Largest eigenvalue distribution in the double scaling limit of matrix models: A Coulomb fluid approach

Using thermodynamic arguments we find that the probability that there are no eigenvalues in the interval (-s,\infty) in the double scaling limit of Hermitean matrix models is O(exp(-s^{2m+1})) as s\to+\infty.Here m=1,2,3.. determine the m^{th} multi-critical point of the level density:\sigma(x)\sim b[1-(x/b)^2]^{m-1/2} and b^2\sim N.Furthermore,the size of the transition zone where the eigenvalue density becomes vanishingly small at the tail of the spectrum is \sim N^{(m-3/2)/(2m+1)} in agreement with earlier work based on the string equation.Comment: 10 pages, no figures, to appear in J.Phys. A Lett. 199

Oxide phosphors for light upconversion; Yb3+ and Tm3+ co-doped Y2BaZnO5

Copyright 2011 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. This article appeared in Journal of Applied Physics 109, 063104 (2011) and may be found at

U3+/LiYF4, a promising IR laser

Under reducing conditions, single crystal of LiYF4 doped with 762 ppm of U3+ were obtained. Absorption and fluorescence spectra of this system are presented as well as the energy level scheme of the lasing transition. Oscillator strength and laser cross section between Stark levels of the [MATH] transition are calculated

Novel Tm3+-doped fluorotellurite glasses with enhanced quantum efficiency

In this paper, new highly Tm3+-doped tellurite glasses with host composition 75TeO2-xZnF2-yGeO2-12PbO-3Nb2O5 [x(5-15), y(0-5) mol%] are presented and compared to the Tm-doped tellurite glasses based on the traditional host composition: 75TeO2-20ZnO-5Na2O mol%. Enhanced quantum efficiency from 3F4 level was observed for the proposed glasses and thermal stability and viscosity values make them suitable for optical fiber drawing. Besides the host composition, substantial influence of Tm3+ concentration on luminescence and lifetime of excited 3F4 and 3H4 states were discusse

Designing Transmitter Ligands That Mediate Energy Transfer between Semiconductor Nanocrystals and Molecules

Molecular control of energy transfer is an attractive proposition because it allows chemists to synthetically tweak various kinetic and thermodynamic factors. In this Perspective, we examine energy transfer between semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) and π-conjugated molecules, focusing on the transmitter ligand at the organic-inorganic interface. Efficient transfer of triplet excitons across this interface allows photons to be directed for effective use of the entire solar spectrum. For example, a photon upconversion system composed of semiconductor NCs as sensitizers, bound organic ligands as transmitters, and molecular annihilators has the advantage of large, tunable absorption cross sections across the visible and near-infrared wavelengths. This may allow the near-infrared photons to be harnessed for photovoltaics and photocatalysis. Here we summarize the progress in this recently reported hybrid upconversion platform and point out the challenges. Since triplet energy transfer (TET) from NC donors to molecular transmitters is one of the bottlenecks, emphasis is on the design of transmitters in terms of molecular energetics, photophysics, binding affinity, stability, and energy offsets with respect to the NC donor. Increasing the efficiency of TET in this hybrid platform will increase both the up- and down-conversion quantum yields, potentially exceeding the Shockley-Queisser limit for photovoltaics and photocatalysis

Preparation and characterization of stable aqueous suspensions of up-converting Er3+/Yb3+-doped LiNbO3 nanocrystals

The preparation of LiNbO3:Er3+/Yb3+ nanocrystals and their up-conversion properties have been studied. It is demonstrated that polyethyleneimine- (PEI) assisted dispersion procedures allow obtaining stable aqueous LiNbO3:Er3+/Yb3+ powder suspensions, with average size particles well below the micron range (100–200 nm) and the isoelectric point of the suspension reaching values well above pH 7. After excitation of Yb3+ ions at a wavelength of 980 nm, the suspensions exhibit efficient, and stable, IR-to-visible (green and red) up-conversion properties, easily observed by the naked eye, very similar to those of the starting crystalline bulk material

Synthesis, structure and luminescence of Er3+-doped Y3Ga5O12 nano-garnets

A novel Y3(1-x)Er3xGa5O12 nanocrystalline garnet has been synthesized by a sol-gel technique and a complete structural, morphological, vibrational, and optical characterization has been carried out in order to correlate the local structure of the Er3+ ions with their optical properties. The synthesized nanocrystals are found in a single-phase garnet structure with an average grain size of around 60 nm. The good crystalline quality of the garnet structure is confirmed by FTIR and Raman measurements, since the phonon modes of the nano-garnet are similar to those found in the single crystal garnet. Under blue laser excitation, intense green and red visible and 1.5 mu m infrared luminescences are observed, whose relative intensities are very sensitive to the Er3+ concentration. The dynamics of these emissions under pulsed laser excitations are analyzed in the framework of different energy transfer interactions. Intense visible upconverted luminescence can be clearly observed by the naked eye for all synthesized Er3+-doped Y3Ga5O12 nano-garnets under a cw 790 nm laser excitation. The power dependency and the dynamics of the upconverted luminescence confirm the existence of different two-photon upconversion processes for the green and red emissions that strongly depend on the Er3+ concentration, showing the potential of these nano-garnets as excellent candidates for developing new optical devices.This work has been partially supported by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion of Spain (MICCIN) under The National Program of Materials (MAT2010-21270-C04-02; -03; -04), The Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Program (MALTA CSD2007-0045), and The National Infrastructure Program, by Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad of Spain (MINECO) within The Indo-Spanish Joint Programme of Cooperation in Science and Technology (PRI-PIBIN-2011-1153/DST-INT-Spain-P-38-11), and by the EU-FEDER funds (UCAN08-4E-008). S.F. Leon-Luis and V. Monteseguro wish to thank MICINN for the FPI grants (BES-2008-003353 and BES-2011-044596). Dr V. Venkatramu is grateful to DAE-BRNS, Government of India for the award of DAE Research Award for Young Scientists (no. 2010/20/34/5/BRNS/2223).Venkatramu, V.; León-Luis, SF.; Rodriguez-Mendoza, UR.; Monteseguro, V.; Manjón, FJ.; Lozano-Gorrín, AD.; Valiente, R.... (2012). Synthesis, structure and luminescence of Er3+-doped Y3Ga5O12 nano-garnets. Journal of Materials Chemistry. 22:13788-13799. doi:10.1039/c2jm31386cS13788137992

Lanthanide-based thermometers: At the cutting-edge of luminescence thermometry

Present technological demands in disparate areas, such as micro and nanofluidics, micro and nanoelectronics, photonics and biomedicine, among others, have reached to a development such that conventional contact thermal probes are not accomplished to perform accurate measurements with submicrometric spatial resolution. The development of novel non-contact thermal probes is, then, mandatory, contributing for an expansionary epoch of luminescence thermometry. Luminescence thermometry based on trivalent lanthanide ions becomes very popular since 2010 due to the unique versatility, stability and narrow emission band profiles of the ions that cover the entire electromagnetic spectrum with relatively high emission quantum yields. Here we give a perspective overview on the field since the beginnings in the 1950’s until the most recent cutting-edge examples. The current movement towards the technique usage as a new tool for thermal imaging, early tumor detection and as a tool for unveil properties of the thermometers themselves or of their local neighborhoods is also summarizedpublishe