Isotope studies to the sorption behavior of atmospheric sulfate in humus layers of scots pine ecosystems

The sorption potential for SO4(2-) in humus layer samples from field sites along a deposition gradient was determined experimentally in batch experiments. The Freundlich equation was used to quantify the sorption of added SO4(2-) in humus layer samples and to determine site-dependent sorption parameters. SO4(2-) sorption in humus layers is a concentration-dependent process. The linearity of isotherms reveals that SO4(2-) is reversibly bound in the organic surface layer, as long as soil solution concentrations remain above 26 to 44 mg SO4(2-) L(-1). Natural isotope variations of sulfur in SO4(2-) were analysed to investigate the degree of sorption of dissolved atmospheric and added SO4(2-). Both sulfate species differed significantly in their isotope composition. The pattern of delta34S values for SO4(2-) in all equilibrium solutions confirm the findings from sorption isotherms, showing a close relationship between the sulfur isotope ratios of SO4(2-) in soil solutions and the amount of SO4(2-) sorbed at the humus layer matrix. Stored atmospheric SO4(2-) in humus layers is released at sites where sulfate concentration in throughfall drops below 26 mg SO4(2-) L(-1). Concentration of soluble Fe decreased with increasing sulfate sorption, thus supporting the assumption that active Fe for example is important. Iron probably stabilizes the reactive surface of humus complexes and therefore has a positive influence on the SO4(2-) sorption in humus layers.     

Atomic quantum gases in Kagomé lattices

We demonstrate the possibility of creating and controlling an ideal and trimerized optical Kagomé lattice, and study the low temperature physics of various atomic gases in such lattices. In the trimerized Kagomé lattice, a Bose gas exhibits a Mott transition with fractional filling factors, whereas a spinless interacting Fermi gas at 2/3 filling behaves as a quantum magnet on a triangular lattice. Finally, a Fermi-Fermi mixture at half-filling for both components represents a frustrated quantum antiferromagnet with a resonating-valence-bond ground state and quantum spin liquid behavior dominated by a continuous spectrum of singlet and triplet excitations. We discuss the method of preparing and observing such a quantum spin liquid employing molecular Bose condensates.     

ROOM TEMPERATURE LIGHT-THERMO-DETECTOR MADE OF HIGH-Tc SUPERCONDUCTOR

Based on the anisotropic Seebeck tensor coefficients, a light-thermo-radiation detector made of high-T_c superconductor (YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ) was fabricated, which can function at room temperature. The induced voltaic signals at various modulation frequencies for radiation from He-Ne laser and from a 500 K black body were measured. The noise ratio for detecting He-Ne laser radiation and the D^* for black body were evaluated. Compared with bolometer made of high-T_c superconductor which functions at liquid nitrogen, and with pyroelectric detector, it was found that the advantages of this new device are that the device can work at room temperature with very low noise and very fast response. Although having a lower D^* value than that of bolometer for the present device construction, we point out the possibility and the direction for improving the D^* value, hence the promising prospect of this kind of device.     

Resistivity anisotropy of layered cobaltite Na x CoO2 thin films

AZO thin films with low surface roughness and low sheet resistance are required in the touch panels and display panels. In this work, we investigated the substrate cooling effect of the ion beam post-treatment on AZO films properties, and one new way to obtain low surface roughness and low sheet resistance at the same time was proposed. The more exciting find of this paper is that, compared to the samples without cooling during the process of the ion beam post-treatment, samples with proper cooling voltage show a sheet resistance decrease of 26 % (from 11.9 Ω/□ to 8.8 Ω/□) and a roughness decrease of 35.5 % (from 13.389 nm to 8.637 nm) without transparency losing. And the viewpoint that substrate cooling has the effect of weakening the crystallization, especially for the subface and internal parts of samples is deduced.     

Cathodoluminescence investigations of RIE-induced defects in InP

Cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements have been performed to characterize defects in InP created by reactive ion etching (RIE) in a CH₄/H₂/Ar plasma. Etching of semi-insulating InP:Fe leads to an increase of CL intensity. After etching of undoped, n-type InP a reduction of band-edge as well as band-acceptor/donor-acceptor-pair emission intensity is detected. No additional emission lines due to etching-induced defects have been detected in the spectral range examined. After a few minutes of electron beam injection the band-edge luminescence recovers to its initial value. Using donor-bound exciton emission, which is especially affected by RIE, mapping of these defects is possible, showing homogeneous defect distribution. In conjunction with other measurements (conductivity, photoluminescence, electron-beam-induced current, Raman scattering, Auger electron spectroscopy depth profiling) these results indicate a nonradiative, donor-like defect created by RIE.     

Dramatic role of critical current anisotropy on flux avalanches in MgB2 films

Anisotropic penetration of magnetic flux in MgB(2) films grown on vicinal sapphire substrates is investigated using magneto-optical imaging. Regular penetration above 10 K proceeds more easily along the substrate surface steps, the anisotropy of the critical current being 6%. At lower temperatures the penetration occurs via abrupt dendritic avalanches that preferentially propagate perpendicular to the surface steps. This inverse anisotropy in the penetration pattern becomes dramatic very close to 10 K where all flux avalanches propagate in the strongest pinning direction. The observed behavior is fully explained using a thermomagnetic model of the dendritic instability.     

Ultrafast transverse thermoelectric response in c‐axis inclined epitaxial La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 thin films

Ultrafast transverse thermoelectric voltage response has been observed in c‐axis inclined epitaxial La_0.5Sr_0.5CoO₃thin films. Voltage signals with the rise time of 7 ns have been detected under the irradiation of pulse laser with duration of 28 ns. A concept, named response rate ratio, has been proposed to evaluate the intrinsic response rate, and this ratio in La_0.5Sr_0.5CoO₃is smaller than that in other reported materials. The low resistivity is thought to be responsible for the ultrafast response, as low resistivity induces small optical penetration depth, and response time has a monotonous increasing relationship with this depth.

     

Photoluminescence detection of impurities introduced in silicon by dry etching processes

We report on a photoluminescence study of silicon samples subjected to different dry etching processes. Several luminescence lines, known from defects produced by high-energy irradiation, manifest damage of the crystalline material. Noble gas ion beam etching (using Ne⁺, Ar⁺, Kr⁺, and Xe⁺) with ion energies as low as 400 eV produces characteristic luminescence lines which correspond to defects within a 200–300 Å thick surface layer. Incorporation of carbon during CF₄ reactive ion etching produces the familiar G-line defect. The G-line photoluminescence intensity in our samples is directly correlated with the substitutional carbon concentration, as determined by infrared absorption measurements before the etch process; we therefore suggest that a simple method to determine the substitutional carbon concentration in a crystalline silicon sample is a standard dry etching process and a comparison of the resulting G-line photoluminescence intensity to a calibrated sample. The sensitivity of this method seems to be better than 10¹⁴ carbon atoms/cm³.