Birth–death process of local structures in defect turbulence described by the one-dimensional complex Ginzburg–Landau equation

Defect turbulence described by the one-dimensional complex Ginzburg–Landau equation is investigated and analyzed via a birth–death process of the local structures composed of defects, holes, and modulated amplitude waves (MAWs). All the number statistics of each local structure, in its stationary state, are subjected to Poisson statistics. In addition, the probability density functions of interarrival times of defects, lifetimes of holes, and MAWs show the existence of long-memory and some characteristic time scales caused by zigzag motions of oscillating traveling holes. The corresponding stochastic process for these observations is fully described by a non-Markovian master equation.     

Exciton–phonon interaction in Al_(0.4)Ga_(0.6)N/Al_(0.53)Ga_(0.47)N multiple quantum wells

The exciton-phonon interaction in Al_(0.4)Ga_(0.6)N/Al_(0.53)Ga_(0.47)N multiple quantum wells(MQWs) is studied by deepultraviolet time-integrated and time-resolved photoluminescence(PL).Up to four longitudinal-optical(LO) phonon replicas of exciton recombination are observed,indicating the strong coupling of excitons with LO phonons in the MQWs.Moreover,the exciton-phonon coupling strength in the MQWs is quantified by the Huang-Rhys factor,and it keeps almost constant in a temperature range from 10 K to 120 K.This result can be explained in terms of effects of fluctuations in the well thickness in the MQWs and the temperature on the exciton-phonon interaction.     

IR spectra of halothane–acetone complex in liquefied noble gases (Kr and Xe)

The interaction of semiconductor quantum dots and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with bacteriorhodopsin (BR), a membrane protein contained in the purple membrane (PM) of Halobacterium salinarum, is studied. It is shown that both types of nanoparticles are adsorbed efficiently on the surface of the purple membranes, modulating the parameters of the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle. Electrostatic interactions are found to be the main cause of the effect of nanoparticles on the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle. These results explain our earlier data on the “fixation” of the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle for protein molecules trapped after incubation of the purple membranes with silver nanoparticles near the location of the “hot spots” of the effect of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). It is demonstrated that exposure of silver nanoparticles with bacteriorhodopsin in SERS-active regions lowers the amount of bacteriorhodopsin molecules involved in phototransformations.     

Approximant crystals of icosahedral Mg–(Ga,Al)–Zn alloys

The zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) low-field magnetic moment m of a dense frozen ferrofluid containing Fe₅₅Co₄₅ particles of size 4.6nm in hexane exhibits irreversibility at temperatures T?T _b≈ 30?K. FC in μ ₀ H ≤ 1?T gives rise to shifted minor hysteresis loops below T _b. At T _c≈ 10?K, sharp peaks of m ^ZFC and of the ac susceptibility χ ′, a kink of the thermoremanent magnetic moment m ^TRM, a sizeable reduction of the coercive field H _c, and the appearance of a spontaneous moment m ^SFM indicate a phase transition with near mean-field critical behaviour of both m ^SFM and χ ′ . These features are explained within a core-shell model of nanoparticles, whose strongly disordered shells gradually become blocked below T _b, while their soft ferromagnetic cores couple dipolarly and become superferromagnetic (SFM) below T _c.     

Evolution of ZnO nanostructures in sol–gel synthesis

Evolution of the microstructure and optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles in a mild sol–gel synthesis process is studied. The ZnO nanostructures were prepared by reacting zinc acetate dihydrate with NaOH in water at 50−60 °C. Evolution of ZnO nanostructures with reaction time is studied using UV–Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy techniques. During the process of Zn²⁺ hydroxylation, well defined rod-like crystals were formed within 15 min. Further hydroxylation leads to the formation of a gel-like structure within about 45 min. However, XRD, FT-IR and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed that these initial products were zinc hydroxyl double salts (Zn-HDS), not ZnO. On ageing the reaction mixture, ZnO nanoparticles with wurtzite structure evolved.     

Studies on the complex behavior of optical phonon modes in wurtzite (ZnO)1−x (Cr2O3) x

This paper reports on the use of phonon spectra obtained with laser Raman spectroscopy for the uncertainty concerned to the optical phonon modes in pure and composite ZnO_1?x (Cr₂O₃) _x . Particularly, in previous literature, the two modes at 514 and 640 cm^?1 have been assigned to ZnO are not found for pure ZnO in our present study. The systems investigated for the typical behavior of phonon modes with 442 nm as excitation wavelength are the representative semiconductor (ZnO)_1?x (Cr₂O₃) _x (x = 0, 5, 10 and 15 %). Room temperature Raman spectroscopy has been demonstrated polycrystalline wurtzite structure of ZnO with no structural transition from wurtzite to cubic with Cr₂O₃. The incorporation of Cr³⁺ at most likely on the Zn sub-lattice sites is confirmed. The uncertainty of complex phonon bands is explained by disorder-activated Raman scattering due to the relaxation of Raman selection rules produced by the breakdown of translational symmetry of the crystal lattice and dopant material. The energy of the E ₂ (high) peak located at energy 53.90 meV (435 cm^?1) due to phonon–phonon anharmonic interaction increases to 54.55 meV (441 cm^?1). A clear picture of the dopant-induced phonon modes along with the B ₁ silent mode of ZnO is presented and has been explained explicitly. Moreover, anharmonic line width and effect of dislocation density on these phonon modes have also been illustrated for the system. The study will have a significant impact on the application where thermal conductivity and electrical properties of the materials are more pronounced.     

GGA+U方法研究ZnO孪晶界对V_(Zn)-N_O-H复合体对p型导电性的影响

采用基于密度泛函理论的广义梯度近似平面波赝势方法,探究四种ZnO-Σ7(1230)孪晶界中V_(Zn)-N_O-H复合体的电子结构和p型导电机理.计算结果表明,在ZnO-Σ7(1230)孪晶界中,N掺杂后会与锌空位(V_(Zn))、氢填隙(Hi)等点缺陷结合,进而形成V_(Zn)-N_O-H复合体,并出现在孪晶中的晶格应变集中区.此外,四种孪晶界中孪晶GB7a有利于V_(Zn)-N_O-H离化能降低,从而使其表现出浅受主特征.分析显示特殊的孪晶结构导致了氮替位(N_O)与近邻的O原子间距离缩短,阴离子之间发生相互作用,导致禁带中的空带能级下降,降低了电子跃迁所需能量.这一结果也说明GB7a孪晶界中的V_(Zn)-N_O-H可能成为N掺杂ZnO材料的p型导电的来源之一.     

Photoluminescence of terbium-organic complex in aerosol–gel-derived planar waveguides

This work deals with the low-temperature preparation of optically active silica-based materials. Tb³⁺-doped silica monolithic gels were elaborated at 40 °C. Tb³⁺–SSA-doped SiO₂–TiO₂ thin films were deposited by an original sol–gel approach, the aerosol–gel process, and heat-treated at 150 °C. Organic complexation of terbium ions was used to improve the active properties of doped silica gels and thin-film samples. Spectroscopic characterisations are reported for these samples. Photoluminescence increase by a factor two was observed for complexation by sulphosalicylic acid. Received: 16 May 2001 / Revised version: 31 August 2001 / Published online: 23 October 2001     

Effect of Zn impurity in K0.8Fe(2-δ-x)Zn(x)Se2

A series of K(0.8)Fe(2-δ-x)Zn(x)Se(2) single-crystal samples with nominal compositions 0?≤?x?≤?0.05 were grown and their physical properties were measured in order to study the effect of Zn impurity. It is found that the Zn impurity (x?≤?0.02) does not affect the superconducting transition temperature T(c) significantly. Meanwhile the hump in resistivity which corresponds to the transition from the insulating to metallic phase quickly shifts towards low temperatures. The results imply that there should be a phase separation in this system and Zn impurity causes the enhancement of the insulating phase. The negligible effect of Zn impurity on T(c) suggests an s-wave pairing in the superconducting phase. Meanwhile there is a possibility that the Zn impurity may selectively enter into the insulting phase.     

Structure of dislocations and stacking faults in the complex intermetallic ξ′-(Al–Pd–Mn) phase

We present the results of an electron microscopy study of defects in plastically deformed single crystals of the intermetallic ξ^′-(Al–Pd–Mn) phase. Pure edge dislocations with two different Burgers vector directions and four different Burgers vector magnitudes were found. All Burgers vector magnitudes observed can be described in terms of irrational fractions of the unit-cell parameters, and we have observed Burgers vector directions that can be indexed using irrational indices. The stacking faults observed have displacement vectors whose magnitudes and directions are incompatible with the unit cell of the ξ^′ phase. A comparison of the Burgers vectors observed in this study with those reported for the corresponding icosahedral quasicrystal shows that they are equivalent with respect to their directions and lengths. This leads to the conclusion that local order rather than long-range periodic (or quasiperiodic) order governs the structure of defects in these materials.     

Gold–sulfur bond breaking in Zn(II) tetraphenylporphyrin molecular junctions

Quantized conductance measured from single tetraphenylporphyrin molecules with and without a central zinc(II) [Zn(II)] atom was measured using a molecular break junction (MBJ) method. From the conductance histograms we observed an additional 1.7 Å stretch for two-state conductance in a single Zn(II) tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) molecule as compared to single state conductance in a free tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) molecule, i.e., no central Zn(II) atom. First-principles density functional calculations, using an electrode–molecule–electrode model, are completed to provide insight into the mechanisms attributed to bond stretching, and eventual bond breaking, to better understand the additional 1.7 Å of stretching observed with ZnTPP.     

Observation of negative photoconductivity in (ZnO)x(CdO)1−x films

In this study, (ZnO)_x(CdO)_1?x films were prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) technique at a substrate temperature of 400 °C. X-ray diffraction patterns of the films indicate that the (ZnO)_x(CdO)_1?x films have hexagonal wurtzite and cubic structure for the constituent materials. A decrease in the average transmission with increasing quantity of the cadmium acetate dehydrate in the sprayed solution was observed. The photoconductivity transients were performed using UV light, which has 360 nm wavelength. After light cut off, conductivity changed slowly, and the decay time was thousands of seconds. The films with x=0.2 and 0 exhibited negative photoconductivity. Temperature-dependent photoconductivity and dark conductivity measurements were performed and negative photoconductivity was also observed for the same films (x=0.2 and 0). Photoluminescence measurements were performed and band-to-band excitation energies of (ZnO)_x(CdO)_1?x films were determined. Band gap of the pure CdO film was found as 3.11 eV, interestingly.     

Simulation of a vacancy defect at the C(111)–2 × 1 surface

The configurations of a vacancy defect on the C(111)–2 × 1 surface, containing atoms with one or two dangling bonds, possessing a high adsorption activity, are calculated. We study the configurations of the vacancy defect at the surface of diamond C(111)–2 × 1 using the semiempirical MNDO method (MOPAC) and the ab initio Hartree–Fock method (PC GAMESS). We calculate the energies of clusters, the orders of atomic bonds, the populations of atomic orbitals, and the localized molecular orbitals.     

Size effects of an exciton–acceptor complex in quantum dots

In this study, a detailed investigation of the size effects of an exciton–acceptor complex in a disc-like quantum dot has been carried out by using the matrix diagonalization method and the compact density-matrix approach. We calculate the binding energy and the oscillator strength of intersubband quantum transition from the ground state into the first excited state as a function of the dot radius. Based on the computed energies and wave functions, the linear, third-order and total optical absorption coefficients as well as the refractive index have been examined between the ground and the first excited states. We find that the all absorption spectra and refractive index changes are strongly affected by the quantum dot size. However, for two cases of a smaller dot and a larger dot, the results of quantum size effects on the optical absorptions are opposite.     

The effect of Zn on precipitation in Al–Mg–Si alloys

Effects of addition of Zn (up to 1 wt%) on microstructure, precipitate structure and intergranular corrosion (IGC) in an Al–Mg–Si alloys were investigated. During ageing at 185?°C, the alloys showed modest increases in hardness as function of Zn content, corresponding to increased number densities of needle-shaped precipitates in the Al–Mg–Si alloy system. No precipitates of the Al–Zn–Mg alloy system were found. Using high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), the Zn atoms were incorporated in the precipitate structures at different atomic sites with various atomic column occupancies. Zn atoms segregated along grain boundaries, forming continuous film. It correlates to high IGC susceptibility when Zn concentration is ~1wt% and the materials in peak-aged condition.     

A numerical method for fully resolved simulation (FRS) of rigid particle–flow interactions in complex flows

A fictitious-domain based formulation for fully resolved simulations of arbitrary shaped, freely moving rigid particles in unsteady flows is presented. The entire fluid–particle domain is assumed to be an incompressible, but variable density, fluid. The numerical method is based on a finite-volume approach on a co-located, Cartesian grid together with a fractional step method for variable density, low-Mach number flows. The flow inside the fluid region is constrained to be divergence-free for an incompressible fluid, whereas the flow inside the particle domain is constrained to undergo rigid body motion. In this approach, the rigid body motion constraint is imposed by avoiding the explicit calculation of distributed Lagrange multipliers and is based upon the formulation developed by Patankar [N. Patankar, A formulation for fast computations of rigid particulate flows, Center for Turbulence Research Annual Research Briefs 2001 (2001) 185–196]. The rigidity constraint is imposed and the rigid body motion (translation and rotational velocity fields) is obtained directly in the context of a two-stage fractional step scheme. The numerical approach is applied to both imposed particle motion and fluid–particle interaction problems involving freely moving particles. Grid and time-step convergence studies are performed to evaluate the accuracy of the approach. Finally, simulation of rigid particles in a decaying isotropic turbulent flow is performed to study the feasibility of simulations of particle-laden turbulent flows.