Manifestation of quantum statistics in vibrational dynamics of poly(ethylene) crystals

The temperature dependences of the transverse expansion ?_⊥(T) and the longitudinal contraction ?_‖(T) (with respect to the axes of chain molecules) in large-sized poly(ethylene) (PE) crystal grains (100×60×60 nm) are measured using x-ray diffraction in the temperature range 5–380 K. The temperature dependence of the elongation of the molecular skeleton ?_C(T) is obtained by Raman spectroscopy. It is found that the dependences ?_⊥(T), ?_‖(T), and ?_C(T) exhibit a similar specific nonlinear behavior. Analysis of these dependences indicates that the nonlinearity is associated with the quantum statistics of transverse vibrations. The energies and amplitudes of zero-point (at T=0) transverse (torsional and bending) vibrations and the relevant zero-point components ?_‖(0) and ?_C(0) are estimated. It is revealed that the zero-point components make a considerable contribution to the dynamics of the PE crystal up to the melting temperature (～400 K).     

Optical and electrical properties of GaN: Si-based microstructures with a wide range of doping levels

The optical and electrical properties of silicon-doped epitaxial gallium nitride layers grown on sapphire have been studied. The studies have been performed over a wide range of silicon concentrations on each side of the Mott transition. The critical concentrations of Si atoms corresponding to the formation of an impurity band in gallium nitride (～2.5 × 10¹⁸ cm^?3) and to the overlap of the impurity band with the conduction band (～2 × 10¹⁹ cm^?3) have been refined. The maximum of the photoluminescence spectrum shifts nonmonotonically with increasing doping level. This shift is determined by two factors: (1) an increase in the exchange interaction leading to a decrease in the energy gap width and (2) a change in the radiation mechanism as the donor concentration increases. The temperature dependence of the exciton luminescence with participating optical phonons has been studied. The energies of phonon-plasmon modes in GaN: Si layers with different silicon concentrations have been measured using Raman spectroscopy.     

Silicon‐doping induced strain of AlN layers: a comparative luminescence and Raman study

Si‐doped aluminum nitride layers show a shift of the near‐band‐edge luminescence at around 6 eV to lower energies for increasing Si concentration up to ≈(1–3) × 10¹⁹ cm^–3. For higher concentrations, the luminescence shifts back to higher energies. This behavior is compared to concomitant shifts of the Raman‐active E₂ vibrational mode and to X‐ray diffraction data. It can be explained in terms of increasing tensile strain which finally relaxes due to the formation of cracks. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Energy of the frequency-elastic effect in solids

A decrease in the frequency of skeletal vibrations (frequency-elastic effect) has been measured using Raman spectroscopy, and the stretching of backbone interatomic bonds in polyethylene molecules under elastic tensile loading of oriented polyethylene fibers has been measured using X-ray diffraction. It has been found that there are differences in the sign and magnitude of the changes in the zero-point energy and the work of the external force. The energy of the frequency-elastic effect has been explained in terms of the influence exerted by the initial (before loading) anharmonic stretching of backbone bonds and the force of anharmonic pressure, with the separation of the anharmonic (potential) component of the zero-point energy of the solid. A change in the frequency of vibrations corresponds to a change in the harmonic component of the zero-point energy. The loading with an external force causes a redistribution of the zero-point energy components. An energy analysis of the loaded quantum anharmonic oscillator has confirmed the conclusion regarding the mechanism of energy transfer and revealed that, under loading, there is a redistribution of the average values of the kinetic and potential components of the internal energy of the oscillator.     

Study of the gamma emission from the 31-yr isomer of 178Hf induced by x-ray irradiation

A sample containing 6.3×10¹⁴ nuclei of the 16⁺ isomer of ¹⁷⁸Hf having a half-life of 31 yr and an excitation energy of 2.446 MeV was irradiated with x-ray pulses from a device operated at 15 mA to produce bremsstrahlung with an endpoint energy of 90 keV. The gamma spectra of the isomeric target were taken with a Ge detector. The intensity of the 325.5-keV (6⁺ → 4⁺) transition in the ground-state band of ¹⁷⁸Hf was found to increase by about 2%. Such an enhanced decay of the ¹⁷⁸Hf isomer is consistent with an integrated cross section value of 3×10^?23 cm² keV if resonance absorption occurs within energy ranges corresponding to the maxima of the x-ray flux, either near 20 keV or at the energies of the characteristic emission lines of W.     

离子注入ZnO薄膜的拉曼光谱研究

室温下,用80 keV N⁺和400 keV Xe⁺离子注入ZnO薄膜,注入剂量分别为5.0×10¹⁴—1.0×10¹⁷/cm²和2.0×10¹⁴—5.0×10¹⁵/cm².利用拉曼散射技术对注入前后的ZnO薄膜进行光谱测量和分析,研究了样品的拉曼光谱随离子注入剂量的变化规律.实验结果发现,未进行离子注入的样品在99,435 cm<     

Structural and Chemical Modification in a Polymer by Metal Ion Implantation

Physical and chemical properties changes in a polymer have been studied for polycarbonate (PC) implanted with 100 keV Ni⁺ ions with varying fluence from 1 × 10¹⁴ to 1 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm². The changes in the surface morphology and composition have been observed with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The ions implanted induce changes in topography of PC and indicate that the roughness increases dramatically with ion fluence. Implanted metal ions shows direct evidence of compound formation on the surface. The chemical changes in the surface region have been carried out by Raman Spectroscopy and UV-VIS spectroscopy. UV-VIS absorption analysis indicates a drastic decline in optical band gap from 5.46 eV to 1.76 eV at an implanted dose of 1 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm². It could be shown that the partial destruction of chemical bonding under ion implantation leads to the creation of new amorphous and graphite-like structures, which is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy.     

Investigation of amorphous states of SiO2 by Raman scattering spectroscopy

The vitreous SiO₂ samples irradiated with fast neutrons at a dose of 5×10¹⁷?2.2×10²⁰ per cm² are investigated by the Raman scattering technique. It is demonstrated that the maximum of the low-frequency Raman spectrum (boson peak) shifts with an increase in the irradiation dose, and the medium-range order size decreases from 25 Å for the initial glass to 19 Å for the sample subjected to irradiation at a maximum dose. It is revealed that the fast relaxation intensity obtained from analysis of the low-frequency Raman spectra linearly correlates with the specific volume of the studied samples.     

Depth profiling of porcine adipose tissue by Raman spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy was applied on a depth profile of porcine adipose tissue (from skin to meat) with the purpose of (1) discriminating between fat layers and (2) estimating the variation in fatty acid composition as a function of fat depth and fat layer: total degree of unsaturation (iodine value), fractions of saturated, and monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The thickness and composition of the outer layer of porcine adipose tissue influences the final quality of backfat. A too‐thick outer layer is associated with problems such as oily appearance, rancidity development, and difficulties in separating muscle and adipose tissue when cutting. From principal component analysis on standard normal variate preprocessed Raman spectra (1800–800 cm^–1), it was possible to discriminate between the outer and the inner backfat layer. Principal component analysis loadings showed that the separation of layer was mainly explained by variation in the bands originating from vibration of double bond C = C stretching plus = C–H twisting and rocking. In the prediction of iodine value a three‐component partial least squares regression model based on full range Raman spectra showed a root mean square error of cross validation of 2.00 and R² = 0.69. Applying Cauchy–Lorentz band fitting proved that information regarding fat unsaturation was found not only in band intensity, but also in band parameters such as location and width. The results suggest Raman spectroscopy as a potential measurement technique for rapid grading of pork carcasses. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Elastic and Raman scattering of 8.5–11.4 MeV photons from 159Tb, 165Ho and 237Np

Differential cross sections for elastic and inelastic Raman scattering from the deformed heavy nuclei ¹⁵⁹Tb, ¹⁶⁵Ho and ²³⁷Np were measured at five energies between 8.5 and 11.4 MeV. Angular distributions at four angles between 90° and 140° for both elastic and inelastic scattering at 9.0 and 11.4 MeV were also measured. The monoenergetic photons were obtained from thermal neutron capture in Ni and Cr. All the angular distributions and the elastic and Raman scattering at the higher energies are in good overall agreement with theoretical predictions. The theory is based on a modified simple rotator model of the giant dipole resonance in which the effect of Delbrück scattering was included. A trend of both the elastic and Raman scattering at lower energies to be stronger than expected are suggested by the data. However, the ratio between the Raman and elastic scattering seem to be in good agreement with theory throughout the whole energy range. This shows that there is no need to introduce a direct nonresonant component to the imaginary part of the elastic scattering amplitude to explain the experimental data.     

Amplified spontaneous emission enhanced forward stimulated Raman scattering in dye solutions

We study forward stimulated Raman emission from the weakly fluorescent dye 4^′-diethylamino-N-methyl-4-stilbazolium tosylate (DEST) in 1,2 dichloroethane solution excited by a 28-ps, 532-nm Nd:YAG laser. Neat 1,2 dichloroethane emits the first Stokes line at 631 nm with a spectral width of 1.6 nm, corresponding to a Raman shift of 2956 cm^-1. We observe a reduction of spectral width with the addition of DEST in 1,2 dichloroethane solution. The single-pass conversion efficiency for forward Raman emission is as high as 10% in a 1-cm-path-length sample. The pulse duration of forward stimulated Raman emission, measured by a third-order autocorrelation technique, is 10 ps in neat 1,2 dichloroethane, whereas it is ～3 ps for 4×10^-5 mol/l of DEST solution.     

Enhancement of the thermal properties of silver-diamond composites with chromium carbide coating

The present work reports the enhancement of the thermal properties in Ag/diamond matrix composites reinforced with chromium carbide coated diamond particles. The coated diamond particles were characterized by x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectra. The composites were synthesized by spark plasma sintering. The chromium carbide coating on the diamond particles resulted in composites exhibiting improved wettability and strong interfacial bonding between the diamond particles and Ag matrix. The composites with coated diamonds showed a low coefficient of thermal expansion of 8.24 × 10^?6/K and a high thermal conductivity of 695 W/mK at 60 % particle volume fraction, which greatly outperformed the composites with uncoated diamonds at the same particle volume fraction. The obtained results are useful for synthesizing Ag/diamond composites with greatly improved thermal performance.     

The 3D electronic band calculation of nickel by the extended Hu¨ckel method

An expression for the calculation of 3d electronic band structures of metallic nickel is given in the tight-binding scheme using the extended Hu¨ckel method. An explicit formulation in the nearest neighbor approximation is given and the accuracy of the nearest neighbor approximation is discussed. It is found that when a combination of two Slater wave functions is used for each 3d orbital, and when overlap matrix elements between neighbors are included until convergence is achieved, the resulting 3d band structures and band width agree well with those obtained from ab initio tight-binding calculations. For nickel, this calculation gives a 3d band width of 2.48 eV, a degeneracy temperature of 2.8 × 10³ K and a linear, low temperature electronic heat coefficient of 1.9 × 10^?3 cal mol^?1 deg^?2.     

Energy spectrum and mass composition of primary cosmic rays at energies 10<Superscript>15</Superscript>–10<Superscript>18</Superscript> eV

Data on muon and electron components of extensive air showers (EAS) (obtained with the EAS MSU array) were used to derive the primary cosmic ray (PCR) mass composition. It is shown that for energies beyond the knee at energy 3 × 10¹⁵ eV the abundance of heavy nuclei increases with energy. But at energies above 10¹⁷ eV the abundance of light nuclei starts to grow. The primary cosmic ray spectrum in the range 10¹⁵–10¹⁸ eV is analyzed. It is shown that at energies above 10¹⁷ eV the additional component appears and it differs from the bulk of Galactic cosmic rays generated by shocks in SN remnants.     

Raman spectroscopy study of damage induced in fluorapatite by swift heavy ion irradiations

Raman spectroscopy was used to study the radiation damage of fluorapatite single crystals and sinters. Krypton and iodine ion irradiations were performed at high energies (∼1 MeV amu⁻¹) for fluences ranging between 1 × 10¹¹ and 5 × 10¹³ cm⁻². Evolution of the symmetric stretching mode of the PO₄³⁻ tetrahedral building blocks (strongest Raman mode observed at 965 cm⁻¹) versus ion fluence was investigated. After irradiation, this peak decreases in intensity and a second broader peak appears at lower wavenumber. The well‐resolved peak has been assigned to the crystalline phase, and the broader one to the amorphous phase. The integrated intensity ratios of these two peaks versus fluence are in good agreement with the damage fractions determined by X‐ray diffraction (XRD). Fits of the amorphous fraction versus fluence show that the amorphization mechanisms is dominated by a single‐impact process for iodine ions and by a double‐impact process for krypton ions in the case of single crystals and sinters. For both irradiations, complete amorphization could not be obtained. The amorphous fraction saturates at a maximum value of 88% for sinters and 72% for single crystals. This is attributed to a recrystallization effect which is more important in single crystals than in sinters. For both types of samples, the crystalline peak shifts slightly to a lower wavenumber with fluence, and then shifts back to its initial value for an amorphous fraction larger than 60%. This feature is attributed to a stress relaxation, as shown in the XRD data, which is accompanied by a decrease of the crystalline peak full‐width at half‐maximum. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measurement of the third‐order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ(3) for the 1002‐cm–1 mode of benzenethiol using coherent anti‐Stokes Raman scattering with continuous‐wave diode lasers

The components of the third‐order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ⁽³⁾ for the 1002‐cm^–1 mode of neat benzenethiol have been measured using coherent anti‐Stokes Raman scattering with continuous‐wave diode pump and Stokes lasers at 785.0 and 852.0 nm, respectively. Values of 2.8 ± 0.3 × 10^–12, 2.0 ± 0.2 × 10^–12, and 0.8 ± 0.1 × 10^–12 cm·g^–1·s² were measured for the xxxx, xxyy, and xyyx components of |3χ⁽³⁾|, respectively. We have calculated these quantities using a microscopic model, reproducing the same qualitative trend. The Raman cross‐section σ_RS for the 1002‐cm^–1 mode of neat benzenethiol has been determined to be 3.1 ± 0.6 × 10^–29 cm² per molecule. The polarization of the anti‐Stokes Raman scattering was found to be parallel to that of the pump laser, which implies negligible depolarization. The Raman linewidth (full‐width at half‐maximum) Γ was determined to be 2.4 ± 0.3 cm^–1 using normal Stokes Raman scattering. The measured values of σ_RS and Γ yield a value of 2.1 ± 0.4 × 10^–12 cm·g^–1·s² for the resonant component of 3χ⁽³⁾. A value of 1.9 ± 0.9 × 10^–12 cm·g^–1·s² has been deduced for the nonresonant component of 3χ⁽³⁾. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electronic interactions in two-dimensional polymers of the C60 fullerene

The electronic structure of tetragonal and rhombohedral polymers of the C₆₀ fullerene is investigated using x-ray emission spectroscopy. It is found that, compared to the C₆₀ molecular crystals, the formation of intermolecular covalent bonds in two-dimensional layers of the C₆₀ fullerene polymers leads to a broadening of the maxima in the CK _α x-ray emission spectra, a decrease in the density of high-energy states, and an increase in the width of the valence band of the polymer. The experimental data are interpreted by analyzing the results of the calculations performed within the density functional theory for the C₆₀ fullerene cage forming eight and twelve covalent bonds. It is shown that the electronic interactions between C₆₀ molecules in the polymerized layers are provided by two types of molecular orbitals located at energies 0.5–3.0 and ∼5.0 eV below the energy of the Fermi level.     

Swift heavy ion-induced effects in Ce-doped nickel ferrite nanoparticles

Swift heavy ions of various energies are being used for material modifications. The induced modifications depend on the kind of defects produced during interaction of ions with the target material. In the present work, irradiation of 200 MeV Ag beam-induced effects in NiFe₂O₄ and NiCe_0.04Fe_1.96O₄ nanoparticles are studied at two different fluences, 2×10¹² and 1×10¹³ ions/cm². Nanoparticles of nickel ferrite and Ce-doped nickel ferrite were prepared by chemical route. X-ray diffraction pattern shows peaks corresponding to pure spinel structure in both the systems, NiFe₂O₄ and NiCe_0.04Fe_1.96O₄. The pristine as well as irradiated nanoparticles were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Raman spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Raman spectra show bands corresponding to spinel structure. After irradiation, the position of the bands does not change significantly for both samples. The widths corresponding to the same band in both the systems show opposite trend with fluence. VSM results show that after irradiation, the magnetization decreases from 40 to 32 A m²/kg for NiFe₂O₄ and from 39 to 31 A m²/kg for NiCe_0.04Fe_1.96O₄. EPR results show that after doping with Ce as well as irradiation, the EPR line width is reduced, making samples important for applications.     

Synthesis of Ge-Sn at high pressure and high temperature in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell

Ge–Sn compound is predicted to be a direct band gap semiconductor with a tunable band gap. However, the bulk synthesis of this material by conventional methods at ambient pressure is unsuccessful due to the poor solubility of Sn in Ge. We report the successful synthesis of Ge–Sn in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) at ~7.6 GPa &; ~2000 K. In situ Raman spectroscopy of the sample showed, apart from the characteristic Raman modes of Ge TO (Г) and β-Sn TO (Г), two additional Raman modes at ~225 cm^?1 (named Ge–Sn₁) and ~133 cm^?1 (named Ge–Sn₂). When the sample was quenched, the Ge–Sn₁ mode remained stable at ~215 cm^?1, whereas the Ge–Sn₂ mode had diminished in intensity. Comparing the Ge–Sn Raman mode at ~225 cm^?1 with the one observed in thin film studies, we interpret that the observed phonon mode may be formed due to Sn-rich Ge–Sn system. The additional Raman mode seen at ~133 cm^?1 suggested the formation of low symmetry phase under high P–T conditions. The results are compared with Ge–Si binary system.     

Volume effect of laser produced plasma on X-ray emissions

An investigation of x-ray emission from Cu plasma produced by 1.054 μm Nd:glass laser pulses of 5 ns duration, at 2 × 10¹² − 2 × 10¹³ W cm⁻² is reported. The x-ray emission has been studied as a function of target position with respect to the laser beam focus position. It has been observed that x-ray emissions from ns duration plasma show a volume effect similar to subnanosecond plasmas. Due to this effect the x-ray yield increases when target is moved away relative to the best focal plane of the laser beam. This result supports the theoretical model of Tallents and has also been testified independently using suitably modified theoretical model for our experimental conditions. While above result is in good agreement with similar experimental results obtained for sub-nanosecond laser produced plasmas, it differs from result claiming filamentation rather than pure geometrical effect leading to x-ray enhancement for ns plasmas.