Temperature dependence of Mn2+ EPR in Sn2P2S6 near the phase transition

The X-band EPR spectrum of Mn²⁺ in Sn₂P₂S₆ was studied in the temperature rangeT=223–363 K. At room temperature the spin-Hamiltonian constants areg=2.00±0.01,B ₂ ⁰ =(163±3)·10^?4 cm^?1,B ₂ ² =(159±3)·10^?4 cm^?1,A=?(75±1)·10^?4 cm^?1. The effect of the invariance in temperature of the resonance magnetic fields in the narrow temperature rangeT=337–340 K and the model of the paramagnetic centre are discussed. According to EPR data a phase transition occurs atT=337 K. This transition from the paraelectric phase to the ferroelectric one is accompanied by a dramatic change in value of the spin-Hamiltonian constantB ₂ ⁰ .     

Study of B s 0 → µ+µ− and B d 0 → µ+µ− decays in flavor-changing Z′ models

Recently, the first evidence for the decay B _s ⁰ → μ ⁺ μ ^? has been announced by the LHCb Collaboration and the measured branching ratio B( _s ⁰ → μ ⁺) = (3.2 _?1.2 ^+1.5 ) × 10^?9 is in good agreement with the standard model (SM) expectation. It has also reported an upper limit for B(B _d ⁰ → μ ⁺ μ ^?) < 9.4 × 10^?10 at 95% confidence level. In this paper, we study the B _s ⁰ → μ ⁺ μ ^? and B _d ⁰ → μ ⁺ μ ^? rare decays in flavor-changing Z′ model. Our estimated branching ratios are enhanced from their SM values and provide signals for new physics.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of CePd2In and LaPd2In at low temperatures

We report on In nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and nuclear quadrupolar resonance (NQR) measurements on the new heavy-electron compound CePdZIn over a wide temperature range, from 45 mK up to 30 K. CePd₂In undergoes an antiferromagnetic (AF) phase transition at T _N = 1.23 K involving small localised Ce moments of 0.11 μ_B. In zero field, the spin-lattice relaxation rate T ₁ ^?1 (T) shows remarkable changes in its temperature dependence. Above 3 K, T ₁ ^?1 is constant and 850 sec^?1. Between T _N and 2T _N, (T ₁ T)^?1 = 330 (Ksec)^?1, but rapidly decreases below T _N. A Korringatype relaxation, characteristic for simple metals at low temperatures, with (T ₂ T)^?1 = 17(Ksec)¹ is resumed below 0.6 K. This value is an order of magnitude larger than (T ₁ T)^?1 for LaPd₂In and therefore is associated with low-energy excitations of the itinerant charge carriers with 4f symmetry. The T ₁ ^?1 data at various non-zero magnetic fields fall on a single curve when plotted as a function of (T/H) if H exceeds 3.5 T. Thus the AF ordering, the 4f moment fluctuations and the Kondo screening are drastically suppressed by the application of fields H of the order of 3.5 T.     

Application of atom-photon coincidence techniques to the determination of the differential cross section for excitation ofK(42 P) in low-energy K-N2, CO collisions

The differential cross section for the processK(4² S)+N₂, CO→K(4² P)+ N₂, CO is presented for reduced scattering angles τ<2·10⁴ eV deg. The inelastic process is identified by determining the time-correlation between the inelastically scattered potassium atom and the emittedK(4² P→4² S)photon. The performance of different coincidence techniques is compared. From the differential cross sections values for the position of the curve crossing responsible for the excitation process are derived (R _c=2.77, 2.48 Å andV(R _c )=0.55, 1.00 eV for K-N₂, CO respectively). The values indicate that the lowest ionic intermediate state of the form K⁺-N ₂ ^? , CO^? is responsible for the excitation process.     

Production and loss of N 2 + , Ne+ and Ne 2 + during the decay period of plasmas produced in neon-nitrogen mixtures

Studies of the time dependencies of the number density of N ₂ ⁺ , Ne⁺ and Ne ₂ ⁺ ions have been made during the decay period of plasmas produced in neon containing various concentrations of nitrogen molecules. Reaction rate constants were obtained for N ₂ ⁺ +N₂+Ne→N ₄ ⁺ +Ne((1.2±0.2)×10^?29 cm⁶ sec^?1) and Ne⁺+N₂→N ₂ ⁺ + Ne ((2.9±0.3) × 10^?12 cm³ sec^?1). The ambipolar diffusion coefficient of N ₂ ⁺ in neon was found to beD _a p _o =350±20 cm² sec^?1 Torr.     

A calorimetric study of the dimerized phase of C60 fullerene

The temperature dependence of the heat capacity at a constant pressure C _p ⁰ = f(T) for the dimerized phase of the C₆₀ fullerene in the temperature range 300–575 K and the thermodynamic characteristics for depolymerization of this phase under normal pressure are investigated using precision differential scanning calorimetry. It is established that thermal depolymerization is a kinetically hindered process. The final products of thermal depolymerization are identified as a partially crystalline monomer face-centered cubic phase of C₆₀ with a degree of crystallinity α = 67 mol %. The results obtained in this study and our previous experimental data on the low-temperature heat capacity are used in the calculations of standard thermodynamic functions for the (C₆₀)₂ crystalline dimer, namely, the heat capacity C _p ⁰ (T), the enthalpy H ⁰(T) ? H ⁰(0), the entropy S ⁰(T), and the Gibbs function G ⁰(T) ? H ⁰(0) in the temperature range from T → 0 to 394 K.     

Charged hyperpions,charged higgs bosons and the leptonic decays of the heavy open-top mesonsT b * andT b

We study the leptonic decay modes of the vectorT _b ^* and pseudoscalarT _b t-flavored mesons in the framework of some extended technicolor models and for the standardSU(2)×U(1) model with two complex Higgs doublets. We find that the ratioГ(T _b ^* →? v Г(T →? v) bcan help in discriminating among these models but, unfortunately, the experimental prospects for detecting these decay modes are not very bright.     

Observation of a transition from BCS to HTSC-like superconductivity in Ba1 − x KxBiO3 single crystals

The temperature dependences of the upper critical field B _c2(T) and surface impedance Z(T) = R(T) + iX(T) have been measured in Ba_{1 ? x} K_xBiO₃ single crystals with transition temperatures 6 ≤ T _c ≤ 32 K (0.6 > x > 0.4). A transition from the BCS to an unusual type of superconductivity has been revealed: B _c2(T) curves of the crystals with T _c > 20 K have positive curvature (as in some HTSCs), and those of the crystals with T _c < 15 K described by the usual Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg (WHH) formula. The R(T) and X(T) dependences of the crystals with T _c ≈ 32 K and T _c ≈ 11 K in the temperature range T ? T _c are linear (as in HTSCs) and exponential (BCS), respectively. The experimental results are discussed using the extended saddle point model by Abrikosov.     

Near and far infrared vibrational absorption ofH i − andD i − centres in KBr

Near infrared absorption measurements by Gross and Bron led to the suggestion that the threefold degeneracy of the localized vibration ofH _i ^? andD _i ^? centres in KI is completely lifted in KBr. Using thermal annealing procedures,H _i ^? -D _i ^? substitution and far infrared techniques we found that the lines at 794, 840, and 896 cm^?1 cannot be interpreted as a splitting of the main line. Only the 794 cm^?1 line can be correlated with the direct excitation of theH _i ^? oscillator. The absence of any splitting in this line (its halfwidth at 9 °K is only 1.5 cm^?1) indicates that also in KBrH _i ^? centres have at most only slightly perturbedT _d symmetry.     

Optical spectroscopy of Dysprosium Aluminum Garnet (DAG)

The absorption spectrum of antiferromagnetic dysprosium aluminium garnet (DAG) (T _N =2.50 °K) has been investigated at low temperatures. The groundstate splitting due to all interactions in the antiferromagnetic state is (5.27±0.10) cm^?1 extrapolated to 0 °K. The temperature dependence of the lineshift of the absorption lines is measured. Zeeman effect studies give theg-tensor of the groundstate asg _z =18.4±0.5,g _x =g _y =0.5±0.2. The studies also allow the determination of the critical fields asH _c ^[100] =(5.0±0.1) koe,H _c ^[111] =(3.9±0.2) koe andH _c ^[110] =(4.9±0.6) koe. In addition an investigation of a number of satellite lines is performed. Some of them can be interpreted as spin wave sidebands (Stokes and anti-Stokes); others obviously come from dysprosium ions which have impurity ions on regular lattice sites as neighbours.     

Transition probabilities and the structure of some negative-parity states in126,130Xe and132Ba

The lifetimes of several negative-parity states in^126,130Xe and¹³²Ba have been determined by means of the generalized centroid-shift method. The reactions^124,128Te(α,2n) and¹²²Sn(¹³C, 3n) have been used. Following results were obtained:T _1/2(2758 keV)=1.3±0.2 ns in¹²⁶Xe,T _1/2(2060 keV)=0.20±0.10 ns,T _1/2(2104 keV)=0.50±0.10 ns,T _1/2(2376 keV)=0.30±0.10 ns andT _1/2(2973 keV)=4.6±0.4 ns in¹³⁰Xe as well asT _1/2(2120 keV)=0.40 _?0.10 ^+0.20 ns in¹³²Ba. A systematics of the B(E2; 7 _? ¹ ?5 ₁ ^? ) values in theN=76 nuclei is presented. Electric dipole and quadrupole transition rates are discussed in terms of octupole and quadrupole collectivity. The structure of the 5 ₁ ^? and 7 ₁ ^? states is considered. Nuclear reactions:^124,128Te(α, 2 _n ),E=26 MeV,¹²²Sn (¹³C, 3n),E=53 MeV; measuredE _γ I _γ , γ-r.f. DeducedT _1/2, B(σL) in^126,130Xe and¹³²Ba. Ge detectors. Generalized centroid-shift analysis.     

Quasi-two-dimensional transport properties of the layered superconductor Nd2−xCe x CuO4+δ

The temperature dependences of resistivities ρ_ab in the ab plane and ρ_c along the c axis have been studied for single-crystal Nd_{2 ? x} Ce_xCuO_{4 + δ} (x = 0.12, 0.15, 0.17, 0.20) films with (001) and (1 $\bar 1$ 0) orientations. The superconducting transition temperature and anisotropy coefficient are shown to be maximal in optimally annealed samples (the oxygen content is close to the stoichiometric content, δ → 0). A combination of the metallic behavior of the ρ_ab(T) dependence and the nonmetallic behavior of the ρ_c(T) dependence for the optimally annealed samples is an intrinsic property of the substance and an indication of the fact that the system is quasi-two-dimensional. This layered quasi-two-dimensional system is an Anderson dielectric with a strongly anisotropic localization radius (R _loc ^ab ? R _loc ^c ). An increase in the oxygen content and, hence, in the degree of disorder in the Nd_{2 ? x} Ce_xCuO_{4 + δ} system is found to decrease the resistivity anisotropy coefficient. Thus, a disorder-induced Anderson transition takes place in this quasi-two-dimensional system.     

Search forββ decay of76Ge to the excited states in76Se

Lower limits on the half-life of theββ(2v+0v) decay of⁷⁶Ge to the excited states in⁷⁶Se have been obtained using the results of low-background measurements with a HPGe detector surrounded by passive germanium shielding: T_1/2(0⁺ → 2 ₁ ⁺ ) >1.1 · 10²¹ y, T_1/2(0⁺ → 0 ₁ ⁺ ) > 1.7 · 10²¹ y, T_1/2(0⁺ → 2^2/+) > 1.4 ·10²¹ y.     

169Tm NMR study of the high-Tc superconductor TmBa2Cu3O6.92

The ground state of Tm³⁺ ion (4t²,³H₆) in a crystal electric field (CEF) of TmBaCuO is a singlet, separated from the lowest excited states by an energy gap of 100÷130 cm^?1. The pulsed NMR of¹⁶⁹Tm nuclei (spinI=1/2) in a magnetically-oriented TmBa₂Cu₃O_6.92 power is studied at temperatures 1.5÷4.2 K. Two sorts of Tm nuclei are observed: rapidly relaxing Tm1 (≥80% of total amount, having relaxation timesT ₁ ⁽¹⁾ ≈35 ms,T ₂ ⁽¹⁾ =80÷250 μs) and slowly relaxing Tm2 nuclei (≦20%,T ₁ ⁽²⁾ =300÷1000 μs). The¹⁶⁹Tm NMR spectra are described by the spin-Hamiltonian ?₁ = ??Σγ _i H _i I _i (i = x,y,z), where |γ _x ⁽¹⁾/2π| = 5.3(1), |γ _y ⁽¹⁾/2π| = 6.6(1), |γ _x ⁽²⁾/2π| = |γ _y ⁽²⁾/2π| = 5.1(1), |γ _z ⁽¹⁾/2π| = |γ _z ⁽²⁾/2π| = 2.3(1) kHz/Oe, and axesx, y, z coincide with the crystal axesa, b, c. The Tm1 and Tm2 nuclei are identified as those belonging to orthorhombic (CEF of D_2h symmetry) and tetragonal (D_4h) phases of the TmBaCuO compound, respectively. Two-exponential and nearly temperature-independent nuclear relaxation is observed at temperatures 1.5÷4.2 K. The smallestT ₂ ⁽¹⁾ -values (≈80 μs) found for the orthorhombic (superconducting) phase in an external field H perpendicular to the crystalc-axis agree fairly well with those one could expect due to the dipole-dipole interaction of thulium nuclei. However, the slowing down of this rapid relaxation of the nuclear transverse magnetization in a field H‖c as well as the origin of unusually largeT ₂ ⁽²⁾ -values remain unclear.     

Emission properties of an atmospheric-pressure helium plasma jet generated by a barrier discharge

The emission properties of an atmospheric-pressure helium plasma jet generated by a barrier discharge in a capillary blown with helium are studied. The spectral composition of the radiation of the studied plasma jet and the spatial-spectral distribution of its intensity are investigated in detail. It is shown that the emission spectrum of the generated plasma jet outside the capillary consists mainly of electronic-vibrational transitions of the first negative system of ionized nitrogen molecules N ₂ ⁺ (B ²Σ _u ⁺ → X ²Σ _g ⁺ ) and the second positive system of neutral nitrogen molecules N₂(C ³Π _u → B ³Π _g ).     

Observation of perturbations in the rovibronic transition probabilities for the (4d)r 3Π g − , (4d) s 3 Δ g − → (2p) c 3Π u ± band systems of the H2 molecule

The ratios of the radiative transition probabilities for the lines of the P, Q, and R branches of the (4d)r ³Π _g ^? , (4d)s ³Δ _g ^? → (2p) c ³Π _u ^± band systems of the H₂ molecule have been measured for the first time. Significant (to two orders of magnitudes) differences are found between the experimental values and the adiabatic theory predictions. It is established that the results of the nonadiabatic calculation performed by us in the pure-precession approximation taking into account the electronic-rotational interaction of the 4d ³Π_g and 4d ³Δ_g states are in agreement with the experimental data. The optimal energies of rovibronic levels of the r ³Π _g ^? , s ³Δ _g ^? , c ³Π _u ^? , and c ³Π _u ⁺ states have been found and reidentification of 11 from 54 spectral lines, assigned previously to the (0-0) and (1-1) bands, was performed.     

Effect of renormalization of magnetic fluctuations on the kinetic coefficients of high-T c superconductors

Temperature dependences of resistivity, ρ(T), and Hall coefficient, R _H (T), in a 2D doped antiferromagnet are studied for various forms of the dynamic spin susceptibility X(q, θ) (in the mean-field approximation, taking into account attenuation and renormalization of the magnetic excitation spectrum θ_q, and for so-called strongly overdamped magnons). Doped CuO₂ planes in cuprates are considered in the one-band model of the Kondo lattice. Charge carrier scattering anisotropy, which strongly depends on temperature, is taken into account using the density matrix formalism and seven-moment approximation for the nonequilibrium distribution function. It is shown that the behavior of ρ(T) and R _H (T) is completely determined by the renormalization θ_q → $\omega _q \to \tilde \omega _q $ of the spin wave spectrum (the renormalization is essentially controlled by the fulfillment of the sum rule for X(q, θ) and by the strong temperature dependence of the gap δ(T). The resultant ρ(T) and R _H (T) dependences match the experimental data for optimally doped high-T _c superconductors.     

Nuclear spin relaxation of Xe in liquid Te

By the method of time differential perturbed angular distribution following a nuclear reaction, the relaxation rateT _r ^?1 of the 8 msI ^π=10⁺ isomer of¹³²Xe has been measured in liquid Te. Between 670 °K (supercooled liquid) and 1,000 °K the rate decreases from about 720/s by about a factor of two. From existing experimental material it is concluded thatT _r ^?1 is mainly due to quadrupolar interaction (T _r ^?1 ≈T _Q ^?1 ). Its magnitude is discussed considering the metallic and the noble gas limit as models for the Xe-Te-interactions. The temperature dependenceT _Q(T) apparently does not correlate with the diffusion constant of Te in contrast to a simplified theoretical treatment. — The nuclearg value of the isomer has been determined to be g=(?)0.195(5) thus confirming the configuration (vh_11/2)².     

Absolute cross sections of electron attachment to molecular clusters: Part I. Formation of (CO2) N −

A procedure of determining absolute cross section σ^? of electron attachment to (CO₂)_N clusters at pair collisions in crossed beams is suggested. The cross section is measured as a function of energy (E = 0.1–50 eV) and of cluster mean size N in a beam $(\bar N = 2 - 4000 molecules)$ . It is found that, even at $\bar N > 200$ and E ≤ 3 eV, σ^? is equal to, or larger than, 7 × 10^?13 cm², i.e., by more than one order of magnitude exceeds the maximal cross section of CO₂ ionization by electron impact. The dependences σ^? $(\bar N,E)$ have two wide continua at E ≤ 5.2 eV and E ≥ 6.9 eV, which correlate well with known functions of CO₂ electron-impact-induced excitation. These continua are attributed largely to formation of (CO₂) _N ^? ions during electron thermalization and solvation in the clusters. At E → 0, the polarization capture of an incident electron by the cluster leads to a sharp increase in cross section σ^?(E). From the dependences σ^? $(\bar N,E)$ measured, the thermalization and sovation probabilities for electrons with E ≤ 0.8 eV and the rate of electron energy loss in the cluster are found.