Desolvation of polymers by ultrafast heating: Influence of hydrophilicity

Using molecular-dynamics simulation, we investigate the consequences of ultrafast laser-induced heating of a small water droplet containing a solvated polymer. Two polymers are studied: polyethylene as an example of a hydrophobic, and polyketone as an example of a hydrophilic polymer. In both cases, when the droplet is heated below the critical temperature of water, strong water evaporation is started, but the polymer remains in contact with a central water cluster. However, upon heating beyond the critical temperature, the hydrophilic polyethylene becomes completely desolvated, while polyketone still remains solvated. We analyze this behavior in terms of the intermolecular interactions and of the expansion dynamics of the heated droplet.     

Tuning defect-related photoluminescence of Ge nanocrystals by stress

Ge nanocrystals embedded in SiO₂ and Lu₂O₃ thin films were fabricated using a pulsed laser deposition method. Two dimensional finite element calculations and Raman spectra clearly revealed that the Ge nanocrystals certainly experienced greater compressive stress in a Lu₂O₃ thin film than in a SiO₂ thin film. This may lead to much more stress-relaxing defects at the interface of Ge nanocrystals embedded in a Lu₂O₃ thin film and thus enhances the intensity of defect-related photoluminescence. The findings presented here indicate that the matrix environment of the nanocrystals plays a significant role in the defect-related photoluminescence property.     

Numerical study of the expansion of metallic vapor plasma by a nanosecond laser pulse

The interaction between a laser-produced aluminum plasma and the ambient air, at a pressure of 173.3 Pa, is studied at the plasma thermalization stage. A two-dimensional approach is developed to solve the Navier–Stokes equations, where a finite volume discretization allows for obtaining a numerical solution. The simulation runs over a time representing 10 μs of plasma expansion. It is shown that the shock and drag models are good approximations for the two successive regimes after the initial strong expansion stage, and the calculation makes evident the plume sharpening on the axial direction before its confinement by the ambient gas, which is in good agreement with the experimental observation.     

Excitation pathways and efficiency of Eu ions in GaN by site-selective spectroscopy

Using combined excitation emission spectroscopy, we performed a comparative study of europium ions in GaN in samples that have been in situ doped during interrupted growth epitaxy (IGE) or conventional molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) as well as samples that were grown using organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE) and subsequently ion implanted with Eu ions. Through site-selective resonant excitation, we are able to unambiguously assign all major observed transitions to a combination of different incorporation sites and electron–phonon coupled transitions. We identified at least nine different incorporation sites of Eu ions in GaN and studied how these sites behave under different excitation conditions and how their relative number is modified by different growth and doping conditions. The coupling to phonons has also been studied for a series of Al _x Ga_1−x N samples with x=0…1. We find that a main site most resembling an unperturbed Eu ion on Ga site is always dominant, while the minority sites are changing substantially in relative numbers and can occur in some samples fairly close in emission intensity to the main site. In terms of the excitation pathway after the creation of electron-hole pairs, we found three types of centers: (1) sites that are dominantly excited through shallow defect traps; (2) sites that are excited through a deep defect trap; (3) sites that cannot be excited at all including the majority of the main sites. We interpret this finding to indicate that the ion in this environment is not very efficient in trapping excitation and that the indirect excitation involving other traps depends on the ion/trap distance. Many of the main sites are far away from these traps and cannot be excited through this channel at all. The efficiency of excitation is highest for the deep traps, indicating that it would be desirable to enrich the respective site, as has been done with some success in the IGE grown samples.     

Quantization of Two Classical Models by Means of the BRST Quantization Method

An elementary gauge-non-invariant model and the bosonized form of the chiral Schwinger model are introduced as classical theories. The constraint structure is then investigated. It is shown that by introducing a new field, these models can be made gauge-invariant. The BRST form of quantization is reviewed and applied to each of these models in turn such that gauge-invariance is not broken. Some consequences of this form of quantization are discussed.     

Double-pulse LIBS of gadolinium oxide ablated by femto- and nano-second laser pulses

Emission characteristics of gadolinium (Gd) oxide are studied, using ns and fs laser pulses for ablation in double-pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). In the current conditions of pulse energy and signal detection timing, emission intensity enhancement in the reheating mode is 25-fold, but little effect can be observed in a pre-pulse mode. It is shown that the optimum focus position of the ablation pulse is about 5 mm apart from the sample surface in the reheating mode. Although little emission can be observed in the single-pulse configuration with fs ablation pulses, the intense emission can be observed in the reheating mode in the double-pulse configuration.     

Observation of the Higgs Boson of strong interaction via Compton scattering by the nucleon

It is shown that the Quark-Level Linear σ Model (QLLσM) leads to a prediction for the diamagnetic term of the polarizabilities of the nucleon which is in excellent agreement with experimental data. The bare mass of the σ meson is predicted to be m _σ =666 MeV and the two-photon width Γ(σ→γ γ)=(2.6±0.3) keV. It is argued that the mass predicted by the QLLσM corresponds to the $\gamma\gamma\to\sigma\to N\bar{N}$ reaction, i.e. to a t-channel pole of the γ N→N γ reaction. Large-angle Compton scattering experiments revealing effects of the σ meson in the differential cross section are discussed. Arguments are presented that these findings may be understood as an observation of the Higgs boson of the strong interaction while being a part of the constituent quark.     

Evaporation-coupled wetting of ZrO2 by molten Mg in Ar atmosphere

The wetting behaviors of molten Mg drops on polycrystalline ZrO₂ substrate surfaces were studied in a controlled Ar atmosphere at 948–1173 K using an improved sessile drop method. The ZrO₂ substrate is virtually not wetted by molten Mg at temperatures below 1173 K. The wetting and evaporation stages according to different variation behaviors of contact angle, contact diameter and drop height were identified. Six representative modes were proposed to describe the evaporation-coupled wetting behaviors during different stages. The competitions between surface oxidation, chemical reaction and drop evaporation were discussed to account for the mechanisms for various wetting behaviors at different temperatures. The chemical reaction leads to the formation of more wettable MgO phase at the interface; however, it yields only an inconspicuous improvement in the wetting due to enhanced Mg evaporation.     

Investigation of unburned carbon particles in fly ash by means of laser light scattering

A new optical method to determine the percentage of unburned carbon particles in fly ash from combustion of pulverized coal has been developed. The technique exploits the different properties of particles of ash and coal in the elastic scattering of polarized light.     

Nonadiabatic Geometric Quantum Computation by Straightway Varying Parameters of Magnetic: A New Design

The approach to implement nonadiabatic geometric quantum computation by controlling the magnetic fields is applied to construct single-qubit noncommutable geometric quantum gates. The results show that it is helpful for experimenters to realize the geometric quantum gates by adjusting the external parameters.     

Direct fabrication of electrically functional microstructures by fully voltage-controlled electrohydrodynamic jet printing of silver nano-ink

We report electrohydrodynamic jet (E-jet) printing of a commercialised silver nano-ink in fully voltage-controlled fashion. Metallic pads and conducting tracks with hundred-micron feature size were drop-on-demands produced on Si substrates. Layer-by-layer printing was further performed, demonstrating a capability in creating 3D multistructures. Planar pattern with a large inductance of 2.5 μH and an excellent resistivity of 4.2×10⁻⁸ Ω m was fabricated, showing a true inductive device. Our result demonstrates a feasibility of E-jet printing in the application of smart electronic devices fabrication.     

Improved gate-control in InAs nanowire structures by the use of GdScO3 as a gate dielectric

We investigated the properties of gadolinium scandate (GdScO₃) as a gate dielectric for top-gate electrodes on undoped InAs nanowires. It is demonstrated that due to the high dielectric constant of GdScO₃ (k=22), a better control of the conductance of the nanowire is achieved compared to a reference SiO₂-isolated back-gate electrode. We analyzed the output and transfer characteristics of top-gate-controlled InAs wires at room temperature and at temperatures down to 4 K. Owing to the good coverage of the InAs nanowire by the 50-nm-thick GdScO₃ layer, which was deposited by pulsed-laser deposition, the gate leakage current is sufficiently suppressed.     

Discharge instability induced by external laser preionization of a XeF discharge laser

External-laser-induced preionization of excimer lasers was investigated. A discharge XeF laser was preionized by two different UV lasers [a KrF laser (λ=249 nm) and an ArF laser (λ=193 nm)], and the improvements in performance of the XeF laser were compared. The XeF laser beam profiles were measured by an intensified CCD (ICCD) camera with temporal resolution of 10 ns. Striated XeF laser profiles were obtained with 249 nm laser preionization, whereas there was no striation in the profiles for 193 nm laser preionization. These striations originated from discharge in the XeF laser induced by laser preionization. The influence of excited rare-gas atoms on the discharge instability was examined.     

Pyroelectric properties of BiFeO3 ceramics prepared by a modified solid-state-reaction method

BiFeO₃ (BFO) ceramics were prepared by a modified solid-state-reaction method which adopts a higher heating/cooling rate during the sintering process than usually used. It was found that the calcination temperature T _cal (from 400 to 750°C) does not influence the BFO phase formation, while the sintering temperature T _sin (from 815 to 845°C) dominates the phase purity. The optimum sintering temperature was in the range from 825 to 835°C. The optimized samples exhibit saturated ferroelectric hysteresis loops with a remnant polarization of 13.2 μC/cm². The measured piezoelectric coefficient d ₃₃ was 45 pC/N. No remnant magnetization was observed in all of the samples. The pyroelectric properties were studied as a function of temperature and frequency. A pyroelectric coefficient as high as 90 μC/m² K was obtained at room temperature in the optimized sample. An abrupt decrease of the pyroelectric coefficient was observed at temperatures between 70 and 80°C. On the basis of our results, BFO may have the potential for pyroelectric applications.     

Wave Localization Does not Affect the Breakdown of a Schrödinger-Type Amplifier Driven by the Square of a Gaussian Field

We study the divergence of the solution to a Schrödinger-type amplifier driven by the square of a Gaussian noise in presence of a random potential. We follow the same approach as Mounaix, Collet, and Lebowitz (MCL) in terms of a distributional formulation of the amplified field and the use of the Paley-Wiener theorem (Mounaix et al. in Commun. Math. Phys. 264:741–758, 2006, Erratum: ibid. 280:281–283, 2008). Our results show that the divergence is not affected by the random potential, in the sense that it occurs at exactly the same coupling constant as what was found by MCL without a potential. It follows a fortiori that the breakdown of the amplifier is not affected by the possible existence of a localized regime in the amplification free limit.     

Fabrication of desired three-dimensional structures by holographic assembly technique

We demonstrate a novel technique to fabricate desired three-dimensional (3D) periodic structures by holographically assembling multiple one-dimensional (1D) or multiple two-dimensional (2D) structures. Thanks to the high-absorption effect of the used material, we fabricated for each time, by employing a two-beam interference technique, a 1D or a 2D structure with very limited film thickness. By using the same sample and repeating the same fabrication process, i.e., (i) spin coating, (ii) exposure, and (iii) post-exposure bake, we created, layer-by-layer, a 3D structure as desired, without the limitation of the number of layers. This technique allows rapid fabrication of very large and thick 3D photonic crystal template with variable period, flexible design, low cost, and possible introduction of arbitrary defects inside a 3D structure.     

Finite-Time Destruction of Entanglement and Non-Locality by Environmental Influences

Entanglement and non-locality are non-classical global characteristics of quantum states important to the foundations of quantum mechanics. Recent investigations have shown that environmental noise, even when it is entirely local in influence, can destroy both of these properties in finite time despite giving rise to full quantum state decoherence only in the infinite time limit. These investigations, which have been carried out in a range of theoretical and experimental situations, are reviewed here.     

Improvement of ammonia sensing properties of poly(pyrrole)–poly (n-methylpyrrole) composite by ion irradiation

In the present investigation we have electrochemically synthesized polypyrrole–poly (n-methylpyrrole) composite film with optimized process parameters (viz. concentration of monomers and dopant, applied current density, deposition time, pH of electrolyte etc.) on platinum substrate. The composite film of polypyrrole–poly (n-methylpyrrole) was subjected to electrical, spectral and morphological characterizations and its sensing response to various concentration of ammonia was also studied. Later, the synthesized composite films were irradiated under high vacuum (∼5×10⁻⁶ Torr) at room temperature with 85 MeV O⁷⁺ ion beam at various fluences from 1×10⁵ to 1×10⁷ ions/cm². We have observed remarkable improvements in electrical and morphological properties suitable for gas-sensing applications. The irradiated composite film was evaluated for the sensing of various concentrations of ammonia and excellent improvement in terms of sensitivity, lower detection limit and response time was observed.     

Effect of strontium addition on ferroelectric phase transition of PZT thin films prepared by chemical route

The dependence of ferroelectric phase transition temperature as a function of strontium substitution in lead titanate zirconate thin films (referred here as PSZT) on platinum-coated silicon substrates was investigated. The dielectric study reveals that the material undergoes a diffuse type ferroelectric phase transition that depends on the substitution of Sr for Pb in PZT. At 100 kHz, the phase transition temperatures were 633, 613 and 516 K for PSZT10, PSZT20 and PSZT30 thin films, respectively. On the other hand, the results showed that the dependence of the dielectric constant upon the frequency does not reveal any relaxor behavior. The diffusivity increases with increasing Sr contents in the studied composition range. The experimental data obtained from measurements of the dielectric constant as a function of temperature and frequencies showed a classical behavior of ferroelectric phase transition in PSZT thin films, rather than a relaxor ferroelectric phase transition. The transition temperature decreases with increasing Sr contents due to the decrease in grain size, lattice decrease and local structural disorder.     

Micro patterning of fused silica by laser ablation mediated by solid coating absorption

Precise patterning by laser ablation requires sufficient absorption. For weak absorbers like fused silica indirect methods using external absorbers have been developed. A novel approach using a solid SiO absorber coating is described. Irradiation by an ArF excimer laser (wavelength 193 nm) is leading to ablation of the coating and, at sufficiently high fluence, of the fused silica substrate. The remaining coating in the unexposed areas is removed afterwards by large area irradiation. The fluence threshold for substrate ablation using a 28 nm thick absorber layer is about 1.1 J/cm². Single pulse ablation rates of up to 800 nm and a surface roughness of R _a<5 nm are obtained. High resolution grating patterns with 400 nm period and a modulation depth of 80 nm are possible. The process can be described as controlled plasma mediated ablation.