Nanostructure and conductivity of thin metal films

Amorphous silver, copper, gold, and iron films of a thickness between 6 and 350 nm are grown on polymeric substrates by vacuum evaporation. The nanostructure of the films is investigated. The dependence of the conductivity on the film thickness is obtained, and a correlation between the surface morphology and the conductivity is established.     

Role of stationary photon statistics in a high-Q cavity mode while it is exciting the active laser medium

It has been shown by Yu. M. Golubev, M. I. Kolobov, and I. V. Sokolov, Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 111, 1579 (1997) [JETP 84, 864 (1997)], that when an optical cavity is excited by external radiation from a sub-Poisson laser the cavity mode may be in either a sub-Poisson or a Poisson stationary state. This is not important for a resonant medium which is excited into the upper laser level while interacting with this mode inside the cavity. The degree of regularity of the excitation will be identical to that of the initial light flux incident on the cavity, and this ultimately ensures the same sub-Poisson lasing as for strictly regular pumping of the resonant medium. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 1223–1234 (April 1998)     

On the possibility of terahertz wave generation upon dense gas optical breakdown

The possibility of applying the physical principles underlying the operation of a solid-state terahertz oscillator to plasma gas-discharge media is analyzed. A new method of electromagnetic wave generation in the terahertz frequency range is proposed. It is based on the excitation of plasma-oscillation current by a static electric field in a laser spark produced by an axicon lens, followed by the radiation of an electromagnetic pulse through the Cherenkov mechanism.     

Dynamics of an RF Discharge in a Magnetic Field under Strong Initial Preionization

We demonstrate experimentally the possibility to create and sustain a strongly ionized plasma at low gas pressures by the electromagnetic radiation of the intensity which is below the conventional breakdown level. The conditions of ignition and sustaining the plasma are found, and the plasma parameters are measured. The necessary condition for the discharge formation is strong preliminary ionization of an initial gas. Significant electron heating in the RF field, which ensures the effective gas ionization takes place due to Coulomb collisions with protoplasma ions. Such collisions are much more frequent than the electron-neutral collisions. We propose a qualitative analytical model of the discharge evolution, which describes the effects observed.     

Using the method of integral relationships to determine the seepage parameters of a layer

We consider nonlinear seepage with an initial pressure gradient in a region without stagnant zones. An algorithm based on the method of integral relationships is proposed for the determination of an auxiliary function defined as the square root of the permeability coefficient of the layer. The advantage of this method is that it reduces the problem to a form which can be solved by standard computer subprograms. Applications of the proposed approach are described.Translated from Vychislitel'naya i Prikladnaya Matematika, No. 55, pp. 87–92, 1985.     

Thermal degradation of composites of poly(methyl methacrylate) with alkoxysilane hydrolyzates

Organic-inorganic composites of poly(methyl methacrylate) with alkoxysilane hydrolyzates form transparent films. Their thermal and oxidative thermal degradation were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis.     

Enhancement of the quantum characteristics of light from an inversionless three-level Λ-laser in cascade schemes

We show that when a three-level laser is excited by Poisson light the lasing remains sub-Poisson, as asserted by H. Ritsch, M. A. M. Marte, and P. Zoller [Europhys. Lett. 19, 7 (1992)], only if there is no reciprocal action on the exciting laser (weak coupling). In cascade schemes in which each three-level Λ-laser excites each succeeding Λ-laser with its light, any desired degree of shot-noise suppression can be achieved. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 1971–1992 (December 1998)     

Radiative decays of ρ and ω mesons

The results of the measurements of radiative decays of ρ and ω mesons with the Neutral Detector at thee ⁺ e ^? collider VEPP-2M are presented. The branching ratio of the decay ω→π ⁰γ was measured with higher than in previous experiments accuracy: $${\rm B}(\omega \to \pi ^0 \gamma ) = 0.0888 \pm 0.0062$$ . The ρ⁰→π ⁰ γ branching ratio was measured for the first time: $$B(\rho ^0 \to \pi ^0 \gamma ) = (7.9 \pm 2.0) \cdot 10^{ - 4} $$ . The decays ρ, ω→ηγ were studied. Their branching ratios with the assumption of constructive ρ?ω interference are: $$\begin{gathered} B(\omega \to \eta \gamma ) = (7.3 \pm 2.9) \cdot 10^{ - 4} , \hfill \\ B(\rho \to \eta \gamma ) = (4.0 \pm 1.1) \cdot 10^{ - 4} \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ . The branching ratios of ρ, ω→ηγ and ω→e ⁺ e ^? decays were also measured: $$\begin{gathered} B(\omega \to \pi ^ + \pi ^ - \pi ^0 ) = 0.8942 \pm 0.0062, \hfill \\ B(\omega \to e^ + e^ - ) = (7.14 \pm 0.36) \cdot 10^{ - 5} \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ . The upper limit for the ω→π ⁰ π ⁰ γ branching ratio was placed: B(ω→π ⁰ π ⁰ γ)<4·10^?4 at 90% confidence level.     

Method for rapid tritiated water extraction from environmental samples

We have developed a thermal vacuum desorption process to rapidly extract water from environmental samples for tritium analysis. Thermal vacuum desorption allows for extraction of the moisture from the sample within a few hours in a form and quantity suitable for liquid scintillation counting and allows detection of tritium at the levels of <2 Bq/l of milk, <0.5 Bq/g of vegetation, and <0.5 Bq/g of soil. We developed a prototype unit that can process batches of twenty or more samples within 24 hours. Early data shows that a high percentage of water is extracted reproducibly without enrichment or depletion of the tritium content. The quench coefficient of the extracted water is low allowing for accurate, direct liquid scintillation counting. In most samples, good comparison has been observed with results using freeze-dry lyophilization as the water extraction method     

3,5-Dimethylpyrazole Complexes with Strong Carboxylic Acids

3,5-Dimethylpyrazole and halogen-containing carboxylic acids in solution give rise to equilibrium between the free molecules and 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 H-complexes. These complexes either have a ion pair-like structure with two equivalent hydrogen bonds O^??HN⁺ (1 : 1) or include homoconjugate anion with strong hydrogen bond C-O-H?O-C (1 : 2). At low temperatures, 2 : 1 complexes were detected. The structure and harmonic vibration frequencies of the complexes were calculated in terms of the density functional theory.