184 research outputs found
Investigation of electrical conductivity in amorphous semiconductors Semiannual report
Electric conductivity and electron transport mechanisms in amorphous semiconductor
Surface analysis of space telescope material specimens
Qualitative and quantitative data on Space Telescope materials which were exposed to low Earth orbital atomic oxygen in a controlled experiment during the 41-G (STS-17) mission were obtained utilizing the experimental techniques of Rutherford backscattering (RBS), particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE), and ellipsometry (ELL). The techniques employed were chosen with a view towards appropriateness for the sample in question, after consultation with NASA scientific personnel who provided the material specimens. A group of eight samples and their controls selected by NASA scientists were measured before and after flight. Information reported herein include specimen surface characterization by ellipsometry techniques, a determination of the thickness of the evaporated metal specimens by RBS, and a determination of trace impurity species present on and within the surface by PIXE
Chemical reaction of atomic oxygen with evaporated films of copper, part 4
Evaporated copper films were exposed to an atomic oxygen flux of 1.4 x 10(exp 17) atoms/sq cm per sec at temperatures in the range 285 to 375 F (140 to 191 C) for time intervals between 2 and 50 minutes. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) was used to determine the thickness of the oxide layers formed and the ratio of the number of copper to oxygen atoms in the layers. Oxide film thicknesses ranged from 50 to 3000 A (0.005 to 0.3 microns, or equivalently, 5 x 10(exp -9) to 3 x 10(exp -7); it was determined that the primary oxide phase was Cu2O. The growth law was found to be parabolic (L(t) varies as t(exp 1/2)), in which the oxide thickness L(t) increases as the square root of the exposure time t. The analysis of the data is consistent with either of the two parabolic growth laws. (The thin-film parabolic growth law is based on the assumption that the process is diffusion controlled, with the space charge within the growing oxide layer being negligible. The thick-film parabolic growth law is also based on a diffusion controlled process, but space-charge neutrality prevails locally within very thick oxides.) In the absence of a voltage measurement across the growing oxide, a distinction between the two mechanisms cannot be made, nor can growth by the diffusion of neutral atomic oxygen be entirely ruled out. The activation energy for the reaction is on the order of 1.1 eV (1.76 x 10(exp -19) joule, or equivalently, 25.3 kcal/mole)
Resonant control of cold-atom transport through two optical lattices with a constant relative speed
We show theoretically that the dynamics of cold atoms in the lowest energy
band of a stationary optical lattice can be transformed and controlled by a
second, weaker, periodic potential moving at a constant speed along the axis of
the stationary lattice. The atom trajectories exhibit complex behavior, which
depends sensitively on the amplitude and speed of the propagating lattice. When
the speed and amplitude of the moving potential are low, the atoms are dragged
through the static lattice and perform drifting orbits with frequencies an
order of magnitude higher than that corresponding to the moving potential.
Increasing either the speed or amplitude of the moving lattice induces
Bloch-like oscillations within the energy band of the static lattice, which
exhibit complex resonances at critical values of the system parameters. In some
cases, a very small change in these parameters can reverse the atom's direction
of motion. In order to understand these dynamics we present an analytical
model, which describes the key features of the atom transport and also
accurately predicts the positions of the resonant features in the atom's phase
space. The abrupt controllable transitions between dynamical regimes, and the
associated set of resonances, provide a mechanism for transporting atoms
between precise locations in a lattice: as required for using cold atoms to
simulate condensed matter or as a stepping stone to quantum information
processing. The system also provides a direct quantum simulator of acoustic
waves propagating through semiconductor nanostructures in sound analogs of the
optical laser (SASER)
Surface analysis of space telescope material specimens
Surface analysis by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) was used to characterize a number of the material samples for the space telescope. With ESCA, the sample is irradiated with monoenergetic soft X-rays and the resulting emitted electrons are energy analyzed to determine the binding energy of electrons to the surface atoms. The major peaks were used in the quantitative determination of the surface composition. The presence of trace elements (impurities below 1% atomic composition) was also detailed. Initially a survey scan was run for each sample to deduce the elemental composition. Then the major peaks of interest and those of the trace elements were individually examined. After this, the samples were argon sputtered to etch away surface layers, and then additional measurements were carried out in order to obtain depth profile information. In this way it was possible for those species present only on the surface to be distinguished from those having a significant depth distribution within the sample
Origin of strong scarring of wavefunctions in quantum wells in a tilted magnetic field
The anomalously strong scarring of wavefunctions found in numerical studies
of quantum wells in a tilted magnetic field is shown to be due to special
properties of the classical dynamics of this system. A certain subset of
periodic orbits are identified which are nearly stable over a very large
interval of variation of the classical dynamics; only this subset are found to
exhibit strong scarring. Semiclassical arguments shed further light on why
these orbits dominate the experimentally observed tunneling spectra.Comment: RevTeX, 5 page
Quantifying Finite Temperature Effects in Atom Chip Interferometry of Bose-Einstein Condensates
We quantify the effect of phase fluctuations on atom chip interferometry of
Bose-Einstein condensates. At very low temperatures, we observe small phase
fluctuations, created by mean-field depletion, and a resonant production of
vortices when the two clouds are initially in anti-phase. At higher
temperatures, we show that the thermal occupation of Bogoliubov modes makes
vortex production vary smoothly with the initial relative phase difference
between the two atom clouds. We also propose a technique to observe vortex
formation directly by creating a weak link between the two clouds. The position
and direction of circulation of the vortices is subsequently revealed by kinks
in the interference fringes produced when the two clouds expand into one
another. This procedure may be exploited for precise force measurement or
motion detection.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Investigation of electrical conductivity in amorphous semiconductors Final report
Theoretical and numerical model study of oxidation kinetics based on ionic diffusion in discrete lattice
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