Reaction and deposition of laser-evaporated iron

Reaction of laser-evaporated iron atom was investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy and was applied for the production of films. Iron oxide films were produced by laser-deposition of Fe metal and hematite solid onto Al substrates, and the compositions of the films changed depending on the pressure of the O₂ atmosphere and the temperature of the substrates. The spin orientations of α-Fe films deposited by three types of deposition methods were compared. The nuclear spin of iron films produced by deposition of Fe atoms vaporized by resistive heating was perpendicular to the substrate surface, while that of films produced by laser-deposition of Fe was parallel to the substrate surface. The nuclear spins of iron films produced using an arc-plasma-gun were linear orientations along nanometer-sized grooves on the Al substrate surface.     

InTaO<Subscript>4</Subscript>-based nanostructures synthesized by reactive pulsed laser ablation

Nanostructured Ni-doped indium–tantalum–oxides (InTaO₄) were synthesized by a reactive pulsed laser ablation process, aiming at the final goal of direct splitting of water under visible sunbeam irradiation. The third harmonics beam of a Nd:YAG laser was focused onto a sintered In_0.9Ni_0.1TaO_4−δ target in pure oxygen background gases (0.05–1.00 Torr). Increasing the oxygen gas pressure, via thin films having nanometer-sized strong morphologies, single-crystalline nanoparticles were synthesized in the reactive vapor phases. The nanostructured deposited materials have the monoclinic layered wolframite-type structure of bulk InTaO₄, without oxygen deficiency.     

Quantum state reconstruction of a rotational wave packet created by a nonresonant intense femtosecond laser field

We have experimentally determined the amplitudes and phases of a rotational wave packet in an adiabatically cooled benzene molecule, created by a nonresonant intense femtosecond laser field. In this wave-packet reconstruction, the initial wave packet is further interfered by a replica of the first laser pulse, and the resultant modulation in population is observed in a state-resolved manner. Though several states with different nuclear-spin modifications are populated in the initial condition, a single wave packet created from one of them (with J=0) is specifically reconstructed. Phase shifts characteristic of stepwise Raman excitation beyond the perturbative regime are experimentally identified.     

Membrane Preparation of Polysulfonic Acid Complexes by Layer-by-Layer Adsorption

Summary: The water-insoluble, thermostable and homogeneous polymer complex membrane formation of polysulfonic acids was examined by modifying the preparation conditions of the layer-by-layer adsorption method of the acid and base polymers. The complexation of poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid) in the 0.15 unit mM solution with poly(allylamine) gave a polymer complex membrane on a gold substrate in which one polymer layer was formed with a thickness of 1 nm. Properties including the proton conductivity of the membrane suggested possible applications of the polymer complex membrane.