A classification of quantum GL(2,C)’s

We show that the two-parameter standard quantum GL(2, C) (except for roots of unity) and the Jordanian quantum GL(2, C) have the “same” representation theory as the (ordinary) group GL(2, C), and that they are the only quantum groups with this property. Presented at the 9th Colloquium “Quantum Groups and Integrable Systems”, Prague, 22–24 June 2000.     

Ultrasound pretreatment of wheat dried distiller’s grain (DDG) for extraction of phenolic compounds

Wheat Dried distiller’s grain (DDG), a coproduct from the ethanol production process, is rich in potentially health-promoting phenolic compounds. In the extraction of phenolic compounds from DDG, the DDG cell wall is an important barrier for mass transfer from the inside to the outside of the cell. The effect of high-power ultrasound pretreatment on destruction of DDG cell walls and extraction yield and rate was investigated. Direct sonication by an ultrasound probe horn at 24 kHz was applied and factors such as ultrasound power and treatment time were investigated. The method of nitrogen (N₂) adsorption at 77 K was used as a means to determine and compare the changes in physical properties (specific surface area, pore volume and pore size) of the treated samples at different levels of ultrasound power and treatment time. Increasing specific surface area, pore volume and pore size caused by ultrasonic treatment implied development of new or larger pores and damaged cell walls. Also, it was observed that the ultrasound pretreatment of DDG particles increased the extraction yield and rate of phenolic compounds from DDG by 14.29%. Among tested ultrasound conditions, 100% ultrasound power for 30 s was evaluated as the best pretreatment condition.     

Preparation,characterization, and conductivity of YLnTiZrO7 (Ln = La,Nd, Sm,and Eu)

The pyrochlore oxide of composition YLnTiZrO₇ (Ln?=?La, Nd, Sm, and Eu) was prepared by sol–gel method. All the samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), diffused reflectance spectroscopy, and impedance spectroscopy. The powder XRD and Raman studies reveal that these samples were crystallized in cubic lattice with pyrochlore structure. The Rietveld analysis of the samples was carried out to obtain the unit cell parameters and reliability factors. The broad Raman bands observed for all the samples are due to cation/anion disorder in the lattice and nanosize. The XPS analysis of the samples shows the characteristic peaks belonging to Y³⁺, Ln³⁺ (Ln?=?La, Nd, Sm, and Eu), Ti⁴⁺, and Zr⁴⁺. Electrical conductivity of YLaTiZrO₇ (YLTZ) and YEuTiZrO₇ (YETZ) samples was calculated from the impedance as a function of frequency and temperature. These samples have shown conductivity of the order of 10^?5 scm^?1 at 500 °C.     

Evolution of the atomic order and valence state of rare-earth atoms and uranium in a new carbon-metal composite—diphthalocyanine pyrolysate C64H32N16 Me (Me = Y,La, Ce,Eu, and U)

The structure of a metal-carbon composite formed by the pyrolysis of diphthalocyanine of some rare-earth elements (Y, La, Ce, Eu) and uranium in the temperature range T _ann = 800–1700°C has been investigated for the first time by the methods of X-ray diffraction analysis and X-ray line shift. It has been shown that, in the general case, the studied pyrolysates consist of three phases. One phase corresponds to the structure of graphite. The second phase corresponds to nitrides, carbides, and oxides of basic metal elements with a crystallite size ranging from 5 to 100 nm. The third phase is amorphous or consisting of crystallites with a size of ～1 nm. It has been found that all the basic elements (Y, La, Ce, Eu, U) and incorporated iodine atoms in the third phase are in a chemically bound state. The previously unobserved electronic configurations have been revealed for europium. The possibility of including not only atoms of elements forming diphthalocyanine but also other elements (for example, iodine) in the composite structure is of interest, in particular, for the creation of a thermally, chemically, and radiation resistant metal-carbon matrix for the radioactive waste storage.     

μ+SR study of two-dimensional antiferromagnets,delafossite-type compounds

⁺SR experiments were performed on delafossite-type compounds, CuCrO₂, AgCrO₂, CuFeO₂, which are model compounds of triangular lattice antiferromagnets. The initial asymmetries are much smaller than the expected value, implying muonium formation. The time spectra are composed of slow andfast relaxation components. We attributed the components to signals from ⁺ stopped at the center of O^2– ions andmuonium far from nuclear dipole moments, respectively. The asymmetries decrease belowT _N but no precession spectra were observed. Relaxation rates of slow andfast relaxation components show maxima atT _N.     

Neutron diffraction study of the CeFeSi-type RTiGe compounds (R=Pr,Nd, Tb–Er)

Neutron diffraction experiments were carried out on polycrystalline RTiGe (R=Pr, Nd, Tb–Er) samples. These compounds crystallise with the tetragonal CeFeSi-type structure (space group P4/nmm). This structure is closely related to the ThCr₂Si₂-type and can be described as “BaAl₄ blocks” connected via R–R contacts (“W blocks”). All the compounds are antiferromagnetic. PrTiGe and NdTiGe are characterised by an easy-plane sine-modulated structure characterised by a wave vector k=0,0,q_z=0.242 and 0.334 below 62 and 128 K, respectively. Below 80 K, NdTiGe exhibits a commensurate arrangement, which consists on ferromagnetic (0 0 1) Nd layers coupled antiferromagnetically along the c direction with the sequence ++−−. This commensurate magnetic ordering also occurs in TbTiGe, DyTiGe, HoTiGe and ErTiGe below 312, 185, 124 and 36 K, respectively. In the first three compounds (R=Tb−Ho), the magnetic moment is aligned along the c-axis whereas it is localised in the basal plane in ErTiGe. In all the RTiGe compounds, the magnitude of the ordered moments at 2 K amounts nearly to the free ion magnetic moment (gJ) values for the respective R³⁺ ions.     

A Mössbauer study of La1−xEuxB6 compounds synthesized at high pressure and temperature

A series of hexaborides La_1?xEu_xB₆ (x=0.0–1.0) were synthesized under a pressure of 3.5 GPa and at a temperature of 1600^○C using La₂O₃, Eu₂O₃ and amorphous boron as the starting materials. The products were characterized by X‐ray Diffraction (XRD) and Mössbauer spectroscopy. XRD data analysis shows that all samples crystallize in a cubic CsCl‐type structure, and the cell volume increases with x. Room temperature ¹⁵¹Eu Mössbauer measurements reveal that Eu ions in all samples are in the divalent state, except for the x=1.0 sample where a small amount of Eu³⁺ ions was detected. The quadrupole splitting of the Eu²⁺ ions is positive. Eu ions were reduced from trivalent to divalent during the high‐pressure and ‐temperature processes. The isomer shifts of the Eu²⁺ ions are all smaller than ?12.5 mm/s, suggesting that there is no valence fluctuation in the samples. The hexaborides doped by divalent Eu are not metallic.     

Magnetic anisotropy,first-order phase transition,and Brown’s paradox in rare-earth metals

The anomalous behavior of magnetization curves (first-order magnetization process, FOMP) of highly anisotropic rare-earth metal compounds was studied. It is pointed out that FOMP assignment to a large contribution from higher magnetic anisotropy constants K_i comes into conflict with the point-ion approximation of crystal field theory. An alternative interpretation based on the multisublattice model is proposed; this model makes use only of first-order sublattice constants k_j derived from independent experimental NMR data. Direct calculations provide a satisfactory explanation of the FOMP in Tb₂Fe₁₇. A possible connection of the FOMP with Brown’s paradox in the theory of domain structure and coercive force is proposed.     

Structure and magnetic properties of the intermetallic La2Co17−xMox (x=0.5, 1, 1.5, 2) and La2Co16−yFeyMo (y=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6) compounds

The effect of Mo and Fe atoms on the crystal structure and magnetic properties of the intermetallic La₂Co_17−xMo_x (x=0.5, 1, 1.5, 2), and La₂Co_16−yFe_yMo (y=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6) compounds have been studied by X-ray diffractometry, magnetic measurements and Mössbauer spectroscopy. All samples belong to the rhombohedral Th₂Zn₁₇-type structure and their lattice parameters a and c increase both with Mo and Fe content. From the La–Co–Mo samples only the one with x=0.5 presents planar anisotropy, whereas from the La–Co–Fe–Mo samples only the y=1 has uniaxial anisotropy. The magnetization M_S and the Curie temperature T_C decrease upon Mo substitution, whereas the anisotropy field H_A does not change significantly. In the Fe-substituted compounds M_S increases, but the Curie temperature increases slightly for 0⩽y⩽4 but decreases in y=6. The low temperature M–T curve shows that the samples La₂Co_16.5Mo_0.5, and La₂Co₁₀Fe₆Mo present a spin reorientation transitions at 70 and 260 K, respectively. Mössbauer samples were obtained for all Fe-containing samples in the temperature range 20–300 K. Above 260 K a jump in the values of the hyperfine fields and quadrupole splitting parameters is observed which can be associated to the spin reorientation.     

High temperature superconductivity in (M1−xM′x)2CuO4−δ and related compounds (M = Y,La, Eu,Sm; M′ = Ba,Sr)

Compounds of the form (M_1−xM′_x)₂CuO_4−δ and related compounds where M and M′ are Y, various rare earths from La to Lu, and the alkaline earths Sr and Ba, have been investigated in connection with high temperature superconductivity. High temperature superconductivity is confirmed for the system (La_1−xBa_x)₂CuO_4−δ, (La_1−xSr_x)₂CuO_4−δ and (Y_1−xBa_x)₂CuO_4−δ with superconducting transition temperature T_c onsets of 30 K, 38 K and 90 K, respectively. We have found that the related systems (Eu_1−xBa_x)₂CuO_4−δ and (Sm_1−xBa_x)₂CuO_4−δ also exhibit high temperature superconductivity with T_c onsets of 95 K and 65 K, respectively. The highest T_c onset observed in this investigation was 97 K for a sample with the nominal composition of the spinel structure Y_0.33Ba_0.67Cu₂O_4−δ. Measurements of the specific heat C as a function of temperature T on a La_0.8Sr_0.2CuO_4−δ sample reveal a break in slope in the C/T vs T curve at the T_c midpoint, but no clearly discernable jump in C at T_c. A linear term ≈ λ′T in C was observed at low temperature in the superconducting state.     

HREELS study of C70 molecules adsorbed on a Si(1 1 1)-(7×7) surface

We have measured the coverage dependence of vibrational excitation spectra of C₇₀ molecules adsorbed on a Si(1 1 1)-(7×7) surface using high-resolution electron-energy-loss spectroscopy. At the monolayer coverage, the intensity of the 57 meV peak increases, and those of the 83 and 178 meV peaks decrease. Taking into account the dipole selection rule, the change in intensity of the 57 meV peak indicates that the average angle between the long axes of C₇₀ molecules and surface normal is about 40°. The decreases in intensities of the 83 and 178 meV peaks suggest that the rotational motion of molecules is quenched upon adsorption. We will discuss the Coriolis interaction between the accidentally degenerate A₂″ and E₁′ modes.     

苯甲酸稀土(Eu,La)配合物的红外和荧光光谱研究

用氯化稀土与苯甲酸铵在水溶液中反应,合成了苯甲酸稀土（Ｅｕ,Ｌａ）三元固体系列配合物,其化学组成式为（Ｅｕ１－ｘＬａｘ）Ｌ３（其中Ｌ为Ｃ６Ｈ５ＣＯＯ－,ｘ＝０．０～１．０）。研究了它们的红外光谱和荧光光谱。由红外光谱数据表明,配合物中羧基的对称和反对称伸缩振动吸收峰发生了分裂,而且羧基伸缩振动随着Ｌａ３＋离子含量的增加发生了规律性的变化。荧光光谱实验结果表明,用不发光的Ｌａ３＋离子取代苯甲酸铕中部分Ｅｕ３＋离子可以提高Ｅｕ３＋离子的特征荧光发射强度。     

Theoretical study of novel B–C–O compounds with non-diamond isoelectronic

Two novel non-isoelectronic with diamond(non-IED)B–C–O phases(tI16-B₈C₆O₂and mP16-B₈C₅O₃)have been unmasked.The research of the phonon scattering spectra and the independent elastic constants under ambient pressure(AP)and high pressure(HP)proves the stability of these non-IED B–C–O phases.Respective to the common compounds,the research of the formation enthalpies and the relationship with pressure of all non-IED B–C–O phases suggests that HP technology performed in the diamond anvil cell(DAC)or large volume press(LVP)is an important technology for synthesis.Both tI16-B₈C₆O₂and tI12-B₆C₄O₂possess electrical conductivity.mP16-B₈C₅O₃is a small bandgap semiconductor with a 0.530 eV gap.For aP13-B₆C₂O₅,mC20-B₂CO₂and tI18-B₄CO₄are all large gap semiconductors with gaps of 5.643 eV,6.113 eV,and 7.105 eV,respectively.The study on the relationship between band gap values and pressure of these six non-IED B–C–O phases states that tI16-B₈C₆O₂and tI12-B₆C₄O₂maintain electrical conductivity,mC20-B₂CO₂and tI18-B₄CO₄have good bandgap stability and are less affected by pressure.The stress-strain simulation reveals that the max strain and stress of 0.4 GPa and 141.9 GPa respectively,can be sustained by tI16-B₈C₆O₂.Studies on their mechanical properties shows that they all possess elasticity moduli and hard character.And pressure has an obvious effect on their mechanical properties,therein toughness of tI12-B₆C₄O₂,aP13-B₆C₂O₅,mC20-B₂CO₂and tI18-B4CO4 all increases,and hardness of mP16-B₈C₅O₃continue to strengthen during the compression.With abundant hardness characteristics and tunable band gaps,extensive attention will be focused on the scientific research of non-IED B–C–O compounds.     

A study of non-extensivity in the Earth’s magnetosphere

Magnetic storms are undoubtedly among the most important phenomena in space physics and also a central subject of space weather. The non-extensive Tsallis entropy has been recently introduced, as an effective complexity measure for the analysis of the geomagnetic activity D _st index. Tsallis entropy has been shown to sensitively detect the complexity dissimilarity between pre-storm activity and intense magnetic storms in the Earth’s magnetosphere. Here, we show that the D _st time series obey a modified form of the Gutenberg-Richter law for the case of non-extensive statistics, thus providing evidence for universality in magnetic storm and earthquake occurrence.     

Magnetic behaviour of U(MnxAl1−x)2 compounds

The results of magnetic measurements performed on U(Mn_xAl_1−x)₂ compounds in the temperature range 4.2K < T < 800K are reported. In the low temperature range (T < 200K), UMn₂ shows a Pauli-type paramagnetism. Above 420K a Curie-Weiss behaviour is evidenced. The magnetic properties of U(Mn_xAl_1−x)₂ compounds were analysed assuming a superposition of a temperature dependent term on a Pauli-type contribution, χ_O. The effective moments as well as the χ_O values were determined both in the low (T < 200K) and high (T > 420K) temperature range. The experimental data were discussed considering changes in the band structure and/or quenching of spin fluctuations.     

Optical transitions on (1 1 0) surfaces of III–V compounds

The modulation reflectivity technique was used to detect the optical transition on clean cleaved (1 1 0) surfaces of III–V compounds. In the spectra obtained the optical transitions involving surface eigenstates were identified.