Book reviews

MODERN CRYSTALLOGRAPHY I, by B. K. Vainshtein, Springer Series in Solid State Sciences 15. Springer-Verlag, New York, 1981. 399 pp., USf47.50.

SPECTROSCOPY IN CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS: Modern Trends, Edited by F. J. Comes, A. Muller and W. J. Orville-Thomas (Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company). Price US $87.75, Dfl 180.00.

ELECTRONIC STATES OF MOLECULES AND ATOM CLUSTERS-Foundations and Prospects of Semiempirical Methods, by G. Del Re, G. Berthier and J. Serre. Springer Lecture Notes in Chemistry, Vol. 13. Price: US817.50 (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1980).

MATERIALS FOR THE FUTURE, Edited by P. M. Kelly, Australian Academy of Science, 1981.     

Dynamical study on the stimulated processes of an exciton and a biexciton in a polymer

By applying a femtosecond stimulating pulse, we theoretically study the stimulated processes of an exciton and a biexciton in a polymer within the framework of an extended Su–Schrieffer–Heeger tight-binding model. For an exciton, it is obtained that the stimulated emission and absorption between the intragap levels take place with the same probability, by which we will not get the light amplification. However, the light amplification can be realized by the stimulated emission between the intragap levels in a biexciton, which is found to have two different modes. Finally, effect of the stimulating energy and intensity on the stimulated processes is separately analyzed. These results might be of great importance for further improving the optical applications of polymers, especially for optimizing the polymer laser properties.     

Photoconductivity derived from an exact modelling of the uncompensated one-donor model. III—problem of fitting the exact model with approximate models

Abstract

The paper is essentially devoted to a quantitative comparison of the exact (1D) model developed in Part I, with two approximate models indicated by Kittel (1D_a1) and by Van der Ziel (1D_a2). And this is made for identical values of their common parameters. This allows to show that models 1D and 1D_a1 generally present no suitable intervals for fitting. The model of Van der Ziel is more suited, for, a good fitting with the 1D model can be obtained, for relatively reduced G values, and for temperatures bounded upward by the characteristic temperature T ₀ defined previously. The role played by the sub-models, obtained after simplifying the 1D_ai model equations, is studied also.     

Square wells,quantum wells and ultra-thin metallic films

Abstract

The eigenvalue equations for the energy of bound states of a particle in a square well are solved, and the exact solutions are obtained, as power series. Accurate analytical approximate solutions are also given. The application of these results in the physics of quantum wells are discussed, especially for ultra-thin metallic films, but also in the case of resonant cavities, heterojunction lasers, revivals and super-revivals.     

Determination of trapping–detrapping events,recombination processes and gap-state parameters by modulated photocurrent measurements on amorphous silicon

Analysis of the out-of-phase modulated photocurrent (MPC) signal, the so-called Y signal, is proposed for determining the trapping–detrapping events, recombination processes and gap-state parameters in amorphous silicon. This is demonstrated by analysing experimental Y spectra obtained on this material from different laboratories including our own. Model simulations are also employed in which the amphoteric nature of the dangling bonds and their distribution according to the defect-pool model are taken into account. From the reconstruction of the Y signal, phase shift and MPC amplitude spectra, several contributions resolved from the frequency dependence of the experimental Y spectra are identified. Two electron trapping–detrapping processes are resolved. These are attributed to hydrogen-related positive defects and to transitions involving the D^+/0 level of the normal dangling bonds from the defect-pool distribution. At lower frequencies a residual contribution is resolved that is attributed to a term related to recombination through the D^+/0 and D^0/? levels. Between 300 and 150?K the above recombination contribution is essentially from the D^0/? and dominates the Y signal at lower frequencies. In this region a characteristic phase lead appears, which is attributed to the existence of safe hole traps in the valence band tail. Around 150?K, trapping–detrapping events in the conduction band tail dominate.     

Pressure-induced non-linear optical properties in a wurtzite GaN/Al x Ga1− x N strained quantum dot

The effects of hydrostatic pressure on the exciton ground-state binding energy and the interband emission energy in a GaN/Al _x Ga_{1??? x} N quantum dot are investigated. The effects of strain and the internal field due to spontaneous and piezo-electric polarizations are included in the Hamiltonian. Numerical calculations are performed using variational procedure within the framework of single-band effective-mass approximation. The dependence of non-linear optical processes on the dot sizes is brought out in the influence of pressure. Pressure-induced optical properties are obtained using the compact density matrix approach. The effects of hydrostatic pressure on the linear, third-order non-linear optical absorption coefficients and the refractive index changes of the exciton as a function of photon energy are calculated. Our results show that the effects of pressure and the geometrical confinement have great influence on the optical properties of GaN/Al _x Ga_{1??? x} N dot.     

Theory of multi-exciton states in semiconductor nanocrystals

In this article, the fundamental physics of multi-exciton states in semiconductor nano-crystals is reviewed focusing on the mesoscopic enhancement of the excitonic radiative decay rate and the excitonic optical nonlinearity and the mechanism of their saturation with increase of the nanocrystal size. In the case of the radiative decay rate the thermal excitation of excited exciton states having small oscillator strength within the homogeneous linewidth of the exciton ground state is essential in determining the saturation behavior. The weakly correlated exciton pair states are found to cause a cancellation effect in the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility at the exciton resonance, providing the first consistent understanding of the experimentally observed saturation of the mesoscopic enhancement of the excitonic optical nonlinearity. The presence of the weakly correlated exciton pair states is confirmed convincingly from the good correspondence between theory and experiments on the induced absorption spectra from the exciton state in CuCl nanocrystals. Furthermore, ultrafast relaxation processes of biexcitons are discussed in conjunction with the observed very fast rise of the biexciton gain in nanocrystals. In prospect of future progress in research, the theoretical formulation to calculate the triexciton states as one of the multi-exciton states beyond the biexciton is presented for the first time including the electron-hole exchange interaction.     

Predictions of γ(4S)→h_b(1P,2P)π^+π^- transitions

We study the contributions of intermediate bottomonium-like Zb states and the bottom meson loops in the heavy quark spin flip transitionsγ(4 S)→hb(1 P,2 P)π+π-.Depending on the constructive or destructive interferences between the Zb-exchange and the bottom meson loops mechanisms,we predict two possible branching ratios for each process:BRγ(4 S)→hb(1 P)π+π-≈(1.20.40.8×10^-6)or(0.5-0.20.5×10^-6),and BRγ(4 S)→(2 P)π+π-≈(7.1-1.1+1.7×10^-10)or(2.4-0.10.2×10^-10)).The contribution of the bottom meson loops is found to be considerably larger than that of the Zbexchange in the T(4 S)→hb(1 P)ππtransitions,while its decay rates are not comparable to those of heavy quark spin conservedγ(4 S)→γ(1 S,2 S)ππprocesses.We also predict the contribution of the charm meson loops in the branch fractions ofΨ(3 S,4 S)→hc(1 P)ππ.     

Multi-guasiparticle excitations of ~(91)Ru

The level structure in neutron-deficient nucleus 91Ru was investigated via the 58Ni(36Ar,2 plnγ)Ru reaction at a beam energy of 111 MeV.Charged particles,neutrons,and y-rays were emitted in this reaction and detected by the DIAMANT CsI ball,Neutron Wall,and the EXOGAM Ge clover array,respectively.In addition to the previously reported levels in 91Ru,new low-to-medium spin states were observed.Angular correlation and linear polarization measurements were performed to unambiguously determine spins and parities of the excited states in 91 Ru.The low-spin states of 91 Ru exhibit a scheme of multi-quasiparticle excitations,which is very similar to that of the neighboring N=47 isotone.These excitations have been interpreted in terms of the shell model.The calculations performed in the configuration space(p3/2,f5/2,p1/2,g9/2)reproduce the experimental excitation energies reasonably well,supporting the interpretation of the newly assigned positive-parity states in terms of the three quasiparticle configurationsπ(g9/2)^-2v(g9/2^-1 and v(g9/2)^-3.     

Gaussian states as minimum uncertainty states

In bosonic fields, Gaussian states, which consist of a rather wide family of states including coherent states, squeezed states, thermal states, etc., have many classical-like features, and are usually defined from the mathematical perspective in terms of characteristic functions. It is well known that some special Gaussian states, such as coherent states, are minimum uncertainty states for the conventional Heisenberg uncertainty relation involving canonical pair of position and momentum observables. A natural question arises as whether all Gaussian states can be characterized as minimum uncertainty states. In this work, we show that indeed Gaussian states coincide with minimum uncertainty states for an information-theoretic refinement of the conventional uncertainty relation established in Luo (2005) [40]. This characterization puts Gaussian states on a novel basis of physical significance.