Growth of large La2−xSrxCuO4 single crystals using tilting-mirror-type infrared heating image furnace

Large single crystals of La_2−xSr_xCuO₄ (LSCO) high-T_c superconductors were grown by the infrared heating floating zone (IR-FZ) method using a tilting-mirror-type image furnace. The maximum diameter of the LSCO crystals increased to 10 mm in the tilting-mirror-type image furnace from 6 mm in the conventional image furnace. CuO rich feeds were required for the crystal growth using the tilting-mirror-type image furnace to compensate for the lack of CuO caused by the significant evaporation of CuO during the growth. The evaporation of CuO was affected by the tilting angle of the mirrors of the image furnace and by feed diameter. The optimized growth conditions were as follows: mirror tilting angle, 20°; feed diameter, 10 mm∅; and feed composition 50.7 mol% CuO.     

Quantum Hall effect, screening, and layer-polarized insulating states in twisted bilayer graphene

We investigate electronic transport in dual-gated twisted-bilayer graphene. Despite the subnanometer proximity between the layers, we identify independent contributions to the magnetoresistance from the graphene Landau level spectrum of each layer. We demonstrate that the filling factor of each layer can be independently controlled via the dual gates, which we use to induce Landau level crossings between the layers. By analyzing the gate dependence of the Landau level crossings, we characterize the finite interlayer screening and extract the capacitance between the atomically spaced layers. At zero filling factor, we observe an insulating state at large displacement fields, which can be explained by the presence of counterpropagating edge states with interlayer coupling.     

Naturalness bounds on dipole moments from new physics

Assuming naturalness that the quantum corrections to the mass should not exceed the order of the observed mass, we derive and apply model-independent bounds on the anomalous magnetic moments and electric dipole moments of leptons and quarks due to new physics.     

Patterning on single crystalline silicon by laser scanning and alkaline etching

The applicability of laser processing for small-lot micro-electromechanical system devices is discussed in this paper. This simple process could replace conventional complex processes designed with mass production in mind. Ablation, protrusions or surface modification is revealed to occur by argon ion laser scanning into silicon. Which of them occurs depends on the laser power. It is found that the protrusions are covered by a thin layer of oxide; however, oxidation of the modified surface is not established even though some results suggest it. Surface modification is more applicable to surface patterning than coarse protrusion is because the laser-modified surface can be used as a mask in KOH etching to make sharp patterns. The applicability of this method is indicated by demonstrating pattern width control, patterning over a large area and the fabrication of a 16-bit linear scale.     

Study of the vi13/2-1 band in 189Pt

High-spin levels of 189Pt have been studied with the in-beam γ-spectroscopy method via the 176Yb(18O,5n) reaction at the beam energies of 88 and 95 MeV. The previously known vi13/2-1 band has been confirmed, and its unfavored signature branch extended up to the 31/2+ state. Within the framework of the triaxial particle-rotor model, the vi13/2-1 band is suggested to be associated with the 11/2[615] configuration, and to have triaxial deformation.     

Cu chemistry of YBa2Cu3O6+x investigated by nuclear quadrupole resonance

The nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) technique has been utilized to characterize the local oxygen coordination of inequivalent Cu sites in YBa₂Cu₃O_6+x(0 ≤ x ≤ 0.91). Essentially, four distinct NQR lines which correspond to 2, 3,4 oxygen coordinated Cu sites in the Cu-O chains and 5 oxygen coordinated Cu sites in the Cu-O planes have been observed. The zero-field NQR frequencies of these are centered at about 30.1, 24.0, 22.0 and 31.5 MHz for ⁶³Cu, respectively. For the antiferromagnetic ordered state (x ≤ 0.3), antiferromagnetic nuclear resonance (AFNR) has been observed at 90 MHz with quadrupole splittings associated with the moment-bearing Cu sites in the Cu-O planes. The relative intensities of these resonance lines depend on the oxygen content, and this gives us a microscopic understanding of the Cu chemistry of this system.     

Neutron Halo Structure at the Limit of Stability Probed by Breakup Reactions

Atomic nuclei along the neutron drip line are investigated experimentally by breakup reactions of the rare isotope beams. Such exotic nuclei often show the neutron halo structure, which is the main focus of this paper. Characteristic features of the Coulomb and nuclear breakup at intermediate to high incident energies are described. Then, recent experimental results on halo nuclei, mainly on ³¹Ne, obtained at the new-generation RI-beam facility, RIBF (RI Beam factory) at RIKEN, are presented. Perspectives for the breakup experiments using the new facility SAMURAI at RIBF ara also discussed.     

Mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in a four-hole As2S5 chalcogenide microstructured optical fiber

We demonstrate the supercontinuum (SC) generation in a four-hole As₂S₅ chalcogenide microstructured optical fiber (MOF) experimentally. The As₂S₅ glass has better property of transmission than As₂S₃ glass in the visible range. The four-hole As₂S₅ MOF is fabricated by a rod-in-tube method. The SCs generated by different pump wavelengths at 2,000, 2,300 and 2,500 nm in the MOF whose length is from 2.3 to 20 cm are demonstrated. Those pump wavelengths correspond to the chromatic dispersion wavelength in the normal chromatic dispersion region, the anomalous chromatic dispersion region close to zero-dispersion wavelength (ZDW) and the anomalous chromatic dispersion region far from ZDW, respectively. Wider SCs can be obtained when pumped at a wavelength in the anomalous dispersion region close to ZDW. The widest SC range of 4,280 nm (from 1,370 to 5,650 nm) covering two octaves was obtained in a 4.8-cm-long fiber pumped at 2,300 nm.     

Unsupervised Image Segmentation Using Hierarchical Clustering

In the analysis of a medical image database aimed at formulating useful knowledge for image diagnosis requires an unsupervised image processing technique without preconceived knowledge. In this paper, we propose a method for unsupervised image segmentation, which is suitable for finding the features contained in an image. A small region around each pixel is considered as a pattern vector, and the set of pattern vectors acquired from the whole image is classified using the hierarchical clustering technique. In hierarchical clustering, the classification of pattern vectors is divided into two clusters at each node according to the statistical criterion based on the entropy in thermodynamics. Results of the test image generated by the Markov random field (MRF) model and real medical images photomicrographs of a colon tumor are shown.     

Analysis of A-DLTS spectra of MOS structures with thin NAOS SiO2 layers

A set of MOS structures with thin SiO₂ layers prepared by nitric acid oxidation (NAOS) method was investigated using acoustic deep level transient spectroscopy (A-DLTS) to explain the role of annealing treatment (post-oxidation annealing (POA) and post-metallization annealing (PMA)) at different conditions on the distribution of interface states. The activation energies of interface states and the corresponding capture cross-section were calculated both from Arrhenius plots constructed for individual peaks of the A-DLTS spectra and applying the method of modeling of measured acoustic spectra. The energy distribution of the interface states was determined also from the dependence of acoustoelectric response signal (ARS) on the external bias voltage (U _ac - V _G curves). By comparing the A-DLTS spectra, U _ac - V _G characteristics and some electrical measurements (G-V, I-V curves) of investigated MOS structures with no treatment with those treated with POA and/or PMA, the role of individual treatments was observed. The definite decrease of the interface states in the structures with the PMA treatment in comparison with the POA treatment was confirmed too.