Prompt light particle emission in the 36Ar + 58Ni reaction at 95 MeV/nucleon

The prompt component at intermediate velocity of light charged particles is investigated. An improved coalescence model coupled to the intra-nuclear cascade code ISABEL is used to obtain light complex particle energy spectra and multiplicities as a function of impact parameter. The results are compared with experimental data from the ³⁶Ar + ⁵⁸Ni experiment at 95 MeV/nucleon, performed with the INDRA 4π detection system. The calculated prompt component is found to rather well reproduce proton spectra. For complex light charged particles the calculated components well populate the high energy part of spectra. Prompt emission can therefore explain the large transverse energies experimentally observed at mid-rapidity. Received: 27 July 2000 / Accepted: 20 November 2000     

Break-up of neutron-halo nuclei by diffraction dissociation and shakeoff

The interplay of diffraction dissociation and nuclear shakeoff is considered in a schematic but still realistic model for the case of the break-up of halo nuclei on light targets. We demonstrate that the shakeoff effect, arising from the momentum imparted by the core diffraction, is small but still identifiable in the experimental data for the dissociation of the one- and two-neutron halo nuclei ¹¹Be and ¹¹Li. Received: 29 October 1999 / Revised version: 15 January 2000     

Dynamics and scaling of noise-induced domain growth

The domain growth processes originating from noise-induced nonequilibrium phase transitions are analyzed, both for non-conserved and conserved dynamics. The existence of a dynamical scaling regime is established in the two cases, and the corresponding growth laws are determined. The resulting universal dynamical scaling scenarios are those of Allen-Cahn and Lifshitz-Slyozov, respectively. Additionally, the effect of noise sources on the behaviour of the pair correlation function at short distances is studied. Received 28 June 2000 and Received in final form 29 September 2000     

Photoemission study of the carrier bands in Bi(111)

We present high-resolution photoemission data from the Bi(111)-surface. The electronic structure of the semimetal close to the Fermi level has been found to change dramatically with respect to the well established bulk band structure. The Fermi surfaces observed for the electron and hole bands resemble those of the next group-V element, antimony, probably as a consequence of surface relaxation. This results in a relatively high surface charge density. The observed temperature dependence of the electron Fermi energy confirms this result. Received 8 June 2000     

One-dimensional Ising-like systems: an analytical investigation of the static and dynamic properties, applied to spin-crossover relaxation

We investigate the dynamical properties of the 1-D Ising-like Hamiltonian taking into account short and long range interactions, in order to predict the static and dynamic behavior of spin crossover systems. The stochastic treatment is carried out within the frame of the local equilibrium method [1]. The calculations yield, at thermodynamic equilibrium, the exact analytic expression previously obtained by the transfer matrix technique [2]. We mainly discuss the shape of the relaxation curves: (i) for large (positive) values of the short range interaction parameter, a saturation of the relaxation curves is observed, reminiscent of the behavior of the width of the static hysteresis loop [3]; (ii) a sigmoidal (self-accelerated) behavior is obtained for large enough interactions of any type; (iii) the relaxation curves exhibit a sizeable tail (with respect to the mean-field curves) which is clearly associated with the transient onset of first-neighbor correlations in the system, due to the effect of short-range interactions. The case of negative short-range interaction is briefly discussed in terms of two-step properties. Received 29 October 1999 and Received in final form 30 December 1999     

Functional renormalization description of the roughening transition

We reconsider the problem of the static thermal roughening of an elastic manifold at the critical dimension d=2 in a periodic potential, using a perturbative Functional Renormalization Group approach. Our aim is to describe the effective potential seen by the manifold below the roughening temperature on large length scales. We obtain analytically a flow equation for the potential and surface tension of the manifold, valid for low temperatures. On a length scale L, the renormalized potential is made up of a succession of quasi parabolic wells, matching onto one another in a singular region of width for large L. For strong periodic potential, the perturbation theory breaks down, and we argue, based on a variational calculation, that the transition becomes first order. We also obtain numerically the step energy as a function of temperature, and relate our results to the existing experimental data on ⁴He. Finally, we examine the case of a non local elasticity which is realized physically for the contact line. Received 16 April 1999 and Received in final form 11 October 1999     

Self-consistent field theory of collisions I. Scattering channels

The conventional Hartree and Hartree-Fock approaches for treating many-electron bound systems have been extended recently to positive energy scattering problems, in which both the bound and continuum orbitals are determined by the requirement of full self-consistency. Serious consequences of such a theory are that the target orbitals become energy dependent and the asymptotic boundary conditions are satisfied only approximately, in lowest order. It is important therefore to test the theory for its convergence under configuration mixing. This self-consistent field (SCF) theory for scattering has been tested here for scattering from hydrogenic target as a model where the target function is determined dynamically. Penetration of the projectile inside the bound target orbital is manifest through the SCF for the bound state. Our results show that the theory converges to the correct amplitudes and to the exact boundary conditions as more configurations are added. The use of the amputated functions and the weak asymptotic condition (WAC) upon which the SCF theory is based, is justified as the WAC converges to the correct limit. It is then applied to the positron-helium and electron-helium scattering systems where the helium function is calculated simultaneously together with the scattering function. The resulting phase shifts and the SCF target functions are compared with those obtained with the pre-determined target functions in the conventional approaches. Received 22 September 1999     

Charge and orbital ordering in Na0.5CoO2

The ground state of Na_0.5CoO₂ has been calculated using the full potential local orbital method and local density approximation plus Hubbard U (); the results demonstrate that charge and orbital ordering evidently exist in the present system in association with the antiferromagnetic state. Notable structural features observed between 300 and 30 K have been carefully examined using in situ TEM investigations, a superstructure with a wave vector of Q1=a^∗/2, becoming commonly visible below , can be interpreted as the charge/orbital ordering on the Co1 and Co2 sites. Moreover, we have also observed another notable superstructure with Q2=a^∗/4 below the phase transition of , which suggests a more complicated orbital ordered state existing at lower temperatures.     

Dispersive processes of light-induced defect creation in hydrogenated amorphous silicon

The growing curve of light-induced dangling bonds under illumination has been observed for various intensities of illumination in a-Si:H. It is fitted to a stretched exponential function and then two parameters β and τ involved in the function are estimated as a function of saturated dangling bond density . The experimental values of β, τ, and are compared with those calculated based on our model of light-induced defect creation in a-Si:H.