Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Pair Creation Rates For One-Dimensional Fermionic And Bosonic Vacua, T Cheng, M R. Ware, Q Su, Rainer Grobe

Faculty publications – Physics

We compare the creation rates for particle-antiparticle pairs produced by a supercritical force field for fermionic and bosonic model systems. The rates obtained from the Dirac and Klein-Gordon equations can be computed directly from the quantum-mechanical transmission coefficients describing the scattering of an incoming particle with the supercritical potential barrier. We provide a unified framework that shows that the bosonic rates can exceed the fermionic ones, as one could expect from the Pauli-exclusion principle for the fermion system. This imbalance for small but supercritical forces is associated with the occurrence of negative bosonic transmission coefficients of arbitrary size for the …

Simulations Of The Dipole-Dipole Interaction Between Two Spatially Separated Groups Of Rydberg Atoms, Thomas J. Carroll, Christopher Daniel, Leah Hoover, Timothy Sidie, Michael W. Noel

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The dipole-dipole interaction among ultracold Rydberg atoms is simulated. We examine a general interaction scheme in which two atoms excited to the x and x states are converted to y and y states via a Förster resonance. The atoms are arranged in two spatially separated groups, each consisting of only one species of atom. We monitor the state mixing by recording the fraction of atoms excited to the y state as the distance between the two groups is varied. With zero detuning a many-body effect that relies on always resonant interactions causes the state mixing to have a finite range. …

Fragmentation Properties Of Three-Membered Ring Heterocyclic Molecules By Partial Ion Yield Spectroscopy: C2h4o And C2h4s, Wayne C. Stolte, I. Dumitriu, S-W Yu, Gunnar Ohrwall, Maria Novella Piancastelli, Dennis W. Lindle

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

We investigated the photofragmentation properties of two three-membered ring heterocyclic molecules, C₂H₄O and C₂H₄S, by total and partial ion yield spectroscopy. Positive and negative ions have been collected as a function of photon energy around the C 1s and O 1s ionization thresholds in C₂H₄O, and around the S 2p and C 1s thresholds in C₂H₄S. We underline similarities and differences between these two analogous systems. We present a new assignment of the spectral features around the C K-edge and the sulfur L_{2 …}

Experimental And Theoretical Investigation Of Molecular Field Effects By Polarization-Resolved Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering, Stephane Carniato, Renaud Guillemin, Wayne C. Stolte, Loic Journel, Richard Taieb, Dennis W. Lindle, Marc Simon

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

We present a combined theoretical and experimental study of molecular field effects on molecular core levels. Polarization-dependent resonant inelastic x-ray scattering is observed experimentally after resonant K-shell excitation of CF₃Cl and HCl. We explain the linear dichroism observed in spin-orbit level intensities as due to molecular field effects, including singlet-triplet exchange, and interpret this behavior in terms of population differences in the 2p_x,y,z inner-shell orbitals. We investigate theoretically the different factors that can affect the electronic populations and the dynamical R dependence of the spin-orbit ratio. Finally, the results obtained are used to interpret the L-shell …

Fluorescence Polarization Of Atomic, Dissociated Atomic, And Molecular Transitions Induced By Spin-Polarized Electron Impact, Jack W. Maseberg

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Excitation of atoms by spin-polarized electron impact yields fluorescence that can generally exhibit both linear and circular polarization. For experiments where the scattered electrons are not detected, symmetry requires that the electron beam be spin polarized in order for non-zero circular polarization to be observed. Extensive theoretical and experimental investigations have been performed regarding fluorescence polarizations (Stokes parameters) resulting from spin-polarized electron impact excitation of atoms. Measurement of fluorescence polarization provides insight into the angular momentum coupling that exists in the atomic state of interest. It also enables the measurement of electron spin polarization and experimental benchmarking of theoretical atomic …

Peeling Adhesive Tape Emits Electromagnetic Radiation At Terahertz Frequencies, J. Horvat, R. A. Lewis

Faculty of Engineering - Papers (Archive)

An unusual concept for a simple and inexpensive terahertz source is presented: unpeeling adhesive tape. The observed spectrum of this terahertz radiation exhibits a peak at 2 THz and a broader peak at 18 THz. The radiation is not polarized. The mechanism of terahertz radiation is tribocharging of the adhesive tape and subsequent discharge, possibly bremsstrahlung with absorption or energy density focusing during the dielectric breakdown of a gas. The accompanying optical emission is also a consequence of tribocharging.

Thermodynamic Stability Of Transition States In Nanosystems, Alexander Umantsev

Chemistry and Physics Faculty Working Papers

We present a theory which shows that, in a closed system of fixed volume capable of undergoing a phase transition, the transition state can be thermodynamically stable against the bulk phases if a certain material parameters criterion is fulfilled. In a small system below the critical size the transition state turns into a globally stable phase that can be observed experimentally. This effect is analogous to stabilization of icosahedral structures in clusters of certain sizes and energies. Stabilization of the transition state in small systems of limited resources allows us to conjecture that, in the case of a melting/freezing transition …

Creation Of Multiple Electron-Positron Pairs In Arbitrary Fields, T Cheng, Q Su, Rainer Grobe

Faculty publications – Physics

We examine the spontaneous breakdown of the matter vacuum triggered by an external force of arbitrary strength and spatial and temporal variations. We derive a nonperturbative framework that permits the computation of the complete time evolution of various multiple electron-positron pair probabilities. These time-dependent probabilities can be computed from a generating function as well as from solutions to a set of ratelike equations with coupling constants determined by the single-particle solutions to the time-dependent Dirac equation. This approach might be of relevance to the planned experiments to observe for the first time the laser-induced breakdown process of the vacuum.

Sum Rules And Universality In Electron-Modulated Acoustic Phonon Interaction In A Free-Standing Semiconductor Plate, Shigeyasu Uno, Darryl H. Yong, Nobuya Mori

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

Analysis of acoustic phonons modulated due to the surfaces of a free-standing semiconductor plate and their deformation-potential interaction with electrons are presented. The form factor for electron-modulated acoustic phonon interaction is formulated and analyzed in detail. The form factor at zero in-plane phonon wave vector satisfies sum rules regardless of electron wave function. The form factor is larger than that calculated using bulk phonons, leading to a higher scattering rate and lower electron mobility. When properly normalized, the form factors lie on a universal curve regardless of plate thickness and material.

Pressure-Driven Transport Of Particles Through A Converging-Diverging Microchannel, Ye Ai, Sang W. Joo, Yingtao Jiang, Xiangchun Xuan, Shizhi Qian

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

Pressure-driven transport of particles through a symmetric converging-diverging microchannel is studied by solving a coupled nonlinear system, which is composed of the Navier–Stokes and continuity equations using the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian finite-element technique. The predicted particle translation is in good agreement with existing experimental observations. The effects of pressure gradient, particle size, channel geometry, and a particle’s initial location on the particle transport are investigated. The pressure gradient has no effect on the ratio of the translational velocity of particles through a converging-diverging channel to that in the upstream straight channel. Particles are generally accelerated in the converging region and then …

Experimental Studies Of Nacs, Seth T. Ashman, C. M. Wolfe, J. P. Huennekens

Engineering & Physics Faculty Publications

We present experimental studies of excited electronic states of the NaCs molecule that are currently underway in our laboratory. The optical-optical double resonance method is used to obtain Doppler-free excitation spectra for several excited states. These data are being used to obtain RydbergKlein-Rees (RKR) or Inverse Perturbation Approach (IPA) potential curves for these states. We are also trying to map the bound portion of the 1(a) 3Σ + potential using resolved laser-induced fluorescence and Fourier transform spectroscopy to record transitions into the shallow well. Bound-free spectra from single ro-vibrational levels of electronically excited states to the repulsive wall of the …

Polarization Spectroscopy And Collisions In Nak, Seth T. Ashman, C. M. Wolfe, J. Huennekens, B. Beser, J. Bai, A. M. Lyyra

Engineering & Physics Faculty Publications

We report current work to study transfer of population and orientation in collisions of NaK molecules with argon and potassium atoms using polarization labeling (PL) and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy. In the PL experiment, a circularly polarized pump laser excites a specific NaK A1Σ +(v=16, J) ← X1Σ +(v=0, J ± 1) transition, creating an orientation (non-uniform MJ level distribution) in both levels. The linear polarized probe laser is scanned over various 3 1Π(v=8, J 0 ± 1) ← A1Σ +(v=16, J 0 ) transitions. The probe laser passes through a crossed linear polarizer before detection, and signal is recorded …

Oscillator Strength Measurements Of The 5s6s 1s0→5snp 1p1 Rydberg Transitions Of Strontium, S. U. Haq, M. A. Kalyar, M. Rafiq, R. Ali, Naveed K. Piracha, M. A. Baig

Physics

We report the experimentally determined oscillator strengths for the 5s6s ¹S₀→5snp ¹P₁ Rydberg transitions of strontium using two-step excitation in conjunction with a thermionic diode ion detector. The absolute photoionization cross section from the 5s6s ¹S₀ excited state has been determined by adjusting the polarization vector of the ionizing laser beam parallel, perpendicular, and at the magic angle with respect to that of the exciting dye laser. The measured absolute value of the photoionization cross section 0.9±0.2 Mb at the 5s threshold is used to extract the f values of the 5s6s ^{1 …}

Separation Of Topographic Features From Magnetic Force Images Using Capacitive Coupling Effect, Byung I. Kim

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Separation of topographic features from magnetic images has been an issue for the past two decades in magnetic force microscopy (MFM). The frequent pickups of the topographic features are interpreted as transitions of the tip between bistable states of the tip-sample assembly in the noncontact and tapping regions. MFM using electrostatic force modulation demonstrates the separation of the topographic features from the magnetic images by removing the tapping state from the bistable states through the introduction of a capacitive coupling.

Nanofilters For Clean Water, Morton Sternheim

Nanotechnology Teacher Summer Institutes

•The problem: adequate clean water •Kinds of filters •Desalination of salt water •Cleaning polluted water •Hands on nanofiltration experiment Adapted from the Nanosense project: http://nanosense.sri.com/activities/finefilters/index.html

More On Powers Of Ten, Morton Sternheim

Nanotechnology Teacher Summer Institutes

A powers of ten personation and activity adapted from the Nanosense project:

http://nanosense.sri.com/activities/sizematters/index.html

Optical Properties And Magnetochromism In Multiferroic Bifeo3, X. S. Xu, T. V. Brinzari, S. Lee, Y. H. Chu, L. W. Martin, A. Kumar, S. Mcgill, R. C. Rai, R. Ramesh, V. Gopalan, S. W. Cheong, J. L. Musfeldt

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

In order to investigate spin-charge coupling in multiferroic oxides, we measured the optical properties of BiFeO₃. Although the direct 300 K charge gap is observed at 2.67 eV, absorption onset actually occurs at much lower energy with Fe³⁺ excitations at 1.41 and 1.90 eV. Temperature and magnetic-field-induced spectral changes reveal complex interactions between on-site crystal-field and magnetic excitations in the form of magnon sidebands. We employ the sensitivity of these magnon sidebands to map out the magnetic-fieldtemperature phase diagram which demonstrates optical evidence for spin spiral quenching above 20 T and suggests a spin domain reorientation near …

A Review Of Helium Hamiltonians, Carl W. David

Chemistry Education Materials

Helium Hamiltonian transformations are discussed in extreme detail.

Absence Of Spin Liquid Behavior In Nd3ga5sio14 Using Magneto-Optical Spectroscopy, X. S. Xu, T. V. Brinzari, S. Mcgill, H. D. Zhou, C. R. Wiebe, J. L. Musfeldt

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

We measured the low-lying crystal field levels of Nd³⁺ in Nd₃Ga₅SiO₁₄ via magneto-optical spectroscopy and employed the extracted energies, magnetic moments, and symmetries to analyze the magnetic properties and test the spin liquid candidacy of this material. The exchange interaction is surprisingly small, a discovery that places severe constraints on models used to describe the ground state of this system. Further, it demonstrates the value of local-probe photophysical techniques for rare-earthcontaining materials where bulk property measurements can be skewed by low-lying electronic structure.

Magnon Sidebands And Spin-Charge Coupling In Bismuth Ferrite Probed By Nonlinear Optical Spectroscopy, M. O. Ramirez, A. Kumar, S. A. Denev, N. J. Podraza, X. S. Xu, R. C. Rai, Y. H. Chu, J. Seidel, L. W. Martin, S. -Y. Yang, E. Saiz, J. F. Ihlefeld, S. Lee, J. Klug, S. W. Cheong, M. J. Bedzyk, O. Auciello, D. G. Schlom, R. Ramesh, J. Orenstein, J. L. Musfeldt, V. Gopalan

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

The interplay between spin waves (magnons) and electronic structure in materials leads to the creation of additional bands associated with electronic energy levels which are called magnon sidebands. The large difference in the energy scales between magnons (meV) and electronic levels (eV) makes this direct interaction weak and hence makes magnon sidebands difficult to probe. Linear light absorption and scattering techniques at low temperatures are traditionally used to probe these sidebands. Here we show that optical secondharmonic generation, as the lowest-order nonlinear process, can successfully probe the magnon sidebands at room temperature and up to 723 K in bismuth ferrite, …

Partial Ion Yield Sspectroscopy Around The Cl 2p And C 1s Ionization Thresholds In Cf3cl, D. Ceolin, Maria Novella Piancastelli, Wayne C. Stolte, Dennis W. Lindle

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

We present a partial ion yield experiment on freon 13, CF₃Cl, excited in the vicinity of the C 1s and Cl 2p ionization thresholds. We have collected a large amount of cationic fragments and a few anionic fragments at both edges. We have observed a strong intensity dependence of Rydberg transitions with ion fragment size for the CF_nCl⁺ and CF_n⁺/F⁺ (n=0–3) series at both the Cl 2p and C 1s ionization edges. Selectivity in the fragmentation processes involving the C–Cl and C–F bonds are highlighted by the intensities of the C …

Yttrium And Hydrogen Superstructure And Correlation Of Lattice Expansion And Proton Conductivity In The Bazr0.9y0.1o2.95 Proton Conductor, A. Braun, A. Ovalle, V. Pomjakushin, A. Cervellino, S. Erat, Wayne C. Stolte, T. Graule

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

Bragg reflections in Y-resonant x-ray diffractograms of BaZr_0.9Y_0.1O_2.95 (BZY10) reveal that Y is organized in a superstructure. Comparison with neutron diffraction superstructure reflections in protonated/deuterated BZY10 suggests that both superstructures are linked, and that protons move in the landscape imposed by the Y. The thermal lattice expansion decreases abruptly for protonated BZY10 at T≥648±20 K, coinciding with the onset of lateral proton diffusion and suggesting a correlation of structural changes and proton conductivity. The chemical shift in the Y L₁-shell x-ray absorption spectra reveals a reduction from Y³⁺ toward Y²⁺ upon …

Anisotropic Magnetoresistance And Planar Hall Effect In Epitaxial Films Of La0.7ca0.3mno3, N. Naftalis, Y. Bason, J. Hoffman, X. Hong, C. H. Ahn, L. Klein

Xia Hong Publications

We measured the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) and the planar Hall effect (PHE) in a [001] oriented epitaxial thin film of La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ (LCMO) as a function of magnetic field, temperature, and current direction relative to the crystal axes. We find that both AMR and PHE in LCMO depend strongly on the current orientation relative to the crystal axes, and we demonstrate the applicability of AMR and PHE equations based on a fourth order magnetoresistance tensor consistent with the film symmetry.

High-Mobility Few-Layer Graphene Field Effect Transistors Fabricated On Epitaxial Ferroelectric Gate Oxides, X. Hong, A. Posadas, K. Zou, C. H. Ahn, J. Zhu

Xia Hong Publications

The carrier mobility μ of few-layer graphene (FLG) field-effect transistors increases tenfold when the SiO₂ substrate is replaced by single-crystal epitaxial Pb(Zr_0.2Ti_0:8)O₃ (PZT). In the electron-only regime of the FLG, μ reaches 7 X 10⁴ cm² / Vs at 300 K for n = 2.4 X 10¹²=cm², 70% of the intrinsic limit set by longitudinal acoustic (LA) phonons; it increases to 1.4 X 10⁵ cm² / Vs at low temperature. The temperature-dependent resistivity p(T) reveals a clear signature of LA phonon scattering, yielding …

Quantum Scattering Time And Its Implications On Scattering Sources In Graphene, X. Hong, K. Zou, J. Zhu

Xia Hong Publications

We determine the quantum scattering time T_q in six graphene samples with mobility of 4 400<μ <17 000 cm² /V s over a wide range of carrier density (1.2<n<6X10¹²/cm2). T_q derived from Shubnikov–de Haas oscillation ranges ~25–74 fs, corresponding to a single-particle level broadening of 4.5–13 meV. The ratio of the transport to quantum scattering time T_t /T_q spans 1.5–5.1 in these samples, which can be quantitatively understood combining scattering from short-ranged centers and charged impurities located within 2 nm of the graphene sheet. Our results suggest that charges residing on the SiO …

Electron Attachment To Trans-Azobenzene, Alberto Modelli, Paul Burrow

Paul Burrow Publications

The temporary anion states of gas-phase trans-azobenzene are characterized by means of electron transmission spectroscopy (ETS) in the 0–6 eV range. The measured energies of vertical electron attachment are compared with the energies of the π* virtual orbitals of the neutral molecule supplied by HF (at MP2 optimized geometries) and B3LYP calculations. The calculated energies, scaled with empirical equations, reproduce quantitatively the energies of the corresponding spectral features and predict a positive vertical electron affinity of 0.83 eV.

The total anion current at the walls of the collision chamber and the mass-selected molecular anion current are also reported as …

Monoclinic Optical Constants, Birefringence, And Dichroism Of Slanted Titanium Nanocolumns Determined By Generalized Ellipsometry, Daniel Schmidt, Benjamin Booso, Tino Hofmann, Eva Schubert, Andrew Sarangan, Mathias Schubert

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Generalized spectroscopic ellipsometry determines the principal monoclinic optical constants of thin films consisting of slanted titanium nanocolumns deposited by glancing angle deposition under 85° incidence and tilted from the surface normal by 47°. Form birefringence measured for wavelengths from 500 to 1000 nm renders the Ti nanocolumns monoclinic absorbing crystals with c-axis along the nanocolumns, b-axis parallel to the film interface, and 67.5° monoclinic angle between the aand c-axes. The columnar thin film reveals anomalous optical dispersion, extreme birefringence, strong dichroism, and differs completely from bulk titanium. Characteristic bulk interband transitions are absent in the spectral range investigated.

Imaging-Based Parametric Resonance In An Optical Dipole-Atom Trap, S. Balik, A. L. Win, M. D. Havey

Physics Faculty Publications

We report sensitive detection of parametric resonances in a high-density sample of ultracold ⁸⁷Rb atoms confined to a far-off-resonance optical dipole trap. Fluorescence imaging of the expanded ultracold atom cloud after a period of parametric excitation shows significant modification of the atomic spatial distribution and has high sensitivity compared with traditional measurements of parametrically driven trap loss. Using this approach, a significant shift of the parametric resonance frequency is observed and attributed to the anharmonic shape of the dipole trap potential. 2009 The American Physical Society.

Precise Measurement Of The Neutron Magnetic Form Factor Gnm In The Few-Gev² Region, Clas Collaboration, J. Lachniet, H. Bagdasaryan, S. Bültmann, N. Kalantarians, G. E. Dodge, T. A. Forest, G. Gavalian, C. E. Hyde-Wright, A. Klien, S. E. Kuhn, M. R. Niroula, R. A. Niyazov, L. M. Qin, L. B. Weinstein, J. Zhang

Physics Faculty Publications

The neutron elastic magnetic form factor was extracted from quasielastic electron scattering on deuterium over the range Q² = 1.0–4.8  GeV² with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab. High precision was achieved with a ratio technique and a simultaneous in situ calibration of the neutron detection efficiency. Neutrons were detected with electromagnetic calorimeters and time-of-flight scintillators at two beam energies. The dipole parametrization gives a good description of the data