High pressure effects in fluorinated HgBa2Ca2Cu3O(8+d)

We have measured the pressure sensitivity of Tc in fluorinated HgBa2Ca2Cu3O(8+d) (Hg-1223) ceramic samples with different F contents, applying pressures up to 30 GPa. We obtained that Tc increases with increasing pressure, reaching different maximum values, depending on the F doping level, and decreases for a further increase of pressure. A new high Tc record (166 K +/- 1 K) was achieved by applying pressure (23 GPa) in a fluorinated Hg-1223 sample near the optimum doping level. Our results show that all our samples are at the optimal doping, and that fluorine incorporation decreases the crystallographic $a$-parameter concomitantly increasing the maximum attainable Tc. This effect reveals that the compression of the $a$ axes is one of the keys that controls the Tc of high temperature superconductors.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Oxygen diffusion in Sr_0.75Y_0.25CoO_2.625: a molecular dynamics study

Oxygen diffusion in Sr0.75Y0.25CoO2.625 is investigated using molecular dynamics simulations in conjunction with an established set of Born model potentials. We predict an activation energy of diffusion for 1.56 eV in the temperature range of 1000-1400 K. We observe extensive disordering of the oxygen ions over a subset of lattice sites. Furthermore, oxygen ion diffusion both in the a-b plane and along the c axis requires the same set of rate-limiting ion hops. It is predicted that oxygen transport in Sr0.75Y0.25CoO2.625 is therefore isotropic

Experimental Observation of Energy Modulation in Electron Beams Passing Through Terahertz Dielectric Wakefield Structures

We report observation of a strong wakefield induced energy modulation in an energy-chirped electron bunch passing through a dielectric-lined waveguide. This modulation can be effectively converted into a spatial modulation forming micro-bunches with a periodicity of 0.5 - 1 picosecond, hence capable of driving coherent THz radiation. The experimental results agree well with theoretical predictions.Comment: v3. Reviewers' suggestions incorporated. Accepted by PR

A Brief Introduction to Chiral Perturbation Theory

A brief introduction to the subject of chiral perturbation theory ($\chi$pt) is presented, including a discussion of effective field theory and applications of $\chi$pt in the arena of purely mesonic interactions as well as in the $\pi N$ sector.Comment: 15 pages, talk given at TAPS detector workshop, Rez, Czech Republic, Sept. 1999, to be published in Czech. J. Phy