Nonlinear optical characteristics of self-assembled films of ZnO

In the present work, we have investigated the nonlinear optical properties of self-assembled films formed from ZnO colloidal spheres by z-scan technique. The sign of the nonlinear component of refractive index of the material remains the same; however, a switching from reverse saturable absorption to saturable absorption has been observed as the material changes from colloid to self-assembled film. These different nonlinear characteristics can be mainly attributed to ZnO defect states and electronic effects when the colloidal solution is transformed into self-assembled monolayers. We investigated the intensity, wavelength and size dependence of saturable and reverse saturable absorption of ZnO self-assembled films and colloids. Values of the imaginary part of third-order susceptibility are calculated for particles of size in the range 20–300 nm at different intensity levels ranging from 40 to 325 MW/cm² within the wavelength range of 450–650 nm. PACS 81.16.Dn; 42.65.-k; 42.65.An; 42.70.-a; 42.70.Nq; 78.20.Ci     

Evaluation of heat capacity measurements by temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry

Temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) is known to have the ability to measure heat capacity of materials more accurately than the conventional differential scanning calorimeter. However, the accuracy of the measured heat capacity displays significant dependence on various experimental parameters such as period of modulation (p), amplitude of modulation (a), geometry of sample (g), heating rate (r), etc. One of the key features of this system is the ability to measure heat capacity under quasi-isothermal conditions. In the present investigation, heat capacity of a well-established system namely sapphire and thoria was measured by TMDSC under dynamic mode and also under quasi-isothermal mode. The experimental parameters, mentioned above p, a, g, and r are varied to establish the conditions for measuring heat capacity accurately.     

Thermal expansion and heat capacity of dysprosium hafnate

Dysprosium hafnate is a candidate material for as control rods in nuclear reactor because dysprosium (Dy) and hafnium (Hf) have very high absorption cross-sections for neutrons. Dysprosium hafnate (Dy₂O₃·2HfO₂-fluorite phase solid solution) was prepared by solid-state as well as wet chemical routes. The fluorite phase of the compound was characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Thermal expansion characteristics were studied using high temperature X-ray diffraction (HTXRD) in the temperature range 298–1973 K. Heat capacity measurements of dysprosium hafnate were carried out using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in the temperature range 298–800 K. The room temperature lattice parameter and the coefficient of thermal expansion are 0.5194 nm and 7.69 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹, respectively. The heat capacity value at 298 K is 232 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹.     

Exact solutions for Ostrovsky equation

This paper obtains solutions to the Ostrovsky equation by employing the mapping method. Several solutions are determined including the cnoidal waves, shock waves, solitary waves, periodic singular waves and others in the case of no rotation. Finally, the ansatz method is applied to solve the equation with the rotation term present.     

Solutions to the Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation with higher order nonlinearity by mapping and ansatz methods

Solutions to the Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation with higher order nonlinearity are obtained using the mapping method. Several solutions are determined inclusing the cnoidal waves, shock waves, solitary waves, periodic singular waves and others. Finally, the ansatz method is applied to solve the equation with power law nonlinearity. It has been proved that the shock waves or topological solitons exist only for specific values of the power law parameter.