Experimental and theoretical investigation into the effect of the electron velocity distribution on chaotic oscillations in an electron beam under virtual cathode formation conditions

The effect of the electron transverse and longitudinal velocity spread at the entrance to the interaction space on wide-band chaotic oscillations in intense multiple-velocity beams is studied theoretically and numerically under the conditions of formation of a virtual cathode. It is found that an increase in the electron velocity spread causes chaotization of virtual cathode oscillations. An insight into physical processes taking place in a virtual-cathode multiple-velocity beam is gained by numerical simulation. The chaotization of the oscillations is shown to be associated with additional electron structures, which were separated out by constructing charged particle distribution functions.     

Collective radiation of a system of two three-level V-type atoms in a two-mode resonator with losses

Collective spontaneous radiation of a system of two three-level V-type atoms interacting with two modes of a quantum electromagnetic field in a resonator with finite Q-factor is investigated based on the control kinetic equation for the density matrix. Time dependences of the average number of photons and radiation intensity of each mode are derived for the case in which atoms at the initial moment of time are in different excited states. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 78–83, February, 2006.     

Nanophotonics and nanometrology with planar X-ray waveguide-resonator

The mechanism of X-ray waveguide-resonance propagation or the radiation superstream model, which can become the ground of X-ray nanophotonics, is discussed briefly. Some attention is devoted to features consideration of the simplest devices characterized by the waveguide-resonance transportation of X-ray beams. The experimental data showing the user possibilities of a simplest waveguide-resonators application for diffractometry are presented. We discuss the main reasons to improve the metrological characteristics for total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) analytical method in case when the target exciting beam is formed by a waveguide-resonator. Some problems appearing during the waveguide-resonator application are formulated.     

Air-activated carbons from almond tree pruning: Preparation and characterization

In this work the results obtained in the preparation and characterization of carbons made from almond tree pruning by non-catalytic and catalytic gasification (using K and Co) with air are analyzed and discussed. The main aim was to obtain high quality activated carbons at the lowest possible cost. The variables studied have been the temperature (190-260 °C) and the time (1-10 h) in non-catalytic gasification and the influence of the catalyst type (K and Co, 1 wt.% referred to cation, at 190 °C and 1 h) and the time (1-4 h) in catalytic gasification with Co at 190 °C. The air flow rate used in all the series was 167 cm³ min⁻¹. In non-catalytic gasification the reaction normalized rate versus the conversion degree was maintained until a conversion value of 10% for the experiment made at 260 °C since, at lower temperatures, this rate drops quickly for low conversion values. The N₂ adsorption isotherms for the carbons of this series resemble type I, although there is an increase of N₂ adsorbed volume at relatively high pressures. A temperature rise produced an increase of the carbon porosity and BET specific surface (116-469 m² g⁻¹). The activation time has a positive effect on the N₂ volume adsorbed by the carbons. The isotherms shapes were similar to those previously commented. A concentration equal to 1 wt.% was used to study the influence of the catalyst type. Under the studied experimental conditions, Co drives to a bigger porosity development than K, although with both catalysts a very similar pore size distribution is obtained. The activation time, in the gasifications catalyzed with Co, gives rise to a very important porosity development in the carbons. This produces a strong increase of the carbon specific surface area with very high values in the 4 h experiment, in which a BET specific surface of 959 m² g⁻¹ was obtained.     

Thickness influence on surface morphology and ozone sensing properties of nanostructured ZnO transparent thin films grown by PLD

Transparent zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films with a thickness from 10 to 200 nm were prepared by the PLD technique onto silicon and Corning glass substrates at 350 °C, using an Excimer Laser XeCl (308 nm). Surface investigations carried out by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed a strong influence of thickness on film surface topography. Film roughness (RMS), grain shape and dimensions correlate with film thickness. For the 200 nm thick film, the RMS shows a maximum (13.9 nm) due to the presence of hexagonal shaped nanorods on the surface. XRD measurements proved that the films grown by PLD are c-axis textured. It was demonstrated that the gas sensing characteristics of ZnO films are strongly influenced and may be enhanced significantly by the control of film deposition parameters and surface characteristics, i.e. thickness and RMS, grain shape and dimension.     

Magnetic properties of multiwalled carbon nanotubes as a function of acid treatment

We investigate the electronic properties of multiwalled carbon nanotubes both before and after acid treatment with concentrated sulphuric and nitric acids. Magnetic susceptibility measurements were performed using a SQUID magnetometer and show that there is a considerable enhancement in the density of states at the Fermi level. The data shows that the diamagnetic influence from the graphitic nanotubes dominates. We experimentally observe, after acid treatment, that the diamagnetic susceptibility remains unchanged at 5 K but notably decreases at 77 K. We propose the acid treatment has increased the Van Vleck paramagnetic contribution lowering the diamagnetic response from the π-electron orbital magnetisation. The Van Vleck paramagnetic contribution is finite-temperature dependent with a diminishing contribution at higher fields.