Methods in carbon K-edge NEXAFS: Experiment and analysis

Near-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (NEXAFS) is widely used to probe the chemistry and structure of surface layers. Moreover, using ultra-high brilliance polarised synchrotron light sources, it is possible to determine the molecular alignment of ultra-thin surface films. However, the quantitative analysis of NEXAFS data is complicated by many experimental factors and, historically, the essential methods of calibration, normalisation and artefact removal are presented in the literature in a somewhat fragmented manner, thus hindering their integrated implementation as well as their further development. This paper outlines a unified, systematic approach to the collection and quantitative analysis of NEXAFS data with a particular focus upon carbon K-edge spectra. As a consequence, we show that current methods neglect several important aspects of the data analysis process, which we address with a combination of novel and adapted techniques. We discuss multiple approaches in solving the issues commonly encountered in the analysis of NEXAFS data, revealing the inherent assumptions of each approach and providing guidelines for assessing their appropriateness in a broad range of experimental situations.     

Deep trench etching in macroporous silicon

We present a method to create at the same time trenches and ordered macropore arrays during photo-electrochemical etching of n-type silicon. This novel method allows in situ separation of single devices with a submicrometer precision. It also enables new device structures in macroporous silicon in the areas of photonics, sensing and electronics. The limits of this new process are simulated using electrostatic models and are verified experimentally. PACS 82.45.Yz; 81.16.-c     

Reaction of 1-arylsulfamido-2-chloroethane with amines

Conclusion The reaction of 1-arylsulfamido-2-chloroethanes with diethylamine and aniline gives 1-arylsulfamido-2-aminoethanes.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 943–946, April, 1987.     

Conditions for the suppression of spatial harmonics at a two-frequency acoustooptic interaction in the Raman-Nath mode

It is demonstrated that the diffraction of a plane light wave by an acoustic wave of fundamental frequency in the Raman-Nath mode with admixture of the second acoustic harmonic may be accompanied by a considerable change in the higher diffraction orders with numbers ±2, ±3, etc. Conditions for the selective suppression of the orders are obtained in the weak and strong interaction modes. Results of a numerical simulation are presented.     

Galvanomagnetic and thermoelectric properties of multicomponent n-type solid solutions based on Bi and Sb chalcogenides

The galvanomagnetic and thermoelectric properties of n-Bi_2-x Sb_xTe_3-y-z Se_yS_z multicomponent solid solutions with atomic substitutions (Sb → Bi; Se, S → Te) are studied. The principal components of the effective mass tensor (m ₁, m ₂, m ₃) for the isotropic mechanism of charge carrier scattering are determined within a many-valley model of the energy spectrum for compositions 0.08 ≤ x ≤ 0.4 and 0.06 ≤ y = z ≤ 0.15. The effect of a variation in the parameters of the constant-energy surface on the thermoelectric efficiency is analyzed for different compositions and carrier concentrations in solid solutions.     

Thickness dependence of the magnetic anisotropy of Fe layers separated by Al

Magnetic multilayers of ⁵⁷Fe with nominal thickness, T _nom, between 0.4 and 1.0 nm separated by 3.0 nm Al spacer layers were prepared by alternate deposition of the constituents in high vacuum. The samples were investigated at 4.2 K in external magnetic field. A fraction of Fe atoms corresponding to about 0.3 nm equivalent Fe-thickness was found to mix into the Al spacer. The extremely strong magnetic anisotropy observed for T _nom < 0.8 nm is attributed to Fe layers of approximately two atomic planes thick. The anisotropy decreases considerably after the building up of the third Fe atomic layer starts at T _nom = 0.8 nm, but full saturation was not achieved even for T _nom = 1 nm and 3 T magnetic field applied perpendicularly to the sample plane.     

The preparation and properties of low molar mass liquid crystals possessing lateral alkyl chains

The first twelve members of three new mesogenic homologous series have been characterized, each of which are composed of molecules possessing lateral alkyl chains. The n-alkyl 2,5-bis-(4-n-hexyloxy-benzoyloxy)-benzoates are purely nematic whereas both nematic and smectic behaviour is observed for the 4-cyano-4'-biphenylyl 3'-n-alkyloxybenzoates and the 4-cyano-4'-biphenylyl 3',4'-n-alkyloxybenzoates. The transitional properties of these series are similar to those of the analogous conventional mesogens and hence, can be rationalized without making any special assumptions concerning the conformational distribution of the lateral alkyl chain.     

Some remarks on Saint-Venant's principle

We consider a three-dimensional hyperelastic cylinder in Ω = D × [0, ∞]. We study the asymptotic behaviour of the deformations of the cross-sections in an equilibrium state. In this case we show that the solutions either have exponential decay or exponential growth. We give some initial conditions such that the latter case occurs.     

Cooling antiprotons in an ion trap

The measurement of the inertial mass of the antiproton and proposed antihydrogen formation experiments require antiprotons stored in ion traps, cooled to very low (4K) temperatures. Techniques to cool the trapped antiprotons from energies around 1 keV are discussed. Coupling to an external circuit produces cooling times of order 10³ s, which may be reduced somewhat with negative feedback. Adiabatic reduction of the trapping potential produces significant cooling when the particle energies are substantially less than the well depth. Most promising is cooling via energy-transferring collisions to a cooled cloud of electrons simultaneously trapped with the antiprotons. Electron cooling times are of order 1 s, and strongly depend on electron number and density.