Transport properties of high-quality epitaxial graphene on 6H-SiC(0001)

We have extensively studied the electronic properties of epitaxial graphene grown on the Si face of a 6H silicon carbide substrate by thermal decomposition in an argon atmosphere. Using e-beam lithography, large van der Pauw structures as well as Hall bars were patterned. Their size ranged from millimeters down to submicrometer-sized Hall bars, the latter entirely placed on atomically flat substrate terraces. We found reproducible electronic properties, independent of the sample size and orientation, over a broad temperature range. A comparison of the mobility values indicated no enhanced scattering at the macroscopic step edges of the SiC substrate and due to adsorbed molecules. However, the strong coupling to the substrate results in an elevated charge carrier density n and a reduced mobility μ compared to exfoliated graphene. If n is decreased the mobility rises substantially (up to 29 000 cm²/V s at 25 K), and Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations and the graphene-like quantum Hall effect become visible. This leads to the conclusion that the electrons in epitaxial graphene have the same quasi-relativistic properties previously shown in exfoliated graphene and expected from theory.     

Temperature dependence of the roton in liquid4He

In new neutron scattering measurements on⁴He at saturated vapour pressure (SVP), we have probed to within 0.0007 K of T_λ from below, revealing a dramatic increase in the damping rate of the momentum fluctuations and a marked softening of the roton frequency, with the changes occurring primarily very close to T_λ and being complete at T_λ. In contrast to 20 bars, the roton at SVP does not, however, go completely soft. Above T_λ, the modes are strongly damped and overlapping whereas at 20 bars they are overdamped (non-propagating).     

Neutron scattering from liquid helium three at elevated pressure

The inelastic neutron scattering from liquid³He at 0.7 K has been measured at the saturated vapour pressure, 10 bars, and 20 bars pressure, using the IN5 time of flight spectrometer at the Institut Laue-Langevin. Results were obtained for wavevector transfers,Q, in the region, 1.1<Q<2.4 Å^–1, and for energy transfers,, up to 27 K. There was no indication of a well defined zero sound mode even at an applied pressure of 20 bars. At low wavevector transfers, increasing the pressure increases the intensity at low energy transfers (<10 K), while at higher energy transfers, a decrease in intensity is observed with increasing pressure. At higher wavevector transfers, (Q1.9 Å^–1, the position of the roton minimum in superfluid⁴He), the scattering is a broad distribution, whose peak frequency decreases by more than a factor of 2, on increasing the pressure from S.V.P. to 20 bars. This is a considerably larger change in energy than is expected from previous estimates of the pressure dependence of the effective mass of³He.     

Pulsed holmium laser ablation of tissue phantoms: correlation between bubble formation and acoustic transients

5 Pa served as tissue phantoms to evaluate such effects. Holmium laser pulses (wavelength: 2.12 μm, duration: 180 μs FWHM), were delivered through 400 and 600 μm diameter optical fibers inserted into cubes of clear gel. Bubble effects were investigated using simultaneous flash micro-videography and pressure recording for radiant exposures of 20–382 J/cm². Bubble formation and bubble collapse induced pressure transients were observed regardless of phantom stiffness. Bubbles of up to 4.2 mm in length were observed in gels with a Young’s modulus of 2.9×10⁵ Pa at a pulse energy of 650 mJ. An increase of Young’s modulus (reduction in water content) led to a monotonic reduction of bubble size. In the softest gels, bubble dimensions exceeded those observed in water. Pressure amplitudes at 3 mm decreased from 100±14 bars to 17±6 bars with increasing Young’s modulus over the studied range. Theoretical analysis suggested a major influence on bubble dynamics of the mass and energy transfer through the bubble boundary. Received: 26 August 1996/Revised version: 10 February 1997     

Dynamics of quantum liquids in nanoporous media

We sketch our recent neutron scattering measurements of the phonon-roton (P-R) modes and Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of liquid ⁴He in porous media. The aim is to reveal the interdependence of BEC, well-defined P-R modes and superfluidity in helium confined to nanoscales and in disorder. In all porous media investigated to date, we observe well-defined P-R modes above T_c in the normal liquid phase, up to T_λ. Since well defined P-R modes are associated with BEC, this suggests that there is BEC above T_c in porous media. We interpret this as BEC localized to favorable regions separated by regions of normal fluid. At high pressures, p ≥25 bars, well defined P-R modes are no longer observed at lower wavevectors, Q ≤1.5 ?. At p ≈39 bars a roton is no longer observed. Work is in progress to explore whether loss of modes can be associated with a recently reported Quantum Phase Transition.     

Magnetic moment of pressure quenched cadmium sulfide

Magnetic moment measurements of CdS polycrystalline samples, pressure quenched from above the semiconducting to conducting transition pressure (40 kbars) at rates approaching 10⁶ bars/sec, have been made in a vibrating sample magneto-meter to fields approaching 1000 Oersted. The samples exhibit the complex magnetic behavior of low field diamagnetism (χ > - 5 × 10^-5cgsunits) transforming at fields of several hundred Oersted to positive magnetism (χ > + 3 × 10^-4cgsunits). This magnetic behavior contrasts with unquenched samples which yield the normal diamagnetism of CdS (χ = - 1.5 × 10^-6cgsunits). These anomalous magnetic effects are observed at both room temperatures and LN₂ temperatures at atmospheric pressure.     

Excitations of metastable superfluid 4He at pressures up to 40 bars

Neutron scattering measurements of the fundamental excitations of liquid 4He confined in 44 A pore diameter gelsil glass at pressures up to 40 bars in the wave vector range 0.41.6 A(-1), especially the rotons, are observed up to complete solidification of all the liquid at a pressure of approximately 40 bars where the roton vanishes. At and above a pressure of 35.1 bars, Bragg peaks are observed, indicating coexistence of liquid and solid in the pores at pressures 35 less than or approximately equal P less than or approximately equal 40 bars.     

Fundamentals of Astrometry,by Jean Kovalevsky and P. Kenneth Seidelmann

The study of solids, at static pressures up to 500 kilobars, and transient pressures up to ～ 5 × 10⁶ bars (1 bar = 0.99 atmospheres), has increased rapidly in the last ten years. Under pressure, all solids show a variety of atomic and electronic transformations into more condensed forms, eventually approaching a metallic state. As well as providing novel forms of matter to study, these experiments give data on the stability and cohesion in different types of crystal, the transition from the insulator to the metallic state, equations of state, melting phenomena and geophysical problems. In this review the experimental methods are briefly surveyed, and some of the more important results on typical ionic, covalent, metallic and molecular crystals are discussed.     

MCRG study of fixed-connectivity surfaces

We apply the Monte Carlo Renormalization group to the crumpling transition in random surface models of fixed connectivity. This transition is notoriously difficult to treat numerically. We employ here a Fourier accelerated Langevin algorithm in conjunction with a novel blocking procedure in momentum space which has proven extremely successful in λφ⁴. We perform two successive renormalizations in lattices with up to 64² sites. We obtain a result for the critical exponent ν in general agreement with previous estimates and similar error bars, but with much less computational effort. We also measure with great accuracy η. As a by-product we are able to determine the fractal dimension d_H of random surfaces at the crumpling transition.     

Oscillator strengths for O(II) ions

Oscillator strengths between various doublet states of O(II) ions are calculated with extensive use of multi-configuration wave functions. The lower levels for the transition are in the 2p^{3 2}D⁰ and 2p^{3 2}P⁰ states, and the upper levels are 2p⁴, 3s, and 3d states. The results, which are estimated to have errors of less than 10% for individual transitions, agree quite well with beam-foil experiments, as well as with calculations made by the use of the non-closed-shell many-electron theory (NCMET). The present ratios of transition probabilities are estimated to have errors of less than 20%. A comparison with recent branching ratio measurements indicates that agreement between theory and experiment is within the overlap of the error bars except for the $\text{538}\text{581}$ Å pair. Agreement with rocket measurements is only within the overlap of the error bars for the $\text{718}\text{797}$ Å pair.     

High frequency phonon studies of KI:OH- under uniaxial stress

Phonon absorption measurements have been made on KI:OH^- as a function of uniaxial stress up to 540 bars over the spectral range 50–225 GHz. The data support the two level model introduced earlier to explain the para- electric resonance data, and the stress coupling parameters are similar in magnitude to those obtained for other alkali halide:OH^- systems.     

Nonlinearity and hysteresis in longitudinal current transport in CoSi/GaAs alloy layers deposited from laser plasma

The electron transport properties of nanosized CoSi alloy layers deposited at a lowered temperature (350°C) from laser plasma onto single-crystalline gallium arsenide have been studied. An asymmetry of the current-voltage characteristic (CVC) in the longitudinal current transport in such layers has been found, which indicates the spin polarization of charge carriers, and a substantial (up to 18%) nonlinearity and a hysteresis (up to 4%) have been revealed both at room temperature and at 77 K for comparatively low current densities (up to 5 × 10⁴ A/cm²). In repeated cycles of CVC measurements at 77 K, irreversible changes in the properties of the layers have been observed.     

Mn2+ and Tl+ luminescence in β-aluminas

The compounds AGa₁₁O₁₇ (A = K, Rb, Cs) and AAl₁₁O₁₇ (A = Na, K, Rb) have the β-alumina structure. The Mn²⁺-activated gallates show efficient luminescence under 254 nm excitation with an emission peaking at 498 nm and a quantum efficiency up to 70%. The Tl⁺-activated aluminates show efficient luminescence under 254 nm excitation with an emission peaking at 380–390 nm and a quantum efficiency up to 70%. In AAl₁₁O₁₇: Tl⁺ energy is transferred from Tl⁺ to Mn²⁺, resulting in an emission peaking at 512 nm with a quantum efficiency up to 55%.     

Estimates of universal combinations between thermodynamic critical amplitudes for Ising-like systems

From field theory at d = 3 up to four-loop order, we have estimated with error bars the three universal combinations of leading critical amplitudes which relate the susceptibility, the specific heat and the coexistence curve in the two phases.     

The Giant Dipole Resonance in the superdeformed143Eu nucleus

The γ-decay of the Giant Dipole Resonance (GDR) built on excited nuclear states has been measured for the nucleus¹⁴³Eu. The reaction¹¹⁰Pd(³⁷Cl, 4n)¹⁴³Eu at a beam energy of 165 MeV has been employed. This experiment aimed at searching the γ-decay of the GDR built on the superdeformed¹⁴³Eu states, populated at high spins. High-energy γ-rays were detected in 8 large BaF₂ scintillators in coincidence with discrete transitions measured with the NORDBALL array (in the configuration consisting of 17 HPGe detectors and a 2π multiplicity filter). The spectrum of high-energy γ-rays gated by low-energy transitions between states fed by the superdeformed states shows some excess of yield in the 7–10 MeV region with respect to that gated by transitions between states not populated by the superdeformed states. This excess should be due to the γ-decay of the the giant dipole oscillation along the superdeformed axis of the nucleus that is expected to have a frequency corresponding to ≈9–10 MeV (low-energy component of the GDR strength function). The measured excess, in spite of the large error bars, is found to be of the same order as predicted statistical model values.     

Editorial

Using coupled cluster singles and doubles linear response theory and the d-aug-cc-pVTZ basis set extended with a 3s3p2d1f1g set of midbond functions, the interaction induced electric dipole polarisability surface of the CO–Ar van der Waals complex is computed. Combining this surface with accurate intermolecular potential energy and electric dipole surfaces, the pressure and dielectric second virial coefficients of the complex are calculated by a classical statistical approach. Excellent agreement with experimental results (to within the experimental error bars) is obtained for the pressure second virial coefficient over a range of temperatures. No previous experimental or theoretical investigations have been carried out for the dielectric second virial coefficient, B _ε(T), which is estimated to be about 1.9 cm⁶ mol^??1 at room temperature. This value results from a balance of terms due to the interaction induced electric dipole polarisability (predominant at high temperatures) and orientational electric dipole contributions.     

A new study of Kπ scattering between 0.7 and 2 GeV/c2

We present new data on the reaction K⁺d → K⁺π^?p(p), at 5.44 GeV/c. This reaction is dominated by absorbed pion exchange and we have used the data to study K⁺π^? scattering between 0.7 and 2 GeV/c². We find the $\text{I=}\text{1}\text{2}$ s-wave Kπ phase shift increases approximately linearly with mass up to 1.45 GeV/c², and have evidence for a more rapid variation of the s-wave amplitude in the region of 1.5 GeV/c². The so-called “up” branches in the region of the K¹(890) and K¹(1400) are excluded, save for the possibility of narrow s-wave resonances of width <10 MeV/c². We have explained quantitatively every aspect of the data up to 2 GeV/c² with s-, p-, d- and f-waves, finding an f-wave resonance at a mass of ≈1.76 GeV/c² and with a width ≈300 MeV/c². We have obtained new resonance parameters for the K¹(1400) which differ substantially from the currently accepted values.     

Temperature- and illumination-dependence of the work function of gallium arsenide

Contact potentials of vacuum-cleaved (110) surfaces of GaAs have been measured as functions of temperature (77 < T < 400 K) and illumination intensity by means of a transparent vibrating capacitor. Surface photovoltage as a function of wavelength and intensity of light, as well as relaxation times, have been measured at various temperatures. Samples of greater than 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ doping exhibit photovoltages of 1–2 mV or less and little variation of work function with temperature. At a doping level of 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ p-type samples display photovoltages of more than 50 mV at 77 K and up to 10 mV at room temperature. Moderately doped n-type samples (1.8 × 10¹⁶ and 2.7 × 10¹⁷) exhibit photovoltages up to 0.25 eV at room temperature. At low temperatures, their work function can have two apparently stable values: upon rapid cooling in total darkness, the work function decreases about 80 mV, but during illumination at 77 K, however weak, it decreases by an additional 0.5 V to a new value at which it remains in the dark. This behavior can be accounted for by surface photovoltage according to a simple model not requiring a temperature dependence of surface state spectra. Light is absorbed through interband transitions in the bulk, the surface charge is altered by surface recombination and the return to equilibrium occurs by thermal excitation and tunneling of carriers.     

A study of the states of 30Si with the 28Si(t,p)30Si and 29Si(d,p)30Si reactions

The excitation energies of the levels in ³⁰Si have been measured up to an excitation of 9.46 MeV with the ²⁸Si(t, p)³⁰Si reaction at a triton energy of 6.0 MeV. Angular distributions have been measured of proton groups from the ²⁸Si(t, p)³⁰Si and ²⁹Si(d, p)³⁰Si reactions in a multi-angle magnetic spectrograph. Triton bombarding energies of 10.5 and 12.1 MeV were used and the deuteron incident energy was 10.0 MeV. States in ³⁰Si up to an excitation of 8 MeV were observed. Spins and parities of several states have been assigned using an empirical method for the (t, p) results and using a DWBA analysis for the (d, p) distributions. Spectroscopic factors for twelve states were obtained from the latter analysis. Two of these disagree with theoretical predictions. The state previously reported at an excitation of 6.63 MeV in ³⁰Si was observed to be formed by a strong L = 0 transition in the (t, p) reaction and also by a strong l = 1 transition in the (d, p) reaction. We deduce that there are two closely spaced states at about this excitation, one having a spin and parity of 0⁺ and the other 0^?, 1^? or 2^?.     

Gamma-ray emission from 134Ce and levels in 134La

The decay of ¹³⁴Ce to doubly odd ¹³⁴La has been studied using Ge(Li) and Si(Li) photon detectors. Samples of the ¹³⁴Ce(75.9 h)- ¹³⁴La(6.67 min) have been produced by ≈ 800 MeV proton bombardment of Pr foils in LAMPF, followed by chemical and mass separation. To increase the sensitivity (by up to a factor ≈ 50) for detection of ¹³⁴Ce γ-rays in the presence of the interfering ¹³⁴La activity, the ¹³⁴Ce-¹³⁴La samples were loaded onto a HDEHP column and the ¹³⁴La eluted off continuously. Gamma-ray singles and γ-γ coincidence measurements were made using the ¹³⁴Ce activity remaining on the column as the source. Some 32 γ-rays, ranging in energy up to 355 keV, are observed to be associated with this decay. Approximately 30 of these have been fitted into a level scheme for ¹³⁴La with excited states at energies of 31, 54, 93, 136 or 148, 162, 187, 150 or 205, 252, 294 and 355 keV. Only limits can be set for the spin and parity values of each of these states. The observation of γ-rays with energies up to 355 keV indicates that the previously reported values of ≈ 0.1 MeV for the ¹³⁴Ce electron-capture decay energy, inferred from the K-electron capture probability, are incorrect.