Analysis of volume dependence of Grüneisen ratio

Various models on volume dependence of the Grüneisen ratio have been analyzed in the present study. The Sharma model [Mod. Phys. Lett. B 22/31 (2008) 3113] is found to be similar to that used by Nie [Phys. Stat. Sol. (b) 219 (2004) 241] on the basis of approximation made by Jeanloz [J. Geophys. Res. 94 (1989) 5929]. The Nie expression is amended in a manner so that the resulted expression follows the constraint of high pressure thermodynamics in the limit of infinite pressure. The newly developed relationship is applied successfully on materials for which experimental data are accessible such as epsilon-iron, NaCl, Li, Na, and K.     

Resonant-ultrasound spectroscopy for studying annealing effect on elastic constant of thin film

In this paper, we study the elastic property of thin films using resonant-ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS). RUS determines the elastic constants of a solid from its resonance frequencies of free vibration. There were two problems to be solved for applying RUS to thin films: accurate measurement of the resonance frequencies and mode identification of each resonance frequency. We solve these problems using the tripod needle transducers and the laser-Doppler interferometry (LDI). In this paper, we describe the RUS/LDI measurement setup we developed, and show the relationship between the elastic constant and annealing temperature for Cu thin films. Then, we discuss the effects of recrystallization and recovery on the elastic constant referring the X-ray diffraction measurement.     

An inverse model for a free-boundary problem with a contact line: Steady case

This paper reformulates the two-phase solidification problem (i.e., the Stefan problem) as an inverse problem in which a cost functional is minimized with respect to the position of the interface and subject to PDE constraints. An advantage of this formulation is that it allows for a thermodynamically consistent treatment of the interface conditions in the presence of a contact point involving a third phase. It is argued that such an approach in fact represents a closure model for the original system and some of its key properties are investigated. We describe an efficient iterative solution method for the Stefan problem formulated in this way which uses shape differentiation and adjoint equations to determine the gradient of the cost functional. Performance of the proposed approach is illustrated with sample computations concerning 2D steady solidification phenomena.     

Optical study of D–D neutron irradiation-induced defects in Co- and Cu-doped ZnO wafers

Room-temperature photoluminescence and optical transmittance spectroscopy of Co-doped (1×10¹⁴,5×10¹⁶, and 1×10¹⁷ cm^-2) and Cu-doped (5×10¹⁶ cm^-2) ZnO wafers irradiated by D-D neutrons (fluence of 2.9×10¹⁰ cm^-2) have been investigated. After irradiation, the Co or Cu metal and oxide clusters in doped ZnO wafers are dissolved, and the würtzite structure of ZnO substrate for each sample remains unchanged and keeps in high c-axis preferential orientation. The degree of irradiation-induced crystal disorder reflected from absorption band tail parameter (E₀) is far greater for doped ZnO than undoped one. Under the same doping concentration, the Cu-doped ZnO wafer has much higher irradiation-induced disorder than the Co-doped one. Photoluminescence measurements indicate that the introduction rate of both zinc vacancy and zinc interstitial is much higher for the doped ZnO wafer with high doping level than the undoped one. In addition, both crystal lattice distortion and defect complexes are suggested to be formed in doped ZnO wafers. Consequently, the Co- or Cu-doped ZnO wafer (especially with high doping level) exhibits very low radiation hardness compared with the undoped one, and the Cu-doped ZnO wafer is much less radiation-hard than the Co-doped one.     

Artificial graphenes: Dirac matter beyond condensed matter

After the discovery of graphene and of its many fascinating properties, there has been a growing interest for the study of “artificial graphenes”. These are totally different and novel systems that bear exciting similarities with graphene. Among them are lattices of ultracold atoms, microwave or photonic lattices, “molecular graphene” or new compounds like phosphorene. The advantage of these structures is that they serve as new playgrounds for measuring and testing physical phenomena that may not be reachable in graphene, in particular the possibility of controlling the existence of Dirac points (or Dirac cones) existing in the electronic spectrum of graphene, of performing interference experiments in reciprocal space, of probing geometrical properties of the wave functions, of manipulating edge states, etc. These cones, which describe the band structure in the vicinity of the two connected energy bands, are characterized by a topological “charge”. They can be moved in the reciprocal space by appropriate modification of external parameters (pressure, twist, sliding, stress, etc.). They can be manipulated, created or suppressed under the condition that the total topological charge be conserved. In this short review, I discuss several aspects of the scenarios of merging or emergence of Dirac points as well as the experimental investigations of these scenarios in condensed matter and beyond.     

Vibrationally assisted transitions and phonon spectra in crystalline solids

The vibrationally assisted electronic (vibronic) transitions of localized centers in crystalline solids provide relevant information regarding the phonon spectra of the host materials. We present the vibronic spectra of some compounds with particular attention to the case of the transition metal ions V²⁺ and Cr³⁺ embedded in simple ionic crystals such as MgO or more complex systems such as YAG. The vibronic spectra are interpreted in light of the radiative selection rules and are compared with phonon data obtained with other techniques such as neutron scattering, infrared and Raman spectroscopies. Conclusions regarding the effectiveness of vibronic spectra in uncovering the phonon spectral distributions are presented.