Neodymium concentration dependence of 0.94-, 1.06- and 1.34-μm laser emission and of heating effects under 809- and 885-nm diode laser pumping of Nd:YAG

Laser emission in the 0.94-, 1.06- and 1.34-micron ranges in diluted and concentrated Nd:YAG crystals longitudinally pumped by a 885-nm diode laser on the ⁴ I _9/2→⁴ F _3/2 transition is investigated. Continuous-wave operation at watt level in all these wavelength ranges is demonstrated with a 1.0-at. % Nd:YAG crystal; however, the laser performance is impeded by the low pump absorption efficiency. Improved output power and overall efficiency were obtained with a highly doped 2.5-at. % Nd:YAG crystal: 5.5 W at 1.06 μm and 3.8 W at 1.34 μm with 0.38 and 0.26 efficiencies, respectively. Comparative results with traditional pumping at 809 nm into the highly absorbing ⁴ F _5/2 level are presented, showing the advantage of the direct ⁴ F _3/2 pumping. The influence of the lasing wavelength and of the Nd concentration on the thermal effects induced by the optical pumping in the laser material is discussed. A clear relation between the heat generated in the Nd:YAG crystals in lasing and non-lasing regimes, a function of the Nd doping, is demonstrated. PACS 42.55.Rz; 42.60.By; 42.60.Da     

Mixing angles of quarks and leptons in quantum field theory

Arguments coming from Quantum Field Theory are supplemented with a 1-loop perturbative calculation to settle the non-unitarity of mixing matrices linking renormalized mass eigenstates to bare flavor states for non-degenerate coupled fermions. We simultaneously diagonalize the kinetic and mass terms and counterterms in the renormalized Lagrangian. SU(2) _L gauge invariance constrains the mixing matrix in charged currents of renormalized mass states, for example the Cabibbo matrix, to stay unitary. Leaving aside CP violation, we observe that the mixing angles exhibit, within experimental uncertainty, a very simple breaking pattern of SU(2) _f horizontal symmetry linked to the algebra of weak neutral currents, the origin of which presumably lies beyond the Standard Model. It concerns on the one hand the three quark mixing angles; on the other hand a neutrino-like pattern in which θ ₂₃ is maximal and tan (2θ ₁₂)=2. The Cabibbo angle fulfills the condition tan (2θ _c )=1/2 and θ ₁₂ for neutrinos satisfies accordingly the “quark–lepton complementarity condition” θ _c +θ ₁₂=π/4. θ ₁₃=±5.7⋅10⁻³ are the only values obtained for the third neutrino mixing angle that lie within present experimental bounds. Flavor symmetries, their breaking by a non-degenerate mass spectrum, and their entanglement with the gauge symmetry, are scrutinized; the special role of flavor rotations as a very mildly broken symmetry of the Standard Model is outlined.     

Possible alternatives to tri-bimaximal mixing

Possible alternatives to tri-bimaximal mixing are presented based on other symmetry principles, and their predictions for |U _e3|, sin ² θ ₁₂ and sin ² θ ₂₃ are compared to the present neutrino mixing data. In some cases perturbations are required to give better agreement with the data, and the use of a minimal approach is illustrated. Precise experimental determinations of the mixing parameters will be required to decipher the correct mixing pattern and to pin down the appropriate flavor symmetry.     

Physicochemical properties of LiAl x Mn2 − x O4 and LiAl0.05Mn1.95O4 − y F y cathode material by the citric acid-assisted sol–gel method

LiAl _x Mn_2 − x O₄ and LiAl_0.05Mn_1.95O_4 − y F _y spinel have been successfully synthesized by citric acid-assisted sol–gel method. The structure and physicochemical properties of this as-prepared powder were investigated by electronic conductivity test, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and galvanostatic charge–discharge test in detail. The electronic conductivity decreases with increasing of the content of doped Al. XRD patterns show that the diffraction of LiAl_0.05Mn_1.95O_4 − y F _y samples is similar, with all the peaks indexable in the Fd3m space group, and a little impurity appears in the LiAl_0.05Mn_1.95O_3.8F_0.2 sample. SEM reveals that all LiAl_0.05Mn_1.95O_4 − y F _y powders have the uniform, nearly cubic structure morphology with narrow size distribution which is less than 500 nm. Galvanostatic charge–discharge test indicates that LiAl_0.05Mn_1.95O₄ has the highest discharge capacity and electrochemical performance among all LiAl _x Mn_2 − x O₄ samples after 50 cycles, and the initial discharge capacity of LiAl_0.05Mn_1.95O_4 − y F _y (y = 0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.1) is 123.9, 124.6, 124.9, and 125.0 mAh g⁻¹, respectively, and their capacity retention ratios are 94.2%, 94.9%, 91.7%, and 89.9% after 50 cycles, respectively. EIS indicates that LiAl_0.05Mn_1.95O_3.98F_0.02 have smaller charge transfer resistance than that of LiAl_0.05Mn_1.95O₄ corresponding to the extraction of Li⁺ ions.     

Propagation and oblique collision of electron-acoustic solitons in two-electron-populated quantum plasmas

Oblique interaction of small- but finite-amplitude KdV-type electron-acoustic solitary excitations is examined in an unmagnetized two-electron-populated degenerate quantum electron–ion plasma in the framework of quantum hydrodynamics model using the extended Poincaré–Lighthill–Kuo (PLK) perturbation method. Critical plasma parameter is found to distinguish the types of solitons and their interaction phase-shifts. It is shown that, depending on the critical quantum diffraction parameter H _cr, both compressive and rarefactive solitary excitations may exist in this plasma and their collision phase-shifts can be either positive or negative for the whole range of collision angles 0 < θ < π.     

Magneto-optical modulation of a triple-mirror laser beam

Based on calculations and experiments, a He–Ne laser has been developed with effective intracavity magnetooptical modulation at λ = 1.15 μm. A polarization-anisotropic element — a magnetic diffraction grating made of yttrium iron garnet — is mounted in a matched passive arm of the triple-mirror cavity of the laser and serves as the modulator element. Modulation is produced using the Faraday effect, which simultaneously leads to efficient diffraction of the laser radiation on the asymmetric strip domain structure of a magnetic diffraction grating and to rotation of the E vector. The Jones matrix method is used to calculate the frequency and polarization characteristics. These, along with the modulation characteristics, were also studied experimentally. It is shown that amplitude modulation at frequencies up to 180 kHz takes place for small single-pass Faraday rotation angles (θ_F). The threshold frequency is determined by the response time of the magnetizing Helmholtz coil. The depth of modulation is 50%. For θ_F > θ_t (where θ_t is the threshold), frequency modulation takes place with a deviation of up to several megahertz. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 76, No. 2, pp. 188–193, March–April, 2009.     

The Role of the Eu<Superscript>3+</Superscript> Concentration on the SrMoO<Subscript>4</Subscript>:Eu Phosphor Properties: Synthesis,Characterization and Photophysical Studies

SrMoO₄ doped with rare earth are still scarce nowadays and have attracted great attention due to their applications as scintillating materials in electro-optical like solid-state lasers and optical fibers, for instance. In this work Sr_1−xEu_xMoO₄ powders, where x = 0.01; 0.03 and 0.05, were synthesized by Complex Polymerization (CP) Method. The structural and optical properties of the SrMoO₄:Eu³⁺ were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction patterns, Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), Raman Spectroscopy, and through Photoluminescent Measurements (PL). Only a crystalline scheelite-type phase was obtained when the powders were heat-treated at 800 °C for 2 h, 2θ = 27.8° (100% peak). The excitation spectra of the SrMoO₄:Eu³⁺ (λ_Em. = 614 nm) presented the characteristic band of the Eu^3 + 5L₆ transition at 394 nm and a broad band at around 288 nm ascribed to the charge-transfer from the O (2p) state to the Mo (4d) one in the SrMoO₄ matrix. The emission spectra of the SrMoO₄:Eu³⁺ powders (λ_Exc. = 394 and 288 nm) show the group of sharp emission bands among 523–554 nm and 578–699 nm, assigned to the ⁵D₁→⁷F_{0,1and 2} and ⁵D₀→⁷F_{0,1,2,3 and 4}, respectively. The band related to the ⁵D₀→⁷F₀ transition indicates the presence of Eu³⁺ site without inversion center. This hypothesis is strengthened by the fact that the band referent to the ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transition is the most intense in the emission spectra.     

Fabrication of a nanoparticle TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> photoelectrochemical cell utilizing a solid polymeric electrolyte of PAN–PC–LiClO<Subscript>4</Subscript>

A nanoparticle TiO₂ solid-state photoelectrochemical cell utilizing as a solid electrolyte of poly(acrylonitrile)–propylene–carbonate–lithium perchlorate (PAN–PC–LiClO₄) has been fabricated. The performance of the device has been tested in the dark and under illumination of 100-mW cm⁻² light. A nanoparticle TiO₂ film was deposited onto indium tin oxide-covered glass substrate by controlled hydrolysis technique assisted with spin-coating technique. The average grain size for the TiO₂ film is 76 nm. LiClO₄ salt was used as a redox couple. The room temperature conductivity of the electrolyte is 4.2 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹. A graphite electrode was prepared onto a glass slide by electron beam evaporation technique. The device shows the rectification property in the dark and shows the photovoltaic effect under illumination. The best J _sc and V _oc of the device were 2.82 μA cm⁻² and V _oc of 0.58 V, respectively, obtained at the conductivity of 4.2 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ and intensity of 100 mW cm⁻². The J _sc was improved by about three times by introducing nanoparticle TiO₂ and by using a solid electrolyte of PAN–PC–LiClO₄ replacing PVC–PC–LiClO₄ in the device. The current transport mechanism of the cell is also presented in this paper.     

High-frequency FeCoNiNbB–SiO2 nano-granular films with high resistivity and adjustable resonance frequency from 1.3 to 7.8?GHz

A series of (FeCoNiNbB) _x –(SiO₂)_1−x nano-granular thin films were fabricated by magnetron sputtering with different oblique incidence angles θ. High-resolution transmission electron micrographs show that the films consist of amorphous CoFeM (M = Ni, Nb, B) alloy particles with diameter about 2 nm surrounded by amorphous SiO₂ matrix. Excellent soft magnetic properties have been achieved with a variable in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy field H _k0, which increases monotonically with θ and x, and decreases with the composition of B in FeCoM. For one typical sample of x=0.63 with θ=30°, H _ch and H _ce are 4.2 Oe and 5.4 Oe, respectively, ρ reaches 12.5 mΩ cm and 4π M _s and H _k0 are 5.70 kG s and 92 Oe, respectively, which lead to a high ferromagnetic resonance frequency f _r of 2.2 GHz. Based on the analysis of experimental results, two sources for the origin of the magnetic anisotropy, namely anisotropic magnetic coupling and orientation order of atomic pairs, are suggested.     

Griffith–Kelly–Sherman Correlation Inequalities for Generalized Potts Model

Inspired by the work of D.G.Kelly and S.Sherman on general Griffiths inequalities on correlations in Ising ferromagnets, we formulate and prove Griffith–Kelly–Sherman-type inequalities for the ferromagnetic Potts model with a general number q of local states. We take as local state space for the q-state Potts model the set F ^c  = { − l, − l + 1, ⋯ ,l − 1,l},where l=\fracq-12l=\frac{q-1}{2}. The important properties of F ^c for what follows are that |F ^c | = q and F ^c  = − F ^c .     

Bianchi Type V Magnetized String Dust Bulk Viscous Fluid Cosmological Model with Variable Magnetic Permeability

Bianchi Type V magnetized string dust bulk viscous fluid cosmological model with variable magnetic permeability, is investigated. The magnetic field is due to an electric current produced along x-axis. Thus the magnetic fields is in yz-plane and F ₂₃ is the only non-vanishing component of electromagnetic field tensor F _ij . To get the deterministic model in terms of cosmic time t, we have also assumed the condition ζ θ=constant where ζ the coefficient of bulk viscosity and θ the expansion in the model. The behaviour of the model in presence and absence of magnetic field and bulk viscosity and singularities in the model are also discussed.      

Optical and electrical characteristics of (LiCl) x (P2O5)1 − x glass

Homogeneous (LiCl) _x (P₂O₅)_1 − x glasses were synthesised using a melt-quenching method for x = 0.1–0.6 in the interval of 0.05. The amorphous structure of the samples was evident by the X-ray diffraction spectrum. The short range structures of the binary phosphate samples were examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, whilst the density of the samples was measured as supportive data for the investigations. The results of refractive indices as measured using an ellipsometer reveal the homogeneity of samples and was found to depend on the glass composition. The electrical properties of the glasses were investigated by ac impedance spectroscopy from 10 mHz to 1 MHz for temperatures ranging from room temperature to 573 K. An estimation of the bulk resistivity was obtained by taking the intercepts on the real axis at low frequencies of the complex impedance plot. The dc conductivities derived from the reciprocal of resistivity values were found to obey the Arrhenius relationship, and its activation energy shows a decreasing trend with the increase in LiCl content in the glass. Lastly, an equivalent circuits consisting of real and complex capacitors is proposed to describe the dielectric response of the glass.     

Thermal effects on optical properties of silver ruby glass

2 O·10 CaO·74 SiO₂ mol%) glass doped with 0.11 and 0.35 wt.% silver are investigated. Heating treatments are carried out in a temperature range between 400 and 575 °C for times ranging from 30 to 300 min in different atmospheres and cooling rates. The starting glasses show a colourless and transparent appearance, but after thermal treatments under a reducing atmosphere become coloured, confirming the presence of silver colloids related to the 410-nm absorption band. On the other hand, the main effects of thermal treatments on the PL spectra concern those from samples treated in a reducing atmosphere. Thus, the intensity of both excitation and emission spectra chiefly diminishes in the 220–230 nm and 325–350 nm ranges, respectively. In addition, time-resolved spectra show the main ultraviolet (UV) emission centred above 330 nm upon excitation with 228-nm light. In contrast to the starting glass, we notice no shift or even slight shifts of the peak position to longer wavelengths with increasing delay time after pulse excitation, even for delay times as short as 0.01 ms. The results are discussed on the basis of transitions in which Ag⁺ ions are involved. Received: 6 February 1998/Accepted: 9 March 1998     

Luminescence of transparent glass ceramics containing Er<Superscript>3+</Superscript> and Yb<Superscript>3+</Superscript> zirconate-titanate nanocrystals

Luminescence regularities have been studied in new erbium/ytterbium materials based on glasses and glass ceramics of a magnesium-aluminosilicate system containing nanoscale erbium/ytterbium zirconate titanate crystals with the pyrochlore structure. Lifetimes of Yb³⁺ and Er³⁺ ions in the ² F_5/2 state and in the ⁴I_11/2 and ⁴I_13/2 states, respectively, and the efficiency of Yb³⁺ → Er³⁺ energy transfer have been evaluated. The identified spectral-luminescent characteristics of the studied glasses and glass ceramics co-doped with erbium and ytterbium ions show that these materials are promising media for producing laser generation in the spectral range around 1.5 μm.     

Reductive Fluorescence Quenching of the Photoexcited Free Base <Emphasis Type="Italic">meso</Emphasis>-Tetrakis (Pentafluorophenyl) Porphyrin by Amines

Steady state and time resolved fluorescence quenching behaviors of meso-Tetrakis (pentafluorophenyl) porphyrin (H₂F₂₀TPP) in presence of different aliphatic and aromatic amines have been executed in homogeneous dichloromethane (DCM) solution. At room temperature in DCM, free base (H₂F₂₀TPP) shows fluorescence with two distinct peaks at 640 and 711 nm and natural lifetime τ _f = 9.8 ns which are very similar to that of meso-tetraphenyl porphyrin (TPP). Unlike TPP, addition of both aliphatic and aromatic amines to a solution containing H₂F₂₀TPP results in an efficient decrease in fluorescence intensity without altering the shape and peak position of fluorescence emission. Upon addition of amines there was no change in optical absorption spectra of H₂F₂₀TPP. The fluorescence quenching rate constants ranged from 1 × 10⁹ to 4 × 10⁹ s⁻¹, which are one order below to the diffusion control limit, and temperature dependent quenching rate constants yield the activation energies which are found to be order of 0.1 eV. Femto second transient absorption studies reveal the existence of amine cation radical and porphyrin anion radicals with very short decay time (15 ps). The fluorescence quenching reaction follows Stern–Volmer kinetics. Steady state and time-resolved data are interpreted within general kinetic scheme of Marcus semi-classical model which attributes bimolecular electron transfer process between amines and the lowest excited singlet state of H₂F₂₀TPP. Calculated internal reorganization energies are found to be in between 0.04 and 0.22 ev. Variation of electron transfer rate as function of free energy change (∆G⁰) points the ET reactions in the present systems are in Marcus normal region. This is the first example of reductive fluorescence quenching of free base neutral porphyrins in homogeneous organic solvent ever known.     

Optical Flow-Through Sensor for the Determination of Norfloxacin Based on Emission of KMnO<Subscript>4</Subscript>–Na<Subscript>2</Subscript>SO<Subscript>3</Subscript>–Tb<Superscript>3+</Superscript> System

A simple and selective method to determine norfloxacin using an optical flow-through sensor has been developed. The present sensor was prepared by packing anionic ion exchange resin in a glass tube, followed by introducing KMnO₄ solution to the glass tube for immobilization on resin. The optical sensor is based on the emission intensity from the Tb(III) solution sensitized by norfloxacin. The excitation of norfloxacin occurred by the chemiluminescence from the reaction of KMnO₄ and Na₂SO₄ solutions. The effects of pH, concentration of Tb(III) ion, KMnO₄ and Na₂SO₄ solutions and flow rate of the norfloxacin solution on the chemiluminescence intensity were studied to find the optimum experimental conditions. The emission intensity increased linearly with increasing norfloxacin concentration from 1.0 × 10⁻³ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ M and the detection limit (3σ) was 8.7 × 10⁻⁹. The applicability of the present method was demonstrated by determination of norfloxacin in various pharmaceutical preparations and serum sample.     

Solid Substrate–Room Temperature Phosphorimetry for the Determination of Trace Terbutaline Sulfate Based on Its Inhibition Oxidation of Rhodamine 6G by Sodium Periodate

When 1.00 mol l⁻¹ I⁻ is used as ion perturber, rhodamine 6G (Rh 6G) can emit strong and stable room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) on filter paper substrate in KHC₈H₄O₄–HCl buffer solution (pH = 3.50), heated at 70 °C for 10 min. NaIO₄ can oxidize Rh 6G, which makes the RTP signal quench. Terbutaline sulfate (TBS) can inhibit NaIO₄ from oxidizing Rh 6G, which makes the RTP signal of Rh 6G enhance sharply. The content of TBS is linear correlation to ΔIp of the system. Based on the facts above, a new inhibition solid substrate-room temperature phosphorimetry (SS-RTP) for the determination of trace TBS has been established. The linear range of this method is 0.0104–2.08 pg spot⁻¹ (corresponding concentration: 0.026–5.2 ng ml⁻¹, with a sample volume of 0.4 μl) with a detection limit (L.D.) of 2.6 fg spot⁻¹ (corresponding concentration: 6.5 × 10⁻¹² g ml⁻¹), and the regression equation of working curve is ΔIp = 2.040 + 54.54 m_TBS (pg spot⁻¹), n = 6, correlation coefficient is 0.9994. For the samples containing 0.0104 pg spot⁻¹ and 2.08 pg spot⁻¹ TBS, the relative standard deviation (RSD) are 3.8% and 2.3% (n = 8), respectively, indicating good precision. This method has been applied to determination of trace TBS in the practical samples with satisfactory results. The reaction mechanism of NaIO₄ oxidizing Rh 6G to inhibit SS-RTP for the determination of trace TBS is also discussed.     

Measurement of the production cross-section of positive pions in the collision of 8.9 GeV/c protons on beryllium

The double-differential production cross-section of positive pions, , measured in the HARP experiment is presented. The incident particles are 8.9 GeV/c protons directed onto a beryllium target with a thickness of 5% of a nuclear interaction length. The measured cross-section has a direct impact on the prediction of neutrino fluxes for the MiniBooNE and SciBooNE experiments at Fermilab. After cuts, 13 million protons on target produced about 96000 reconstructed secondary tracks which were used in this analysis. Cross-section results are presented in the kinematic range 0.75 GeV/c≤p_π≤ 6.5 GeV/c and 30 mrad≤θ_π≤ 210 mrad in the laboratory frame.     

Effect of mixed glass formers on the crystallization kinetics in AgI–Ag<Subscript>2</Subscript>O–V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript>–MoO<Subscript>3</Subscript> glassy superionic system

The crystallization and glass transition kinetics using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in 50AgI–33.33Ag₂O–16.67[(V₂O₅)_1−x –(MoO₃) _x ] superionic glassy system is discussed. Thermal stability of glass, studied using various criteria, does not vary significantly with glass former variation. However, the activation energies for structural relaxation (E _s) at glass transition temperature and crystallization (E _c) obtained using Moynihan and Kissinger, Matusita-Sakka formulations found to exhibit interesting trends with MoO₃ substitution in the glass matrix. It is noticed that the electrical conductivity (σ)–temperature (T) cycles obtained at a typical heating rate of 1 °C/min do exhibit significant thermal events. The conductivity after first heating cycle at room temperature is found to be increasing with MoO₃ content and maximum for x = 0.3 (~10⁻³ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ at 30 °C) which is comparable to that of the host 50AgI–33.33Ag₂O–16.67V₂O₅ glassy system. The parameters obtained from σ–T plots and DSC scans do complement each other in a particular range of composition.     

Rapid growth of ternary eutectic under high undercooling conditions

~~Rapid growth of ternary eutectic un der high undercooling conditions1.Offerman, S.E., Dijk, N.H., Sietsma, J.et al., Grain nucleation and growth during phase transformations, Science, 2002, 298: 1003-1005. 2.Warren, J.A., Langer, J.S., Prediction of dendritic spacings in a directional-solidification experiment, Phys.Rev.E, 1993, 47: 2702-2712. 3.Cao, C.D., Wang, N., Wei, B., Containerless rapid solidification of undercooled Cu-Co peritectic alloys, Science in China, Ser.A, …