The polaronic nature of intraband relaxation in InAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dots

Polaron relaxation processes in a series of n-type InAs quantum dots (QDS) have been investigated using energy-dependent far-infrared pump–probe spectroscopy. For energies up to 53 meV, polarons decay to 2 longitudinal acoustic phonons; above this energy additional decay channels open resulting in a reduction of the decay time. Inter-state transfer has been observed between closely spaced p-like excited states, with the measured transfer times in good agreement with calculations assuming acoustic phonon assisted transfer. Finally, for QDs containing 2 electrons we observe evidence of a spin-flip process resulting in long (700 ps) relaxation times.     

Electronic energy levels in semiconductor quantum wells and superlattices

We present the results of the calculations of some electronic properties of semiconductor quantum wells and superlattices. The review includes the superlattice band structure and the quantum well bound energy levels; the virtual bound states of semiconductor quantum wells and their influence on the energy spectrum of separate confinement heterostructures. Finally the perturbation of quantum well bound states and exciton states by a static electric field applied parallel to the growth axis is considered.     

Far infrared impurity absorption in a quantum well

We have calculated the energy and lineshape of the 1s → 2p_x,y transition for a hydrogenic impurity located in a quantum well. Due to the dependence of the transition energy on the impurity location, the absorption lineshape is very sensitive to the doping profile. The spectrum, in general, exhibits two peaks, arising from impurities located near the center and the edges of the well.     

In situ 119Sn Mössbauer spectroscopy study of Sn-based electrode materials

Sn-based composite materials were synthetized by a conventional melt-quenching method, and studied by X-ray diffraction, electrochemistry and in situ ¹¹⁹Sn Mösssbauer spectroscopy. Tin was dispersed ex situ into a matrix formed from B₂O₃:P₂O₅. XRD and ¹¹⁹Sn Mössbauer spectroscopy show the formation of an interface between the active species (Sn⁰) and the matrix. This amorphous interface acts as a “buffer-zone” which compensates volume changes during the tin–lithium alloy formation and avoids aggregation of tin particles.     

Infrared dephasing of degenerate fundamentals: The ν6 mode of liquid CD3I

A model of vibrational dephasing with motional narrowing by the librational motions of the molecules in their cages is tested on the example of the ν₆ degenerate infrared fundamental of liquid CD₃l at room temperature.     

Lateral phase separation in lipid-coated microbubbles

In the design of lipid-coated microbubble ultrasound contrast agents for molecular imaging and targeted drug delivery, the surface distribution of the shell species is important because it dictates such properties as ligand location, brush coverage, and amount of drug loading. We used a combination of spectroscopy and microscopy techniques to test the prevailing notion that the main phosphatidyl choline (PC) and lipopolymer species are completely miscible within the monolayer shell. NMR spectroscopy showed that the shell composition is roughly equivalent to the bulk lipid ratio. FTIR spectroscopy showed a sharp melting peak corresponding to the main phase-transition temperature of the main PC species, with no observed pretransitions while scanning from room temperature, indicating a single PC-rich ordered phase. Electron and fluorescence microscopy showed a heterogeneous microstructure with dark (ordered) domains and bright (disordered) regions. Domain formation was thermotropic and reversible. Fluorescent labeling of the lipopolymer following shell formation showed that it partitions preferentially into the disordered interdomain regions. The ordered domains, therefore, are composed primarily of PC, and the disordered interdomain regions are enriched in lipopolymer. Phase heterogeneity was observed at all lipopolymer concentrations (0.5 to 20 mol %), and the degree of phase separation increased with lipopolymer content. The composition and temperature dependence of the microstructure indicates that phase separation is driven thermodynamically rather than being a kinetically trapped relic of the shell-formation process. The overall high variation in microstructure, including the existence of anomalous three-phase coexistence, highlights the nonequilibrium (history-dependent) nature of the monolayer shell.