Structure and optical properties of Cd substituted ZnO (Zn1-xCdxO) nanostructures synthesized by high pressure solution route

We report synthesis of Cd substituted ZnO nanostructures (Zn1-xCdxO with x upto \approx .09) by high pressure solution growth method. The synthesized nanostructures comprise of nanocrystals that are both particles (~ 10-15 nm) and rods which grow along (002) direction as established by Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Rietveld analysis of the XRD data shows monotonous increase of the unit cell volume with the increase of Cd concentration. The optical absorption as well as the photoluminescence (PL) shows red shift on Cd substitution. The line width of the PL spectrum is related to the strain inhomogenity and it peaks in the region where the CdO phase separates from the Zn1-xCdxO nanostructures. The time resolved photoemission showed a long lived (~10ns) component. We propose that the PL behavior of the Zn1-xCdxO is dominated by strain in the sample with the redshift of the PL linked to the expansion of the unit cell volume on Cd substitution

Structural and Optical properties of Zn(1-x)MgxO nanocrystals obtained by low temperature method

In this paper we report structural and optical properties of Magnesium substituted Zinc Oxide (Zn1-xMgxO) nanocrystals (~10-12nm) synthesized by low temperature route. In the low temperature synthesis route it was possible to reach x = 0.17 without segregation of Mg rich phase. The exact chemical composition has been established by quantitative analysis. Rietveld analysis of the XRD data confirms the Wurzite structure and a continuous compaction of the lattice (in particular the c-axis parameter) as x increases. There is an enhancement of the strain in the lattice as the Mg is substituted. The bandgap also gets enhanced as x is increased and reaches a value of 4eV for x = 0.17. From the TEM and the XRD data it has been concluded that when there is a phase segregation for x > 0.17, there is a shell of Mg(OH)2 on the ZnO. The absorption also shows persistence of the excitoinc absorption on Mg substitution. The nanocrystals show near band edge photo luminescence (PL) at room temperature which shows blue shift on Mg incorporation. In addition to the near band edge emission the ZnO and Zn1-xMg xO alloy nanocrystals show considerable emission in the blue-green region at wavelength of ~550 nm. We find that the relative intensity of the green emission increases with the Mg concentration for very low x (upto x = 0.05) and on further increase of the Mg concentration there is a sharp decrease of relative intensity of the green emission eventually leading to a complete quenching of blue emission. It is concluded that due to phase segregation (for x \geq 0.20), the formation of the shell of Mg(OH)2 on the ZnO leads to quenching of the green emission .However, this shell formation does not have much effect on the near band edge PL

Comment on ``Theorem for nonrotating singularity-free universes''

We show that Raychaudhuri's recently proposed theorem on nonrotating universes cannot be used to rule out realistic singularity-free descriptions of the universe, as suggested by him in PRL 80, 654 (1998).Comment: 1 page, to appear in Phys.Rev.Let

On a Raychaudhuri equation for hot gravitating fluids

We generalize the Raychaudhuri equation for the evolution of a self gravitating fluid to include an Abelian and non-Abelian hybrid magneto fluid at a finite temperature. The aim is to utilize this equation for investigating the dynamics of astrophysical high temperature Abelian and non-Abelian plasmas.Comment: 13 pages, Invited contribution to Pramana special issue dedicated to A.K. Raychaudhuri, "The Raychaudhuri equation and its role in Modern Cosmology". Pramana style files include

Voltage bias induced modification of all oxide Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3/SrTi0.95Nb.05O3 junctions

In this paper we report what happens to a pristine oxide junction Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3/SrTi0.95Nb.05O3 (PCMO/Nb:STO), when it is subjected to cycling of voltage bias of moderate value ({\pm}4V). It is found that the initial cycling leads to formation of a permanent state of lower resistance where the lower resistance arises predominantly due to development of a shunt across the device film (PCMO). On successive voltage cycling with increasing magnitude, this state transforms into states of successive lower resistance that can be transformed back to the initial stable state on cycling to below a certain bias. A simple model based on p-n junction with shunt has been used to obtain information on the change of the junction on voltage cycling. It has been shown that the observation can be explained if the voltage cycling leads to lowering of barrier at the interface and also reduction in series resistance. It is suggested that this lowering can be related to the migration of oxygen ions and vacancies at the junction region. Cross-sectional imaging of the junction shows formation of permanent filamentary bridges across the thickness of the PCMO after the pristine p-n junction is first taken through a voltage cycle, which would explain appearance of a finite shunt across the p-n junction.Comment: 12 pages,7figure

Low frequency random telegraphic noise (RTN) and 1/f noise in the rare-earth manganite Pr0.63_{0.63}Ca0.37_{0.37}MnO3_3 near the charge-ordering transition

We have studied low frequency resistance fluctuations (noise) in a single crystal of the rare earth perovskite manganite Pr$_{0.63}$Ca$_{0.37}$MnO$_3$ which shows a charge ordering transition at a temperature $T_{CO}$ ~ 245K. The noise measurements were made using an ac bias with and without a dc bias current imposed on it. We find that the spectral power $S_V(f)$ contains two components - one broad band 1/f part that exists for all frequency and temperature ranges and a single frequency Lorentzian of frequency $f_c$ which is strongly temperature dependent. The Lorentzian in $S_V(f)$ which appears due to Random telegraphic noise (RTN) as seen in the time series of the fluctuation, is seen in a very narrow temperature window around $T_{CO}$ where it makes the dominating contribution to the fluctuation. When the applied dc bias is increased beyond a certain threshold current density $J_{th}$, the electrical conduction becomes non-linear and one sees appearance of a significant Lorentzian contribution in the spectral power due to RTN. We explain the appearance of the RTN as due to coexisting Charge ordered (CO) and reverse orbitally ordered (ROO) phases which are in dynamical equilibrium over a mesoscopic length scale ($\approx 30nm$) and the kinetics being controlled by an activation barrier $E_{a} ~ 0.45eV. The 1/f noise is low for$T>>T_{CO}$but increases by nearly two orders in a narrow temperature range as$T_{CO}$ is approached from above and the probability distribution function (PDF) deviates strongly from a Gaussian. We explain this behavior as due to approach of charge localization with correlated fluctuators which make the PDF non-Gaussian.Comment: 23 pages, 14 figure