Thermal annealing and transformation of dimer F centers in neutron-irradiated Al2O3 single crystals

This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 and 2019-2020 under grant agreement No 633053. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. In addition, the research leading to these results has received funding from the Estonian Research Council grant (PUT PRG619).The precise study of the thermal annealing of the F2-type dimer defects, being under discussion in the literature for a long time and responsible for the number of absorption bands below 4.5 eV, has been performed in corundum single crystals irradiated by fast neutrons with a fluence of 6.9 × 1018 n/cm2. The Gaussian components of the radiation-induced optical absorption with the maxima at 4.08, 3.45 and 2.75 eV have been considered as a measure of the F2, F2+and F22+centers, respectively. In contrast to the Fand F+ centers, the concentration of which continuously decreases at the sample heating up to 1100 K, the concentration of dimer defects with different charge states passes the increasing stages above 500 K starting from the F22+centers. The tentative mechanisms of such rise of the F22+centers as well as of the subsequent transformation/rise of dimer centers, F22+→F2+→F2at 650-800 K are considered. The possible sources of carriers needed for the recharging of dimer centers are also analysed on the basis of thermally stimulated luminescence measurements up to ~850 K.EUROfusion Consortium, Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 and 2019-2020, grant agreement No 633053; Estonian Research Council grant (PUT PRG619); Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART

Atomic, electronic and magnetic structure of an oxygen interstitial in neutron-irradiated Al2O3 single crystals

This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 and 2019-2020 under Grant Agreement No. 633053 and Enabling Research project: ENR-MFE19.ISSP-UL-02 “Advanced experimental and theoretical analysis of defect evolution and structural disordering in optical and dielectric materials for fusion application”. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. In addition, the research leading to these results has received funding from the Estonian Research Council grant (PUT PRG619).A single radiation-induced superoxide ion O2- has been observed for the first time in metal oxides. This structural defect has been revealed in fast-neutron-irradiated (6.9×1018n/cm2) corundum (α-Al2O3) single crystals using the EPR method. Based on the angular dependence of the EPR lines at the magnetic field rotation in different planes and the determined g tensor components, it is shown that this hole-type O2- center (i) incorporates one regular and one interstitial oxygen atoms being stabilized by a trapped hole (S = 1/2), (ii) occupies one oxygen site in the (0001) plane being oriented along the a axis, and (iii) does not contain any other imperfection/defect in its immediate vicinity. The thermal stepwise annealing (observed via the EPR signal and corresponding optical absorption bands) of the O2- centers, caused by their destruction with release of a mobile ion (tentatively the oxygen ion with the formal charge −1), occurs at 500–750 K, simultaneously with the partial decay of single F-type centers (mostly with the EPR-active F+ centers). The obtained experimental results are in line with the superoxide defect configurations obtained via density functional theory (DFT) calculations employing the hybrid B3PW exchange-correlation functional. In particular, the DFT calculations confirm the O2- center spin S = 1/2, its orientation along the a axis. The O2- center is characterized by a short O–O bond length of 1.34 Å and different atomic charges and magnetic moments of the two oxygens. We emphasize the important role of atomic charges and magnetic moments analysis in order to identify the ground state configuration.Eesti Teadusagentuur PUT PRG619; H2020 Euratom ENR-MFE19,633053; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART

Distinctive features of diffusion-controlled radiation defect recombination in stoichiometric magnesium aluminate spinel single crystals and transparent polycrystalline ceramics

This work has been performed within the framework of the EUROfusion Enabling Research project: ENR-MFE19.ISSP-UL-02 “Advanced experimental and theoretical analysis of defect evolution and structural disordering in optical and dielectric materials for fusion application”. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. Research of A.L, E.F.,, V.S and E.S has been partly supported by the Estonian Research Council grant (PUT PRG619); has been also carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014–2018 and 2019–2020 under grant agreement No 633053. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.MgAl2O4 spinel is important optical material for harsh radiation environment and other important applications. The kinetics of thermal annealing of the basic electron (F, F+) and hole (V) centers in stoichiometric MgAl2O4 spinel irradiated by fast neutrons and protons is analyzed in terms of diffusion-controlled bimolecular reactions. Properties of MgAl2O4 single crystals and optical polycrystalline ceramics are compared. It is demonstrated that both transparent ceramics and single crystals, as well as different types of irradiation show qualitatively similar kinetics, but the effective migration energy Ea and pre-exponent D0 are strongly correlated. Such correlation is discussed in terms of the so-called Meyer-Neldel rule known in chemical kinetics of condensed matter. The results for the irradiated spinel are compared with those for sapphire, MgO and other radiation-resistant materials.Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART

Accumulation of radiation defects and modification of micromechanical properties under MgO crystal irradiation with swift 132Xe ions

This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 and 2019-2020 under grant agreement No. 633053. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. A.A. also acknowledges support via the project GF AP05134257 of Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan .Accumulation of F-type defects under irradiation of MgO crystals by 0.23-GeV 132Xe ions with fluence varying by three orders of magnitude has been investigated via the spectra of optical absorption and low-temperature cathodoluminescence. The number of single centers continuously increases with fluence without any marks of saturation. At the highest fluence, a mean volume concentration of 3.1 × 1019 and 3.35 × 1019 cm−3 is reached for F and F+ centers, respectively. The F+ emission strongly dominates in the cathodoluminescence of irradiated MgO and its enhancement with fluence is detected. However, the creation efficiency of the F2 aggregate centers is very low and fluence dependence has a complicated shape. Radiation-induced changes of micro-mechanical properties of the same samples have been analysed; the depth profiles of hardening correlate with the ion energy loss. A joint contribution of ionization and impact mechanisms in the formation of structural defects under MgO irradiation with Xe ions is considered.H2020 Euratom 2019-2020,633053,2014-2018,GF AP05134257; Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan GF AP05134257; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART

The January 2015 outburst of a red nova in M31

M31N 2015-01a (or M31LRN 2015) is a red nova that erupted in January 2015 -- the first event of this kind observed in M31 since 1988. Very few similar events have been confirmed as of 2015. Most of them are considered to be products of stellar mergers. Results of an extensive optical monitoring of the transient in the period January-March 2015 are presented. Eight optical telescopes were used for imaging. Spectra were obtained on BTA, GTC and the Rozhen 2m telescope. We present a highly accurate 70 d lightcurve and astrometry with a 0.05" uncertainty. The color indices reached a minimum 2-3 d before peak brightness and rapidly increased afterwards. The spectral type changed from F5I to F0I in 6 d before the maximum and then to K3I in the next 30 d. The luminosity of the transient was estimated to $8.7^{+3.3}_{-2.2}\times10^{5}L_{\odot}$ during the optical maximum. Both the photometric and the spectroscopic results confirm that the object is a red nova, similar to V838 Monocerotis.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics as a Letter to the Editor; page 5 is online material onl

Comparative study of total absorption of light by two-dimensional channel and hole array gratings

International audienceA detailed study of light absorption by silver gratings having two-dimensional periodicity is presented for structures constructed either of channels or of holes with subwavelength dimensions. Rigorous numerical modelling shows a systematic difference between the two structures: hole (cavity) gratings can strongly absorb light provided the cavity is sufficiently deep, when compared to the wavelength, whereas very thin channel gratings can induce total absorption. A detailed analysis is given in the limit when the period tends towards zero, and an explanation of the differences in behavior is presented using the properties of effective optical index of the metamaterial layer that substitutes the periodical structure in the limit when the period tend to zero

Plasmonic antiresonance through subwavelength hole arrays

International audienceIt has been shown both experimentally and numerically that the phenomenon of extraordinary transmission through subwavelength hole arrays is generally associated with a drop in transmission located very close to it. Paradoxically, this antiresonant drop occurs at the wavelength that, at first glance, should provoke a resonant excitation of a surface plasmon propagating along the metallic surface of the screen. The present paper gives a theoretical demonstration of this phenomenon, which dispels the paradox. Our theory is supported by numerical calculations

Semi-phenomenological effective permittivity approach to metallic periodic structures

International audienceA detailed review of the theory of effective permittivity for one- and two-dimensional periodic structures shows its limited validity for metal-dielectric structures in the visible and near infra-red if the feature dimensions are comparable with the metal skin depth. We propose a phenomenological correction to the static formulae using a realistic assumption for the electric field behavior inside the metal features. This approach allows us to obtain analytical expressions for the effective permittivity in the case when the electric field is not sufficiently homogeneous within the unit cell of the gratings. A comparison with the numerical results of the Fourier modal method demonstrates the validity of the analytical formulae. Additional study is made on the impedance approximation at the outer boundaries of the periodical structure in order to propose analytical formulae for the reflection coefficient that permits better correspondence with the numerical results. The link between the values of effective permittivity and permeability defined as the ratios between the averaged fields, and the metamaterial permittivity and permeability is discusse

Electro-optic effect in BaTiO3 for spectral tuning of narrowband resonances

International audienceWe study the electro-optic (E-O) properties of a BaTiO3 thin layer placed in a stack of dielectric layers, including a subwavelength diffraction grating with a two-dimensional periodicity, aiming to tune spectrally the position of the resonant reflection peak that is used for narrowband optical filtering. BaTiO3 is chosen due to its strong E-O properties. When an external electric field is applied to the E-O layer, it leads to a spectral shift of the resonant peak. We study numerically different configurations with either weak or strong spectral tunability, presenting some arguments to explain these different behaviors. Taking into account only the linear part of the E-O effect (Pockels effect), the tuning of the peak that has 0.1 nm spectral width is approximately 33 nm for a 1.5×10Exp7 V/m applied field. The shift is multiplied by three (97 nm) when also taking into account the quadratic E-O effect

Investigation of the Densification Behavior of Alumina during Spark Plasma Sintering

The article presents the results of the investigation of the mechanism of the densification behavior of alumina-based ceramics during spark plasma sintering. The role of the heating rates and additives were investigated. The first (initial) stage of sintering was investigated by the Young–Cutler model. The second (intermediate) stage of sintering was investigated as a process of plastic deformation of a porous body under external pressure. It was shown that, at the initial stage, the formation of necks between the particles is controlled by grain boundary diffusion (the activation energy is Qb ≈ 20 kTm). At this stage, accommodation of the shape of the alumina particles is also occurring (an increase in the packing density). The accommodation process facilitates the shrinkage of the powder, which is reflected in a decrease in the effective activation energy of shrinkage at low heating rates (10 °C/min) to Qb ≈ 17 kTm. At heating rates exceeding 10 °C/min, the intensity of the processes of accommodation of alumina particles turns out to be much slower than the existing diffusion processes of growth of necks between the alumina particles. It was shown that the grain boundary sliding mechanism that occurs in the second stage of sintering can play a decisive role under conditions of spark plasma sintering with a high heating rate. The found value of the activation energy at the second stage of sintering is also close to the activation energy of grain–boundary diffusion of alumina (Qb ≈ 20 kTm). The influences of the second phase particles of MgO, TiO2, and ZrO2 on densification behavior of alumina-based ceramics were investigated. Since at the first stage of sintering the densification relates with the formation of necks between the particles of alumina, the additives (0.5% vol) have no noticeable effect on this process. It was also shown that the second phase particles which are located at the grain boundaries of alumina are not involved in the slip process during the second sintering stage. Analysis shows that additives act only in the final (third) stage of spark plasma sintering of alumina