Effect of an external magnetic field and a trapped magnetic flux on the current-voltage characteristics of a granular high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7−δ

A comparative study of the current-voltage characteristics of the high-temperature ceramic superconductor YBa₂Cu₃O_～6.95 at T = 77.3 K is performed over wide ranges of external magnetic fields H _ext and “treatment” fields H _treat. It is found that the field dependences of the parameters a and j _c involved in the exponential equation E = a(j ? j _c)^v describing the current-voltage characteristics depend substantially on the method used for applying the magnetic field, whereas the exponent v ～ 2 depends on neither the method of application nor on the magnetic field strength. The field dependence of the trapped magnetic field H _trap is determined.     

High-order harmonic generation by atoms in a two-color laser field: Phase control of recombination radiation spectrum and duration

The feasibility of phase control over above-threshold tunnel ionization and subsequent recombination emission in two-frequency laser fields is studied. It is shown that, in such fields, we can control the instants of ionization t₀ (within optical cycle T) and recombination t _k . The conditions that minimize the characteristic times δt₀?T and δt _k ?T, within which effective ionization and recombination occur, were found. Phase control allows recombination radiation to be generated with the selection of a narrow spectral range, while additional high-frequency “background illumination” sets up high harmonic “amplification” conditions. It was shown that special two-frequency pumping with elliptically polarized radiation can generate coherent electromagnetic pulses of attosecond width. The width of the pulses decreases as the intensity of pumping increases and can reach subattosecond values. Experimental generation of such pulses may lead to a breakthrough in the development of new methods for femto-and attosecond diagnostics of fast processes.     

On the Energy of a “One-Dimensional” Two-Electron Atom

Based on the perturbation theory and variational method long known for a “three-dimensional” atom, the ground and first excited state energies are calculated for a “one-dimensional” two-electron atom in the “one-dimensional ortho-helium” configuration, which can be obtained experimentally in principle, as has been already done for a Na Bose condensate, or produced in a super strong magnetic field B ? (2α)²B₀ (B₀ = m²c³/e? ≈ 4.41 × 10¹³ G). The “screening constant” σ for this atom in the ground and excited states was about 0.20 and 0.17, 0.18, respectively, depending on the relative parity PP' of the electronic states, which is somewhat smaller than in “two-dimensional” and “three-dimensional” variants (in these cases, this constant in the ground state is almost the same and about 0.3). The frequencies of the main spectral lines of a “onedimensional” He atom representing a doublet split over the relative parity PP' are found. The presence of the close lines of this doublet in the emission spectrum of magnetars at frequencies ω_{1, 2} ≈ {1.15; 1.17}α²(c/λC) (α = e²/?c, λ_C =?/mc) corresponding to the “one-dimensional ortho-helium” would suggest the existence of a superstrong magnetic field in such astrophysical objects.     

异核双原子和三原子分子在红外强激光场中的电离抑制

Ionization is the fundamental process in interaction of atoms/molecules with femtosecond strong laser fields. Comparing to atoms, molecules exhibit peculiar behaviors in strong-field ionization because of their diverse geometric structures, molecular electronic orbitals as well as extra nuclear degrees of freedom. In this study, we investigate strong field single and double ionization of carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) in linearly polarized 50-fs, 800-nm laser fields with peak intensity in the range of 2×10¹³ W/cm² to 2×10¹⁴ W/cm² using time-of-flight mass spectrometer. By comparing the ionization yields with that of the companion atom krypton (Kr), which has similar ionization potential to the molecules, we investigate the effect of molecular electronic orbitals on the strong-field ionization. The results show that comparing to Kr, no significant suppression is observed in single ionization of both molecules and in non-sequential double ionization (NSDI) of CO, while the NSDI probability of CO₂ is strongly suppressed. Based on our results and previous studies on homonuclear diatomic molecules (N₂ and O₂), the mechanism of different suppression effect is discussed. It is indicated that the different structure of the highest occupied molecular orbitals of CO and CO₂ leads to distinct behaviors in two-center interference by the electronic wave-packet and angular distributions of the ionized electrons, resulting in different suppression effect in strong-field ionization.     

Investigation of the NMR enhancement factor in CuMn spin glasses

The NMR enhancement factor of a frozenCuMn spin glass has been measured at a temperatureT?T _g /5. The measurements were performed as function of static magnetic fields of different directions. A two component model of a spin glass has been outlined. One component being a “system of single spins” and the other one being a “subsystem of clusters”. Both components were attributed to different kinds of interaction being RKKY and dipole interaction respectively. The effective anisotropy field of the single spin system consists of two unidirectional contributionsH _a ^s andH _a ^c , which have been measured for different conditions. A second anisotropy fieldH _d binds the cluster system to the system of single spins. All anisotropy fields depend on the annealing temperature of the alloys.     

Hydrogen-like atom in a superstrong magnetic field: Photon emission and relativistic energy level shift

Following our previous work, additional arguments are presented that in superstrong magnetic fields B ? (Zα)² B ₀, B ₀ = m ² c ³/e? ≈ 4.41 × 10¹³ G, the Dirac equation and the Schrödinger equation for an electron in the nucleus field following from it become spatially one-dimensional with the only z coordinate along the magnetic field, “Dirac” spinors become two-component, while the 2 × 2 matrices operate in the {0; 3} subspace. Based on the obtained solution of the Dirac equation and the known solution of the “onedimensional” Schrödinger equation by ordinary QED methods extrapolated to the {0; 3} subspace, the probability of photon emission by a “one-dimensional” hydrogen-like atom is calculated, which, for example, for the Lyman-alpha line differs almost twice from the probability in the “three-dimensional” case. Similarly, despite the coincidence of nonrelativistic energy levels, the calculated relativistic corrections of the order of (Zα)⁴ substantially differ from corrections in the absence of a magnetic field. A conclusion is made that, by analyzing the hydrogen emission spectrum and emission spectra at all, we can judge in principle about the presence or absence of superstrong magnetic fields in the vicinity of magnetars (neutron stars and probably brown dwarfs). Possible prospects of applying the proposed method for calculations of multielectron atoms are pointed out and the possibility of a more reliable determination of the presence of superstrong magnetic fields in magnetars by this method is considered.     

Ionic composition of a humid air plasma under ionizing radiation

A kinetic model is proposed for ion–molecular processes involving charged particles of a humid air plasma produced by a fast electron beam. The model includes more than 600 processes involving electrons and 41 positive and 14 negative ions, including hydrated ions H₃O⁺ (H₂O) _n and O ₂ ^? (H₂O) _n with n = 1, 2, …, 12. The energy costs of production of electron–ion pairs and electronic and vibrational (for water molecules, also rotational) excitation of molecules are calculated in nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, air, and humid air. A method is proposed for calculating the energy costs in mixtures by the calculation data in pure gases. The evolution of the plasma composition is studied by the numerical solution of a system of 56 time-dependent balance equations for the number of charged particles of plasma by the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method. The steady-state composition of plasma is determined by solving nonlinear steady-state balance equations for the ionization rates of humid air from 10 to 10¹⁶ cm^–3/s and the fraction of water molecules from 10^–3% to 1.5%. It is established that, for water vapor content (the ratio of the number density of water molecules to the total number density of air molecules) of 0.015–1.5% in air at atmospheric pressure and room temperature, the main ion species are two types of positive ions H₃O⁺ (H₂O) _n with the number of water molecules n = 5, 6 and three species of negative ions O ₂ ^? (H₂O) _n with n = 5, 8, 9.     

Local approximation oscillatory differential method for the analysis of physical processes at the interface between vortex and Meissner regions in superconductors

A “differential” method for local diagnostics of superconductors has been developed. Regular steps with identical heights through certain intervals of an external field have been revealed on the magnetic-field dependences of the trapped magnetic flux density B _tr(H ₀) and the effective demagnetizing factor n _eff (H ₀) of bulk and film YBCO samples. It has been shown that the sample in high magnetic fields “decays” stepwise into subcrystallites and nanocrystallites whose size is much smaller than the depth of penetration of the magnetic field λ.     

Thermal conductivity in dirty superconducting alloys in high field

This paper discusses the thermal conductivityK of a dirty type II superconductor in the mixed state, for fields close to the upper critical field (H _e2 orH _e3) where the electronic component is dominant and easily separated. To order |Δ|², the conductivity depends only on the space average 〈|Δ|²〉. Our formula is a generalisation of earlier results byMaki andAmbegaokar andGriffin for gapless superconductors. The slope\(\left( {\frac{{\partial K}}{{\partial H}}} \right)_{Hc2} \) is proportional to the slope of the magnetization curve\(\left( {\frac{{\partial K}}{{\partial H}}} \right)_{Hc2} \), the ratio of these two slopes being a universal function of temperature. These results are very different from the predictions of the “effective gap” model.     

Electron–positron pair production from vacuum in the field of high-intensity laser radiation

The works dealing with the theory of e⁺e^– pair production from vacuum under the action of highintensity laser radiation are reviewed. The following problems are discussed: pair production in a constant electric field E and time-variable homogeneous field E(t); the dependence of the number of produced pairs \({N_{{e^ + }{e^ - }}}\) on the shape of a laser pulse (dynamic Schwinger effect); and a realistic three-dimensional model of a focused laser pulse, which is based on exact solution of Maxwell’s equations and contains parameters such as focal spot radius R, diffraction length L, focusing parameter Δ, pulse duration τ, and pulse shape. This model is used to calculate \({N_{{e^ + }{e^ - }}}\) for both a single laser pulse (n = 1) and several (n ≥ 2) coherent pulses with a fixed total energy that simultaneously “collide” in a laser focus. It is shown that, at n ? 1, the number of pairs increases by several orders of magnitude as compared to the case of a single pulse. The screening of a laser field by the vapors that are generated in vacuum, its “depletion,” and the limiting fields to be achieved in laser experiments are considered. The relation between pair production, the problem of a quantum frequency-variable oscillator, and the theory of groups SU(1, 1) and SU(2) is discussed. The relativistic version of the imaginary time method is used in calculations. In terms of this version, a relativistic theory of tunneling is developed and the Keldysh theory is generalized to the case of ionization of relativistic bound systems, namely, atoms and ions. The ionization rate of a hydrogen-like ion with a charge 1 ≤ Z ≤ 92 is calculated as a function of laser radiation intensity (F and ellipticity ρ.     

Mechanisms of ionization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">F</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript>-centers in laser media on the basis of LiF crystals

F₂ color centers with a superhigh concentration (5000-cm^–1 absorption coefficient at 450 nm) were formed by high-density electron beams in a layer of LiF crystals of micrometer thickness. The F₂-centers excited by high-power nanosecond wide-band optical pulses (the “soft” pumping regime) efficiently amplified the laser radiation and showed high stability under these conditions. A low stability of F₂-centers to laser radiation (the “hard” excitation regime) is explained by the dissociation of (F ₂ ⁺ , F^–) pairs induced by two-step ionization of F₂-centers: (2hν > 4.5 eV) → F₂ → (F₂)* → F ₂ ⁺ + e; F + e → F^–; F ₂ ⁺ + F^– → 3F.     

Electron spectroscopy using excited atoms and photons IV. Penning ionization of ethylene

Using helium metastable atoms (2¹S, 2³S), the Penning ionization of C₂H₄ has been studied using a high resolution electrostatic electron analyzer. The Franck—Condon envelope for the ground state of C₂H₄⁺ (X²B_3u) is found to be the same for He* (2³S) Penning ionization and 584 Å photoionization. The ΔE shift values and the relative electronic transition probabilities are reported for four ionic states. Unusually large differences have been found for the relative electronic transition probabilities for Penning ionization and photoionization.     

Influence of the surface electric field in ion-beam-surface interaction at grazing incidence

We have measured the polarization of light emitted after ion surface scattering at small angle of incidence. The measurements are carried out with H⁺-, H ₂ ⁺ - and He⁺-ions under UHV-conditions with mono- and polycrystalline targets. We explain the typical variation of the polarization as “post collision Stark interaction” (PCSI) in the surface electric field, which can force transitions between nearly degenerate terms. The electric field is composed of two different contributions, a strong but short range surface field which is “seen” by atomsand ions and a long range but weak field due to the image charge which is “seen” to first orderonly by ions. The influence of the electric field on H-Balmer radiation is negligible at typical survival distances r_s≧0.35nm. But in contrast to H-atoms He⁺-ions feel the additional influence of the image field leading to a strong alteration of the polarization of the emitted light. The polarization of the Balmer-radiation stemming from Coulomb exploding H ₂ ⁺ -beams is observed to be modified by the electric field of the “spectator proton”.     

EPR study on Mn2+-Cu2+ and Ni2+-Cu2+ mixed pairs

An EPR study at X- and Q-band frequencies has been made on mixed metal pairs Mn²⁺-Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺-Cu²⁺ obtained by doping the dimer complex C₅H₅NO CuCl₂ · H₂O. Available experimental data have been confirmed and extended, particularly as regards the characteristic directions of the various magnetic tensors. The qualitative behaviour of the spectra and the somewhat singular values of the magnetic parameters can be well-described on the basis of a theoretical model in which a very strong “cosine” interaction between the total electronic spins is assumed. From the model some interesting new aspects emerge, concerning the relations between pairs and single-ion EPR parameters.     

Untersuchung gestörter Winkelverteilungen an F19 in ferromagnetischen Gittern

The perturbation of the 197 keV transition angular distribution in F¹⁹ was investigated by time-dependent spin rotation measurements following excitation with a pulsed beam. The recoil implantation technique was used to determine the internal magnetic fields for F¹⁹ in Fe, Co and Ni lattices. The results are:H _HF(F¹⁹ in Fe)=+(95700±500) Oe,H _HF(F¹⁹ in Co)=+(59500±1500) Oe,H _HF(F¹⁹ in Ni)=?(21830±350)Oe. The temperature and field dependence of the effective fields was studied. Strong satellite fields due to lattice perturbations were detected. The half life and the gyromagnetic ratio of the 197 keV 5/2⁺ state in F¹⁹ were redetermined asT _1/2=(80.2±0.5) nsec andg=+1.436±0.007.     

Hyperfine interactions in Sc<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Y<Subscript>x</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript> cubic Laves alloys

Effects of hybridization of 3d bands of iron with 3d bands of scandium and 4d bands of yttrium in Sc_1?xY_xFe₂ cubic Laves alloys (0≤_x≤1) are studied by the nuclear magnetic resonance method. The concentration dependences of the lattice parameters a, saturation magnetization σ, and hyperfine fields at the ⁵⁷Fe, ⁴⁵Sc, and ⁸⁹Y nuclei—as well as the ²⁷Al impurity nuclei, whose atoms substitute iron atoms in the lattices of these alloys—are measured. The “local” and “induced” contributions to hyperfine fields at the ⁵⁷Fe nuclei are separated and the magnetic moments at iron atoms are estimated. It is found that the hybridization effect leads to the formation of magnetic moments at Sc and Y atoms (whose direction is opposite to the direction of the magnetic moment at iron atoms) and is responsible for the ferrimagnetic structure in Sc_1?xY_xFe₂ alloys.     

Surface and volume superconductivity of Pb embedded in nanopores

The heat capacity of lead embedded in glass nanopores (7 nm in diameter) and bulk lead was studied in the temperature range 2–40 K without a magnetic field and in magnetic fields of 1–8 T. The properties of lead nanoparticles and bulk lead were compared. The results obtained allowed us to separate the surface superconductivity from the volume superconductivity. The temperature dependence of the heat capacity of lead nanoparticles was shown to exhibit two superconducting transitions above and below the transition temperature for bulk lead (T _c = 7.2 K), which are associated with the surface and volume superconductivity. The upper critical fields H _c3 for the surface superconductivity and H _c2 for the volume superconductivity were determined. It turned out that these fields for Pb nanoparticles are two orders of magnitude higher than those for bulk lead. The “superconductor-normal metal” phase diagrams were constructed for lead nanoparticles. The study established an increase in the density of low-frequency excitations in Pb nanocrystals as compared to bulk Pb and a difference in the electronic heat capacity of Pb nanoparticles as compared to bulk Pb.     

Enhanced ionization of perpendicularly aligned H2 in intense laser fields

Using three-dimensional classical ensembles, we have investigated the enhancement of double ionization of perpendicularly aligned H₂ molecules by a 800 nm laser pulse with intensity ranging from 1 × 10¹⁴ W/cm² to 6 × 10¹⁴ W/cm². The simulated results show that double ionization probability of H₂ strongly depends on R and reaches a maximum at an intensity independent critical distance R_C ≈ 5 a.u. Furthermore, the enhancement of double ionization is more pronounced in the cases of weaker or stronger fields. These results, a well indication of the influence of molecular structures and laser–molecule interactions on double ionization of diatomic molecules, are analyzed in detail and qualitatively explained based on the field-induced barrier suppression model and back analysis.     

High harmonic generation in H2 + and HD + by two-colour femtosecond laser pulses

We have theoretically investigated the high harmonic generation (HHG) spectra of H₂ ^?+? and HD^?+? using a time-dependent wave packet approach for the nuclear motion with combined two-colour (1ω _L –3ω _L ) pulsed lasers for ω _L corresponding to wavelengths 1064 nm and 800 nm. The 1ω _L and 3ω _L lasers have peak intensities of I ₁ ⁰?=?5.0×10¹³ W/cm² and I ₂ ⁰?=?2.0×10¹⁴ W/cm², respectively. We have taken the pulse duration of T = 50 fs for both the fields, and the molecular initial vibrational level v ₀?=?0. We have argued that for these combinations, the harmonic generation due to transitions in the electronic continuum by tunnelling or multiphoton ionization may be neglected and only the electronic transitions within the two lowest electronic states would be important. Thus, the characteristic features of HHG spectra in the two-colour field are determined, in our model, by the nuclear motions on the two lowest field-coupled electronic states between which interelectronic and intraelectronic (due to the intrinsic dipole moments in case of HD^?+?) radiative transitions can take place. We have studied the role of relative phase (φ) of the two fields on the HHG spectra of the molecular ions. In case of HD^?+?, the effect of nonadiabatic (NA) nonradiative interaction between the two lowest Born-Oppenheimer (BO) electronic states (1sσ _g , 2pσ _u ) has been taken into account. Our calculations give realistic HHG spectra which are reasonably efficient and extended for both H₂ ^?+? and HD^?+? in the mixed two-colour field without involving the electronic continuum. The use of two-colour (1ω _L –3ω _L ) field enables us to generate high harmonics beyond that achievable with a single 1ω _L or 3ω _L field of the corresponding intensity, frequency and pulse time.