Stationary soliton on a charged surface of liquid helium and hydrogen films

A change in the shape of a charged surface of liquid hydrogen and helium — the formation of a solitary wave (a positively charged hump for hydrogen and a negatively charged dimple for helium)-is observed in an electric field exceeding a critical value under conditions of total compensation of the applied field by the surface charge. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 7, 547–552 (10 April 1997)     

Negative Ca− and Ba− ions of large radius on the surface and in the volume of liquid helium

Negative Ca⁻ and Ba⁻ ions of large radii on the surface of and in bulk liquid helium have been studied. Our results indicate that these ions are adsorbed on the helium surface. Ions on free liquid helium surfaces have not been studied previously because it was thought impossible to confine them on the surface. Ca⁻ and Ba⁻ ions have very low binding energies, therefore, like electrons, they form a bubble of large radius in bulk helium, whose energy is higher than on the surface. The behavior of ions on the surface exhibits a number of previously unknown features owing to their large masses and strong localization in the horizontal plane. Even in the absence of confining electric field, a hole is formed under an ion due to the polarization attraction between the liquid helium and the charged ion. This hole formation reduces the ion mobility by several orders of magnitude and increases its effective mass severalfold. The critical density of electrons and ions is approximately the same on the surfaces of thin and thick helium films. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 593–604 (February 1999)     

Aharonov-Bohm effect for electrons on a liquid-helium surface

A method for obtaining finite electronic systems on a liquid-helium surface is proposed. If a thin film of liquid helium lies above a bottom capacitor plate made in the form of metal rings connected with one another, then electrons will accumulate in potential troughs near these rings. The purity of the helium surface, i.e., the absence of impurities and pinning centers on it, affords an excellent opportunity for investigating the Aharonov-Bohm effect in an ideal ring of a Wigner crystal and a Luttinger liquid Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 6, 410–414 (25 March 1998)     

Electron-filling kinetics of 2D states on a helium film

The details of charging a free liquid-helium surface with electrons are discussed. It is shown that the thickness of the helium film varies during this process and gradually decreases under the action of electron pressure on the helium surface. In turn, the pressure depends on the film thickness. Hence, the self-consistent kinetic problem arises with characteristic relaxation time τ mainly of hydrodynamic origin (viscous adjustment of the film thickness to the variable electron pressure). The value of τ is quite sensitive to the film thickness d (τ∝d³). In the most representative interval 10^?1 cm>d>10^?4 cm, τ varies in the range 10^?3s≤τ≤10⁺⁸ s. The situation is most intriguing in the vicinity of the critical point (at the critical point, the charged helium film becomes unstable). As it is approached, τ increases to infinity.     

Double ionization of atoms by multiply charged ions and a strong electromagnetic field: Effects of correlation in the continuum

A nonstationary theory of double ionization of two-electron atoms in collisions with multiply charged ions or by an intense electromagnetic field is developed. An approach that permits investigating both problems by a single method is formulated. A two-electron continuum wave function that takes into account the interaction of the electrons with the atomic nucleus and the external ionizer as well as with one another is obtained as a product of Coulomb waves with modified Sommerfeld parameters. The computational results obtained for the double ionization of helium atoms by multiply charged ions are in good quantitative agreement with the existing experimental data. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 66, No. 1, 23–26 (10 July 1997)     

On the state of supersaturation of a 2D electron system on a liquid-helium surface

The reasons why supersaturated states appear for a 2D electron system on a liquid-helium surface and the possibility of stationary existence of such states are discussed. The main characteristics of a 2D electron system on helium under stationary saturation conditions are calculated. It is shown that the well-known saturation state for electrons above helium is one of a continuum of supersaturated states. The experimental possibilities for observing and identifying supersaturated states for electrons on a helium surface are noted. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 70, No. 4, 274–278 (25 August 1999)     

Cross sections for single and double ionization of atomic helium under impact by fast multiply charged ions

Expressions for the cross sections for single and double ionization of atomic helium in collisions with fast multiply charged ions are obtained in the collision parameter range υ ²≫Z≳υ, υ ₀<c, where Z and υ are, respectively, the ion charge and ion velocity, υ ₀ is the characteristic velocity of electrons in the atomic helium ground state, and c is the velocity of light. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 1–7 (March 1998)     

Charged cores in ionized He clusters

Experimental and theoretical studies in large ionic helium clusters have suggested the presence of a diatomic (and occasionally triatomic) charged molecular core surrounded by the other atoms which are bound to it by weaker interactions [1-3]. The understanding of the interactions between the system He ₂ ⁺ and an additional He atom of the cluster is therefore important in order to start modelling the full cluster interaction potential. In the present work we carry out a new set of calculations on the full potential and on the bound states supported by the He ₂ ⁺ isolated ion and further extend them to generate a Rigid Rotor (RR) potential energy surface (PES) for the triatomic system with He ₂ ⁺ kept at its equilibrium geometry (2.0 a.u.). The 13 bound states which were found and the overall angular anisotropy that exists for this Potential Energy Surface (PES) are discussed in detail. We additionally show results of calculations on the surface vibrational extension to nine different values of the He ₂ ⁺ interatomic distance, thereby generating a fuller, three-dimensional interaction potential. A simpler modelling of the latter via “Pseudo Rigid Rotor” calculations for the bound states with a vibrationally excited core is also presented and discussed.     

Ionization of hydrogen and helium atoms by highly charged fast ions in collisions with small momentum transfer

Ionization of hydrogen and helium atoms is studied for the case of “soft” collisions with highly charged fast ions with v≲Z≪v² and v≫v ₀, where Z is the ion charge, v is the collision velocity, and v ₀∼1 is the characteristic velocity of the electron in the ground state of the atom. Analytical expressions are derived for the singly and doubly differential cross section for ionization of a hydrogen atom accompanied by the ejection of a slow electron v _e≲v ₀, where v _e is the velocity of the ejected electron with respect to the recoil ion). The results are generalized to the case of single ionization of helium. It is shown that soft collisions provide the main contribution to the hydrogen ionization cross section and for all practical purposes determine the cross section for single ionization of helium. The asymmetry in the angular distribution of the ejected slow electrons and the properties of momentum exchange in such collisions are discussed. Finally, a formula for the cross section for single ionization of helium is proposed. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 1966–1977 (December 1997)     

Capillary oscillations of a flat charged surface of liquid with finite conductivity

A dispersion relation is proposed and analyzed for the spectrum of capillary motion at a charged flat liquid surface with allowance made for the finite rate of charge redistribution accompanying equalization of the potential as a result of the wave deformation of the free surface. It is shown that when the conductivity of the liquid is low, a highly charged surface becomes unstable as a result of an increase in the amplitude of the aperiodic chargerelaxation motion of the liquid and not of the wave motion, as is observed for highly conducting media. The finite rate of charge redistribution strongly influences the structure of the capillary motion spectrum of the liquid and the conditions for the establishment of instability of its charged surface when the characteristic charge relaxation time is comparable with the characteristic time for equalization of the wave deformations of the free surface of the liquid. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 34–41 (August 1997)     

The two-photon transition of the fully-ionized muonic boron migrating in helium

In recent experiments performed at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) measurements were made of the yield of the two-photon transition of the fully-ionized muonic boron formed and quenched in a gaseous mixture of diborane B₂H₆ and helium. In the present work this yield is calculated for an idealized case of a very low diborane density when the main 2 s state decay modes competing with the two-photon transition are due to the electron transfer from helium to the μ-ion. As the rate of this transfer depends strongly on the relative velocity, a treatment is needed of the whole kinetics of processes occurring with the μ-ion in helium. Accordingly, within the optical model with a complex potential constructed before we calculate cross-sections of the elastic scattering and electron transfer. Then the time evolution of the μ-ion energy is considered and, finally, the yield is calculated. It proves that at helium pressures Torr this yield may be written in the form: ,where the factor C is greater than unity and increases rapidly with the initial energy E₀ which the μ-ion has after its formation in the diborane molecule. Thus measurement of the pressure dependence of allows E₀ to be estimated. The results obtained make it possible to suggest a similar parametrization of the PSI data. Received: 21 October 1997 / Revised: 16 January 1998 / Accepted: 2 March 1998     

Effect of a dust component on the rates of elementary processes in low-temperature plasmas

Elementary processes in dusty, beam-driven plasma discharges are studied experimentally and theoretically for the first time. A theoretical model is constructed for a beam-driven plasma containing macroscopic particles. The effect of macroscopic particles on the electron energy distribution function is estimated assuming a Coulomb field for the particles. The resulting rate of electron-ion recombination on the macroscopic particles is compared with the electron loss constant calculated from the electron energy distribution function with an electron absorption constant in the orbital-motion approximation. This approximation, which is valid in the collisionless case, is found to work satisfactorily beyond its range of applicability. The distributions of the charged particles and electric fields created by macroscopic particles in a helium plasma are determined. The experimental data demonstrate the importance of secondary emission by high-energy electrons. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 2020–2036 (June 1999)     

Negative ions Ar<Superscript>−</Superscript>, Kr<Superscript>−</Superscript>, and Xe<Superscript>−</Superscript> in superfluid helium

The catalogue of negative ions in superfluid helium has been extended using the example of Ar⁻, Kr⁻, and Xe⁻. Such objects cannot exist in vacuum, since the polarization attraction of an electron to the inert A atom is insufficient for the formation of the bound state A⁻. However, these objects exist in helium as stable or metastable with a very long lifetime. The effect is due to the electron localization in liquid helium. If a mixture of excited A* atoms and electrons is prepared in the gas phase above liquid helium, the reaction A* + e = A*⁻ becomes possible for all atoms of the periodic table. Such charges can be immersed into liquid helium by the electric field. In this case, the radiative decay A*⁻ = A + e allowed in vacuum can be forbidden in liquid. This leads to the formation of the new unique objects A⁻, which can exist in liquid helium but are absent in nature. The size of such charged formations has been determined and is close the radius of a usual electron bubble in helium.     

Diffraction of picosecond bulk longitudinal and shear waves in micron thick films

Investigation of thin metallic film properties by means of picosecond ultrasonics [C. Thomsen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 53, 989 (1984)] has been under the scope of several studies. Generation of longitudinal and shear waves [T. Pézeril et al., Phys. Rev. B 73, 132301 (2006); O. Matsuda et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 095501 (2004)] with a wave vector normal to the film free surface has been demonstrated. Such measurements cannot provide complete information about properties of anisotropic films. Extreme focusing of a laser pump beam (≈0.5 μm) on the sample surface has recently allowed us to provide evidence of picosecond acoustic diffraction in thin metallic films (≈1 μm) [C. Rossignol et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 166106 (2005)]. The resulting longitudinal and shear wavefronts propagate at group velocity through the bulk of the film. To interpret the received signals, source directivity diagrams are calculated taking into account material anisotropy, optical penetration, and laser beam width on the sample surface. It is shown that acoustic diffraction increases with optical penetration, so competing with the increasing of directivity caused by beam width. Reflection with mode conversion at the film-substrate interface is discussed.     

Image forces and electron spectrum at the surface of liquid helium

On the basis of the longitudinal field Green function, in a three-layer non-symmetrical system of media with spatial dispersion the image-force potential is calculated for surfaces of the semi-infinite helium bath and a liquid helium film, and also for a surface of the phase-separated ³He⁴He mixture. The dependence of the surface electron spectrum on the film thickness and on the pressing electric field strength is analyzed.     

纳米晶LaNiAl薄膜充氦技术研究

采用离子束辅助磁控溅射方法沉积出了纳米晶LaNiAl膜和纳米晶渗氦LaNiAl膜（膜厚约10 m）,通过调节Ar-He气氛的比例可控制纳米晶膜中的含氦量（He/LaNiAl的原子分数5.7%~13.8%）,通过该方法引入到LaNiAl金属薄膜中的氦量远高于采用球磨法制备的纳米LaNiAl粉中的含氦量。研究结果表明:渗氦LaNiAl膜中的氦含量（原子分数）可达13.9%,氦在膜的深度方向分布均匀;热解析分析恒温条件下沉积的渗氦膜的起始释放温度为848 K,最高释放温度为1407 K,主释放峰为1080 K,初步确定了氦主要是以团簇的形式存在于在纳米晶膜中。     

Pseudo-potential caculations of positron annihilation rates in bubbles of helium contained in the metals Mg,Ag and Au

Abstract

A pseudo-potential technique has been applied to calculate the annihilation rates for positrons in bubbles of helium gas in gold and silver. The positron pseudo-wavefunction in each case was found to be in a surface state of the metal, the exact form of which displayed a slight dependance on the density of the helium gas. The annihilation rate of the positron was the sum of a nearly constant surface rate and a strongly density dependant annihilation rate with the helium electrons. There is a trend for annihilation with the helium to be greater in metals with low free electron densities, the helium in such metals resting closer to the metal surface thus increasing the overlap of the positron wavefunction with the helium.     

Distinctive features of time-resolved photoluminescence of porous silicon coated with a layer of diamondlike carbon

Time-resolved photoluminescence from porous silicon coated with a diamondlike carbon film is investigated. The intensity of the photoluminescence from the carbon film is obserd to increase after deposition, and there is an accompanying change in the intensity and a shortwavelength shift of the photoluminescence band of porous silicon that depends on the porosity of its original layers. These changes are explained by the formation of carbon nanoclusters on the surface of the silicon filaments. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 83–87 (April 1998)     

Effect of gas pressure on amplitude and duration of electron beam current in a gas-filled diode

The parameters of an electron beam generated in helium in the pressure range p = 10⁻⁴−12 atm are studied. Nanosecond high-voltage pulses are applied to a gap between a tubular cathode and planar anode, which is made of 45-μm-thick AlBe foil. Behind the anode, an electron beam is detected at a helium pressure of 12 atm. The pressure dependence of the beam current amplitude shows three peaks at p ≈ 0.01, ≈ 0.07, and ≈ 3 atm. The beam-induced glow of a luminescent film placed behind the foil and the discharge glow at different helium pressures in the gas-filled diode are photographed.     

Long-wavelength structure on a charged liquid surface

The problem of the equilibrium form of a charged surface of a dielectric liquid in a strong electric field, such that a flat surface becomes unstable, is studied. A periodic long-wavelength structure with a small amplitude can arise when the gap between the surface and a charged electrode is small compared with the capillary length and the charge completely screens the electric field. The equilibrium form of the surface is calculated assuming that the resulting wave is one-dimensional. The effect of the boundary conditions at the vessel walls on the dependence of the amplitude of the standing wave on the applied voltage is estimated. It is shown that this dependence is very sensitive to the conditions of contact between the vessel walls and the liquid. The possibility is discussed of using the theory developed in this paper to explain the experimental results obtained with a charged liquid-hydrogen surface. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 43–49 (January 1999)