Persistent luminescence and synchrotron radiation study of the Ca2MgSi2O7:Eu2+,R3+ materials

The tetragonal ${\mathrm{Ca}}_2{\mathrm{MgSi}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7$:${\mathrm{Eu}}^{2+},{\mathrm{R}}^{3+}$ persistent luminescence materials were prepared by a solid state reaction. The UV excited and persistent luminescence was observed in the green region centred at 535 nm. Both luminescence phenomena are due to the same ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{2+}$ ion occupying the single ${\mathrm{Ca}}^{2+}$ site in the host lattice. The ${\mathrm{R}}^{3+}$ codoping usually reduced the persistent luminescence of ${\mathrm{Ca}}_2{\mathrm{MgSi}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7$:${\mathrm{Eu}}^{2+}$, which differs from the ${\mathrm{M}}_2{\mathrm{MgSi}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7$:${\mathrm{Eu}}^{2+}$ $(\mathrm{M}=\mathrm{Sr},\mathrm{Ba})$ and ${\mathrm{MAl}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_4$:${\mathrm{Eu}}^{2+}$ $(\mathrm{M}=\mathrm{Ca},\mathrm{Sr})$ materials. Only the ${\mathrm{Tb}}^{3+}$ ion enhanced slightly the persistent luminescence. With the aid of synchrotron radiation, the band gap energy of ${\mathrm{Ca}}_2{\mathrm{MgSi}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7$:${\mathrm{Eu}}^{2+}$ was found to be about 7 eV that is very similar to those of the ${\mathrm{M}}_2{\mathrm{MgSi}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7$:${\mathrm{Eu}}^{2+}$ $(\mathrm{M}=\mathrm{Sr},\mathrm{Ba})$ materials. Thermoluminescence results suggested that the ${\mathrm{R}}^{3+}$ ions might act as electron traps, but only the TL peaks created by ${\mathrm{Tm}}^{3+}$ and ${\mathrm{Sm}}^{3+}$ can be found in the temperature range accessible. Lattice defects (e.g. oxygen vacancies) are also important, since the same main thermoluminescence peak was observed at about $100{}^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ with and without ${\mathrm{R}}^{3+}$ codoping.     

Photoluminescence decay dynamics of silver/porous-silicon nanocomposites formed by metal-assisted etching

We investigate the photoluminescence (PL) properties of silver/porous-silicon (Ag/PSi) nanocomposites prepared by metal-assisted etching in ${\mathrm{Ag}}_2\mathrm{O}/\mathrm{HF}$ solution, on the basis of steady-state and time-resolved PL spectroscopy measurements. The PL intensity and peak position are strongly dependent on the ${\mathrm{Ag}}_2\mathrm{O}$ concentration. Time-resolved PL measurements reveal that the nonradiative rate decreases with an increase in the ${\mathrm{Ag}}_2\mathrm{O}$ concentration for the Ag/PSi nanocomposites. It is found from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements that the decrease in the nonradiative rate is caused by the formation of ${\mathrm{SiO}}_2$ layers on the PSi surfaces. Further, the number of light-emitting Si nanocrystals in the nanocomposites, which is estimated from the PL decay rate and PL intensity, increases with the ${\mathrm{Ag}}_2\mathrm{O}$ concentration. From the wavelength dependence of the PL decay rate, it is found that the nonradiative rate is considerably dispersive, i.e., the shorter the wavelength, the higher the nonradiative rate.     

Spin-glass behavior in the antiperovskite manganese nitride Mn3CuN codoped with Ge and Si

Antiperovskite manganese nitrides ${\mathrm{Mn}}_3\left({\mathrm{Cu}}_{0.6}{\mathrm{Si}}_x{\mathrm{Ge}}_{0.4?x}\right)N$ ($x=0.05$, 0.1, 0.15) were prepared and their negative thermal expansion, magnetic and specific heat properties were investigated. A frozen state with a freezing temperature was found at ～207 K in ${\mathrm{Mn}}_3\left({\mathrm{Cu}}_{0.6}{\mathrm{Si}}_{0.15}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{0.25}\right)N$. This indicates that ${\mathrm{Mn}}_3\left({\mathrm{Cu}}_{0.6}{\mathrm{Si}}_{0.15}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{0.25}\right)N$ exhibits a spin glass state at low temperatures. We discussed the cause of spin glass behavior and correlated this spin glass behavior with broadening of the negative thermal expansion operation-temperature window of the manganese nitrides ${\mathrm{Mn}}_3\left({\mathrm{Cu}}_{0.6}{\mathrm{Si}}_{0.15}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{0.25}\right)N$.     

Luminescent properties of Yb-doped LaSc3(BO3)4 under VUV excitation

Ytterbium doped borate crystals are promising laser media, e.g. in ${\mathrm{LaSc}}_3({\mathrm{BO}}_3{)}_4$ (LSB) matrices large distance between ytterbium ions results in reduced concentration quenching of the ytterbium f–f luminescence [Petermann, K., Fagundes-Peters, D., Johansen, O., Mond, M., Peters, V., Romero, J.J., Kutovoi, S., Speiser, J., Giesen, A., 2005. Highly Yb-doped oxides for thin-disc lasers. J. Crystal Growth 275, 135-140]. ${\mathrm{Yb}}^{3+}$ ions in complex oxides in addition to the 4f $\to$ 4f transitions often manifest fast charge transfer luminescence (CTL) in the UV-visible range. In some borates it was not observed at all, like in orthoborates of Sc, Y and La [Van Pieterson, L., Heeroma, M., de Heer, E., Meijerink, A., 2000. Charge transfer luminescence of ${\mathrm{Yb}}^{3+}$. J. Lumin. 91, 177–193]; in haloborates ${\mathrm{Sr}}_2{\mathrm{B}}_5{\mathrm{O}}_9\mathrm{X}$, where X = Cl, Br, the UV/visible luminescence was attributed to ytterbium CTL though it looked substantially different from other matrices [Dotsenko, V.P., Berezovskaya, I.V., Pyrogenko, P.V., Efryushina, N.P., Rodniy, P.A., Eijk van, C.W.E., Sidorenko, A.V., 2002. Valence states and luminescence properties of ytterbium ions in strontium haloborates. J. Solid State Chem. 166, 271–276]; while in oxyborate ${\mathrm{Li}}_2{\mathrm{Lu}}_5{\mathrm{O}}_4({\mathrm{BO}}_3{)}_3$ “classical” CTL was observed [Jubera, V., Garcia, A., Chaminade, J.P., Guillen, F., Sablayrolles, Jean, Fouassier, C., 2007. ${\mathrm{Yb}}^{3+}$ and ${\mathrm{Yb}}^{3+}\text{-}{\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$ luminescent properties of the ${\mathrm{Li}}_2{\mathrm{Lu}}_5{\mathrm{O}}_4({\mathrm{BO}}_3{)}_3$ phase. J. Lumin. 124(1), 10–14]. In this work the luminescence properties of another borate, namely LSB doped by Yb are presented.     

Traffic flow behavior at un-signalized intersection with crossings pedestrians

Mixed traffic flux composed of crossing pedestrians and vehicles extensively exists in cities. To study the characteristics of the interference traffic flux, we develop a pedestrian-vehicle cellular automata model to present the interaction behaviors on a simple cross road. By realizing the fundamental parameters (i.e. injecting rates ${\alpha }_1$, ${\alpha }_2$, the extracting rate β and the pedestrian arrival rate ${\alpha }_P$), simulations are carried out. The vehicular traffic flux is calculated in terms of rates. The effect of the crosswalk can be regarded as a dynamic impurity. The system phase diagrams in the $({\alpha }_1,{\alpha }_P)$ plane are built. It is found that the phase diagrams consist essentially of four phases namely Free Flow, Congested, Maximal Current and Gridlock. The value of the Maximal current phase depends on the extracting rate β, while the Gridlock phase is achieved only when the pedestrians generating rate is higher than a critical value. Furthermore, the effect of vehicles changing lane ($P_{\mathrm{ch}1},P_{\mathrm{ch}2}$) and the location of the crosswalk $X_P$ on the dynamic characteristics of vehicles flow are investigated. It is found that traffic situation in the system is slightly enhanced if the location of the crosswalks $X_P$ is far from the intersection. However, when $P_{\mathrm{ch}1}$, $P_{\mathrm{ch}2}$ increase, the traffic becomes congested and the Gridlock phase enlarges.     

Monopoles on the Bryant–Salamon G2-manifolds

$G_2$-monopoles are solutions to gauge theoretical equations on noncompact $7$-manifolds of $G_2$ holonomy. We shall study this equation on the $3$ Bryant–Salamon manifolds. We construct examples of $G_2$-monopoles on two of these manifolds, namely the total space of the bundle of anti-self-dual two forms over the ${\mathbb{S}}^4$ and ${\mathbb{C}\mathbb{P}}^2$. These are the first nontrivial examples of $G_2$-monopoles.Associated with each monopole there is a parameter $m\in {\mathbb{R}}^{+}$, known as the mass of the monopole. We prove that under a symmetry assumption, for each given $m\in {\mathbb{R}}^{+}$ there is a unique monopole with mass $m$. We also find explicit irreducible $G_2$-instantons on ${\Lambda }_{-}^2\left({\mathbb{S}}^4\right)$ and on ${\Lambda }_{-}^2\left({\mathbb{C}\mathbb{P}}^2\right)$.The third Bryant–Salamon $G_2$-metric lives on the spinor bundle over the $3$-sphere. In this case we produce a vanishing theorem for monopoles.     

Mn doping concentration dependent p–d hybridization in Ga1−xMnxN

The 3d electronic states of transition-metal Mn dopants in ${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1?x}{\mathrm{Mn}}_{x}N$ have been investigated by Mn $L$-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements. Through the XAS analysis, the valence of the Mn ions is determined. With the increase of doping concentration, the integrated intensities of $L_{2,3}$ vary not monotonously, but increase first and then decrease. The relationship between the Mn doping concentration and the degree of p–d hybridization is discussed.     

Quantum point contact conductance in normal metal/insulator/ metal/dx2−y2+idxy mixed wave superconductor junctions

The tunneling conductance in a normal metal/insulator/metal/$d_{x^2?y^2}+i{d}_{xy}$ mixed wave superconductor (N/I/N/$d_{x^2?y^2}+i{d}_{xy}$) junction is calculated, where the N/I/N region is a quantum wire. It is found in the single-mode case that the magnitude of the tunneling conductance near zero voltage is enhanced due to the Andreev bound state by quasiparticles with perpendicular and horizontal injection, and the zero-bias conductance varies with $L$ ($L$ is the distance from insulating layer to the interface of N/$d_{x^2?y^2}+i{d}_{xy}$ mixed wave superconductor). Splitting of the zero-bias conductance peak appears in the quantum point contact tunneling spectra for an N/I/N/$d_{x^2?y^2}+i{d}_{xy}$ junction, and several subgap peaks can split at the same time. On increasing both $L$ and the magnitude ratio of the two components for the $d_{x^2?y^2}+i{d}_{xy}$ mixed wave, the subgap resonances exhibit an alternately high and low behavior inside the energy gap. These results are different from those in d-wave and p-wave superconductor junctions.