Investigation of multicomponent fluoride optical materials in the UV spectral region: I. Single crystals of Ca1−x R xF2+x (R = Sc, Y, La, Yb, Lu) solid solutions

Crystalline materials that are transparent in the vacuum UV spectral region and currently used have been reviewed. Transmission of crystals of solid solutions with the fluorite structure Ca_1?x R _xF_2+x (R = Sc, Y, La, Yb, Lu) in the UV and vacuum UV spectral regions has been investigated. It is shown that application of different methods of purification of fluorides from some impurities can significantly improve the optical quality of fluoride multicomponent crystals in the short-wavelength spectral region.     

Singlet-Triplet Transition in Quantum Dots Confined by Triangular and Bowl-Like Potentials： the Effect of Electric Fields

We theoretically investigate the energy spectra of two-electron two-dimensional （2e 2D） quantum dots （QDs） confined by triangular potentials and bowl-like potentials in a magnetic field by exact diagonalization in the framework of effective mass theory. An in-plane electric field is found to contribute to the singlet-triplet transition of the ground state of the 2e 2D QDs confined by triangular or bowl-like potentials in a perpendicular magnetic field. The stronger the in-plane electric field, the smaller the magnetic field for the total spin of the ground states in the dot systems to change from S = 0 to S = 1. However, the influence of an in-plane electric field on the singlettriplet transition of the ground state of two electrons in a triangular QD modulated by a perpendicular magnetic field is quite small because the triangular potential just deviates from the harmonic potential well slightly. We find that the strength of the perpendicular magnetic field needed for the spin singlet-triplet transition of the ground state of the QD confined by a bowl-like potential is reduced drastically by applying an in-plane electric field.     

ATLAS electromagnetic calorimetry and performance of electron/photon detection

The European Physical Journal C - The design constraints and the target physics performance of the ATLAS Electromagnetic Calorimeter are reviewed, and the construction status is summarized....     

K X-ray production cross sections for 40-180 keV protons

Considering the importance of the X-ray production cross sections for the determination of the element concentrations in a given material, we have measured them experimentally for Al Si, Sc, Ti, V, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu bombarded by protons with energies ranging from 40 to 180 keV. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of the structure of smooth copper surfaces on the accuracy of determination of the optical constants of copper

The accuracy of determination of the optical constants of smooth copper surfaces produced by different technologies is analyzed, with particular attention paid to the consideration of the influence of scattered radiation (which is ignored by many authors) on the retrieval of the optical constants of copper surfaces from reflected radiation. The neglect of scattered radiation can lead to errors as high as 50% in determining the optical constants for bulk copper. For thin films, the errors are much lower. The influence of surface oxidation during measurements in air and surface features of studied objects on the parameters to be determined is analyzed as well. It is shown that errors in determination of the constants are maximal in the plasma resonance region of copper.

     

Index Heuristics for Multiclass M/G/1 Systems with Nonpreemptive Service and Convex Holding Costs

We consider the optimal service control of a multiclass M/G/1 queueing system in which customers are served nonpreemptively and the system cost rate is additive across classes and increasing convex in the numbers present in each class. Following Whittle's approach to a class of restless bandit problems, we develop a Langrangian relaxation of the service control problem which serves to motivate the development of a class of index heuristics. The index for a particular customer class is characterised as a fair charge for service of that class. The paper develops these indices and reports an extensive numerical investigation which exhibits strong performance of the index heuristics for both discounted and average costs.     

A novel approach to the acoustic characterisation of porous road surfaces

Porous road surfaces offer an effective means of reducing the generation and propagation of noise from road traffic. However, the porosity of these surfaces can deteriorate over time, leading to a reduction in their noise reducing properties. Efficient methods are therefore required for monitoring this performance. Existing techniques for performing in-situ measurements of acoustic absorption are unsuitable for use within the traffic stream. Static measurements using time domain Maximum Length Sequence (MLS) based techniques have been demonstrated to offer advantages over traditional techniques, presenting the opportunity for measurements under dynamic conditions. This paper describes the design of a system for carrying out dynamic MLS-based measurements. Results are presented which demonstrate that stable dynamic measurements can be carried out at speeds of up to 30 km/h.