Structure and dynamics of concentrated micellar phase in nonionic surfactant-water systems

Dynamic light scattering has been measured on aqueous solutions of a nonionic surfactant C₁₄E₆ (C_nE_m represents a chemical formula C_nE_2n+1(OC₂H₄)_mOH). In the time correlation function of the scattered field for semidilute solutions were wormlike micelles are entangled, we have found the so-called slow mode in addition to the diffusion mode. Concentration and temperature dependences of the relaxation time of the slow mode (τ_s) are strongly correlated with those of the surfactant self-diffusion coefficient (D), suggesting that self-diffusion and structural relaxation are dominated by the same kinetic process. These results are consistent with our previous study on the C₁₆E₇ system. In order to refine the kinetic model, we have compared τ_s and D quantitatively based on our diffusion model reported before where intramicellar diffusion and intermicellar migration are taken into account. Static light scattering measurements have been performed to estimate one of parameters included in this model. It has been suggested that entangled micelles form a transient connection whose lifetime is of the order of 10⁻³ s, depending on concentration and temperature, and that surfactant molecules migrate to another micelle through such a transient connection.     

Neutrino oscillations induced by two-loop radiative mechanism

Two-loop radiative mechanism, when combined with an U(1)_L′ symmetry generated by L_e − L_μ − L_τ (=L′), is shown to provide an estimate of Δm²/Δm²_atm εm_e/m_τ, where ε measures the U(1)_L′-breaking. Since Δm²_atm 3.5×10⁻³ eV², we find that Δm² ε10⁻⁶ eV², which will fall into the allowed region of the LOW solution to the solar neutrino problem for ε 0.1.     

Theoretical studies of spin-Hamiltonian parameters for Ni ions in CsMgX3 (X=Cl, Br, I) crystals from the two-mechanism model

In this paper, the high-order perturbation formulas of spin-Hamiltonian (SH) parameters (g factors g, g and zero-field splitting D), including both the crystal-field (CF) and for the first time charge-transfer (CT) mechanisms, are established for 3d⁸ ions in trigonal octahedral clusters. By using these formulas, the SH parameters of Ni²⁺ ions in CsMgX₃ (X=Cl, Br, I) crystals are calculated. The results are consistent with the experimental values. The calculations suggest that the sign of Q^CT (Q=Δg, Δg or D, where the g-shift Δg_i=g_i−g_e, g_e≈2.0023 is the value of free-electron) due to CT mechanism is the same as that of the corresponding Q^CF due to CF mechanism, and the relative importance of CT mechanism (characterized by Q^CT/Q^CF) increases with the increasing atomic number of ligand X. So, for the 3dⁿ ML_m clusters with ligand having large atomic number, the reasonable theoretical explanations of all SH parameters should take both CF and CT mechanisms into account. The defect structure of (NiX₆)⁴⁻ impurity centers in CsMgX₃:Ni²⁺ crystals is also considered in our model.     

Pionic excitation of giant resonances in Y

Inelastic scattering of π⁺ and π⁻ exhibits strongly excited giant resonance structures. Besides the giant quadrupole resonance centered around 14 MeV, structures are observed at 16.8 MeV which can be fitted with a mixing of L=0 and L=1, and around 25 MeV (E_x = 110A^−1/3).     

1-forms over the moduli space of irreducible connections defined by the spectrum of Dirac operators

Let (P) be the moduli space of irreducible connections of a G-principal bundle P over a closed Riemannian spin manifold M. Let D_A be the Dirac operator of M coupled to a connection A of P and f a smooth function on M. We consider a smooth variation A(u) of A with tangent vector ω and denote T_ω:= (D_A(u)−f) (u=0. The coefficients of the asymptotic expansion of trace (T_ω · e^-t(D_A−f)2) near t=0 define 1-forms a^(k)_f, K=0, 1, 2, … on (P). In this paper we calculate aa⁽⁰⁾_f, a⁽¹⁾_f, a⁽²⁾_f and study some of their properties. For instance using the 1-form a⁽²⁾_f for suitable functions f we obtain a foliation of codimension 5 of the space of G-instantons of S⁴.     

Oxygen diffusion and surface exchange in La1−xSrxFe0.8Cr0.2O3−δ (x=0.2, 0.4 and 0.6)

Oxygen tracer diffusion (D*) and surface exchange rate constant (k*) have been measured, using isotopic exchange and depth profiling by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), in La_1−xSr_xFe_0.8Cr_0.2O_3−δ (x=0.2, 0.4 and 0.6). Measurements were made as a function of temperature (700–1000 °C) and oxygen partial pressure (0.21–10⁻²¹ atm) in dry oxygen, water vapour and water vapour/hydrogen/nitrogen mixtures. At high oxygen activity, D* was found to increase with increasing temperature and Sr content. The activation energies for D* in air are 2.13 eV (x=0.2), 1.53 eV (x=0.4) and 1.21 eV (x=0.6). As the oxygen activity decreases, D* increases as expected qualitatively from the increase in oxygen vacancy concentration. Under strongly reducing conditions, the measured values of D* at 1000 °C range from 10⁻⁸ cm² s⁻¹ for x=0.2 to 10⁻⁷ cm² s⁻¹ for x=0.4 and 0.6. The activation energies determined at constant H₂O/H₂ ratio are 1.21 eV (x=0.2), 1.59 eV (x=0.4) and 0.82 eV (x=0.6).

The surface exchange rate constant of oxygen for the H₂O molecule is similar in magnitude to that for the O₂ molecule and both increase with increasing Sr concentration.     

Adatom dynamics in a periodic potential under time-periodic bias

We study the dynamics of a Brownian particle in a 1D external potential under the influence of a time-periodic bias with an amplitude small with respect to the potential barriers. We consider both a periodic potential corresponding to a smooth crystal surface and a regular array of steps with an extra Ehrlich–Schwoebel barrier for step crossing. For the smooth surface, we extend our previous work in the high friction limit to the low friction case and find that the oscillating bias enhances the diffusion coefficient D_T due to the broadening of the jump length distribution. In the case of a stepped surface with terraces of length L, the bias induces a non-zero average current J_ave in the direction of descending steps as long as the driving frequency is smaller than a threshold frequency Ω_T≈L⁻¹. The current shows a maximum as a function of temperature for fixed L. However, no evidence of stochastic resonance type of enhancement can be found either in D_T or J_ave.     

Low frequency impedance of a round superconducting wire

We calculated the electric field E on the surface of a straight superconducting wire with circular cross-section carrying AC transport current I=I_acosωt. Performing the Fourier analysis of E, we found that both components of the first harmonic have the same form: the critical current I_c in prefactor and the rest depending on the ratio F=I_a/I_c. The in-phase component leads to the classical result of loss calculation, while the out-of-phase component was derived for the first time. Thus the wire can be symbolized by a complex self-inductance L₁(I)=L₁′(I)−jL₁″(I) where L₁′ represents the reactive power while L₁″ the losses. When the lock-in amplifier, used to sort out the components of the first harmonic, is utilized in the wide-band mode, it allows one to determine the magnetic flux penetrated in the wire volume at two significant moments of the AC cycle: at zero current (remanent flux) and at the amplitude value of current.     

Critical behavior of transverse and longitudinal ac susceptibilities in a random anisotropy magnet a-Dy16Fe84

We have investigated critical lines in the H-T plane in a random anisotropy magnet (RAM) a-Dy₁₆Fe₈₄ with a small effective ratio of the anisotropy (D) to the exchange constant (J) by means of ac susceptibility (χ) in static fields H parallel and perpendicular to the ac field. We found that the transverse χ exhibits an anomaly along the irreversible line H(T_f) determined by previous magnetization measurements, while the longitudinal χ does so along a characteristic line H(T_i) in a lower temperature region. Above H(T_f) we also found an extra characteristic line H(T_c). The lines were almost independent of the measured frequency. Both the present results and previous magnetization results suggest that an equilibrium phase transition occurs, and the critical lines analogous to those in Heisenberg spin glasses are present in a weak RAM.     

1/f Noise in dye-sensitized solar cells and NIR photon detectors

All electronic devices are plagued with 1/f noise originating from many causes. The most important factors contributing to 1/f noise in a semiconductor is believed to be recombination of carriers and their trapping at defects and impurity sites. Adsorption of moisture and electron acceptor molecules enhances the intensity of 1/f noise. Amazingly, some molecular species that strongly chelate to the semiconductor surface, suppress 1/f noise owing to passivation of the recombination sites. Thus in addition to sensitization, the dye adsorbed on the nanocrystallites plays a key role in mitigation of recombinations. For this reason dye-sensitized heterojunctions could also find application as low noise NIR photon detectors. Experiments conducted with oxide semiconductors (TiO₂, ZnO, SnO₂) indicate that the mode of binding of dyes at specific sites determines the extent to which the recombination and 1/f noise are suppressed. The transport of electrons in a nanocrystalline matrix is diffusive with a diffusion coefficient D depending on the trapping and detrapping processes. Thus passivation of trapping sites by the adsorbed dye is expected to increase the response time which can be expressed as τ  L²/D, where L = thickness of the nanocrystalline film. Measurement techniques and construction of a dye-sensitized NIR photon detector will be discussed.     

Matter–antimatter asymmetry and neutrino properties

The cosmological baryon asymmetry can be explained as remnant of heavy Majorana neutrino decays in the early universe. We study this mechanism for two models of neutrino masses with a large ν_μ−ν_τ mixing angle which are based on the symmetries SU(5)×U(1)_F and SU(3)_c×SU(3)_L×SU(3)_R×U(1)_F, respectively. In both cases B−L is broken at the unification scale Λ_GUT. The models make different predictions for the baryogenesis temperature and the gravitino abundance.     

An electrochemical investigation of Li intercalation in the sol-gel LiMn2O4 spinel oxide

An alternative approach for obtaining the LiMn₂O₄ spinel phase is provided by the use of the sol-gel method in aqueous solution. The main electrochemical properties of the sol-gel LiMn₂O₄ phase are reported. In addition to chronopotentiometric and voltammetric experiments, the kinetics of the electrochemical insertion–extraction of lithium in Li_xMn₂O₄ (0.25<x<1) has been investigated using ac impedance spectroscopy. The strong variation of the chemical diffusion coefficient D_Li vs x, in the range 10⁻⁸–10⁻¹¹ cm² s⁻¹ (D_Li is found to be maximum for x=0.55) is critically discussed.     

Diffusion of W on A W(211) plane

The diffusion of W on a (211) plane of a W field emitter has been re-examined by means of the fluctuation autocorrelation method. Diffusion along channels yielded E = 16.8 ± 0.5 kcal, D₀ = (3 ± 1) × 10⁻⁵ cm² s⁻¹. For diffusion across channels E =6.6 kcal, D₀ = 4 × 10⁻⁹cm² s⁻¹ at T < 752 K, and E = 24 kcal, D₀ = 5 × 10⁻⁴ cm² s⁻¹ at T > 752 K. The results for diffusion along channels yield E and D₀ values intermediate between recent results by Wang and Ehrlich [Surf. Sci. 206 (1988) 451] using field ion microscopy (E = 19 kcal, D₀ = 7.7 × 10⁻³ cm² s⁻¹) and Tringides and Gomer [J. Chem. Phys. 84 (1986) 4049], using the same method as the present work but a larger slit (E = 13.3 kcal, D₀ = 7 × 10⁻⁷ cm² s⁻¹). The results for cross channel diffus good agreement with those of Tringides and Gomer below 752 K, where these authors stopped. The new high temperature results suggest that the channel wall exchange mechanism postulated by Tringides and Gomer for cross channel diffusion at low T gives way to diffusion by climbing over the channel walls with higher E but also higher D₀ above 752 K. Possible reasons for the discrepancies between these three sets of results and the absence of cross channel diffusion in the work of Wang and Ehrlich are briefly discussed.     

What can we learn from B→DsKπ, Bd→DsKπ and Bd→DsK decays?

We study the nonresonant three-body decays of B⁺→D^(*)−_sK⁺π⁺ and B_d→D_s^(*)−K⁰π⁺. We find that these decays can provide the information on the time-like form factors of D^(*)_sK. We also explicitly investigate B_d→D_s^(*)−K^*+ decays by discriminating the nonresonant contributions with the unknown D^(*)_s wave functions being fixed by the measured mode of B_d→D_s⁻K⁺.     

Time-dependent magnetization in co-precipitated cobalt ferrite

A study of the magnetic aftereffect in co-precipitated cobalt ferrite is presented. Measurements of the magnetic viscosity S were performed at room temperature along the demagnetization curve for different applied fields H_ap over a wide range of fields (0 kOe<H_ap<−7 kOe). The interrelation function η=(∂M_rev/∂M_irr)_Hi between the DCD reversible M_rev and irreversible M_irr magnetization components was determined as well. The experimental results for S_η(H_i), where H_i is the internal field, showed a broad distribution with a maximum at H_i=2.7 kOe. However, the irreversible susceptibility χ_irr displays a maximum at H_c=0.75 kOe, the coercivity of the material. The experimental behavior of η and the non-proportionality between S_η and χⁱ_irr suggest that the magnetic viscosity in this material is principally supplied by events of nucleation of inverse domains and the depinning of domain walls. When the main mechanism of reversal magnetization changes to rotation of magnetic moments for all the grains, the magnetic viscosity decreases.     

DWBA and CCBA analysis of selected transitions in the C(d,τ) B reaction at Ed = 80 MeV

Angular distribution of the reaction ¹²C(d,τ) ¹¹B leading to the 3/2⁻ ground state and the 4.44 MeV excited (5/2⁻ state ¹¹B have measured at E_d = 80 MeV up to about 70° and 40°, respectively. The inclusion of second-order processes in the framework of CCBA calculations gives a good reproduction of the 3/2⁻ as well as of the DWBA forbidden 3/2⁻ angular distribution. The strong dependence of the cross section on the sign of the deformation supports a positive β₂ value for ¹¹B.     

Anomalous temperature dependence of magnetization in single-crystal Fe65Ni35 alloy

Magnetization (0–10 Oe) and magnetic relaxation measurements were carried out in the temperature range between 4.2 and 300 K for three picture-frame samples of Fe₆₅Ni₃₅ alloy whose edges were parallel to 100, 110 and 111, respectively. The typical temperature T_g and the magnetic field H_g which correspond to the anomalous temperature in the χ-T curve and inflection field in the σ-H curve, respectively are summarized and H-T_g and H_g-T diagrams are obtained. A strong magnetic relaxation is observed along the H_g-T line. The dependence of H_g on the crystallographic direction and on the temperature are discussed by the thermal activation process of the 180° domain wall which is pinned strongly by the antiferromagnetic clusters below T_g. The anomaly of magnetization of Fe₆₅Ni₃₅ alloy can be interpreted by the macroscopic picture of the coexistence of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic-like regions which may be caused by a statistical fluctuation of alloy composition.     

Anomalous temperature dependence of magnetization in polycrystalline Fe65Ni35 alloy

Magnetization at 0.3 and 140 Hz (0–10 Oe) and magnetic relaxation measurements were carried out in detail in the temperature range between 4.2 and 300 K for a polycrystalline Fe₆₅Ni₃₅ alloy. The typical temperature T_g and the magnetic field H_g which correspond to the anomalous temperature in χ-T curves and inflection field in σ-H curves, respectively, are summarized and a H-T diagram is obtained. A strong magnetic relaxation is observed along the H_g-T line. The temperature dependence of H_g is discussed by the thermal activation of 180° domain wall which is pinned strongly by the antiferromagnetic-like clusters below T_g. It is find that H _g is a linear function of T .     

Quantum bound states with zero binding energy

After reviewing the general properties of zero-energy quantum states, we give the explicit solutions of the Schrödinger equation with E = 0 for the class of potentials V = −|γ|/r^ν, where −∞ < ν < ∞. For ν > 2, these solutions are normalizable and correspond to bound states, if the angular momentum quantum number l > 0. (These states are normalizable, even for l = 0, if we increase the space dimension, D, beyond 4; i.e for D > 4.) For ν < −2 the above solutions, although unbound, are normalizable. This is true even though the corresponding potentials are repulsive for all r. We discuss the physics of these unusual effects.     

Composition and thermal-induced effects on the optical constants of Ge20Se80−xBix thin films

 The effects of composition and thermal annealing near crystallization temperature, T_c on the optical and structural properties of Ge₂₀Se_80−xBi_x (x=0, 2.5, 5 and 7.5 at%) was investigated. The influence of incorporation Bi content in Ge₂₀Se_80−xBi_x system results in a gradual decrease in the indirect optical gap from 1.89 to 1.44 eV, this behavior can be explained as increased tailing. On annealing, the optical band gap E_g decreases gradually for the crystallized films while the refractive index increases, this behavior can be attributed to transformation from amorphous to crystalline and was explained in the light of dangling bond model. The refractive index n of as-prepared and annealed films has been analyzed according to the Wwmple–DiDominico single oscillator model and the values of E_o and E_d were determined. The effect of annealing on the nature and degree of crystallization has been investigated by studying the structure using transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope.