Superconductivity and possible overdoping in Lu1−x Ca x Ba2Cu3O7−δ

Structural and superconducting properties of the system Lu_1?x Ca _x Ba₂ Cu₃O_7?δ, both in bulk as well as thin film form, have been investigated. Presence of large Ca-ions at the Lu-sites is responsible for phase stability (in 1–2–3 phase) in bulk. In argon annealed tetragonal samples (δ:1) superconductivity is reinstated as in these samples, presence of Ca-ions lead to the generation of holes in the Cu?O planes. In oxygen annealed bulk samples and thin films, there is a large depression ofT _c due to divalent Ca-ions present in concentrationx<0.2. Our data indicate that this depression ofT _c is likely due to overdoping effect.     

Experimental realization of an exact solution to the Vlasov equations for an expanding plasma

We study the expansion of ultracold neutral plasmas in the regime in which inelastic collisions are negligible. The plasma expands due to the thermal pressure of the electrons, and for an initial spherically symmetric Gaussian density profile, the expansion is self-similar. Measurements of the plasma size and ion kinetic energy using fluorescence imaging and spectroscopy show that the expansion follows an analytic solution of the Vlasov equations for an adiabatically expanding plasma.     

On the general solution for a class of charged fluid spheres

We have derived all the charged fluid spheres described by a space-time with its hypersurfaces t = const. as spheroids subject to a particular form of electric field intensity. Only one out of the four solutions so obtained is reducible to its uncharged counterpart in the absence of the charge.     

Study of Autoxidation of Ascorbic Acid in Acetonitrile by Electronic Absorption Spectra

The autoxidation of vitamin C has been studied in acetonitrile by electronic spectroscopy. Some interesting data on the role of acetonitrile in autoxidation have been obtained, perhaps for the first time. A parallelism between hydroxyl ions and CH₂CN⁻, the ions from the self-ionization of acetonitrile, has been established. The CH₂CN⁻ anion is similar to hydroxyl anions in initiating and propagating the decomposition of ascorbic acid, at least in this system. The intermediates involved in the overall reaction in nonaqueous media have been identified by simple means.__________Published in Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 72, No. 2, pp. 274–276, March–April, 2005.     

Strong enhancement and extinction of single harmonic intensity in the mid- and end-plateau regions of the high harmonics generated in weakly excited laser plasmas

Strong intensity enhancement or extinction of some single harmonics is observed in high-harmonic generation from 48 fs Ti:sapphire laser pulses propagating through preformed low-excited laser-produced plasmas of various materials (GaAs, Cr, InSb, stainless steel). The intensities of some of the harmonics in the mid- and end-plateau regions vary from ~23-fold enhancement to near disappearance compared with those of the neighboring ones. It is also shown that the observed intensity enhancement (or extinction) can be varied by controlling the chirp of the driving laser radiation.     

High‐mobility solution‐processed zinc oxide thin films on silicon nitride

A high effective electron mobility of 33 cm² V^–1 s^–1 was achieved in solution‐processed undoped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films. The introduction of silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) as growth substrate resulted in a mobility improvement by a factor of 2.5 with respect to the commonly used silicon oxide (SiO₂). The solution‐processed ZnO thin films grown on Si₃N₄, prepared by low‐pressure chemical vapor deposition, revealed bigger grain sizes, lower strain and better crystalline quality in comparison to the films grown on thermal SiO₂. These results show that the nucleation and growth mechanisms of solution‐processed films are substrate dependent and affect the final film structure accordingly. The substantial difference in electron mobilities suggests that, in addition to the grain morphology and crystalline structure effects, defect chemistry is a contributing factor that also depends on the particular substrate. In this respect, interface trap densities measured in high‐κ HfO₂/ZnO MOSCAPs were about ten times lower in those fabricated on Si₃N₄ substrates. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

     

On the repetitive operation of a self-switched transversely excited atmosphere CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser

The repetition rate capability of self-switched transversely excited atmosphere (TEA) CO₂ laser was studied for different gas flow configurations. For an optimized gas flow configuration, repetitive operation was achieved at a much smaller gas replenishment factor between two successive pulses when compared with repetitive systems energized by conventional pulsers.     

New exact solutions of Einstein—Maxwell equations for magnetostatic fields

The symmetry reduction method based on the Fréchet derivative of differential operators is applied to investigate symmetries of the Einstein-Maxwell field equations for magnetostatic fields, which is a coupled system of nonlinear partial differential equations of the second order. The technique yields invariant transformations that reduce the given system of partial differential equations to a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Some of the reduced systems are further studied to obtain the exact solutions.