On the optical energy gap of SmN

The fundamental absorption edge of SmN is measured by the optical reflection and the transmission technique using a FTIR spectrometer. The MgF₂ passivated thin films of SmN were grown by thermal evaporation. The optical spectra was collated in the energy range of 0.5 to 5.0 eV, and the optical energy gap is measured at 1.2 eV, the same as that of DyN. The measured value of the onset of the absorption in SmN does agree with that theoretically calculated, if the spin–orbit coupling is accounted for.     

On axisymmetric flow of Sisko fluid over a radially stretching sheet

This study presents an analysis of the axisymmetric flow of a non-Newtonian fluid over a radially stretching sheet. The momentum equations for two-dimensional flow are first modeled for Sisko fluid constitutive model, which is a combination of power-law and Newtonian fluids. The general momentum equations are then simplified by invoking the boundary layer analysis. Then a non-linear ordinary differential equation governing the axisymmetric boundary layer flow of Sisko fluid over a radially stretching sheet is obtained by introducing new suitable similarity transformations. The resulting non-linear ordinary differential equation is solved analytically via the homotopy analysis method (HAM). Closed form exact solution is then also obtained for the cases n=0 and 1. Analytical results are presented for the velocity profiles for some values of governing parameters such as power-law index, material parameter and stretching parameter. In addition, the local skin friction coefficient for several sets of the values of physical parameter is tabulated and analyzed. It is shown that the results presented in this study for the axisymmetric flow over a radially non-linear stretching sheet of Sisko fluid are quite general so that the corresponding results for the Newtonian fluid and the power-law fluid can be obtained as two limiting cases.     

The influence of nitrogen vacancies on the magnetic behaviour of rare-earth nitrides

The rare-earth nitrides are ferromagnetic semiconductors with promise for spintronic devices. Their most common dopants are nitrogen vacancies (V_N), with a small enough energy of formation that they exist at of order 1% in epitaxial films. Here we report preliminary investigations of their effect on the magnetic states of two of them in the series, GdN and EuN. In the former we find an enhanced Curie temperature at very high V_N concentration, and the Eu²⁺ ions associated with V_N in the latter show strong exchange with their Eu³⁺ neighbours that might form the basis of a diluted magnetic semiconductor.