On the theory of metastable states

It is shown that the stationary states of stochastic systems are stable. Therefore one cannot use the stationary probability distributions for describing the stochastic systems in metastable states. It is shown that the nonstationary stochastic processes can have sample paths with stationary parts. It is proposed to consider these stationary parts as the metastable states.     

Numerical study on the characteristics of nitrogen discharge at high pressure with induced plasma

Based on the fluid theory of plasma, a model is built to study the characteristics of nitrogen discharge at high pressure with induced argon plasma. In the model, species such as electrons, N2+, N4+, Ar+, and two metastable states (N 2(A3∑u+), N2 (a1 ∑u-)) are taken into account. The model includes the particle continuity equation, the electron energy balance equation, and Poisson抯equation. The model is solved with a finite difference method. The numerical results are obtained and used to investigate the effect of time taken to add nitrogen gas and initially-induced argon plasma pressure. It is found that lower speeds of adding the nitrogen gas and varying the gas pressure can induce higher plasma density, and inversely lower electron temperature. At high-pressure discharge, the electron density increases when the proportion of nitrogen component is below 40%, while the electron density will keep constant as the nitrogen component further increases. It is also shown that with the increase of initially-induced argon plasma pressure, the density of charged particles increases, and the electron temperature as well as the electric field decreases.     

Bonding in Cu,Ag, and Au clusters: relativistic effects,trends, and surprises

Electronic structure and bonding in anionic coinage metal clusters are investigated via density-functional calculations, focusing on an extensive set of isomers of Cu(-)(7), Ag(-)(7), and Au(-)(7). While the ground states of Cu(-)(7) and Ag(-)(7) are three dimensional (3D), that of Au(-)(7) is planar, separated from the optimal 3D isomer by 0.5 eV. The simulated thermally weighted photoabsorption spectrum of Au(-)(7) is dominated by planar structures, and it agrees well with the measured one. The propensity of Au(-)(N) clusters to favor planar structures (with N as large as 13) is correlated with strong hybridization of the atomic 5d and 6s orbitals due to relativistic effects.     

Radiative decay of doubly excited states in helium below the He+ (N = 2) ionization threshold

The radiative decay of (1)P(o) doubly excited states in helium has been investigated using a novel apparatus in which metastable atoms and vacuum ultraviolet photons are detected. The intensity ratio of the energetically narrow (sp,2n-)(1)P(o) and (2p,nd)(1)P(o) series to the broader (sp,2n+)(1)P(o) series is strikingly enhanced in comparison with conventional photoabsorption, photoion, or photoelectron measurements using synchrotron radiation. The experimental approach is a new way forward for the study of energetically narrow doubly excited states.     

Effect of electrons of the multiply charged ion core on single-electron capture

The population of various electronic states of particles that arise during the capture of a single electron in hydrogen and helium atoms, as well as hydrogen molecules, by Ar³⁺ and Ne³⁺ ions with an energy of several kiloelectronvolts was studied by collision spectroscopy, viz., precision analysis of kinetic energy variation for ions formed as a result of interaction between ions and atoms. It is shown that single-electron capture in many cases is a multielectron process accompanied by the rearrangement of a multiply charged ion core. It is found that the triply charged Ne³⁺ ions formed as a result of ionization of Ne atoms by electron impacts are formed mainly in metastable states. The population of excited states of particles during their multiple ionization should be taken into account in determining the characteristics of various particles by the appearance potential method. Collision spectroscopy can be used for analyzing the metastable ion impurities in ionic beams.     

Thermally Averaged Spectroscopic Parameters of the Weakly Bound Dimers

Spectroscopic parameters in an ensemble of the weakly bound dimers are derived making use of the quantum and classical statistical average over thermally excited rovibrational states. Argon dimers and oxygen dimers are taken as examples. It is shown that thermally averaged characteristics of dimers rapidly change as temperature of a gas rises. In an ensemble of quasi-diatomic tightly bound dimers, the high-temperature limit of the effective dissociation energy amounts to roughly D(0)/3, where D(0) is the dissociation energy from the ground state. It is demonstrated that the effective rotational B(eff)(T) constant for the oxygen dimers statistically averaged at near room temperature is merely one half of the ground state B(0) value. This conclusion is in agreement with recent spectroscopic observations. Rotationally resolved spectroscopic probe of (O(2))(2) in the slit-nozzle expansion resulted in B(0) = 0.095 cm(-1), while bandshape analysis of the room-temperature collision-induced absorption in the oxygen fundamental allowed an estimate of B(eff) approximately 0.038 cm(-1). The role of anisotropy of intermolecular interaction and the formation of various types of metastable dimeric states are discussed. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Measurement of the generalized polarizabilities of the proton in virtual Compton scattering at Q2=0.92 and 1.76 GeV2

We report a virtual Compton scattering study of the proton at low c.m. energies. We have determined the structure functions P(LL)-P(TT)/epsilon and P(LT), and the electric and magnetic generalized polarizabilities (GPs) alpha(E)(Q2) and beta(M)(Q2) at momentum transfer Q(2)=0.92 and 1.76 GeV2. The electric GP shows a strong falloff with Q2, and its global behavior does not follow a simple dipole form. The magnetic GP shows a rise and then a falloff; this can be interpreted as the dominance of a long-distance diamagnetic pion cloud at low Q2, compensated at higher Q2 by a paramagnetic contribution from piN intermediate states.     

Measurements of argon metastable density using the tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy in Ar and Ar/O_2

Densities of Ar metastable states 1s_5 and 1s_3 are measured by using the tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy(TDLAS) in Ar and Ar/O2 mixture dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasma(DF-CCP). We investigate the effects of high-frequency(HF, 60 MHz) power, low-frequency(LF, 2 MHz) power, and working pressure on the density of Ar metastable states for three different gas components(0%, 5%, and 10% oxygen mixed in argon). The dependence of Ar metastable state density on the oxygen content is also studied at different working pressures. It is found that densities of Ar metastable states in discharges with different gas components exhibit different behaviors as HF power increases. With the increase of HF power, the metastable density increases rapidly at the initial stage, and then tends to be saturated at a higher HF power. With a small fraction(5% or 10%) of oxygen added in argon plasma, a similar change of the Ar metastable density with HF power can be observed, but the metastable density is saturated at a higher HF power than in the pure argon discharge. In the DF-CCP, the metastable density is found to be higher than in a single frequency discharge, and has weak dependence on LF power. As working pressure increases, the metastable state density first increases and then decreases,and the pressure value, at which the density maximum occurs, decreases with oxygen content increasing. Besides, adding a small fraction of oxygen into argon plasma will significantly dwindle the metastable state density as a result of quenching loss by oxygen molecules.     

Equilibrium and metastable states of classical systems

We formulate a characterization of equilibrium and metastable states of classical hard-core continuous systems in terms of certain global and local stability conditions. The equilibrium states are assumed to be those that are both locally and globally stable; the metastable states are assumed to be those that are locally, but not globally, stable, and that possess also a certain restricted global stability. It is found that a certain specified class of systems with appropriately weakly tempered, or long range forces, can support metastable states, possessing bona fide thermodynamic properties, whose pressure functions are real analytic continuations in the chemical potential of those of some equilibrium phases. This result is complementary to that of Lanford and Ruelle, concerning the absence of metastable states of systems with strongly tempered forces.     

Two-dimensional intrinsic ferromagnetism at nitride-boride interfaces

We predict theoretically novel two-dimensional interface ferromagnetism at AlN/MgB(2)(0001) using first-principles calculations, where the interface is employed as an ordered structure of spin sites instead of point defects. Although N dangling bonds are apparently saturated, interfacial states exhibit spin polarization. Hund's coupling of the two N p(∥) orbitals as well as low density of states at the Fermi energy contribute to strong band ferromagnetism. Furthermore, first-principles electron transport calculations demonstrate that this interfacial spin polarization is responsible for quantum spin transport. The magnetization can be controlled by applied gate bias voltages.     

Selective photoswitching of the binuclear spin crossover compound {[Fe(bt)(NCS)2]2(bpm)} into two distinct macroscopic phases

The low-spin (LS-LS, S = 0) diamagnetic form of the binuclear spin crossover complex {[Fe(bt)(NCS)(2)](2)(bpm)} was selectively photoconverted into two distinct macroscopic phases at different excitation wavelengths (1342 or 647.1 nm). These long-lived metastable phases have been identified, respectively, as the symmetry-broken paramagnetic form (HS-LS, S = 2) and the antiferromagnetically coupled (HS-HS, S = 0) high-spin form of the compound. The selectivity may be explained by the strong coupling of the primary excited states to the paramagnetic state.     

Dynamic Behavior of a Spin- 1 Ising Model. I. Relaxation of Order Parameters and the “Flatness” Property of Metastable States

The dynamic behavior of a spin-1 Ising system with arbitrary bilinear and biquadratic pair interactions is studied by using the path probability method, and approaches of the system toward the stable or metastable equilibrium states according to the ratio of interaction parameters and rate constants are presented. In particular, we investigate the relaxation of the order parameters for temperatures less than, equal to, and greater than the second-order and first-order phase transitions. From this investigation, the “flatness” property of metastable states is seen explicitly. We also show how a system freezes in a metastable state as well as how it escapes from one metastable state to the other.     

PuNO分子结构与势能函数

本文运用密度泛函理论的B3LYP方法, 对钚原子应用LANL2DZ收缩价基函数, 氮、氧原子采用AUG-cc-pVTZ基函数, 分别对PuN, PuO, NO和PuNO体系进行了结构优化, 得到PuNO分子最稳构型为C_∞v (Pu-N-O), 电子态为⁶Σ^- (基态), 平衡核间距R_ON=0.12257 nm, R_NPu=0.22951 nm, 离解能D_e=8.10537 eV. 同时优化得到PuNO 分子存在两种亚稳态平衡构型分别为C_∞v (Pu-O-N), ⁶Σ^- (电子态)和C_s (O-Pu-N), A" (电子态), 以及分子体系相应的力学常数等. 拟合出PuN, PuO 和NO 分子的Murrell-Sorbie势能函数, 并使用多体项展式理论得到了PuNO分子的分析势能函数, 其等值势能图准确再现了PuNO分子最稳态构型及两个亚稳态构型的离解能和结构特性, 由此讨论了该分子体系的势能面静态特征.     

Phase transitions in nuclear matter: metastability and fluctuations

Supercooled and overheated metastable states near the phase transition between hadronic matter and the quark-gluon plasma are considered. The Blaizot-Ollitraut equation of state is generalized to include metastable states. A stability criterion is formulated and its connection with the Ginzburg parameter, familiar in the theory of phase transitions, is established. Fluctuations and bubble creation as well as an inflation scenario of the universe during its hadronic era are discussed.     

Critical branching captures activity in living neural networks and maximizes the number of metastable States

Recent experimental work has shown that activity in living neural networks can propagate as a critical branching process that revisits many metastable states. Neural network theory suggests that attracting states could store information, but little is known about how a branching process could form such states. Here we use a branching process to model actual data and to explore metastable states in the network. When we tune the branching parameter to the critical point, we find that metastable states are most numerous and that network dynamics are not attracting, but neutral.     

Stable and metastable states and the formation and destruction of breathers in the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation

Statistical mechanics explains many localization phenomena of lattices such as the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation. However, numerical simulations show that the complete thermalization is rarely achieved. Instead, one observes metastable statistical states that are robust when excited locally. This paper investigates thermodynamically metastable states where the trajectory is confined to some part of the energy shell. The partition function and the entropy are computed with a perturbation method. This method is applicable to stable and metastable states, and it allows us to give approximative analytic expressions for the entropy in the complete thermodynamic state space.     

Metastable states,the adiabatic theorem and parity violating geometric phases I

A system of metastable plus unstable states is discussed. The mass matrix governing the time development of the system is supposed to vary slowly with time. The adiabatic limit for this case is studied and it is shown that only the metastable states obtain the analogs of the dynamical and geometrical phase factors familiar from stable states. Abelian and non-Abelian geometric phase factors for metastable states are defined.     

Spatial bandwidth considerations for optical communication through a free space propagation link

This Letter concentrates on the transverse limitations imposed by a finite aperture optical propagation link that supports free space optical communication. Here it is assumed that a series of states, which are the spatial component of the message, are sent through the communication channel. The spatial bandwidth of the propagation link expressed as bits per transmitted photon is computed as the product of the average link efficiency times the entropy of the link. To facilitate the evaluation, it is assumed that the transmitted states are minimum energy loss orbital angular momentum states expressed in the form of f(nm)(r)exp(imθ), where the radial function is controlled to ensure that, for each quantum number denoted by the values of n and m, the minimum energy loss is obtained. The results illustrate that the bandwidth in units of bits per transmitted photon is very nearly equal to log(2)(N(2)(f)here log(2)(·) denotes the logarithm in base 2 and the Fresnel number, N(f)=(π/4)D(1)D(2)/(λz), where D(1) is the diameter of the transmitting aperture, D(2) is the diameter of the receiving aperture, λ is the wavelength of the light used, and z is the propagation distance.