Study of optical properties and molecular structure of plasma polymerized diethylene glycol dimethyl ether

This paper deals with plasma polymerization processes of diethylene glycol dimethyl ether. Plasmas were produced at 150 mtorr in the range of 10 W to 40 W of RF power. Films were grown on silicon and quartz substrates. Molecular structure of plasma polymerized films and their optical properties were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The IR spectra show C–H stretching at 3000–2900 cm^-1, C=O stretching at 1730–1650 cm^-1, C–H bending at 1440–1380 cm^-1, C–O and C–O–C stretching at 1200–1000 cm^-1. The concentrations of C–H, C–O and C–O–C were investigated for different values of RF power. It can be seen that the C–H concentration increases from 0.55 to 1.0 au (arbitrary unit) with the increase of RF power from 10 to 40 W. The concentration of C–O and C–O–C decreases from 1.0 to 0.5 au in the same range of RF power. The refraction index increased from 1.47 to 1.61 with the increase of RF power. The optical gap calculated from absorption coefficient decreased from 5.15 to 3.35 eV with the increase of power. Due to its optical and hydrophilic characteristics these films can be applied, for instance, as glass lens coatings for ophthalmic applications.     

Highly oriented electrospun polycaprolactone micro/nanofibers prepared by a field-controllable electrode and rotating collector

Novel ZnO tetrapod-shaped nanostructures with pearl-necklace-shaped arms were successfully synthesized using mixture of Zn, ZnO, and carbon powder as source. The definite supersaturation ratio provided by Zn, ZnO, and carbon powder was considered as the crucial factor of determining the formation of this kind of structure, and a negative feedback growth model combined with octahedral nucleation mechanism was proposed. Two other comparative experiments were also conducted to study the growth behavior of reagent species under different supersaturation ratios. Our experiments provided a beneficial experimental exploration in controlled growth of nanostructures through modulating supersaturation ratio by source, and these obtained novel nanostructures were also expected to have potential application as functional blocks in nanodevices. Furthermore, the study of photoluminescence indicated that the physical properties were strongly dependent on the crystal structure.     

Potential formation in a bounded two-electron temperature plasma system with floating collector that emits electrons

Formation of the plasma potential in a plasma that contains energetic electrons and is bounded by a floating collector that emits electrons is studied theoretically. The problem is treated by a static. kinetic plasma-sheath model of Schwager and Birdsall [Phys. Fluids B2 (1990) 1057], which we have extended in order to include additional energetic electron population. The distribution of these electrons is assumed to be a high-temperature Maxwellian. They are called hot electrons. In the paper we study effects of the density and temperature of the hot electrons on the formation of the plasma potential. The model shows that for certain densities and temperatures of the hot electron population plasmas with two different plasma potentials can coexist in the system. These two plasmas are separated spatially by a double layer. For the case when there is no emission of electrons from the collector, results of the model are compared with computer simulation and very good agreement between the model and the simulation is found. The simulation also confirms existence of two plasmas with two different potentials separated by a double layer.     

Supercurrent and its Fano effect in a Josephson Aharonov-Bohm ring

The Josephson current through an Aharonov-Bohm (AB) interferometer, in which a quantum dot (QD) is situated on one arm and a magnetic flux Φ threads through the ring, has been investigated. In the presence of the magnetic flux, the relation between the Josephson current and the superconductor phase is complex, and the system can be adjusted to π junction by either modulating the magnetic flux or the QD’s energy level ε_d. Due to the electron-hole symmetry, the Josephson current I has the property I(ε_d,Φ)=I(-ε_d,Φ+π). The Josephson current exhibits a jump when a pair of Andreev bound states aligns with the Fermi energy. The condition for the current jump is given. Particularly, we find that the position of the current jump and the position of the maximum value of the critical current I_c are identical. Due to the interference between the two paths, the critical current I_c versus the QD’s level ε_d shows a typical Fano shape, which is similar to the Fano effect in the corresponding normal device. However they also show some differences. For example, the critical current never reaches zero for any parameters, while the current in the normal device can reach zero at the destruction point.     

Wave equations with energy-dependent potentials

We study wave equations with energy-dependent potentials. Simple analytical models are found useful to illustrate difficulties encountered with the calculation and interpretation of observables. A formal analysis shows under which conditions such equations can be handled as evolution equation of quantum theory with an energy-dependent potential. Once these conditions are met, such theory can be transformed into ordinary quantum theory. This work was supported by the agreement between IN2P3 and ASCR (collaboration no. 97-13) and by the Grant Agency of ASCR (J.M., grant No.A1048305).     

Description of electrons correlation in1,3S-states of negative ion of positronium

The energy of ground^1,3S-states of negative positronium ion in the hyperspherical coordinates method has been calculated in Born-Oppenheimer and adiabatic approximations accounting the contribution of angle and radial correlation. Quasi-crossing points for autodetaching adiabatic potentials were revealed, which forms a structure in nonadiabatic potential. The received energy values have been compared with results of calculations performed using other methods. It was shown that in order to receive energy values with accuracy of 10⁻⁴ a.u. it is necessary to include more than 70 elements into the basis for determination of adiabatic potentials or to use Padé approximation on the basis dimension. Presented at the 11th Colloquium “Quantum Groups and Integrable Systems”, Prague, 20–22 June 2002. The work is supported by the Slovak Agency for Science, Grant 2/7157/20.     

Curvature and external electric field effects on the persistent current in chiral toroidal carbon nanotubes

Taking into account the intrinsic curvature, we calculate the persistent currents (I_pcs) in chiral toroidal carbon nanotubes (TCNs) by developing the supercell approach. It is shown that in the presence of curvature, the typical current (I_ty) oscillates with the unit cell number (P) and tends to be zero, while it damps exponentially in the absence of curvature. Due to the curvature effects, especially, a paramagnetism-diamagnetism transition is observed in chiral TCNs, depending on the ring diameter and chirality. In addition, the effect of external electric field energy (E_ef) on persistent current is also explored. It is shown that in the presence of electric field, I_ty vary unmonotonously with E_ef. A pronounced peak of I_ty is obtained at high E_ef region. By modulating the value of E_ef, a paramagnetism-diamagnetism or diamagnetism- paramagnetism transition is observed.     

Analysis of209Bi and238U photofission cross section in the quasi-deuteron region of photonuclear absorption

An analysis of the photofission reactions in the quasi-deuteron energy range of photonuclear absorption (30–140 MeV) has been performed for²⁰⁹Bi and²³⁸U nuclei. Experimental cross section data available in the literature have been compared with calculated values obtained from a model in which the incoming photon is assumed to be absorbed by a neutron-proton pair (Levinger's quasi-deuteron photoabsorption), followed by a mechanism of evaporation-fission competition for the excited residual nuclei. The model has been shown to reproduce the main experimental features of²⁰⁹Bi and²³⁸U photofission cross section, although unexplained differences still remain in the case of²³⁸U-fission by 30– 50 MeV incident photons.     

On the time evolution of transmittivity in magnetic fluids

When a magnetic fluid is subjected to a magnetic field, a part of the magnetic particles in the fluid agglomerates to form chains. Thus, the ferrofluid becomes optically anisotropic. In this work we describe optically observed patterns in some magnetic fluid films in applied parallel magnetic fields and optical effects of these, especially the optical transmittance. The most interesting experimental observation is that concerning the time dependence of relative transmittivity . For kerosene base ferrofluids relax rapidly at coupling and decoupling magnetic field, but for a transformer-oil magnetic fluid the relaxation times can attain (5–10) minutes, depending on the intensity of applied magnetic field.     

Single molecule spectroscopy of oligofluorenes: how molecular length influences polymorphism

Polyfluorene represents a unique model to study the influence of intramolecular conformation on the electronic properties of chromophores with an extended π-conjugation. According to the degree of planarity between the adjacent repeat units the electronic and optical properties can change substantially. This peculiar spectroscopic behavior has been described by identifying different phases, namely the glassy, the γ- and the β-phase. Here, we present low-temperature single-molecule spectroscopy of a series of oligofluorenes differing in the number of monomeric units, in order to gain information on the influence of chain length on the polymorphism. By monitoring the energy of the 0-0 transition we have classified single molecules belonging to the different phases. We demonstrate that a large number of molecules start to form the β-phase only when more than 9 repeat units constitute the molecular chain. The implications for the control of morphology in polyfluorene thin films are discussed.     

Anisotropic carrier transport properties of highly aligned oligophenylenevinylenes in organic field-effect transistors

We have studied the electronic excitations of fluorinated copper phthalocyanine, CuPcF₁₆, thin films using electron energy-loss spectroscopy in transmission. This allowed for the derivation of the dielectric function in a wide energy range. Furthermore, we have analyzed the lowest excitation feature using a Lorentz model, which enabled the determination of the dielectric background in the energy range of the gap excitation, and an analysis of the momentum dependence of the spectral intensities at low energies.     

Evidence of glass transition in thin films of maleic anhydride derivatives: Effect of the surfactant coadsorption

The glass transition temperature of poly (maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecen) and poly (styreneco-maleic anhydride) cumene-terminated thin films has been measured by mechanical relaxation of Langmuir films of these polymers. The dynamical properties show glass-like features (non-Arrhenius relaxation times and non-Debye mechanical response) interpreted by the coupling model. The glass transition temperature values determined by a mechanical relaxation experiment (step-compression) agree very well with those obtained by surface potential measurements. It is found that the glass transition temperature values in thin films decrease by about 100K as compared with those corresponding to the bulk polymers. The coadsorption of the water-insoluble surfactant DODAB decreases the glass transition temperature.     

Influence of fractal surface dimension on the dissolution process of sparingly soluble CaCO<Subscript>3</Subscript> microparticles

The dissolution process of sparingly soluble CaCO₃ microparticles and how the fractal surface dimension of the particles changes during dissolution is analyzed. The particles and the dissolution process are studied using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption, laser diffraction and conductance measurements. Ball milling of the particles is shown to maintain the particle crystallinity, and to introduce an increased fractal surface dimension in the 1–10 μm size range. Dissolution is found to increase the surface dimension of initially smooth particles and to maintain the fractal surface roughness of milled particles. The dissolution process increases the relative number of small particles (50 nm–1 μm) whereas the larger ones decrease in size. The solubility of the milled fractal particles was ∼1.8 times higher than that for the initially smooth ones. The presented findings show that developing methods for increasing the fractal surface roughness of particles should be of interest for improving the solubility of poorly soluble drug candidates.     

Quantum—classical correspondence of the time-dependent linear potential

Using the trial-function method, the general solution of the Schrödinger equation for the time-dependent linear potential is obtained. Based on the Heisenberg correspondence principle, the solution of the classical equation of motion is derived from the quantum matrix elements.     

Principle of stationary phase for propagating wave packets in the unidimensional scattering problem

We point out some incompatibilities which appear when one applies the stationary phase method for deriving phase times to obtain the spatial localization of wave packets scattered by a unidimensional potential barrier. We concentrate on the above barrier diffusion problem where the wave packet collision implies the possibility of multiple reflected and transmitted wave packets, which, depending on the boundary conditions, can overlap or stand in relative separation in space. We demonstrate that the indiscriminate use of the method for such a particular configuration leads to paradoxical results for which the correct interpretation, confirmed by analytical/numerical calculations, imposes the necessity of the appearance of multiple peaks as a consequence of multiple reflections by the barrier steps. Also at Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin, UNICAMP, PO Box 6165, 13083-970 Campinas, SP, Brazil.     

Volume structuring of high power LED encapsulates by femtosecond laser direct writing

We report on the micro-fabrication of diffractive optical elements (DOEs) such as 1D, 2D and concentric grating structures inside the volume of thin silicone films by femtosecond laser direct writing. In addition, we show that such structures can also be integrated into silicone films that act as encapsulation layers of high power light-emitting diodes. The latter strategy opens new possibilities to homogenize and to control the light emitted from such devices.     

Spatial coherence measurements from two L-shape arrays in Shallow Water

In the Shallow Water’ 06 experiment, two L-shape arrays (ARRAY52 and ARRAY32) were deployed. The vertical line array (VLA) components of both ARRAY52 and ARRAY32 were exactly perpendicular to the direction of sound propagation. The horizontal line array (HLA) component of ARRAY52 was exactly perpendicular to the direction of sound propagation. The HLA component of ARRAY32 was exactly parallel to the direction of sound propagation. This configuration offered an opportunity to simultaneously analyze the three dimensional (3-D) spatial coherences: vertical, transverse horizontal and longitudinal horizontal. When the source and the receivers were below the thermocline, both the vertical and longitudinal horizontal coherence lengths in units of wavelength increased with increasing range and frequency. When the source was within the thermocline, the transverse horizontal coherence length in units of wavelength decreased with frequency and exhibited weak range dependence. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Scattering of a spherical wave from the coupling of two half-planes

Summary  The diffraction of a spherical acoustic wave from the juncture of pressure release (soft) and locally reacting (absorbing) half-planes in a fluid moving at subsonic velocity is examined. This consideration is important because the point sources are regarded as better substitutes for real sources than line sources/plane waves. The integral representation of the field is obtained using integral transforms and the Wiener-Hopf technique. The factorization of the kernel function in the Wiener-Hopf functional equation is accomplished. The analytic solution of the integrals is obtained by employing asymptotic methods and the far field is presented. The effect of the Mach number is shown explicitly on the diffracted field.     

Influence of a magnetically permeable surface layer on transient electromagnetic field of a vertical magnetic dipole on a two-layer conducting earth

The transient electromagnetic field, in the frequency domain, on a two-layered conducting earth is reexamined when the usually neglected magnetic permeability contrast is considered. It is shown that for two-layered earth model, where the upper is permeable, the electromagnetic induction response is modified over the nonpermeable case. It is obtained as a summation of waveguide modes plus contributions from branch-cuts in the complex plane of the longitudinal wave number. The results from this paper can be used to evaluate numerical solution of other more complicated forward modeling algorithms. It can also be used in developing fast and simple interpretation tools, which can deliver quick estimation of the earth structure at the field.