Diamond Luminescence

Luminescence spectroscopy is an established tool to investigate natural, high pressure synthesized, and chemical vapour deposited (CVD) diamond. The spectral range extends from 5.3 eV in the ultraviolet to approximately 1.2 eV in the near-infrared. More than 100 optical centres have been observed. Since the early 1930\u27s, semiconducting diamond for electronic devices has been of interest to science. The large bandgap (5.5 eV), low dielectric constant (5.7), and high thermal conductivity (about 5 times larger then that of Ag), as well as the superior charge-carrier transport properties, such as electron and hole mobility (µ-: 2200 cm2/Vs, μ+: 1600 cm2/Vs), lead to applications in active and passive electronics. At the beginning of the 1980\u27s, the first successful experiments of diamond films synthesis by low pressure chemical vapour deposition method were presented. Cathodoluminescence (CL) and photoluminescence (PL) are important techniques for characterising the defects present in CVD films and natural diamond. In this presentation, the most significant luminescence bands, the defects and the problems with the models used to interpret the bands are discussed

Imaging of Local Thermal and Electrical Conductivity with Scanning Force Microscopy

The evaluation of thermal and electrical properties has been demonstrated using a scanning force microscope under ambient air condition. For the first time, the investigation of thermal conductivity on a chemical vapor deposited (CVD) grown diamond surface has been performed with a lateral resolution below 200 nm. Depending on the growing parameters, structures consisting of lines of different thicknesses and spacings are visible. The determination of the electrical structure has been carried out with a resolution of 2 nm using the contact current mode (CCM) showing similar structures. The thermal images exhibit a high thermal conductivity mostly on the diamond crystals whereas the electrical conductivity reached its highest values between them

Investigation of Planar Pick-up and Kicker Electrodes for Stochastic Cooling

The success of stochastic cooling crucially depends on the interaction between the beam and high frequency devices for detection (pick-up electrodes) and deflection (kicker electrodes). This contribution shows the theoretical investigation of a planar electrode to be used for stochastic cooling of secondary particles with a beta of 0.83. The coupling to the beam is realised by a slot line. Transition networks are added to extract the signal. The detailed investigation is performed via a numerical electromagnetic field analysis. The longitudinal kick of the deflectors is calculated as a function of the beam position and scaled to the applied voltage. According to the Panofsky-Wenzel theorem the transverse kick is obtained simultaneously. The electromagnetic properties of the discussed electrode are compared to existing ones as currently in use in the ESR storage ring (GSI, Darmstadt)

A Constraint-based model of Dynamic Island Biogeography: environmental history and species traits predict hysteresis in populations and communities

A Constraint-based model of Dynamic Island Biogeography: environmental history and species traits predict hysteresis in populations and communities We present a conceptual model that shows how hysteresis can emerge in dynamic island systems given simple constraints on trait-mediated processes. Over time, many islands cycle between phases of increasing and decreasing size and connectivity to a mainland species pool. As these phases alternate, the dominant process driving species composition switches between colonization and extinction. Both processes are mediated by interactions between organismal traits and environmental constraints: colonization probability is affected by a species’ ability to cross the intervening matrix between a population source and the island; population persistence (or extinction) is driven by the minimum spatial requirements for sustaining an isolated population. Because different suites of traits often mediate these two processes, similar environmental conditions can lead to differences in species compositions at two points of time. Thus, the Constraint-based model of Dynamic Island Biogeography (C-DIB) illustrates the possible role of hysteresis—the dependency of outcomes not only on the current system state but also the system’s history of environmental change—in affecting populations and communities in insular systems. The model provides a framework upon which additional considerations of lag times, biotic interactions, evolution, and other processes can be incorporated. Importantly, it provides a testable framework to study the physical and biological constraints on populations and communities across diverse taxa, scales, and systems

Magneto-optical Kerr Effect Studies of Square Artificial Spin Ice

We report a magneto-optical Kerr effect study of the collective magnetic response of artificial square spin ice, a lithographically-defined array of single-domain ferromagnetic islands. We find that the anisotropic inter-island interactions lead to a non-monotonic angular dependence of the array coercive field. Comparisons with micromagnetic simulations indicate that the two perpendicular sublattices exhibit distinct responses to island edge roughness, which clearly influence the magnetization reversal process. Furthermore, such comparisons demonstrate that disorder associated with roughness in the island edges plays a hitherto unrecognized but essential role in the collective behavior of these systems.Comment: Physical Review B, Rapid Communications (in press

Stochastic dynamics and control of a driven nonlinear spin chain: the role of Arnold diffusion

We study a chain of non-linear, interacting spins driven by a static and a time-dependent magnetic field. The aim is to identify the conditions for the locally and temporally controlled spin switching. Analytical and full numerical calculations show the possibility of stochastic control if the underlying semi-classical dynamics is chaotic. This is achievable by tuning the external field parameters according to the method described in this paper. We show analytically for a finite spin chain that Arnold diffusion is the underlying mechanism for the present stochastic control. Quantum mechanically we consider the regime where the classical dynamics is regular or chaotic. For the latter we utilize the random matrix theory. The efficiency and the stability of the non-equilibrium quantum spin-states are quantified by the time-dependence of the Bargmann angle related to the geometric phases of the states.Comment: Journal-ref: to appear in J.Phys.

Wheat Vacuolar Iron Transporter TaVIT2 transports Fe and Mn and is effective for biofortification

Increasing the intrinsic nutritional quality of crops, known as biofortification, is viewed as a sustainable approach to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies. In particular iron deficiency anaemia is a major global health issue, but the iron content of staple crops such as wheat is difficult to change because of genetic complexity and homeostasis mechanisms. To identify target genes for biofortification of wheat (Triticum aestivum), we functionally characterized homologs of the Vacuolar Iron Transporter (VIT). The wheat genome contains two VIT paralogs, TaVIT1 and TaVIT2, which have different expression patterns, but are both low in the endosperm. TaVIT2, but not TaVIT1, was able to rescue growth of a yeast mutant lacking the vacuolar iron transporter. TaVIT2 also complemented a manganese transporter mutant, but not a vacuolar zinc transporter mutant. By over-expressing TaVIT2 under the control of an endosperm-specific promoter, we achieved a > 2-fold increase in iron in white flour fractions, exceeding minimum legal fortification levels in countries such as the UK. The anti-nutrient phytate was not increased and the iron in the white flour fraction was bioavailable in-vitro, suggesting that food products made from the biofortified flour could contribute to improved iron nutrition. The single-gene approach impacted minimally on plant growth and was also effective in barley. Our results show that by enhancing vacuolar iron transport in the endosperm, this essential micronutrient accumulated in this tissue bypassing existing homeostatic mechanisms