Optical and photoconductivity studies of Cu2O nanowires synthesized by solvothermal method

The solvothermal method has been employed to synthesize cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) nanowires using a precursor of cupric acetate monohydrate (CuAc₂) and ethylene glycol (EG) as the solvent. By optimizing the reaction temperature and reaction time, we have prepared Cu₂O nanowires with a diameter of approximately 7 nm and a length of several nanometers. The UV-visible absorption spectrum of the nanowires shows obvious blueshift compared to the bulk Cu₂O, which arises from the quantum confinement effect of the excitonic transition expected for Cu₂O nanowires. Here we also report the role of different excitation energies on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of the Cu₂O nanowires by steady-state and time-resolved PL spectroscopy. The decay times vary from nanoseconds to picoseconds. Decay kinetics indicates that the average lifetime 〈τ〉 of the nanowires increases with increasing excitation energy. The current-voltage (I-V) curves of the nanowires give the photocurrent density 16 times larger than the dark current density.     

A comparative study of non-polar solvents effect on dielectric relaxation and dipole moment of binary mixtures of mono alkyl ethers of ethylene glycol and of diethylene glycol with ethyl alcohol

Dielectric relaxation and dipole moment of binary mixtures of homologous series of mono alkyl ethers of ethylene glycol and of diethylene glycol, i.e., mono methyl, mono ethyl and mono butyl ethers of ethylene glycol (ROCH₂CH₂OH) and mono methyl, mono ethyl and mono butyl ethers of diethylene glycol (ROCH₂CH₂OCH₂CH₂OH) with ethyl alcohol (C₂H₅OH) of different concentrations were studied in dilute solutions of benzene, dioxane and carbon tetrachloride at 35 °C. Permittivity (ε′) and loss (ε″) at 10.1 GHz, static dielectric constant ε_o at 1 MHz and high frequency limiting dielectric constant ε_∞ = n_D² at optical frequency of these molecules and their binary mixtures at different concentration were measured in dilute solutions of non-polar solvents. The average relaxation time τ_o, relaxation times corresponding to overall molecular reorientation τ₁ and group rotations τ₂ were determined using Higasi's single frequency measurement equations for dilute solutions. The evaluated values of relaxation times and free energy of activation ΔF were used to explore the solvent effect on molecular dynamics of these polar binary systems in non-polar solvents. The excess inverse relaxation time and excess free energy of activation were determined to confirm the existence of hydrogen-bonded heterogeneous cooperative domains of the ethers and alcohol molecules at different concentration their binary mixtures in non-polar solvents. The dipole moment of the binary mixtures was evaluated using Higasi's and Guggenheim's equation for dilute solutions. The evaluated values of dipole moments and computed dipole moment values using a simple mixing equation of the polar molecules binary mixture were used to explore the effect of non-polar solvent environment on heterogeneous molecular interactions between ethers and alcohol molecules. The effect of number of carbon atoms in the molecular structure of these homologous series molecules was also considered for the interpretation of various evaluated dielectric parameters.     

Optical Tomography for Single- and Two-Mode Squeezed Chaotic Fields

Different from the previous methods of obtaining optical tomography of quantum states, in this paper we use the Radon transform between the single- (two-)mode Wigner operator and the pure-state density operator |q〉 _{f,g f,g} 〈q| (|η,τ ₁,τ ₂〉〈η,τ ₁,τ ₂|) to analytically obtain optical tomograms for single- (two-)mode squeezed chaotic fields, where the states |q〉 _f,g (|η,τ ₁,τ ₂〉) refer to the newly introduced intermediate coordinate-momentum (entangled) states. More interestingly, we find that the tomograms of squeezed chaotic fields and those of coherent states are related by a integration. Thus, we establish a new convenient approach of obtaining tomograms for quantum states.     

The dielectric relaxation study of 2(2-alkoxyethoxy)ethanol-water mixtures using time domain reflectometry

Complex permittivity spectra of 2(2-alkoxyethoxy)ethanol-water mixtures for the entire concentration range and at 25 °C have been measured using time domain reflectometry technique up to 30 GHz. The relaxation processes have been obtained by fitting the complex permittivity spectra of the binary mixtures in 2-Debye equation. In glycol ether-water mixtures except for pure water and its rich region the double relaxation times, primary process (τ₁) and secondary process (τ₂) have been observed. The primary relaxation process (τ₁) may be due to cooperative relaxation of the H-bond network of mixture constituents and the secondary relaxation process (τ₂) may be due to its flexible parts attached to the carbon chain. The intra and intermolecular hydrogen bonding of 2(2-alkoxyethoxy)ethanol in pure form as well as in binary mixtures of water have been discussed using Kirkwood correlation factor, Excess dielectric properties and the Bruggeman factor.     

Effects of time-delay in stationary properties of a logistic growth model with correlated noises

A time-delayed tumor cell growth model with correlated noises is investigated. In the condition of small delay time, the stationary probability distribution is derived and the stationary mean value (〈x〉_st) and normalized varianceλ₂ of the tumor cell population and state transition rate (κ) between two steady states are numerically calculated. The results indicate that: (i) The delay time (τ) enhances the coherence resonance in 〈x〉_st as a function of the multiplicative noise intensity (D) and increases 〈x〉_st as a function of the additive noise intensity (α), i.e., τ enhances fluctuation of the system, however, the strength (λ) of correlations between multiplicative and additive noise plays a contrary role to τ on these; (ii) τ enhances the coherence resonance in κ as a function of D and increases κ as a function of α, i.e., τ speeds up the rate of state transition, however, λ also plays a contrary role to τ on these.     

Dielectric dispersion studies of mixtures of aniline and benzonitrile in benzene solutions

Dielectric behavior of aniline, benzonitrile and their binary mixtures of different concentrations were studied in benzene at 293, 303, 313 and 323 K. The complex permittivity (∈′, ∈″) at microwave frequencies 7.22, 9.1, 19.61 GHz, static permittivity ∈₀ at 455 KHz and high frequency limiting dielectric constant ∈_∞ = n_D² at optical frequency of these molecules and their binary mixtures were measured. The average relaxation time (τ₀), distribution parameter (α) and thermodynamical parameters were determined. The plot of relaxation time (τ₀) against concentration of benzonitrile in the mixtures is nonlinear indicating complex formation.     

Study of photophysical properties of capped CdS nanocrystals

Here, we have examined the role of capping agent on the optical properties of CdS nanoparticles by steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The estimated particles sizes are 3.45, 2.5 and 2.39 nm for uncapped, capped with silica (SiO₂) and thiosalicylic acid (TSA), respectively. The absorption and emission spectra show a clear blue shift to shorter wavelengths in presence of TSA- and SiO₂-capped nanoparticles. It is found that the average decay time 〈τ〉 are 6.24, 4.54 and 2.84 ns for uncapped, capped with SiO₂ and TSA nanoparticles, respectively. Our analysis suggests that the hole or the electron is trapped on thiol molecule of TSA or hydroxyl group of SiO₂, then radiative recombination of the electron and hole is delayed, resulting in strong quenching of PL efficiency.     

Vibrational relaxation time measurements in CH4 and CH4-rare gas mixtures

With a spectrophone vibrational relaxation times in CH₄ and in mixtures of CH₄ with rare gases were measured. Both the amplitude and the phase method were used. The two infrared active modes of CH₄ (ν₄ and ν₃) were investigated separately. The relaxation times, at one atmosphere, after exciting the lowest mode ν₄, were found to be: τ(CH₄-CH₄) = 1.65 μs; τ(CH₄-He) = 1.97 μs; τ(CH₄-Ne) = 8.6 μs; τ(CH₄-Ar) = 12 μs and τ(CH₄-Kr) ≈ 60 μs. From these values one may in that vibrational-rotational (V-R) energy transfer is the dominant relaxation mechanics. By exciting the higher mode the first step in the deactivation of ν₃ was found to be a V-V transfer to the lowest modes ν₄, ν₂.     

Random mapping based on a genetic model

We consider the discrete-time dynamics of a one-locus, two-allele (two-gene) model of a genetic population experiencing natural selection in a random environment. The dynamics is described by a stochastic recursion relation. We construct hierarchies of upper and lower bounds for the nth generation average gene frequency 〈X_n〉. The bounds provide very sharp estimates of 〈X_n〉 (n = 1,2,…) and may be interpreted in the spirit of mean-field and spin-cluster approximations. We also find a phase boundary in the space of viability parameters and environment probabilities. On one side of the boundary one of the two genes eventually becomes extinct (1 - 〈X_n〉å 0 for n å ∞); whereas, on the other side of the boundary both genes survive. For the special case where the environment is restricted to be a two-valued random variable, the average gene frequency 〈X_n〉 is, in principle, derivable from a partition function for an n-spin, Ising model.     

Photoinduced electron transfer of Rhodamine 6G/N,N-diethylaniline revealed by multiplex transient grating and transient absorption spectroscopies

The dynamics and spectroscopic characteristics of the ultrafast photoinduced electron transfer (ET) of Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G⁺) in N,N-diethylaniline (DEA) were studied using femtosecond time-resolved multiplex transient grating and transient absorption spectroscopies. The ultrafast photoinduced forward ET from DEA to the Rh6G⁺* cation radical excited state has a time constant of τ _FET = 219–318 fs. The much slower backward ET from the neutral radical Rh6G^· to DEA⁺ with a time constant of τ _BET = 22.76–42.31 ps occurs in the inverted region. Intramolecular vibrational relaxation of the excited state takes place in τ _IVR = 2.18–6.91 ps.     

The critical phenomenon and the re-entrance phenomenon in the anti-tumor model induced by the time delay

The effects of time delay τ on an anti-tumor model driven by a multiplicative noise and a periodic signal are investigated. The results obtained from the small delay approximation and numerical simulations indicate: (i) For the absence of the periodic signal in the system, the two-peak structure of the stationary probability distribution transforms into the single-peak structure with the increasing τ, and τ exists a critical value τc. For τ<τc, the stationary mean value 〈x〉_st of the cell population decreases as the noise intensity D increases, however, for τ>τc, the 〈x〉_st increases as the D increases; (ii) For the presence of the periodic signal in the system, the structure of the signal-to-noise ratio with changes of the D exhibits the transitions of one peak → two peaks → one peak as τ increases.     

Investigation on the magnetocaloric effect in DyNi2, DyAl2 and Tb1−nGdnAl2 (n=0, 0.4, 0.6) compounds

The magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in the DyNi₂, DyAl₂ and Tb_1−nGd_nAl₂ (n=0, 0.4, 0.6) was theoretically investigated in this work. The DyNi₂ and DyAl₂ compounds are described considering a model Hamiltonian which includes the crystalline electrical field anisotropy. The anisotropic MCE was calculated changing the magnetic field direction from 〈1 1 1〉 to 〈0 0 1〉 in DyNi₂ and from 〈1 0 0〉 to 〈0 1 1〉 in DyAl₂. The influence of the second- and first-order spin-reorientation phase transitions on the MCE that occurs in these systems is discussed. For the calculations of the MCE thermodynamic quantities in the Tb_1−nGd_nAl₂ systems we take into account a two sites magnetic model, and good agreement with the available experimental data was obtained.     

Statistical properties of volatility return intervals of Chinese stocks

The statistical properties of the return intervals τ_q between successive 1-min volatilities of 30 liquid Chinese stocks exceeding a certain threshold q are carefully studied. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test shows that 12 stocks exhibit scaling behaviors in the distributions of τ_q for different thresholds q. Furthermore, the KS test and weighted KS test show that the scaled return interval distributions of 6 stocks (out of the 12 stocks) can be nicely fitted by a stretched exponential function with γ≈0.31 under the significance level of 5%, where is the mean return interval. The investigation of the conditional probability distribution P_q(τ|τ₀) and the mean conditional return interval 〈τ|τ₀〉 demonstrates the existence of short-term correlation between successive return interval intervals. We further study the mean return interval 〈τ|τ₀〉 after a cluster of n intervals and the fluctuation F(l) using detrended fluctuation analysis, and find that long-term memory also exists in the volatility return intervals.     

Analysis of fluorescence quenching of pyronin B and pyronin Y by molecular oxygen in aqueous solution

The fluorescence quenching of pyronin B and pyronin Y molecules by molecular oxygen in aqueous solution was studied by using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy techniques. In order to understand the quenching mechanism, fluorescence decays, absorption and fluorescence spectra of the probes were recorded as a function of the oxygen concentration and temperature. The quenching was found to be appreciable and shows positive deviation in the Stern-Volmer representation obtained from the fluorescence intensity ratio. Fluorescence quenching constants (k_q) were calculated from the τ_o/τ vs. [Q] plots having linear correlation and compared with calculated diffusion-controlled rate constants (k_diff) values. Experimental results were in good agreement with the simultaneous dynamic and static quenching model.     

Acoustic NMR in spin-1 systems

Acoustic magnetic resonance, both pulsed and continuous has been discussed in terms of the Bloch-Wangsness-Redfield formulation of the magnetic resonance phenomenon. The quadrupolar mechanism has been taken for the spin-phonon coupling and the mutual interaction has been treated in the ‘effective field approximation’. The expressions for the power absorbed both for Δm=±1 and Δm=±2 have been obtained. It is found that from the measurements of the relaxation parameters for Δm=±1 and Δm=±2 it is possible to estimate the non-secular contributions to the line-width. The power absorbed in pulse excitation comes out to be small for short pulse (short compared to the relaxation parameter) and it reduces to the value obtained in continuous excitation for a long pulse. It is seen that for a given pulse-width the signal decreases with the increase of the relaxation parameter and this happens as temperature is lowered. The saturation of electromagnetic signal in presence of the acoustic excitation has also been studied. The analysis indicates that the relaxation parameter obtained from the plot of the relative signal (〈〉_ω/〈〉₀) vs the acoustic frequency ω, is always less than its true value which can be determined by observing the frequency dependence of the relative fractional signal defined as [(〈〉₀?〈〉_ω)/〈〉_ω]/[(〈〉₀?〈〉_2ω0)/〈〉_2ω0].     

Relaxation times in dissipative heavy-ion collisions

The classical model introduced earlier for analyzing experimental data on dissipative heavy-ion collisions, is generalized to include effects from the gradual dissipation of radial kinetic energy and from the development of fragment deformations during the collision. Relaxation times for the dissipation of radial kinetic energy (τ _R ) and relative angular momentum (τ _l ) as well as for the development of deformations (τ_α) are fitted to the reaction⁸⁶Kr (8.18 MeV/u) +¹⁶⁶Er and applied to three other reactions. A consistent set of relaxation times isτ _R = 0.3 · 10^?21 s,τ _l =1.5 · 10^?21 s andτ _α = 5 · 10^?21 s. Empirical mass transport coefficients are deduced from comparisons with experimental element distributions. Effects from fluctuations in the deflection function are discussed. Evidence is found for the existence of a relaxation time of the order 10^?21 s in the mass-drift coefficient.     

CO2-laser photoacoustic detection of gaseous n-pentylacetate

The absorption spectra of gaseous n-pentylacetate were investigated by FT IR spectroscopy as well as CO₂-laser photoacoustic spectroscopy for simulation of the dispersion of a nerve agent (sarin) within a modeled atmospheric boundary layer. Three CO₂-laser emission lines were used for photoacoustic detection of n-pentylacetate with detection limit in the range of 1-3 ppm.     

Transitions induced by time delays and cross-correlated sine-Wiener noises in a tumor-immune system interplay

A model of tumor-immune system interplay with time delays and cross-correlated sine-Wiener noises is investigated by numerical simulations for the stationary probability distribution (SPD) and stationary mean value 〈x〉_st of tumor cell population. Results show that (i) the structure of the SPD transfers from bimodal to unimodal as the reaction time (τ_α) of the cell population to environmental constraints increases; (ii) conversely, as the time (τ_β) of immune system to develop specific immune competence and the correlation time (τ) of noises increase, the structure of the SPD transfers from unimodal to bimodal; (iii) as the cross-correlated intensity (λ^′) between noises increases, the transitions induced by τ are suppressed.     

Low-Temperature Dynamical Transition in Lipid Bilayers Detected by Spin-Label ESE Spectroscopy

Data on neutron scattering in biological systems show low-temperature dynamical transition between 170 and 230 K manifesting itself as a drastic increase of the atomic mean-squared displacement, 〈x²〉, detected for hydrogen atoms in the nano- to picosecond time scale. For spin-labeled systems, electron spin echo (ESE) spectroscopy—a pulsed version of electron paramagnetic resonance—is also capable of detection of dynamical transition. A two-pulse ESE decay in frozen matrixes is induced by spin relaxation arising from stochastic molecular librations, and allows to obtain the 〈α²〉τ_c parameter, where 〈α²〉 is a mean-squared angular amplitude of the motion and τ_c is the correlation time lying in the sub- and nanosecond time ranges. In this work, the ESE technique was applied to spin-labeled amphiphilic molecules of three different kinds embedded in bilayers of fully saturated 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and mono-unsaturated 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) lipids. Two-pulse ESE data revealed the appearance of stochastic librations above 130 K, with the parameter 〈α²〉τ_c obeying the Arrhenius type of temperature dependence and increasing remarkably above 170–180 K. A comparison with a dry sample suggests that onset of motions is not related with lipid internal motions. Three-pulse ESE experiments (resulting in stimulated echos) in DPPC bilayers showed the appearance of slow molecular rotations above 170–180 K. For D₂O-hydrated bilayers, ESE envelope modulation experiments indicate that isotropic water molecular motions in the nearest hydration shell of the bilayer appear with a rate of ~?10⁵ s^?1 in the narrow temperature range between 175 and 179 K. The similarity of the experimental data found for three different spin-labeled compounds suggests a cooperative character for the ESE-detected molecular motions. The data were interpreted within a model suggesting that dynamical transition is related with overcoming barriers, of 10–20 kJ/mol height, existing in the system for the molecular reorientations.     

On correlations between charged and neutral particles in a cluster model

Correlations between charged and neutral pions at high energies are investigated in the framework of a cluster model in which neutral clusters have a decay distribution determined by isospin conservation and statistical independence. For 〈n₀〉_n? an asymptotic expansion around the mean 〈n_?〉 leading asymptotically to a quadratic form in n_? is derived and compared with data.