Self-field effects on small-signal gain in two-stage free-electron lasers

Self-field effects, induced by charge and current densities of the electron beam, on gain in two-stage free-electron laser with nonuniform guide magnetic field is presented. The gain equation for small-signal has been derived analytically. The results of numerical calculations show a gain decrement for group I orbits and a gain enhancement for group II orbits, due to the self-field effects. The wiggler-induced self-magnetic field has a diamagnetic effect for group I orbits, whereas for group II, it has a paramagnetic effect. It is also found that using a nonuniform guide field, rather than a uniform one, causes the gain to increase.     

~ 1.2 μm near-infrared emission and gain anticipation in Ho doped heavy-metal gallate glasses

Ho³⁺-doped low-phonon-energy heavy-metal gallate glasses (LKBPBG) have been prepared and efficient 1.199 μm emission originating from the ⁵I₆ → ⁵I₈ radiative transition has been observed under 900 nm excitation. The spontaneous emission probability and the maximum stimulated emission cross-section were derived to be 294.31 s^− 1 and 3.46 × 10^− 21 cm², respectively. The ratio of quantum yields between ~ 1.2 and ~ 2.0 μm emissions was identified to be 16%, demonstrating that the ⁵I₆ → ⁵I₈ transition is favorable for optical amplification. The maximum gain coefficient of 1.84 dB/cm at 1.199 μm wavelength was anticipated in the ideal status. These results indicate that the Ho³⁺-doped LKBPBG glasses have a promising potential for the development of ~ 1.2 μm signal amplifier devices.     

Diffusion and ballistic contributions of electron-electron interaction to the conductivity in an Al0.26Ga0.74N/AlN/GaN heterostructure

The results of an experimental study of quantum correction of electron-electron interaction (EEI) to the conductivity of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in an undoped heterostructure are reported. A small but significant decrease of the Hall slope with the increase of temperature was discovered. This is not due to the increase of electron concentration as temperature increases but to the EEI effect. Both diffusion and ballistic contributions of EEI to the conductivity of 2DEG were observed. As the temperature increases, the negative diffusion EEI correction to the conductivity increases in an absolute value while the ballistic EEI correction reduces to a renormalization of the transport mobility.     

Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Protein Oligomerization in Membranes

Fluorescence spectroscopy is one of the most powerful tools for characterization of a multitude of biological processes. Of these, the phenomenon of protein oligomerization attracts especial interest due to its crucial role in the formation of fibrillar protein aggregates (amyloid fibrils) involved in ethiology of so-called protein misfolding diseases. It is becoming increasingly substantiated that protein fibrillization in vivo can be initiated and modulated at membrane-water interface. All steps of membrane-assisted fibrillogenesis, viz., protein adsorption onto lipid bilayer, structural transition of polypeptide chain into a highly aggregation-prone partially folded conformation, assembly of oligomeric nucleus from membrane-bound monomeric species and fiber elongation can be monitored with a mighty family of fluorescence-based techniques. Furthermore, the mechanisms behind cytotoxicity of prefibrillar protein oligomers are highly amenable to fluorescence analysis. The applications of fluorescence spectroscopy to monitoring protein oligomerization in a membrane environment are exemplified and some problems encountered in such kinds of studies are highlighted.     

Synthesis of uniform quasi-octahedral CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> mesocrystals via a surfactant-free route

A facile surfactant-free nonaqueous method is presented to prepare uniform quasi-octahedral ceria, CeO₂, mesocrystals, in which only Ce(NO₃)₃ and octanol were used as the reactants at a reaction temperature of 150 °C. CeO₂ sample synthesized using this technique consists of well-dispersed quasi-octahedrons and exhibits an uniform size and morphology. Based on structural characterization, it is proposed that the CeO₂ mesostructure was formed by self-assembly of primary nanocrystals based on unique 3D oriented-attachment mechanism. Optical characterization exhibited a strong quantum confinement, revealing small size of primary nanocrystals. The thermal stability and UV–Vis study reveal CeO₂ mesocrystal has various potential for high temperature applications and optical apparatus applications.     

Designing copper–zirconium based nanowires for improving yield strength and plasticity by configuring surface atoms

Epitaxial-Bain-Path and Uniaxial-Bain-Path studies reveal that a B2-CuZr nanowire with Zr atoms on the surface is energetically more stable compared to a B2-CuZr nanowire with Cu atoms on the surface. Nanowires of cross-sectional dimensions in the range of ~20–50 Å are considered. Such stability is also correlated with the initial state of stress in the nanowires. It is also demonstrated here that a more stable structure, i.e., B2-CuZr nanowire with Zr atoms at surface shows improved yield strength compared to B2-CuZr nanowire with Cu atoms at surface site, over range of temperature under both the tensile and the compressive loadings. Nearly 18% increase in the average yield strength under tensile loading and nearly 26% increase in the averaged yield strength under compressive loading are observed for nanowires with various cross-sectional dimensions and temperatures. It is also observed that the B2-CuZr nanowire with Cu atom at the surface site shows a decrease in failure/plastic strain with an increase in temperature. On the other hand, B2-CuZr nanowires with Zr at the surface site shows an improvement in failure/plastic strain, specially at higher temperature as compared to the B2-CuZr nanowires which are having Cu atoms at the surface site. Finally, a possible design methodology for an energetically stable nano-structure with improved thermo-mechanical properties via manipulating the surface atom configuration is proposed.     

The Role of the Eu<Superscript>3+</Superscript> Concentration on the SrMoO<Subscript>4</Subscript>:Eu Phosphor Properties: Synthesis,Characterization and Photophysical Studies

SrMoO₄ doped with rare earth are still scarce nowadays and have attracted great attention due to their applications as scintillating materials in electro-optical like solid-state lasers and optical fibers, for instance. In this work Sr_1−xEu_xMoO₄ powders, where x = 0.01; 0.03 and 0.05, were synthesized by Complex Polymerization (CP) Method. The structural and optical properties of the SrMoO₄:Eu³⁺ were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction patterns, Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), Raman Spectroscopy, and through Photoluminescent Measurements (PL). Only a crystalline scheelite-type phase was obtained when the powders were heat-treated at 800 °C for 2 h, 2θ = 27.8° (100% peak). The excitation spectra of the SrMoO₄:Eu³⁺ (λ_Em. = 614 nm) presented the characteristic band of the Eu^3 + 5L₆ transition at 394 nm and a broad band at around 288 nm ascribed to the charge-transfer from the O (2p) state to the Mo (4d) one in the SrMoO₄ matrix. The emission spectra of the SrMoO₄:Eu³⁺ powders (λ_Exc. = 394 and 288 nm) show the group of sharp emission bands among 523–554 nm and 578–699 nm, assigned to the ⁵D₁→⁷F_{0,1and 2} and ⁵D₀→⁷F_{0,1,2,3 and 4}, respectively. The band related to the ⁵D₀→⁷F₀ transition indicates the presence of Eu³⁺ site without inversion center. This hypothesis is strengthened by the fact that the band referent to the ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transition is the most intense in the emission spectra.     

Top electrode effects on resistive switching behavior in CuO thin films

Top electrode (TE) material on the resistive switching behavior of (TE)/CuO/SnO₂:F/Si substrate has been studied. We investigated the switching properties of CuO films deposited by sol-gel process. Two kinds of top electrode (TE) material on the resistive switching behaviors have been studied. The nonpolar and bipolar resistive switching phenomenon was observed in CuO thin films with different top electrodes. The filamentary mechanism was used to explain the two kinds of resistive switching behaviors. For the Pt/CuO/ATO device, it showed the nonpolar resistive switching where conducting path is formed and disappear due to the oxygen vacancy. For the Cu/CuO/ATO device, the resistance reduction is due to the existing Cu to form conduction Cu-rich pathways. An opposite bias takes the existing Cu back to the Cu electrode to its high-resistance state. CuO thin films are also observed by XRD, AFM and XPS.     

Dispersion stability and thermal conductivity of propylene glycol-based nanofluids

The dispersion stability and thermal conductivity of propylene glycol-based nanofluids containing Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ nanoparticles were studied in the temperature range of 20–80 °C. Nanofluids with different concentrations of nanoparticles were formulated by the two-step method and no dispersant was used. In contrast to the common belief, the average particle size of nanofluids was observed to decrease with increasing temperature, and nanofluids showed an excellent stability over the temperature range of interest. Thermal conductivity enhancement for both studied nanofluids was a nonlinear function of concentration and was temperature independent. Theoretical analyses were also performed using existing models compared with experimental results. The model based on the aggregation theory appears to be the best.     

Nanosecond laser ablation and deposition of silicon

Nanosecond-pulsed KrF (248 nm, 25 ns) and Nd:YAG (1064 nm, 532 nm, 355 nm, 5 ns) lasers were used to ablate a polycrystalline Si target in a background pressure of <10⁻⁴ Pa. Si films were deposited on Si and GaAs substrates at room temperature. The surface morphology of the films was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Round droplets from 20 nm to 5 μm were detected on the deposited films. Raman Spectroscopy indicated that the micron-sized droplets were crystalline and the films were amorphous. The dependence of the properties of the films on laser wavelengths and fluence is discussed.