Kinetic structure of the electron diffusion region in antiparallel magnetic reconnection

Strong electron pressure anisotropy has been observed upstream of electron diffusion regions during reconnection in Earth's magnetotail and kinetic simulations. For collisionless antiparallel reconnection, we find that the anisotropy drives the electron current in the electron diffusion region, and that this current is insensitive to the reconnection electric field. Reconstruction of the electron distribution function within this region at enhanced resolutions reveals its highly structured nature and the mechanism by which the pressure anisotropy sets the structure of the region.     

Evidence for electron acceleration up to approximately 300 keV in the magnetic reconnection diffusion region of earth's magnetotail

We report direct measurements of high-energy particles in a rare crossing of the diffusion region in Earth's magnetotail by the Wind spacecraft. The fluxes of energetic electrons up to approximately 300 keV peak near the center of the diffusion region and decrease monotonically away from this region. The diffusion region electron flux spectrum obeys a power law with an index of -3.8 above approximately 2 keV, and the electron angular distribution displays strong field-aligned bidirectional anisotropy at energies below approximately 2 keV, becoming isotropic above approximately 6 keV. These observations indicate significant electron acceleration inside the diffusion region. Ions show no such energization.     

Two-scale structure of the electron dissipation region during collisionless magnetic reconnection

Particle-in-cell simulations of collisionless magnetic reconnection are presented that demonstrate that reconnection remains fast in very large systems. The electron dissipation region develops a distinct two-scale structure along the outflow direction. Consistent with fast reconnection, the length of the electron current layer stabilizes and decreases with decreasing electron mass, approaching the ion inertial length for a proton-electron plasma. Surprisingly, the electrons form a super-Alfvénic outflow jet that remains decoupled from the magnetic field and extends large distances downstream from the x line.     

Theory of the self-diffusion (spin diffusion) coefficient of an electron gas

The self-diffusion (spin-diffusion) coefficient D of an electron gas is investigated by means of a proper connected diagram expansion which treats a collision in a medium (rather than in vacuum) in a natural manner. By calculating real and virtual interaction processes to the order e⁴ (second order in interaction strength), we obtain

for a non-degenerate gas where n₀ represents the density. The square-root density (n₀) dependence is noteworthy. In the calculation, no cut-off limiting low momentum transfer in collision is introduced; the screening effect which is important at higher densities, is neglected.     

Glancing-angle ion enhanced surface diffusion on gaAs(001) during molecular beam epitaxy

We describe the effects of glancing incidence 3-4 keV Ar ion bombardment on homoepitaxial growth on vicinal GaAs(001). The average adatom lifetime on surface terraces, measured during growth using specular ion scattering, decreased monotonically with increasing ion current density. The results indicated that surface diffusivity was increased by the ions. The ion beam also suppressed growth oscillations and decreased the film surface roughness. This indicates a change from two-dimensional island nucleation to step-flow growth due to increased adatom surface diffusivity. A simple model, involving direct momentum transfer from ions to adatoms, is shown to be consistent with the measured enhanced diffusion.     

Evidence for fast diffusion of57Fe implanted in cu from depthselective conversion-electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (DCEMS)

The DCEMS technique has been applied to observe drastic changes with time of the ion-implanted⁵⁷Fe concentration profilein a Cu foil. Spectral changes observed at selected electron energies may be related to changes as a function of depth in the⁵⁷Fe local surroundings.     

Coherent state transfer between an electron and nuclear spin in (15)N@C(60)

Electron spin qubits in molecular systems offer high reproducibility and the ability to self-assemble into larger architectures. However, interactions between neighboring qubits are "always on," and although the electron spin coherence times can be several hundred microseconds, these are still much shorter than typical times for nuclear spins. Here we implement an electron-nuclear hybrid scheme which uses coherent transfer between electron and nuclear spin degrees of freedom in order to both effectively turn on or off interqubit coupling mediated by dipolar interactions and benefit from the long nuclear spin decoherence times (T(2n)). We transfer qubit states between the electron and (15)N nuclear spin in (15)N@C(60) with a two-way process fidelity of 88%, using a series of tuned microwave and radio frequency pulses and measure a nuclear spin coherence lifetime of over 100 ms.     

The magnetic circular dichroism spectrum of the hexaquocobalt (II) ion in the infra-red region

The magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) and absorption spectra in the range 5500–10 250 cm^-1 of a single cubic crystal of [Co(H₂O)₆](BrO₃)₂ have been measured at various temperatures between 5 and 300 K. An analysis of the temperature variation of the zeroth absorption and MCD moments shows that the intensity of the E′ (⁴αT _1g ) → ⁴ T _2g transition is provided mainly through the two cobalt-oxygen t _1u vibrations. The signs and magnitudes of the overall b and c term are in reasonable accord with previously published calculations. The low energy side of the MCD band exhibits some zerophonon lines and a complex vibronic structure which appears to involve low energy lattice vibrations as well as the cobalt-oxygen skeletal vibrations.     

Characteristics of an ion source with a plasma cathode and a multipole magnetic system for confining fast electrons

Parameters and ion-emission characteristics of the plasma generated in the anode stage of an ion source with a hollow glow-discharge plasma cathode are studied. To decrease the minimum operating gas pressure to 5×10³ Pa, a multipole magnetic system was installed on the surface of the hollow cathode and the peripheral magnetic field was enhanced in the anode stage of the source. The effect of the gas pressure, the plasma-cathode current, and the voltage between the electrodes of the anode stage on the value of the ion current extracted from the plasma is investigated. It is found that the size of the exit aperture of the hollow cathode substantially affects the efficiency of ion extraction. The potential (1–5 V) and the electron temperature (1–8 eV) of the anode-stage plasma are measured by the probe method. The conditions are determined that ensure the maximum ion-emission current from the plasma at low gas pressures.     

Radiation of an electron moving in a weakly focusing magnetic field (quantum theory)

Quantum transitions associated with the radiation of an electron in a weakly focusing magnetic field are analyzed, allowing for betatron oscillations. An expression is derived for the intensity of the synchrotron radiation. The effect of the betatron oscillations on the polarization properties of the radiation is examined.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 4, pp. 60–64, April, 1973.The authors wish to thank A. A. Sokolov for constant interest in this work.     

Charge‐transfer‐induced doping at an electron donor (α‐sexithiophene)/acceptor (C60) interface and mobility improvement

We studied various aspects relating to surface charge‐transfer‐induced doping at an organic/organic interface using in situ electrical measurements with a field‐effect transistor (FET) during the formation of the electron donor/acceptor interface. Adsorption of the electron‐accepting molecules (C₆₀) on top of the electron donating molecules (α‐6T) led to an increase in the FET hole mobility in an α‐6T film. Under illumination, the FET hole mobility in the α‐6T film with C₆₀ deposition was significantly increased in comparison with that in the dark due to exciton dissociation at the C₆₀/α‐6T interface, resulting in a large threshold voltage shift. The origin of the mobility increase is explained by the multiple trapping and release (MTR) model in which the mobility is determined by the carrier density. Various phenomena relevant to charge transfer and charge transport at the organic/organic interface are reported and their origins are discussed. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Evidence for insulating behavior in the electric conduction of (NH(3))K(3)C(60) systems

Microwave study using the cavity perturbation technique revealed that the conductivity of the antiferromagnet (NH(3))K(3-x)Rb(x)C(60) at 200 K is already 3-4 orders of magnitude smaller than those of superconductors, K(3)C(60) and (NH(3))(x)NaRb(2)C(60), and that the antiferromagnetic compounds are insulators below 250 K without metal-insulator transitions. The striking difference in the magnitude of the conductivity between these materials strongly suggests that the Mott-Hubbard transition in the ammoniated alkali fullerides is driven by a reduction of lattice symmetry from face-centered-cubic to face-centered-orthorhombic, rather than by the magnetic ordering.     

Analytic and numeric Green’s functions for a two-dimensional electron gas in an orthogonal magnetic field

We have derived closed analytic expressions for the Green’s function of an electron in a two-dimensional electron gas threaded by a uniform perpendicular magnetic field, also in the presence of a uniform electric field and of a parabolic spatial confinement. A workable and powerful numerical procedure for the calculation of the Green’s functions for a large infinitely extended quantum wire is considered exploiting a lattice model for the wire, the tight-binding representation for the corresponding matrix Green’s function, and the Peierls phase factor in the Hamiltonian hopping matrix element to account for the magnetic field. The numerical evaluation of the Green’s function has been performed by means of the decimation-renormalization method, and quite satisfactorily compared with the analytic results worked out in this paper. As an example of the versatility of the numerical and analytic tools here presented, the peculiar semilocal character of the magnetic Green’s function is studied in detail because of its basic importance in determining magneto-transport properties in mesoscopic systems.     

A comparative evaluation of CH3-DTPA-Gd (NMS60) for contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography

In a canine model the signal dynamics of a new oligomer-based MR contrast agent (NMS60, 2158 Da) were compared to Gd-DTPA to investigate the agents' potential for magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). Twelve male mongrel dogs were imaged sequentially under anesthesia with two different MRA sequences (Tlw 3DSPGR). Initial enhancement was measured every 9 s for eight points in time. Thereafter, spatial highly resolved MRAs were obtained at 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, and 60 min post-injection of two different dosages. Over the first 20 s following bolus administration the average arterial enhancement of 0.1 mmol(Gd)kg NMS60 was 44% greater than Gd-DTPA. Twenty minutes post-injection the relative signal intensity of NMS60 was as high as the peak signal intensity with Gd-DTPA at the same dosage level (0.1 mmol(Gd)/kg). In the animals that received NMS60 injections the vascular conspicuity was overly superior to those who received Gd-DTPA. No significant toxicity effects were noted for either dosage level. The intermediate weight contrast agent NMS60 offers greater vascular enhancement and retention time than Gd-DTPA. For a given set of optimized imaging parameters this offers improved spatial details, less arterial/venous overlap, and better vascular contrast.     

Study of the biased-disc effect using Langmuir-probes inserted in the hot region of the electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) plasma

The plasma potential and its distribution play an important role in the highly-charged ion production and it is an important parameter of the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma. Emitting probes have been successfully used to determine plasma potential distributions in many plasma machines. In the framework of the ATOMKI-ECRIS plasma diagnostics research project, plasma-induced emitting probe was developed. It was proved that in certain conditions such probes could be reliably used without being damaged and without disturbing the plasma. Important observations were made related to the biased-disc effect. In favor of establishing the method of emitting probe usage in ECR plasma, dedicated experiments were performed at the NIRS-Kei2 all permanent compact ECR ion source. Based on the experiences gained after the NIRS experiments, the ATOMKI plasma-induced probe measurements could be interpreted. It was shown that biasing the Disc electrode negatively with respect to the source potential, the plasma potential measured on the resonant zone decreased, while the well-known ion beam current increase was obtained. This result proves the previous assumption [K.E. Stiebing, O. Hohn, S. Runkel, L. Schmidt, H. Schmidt-Böcking, V. Mironov, G. Shirkov, Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 2 (1999) 123501], that the biased-disc changes the plasma potential distribution creating favorable conditions for ion beam extraction.     

Oscillations of the magnetoresistance in an inclined magnetic field for MIS structures on (100) silicon with a high electron density

At electron densities N _S>6×10⁻² cm⁻²² a second series of oscillations, which are tentatively attributed to population of the second energy subband, is observed in addition to the main series of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations. A change in phase of the oscillations of the second series is observed at some angle of inclination α_e of the field. The measured value of α_e is used to calculate the ratio of the cyclotron mass to the effective g factor. The maximum possible cyclotron mass is also determined as m _H< 0.32m _e. On this basis it is concluded that the second series of oscillations is due to electrons which have an in-plane effective mass m*≈0.2m _e and which belong to the same valleys of the Fermi surface as in the case of the main oscillations. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 2, 136–140 (25 January 1998)     

Evidence for diffusion-limited kinetics during electromigration-induced step bunching on Si(1 1 1)

We have measured how the initial terrace width l₀ on vicinal Si(1 1 1) surfaces influences the rate of step bunching and the minimum terrace width within a bunch when direct-current heated at 940-1290 °C. A comparison of this data with analytic solutions and numerical simulations of the conventional “sharp-step” model give strong evidence that the kinetic length d is relatively small (d < ∼20 nm) in both temperature regime I (∼850-950 °C) and regime III (∼1200-1300 °C), in which step-down current is required for step bunching. This indicates that surface mass transport is diffusion-limited in both regimes I and III when l₀ > 20 nm, and hence that the adatom attachment- and terrace diffusion-hopping rates are of comparable magnitude. We also observe similar scaling with initial terrace width in temperature regime II (∼1040-1190 °C), in which step-up current is required for bunching, suggesting a similar step bunching mechanism in all three temperature regimes.     

Polyethylene-supported poly(methyl methacrylate<Emphasis Type="Italic">-co-</Emphasis>butyl acrylate)-based novel gel polymer electrolyte for lithium ion battery

A new copolymer, poly(methyl methacrylate-co-butyl acrylate) (P(MMA-co-BA)), was synthesized by emulsion polymerization with different mass ratio of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and butyl acrylate (BA). The membranes were prepared by phase inversion and corresponding gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) were obtained by immersing the membrane into a liquid electrolyte. In this design, the hard monomer MMA provided the copolymer with good electrolyte uptake, while the soft monomer BA provided the GPE with strong adhesion between the anode and cathode of lithium ion battery. The properties of the resulting product were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, scanning electron spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, thermogravimetric analysis, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and charge/discharge test. The results show that the obtained GPE based on P(MMA-co-BA) with the mass ratios of MMA and BA = 6:1 exhibits good conductivity (as high as 1.2 × 10^?3 S cm^?1) at room temperature and high electrochemical stability (up to 4.9 V vs. Li/Li⁺). With the application of the polyethylene (PE)-supported GPE in Li/Li(Li_0.13Ni_0.30Mn_0.57)O₂ battery, the battery presents good cyclic stability (maintaining 95.4 % of its initial discharge capacity after 50 cycles) at room temperature.     

Evidence for oxygen abstraction from NO<Subscript>2</Subscript> upon thermal scattering from an Al(111) surface

Evidence is presented for the existence of a non-adiabatic reaction channel, namely the abstraction of an oxygen atom from a nitrogen dioxide molecule upon scattering from an aluminium(111) surface. This reaction channel was studied by exposing the sample to an NO₂ molecular beam and subsequently analysing the scattered flux using REMPI spectroscopy. In these experiments, a considerable amount of NO emitted from the surface was detected. The emitted NO has a rotational temperature of ca. 260 K that increases only slowly with surface temperature. In summary, these results provide first evidence for the abstraction reaction NO_2(g)NO_(g)+O_(a) upon NO₂/Al(111) scattering, which may arise when two electrons are rapidly transferred to the incoming molecule while it is unfavourably oriented for concurrent adsorption of both fragments. PACS 82.65.+r; 68.43.-h