Critical points in the Bragg glass phase of a weakly pinned crystal of Ca3Rh4Sn13

New experimental data are presented on the scan rate dependence of the magnetization hysteresis width ΔM(H) (∞ critical current densityJ _c(H)) in isothermalMH scans in a weakly pinned single crystal of Ca₃Rh₄Sn₁₃, which displays second magnetization peak (SMP) anomaly as distinct from the peak effect (PE). We observe an interesting modulation in the field dependence of a parameter which purports to measure the dynamical annealing of the disordered bundles of vortices injected through the sample edges towards the destined equilibrium vortex state at a givenH. These data, in conjunction with the earlier observations made while studying the thermomagnetic history dependence inJ _c(H) in the tracing of the minor hysteresis loops, imply that the partially disordered state heals towards the more ordered state between the peak field of the SMP anomaly and the onset field of the PE. The vortex phase diagram in the given crystal of Ca₃Rh₄Sn₁₃ has been updated in the context of the notion of the phase coexistence of the ordered and disordered regions between the onset field of the SMP anomaly and the spinodal line located just prior to the irreversibility line. A multi-critical point and a critical point in the (H,T) region of the Bragg glass phase have been marked in this phase diagram and the observed behavior is discussed in the light of recent data on multi-critical point in the vortex phase diagram in a single crystal of Nb.     

Surface State‐Induced Anomalous Negative Thermal Quenching of Multiferroic BiFeO3 Nanowires

Wide‐bandgap semiconductor nanowires with surface defect emission centers have the potential to be used as sensitive thermometers and optical probes. Here, we show that the green luminescence of multiferroic BiFeO₃ (BFO) nanowires shows an anomalous negative thermal quenching (NTQ) with increasing temperatures. The release of trapped carriers from localized surface defect states is suggested as the possible mechanism for the increased green luminescence which was experimentally observed at elevated temperatures. A reasonable interpretation of the photoluminescence (PL) processes in BFO nanowires is achieved, and the activation energies of the PL quenching and thermal hopping are deduced. Negative thermal quenching of BFO nanowires provides a new strategy for optical thermometry at higher temperatures.     

An analysis of phase-modulated heteronuclear dipolar decoupling sequences in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance

The design of variants of the swept-frequency two-pulse phase modulation sequence for heteronuclear dipolar decoupling in solid-state NMR is reported, their performance evaluated, and compared with other established sequences like TPPM and SPINAL. Simulations performed to probe the role of the homonuclear (1)H-(1)H bath show that the robustness of the decoupling schemes improves with the size of the bath. In addition, these simulations reveal that the homonuclear (1)H-(1)H bath also leads to broad baselines at high MAS rates. Results from a study of the SPINAL decoupling scheme indicate that optimisation of the starting phase and phase increment improves its performance and efficiency at high MAS rates. Additionally, experiments performed on a liquid crystal display the role of the initial phase in SPINAL-64 and sequences in the SW(f)-TPPM family.     

Growth mechanism and optical property of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by sonochemical method

ZnO nanoparticles have been synthesized by ultrasonic irradiation of an aqueous-alcoholic/aqueous-alcoholic-ethylenediamine (EDA) solutions of zinc nitrate and sodium hydroxide. ZnO nanoparticles possess hexagonal wurtzite structures and they exhibit special photoluminescence properties with a red-shift of 22 nm in UV emission band. It is found that the ultrasonic irradiation time and the solvents both influence the growth mechanism and optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles. The possible growth mechanism of ZnO nanoparticles formation by sonochemical method has been tried to discuss.     

Importance of van der Waals interaction for organic molecule-metal junctions: adsorption of thiophene on Cu(110) as a prototype

We report ab initio calculations for the interface energetics of a weakly adsorbed organic molecule on a metal surface, which serves as a model interface relevant for organic electronics. The studied thiophene ring is found to be physisorbed on the Cu(110) surface with an adsorption energy of -0.50 eV. Nonlocal correlations, i.e., van der Waals interactions, are solely responsible for the binding in this weakly interacting system, and the choice of the proper exchange-correlation function is crucially important. The adsorption of thiophene lowers the metal work function due to the formation of surface dipoles while no sizable charge transfer is found.     

Defect induced local moment in ZnO as a consequence of Stoner mechanism

We have examined the formation of a local moment by considering various defects in ZnO. The localization of the defect induced state is found to determine the presence/absence of a local moment. A lot of attention on the probable origin of magnetism in wide band gap oxides has focused on cation vacancies. Here we show that oxygen interstitial atoms give rise to a large magnetic moment which results in a spin polarization of both the conduction and valence bands, in addition to spin polarized gap states. A Stoner mechanism is invoked and the relevant Stoner parameters are determined to be 0.7 eV for an oxygen atom in the presence of an oxygen interstitial but reduced to 0.2 eV on oxygen in the presence of a Zn vacancy.     

Superior refractive index tailoring properties in composite ZrO2/SiO2 thin film systems achieved through reactive electron beam codeposition process

Composite optical thin-film materials have received a significant amount of interest in order to relieve the material constraints on refractive indices as well as reducing the number of layers required in optical coating design. Amongst others binary zirconia-silica composite thin films have attracted considerable attentions due to their several favorable opto-mechanical properties. In the present studies such a composite system under certain compositional mixings displayed both refractive index and band gap supremacy over pure zirconia films violating the most popular Moss rule. This unexpected evolution has several practical applications one of which can be directly employed in extending the range of tunability of the refractive index. Besides, the probing of such a novel evolution through the analysis of ellipsometric refractive index modeling and morphological correlation functions has revealed several novel as well as superior microstructural properties in the composite thin film systems. All these characterization and analysis techniques distinctly indicate a strong interrelation between the microstructural ordering and superior optical properties of the present zirconia-silica codeposited composites.     

Analytical framework of small-gap photoconductive dipole antenna using equivalent circuit model

A compact planar antenna sources with on-chip fabrication and high directivity in order to achieve large depth-of-field for better image resolution is the prospective demand for THz imaging application. Therefore, the small-gap photoconductive dipole antennas have been explored to fulfil such applications demand. However, there are certain modalities for improving the photoconductive dipole antenna performance which need to identify to accomplish high THz average radiated power and improved total efficiency. The unit-cell small-gap photoconductive dipole antenna radiation power enhancement methods need to optimize the design parameters with photoconductive material selection from theoretical simulation. Further, the potential improvement of coupling efficiency of THz wave with air as well as femto-second laser incident efficiency is also important parameters to enhance the radiation power of small-gap photoconductive dipole antenna. In this paper, we have presented an analytical procedure employing explicit mathematical expression leading to the physical behaviour of small-gap photoconductive dipole antenna. The effects of biased lines on the antenna performance parameters are discussed with the help of proposed equivalent circuit model. We have explored the effect of gap-size on the THz radiated power and on total radiation efficiency from the proposed photoconductive dipole antennas.     

Overlapping B3Π0u ← X1Σ g/+ and 1Π1u ← X1Σ g/+ non-radiative characteristic of Br2 vapour in the wavelength region 505–541 nm

The vibronic vapour phase photoacoustic spectrum of Br₂ in the wavelength region 505–541 nm (19796–18480 cm⁻¹) has been recorded using microphone as well as pump-probe method. Discrete vibronic bands superimposed on a monotonically increasing continuum background towards the dissociation limit results from the overlapping B ³Π _0u ^/+ ← X ¹Σ _g ^/+ and ¹Π_1u ← X ¹Σ _g ^/+ electronic transitions. Vibronic bands originating from υ″=0 have been used to estimate the relative rate of non-radiative relaxation as a function of the excited state B ³Π_0u vibrational quantum number υ′. A comparison with the optical absorption spectroscopy of Br₂ leads to the identification of three broad spectral regions between 505 and 541 nm (19796 and 18480 cm⁻¹) on the basis of different non-radiative relaxation processes.     

Structural and electrical properties of lanthanum-substituted lead titanate ceramics

The effect of lanthanum substitution on the structural, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of lead calcium titanate (PCT) ceramics is studied. Samples with compositional formula Pb_{0.76? x} La _x Ca_0.24Ti_0.98Mn_0.02O₃ (PLCT) (x?=?0–0.08, in steps of 0.02) were prepared by the conventional dry ceramic technique. Phase and structural analysis was carried out using XRD and SEM respectively. X-ray analysis confirmed the formation of single-phase compound with tetragonal crystal structure. Dielectric properties were studied in detail as a function of frequency and temperature. The Curie temperature (T _C) and tetragonality (c/a) was found to decrease with increase in lanthanum content. The Curie temperature was also confirmed from the thermal-expansion behaviour of the sintered samples. Piezoelectric coefficients (d ₃₃, d ₃₁, g ₃₃, g ₃₁, g _h, d _h, k _t and k _p) were measured at room temperature. From this study it is found that La³⁺ substitution helps in the improvement of electro-mechanical anisotropy.