Hardness and slip systems of orthorhombic hen egg-white lysozyme crystals

Hardness and slip systems by an indentation method were investigated on different habit planes of orthorhombic hen egg-white lysozyme (O-HEWL) crystals containing water. A dependence of the hardness on the water-evaporation time exhibits three stages as incubation, transition and saturated ones, as tetragonal (T)-HEWL crystals reported previously. The hardness values of (1 1 0), (0 1 0) and (0 1 1) habit planes of O-HEWL in the incubation stage or wet condition exhibits 6, 8 and 10 MPa, respectively. The hardness depends on indented planes but it is independent of the air-humidity and crystal volumes. These values correspond to the intrinsic hardness for O-HEWL crystals containing water. In the incubation stage, the slip traces are clearly observed around the indentation mark and the corresponding six kinds of slip systems are identified to be {0 1 1}<1 0 0>, {1 1 0}<1 1 0>, {0 1 1}<0 1 1>, {1 1 0}<0 0 1>, {1 0 0}<0 0 1> and {0 1 0}<0 0 1>.     

A Mössbauer effect study of the Fe2+x Mn1–x Al Heusler alloys

In this work the Mössbauer spectroscopy has been used to study the magnetic properties of Fe_2?+?x Mn_1???x Al alloys with small deviations of composition from the stoichiometric 2:1:1. The Mössbauer parameters obtained for the L2₁ phase indicate H _hf fields of about 25 T and 30 T at 80 K for Fe atoms at X sites in the ordered X₂YZ structure of the L2₁ full Heusler alloys.     

Structure determination of the Cu(0 0 1)–c(4 × 4)-Sn surface by low-energy electron diffraction

Low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) have been used to determine the Cu(0 0 1)–c(4 × 4)-Sn structure formed at 300 K. It is demonstrated that a structural model suggested by scanning tunneling microscopy observations is correct: The model consists of one substitutional Sn atom and four Sn adatoms in the unit cell. Optimum parameters of the determined c(4 × 4) structure reveal that Sn adatoms laterally are displaced by 0.30 Å away from ideal fourfold-hollow sites along the 〈100〉 directions. It is proposed that such displacements of the Sn adatoms cause the formation of a network of octagonal rings on Cu(0 0 1). The substitutional Sn atom is located at each center of the octagonal rings. The formation conditions of the network are discussed.     

Structural and optical properties of silicon nanoparticles prepared by pulsed laser ablation in hydrogen background gas

We studied the structural and optical properties of silicon (Si) nanoparticles (np-Si) prepared by pulsed laser ablation (PLA) in hydrogen (H₂) background gas. The mean diameter of the np-Si was estimated to be approximately 5 nm. The infrared absorption corresponding to Si-H_n (n=1,2,3) bonds was observed at around 2100 cm^-1, and a Raman scattering peak corresponding to crystalline Si was observed at around 520 cm^-1. These results indicate that nanoparticles are not an alloy of Si and hydrogen but Si nanocrystal covered by hydrogen or hydrogenated silicon. This means that surface passivated Si nanoparticles can be prepared by PLA in H₂ gas. The band-gap energy of np-Si prepared in H₂ gas (1.9 eV) was larger than that of np-Si prepared in He gas (1.6 eV) even though they are almost the same diameter. After decreasing the hydrogen content in np-Si by thermal annealing, the band-gap energy decreased, and reached the same energy level as np-Si prepared in He gas. Thus, the optical properties of np-Si were affected by the hydrogenation of the surface of np-Si. PACS 81.15.Fg; 61.46.+W; 78.67.Bf     

Building a Simple Model of a Pulse-Frequency-Modulation Photosensor and Demonstration of a 128 x 128-pixel Pulse-Frequency-Modulation Image Sensor Fabricated in a Standard 0.35-$mUm Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Technology

We present a simple model of the pulse-frequency-modulation (PFM) photosensor that provides explicit relationships between circuit parameters and output characteristics. The model treats the PFM photosensor with a feedback loop as an open loop circuit. Several characteristics such as output pulse frequency for light intensity and photosensitivity are expressed by device parameters of a photodiode, reset transistor, and chain of inverters. The relationships derived from the proposed model help us to comprehend the results by simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis (SPICE) or experiments. We design and fabricate a 128 x 128-pixel PFM image sensor with photosensitivity of 0.15 Hz/lux. As a demonstration, a figure of a dinosaur is captured using the fabricated image sensor to discuss its operation. Characteristics of a normal pixel and white and black defect pixels are measured and discussed based on the results of formulations.     

Status of heavy element research using a gas-filled recoil separator at RIKEN

A gas-filled type of recoil separator for heavy element research was installed at an experimental hall of RIKEN Linear Accelerator facility to realize getting higher intensity of primary beam and long beam time. Performance of the separator was studied using target recoils and various nuclear reactions. The results show the high performance of the separator for heave element research. As an application of the GARIS, production and identification of an isotope of the 110th element ²⁷¹[110] have been performed using the ²⁰⁸Pb(⁶⁴Ni,1n)²⁷¹[110] reaction. Three decay chains coincide well both in decay times and energies with the ones reported by the group of SHIP experiment at GSI, Germany. Our results provide a confirmation of the synthesis of an isotope ²⁷¹[110] of element 110.     

Observation of the effects of radially sheared electric fields on the suppression of turbulent vortex structures and the associated transverse loss in GAMMA 10

Vortexlike turbulent structures in hot-ion mode plasmas with several keV are observed in the case with a radially produced weak shear of electric fields E(r). However, a strong E(r) shear formation due to a high ion-confining potential phi(c) production clears up these vortices together with plasma-confinement improvement and disappearance of both drift-wave and turbulencelike Fourier spectral signals. These findings are based on three-time progress in phi(c) in comparison to phi(c) attained 1992-2002. The significant advance of phi(c) is well extended in line with proposed potential-formation physics scalings.     

Regeneration of small eddies by data assimilation in turbulence

The effect of data assimilation of large-scale eddies on small-scale eddies in turbulence is studied by direct numerical simulations (DNSs) of Navier-Stokes turbulence with Taylor microscale Reynolds numbers up to 179. The DNSs show that even if the data of small-scale eddies are lost at some initial instant, they can be regenerated from the data of large-scale eddies under the condition that Fourier modes with wave number less than a critical wave number k(*) are continuously assimilated, where k(*) approximately 0.2eta(-1) with eta identical with(nu(3)/epsilon)(1/4), epsilon the mean energy dissipation rate, and nu the viscosity.     

Multiple bosonic mode coupling in the electron self-energy of (La2-xSrx)CuO4

High resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy data along the (0,0)-(pi,pi) nodal direction with significantly improved statistics reveal fine structure in the electron self-energy of the underdoped (La2-xSrx)CuO4 samples in the normal state. Fine structure at energies of (40-46) meV and (58-63) meV, and possible fine structure at energies of (23-29) meV and (75-85) meV, have been identified. These observations indicate that, in (La2-xSrx)CuO4, more than one bosonic modes are involved in the coupling with electrons.