Peierls Instabilities in Quasi-One-Dimensional Quantum Double-Well Chains

Peierls-type instabilities in quarter-filled ($\bar{n}=1/2$) and half-filled ($\bar{n}=1$) quantum double-well hydrogen-bonded chain are investigated analytically in the framework of two-stage orientational-tunnelling model with additional inclusion of the interactions of protons with two different optical phonon branches. It is shown that when the energy of proton-phonon coupling becomes large, the system undergoes a transition to a various types of insulator states. The influence of two different transport amplitudes on ground states properties is studied. The results are compared with the pressure effect experimental investigations in superprotonic systems and hydrogen halides at low temperatures.Comment: 7 pages, RevTeX, 9 eps figure

Studies of Coins of Medieval Volga Bulgaria by Neutron Diffraction and Tomography

© 2020, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd. Abstract: The phase composition and spatial distribution of chemical components in the volume of coins of medieval Volga Bulgaria are studied using the neutron-diffraction- and neutron-tomography methods. Two coins belonging to different time periods of this medieval state are studied: a Samanid multidirham dating from the first half of the 10th Century and a silver dirham dating from the period of the reign of the Bulgarian emir Bulat-Timur. It is established that both coins consist of a copper-silver alloy. In the Samanid multidirham, the average volume contents of copper and silver are found to be about 50%. Minor spatial variations in the chemical composition are found in the volume of the multidirham under study. It is established that the volume average silver content in the Bulat-Timur dirham is about 95%

Optical and positron annihilation studies of structural defects in LiInSe<inf>2</inf> single crystals

© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Lithium-indium di-selenide (LiInSe2) is a semiconductor material, which has been shown promising for applications in nonlinear optics and neutron detection. LiInSe2 crystals of optical quality, of different (from greenish to red) color were grown. Analysis of the fundamental absorption edge shows allowed direct band-to-band transitions and reveals structural disorder leading to the blurring of the edges of valence and conduction bands. Photoluminescence (PL) intensity is low in LiInSe2 of stoichiometric composition and increases after sample annealing in Se vapors. A narrow line at 408 nm is associated with free excitons. Analysis of PL and PL excitation spectra allows one to associate broad emission bands with point defects as well as with self-trapped excitons. The mean positron lifetime increases after annealing in Se vapor as a result of changes of the dominating defect type. For red crystals only big voids with lifetime of about 1021 ps are observed. Both methods suggest that greenish and red coloring of LiInSe2 are due to Se vacancies and interstitial Se atoms, respectively

Neutron diffraction studies of temperature induced phase transitions in Rb2KFeF6 elpasolite

International audienceA neutron diffraction study of temperature induced phase transition in Rb2KFeF6 elpasolite has been performed. At room temperature the structure is cubic with space group Fm3m. At T = 170 K a structural phase transition takes place. Space group and atom coordinates in this phase has been defined. The crystal structure is good refined by orthorhombic space group Pmnn. Possible models are discussed