Impact of composition ratio on the structure and optical properties of (1-x)MnFe2O4/(x)ZnMn2O4 nanocomposite

($1-x$)MnFe$_{2}$O$_{4}$ (MFO)/$x$ZnMn$_{2}$O$_{4}$ (ZMO) ($x=0$, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, and 1.0) nanocomposite samples were prepared using co-precipitation procedure. The phase percentage, cell parameters, and crystallite size of MFO and ZMO phases in each nanocomposite sample were calculated using Rietveld refinement procedure. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy techniques established the variation in the lattice parameters of each phase are due to permutation of all cations among the octahedral and tetrahedral sites of MFO and ZMO. The different oxidation states of different ions in all samples were determined using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technique. The variation in absorbance of the nanocomposite samples with composition parameter ($x$) is dependent on the wavelength region. The optical bandgap of the nanocomposite samples is decreased as the content of ZMO phase increased. The effect of alloying on the refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric constant, optical conductivity, and the nonlinear optical behaviors of all samples were studied in detail. The nanocomposite sample $x=0.5$ disclosed upgraded optical parameters with the highest refractive index, optical conductivity, and PL intensity, which nominate it to be functional in various application fields.     

Fe2P2O7 and Fe2P4O12 studied between 5–800 K

Mössbauer spectra of triclinic Fe₂P₂O₇ indicate the existence of two crystallographic metal positions in the structure. In the paramagnetic region the two Mössbauer doublets are closely overlapping. The magnetic transition takes place at ≈ 21 K and the saturated fields are around 12 tesla for the two positions. In monoclinic Fe₂P₄O₁₂ the two octahedrally coordinated metal positions give quite different quadrupole splittings (1.5 and 3 mm/s at room temperature) and hyperfine field values (42 and 12.5 Tesla at 5 K). The transition temperature is at ≈ 18.5 K.     

Performance improvement of spectral amplitude coding-optical code division multiple access systems using NAND detection with enhanced double weight code

The bit-error rate (BER) performance of the spectral amplitude coding-optical code division multiple access (SACOCDMA) system has been investigated by using NAND subtraction detection technique with enhanced double weight (EDW) code. The EDW code is the enhanced version of double weight (DW) code family where the code weight is any odd number and greater than one with ideal cross-correlation. In order to evaluate the performance of the system, we used mathematical analysis extensively along with the simulation experiment. The evaluation results obtained using the NAND subtraction detection technique was compared with those obtained using the complementary detection technique for the same number of active users. The comparison results revealed that the BER performance of the system using NAND subtraction detection technique has greatly been improved as compared to the complementary technique.     

Cluster Model Analysis of Pion Elastic and Inelastic Scattering from 12C

Angular distributions of differential cross sections for the ¹²C(π ^±, π ^±)¹²C and ¹²C(π ^±, π ^±)¹²C^* reactions at pion kinetic energy ranging from 50 to 260 MeV have been analyzed with the 3α-particle model of ¹²C. The model provides good fits to a wide range of data. Differential cross sections for inelastic transitions to the (2^?+?; 4.44 MeV) and (3^???; 9.64 MeV) states in ¹²C are computed and the deformation lengths δ ₂ and δ ₃ are extracted. It is found that the extracted deformation lengths are sensitive to the nuclear model used and similar to the corresponding values found with other probes and nuclear models.     

Quantum Effect on the Energy Levels of Eu2+ Doped K2Ca2(SO4)3 Nanoparticles

Quantum confinement effect on the energy levels of Eu²⁺ doped K₂Ca₂(SO₄)₃ nanoparticles has been observed. The broad photoluminescence (PL) emission band of Eu²⁺ doped K₂Ca₂(SO₄)₃ microcrystalline sample observed at ～436 nm is found to split into two narrow well resolved bands, located at 422 and 445 nm in the nanostructure form of this material. This has been attributed to the reduction in the crystal field strength of the nanomaterials, which results in widening the energy band gap and splitting the broad 4f⁶5d energy level of Eu²⁺. Energy band gap values of the micro and nanocrystalline K₂Ca₂(SO₄)₃ samples were also determined by measuring the UV–visible absorption spectra. These values are 3.34 and 3.44 eV for the micro and nanocrystalline samples, respectively. These remarkable results suggest that activators having wide emission bands might be subjected to weak crystal strength via nanostructure materials to modify their electronic transitions. This might prove a powerful technique for producing new-advanced materials for use in the fields of solid state lasers and optoelectronic devises.     

Uptake of transferrin-conjugated quantum dots in single living cells

We study the uptake and distribution of transferrin （Tf）-conjugated CdSe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots （QDs） in single living HeLa cells with both fluorescence confocal microscopy and three-dimensional （3D） reconstruction technique. By increasing the co-incubation time or the dosage of QDs-Tf, we find that the uptake of QDs-Tf bioconjugates in the cells increases correspondingly, but with different uptake rates. Additionally, the distribution of QDs-Tf, in single live HeLa cells is time dependent. To our knowledge, this is the first study on quantitatively analyzing the uptake and distribution of bioconjugated QDs in single living cells. Such QDs nanoplatform can be further modified for developing biomedical evaluation tool in cancer diagnosis and targeted drug delivery.     

Discreteness of space from the generalized uncertainty principle

Various approaches to Quantum Gravity (such as String Theory and Doubly Special Relativity), as well as black hole physics predict a minimum measurable length, or a maximum observable momentum, and related modifications of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle to a so-called Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP). We propose a GUP consistent with String Theory, Doubly Special Relativity and black hole physics, and show that this modifies all quantum mechanical Hamiltonians. When applied to an elementary particle, it implies that the space which confines it must be quantized. This suggests that space itself is discrete, and that all measurable lengths are quantized in units of a fundamental length (which can be the Planck length). On the one hand, this signals the breakdown of the spacetime continuum picture near that scale, and on the other hand, it can predict an upper bound on the quantum gravity parameter in the GUP, from current observations. Furthermore, such fundamental discreteness of space may have observable consequences at length scales much larger than the Planck scale.     

Measurement of the total active 8B solar neutrino flux at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory with enhanced neutral current sensitivity

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory has precisely determined the total active (nu(x)) 8B solar neutrino flux without assumptions about the energy dependence of the nu(e) survival probability. The measurements were made with dissolved NaCl in heavy water to enhance the sensitivity and signature for neutral-current interactions. The flux is found to be 5.21 +/- 0.27(stat)+/-0.38(syst) x 10(6) cm(-2) s(-1), in agreement with previous measurements and standard solar models. A global analysis of these and other solar and reactor neutrino results yields Deltam(2)=7.1(+1.2)(-0.6) x 10(-5) eV(2) and theta=32.5(+2.4)(-2.3) degrees. Maximal mixing is rejected at the equivalent of 5.4 standard deviations.