Table of contents

01 January 2013, Volume 22 Issue 1 Previous issue    Next issue

GENERAL

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Analytical approximate solution for nonlinear space-time fractional Klein–Gordon equation Khaled A. Gepreel, Mohamed S. Mohamed Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010201.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010201 Abstract ( 1117 )   PDF (966KB) ( 2242 )   The fractional derivatives in the sense of Caputo and the homotopy analysis method are used to construct an approximate solution for the nonlinear space-time fractional derivatives Klein-Gordon equation. The numerical results show that the approaches are easy to implement and accurate when applied to the nonlinear space-time fractional derivatives Klein-Gordon equation. This method introduces a promising tool for solving many space-time fractional partial differential equations. This method is efficient and powerful in solving wide classes of nonlinear evolution fractional order equations.

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Explicit solutions of nonlinear wave equation systems Ahmet Bekir, Burcu Ayhan, M. Naci Özer Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010202.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010202 Abstract ( 970 )   PDF (191KB) ( 1031 )   We apply the (G'/G)-expansion method to solve two systems of nonlinear differential equation and construct traveling wave solutions expressed in terms of hyperbolic functions, trigonometric functions, and rational functions with arbitrary parameters. We highlight the power of the (G'/G)-expansion method in providing generalized solitary wave solutions of different physical structures. It is shown that (G'/G)-expansion method is very effective and provides a powerful mathematical tool to solve nonlinear differential equation systems in mathematical physics.

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Designing shielded radio-frequency phased-array coils for magnetic resonance imaging Xu Wen-Long (徐文龙), Zhang Ju-Cheng (张鞠成), Li Xia (李霞), Xu Bing-Qiao (徐冰俏), Tao Gui-Sheng (陶贵生) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010203.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010203 Abstract ( 1102 )   PDF (1097KB) ( 725 )   In this paper, an approach to the design of shielded radio-frequency (RF) phased-array coil for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is proposed. The target field method is used to find current densities distributed on primary and shield coils. The stream function technique is used to discretize current densities and to obtain the winding patterns of the coils. The corresponding highly ill-conditioned integral equation is solved by the Tikhonov regularization with a penalty function related to the minimum curvature. To balance the simplicity and smoothness with the homogeneity of magnetic field of the coil's winding pattern, the selection of penalty factor is discussed in detail.

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Effect of grain boundary sliding on the toughness of ultrafine grain structure steel: a molecular dynamics simulation study Xie Hong-Xian (谢红献), Liu Bo (刘波), Yin Fu-Xing (殷福星), Yu Tao (于涛) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010204.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010204 Abstract ( 1077 )   PDF (3467KB) ( 1333 )   Molecular dynamics simulations are carried out to investigate the mechanisms of low-temperature impact toughness of the ultrafine grain structure steel. The simulation results suggest that the sliding of the {001}/{110} type and {110}/{111} type grain boundary can improve the impact toughness. Then, the mechanism of grain boundary sliding is studied and it is found that the motion of dislocations along the grain boundary is the underlying cause of the grain boundary sliding. Finally, the sliding of the grain boundary is analysed from the standpoint of the energy. We conclude that the measures which can increase the quantity of the {001}/{110} type and {110}/{111} type grain boundary and elongate the free gliding distance of dislocations along these grain boundaries will improve the low-temperature impact toughness of the ultrafine grain structure steel.

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Bound states of the Dirac equation with position-dependent mass for the Eckart potential Bahar M. K., Yasuk F. Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010301.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010301 Abstract ( 1056 )   PDF (270KB) ( 1193 )   Studying with the asymptotic iteration method, we present approximate solutions of the Dirac equation for the Eckart potential in the case of position dependent mass. The centrifugal term is approximated by an exponential form, and the relativistic energy spectrum and the normalized eigenfunctions are obtanied explicitly.

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Dirac equation for the Hulthén potential within the Yukawa-type tensor interaction Oktay Aydoğdu, Elham Maghsoodi, Hassan Hassanabadi Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010302.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010302 Abstract ( 868 )   PDF (363KB) ( 972 )   Using the Nikiforov-Uvarov (NU) method, pseudospin and spin symmetric solutions of the Dirac equation for the scalar and vector Hulthén potentials with the Yukawa-type tensor potential are obtained for an arbitrary spin-orbit coupling quantum number κ. We deduce the energy eigenvalue equations and corresponding upper- and lower-spinor wave functions in both the pseudospin and spin symmetry cases. Numerical results of the energy eigenvalue equations and the upper- and lower-spinor wave functions are presented to show the effects of the external potential and particle mass parameters as well as pseudospin and spin symmetric constants on the bound-state energies and wave functions in the absence and presence of the tensor interaction.

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Extended symmetry transformation of (3+1)-dimensional generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation with variable coefficients Jing Jian-Chun (荆建春), Li Biao (李彪) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010303.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010303 Abstract ( 1012 )   PDF (570KB) ( 930 )   In this paper, the extended symmetry transformation of (3+1)-dimensional (3D) generalized nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equations with variable coefficients is investigated by using the extended symmetry approach and symbolic computation. Then based on the extended symmetry, some 3D variable coefficient NLS equations are reduced to other variable coefficient NLS equations or the constant coefficient 3D NLS equation. By using these symmetry transformations, abundant exact solutions of some 3D NLS equations with distributed dispersion, nonlinearity, and gain or loss are obtained from the constant coefficient 3D NLS equation.

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Exciton transfer dynamics in a trimer system Tan Qing-Shou (谭庆收), Xu Lan (许兰), Kuang Le-Man (匡乐满) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010304.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010304 Abstract ( 986 )   PDF (277KB) ( 577 )   We study exciton transfer dynamics in a trimer system by investigating excitation transfer probability (ETP). We calculate ETP in the zero-temperature limit and theoretically predict the environment-assisted quantum critical effect, in which ETP exhibits a sudden change at the critical point of quantum phase transition for the trimer. In particular, we find that the steady-state ETP can be observed in the presence of the environment interaction.

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New protocols for non-orthogonal quantum key distribution Zhou Yuan-Yuan (周媛媛), Zhou Xue-Jun (周学军), Tian Pei-Gen (田培根), Wang Ying-Jian (王瑛剑) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010305.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010305 Abstract ( 901 )   PDF (358KB) ( 636 )   Combining passive decoy-state idea with active decoy-state idea, a non-orthogonal (SARG04) decoy-state protocol with one vacuum and two weak decoy states is introduced based on a heralded pair coherent state photon source for quantum key distribution. Two special cases of this protocol are deduced, i.e., one-vacuum-and-one-weak-decoy-state protocol and one-weak-decoy-state protocol. In these protocols, the sender prepares decoy states actively, which avoids the crude estimation of parameters in SARG04 passive decoy-state method. With passive decoy-state idea, the detection events on Bob's side that are non-triggered on Alice's side are not discarded, but used to estimate the fractions of single-photon and two-photon pulses, which offsets the limitation of the detector's low efficiency and overcomes the shortcoming that the performance of active decoy-state protocol severely depends on detector's efficiency of sender. The simulation results show that the combination of active and passive decoy-state idea increases the key generation rate. With one-vacuum-and-two-weak-decoy-state protocol, one can achieve a key generation rate that is close to the theoretical limit of an infinite decoy-state protocol. The performance of the other two protocols is a little less than with the former, but the implementation is easier. Under the same condition of implementation, higher key rates can be obtained with our protocols than with existing methods.

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Creation of quantum correlations via the initial classical-mixed states Han Wei (韩伟), Zhang Ying-Jie (张英杰), Xia Yun-Jie (夏云杰) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010306.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010306 Abstract ( 974 )   PDF (828KB) ( 645 )   Using the pseudomode method, we theoretically analyze the creation of quantum correlations between two two-level dipole-dipole interacting atoms coupled with a common structured reservoir with different coupling strengths. Considering certain classes of initial separable-mixed states, we demonstrate that the sudden birth of atomic entanglement as well as the generation of stationary quantum correlations occur. Our results also suggest a possible way to control the occurrence time of entanglement sudden birth and the stationary value of quantum correlations by modifying the initial conditions of states, the dipole-dipole interaction, and the relative coupling strength. These results are helpful for the experimental engineering of entanglement and quantum correlations.

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Continuous variable entanglement generation in coupled cavities Pan Gui-Xia (潘桂侠), Xiao Rui-Jie (肖瑞杰), Zhou Ling (周玲) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010307.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010307 Abstract ( 930 )   PDF (282KB) ( 753 )   We investigate continuous variable entanglement produced in two distant coupled cavities, in which two four-level atoms are driven by classical fields respectively. Under the large detuning condition, an effective Hamiltonian containing the square of creation (annihilation) operator of cavity field is derived. Due to the nonlinearity, entanglement formally created by the beam splitter type interaction is transformed into the nondegenerate parametric down conversion type. Employing the operator algebraic method, we study the time evolution of entanglement condition, and show that the system provides us advantage in achieving a larger photon number with better entanglement. We also discuss the dissipation of the cavities affecting the entanglement.

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Entanglement fidelity of channel adaptive quantum codes Zhan Yun (詹云), Chen Xiao-Yu (陈小余) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010308.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010308 Abstract ( 1092 )   PDF (219KB) ( 899 )   We study the performances of quantum channel adaptive [4,1] code transmitting in a joint amplitude damping and dephasing channel, the [6,2] code transmitting in an amplitude damping channel by combining the encoding, noise process, and decoding as one effective channel. We explicitly obtain the entanglement fidelities. The recovery operators of the [6,2] code are given. The performance is nearly optimal comparing with that of the optimal method of semidefinite programming.

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Effects of non-Gaussian noise on a calcium oscillation system Wang Bing (王兵), Sun Ya-Qin (孙雅琴), Tang Xu-Dong (唐旭东) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010501.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010501 Abstract ( 1083 )   PDF (252KB) ( 576 )   We investigate the effects of the non-Gaussian colored noise on a calcium oscillation system using stochastic simulation methods. It is found that the reciprocal coefficient of variance R has a maximum (Rmax) with increasing noise intensity Q. The non-Gaussian noise parameter q has an important effect on the system. For some values of q (e.g., q=0.9, q=1.0), R exists a maximum with increasing correlation time τ. Non-Gaussian noise induced spikes are more regular than Gaussian noise induced spikes when q is small and Q has large values. The R has a maximum with increasing q. Therefore, non-Gaussian noise could play more effective roles in the calcium oscillation system.

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Feedback control and synchronization of Mandelbrot sets Zhang Yong-Ping (张永平) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010502.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010502 Abstract ( 991 )   PDF (4932KB) ( 717 )   The movement of the particle could be depicted by Mandelbrot set from the viewpoint of fractal. According to the requirement, the movement of the particle needs to show different behaviors. In this paper, the feedback control method is taken on the classical Mandelbrot set. By amending the feedback item in the controller, the control method is applied to the generalized Mandelbrot set. And by taking the reference item to be the trajectory of another system, the synchronization of Mandelbrot sets is achieved.

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Chaos detection and control in a typical power system Hossein Gholizadeh, Amir Hassannia, Azita Azarfar Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010503.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010503 Abstract ( 945 )   PDF (388KB) ( 1166 )   In this paper, a new chaotic system is introduced. The proposed system is a conventional power network that demonstrates a chaotic behavior under special operating conditions. Some features such as Lyapunov exponents and a strange attractor show the chaotic behavior of the system, which decreases the system performance. Two different controllers are proposed to control the chaotic system. The first one is a nonlinear conventional controller that is simple and easy to construct, but the second one is developed based on finite time control theory and optimized for faster control. A MATLAB-based simulation verifies the results.

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A new image encryption algorithm based on fractional-order hyperchaotic Lorenz system Wang Zhen (王震), Huang Xia (黄霞), Li Yu-Xia (李玉霞), Song Xiao-Na (宋晓娜) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010504.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010504 Abstract ( 1204 )   PDF (1473KB) ( 2305 )   We propose a new image encryption algorithm on a basis of the fractional-order hyperchaotic Lorenz system. While in the process of generating a key stream, the system parameters and the derivative order are embedded in the proposed algorithm to enhance the security. Such an algorithm is detailed in terms of security analyses, including correlation analysis, information entropy analysis, run statistic analysis, mean-variance gray value analysis, and key sensitivity analysis. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed image encryption scheme has the advantages of large key space and high security for practical image encryption.

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Comparison study of typical algorithms for reconstructing time series from the recurrence plot of dynamical systems Liu Jie (刘杰), Shi Shu-Ting (石书婷), Zhao Jun-Chan (赵军产) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010505.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010505 Abstract ( 1027 )   PDF (2903KB) ( 948 )   Three most widely used methods for reconstructing the underlying time series via the recurrence plots (RPs) of a dynamical system are compared with each other in this paper. We aim to reconstruct a toy series, a periodical series, a random series, and a chaotic series to compare the effectiveness of the most widely used typical methods in terms of signal correlation analysis. The application of the most effective algorithm to the typical chaotic Lorenz system verifies the correctness of such an effective algorithm. It is verified that, based on the unthresholded RPs, one can reconstruct the original attractor by choosing different RP thresholds based on the Hirata algorithm. It is shown that, in real applications, it is possible to reconstruct the underlying dynamics by using quite little information from observations of real dynamical systems. Moreover, rules of the threshold chosen in the algorithm are also suggested.

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Folded localized excitations in the (2+1)-dimensional modified dispersive water-wave system Lei Yan (雷燕), Ma Song-Hua (马松华), Fang Jian-Ping (方建平) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010506.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010506 Abstract ( 1049 )   PDF (972KB) ( 658 )   By using a mapping approach and a linear variable separation approach, a new family of solitary wave solutions with arbitrary functions for the (2+1)-dimensional modified dispersive water-wave system (MDWW) is derived. Based on the derived solutions and using some multi-valued functions, we obtain some novel folded localized excitations of the system.

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Nonautonomous solitons in the continuous wave background of the variable-coefficient higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation Dai Chao-Qing (戴朝卿), Chen Wei-Lu (陈未路) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010507.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010507 Abstract ( 1034 )   PDF (1049KB) ( 778 )   We reduce the variable-coefficient higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation (VCHNLSE) into constant-coefficient (CC) one. Based on the reduction transformation and solutions of CCHNLSE, we obtain analytical soliton solutions embedded in the continuous wave background for the VCHNLSE. Then the excitation in advance and sustainment of soliton arrays, and postponed disappearance and sustainment of the bright soliton embedded in the background are discussed in an exponential system.

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Applicability of minimum entropy generation methodto optimizing thermodynamic cycles Cheng Xue-Tao (程雪涛), Liang Xin-Gang (梁新刚) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010508.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010508 Abstract ( 928 )   PDF (528KB) ( 1779 )   Entropy generation is often used as a figure of merit in thermodynamic cycle optimizations. In this paper, it is shown that the applicability of the minimum entropy generation method to optimizing output power is conditional. The minimum entropy generation rate and the minimum entropy generation number do not correspond to the maximum output power when the total heat into the system of interest is not prescribed. For the cycles whose working medium is heated or cooled by streams with prescribed inlet temperatures and prescribed heat capacity flow rates, it is theoretically proved that both the minimum entropy generation rate and the minimum entropy generation number correspond to the maximum output power when the virtual entropy generation induced by dumping the used streams into the environment is considered. However, the minimum principle of entropy generation is not tenable in the case that the virtual entropy generation is not included, because the total heat into the system of interest is not fixed. An irreversible Carnot cycle and an irreversible Brayton cycle are analysed. The minimum entropy generation rate and the minimum entropy generation number do not correspond to the maximum output power if the heat into the system of interest is not prescribed.

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A random walk evolution model of wireless sensor networks and virus spreading Wang Ya-Qi (王亚奇), Yang Xiao-Yuan (杨晓元) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010509.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010509 Abstract ( 1131 )   PDF (295KB) ( 573 )   In this paper, considering both cluster heads and sensor nodes, we propose a novel evolving network model based on the random walk to study the fault tolerance decrease of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) due to the node failure, and discuss the spreading dynamical behaviors of viruses in the evolution model. A theoretical analysis shows that the WSN generated by such an evolution model not only has a strong fault tolerance, but also can dynamically balance the energy loss of the entire network. It is also found that although the increase of the density of cluster heads in the network reduces the network efficiency, it can effectively inhibit the spread of viruses. In addition, the heterogeneity of the network improves the network efficiency and enhances the virus prevalence. We confirm all the theoretical results by sufficient numerical simulations.

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Orange dye–polyaniline composite based impedance humidity sensors Muhammad Tariq Saeed Chani, Kh. S. Karimov, F. A. Khalid, S. Z. Abbas, M. B. Bhatty Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010701.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010701 Abstract ( 1134 )   PDF (502KB) ( 1919 )   This study presents the fabrication and investigation of humidity sensors based on orange dye (OD) and polyaniline (PANI) composite films. A blend of 3 wt.% OD with 1 wt.% PANI was prepared in 1 ml water. The composite films were deposited on glass substrates between pre-deposited silver electrodes. The gap between the electrodes was 45 μm. The sensing mechanism was based on the impedance and capacitance variations due to the absorption/desorption of water vapor. It was observed that with the increase in relative humidity (RH) from 30% to 90%, the impedance decreases by 5.2×104 and 8.8×103 times for the frequencies of 120 Hz and 1 kHz, respectively. The impedance-humidity relationship showed a more uniform change as compared to the capacitance-humidity relationship in the RH range of 30% to 90%. The consequence of annealing, measuring frequency, response and recovery time, and absorption-desorption behavior of the humidity sensor were also discussed in detail. The annealing resulted in the increase in sensitivity upto 2.5 times, while the measured response time and recovery time were 34 s and 450 s, respectively. The impedance-humidity relationship was simulated.

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An in situ high-pressure X-ray diffraction experiment of hydroxyapophyllite Fan Da-Wei (范大伟), Wei Shu-Yi (魏舒怡), Xie Hong-Sen (谢鸿森) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  010702.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/010702 Abstract ( 1034 )   PDF (233KB) ( 792 )   The compression behavior of a natural hydroxyapophyllite is investigated up to about 10.01 GPa at 300 K using in situ angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction and a diamond anvil cell at High Pressure Experiment Station, Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF). Over this pressure range, no phase change or disproportionation is observed. The isothermal equation of state is determined for the first time. The values of zero-pressure volume V0, isothermal bulk modulus K0, and K0' refined with a third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state are V0=1276.3±0.9 Å3, K0=71±3 GPa, and K0'=8±1. Furthermore, we confirm that the values of linear compressibility β along a and c directions of hydroxyapophyllite are elastically anisotropic.

ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS

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Effect of electron correlation on high-order harmonic generation in helium model atom Hu Shi-Lin (胡师林), Shi Ting-Yun (史庭云) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  013101.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/013101 Abstract ( 1181 )   PDF (356KB) ( 782 )   High-order harmonic generation (HHG) of a helium model atom in an intense laser field has been numerically investigated. The influence of electron correlation on HHG is analysed by changing the strength between the electrons. The numerical results show that as the electron interaction strength becomes small, the first ionization energy increases rapidly, which results in the decrease in ionization. So the conversion efficiency of high harmonic lying in the plateau decreases greatly, while the cutoff harmonic order in harmonic spectrum increases.

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Analysis of atom detection via magnetic optical effect Hot! Cheng Feng (程峰), Jiang Xiao-Jun (蒋小军), Han Jing-Shan (韩景珊), Lin Jin-Da (林锦达), Wang Yu-Zhu (王育竹) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  013201.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/013201 Abstract ( 950 )   PDF (461KB) ( 538 )   We demonstrated a new method of atom detection by means of magnetic optical effect. The number density of the atom cloud was measured by detecting the rotation angle of the polarization plane of linearly polarized probe light when propagating inside the atomic cloud. Detuning, magnetic field, and light intensity dependencies of the rotation angle were studied theoretically and experimentally to find the best parameter for atom detection. In this way, we managed to achieve a rotation angle of 0.22 rad with a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of 75 and a contrast of 87.5%.

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Stark spectrum of barium in highly excited Rydberg states Yang Hai-Feng (杨海峰), Gao Wei (高伟), Cheng Hong (成红), Liu Xiao-Jun (柳晓军), Liu Hong-Ping (刘红平) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  013202.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/013202 Abstract ( 988 )   PDF (337KB) ( 604 )   We present observations of Stark spectra of barium in highly excited Rydberg states in the energy region around n=35. The one-photon excitation concerns the π transition. The observed Stark spectra at electric fields ranging from 0 to 60 V·cm-1 are well explained by the diagonalization of the Hamiltonian incorporating the core effects. From the Stark maps, the anti-crossings between energy levels are identified experimentally and theoretically. The time of flight spectra at the specified Stark states are recorded, where the deceleration and acceleration of barium atoms are observed. It is well consistent with the prediction derived from the Stark maps on the point of view of energy conservation.

RAPID COMMUNICATION

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An effective quantum defect theory for the diamagnetic spectrum of barium Rydberg atom Li Bo (李波), Liu Hong-Ping (刘红平) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  013203.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/013203 Abstract ( 962 )   PDF (346KB) ( 712 )   A theoretical calculation is carried out for the spectrum of barium Rydberg atom in an external magnetic field. Using an effective approach incorporating quantum defect into the centrifugal term in the Hamiltonian, we reexamine the reported spectrum of barium Rydberg atom at a magnetic field of 2.89 T [J. Phys. B 28 L537 (1995)]. Our calculation employs B-spline basis expansion and complex coordinate rotation techniques. For single photon absorption from the ground 6s2 to 6snp Rydberg states, the spectrum is not influenced by quantum defects of channels ns and nd. The calculation is in agreement with the experimental observation until the energy reaches E=-60 cm-1. Up beyond in energy, closer to the threshold, the calculated and experimental results do not agree with each other, possible reasons for their discrepancies are discussed. Our study affirms an energy range where the diamagnetic spectrum of barium atom can be explained thoroughly using a hydrogen model potential.

ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS

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Exact quantum defect theory approach for lithium in magnetic fields Xu Jia-Kun (徐家坤), Chen Hai-Qing (陈海清), Liu Hong-Ping (刘红平) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  013204.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/013204 Abstract ( 876 )   PDF (338KB) ( 2021 )   We calculate the diamagnetic spectrum of lithium at highly excited states up to the positive energy range using the exact quantum defect theory approach. The concerned excitation is one-photon transition from the ground state 2s to the highly excited states np with π and σ polarizations respectively. Lithium has a small quantum defect value 0.05 for the np states, and its diamagnetic spectrum is very similar to that of hydrogen in the energy range approaching the ionization limit. However, a careful calculation shows that the spectrum has a significant discrepancy with that of hydrogen when the energy is lower than -70 cm-1. The effect of the quantum defect is also discussed for the Stark spectrum. It is found that the σ transition to the np states in an electric field has a similar hydrogen behavior due to the zero interaction with channel ns.

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Electron flux distributions in photodetachment of HF- near an interface: theoretical imaging method study Maryam Nawaz Awan, A. Afaq Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  013205.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/013205 Abstract ( 1069 )   PDF (187KB) ( 659 )   The electron flux distributions in the photodetachment of HF- near an interface are studied using a two-center model and the theoretical imaging method. An analytical expression for electron flux distributions is derived, which displays oscillations on an observation plane similar to the recent results published by Wang but in the presence of a static electric field. We also discuss the expressions for soft and hard wall cases in detail. A comparison is made with the previous work. The expression is a more general result, and we can deduce from it the electron flux distributions for the photodetachment of H2- near an interface. Finally, we show that the expression reveals similar results as those in [Chin. Phys. B 19 020306 (2010)] when the wall effect is neglected.

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Electron correlations in nonsequential double ionization of argon atoms by elliptically polarized laser pulses Yu Ben-Hai (余本海), Li Ying-Bin (李盈傧), Tang Qing-Bin (汤清彬) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  013206.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/013206 Abstract ( 1151 )   PDF (717KB) ( 597 )   Using a classical ensemble model, we investigate the correlation behaviour of the electrons originating from nonsequential double ionization (NSDI) of argon atoms by the elliptically polarized laser pulses. Because of the ellipticity, not only the first returning but also the latter returnings of tunneled electrons contribute significantly to NSDI. We mainly discuss two kinds of events of NSDI originating from the first and the second returnings separately. For the NSDI resulting from the recollision of the first returning, the correlated electron momentum spectrum along the long axis of the laser polarization plane reveals an obvious V-like shape, located at the first and third quadrant. However, for the NSDI resulting from the recollision of the second returning, the momenta of two electrons are distributed in the four quadrants uniformly. By analysing the trajectories of these two kinds, we find that the recollision energy and the laser phase at recollision are different for the first and second returning trajectories, which are responsible for the difference in the correlated behavior of the final electron momentum.

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Calculation of the photoelectron spectra under the scaling transform Ye Hui-Liang (叶会亮), Wu Yan (吴艳), Zhang Jing-Tao (张敬涛), Shao Chu-Yin (邵初寅) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  013207.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/013207 Abstract ( 866 )   PDF (321KB) ( 505 )   By solving time-dependent Schrödinger equation, the dependence of photoelectron energy spectra on the binding energy of targets, wavelength and intensity of laser pulse is exhibited and a scaling law of kinetic energy spectra of both the direct and the rescattered photoelectrons is concluded. The scaling law provides a convenient tool to determine the equivalent photoionization process of various atoms or molecules in various laser fields. The verification of the scaling law by independent methods provides an incontestable support to the validity of the scaling law.

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Stabilizing photoassociated Cs2 molecules by optimal control Zhang Wei (张为), Xie Ting (谢廷), Huang Yin (黄寅), Wang Gao-Ren (王高仁), Cong Shu-Lin (丛书林) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  013301.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/013301 Abstract ( 1058 )   PDF (626KB) ( 711 )   We demonstrate theoretically that photoassociated molecules can be stabilized to deeply bound states. This process is achieved by transferring the population from the outer well to the inner well using optimal control theory, the Cs2 molecule is taken as an example. Numerical calculations show that weakly bound molecules formed in the outer well by a pump pulse can be compressed to the inner well via a vibrational level of the ground electronic state as an intermediary by an additionally optimized laser pulse. The positively chirped pulse can enhance the population of the target state. With a transform-limited dump pulse, nearly all photoassociated molecules in the inner well of the excited electronic state can be transferred to the deeply vibrational level of the ground electronic state.

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Angular distributions of CH3I fragment ions under the irradiation of single pulse and trains of ultrashort laser pulses Song Yao-Dong (宋耀东), Chen Zhou (陈洲), Sun Chang-Kai (孙长凯), Hu Zhan (胡湛) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  013302.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/013302 Abstract ( 886 )   PDF (1187KB) ( 568 )   The angular distribution of CH3I is investigated experimentally using a single Fourier transform-limited laser pulse and a pulse train, where a 90-fs 800-nm linearly polarized laser field with a moderate intensity of 2.8×1013 W/cm2 is used. The dynamic alignment is demonstrated in a single pulse experiment. Moreover, a pulse train is used to optimize the molecular alignment, and the alignment degree is almost identical to that with the single pulse. The results are analysed by using chirped femtosecond laser pulses, and it demonstrates that the structure of pulse train rather than its effective duration is crucial to the molecular alignment.

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Nonsequential double ionization of nonaligned diatomic molecules N2 and O2 Jia Xin-Yan (贾欣燕), Fan Dai-He (樊代和), Li Wei-Dong (李卫东), Chen Jing (陈京) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  013303.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/013303 Abstract ( 1147 )   PDF (265KB) ( 716 )   Nonsequential double ionization (NSDI) processes of nonaligned diatomic molecules N2 and O2 are studied using the S-matrix theory. Our results show that the NSDI process significantly depends on the molecular symmetry and structure. The ratio of NSDI rate to single ionization rate as a function of the field intensity is obtained. It is found that N2 behaves closely to its companion atom Ar in the ratios over the entire intensity range, while O2 exhibits an obvious suppression effect, which is qualitatively consistent with the experiment.

ELECTROMAGNETISM, OPTICS, ACOUSTICS, HEAT TRANSFER, CLASSICAL MECHANICS, AND FLUID DYNAMICS

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Dual-band metamaterial with windmill-like structure Xiong Han (熊汉), Hong Jing-Song (洪劲松), Jin Da-Lin (金大琳) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014101.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014101 Abstract ( 957 )   PDF (847KB) ( 607 )   A broadband negative refractive index metamaterial based on a windmill-like structure is proposed, and investigated numerically and experimentally at the microwave frequency range. From the numerical and experimental results, effect media parameters are retrieved, which clearly show that there exist two broad frequency bands in which the permittivity and permeability are negative. The two negative bands are from 9.1 GHz to 10.5 GHz and from 12.05 GHz to 14.65 GHz respectively, and the negative bandwidth is 4 GHz. Due to the good bandwidth performance, the metallic cell with double negative property obtained in this paper is suitable for use in the design of multiband or broadband microwave devices.

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Polarization-dependent efficient Cherenkov radiation at visible wavelengths in hollow-core photonic crystal fiber cladding Shen Xiang-Wei (申向伟), Yuan Jin-Hui (苑金辉), Sang Xin-Zhu (桑新柱), Yu Chong-Xiu (余重秀), Rao Lan (饶岚), Xia Min (夏民), Han Ying (韩颖), Xia Chang-Ming (夏长明), Hou Lan-Tian (侯蓝田), Wu Zhong-Chao (吴中超), He Xiao-Liang (何晓亮) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014102.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014102 Abstract ( 868 )   PDF (391KB) ( 646 )   Efficient Cherenkov radiation (CR) is experimentally generated by soliton self-frequency shift (SSFS) in a knot of hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF). When the angle of the half-wave plate is rotated from 0° to 45°, the Raman soliton shifts from 2227 to 2300 nm, the output power of the CR increases 8.15 times, and the maximum output power ratio of the CR at 556 nm to the residual pump is estimated to be 20:1. The width of the output optical spectrum at visible wavelengths broadens from 25 to 45 nm, and the conversion efficiency of the CR can be above 28%. Moreover, the influences of the pump polarization and wavelength on the CR are studied, and the corresponding nonlinear processes are discussed.

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Influence of disorder and deformation on the optical properties of two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguide Sun Wen-Qian (孙文倩), Liu Yu-Min (刘玉敏), Wang Dong-Lin (王东林), Han Li-Hong (韩利红), Guo Xuan (郭璇), Yu Zhong-Yuan (俞重远) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014201.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014201 Abstract ( 877 )   PDF (604KB) ( 479 )   We investigate the effect of disorder and mechanical deformation on two- dimensional photonic crystal waveguide. The dispersion characteristics and transmittance of the waveguide are studied by using the finite element method. Results show that the geometric change of the dielectric material perpendicular to the light propagation direction has a larger influence on the waveguide characteristics than that parallel to the light propagation direction. Mechanical deformation has an obvious influence on the performance of the waveguide. In particular, longitudinal deformed structure exhibits distinct optical characteristics from the ideal one. Studies on this work will provide useful guideline to the fabrications and practical applications based on photonic crystal waveguides.

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Temporal evolution of optical path difference of a supersonic turbulent boundary layer Gao Qiong (高穹), Yi Shi-He (易仕和), Jiang Zong-Fu (姜宗福), He Lin (何霖), Xie Wen-Ke (谢文科) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014202.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014202 Abstract ( 971 )   PDF (2416KB) ( 722 )   The density distribution of a supersonic turbulent boundary layer is measured with the nanoparticle-based planar laser scattering technique, and the temporal evolution of its optical path difference (OPD) in a short time interval is characterized by proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). Based on the advantage of POD in capturing the energy of a signal, a temporal evolution model is suggested for the POD coefficients of OPD. In this model, the first few coefficients vary linearly with time, and the others are modeled by Gaussian statistics. As an application, this method is used to compute the short-exposure optical transfer function.

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Effect of the nonlinearity of CCD in Fourier transform profilometry on spectrum overlapping and measurement accuracy Qiao Nao-Sheng (乔闹生), Zou Bei-Ji (邹北骥) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014203.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014203 Abstract ( 1030 )   PDF (764KB) ( 609 )   In Fourier transform profilometry (FTP), we must restrain spectrum overlapping caused by the nonlinearity of charge coupled device (CCD) and increase the measurement accuracy of object shape. Firstly, the causes of producing higher-order spectrum components and inducing spectrum overlapping are analysed theoretically, and simple physical explanation and analytical deduction are given. Secondly, aiming to suppress spectrum overlapping and improve measurement accuracy, the influence of spatial carrier frequency of projection grating on them is analysed. A method of increasing the spatial carrier frequency of projection grating to restrain or reduce the spectrum overlapping significantly is proposed. We then analyze the mechanism of how the spectrum overlapping is reduced. Finally, the simulation results and experimental measurements verify the correction of the theory and method proposed.

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A general phase retrieval algorithm based on ptychographicaliterative engine for coherent diffractive imaging Fu Jian (傅健), Li Peng (李鹏) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014204.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014204 Abstract ( 1098 )   PDF (6420KB) ( 1256 )   Coherent diffractive imaging (CDI) is a lensless imaging technique and can achieve a resolution beyond the Rayleigh or Abbe limit. The ptychographical iterative engine (PIE) is a CDI phase retrieval algorithm that uses multiple diffraction patterns obtained through the scan of a localized illumination on the specimen, which has been demonstrated successfully at optical and X-ray wavelengths. In this paper, a general PIE algorithm (gPIE) is presented and demonstrated with an He-Ne laser light diffraction dataset. This algorithm not only permits the removal of the accurate model of the illumination function in PIE, but also provides improved convergence speed and retrieval quality.

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Spectral properties of a Ξ-configuration atom driven by a pair of bichromatic fields Jin Kang (金康), Xie Xiao-Tao (谢小涛), Jiang Zhen-Yi (姜振益) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014205.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014205 Abstract ( 831 )   PDF (451KB) ( 605 )   The absorption spectrum and the incoherent fluorescence spectrum of the lower transition in an Ξ-configuration three-level atomic system driven by a pair of bichromatic fields are investigated. The transmission of absorption profile from multipeaked feature to a single-peak feature is identified. Adjusting the relative phase between the two driving fields, the splitting effects of the spectral peaks occur both in fluorescence and absorption spectra. Furthermore, phase modulating can dramatically lead to a great suppression of the amplitudes of the whole absorption spectrum. Physically, this effect is attributed to the phase-sensitive nature of the populations and coherence between atomic states of the system.

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Power dissipation in oxide-confined 980-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers Shi Guo-Zhu (史国柱), Guan Bao-Lu (关宝璐), Li Shuo (李硕), Wang Qiang (王强), Shen Guang-Di (沈光地) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014206.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014206 Abstract ( 937 )   PDF (408KB) ( 864 )   We presented 980-nm oxide-confined vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with 16-μm oxide aperture. Optical power, voltage, and emission wavelength are measured in an ambient temperature range of 5 ℃-80 ℃. Measurements combined with an empirical model are used to analyse the power dissipation in device and the physical mechanism contributing to the thermal rollover phenomenon in VCSEL. It is found that the carrier leakage induced self-heating in active region and the Joule heating caused by the series resistance are the main sources of the power dissipation. In addition, carrier leakage induced self-heating increases as injection current increases, resulting in a rapid decrease of the internal quantum efficiency, which is a dominant contribution to the thermal rollover of the VCSEL at larger current. Our study provides useful guideline to design 980-nm oxide-confined VCSEL for thermal performance enhancement.

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Interaction of parabolic-shaped pulse pair in a passively mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser Wang Da-Shuai (王大帅), Wu Ge (吴戈), Gao Bo (高博), Tian Xiao-Jian (田小建) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014207.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014207 Abstract ( 964 )   PDF (431KB) ( 563 )   We numerically investigate the formation and interaction of parabolic-shaped pulse pair in a passively mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser. Based on a lumped model, the parabolic-shaped pulse pair is obtained by controlling the inter-cavity average dispersion and gain saturation energy, Moreover, pulse repulsive and attractive motion are also achieved with different pulse separations. Simulation results show that the phase shift plays an important role in pulse interaction, and the interaction is determined by the inter-cavity average dispersion and gain saturation energy, i.e., the strength of the interaction is proportional to the gain saturation energy, the stronger gain saturation energy will result in higher interaction intensity. On the contrary, the increase of the inter-cavity dispersion will counterbalance some interaction force. The results also show that the interaction of a parabolic-shaped pulse pair has a larger interaction distance compare to the conventional solitons.

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Stable single longitudinal mode erbium-doped silica fiber laser based on asymmetric linear three-cavity structure Feng Ting (冯亭), Yan Feng-Ping (延凤平), Li Qi (李琦), Peng Wan-Jing (彭万敬), Feng Su-Chun (冯素春), Tan Si-Yu (谭思宇), Wen Xiao-Dong (温晓东) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014208.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014208 Abstract ( 910 )   PDF (313KB) ( 620 )   We present a stable linear-cavity single longitudinal mode (SLM) erbium-doped silica fiber laser. It consists of four fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) directly written in a section of photosensitive erbium-doped fiber (EDF) to form asymmetric three-cavity structure. The stable SLM operation at a wavelength of 1545.112 nm with a 3-dB bandwidth of 0.012 nm and an optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of about 60 dB is verified experimentally. In laboratory condition, the performance of power fluctuation of less than 0.05 dB observed from the power meter for 6 h and wavelength variation of less than 0.01 nm obtained from the optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) for about 1.5 h are demonstrated. The gain fiber length is no longer limited to only several centimeters for SLM operation because of the excellent mode-selecting ability of the asymmetric three-cavity structure. The proposed scheme provides a simple and cost-effective approach to realizing a stable SLM fiber laser.

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A comparison of single shot nanosecond and femtosecond polarization-resolved laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of Al Nakimana Agnes, Tao Hai-Yan (陶海岩), Hao Zuo-Qiang (郝作强), Sun Chang-Kai (孙长凯), Gao Xun (高勋), Lin Jing-Quan (林景全) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014209.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014209 Abstract ( 1060 )   PDF (497KB) ( 1425 )   Aluminum samples have been analyzed by femtosecond polarization-resolved laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (fs-PRLIBS). We compare the obtained spectra with those obtained from nanosecond PRLIBS (ns-PRLIBS). The main specific features of fs-PRLIBS are that a lower plasma temperature leads to a low level of continuum and no species are detected from the ambient gas. Furthermore, signals obtained by fs-PRLIBS show a higher stability than those of ns-PRLIBS. However, more elements are detected in the ns-PRLIBS spectra.

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Improving attosecond pulse reflection by large angle incidence for periodic multilayer mirror in the extreme ultraviolet region Lin Cheng-You (林承友), Chen Shu-Jing (陈淑静), Liu Da-He (刘大禾) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014210.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014210 Abstract ( 788 )   PDF (474KB) ( 452 )   The improvement of attosecond pulse reflection by large angle incidence for periodic multilayer mirror in the extreme ultraviolet region has been discussed. Numerical simulations of both spectral and temporal reflection characteristics of periodic multilayer mirrors under various incident angles have been analyzed and compared. It was found that the periodic multilayer mirror under larger incidence angle can provide not only higher integrated reflectivity but also broader reflection band with negligible dispersion, making it possible to obtain better reflected pulse that owns higher pulse reflection efficiency and shorter pulse duration for attosecond pulse reflection. In addition, with increasing of incident angle, the promoting of attosecond pulse reflection capability has been proven for periodic multilayer mirrors with arbitrary layers.

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Beam evolutions of solitons in strongly nonlocal media with fading optical lattices Dai Zhi-Ping (戴志平), Lu Shi-Zhuan (陆世专), You Kai-Ming (游开明) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014211.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014211 Abstract ( 1088 )   PDF (698KB) ( 846 )   We address the impact of imprinted fading optical lattices on the beam evolutions of solitons in strongly nonlocal nonlinear media. The results show that the width of soliton experiences a change with the increasing propagation distance, the critical power for the soliton varies with the lattice fading away, and the soliton breathing is affected by the initial lattice depth and the nonlocality degree.

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Nonlinear optical behaviours in a silver nanoparticle array at different wavelengths Yu Ben-Hai (余本海), Zhang Dong-Ling (张东玲), Li Ying-Bin (李盈傧), Tang Qing-Bin (汤清彬) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014212.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014212 Abstract ( 963 )   PDF (323KB) ( 894 )   The optical nonlinearities of an Ag nanoparticle array are investigated by performing the Z-scan measurements at the selected wavelengths (400, 600, 650, and 800 nm). The nonlinear refraction index in the resonant region (around 400 nm) exhibits a significant enhancement by two orders compared with that in the off-resonant region (around 800 nm)), and exhibits an sign alternation of the resonant nonlinear absorption, which results in a negligible nonlinear absorption at a certain excitation intensity. Moreover, a low degree of nonlinear absorption was measured at the edges of the resonant region (600 and 650 nm), which is attributed to the competition of the saturated absorption and the two-photon absorption processes.

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Spontaneous transition of one-dimensional plasma photonic crystal's orientation in dielectric barrier discharge Fan Wei-Li (范伟丽), Dong Li-Fang (董丽芳) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014213.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014213 Abstract ( 929 )   PDF (3416KB) ( 788 )   A novel one-dimensional plasma photonic crystal whose crystal orientation can change spontaneously is demonstrated by using a dielectric barrier discharge with two liquid electrodes. The orientation of the plasma photonic crystal will vary from transverse to longitudinal or vary from longitudinal to transverse and then revert to longitudinal by self-adjustment, while the experimental conditions are kept fixed. The dispersion relations of these plasma photonic crystals are calculated, and the changes of photonic band diagrams during the orientation transition are studied.

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Optimization of highly nonlinear dispersion-flattened photonic crystal fiber for supercontinuum generation Zhang Ya-Ni (张亚妮) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014214.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014214 Abstract ( 896 )   PDF (655KB) ( 824 )   A simple type of photonic crystal fiber (PCF) for supercontinuum generation is proposed for the first time. The proposed PCF is composed of a solid silica core and a cladding with square lattice uniform elliptical air holes, which offers not only a large nonlinear coefficient but also a high birefringence and low leakage losses. The PCF with nonlinear coefficient as large as 46 W-1·km-1 at the wavelength of 1.55 μm and a total dispersion as low as ± 2.5 ps·nm-1·km-1 over an ultra-broad waveband range of S-C-L band (wavelength from 1.46 μm to 1.625 μm) is optimized by adjusting its structure parameter, such as the lattice constant Λ, the air-filling fraction f, and the air-hole ellipticity η. The novel PCF with ultra-flattened dispersion, highly nonlinear coefficient, and nearly zero negative dispersion slope will offer a possibility of efficient super-continuum generation in the telecommunication windows using a few ps pulses.

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High stability supercontinuum generation in lead silicate SF57 photonic crystal fibers Zhu Xing-Ping (朱星平), Li Shu-Guang (李曙光), Du Ying (杜颖), Han Ying (韩颖), Zhang Wen-Qi (张闻起), Ruan Yin-Lan (阮银兰), Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem, Shahraam Afshar, Tanya M. Monro Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014215.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014215 Abstract ( 1038 )   PDF (352KB) ( 907 )   We report supercontinuum (SC) generation in a lead silicate SF57 photonic crystal fiber by using a 1550 nm pump source. The effective nonlinear coefficient of the SF57 fiber is simulated to be 111.5 W-1·km-1 at 1550 nm. The fiber also shows ultraflat dispersion from 1700 nm to 2100 nm. Our results reveal that with increase of the average power of the incident pulse from 10 mW to 90 mW, the SC of the SF57 photonic crystal fiber is generated from 1300 nm to 1900 nm with high stability and without significant change in spectral broadening.

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Acoustic scattering from a submerged cylindrical shell coated with locally resonant acoustic metamaterials Hot! Li Li (李黎), Wen Ji-Hong (温激鸿), Cai Li (蔡力), Zhao Hong-Gang (赵宏刚), Wen Xi-Sen (温熙森) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014301.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014301 Abstract ( 1042 )   PDF (347KB) ( 993 )   Using the multilayered cylinder model, we study the acoustic scattering from a submerged cylindrical shell coated with locally resonant acoustic metamaterials, which exhibit locally negative effective mass densities. A spring model is introduced to replace the traditional transfer matrix, which may be singular in the negative mass region. The backscattering form function and the scattering cross section are calculated to discuss the acoustic properties of the coated submerged cylindrical shell.

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Ultrasonic focusing and scanning with multiple waves Zhang Bi-Xing (张碧星), Liu Dong-Dong (刘冬冬), Shi Fang-Fang (师芳芳), Hefeng Dong Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014302.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014302 Abstract ( 973 )   PDF (491KB) ( 506 )   This paper presents a new focusing and scanning method which focuses multiple waves on a target. The key of the method is to control excitation pulses for each element of the transducer array. The excitation pulse on each array element is obtained by time reversing the signal received by the same element, which is generated by an imaginary source at the target. The excitation pulses from all array elements are transmitted and arrive at the target simultaneously, and focusing is achieved. The performance of the two methods is compared in numerical examples, and it is demonstrated that the proposed method achieves a satisfactory focusing and a good signal-to-noise ratio no matter where the target location is.

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Analytical model of an acoustic diode comprising a superlattice and a nonlinear medium Gu Zhong-Ming (顾仲明), Liang Bin (梁彬), Cheng Jian-Chun (程建春) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014303.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014303 Abstract ( 958 )   PDF (462KB) ( 638 )   We give an analytical analysis to the acoustic propagation in an acoustic diode (AD) model formed by coupling a superlattice (SL) with a nonlinear medium. Analytical solutions of the acoustic transmission are obtained by studying the propagations in the SL and the nonlinear medium separately with the conventional transfer-matrix method and a perturbation technique. Compared with the previous numerical method, the proposed approach contributes a better physical insight into the intrinsic mechanism of acoustic rectification and helps us to predict the performance of an AD within the effective rectifying bands in a simply way. This is potentially significant for the practical design and fabrication of AD devices.

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Interaction of a bubble and a bubble cluster in an ultrasonic field Wang Cheng-Hui (王成会), Cheng Jian-Chun (程建春) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014304.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014304 Abstract ( 1011 )   PDF (305KB) ( 754 )   Using an appropriate approximation, we have formulated the interacting equation of multi-bubble motion for a system of a single bubble and a spherical bubble cluster. The behavior of the bubbles is observed in coupled and uncoupled states. The oscillation of bubbles inside the cluster is in coupled state. The numerical simulation demonstrates that the secondary Bjerknes force can be influenced by the number density, initial radius, distance, driving frequency, and amplitude of ultrasound. However, if a bubble approaches to a bubble cluster of the same initial radii, coupled oscillation would be induced and a repulsive force is evoked, which may be the reason why the bubble cluster can exist steadily. With increment of the number density of bubble cluster, the secondary Bjerknes force acting on the bubbles inside the cluster decreases due to the strong suppression of coupled bubbles. It is shown that there may be an optimal number density for a bubble cluster which can generate an optimal cavitation effect in liquid for a stable driving ultrasound.

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Decoupling multimode vibrational relaxations in multi-component gas mixtures: Analysis of sound relaxational absorption spectra Zhang Ke-Sheng (张克声), Wang Shu (王殊), Zhu Ming (朱明), Ding Yi (丁毅), Hu Yi (胡轶) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014305.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014305 Abstract ( 890 )   PDF (590KB) ( 552 )   Decoupling the complicated vibrational-vibrational (V-V) coupling of a multimode vibrational relaxation remains a challenge to analyze the sound relaxational absorption in multi-component gas mixtures. In our previous work [Acta Phys. Sin. 61 174301 (2012)], an analytical model to predict the sound absorption from vibrational relaxation in a gas medium is proposed. In this paper, we develop the model to decouple the V-V coupled energy to each vibrational-translational deexcitation path, and analyze how the multimode relaxations form the peaks of sound absorption spectra in gas mixtures. We prove that a multimode relaxation is the sum of its decoupled single-relaxation processes, and only the decoupled process with a significant isochoric-molar-heat can be observed as an absorption peak. The decoupling model clarifies the essential behind the peaks in spectra arising from the multimode relaxations in multi-component gas mixtures. The simulation validates the proposed decoupling model.

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Fractional Cattaneo heat equation in a semi-infinite medium Xu Huan-Ying (续焕英), Qi Hai-Tao (齐海涛), Jiang Xiao-Yun (蒋晓芸) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014401.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014401 Abstract ( 997 )   PDF (387KB) ( 1368 )   To better describe the phenomenon of non-Fourier heat conduction, the fractional Cattaneo heat equation is introduced from the generalized Cattaneo model with two fractional derivatives of different orders. The anomalous heat conduction under the Neumann boundary condition in a semi-infinity medium is investigated. Exact solutions are obtained in series form of the H-function by using the Laplace transform method. Finally, numerical examples are presented graphically when different kinds of surface temperature gradient are given. The effects of fractional parameters are also discussed.

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Prediction of heat transfer of nanofluid on critical heat flux based on fractal geometry Xiao Bo-Qi (肖波齐) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014402.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014402 Abstract ( 1069 )   PDF (291KB) ( 844 )   Analytical expressions for nucleate pool boiling heat transfer of nanofluid in the critical heat flux (CHF) region are derived with taking into account the effect of nanoparticles moving in liquid based on the fractal geometry theory. The proposed fractal model for the CHF of nanofluid is explicitly related to the average diameter of nanoparticles, the volumetric nanoparticle concentration, the thermal conductivity of nanoparticles, the fractal dimension of nanoparticles, the fractal dimension of active cavity on the heated surfaces, the temperature, and the properties of fluid. It is found that the CHF of nanofluid decreases with the increase of the average diameter of nanoparticles. Each parameter of the proposed formulas on CHF has a clear physical meaning. The model predictions are compared with the existing experimental data, and a good agreement between the model predictions and experimental data is found. The validity of the present model is thus verified. The proposed fractal model can reveal the mechanism of heat transfer for nanofluid.

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Binary collision approximation for solitary waves in a Y-shaped granular chain Chen Qiong (陈琼), Yang Xian-Qing (杨先清), Zhao Xin-Yin (赵新印), Wang Zhen-Hui (王振辉), Zhao Yue-Min (赵跃民) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014501.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014501 Abstract ( 964 )   PDF (282KB) ( 456 )   We implement a binary collision approximation to study solitary wave propagation in a two-dimensional double Y-shaped granular chain. The solitary wave was transmitted and reflected when it met the interface of the bifurcated branches of the Y-shaped granular chains. We obtain analytic results of the ratios of the transmitted and reflected speeds to the incident speed of the solitary wave, the maximum force between two neighbor beads in solitary wave, and the total time took by the pulse to pass through each branch. All of the analytic results are in good agreement with experimental observations by Daraio et al. [Phys. Rev. E 82 036603 (2010)]. Moreover, we also discuss the delay effects on the arrival of split pulses, and predict the recombination of the split waves traveling in branches in the final stem of asymmetric systems. The prediction of pulse recombination is verified by our numerical results.

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Screw dislocations interacting with two asymmetrical interfacial cracks emanating from an elliptical hole Zeng Xin (曾鑫), Fang Qi-Hong (方棋洪), Liu You-Wen (刘又文), P. H. Wen Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014601.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014601 Abstract ( 968 )   PDF (344KB) ( 505 )   The interaction between screw dislocations and two asymmetrical interfacial cracks emanating from an elliptic hole under loads at infinity is studied. The closed-form solution is derived for complex potentials. The stress intensity factor and the critical applied stress for dislocation emission are also calculated. In the limiting cases, the well-known results can be obtained from the present solutions. Moreover, new exact solutions for a screw dislocation interacting with some complicated cracks are derived. The results show that the shielding effect increases with the increase of the lengths of the other crack and the minor semi axis, but decreases with the increase of dislocation azimuth. The repulsion acting on the dislocation from the other phase and the other crack extend in the horizontal direction make the dislocation emission at the crack tip take place more easily, but the minor semi axis of the elliptical hole extend in the vertical direction makes it take place more difficultly.

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FEM simulations and experimental studies of the temperature field in a large diamond crystal growth cell Li Zhan-Chang (李战厂), Jia Xiao-Peng (贾晓鹏), Huang Guo-Feng (黄国锋), Hu Mei-Hua (胡美华), Li Yong (李勇), Yan Bing-Min (颜丙敏), Ma Hong-An (马红安) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014701.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014701 Abstract ( 1226 )   PDF (751KB) ( 896 )   We investigate the temperature fields varying in growth region of a diamond crystal in a sealed cell during the whole process of crystal growth by the temperature gradient method (TGM) at high pressure and high temperature (HPHT). We employ both the finite element method (FEM) and in situ experiments. Simulation results show that the temperature in the center area of the growth cell continues to decrease during the process of large diamond crystal growth. These results are in good agreement with our experimental data, which demonstrates that the finite element model can successfully predict the temperature field variations in the growth cell. The FEM simulation will be useful to grow larger high-quality diamond crystals by TGM. Furthermore, this method will be helpful in designing better cells and improving the growth process of gem-quality diamond crystal.

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Instantaneous and time-averaged flow structures around a blunt double-cone with or without supersonic film cooling visualized via nano-tracer planar laser scattering Zhu Yang-Zhu (朱杨柱), Yi Shi-He (易仕和), He Lin (何霖), Tian Li-Feng (田立丰), Zhou Yong-Wei (周勇为) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014702.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014702 Abstract ( 1199 )   PDF (733KB) ( 737 )   In a Mach 3.8 wind tunnel, both instantaneous and time-averaged flow structures of different scales around a blunt double-cone with or without supersonic film cooling were visualized via nano-tracer planar laser scattering (NPLS), which has a high spatiotemporal resolution. Three experimental cases with different injection mass flux rates were carried out. Lots of typical flow structures were clearly shown, such as shock wave, expansion fan, shear layer, mixing layer, and turbulent boundary layer. The analysis of two NPLS images with an interval of 5 μs revealed the temporal evolution characteristics of flow structures. With matched pressures, the laminar length of the mixing layer was longer than that in the case with a larger mass flux rate, but the full covered region was shorter. Structures like K-H (Kelvin-Helmholtz) vortices were clearly seen in both flows. Without injection, the flow was similar to the supersonic flow over a backward-facing step, and the structures were relatively simpler, and there was a longer laminar region. Large scale structures such as hairpin vortices were visualized. In addition, the results were compared in part with the schlieren images captured by others under the similar conditions.

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An alytical and numerical study of peristaltic transport of a Johnson-Segalman fluid in an endoscope Noreen Sher Akbar, S. Nadeem Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  014703.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/014703 Abstract ( 845 )   PDF (1261KB) ( 623 )   In the present study, we discuss the peristaltic flow of a Johnson-Segalman fluid in an endoscope. Perturbation, homotopy, and numerical solutions are found for the non-linear differential equation. The comparative study is also made to check the validity of the solutions. The expressions for pressure rise frictional forces, pressure gradient, and stream lines are presented to interpret the behavior of various physical quantities of the Johnson-Segalman fluid.

PHYSICS OF GASES, PLASMAS, AND ELECTRIC DISCHARGES

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Design and realization of magnetic-type absorber with broadened operating frequency band Zhou Yong-Jiang (周永江), Pang Yong-Qiang (庞永强), Cheng Hai-Feng (程海峰) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  015201.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/015201 Abstract ( 925 )   PDF (664KB) ( 846 )   In this paper, we present an efficient method to obtain absorbers with broadened operating frequency bands. They are accomplished by using the conventional magnetic absorbing materials (MAMs) in the forms of array and mesh structures, which are similar to those in the case of frequency slective surface. The proposed approach is verified not only by simulations but also by experimental results under the normal incidence at microwave frequencies. Moreover, the wideband absorber is lighter than the conventional magnetic absorber. These results indicate that our proposed absorbing structures can be used for designing good electromagnetic absorbers.

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Reconstruction of heat flux profile on the HL-2A divertor plate with a three-dimensional analysis model Gao Jin-Ming (高金明), Li Wei (李伟), Xia Zhi-Wei (夏志伟), Pan Yu-Dong (潘宇东), Lu Jie (卢杰), Yi Ping (易萍), Liu Yi (刘仪) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  015202.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/015202 Abstract ( 896 )   PDF (549KB) ( 764 )   A three-dimensional analysis model based on finite element method (FEM) is developed, which can derive the evolution and distribution characteristics of heat flux deposited on the divertor plate from the surface temperature measured by infrared thermography diagnostics. The numerical simulations of surface heating due to localized power bursts and the power deposition calculations demonstrate that this analysis can provide accurate results and useful information about localized hot spots compared with the normal one- and two-dimensional calculations. In this paper, the details of this three-dimensional analysis are presented, and some results in ohmic heating and electron cyclotron resonant heating (ECRH) discharge on HL-2A are given.

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Local electron mean energy profile of positive primary streamer discharge with pin-plate electrodes in oxygen–nitrogen mixtures Sima Wen-Xia (司马文霞), Peng Qing-Jun (彭庆军), Yang Qing (杨庆), Yuan Tao (袁涛), Shi Jian (施健) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  015203.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/015203 Abstract ( 857 )   PDF (608KB) ( 1729 )   The local electron mean energy (LEME) has a direct effect on the rates of collisional ionization of molecules and atoms by electrons. The electron-impact ionization plays an important role and is the main process for the production of charged particles in a primary streamer discharge. A detailed research on the LEME profile in a primary streamer discharge is extremely important for a comprehensive understanding of the local physical mechanism of a streamer. In this study, the LEME profile of the primary streamer discharge in oxygen-nitrogen mixtures with a pin-plate gap of 0.5 cm under an impulse voltage is investigated using a fluid model. The fluid model includes the electron mean energy density equation, as well as continuity equations for electrons and ions and Poisson's electric field equation. The study finds that, except in the initial stage of the primary streamer, the LEME in the primary streamer tip tends to increase as the oxygen-nitrogen mole ratio increases and the pressure decreases. When the primary streamer bridges the gap, the LEME in the primary streamer channel is smaller than the first ionization energies of oxygen and nitrogen. The LEME in the primary streamer channel then decreases as the oxygen-nitrogen mole ratio increases and the pressure increases. The LEME in the primary streamer tip is primarily dependent on the reduced electric field with mole ratios of oxygen-nitrogen given in the oxygen-nitrogen mixtures.

CONDENSED MATTER: STRUCTURAL, MECHANICAL, AND THERMAL PROPERTIES

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Static and dynamic properties of grafted ring polymer: molecular dynamics simulation He Su-Zhen (何素贞), Holger Merlitz (候格), Su Chan-Fei (苏婵菲), Wu Chen-Xu (吴晨旭) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  016101.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/016101 Abstract ( 1066 )   PDF (624KB) ( 876 )   The static and dynamic properties of a system of end-grafted flexible ring polymer chains grafted to a flat substrate and exposed to a good solvent are studied by a molecular dynamics method. The monomers are described by a coarse-grained bead-spring model. Varying the grafting density ρ and the degree of polymerization or chain length N, we obtain the density profiles of monomers, study the structural properties of the chain (radius of gyration, bond orientational parameters, etc.), and also present the dynamic characteristics such as chain energy and bond force. Compared with linear polymer brush, the ring polymer brush exhibits different static and dynamic properties for moderate or short chain length, while it behaves like linear polymer brush in the regime of long chain length.

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Elliptic hole in octagonal quasicrystals Li Lian-He (李联和) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  016102.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/016102 Abstract ( 855 )   PDF (268KB) ( 516 )   The stress potential function theory for plane elasticity of octagonal quasicrystals is developed. By introducing stress functions, a large number of basic equations involving elasticity of octagonal quasicrystals are reduced to a single partial differential equation. Furthermore, we develop the complex variable function method (Lekhnitskii method) for anisotropic elasticity theory to that for quasicrystals. With the help of conformal transformation, an exact solution for the elliptic hole of quasicrystals is presented. The solution of the Griffith crack problem, as a special case of the results, is obtained. As a consequence, the phonon stress intensity factor is derived analytically.

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High-pressure effect on inverse spinel LiCuVO4: X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering Liang Heng-Nan (梁桁楠), Ma Chun-Li (马春丽), Du Fei (杜菲), Cui Qi-Liang (崔啟良), Zou Guang-Tian (邹广田) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  016103.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/016103 Abstract ( 935 )   PDF (701KB) ( 822 )   Effect of external quasi-hydrostatic pressure on the inverse spinel structure of LiCuVO4 was studied in this paper. High-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy measurements were carried out at room temperature up to 35.7 and 40.3 GPa, respectively. At a pressure of about 20 GPa, both Raman spectra and X-ray diffraction results indicate that LiCuVO4 was transformed into a monoclinic phase, which remained stable up to at least 35.7 GPa. Upon release of pressure, the high-pressure phase returned to the initial phase. The pressure dependence of the volume of low pressure orthorhombic phase and high-pressure monoclinic phase were described by a second-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state, which yielded bulk modulus values of B0=197(5) and 232(8) GPa, respectively. The results support the empirical suggestion that the oxide spinels have similar bulk modulus around 200 GPa.

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Shielding effect of a nano-circular inclusion acting on semi-infinite wedge cracks Song Hao-Peng (宋豪鹏), Gao Cun-Fa (高存法) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  016201.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/016201 Abstract ( 908 )   PDF (267KB) ( 418 )   The model of a screw dislocation near a semi-infinite wedge crack tip inside a nano circular inclusion is proposed to investigate the shielding effect of nano inclusions acting on cracks. Utilizing the complex function method, the closed-form solutions of the stress fields in the matrix and the inclusion region are derived. The stress intensity factor, the image force, as well as the critical loads for dislocation emission are discussed in detail. The results show that the nano inclusion not only enhances the shielding effect exerted by the dislocation, but also provides shielding effect itself. Moreover, dislocations may be trapped in the nano inclusion even if the matrix is softer than the inclusion. This helps the dislocation shield crack, and reduces the dislocation density within the matrix.

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A dynamic rheological model for thin-film lubrication Zhang Xiang-Jun (张向军), Huang Ying (黄颖), Guo Yan-Bao (郭岩宝), Tian Yu (田煜), Meng Yong-Gang (孟永钢) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  016202.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/016202 Abstract ( 928 )   PDF (388KB) ( 899 )   In this study, the effects of the non-Newtonian rheological properties of lubricant in the thin-film lubrication regime between smooth surfaces were investigated. The thin-film lubrication regime typically appears in Stribeck curves with a clearly observable minimum coefficient of friction (COF) and a low-COF region, which is desired for its lower energy dissipation. A dynamic rheology of the lubricant from the hydrodynamic lubrication regime to the thin-film lubrication regime was proposed based on the convected Maxwell constitutive equation. This rheology model includes the increased relaxation time and the yield stress of the confined lubricant thin film, as well as their dependences on the lubricant film thickness. The Deborah number (De number) was adopted to describe the liquid-solid transition of the confined lubricant thin film under shearing. Then a series of Stribeck curves were calculated based on Tichy's extended lubrication equations with a perturbation of the De number. The results show that the minimum COF points in the Stribeck curve correspond to a critical De number of 1.0, indicating a liquid-to-solid transition of the confined lubricant film. Furthermore, the two proposed parameters in the dynamic rheological model, namely negative slipping length b (indicating the lubricant interfacial effect) and the characteristic relaxation time λ0, were found to determine the minimum COF and the width of the low-COF region, both of which were required to optimize the shape of the Stribeck curve. The developed dynamic rheological model interprets the correlation between the rheological and interfacial properties of lubricant and its lubrication behavior in the thin-film regime.

RAPID COMMUNICATION

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Effect of 6H-SiC (1120) substrate on epitaxial graphene revealed by Raman scattering Hot! Lin Jing-Jing (林菁菁), Guo Li-Wei (郭丽伟), Jia Yu-Ping (贾玉萍), Chen Lian-Lian (陈莲莲), Lu Wei (芦伟), Huang Jiao (黄郊), Chen Xiao-Long (陈小龙) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  016301.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/016301 Abstract ( 1188 )   PDF (417KB) ( 671 )   A nonpolar SiC(110) substrate has been used to fabricate epitaxial graphene (EG). Two EGs with layer numbers of 8-10 (referred to as MLG) and 2-3 (referred to as FLG) were used as representative to study the substrate effect on EG through temperature dependent Raman scattering. It is found that Raman lineshifts of G and 2D peaks of the MLG with temperature are consistent with that of a free graphene predicted by theory calculation, indicating that the substrate influence on the MLG is undetectable. While Raman G peak lineshifts of the FLG to that of the free graphene are obvious, however, its lineshift rate (-0.016 cm-1/K) is almost one third of that (-0.043 cm-1/K) of a EG on 6H-SiC (0001) in the temperature range from 300 K to 400 K, indicating a weak substrate effect from SiC (110) on the FLG. This renders the FLG a high mobility around 1812 cm2- ·V-1·s-1 at room temperature even with a very high carrier concentration about 2.95× 1013 cm-2 (p-type). These suggest SiC (110) is more suitable for fabricating EG with high performance.

CONDENSED MATTER: STRUCTURAL, MECHANICAL, AND THERMAL PROPERTIES

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Effects of doping, Stone–Wales, and vacancy defects on thermal conductivity of single-wall carbon nanotubes Feng Dai-Li (冯黛丽), Feng Yan-Hui (冯妍卉), Chen Yang (陈阳), Li Wei (李威), Zhang Xin-Xin (张欣欣) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  016501.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/016501 Abstract ( 928 )   PDF (1347KB) ( 1231 )   The thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes with certain defects (doping, Stone-Wales, and vacancy) is investigated using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics method. The defective carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are compared with perfect tubes. The influences of type and concentration of the defect, length, diameter, and chirality of the tube, and the ambient temperature are taken into consideration. It is demonstrated that defects result in a dramatic reduction of thermal conductivity. Doping and Stone-Wales (SW) defects have greater effect on armchair tubes, while vacancy affects the zigzag ones more. Thermal conductivity of the nanotubes increases, reaches a peak, and then decreases with increasing temperature. The temperature at which the thermal conductivity peak occurs is dependent on the defect type. Different from SW or vacancy tubes, doped tubes are similar to the perfect ones with a sharp peak at the same temperature. Thermal conductivity goes up when the tube length grows or diameter declines. It seems that the length of thermal conductivity convergence for SW tubes is much shorter than perfect or vacancy ones. The SW or vacancy tubes are less sensitive to the diameter change, compared with perfect ones.

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Theoretical prediction of ion conductivity in solid state HfO2 Zhang Wei (张炜), Chen Wen-Zhou (陈文周), Sun Jiu-Yu (孙久雨), Jiang Zhen-Yi (姜振益) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  016601.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/016601 Abstract ( 932 )   PDF (520KB) ( 1624 )   A theoretical prediction of ion conductivity for solid state HfO2 is carried out in analogy to ZrO2 based on the density functional calculation. Geometric and electronic structures of pure bulks exhibit similarity for the two materials. Negative formation enthalpy and negative formation energy of vacancy are found for YSH (yttria-stabilized hafnia) and YSZ (yttria-stabilized zirconia), suggesting the stability of both materials. Low activation energies (below 0.7 eV) of diffusion are found in both materials, and YSH's is a little higher than that of YSZ. In addition, for both HfO2 and ZrO2, the supercells with native oxygen vacancies are also studied. The so-called defect states are observed in the supercells with neutral and +1 charge native vacancy but not in the +2 charge one. It can give an explanation to the relatively lower activation energies of yttria-doped oxides and +2 charge vacancy supercells. A brief discussion is presented to explain the different YSH ion conductivities in the experiment and obtained by us, and we attribute this to the different ion vibrations at different temperatures.

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Structure and dynamics of ordered water in a thick nanofilm on ionic surfaces Ren Xiu-Ping (任秀平), Zhou Bo (周波), Li Lan-Ting (李兰婷), Wang Chun-Lei (王春雷) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  016801.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/016801 Abstract ( 927 )   PDF (868KB) ( 671 )   Structure and dynamics of water in thick film on an ionic surface are studied by molecular dynamic simulations. We find that there is a dense monolayer of water molecules in the vicinity of the surface. Water molecules within this layer not only show an upright hydrogen-down orientation, but also an upright hydrogen-up orientation. Thus, water molecules in this layer can form hydrogen bonds with water molecules in the next layer. Therefore, the two-dimensional hydrogen bond network of the first layer is disrupted, mainly due to the O atoms in this layer, which are affected by the next layer and are unstable. Moreover, these water molecules exhibit delayed dynamic behavior with relatively long residence time compared with those bulk-like molecules in the other layers. Our study should be helpful to further understand the influence of water film thickness on the interfacial water at the solid-liquid interface.

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Methane adsorption on graphite(0001) films: a first-principles study He Man-Chao (何满潮), Zhao Jian (赵健) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  016802.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/016802 Abstract ( 1081 )   PDF (295KB) ( 886 )   Using first-principles methods, we have systematically investigated the electronic density of states, work function, and adsorption energy of the methane molecule adsorbed on graphite(0001) films. The surface energy and the interlayer relaxation of the clean graphite(0001) as a function of the thickness of the film were also studied. The results showed that the interlayer relaxation is small due to the weak interaction between the neighboring layers. The one-fold top site is found most favourable on substrate for methane with the adsorption energy of -133 meV. For the adsorption with different adsorption heights above the graphite film with four layers, the methane is found to prefer to appear at about 3.21 mÅ above the graphite. We also noted that the adsorption energy does not dependent much on the thickness of the graphite films. The work function is enhanced slightly by adsorption of methane due to the slight charge transfer from the graphite surface to the methane molecule.

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Effect of emitter layer doping concentration on the performance of silicon thin film heterojunction solar cell Zhang Lei (张磊), Shen Hong-Lie (沈鸿烈), Yue Zhi-Hao (岳之浩), Jiang Feng (江丰), Wu Tian-Ru (吴天如), Pan Yuan-Yuan (潘园园) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  016803.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/016803 Abstract ( 940 )   PDF (339KB) ( 1552 )   A novel type of n/i/i/p heterojunction solar cell with a-Si:H(15 nm)/a-Si:H(10 nm)/ epitaxial c-Si(47 μm)/epitaxial c-Si(3 μm) structure is fabricated by using the layer transfer technique, and the emitter layer is deposited by hot-wire chemical vapour deposition. The effect of the doping concentration of emitter layer Sd (Sd=PH3/(PH3+SiH4+H2)) on the performance of the solar cell is studied by means of current density-voltage and external quantum efficiency. The results show that the conversion efficiency of the solar cell first increases to a maximum value and then decreases with Sd increasing from 0.1% to 0.4%. The best performance of the solar cell is obtained at Sd = 0.2% with an open circuit voltage of 534 mV, a short circuit current density of 23.35 mA/cm2, a fill factor of 63.3%, and a conversion efficiency of 7.9%.

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Investigating mesoscopic circuits with the entangled state representations Liang Bao-Long (梁宝龙), Wang Ji-Suo (王继锁), Meng Xiang-Guo (孟祥国), Yang Qin-Ying (杨芹英) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  016804.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/016804 Abstract ( 1264 )   PDF (289KB) ( 495 )   By employing the continuous parameter entangled state representations, we investigate the energy level and the wave function for a capacitively and mutual-inductively coupled LC mesoscopic circuit. It is found that investigating the mesoscopic circuit in such representations can bring us the following conveniences. Firstly, the dynamical equation is naturally transformed into a single-variable differential equation. Secondly, the center-of-mass kinetic energy is included in the energy level of the system. Thus it is instructive to introduce the entangled state representation into the investigation of mesoscopic circuits.

CONDENSED MATTER: ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE, ELECTRICAL, MAGNETIC, AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES

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First-principles studies of the vibrational properties of amorphous carbon nitrides Niu Li (牛丽), Wang Xuan-Zhang (王选章), Zhu Jia-Qi (朱嘉琦), Gao Wei (高巍) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  017101.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/017101 Abstract ( 1047 )   PDF (725KB) ( 1278 )   Raman spectra of amorphous carbon nitride films (a-C:N) resemble those of typical amorphous carbon (a-C), and no specific features in the spectra are shown due to N doping. The present work provides a correlation between the microstructure and vibrational properties of a-C:N films from first principles. The six periodic model structures of 64 atoms with various mass densities and nitrogen contents are generated by the liquid-quench method using Car-Parinello molecular dynamics. By using Raman coupling tensors calculated with finite electric field method, Raman spectra are obtained. The calculated results show that the vibrations of C=N could directly contribute to the Raman spectrum. The similarity of the Raman line shapes of N-doped and N-free amorphous carbons is due to the overlapping of C=N and C=C vibration bands. In addition, the origin of characteristic Raman peaks is also given.

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Spin–orbit interaction in coupled quantum wells Hao Ya-Fei (郝亚非) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  017102.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/017102 Abstract ( 839 )   PDF (266KB) ( 650 )   We theoretically investigate the spin-orbit interaction in GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs coupled quantum wells. We consider the contribution of the interface-related Rashba term as well as the linear and cubic Dresselhaus terms to the spin splitting. For the coupled quantum wells which bear an inherent structure inversion asymmetry, the same probability density distribution of electron in the two step quantum wells results in a large spin splitting from the interface term. If the widths of the two step quantum wells are different, the electron probability density in the wider step quantum well is considerably higher than that in the narrower one, resulting in the decrease of the spin splitting from the interface term. The results also show that the spin splitting of the coupled quantum well is not significantly larger than that of a step quantum well.

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Interlayer transport of electron in bilayer graphene with phonon-induced lattice distortion in the presence of biased potential He Liang-Ming (何良明) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  017201.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/017201 Abstract ( 962 )   PDF (463KB) ( 746 )   The interlayer transport of electron in bilayer graphene influenced by phonon in the presence of biased potential is investigated using the tight-binding approach. The in-plane optical mode E2g and out-of-plane optical mode B1g associated with the applied biased potential are considered to compute and discuss the interlayer transport probability of an electron initially localized on the bottom layer at the Dirac point in the Brillouin zone. Without the biased potential, the interlayer transport probability is equal to 0.5 regardless of the phonon displacement except for a few special cases. Applying a biased potential to the layers, we find that in different phonon mode the function of the transport probability with respect to applied biased potential and phonon displacement is complex and various, but on the whole the transport probability decreases with the increase in the absolute value of the applied biased potential. These phenomena are discussed in detail in this paper.

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Electrical characteristics of AlInN/GaN HEMTs under cryogenic operation Zhang Xue-Feng (张雪锋), Wang Li (王莉), Liu Jie (刘杰), Wei Lai (魏崃), Xu Jian (许键) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  017202.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/017202 Abstract ( 1199 )   PDF (330KB) ( 2303 )   Electrical properties of AlInN/GaN high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) on a sapphire substrate are investigated in a cryogenic temperature range from 295 K down to 50 K. It is shown that drain saturation current and conductance increase as transistor operation temperature decreases. Self-heating effect is observed over the entire range of temperature under high power consumption. The dependence of channel electron mobility on electron density is investigated in detail. It is found that aside from Coulomb scattering, electrons that have been pushed away from the AlInN/GaN interface into bulk GaN substrate at a large reverse gate voltage are also responsible for the electron mobility drop with the decrease of electron density.

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Modeling of tunneling current in ultrathin MOS structure with interface trap charge and fixed oxide charge Hu Bo (胡波), Huang Shi-Hua (黄仕华), Wu Feng-Min (吴锋民) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  017301.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/017301 Abstract ( 1002 )   PDF (309KB) ( 1417 )   A model based on analysis of self-consistent Poisson-Schrodinger equation is proposed to investigate the tunneling current of electrons in the inversion layer of a p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structure. In this model, the influences of interface trap charge (ITC) at the Si-SiO2 interface and fixed oxide charge (FOC) in the oxide region are taken into account, and one-band effective mass approximation is used. The tunneling probability is obtained by employing the transfer matrix method. Further, the effects of in-plane momentum on the quantization in the electron motion perpendicular to the Si-SiO2 interface of a MOS device are investigated. Theoretical simulation results indicate that both ITC and FOC have great influence on the tunneling current through a MOS structure when their densities are larger than 1012 cm-2, which results from the great change of bound electrons near the Si-SiO2 interface and the oxide region. Therefore, for real ultrathin MOS structures with ITC and FOC, this model can give a more accurate description for tunneling current in the inversion layer.

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High-power SiC MESFET using dual p-buffer layer for S-band power amplifier Deng Xiao-Chuan (邓小川), Sun He (孙鹤), Rao Cheng-Yuan (饶成元), Zhang Bo (张波) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  017302.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/017302 Abstract ( 1115 )   PDF (407KB) ( 756 )   Silicon carbide (SiC) based metal semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET) is fabricated by using a standard SiC MESFET structure with the application of a dual p-buffer layer and a multi-recessed gate to the process for S-band power amplifier. The lower doped upper-buffer layer serves to maintain the channel current, while the higher doped lower-buffer layer is used to provide excellent electron confinement in the channel layer. A 20-mm gate periphery SiC MESFET biased at a drain voltage of 85 V demonstrates a pulsed wave saturated output power of 94 W, a linear gain of 11.7 dB, and a maximum power added efficiency of 24.3% at 3.4 GHz. These results are improved compared with those of the conventional single p-buffer MESFET fabricated in this work using the same process. A radio-frequency power output greater than 4.7 W/mm is achieved, showing the potential as a high-voltage operation device for high-power solid-state amplifier applications.

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Optical conductivity of ABA-stacked trilayer graphene Zhu Guo-Bao (朱国宝), Zhang Peng (章鹏) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  017303.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/017303 Abstract ( 953 )   PDF (240KB) ( 1834 )   In this paper, the optical conductivity of a trilayer graphene is studied using the Kubo-Greenwood formula. We calculate the real part of the diagonal optical conductivity of an ABA-stacked trilayer graphene with different Fermi energies. The optical conductivity arises from interband matrix elements of the electric current operator involving the transitions from the occupied states to the unoccupied ones. We study the dependence of the real part of the diagonal optical conductivity on the photon energy, and the role of the transitions.

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Impact of GaNAs strain compensation layer on the electronic structure of InAs/GaAs quantum dots Song Xin (宋鑫), Feng Hao (冯淏), Liu Yu-Min (刘玉敏), Yu Zhong-Yuan (俞重远), Liu Jian-Tao (刘建涛) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  017304.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/017304 Abstract ( 1012 )   PDF (417KB) ( 884 )   The strain and electron energy levels of InAs/GaAs(001) quantum dots (QDs) with a GaNAs strain compensation layer (SCL) are investigated. The results show that both the hydrostatic and biaxial strain inside the QDs with a GaNAs SCL are reduced compared with those with GaAs capping layers. Moreover, most of the compressive strain in the growth surface is compensated by the tensile strain of the GaNAs SCL, which implies that the influence of the strain environment of underlying QDs upon the next-layer QDs' growth surface is weak and suggests that the homogeneity and density of QDs can be improved. Our results are consistent with the published experimental literature. A GaNAs SCL is shown to influence the strain and band edge. As is known, the strain and the band offset affect the electronic structure, which shows that the SCL is proved to be useful to tailor the emission wavelength of QDs. Our research helps to better understand how the strain compensation technology can be applied to the growth of stacked QDs, which are useful in solar cells and laser devices.

TOPICAL REVIEW—Magnetism, magnetic materials, and interdisciplinary research

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Emergent phenomena in manganites under spatial confinement Shen Jian (沈健), T. Z. Ward, L. F. Yin Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  017501.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/017501 Abstract ( 1286 )   PDF (2047KB) ( 1387 )   It is becoming increasingly clear that the exotic properties displayed by correlated electronic materials such as high- Tc superconductivity in cuprates, colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) in manganites, and heavy-fermion compounds are intimately related to the coexistence of competing nearly degenerate states which couple simultaneously active degrees of freedom–charge, lattice, orbital, and spin states. The striking phenomena associated with these materials are due in a large part to spatial electronic inhomogeneities, or electronic phase separation (EPS). In many of these hard materials, the functionality is a result of the soft electronic component that leads to self-organization. In this paper, we review our recent work on a novel spatial confinement technique that has led to some fascinating new discoveries about the role of EPS in manganites. Using lithographic techniques to confine manganite thin films to length scales of the EPS domains that reside within them, it is possible to simultaneously probe EPS domains with different electronic states. This method allows for a much more complete view of the phases residing in a material and gives vital information on phase formation, movement, and fluctuation. Pushing this trend to its limit, we propose to control the formation process of the EPS using external local fields, which include magnetic exchange field, strain field, and electric field. We term the ability to pattern EPS “electronic nanofabrication.” This method allows us to control the global physical properties of the system at a very fundamental level, and greatly enhances the potential for realizing true oxide electronics.

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Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effects in NaZn13-type La(Fe, Al)13-based compounds Shen Bao-Gen (沈保根), Hu Feng-Xia (胡凤霞), Dong Qiao-Yan (董巧燕), Sun Ji-Rong (孙继荣) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  017502.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/017502 Abstract ( 1150 )   PDF (713KB) ( 1054 )   In this article, our recent progress concerning the effects of atomic substitution, magnetic field, and temperature on the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the LaFe13-xAlx compounds are reviewed. With an increase of the aluminum content, the compounds exhibit successively an antiferromagnetic (AFM) state, a ferromagnetic (FM) state, and a mictomagnetic state. Furthermore, the AFM coupling of LaFe13-xAlx can be converted to an FM one by substituting Si for Al, Co for Fe, and magnetic rare-earth R for La, or introducing interstitial C or H atoms. However, low doping levels lead to FM clusters embedded in an AFM matrix, and the resultant compounds can undergo, under appropriate applied fields, first an AFM-FM and then an FM-AFM phase transition while heated, with significant magnetic relaxation in the vicinity of the transition temperature. The Curie temperature of LaFe13-xAlx can be shifted to room temperature by choosing appropriate contents of Co, C, or H, and a strong magnetocaloric effect can be obtained around the transition temperature. For example, for the LaFe11.5Al1.5C0.2H1.0 compound, the maximal entropy change reaches 13.8 J·kg-1·K-1 for a field change of 0-5 T, occurring around room temperature. It is 42% higher than that of Gd, and therefore, this compound is a promising room-temperature magnetic refrigerant.

CONDENSED MATTER: ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE, ELECTRICAL, MAGNETIC, AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES

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Composition and misfit strain dependence of electrocaloric effect of Pb1-xSrxTiO3 thin films Qiu Jian-Hua (邱建华), Ding Jian-Ning (丁建宁), Yuan Ning-Yi (袁宁一), Wang Xiu-Qin (王秀琴) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  017701.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/017701 Abstract ( 1064 )   PDF (275KB) ( 788 )   A Landau-Devonshire thermodynamic theory is employed to investigate the effects of composition and misfit strain on the room-temperature electrocaloric effect of epitaxial Pb1-xSrxTiO3 thin films. The “temperature-misfit strain” phase diagrams with the Sr composition x of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 are constructed. The introduction of Sr composition reduces the Curie temperature greatly, and enhances the electrocaloric effect. Moreover, the electrocaloric effect largely depends on the misfit strain. Therefore, the Sr composition and the misfit strain can be controlled to obtain the giant room-temperature electrocaloric effect.

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First-principles study on the geometric and electronic structures andphase transition of PbZr1-xTixO3 solid solutions Liu Shi-Yu (刘士余), Shao Qing-Sheng (邵庆生), Yu Da-Shu (余大书), Lü Yue-Kai (吕跃凯), Li De-Jun (李德军), Li Yong (李雍), Cao Mao-Sheng (曹茂盛) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  017702.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/017702 Abstract ( 1017 )   PDF (398KB) ( 1051 )   With first-principles virtual-crystal approximation calculations, we systematically investigate the geometric and electronic structures as well as the phase transition of lead zirconate titanate (PbZr1-xTixO3 or PZT) as a function of Ti content for the whole range of 0 ≤ xTi≤ 1. It can be found that, with the increase of the Ti content, the PbZr1-xTixO3 solid solutions undergo a rhombohedral-to-tetragonal phase transition, which is consistent with the experimental results. In addition, we also show the evolution in geometric and electronic structures of rhombohedral and tetragonal PbZr1-xTixO3 with the increasing content of Ti.

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Roles of V/III ratio and mixture degree in GaN growth: CFD and MD simulation study Zhou An (周安), Xiu Xiang-Qian (修向前), Zhang Rong (张荣), Xie Zi-Li (谢自力), Hua Xue-Mei (华雪梅), Liu Bin (刘斌), Han Ping (韩平), Gu Shu-Lin (顾书林), Shi Yi (施毅), Zheng You-Dou (郑有炓) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  017801.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/017801 Abstract ( 1094 )   PDF (610KB) ( 1397 )   To understand the mechanism of Gallium nitride (GaN) film growth is of great importance for their potential applications. In this paper, we investigate the growth behavior of the GaN film by combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Both of the two simulations show that V/III mixture degree can have important impacts on the deposition behavior, and it is found that the more uniform the mixture is, the better the growth is. Besides, by using MD simulations, we illustrate the whole process of the GaN growth. Furthermore, we also find that the V/III ratio can affect the final roughness of the GaN film. When the V/III ratio is high, the surface of final GaN film is smooth. The present study provides the insights into GaN growth from the macroscopic and microscopic views, which may provide some suggestions on better experimental GaN preparation.

INTERDISCIPLINARY PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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Settling velocity of equiaxed dendrites in a tube Zhou Peng (周鹏), Wang Meng (王猛), Lin Xin (林鑫), Huang Wei-Dong (黄卫东) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  018101.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/018101 Abstract ( 983 )   PDF (350KB) ( 691 )   The settling velocity of equiaxed dendrites can cause macrosegregation and influence the structure of the equiaxed zone during the casting solidification process. So an understanding of the settling characteristics is needed to predict the structure and segregation in castings. The settling velocity of NH4Cl equiaxed dendrites of non-spherical geometry was studied experimentally in an NH4Cl-70wt.%H2O solution. A calculation formula was proposed to calculate the settling velocity of sediment equiaxed dendrites in a tube filling with saturated solution at a moderate Reynolds number region. The retardation effects of wall and morphology of the equiaxed dendrite on the settling velocity were taken into account in the development of the calculation formula, and the correction function B of drag coefficient with consideration of the retardation effects of wall and morphology of the equiaxed dendrite on the settling velocity of the equiaxed dendrite was calibrated according to the experimental results. A comparison showed that the formula has a good accordance with the experimental results.

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Thermodynamic and kinetic study on interfacial reaction and diamond graphitization of Cu–Fe-based diamond composite Li Wen-Sheng (李文生), Zhang Jie (张杰), Dong Hong-Feng (董洪锋), Chu Ke (褚克), Wang Shun-Cai (王顺才), Liu Yi (刘毅), Li Ya-Ming (李亚明) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  018102.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/018102 Abstract ( 1016 )   PDF (1058KB) ( 2420 )   Cu-Fe based diamond composites used for saw-blade segments are directly fabricated by vacuum and pressure-assisted sintering. The carbide forming elements Cr and Ti are added to improve interfacial bonding between diamond and Cu-Fe matrix. The interfacial reactions between diamond/graphite and Cr or Ti, and diamond graphitization are investigated by thermodynamics/kinetics analyses and experimental methods. The results show that interfacial reactions and graphitization of diamond can automatically proceed thermodynamically. The Cr3C2, Cr7C3, Cr23C6, and TiC are formed at the interfaces of composites by reactions between diamond and Cr or Ti; diamond graphitization does not occur because of the kinetic difficulty at 1093 K under the pressure of 13 MPa.

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Three-axis magnetic flux leakage in-line inspection simulation based on finite-element analysis Feng Jian (冯健), Zhang Jun-Feng (张峻峰), Lu Sen-Xiang (卢森骧), Wang Hong-Yang (王宏阳), Ma Rui-Ze (马瑞泽) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  018103.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/018103 Abstract ( 1062 )   PDF (849KB) ( 3687 )   With the increasing of pipelines, the corrosion leakage accidents happen frequently. Therefore, nondestructive testing technology is important for ensuring the safe operation of the pipelines and energy mining. In this paper, the structure and principle of magnetic flux leakage (MFL) in-line inspection system is introduced firstly. Besides, a mathematic model of the system according to ampere circuit rule, flux continuity theorem, and column coordinate transform is built. And the magnetic flux density in every point of space is calculated based on the theory of finite element analysis. Then we analyze and designe the disposition of measurement section probes and sensors combining both three-axis MFL in-line inspection and multi-sensor fusion technology. Its advantage is that the three-axis changes of magnetic flux leakage field are measured by the multi-probes at the same time. So we can determine various defects accurately. Finally, the theory of finite element analysis is used to build a finite element simulation model, and the relationship between defects and MFL inspection signals is studied. Simulation and experiment results verify that the method not only enhance the detection ability to different types of defects but also improve the precision and reliability of the inspection system.

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A simple and accurate method to measure program/erase speed in a memory capacitor structure Jin Lin (金林), Zhang Man-Hong (张满红), Huo Zong-Liang (霍宗亮), Wang Yong (王永), Yu Zhao-An (余兆安), Jiang Dan-Dan (姜丹丹), Chen Jun-Ning (陈军宁), Liu Ming (刘明) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  018501.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/018501 Abstract ( 1021 )   PDF (472KB) ( 768 )   With the merits of simple process and short fabrication period, the capacitor structure provides a convenient way to evaluate memory characteristics of charge trap memory devices. However, the slow minority carrier generation in a capacitor often makes an underestimation of the program/erase speed. In this paper, illumination around a memory capacitor is proposed to enhance the generation of minority carriers so that an accurate measurement of the program/erase speed can be achieved. From the dependence of the inversion capacitance on frequency, a time constant is extracted to quantitatively characterize the formation of the inversion layer. Experimental results show that under a high enough illumination, this time constant is greatly reduced and the measured minority carrier related program/erase speed is in agreement with the reported value in a transistor structure.

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Enhancing UV photosensitivity of ZnO UV nanosensor using electrical stimulation at megahertz frequency Li De-Zhao (李德钊), Zhu Rong (朱荣) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  018502.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/018502 Abstract ( 946 )   PDF (430KB) ( 695 )   We report a novel technique to enhance the ultraviolent (UV) photosensitivity of ZnO nanosensor with ZnO nanowires bridged on micromachined metallic electrodes. The experimental results reveal that the photoconductivity and the time response of the ZnO nanowire sensor with either Schottky or Ohmic contacts are significantly improved by electrifying the nanowire sensors using an alternating current at the frequency of megahertz. An integrated UV sensor incorporating ZnO nanowires with a constant current mode driving circuit is developed, which demonstrates promising sensitivity and time response to UV illumination with a low power consumption.

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Mechanism of amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 removal during chemical mechanical planarization in acidic H2O2 slurry He Ao-Dong (何敖东), Song Zhi-Tang (宋志棠), Liu Bo (刘波), Zhong Min (钟旻), Wang Liang-Yong (王良咏), Lü Ye-Gang (吕业刚), Feng Song-Lin (封松林) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  018503.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/018503 Abstract ( 817 )   PDF (624KB) ( 1068 )   In this paper, chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) of amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 (a-GST) in acidic H2O2 slurry is investigated. It was found that the removal rate of a-GST is strongly dependent on H2O2 concentration and gradually increases with the increase in H2O2 concentration, but static etch rate firstly increases and then slowly decreases with the increase in H2O2 concentration. To understand the chemical reaction behavior of H2O2 on the a-GST surface, potentiodynamic polarization curve, surface morphology and cross-section of a-GST immersed in acidic slurry are measured and the results reveal that a-GST exhibits a from active to passive behavior for from low to high concentration of H2O2. Finally, a possible removal mechanism of a-GST in different concentrations of H2O2 in the acidic slurry is described.

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Improvement of characteristics of InGaN light-emitting diode by using a staggered AlGaN electron-blocking layer Chen Jun (陈峻), Fan Guang-Han (范广涵), Zhang Yun-Yan (张运炎) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  018504.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/018504 Abstract ( 1246 )   PDF (281KB) ( 645 )   The optical and physical properties of InGaN light-emitting diode (LED) with a specific design of staggered AlGaN electron-blocking layer (EBL) are investigated numerically in detail. The electrostatic field distribution, energy band, carrier concentration, electroluminescence (EL) intensity, internal quantum efficiency (IQE), and the output power are simulated. The results reveal that this specific design has a remarkable improvement of optical performance compared with the design of conventional LED. The lower electron leakage current, higher hole injection efficiency, and consequently mitigated efficiency droop are achieved. The significant decrease of electrostatic field at the interface between the last barrier and the EBL of LED could be one of the main reasons for these improvements.

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Bursting synchronization in clustered neuronal networks Yu Hai-Tao (于海涛), Wang Jiang (王江), Deng Bin (邓斌), Wei Xi-Le (魏熙乐) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  018701.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/018701 Abstract ( 857 )   PDF (375KB) ( 648 )   Neuronal networks in the brain exhibit the modular (clustered) property, i.e., they are composed of certain subnetworks with differential internal and external connectivity. We investigate bursting synchronization in a clustered neuronal network. A transition to mutual-phase synchronization takes place on the bursting time scale of coupled neurons, while on the spiking time scale, they behave asynchronously. This synchronization transition can be induced by the variations of inter- and intra-coupling strengths, as well as the probability of random links between different subnetworks. Considering that some pathological conditions are related with the synchronization of bursting neurons in the brain, we analyze the control of bursting synchronization by using a time-periodic external signal in the clustered neuronal network. Simulation results show a frequency locking tongue in the driving parameter plane, where bursting synchronization is maintained, even in the presence of external driving. Hence, effective synchronization suppression can be realized with the driving parameters outside the frequency locking region.

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Erratum to “Coherence resonance in globally coupled neuronal networks with different neuron numbers” Ning Wei-Lian (宁维莲), Zhang Zheng-Zhen (张争珍), Zeng Shang-You (曾上游), Luo Xiao-Shu (罗晓曙), Hu Jin-Lin (胡锦霖), Zeng Shao-Wen (曾绍稳), Qiu Yi (邱怡), Wu Hui-Si (吴慧思) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  018702.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/018702 Abstract ( 1094 )   PDF (153KB) ( 414 )

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Performance improvement of CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells after rapid thermal annealing Chen Dong-Sheng (陈东生), Yang Jie (杨洁), Xu Fei (徐飞), Zhou Ping-Hua (周平华), Du Hui-Wei (杜汇伟), Shi Jian-Wei (石建伟), Yu Zheng-Shan (于征汕), Zhang Yu-Hong (张玉红), Brian Bartholomeusz, Ma Zhong-Quan (马忠权) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  018801.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/018801 Abstract ( 1017 )   PDF (428KB) ( 1977 )   In this paper, we investigated the effect of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) on solar cell performance. An opto-electric conversion efficiency of 11.75% (Voc= 0.64 V, Jsc= 25.88 mA/cm2, FF=72.08%) was obtained under AM 1.5G when the cell was annealed at 300 ℃ for 30 s. The annealed solar cell showed an average absolute efficiency 1.5% higher than that of the as-deposited one. For the microstructure analysis and the physical phase confirmation, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra, front surface reflection (FSR), internal quantum efficiency (IQE), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were respectively applied to distinguish the causes inducing the efficiency variation. All experimental results implied that the RTA eliminated recombination centers at the p-n junction, reduced the surface optical losses, enhanced the blue response of the CdS buffer layer, and improved the ohmic contact between Mo and Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) layers. This leaded to the improved performance of CIGS solar cell.

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Consensus protocol for heterogeneous multi-agent systems: A Markov chain approach Zhu Shan-Ying (朱善迎), Chen Cai-Lian (陈彩莲), Guan Xin-Ping (关新平) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  018901.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/018901 Abstract ( 989 )   PDF (301KB) ( 657 )   This paper deals with the consensus problem for heterogeneous multi-agent systems. Different from most existing consensus protocols, we consider the consensus seeking of two types of agents, namely, active agents and passive agents. The objective is to directly control the active agents such that the states of all the agents would achieve consensus. In order to obtain a computational approach, we subtly introduce an appropriate Markov chain to cast the heterogeneous systems into a unified framework. Such a framework is helpful to tackle the constraints from passive agents. Furthermore, a sufficient and necessary condition is established to guarantee the consensus in the heterogeneous multi-agent systems. Finally, simulation results are provided to verify the theoretical analysis and the effectiveness of the proposed protocol.

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A cellular automata traffic flow modeling of desired speed variability K. Bentaleb, K. Jetto, H. Ez-Zahraouy, A. Benyoussef Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  018902.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/018902 Abstract ( 1095 )   PDF (373KB) ( 1012 )   The satisfaction rate of desired velocity in the case of mixture of fast and slow vehicles is studied by using cellular automaton method. It is found that at low density the satisfaction rate depends on the maximal velocity. However, the behavior of the satisfaction rate as a function of the coefficient of variance is independent of the maximal velocity. This is in good agreement with empirical results obtained by Lipshtat [Phys. Rev. E 79 066110 (2009)]. Furthermore, our numerical result demonstrates that at low density the satisfaction rate takes its higher values, whereas the coefficient of variance is close to zero. The coefficient of variance increases with increasing density, while the satisfaction rate decreases to zero. Moreover, we have also shown that, at low density the coefficient variance depends strongly on the probability of overtaking.

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Rank-based deactivation model for networks with age Wang Xue-Wen (王学文), Yang Guo-Hong (杨国宏), Li Xiao-Lin (李小林), Xu Xin-Jian (许新建) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  018903.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/018903 Abstract ( 1006 )   PDF (568KB) ( 498 )   We study the impact of age on network evolution which couples addition of new nodes and deactivation of old ones. During evolution, each node experiences two stages: active and inactive. The transition from the active state to the inactive one is based on the rank of the node. In this paper, we adopt age as a criterion of ranking, and propose two deactivation models that generalize previous researches. In model A, the older active node possesses the higher rank, whereas in model B, the younger active node takes the higher rank. We make comparative study between the two models through the node-degree distribution.

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Traffic resource allocation for complex networks Ling Xiang (凌翔), Hu Mao-Bin (胡茂彬), Long Jian-Cheng (龙建成), Ding Jian-Xun (丁建勋), Shi Qin (石琴) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (1):  018904.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/1/018904 Abstract ( 1062 )   PDF (285KB) ( 894 )   In this paper, an optimal resource allocation strategy is proposed to enhance traffic dynamics in complex networks. The network resources are the total node packet-delivering capacity and the total link bandwidth. An analytical method is developed to estimate the overall network capacity by using the concept of efficient betweenness (ratio of algorithmic betweenness and local processing capacity). Three network structures (scale-free, small-world, and random networks) and two typical routing protocols (shortest path protocol and efficient routing protocol) are adopted to demonstrate the performance of the proposed strategy. Our results show that the network capacity is reversely proportional to the average path length for a particular routing protocol and the shortest path protocol can achieve the largest network capacity when the proposed resource allocation strategy is adopted.