Thermodynamic investigation of an insulator irradiated by a low-energy electron beam

The surface of an insulating material irradiated by a beam of low energy electrons charges positively if the yield of secondary electron is greater than unity. For such a dynamical equilibrium, the thermodynamic properties have been investigated by measuring the surface potential in response to a temperature oscillation of the material. It is shown that an oscillation amplitude of 0.4 K at 530 K induces an oscillation of the surface potential of about 0.5 volts. The frequency dependence indicates a monotonous decrease in the response with decreasing frequency, extrapolating to zero at zero frequency. We propose that this modification of the surface charge is driven by the temperature dependence of a gas of charged particles in equilibrium with the vacuum level.     

Second-harmonic generation in the interior of an isotropic medium with quadratic nonlinearity by a focused inhomogeneously polarized pump beam

This paper presents a theoretical study of second-harmonic generation (SHG) by a focused pump beam in the interior of an isotropic medium, experimentally observed earlier. It shows that the spatial dispersion of the quadratic optical response of the substance can be responsible for this nonlinear process even when a macroscopic inversion center is present in the medium. It is established that this effect, which is impossible in the plane-wave approximation, also does not occur when a Gaussian pump beam with uniform distribution of the polarization state of the wave field over the cross section is used, but that the presence in the pump beam of higher transverse modes with polarization different from the fundamental mode can cause an SHG signal to appear. The conditions for a wave to appear at the doubled frequency are found, analytical dependences for its electric field and total power on the propagation coordinate, the degree of focusing, and the other parameters of the problem are obtained, and the requirements on the optimum experimental geometry are formulated. The dependence of the signal-beam power on the wavevector detuning is studied, and it is shown that interference effects can cause the wave at the second harmonic to disappear when a normal dispersion law is obeyed in the region between the fundamental and doubled frequencies. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 1261–1276 (April 1998)     

Hydrocarbon film formed on the surface of a semiconductor irradiated by an electron beam

The rate of formation of a hydrocarbon film on the surface of a sample subjected to the action of an electron beam is studied at room temperature and in cooling a sample to the liquid nitrogen temperature. The thickness and the optical radiation transmission of such films are measured as functions of the electron beam radiation time, the sample temperature, and the level of vacuum. The film thickness is measured with atomic force microscopy. The absorption of the films is determined by comparing the cathodoluminescence intensities from a pure sample surface and from the surface covered with a film. The experimental results can be used to estimate the film formation rate as a function of the sample temperature and the vacuum and to determine the optical radiation absorption at a wavelength of 300, 360, 550, and 665 nm.     

Hose instability and wake generation by an intense electron beam in a self-ionized gas

The propagation of an intense relativistic electron beam through a gas that is self-ionized by the beam's space charge and wakefields is examined analytically and with 3D particle-in-cell simulations. Instability arises from the coupling between a beam and the offset plasma channel it creates when it is perturbed. The traditional electron hose instability in a preformed plasma is replaced with this slower growth instability depending on the radius of the ionization channel compared to the electron blowout radius. A new regime for hose stable plasma wakefield acceleration is suggested.     

In situ electron beam irradiated rapid growth of bismuth nanoparticles in bismuth-based glass dielectrics at room temperature

In this study, in situ control growth of bismuth nanoparticles (Bi⁰ NPs) was demonstrated in bismuth-based glass dielectrics under an electron beam (EB) irradiation at room temperature. The effects of EB irradiation were investigated in situ using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected-area electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The EB irradiation for 2–8 min enhanced the construction of bismuth nanoparticles with a rhombohedral structure and diameter of 4–9 nm. The average particle size was found to increase with the irradiation time. Bismuth metal has a melting point of 271 °C and this low melting temperature makes easy the progress of energy induced structural changes during in situ TEM observations. This is a very useful technique in nano-patterning for integrated optics and other applications.     

Second-harmonic generation in a direct-bonded periodically poled LiNbO(3) buried waveguide

We report the fabrication of a 12-mum -thick periodically poled LiNbO(3) planar waveguide buried in LiTaO(3) by direct bonding of precision-polished surfaces. Frequency doubling of the 1064-nm output of a cw diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser was performed in a 5.5-mm-long device with a 6.50-mum -period grating at an elevated temperature of 174 degrees C. The resultant green second-harmonic output exhibited fundamental-spatial-mode characteristics at a 4.3%W(-1) conversion efficiency.     

Determination of As (III) and As(V) in sea water by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

The present paper reports a method based on intermittent flow injection (FI) hydride generation (HG) combined with atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) detection for the determination of As in sea water. Experimental conditions for FI-HG were optimized. 5.0% hydrochloric acid-0.1 mol x L(-1) citric acid solution was selected as the carrier flow as well as the sample medium, and 2% KBH4-0. 5% KOH was used as the reductant. An argon gas flow was used for carrying the generated arsine to the Ar-H2 flame for atomization. Organic species of arsenic cannot be generated arsine under the selected conditions. The real sea water samples collected at Zhanqiao seashore in Qingdao and more than 30 other areas were analyzed under optimized working conditions, and experiments verified that the determination of As(III) and As(V) could approximately assess the As pollution for marine water while organic arsenic in natural sea water was so slight that could be neglected in case large amount of samples should be analyzed.     

Optical characterization of thermally evaporated thin films of As40S40Se20 chalcogenide glass by reflectance measurements

40 S₄₀Se₂₀, deposited by thermal evaporation, were obtained in the 400 nm to 2200 nm spectral region. The optical constants of this amorphous material were computed using an optical characterization method based mainly on the ideas of Minkov and Swanepoel of utilising the upper and lower envelopes of the spectrum, which allows us to obtain both the real and imaginary parts of the complex refractive index, and the film thickness. Thickness measurements made by a surface-profiling stylus have been carried out to cross-check the results obtained by the optical method. The dispersion of the refractive index is discussed in terms of the single-oscillator Wemple–DiDomenico model. The optical band gap has been determined from absorption coefficient data by Tauc’s procedure. Finally, the photo-induced and thermally induced changes in the optical properties of a-As₄₀S₄₀Se₂₀ thin films were also studied, using both transmission and reflection spectra. Received: 11 February 1998/Accepted: 16 February 1998     

Enthalpy relaxation kinetics of Ge20Te(80-y)Sey far-infrared glasses in the glass transition range

Differential scanning calorimetry was used to study enthalpy relaxation kinetics of the Ge₂₀Te_(80-y)Se_y infrared chalcogenide glasses for the compositional range y = 0–8. The relaxation behaviour was described in terms of the phenomenological Tool–Narayanaswamy–Moynihan (TNM) model. The direct curve-fitting procedure was used to determine the values of TNM parameters. Compositional evolution of the TNM parameters was interpreted with respect to the involved structural entities and their motions. Based on the joint Raman scattering study, the addition of Se leads to increased amount of edge-shared GeTe_4-xSe_x tetrahedra. While the primary structural basis for the relaxation movements appears not to be affected by addition of Se (constant value of non-linearity), changes of the non-exponentiality parameter indicate increased structural variability occurring within the groups of directly interlinked tetrahedra, which were found to carry the main portion of relaxation movements. Increased activation energy was explained by the presence of significantly stronger Ge–Se bonds and increased amount of edge-shared tetrahedra.     

On the fatigue strength of grade 20Cr13 hardened steel modified by an electron beam

The treatment of 20Cr13-grade hardened steel (0.2% C, 13% Cr) with an electron beam whose energy density is 10–30 J/cm² results in an increase in the fatigue life by a factor of 1.9. The irradiated surface is investigated by scanning electron microscopy; substantial refinement of the grain structure and a change in the Cr content in the surface layer are revealed.     

Second-harmonic generation from a KBe(2) BO(3)F(2) crystal in the deep ultraviolet

By use of KBe(2)BO(3)F(2) (KBBF) crystal with a size of 10 mmx10 mm x1.2 mm and a special prism-coupling technique (PCT), fourth-harmonic generation of Ti:sapphire laser systems from 200 to 179.4 nm has been achieved. Moreover, with a Ti:sapphire laser with a 50-fs pulse duration and a 1-kHz repetition rate, conversion efficiency as high as 13% from 400 to 200 nm without any surface-loss correction has also been obtained. The data show that with the PCT a KBBF crystal can produce deep-UV coherent light with measurable power output.     

Second-harmonic generation in a microradius LiNbO(3) cylinder with a quasi-elliptical cross section

LiNbO(3) single-crystal fibers with diameters of 63 and 230 mum were grown, and the second-harmonic-generation (SHG) process was studied with femtosecond laser pulses perpendicularly focused to the fiber. SHG occurred without collinear phase matching, leading to wavelength-independent overall conversion efficiency, unlike in a bulk crystal. The scattering pattern of the second harmonic exhibited an intense forward peak and an almost-uniform, less-intense distribution around the fiber, owing to trapping in high-Q whispering modes. Implementation of a second-order autocorrelator with the 63-mum fiber demonstrates its application potential.     

Nanosecond discharge in sulfur hexafluoride and the generation of an ultrashort avalanche electron beam

A discharge in the presence of a nonuniform electric field and the generation of an ultrashort avalanche electron beam (UAEB) are studied in the insulating gas SF₆ at the pressures 0.01–2.50 atm. High-voltage nanosecond pulses (about 150 and 250 kV) and the voltage pulses with an amplitude of 25 kV and a duration of tens of nanoseconds are applied across the gap. An electron beam is obtained behind the AlBe foil with a thickness of 45 μm at a sulfur hexafluoride pressure in a gas-filled diode of up to 2 atm. It is demonstrated that, at relatively high pressures (greater than 1 atm) and in the presence of high-voltage nanosecond pulses across the gap, the UAEB pulse FWHM increases. The spectra of the diffuse and contracted discharges in sulfur hexafluoride are measured.     

Second-harmonic generation in GaAs: experiment versus theoretical predictions of chi(2)xyz

For GaAs we have determined |chi((2))(xyz)(-2omega;omega,omega)| in second-harmonic generation experiments using two-photon energies between 2 and 5 eV. In addition to the E1, E1+delta(1), E'0, and E2 critical-point bulk transitions of GaAs, a surprisingly strong surface transition at 3.35 eV was observed for natively oxidized GaAs(001) samples. A detailed comparison with theoretical predictions reveals that calculations that include many-particle effects at the level of the "scissors" approximation can describe the overall frequency dependence of the second-harmonic susceptibility reasonably well.     

Second-harmonic generation in quasi-periodically domain-inverted Sr(0.6) Ba(0.4) Nb(2)O(6) optical superlattices

One-dimensional Fibonacci-type quasi-periodically domain-inverted structures have been successfully fabricated in a strontium barium niobate crystal by electric field poling. With a single such structure, type I phase-matched second-harmonic generation (SHG) has been demonstrated at several wavelengths from red to near ultraviolet. The spectral positions of the observed SHG peaks are in good agreement with theoretical predictions. The range of measured conversion efficiencies is 2-10%.     

Thermocapillary convection in a target irradiated by an intense charged particle beam

A mathematical model is proposed for the heat-and-mass transfer in a target irradiated by an intense charged particle beam. It includes mechanics of continua equations and a kinetic equation for fast particles that are closed by a wide-range equation of state. A method for solving the model equations, which is based on the division of motion into vortex and potential flows, is proposed, and a numerical experiment is performed. Thermocapillary convection is shown to be the main mechanism of liquid-phase mixing in the target. Convective mixing is found to be effected when the pulse duration is much shorter than the characteristic thermal diffusivity time. Thermocapillary convection is shown to provide mixing on scales of 1–20 μm depending on the irradiation conditions.