Approaches to the synthesis of High-TC superconducting oxides in La–Ba–Cu–O and Y–Ba–Cu–O systems

Abstract

High-T_C superconducting oxides of nominal La_1.85Ba_0.15 CuO₄ and YBa₂ Cu₃ O₇ have been prepared by using nitrate, carbonate, oxalate/malonate and citrate precursors. While the samples in the Y-system are generally monophasic YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ with T_C around 90K, the preparations in the La-system are biphasic containing K₂NiF₄-like La_1.85Ba_0.15 CuO₄ (T_C = 30K) and a perovskite-like phase with' a much higher T_C (200–300K). Effect of Ca, Zr, Ce as well as S substitution in YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ has also been investigated     

Quantitative Analysis by Derivative Electronic Spectroscopy

Abstract

Absorption and emission spectroscopy in the ultraviolet and visible regions, apart from being the earliest physical techniques of analysis, have great utility in solving a variety of structural and analytical problems [l-41. However, in many cases the quantitative determination of individual components in a mixture by UV-VIS spectroscopy becomes very difficult owing to the spectral similarities and overlapping of weak absorption bands of one component by strong absorption bands of other components. It was recently recognized that derivative spectrophotometry, introduced about three decades ago [5-81 and originally proposed by Rutherford [9], can be a very useful analytical tool for characterizing an analyte band that is overlapped by other absorption bands with different halfwidths. On differentiation, the intensity of the absorption band with a small halfwidth increases more than that of a band with a large halfwidth [10]. The central idea behind the development of the science of derivatized spectra rests upon the measurement of the first or the higher derivatives of the absorbance A or the luminescence intensity I with respect to the wavelength λ, e.g., dI/dλ, dA/dλ, d²I/dλ², etc. These derivatives, when plotted or scanned against wavelength, yield an array of derivative spectra.     

EPR and Optical Study of Cu<Superscript>2+</Superscript> Ions Doped in Sodium Zinc Sulfate Tetrahydrate Single Crystals

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study of Cu²⁺-doped sodium zinc sulfate tetrahydrate is done at liquid nitrogen temperature. Two magnetically equivalent sites for Cu²⁺ are observed. The spin-Hamiltonian parameters determined by fitting the EPR spectra to the rhombic-symmetry crystalline field are g _x  = 2.2356, g _y  = 2.0267, g _z  = 2.3472, A _x  = 27 × 10⁻⁴ cm⁻¹, A _y  = 54 × 10⁻⁴ cm⁻¹and A _z  = 88 × 10⁻⁴ cm⁻¹. The ground state wave function is also determined. The g-anisotropy is evaluated and compared with the experimental value. With the help of optical study, the nature of bonding in the complex is discussed.     

Fourier transform emission spectroscopy and ab initio calculations on NbCl

The emission spectrum of NbCl has been recorded in the 3000-20 000 cm⁻¹ region using a Fourier transform spectrometer. The bands were observed by microwave excitation of a mixture of NbCl₅ vapor and He. Two groups of bands observed in the 6500-7000 cm⁻¹ and 9800-11 000 cm⁻¹ regions have been assigned to two electronic transitions. Five bands observed in the 6500-7000 cm⁻¹ region consist of R, P, and Q branches with no combination defect or Λ-doubling. They have been assigned as five sub-bands of a ΔΛ=±1 transition with Λ>1. Nine bands observed in the 9800-11 000 cm⁻¹ regions consist of R and P branches, and they are also free from Λ-doubling. These bands have been classified into four sub-bands of a ΔΛ=0 transition (with Λ>1), which has tentatively been assigned as . The two transitions have no electronic states in common. Ab initio calculations have been performed on NbCl and the spectroscopic properties of the low-lying electronic states have been calculated. The ground state of NbCl has been predicted to be a state arising from the 3σ¹ 1δ² 2π¹ configuration, with a low-lying state at 1300 cm⁻¹ from the 3σ¹ 1δ¹ 2π² configuration. The results of our experimental and theoretical studies will be presented. This work represents the first experimental investigation of the spectra of NbCl and the first ab initio prediction of the spectroscopic properties of the low-lying electronic states.     

Infrared emission spectroscopy of a new Σ-Σ system of TiCl

The spectra of TiCl have been reinvestigated in the 4200-8500 cm⁻¹ region using the 1-m Fourier transform spectrometer associated with the National Solar Observatory at Kitt Peak. The molecules were excited in a microwave discharge lamp operated with 3.0 Torr of He and a trace of TiCl₄ vapor, and the spectra were recorded at a resolution of 0.01 cm⁻¹. Three new bands with origins near 6938.9, 6900.2, and 6861.7 cm⁻¹ have been assigned as the 0-0, 1-1, and 2-2 bands of a new - transition. This assignment is supported by our recent ab initio calculations on TiCl and ZrCl [J. Chem. Phys. 114 (2001) 3977]. A rotational analysis of these bands has been carried out and spectroscopic constants have been extracted for the states.     

Entanglement switching via the Kondo effect in triple quantum dots

We consider a triple quantum dot system in a triangular geometry with one of the dots connected to metallic leads. Using Wilson’s numerical renormalization group method, we investigate quantum entanglement and its relation to the thermodynamic and transport properties in the regime where each of the dots is singly occupied on average, but with non-negligible charge fluctuations. It is shown that even in the regime of significant charge fluctuations the formation of the Kondo singlets induces switching between separable and perfectly entangled states. The quantum phase transition between unentangled and entangled states is analyzed quantitatively and the corresponding phase diagram is explained by exactly solvable spin model. In the framework of an effective model we also explain smearing of the entanglement transition for cases when the symmetry of the triple quantum dot system is relaxed.     

Amorphous structure heat: Temperature dependence of heats of solution for polystyrene in toluene and ethylbenzene

When a polymer is dissolved in a solvent, the heat measured is a sum of a polymer-solvent interaction term and a term related to the structure that existed in the solid polymer relative to its amorphous liquid state. This latter contribution, termed the “residual” heat, can have an endothermic contribution due to the fusion of crystalline regions and an exothermic contribution due to the disruption of structure in noncrystalline amorphous regions. For atactic polystyrene between 30 and 110°C, it is shown that the “residual” heat is exothermic, decreases linearly with temperature differences below T_g, and extrapolates to zero in the vicinity of T_g. The existence of an exothermic heat above T_g is probably related to a 160°C transition in polystyrene. This “residual” heat was further observed to be independent of the pressure at which the polystyrene was glassified.     

Two-Fluid Cosmological Model of Bianchi Type-V with Negative Constant Deceleration Parameter

This paper deals with a two-fluid Bianchi type-V anisotropic cosmological model with negative constant deceleration parameter. Exact solution of Einstein’s field equations for interacting matter and radiation field is presented which represents an expanding shearing and nonrotating cosmological model of the universe. This model describes the accelerated phase of the expanding universe. The physical and kinematical behaviors of the model are discussed.