical quantities characterizing this state at t is unknown yet. Therefore we reduce this complicate three-dimensional problem to a one-dimensional model analogously to the linear chain in lattice dynamics or to the one-dimensional energy band model. A closed analytical treatment of this model is practicable. It is derived in detail for those one-dimensional systems, which transform according to a rate law of n-th order (n ≧ 0).     

Load relaxation of a flat rigid circular indenter on a gel half space

When a saturated elastic gel is suddenly indented to a fixed displacement, δ, by a flat circular rigid indenter, the solvent cannot escape immediately, this gives rise to a pressure gradient in the solvent and the solvent flows until the pressure in it goes to zero everywhere, and all the stresses are transferred to the elastic network. This load transfer process causes, the indenter load, F, to decrease with time t, with a characteristic time constant, τ, which is given by a²/D_c, where D_c is the cooperative diffusion coefficient and a is the radius of the circular punch. This load relaxation behavior can be used to extract the elastic moduli and the cooperative diffusion coefficient of the gel. A detailed finite element analysis shows the load relaxation as a function of normalized time (t/τ) and how it depends on the shear modulus G and the Poisson’s ratio ν of the drained gel. Using this result, we found that the energy release rate available for detaching the punch in a pull-off test can be estimated. It is found that the energy release rate decreases with time for a fixed displacement.     

Application of a conproportionation reaction to a synthesis of shape-controlled gold nanoparticles

Synthesis of gold nanoparticles with multiple shapes by a modified seeding growth method is reported. The optical extinction spectra of a mixture of the seed and growth solutions indicate that the seed particle size decreases during stirring the mixture by a conproportionation reaction of Au metal with Au(III) ions. This conproportionation reaction is used to investigate the effects of variation in seed particle size on the resultant gold nanoparticle shape. When single crystalline and multiply twinned particles are used as the seed particles, they grow into gold nanorods and nanobipyramids, respectively. By letting the seed particles experience the conproportionation reaction before the particle growth to decrease the size, the surface of resultant nanoparticles roughens. Increasing the conproportionation reaction time up to 5 min, multi-branched gold nanoparticles with many lattice defects grow from both of the seed particles. This indicates that the conproportionation reaction is useful to generate lattice defects during the particle growth, which lead to the formation of gold nanoparticles with complex shapes.     

Numerical simulation of a low- and a high-electric-field photocurrent decay in a-Si:H

We report a numerical simulation of the photocurrent decay (PCD), from the steady state, in two different structure configurations based on the a-Si:H. The standard DOS of the a-Si:H is used. The high-electric-field PCD is considered in a structure configuration based on a metal/a-Si:H junction. Poisson’s and the two continuity equations are numerically solved in a one-dimensional space to calculate the current density. Two different boundary conditions of the a-Si:H film are considered. The low electric field PCD, which may occurs in a coplanar configuration, is calculated from the solution of a system of two non linear coupled rate equations which govern the free carriers concentrations and the different charges on the localized states in the gap. The calculated PCD versus time curves, for the two configurations, show a shoulder around 1 μs which separate two main regions. We can see that the initial current decay is dominated by the electron emission from the conduction-band tail and the recombination via the dangling bonds states. The second current decay is mainly due to the electrons emission from the dangling bonds. We show also that the PCD curve tends towards the PCD of the coplanar configuration when the electric field decreases.     

Hair growth at a solid-liquid interface as a protein crystal without cell division

Concentrations of elements in single hair samples were evaluated by X-ray fluorescence by scanning with a narrow beam in the growth direction. Zn binds to the hair protein molecules, and is distributed uniformly from hair tip to root bulb by steady-state growth. To avoid the effect of thickness variation for the bulb, the hair elements were evaluated as the amount per protein molecule using the hair [Zn], resulting in the fault-bounded [S] change typical for a solid–liquid interface; the papilla is in a liquid state and the segregation of elements occurs so as to maintain the amount of shaft element equal to the element inflow into the papilla from the blood, leading to the relationship between hair and blood concentrations. The diffusion boundary layer of S segregation in the bulb gives the diffusion coefficient of D～1 × 10^?8 cm²/s. The liquid papilla during hair growth solidifies with temperature decrease with the formation of the hair specimen, and the results for solidified papilla are different from the state during growth. It is proposed that the serum protein supplied into dermal papilla changes into precursor keratin molecules, and then into insolvable keratin in the hair matrix cells, i.e., hair makes “protein-melt growth.” The pulsed or stepwise variations of [Ca] and [Sr] occur due to the ion channel gating of matrix cells; such variations can never be expected for the cell division growth as deduced from the solidified papilla. The hair growth reflects the status of ion channels and pumping only possible because of the solid–liquid growth interface driven by the gradient in chemical potential nearly perpendicular to the skin surface. Thus, a hair root is a solid–liquid system for hair formation from serum protein.     

The impurity ion off-center behavior induced by a localized vibronic Frenkel exciton in a soft-mode crystal

The 3d-4p Frenkel exciton localized at a Mn⁴⁺ impurity ion in BaTiO₃ is considered. The electron and hole of this exciton are correlated, degenerate, and involved in the pair Jahn-Teller effect. Such an exciton is characterized by the significant contribution of indirect electron-hole attraction through lattice (in particular, soft) vibrations to the coupling energy, which is comparable with the Coulomb attraction. Thus, the exciton under consideration is both Coulomb and vibronic excitation. The vibronic contribution increases when approaching the point of soft phonon condensation. It is shown that a vibronic Frenkel exciton allows the off-center behavior of an impurity ion, which is significantly enhanced when approaching the point of soft phonon condensation. As a result, the vibronic Frenkel exciton is a low-lying excitation.

     

Domain structure of a planar layer of a nematic liquid crystal in oscillating Couette flow

The spatially periodic structure arising in a planar layer of a nematic liquid crystal in oscillating Couette flow is described theoretically. The analysis of this effect is based on the hydrodynamic equations for nematic liquid crystals, from which a self-consistent system of equations is singled out for perturbations of hydrodynamic variables. It is shown that the structure and threshold parameters of the effect depend on the oscillation frequency and the layer thickness through the scaling combination ωh ². The dependence of the configuration of distortions on the viscosity α₃ is analyzed.     

A Binary System of a Swallow-Tailed and a Double Swallow-Tailed Compound

The geometrical anisotropy in the shape of swallow-tailed ST liquid crystalline molecules results in an extremely strong tendency of an antiparallel order in the short range. Dielectric measurements on a binary system of a ST and a double ST compound show that even at a mole fraction of 0.5 this effect can be observed. The strong deviations from the statistical distribution of the directions of the molecular long axis is caused by the asymmetric repulsive forces and the dipole-dipole interaction.     

Comparative Study of Mixed Monolayers of a Calixarene with a Fatty Acid and a Non-Amphiphilic Nematic Liquid Crystal

Abstract

Many nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) lack a polar headgroup and thus are not able to form stable monolayers at the air/water (a/w) interface. A way to obtain monomolecular films of these compounds is to incorporate them into host monolayers of amphiphilic molecules. We report a comparative investigation of mixed films of Calix[4]resorcinarene O-octacarboxymethylated (CRO) with the non-amphiphilic NLC MBBA and with the amphiphilic stearic acid (SA). The comparative study is useful for a better understanding of the characteristics of the CRO-MBBA mixed films. Surface-pressure and surface-potential measurements on the monolayers at a/w interface, as well as ellipsometric and spectroscopic measurements on transferred Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films, confirm that MBBA is additively incorporated into CRO films.     

Bulk polaritons in a biaxial crystal at the interface with a perfect metal

The orientation of the plane where the tangential electric field component becomes zero is indicated for any plane bulk electromagnetic wave propagating in an infinite transparent medium of arbitrary anisotropy. Thus, the existence of this wave (bulk polariton) in this plane (interface with an ideal conductor) is ensured. The characteristics of such polaritons of two independent branches with coinciding wave normals (isonormal polaritons) or Poynting vector directions (isoray polaritons) are compared.     

Isopimpinellin,a furanocoumarin

Isopimpinellin (5,8-dimethoxypsoralen), C₁₃H₁₀O₅, is a furanocoumarin isolated from the leaves and stems ofA pium australe Thouars. (Umbelliferae) collected near Concepción, Chile. Extracts of the plant show activity against P-388 lymphocytic leukemia. Isopimpinellin is a pale yellow crystalline compound belonging to the monoclinic space groupP2₁/n with cell dimensionsa = 17.561(3),b = 4.3682(5),c = 17.143 Å, and = 122.97(1) °. Data were collected on an automatic diffractometer and the structure was solved by direct methods. The model was refined anisotropically to anR value of 0.046 using all 2123 measured reflections. The furanocoumarin system is nearly planar, with the lactone ring and the furan ring making angles of 1.8 ° with the central phenyl ring. The methoxyl methyl group at the heteroatom end of the molecule is out of the molecular plane whereas the otter methoxy methyl lies in the plane.FASTBIOS contribution number 37.     

Simplified version of calculation of the composition distribution along a single crystal of a binary solid solution obtained by pulling from a feeding melt

The possibility of obtaining single crystals of binary solid solutions exhibiting strong segregation upon crystallization by pulling from a feeding melt with the use of a crucible shaped as a truncated cone and a feeding ingot of complex shape is shown. The composition distribution along the crystal length is found by solving the continuity equation for the second component flux under certain initial and boundary conditions. It is shown that single crystals can be obtained in which the second-component concentration in the stationary mode exceeds the corresponding value in the feeding ingot. The method developed is applied to Ge-Si solid solutions.     

Generation of structures of molecular crystals with two molecules related by a twofold axis or a plane of symmetry in a primitive unit cell

Within the method of discrete modeling of packings, an algorithm of generation of possible structures of molecular crystals with two molecules of known shape in the primitive unit cell, related by a twofold (screw or rotary) axis or a plane of mirror or glide reflection symmetry, is proposed. The algorithm is based on the approximation of molecules by polycubes (geometric figures composed of identical cubes) and calculation of all possible periodic packings of these polycubes with a specified packing factor. On the basis of this algorithm, a software package for personal computers is developed. Examples of approval of this package for several crystal structures, identified previously by X-ray diffraction analysis, are reported.