Einstein's mirror revisited

We describe a simple geometrical derivation of the formula for reflection of light from a uniformly moving plane mirror directly from the postulates of special relativity.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, RevTeX4, comments welcome; V2: corrected Fig. 5 and the discussion associated with it, co-author include

Fermat's principle of least time in the presence of uniformly moving boundaries and media

The refraction of a light ray by a homogeneous, isotropic and non-dispersive transparent material half-space in uniform rectilinear motion is investigated theoretically. The approach is an amalgamation of the original Fermat's principle and the fact that an isotropic optical medium at rest becomes optically anisotropic in a frame where the medium is moving at a constant velocity. Two cases of motion are considered: a) the material half-space is moving parallel to the interface; b) the material half-space is moving perpendicular to the interface. In each case, a detailed analysis of the obtained refraction formula is provided, and in the latter case, an intriguing backward refraction of light is noticed and thoroughly discussed. The results confirm the validity of Fermat's principle when the optical media and the boundaries between them are moving at relativistic speeds.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, RevTeX 4, comments welcome; V2: revised, Fig. 7 added; V3: several typos corrected, accepted for publication in European Journal of Physics (online at: http://stacks.iop.org/EJP/28/933

Role of anti-phase boundaries in the formation of magnetic domains in magnetite thin films

Anti-phase boundaries (APBs) are structural defects which have been shown to be responsible for the anomalous magnetic behaviour observed in different nanostructures. Understanding their properties is crucial in order to use them to tune the properties of magnetic materials by growing APBs in a controlled way since their density strongly depends on the synthesis method. In this work we investigate their influence on magnetite (Fe$_3$O$_4$) thin films by considering an atomistic spin model, focusing our study on the role that the exchange interactions play across the APB interface. We conclude that the main atypical features reported experimentally in this material are well described by the model we propose here, confirming the new exchange interactions created in the APB as the responsible for this deviation from bulk properties

Analysis of Conduction and Charging Mechanisms in Atomic Layer Deposited Multilayered HfO 2

Method for characterization of electrical and trapping properties of multilayered high permittivity stacks for use in charge trapping flash memories is proposed. Application of the method to the case of multilayered HfO2/Al2O3 stacks is presented. By applying our previously developed comprehensive model for MOS structures containing high-κ dielectrics on the J-V characteristics measured in the voltage range without marked degradation and charge trapping (from −3 V to +3 V), several parameters of the structure connected to the interfacial layer and the conduction mechanisms have been extracted. We found that the above analysis gives precise information on the main characteristics and the quality of the injection layer. C-V characteristics of stressed (with write and erase pulses) structures recorded in a limited range of voltages between −1 V and +1 V (where neither significant charge trapping nor visible degradation of the structures is expected to occur) were used in order to provide measures of the effect of stresses with no influence of the measurement process. Both trapped charge and the distribution of interface states have been determined using modified Terman method for fresh structures and for structures stressed with write and erase cycles. The proposed method allows determination of charge trapping and interface state with high resolution, promising a precise characterization of multilayered high permittivity stacks for use in charge trapping flash memories

Ultraviolet Photodetector Based on Mg0.67Ni0.33O Thin Film on SrTiO3

Herein, a new heterostructured ultraviolet metal–semiconductor–metal photodetector based on Mg0.67Ni0.33O thin film and SrTiO3 is reported. The metal–semiconductor–metal photodetector comprises a 22 nm epilayer of Mg0.67Ni0.33O grown on SrTiO3 (111) substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. A comparison of responsivities of the Mg0.67Ni0.33O–SrTiO3 photodetector and reference SrTiO3 photodetector shows that the heterostructured detector has close to an order of magnitude enhanced responsivity in the deep-ultraviolet region. The responsivity of the Mg0.67Ni0.33–SrTiO3-based photodetector at 320 nm is 415 mA W−1, with dark current lower than 40 pA at a bias of 10 V. The rise and fall times of Mg0.67Ni0.33O–SrTiO3 photodetector are 10.7 and 8.6 ms, respectively, with the rise time more than two orders of magnitude shorter than the reference SrTiO3 photodetector