Study of the primordial lithium abundance

Lithium isotopes have attracted an intense interest because the abundance of both 6Li and 6Li from big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) is one of the puzzles in nuclear astrophysics. Many investigations of both astrophysical observation and nucleosynthesis calculation have been carried out to solve the puzzle, but it is not solved yet. Several nuclear reactions involving lithium have been indirectly measured at China Institute of Atomic Energy, Beijing. The Standard BBN (SBBN) network calculations are then perfo...     

EPR evidence of antiferromagnetic ordering in single‐layer graphene

We report electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) evidence of the antiferromagnetic ordering in pristine single‐layer graphene. Temperature dependences of the parameters of EPR spectra obtained for vacuum‐processed samples were studied within the temperature range of 4.2–300 K. Our experiment has confirmed recent theoretical predictions that in single‐layer graphene the carrier‐mediated exchange interaction leads to antiferromagnetic coupling. We note some quantitative discrepancies between the theory and experimental findings and discuss their origins. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Co<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> @ PFR cube-like core–shell nanocomposite prepared via a facile one-step hydrothermal approach

The Co₃O₄ @ phenol formaldehyde resin (PFR) cube-like nanocomposites are prepared by one-step hydrothermal process at 120–180 °C for 3–9 h. Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O, hexamethylenetetramine (HMT), and phenol are used as precursors in water solvent. Any adventitious oxidants and additives are not presented. The transmission/scanning electronic microscope (TEM, SEM) images show as-obtained typical samples are consisted of cube-like Co₃O₄ as core and PFR as shell. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) data indicate the samples are consisted of cube-phase Co₃O₄ with amorphous PFR. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) further confirm Co₃O₄ and PFR are contained in the samples. Room-temperature vibration magnetic strength measurements (VMS) indicate that the antiferromagnetic properties of core–shell nanocomposites evidently differ from the naked-Co₃O₄ nanoparticles.     

Investigation on the flameholding mechanisms in supersonic flows: backward-facing step and cavity flameholder

Abstract  

As effective devices to extend the fuel residence time in supersonic flow and prolong the duration time for hypersonic vehicles cruising in the near-space with power, the backward-facing step and the cavity are widely employed in hypersonic airbreathing propulsive systems as flameholders. The two-dimensional coupled implicit RANS equations, the standard k-ε turbulence model, and the finite-rate/eddy-dissipation reaction model have been used to generate the flow field structures in the scramjet combustors with the backward-facing step and the cavity flameholders. The flameholding mechanism in the combustor has been investigated by comparing the flow field in the corner region of the backward-facing step with that around the cavity flameholder. The obtained results show that the numerical simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental data, and the different grid scales make only a slight difference to the numerical results. The vortices formed in the corner region of the backward-facing step, in the cavity and upstream of the fuel injector make a large difference to the enhancement of the mixing between the fuel and the free airstream, and they can prolong the residence time of the mixture and improve the combustion efficiency in the supersonic flow. The size of the recirculation zone in the scramjet combustor partially depends on the distance between the injection and the leading edge of the cavity. Further, the shock waves in the scramjet combustor with the cavity flameholder are much stronger than those that occur in the scramjet combustor with the backward-facing step, and this causes a large increase in the static pressure along the walls of the combustor.     

Finite vortex numbers and symmetric vortex structures in a rotating trapped Fermi gas in the BCS-BEC crossover

The ground state of a three-dimensional (3D) rotating trapped superfluid Fermi gas in the BCS-BEC crossover is mapped to finite N _v -body vortex states by a simple ansatz. The total vortex energy is measured from the ground-state energy of the system in the absence of the vortices. The vortex state is stable since the vortex potential and rotation energies are attractive while the vortex kinetic energy and interaction between vortices are repulsive. By combining the analytical and numerical works for the minimal vortex energy, the 2D configurations of N _v vortices are studied by taking into account of the finite size effects both on xy-plane and on z-direction. The calculated vortex numbers as a function of the interaction strength are appropriate to the renew experimental results by Zwierlein in [High-temperature superfluidity in a ultracold Fermi gas, Ph.D. thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006]. The numerical results show that there exist two types of vortex structures: the trap center is occupied and unoccupied by a vortex, even in the case of N _v < 10 with regular polygon and in the case of N _v ≥ 10 with finite triangle lattice. The rotation frequency dependent vortex numbers with different interaction strengths are also discussed.     

Fabrication and laser performance of highly transparent Nd:YAG ceramics from well-dispersed Nd:Y<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanopowders by freeze-drying

Well-dispersed Nd:Y₂O₃ powders with uniform particle size of about 60 nm were synthesized from freeze-dried precursors. Highly transparent 2 at.% Nd:YAG ceramics were fabricated from the as-synthesized Nd:Y₂O₃ powders and commercial Al₂O₃ powders by vacuum sintering at 1,750 °C for 5 h. Phase evolution, microstructures, and spectroscopic properties of the Nd:YAG transparent ceramics were investigated. Freeze-drying played an important role in the synthesis of high-quality Nd:Y₂O₃ nanosized powders, which were essential for the fabrication of highly transparent Nd:YAG ceramics. Optical transmittance of a 3-mm thick sample reached 82% in the wavelength range of 200–900 nm. 5.23 W output power was obtained with 14.3 W diode laser pumping, giving a slope efficiency of 36.5%.     

Synthesis of uniform quasi-octahedral CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> mesocrystals via a surfactant-free route

A facile surfactant-free nonaqueous method is presented to prepare uniform quasi-octahedral ceria, CeO₂, mesocrystals, in which only Ce(NO₃)₃ and octanol were used as the reactants at a reaction temperature of 150 °C. CeO₂ sample synthesized using this technique consists of well-dispersed quasi-octahedrons and exhibits an uniform size and morphology. Based on structural characterization, it is proposed that the CeO₂ mesostructure was formed by self-assembly of primary nanocrystals based on unique 3D oriented-attachment mechanism. Optical characterization exhibited a strong quantum confinement, revealing small size of primary nanocrystals. The thermal stability and UV–Vis study reveal CeO₂ mesocrystal has various potential for high temperature applications and optical apparatus applications.     

Tailoring the photoluminescence of PbS-nanoparticles layers deposited by means of the pulsed laser ablation technique

In this article, we report on the room-temperature pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of lead sulfide (PbS) nanoparticles (NPs) layers onto various substrates. It is particularly shown that the average size of PbS NPs can be controlled by varying the number of laser ablation pulses. The pulsed laser deposited PbS NPs are found to be of high-crystalline quality and their photoluminescence (PL) to blue shift significantly from 1420 to 880 nm, as their average diameter is decreased from 8.5 to 2.5 nm, thereby confirming the quantum size effect. The latitude of our PLD process is shown to permit the achievement of multilayered PbS-NPs structures of which the overall PL emission spectrum can be tailored through the appropriate stack of individual PbS-NPs layers.     

Transmission-mode GaN photocathode based on graded Al_xGa_(1-x)N buffer layer

We create a GaN photocathode based on graded Alx Ga1-x N buffer layers to overcome the influence of buffer-emission layer interface on the photoemission of transmission-mode GaN photocathodes.A gateshaped spectral response with a 260-nm starting wavelength and a 375-nm cut-off wavelength is obtained.Average quantum efficiency is 15% and short wavelength responses are almost equivalent to long wavelength ones.The fitted interface recombination velocity is 5×104 cm/s,with negligible magnitude,proving that the design of the graded buffer layers is efficient in obtaining good interface quality between the buffer and the emission layer.     

Studies on the mechanisms of powerful terahertz radiations from laser plasmas

A survey on the mechanisms of powerful terahertz (THz) radiation from laser plasmas is presented.Firstly,an analytical model is described,showing that a transverse net current formed in a plasma can be converted into THz radiations at the plasma oscillation frequency.This theory is applied to explain THz generation in a gas driven by two-color laser pulses.It is also applied to THz generation in a tenuous plasma driven by a chirped laser pulse,a few-cycle laser pulse,a DC/AC bias electric field.These are well verified by particle-in-cell simulations,demonstrating that THz radiations produced in these approaches are nearly single-cycles and linear polarized.In the chirped laser scheme and the few-cycle laser scheme,THz radiations with the peak field strength of tens of MV/cm and the peak power of gigawatt can be achieved with the incident laser intensity less than 10 17 W/cm 2.