Optical bistability produced by resonant Joule's heating of semiconductors

The thermal hysteresis of Joule's absorption of infrared radiation in then-type semiconductor magnetoplasma is analysed. Such bistability is connected with the temperature dependence of the relaxation time of free electrons, their density being constant. The resonant Joule's absorption bistability of the pumping infrared wave near a Langmuir resonance of free electrons is discussed as well as the hysteresis cross-modulation of an infrared probing wave by means of a pumping microwave. The possibilities of smooth detuning of the hysteresis regime due to a magnetic-field control and low energy thresholds of these regimes are illustrated for InSb thin films in relatively weak magnetic fieldsH1–2 kG.     

Thermal diffusivity measurements of natural and isotopically enriched diamond by picosecond infrared transient grating experiments

The photopyroelectric (PPE) technique is used to measure the specific heat of YBa₂Cu₃O_7–X thin films. Hysteresis in the PPE amplitude is observed in the temperature range 90 K to 250 K. Peaks in the inverse PPE amplitude at T=110 K in the cooling path and at T230 K in the heating path are observed. The magnitude of hysteresis depends upon the thermal history of the sample.     

Theory and experimental evidence for superconductors with short coherence length

We sketch the theory of London superconductors with a complex order parameter undergoing a phase transition dominated by thermal fluctuations. This theory is essentially that of superfluid helium, appropriately modified. We derive relations between the transition temperatureT _c , the London penetration depth, the phase correlation length, the fall ofT _c with reduced thickness in thin slabs and the associated appearance of Kosterlitz-Thouless behavior. AtH _c2 thermal fluctuations drive the transition first order. Accordingly, magnetic properties will exhibit hysteresis phenomena and glassy behavior. Our analysis of recent specific heat and SR measurements and of experiments on ultrathin slabs as well as the experimental evidence for hysteresis phenomena and glassy behavior in magnetic properties reveal that this theory describes a large class of superconductors that encompasses the cuprates, bismuthates and fullerenes.     

Magnetic torque behavior and rotational hysteresis of amorphous uniaxial Sm-Co alloy films

Amorphous films of Sm_100–x Co _x with 70x90 were made by vapor deposition on flat glass substrates at 300 K with a magnetic field parallel to the film plane, as described in a preceding paper; the field induces a uniaxial anisotropyK _u of the order 10⁶ erg cm^–3 with the easy axis,x, in the film plane. The film plane (xy plane) is the easy plane with a planar anisotropyK _p of the order 10⁷ erg cm^–3, i.e. the film normal,z, is the hard axis. For such films, torque curvesT(H, ) (: angle betweenH and an axis normal to the axis of rotation) are calculated, and are measured in fieldsH 30 kOe for the three axes of rotation,x, y, andz. The results are evaluated to give the spontaneous magnetization, M, the anisotropies,K _u ,K _p , the rotational hysteresis losses,W _Rx (H),W _Ry (H),W _Rz (H), and the rotational hysteresis integrals,R _x ,R _y ,R _z .     

Galvano- and Thermomagnetic phenomena in thin films with nonidentical surfaces

A theory of galvano- and thermomagnetic phenomena in thin films with nonidentical surfaces is presented. The kinetic equation is solved with consideration of boundary conditions in films with nonidentical surfaces in the presence of a magnetic field perpendicular to the film plane, and an electric field and temperature gradient within the film plane. General expressions are found for the components of the galvano- and thermomagnetic tensors _ik, _ik, _ik which are oscillating functions of film thickness and magnetic field. A detailed analysis is performed of the dependence of magnetic resistance(d, H), the Nernst — Ettingshausen(N-E) coefficient Q(d, H), the electron component of thermal conductivity(d, H), and the thermo-emf(d, H) on film thickness and magnetic field.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 10, pp. 86–91, October, 1977.In conclusion, the authors express their gratitude to B. M. Askerov for his constant interest in the study and fruitful evaluation of the results.     

State-to-state rotational energy transfer in OH (A 2Σ+, υ′=1)

State-to-state rotational energy transfer (RET) coefficients for thermal collisions of OH (A ²⁺, =1) with He, Ar, N₂, CO₂, and H₂O at 300K were determined from time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) measurements. The RET coefficients are very similar in both qualitative behaviour and absolute magnitude to those measured previously for OH (A ²⁺, =0).     

Photoconductivity of highly excited A IV B VI thin films

We report the results of picosecond photoconductivity measurements in photosensitive electrolytically deposited PbS and vacuum evaporated PbTe polycrystalline films. We determine Auger recombination to be the prevailing carrier recombination mechanism in highly excited PbTe and PbS films and found Auger coefficients _A5×10^–28 cm⁶ s^–1 for PbTe and _A5.3×10^–29 cm⁶ s^–1 for PbS for carrier concentration changes N>10¹⁸ cm^–3. The results indicate that the low mobility values are controlled by intergrain carrier scattering. We have studied the thermal annealing influence on picosecond photoconductivity of the films.     

Magneto-optic phenomena in metastable Fe-Cu solid solutions

It has been observed by the transverse Kerr effect that the hysteresis loop changes its sense and its amplitude due to the composition gradient introduced in the metastable Fe-Cu solid solution, which has been produced by quenching from the vapour phase. The phenomenon was interpreted in terms of skin depth effect which plays an important role due to the significantly lowered density of such films relative to the bulk value.The calculated values of skin depth effect were found to be in fairly good agreement with experimentally obtained thicknesses of iron and copper films, respectively. Metastable Fe-Cu solid solution films appeared to have a quasi-sandwich structure due to the presence of very strong composition gradient within the relatively short thickness range.     

Deviation of the plane-wave approximation for optical fields in thin metallic films at various frequencies and temperatures

The frequency and temperature dependence of the size effect on the profile distribution of electromagnetic fields inside thin metallic films within the anomalous skin-effect region is theoretically studied. The relaxation time of conduction electrons is stated as (aT +b ²)^–1 in accord with Matthiessen's rule for current conduction. The errors of using the plane wave solution e^–uWz turns out to be as large as 5.5% compared to the total field including the higher-order terms for silver films with a thickness of 30 nm. However, the imaginary parts of the electric field for thinner metal films at lower temperatures are less affected by higher-order terms.     

Thermal fluctuations and ac response of weakly pinned charge density waves

The Fukuyama-Lee theory for the ac response () of weakly pinned charge density waves is extended to include thermal fluctuations. The equation of motion for the local phase includes an extrinsic damping and a distinction is made between static and dynamic parameters in it. It is split into static, thermally fluctuating and response contributions to the phase, respectively. The static problem is treated using a result from Feigel'man's theory which provides a revised value for the weak pinning constant. The impurity averaging of the response equation is performed using the simplifying statistical properties of the stochastic pinning force following Bleher's recent work. The main emphasis is on the treatment of the thermal fluctuations via a thermal field _th. The non-linear Langevin equation for _th is linearized and further simplified by an RPA type approximation which eliminates the impurity fluctuations from _th. The resulting equation is solved exactly. It is shown that the correlation function of the thermal field decays initially with a short time constant. This allows to treat the thermal fluctuations on an equal footing with the impurity fluctuations in the self-consistent Born approximation. The main contribution of the thermal fluctuations results in powers of a thermal factor exp(- _th ² /2) to the first and second order self energies of the phason Green's function. Numerical results due to these modifications are given for (,T). It is found that the absorption peak in Re () broadens and shifts to lower frequencies when the temperature is raised. The corresponding treatment for three spatial dimensional is indicated. The thermal factor is evaluated for this case and differences to Maki's result are noted. The questions of analyticity and conductivity sum rule are also dealt with.Dedicated to Professor Helmut Reik on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Electrical and optical properties of amorphous Te40As38Ge10Si12 thin films

Electrical, optical and structural, properties, of Te₄₀As₃₈Ge₁₀Si₁₀ thin films were studied. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that these films are in an amorphous state. The dark electrical resistivity of Te₄₀As₃₈Ge₁₀Si₁₂ films was measured at room temperature and at elevated temperature. The thermal activation energy E was determined. The optical constants (refractive index n and absorption index k) of such films were determined in the spectral range of 0.5–2.0 m. The absorption coefficient () of this system was also determined using the known equation =4k/. The refractive index n has anomalous behaviour near the absorption edge. Analysis of the absorption spectrum reveals indirect optical transitions. The corresponding forbidden-band width was determined. Its value is approximately twice the thermal activation energy.     

Magnetic properties of thin epitaxial Gd films on Nb

We investigated the magnetic properties of Gd films by magnetization measurements with the transverse magnetooptic Kerr effect in the temperature range from 2 to 295 K and for magnetic field up to 0.3 T. The thicknessd _Gd of the Gd films was varied between 11 and 1000 Å. For thick films (d _Gd500 Å) the form of the hysteresis curves and especially the nonmonotonic temperature dependence of remanence and coercivity can be qualitatively reproduced with a simple model employing theT dependence of the easy-axis direction. TheT dependence of the saturation magnetizationM _s of the thick films (d _Gd>=150 Å) strongly resembles the behavior of bulk crystals, whereas for the thinnest filmsM _s approximately depends linearly onT up to the Curie temperatureT _C . The thickness dependence ofT _C follows approximately a power law with an exponent 1.6 close to the theoretical value.     

Preparation and electrical properties of Bi<Subscript>3.25</Subscript>Pr<Subscript>0.75</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> ferroelectric thin films

Bi_3.25Pr_0.75Ti₃O₁₂ (BPT) ferroelectric thin films have been prepared by chemical solution deposition on platinized Si substrates. Well-crystallized BPT films can be achieved by 600 °C rapid thermal annealing. The film surface is smooth and crack-free, composed of uniform spherical grains around 90–100 nm in diameter. The electrical properties of Pt/BPT/Pt thin film capacitors were characterized by hysteresis and impedance measurements. The remanent polarization of 700 °C annealed BPT films is around 20 C/cm² at 120-kV/cm stimulus field. The dielectric constant is around 380 at 10 kHz, 100-mV amplitude. The remanent polarization of BPT film showed a slight reduction, 10% of its original value, after 2.8×10⁹ cycles, while a 30% reduction of non-volatile polarization was observed. PACS 81.15.-z; 77.55.+f; 77.22.Gm     

The thermal conductivity of disordered and amorphous metal films

The thermal conductivity of quenched condensed polycrystalline and amorphous Pb and Pb_0.9Cu_0.1 films has been measured between 0.5 and 11 K, i.e. in the superconducting (T7 K) and in the normal state (T7 K). Whereas, in agreement with previous results, phonon heat transport is very small for crystalline films, a considerable portion of heat is carried by phonons in amorphous films, owing to the absence of extended lattice defects. Phonon scattering in these latter films is analyzed in terms of scattering from conduction electrons aboveT _c, whereas well belowT _c it is very likely due to low energy excitations inherent in the amorphous structure.Work performed within the research program of the Sonderforschungsbereich 125 — Aachen/Jülich/Köln     

Phase-conjugate bistability and multistability in moving-grating operated orthogonally polarized pump four-wave mixing in photorefractives

We establish possible regions of bistability (BIST), multistability (MUST), hysteresis, self-oscillation (SO) and enhancement features of the phase-conjugate reflectivity (PCR) by use of moving-grating operation (MGO) in the orthogonally polarized pump four-wave mixing (OPP-FWM) geometry employing a photorefractive (PR) crystal (usually BaTiO₃). Numerical evaluation of such PCR features has been presented as a function of parameters such as coupling strength (of complex gL and real g ₀ L values), frequency-shift () owing to grating motion, the PR phase shift (ø_PR), and pump (r) and probe (q) intensity ratios. PCR results of this geometry are compared with those obtained from the regular (i.e. parallel-polarized pump) four-wave mixing (REG-FWM) geometry assuming the same set of parameters in both geometries. We find that the OPP geometry leads to a drastic PCR enhancement together with the appearance of a rich variety of multibranched solutions exhibiting BIST and MUST features of the PCR, particularly in the range 0.5 3 with values g ₀L 10, r=1 and q 0.1 that are practically realizable. Nevertheless, this geometry sometimes offers the possibility of a PCR jump (from one stable state to the other), suggesting hysteresis caused by changing only slightly. In the REG geometry, however, the PCR enhancement is less prominent, and also the BIST/MUST features rarely exist unless g ₀ L becomes sufficiently large, say 20 or more.     

Nonlinear heat transport near the λ transition in4He

The effect of a finite stationary heat current is investigated in the spatially inhomogenous situation where the heat current induces an interface between normal-liquid and superfluid⁴He. The nonlinear temperature profile in the vicinity of the interface and the local thermal conductivity are calculated forT>T within modelF up to oneloop order. The field-theoretic renormalization-group approach is employed to describe the critical behavior both in the linear and nonlinear response regime. The finite heat currentQ causes a finite temperature gradient atT and therefore suppresses the critical divergence of the thermal conductivity. Quantitative predictions are made on the nonlinearQ dependence of the temperature profile and of the thermal conductivity which should be experimentally observable.     

Influence of substrate bias and pressure on microstructure of TiN x films reactively sputtered by cylindrical post magnetron

This contribution analyzes the influence of the bias voltageU _b and the total pressure of working gas mixturep _TOT=p _Ar+p _N2 on the microstructure of grown TiN _x films and the direction of growth of crystallites in the films with respect to the film-substrate interface.The authors would like to thank J. vub for performing the scanning electron micrographs of TiN _x films and J. Vyskoil for many useful discussions.     

Heterogeneous nature of the dynamics and glass transition in thin polymer films

Recent experiments have demonstrated that the dynamics in liquids close to and below the glass transition temperature is strongly heterogeneous, on the scale of a few nanometers. We use here a model proposed recently for explaining these features, and show that the heterogeneous nature of the dynamics has important consequences when considering the dynamics of thin films. We show how the dominant relaxation time in a thin film is changed as compared to the bulk, as a function of the thickness, the interaction energy with the substrate, and the temperature. The corresponding time scales cover the so-called VFT (or WLF) regime and vary between 10^-8 s to 10⁴ s typically. In the absence of interaction, our model allows for interpreting suspended films experiments, in the case of small polymers for which the data do not depend on the polymer weight. The interaction leads to an increase of for an interaction per monomer of the order of the thermal energy T. This increase saturates at the value corresponding to strongly interacting films for adsorption energies slightly larger and still of order T. In particular, we predict that the shift can be non-monotonous as a function of the film thickness, in the case of intermediate interaction strength.Received: 1 July 2004, Published online: 26 October 2004PACS: 64.70.Pf Glass transitions - 61.41. + e Polymers, elastomers, and plastics - 68.15. + e Liquid thin films     

Feasibility of an experiment to determine the branching ratio for the emission of a heavy neutrino after muon capture in3He

The triton energy of the muon capture reaction ³He t+v, where ³ He is the ground state of muonic³He, has been measured in order to investigate a possible heavy v admixture into the flavour with high sensitivity. ³ He has been formed via the pd fusion reaction by stopping ^– in an ionization chamber (IC) filled with an H/D gas mixture of 3% D concentration at a pressure of 161 bar. In a first short experiment 650 triton events were observed yielding an upper limit for the -heavy v mixing strength of 2.3×10^–3 atE _0v=60 MeV.     

Hysteresis losses of fine filamentary superconductors including field dependent critical current density

Using the force versus displacement curve for the flux lines, the hysteresis losses of thin superconducting slabs in transverse magnetic field were calculated. Especially, Kim's model for the field dependence of the critical current densityJ _c 1/(B _m+B _o) was used (B _m- the applied field,B _o = const.). The results are compared with the corresponding model usingJ _c = const., as well as with the critical state model without the force versus displacement curve. It is shown that the losses per volume are always decreasing with decreasing slab thickness. In the case of large background fieldB ₀ and small amplitude of the ripple fieldb ₀, the corrections are small with respect to the caseJ _c= const. Without background field, the hysteresis losses are somewhat larger than for field independentJ _c. Therefore, in accordance with our previous paper, the strong decrease of hysteresis losses with decreasing filament diameter in lower magnetic fields cannot be explained by the reversible motion of flux lines in the superconductors. It is suggested that this strong decrease is connected with the reversible motion of flux not connected with flux lines in superconductors, the diameter of which is comparable with the London penetration depth .