Photofragmentation of hydrated iron ions Fe(HO) () at 532, 355 and 266 nm

Photofragmentation of Fe(H₂O)n ⁺ clusters (n =1-9) is investigated at three different wavelengths, 532, 355 and 266 nm. Two fragmentation pathways are observed depending essentially on the photon energy, but also on the parent size n. The fragmentation products belong to two ion families, Fe(H₂O)m ⁺ and FeOH(H₂O)m ⁺ , which correspond to dehydration and intracluster dehydrogenation reactions respectively. The ion yields are studied as a function of the laser fluence in order to determine the number of photons implied in the photofragmentation process. This allows us to estimate that the D[(H₂O)_n-1Fe^+-(H₂O)] bond energy is ranging between 0.44 eV and 0.55 eV for .Photon absorption cross sections are also derived from the fluence experiments, and two different behaviors are observed: i) At 355 nm, far away from any transition, progressive solvation of the metal ion results in an increasing absorption cross section from n =2 to n =9. This can be attributed to a forbidden transition of bare , which becomes progressively allowed because of the interaction with more and more water ligands. ii) At 266 nm, close to several allowed transitions of bare , a distinct maximum is observed for the absorption of ion. It may be attributed to a change in the spin multiplicity when switching from and on one hand to Fe(H₂O) on the other. Received: 11 November 1997 / Revised: 18 February 1998 / Accepted: 22 April 1998     

Soft modes and phonon interactions in studied by neutron scattering

The low frequency lattice dynamics and its relationship to the second order paraelectric-to-ferroelectric transition in Sn₂P₂S₆ is studied. The dispersion branches of the acoustic and lowest lying optical phonons in the a^*-c^* plane have been obtained in the ferroelectric phase, for x-polarized phonons. Close to the phase transition a considerable softening is found for the lowest optical mode (P_x), comparable to the behaviour observed in previous Raman investigations. As found previously in Sn₂P₂Se₆, a strong coupling between the TO(P_x) and TA(u_xz) phonons is observed, although, apparently, not strong enough to lead to an incommensurate phase. The soft TO(P_x) mode at the zone center is observed. The temperature dependence of its frequency and damping shows that the transition is not entirely displacive. At low temperatures an unusual apparent negative LO-TO splitting is observed which is shown to arise from the coupling of the x-polarized soft mode to the nearby z-polarized optical phonon. For comparison, the soft TO(P_x) dispersion in the a^*-b^* plane is measured in both the paraelectric and ferroelectric phases. Consistent frequency changes and LO-TO splitting are observed, revealing a significant interaction between the TA(u_yx) and LA(u_xx) acoustics branches and the TO and LO soft optic branches, respectively. In contrast, the nearby y-polarized optic branch shows almost no temperature dependence. Finally, the influence of piezoelectric effects on the limiting acoustic slopes in the ferroelectric phase is discussed. Received: 11 May 1998 / Revised and Accepted: 15 June 1998     

Isotope shifts and hyperfine structure in calcium 4snp and 4snf F Rydberg states

Isotope shifts and hyperfine structure have been measured in 4snp ¹ P₁ and Rydberg states for all stable calcium isotopes and the radioisotope ⁴¹Ca using high-resolution laser spectroscopy. Triple-resonance excitation via Rydberg state was followed by photoionization with a CO₂ laser and mass selective ion detection. Isotope shifts for the even-mass isotopes have been analyzed to derive specific mass shift and field shift factors. The apparent isotope shifts for ⁴¹Ca and ⁴³Ca exhibit anomalous values that are n-dependent. This is interpreted in terms of hyperfine-induced fine-structure mixing, which becomes very pronounced when singlet-triplet fine-structure splitting is comparable to the hyperfine interaction energy. Measurements of fine-structure splittings for the predominant isotope ⁴⁰Ca have been used as input parameters for theoretical calculation of the perturbed hyperfine structure. Results obtained by diagonalizing the second-order hyperfine interaction matrices agree very well with experimentally observed spectra. These measurements allow the evaluation of highly selective and sensitive methods for the detection of the rare ⁴¹Ca isotope. Received 17 December 1999 and Received in final form 29 March 2000     

Continuum light emission from sputtered species of graphite during ion beam irradiation

Light emission during sputtering of graphite targets with 1–10 keV Ne⁺, Kr⁺ and Xe⁺ beams has been investigated in the 180-600 nm wavelength range. Beside the characteristic lines of sputtered C₁ and C₁ ⁺, a continuum superimposed with a number of broad structures was observed in the 250-520 nm range, and having a maximum at 386 nm. Mass analysis of the sputtered flux confirmed the presence of negative carbon clusters C _m ^- , C₂ ^- being the dominant one. Ion beam parameters i.e. ion mass, energy, current density and ion dose were varied to identify the origin of the continuum emission. On the basis of the experimental results, it is suggested that the continuum is predominantly due to the overlapping of various band systems of sputtered C₂ with a small contribution from the heavier sputtered carbon clusters C_m (m>2). Received 24 September 1999 and Received in final form 11 February 2000     

Antiferromagnetic resonance and high magnetic field properties of NaNiO2

Magnetisation measurements up to 23 T and submillimeter wave ESR in the frequency region 48-380 GHz have been performed on NaNiO₂ powders at low temperature. Also typical spectra above the Néel temperature are shown. At 4 K the magnetisation shows a spin-flop transition at 1.8 T and saturation at 10 T. /Ni confirms the low spin state of the Ni³⁺ ions. The susceptibility exhibits a maximum at K with and K. NaNiO₂ is an A-type antiferromagnet: we derive K and K for the interactions between Ni ions within and between adjacent layers, respectively. The AFMR spectra yield an energy gap of 52.5 GHz, in agreement with the spin-flop value derived from the magnetisation. The anisotropy of the g factor observed at 100 K with can be attributed to the Jahn-Teller effect for Ni³⁺ ions in the low spin state, which stabilises the occupation. We finally comment on the isomorphic controversial Li_1-xNi_1+xO₂ compound. Received 9 March 2000 and Received in final form 13 July 2000.     

Charge transfer between alkali cluster ions and atoms in the 1 to 10 keV collisional energy range

The cross-sections for collisional charge transfer between singly charged free clusters M _n ⁺ (M = Li, Na; n=1...50) and atomic targets A (cesium, potassium) have been measured as a function of collisional relative velocity in laboratory energy range 1–10 keV. For each cluster size, the experimental values of the charge transfer cross-section are fitted with an universal parametric curve with two independent parameters and v_m, the maximum cross-section and the corresponding velocity. For small size clusters (), the characteristic parameters show strong variations with the number of atoms in the cluster. Abrupt dips observed for n=10 and n=22 are attributed to electronic properties. Charge transfer patterns observed for various collisional systems present similarities, which appear more sensitive to cluster quantum size effects than to collision energy defects. In their whole, the and v_m parameters show differences in both their size evolution and their absolute values discussed in term of projectile and target electronic structures. Received 13 April 2000 and Received in final form 29 June 2000     

Multi-wavelength excimer ultraviolet sources from a mixture of krypton and iodine in a dielectric barrier discharge

New ultraviolet (UV) sources (excimer lamps) have been demonstrated using mixtures of krypton and iodine in a high-pressure dielectric barrier discharge to provide intense multi-wavelength radiation at λ=183 nm (atomic iodine line, ⁴ P _5/2?² P _3/2), 191 nm (KrI^*, B _1/2?X _1/2), 206 nm (atomic iodine line, ² P _3/2?² P _1/2), and 342 nm (I^* ₂, D _1/2?X _1/2). The characteristics of the optical emission spectra of the atomic species and the excited dimers (excimers) formed for different total gas pressures and in the presence of a buffer gas have been investigated. The highest intensity, at 183 nm, is obtained at pressures up to 1 bar while the overall emission spectra can be controlled by adjusting the total pressure. The results show that these strong multi-wavelength lamps offer an interesting alternative to conventional UV sources. Received: 1 March 2000 / Revised version: 5 April 2000 / Published online: 30 June 2000     

Singlet-triplet excitation ratios in Ne III, Ar III and N II under ion impact

Peculiar properties of ion-atom collision systems, in particular deviations from statistical populations of singlet and triplet levels, can be studied by optical spectroscopy. We have extended earlier studies by VUV spectroscopy of a number of collision systems at various collision energies in the 0.01-MeV/nucleon to 1-MeV/nucleon range, involving H₂ ⁺, H⁺, He⁺, He²⁺, Ne⁺, Ar⁺, and N₂ ⁺ as projectiles and Ne, Ar, and N₂ as target gases. Statistically significant deviations of the relative intensities of singlet and triplet lines from simple ratios are observed in the displaced terms of the valence shell of Ne III, corroborating and extending earlier work. For Ar III, the energy dependences of singlet-to-triplet excitation ratios are very different for different projectiles. For N II, in contrast, all observed line ratios are practically independent of the projectile energy. Received 17 November 2000 and Received in final form 31 January 2001     

Probing spin-orbit quenching in Cl (2P) + H2 via crossed molecular beam scattering

In our previous work we investigated electronically non-adiabatic effects in using crossed molecular beam scattering coupled with velocity mapped ion imaging. The prior experiments placed limits on the cross-section for electronically non-adiabatic spin-orbit excitation and electronically non-adiabatic spin-orbit quenching . In the present work, we investigate electronically non-adiabatic spin-orbit quenching for which is the required first step for the reaction of Cl^* to produce ground state HCl+H products. In these experiments we collide Cl (²P) with H₂ at a series of fixed collision energies using a crossed molecular beam machine with velocity mapped ion imaging detection. Through an analysis of our ion images, we determine the fraction of electronically adiabatic scattering in Cl^* +H₂, which allows us to place limits on the cross-section for electronically non-adiabatic scattering or quenching. We determine the following quenching cross-sections σ _quench(2.1 kcal/mol) = 26 ± 21 ?², σ _quench(4.0 kcal/mol) = 21 ± 49 ?², and σ _quench(5.6 kcal/mol) = 14 ± 41 ?².     

Magnetostructural transition in NdCu2

The magnetic (H , T)-phase diagram of the orthorhombic compound NdCu₂ was investigated for external magnetic fields up to 15 T parallel to the crystallographic c-direction. Magnetization and magnetostriction measurements reveal an anomalous change of the magnetic properties as well as giant magnetostriction (GMS) and large hysteretic effects. This behaviour is similar to that observed in some other RCu₂ compounds where it has been interpreted as a conversion of the magnetic Ising axis. In contrast to these other RCu₂ compounds, however, the easy axis of magnetization in NdCu₂ is the b-axis. The macroscopic measurements are compared with neutron diffraction experiments which reveal GMS along the b-axis and a new magnetic phase with propagation vector in the converted crystal. Received 27 March 2000 and Received in final form 11 September 2000     

Production, isolation, and characterization of group-2 metal-containing endohedral metallofullerenes

80 , Ca/Sr/Ba@C₈₂, Ca/Sr/Ba@C₈₄) are investigated for the first time by UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy and high-resolution ¹³C NMR. Direct evidence of the endohedral nature and cage structures are revealed by these measurements. Furthermore, we have found that each metallofullerene has 2–4 structural isomers, which have been isolated by multistage high-performance liquid chromatography. These isomers have different cage structures and give characteristic UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectra. Received: 22 September 1997/Accepted: 16 October 1997     

Flux enhancement model for cold cesium fine-structure changing collisions

The measurements of fine-structure changing collisions in a cesium magneto-optical trap, reported in a previous work [A. Fioretti et al., Phys. Rev. A 55, R3999 (1997)], are reanalyzed within a model based on the flux enhancement effect, which takes place in cold atomic collisions. In the present analysis, we consider the cooperative effect of the long-range and the shorter-range excitation by the strong trap laser. We evidence also the important role of the hyperfine structure of the Cs₂ molecular levels asymptotically connected to the ground-state and excited-state dissociation limits. Received 22 July 1999 and Received in final form 4 May 2000     

Anelastic relaxation and around the critical Sr content x = 0.02

Anelastic relaxation and ¹³⁹LaNQR relaxation rates in La_2–xSr_xCuO₄ for Sr content around 2 and 3 percent are discussed in terms of spin and lattice excitations and of the related ordering processes. It is argued how the phase diagram of La_2–xSr_xCuO₄ at the boundary between the antiferromagnetic (AF) and the spin-glass phase (x = 0.02) could be more complicate than previously thought, with a transition to a quasi-long range ordered state at K, as indicated by neutron scattering data. On the other hand, the ¹³⁹LaNQR spectra are compatible with a transition to an AF phase around K, in agreement with the phase diagram commonly accepted in literature. In this case the peaks in NQR and anelastic relaxation rates around 150 K and 80 K respectively in La_1.98Sr_0.02CuO₄, yield the first evidence of freezing process involving simultaneously lattice and spin excitations, possibly corresponding to motion of charged stripes. Received 18 May 2000 and Received in final form 11 July 2000     

New evidence of earthquake precursory phenomena in the 17 January 1995 Kobe earthquake, Japan

Significant advances, both in the theoretical understanding of rupture processes in heterogeneous media and in the methodology for characterizing critical behavior, allows us to reanalyze the evidence for criticality and especially log-periodicity in the previously reported chemical anomalies that preceded the Kobe earthquake. The ion (Cl^-, K⁺, Mg⁺⁺, NO₃ ^- and SO₄ ^-) concentrations of ground-water issued from deep wells located near the epicenter of the 1995 Kobe earthquake are taken as proxies for the cumulative damage preceding the earthquake. Using both a parametric and non-parametric analysis, the five data sets are compared extensively to synthetic time series. The null-hypothesis that the patterns documented on these times series result from noise decorating a simple power law is rejected with a very high confidence level. Received 21 January 2000     

X-ray scattering study of the electric-field-induced layer deformations of an antiferroelectric Liquid Crystal

The effect of an external electric field on the local layer structure is investigated in the SmC^* _A, SmC^* _FI and SmC^* phases using X-ray diffraction. X-ray scattering and spontaneous polarization measurements are performed under several increasing (and decreasing) steps of AC applied voltage. The effects of the electric field differ significantly from one phase to the other. The chevron-to-bookshelf transition occurs abruptly at a high field value in the SmC^* _A phase whereas layer deformations are more progressive and occur at lower field values in the other phases. Comparison of the different behaviours suggests that the destruction of the chevron structure is mainly affected by the local molecular order. Received 16 July 2001 and Received in final form 7 December 2001     

The commensurate and incommensurate TGBC^* liquid crystal phases

We propose complements to the Renn model of the liquid crystal TGBC^* phase. We argue that the rotation angle per helislab is spontaneously in the radian range, not too small to limit the energy cost of the twist grain boundaries between the helislabs, not too large to preserve the double twisting efficiency. Taking the elastic interactions between the helislabs into account, we show that the structure may undergo two different lock-ins, provided that the uncontrolled interactions at the sample surfaces are small enough. First, for appropriate values of the elastic constants, an angular lock-in may fix the rotation angle per helislab at values exactly commensurate to π. Three characteristic lengths of the TGBC^* phase, the TGB period and the thicknesses of both the smectic blocks and of the helislabs are then commensurate to one another, with moreover, integer ratios at the most efficient commensurabilities. The TGBC^* phase could thus exist in several versions, incommensurate and commensurate, according to the steps of a restricted Devil's staircase. A second elastic lock-in should then arise in the commensurate TGBC^* phases, to set the arrays of disclination lines between the helislabs in simple rectangular lattices, arranged in a helical manner. Being placed right behind one another, the disclination lines then coincide when observed along the TGB axis. This could explain the typical textures with square or hexagonal grids, observed in oriented samples. The commensurability of the TGBC^* phases could be analyzed with X-ray scattering experiments in the same manner as already reported for the TGBC phase. Received 30 November 1999 and Received in final form 5 May 2000     

Free electron-positron pair production in collisions of Au (10.8 GeV/u) with Cu , Ag and Au

Total and differential cross-sections for the production of free electron-positron pairs are calculated for the reactions Au⁷⁹⁺ (10.8 GeV/u) on Cu²⁹⁺, Ag⁴⁷⁺ and Au⁷⁹⁺. The methods used are the semiclassical approach and the solution of the time-dependent Dirac equation by a coupled channel method with free wavepakets describing the created fermions. The obtained total cross-sections are in good agreement with the experimental data. The differential cross-sections give informations about the correlation between the electron and positron. Received 21 December 1999 and Received in final form 6 March 2000     

Electron detachment and fragmentation in collisions between 1.25 keV/carbon and clusters and

The destruction cross-section for 22.5 and 50 keV C^1- , for 10 and 50 keV C₈ ^1- and for 50 and 75 keV C₆₀ ^1- clusters in collisions with H₂ has been measured by an attenuation method. The destruction of the cluster anions is dominated by electron detachment rather than fragmentation and is of the order of the geometric cross-section. The cross-sections vary little with bombarding energy. Received: 16 September 1998 / Received in final form: 23 February 1999     

Spontaneous-fission decay properties and production cross-sections for the neutron-deficient nobelium isotopes formed in the 44, 48Ca + 204, 206, 208Pb reactions

Heavy-ion fusion reactions ⁴⁸Ca + ²⁰⁴Pb and ⁴⁴Ca + ²⁰⁸Pb leading to the same compound nucleus ²⁵²No^* were run in attempts to produce new neutron-deficient spontaneous-fission isotopes of ^249,250No using the electrostatic separator VASSILISSA. Production cross-sections for the spontaneous-fission activities with the half-lives 5.6 and 54 μs observed in these reactions are compared with the measured ones for the well-known isotopes of ^{251 - 255}No formed in the heavy-ion fusion reactions ⁴⁸Ca + ²⁰⁶Pb and ⁴⁸Ca + ²⁰⁸Pb. The obtained excitation functions for the reaction products formed after the evaporation of 1-4 neutrons from the corresponding compound No nuclei have been compared with similar data obtained earlier and results of statistical model calculations. Received: 26 July 2002 / Accepted: 5 November 2002 / Published online: 18 March 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: eremin@sunvas.jinr.ru Communicated by J. ?yst?     

A new approach to analyse H⊗(2h⊕g) Jahn-Teller system for C60

It is now well-known that electron (hole)-vibron coupling and hence Jahn-Teller (JT) effect is important understanding the properties of C₆₀ and related molecules. In this paper, we study H(2) coupling case to find the potential energy surfaces for the positively charged C₆₀ molecule due to distortion. The H(2) Jahn-Teller system is of particular importance as this will be the JT effect displayed by C₆₀ molecules removed with an electron. C₆₀ ⁺ is obtained by removing one electron from fivefold degenerate H_u highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and a hole in HOMO interacts with the vibrational modes of C₆₀ and symmetry is broken. We apply the method of symmetry breaking mechanism to obtain expressions for the potential energy surface. Received 27 December 1999 and Received in final form 15 May 2000