The quark model and b baryons

The recent observation at the Tevatron of (uub and ddb) baryons within 2 MeV of the predicted Σ_b-Λ_b splitting and of baryons at the Tevatron within a few mega electron volts (MeV) of predictions has provided strong confirmation for a theoretical approach based on modeling the color hyperfine interaction. The prediction of  = 5790-5800 MeV is reviewed and similar methods used to predict the masses of the excited states and . The main source of uncertainty is the method used to estimate the mass difference m_b-m_c from known hadrons. We verify that corrections due to the details of the interquark potential and to Ξ_b- mixing are small. For S-wave qqb states we predict , and . For states with one unit of orbital angular momentum between the b quark and the two light quarks we predict , and . Results are compared with those of other recent approaches.     

Structural, elastic, electronic and magnetic properties of ThCr2Si2 from first-principles calculations

The tetragonal (s.g. I4/mmm; #139) ThCr₂Si₂ is widely known as a structural type of the broad family of the so-called 122-like ternary phases which includes now more than 800 members. Among them the superconducting iron-pnictides (discovered in 2008, -earth metals) and the newest superconducting iron-chalcogenides (discovered in 2010, metals) have attracted recently enormous interest in this class of materials. Meanwhile, the data about the electronic, magnetic, and elastic properties of the ThCr₂Si₂ phase itself are still practically absent. Here, by means of first-principles calculations, the optimized structural parameters, spin ordering of the magnetic ground state, independent elastic constants, bulk, shear, and Young’s moduli, elastic anisotropy indexes, total and partial densities of states, and inter-atomic bonding picture for ThCr₂Si₂ were obtained for the first time and analyzed in comparison with the aforementioned most popular 122-like systems and .     

Model calculations of the energy band structures of double stranded DNA in the presence of water and Na ions

Using the ab initio Hartree-Fock crystal orbital method in its linear combination of atomic orbitals form we have calculated the band structures of poly(-) and poly(-). Here, besides the nucleotide bases, the sugar and phosphate parts of the nucleotide were also taken into account together with their first water shell and Na⁺ ions. We use the notation with a tilde above the abbreviation of a base for the whole nucleotide; for instance poly() means a guanine base with the deoxyribose and PO₄⁻ groups to which it is bound. The obtained band structures were compared with previous single chain calculations as well as with the earlier poly(-) and poly(-) calculation without water but in the presence of counterions. One finds that all the bands of poly(-) and poly(-) are shifted considerably upwards as compared to the previous single chain results (poly(), poly(), poly() and poly()). This effect is explained by the ∼0.2e charge transfer from the sugars of both chains to the nucleotide bases. The fundamental gaps between the nucleotide base-type highest filled and lowest unfilled bands are decreased in both cases by 1-3 eV, because the valence bands are purine-type and the conduction bands pyrimidine-type, respectively, while in the case of single homopolynucleotides they belong to the same base. We also pointed out that the LUMO is mainly Na⁺-like in both investigated cases and several unoccupied bands (belonging to the Na⁺ ions, the phosphate group and the water molecules) can be found between this and the first unoccupied pyrimidine-like empty band.     

Quantum critical behaviour in doped Y bB12 studied by ab initio calculations

The Kondo insulator Y bB₁₂ is known to undergo a transition to the metallic state with doping or under an external magnetic field. Within the virtual crystal approximation (VCA), we calculated the occupation of the Yb 4f and 5d shells, and , as a function of doping of Y bB₁₂ with the rare earths Tm and Lu. We found that exhibits an anomalous change at the critical concentration of the dopant, in agreement with experiment ( for Y b_1−xLu_xB₁₂ and for Y b_1−xTm_xB₁₂). We suggest that the critical behaviour seems to be strictly connected with the change of and in consequence the change of the Yb valency.     

The effect of the Bi source on optical properties of Bi2Te3 nanostructures

nanostructures were synthesized by using different Bi sources via a simple solvothermal process, in which and BiCl₃ were used as the Bi sources. Optical properties of nanostructures prepared with and BiCl₃ as the Bi sources were investigated by micro-Raman spectroscopy. The Raman scattering spectrum of hexagonal nanoplates prepared by using as the Bi source shows that the infrared (IR) active mode A_1u, which must be odd parity and is Raman forbidden for bulk crystal due to its inversion symmetry, is greatly activated and shows up clearly in the Raman scattering spectrum. We attribute the appearance of the infrared active A_1u mode in the Raman spectrum to crystal symmetry breaking of hexagonal nanoplates. However, the Raman scattering spectrum of nanostructures with irregular shape prepared by using as the Bi source only exhibits the two characteristic Raman modes of crystals. Micro-Raman measurements on nanostructures with different morphologies offer us a potential way to tailor optical properties of nanostructures by controlling the morphologies of the nanostructures, which is very important for practical applications of nanostructures in thermoelectric devices.     

The magnetocaloric effect and low temperature specific heat of SmNi

The magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in a magnetic SmNi sample was evaluated from magnetization and heat capacity measurements. The MCE phenomena in the vicinity of magnetic phase transitions in terms of magnetic entropy change, , and adiabatic temperature change, , are reported. Isothermal magnetization measurements at several temperatures around the transition were carried out and used for versusT calculations. A similar dependence of the magnetic entropy change was evaluated from heat capacity C_p(T) measurements under zero field and 5 T. The SmNi system provides magnetic refrigerants that induce an adiabatic cooling of about during the magnetization process with a field of 5 T in the temperature range of 35-45 K. The temperature dependence of C_p(T) is analyzed in terms of the magnetic and the lattice contributions.     

Inelastic neutrino scattering off stable even-even Mo isotopes at low and intermediate energies

Inelastic neutrino scattering cross sections for the even-even Mo isotopes (contents of the MOON detector at Japan), at low and intermediate electron neutrino energies (?_i≤100 MeV), are calculated. MOON is a next-generation double beta and neutrino-less double-beta-decay experiment which is also a promising facility for low-energy neutrino detection. The nuclear wave functions required in this work have been constructed in the context of the quasi-particle random phase approximation (QRPA) and the results presented refer to , , , and isotopes.     

Resonant enhancement of the formation of hydrogen-helium muonic molecules

Formation of muonic molecules and , where J is rotational quantum number, in electron conversion process is investigated at collision energies between 0.004 eV and 50 eV. Corresponding reaction rates are calculated in adiabatic approximation for the three-body Coulomb problem. Significant enhancement of the rates for and is found near 7 eV and 30 eV, respectively. It is shown that the enhancement is due to resonances present in elastic and scattering at these energies. Acceleration of dμ atoms up to the resonant energy could be realized in triple H-D-³He mixture due to the muon transfer from protium to deuterium. Experimental investigation of nuclear synthesis from molecular state directly formed in the mixture is suggested.     

Multiple superconducting gap and anisotropic spin fluctuations in iron arsenides: Comparison with nickel analog

We present extensive ⁷⁵As NMR and NQR data on the superconducting arsenides PrFeAs_0.89F_0.11, LaFeAsO_0.92F_0.08, LiFeAs and Ba_0.72K_0.28Fe₂As₂ single crystal, and compare with the nickel analog LaNiAsO_0.9F_0.1. In contrast to LaNiAsO_0.9F_0.1 where the superconducting gap is shown to be isotropic, the spin lattice relaxation rate 1/T₁ in the Fe-arsenides decreases below T_c with no coherence peak and shows a step-wise variation at low temperatures. The Knight shift decreases below T_c and shows a step-wise T variation as well. These results indicate spin-singlet superconductivity with multiple gaps in the Fe-arsenides. The Fe antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations are anisotropic and weaker compared to underdoped copper-oxides or cobalt-oxide superconductors, while there is no significant electron correlations in LaNiAsO_0.9F_0.1. We will discuss the implications of these results and highlight the importance of the Fermi surface topology.     

Prospects of reactor neutrino experiments

Since the energy of a reactor neutrino is a few MeV, all , and oscillations are accessible by reactor neutrino experiments. KamLAND observed the oscillation and currently Double Chooz, RENO and Dayabay experiments are under construction aiming to detect oscillation. There are still good prospects for future reactor neutrino experiments after them. For example, there is room to further improve sin²2θ₁₃ accuracy at a baseline of ∼1.5 km, a very precise sin²2θ₁₂ measurement and the determination of mass hierarchy may be possible at a baseline ∼50 km, and if KamLAND is enlarged to the SuperKamiokande size, better measurement of and sin²2θ₁₂ will be anticipated. It is important to take into account such possibilities when planning future neutrino program after θ₁₃ is measured by current experiments.     

Observation of room temperature photoluminescence in proton irradiated SrTiO3 single crystal

We have irradiated SrTiO₃ single crystal with 3 MeV-proton (H⁺) beam and found that blue -, green - and infrared - frequency photoluminescence (PL) are induced simultaneously at room temperature. TEM and EELS analyses show that an oxygen-deficient amorphous layer is formed at the crystal surface by the proton irradiation. Possible origin of the PL-effect is discussed.     

Ac magnetotransport in La0.7Sr0.3Mn0.95Fe0.05O3 at low dc magnetic fields

We report the ac electrical response of La_0.7Sr_0.3Mn_1−xFe_xO₃(x=0.05) as a function of temperature, magnetic field (H) and frequency of radio frequency (rf) current (). The ac impedance (Z) was measured while rf current directly passes through the sample as well as in a coil surrounding the sample. It is found that with increasing frequency of the rf current, Z(T) shows an abrupt increase accompanied by a peak at the ferromagnetic Curie temperature. The peak decreases in magnitude and shifts down with increasing value of H. We find a magnetoimpedance of for at around room temperature when the rf current flows directly through the sample and when the rf current flows through a coil surrounding the sample. It is suggested that the magnetoimpedance observed is a consequence of suppression of transverse permeability which enhances skin depth for current flow. Our results indicate that the magnetic field control of high frequency impedance of manganites is more useful than direct current magnetoresistance for low-field applications.     

Theory of antiferromagnetic exchange interaction for mixed-valent FeFe spin cluster in model complex of semimethemerythrin

The antiferromagnetic phenomena of both mixed valent Fe^IIIFe^II spin clusters and homodinuclear Fe^IIIFe^III clusters in complexes have been studied by means of our covalent magnetic exchange theoretical method. The sensitive relations between the exchange parameter J and the covalent factors N_A (for Fe^III) and N_B (for Fe^II) and the Fe?Fe separation R have been derived by use of our double-Slater function calculation procedure, the corresponding theoretical curve of J vs. N_A,N_B and R has been obtained. By taking the typical covalent factors of Fe^III and Fe^II, and using the observed Fe-O bond lengths: for Fe^III-O-Fe^II cluster in model complex {[Fe(acacen)]₂ONa}₂; for Fe^III-O-Fe^III cluster in oxyhemerythrin, we obtained the theoretical values: for Fe^III-O-Fe^II cluster and for Fe^III-O-Fe^III cluster. These are in good agreement with the corresponding experimental findings in {[Fe(acacen)]₂ONa}₂ and in oxyhemerythrin, respectively.     

Possible coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism in intermetallic NiBi3

NiBi₃ polycrystals were synthesized via a solid state method. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the main phase present in the sample corresponds to NiBi₃ in a weight fraction of 96.82 % according to the refinement of the crystalline structure. SEM - EDS and XPS analysis reveal a homogeneous composition of NiBi₃, without Ni traces. The powder superconducting samples were studied by performing magnetic measurements. The superconducting transition temperature and critical magnetic fields were determined as , Oe and Oe. The superconducting parameters were , , and κ=5.136. Isothermal measurements below the transition temperature show an anomalous behavior. Above the superconducting transition the compound presents ferromagnetic characteristics up to 750 K, well above the Ni Curie temperature.     

Sufficient and necessary condition of separability for generalized Werner states

In a celebrated paper [Optics Communications 179, 447, 2000], A.O. Pittenger and M.H. Rubin presented for the first time a sufficient and necessary condition of separability for the generalized Werner states. Inspired by their ideas, we generalized their method to a more general case. We obtain a sufficient and necessary condition for the separability of a specific class of N d-dimensional system (qudits) states, namely special generalized Werner state (SGWS): , where is an entangled pure state of N qudits system and α_i satisfies two restrictions: (i) ; (ii) Matrix , where , is a density matrix. Our condition gives quite a simple and efficiently computable way to judge whether a given SGWS is separable or not and previously known separable conditions are shown to be special cases of our approach.     

Synthesis, optical properties and crystal structures of carbazole end-capped phenylene ethynylene blue light-emitting materials

A class of highly fluorescent and stable carbazole end-capped phenylene ethynylene compounds have been synthesized and characterized. They show high extinction coefficients of absorption () and quantum yields of fluorescence (; Φ_F=0.52-0.73) in dichloromethane. The solid state absorptions and emissions are significantly red-shifted from the dilute solution ones (; ). Their photoluminescent properties and crystal structures have been investigated with the aim of providing a basis for elucidating the structure-physical property relationships. These data indicate their potential use as blue-emitting materials in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).     

Absorption spectra of AsH2 radical in 435-510 nm by cavity ringdown spectroscopy

The absorption spectra of jet-cooled AsH₂ radicals were recorded in the wavelength range of 435-510 nm by cavity ringdown spectroscopy. The AsH₂ radicals were produced by pulsed DC discharge in a molecular beam of a mixture of AsH₃, SF₆, and argon. Seven vibronic bands with fine rotational structures have been identified and assigned as the , , and (n = 1-3) bands of the electronic transition. Based on the previous studies of AsH₂ radical, rotational assignments and rotational term values for each band were obtained, and the molecular parameters including vibrational constants, rotational constants, centrifugal distortion constants, and spin-rotation interaction constants were also determined.     

Terahertz spectroscopy of oxygen, O2, in its Σg and Δ electronic states : THz Spectroscopy of O2

High precision rotational spectra of isotopic oxygen O₂ (with or ) in its electronic ground state have been measured in selected frequency regions between 0.4 and 2.0 THz. The main isotopic species, , was also investigated in its first excited electronic state . The new data, analyzed together with previous measurements, yielded improved spectroscopic parameters.     

A general formula of two-dimensional Franck-Condon integral and the photoelectron spectroscopy of sulfur dioxide

We derived a general formula of Franck-Condon integral for two-dimensional harmonic oscillators () taking into account the Duschinsky effect and applied it to study the photoelectron spectroscopy of SO₂ and . The equilibrium geometries and harmonic vibrational frequencies of , SO₂ and were calculated by using the density functional theory (B3LYP functional) and the coupled cluster singles and doubles with perturbative triples [CCSD(T)] methods with various basis sets up to 6-311+G(3df) and aug-cc-pVTZ. The adiabatic ionization energy and electron affinity were computed by using the CCSD(T) method extrapolated to the complete basis set limit with aug-cc-pVXZ (X = D, T, Q, 5). The simulated photoelectron spectra of both SO₂ and are in accord with the experiment. While the Duschinsky effect plays a role for some weak transitions of SO₂, it can be neglected for . A splitting observed in the experimental photoelectron spectrum of SO₂ is interpreted as contributing from hot bands and combination bands of ν₁ and ν₂, rather than arising from perturbation of a potential barrier as previous researchers proposed. The calculated adiabatic ionization energy and electron affinity are in agreement with the experiment within 0.027 and 0.040 eV, respectively.