Modeling field evaporation degradation of metallic surfaces by first principles calculations: A case study for Al, Au, Ag, and Pd

Indexación: Scopus.Under the effects of an extreme electric field, the atoms on a metallic surface evaporate by breaking their bonds with the surface. In this work, we present the effects of a high electric field, by the use of computational simulations, for different metallic surface chemistries: Al, Au, Ag, and Pd. To model this bond breaking procedrure (i.e. field evaporation), we use density functional theory through the Quantum-Espresso (QE) simulation package, which incorporates the electric fields by adding a saw-like funcion into the Hamiltonian. This approach, known as dipole correction, was applied to all simulations as is implemented in the QE package. In this work, we calculate the evaporation field (Fe ) for all metallic species, which corresponds to the mean field at which atoms can break their bonds from the surface and evaporate. This result is compared with experimantal data from Atom Probe Tomography (APT) and computational data from prior simulations. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.This work was supported by the Proyecto FONDECYT Iniciación 11130501. JP Also acknowledges partial support from Proyecto FONDECYT Regular 1140514 and Proyecto UAB-775. CL acknowledges support from Proyecto FONDECYT Iniciación 11150279, Proyecto PAI-79140025, and Proyecto DI-1350-16/R.https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1043/1/01203

Theory and design of Inx_{x}Ga1−x_{1-x}As1−y_{1-y}Biy_{y} mid-infrared semiconductor lasers: type-I quantum wells for emission beyond 3 μ\mum on InP substrates

We present a theoretical analysis and optimisation of the properties and performance of mid-infrared semiconductor lasers based on the dilute bismide alloy In$_{x}$Ga$_{1-x}$As$_{1-y}$Bi$_{y}$, grown on conventional (001) InP substrates. The ability to independently vary the epitaxial strain and emission wavelength in this quaternary alloy provides significant scope for band structure engineering. Our calculations demonstrate that structures based on compressively strained In$_{x}$Ga$_{1-x}$As$_{1-y}$Bi$_{y}$ quantum wells (QWs) can readily achieve emission wavelengths in the 3 -- 5 $\mu$m range, and that these QWs have large type-I band offsets. As such, these structures have the potential to overcome a number of limitations commonly associated with this application-rich but technologically challenging wavelength range. By considering structures having (i) fixed QW thickness and variable strain, and (ii) fixed strain and variable QW thickness, we quantify key trends in the properties and performance as functions of the alloy composition, structural properties, and emission wavelength, and on this basis identify routes towards the realisation of optimised devices for practical applications. Our analysis suggests that simple laser structures -- incorporating In$_{x}$Ga$_{1-x}$As$_{1-y}$Bi$_{y}$ QWs and unstrained ternary In$_{0.53}$Ga$_{0.47}$As barriers -- which are compatible with established epitaxial growth, provide a route to realising InP-based mid-infrared diode lasers.Comment: Submitted versio

Solid state television camera system Patent

Solid state television camera system consisting of monolithic semiconductor mosaic sensor and molecular digital readout system

Explanation of the geological map of the country east of Kariba

The area covers part of the western end of the Zambezi Metamorphic Belt as it is known in Rhodesia. Most of the rocks are paragneisses of various ages that have suffered a long and complex history which has taken them into the highest facies of metamorphism and into the realm of granitization. Only the Karoo sediments of the Zambezi Valley are unaffected by these metamorphic events. From the scanty geochronological results obtainable from the north of Rhodesia, the history of this area started more than 2 500 million years ago. In the east and south-east of the mapped area are a group of highly migmatized granitic gneisses which represent a continuation westwards of similar rocks found in the area described in Bulletin 51 by Wiles (1961}. These Urungwe Paragneisses are regarded as forrning the basement on which all other rocks in the area lie, although their relationship with the Basement Complex is unknown. Climatically Kariba is hot and humid. Mean summer temperatures average 30°C (86°F), with temperatures in October that often exceed 40°C (100°F). Away from the Lake the humidity decreases and the increased altitudes above the Escarpment have a cooling effect. The township's mean annual rainfall is 665 millimetres (26,2 inches), most of which falls in the months between November and February. Basically. the area is well timbered but population pressures in the tribal areas, and depredation by elephants elsewhere, have made serious inroads upon the natural vegetation. The gneissic terrain above the Escarpment is characterized by mufuti trees (Brachystegia boehmiz). The baobab (Adansonia digitata) is common in the larger river valleys and in the low-lying area surrounding the lake shore where it occurs together with mopane (Colophospermum mopane) and thick jessie bush. In the river valleys, trees typical of the Zambezi Valley are common and include the tamarind (Tamarindus indica), mumvey (Kigelia africana) and Steculia species. Buffalo beans (Mucuma coriacea) are not uncommon in grassy river-beds. Physiographically, the area can be subdivided into three distinct regions, all of which have a marked geological control. They are- (1) The fault-lined Gwembe trough which has subsequently been inundated by the waters of Lake Kariba to an average altitude of 487 metres (1 600 feet) above sea level since the completion of the dam across the upstream entrance to the Kariba Gorge in 1960. The fiat land that now forms part of the lake shore is underlain by sediments of Karoo age and these, in the mapped area, occupy the Charara and Gachegache Basins, that lie to the north and south respectively of the Msango Range. These fiat-lying areas give way sharply to the gneissic terrain of the Zambezi Metamorphic Belt along the fault-lined Zambezi Escarpment. (2) The northern boundary of the area and the Msango Range are underlain by metasediments of the Makuti Group. The relief is strongly influenced by the regional geological structure of these complexly folded rocks with resistant meta-arkose and quartzite forming the sharp ridges and metapelites occupying the valleys. The ridges and valleys trend eastwards in the Msango Range, but along the northern boundary they trend north-westwards. (3) The linear topographic features of the Makuti Group terrain give way southwards to the older gneisses along an abrupt scarp edge, the base of which is marked by the Tsororo River. This terrain of gneisses is very rugged and highly dissected above the Zambezi Escarpment until it flattens out, at about 900 metres (2 950 feet) above sea level, into the Urungwe Tribal Trust Lands. In the rugged country above the Escarpment, granulites of the Piriwiri Group stand out above the gneisses as steep-sided conical bills. The country rises in a series of fault-lined steps to its highest point, at Nyamangwe trigonometrical beacon, which stands at 1 336 metres (4 382 feet) above sea level

RBSC-NVSS Sample. I. Radio and Optical Identifications of a Complete Sample of 1500 Bright X-ray Sources

We cross-identified the ROSAT Bright Source Catalog (RBSC) and the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) to construct the RBSC-NVSS sample of the brightest X-ray sources (>= 0.1 counts/s or ~1E-12 ergs/cm/cm/s in the 0.1-2.4 keV band) that are also radio sources (S >= 2.5 mJy at 1.4 GHz) in the 7.8 sr of extragalactic sky with |b| > 15 degrees. and delta > -40 degrees. The sky density of NVSS sources is low enough that they can be reliably identified with RBSC sources having average rms positional uncertainties = 10 arcsec. We used the more accurate radio positions to make reliable X-ray/radio/optical identifications down to the POSS plate limits. We obtained optical spectra for many of the bright identifications lacking published redshifts. The resulting X-ray/radio sample is unique in its size (N ~ 1500 objects), composition (a mixture of nearly normal galaxies, Seyfert galaxies, quasars, and clusters), and low average redshift ( ~ 0.1).Comment: 35 LaTeX pages including 6 eps figures + 40 LaTeX page table2 (landscape) w/ AASTeX 5.0; accepted to ApJ

Video sensor with range measurement capability

A video sensor device is provided which incorporates a rangefinder function. The device includes a single video camera and a fixed laser spaced a predetermined distance from the camera for, when activated, producing a laser beam. A diffractive optic element divides the beam so that multiple light spots are produced on a target object. A processor calculates the range to the object based on the known spacing and angles determined from the light spots on the video images produced by the camera