The end of the road

After some 60 years in research, a few months before my final retirement (there were a few temporary ones), the time has come to reminisce

Conceptual study of a micrometeoroid deep space satellite. volume i- summary, development plan, pricing final report

Satellite design for deep space micrometeoroid study - summary, development plan, and cost

A New Method Utilizing Versene for Determination of the Calcite-Dolomite Ratio in Carbonate Rocks

The sedimentary petrologists have long been concerned with the determination of the calcite-dolomite ratio of carbonate rocks. The ratio is difficult to determine in thin section with any accuracy; the minerals are very similar optically and at best only a fair approximation can be obtained by a thin section traverse. The Lemberg staining procedure, which utilizes a silver nitrate-potassium chromate reagent, is rather involved and not too reliable. The differential thermal analysis and thermoluminescence methods are fairly rapid and accurate but involve elaborate equipment

Ab initio study of magnetism at the TiO2/LaAlO3 interface

In this paper we study the possible relation between the electronic and magnetic structure of the TiO2/LaAlO3 interface and the unexpected magnetism found in undoped TiO2 films grown on LaAlO$_3$. We concentrate on the role played by structural relaxation and interfacial oxygen vacancies. LaAlO3 has a layered structure along the (001) direction with alternating LaO and AlO2 planes, with nominal charges of +1 and -1, respectively. As a consequence of that, an oxygen deficient TiO2 film with anatase structure will grow preferently on the AlO2 surface layer. We have therefore performed ab-initio calculations for superlattices with TiO2/AlO2 interfaces with interfacial oxygen vacancies. Our main results are that vacancies lead to a change in the valence state of neighbour Ti atoms but not necessarily to a magnetic solution and that the appearance of magnetism depends also on structural details, such as second neighbor positions. These results are obtained using both the LSDA and LSDA+U approximations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Journal of Materials Scienc

Adsorbed 3d transition metal atoms and clusters on Au(111):Signatures derived from one electron calculations

The spectroscopic characteristics of systems with adsorbed d impurities on noble metal surfaces should depend on the number and geometric arrangement of the adsorbed atoms and also on their d band filling. Recent experiments using scanning tunneling microscopy have probed the electronic structure of all 3d transition metal impurities and also of Co dimers adsorbed on Au(111), providing a rich variety of results. In this contribution we correlate those experimental results with ab-initio calculations and try to establish necessary conditions for observing a Kondo resonance when using the single impurity Anderson model. We find that the relevant orbitals at the STM tip position, when it is on top of an impurity, are the dThe spectroscopic characteristics of systems with adsorbed d impurities on noble metal surfaces should depend on the number and geometric arrangement of the adsorbed atoms and also on their d band filling. Recent experiments using scanning tunneling microscopy have probed the electronic structure of all 3d transition metal impurities and also of Co dimers adsorbed on Au(111), providing a rich variety of results. In this contribution we correlate those experimental results with ab-initio calculations and try to establish necessary conditions for observing a Kondo resonance when using the single impurity Anderson model. We find that the relevant orbitals at the STM tip position, when it is on top of an impurity, are the d orbitals with m=0 and that the energy of these levels with respect to the Fermi energy determines the possibility of observing a spectroscopic feature due to the impurity. orbitals with m=0 and that the energy of these levels with respect to the Fermi energy determines the possibility of observing a spectroscopic feature due to the impurity

Impurities, Quantum Interference and Quantum Phase Transitions in s-wave superconductors

We study the effects of quantum interference in impurity structures consisting of two or three magnetic impurities that are located on the surface of an s-wave superconductor. By using a self-consistent Bogoliubov-de Gennes formalism, we show that quantum interference leads to characteristic signatures not only in the local density of states (LDOS), but also in the spatial form of the superconducting order parameter. We demonstrate that the signatures of quantum interference in the LDOS are qualitatively, and to a large extent quantitatively unaffected by the suppression of the superconducting order parameter near impurities, which illustrates the robustness of quantum interference phenomena. Moreover, we show that by changing the interimpurity distance, or the impurities' scattering strength, the s-wave superconductor can be tuned through a series of first order quantum phase transitions in which the spin polarization of its ground state changes. In contrast to the single impurity case, this transition is not necessarily accompanied by a $\pi$-phase shift of the order parameter, and can in certain cases even lead to its enhancement. Our results demonstrate that the superconductor's LDOS, its spin state, and the spatial form of the superconducting order parameter are determined by a subtle interplay between the relative positions of the impurities and their scattering strength

Appearance of room temperature ferromagnetism in Cu-doped TiO2−δ_{2-\delta} films

In recent years there has been an intense search for room temperature ferromagnetism in doped dilute semiconductors, which have many potentially applications in spintronics and optoelectronics. We report here the unexpected observation of significant room temperature ferromagnetism in a semiconductor doped with nonmagnetic impurities, Cu-doped TiO$_2$ thin films grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition. The magnetic moment, calculated from the magnetization curves, resulted surprisingly large, about 1.5 $\mu_B$ per Cu atom. A large magnetic moment was also obtained from ab initio calculations using the supercell method for TiO$_2$ with Cu impurities, but only if an oxygen vacancy in the nearest-neighbour shell of Cu was present. This result suggests that the role of oxygen vacancies is crucial for the appearance of ferromagnetism. The calculations also predict that Cu doping favours the formation of oxygen vacancies.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, published in Phys. Rev. B (Rapid Comm.

ReducingGroundwater Nitrate in the Judith River Watershed: A Participatory Approach to AchieveEffective Management for Improved Water Quality

Rising levels of nitrate in groundwater threaten human health and downstream ecosystems. In the Judith River Watershed, Montana, groundwater nitrate concentrations frequently exceed 10 mg L-­‐1, and may be increasing due to agricultural practices on thin soils overlying shallow, unconfined aquifers with short groundwater residence :mes. Previous extension and research ac:vi:es in the watershed have provided key data and established working relationships with local stakeholders, but adoption rates of water quality best management practices (BMPs) have been low. With this project, we undertake a participatory approach that engages agricultural producers and stakeholders to