22,511 research outputs found
Laboratory oscillator strengths of Sc I in the near-infrared region for astrophysical applications
Context. Atomic data is crucial for astrophysical investigations. To
understand the formation and evolution of stars, we need to analyse their
observed spectra. Analysing a spectrum of a star requires information about the
properties of atomic lines, such as wavelengths and oscillator strengths.
However, atomic data of some elements are scarce, particularly in the infrared
region, and this paper is part of an effort to improve the situation on near-IR
atomic data. Aims. This paper investigates the spectrum of neutral scandium, Sc
i, from laboratory measurements and improves the atomic data of Sc i lines in
the infrared region covering lines in R, I, J, and K bands. Especially, we
focus on measuring oscillator strengths for Sc i lines connecting the levels
with 4p and 4s configurations. Methods. We combined experimental branching
fractions with radiative lifetimes from the literature to derive oscillator
strengths (f - values). Intensity-calibrated spectra with high spectral
resolution were recorded with Fourier transform spectrometer from a hollow
cathode discharge lamp. The spectra were used to derive accurate oscillator
strengths and wavelengths for Sc i lines, with emphasis on the infrared region.
Results. This project provides the first set of experimental Sc i lines in the
near-infrared region for accurate spectral analysis of astronomical objects. We
derived 63 log(g f ) values for the lines between 5300{\AA} and 24300{\AA}. The
uncertainties in the f -values vary from 5% to 20%. The small uncertainties in
our values allow for an increased accuracy in astrophysical abundance
determinations.Comment: Accepted on 25 August 2015 by A&
The FERRUM project: Experimental lifetimes and transition probabilities from highly excited even 4d levels in Fe ii
We report lifetime measurements of the 6 levels in the 3d6(5D)4d e6G term in
Fe ii at an energy of 10.4 eV, and f -values for 14 transitions from the
investigated levels. The lifetimes were measured using time-resolved
laser-induced fluorescence on ions in a laser-produced plasma. The high
excitation energy, and the fact that the levels have the same parity as the the
low-lying states directly populated in the plasma, necessitated the use of a
two-photon excitation scheme. The probability for this process is greatly
enhanced by the presence of the 3d6(5D)4p z6F levels at roughly half the energy
difference. The f -values are obtained by combining the experimental lifetimes
with branching fractions derived using relative intensities from a hollow
cathode discharge lamp recorded with a Fourier transform spectrometer. The data
is important for benchmarking atomic calculations of astrophysically important
quantities and useful for spectroscopy of hot stars.Comment: A&A, accepte
Mesoscopic Thermovoltage Measurement Design
Quantitative thermoelectric measurements in the mesoscopic regime require
accurate knowledge of temperature, thermovoltage, and device energy scales. We
consider the effect of a finite load resistance on thermovoltage measurements
of InAs/InP heterostructure nanowires. Load resistance and ac attenuation
distort the measured thermovoltage therefore complicating the evaluation of
device performance. Understanding these effects improves experimental design
and data interpretation.Comment: 2 pages, 3 figure
Recommended from our members
Influence of semicon shields on the dielectric loss of XLPE cables
Dielectric response measurement techniques in both time and frequency domains are studied in order to measure the dielectric loss of XLPE cables, which have very low losses. A high sensitivity transformer ratio bridge system, which can measure loss tangents as low as 10-5, has been developed with the ability to measure these cables. A tuned amplifier was designed to help to extend the frequency range from 200Hz to 20kHz. Different model cables from Borealis AB with different semiconducting materials have been measured in the temperature range 15⁰C to 120⁰C. It is found that the semiconducting layers dominate the dielectric loss in the insulation system of the XLPE cables, when the outer semicon is treated as measuring electrode. In this case, steadily increasing dielectric loss has been measured at higher frequencies. The resistivity of the semiconducting materials was measured, which confirmed that the increasing slope is due to the semiconducting layers. After using conductive tapes to wrap the cable samples, monotonically decreasing losses were measured, corresponding to the actual dielectric frequency response of the XLPE cables. It is concluded that the axial resistance of semiconducting shields have a substantial influence on the dielectric loss of XLPE cables, especially for dielectric response in high frequency range. A device on measuring the loss of such cables is presented
Quantum-dot thermometry
We present a method for the measurement of a temperature differential across
a single quantum dot that has transmission resonances that are separated in
energy by much more than the thermal energy. We determine numerically that the
method is accurate to within a few percent across a wide range of parameters.
The proposed method measures the temperature of the electrons that enter the
quantum dot and will be useful in experiments that aim to test theory which
predicts quantum dots are highly-efficient thermoelectrics.Comment: 3 pages, 4 Figure
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The measurement of very low conductivity and dielectric loss in XLPE cables: A possible method to detect degradation due to thermal aging
The dielectric response of crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated, miniature power cables, extruded with inner and outer semicons, was measured over the frequency range 10-4 to 104 Hz at temperatures from 20 to 100 °C. A dielectric spectrometer was used for the frequency range 10-4 to 10-2 Hz. A bespoke noise-free power supply was constructed and used to measure the dc conductivity and, using a Fourier transform technique, it was also used to measure the very low dielectric tanδ losses encountered at frequencies of 1 to 100 Hz. Tanδ measurements of <;10-5 were found in this frequency range and attributed to a β-mode dielectric relaxation lying above 100 Hz due to motion of chain segments in the amorphous region and an β-mode relaxation lying below 1 Hz window due to twists of chains in the crystal lamellae. The dc conductivity measurements were consistent with those of the dielectric spectrometer and indicate lower dc conductivities in vacuum degassed cables than have been previously reported for XLPE (less than 10-17 S.m-1). The conduction process is thermally activated with an activation energy of approximately 1.1 eV. Higher conductivities were found for non-degassed cables. A transformer ratio bridge was used for measurements in the range 1 to 10 kHz; loss in this region was shown to be due to the series resistance of the semicon layers. Thermal ageing of the cables at 135 °C for 60 days caused significant increases in the conductivity and tanδ and it is considered that such measurements may be a sensitive way of measuring electrical degradation due to thermal aging
Collective dipole excitations in sodium clusters
Some properties of small and medium sodium clusters are described within the
RPA approach using a projected spherical single particle basis. The oscillator
strengths calculated with a Schiff-like dipole transition operator and folded
with Lorentzian functions are used to calculate the photoabsorbtion cross
section spectra. The results are further employed to establish the dependence
of the plasmon frequency on the number of cluster components. Static electric
polarizabilities of the clusters excited in a RPA dipole state are also
calculated.
Comparison of our results with the corresponding experimental data show an
overall good agreement.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figure
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