Transmission-mode GaN photocathode based on graded Al_xGa_(1-x)N buffer layer

We create a GaN photocathode based on graded Alx Ga1-x N buffer layers to overcome the influence of buffer-emission layer interface on the photoemission of transmission-mode GaN photocathodes.A gateshaped spectral response with a 260-nm starting wavelength and a 375-nm cut-off wavelength is obtained.Average quantum efficiency is 15% and short wavelength responses are almost equivalent to long wavelength ones.The fitted interface recombination velocity is 5×104 cm/s,with negligible magnitude,proving that the design of the graded buffer layers is efficient in obtaining good interface quality between the buffer and the emission layer.     

Scale-invariant structure of energy fluctuations in real earthquakes

Earthquakes are obviously complex phenomena associated with complicated spatiotemporal correlations, and they are generally characterized by two power laws: the Gutenberg-Richter (GR) and the Omori-Utsu laws. However, an important challenge has been to explain two apparently contrasting features: the GR and Omori-Utsu laws are scale-invariant and unaffected by energy or time scales, whereas earthquakes occasionally exhibit a characteristic energy or time scale, such as with asperity events. In this paper, three high-quality datasets on earthquakes were used to calculate the earthquake energy fluctuations at various spatiotemporal scales, and the results reveal the correlations between seismic events regardless of their critical or characteristic features. The probability density functions (PDFs) of the fluctuations exhibit evidence of another scaling that behaves as a q-Gaussian rather than random process. The scaling behaviors are observed for scales spanning three orders of magnitude. Considering the spatial heterogeneities in a real earthquake fault, we propose an inhomogeneous Olami-Feder-Christensen (OFC) model to describe the statistical properties of real earthquakes. The numerical simulations show that the inhomogeneous OFC model shares the same statistical properties with real earthquakes.     

Quantitative determination of material viscoelasticity using a piezoelectric cantilever bimorph beam

The objective of this paper is to formulate the governing equation of a cantilever bimorph beam associated with a tip mass in contact with a viscoelastic material, which is modeled by a stiffness and a damper in parallel. From the eigenvalue problem, we can obtain the resonant frequencies as functions of the tip mass and material stiffness. The relation between the spectrum and material damping is established by the half-power bandwidth. It is found that the resonant frequencies increase as the material stiffness increases or the tip mass decreases, and the spectrum decreases by increasing the damping. From the analytic results, a cantilever could provide a technique to assess material viscoelasticity by simple measurements of the resonant frequency and the spectrum. Since the cantilever's behavior scales with its geometry, the device can be designed specifically for mechanical measurement of a microscopic system such as living cells and biomaterials.     

AlGaInAs/InP eye-safe laser pumped by a Q-switched Nd:GdVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> laser

An AlGaInAs quantum-well structure grown on a Fe-doped InP transparent substrate is developed to be a gain medium in a high-peak-power nanosecond laser at 1570 nm. Using an actively Q-witched 1064 nm laser to pump the gain chip, an average output power of 135 mW is generated at a pulse repetition rate of 30 kHz and an average pump power of 1.25 W. At a pulse repetition rate of 20 kHz, the peak output power is up to 290 W at a peak pump power of 2.3 kW.     

Analytical valuation of catastrophe equity options with negative exponential jumps

A catastrophe put option is valuable in the event that the underlying asset price is below the strike price; in addition, a specified catastrophic event must have happened and influenced the insured company. This paper analyzes the valuation of catastrophe put options under deterministic and stochastic interest rates when the underlying asset price is modeled through a Lévy process with finite activity. We provide explicit analytical formulas for evaluating values of catastrophe put options. The numerical examples illustrate how financial risks and catastrophic risks affect the prices of catastrophe put options.     

Effect of Eu3+ concentration on microstructure and photoluminescence of Sr2SiO4:Eu3+ phosphors prepared by microwave assisted sintering

In this paper, effect of Eu³⁺ doping concentrations on microstructure and photoluminescence of Sr₂SiO₄ phosphors was investigated. The Sr_2?xSiO₄:xEu³⁺ phosphors with x=0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 were synthesized by microwave assisted sintering at 1200 °C for 60 min in air. X-ray powder diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of pure Sr₂SiO₄ phase without second phase or phases of starting materials irrespective of the adding amount of Eu³⁺. From scanning electron microscopy image, it is found that with more Eu³⁺ ions introduced to Sr₂SiO₄, the shape of the particles is not much different from each other, but the particle size decreases significantly from 1 to 2 μm (when x=0.05) to less than 500 nm (when x=0.3). The emission spectrum was located obviously at 617 nm as the excitation spectrum at λ_ex=395 nm, and it had best emission intensity when x=0.1.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis and photoluminescence of MMoO4 (M=Ca,Ba) particles via a metathetic reaction

MMoO₄ (M=Ca, Ba) particles were synthesized by a metathetic reaction in ethylene glycol assisted by cyclic microwave irradiation followed by further heat-treatment. The MMoO₄ (M=Ca, Ba) particles were well crystallized after heat-treatment at 400–600 °C for 3 h. The microstructures exhibited fine morphologies with sizes of 0.5–1 μm and 1.5–2 μm for the CaMoO₄ and BaMoO₄ particles, respectively. The synthesized MMoO₄ (M=Ca, Ba) particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The optical properties were examined by photoluminescence emission and Raman spectroscopy.     

Photoelectrochemical cells using metal-decorated carbon nanotube electrodes

We fabricated the photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells using n-type TiO₂ and metal (Pt, Pd)-decorated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as an anode and a cathode, respectively. Photovoltaic effects were clearly observed. Compared with conventional PEC cell with Pt cathode, a larger photo-voltage was found in the PEC cells with the metal-decorated CNT cathode due to p-type semiconducting properties of CNTs. Additionally, we connected two PEC cells in series to decompose water into oxygen and hydrogen. Indeed, the connected PEC cells yielded the photo-voltage of about 1.35 V, which is larger than 1.23 V required for water splitting. This result demonstrates the possibility of hydrogen generation using the connected PEC cells without an external bias.