Autocorrelation measurements of free-electron laser radiation using a two-photon QWIP

The two-photon QWIP comprises three equidistant subbands, namely two bound states localized in the quantum well and an extended state in the continuum. This device is very promising for quadratic autocorrelation measurements of pulsed mid-infrared lasers due to its resonantly enhanced optical nonlinearity and sub-ps time resolution. We report on interferometric autocorrelation measurements of ps optical pulses from a free-electron laser (FEL). The intense FEL radiation further allows us to study the saturation properties of two-photon QWIPs at liquid nitrogen temperature and their detection properties at 300 K. The device is well suited for standard diagnostics of the FEL pulse shape via interferometric autocorrelation.     

Light-emitting silicon <Emphasis Type="Italic">pn</Emphasis> diodes

We report on the electrical and optical characteristics of silicon light-emitting pn diodes. The diodes are prepared by ion implantation of boron at high doses and subsequent high-temperature annealing. Under forward bias, the diodes emit infrared electroluminescence closely below the band gap of bulk Si. We present a rate-equation model for bound excitons, free excitons and free carriers which successfully describes the electrical and optical behaviour of the diodes at low temperatures. Especially, an electrical bistability observed below 50 K is shown to be based on the interplay of bound excitons, free excitons and free carriers in the active area of the diodes. The ionisation of bound excitons is the origin of an improved electroluminescence from the diodes at higher lattice temperatures. PACS 78.60.Fi; 78.55.Ap; 71.35.-y; 71.55.Cn     

Production of energetic electrons in the process of photodetachment of F-

An imaging technique is used to record an energy and angle resolved spectrum of electrons produced by photodetachment of F- in a strong infrared laser pulse. The spectrum involves contributions from more than 23 excess photon detachment channels. Its higher energy part extends beyond the classical cutoff value, and it appears as a pronounced plateau localized within a small angle along the laser polarization axis. A Keldysh-like theory is able to qualitatively reproduce the spectrum without taking into account the rescattering mechanism. The role of the parity of the initial bound state is discussed.     

Search for narrow resonances in e+e− annihilation at c.m. energies between 29.90 and 31.46 GeV

A search for narrow resonances in e⁺e^? annihilation at c.m. energies between 29.90 and 31.46 GeV provides no evidence for the existence of such states. The 90% confidence upper limit on the integrated resonance cross section is 38 nb MeV, significantly below the value expected for the lowest (t,t?) bound state.     

The crystal and molecular structure of trimethyltin(IV) chloride, a chlorine-bridged, linear polymer

The crystal and molecular structure of trimethyltin(IV) chloride has been determined by the heavy-atom technique, and refined to a final R value of 0.041 for 1375 independent reflections (2θ < 53°; Mo-K_a radiation I > 2σ(I)) recorded at 138 ± 2 K on a Nonius CAD-4 counter diffractometer. The crystals are monoclinic with space group I2/c; a 12.541(8), b 9.618(11), c 11.015(11) Å, β 92.62(7)°, Z = 8, D_calcd 1.994 g cm⁻³. The needle crystals are composed of polymeric chains of chlorine atoms bridging non-planar trimethyltin(IV) units at unequal (2.430(2) and 3.269(2) Å) distances. The zig-zag chains are bent at chlorine (angle Sn---Cl Sn 150.30(9)°), but nearly linear at tin (angle Cl---Sn Cl 176.85(6)°) to describe a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry at tin with the trimethyltin groups eclipsed. The interchain d(Sn Cl) distances are greater than 4.1 Å. The angles carbon—tin—carbon (mean 117.1(3)°) are larger than tetrahedral, while the angles carbon—tin—chlorine (mean 99.9(2) Å) are smaller, in accord with isovalent hybridization principles, but more severely distorted than in the gas-phase, monomeric structure. The tin—chlorine distance of 2.430(2) Å is also longer than in the gas phase monomer, and the intermolecular contact of 3.269 Å is shorter than in other organotin chloride bridged systems (sum of Van der Waals radii 3.85 Å).     

Search for new flavour production at PETRA

The topological distribution of hadrons from the reaction e⁺e^?→multihadrons has been studied at PETRA energies between $\text{s}\text{=22}\text{and}\text{31.6 GeV}$. No evidence is seen for spherical events which would be expected if massive particles bearing new flavours were produced.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of MRI-relevant GdIII chelates: direct access to outer-sphere relaxivity

The structure and dynamics of the surrounding water were studied through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for several GdIII polyaminocarboxylate and polyaminophosphonate complexes in aqueous solution. The radial distribution functions (rdf) show that a few water molecules are bonded to the ligand through hydrogen bonds to hydrophilic groups such as carboxylates and phosphonates. Residence times are of the order of 20-25 ps for the polyaminocarboxylate and 56ps for the polyaminophosphonate chelates. No preferred orientation or bonding of water molecules is observed in the hydrophobic region of the anisotropic macrocyclic complexes. Our rdf allow calculation of the outer-sphere contribution to the nuclear magnetic resonance dispersion (NMRD) profiles using Freed's finite differences method, including electronic relaxation. The results show that the commonly used analytical force-free model is only an empirical relationship. When experimental outer-sphere NMRD profiles are available ([Gd(teta)]- and [Gd(dotp)]5-(teta=N,N',N",N"'-tetracarboxymethyl-1,4,8,11- tetraazacyclotetradecane; dotp = N,N',N",N"'-tetraphosphonatomethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane) the calculated curves are in good agreement. In the case of [Gd(teta)]-, the comparison with the experimental NMRD profile has led us to predict a very fast electronic relaxation, which has been confirmed by the EPR spectrum.     

C-axis Josephson plasma resonance observed in Tl(2)Ba(2)CaCu(2)O(8) superconducting thin films by use of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

We have unambiguously observed the c -axis Josephson plasma resonance (JPR) in high-critical-temperature (T(c)) cuprate (Tl(2)Ba(2)CaCu(2)O(8)) superconducting thin films, employing terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in transmission as a function of temperature in zero magnetic field. These are believed to be the first measurements of the JPR temperature dependence of a high-T(c) material in transmission. With increasing temperature, the JPR shifts from 705 GHz at 10 K to ~170 GHz at 98 K, corresponding to an increase in c-axis penetration depth from 22.4+/-0.6mum to 94+/-9mum . The linewidth of the JPR peak increases with temperature, which indicates an increase in the quasi-particle scattering rate. We have probed the onset of the c -axis phase coherence to ~0.95T(c) . The JPR vanishes above T(c) as expected.