Effect of hydrogen on the photoelectronic properties of GaAs/InGaAs quantum-well heterostructures with an island palladium layer on the surface

The effect of hydrogen on the photoluminescence and planar conductivity of GaAs/InGaAs quantum-well heterostructures with an island Pd layer at the anodically oxidized surface was studied. Unlike continuous deposited Pd layers, island layers do not cause the formation of defects in the GaAs surface region and yet the Pd layer maintains high catalytic activity with respect to hydrogen. It is found that the thermal treatment of such a structure in a hydrogen atmosphere causes atomic-hydrogen passivation of the defects in quantum wells. Studies of the characteristics of planar photoresistors with an island Pd layer acting as hydrogen sensors show that their hydrogen detectivity is approximately two orders of magnitude higher than that of diode structures with continuous Pd layers.     

A dynamical test of phase transition order: New things in old places or old wine in new bottles

We first discuss nonlinear aspects of phase transition theory applied to a particular liquid crystal phase transition. A simple derivation is given to show how two coupled Goldstone modes (one appearing as gauge fluctuations of the ordered phase) can force a phase transition, against all expectations, to take place discontinuously (theory of Halperin, Lubensky, and Ma)-but the discontinuity may be immeasurably small. Then, we describe a new dynamical test of phase transition order, developed by Cladiset al., that turns out to be more sensitive than x-ray diffraction and adiabatic calorimetry. Quantitative data found by this new method are in excellent agreement with the measurements of adiabatic calorimetry and x-ray diffraction as well as expectations implicit in the predictions of HLM.This is the text of an after-banquet talk given at the CNLS Workshop on the Dynamics of Concentrated Systems.     

Theory of interfacial phase transitions in surfactant systems

The spin-1 Ising model, which is equivalent to the three-component lattice gas model, is used to study wetting transitions in three-component surfactant systems consisting of an oil, water, and a nonionic surfactant. Phase equilibria, interfacial profiles, and interfacial tensions for three-phase equilibrium are determined in mean field approximation, for a wide range of temperature and interaction parameters. Surfactant interaction parameters are found to strongly influence interfacial tensions, reducing them in some cases to ultralow values. Interfacial tensions are used to determine whether the middle phase, rich in surfactant, wets or does not wet the interface between the oil-rich and water-rich phases. By varying temperature and interaction parameters, a wetting transition is located and found to be of the first order. Comparison is made with recent experimental results on wetting transitions in ternary surfactant systems.This paper is dedicated to J. K. Percus in honor of his 65th birthday.     

Coverings of topological loops

In this paper, we show that in some cases, no proper covering of a locally compact group topologically generated by left translations of a topological loop can occur as the group topologically generated by left translations of a topological loop. __________ Translated from Sovremennaya Matematika i Ee Prilozheniya (Contemporary Mathematics and Its Applications), Vol. 22, Algebra and Geometry, 2004.     

Modelling recruitment training in mathematical human resource planning

This paper deals with mathematical human resource planning; more specifically, it suggests a new model for a manpower‐planning system. In general, we study a k‐classed hierarchical system where the workforce demand at each time period is satisfied through internal mobility and recruitment. The motivation for this work is based on various European Union incentives, which promote regional or local government assistance programs that could be exploited by firms not only for hiring and training newcomers, but also to improve the skills and knowledge of their existing personnel. In this respect, in our augmented mobility model we establish a new ‘training/standby’ class, which serves as a manpower inventory position for potential recruits. This class, which may very well be internal or external to the system, is incorporated into the framework of a non‐homogeneous Markov chain model. Furthermore, cost objectives are employed using the goal‐programming approach, under different operating assumptions, in order to minimize the operational cost in the presence of system's constraints and regulations. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On c‐Bhaskar Rao designs with block size 4

Several new families of c‐Bhaskar Rao designs with block size 4 are constructed. The necessary conditions for the existence of a c‐BRD (υ,4,λ) are that: (1)λ_min=?λ/3 ≤ c ≤ λ and (2a) c≡λ (mod 2), if υ > 4 or (2b) c≡ λ (mod 4), if υ = 4 or (2c) c≠ λ ? 2, if υ = 5. It is proved that these conditions are necessary, and are sufficient for most pairs of c and λ; in particular, they are sufficient whenever λ?c ≠ 2 for c > 0 and whenever c ? λ_min≠ 2 for c < 0. For c < 0, the necessary conditions are sufficient for υ> 101; for the classic Bhaskar Rao designs, i.e., c = 0, we show the necessary conditions are sufficient with the possible exception of 0‐BRD (υ,4,2)'s for υ≡ 4 (mod 6). © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 10: 361–386, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/jcd.10009     

Linear nonstationary optical dimensional resonances in atomic nanostructures

The existence of linear nonstationary optical resonances in a diatomic nanostructural object with a dipole-dipole atomic interaction has been proved. A new solution to the joint system of modified Bloch optical equations and nonlocal field equations is obtained for time intervals much shorter than the times of phase and energy relaxation. Formulas for effective polarizabilities of the object’s atoms, which have a set of dimensional resonances, are derived. The frequencies of these resonances significantly differ from the eigenfrequencies of the object’s atoms, and their properties depend on the interatomic distance, light-pulse duration, initial atomic inversions, and the orientation of the object’s axis relative to the direction of incidence of the external light wave.