Physics Commons^™

Examining The Screening Limit Of Field Effect Devices Via The Metal-Insulator Transition, X. Hong, A. Posadas, C. H. Ahn

Xia Hong Publications

The electronic screening length, the distance over which an electric field is attenuated in a material, imposes a lower physical bound on the lateral size scaling of semiconductor field effect devices. Alternatives will be needed to achieve devices whose characteristic dimensions approach a nanometer. In this work, we demonstrate the atomic-scale nature of screening at high electron densities, using the polarization field of a ferroelectric oxide, Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃, to electrostatically modulate the metallicity of ultrathin manganite La_1−xSr_xMnO₃ (LSMO) films near the metal-insulator transition. Within the screening length, the transport characteristics of LSMO vary sharply …

Einstein’S Impact On Optics At The Frontier, Donald Umstadter

Donald Umstadter Publications

The seminal contributions made by Einstein a century ago have enabled a new frontier area of science, called high-field science. This research involves the physics of the interactions of matter with electromagnetic fields at its highest levels ever achieved in the laboratory. Besides being of fundamental importance to physics research, the discoveries being made in this area are also leading to a new generation of compact and ultrashort-duration particle accelerators and X-ray light sources, with applications ranging from nuclear fusion to cancer therapy.

Measurement Of Magnetic Moments Of Free BiNMnM Clusters, Shuangye Yin, Xiaoshan Xu, Ramiro Moro, Walt A. De Heer

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

Magnetic properties of free Bi_NMn_M clusters (N=2–20, M=0–7) are determined from Stern-Gerlach deflections at low temperature (46.5 K). Pure bismuth clusters with odd number of atoms exhibit paramagnetic deflections. The addition of manganese atoms produces a ferromagnetic response which is strongly size dependent. Certain combinations have very large magnetic moments such as Bi₅Mn₃, Bi₉ Mn₄, Bi₁₀Mn₅, and Bi₁₂Mn₆.

Anisotropy Of Exchange Stiffness And Its Effect On The Properties Of Magnets, K. D. Belashchenko

Kirill Belashchenko Publications

Using the spin-spiral formulation of the tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbital method, the principal components of the exchange stiffness tensor are calculated for typical hard magnets including tetragonal CoPt-type and hexagonal YCo₅ alloys. The exchange stiffness is strongly anisotropic in all studied alloys. This anisotropy makes the domain wall surface tension anisotropic. Competition between this anisotropic surface tension and magnetostatic energy controls the formation and dynamics of nanoscale domain structures in hard magnets. Anisotropic domain wall bending is described in detail from the general point of view and with application to cellular Sm–Co magnets. It is shown that the repulsive …

Tem Study Of Crystalline Structures Of Cr–N Thin Films, Xingzhong Li, J. Zhang, David J. Sellmyer

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Cr–N films were grown on Si (001) substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering under an N2/Ar atmosphere at room temperature. The composition of the films, expressed as Cr_1–xN_x, can be varied by changing the N₂/Ar pressure ratio during the synthesis process. Crystalline states of Cr–N films have been studied using electron diffraction. It is well known that two intermediate phases, Cr₂N (hexagonal) and CrN (cubic), exist in the Cr–N system, and small variations around the ideal stoichiometry are tolerated. The present study shows that cubic CrN with vacancies rather than hexagonal Cr_{2 …}

Spin Uncoupling In Free Nb Clusters: Support For Nascent Superconductivity, Ramiro Moro, Shuangye Yin, Xiaoshan Xu, Walt A. De Heer

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

Molecular beam Stern-Gerlach deflection measurements on Nb clusters (Nb_N, N <100) show that at very low temperatures the odd-N clusters deflect due to a single unpaired spin that is uncoupled from the cluster. At higher temperatures the spin is coupled and no deflections are observed. Spin uncoupling occurs concurrently with the transition to the recently found ferroelectric state, which has superconductor characteristics [Science 300, 1265 (2003)]. Spin uncoupling (also seen in V, Ta, and Al clusters) is analogous to the reduction of spin-relaxation rates observed in bulk superconductors below T_c.

Giant Planar Hall Effect In Colossal Magnetoresistive La0.84sr0.16mno3 Thin Films, Y. Bason, L. Klein, J. -B. Yau, X. Hong, C. H. Ahn

Xia Hong Publications

The transverse resistivity in thin films of La_0.84Sr_0.16MnO₃ (LSMO) exhibits sharp field-symmetric jumps below T_C . We show that a likely source of this behavior is the giant planar Hall effect combined with biaxial magnetic anisotropy. The effect is comparable in magnitude to that observed recently in the magnetic semiconductor Ga(Mn)As. It can be potentially used in applications such as magnetic sensors and nonvolatile memory devices.

Ferroelectric-Field-Induced Tuning Of Magnetism In The Colossal Magnetoresistive Oxide La1Àxsrxmno3, X. Hong, A. Posadas, A. Lin, C. H. Ahn

Xia Hong Publications

A ferroelectric field effect approach is presented for modulating magnetism in the colossal magnetoresistive oxide La_1-xSr_xMnO₃ (LSMO). The ferromagnetic Curie temperature of ultrathin LSMO films was shifted by 35 K reversibly using the polarization field of the ferroelectric oxide Pb(Zr_xTi_1-x)O₃ in a field effect structure. This shift was also observed in magnetoresistance measurements, with the maximum magnetoresistance ratio at 6 T increasing from 64% to 77%. This model system approach does not introduce substitutional disorder or structural distortion, demonstrating that regulating the carrier concentration alone changes the magnetic phase transition …

An Optical Trap For Relativistic Plasma, Ping Zhang, Ned Saleh, Shouyuan Chen, Zhengming Sheng, Donald Umstadter

Donald Umstadter Publications

The first optical trap capable of confining relativistic electrons, with kinetic energy <350 keV was created by the interference of spatially and temporally overlapping terawatt power, 400 fs duration laser pulses (<2.4x10¹⁸ W/cm²) in plasma. Analysis and computer simulation predicted that the plasma density was greatly modulated, reaching a peak density up to 10 times the background density (ne /n0;10) at the interference minima. Associated with this charge displacement, a direct-current electrostatic field of strength of ~2 x 10¹¹ eV/m was excited. These predictions were confirmed experimentally by Thomson and Raman scattering diagnostics. Also confirmed were predictions that the electron density grating acted as a multi-layer mirror to transfer energy between the crossed laser beams, resulting …

Ferroelectricity In Free Niobium Clusters, Ramiro Moro, Xiaoshan Xu, Shuangye Yin, Walt A. De Heer

Xiaoshan Xu Papers

Electric deflections of gas-phase, cryogenically cooled, neutral niobium clusters [Nb_N; number of atoms (N) = 2 to 150, temperature (T) = 20 to 300 kelvin], measured in molecular beams, show that cold clusters may attain an anomalous component with very large electric dipole moments. In contrast, room-temperature measurements show normal metallic polarizabilities. Characteristic energies k_BT_G(N) [Boltzmann constant k_B times a transition temperature T_G(N)] are identified, below which the ferroelectric-like state develops. Generally, T_G decreases [110 > T_G(N) > 10K] as …

An Experimental And Theoretical Study Of Transient Negative Ions In Mg, Zn, Cd And Hg, J. P. Sullivan, Paul Burrow, D. S. Newman, K. Bartschat, J. A. Michejda, P. Panajotovic, M. Moghbelalhossein, R. P. Mceachran, Stephen J. Busckman

Paul Burrow Publications

A range of experimental and theoretical techniques have been applied to the study of transient negative ions (resonances) formed in electron scattering from the Group II metals Mg, Zn, Cd, and Hg at incident electron energies below the first ionization potential. A wealth of resonance structures have been observed and from the experimental observations and theoretical information, classifications are proposed for some of these negative ion states.

Specification Of Jecp/Sp: Stereographic Projection With An Application For Specimen Orientation Adjustment Using Tem Holders, Xingzhong Li

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

1. Purpose of the program 2. Graphic user interface and program design 3. Crystallographic principle and implementation 4. System requirement 5. Installation and user instruction 6. How to contact the author 7. References

1. Purpose of the program JECP/SP is a computer program in Java Electron Crystallography Package. JECP is developed for quantitative electron diffraction and image processing, the package is designed and written by Dr. XingZhong Li. JECP/SP provides the all necessary functions of stereographic projection for regular application and furthermore it can be used to minimized the difficulties encountered when tilting highly beam-sensitive, or small-grain-size specimens with known …

Jecp/Ed Manual, Xingzhong Li

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

JECP/ED is a Java program with graphic interface for simulating electron diffraction pattern. It is designed and written by Dr. Xingzhong in University of Nebraska- Lincoln. This is verision 12-2002. It can be used for simulating electron diffraction zone pattern(ZOLZ with/without FOLZ), it allows to select zone axis, high voltage, sample thickness in the simulation, optional to show index, intensity and Laue center, featureed with manuniplating the pattern with slightly tilting, 360 degree rotation, zoom. The diffraction intensity is calculated on the basis of the kinematical theory. The program is extended to simulate electron diffraction with a precession of incident …

Phase And Absorption Gratings For Electrons, Hong Gao, Glen Gronniger, Daniel Friemund, Alex Cronin

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

We report the experimental realization of phase and absorption gratings for electrons. Phase gratings made with standing waves of light with a periodicity of 266 nm are used to diffract 380 eV electrons [1]. Material gratings of 100 and 200 nm periodicity are used to diffract 500 eV electrons. We are exploring the possibility to use these gratings for low energy electron interferometry.

Observation Of The Kapitza-Dirac Effect, Daniel L. Freimund, Kayvan Aflatooni, Herman Batelaan

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

In their famous 1927 experiment, Davisson and Germer observed the diffraction of electrons by a periodic material structure, so showing that electrons can behave like waves. Shortly afterwards, Kapitza and Dirac predicted that electrons should also be diffracted by a standing light wave. This Kapitza-Dirac effect is analogous to the diffraction of light by a grating, but with the roles of the wave and matter reversed. The electron and the light grating interact extremely weakly, via the ‘ponderomotive potential,’ so attempts to measure the Kapitza-Dirac effect had to wait for the development of the laser. The idea that the underlying …

Two-Center Effect On Low-Energy Electron Emission In Collisions Of 1-Mev/U Bare Ions With Atomic Hydrogen, Molecular Hydrogen, And Helium: Ii. H2 And He, Lokesh C. Tribedi, P. Richard, L. Gulya´S, M. Eugene Rudd

M. Eugene Rudd Publications

We have studied the energy and angular distributions of low-energy electron emission in collisions of bare carbon ions of 1-MeV/u energy with He and H₂ targets. The double-differential cross sections (DDCS’s) are measured for electrons with energies between 0.5 and 300 eV emitted within an angular range of 15° to 160°. The large forward-backward asymmetry observed in the angular distributions is explained in terms of the two-center effect. Single differential cross sections (SDCS’s) and total cross sections are also derived by integrating the DDCS’s over emission angles and energies. The data are compared with different theoretical calculations based on …

Epitaxial Growth Of Pb(Zr0.2ti0.8)O3 On Si And Its Nanoscale Piezoelectric Properties, A. Lin, X. Hong, V. Wood, A. A. Verevkin, C. H. Ahn, R. A. Mckee, F. J. Walker, E. D. Specht

Xia Hong Publications

We have demonstrated a route to epitaxial Pb(Zr_0.2Ti_0.8)O₃ on (001) Si that exhibits a uniform piezoelectric response down to nanoscale levels through the utilization of an insulating, single-crystalline SrTiO₃ transition layer. These structures, which were grown by a combination of molecular-beam epitaxy and off-axis magnetron sputtering, have a surface roughness of <5 Å, with piezoelectric microscopy measurements revealing a piezoelectric coefficient of ~50 pm/V that is switchable down to sub-100-nm dimensions.

Electron Attachment Energies Of The Dna Bases, Kayvan Aflatooni, Gordon A. Gallup, Paul Burrow

Paul Burrow Publications

Injection of electrons into the empty π* molecular orbitals of uracil and the DNA bases creates short-lived anion states whose energies have been determined by electron scattering. A common range of attachment energies into the lowest orbitals is observed in all the bases. Evidence for nuclear motion during the lifetimes of the anions is found in all the compounds except adenine. These properties of the bases as bridge sites along the π-stack of DNA, namely, the effective degeneracy of the anion energies and the strong excitation of vibration, are key parameters for theories of electron-transfer rate, some of …

Temporary Anion States Of Polyatomic Hydrocarbons, Kenneth D. Jordan, Paul Burrow

Paul Burrow Publications

Contents

I. Introduction

II. Electron Transmission Spectroscopy

A. Background

B. Interpretation of Transmission Data

III. Alkenes, Dienes, and Polyenes

A. Ethylene and Alkyl-Substituted Ethylenes

B. Butadiene, Hexatriene, and Octatetraene

C. Other Conjugated Dienes

D. Cyclooctatetraene

E. Nonconjugated Dienes

IV. Alkynes

A. Acetylene and Alkyl-Substituted Acetylenes

B. Cyclic Acetylenes

C. Butadiyne and 2,4-Hexadiyne

V. Aromatic Systems

A. Benzene and Alkyl-Substituted Benzenes

B. Naphthalene, Anthracene, and Tetracene

C. Styrene and cis- and trans-Stilbene

D. Biphenyls

E. Triptycene, Dibenzonorbornadiene, and Related Compounds

VI. Halogen-Containing Compounds

A. Saturated Compounds

B. Unsaturated Compounds

VII. Conclusions

VIII. Acknowledgment

IX. References

X. Bibliography of Studies …

Photorefraction In Batio3, Stephen Ducharme

Stephen Ducharme Publications

This thesis summarizes the results of experimental investigations of the photorefractive properties of melt-grown BaTiO₃ single crystals. Three basic photorefractive material properties are studied: (1) the effective density of photorefractive charges, (2) the photoconductivity of the photorefractive charges, and (3) the relative contributions of electron and hole photoconduction. Volume holographic measurement techniques are used: two-beam energy coupling, four-wave mixing, and erasure of volume holograms. The photorefractive properties were altered experimentally by chemically reducing or oxidizing a BaTiO₃ crystal. I have extended the “hopping conduction” model of photorefractive transport to include simultaneous electron and hole photoconduction. The extension of …

Studies Of The Temporary Anion States Of Unsaturated Hydrocarbons By Electron Transmission Spectroscopy, Kenneth D. Jordan, Paul Burrow

Paul Burrow Publications

The concept of occupied and unoccupied orbitals has provided a useful means for visualizing many of the most important properties of molecular systems. Yet, there is a curious imbalance in our experimental knowledge of the energies of occupied and unoccupied orbitals. Whereas photoelectron spectroscopy has provided a wealth of data on positive ion states and has established that they can be associated, within the context of Koopmans’ theorem, with the occupied orbitals of the neutral molecule, the corresponding information for the negative ion states, associated with the normally unoccupied orbitals, is sparse. In part this reflects the experimental difficulties connected …

Electron Transmission Studies Of The Negative Ion States Of Substituted Benzenes In The Gas Phase, Kenneth D. Jordan, J.A. Michejda, Paul Burrow

Paul Burrow Publications

Temporary negative ions of benzene, aniline, phenol, anisole, fluoro-, chloro-, and bromobenzene, formed in the gas phase by capture of electrons into the low-lying π* orbitals, are studied by means of electron transmission spectroscopy. The electron affinities are determined and their relative values are interpreted in terms of resonance and inductive effects.

Low-Energy Electron Scattering From Mg, Zn, Cd And Hg: Shape Resonances And Electron Affinities, Paul Burrow, J.A. Michejda, J. Comer

Paul Burrow Publications

Measurements of electron scattering at low energy from Mg, Zn, Cd and Hg have been carried out using the electron transmission method. A large shape resonance is observed for each element which we identify with the (ns²np)²P ground state of the negative ion. The electron affinities in eV are found to be Mg(–0.15), Zn(–0.49), Cd(–0,33) and Hg(–0.63) with an error of ±0.03 eV. The results are compared with the available theoretical predictions.

An Experimental Study Of The Cathode Fall In Helium And Argon With Wire Cathodes, L. G. Raub

Papers from the University Studies series (University of Nebraska)

It was recognized rather early in the study of the phenomena of discharge of electricity through gases that the ordinary laws of conduction as found in solid and liquid conductors are not applicable to gases. It was shown by Zeleny and independently by Child that Ohm's law by no means represents the distribution of potential between electrodes in an ionized gas, but that the potential gradient is large in the vicinity of the electrodes, and not uniform throughout the space between them. When the pressure of the gas surrounding the electrodes is reduced to one or two millimeters and a …