Contactless density measurement of high-temperature BiFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript> and BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

The density of liquid and undercooled BiFeO₃ and high-temperature solid, liquid, and undercooled BaTiO₃ was measured with an electrostatic levitation furnace. The density was obtained with an ultraviolet-based imaging technique that allowed excellent sample contrast throughout all phases of processing, including at elevated temperatures. Over the 1250- to 1490-K temperature range, the density of liquid BiFeO₃ can be expressed as _L(T)=6.70×10³–1.31(T-T_m)(kgm^-3) (±2 per cent) with T_m=1423 K, yielding a volume coefficient of thermal expansion _L(T)=1.9×10^-4 K^-1. For BaTiO₃, the density of the solid can be expressed as _S(T)=5.04×10³–0.21(T-T_m) (T_m=1893 K) over the 1220- to 1893-K range, yielding a volume coefficient of thermal expansion _S(T)=4.2×10^-5 K^-1, whereas that of the liquid can be expressed as _L(T)=4.04×10³-0.34(T-T_m) over the 1300- to 2025-K range with _L(T)=8.4×10^-5 K^-1. PACS 77.84.-s; 81.05.Je; 81.20.n     

Structural and thermoelectric properties in (Sb<Subscript>1-x</Subscript>Bi<Subscript>x</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>Te<Subscript>3</Subscript> thin films

We have investigated the structural and thermoelectric properties of (Sb_1-xBi_x)₂Te₃ thin films on CdTe(111)B. Analysis of X-ray diffraction patterns (–2 scans and rocking curves) of the films shows that they are of high quality and that they are well aligned with their (00.1) axis normal to the substrates. Measurements of the temperature-dependent thermoelectric power, resistivity, and Hall coefficient of the films were performed with respect to the binary composition, x. For the samples in the range 0.2<x<0.3, the room-temperature thermopower values were in the range 159–184 V/K, the room-temperature carrier concentrations were 3.93–5.13×10¹⁹ cm^-3, and the room-temperature mobilities were 24.6–64.0 cm²V^-1s^-1. PACS 72.20.Pa; 72.80.Jc; 73.6l.Le     

Large magnetic entropy change in Nd<Subscript>2/3</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>1/3</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

In order to search for new materials for the application of magnetic refrigeration, the polycrystalline perovskite compound Nd_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ was prepared by a solid-state method. The dependence of the magnetization on the applied field and temperature was measured near the Curie temperature. In terms of Maxwells equation, the temperature dependence of the absolute value of the isothermal magnetic entropy change |S_M| at various applied fields from 1 T to 5 T was determined. The results showed that a large magnetic entropy change was observed in this compound. The maximum magnetic entropy change |S_M^max|can reach 3.25 J/kgK with an applied field of 1 T at the Curie temperature of 257.5 K, which equals that of Gd. At 5 T applied field, it is 7.57 J/kgK. Such good magnetocaloric properties make this compound a promising candidate for the application of magnetic refrigeration in the room-temperature range. PACS 74.25.Ha; 75.30.-m; 75.30.Sg; 75.50.-y; 75.60.-d     

Interaction of running gratings of the space charge and conductivity in photorefractive Bi<Subscript>12</Subscript>Si(Ti)O<Subscript>20</Subscript> crystals

The simultaneous excitation and nonlinear interaction of the space-charge and photoconductivity gratings are studied experimentally in photorefractive Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ and Bi₁₂TiO₂₀. The measurements are performed using the diffraction technique, which implies the illumination of the crystal by an oscillating interference pattern (_r=532 nm) along with the application of dc and ac electric fields and detection of the diffracted probe beam (_p=650 nm). Such illumination excites the running photoconductivity grating, which interacts with the ac component of the applied field giving rise to the space-charge wave. Being the eigenmode of the space-charge oscillations, this wave reveals itself as a low-frequency resonant maximum at the frequency-transfer function of the detected signal. The drift mobilities of electrons are estimated using the developed technique: =(1.1–1.4)×10^-2 cm²/Vs (Bi₁₂SiO₂₀, T=296–298 K) and =2.8×10^-3 cm²/Vs (Bi₁₂TiO₂₀, T=293 K). PACS 42.65.Sf; 42.70.Nq     

Relationship between low frequency dielectric dispersion and ferroelectric phase transition in pulsed-laser-deposited Bi<Subscript>4-x</Subscript>La<Subscript>x</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> thin film

The frequency and temperature dependence of the complex dielectric constant of Bi_4-xLa_xTi₃O₁₂ (BLT, x=0.9) ferroelectric thin film was studied in the frequency range of 10^-110⁶ Hz and the temperature range of 298673 K. A low frequency dielectric dispersion (LFDD) was found. A model was proposed to account for this observed phenomena. The complex dielectric constant data obtained in the measured frequency and temperature ranges have been found to fit very well to the dielectric dispersion relation: ^*=+i/₀+[B(i)^n-1]/₀. The knee in the log of the electrical conductivity versus the reciprocal temperature curve occurs at T_c. The activation energies associated with charge conduction are E_a,II=0.73 eV below T_c and E_a,I=0.95 eV above T_c. The occurrence of an anomaly in both the n and parameters near T_c indicates a coupling between charge carries and phonons. PACS 77.55.+f; 77.80.-e; 77.22.Jp     

Structure,transport and magnetic properties of the double perovskite (Ca<Subscript>2-2x</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>2x</Subscript>)FeMoO<Subscript>6</Subscript>

In this paper we report the results of a detailed investigation of the double perovskite (Ca_2-2xSr_2x)FeMoO₆ system. Chemical size effects on structural, electrical, and magnetic properties caused by the substitution of isovalent, larger Sr ions into the smaller Ca sites, resulting in (Ca_2-2xSr_2x)FeMoO₆, have been examined. The compounds crystallize in the monoclinic space group P2₁/n for 0.0x<0.2, the orthorhombic space group Pbnm for 0.2x<0.4, and the tetragonal space group I4/m and I4/mmm for x0.4. Examination of the resistivity of all compounds reveals a metallic behavior which is well described by a Tⁿ dependence except for x=1.0. These n values change from 1 to 2 as T decreases lower than T_c. This is indicative of a variation in the transport mechanism at T_c. The ferrimagnetic transition temperature T_c increases with increasing x from 318 (x=0.0) to 393 K (x=1.0). For all samples, the saturation magnetization at 82 K obeys M_s3.5_B/(formula unit), compared to a theoretical spin-only moment of 4_B/(formula unit) for a perfectly ordered compound. PACS 74.25.Fy; 74.25.Ha     

Comparative study of hydrofullerides C<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Bold">60</Emphasis></Subscript>H<Subscript><Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> synthesized by direct and catalytic hydrogenation

Hydrofullerides with hydrogen content up to 5 wt.% were obtained by direct and catalytic reactions with H₂ gas. Hydrogen content was monitored in situ using a gravimetric system, and verified by chemical analysis ex situ. It was found that pure C₆₀ reacts rapidly when exposed to H₂ gas at 673 K and 50–100 bar. Gravimetric study of this reaction showed that hydrogenation is saturated at about 5 wt.% of hydrogen. The mass of the sample goes through a maximum and with a longer reaction time its weight starts to decrease. This proves that hydrofullerides with high hydrogen content are not stable and strong hydrogenation results in the collapse of C₆₀ molecules. XRD studies showed that samples prepared by direct hydrogenation without a catalyst retain an original fcc structure with an increase of the cell parameter a up to 15.1 Å. Catalytic hydrogenation of C₆₀ with H₂ gas results in a decrease of the reaction temperature and formation of hydrofullerides with different types of crystal structures. PACS 61.48.+c; 61.10.Nz; 81.05.Tp     

Crystal structure and dielectric properties of a new complex perovskite oxide Ba<Subscript>2</Subscript>LaSbO<Subscript>6</Subscript>

The crystal structure and dielectric properties of a new perovskite material Ba₂LaSbO₆ are reported. Ba₂LaSbO₆ was synthesized for the first time by conventional solid state reaction process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements and Rietveld analysis revealed that, contrary to the other Ba₂RESbO₆ (RE=Rare-Earth other than La) complex perovskites, which are cubic, Ba₂LaSbO₆ crystallizes in a monoclinic system having space group P2₁/n. Dielectric properties of Ba₂LaSbO₆ at frequencies up to 40 GHz and in temperatures ranging from 50 to 350 K were determined by analyzing the resonant modes in cavities totally filled with the measured material. The dielectric constant ()=15.8±0.2% and at 77 K loss factor (tg)9×10^-4. Preliminary studies reveal that at the processing temperatures, Ba₂LaSbO₆ do not react with YBa₂Cu₃O_7- (YBCO) and Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_x [Bi (2212)] superconductors. Having appropriate dielectric properties along with chemical stability with superconductors Ba₂LaSbO₆ can be used as a precursor as substrate for deposition of various passive HTS devices, or as an insulator in the active SIS structures. PACS 61.66.Fn; 61.10.Nz; 77.22.-d; 74.72.-h     

A Generalized Hypergeometric Function II. Asymptotics and <Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">4</Emphasis></Subscript> Symmetry

In previous work we introduced and studied a function that generalizes the hypergeometric function. In this paper we focus on a similarity-transformed function , with parameters ⁴ related to the couplings c⁴ by a shift depending on a ₊ , a _– . We show that the -function is invariant under all maps w(), with w in the Weyl group of type D ₄ . Choosing a ₊ , a _– positive and real, we obtain detailed information on the |Re v| asymptotics of the -function. In particular, we explicitly determine the leading asymptotics in terms of plane waves and the c-function that implements the similarity R.     

Silver conductor fabrication by laser direct writing on Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> substrate

A novel technology for manufacturing circuitry, differing from conventional methods, called laser micro-cladding electronic pastes is presented. In this article, high-quality silver conductors were made on an Al₂O₃ substrate by this method. The process and corresponding mechanisms are described in detail. The experimental results show that the conductive lines produced have a minimum line width of 20 m, which is much smaller than the current limitations of conventional processes. The resistivity can reach the order of 10^-6 cm, which is the same level for pure bulk silver. Optical micrographs and SEM morphology observations were also carried out. PACS 81.15.Fg; 42.70.Hj; 42.62.-b; 42.62.Cf; 61.80.Ba     

Growth of polycrystalline LaNi<Subscript>1-x</Subscript>Co<Subscript>x</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> (<Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">x</Emphasis> =0.3,0.5) thin films on Si(100) by pulsed laser deposition

Polycrystalline LaNi_1-xCo_xO₃ (x=0.5,0.3) thin films have been deposited on polished Si(100) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The films are grown at 650 °C in ambient oxygen pressure of 0.4 mbar with an incident laser fluence of 1.5 J/cm² delivered by a KrF excimer laser. The lattice parameters of the as-grown films are slightly larger (0.05–0.4%) than those of the powders used to prepare the targets. The films exhibit weak texturing along the (012) direction. The low-temperature magnetic properties of the films, i.e. the coercive force, the remanence and the saturation magnetization, are enhanced compared to the powders. Furthermore, the x=0.3 film exhibits a low, almost temperature-independent resistivity above 200 K [(300 K)30 cm] and thus we propose it as a potential candidate material for electrode applications, e.g. in ferroelectric devices. PACS 68.55.-a; 73.61.-r; 81.15.Fg     

Equilibrium points of the tilted perfect fluid Bianchi VI<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">h</Emphasis></Subscript> state space

We present the full set of evolution equations for the spatially homogeneous cosmologies of type VI_h filled with a tilted perfect fluid and we provide the corresponding equilibrium points of the resulting dynamical state space. It is found that only when the group parameter satisfies h > –1 a self-similar solution exists. In particular we show that for h > – there exists a self-similar equilibrium point provided that whereas for h < – the state parameter belongs to the interval (1, . This family of new exact self-similar solutions belongs to the subclass n = 0 having non-zero vorticity. In both cases the equilibrium points have a six-dimensional stable manifold and may act as future attractors at least for the models satisfying n = 0. Also we give the exact form of the self-similar metrics in terms of the state and group parameter. As an illustrative example we provide the explicit form of the corresponding self-similar radiation model ( = ), parametrised by the group parameter h. Finally we show that there are no tilted self-similar models of type III and irrotational models of type VI_h.     

Resonance-enhanced two-photon sum-frequency generation in NiO and KNiF<Subscript>3</Subscript>

Resonance-enhanced sum-frequency generation is introduced as a novel tool for investigation of magnetically ordered compounds. A tunable laser at frequency ₁ is used to excite an intermediate electronic transition resonantly while a second laser at frequency ₂ is used to scan the nonlinear spectrum at ₁+₂. The technique is particularly useful for investigation of centrosymmetric compounds since resonance enhancement at ₁ leads to large nonlinear signals even in the case of weakly allowed nonlinear processes. The technique is demonstrated on antiferromagnetic NiO and KNiF₃ and also shown to be useful for investigation of samples with large thickness or absorption. PACS 42.65.Ky; 78.20.Ls; 42.62.FiThis revised version was published in October 2004 with a correction to the name of Takuya Satoh.     

Levels in <Superscript>127</Superscript>La fed by the <Superscript>127</Superscript>Ce beta-decay

The low-lying levels in ¹²⁷La have been studied through the -decay of ¹²⁷Ce ( T_1/2 = 29s) produced by bombarding a ^natMo target with a 185-MeV ³⁵Cl beam. Reaction products were on-line mass-separated, and -ray singles and - coincidence measurements were performed. Conversion electrons were also measured and multipolarities of transitions have been derived. The half-life of the 210.9-keV level was determined to be (1.9±0.3)ns by the - delayed coincidence technique. The level scheme obtained has been compared with calculations based on the Nilsson model.     

Collective structures of the <Superscript>131</Superscript>Cs nucleus

The collective structures of ¹³¹Cs have been investigated by in-beam -ray spectroscopic techniques following the ¹²⁴Sn (^11B , 4n) reaction at a beam energy E_lab = 57MeV. The previously established rotational bands, built on g_7/2, d_5/2 and the unique-parity h_11/2 orbitals, have been extended and evolve into new bands involving rotationally aligned (h_11/2)² and (h_11/2)² quasiparticles. In addition, a new multiquasiparticle band based on the g_7/2 g_7/2 h_11/2 configuration has also been observed. Theoretical interpretations for the assigned configurations are discussed in the framework of Total Routhian Surface (TRS) and Tilted Axis Cranking (TAC) model calculations. TAC model calculations predict a decrease in the B(M1) values with increasing rotational frequency for the g_7/2/d_5/2 (h_11/2)² and h_11/2 (h_11/2)² bands, thus indicating a magnetic rotation character for these bands.     

Effects of thickness on the infrared optical properties of Ba<Subscript>0.9</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.1</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ferroelectric thin films

Using infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry (IRSE), the optical properties of the Ba_0.9Sr_0.1TiO₃ (BST) ferroelectric thin films with different film thicknesses on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates prepared by a modified sol-gel method have been investigated in the 2.5–12.6 m wavelength range. By fitting the measured ellipsometric parameter ( and ) data with a three-phase model (Air/BST/Pt) and the classical dispersion relation for the BST thin films, the optical constants and thicknesses of the thin films have been obtained. The average thickness of the single layer decreases with increasing film thickness. The refractive index of the BST films decreases with increasing thickness in the wavelength range 2.5–11 m, and increases with increasing thickness in the wavelength range 11–12.6 m. However, the extinction coefficient of the BST films monotonously decreases with increasing thickness. It is closely associated with the crystallinity of the thin films, the crystalline size effect and the influence of the interface layer. The absorption coefficient of the BST films with different thicknesses decreases with increasing thickness. PACS 77.55.+f; 78.20.Ci; 78.30.Am; 81.70.Fy; 81.40.Tv     

Generalized Transvectants-Rankin–Cohen Brackets

We introduce o(p+1q+1)-invariant bilinear differential operators on the space of tensor densities on Rⁿ generalizing the well-known bilinear sl₂-invariant differential operators in the one-dimensional case, called Transvectants or Rankin–Cohen brackets. We also consider already known linear o(p+1q+1)-invariant differential operators given by powers of the Laplacian.     

Growth and characterization of a LaCa<Subscript>4</Subscript>O(BO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript> crystal

The non-linear optical (NLO) crystal LaCa₄ O(BO₃)₃ (LaCOB ) has been grown by the Czochralski method. X-ray diffraction experiments show that LaCOB crystal possesses the space group Cm, and its unit cell constants have been measured to be a=0.8168(3) nm,b=1.6081(7) nm and c=0.3630(6) nm, with an angle =101.39°. The thermal properties of LaCOB have been studied; the specific heat of the crystal is 321.9 J/molK at 330 K, and the three principal coefficients of thermal expansion of the principal axes have been calculated from the measured data to be 5.61×10^-6 K^-1, 7.21×10^-6 K^-1 and 11.01×10^-6 K^-1, respectively. The transmission spectrum shows that LaCOB crystal has a wide transparency wavelength range, and may be used as a NLO crystal. PACS 81.10.Fq; 65.40.Ba; 65.40.De     

Ultra-sensitive ambient ammonia detection using CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-laser-based photoacoustic spectroscopy

An ambient trace-ammonia sensor that uses resonant photoacoustic spectroscopy and a line-tunable CO₂ laser has been developed. This system achieves a 1 replicate precision of 32 parts-per-trillion (ppt) with an averaging time of 5 s and a total measurement time of 40 s. This 32-ppt precision corresponds to a minimum detectable fractional absorbance of 8.8×10^-9, a minimum detectable absorption coefficient of 9.6×10^-10 cm^-1, and a minimum path-length-normalized detectivity of 1.1×10^-8 Wcm^-1/Hz^1/2. Background interference from CO₂, H₂O, and cell-window absorption were subtracted by switching to a neighboring off-resonance laser wavelength . PACS 42.62.Fi; 82.80.Gk; 82.80.Kq     

Structural and optical characterization of polycrystalline CdSe<Subscript>x</Subscript>Te<Subscript>1-x</Subscript> thin films

Solid solutions of CdSe_xTe_1-x (0.7x1) were synthesized by vacuum fusion of stoichiometric amounts of CdSe and CdTe constituents in a silica tube. X-ray and electron microscope diffractometry techniques revealed that the CdSe_xTe_1-x thin films were polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure. The variation of lattice constants with composition was found to obey Vegards law. The compositional dependence of the optical constants, the refractive index n and the absorption index k, of the films was determined in the spectral range of 400–2000 nm. The dispersion of the refractive index of the films could be described using the Wemple–DiDomenico single oscillator model. Changes of the dispersion parameters were also studied as a function of the mole fraction x. A plot representing ²=f(h) showed that the CdSe_xTe_1-x thin films of different compositions have two direct transitions corresponding to the energy gaps E_g and E_g+. The variation in either E_g or E_g+ with x indicates that this system belongs to the amalgamation type. The variation follows a quadratic dependence and the bowing parameters were found to be 0.4 and 0.5 eV, respectively. PACS 78.20.-e; 81.15.-z