High-efficiency erbium ion luminescence in silicon nanocrystal systems

The photoluminescence spectra and kinetics of both erbium-doped and undoped multilayer structures of quasi-ordered silicon nanocrystals in a silicon dioxide matrix were studied. It was shown that the optical excitation energy of silicon nanocrystals 2–3 nm in size can be practically completely transferred to Er³⁺ ions in the oxide surrounding the nanocrystals, with its subsequent radiation at 1.5 μm. Possible reasons for the high excitation efficiency of the Er³⁺ ions are discussed, and the conclusion is drawn that the F?rster mechanism is dominant in the energy transfer processes occurring in these structures. __________ Translated from Fizika Tverdogo Tela, Vol. 46, No. 1, 2004, pp. 105–109. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2004 by Kashkarov, Kamenev, Lisachenko, Shalygina, Timoshenko, Schmidt, Heitmann, Zacharias.     

Modeling of the structure and electronic structure of condensed phases of small fullerenes C<Subscript>28</Subscript> and Zn@C<Subscript>28</Subscript>

A comparative analysis of the stability factors and electronic structure of two possible crystalline forms of small fullerene C₂₈ and endohedral fullerene Zn@C₂₈ with diamond and lonsdaleite structures is performed using a cluster model. Atoms of elements that, when placed inside C₂₈ cages, have no significant effect on the stability of free small-fullerene molecules are shown to be able to dramatically change the electronic properties and reactivity of the C₂₈ skeleton and to be favorable for forming small-fullerene crystalline modifications, which are covalent crystals. In contrast, if the presence of foreign atoms inside C₂₈ cages stabilizes the isolated nanoparticles, then molecular crystals (such as C₆₀ fullerites) are formed due to weak van der Waals forces.     

Special points for calculating integrals over the primitive cell of a periodic system

A method is proposed for constructing appropriate sets of special points in the Brillouin zone in which the extended unit cell method is used with a subsequent shift from the center of the reduced Brillouin zone. The proposed method offers several advantages over the commonly used Monkhorst-Pack method. The difference in the construction of sets of special points for the direct and reciprocal lattices is discussed for crystals belonging to a nonsymmorphic space group. The cases of a planar square lattice and an fcc lattice are considered to illustrate general results.     

Characteristics of elementary acts in the kinetics of metal fracture

Experimental studies of the fracture kinetics of polycrystalline metals have led to the problem of the barrier and activation volume of elementary fracture acts. A model is proposed where the field binding one atom to its environment in a metal is represented by equivalent bonds directed along three orthogonal axes. These bonds are described using the Morse potential, whose parameters are found from the values of the Young’s modulus and the linear thermal expansion coefficient for metals. The validity of the model is checked by comparing the results obtained with metal sublimation data. The values of the barrier and activation volume of elementary fracture acts are determined for 15 polycrystalline metals. The levels of local overstresses are estimated. The theoretical breaking strengths of the metals are calculated.     

Calculation of the vortex pinning energy in a long periodically modulated Josephson contact

An analytical method for evaluating the Josephson and magnetic energies of a vortex, as well as the vortex pinning energy and its components, in a long periodically modulated Josephson contact is suggested. The method allows one to take into account the variation of the vortex shape with the position of the vortex. The results obtained with this method are much closer to those of exact computer analysis compared with results of the conventional techniques. The discrepancy between the exact shape of the vortex and a function obtained by solving a differential equation approximating the exact difference equation is studied.     

Green luminescence in diffusion-doped layers of zinc selenide

Diffusion-doped layers with a green emission band dominating in the room-temperature luminescence spectrum are obtained by annealing single-crystal zinc selenide substrates in tellurium and zinc vapors.     

Spatial macroscopic structure of a pulsed microsecond discharge in barrier-metal gaps with a nonuniform electric field distribution

Electric and spatial characteristics of a pulse-periodic microsecond barrier discharge are investigated in different geometries—triangular prism, plate, and corrugated electrode—that are in contact with a dielectric plate and form a dihedral angle with it. It is established that, in the space of the dihedral angle, the regions of discharge represent alternating cylindrical layers with the axes lying on the contact line. The first conducting layer is formed at some distance from the contact edge of the electrode. The number of layers and their localization are determined by the angle formed between an electrode and the dielectric plate. A physical model explaining the main features of the structure formation is proposed.     

Nonlinear parametric effects and dynamic chaos in a nonautonomous oscillating system with a nonlinear capacitance

A mathematical model is constructed of a nonautonomous dynamic system containing a nonlinear capacitance and possessing a four-dimensional phase space. A numerical investigation is performed of branching processes and phenomena accompanying variations in the frequency and amplitude of an external force. The existence of complex dynamic processes that are a combination of a nonlinear force resonance and a parametric resonance is demonstrated. It is found that both a strange chaotic and a strange nonchaotic attractor exist in the phase space. It is shown that, in the case of a single-frequency external force, the latter attractor exhibits the property of roughness. The results of numerical calculations are confirmed by the results of laboratory experiments.     

Prediction of the properties of two-phase composites with a piezoactive component

The effective dielectric, piezoelectric, and elastic constants of two-phase macroscopically piezoactive 3-0 and 3-3 composites are calculated. It is assumed that one of the components is a polarized ferroelectric ceramic material and the other is an inactive material with variable elastic properties. The limiting case when the elastic compliances of the inactive material tend to infinity (porous ferroelectric ceramics) is considered. The adequacy of this model to production technologies of piezoelectric composites is discussed. Computational results are compared with experimental data.     

Calculation of the asymmetry parameters of the angular distribution and of the spin polarization of Auger electrons for open-shell atoms

By means of the multichannel Hartree-Fock-Dirac method, the parameters β and α₂ of the angular distribution of Auger electrons and the parameter β₂ of their spin polarization are calculated for sodium, krypton, xenon, barium, mercury, and excited argon. Relevant Coulomb matrix elements are determined by using orthogonal multielectron initial-and final-state wave functions for intermediate-type coupling in a relativistic approximation. Exchange interaction is taken into account in all calculations. A comparison of the results of calculations performed in the frozen-core approximation and those obtained with orthogonal initial-and final-state wave functions reveals that the relaxation of core orbital processes has only a slight effect on the anisotropy parameters of the angular distribution. The resulting values of the parameters β, α₂, and β₂ are compared with the results of different calculations.