129Xe NMR study of the homogeneity and the size distribution of small sodium metal particles in NaY zeolite

NaY zeolite samples loaded with sodium metal by vapor phase deposition have been investigated using¹²⁹Xe NMR spectroscopy. At low sodium concentration, the¹²⁹Xe NMR spectrum showed three resonance lines which clearly indicate the existence of distinct domains in the zeolite sample. Such an observation suggests that the diffusion of the xenon atoms into each domain only occurs with respect to the NMR time scale (2.9 ms). As the sodium concentration increases, observation of a single broad line indicate a macroscopic homogenization of the system. The shift of this line is explained in part due to a paramagnetic interaction between the xenon atoms and the unpaired electrons of particles containing an odd number of sodium atoms. The linewidth is due to the distribution of the local magnetic fields partially averaged by the rapid motion of the xenon atoms and to the statistical distribution of the sodium particles in the supercage cavities. The paramagnetic interaction vanishes with the oxidation of the sample leading to a narrowing and a shift of the line to higher magnetic fields.     

Logarithmic temperature dependence of the conductivity of the two-dimensional metal

We report on the first observation and studies of a weak delocalizing logarithmic temperature dependence of the conductivity, which causes the conductivity of the 2D metal to increase as T decreases down to 16 mK. The prefactor of the logarithmic dependence is found to decrease gradually with density, to vanish at a critical density n _c , 2∼2×10¹² cm⁻², and then to have the opposite sign at n>n _c ,2. The second critical density sets the upper limit on the existence region of the 2D metal, whereas the conductivity at the critical point, G _c ,2∼120e ²/h, sets an upper (low-temperature) limit on its conductivity. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 68, No. 6, 497–501 (25 September 1998) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

Investigation of the chemical state of copper in Cu/SiO2 composite films by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The concentration and chemical state of copper in the subsurface region of Cu/SiO₂ composite films obtained by simultaneous magnetron sputtering from two sources (Cu and SiO₂) are determined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is established that copper in the as-grown film is primarily in the form of unoxidized atoms dispersed in a SiO₂ matrix. Annealing of the film results in practically no oxidation, but about 70% of the copper atoms condense into metallic clusters with sizes below 10 Å in the subsurface region and about 50 Å in the bulk of the film. The changes in the binding energy of core electrons, and especially in the energies of Auger electrons, are so large in this situation that photoelectron and Auger spectroscopy are efficient methods for monitoring the chemical state of this composite material.     

Formation of a two-dimensional periodic structure of local melting regions on a silicon surface upon pulsed light irradiation

The first results regarding the formation of a two-dimensional periodic structure of local melting regions on a silicon surface upon pulsed light irradiation are presented. The conditions are established, and the mechanism of the formation of such structures is discussed. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 97–99 (December 1997)     

Temperature and field dependences of photo-induced changes in the magnetization in yttrium iron garnet

The changes in the magnetization of yttrium iron garnet (YIG) when irradiated by a pulsed neodymium laser beam with wavelength λ=1.06 μm are investigated. Measurements are performed in the temperature range from 100 K to 600 K in various external magnetic fields. YIG single crystals grown along the crystallographic (100), (110), and (111) directions are chosen so that the external anisotropy of the indicated processes can be determined. Characteristic temperature intervals dominated by different mechanisms of variation of the magnetization under the influence of a laser pulse are discussed. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1263–1266 (July 1997)     

Temperature and frequency dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation times of E′1 centers in neutron-irradiated quartz glass

Results are reported for measurements of the spin-lattice relaxation times of E′₁ centers in quartz glass, produced by neutron irradiation, with the measurements made at two frequencies 9.25 and 24.0 GHz over a wide temperature interval 1.5–300 K. The experimental data are interpreted on the basis of interaction mechanisms of the spins with two-level systems with excitation energies ∼6, ∼26, and ∼420 cm⁻¹. A small modification of the existing theory allows us to explain a number of features of the observed temperature and frequency dependence of the relaxation rate. The results are compared with the data available in the literature on spin-lattice relaxation of irradiation centers in crystalline quartz and quartz glass. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1335–1337 (August 1997)