Emergence of semi-localized Anderson modes in a disordered photonic crystal as a result of overlap probability

In this paper we study the effect of positional randomness on transmissional properties of a two dimensional photonic crystal as a function of a randomness parameter $\alpha$ ($\alpha=0$ completely ordered, $\alpha=1$ completely disordered). We use finite-difference time-domain~(FDTD) method to solve the Maxwell's equations in such a medium numerically. We consider two situations: first a 90\degr bent photonic crystal wave-guide and second a centrally pulsed photonic crystal micro-cavity. We plot various figures for each case which characterize the effect of randomness quantitatively. More specifically, in the wave-guide situation, we show that the general shape of the normalized total output energy is a Gaussian function of randomness with wavelength-dependent width. For centrally pulsed PC, the output energy curves display extremum behavior both as a function of time as well as randomness. We explain these effects in terms of two distinct but simultaneous effects which emerge with increasing randomness, namely the creation of semi-localized modes and the shrinking (and eventual destruction) of the photonic band-gaps. Semi-localized (i.e. Anderson localized) modes are seen to arise as a synchronization of internal modes within a cluster of randomly positioned dielectric nano-particles. The general trend we observe shows a sharp change of behavior in the intermediate randomness regime (i.e. $\alpha \approx 0.5$) which we attribute to a similar behavior in the underlying overlap probability of nano-particlesComment: New published version with a new title. This article is featured on the cover of the corresponding journal (Nov. issue of EJPB

Spectra of lanthanide and tungsten oxychlorides doped with neodymium and europium

[No abstract available

Equal-channel angular pressing of commercial aluminum alloys: grain refinement, thermal stability and tensile properties

Using equal-channel angular (ECA) pressing at room temperature, the grain sizes of six different commercial aluminum-based alloys (1100, 2024, 3004, 5083, 6061, and 7075) were reduced to within the submicrometer range. These grains were reasonably stable up to annealing temperatures of ?200 °C and the submicrometer grains were retained in the 2024 and 7075 alloys to annealing temperatures of 300 °C. Tensile testing after ECA pressing through a single pass, equivalent to the introduction of a strain of ?1, showed there is a significant increase in the values of the 0.2 pct proof stress and the ultimate tensile stress (UTS) for each alloy with a corresponding reduction in the elongations to failure. It is demonstrated that the magnitudes of these stresses scale with the square root of the Mg content in each alloy. Similar values for the proof stresses and the UTS were attained at the same equivalent strains in samples subjected to cold rolling, but the elongations to failure were higher after ECA pressing to equivalent strains >1 because of the introduction of a very small grain size. Detailed results for the 1100 and 3004 alloys show good agreement with the standard Hall-Petch relationship