Breaking processes in nickel nanocontacts: a statistical description

In this work we perform a statistical study of favorable atomic configurations of nickel nanocontacts during their stretching at 4 K and 300 K. Nanowire breaking events are simulated using molecular dynamics (MD) where atomic interactions are represented with state-of-the-art embedded atom (EAM) interatomic potentials. The full determination of atomic positions during the contact evolution allows determination of the evolution of the minimum-cross section S_m during stretching. By accumulating many breaking traces, we built minimum cross-section histograms H(S_m). These simulated histograms reveal the presence of preferential geometrical arrangements during the nanocontact breaking, showing that no remarkable differences should appear between the low (4 K) and room temperature (300 K) situations. These results show that differences observed between low and room temperature experimental Ni conductance histograms, are not caused by the different structural evolution and, that therefore, other phenomena are involved. PACS  81.07.Lk; 68.65.-k; 73.63.Rt; 31.15.Qg     

Atomic description of elementary surface processes: diffusion and dynamics

A large fraction of processes which are at the foundation of our technological society involve physical and chemical properties of surfaces. Catalytic reactions and semiconductor devices production are two of the most important ones.

This paper describes a sample of some of the most relevant surface science experiments which have been recently performed, in order to understand elementary surface processes of model catalytic reactions and in semiconductor technology at the atomic level. The focus is on experiments performed with scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy which have represented, in some cases, real breakthroughs in our understanding of these phenomena.

We then present an overview of possible experimental technique developments that can be foreseen for the future and that may give us a more in-depth understanding of the elementary processes which form the basis of important complex surface phenomena. Finally, some of the challenging tasks that lie ahead for surface scientists and the collateral opportunities are discussed.     

New approach to a description of relativistic particle collisions

Relativistic particle collisions are described by the 2-form of a cross product of particle momentum 1-forms. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 42–45, December, 2008.     

Theoretical description of the towing mode through a time-dependent quantum calculation

The target emission for the reaction of ⁵⁸Ni and ⁵⁸Ni at 44 MeV/A is investigated in a time-dependent quantum model. We show that, besides the well-known mechanisms of particle emission, a new phenomenon which gives rise to a specific angular and energetic distribution of the particle emission, is also expected. Properties of this mechanism are similar to the so-called “towing mode”, recently observed experimentally in a similar reaction (J.A. Scarpaci et al., Phys. Lett. B 428 (1998) 241). Characteristics of this new emission type are described.     

The Wigner phase-space description of collision processes

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of the celebrated Wigner distribution function. Many advances made in various areas of science during the 50 year period can be attributed to the physical insights that the Wigner distribution function provides when applied to specific problems. In this paper the usefulness of the Wigner distribution function in collision theory is described.     

Nonschematic description of nuclear β-decay processes

The logft values for beta transitions in the deformed heavy rare earth nuclei are examined. The effects of the schematic approximation in the treatment of the residual interaction are discussed. It is found that this approach overestimates the beta transition rates by almost an order of magnitude.     

Theoretical description of ultrafast phenomena in clusters

A theoretical study of different ultrafast nonequilibrium processes taking place during and after ultrashort excitation of clusters is presented. We discuss similarities and differences for several processes involving nonequilibrium ultrafast motion of atoms and electrons. We study ultrashort relaxation of clusters in response to excitations produced by femtosecond laser pulses of different intensities. We show how different relaxation processes, such as bond breaking, melting, fragmentation, emission of atoms, or Coulomb explosion, can be induced, depending on the laser intensity and laser pulse duration. We also discuss processes involving nonequilibrium electron dynamics, such as intraband Auger decay in clusters and ultrafast electronic motion during collisions between clusters and surfaces. We show that this electron dynamics leads to Stückelberg-like oscillations of measurable quantities, such as the electron emission yield. Received: 4 April 2000 / Accepted: 6 November 2000 / Published online: 9 February 2001     

In situ study of magmatic processes: a new experimental approach

We present an internally heated autoclave, modified in order to permit in situ studies at pressure up to 0.5 GPa and temperature up to 1000 °C. It is equipped with transparent sapphire windows, allowing the observation of the whole experiment along the horizontal axis. In the experimental cell, the sample is held between two thick transparent plates of sapphire or diamond, placed in the furnace cylinder. The experimental volume is about 0.01 cm³. Video records are made during the whole experiment. This tool is developed mainly to study the magmatic processes, as the working pressures and temperatures are appropriate for subvolcanic magma reservoirs. However, other applications are possible, such as the study of subsolidus phase equilibria as we have used well-known phase transitions, such as the system of AgI, to calibrate the apparatus with respect to pressure and temperature. The principle of the apparatus is detailed. Applications are presented, such as studies of melt inclusions at pressure and temperature and an in situ study of magma degassing through the investigation of nucleation and growth processes of gas bubbles in a silicate melt during decompression.     

中微子振荡及CP破坏理论描述

2015年10月6日,诺贝尔物理学奖授予日本物理学家鶨田隆章和加拿大物理学家阿瑟·麦克唐纳,以表彰他们发现中微子振荡并证实中微子有质量.同年11月8日,包括鶨田隆章和麦克唐纳在内的7名在中微子振荡研究中做出关键贡献的科学家获得2016年度基础物理学突破奖.中微子振荡成为基础物理学研究的焦点.本文从量子力学理论出发,对中微子振荡及CP破坏理论作简要的描述,并介绍未来中微子研究中的若干重大科学问题.     

A perturbative description of coherent multiphoton resonant processes

We construct field equations and generalised Bloch equations for multiphoton processes involving the coherent interaction of a number of distinct electric fields with an arbitrary number of atomic eigenstates, and apply the equations to some physical examples. Transient stimulated hyper-Raman scattering, in the low-conversion regime and far from saturation, has been studied analytically. Assuming that the pump pulse interacts with the medium byn-photon absorption, we find expression for the intensity of the generated Stokes pulse.     

Electromagnetic processes in light nuclei: Results within a microscopic approach

Results obtained by investigating the electrodisintegration of A = 3 and 4 nuclei and the photodisintegration of A = 3, 4, 6, and 7 nuclei on the basis of precise solutions to dynamical problems involving NN and NNN forces are presented. The role of NNN forces, final-state relativistic effects, the contribution of meson-exchange currents, an anomaly in electrodisintegration at high momentum transfers and low energy transfers, sensitivity to nuclear dynamics in the exclusive electrodisintegration of ⁴He nuclei, and the soft-mode resonance in the photodisintegration of ⁶He nuclei are considered.     

Nanophotonics: a new multidisciplinary frontier

Nanophotonics, defined as nanoscale optical science and technology, is a new multidisciplinary frontier. This article presents our studies on nanoscale matter–radiation interactions utilizing nanoscale confinement of radiation as well as on nanoscale photochemical transformations, particularly nanoscale nonlinear optical interactions. The selected examples of our studies include nanoscopic optical harmonic generation, multiphoton fluorescence, transient absorption dynamics, surface-plasmon-enhanced two-photon fluorescence, and nonlinear optical information storage. Received: 12 December 2001 / Published online: 11 June 2002     

Renormalization-group description of nonequilibrium critical short-time relaxation processes: A three-loop approximation

The influence of nonequilibrium initial values of the order parameter on its evolution at a critical point is described using a renormalization group approach of the field theory. The dynamic critical exponent θ of the short time evolution of a system with an n-component order parameter is calculated within a dynamical dissipative model using the method of Σ-expansion in a three-loop approximation. Numerical values of θ for three-dimensional systems are determined using the Padé-Borel method for the summation of asymptotic series.     

Theoretical description of photodisintegration of the 18O nucleus

The wave functions and probabilities of excitation of giant-dipole-resonance states in the photodis-integration cross section of the ¹⁸O nucleus have been calculated within the particle-core coupling version of the many-particle shell model. The probabilities of E1 excitation of 1^? states with T = 1 and 2 in the ¹⁸O nucleus have been obtained using the spectroscopic data on the direct nucleon pickup reactions ¹⁸O(d, t)¹⁷O [2].