ALBERT

Description: A three-dimensional model is presented to investigate helium plasma generated by microwave under atmospheric pressure in this paper, which includes the physical processes of electromagnetic wave propagation, electron and heavy species transport, gas flow, and heat transfer. The model is based on the fluid approximation calculation and local thermodynamic equilibrium assumption. The simulation results demonstrate that the maxima of the electron density and gas temperature are 4.79 × 10 17  m −3 and 1667 K, respectively, for the operating conditions with microwave power of 500 W, gas flow rate of 20 l/min, and initial gas temperature of 500 K. The electromagnetic field distribution in the plasma source is obtained by solving Helmholtz equation. Electric field strength of 2.97 × 10 4  V/m is obtained. There is a broad variation on microwave power, gas flow rate, and initial gas temperature to obtain deeper information about the changes of the electron density and gas temperature.

Description: The paper analyzes the dielectric breakdown properties of N 2 –O 2 mixtures at different O 2 concentrations and gas pressures, taking into account electron detachments from negative ions. The reduced effective ionization coefficients α(eff)/N in N 2 –O 2 mixtures at different O 2 concentrations and gas pressures were calculated and analyzed, by considering electron detachments. The critical reduced electric fields (E/N) cr and the critical electron temperature T b were then determined. The result indicates a clear enhancement of α(eff)/N by collisional detachments, which causes a reduction in the (E/N) cr . In addition, a synergistic effect in the N 2 –O 2 mixture was also observed in both (E/N) cr and T b . The value of T b was decreased by the increase of pd product, however, T b tended to be constant at relatively high pd products.

Description: A novel backward wave oscillator (BWO) based on a hole-grating slow wave structure is proposed as a dual sheet beam millimeter wave radiation source. In this paper, we focus on the output characteristics of a 0.14 THz hole-grating BWO. The output characteristics of the hole-grating BWO, the conventional single-beam grating BWO, and the dual-beam grating BWO are contrasted in detail. 3-D particle-in-cell results indicate that the hole-grating slow wave structure can help to increase the maximum output power as well as lower the operating current density. Meanwhile, the hole-grating BWO shows good insensitivity to the differences between two sheet electron beams. These characteristics make the hole-grating BWO feasible to be a stable millimeter wave radiation source with higher output power.

Description: Particle drift driven by electrostatic wave fluctuations is numerically computed to describe the transport in a gradient velocity layer at the tokamak plasma edge. We consider an equilibrium plasma in large aspect ratio approximation with E × B flow and specified toroidal plasma velocity, electric field, and magnetic field profiles. A symplectic map, previously derived for infinite coherent time modes, is used to describe the transport dependence on the electric, magnetic, and plasma velocity shears. We also show that resonant perturbations and their correspondent islands in the Poincaré maps are much affected by the toroidal velocity profiles. Moreover, shearless transport barriers, identified by extremum values of the perturbed rotation number profiles of the invariant curves, allow chaotic trajectories trapped into the plasma. We investigate the influence of the toroidal plasma velocity profile on these shearless transport barriers.

Description: The propagation of surface plasmons on a quantum plasma half-space in the absence of any external confinement is investigated. By means of the Quantum Hydrodynamic Model in the electrostatic limit, it is found that the equilibrium density profile is a smooth continuous function which, in the linear regime, supports multiple non-normal surface modes. Defining a spectrum function and using a cutting condition, the dispersion relations of these modes and their relevance for realistic dynamics are computed. It is found that the multiple surface plasmons present a significant red-shift with respect to the case of fully bounded quantum plasmas.

Description: Splitting of the fundamental mode in an oversized Bragg resonator with a step of the corrugation phase, which operates over the feedback loop involving the waveguide waves of different transverse structures, was found to be the result of mutual influence of the neighboring zones of the Bragg scattering. Theoretical description of this effect was developed within the framework of the advanced (four-wave) coupled-wave approach. It is shown that mode splitting reduces the selective properties, restricts the output power, and decreases the stability of the narrow-band operating regime in the free-electron maser (FEM) oscillators based on such resonators. The results of the theoretical analysis were confirmed by 3D simulations and “cold” microwave tests. Experimental data on Bragg resonators with different parameters in a 30-GHz FEM are presented. The possibility of reducing the mode splitting by profiling the corrugation parameters is shown. The use of the mode splitting effect for the output power enhancement by passive compression of the double-frequency pulse generated in the FEM with such a resonator is discussed.

Description: The high-order mode oscillation is studied in designing a four-cavity intense relativistic klystron amplifier. The reason for the oscillation caused by high-order modes and a method to suppress these kinds of spurious modes are found through theoretical analyses and the study on the influence of major parameters of a high frequency structure (such as the oscillation frequency of cavities, the cavity Q value, the length of drift tube section, and the characteristic impedance). Based on much simulation, a four-cavity intense relativistic klystron amplifier with a superior performance has been designed, built, and tested. An output power of 2.22 GW corresponding to 27.4% efficiency and 61 dB gain has been obtained. Moreover, the high-order mode oscillation is suppressed effectively, and an output power of 1.95 GW corresponding to 26% efficiency and 62 dB gain has been obtained in our laboratory.

Description: The properties of bound-bound transitions in hydrogen-like ions in dense quantum plasmas, characterized by a cosine-Debye-Hückel interaction between charged particles, are studied in detail. The transition frequencies, oscillator strengths, and radiative transition probabilities of Lyman and Balmer series are calculated for a wide range of screening strengths of the interaction up to the n  = 5 shell. For Δ n ≠ 0 transitions, all these quantities exhibit a significant decrease with increasing screening strength, while for the Δ n = 0 transitions and for the radiative lifetimes, the opposite is true. The present results are compared with those available from the literature. They are also compared with the results for the pure Debye-Hückel potential with the same screening strength.

Description: We have investigated the thickness-dependent transport properties of La 1/3 Sr 2/3 FeO 3 thin films grown on SrTiO 3 (001) and (111) substrates. At a thickness of ∼40 nm, both films show a clear transition in resistivity associated with the characteristic charge disproportionation at approximately 190 K. The transition temperature of the charge disproportionation is nearly unchanged with decreasing film thickness down to a certain thickness of ∼13 nm for both orientations, while the change in resistivity gradually decreases. Below this thickness, the transition becomes unclear, strongly suggesting the suppression of the charge disproportionation at the critical thickness of ∼13 nm. Furthermore, there is no significant difference in the thickness dependence of La 1/3 Sr 2/3 FeO 3 thin films between the (001) and (111) orientations. The negligible crystallographic-orientation dependence may reflect the isotropic nature for the domain of charge disproportionation states in La 1/3 Sr 2/3 FeO 3 .

Description: Titanium oxide (TiO x ) has attracted a lot of attention as an active material for resistive random access memory (RRAM), due to its versatility and variety of possible crystal phases. Although existing RRAM materials have demonstrated impressive characteristics, like ultra-fast switching and high cycling endurance, this technology still encounters challenges like low yields, large variability of switching characteristics, and ultimately device failure. Electroforming has been often considered responsible for introducing irreversible damage to devices, with high switching voltages contributing to device degradation. In this paper, we have employed Al doping for tuning the resistive switching characteristics of titanium oxide RRAM. The resistive switching threshold voltages of undoped and Al-doped TiO x thin films were first assessed by conductive atomic force microscopy. The thin films were then transferred in RRAM devices and tested with voltage pulse sweeping, demonstrating that the Al-doped devices could on average form at lower potentials compared to the undoped ones and could support both analog and binary switching at potentials as low as 0.9 V. This work demonstrates a potential pathway for implementing low-power RRAM systems.

Description: In this work, electron induced modifications on the bulk etch rate, structural and optical parameters of CR-39 polymer were studied using gravimetric, FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) and UV–vis (Ultraviolet–Visible) techniques, respectively. CR-39 samples were irradiated with 10 MeV electron beam for different durations to have the absorbed doses of 1, 10, 550, 5500, 16 500, and 55 000 kGy. From the FTIR analysis, the peak intensities at different bands were found to be changing with electron dose. A few peaks were observed to shift at high electron doses. From the UV-vis analysis, the optical band gaps for both direct and indirect transitions were found to be decreasing with the increase in electron dose whereas the opacity, number of carbon atoms in conjugation length, and the number of carbon atoms per cluster were found to be increasing. The bulk etch rate was observed to be increasing with the electron dose. The primary objective of this investigation was to study the response of CR-39 to high electron doses and to determine a suitable pre-irradiation condition. The results indicated that, the CR-39 pre-irradiated with electrons can have better sensitivity and thus can be potentially applied for neutron dosimetry.

Description: Low temperature thermal to electrical energy converters have the potential to provide a route for recovering waste energy. In this paper, we propose a new configuration of a thermal harvester that uses a naturally driven thermal oscillator free of mechanical motion and operates between a hot heat source and a cold heat sink. The system exploits a heat induced liquid-vapour transition of a working fluid as a primary driver for a pyroelectric generator. The two-phase instability of a fluid in a closed looped capillary channel of an oscillating heat pipe (OHP) creates pressure differences which lead to local high frequency temperature oscillations in the range of 0.1–5 K. Such temperature changes are suitable for pyroelectric thermal to electrical energy conversion, where the pyroelectric generator is attached to the adiabatic wall of the OHP, thereby absorbing thermal energy from the passing fluid. This new pyroelectric-oscillating heat pipe (POHP) assembly of a low temperature generator continuously operates across a spatial heat source temperature of 55 °C and a heat sink temperature of 25 °C, and enables waste heat recovery and thermal energy harvesting from small temperature gradients at low temperatures. Our electrical measurements with lead zirconate titanate (PZT) show an open circuit voltage of 0.4 V (AC) and with lead magnesium niobate–lead titanate (PMN-PT) an open circuit voltage of 0.8 V (AC) at a frequency of 0.45 Hz, with an energy density of 95 pJ cm −3 for PMN-PT. Our novel POHP device therefore has the capability to convert small quantities of thermal energy into more desirable electricity in the nW to mW range and provides an alternative to currently used batteries or centralised energy generation.

Description: Electrode materials selection guidelines for oxide-based memory devices are constructed from the combined knowledge of observed device operation characteristics, ab-initio calculations, and nano-material characterization. It is demonstrated that changing the top electrode material from Ge to Cr to Ta in the Ta 2 O 5 -based memory devices resulted in a reduction of the operation voltages and current. Energy Dispersed X-ray (EDX) Spectrometer analysis clearly shows that the different top electrode materials scavenge oxygen ions from the Ta 2 O 5 memory layer at various degrees, leading to different oxygen vacancy concentrations within the Ta 2 O 5 , thus the observed trends in the device performance. Replacing the Pt bottom electrode material with CMOS compatible materials (Ru and Ir) further reduces the power consumption and can be attributed to the modification of the Schottky barrier height and oxygen vacancy concentration at the electrode/oxide interface. Both trends in the device performance and EDX results are corroborated by the ab-initio calculations which reveal that the electrode material tunes the oxygen vacancy concentration via the oxygen chemical potential and defect formation energy. This experimental-theoretical approach strongly suggests that the proper selection of CMOS compatible electrode materials will create the critical oxygen vacancy concentration to attain low power memory performance.

Description: Thus far, despite many investigations have been carried out for photo-triggered drug delivery systems, most of them suffer from an intrinsic drawback of without real-time monitoring mechanism. Incident intensity of light is a feasible parameter to monitor the drug release profiles. However, it is difficult to measure the incident laser power irradiated onto the photo-triggered carriers in drug delivery systems during in vivo therapy. We design an online measurement method based on the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) technique through upconversion nanoparticles. FIR value varies with temperature of sample due to the thermal effect induced by the incident laser, which validates the laser power measurement. Effects of rare earth doping concentration, as well as experimental conditions including laser spots and wavelengths on the measurement behavior were also investigated.

Description: Several candidate phenomenological expressions are studied for self-rippling energy that drives ripple formation of free single-layer graphene sheets. One phenomenological expression is admitted, while all others are rejected because they cannot admit stable periodic ripple mode. The admitted phenomenological expression contains two terms: one quadratic term which acts like a compressive force and has a destabilizing effect, and another fourth-order term which acts like a nonlinear elastic foundation and has a stabilizing effect. The two associated coefficients depend on specific mechanism of self-rippling and can be determined based on observed wavelength and amplitude of ripple mode. Based on the admitted expression, the effect of an applied force on ripple formation is studied. The present model predicts that the rippling can be controlled or even suppressed with an applied tensile force or collapsed into narrow wrinkles (of deformed wavelengths down to around 2 nm) under an applied compressive force, and the estimated minimum tensile strain to suppress rippling is in remarkable agreement with some known data. Our results show that self-rippling energy dominates ripple formation of sufficiently long free graphene ribbons, although it cannot drive self-rippling of sufficiently short free graphene ribbons. Consequently, a critical length is estimated so that self-rippling occurs only when the length of free single-layer graphene ribbons is much longer than the critical length. The estimated critical length is reasonably consistent with the known fact that self-rippling cannot occur in shorter free graphene sheets (say, of length below 20 nm).

Description: A single electron dynamic memory is designed based on the non-equilibrium dynamics of charge states in electrostatically defined metallic quantum dots. Using the orthodox theory for computing the transfer rates and a master equation, we model the dynamical response of devices consisting of a charge sensor coupled to either a single and or a double quantum dot subjected to a pulsed gate voltage. We show that transition rates between charge states in metallic quantum dots are characterized by an asymmetry that can be controlled by the gate voltage. This effect is more pronounced when the switching between charge states corresponds to a Markovian process involving electron transport through a chain of several quantum dots. By simulating the dynamics of electron transport we demonstrate that the quantum box operates as a finite-state machine that can be addressed by choosing suitable shapes and switching rates of the gate pulses. We further show that writing times in the ns range and retention memory times six orders of magnitude longer, in the ms range, can be achieved on the double quantum dot system using experimentally feasible parameters, thereby demonstrating that the device can operate as a dynamic single electron memory.

Description: Chemical vapor deposition methods were developed, using stoichiometric reactions of specialty Ge 3 H 8 and SnD 4 hydrides, to fabricate Ge 1- y Sn y photodiodes with very high Sn concentrations in the 12%–16% range. A unique aspect of this approach is the compatible reactivity of the compounds at ultra-low temperatures, allowing efficient control and systematic tuning of the alloy composition beyond the direct gap threshold. This crucial property allows the formation of thick supersaturated layers with device-quality material properties. Diodes with composition up to 14% Sn were initially produced on Ge-buffered Si(100) featuring previously optimized n -Ge/ i -Ge 1- y Sn y / p -Ge 1- z Sn z type structures with a single defected interface. The devices exhibited sizable electroluminescence and good rectifying behavior as evidenced by the low dark currents in the I-V measurements. The formation of working diodes with higher Sn content up to 16% Sn was implemented by using more advanced n -Ge 1- x Sn x / i -Ge 1- y Sn y / p -Ge 1- z Sn z architectures incorporating Ge 1- x Sn x intermediate layers ( x ∼ 12% Sn) that served to mitigate the lattice mismatch with the Ge platform. This yielded fully coherent diode interfaces devoid of strain relaxation defects. The electrical measurements in this case revealed a sharp increase in reverse-bias dark currents by almost two orders of magnitude, in spite of the comparable crystallinity of the active layers. This observation is attributed to the enhancement of band-to-band tunneling when all the diode layers consist of direct gap materials and thus has implications for the design of light emitting diodes and lasers operating at desirable mid-IR wavelengths. Possible ways to engineer these diode characteristics and improve carrier confinement involve the incorporation of new barrier materials, in particular, ternary Ge 1- x - y Si x Sn y alloys. The possibility of achieving type-I structures using binary and ternary alloy combinations is discussed in detail, taking into account the latest experimental and theoretical work on band offsets involving such materials.

Description: Temperature-dependent characteristics of GeSn light-emitting diodes with Sn composition up to 9.2% have been systematically studied. Such diodes were based on Ge/GeSn/Ge double heterostructures (DHS) that were grown directly on a Si substrate via a chemical vapor deposition system. Both photoluminescence and electroluminescence spectra have been characterized at temperatures from 300 to 77 K. Based on our theoretical calculation, all GeSn alloys in this study are indirect bandgap materials. However, due to the small energy separation between direct and indirect bandgap, and the fact that radiative recombination rate greater than non-radiative, the emissions are mainly from the direct Γ-valley to valence band transitions. The electroluminescence emissions under current injection levels from 102 to 357 A/cm 2 were investigated at 300 K. The monotonic increase of the integrated electroluminescence intensity was observed for each sample. Moreover, the electronic band structures of the DHS were discussed. Despite the indirect GeSn bandgap owing to the compressive strain, type-I band alignment was achieved with the barrier heights ranging from 11 to 47 meV.

Description: Due to their high strength and advantageous high-temperature properties, tungsten-based alloys are being considered as plasma-facing candidate materials in fusion devices. Under neutron irradiation, rhenium, which is produced by nuclear transmutation, has been found to precipitate in elongated precipitates forming thermodynamic intermetallic phases at concentrations well below the solubility limit. Recent measurements have shown that Re precipitation can lead to substantial hardening, which may have a detrimental effect on the fracture toughness of W alloys. This puzzle of sub-solubility precipitation points to the role played by irradiation induced defects, specifically mixed solute-W interstitials. Here, using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory, we study the energetics of mixed interstitial defects in W-Re, W-V, and W-Ti alloys, as well as the heat of mixing for each substitutional solute. We find that mixed interstitials in all systems are strongly attracted to each other with binding energies of −2.4 to − 3.2   eV and form interstitial pairs that are aligned along parallel first-neighbor 〈 111 〉 strings. Low barriers for defect translation and rotation enable defect agglomeration and alignment even at moderate temperatures. We propose that these elongated agglomerates of mixed-interstitials may act as precursors for the formation of needle-shaped intermetallic precipitates. This interstitial-based mechanism is not limited to radiation induced segregation and precipitation in W–Re alloys but is also applicable to other body-centered cubic alloys.

Description: Hydrogen production from ethanol solution (ethanol/water) by pulsed spark discharge was optimized by varying the volume of ethanol solution (liquid volume). Hydrogen yield was initially increased and then decreased with the increase in solution volume, which achieved 1.5 l/min with a solution volume of 500 ml. The characteristics of pulsed spark discharge were studied in this work; the results showed that the intensity of peak current, the rate of current rise, and energy efficiency of hydrogen production can be changed by varying the volume of ethanol solution. Meanwhile, the mechanism analysis of hydrogen production was accomplished by monitoring the process of hydrogen production and the state of free radicals. The analysis showed that decreasing the retention time of gas production and properly increasing the volume of ethanol solution can enhance the hydrogen yield. Through this research, a high-yield and large-scale method of hydrogen production can be achieved, which is more suitable for industrial application.

Description: Magnetic flux ropes (MFR) are universal magnetoplasma structures (similar to cylindrical screw pinches) formed in reconnecting current sheets. In particular, MFR with scales from about the ion inertial length to MHD range are widely observed in the Earth magnetosphere. Typical MFR have force-free configuration with the axial magnetic field peaking on the MFR axis, whereas bifurcated MFR with an off-axis peak of the axial magnetic field are observed as well. In the present paper, we develop kinetic models of force-free and bifurcated MFR and determine consistent ion and electron distribution functions. The magnetic field configuration of the force-free MFR represents well-known Gold-Hoyle MFR (uniformly twisted MFR). We show that bifurcated MFR are characterized by the presence of cold and hot current-carrying electrons. The developed models are capable to describe MFR observed in the Earth magnetotail as well as MFR recently observed by Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission at the Earth magnetopause.

Description: In the literature, collisional processes are customarily discussed within the context of the Boltzmann-Balescu-Lenard-Landau type of collision integral, but such an equation is strictly valid for unmagnetized plasmas. For plasmas immersed in the ambient magnetic field, the foundational equation that describes binary collisions must be generalized to include the effects of magnetic field. The present paper makes use of such an equation in order to describe the collisional relaxation of temperatures under the assumption of bi-Maxwellian velocity distribution function. The formalism derived in the present paper may be useful for studying the effects of binary collisions on the isotropization of temperatures in the solar wind plasma, among possible applications.

Description: The slowing down as well as the deflection time of test particles in the plasma is studied in the non-extensive statistics. The relevant relations are derived using Fokker Planck equation. It is remarked that the slowing down and deflection times modify considerably in the non-extensive statistics in comparison with Boltzmann Gibbs one. It is found that by decreasing non-extensivity index q ( 1 / 3 〈 q ≤ 1 which corresponds to plasma with excess super extensive particles), both the slowing down and deflection times will be increased. Also, for q ≥ 1 , i.e., the sub-extensive particles, the same results are obtained by decreasing q . Additionally, the effects of non-extensive distributed particles on the electrical conductivity and diffusion coefficient of plasma are studied. It is shown that plasmas with smaller q s are better conductors in both 1 / 3 〈 q ≤ 1 and q ≥ 1 . In addition, it is observed that by increasing q , Dreicer field will increase in both super-extensive and sub-extensive particles. Moreover, it is found that the diffusion coefficient across a magnetic field is decreased by decreasing q . Furthermore, our results reduce to the solutions of Maxwellian plasma at the extensive limit q → 1. This research will be helpful in understanding the relaxation times and transport properties of fusion and astrophysical plasmas.

Description: This paper presents the first design and experimental demonstration of an ultrahigh frequency complete phononic crystal (PnC) bandgap aluminum nitride (AlN)/air structure operating in the GHz range. A complete phononic bandgap of this design is used to efficiently and simultaneously confine elastic vibrations in a resonator. The PnC structure is fabricated by etching a square array of air holes in an AlN slab. The fabricated PnC resonator resonates at 1.117 GHz, which corresponds to an out-of-plane mode. The measured bandgap and resonance frequencies are in very good agreement with the eigen-frequency and frequency-domain finite element analyses. As a result, a quality factor/volume of 7.6 × 10 17 /m 3 for the confined resonance mode was obtained that is the largest value reported for this type of PnC resonator to date. These results are an important step forward in achieving possible applications of PnCs for RF communication and signal processing with smaller dimensions.

Description: In this work, titanium dioxide nanotubes were prepared by using titanium foils via electrochemical anodization in ethylene glycol solutions containing different amounts of water and fluoride in the ranges of 1%–3% and 0.15%–0.5%, respectively, to determine their effects on morphology, optical, and crystalline structure properties. Annealing processes were performed on all samples in the range between 273 and 723 K. Morphology and structure properties of the samples were studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy. Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanotubes, through anodization method, are strongly influenced by conditions, like fluoride concentration and applied voltages. Tube lengths between 2 and 7  μ m were obtained, exhibiting different diameters and wall thicknesses. When alternating voltage was applied, the outer surface of the nanotubes exhibited evenly spaced ring-shaped regions, while smooth tubes were observed when constant voltage was applied. Reflection peaks, corresponding to Brookite, Anatase, and Rutile, of TiO 2 phases, were observed from the XRD pattern. These phases were corroborated via μXRD measurements, and the Ti 3 O 5 phase was also observed in detail. Absorption coefficient (α), optical band gap (Eg), and extinction coefficient (ε) of TiO 2 nanotubes were calculated by transmittance spectra in the UV–Vis range. Strong absorption was noted in the UV region from reflectance and absorbance measurements. A correlation between synthesis parameters and physical properties is presented.

Description: It is well known that two-dimensional macroscale shear flows are susceptible to instabilities leading to macroscale vortical structures. The linear and nonlinear fate of such a macroscale flow in a strongly coupled medium is a fundamental problem. A popular example of a strongly coupled medium is a dusty plasma, often modelled as a Yukawa liquid. Recently, laboratory experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) studies of shear flows in strongly coupled Yukawa liquids indicated the occurrence of strong molecular shear heating, which is found to reduce the coupling strength exponentially leading to the destruction of macroscale vorticity. To understand the vortex dynamics of strongly coupled molecular fluids undergoing macroscale shear flows and molecular shear heating, MD simulation has been performed, which allows the macroscopic vortex dynamics to evolve, while at the same time “removes” the microscopically generated heat without using the velocity degrees of freedom. We demonstrate that by using a configurational thermostat in a novel way, the microscale heat generated by shear flow can be thermostatted out efficiently without compromising the large scale vortex dynamics. In the present work, using MD simulations, a comparative study of shear flow evolution in Yukawa liquids in the presence and absence of molecular or microscopic heating is presented for a prototype shear flow, namely, Kolmogorov flow.

Description: A computational modeling study of high-voltage nanosecond pulsed microdischarge in xenon gas at 10 atm is presented. The discharge is observed to develop as two streamers originating from the cathode and the anode, and propagating toward each other until they merge to form a single continuous discharge channel. The peak plasma density obtained in the simulations is ∼10 24  m −3 , i.e., the ionization degree of plasma does not exceed 1%. The influence of the initial gas pre-ionization is established. It is seen that an increase in the seeded plasma density results in an increase in the streamer propagation velocity and an increase in the plasma density obtained after the merging of two streamers.

Description: Similar to electromagnetism, described by the Maxwell equations, the physics of magnetoelectric (ME) phenomena deals with the fundamental problem of the relationship between electric and magnetic fields. Despite a formal resemblance between the two notions, they concern effects of different natures. In general, ME-coupling effects manifest in numerous macroscopic phenomena in solids with space and time symmetry breakings. Recently, it was shown that the near fields in the proximity of a small ferrite particle with magnetic-dipolar-mode (MDM) oscillations have the space and time symmetry breakings and the topological properties of these fields are different from the topological properties of the free-space electromagnetic fields. Such MDM-originated fields—called magnetoelectric (ME) fields—carry both spin and orbital angular momenta. They are characterized by power-flow vortices and non-zero helicity. In this paper, we report on observation of the topological ME effects in far-field microwave radiation based on a small microwave antenna with a MDM ferrite resonator. We show that the microwave far-field radiation can be manifested with a torsion structure where an angle between the electric and magnetic field vectors varies. We discuss the question on observation of the regions of localized ME energy in far-field microwave radiation.

Description: The epitaxial integration of functional oxides with wide band gap semiconductors offers the possibility of new material systems for electronics and energy conversion applications. We use first principles to consider an epitaxial interface between the correlated metal oxide SrRuO 3 and the wide band gap semiconductor TiO 2 , and assess energy level alignment, interfacial chemistry, and interfacial dipole formation. Due to the ferromagnetic, half-metallic character of SrRuO 3 , according to which only one spin is present at the Fermi level, we demonstrate the existence of a spin dependent band alignment across the interface. For two different terminations of SrRuO 3 , the interface is found to be rectifying with a Schottky barrier of ≈1.3–1.6 eV, in good agreement with experiment. In the minority spin, SrRuO 3 exhibits a Schottky barrier alignment with TiO 2 and our calculated Schottky barrier height is in excellent agreement with previous experimental measurements. For majority spin carriers, we find that SrRuO 3 recovers its exchange splitting gap and bulk-like properties within a few monolayers of the interface. These results demonstrate a possible approach to achieve spin-dependent transport across a heteroepitaxial interface between a functional oxide material and a conventional wide band gap semiconductor.

Description: The aim of this work is to analyze in more depth a model of particle deposition by characterizing different parameters such as profile density, bonds and perimeter, and substrate coverage, all being involved in the description of deposits as bulk. Thus, this study is an extension of a previous work on non-equilibrium interface-growth systems where two different interface-growth models, called Standard Adherence Rule Model and Potential Adherence Rule Model, were characterized. In this work, bulk characterization is implemented for the complete range of Peclet numbers. The zones of density profile (Near-Wall, Plateau, and Active-Growth) are studied by proposing an adjustment for each of them and determining the full-setting density profile depending on the Peclet number. The density profiles are compared with other one- and two-stage models. Furthermore, an algorithm is proposed to calculate the number of bonds of the particles and the perimeter that a substrate forms over time. Finally, to analyze the coating, its temporal behavior is adjusted to an exponential function by comparing the results with those found for Random Sequential Adsorption models which describe systems like colloidal particles on solid substrates, adsorption of proteins at mineral surfaces, or oxidation of one-dimensional polymer chains.

Description: The recently discovered hexagonal ABC -type hyperferroelectrics, in which the polarization persists in the presence of the depolarization filed, exhibit a variety of intriguing and potentially useful properties [Garrity et al ., Phys. Rev. Lett. 112 , 127601 (2014)]. For the existing prototype of LiBeSb, we present detailed first-principles calculations concerning the lattice dynamics, electronic structure, and optical properties. An unstable longitudinal optic mode in the high-symmetry structure and a large polarization of 0.5 C/m 2 in the polar phase are reported, including the remarkable dependence of Born effective charges on structural distortion. Using the HSE06 hybrid functional, we predict that LiBeSb has a small band-gap of 1.5 eV and shows dominant asymmetric covalent bonding character. Importantly, we find that there are remarkable absorptions in the whole visible spectrum. These features, combined with the enhanced carrier mobility, make LiBeSb as well as the whole family of hexagonal ABC -type hyperferroelectrics as promising candidates for ferroelectric photovoltaic materials with large bulk photovoltaic effect in the visible spectrum.

Description: We combine classical nucleation theory with superharmonic focusing to predict necessary pressures to induce nucleation in acoustic droplet vaporization. We show that linear acoustics is a valid approximation to leading order when particle displacements in the sound field are small relative to the radius of the droplet. This is done by perturbation analysis of an axisymmetric compressible inviscid flow about a droplet with small surface perturbations relative to the mean radius subjected to an incoming ultrasonic wave. The necessary nucleation pressure threshold inside the droplet is calculated to be −9.33 ± 0.30 MPa for typical experimental parameters by employing results from classical homogeneous nucleation theory . As a result, we are able to predict if a given incident pressure waveform will induce nucleation.

Description: Resonant dipolar relaxation in poly( ε -caprolactone) (PCL) is reported using thermally stimulated discharge current spectroscopy. PCL is a bio-medically known shape memory polymer having a well defined γ , β , α , and α ′ relaxations, respectively, centered around 125 K, 170 K, 220 K, and 270 K as seen by the measurements. By employing a new protocol variable poling temperature at constant freezing temperature, resonant dipolar relaxation in PCL could be induced, especially in the vicinity of α relaxation. Such a protocol is useful in de-convoluting the features in a more meaningful fashion. By an analysis of activation process, we could show a clear contrast enhancement of the dynamics of the participating dipoles by means of a minimum in the activation energies situated around the glass transition region. The relevant parameters of interest such as activation energies and relaxation times are estimated and discussed.

Description: We report the growth of thin films of the mixed valence compound YbAl 3 on MgO using molecular-beam epitaxy. Employing an aluminum buffer layer, epitaxial (001) films can be grown with sub-nm surface roughness. Using x-ray diffraction, in situ low-energy electron diffraction, and aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, we establish that the films are ordered in the bulk as well as at the surface. Our films show a coherence temperature of 37 K, comparable to that reported for bulk single crystals. Photoelectron spectroscopy reveals contributions from both f 13 and f 12 final states establishing that YbAl 3 is a mixed valence compound and shows the presence of a Kondo Resonance peak near the Fermi-level.

Description: An improved method for characterizing the magnetic anisotropy of films with cubic symmetry is described and is applied to an yttrium iron garnet (111) film. Analysis of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectra performed both in-plane and out-of-plane from 0.7 to 8 GHz yielded the magnetic anisotropy constants as well as the saturation magnetization. The field at which FMR is observed turns out to be quite sensitive to anisotropy constants (by more than a factor ten) in the low frequency (

Description: One of the mechanisms for generating electromagnetic plasma waves (Z-mode and LO-mode) is mode conversion from electrostatic waves into electromagnetic waves in inhomogeneous plasma. Herein, we study a condition required for mode conversion of electrostatic waves propagating purely perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field, by numerically solving the full dispersion relation. An approximate model is derived describing the coupling between electrostatic waves (hot plasma Bernstein mode) and Z-mode waves at the upper hybrid frequency. The model is used to study conditions required for mode conversion from electrostatic waves (electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic waves, including Bernstein mode) into electromagnetic plasma waves (LO-mode). It is shown that for mode conversion to occur in inhomogeneous plasma, the angle between the boundary surface and the magnetic field vector should be within a specific range. The range of the angle depends on the norm of the k vector of waves at the site of mode conversion in the inhomogeneous region. The present study reveals that inhomogeneity alone is not a sufficient condition for mode conversion from electrostatic waves to electromagnetic plasma waves and that the angle between the magnetic field and the density gradient plays an important role in the conversion process.

Description: We report the discovery of an envelope Hamiltonian describing the charged-particle dynamics in general linear coupled lattices.

Description: In this study, fullerene like carbon (FL-C) is introduced in hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) film by employing a direct current plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The film has a low friction and wear, such as 0.011 and 2.3 × 10 −9 mm 3 /N m in the N 2 , and 0.014 and 8.4 × 10 −8 mm 3 /N m in the humid air, and high hardness and elasticity (25.8 GPa and 83.1%), to make further engineering applications in practice. It has several nanometers ordered domains consisting of less frequently cross-linked graphitic sheet stacks. We provide new evidences for understanding the reported Raman fit model involving four vibrational frequencies from five, six, and seven C-atom rings of FL-C structures, and discuss the structure evolution before or after friction according to the change in the 1200 cm −1 Raman band intensity caused by five- and seven-carbon rings. Friction inevitably facilitates the transformation of carbon into FL-C nanostructures, namely, the ultra low friction comes from both such structures within the carbon film and the sliding induced at friction interface.

Description: It was shown that drilling of multi-layered target placed in the air by tightly focused femtosecond laser radiation with high fluence (up to 1000 J/cm 2 ) can be monitored online using plasma-induced X-ray emission and second harmonic of incident laser radiation. The technique based on X-rays registration is appeared to be more flexible than the method based on detection of second harmonic since its accuracy depends crucially on the target type. We demonstrated that the X-ray signal clearly indicates the transition from one layer to another during the microdrilling of targets consisting of 2–4 layers of titanium foil when a laser beam is focused beneath the target surface at a depth comparable to the layer thickness. The diagnostics of microchannel production in the chicken eggshell was performed for the first time. It was found that the presence of albumen beneath the shell accounts for longtime generation of X-ray pulses.

Description: This work reports on the effects of a deep high-dose hydrogen ion implant on damage accumulation, defect retention, and silver diffusion in silver implanted ZnO crystals. Single-crystal ZnO samples were implanted with Ag ions in a region ∼150 nm within the surface, and some of these samples were additionally implanted with hydrogen ions to a dose of 2 × 10 16  cm −2 , close to the depth ∼250 nm. Rutherford backscattering/ion channeling measurements show that crystal damage caused by Ag ion implantation and the amount of defects retained in the near surface region following post-implantation annealing were found to diminish in the case with the H implantation. On the other hand, the additional H ion implantation resulted in a reduction of substitutional Ag atoms upon post-implantation annealing. Furthermore, the presence of H also modified the diffusion properties of Ag atoms in ZnO. We discuss these findings in the context of the effects of nano-cavities on formation and annihilation of point defects as well as on impurity diffusion and trapping in ZnO crystals.

Description: The formation and evolution of spin wave band gaps in the transmission spectrum of a magnonic crystal have been studied. A time and space resolved magneto inductive probing system has been used to map the spin wave propagation and evolution in a geometrically structured yttrium iron garnet film. Experiments have been carried out using (1) a chemically etched magnonic crystal supporting the propagation of magnetostatic surface spin waves, (2) a short microwave pulsed excitation of the spin waves, and (3) direct spin wave detection using a movable magneto inductive probe connected to a synchronized fast oscilloscope. The results show that the periodic structure not only modifies the spectra of the transmitted spin waves but also influences the distribution of the spin wave energy inside the magnonic crystal as a function of the position and the transmitted frequency. These results comprise an experimental confirmation of Bloch′s theorem in a spin wave system and demonstrate good agreement with theoretical observations in analogue phononic and photonic systems. Theoretical prediction of the structured transmission spectra is achieved using a simple model based on microwave transmission lines theory. Here, a spin wave system illustrates in detail the evolution of a much more general physical concept: the band gap.

Description: The 8-band k · p parameters which include the direct band coupling between the conduction and the valence bands are derived and used to model optical intersubband transitions in Ge quantum well heterostructure material grown on Si substrates. Whilst for Si rich quantum wells the coupling between the conduction bands and valence bands is not important for accurate modelling, the present work demonstrates that the inclusion of such coupling is essential to accurately determine intersubband transitions between hole states in Ge and Ge-rich Si 1− x Ge x quantum wells. This is due to the direct bandgap being far smaller in energy in Ge compared to Si. Compositional bowing parameters for a range of the key modelling input parameters required for Ge/SiGe heterostructures, including the Kane matrix elements, the effective mass of the Γ 2 ′ conduction band, and the Dresselhaus parameters for both 6- and 8-band k · p modelling, have been determined. These have been used to understand valence band intersubband transitions in a range of Ge quantum well intersubband photodetector devices in the mid-infrared wavelength range.

Description: Rare-earth orthoniobates constitute a class of materials that has been exploited due to their interesting physical properties depending on the lanthanide element. Besides paramagnetism, ferroelasticity, and negative compressibility, these materials are known by their interesting optical properties and mixed types of conduction processes (protonic, ionic, and electronic). In this work, two types of SmNbO 4 samples were studied: polycrystalline samples, prepared by a sol-gel route using the Pechini method, and single crystalline fibres grown by the Laser Floating Zone technique. These samples were structurally characterized based on powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. A metastable tetragonal phase, stabilized by grain size, was identified in the synthesized powders. After a sintering process of such powders, a single monoclinic phase was obtained. Complementarily, scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy analyses were performed to these samples. Photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopic studies allowed identifying more than one optically active centre of the trivalent samarium ion in the analysed material. Impedance spectroscopy measurements have shown a large variation of the ac conductivity as a function of temperature, assigned to a protonic conduction and to native ionic conduction mechanisms.

Description: A series of polycrystalline YMn 1−x Ru x O 3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) samples were prepared by traditional solid-state reaction method. Effects of doping on the microstructures and magnetic properties were investigated. Microstructural results reveal that samples crystallize in a single hexagonal structure with P 6 3 cm group for x ≤ 0.1. Lattice parameters a, c, and unit-cell volume of YMn 1−x Ru x O 3 are found to increase with doping content, which are ascribed to the larger radius of Ru 3+ than that of Mn 3+ . Weak ferromagnetism is found and is enhanced with increasing doping concentration x. The bond angles of Mn-O3-Mn and Mn-O4-Mn are changed in the opposite trends, which break the Mn-Mn exchange interaction, thus the antiferromagnetic ordering. The MnO 5 bipyramid is found to be relieved and the trimerization of Mn ions is weakened. These structural modifications result in the increase of weak ferromagnetism ordering in samples.

Description: To increase the thermoelectric efficiency and reduce the thermal fatigue upon cyclic heat loading, alloying of amorphous NbO 2 with all 3d and 5d transition metals has systematically been investigated using density functional theory. It was found that Ta fulfills the key design criteria, namely, enhancement of the Seebeck coefficient and positive Cauchy pressure (ductility gauge). These quantum mechanical predictions were validated by assessing the thermoelectric and elastic properties on combinatorial thin films, which is a high-throughput approach. The maximum power factor is 2813  μ W m −1  K −2 for the Ta/Nb ratio of 0.25, which is a hundredfold increment compared to pure NbO 2 and exceeds many oxide thermoelectrics. Based on the elasticity measurements, the consistency between theory and experiment for the Cauchy pressure was attained within 2%. On the basis of the electronic structure analysis, these configurations can be perceived as metallic, which is consistent with low electrical resistivity and ductile behavior. Furthermore, a pronounced quantum confinement effect occurs, which is identified as the physical origin for the Seebeck coefficient enhancement.

Description: We investigated the optical properties of wurtzite (WZ) GaP nanowires by performing photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved PL measurements in the temperature range from 4 K to 300 K, together with atom probe tomography to identify residual impurities in the nanowires. At low temperature, the WZ GaP luminescence shows donor-acceptor pair emission at 2.115 eV and 2.088 eV, and Burstein-Moss band-filling continuum between 2.180 and 2.253 eV, resulting in a direct band gap above 2.170 eV. Sharp exciton α-β-γ lines are observed at 2.140–2.164–2.252 eV, respectively, showing clear differences in lifetime, presence of phonon replicas, and temperature-dependence. The excitonic nature of those peaks is critically discussed, leading to a direct band gap of ∼2.190 eV and to a resonant state associated with the γ-line ∼80 meV above the Γ 8C conduction band edge.

Description: Quite recently, the magnon Hall effect of spin excitations has been observed experimentally on the kagome and pyrochlore lattices. The thermal Hall conductivity κ xy changes sign as a function of magnetic field or temperature on the kagome lattice, and κ xy changes sign upon reversing the sign of the magnetic field on the pyrochlore lattice. Motivated by these recent exciting experimental observations, we theoretically propose a simple realization of the magnon Hall effect in a two-band model on the honeycomb lattice. The magnon Hall effect of spin excitations arises in the usual way via the breaking of inversion symmetry of the lattice, however, by a next-nearest-neighbour Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction. We find that κ xy has a fixed sign for all parameter regimes considered. These results are in contrast to the Lieb, kagome, and pyrochlore lattices. We further show that the low-temperature dependence on the magnon Hall conductivity follows a T 2 law, as opposed to the kagome and pyrochlore lattices. These results suggest an experimental procedure to measure thermal Hall conductivity within a class of 2D honeycomb quantum magnets and ultracold atoms trapped in a honeycomb optical lattice.

Description: A diagnostic is developed for determining the hotspot mix in inertial confinement fusion experiments. A multi-channel pinhole camera measures Bremsstrahlung emissions from implosion capsules ranging from 6 keV to 30 keV and records an image of the hotspot. Meanwhile, a planar crystal spectrometer measures Ar line emissions used to deduce the electron density of the hotspot. An X-ray streaked camera records the burn duration. With the Bremsstrahlung spectrum, electron density, hotspot volume, and burn duration, the mix quantity is determined by solving a pair of linear equations. This inferred mix amount has an uncertainty due to the uncertainty of the electron density, but with the help of the measured neutron product, the most likely mix quantity value can be determined. This technique is applied to experimental images to infer the quantity of CH ablator mix into the hotspot.

Description: We perform molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the static and dynamic fragmentation of metallic liquid sheets of tin induced by random surface fluctuations. The static regime is analyzed by simulating sheets of different thicknesses, and the dynamic fragmentation is ensured by applying along the longitudinal direction of a sheet an instantaneous expansion velocity per initial unit length (expansion rate) with values ranging from 1 × 10 9 to 3 × 10 10  s −1 . The simulations show that the static/dynamic fragmentation becomes possible when the fluctuations of the upper and lower surfaces of the sheets can either overlap or make the local volume density of the system go down below a critical value. These two mechanisms cause locally in the sheet the random nucleation of pores of void, on a timescale that exponentially increases with the sheet thickness. Afterwards, the pores develop following distinct stages of growth, coalescence, and percolation, and later in time aggregates of liquid metal are formed. The simulations also show that the fragmentation of static sheets is characterized by relatively mono-dispersed surface and volume distributions of the pores and aggregates, respectively, whereas in extreme conditions of dynamic fragmentation (expansion rate typically in the range of 1 × 10 10  s −1 ), the distributions are rather poly-dispersed and obey a power law decay with surface (volume). A model derived from the simulations suggests that both dynamic and static regimes of fragmentation are similar for expansion rates below typically 1 × 10 7  s −1 .

Description: The atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasma has shown a significant potential as a novel food decontamination technology. In this paper, we report a computational study of the intersection of negative streamer produced by air dielectric barrier discharge with bacteria biofilm on an apple surface. The structure, conductivities, and permittivities of bacteria biofilm have been considered in the Poisson's equations and transportation equations of charge and neutral species to realize self-consistent transportation of plasma between electrode and charging surfaces of apple. We find that the ionization near the biofilm facilitates the propagation of negative streamer when the streamer head is 1 mm from the biofilm. The structure of the biofilm results in the non-uniform distribution of ROS and RNS captured by flux and time fluence of these reactive species. The mean free path of charged species in μ m scale permitted the plasma penetrate into the cavity of the biofilm, therefore, although the density of ROS and RNS decrease by 6–7 order of magnitude, the diffusion results in the uniform distribution of ROS and RNS inside the cavity during the pulse off period.

Description: The objective of this paper is to demonstrate that the addition of properly tuned nonlinearities to a nonlinear system can increase the range over which a specific resonance responds linearly. Specifically, we seek to enforce two important properties of linear systems, namely, the force-displacement proportionality and the invariance of resonance frequencies. Numerical simulations and experiments are used to validate the theoretical findings.

Description: HoCrO 3 , Ho 0.67 Gd 0.33 CrO 3 , and GdCrO 3 bulk powder samples were prepared by citrate route. The phase purity and the structural properties of the samples were examined by x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic measurements. The dc magnetization data revealed that the Cr 3+ ordering temperatures (Néel temperature) for the HoCrO 3 , Ho 0.67 Gd 0.33 CrO 3 , and GdCrO 3 samples are 140 K, 148 K, and 167 K, respectively, while the ac magnetization data revealed that the rare-earth (Ho) ordering occurs at ∼8 K for HoCrO 3 and Ho 0.67 Gd 0.33 CrO 3 samples. Temperature-induced magnetization reversal and spin reorientation were observed in GdCrO 3 bulk sample, which depends on applied magnetic field and disappears at ∼1500 Oe and 500 Oe, respectively. By fitting the dc magnetic data with Curie-Weiss law, the effective magnetic moments were calculated to be 11.66 μ B , 10.23 μ B , and 9.90 μ B for the HoCrO 3 , Ho 0.67 Gd 0.33 CrO 3 , and GdCrO 3 samples, respectively. The isothermal magnetization data showed that the magnetic behavior changed from canted antiferromagnetic in low temperature region (below Néel temperature) to paramagnetic at high temperature. It was found that Gd substitution considerably improves the magnetocaloric effect of HoCrO 3 . Pure GdCrO 3 bulk sample showed giant magnetocaloric entropy change (31.6 J/kg K at temperature ∼5 K and at ∼70 kOe), which is higher than that for polycrystalline RMnO 3 , RCrO 3 , and RFeO 3 bulk powder samples. This renders GdCrO 3 useful for potential applications in low-temperature magnetic refrigeration.

Description: Electric field-induced changes in the domain wall motion of (1−x)Bi(Mg 0.5 Ti 0.5 )O 3 –xPbTiO 3 (BMT-xPT) near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) where x = 0.37 (BMT-37PT) and x = 0.38 (BMT-38PT), are studied by means of synchrotron x-ray diffraction. Through Rietveld analysis and profile fitting, a mixture of coexisting monoclinic ( Cm ) and tetragonal ( P 4 mm ) phases is identified at room temperature. Extrinsic contributions to the property coefficients are evident from electric-field-induced domain wall motion in both the tetragonal and monoclinic phases, as well as through the interphase boundary motion between the two phases. Domain wall motion in the tetragonal and monoclinic phases for BMT-37PT is larger than that of BMT-38PT, possibly due to this composition's closer proximity to the MPB. Increased interphase boundary motion was also observed in BMT-37PT. Lattice strain, which is a function of both intrinsic piezoelectric strain and elastic interactions of the grains (the latter originating from domain wall and interphase boundary motion), is similar for the respective tetragonal and monoclinic phases.

Description: We fabricated homogeneous double-layer amorphous Si-doped indium oxide (ISO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with an insulating ISO cap layer on top of a semiconducting ISO bottom channel layer. The homogeneously stacked ISO TFT exhibited high mobility (19.6 cm 2 /V s) and normally-off characteristics after annealing in air. It exhibited normally-off characteristics because the ISO insulator suppressed oxygen desorption, which suppressed the formation of oxygen vacancies (V O ) in the semiconducting ISO. Furthermore, we investigated the recovery of the double-layer ISO TFT, after a large negative shift in turn-on voltage caused by hydrogen annealing, by treating it with annealing in ozone. The recovery in turn-on voltage indicates that the dense V O in the semiconducting ISO can be partially filled through the insulator ISO. Controlling molecule penetration in the homogeneous double layer is useful for adjusting the properties of TFTs in advanced oxide electronics.

Description: A compact and integrated optical gas sensor on a silicon-on-insulator platform based on surface plasmon interference for hydrogen detection is theoretically introduced in this paper. The basic sensor element consists of a thin layer of palladium (Pd) embedded in a silicon waveguide. Two decoupled surface plasmon polariton waves propagate simultaneously on either side of the Pd layer, which combine and interfere at the end of the Pd layer. The interference mode can be either constructive or destructive, which is highly sensitive to volumetric hydrogen concentration. The proposed sensor is of great potential as a basic building block for lab-on-chip-scale devices owing to its high integration and compactness.

Description: A study is performed on a photonic-state mixing-pattern in an insulator-metal-insulator cylindrical silver nanoshell and its rich variations induced by changes in the geometry and dielectric media of the system, representing the combined influences of plasmon coupling strength and cavity effects. This study is performed in terms of the photonic local density of states (LDOS) calculated using the Green tensor method, in order to elucidate those combined effects. The energy profiles of LDOS inside the dielectric core are shown to exhibit consistently growing number of redshifted photonic states due to an enhanced plasmon coupling induced state mixing arising from decreased shell thickness, increased cavity size effect, and larger symmetry breaking effect induced by increased permittivity difference between the core and the background media. Further, an increase in cavity size leads to increased additional peaks that spread out toward the lower energy regime. A systematic analysis of those variations for a silver nanoshell with a fixed inner radius in vacuum background reveals a certain pattern of those growing number of redshifted states with an analytic expression for the corresponding energy downshifts, signifying a photonic state mixing scheme beyond the commonly adopted plasmon hybridization scheme. Finally, a remarkable correlation is demonstrated between the LDOS energy profiles outside the shell and the corresponding scattering efficiencies.

Description: The effort to obtain a set of MagnetoHydroDynamic (MHD) equations for a magnetized collisionless plasma was started nearly 60 years ago by Chew et al . [Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 236 (1204), 112–118 (1956)]. Many attempts have been made ever since. Here, we will show the derivation of a set of these equations from the gyrokinetic perspective, which we call it gyrokinetic MHD, and it is different from the conventional ideal MHD. However, this new set of equations still has conservation properties and, in the absence of fluctuations, recovers the usual MHD equilibrium. Furthermore, the resulting equations allow for the plasma pressure balance to be further modified by finite-Larmor-radius effects in regions with steep pressure gradients. The present work is an outgrowth of the paper on “Alfven Waves in Gyrokinetic Plasmas” by Lee and Qin [Phys. Plasmas 10 , 3196 (2003)].

Description: The wave property of phonons is employed to explore the thermal transport across a finite periodic array of nano-scatterers such as circular and triangular holes. As thermal phonons are generated in all directions, we study their transmission through a single array for both normal and oblique incidences, using a linear dispersionless time-dependent acoustic frame in a two-dimensional system. Roughness effects can be directly considered within the computations without relying on approximate analytical formulae. Analysis by spatio-temporal Fourier transform allows us to observe the diffraction effects and the conversion of polarization. Frequency-dependent energy transmission coefficients are computed for symmetric and asymmetric objects that are both subject to reciprocity. We demonstrate that the phononic array acts as an efficient thermal barrier by applying the theory of thermal boundary (Kapitza) resistances to arrays of smooth scattering holes in silicon for an exemplifying periodicity of 10 nm in the 5–100 K temperature range. It is observed that the associated thermal conductance has the same temperature dependence as that without phononic filtering.

Description: Ion acceleration in near-critical plasmas driven by intense laser pulses is investigated theoretically and numerically. A theoretical model has been given for clarification of the ion acceleration dynamics in relation to different laser and target parameters. Two distinct regimes have been identified, where ions are accelerated by, respectively, the laser-induced shock wave in the weakly driven regime (comparatively low laser intensity) and the nonlinear solitary wave in the strongly driven regime (comparatively high laser intensity). Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that quasi-monoenergetic proton beams with a peak energy of 94.6 MeV and an energy spread 15.8% are obtained by intense laser pulses at intensity I 0  = 3 × 10 20  W/cm 2 and pulse duration τ  = 0.5 ps in the strongly driven regime, which is more advantageous than that got in the weakly driven regime. In addition, 233 MeV proton beams with narrow spread can be produced by extending τ to 1.0 ps in the strongly driven regime.

Description: The validity of virial analysis to infer global MHD equilibrium poloidal beta β p and internal inductance ℓ i from external magnetics measurements is examined for low aspect ratio configurations with A 〈 2 . Numerical equilibrium studies at varied aspect ratio are utilized to validate the technique at finite aspect ratio. The effect of applying high- A approximations to low- A experimental data is quantified and demonstrates significant over-estimation of stored energy (factors of 2–10) in spherical tokamak geometry. Experimental approximations to equilibrium-dependent volume integral terms in the analysis are evaluated at low- A . Highly paramagnetic configurations are found to be inadequately represented through the virial mean radius parameter R T . Alternate formulations for inferring β p and ℓ i that are independent of R T to avoid this difficulty are presented for the static isotropic limit. These formulations are suitable for fast estimation of tokamak stored energy components at low aspect ratio using virial analysis.

Description: Interplay between structural disorder and magnetic interaction is investigated here for a multiferroic candidate material, CdCr 2 Se 4 . Ferromagnetic order in CdCr 2 Se 4 sets in below T C  ∼ 130 K as a result of competition between the direct Cr-Cr spin coupling and the near neighbour Cr-Se-Cr exchange interactions. Hence, a small change in the crystal structure is expected to drastically affect its magnetic order. In this report, local lattice distortions within the overall cubic symmetry were brought about by replacing a small percentage of Se by isovalent S . Detailed crystal structure study using EXAFS and Raman Spectroscopy reflects the presence of local distortions within the overall cubic symmetry. Contrary to the expectation, magnetic properties of the substituted compositions do not show any drastic changes. Though, a signature of spin-phonon coupling is present across the magnetic ordering temperature. No structural phase transition occurs within the investigated temperature range of 80–300 K.

Description: In this paper, we studied the localized surface plasmon polariton (SPP) resonance in hole arrays in transparent conducting aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO). CMOS-compatible fabrication process was demonstrated for the AZO devices. The localized SPP resonance was observed and confirmed by electromagnetic simulations. Using a standing wave model, the observed SPP was dominated by the standing-wave resonance along (1,1) direction in square lattices. This research lays the groundwork for a fabrication technique that can contribute to the core technology of future integrated photonics through its extension into tunable conductive materials.

Description: This paper presents a scheme for the generation of high power terahertz radiation by the beating of two femtosecond super Gaussian lasers in plasma having dc electric field in the transverse direction. In this mechanism, a strong nonlinear ponderomotive force acts on the plasma electrons at the frequency difference of the two lasers ( ω 1 − ω 2 ) that imparts a nonlinear oscillatory velocity to plasma electrons which further result in the generation of a nonlinear current at this difference frequency (lying in THz domain). The dynamical equations governing the generation of THz waves have been solved semi-analytically; the result shows that the amplitude of the generated waves is considerably enhanced in the presence of dc electric field, and the index of super Gaussian beams also plays a keen role in governing the yield of THz waves.

Description: We present results from the comparison of high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) simulations with data from the implosions of inertial confinement fusion capsules with separated reactants performed on the OMEGA laser facility. Each capsule, referred to as a “CD Mixcap,” is filled with tritium and has a polystyrene (CH) shell with a deuterated polystyrene (CD) layer whose burial depth is varied. In these implosions, fusion reactions between deuterium and tritium ions can occur only in the presence of atomic mix between the gas fill and shell material. The simulations feature accurate models for all known experimental asymmetries and do not employ any adjustable parameters to improve agreement with experimental data. Simulations are performed with the RAGE radiation-hydrodynamics code using an Implicit Large Eddy Simulation (ILES) strategy for the hydrodynamics. We obtain good agreement with the experimental data, including the DT/TT neutron yield ratios used to diagnose mix, for all burial depths of the deuterated shell layer. Additionally, simulations demonstrate good agreement with converged simulations employing explicit models for plasma diffusion and viscosity, suggesting that the implicit sub-grid model used in ILES is sufficient to model these processes in these experiments. In our simulations, mixing is driven by short-wavelength asymmetries and longer-wavelength features are responsible for developing flows that transport mixed material towards the center of the hot spot. Mix material transported by this process is responsible for most of the mix (DT) yield even for the capsule with a CD layer adjacent to the tritium fuel. Consistent with our previous results, mix does not play a significant role in TT neutron yield degradation; instead, this is dominated by the displacement of fuel from the center of the implosion due to the development of turbulent instabilities seeded by long-wavelength asymmetries. Through these processes, the long-wavelength asymmetries degrade TT yield more than the DT yield and thus bring DT/TT neutron yield ratios into agreement with experiment. Finally, we present a detailed comparison of the flows in 2D and 3D simulations.

Description: Anomalous current pinch, in addition to the anomalous diffusion due to stochastic magnetic perturbations, is theoretically found, which may qualitatively explain the recent DIII-D experiment on resonant magnetic field perturbation. The anomalous current pinch, which may resolve the long-standing issue of seed current in a fully bootstrapped tokamak, is also discussed for the electrostatic turbulence.

Description: The parametric decay of large amplitude non-resonant beating mode of counter-propagating lasers (having a frequency difference ≥ 2 ω p ) into a pair of upper hybrid waves is studied in magnetized plasma. One of the excited upper hybrid waves (known as fast wave) having phase velocity close to c , can be utilized for electron acceleration. The coupled mode equations of fast and slow upper hybrid waves are modelled by solving equation of motion and continuity equation simultaneously (using the density perturbation technique) to derive the dispersion relation for two plasmon decay process. The growth rate of the present excitation process using right circularly polarized beating lasers is higher as compared with the growth rates of the excitation processes using ordinary and extraordinary beating lasers. However, the growth rate is not significant in the case of left circularly polarized beating lasers. The growth rate ∼ 0.15 ω p s − 1 is achieved for right circularly polarized beating lasers having v 1 , 2 / c = 0.1 for scattering angle θ s ∼ 160 ° and applied magnetic field ∼ 90 T. The growth rate of fast upper hybrid wave was reduced with the applied axial magnetic field in the present case. The present work is not only significant for the electron acceleration by fast upper hybrid wave but also for diagnostic purpose.

Description: This work presents a numerical investigation, using a 1-D fluid model, on the generation and loss of oxygen-related species and the spatial-temporal evolutions of the species densities in the atmospheric-pressure pulsed dielectric barrier discharge in the argon/oxygen mixture. The reaction pathways as well as their contributions to the generation and loss of oxygen-related species are given. The considered oxygen-related species include O, O( 1 D), O 2 ( 1 Δ g ), O 3 , O + , O 2 + , O − , O 2 − , and O 3 − . The following significant results are obtained. O, O( 1 D), O 2 ( 1 Δ g ), and O − are produced mainly via the electron impact with O 2 . Ar + plays an essential role in the generation of O + and O 2 + . Almost all of O 3 derives from the reaction O 2 + O 2 + O → O 3 + O 2 . The O 3 -related reactions produce an essential proportion of O 2 − and O 3 − . The substantial loss of O − , O 2 − , and O 3 − is induced by their reactions with O 2 + . Loss of O + , O, and O( 1 D) is mainly due to their reactions with O 2 , loss of O 2 ( 1 Δ g ) due to O 2 ( 1 Δ g ) impacts with O 3 as well as the de-excitation reactions between O 2 ( 1 Δ g ) and e, O 2 , and O, and loss of O 3 due to the reactions between O 3 and other neutral species. In addition, the densities of O + and O( 1 D) present two obvious peaks at the pulse duration, but the densities of O 2 + , O, O 2 ( 1 Δ g ), and O 3 are almost unchanged. The densities of negative oxygen ions increase at the pulse duration and then decline. O − density is obviously large nearby the dielectric surfaces and the densities of O 2 − and O 3 − present generally uniform distributions.

Description: Theory for neoclassical toroidal plasma viscosity has been developed to model transport phenomena, especially, toroidal plasma rotation for tokamaks with broken symmetry. Theoretical predictions are in agreement with the results of the numerical codes in the large aspect ratio limit. The theory has since been extended to include effects of finite aspect ratio and finite plasma β . Here, β is the ratio of the plasma thermal pressure to the magnetic field pressure. However, there are cases where the radial wavelength of the self-consistent perturbed magnetic field strength B on the perturbed magnetic surface is comparable to the width of the trapped particles, i.e., bananas. To accommodate those cases, the theory for neoclassical toroidal plasma viscosity is further extended here to include the effects of the finite banana width. The extended theory is developed using the orbit averaged drift kinetic equation in the low collisionality regimes. The results of the theory can now be used to model plasma transport, including toroidal plasma rotation, in real finite aspect ratio, and finite plasma β tokamaks with the radial wavelength of the perturbed symmetry breaking magnetic field strength comparable to or longer than the banana width.

Description: The comparison between experimental data of ion distribution function at the parent gas plasma obtained by the authors and results of calculations presented by Lampe et al. are considered. It is shown that the experimental and calculated angular distributions of ions in the case at least of argon differ considerably. The analysis of Lampe et al. assumptions showed that the main reasons of these discrepancies were the assumptions of ion distribution function independence on field orientation and independence of charge exchange cross-section on the relative velocity of ion and atom.

Description: Time-delayed transition of normal-to-abnormal glow was investigated in discharge between spoke-like pins and ultrapure water by applying AC-driven power at a frequency of 14.3 kHz at atmospheric pressure. The normal-to-abnormal transition can be recognized from the slope changes of current density, gas temperature, electrode temperature, and OH density. The slope changes took place in tens of minutes rather than just after discharge, in other words, the transition was delayed. The time-delay of the transition was caused by the interaction between the plasma and water. The plasma affected water properties, and then the water affected plasma properties.

Description: We present an efficient and inexpensive method for calculating the time resolved emission spectrum from the time integrated spectrum by monitoring the time evolution of neutral and singly ionized species in the laser produced plasma. To validate our assertion of extracting time resolved information from the time integrated spectrum, the time evolution data of the Cu II line at 481.29 nm and the molecular bands of AlO in the wavelength region (450–550 nm) have been studied. The plasma parameters were also estimated from the time resolved and time integrated spectra. A comparison of the results clearly reveals that the time resolved information about the plasma parameters can be extracted from the spectra registered with a time integrated spectrograph. Our proposed method will make the laser induced plasma spectroscopy robust and a low cost technique which is attractive for industry and environmental monitoring.

Description: We report on experimental observations of flow induced large amplitude dust-acoustic shock waves in a complex plasma. The experiments have been carried out in a Π shaped direct current glow discharge experimental device using kaolin particles as the dust component in a background of Argon plasma. A strong supersonic flow of the dust fluid is induced by adjusting the pumping speed and neutral gas flow into the device. An isolated copper wire mounted on the cathode acts as a potential barrier to the flow of dust particles. A sudden change in the gas flow rate is used to trigger the onset of high velocity dust acoustic shocks whose dynamics are captured by fast video pictures of the evolving structures. The physical characteristics of these shocks are delineated through a parametric scan of their dynamical properties over a range of flow speeds and potential hill heights. The observed evolution of the shock waves and their propagation characteristics are found to compare well with model numerical results based on a modified Korteweg-de-Vries-Burgers type equation.

Description: The structure of the drift-island surface of passing fast ions (PFIs) is investigated in the presence of the resonant interaction with a magnetic island. Two overlapping regions of the drift-island surface and the magnetic island surface are found, one corresponding to local overlapping region and the other to non-local one. Here, the word “nonlocal” denotes that the resonances in the core plasma can have effects on the PFIs near the plasma boundary, while the “local” represents that the PFIs just near the resonant location are influenced. The nonlocal overlapping constructs a transport path along which the PFIs can become losses. There are three kinds of drift-island surfaces to join in forming the transport paths. A pitch angle region, which is called pitch angle gap, is found near the plasma boundary, where the drift-island surface cannot be formed and few PFIs are lost. The pitch-angle selective features of PFI losses are obtained by analyzing the three kinds of drift-island surfaces. The coupling between the crowd drift island surfaces and the collision can induce the prompt losses of PFIs and rapidly slowing down of PFI energy. The time of the prompt losses and the slowing down rate are calculated. Qualitatively, the theoretical results are in well agreement with the experimental observations in ASDEX Upgrade [M. García-Muñoz et al. , Nucl. Fusion 47 , L10 (2007)].

Description: A dimensionless empirical scaling for intrinsic toroidal rotation is given: M A ∼ β N ρ * , where M A is the toroidal velocity divided by the Alfvén velocity, β N is the usual normalized β value, and ρ* is the ion gyroradius divided by the minor radius. This scaling describes well experimental data from DIII-D and also some published data from C-Mod and JET. The velocity used in this scaling is in an outer location in minor radius, outside of the interior core and inside of the large gradient edge region in H-mode conditions. This scaling establishes the basic magnitude of the intrinsic toroidal rotation, and its relation to the rich variety of rotation profiles that can be realized for intrinsic conditions is discussed. This scaling has some similarities to existing dimensioned scalings, both the Rice scaling [J. E. Rice et al. , Phys. Plasmas 7 , 1825 (2000)] and the scaling of Parra et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 108 , 095001 (2012)]. These relationships are described.

Description: The equilibrium properties of three-dimensional ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) are investigated. Incompressible and compressible flows are considered. The governing equations are taken in a steady state such that the magnetic field is parallel to the plasma flow. Equations of stationary equilibrium for both of incompressible and compressible MHD flows are derived and described in a mathematical mode. For incompressible MHD flows, Alfvénic and non-Alfvénic flows with constant and variable magnetofluid density are investigated. For Alfvénic incompressible flows, the general three-dimensional solutions are determined with the aid of two potential functions of the velocity field. For non-Alfvénic incompressible flows, the stationary equilibrium equations are reduced to two differential constraints on the potential functions, flow velocity, magnetofluid density, and the static pressure. Some examples which may be of some relevance to axisymmetric confinement systems are presented. For compressible MHD flows, equations of the stationary equilibrium are derived with the aid of a single potential function of the velocity field. The existence of three-dimensional solutions for these MHD flows is investigated. Several classes of three-dimensional exact solutions for several cases of nonlinear equilibrium equations are presented.

Description: The kinematics of a 1-D electron hole is studied using a novel Particle-In-Cell simulation code. A hole tracking technique enables us to follow the trajectory of a fast-moving solitary hole and study quantitatively hole acceleration and coupling to ions. We observe a transient at the initial stage of hole formation when the hole accelerates to several times the cold-ion sound speed. Artificially imposing slow ion speed changes on a fully formed hole causes its velocity to change even when the ion stream speed in the hole frame greatly exceeds the ion thermal speed, so there are no reflected ions. The behavior that we observe in numerical simulations agrees very well with our analytic theory of hole momentum conservation and the effects of “jetting.”

Description: Structural, dielectric, and ferroelectric properties, and electrocaloric effects of pure and Gd doped ( Na 0.5 Bi 0.5 ) 0.94 Ba 0.06 TiO 3   ceramics prepared by the conventional solid-solid method have been carried out. The X-ray diffraction analysis confirms a pure perovskite structure with the coexistence of tetragonal and rhombohedra structures in both powders. The thermal and frequency dependences of the dielectric constants of both ceramics revealed relaxor behavior. The two compounds exhibited two phase transitions: ferroelectric/antiferroelectric (FE/AFE) transition followed by an antiferroelectric/paraelectric (AFE/PE) transition at higher temperatures. Remarkably, we noticed that the small amount of Gd doping (2%) highly enhanced the dielectric properties of the parent compound by about 71%. The phase diagram was as well influenced by the Gd doping, where the FE/AFE transition temperature rose from 90 in the parent compound to 115 °C in the doped one whereas the AFE/PE transition temperature was decreased from 320 to 270 °C, respectively. The direct electrocaloric measurements performed on both compounds showed that the ferroelectric/antiferroelectric phase transition was accompanied by a significant electrocaloric effect. The Gd 3+ doping improved the electrocaloric properties of the parent compound, where a remarkable temperature variation of 1.4 K was obtained in the doped ceramic. The results of the direct electrocaloric measurements will be compared and discussed with those derived from the indirect method.

Description: The free vibration analysis of a multiple rotating nanobeams' system applying the nonlocal Eringen elasticity theory is presented. Multiple nanobeams' systems are of great importance in nano-optomechanical applications. At nanoscale, the nonlocal effects become non-negligible. According to the nonlocal Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, the governing partial differential equations are derived by incorporating the nonlocal scale effects. Assuming a structure of n parallel nanobeams, the vibration of the system is described by a coupled set of n partial differential equations. The method involves a change of variables to uncouple the equations and the differential transform method as an efficient mathematical technique to solve the nonlocal governing differential equations. Then a number of parametric studies are conducted to assess the effect of the nonlocal scaling parameter, rotational speed, boundary conditions, hub radius, and the stiffness coefficients of the elastic interlayer media on the vibration behavior of the coupled rotating multiple-carbon-nanotube-beam system. It is revealed that the bending vibration of the system is significantly influenced by the rotational speed, elastic mediums, and the nonlocal scaling parameters. This model is validated by comparing the results with those available in the literature. The natural frequencies are in a reasonably good agreement with the reported results.

Description: Polycrystalline lanthanum lead zirconate titanate (PLZT) thin films were deposited on Pt/TiO 2 /SiO 2 /Si substrates to study the effects of the thickness and grain size on their structural and piezoresponse properties at nanoscale. Thinner PLZT films show a slight (100)-orientation tendency that tends to random orientation for the thicker film, while microstrain and crystallite size increases almost linearly with increasing thickness. Piezoresponse force microscopy and autocorrelation function technique were used to demonstrate the existence of local self-polarization effect and to study the thickness dependence of correlation length. The obtained results ruled out the bulk mechanisms and suggest that Schottky barriers near the film-substrate are likely responsible for a build-in electric field in the films. Larger correlation length evidence that this build-in field increases the number of coexisting polarization directions in larger grains leading to an alignment of macrodomains in thinner films.

Description: Ge-chalcogenide films show various photo-induced changes, and silver photo-diffusion is one of them which attracts lots of interest. In this paper, we report how silver and Ge-chalcogenide layers in Ge 33 S 67 /Ag/Si substrate stacks change under light exposure in the depth by measuring time-resolved neutron reflectivity. It was found from the measurement that Ag ions diffuse all over the matrix Ge 33 S 67 layer once Ag dissolves into the layer. We also found that the surface was macroscopically deformed by the extended light exposure. Its structural origin was investigated by a scanning electron microscopy.

Description: The motion of antiferromagnetic interfacial spins is investigated through the temperature evolution of training effect in a Co/CoO film with in-plane biaxial anisotropy. Significant differences in the training effect and its temperature dependence are observed in the magnetic easy axis and hard axis (HA) and ascribed to the different motion modes of antiferromagnetic interfacial spins, the collective spin cluster rotation (CSR) and the single spin reversal (SSR), caused by different magnetization reversal modes of ferromagnetic layer. These motion modes of antiferromagnetic spins are successfully separated using a combination of an exponential function and a classic n −1/2 function. A larger CSR to SSR ratio and a shorter lifetime of CSR found in the HA indicates that the domain rotation in the ferromagnetic layer tends to activate and accelerate a CSR mode in the antiferromagnetic spins.

Description: Atmospheric pressure H 2 O / O 2 gliding arc plasma is generated by a 88   Hz , 6   kV AC power supply. The properties of the produced plasma are investigated by optical emission spectroscopy. The relative intensity, rotational, vibrational, excitation temperatures and electron density are studied as a function of applied voltage, electrode spacing, and oxygen flow rate. The rotational and vibrational temperatures are determined simulating the OH ( A 2 Σ + ( v ″ = 0 ) → X 2 Π ( v ′ = 0 ) ) bands with the aid of LIFBASE simulation software. The excitation temperature is obtained from the CuI transition taking non-thermal equilibrium condition into account employing intensity ratio method. The electron density is approximated from the   H α Stark broadening using the Voigt profile fitting method. It is observed that the rotational and vibrational temperatures decrease with increasing electrode spacing and O 2 flow rate, but increase with the applied voltage. The excitation temperature is found to increase with increasing applied voltage and O 2 flow rate, but decrease with electrode spacing. The electron density increases with increasing applied voltage while it seems to be in a downward trend with increasing electrode spacing and O 2 flow rate.

Description: This paper presents the approximate analytic solutions of current density for annulus and circle cathodes. The current densities of annulus and circle cathodes are derived approximately from first principles, which are in agreement with simulation results. The large scaling laws can predict current densities of high current vacuum diodes including annulus and circle cathodes in practical applications. In order to discuss the relationship between current density and electric field on cathode surface, the existing analytical solutions of currents for concentric cylinder and sphere diodes are fitted from existing solutions relating with electric field enhancement factors. It is found that the space-charge-limited current density for the cathode with electric-field enhanced geometry can be written in a general form of J  =  g ( β E ) 2 J 0 , where J 0 is the classical (1D) Child-Langmuir current density, β E is the electric field enhancement factor, and g is the geometrical correction factor depending on the cathode geometry.

Description: Ion acceleration from the interaction of two intersecting intense laser pulses with an overdense plasma is investigated using a three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. It is found that, comparing with the single-pulse case, the charge of the resulting energetic ion bunch can be increased by more than an order of magnitude without much loss of quality. Dependence of the ion charge on the interaction parameters, including separation distance and incidence angles of the lasers, is considered. It is shown that the charge of the accelerated ion bunch can be optimized by controlling the degree of laser overlapping. The improved performance can be attributed to the enhanced laser intensity as well as stochastic heating of the accelerated electrons. Since at present the intensity of readily available lasers is limited, the two pulse scheme should be useful for realizing higher laser intensity in order to achieve higher-energy target normal sheath acceleration ions.

Description: The recent formulations of multi-region relaxed magnetohydrodynamics (MRxMHD) have generalized the famous Woltjer-Taylor states by incorporating a collection of “ideal barriers” that prevent global relaxation and flow. In this paper, we generalize MRxMHD with flow to include Hall effects, and thereby obtain the partially relaxed counterparts of the famous double Beltrami states as a special subset. The physical and mathematical consequences arising from the introduction of the Hall term are also presented. We demonstrate that our results (in the ideal MHD limit) constitute an important subset of ideal MHD equilibria, and we compare our approach against other variational principles proposed for deriving the partially relaxed states.

Description: Fluid-based models of collisional transport in multi-species plasmas have typically been applied to parameter regimes where a local thermal equilibrium is assumed. While this parameter regime is valid for low temperature and/or high density applications, it begins to fail as plasmas enter the collisionless regime and kinetic effects dominate the physics. A plasma model is presented that lays the foundation for extending the validity of the collisional fluid regime using an anisotropic 13-moment fluid model derived from the Pearson type-IV probability distribution. The model explicitly evolves the pressure tensor and heat flux vector along with the density and flow velocity to capture dynamics usually restricted to kinetic models. Each particle species is modeled individually and collectively coupled through electromagnetic and collisional interactions.

Description: The plasma equilibrium in a linear trap at β  ≈ 1 (or above the mirror-instability threshold) under the topology-conservation constraint evolves into a kind of diamagnetic “bubble.” This can take two forms: either the plasma body greatly expands in radius while containing the same magnetic flux, or, if the plasma radius is limited, the plasma distribution across flux-tubes changes, so that the same cross-section contains a greatly reduced flux. If the magnetic field of the trap is quasi-uniform around its minimum, the bubble can be made roughly cylindrical, with radius much larger than the radius of the corresponding vacuum flux-tube, and with non-paraxial ends. Then the effective mirror ratio of the diamagnetic trap becomes very large, but the cross-field transport increases. The confinement time can be found from solution of the system of equilibrium and transport equations and is shown to be τ E ≈ τ ∥ τ ⊥ . If the cross-field confinement is not too degraded by turbulence, this estimate in principle allows construction of relatively compact fusion reactors with lengths in the range of a few tens of meters. In many ways, the described diamagnetic confinement and the corresponding reactor parameters are similar to those claimed by the field-reversed configurations.

Description: In an attempt to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, associated with severe environmental effects, the current research is focused on the identification of the thermoelectric potential of n -type Pb 1− x Ti x Te alloys, with x values of up to 3%. A solubility limit of 0.5 at. % Ti in PbTe was identified, while beyond this composition, a precipitation of a TiTe 2 phase was occurred. An impressive maximal dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of ∼1.2 was obtained upon 0.1% Ti doping at 500 °C, indicating a ∼9% efficiency enhancement compared to an undoped PbTe. It is shown that generating a functionally graded material based on undoped PbTe as a low temperature segment and a 0.1% Ti doped PbTe as a high temperature segment has a potential to enhance the efficiency by ∼14% compared to the undoped sample.

Description: SrTiO 3 is not only of enduring interest due to its unique dielectric, structural, and lattice dynamical properties, but is also the archetypal perovskite oxide semiconductor and a foundational material in oxide heterostructures and electronics. This has naturally focused attention on growth, stoichiometry, and defects in SrTiO 3 , one exciting recent development being such precisely stoichiometric defect-managed thin films that electron mobilities have finally exceeded bulk crystals. This has been achieved only by molecular beam epitaxy, however (and to a somewhat lesser extent pulsed laser deposition (PLD)), and numerous open questions remain. Here, we present a study of the stoichiometry, defects, and structure in SrTiO 3 synthesized by a different method, high pressure oxygen sputtering, relating the results to electronic transport. We find that this form of sputter deposition is also capable of homoepitaxy of precisely stoichiometric SrTiO 3 , but only provided that substrate and target preparation, temperature, pressure, and deposition rate are carefully controlled. Even under these conditions, oxygen-vacancy-doped heteroepitaxial SrTiO 3 films are found to have carrier density, mobility, and conductivity significantly lower than bulk. While surface depletion plays a role, it is argued from particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) measurements of trace impurities in commercial sputtering targets that this is also due to deep acceptors such as Fe at 100's of parts-per-million levels. Comparisons of PIXE from SrTiO 3 crystals and polycrystalline targets are shown to be of general interest, with clear implications for sputter and PLD deposition of this important material.

Description: When a strong magnetic field diffuses into a solid metal, if the metal's resistance possesses an abrupt rise at some critical temperature and the magnetic field strength is above some critical value, the magnetic field will diffuse into the metal in the form of a sharp-front wave. Formulas for the critical conditions under which a sharp-front magnetic diffusion wave emerges and a formula for the wave-front velocity are derived in this work.

Description: The Brownian motion of a micro-particle, which is suspended in the sheath of a radio-frequency discharge, is studied by high-speed video microscopy. In this environment, stochastic heating by charge fluctuations is expected, which should lead to an anisotropic kinetic temperature of the particle with a preferential heating in the direction of the mean electric field in the sheath. The stochastic heating should become more effective at low gas pressures where cooling by the neutral gas becomes ineffective. Our refined experiments confirm the anisotropic heating and the temperature rise for diminishing pressure. Particle-in-cell simulations have guided us in modifying the gap width of the discharge and to specify the dependence of the plasma density on gas pressure as n i ∝ p 1 / 2 . Since the stochastic heating rate also depends on the life-time of charge fluctuations, a temperature scaling T kin ∝ p 3 / 2 results, which is in agreement with the experimental data. The experimental procedure to eliminate other spurious heating mechanisms is described in detail.

Description: The generation and control of high-quality proton bunches using focused intense laser pulse on an inverse cone target is investigated with a set of particle-in-cell simulations. The inverse cone is a high atomic number conical frustum with a thin solid top and open base, where the laser impinges onto the top surface directly, not down the open end of the cone. Results are compared with a simple planar target, where the proton angular distribution is very broad because of transverse divergence of the electromagnetic fields behind the target. For a conical target, hot electrons along the cone wall surface induce a transverse focusing sheath field. This field can effectively suppress the spatial spreading of the protons, resulting in a high-quality small-emittance, low-divergence proton beam. A slightly lower proton beam peak energy than that of a conventional planar target was also found.

Description: We investigated chemical sputtering of silicon films by H y + ions (with y being 2 and 3) in an asymmetric VHF Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) discharge in detail. In experiments with discharges created with pure H 2 inlet flows, we observed that more Si was etched from the powered than from the grounded electrode, and this resulted in a net deposition on the grounded electrode. With experimental input data from a power density series of discharges with pure H 2 inlet flows, we were able to model this process with a chemical sputtering mechanism. The obtained chemical sputtering yields were (0.3–0.4) ± 0.1 Si atom per bombarding H y + ion at the grounded electrode and at the powered electrode the yield ranged from (0.4 to 0.65) ± 0.1. Subsequently, we investigated the role of chemical sputtering during PECVD deposition with a series of silane fractions S F (S F (%) = [SiH 4 ]/[H 2 ]*100) ranging from S F  = 0% to 20%. We experimentally observed that the SiH y + flux is not proportional to S F but decreasing from S F  = 3.4% to 20%. This counterintuitive SiH y + flux trend was partly explained by an increasing chemical sputtering rate with decreasing S F and partly by the reaction between H 3 + and SiH 4 that forms SiH 3 + .

Description: Nanostructured zirconium dioxide (zirconia) films are very promising for catalysis and biotechnological applications: a precise control of the interfacial properties of the material at different length scales and, in particular, at the nanoscale, is therefore necessary. Here, we present the characterization of cluster-assembled zirconia films produced by supersonic cluster beam deposition possessing cubic structure at room temperature and controlled nanoscale morphology. We characterized the effect of thermal annealing in reducing and oxidizing conditions on the crystalline structure, grain dimensions, and topography. We highlight the mechanisms of film growth and phase transitions, which determine the observed interfacial morphological properties and their resilience against thermal treatments.

Description: We present a new approach to perform beam steering in reflecting type apertures such as reflectarray antennas. The proposed technique exploits macro-scale mechanical movements of parts of the structure to achieve two-dimensional microwave beam steering without using any solid-state devices or phase shifters integrated within the aperture of the antenna. The principles of operation of this microwave beam steering technique are demonstrated in an aperture occupied by ground-plane-backed, sub-wavelength capacitive patches with identical dimensions. We demonstrate that by tilting the ground plane underneath the entire patch array layer, a phase shift gradient can be created over the aperture of the reflectarray that determines the direction of the radiated beam. Changing the direction and slope of this phase shift gradient on the aperture allows for performing beam steering in two dimensions using only one control parameter (i.e., tilt vector of the ground plane). A proof-of-concept prototype of the structure operating at X-band is designed, fabricated, and experimentally characterized. Experiments demonstrate that small mechanical movements of the ground plane (in the order of 0.05 λ 0 ) can be used to steer the beam direction in the ±10° in two dimensions. It is also demonstrated that this beam scanning range can be greatly enhanced to ±30° by applying this concept to the same structure when its ground plane is segmented.

Description: The effective electric charge of a nanoparticle in an ionic magnetic colloidal system (an ionic ferrofluid) is determined by using the impedance spectroscopy technique. The electric response of the samples to a harmonic external electric field excitation is described by means of the Poisson-Nernst-Planck model. The model proposed for the theoretical interpretation of the impedance spectroscopy data considers that the magnetic particles are electrically charged with H + and have in their vicinity Cl − counterions, resulting in an effective charge Q eff . In the presence of an harmonic, in time, external field (frequency bigger than 10 4 Hz ) particles are assumed to be at rest, due to inertial reason. In this framework, the response of the cell is due to the H + and Cl − present in the solution. From the spectra of the real and imaginary components of the electric impedance of the cell, by means of a best fit procedure to our model, we derive the effective electric charge of the magnetic particles and the bulk density of ions. From an independent measurement of the ζ -potential of the suspension, it is possible to calculate the hydrodynamic radius of the particle, in good agreement with that independently measured.

Description: Compact optical interconnects require efficient lasers and modulators compatible with silicon. Ab initio modeling of Ge 1−x C x (x = 0.78%) using density functional theory with HSE06 hybrid functionals predicts a splitting of the conduction band at Γ and a strongly direct bandgap, consistent with band anticrossing. Photoreflectance of Ge 0.998 C 0.002 shows a bandgap reduction supporting these results. Growth of Ge 0.998 C 0.002 using tetrakis(germyl)methane as the C source shows no signs of C-C bonds, C clusters, or extended defects, suggesting highly substitutional incorporation of C. Optical gain and modulation are predicted to rival III–V materials due to a larger electron population in the direct valley, reduced intervalley scattering, suppressed Auger recombination, and increased overlap integral for a stronger fundamental optical transition.