Use of combinatorial analysis for the study of new material for solar cells applications

This paper presents a combinatorial method for the deposition and characterization of new metallic precursors for photovoltaic materials. Onedimensional thin film alloy “libraries” were electrodeposited on Mo-coated glass. The library elements were deposited in two consecutive baths and then heated in a reducing atmosphere to promote interdiffusion of the elements. At the end of this process, the libraries possessed a composition gradient along their lengths, with single elements at their two opposite ends and one or more alloys and/or a solid state solution in between. This continuous range of compositions can therefore be considered a collection of specific precursors that can be interrogated by examining their corresponding locations, with the crystallographic structure along the library changing in accordance with the phase diagram for the metals. The libraries were then sulphurised or selenised by heating in a sulphur-rich or selenium rich atmosphere; this converted the metallic precursors in a continuous range of materials, candidates for potential solar cells absorbers. The libraries were analysed by X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. The X-ray diffraction results show phase changes across the libraries, which can be correlated with the original precursor concentration at that particular p

Initial Scientific Results from Phase-Referenced Astrometry of Sub-Arcsecond Binaries

The Palomar Testbed Interferometer has observed several binary star systems whose separations fall between the interferometric coherence length (a few hundredths of an arcsecond) and the typical atmospheric seeing limit of one arcsecond. Using phase-referencing techniques we measure the relative separations of the systems to precisions of a few tens of micro-arcseconds. We present the first scientific results of these observations, including the astrometric detection of the faint third stellar component of the kappa Pegasi system.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. To appear in SPIE conference proceedings volume 5491, "New Frontiers in Stellar Interferometery

Symmetry and Surface Symmetry Energies in Finite Nuclei

A study of properties of the symmetry energy of nuclei is presented based on density functional theory. Calculations for finite nuclei are given so that the study includes isospin dependent surface symmetry considerations as well as isospin independent surface effects. Calculations are done at both zero and non-zero temperature. It is shown that the surface symmetry energy term is the most sensitive to the temperature while the bulk energy term is the least sensitive. It is also shown that the temperature dependence terms are insensitive to the force used and even more insensitive to the existence of neutron skin. Results for a symmetry energy with both volume and surface terms are compared with a symmetry energy with only volume terms along the line of $\beta$ stability. Differences of several MeV are shown over a good fraction of the total mass range in $A$. Also given are calculations for the bulk, surface and Coulomb terms.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, Added a new tabl

Pseudo-Goldstone Boson Effects in Top-Antitop Productions at High Energy Hadron Colliders and Testing Technicolor Models

We study the top quark pair production process p+p(anti-p)-->top+antitop in various kinds of technicolor (TC) models at the Fermilab Tevatron Run II and the CERN LHC. The s-channel neutral pseudo-Goldstone bosons (PGB's) contribute dominately to the production amplitudes from its coupling to the gluons through the triangle loops of techniquarks and the top quark. Cross sections in different TC models with s-channel PGB contributions are calculated. It is shown that the PGB effects can be experimentally tested and different TC models under consideration can be distinguished at the LHC. Therefore, the p+p-->top+antitop process at the LHC provides feasible tests of the TC models.Comment: 10 pages in RevTex and 4 PS-files for the figures. Paramemter range is changed, and some references are added. Version for publication in Phys. Rev.

The spatio-temporal mapping of epileptic networks: Combination of EEG–fMRI and EEG source imaging

Simultaneous EEG–fMRI acquisitions in patients with epilepsy often reveal distributed patterns of Blood Oxygen Level Dependant (BOLD) change correlated with epileptiform discharges. We investigated if electrical source imaging (ESI) performed on the interictal epileptiform discharges (IED) acquired during fMRI acquisition could be used to study the dynamics of the networks identified by the BOLD effect, thereby avoiding the limitations of combining results from separate recordings. Nine selected patients (13 IED types identified) with focal epilepsy underwent EEG–fMRI. Statistical analysis was performed using SPM5 to create BOLD maps. ESI was performed on the IED recorded during fMRI acquisition using a realistic head model (SMAC) and a distributed linear inverse solution (LAURA). ESI could not be performed in one case. In 10/12 remaining studies, ESI at IED onset (ESIo) was anatomically close to one BOLD cluster. Interestingly, ESIo was closest to the positive BOLD cluster with maximal statistical significance in only 4/12 cases and closest to negative BOLD responses in 4/12 cases. Very small BOLD clusters could also have clinical relevance in some cases. ESI at later time frame (ESIp) showed propagation to remote sources co-localised with other BOLD clusters in half of cases. In concordant cases, the distance between maxima of ESI and the closest EEG–fMRI cluster was less than 33 mm, in agreement with previous studies. We conclude that simultaneous ESI and EEG–fMRI analysis may be able to distinguish areas of BOLD response related to initiation of IED from propagation areas. This combination provides new opportunities for investigating epileptic networks

The synthesis of CuxS from Cu layers by low pressure plasma processing

A new method of converting Cu layers to CuxS on glass at low pressure using an electron cyclotron resonance plasma and SF6 gas is presented. The process operates at low temperatures and short time scales. Trends in film crystallinity and morphology are identified in relation to process time and temperature. These show that sulphurisation is most likely complete within 10 min and that the sulphur content of the films reduces as the conversion temperature is increased from 473 to 623 K. Optical measurements show that the films have a direct bandgap of ∼2.5 eV which is consistent with published values for CuxS films grown by other techniques. Analysis by SEM has revealed that the films possess a complicated structure of platelets covering a denser underlying film. This may account for the differences in observations made by XRF and Raman spectroscopy, which both indicated a mixture of CuS and Cu2S, and X-ray diffraction which predominantly showed CuS