Experimental observation of the spin-Hall effect in a two dimensional spin-orbit coupled semiconductor system

We report the experimental observation of the spin-Hall effect in a two-dimensional (2D) hole system with Rashba spin-orbit coupling. The 2D hole layer is a part of a p-n junction light-emitting diode with a specially designed co-planar geometry which allows an angle-resolved polarization detection at opposite edges of the 2D hole system. In equilibrium the angular momenta of the Rashba split heavy hole states lie in the plane of the 2D layer. When an electric field is applied across the hole channel a non zero out-of-plane component of the angular momentum is detected whose sign depends on the sign of the electric field and is opposite for the two edges. Microscopic quantum transport calculations show only a weak effect of disorder suggesting that the clean limit spin-Hall conductance description (intrinsic spin-Hall effect) might apply to our system.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, paper based on work presented at the Gordon Research Conference on Magnetic Nano-structures (August 2004) and Oxford Kobe Seminar on Spintronics (September 2004); accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters December 200

Systematics of the odd-even effect in the resonance ionization of Os and Ti

Measurements of the odd-even effect in the mass spectrometric analysis of Ti and Os isotopes by resonance ionization mass spectrometry have been performed for ΔJ = + 1, 0 and -1 transitions. Under saturating conditions of the ionization and for ΔJ = + 1 transitions odd-even effects are reduced below the 0.5% level. Depending on the polarization state of the laser large odd isotope enrichments are observed for ΔJ = 0 and -1 transitions which can be reduced below the 0.5% level by depolarization of the laser field

Noncontact modulation calorimetry of metallic liquids in low Earth orbit

Noncontact modulation calorimetry using electromagnetic heating and radiative heat loss under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions has been applied to levitated solid, liquid, and metastable liquid samples. This experiment requires a reduced gravity environment over an extended period of time and allows the measurement of several thermophysical properties, such as the enthalpy of fusion and crystallization, specific heat, total hemispherical emissivity, and effective thermal conductivity with high precision as a function of temperature. From the results on eutectic glass forming Zr-based alloys thermodynamic functions are obtained which describe the glass-forming ability of these alloys

Systematics of isotope ratio measurements with resonant laser photoionization sources

Sources of laser-induced even-even and odd-even isotopic selectivity in the resonance ionization mass spectroscopy of Os and Ti have been investigated experimentally for various types of transitions. A set of conditions with regard to laser bandwidth and frequency tuning, polarization state and intensity was obtained for which isotopic selectivity is either absent or reduced below the 2 % level

Radio continuum, far infrared and star formation

A very tight correlation was found between the radio emission and the far infrared emission from galaxies. This has been found for various samples of galaxies and is explained in terms of recent star formation. The tight correlation would imply that the total radio emission is a good tracer of star formation. The correlation between the radio power at 5 GHz and the far infrared luminosity is shown. The galaxies are of various morphological types and were selected from the various IRAS circulars, hence the sample is an infrared selected sample. The far infrared luminosities were corrected for the dust temperature. This is significant because it decreases the dispersion in the correlation