Table of contents

30 August 2013, Volume 22 Issue 10 Previous issue    Next issue

GENERAL

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A diagrammatic categorification of the fermion algebra Lin Bing-Sheng (林冰生), Wang Zhi-Xi (王志玺), Wu Ke (吴可), Yang Zi-Feng (杨紫峰) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100201.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100201 Abstract ( 782 )   PDF (425KB) ( 449 )   In this paper, we study the diagrammatic categorification of the fermion algebra. We construct a graphical category corresponding to the one-dimensional (1D) fermion algebra, and we investigate the properties of this category. The categorical analogues of the Fock states are some kind of 1-morphisms in our category, and the dimension of the vector space of 2-morphisms is exactly the inner product of the corresponding Fock states. All the results in our categorical framework coincide exactly with those in normal quantum mechanics.

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Approximate derivative-dependent functional variable separation for quasi-linear diffusion equations with a weak source Ji Fei-Yu (吉飞宇), Yang Chun-Xiao (杨春晓) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100202.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100202 Abstract ( 567 )   PDF (203KB) ( 469 )   By using the approximate derivative-dependent functional variable separation approach, we study the quasi-linear diffusion equations with a weak source ut=(A(u)ux)x+∈B(u,ux). A complete classification of these perturbed equations which admit approximate derivative-dependent functional separable solutions is listed. As a consequence, some approximate solutions to the resulting perturbed equations are constructed via examples.

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On certain new exact solutions of the Einstein equations for axisymmetric rotating fields Lakhveer Kaur, R. K. Gupta Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100203.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100203 Abstract ( 757 )   PDF (186KB) ( 553 )   We investigate the Einstein field equations corresponding to the Weyl–Lewis–Papapetrou form for an axisymmetric rotating field by using the classical symmetry method. Using the invariance group properties of the governing system of partial differential equations (PDEs) and admitting a Lie group of point transformations with commuting infinitesimal generators, we obtain exact solutions to the system of PDEs describing the Einstein field equations. Some appropriate canonical variables are characterized that transform the equations at hand to an equivalent system of ordinary differential equations and some physically important analytic solutions of field equations are constructed. Also, the class of axially symmetric solutions of Einstein field equations including the Papapetrou solution as a particular case has been found.

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An element-free Galerkin (EFG) method for numerical solution of the coupled Schrödinger-KdV equations Liu Yong-Qing (刘永庆), Cheng Rong-Jun (程荣军), Ge Hong-Xia (葛红霞) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100204.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100204 Abstract ( 726 )   PDF (841KB) ( 998 )   The present paper deals with the numerical solution of the coupled Schrödinger-KdV equations using the element-free Galerkin (EFG) method which is based on the moving least-square approximation. Instead of traditional mesh oriented methods such as the finite difference method (FDM) and the finite element method (FEM), this method needs only scattered nodes in the domain. For this scheme, a variational method is used to obtain discrete equations and the essential boundary conditions are enforced by the penalty method. In numerical experiments, the results are presented and compared with the findings of the finite element method, the radial basis functions method, and an analytical solution to confirm the good accuracy of the presented scheme.

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A geometric phase for superconducting qubits under the decoherence effect S. Abdel-Khalek, K. Berrada, Mohamed A. El-Sayed, M. Abel-Aty Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100301.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100301 Abstract ( 635 )   PDF (331KB) ( 685 )   We propose a relaxation rate or dissipative cavity-based parameters that can be used as indicators of the stationary limit of a mixed state geometric phase. We perform our considerations for the system of a superconducting qubit in an open transmission line or interacting with a dissipative cavity. This system is very useful for performing an effective quantum computation by exhibiting the long collapse time of the geometric phase. It is shown that the geometric phase in the stationary limit does not depend on interaction time if the decay time exceeds an upper bound.

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Analytic solutions of the double ring-shaped Coulomb potential in quantum mechanics Chen Chang-Yuan (陈昌远), Lu Fa-Lin (陆法林), Sun Dong-Sheng (孙东升), Dong Shi-Hai (董世海) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100302.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100302 Abstract ( 641 )   PDF (234KB) ( 1009 )   The exact solutions of the Schrödinger equation with the double ring-shaped Coulomb potential are presented, including the bound states, continuous states on the “κ/2π scale”, and the calculation formula of the phase shifts. The polar angular wave functions are expressed by constructing the so-called super-universal associated Legendre polynomials. Some special cases are discussed in detail.

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Relativistic treatment of the spin-zero particles subject to the second Pöschl–Teller-like potential Ekele V. Aguda, Amos S. Idowu Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100303.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100303 Abstract ( 739 )   PDF (206KB) ( 425 )   The three-dimensional Klein-Gordon equation is solved for the case of equal vector and scalar second Pöschl–Teller potential by proper approximation of the centrifugal term within the framework of the asymptotic iteration method. Energy eigenvalues and the corresponding wave function are obtained analytically. Eigenvalues are computed numerically for some values of n and l. It is found that the results are in good agreement with the findings of other methods for short-range potential.

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The spin-one Duffin–Kemmer–Petiau equation in the presence of pseudo-harmonic oscillatory ring-shaped potential H. Hassanabadi, M. Kamali Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100304.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100304 Abstract ( 671 )   PDF (188KB) ( 570 )   The Duffin–Kemmer–Petiau equation (DKP) is studied in the presence of a pseudo-harmonic oscillatory ring-shaped potential in (1+3)-dimensional space–time for spin-one particles. The exact energy eigenvalues and the eigenfunctions are obtained using the Nikiforov–Uvarov method.

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Eigen-spectra in the Dirac-attractive radial problem plus a tensor interaction under pseudospin and spin symmetry with the SUSY approach S. Arbabi Moghadam, H. Mehraban, M. Eshghi Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100305.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100305 Abstract ( 665 )   PDF (327KB) ( 461 )   We approximately solve the Dirac equation for attractive radial potential including a Coulomb-like tensor interaction under pseudospin and the spin symmetry limit for any arbitrary spin-orbit quantum number, by employing the supersymmetric (SUSY) quantum mechanics and supersymmetric shape invariance technique. We obtain the energy eigenvalue equation under the pseudospin and spin conditions. Some numerical results are compared with those obtained by the Nikiforove-Uvarov (NU) method.

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Quantum correlation of a three-particle W-class state under quantum decoherence Xu Peng (许鹏), Wang Dong (王栋), Ye Liu (叶柳) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100306.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100306 Abstract ( 836 )   PDF (338KB) ( 925 )   We investigate the quantum characteristics of a three-particle W-class state and reveal the relationship between quantum discord and quantum entanglement under decoherence. We can also identify the state for which discord takes a maximal value for a given decoherence factor, and present a strong bound on quantum entanglement–quantum discord. In contrast, a striking result will be obtained that the quantum discord is not always stronger than the entanglement of formation in the case of decoherence. Furthermore, we also theoretically study the variation trend of the monogamy of quantum correlations for the three-particle W-class state under the phase flip channel, and find that the three-particle W-class state could transform from polygamous into monogamous, owing to the decoherence.

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Enhanced electron–positron pair creation by the frequency chirped laser pulse Jiang Min (姜敏), Xie Bai-Song (谢柏松), Sang Hai-Bo (桑海波), Li Zi-Liang (李子良) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100307.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100307 Abstract ( 680 )   PDF (1665KB) ( 470 )   Based on the quantum Vlasov equation, the effect of frequency chirp on electron-positron pair production is investigated. The cycle parameter, which characterizes the laser field cycle degree within the pulse, is also considered. In both supercycle and subcycle laser pulses the frequency chirp can greatly enhance the momentum distribution function of created pairs and the pair number density. The pair number density created by a supercycle laser pulse is larger than that by a subcycle pulse under the same laser frequency and chirping. There exists an optimal cycle parameter corresponding to the maximum value of the created pair number density for different chirp rates. It is found that the pair number density is sensitive/insensitive to chirping rate when the cycle parameter lies below/above the optimal one.

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Generation of steady four-atom decoherence-free states via quantum-jump-based feedback Wu Qi-Cheng (吴奇成), Ji Xin (计新) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100308.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100308 Abstract ( 576 )   PDF (419KB) ( 418 )   A scheme is presented for generating steady four-atom decoherence-free states via four atoms with the Raman level configuration interacting with a single-mode vacuum cavity field by using quantum-jump-based feedback. The scheme meets the condition of a strongly dissipative cavity easily and has a simplified feedback control. Although the spontaneous emission still plays a negative role in the proposed system, we can improve the feedback control to reduce its effect.

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Bound entanglement and teleportation for arbitrary bipartite systems Fan Jiao (范姣), Zhao Hui (赵慧) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100309.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100309 Abstract ( 653 )   PDF (186KB) ( 428 )   We construct bound entangled states that are entangled but from which no entanglement can be distilled if all parties are allowed only by performing local operations and classical communications. Moreover, as applications, a detailed example is presented. This example can illuminate that the fidelity of transmission using a bound entangled state is not bigger than a classical scheme.

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Transport dynamics of an interacting binary Bose–Einstein condensate in an incommensurate optical lattice Cui Guo-Dong (崔国栋), Sun Jian-Fang (孙剑芳), Jiang Bo-Nan (姜伯楠), Qian Jun (钱军), Wang Yu-Zhu (王育竹) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100501.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100501 Abstract ( 564 )   PDF (2091KB) ( 522 )   We investigate the transport dynamics of an interacting binary Bose-Einstein condensate in an incommensurate optical lattice and predict a novel splitting of a matter wavepacket induced by disorder potential and inter–species interaction. The effect of atomic interaction on the dynamics of the mobile and localized atoms are also studied in detail. We also discuss the behavior of the balanced and inbalanced mixtures in the incommensurate optical lattice.

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Reliability of linear coupling synchronization of hyperchaotic systems with unknown parameters Li Fan (李凡), Wang Chun-Ni (王春妮), Ma Jun (马军) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100502.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100502 Abstract ( 627 )   PDF (1303KB) ( 576 )   Complete synchronization could be reached between some chaotic and/or hyperchaotic systems under linear coupling. More generally, the conditional Lyapunov exponents are often calculated to confirm the stability of synchronization and reliability of linear controllers. In this paper, detailed proof and measurement of the reliability of linear controllers are given by constructing a Lyapunov function in the exponential form. It is confirmed that two hyperchaotic systems can reach complete synchronization when two linear controllers are imposed on the driven system unidirectionally and the unknown parameters in the driving systems are estimated completely. Finally, it gives the general guidance to reach complete synchronization under linear coupling for other chaotic and hyperchaotic systems with unknown parameters.

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Synchronization for complex dynamical Lurie networks Zhang Xiao-Jiao (张晓娇), Cui Bao-Tong (崔宝同) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100503.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100503 Abstract ( 471 )   PDF (366KB) ( 516 )   This paper investigates the synchronization problem for two different complex dynamical Lurie networks. The first one is with constant coupling and the second one is with constant coupling and discrete-delay coupling. Based on contraction theory and matrix measure properties, some new delay-independent synchronization conditions depending on coupling strength and network topology are proposed. Finally, simulation results are presented to support the theoretical results.

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Robust modified projective synchronization of fractional-order chaotic systems with parameters perturbation and external disturbance Wang Dong-Feng (王东风), Zhang Jin-Ying (张金营), Wang Xiao-Yan (王晓燕) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100504.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100504 Abstract ( 821 )   PDF (701KB) ( 773 )   Based on fractional-order Lyapunov stability theory, this paper provides a novel method to achieve robust modified projective synchronization of two uncertain fractional-order chaotic systems with external disturbance. Simulation of the fractional-order Lorenz chaotic system and fractional-order Chen’s chaotic system with both parameters uncertainty and external disturbance show the applicability and the efficiency of the proposed scheme.

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Four-cluster chimera state in non-locally coupled phase oscillator systems with an external potential Zhu Yun (朱云), Zheng Zhi-Gang (郑志刚), Yang Jun-Zhong (杨俊忠) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100505.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100505 Abstract ( 746 )   PDF (1396KB) ( 938 )   Dynamics of a one-dimensional array of non-locally coupled Kuramoto phase oscillators with an external potential is studied. A four-cluster chimera state is observed for the moderate strength of the external potential. Different from the clustered chimera states studied before, the instantaneous frequencies of the oscillators in a synchronized cluster are different in the presence of the external potential. As the strength of the external potential increases, a bifurcation from the two-cluster chimera state to the four-cluster chimera states can be found. These phenomena are well predicted analytically with the help of the Ott–Antonsen ansatz.

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Chaos synchronization of a chain network based on a sliding mode control Liu Shuang (柳爽), Chen Li-Qun (陈立群) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100506.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100506 Abstract ( 761 )   PDF (397KB) ( 666 )   A sliding mode control approach is proposed to implement the synchronization of the chain tree network. The double-scroll circuit chaos systems are treated as nodes and the network is constructed with the state variable coupling. By selecting a switching sliding surface, the chaos synchronization of the network is achieved with one control input only. The stability analysis and the numerical simulations demonstrate that the complete synchronization in a chain network can be realized for all nodes.

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Trial function method and exact solutions to the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation with time-dependent coefficient Cao Rui (曹瑞), Zhang Jian (张健) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100507.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100507 Abstract ( 768 )   PDF (176KB) ( 2285 )   In this paper, the trial function method is extended to study the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation with time-dependent coefficients. On the basis of a generalized traveling wave transformation and a trial function, we investigate the exact envelope traveling wave solutions of the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation with time-dependent coefficients. Taking advantage of solutions to trial function, we successfully obtain exact solutions for the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation with time-dependent coefficients under constraint conditions.

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Phase diagrams of spin-3/2 Ising model in the presence of random crystal field within the effective field theory based on two approximations Ali Yigit, Erhan Albayrak Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100508.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100508 Abstract ( 749 )   PDF (495KB) ( 496 )   The bimodal random crystal field (Δ) effects are investigated on the phase diagrams of spin-3/2 Ising model by using the effective-field theory with correlations based on two approximations: the general van der Waerden identity and the approximated van der Waerden identity. In our approach, the crystal field is either turned on or turned off randomly for a given probability p or q=1-p, respectively. Then the phase diagrams are constructed on the (Δ, kT/J) and (p, kT/J) planes for given p and Δ, respectively, when the coordination number is z=3. Furthermore, the effect of randomization of the crystal field is illustrated on the (Δ, kT/J) plane for p=0.5 when z=3, 4, and 6. All these are carried out for both approximations and then the results are compared to point out the differences. In addition to the lines of second-order phase transitions, the model also exhibits first-order phase transitions and the lines of which terminate at the isolated critical points for high p values.

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MEH-PPV/Alq3-based bulk heterojunction photodetector Zubair Ahmad, Mahdi Hasan Suhail, Issam Ibrahim Muhammad, Wissam Khayer Al-Rawi, Khaulah Sulaiman, Qayyum Zafar, Ahmad Sazali Hamzah, Zurina Shaameri Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100701.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100701 Abstract ( 625 )   PDF (603KB) ( 1930 )   In this paper, we present the effect of varied illumination levels on the electrical properties of the organic blend bulk heterojuction (BHJ) photodiode. To prepare the BHJ blend, poly(2-methoxy-5(2’-ethylhexyloxy) phenylenevinylene (MEH-PPV) and aluminum-tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) (Alq3) are used as donor and acceptor materials, respectively. In order to fabricate the photodiode, a 40-nm thick film of poly(3, 4-ethylendioxythiophene):poly(styrensulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is primarily deposited on a cleaned ITO coated glass substrate by spin coating technique. The organic photosensitive blend is later spun coated on the PEDOT:PSS layer, followed by the lithium fluoride (LiF) and aluminium (Al) thin films deposition by thermal evaporation. The optical properties of the MEH-PPV:Alq3 blend thin films are investigated using photoluminescence (PL) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The photodiode shows good photo-current response as a function of variable illumination levels. The responsivity value ～ 8 mA/W at 3 V is found and the ratio of photo-current to dark current (IPh/IDark) is found to be 1.24.

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Multi-rate sensor fusion-based adaptive discrete finite-time synergetic control for flexible-joint mechanical systems Xue Guang-Yue (薛广月), Ren Xue-Mei (任雪梅), Xia Yuan-Qing (夏元清) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100702.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100702 Abstract ( 752 )   PDF (1009KB) ( 703 )   This paper proposes an adaptive discrete finite-time synergetic control (ADFTSC) scheme based on a multi-rate sensor fusion estimator for flexible-joint mechanical systems in the presence of unmeasured states and dynamic uncertainties. Multi-rate sensors are employed to observe the system states which cannot be directly obtained by encoders due to the existence of joint flexibilities. By using an extended Kalman filter (EKF), the finite-time synergetic controller is designed based on a sensor fusion estimator which estimates states and parameters of the mechanical system with multi-rate measurements. The proposed controller can guarantee the finite-time convergence of tracking errors by the theoretical derivation. Simulation and experimental studies are included to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

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Analysis of influence of RF power and buffer gas pressure on sensitivity of optically pumped cesium magnetometer Shi Rong-Ye (石荣晔), Wang Yan-Hui (王延辉) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  100703.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/100703 Abstract ( 796 )   PDF (321KB) ( 644 )   A further study is conducted on two factors which respectively influence the sensitivity of optically pumped cesium magnetometer (CsOPM). The influence of radio frequency (RF) power and the buffer gas pressure on the sensitivity is theoretically analyzed, and some properties are predicted. Based on the established measurement system and the visible Zeeman spectrum, not only is the real influence of these factors studied, but also, under our experimental condition, optimum parameters based on the measured curves are ascertained. The properties of these measured curves match the theoretical result very well. Our research attempts to provide theory reference to help magnetometer designers determine optimum parameters under certain conditions.

ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS

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Translational, vibrational, rotational enhancements and alignments of reactions H+ClF (v=0–5, j=0, 3, 6, 9) →HCl+F and HF+Cl,at Erel=0.5–20 kcal/mol Victor Wei-Keh Chao(Wu) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  103101.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/103101 Abstract ( 657 )   PDF (1721KB) ( 464 )   Quasi-classical trajectory calculations of the title reactions H+ClF (v=0–5, j=0,3,6,9)→HCl+F and H+ClF (v=0-5, j=0,3,6,9)→HF+Cl at Erel=0.5 kcal/mol–20 kcal/mol on ground potential energy surface DHTSN of 1 2A0 [M. P. Deskevich, M. Y. Hayes, K. Takahashi, R. T. Skodje and D. J. Nesbitt, J. Chem. Phys. 124, 224303 (2006)] are performed. Potential energy surfaces derived from DHTSN for the title reactions are obtained, and compared with that of DHTSN for the reaction F+HCl→HF+Cl. Both potential energy surfaces have an early barrier pattern. Integral cross sections and alignments of product molecules HCl and HF dependent on the internal energy states v and j of reactant molecule ClF are obtained and compared. Translational, vibrational, and rotational energy specific translational enhancements of the reactant molecule ClF of the title reactions are found. Reaction mechanisms of the title reactions according to the respective potential energy contours are further found and explained. Reasons of simultaneous translational and vibrational enhancements are clarified.

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Further investigations of the low-lying electronic states of AsO+ radical Zhu Zun-Lue (朱遵略), Qiao Hao (乔浩), Lang Jian-Hua (郎建华), Sun Jin-Feng (孙金锋) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  103102.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/103102 Abstract ( 763 )   PDF (379KB) ( 644 )   The high level quantum chemistry ab inito multi-reference configuration interaction (MRCI) method with large V5Z basis set is used to calculate the spectroscopic properties of the 15 Λ-S electronic states (X1Σ+, A1Π, 1Δ, 1Σ-, 3Σ+, 3Π, 3Δ, 3Σ-, 5Σ+, 5Π, 5Δ, 1Π (II), 5Σ+ (II), 1Π (III), and 1Π (IV)) of AsO+ radical correlated to the dissociation limit As+(3Pg)+O(3Pg) and As+(1Dg)+O(1Dg). In order to obtain better potential curves and more accurate spectroscopic properties, the Davidson modification is taken into account. With the potential energy curves (PECs) determined here, vibrational levels G(v) and inertial rotation constants Bv are computed for all the bound electronic states when the rotational quantum number J equals zero (J=0). Except for the states X1Σ+, A1Π, it is the first time that the multi-reference configuration calculation has been used on the 13 Λ-S electronic states of the AsO+ radical. The potential energy curves of all the Λ-S electronic states are depicted according to the avoided crossing rule of the same symmetry. Spin-orbit coupling effect (SOC) is introduced into the states X1Σ+, A1Π, 3Π to consider its effects on the spectroscopic properties. Transition dipole moments (TDMs) from A1Π1,3Π1 states to the ground state X1Σ0++ are predicted as well.

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Time-dependent density functional theoretical studies on the photo-induced dynamics of an HCl molecule encapsulated in C60 under femtosecond laser pulses Liu Dan-Dan (刘丹丹), Zhang Hong (张红) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  103103.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/103103 Abstract ( 612 )   PDF (2349KB) ( 1028 )   By using first-principles simulations based on time-dependent density functional theory, the chemical reaction of an HCl molecule encapsulated in C60 induced by femtosecond laser pulses is observed. The H atom starts to leave the Cl atom and is reflected by the C60 wall. The coherent nuclear dynamic behaviors of bond breakage and recombination of the HCl molecule occurring in both polarized parallel and perpendicular to the H–Cl bond axis are investigated. The radial oscillation is also found in the two polarization directions of the laser pulse. The relaxation time of the H–Cl bond lengths in transverse polarization is slow in comparison with that in longitudinal polarization. Those results are important for studying the dynamics of the chemical bond at an atomic level.

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Control of the photoionization/photodissociation processes of cyclopentanone with trains of femtosecond laser pulses Song Yao-Dong (宋耀东), Chen Zhou (陈洲), Yang Xue (杨雪), Sun Chang-Kai (孙长凯), Zhang Cong-Cong (张丛丛), Hu Zhan (胡湛) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  103301.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/103301 Abstract ( 606 )   PDF (583KB) ( 382 )   A train of three equally spaced femtosecond laser pulses is employed to control the photoionization/photodissociation processes of cyclopentanone. With the increase of pulse separation, a strong modulation of product ion yield is observed. More than ten-fold changes of ion yield ratio between different products can be realized. The experimental observations further explain the compositions and formation pathways of peaks in the mass spectra. The controlling mechanisms are also discussed.

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The effect of wave function orthogonality on the simultaneous ionization and excitation of helium Liu Li-Juan (刘丽娟), Jia Chang-Chun (贾昌春), Zhang Li-Min (张立民), Chen Jiao-Jiao (陈姣姣), Chen Zhang-Jin (陈长进) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  103401.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/103401 Abstract ( 626 )   PDF (277KB) ( 517 )   Within the framework of the first-order Born approximation, the triple differential cross sections (TDCSs) for simultaneous ionization and excitation of helium are calculated. The wave function of the ejected electron is chosen to be orthogonal or non-orthogonal to the wave function of the bound electron before ionization. It is found that the orthogonality has a strong effect on the TDCS, especially when plane waves and Coulomb waves are used to describe the projectile and the ejected electron.

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Multiple ionization of atoms and molecules impacted by very high-q fast projectiles in the strong coupling regime (q/v >1) Zhou Man (周满), Zou Xian-Rong (邹贤容), Zhao Lei (赵磊), Chen Xi-Meng (陈熙萌), Wang Shi-Yao (王诗尧), Zhou Wang (周旺), Shao Jian-Xiong (邵剑雄) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  103402.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/103402 Abstract ( 623 )   PDF (343KB) ( 467 )   In this paper, we present a simple theoretical approach to calculate the multiple ionization of big atoms and molecules induced by very high-q fast projectiles in a strong coupling regime (q/v >1). The results obtained from this approach are in excellent agreement with the available experimental data. A probable scenario of molecular multiple ionization by fast and very high-q projectiles is discussed. The very small computational time required here and the good agreement with the existing experimental data make it a good candidate for studying the multiple ionization of complex molecules under high linear energy transfers.

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Kr L X-ray and Au M X-ray emission for 1.5 MeV–3.9 MeV Kr13+ ions impacting on an Au target Mei Ce-Xiang (梅策香), Zhang Xiao-An (张小安), Zhao Yong-Tao (赵永涛), Zhou Xian-Ming (周贤明), Ren Jie-Ru (任洁茹), Wang Xing (王兴), Lei Yu (雷瑜), Sun Yuan-Bo (孙渊博), Cheng Rui (程锐), Wang Yu-Yu (王瑜玉), Liang Chang-Hui (梁昌慧), Li Yao-Zong (李耀宗), Xiao Guo-Qing (肖国青) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  103403.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/103403 Abstract ( 860 )   PDF (553KB) ( 441 )   Kr L X-ray and Au M X-ray emission for Kr13+ ions with energies of 1.5 MeV and 3.9 MeV impacting on an Au target are investigated at heavy ion research facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL). The L-shell X-ray yield per ion of Kr is measured as a function of incident energy. In addition, Kr L X-ray production cross section is extracted from the yield and compared with the result obtained from the classical binary-encounter approximation (BEA) model. Furthermore, the intensity ratio of the Au Mβ3 to Mα1 X-ray is investigated as a function of incident energy.

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Experiments on trapping ytterbium atoms in optical lattices Hot! Zhou Min (周敏), Chen Ning (陈宁), Zhang Xiao-Hang (张晓航), Huang Liang-Yu (黄良玉), Yao Mao-Fei (姚茂飞), Tian Jie (田洁), Gao Qi (高琪), Jiang Hai-Ling (蒋海灵), Tang Hai-Yao (唐海瑶), Xu Xin-Ye (徐信业) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  103701.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/103701 Abstract ( 887 )   PDF (590KB) ( 540 )   Experiments on trapping ytterbium atoms in various optical lattices are presented. After the two-stage cooling, first in a blue magneto–optical trap and then in a green magneto–optical trap, the ultracold 171Yb atoms are successfully loaded into one-, two-, and three-dimensional optical lattices operating at the Stark-free wavelength, respectively. The temperature, number, and lifetime of cold 171Yb atoms in one-dimensional lattice are measured. After optimization, the one-dimensional lattice with cold 171Yb atoms is used for developing an ytterbium optical clock.

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

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Flat lenses constructed by graded negative index-based photonic crystals with tuned configurations Jin Lei (晋蕾), Zhu Qing-Yi (朱清溢), Fu Yong-Qi (付永启), Yu Wei-Xing (鱼卫星) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104101.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104101 Abstract ( 728 )   PDF (692KB) ( 617 )   Flat lenses are designed by means of graded negative refractive index-based photonic crystals (PCs) constructed using air-holes tuned with different shapes. By gradually modifying the filling factor along the transverse direction, we obtain the graded negative index-based lenses for the purpose of focusing an incident plane wave. The finite-difference and time-domain (FDTD) algorithm is adopted for numerical calculation. Our calculation results indicate that these lenses can finely focus incident plane waves. Moreover, for the same size of air-holes, the focusing properties of the lens with rectangular air-holes are better than those with the other shaped air-holes. The graded negative index PCs lenses could possibly enable new applications in optoelectronic systems.

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The Wigner distribution function of a super Lorentz–Gauss SLG11 beam through a paraxial ABCD optical system Zhou Yi-Min (周益民), Zhou Guo-Quan (周国泉) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104201.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104201 Abstract ( 622 )   PDF (1257KB) ( 468 )   An orthonormal beam family of super Lorentz–Gauss (SLG) beam model is proposed to describe the higher-order mode beams with high divergence, which are generated by a high power diode laser. Here we consider the simplest case of the SLG beams, where there are four mutually orthogonal SLG beams, namely SLG00, SLG01, SLG10, and SLG11 beams. The SLG00 beam is just the Lorentz–Gauss beam. Based on the Collins integral formula and the Hermite-Gaussian expansion of a Lorentz function, an analytical expression for the Wigner distribution function (WDF) of an SLG11 beam through a paraxial ABCD optical system is derived. The properties of the WDF of an SLG11 beam propagating in free space are demonstrated. The normalized WDFs of an SLG11 beam at the different spatial points are depicted in several observation planes. The influence of the beam parameter on the WDF of an SLG11 beam in free space is analyzed at different propagation distances. The second-order moments of the WDF of an SLG11 beam in free space are also examined. This research reveals the propagation properties of an SLG11 beam from another perspective. The WDFs of SLG01 and SLG10 beams can be easily obtained by using the WDFs of Lorentz–Gauss beam and the SLG11 beam.

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An improved deconvolution method for X-ray coded imaging in inertial confinement fusion Zhao Zong-Qing (赵宗清), He Wei-Hua (何卫华), Wang Jian (王剑), Hao Yi-Dan (郝轶丹), Cao Lei-Feng (曹磊峰), Gu Yu-Qiu (谷渝秋), Zhang Bao-Han (张保汉) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104202.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104202 Abstract ( 748 )   PDF (444KB) ( 613 )   In inertial confinement fusion (ICF), X-ray coded imaging is considered as the most potential means to diagnose the compressed core. The traditional Richardson–Lucy (RL) method has a strong ability to deblur the image where the noise follows the Poisson distribution. However, it always suffers from over-fitting and noise amplification, especially when the signal-to-noise ratio of image is relatively low. In this paper, we propose an improved deconvolution method for X-ray coded imaging. We model the image data as a set of independent Gaussian distributions and derive the iterative solution with a maximum-likelihood scheme. The experimental results on X-ray coded imaging data demonstrate that this method is superior to the RL method in terms of anti-overfitting and noise suppression.

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Phase grating in a doubly degenerate four-level system Liu Yun (刘云), Wang Pu (王朴), Peng Shuang-Yan (彭双艳) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104203.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104203 Abstract ( 746 )   PDF (671KB) ( 413 )   In this paper, we suggest a doubly degenerate four-level system, in which the transition takes place between the hyperfine energy 52S1/2 F=1 and 52P3/2 F=2 in rubidium 87 D2 line, for studying atomic phase grating based on the cross-Kerr and phase conjugation effects. The phase grating with high efficiency can be obtained by tuning phase shift Φ between the coupling and probe field, when the coupling intensity is much stronger than the strength of probe field. Under different coupling intensities, a high diffraction efficiency can be maintained. A new and simple way of implementing phase grating is presented. However, in such an atomic system, two main limitations must be taken into account. First, the independence between steady state probe susceptibility and the coupling intensity, when the population decay rate is larger than the Rabi frequency of the coupling field, cannot result in diffraction grating; second, the sample to be prepared should not be too long.

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Curved surface effect and emission on silicon nanostructures Huang Wei-Qi (黄伟其), Yin Jun (尹君), Zhou Nian-Jie (周年杰), Huang Zhong-Mei (黄忠梅), Miao Xin-Jian (苗信建), Cheng Han-Qiong (陈汉琼), Su Qin (苏琴), Liu Shi-Rong (刘世荣), Qin Chao-Jian (秦朝建) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104204.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104204 Abstract ( 664 )   PDF (1213KB) ( 989 )   The curved surface (CS) effect on nanosilicon plays a main role in the activation for emission and photonic manipulation. The CS effect breaks the symmetrical shape of nanosilicon on which some bonds can produce localized electron states in the band gap. The investigation in calculation and experiment demonstrates that the different curvatures can form the characteristic electron states for some special bonding on the nanosilicon surface, which are related to a series of peaks in photoluminecience (PL), such as LN, LNO, LO1, and LO2 lines in PL spectra due to Si–N, Si–NO, Si=O, and Si–O–Si bonds on curved surface, respectively. Si–Yb bond on curved surface of Si nanostructures can provide the localized states in the band gap deeply and manipulate the emission wavelength into the window of optical communication by the CS effect, which is marked as the LYb line of electroluminescence (EL) emission.

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An all-polarization-maintaining repetition-tunable erbium-doped passively mode-locked fiber laser Zhao Guang-Zhen (赵光贞), Xiao Xiao-Sheng (肖晓晟), Meng Fei (孟飞), Mei Jia-Wei (梅佳伟), Yang Chang-Xi (杨昌喜) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104205.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104205 Abstract ( 1043 )   PDF (492KB) ( 1774 )   An environmentally stable, repetition rate tunable, all-polarization-maintaining, Er-doped pulse fiber laser with a single-wall carbon nanotubes saturated absorber is demonstrated. The ring laser cavity includes a delay line enabling a tunable repetition rate to vary from 35.52 MHz to 35.64 MHz with continuous mode-locked operation. The laser output parameters confirm that the tunable mode-locked operations are stable. High environmental stability is also confirmed by the-130 dBc/Hz low phase noise, a 70-dB signal-to-noise ratio of radio frequency signals, a low amplitude fluctuation of 5.76×10-4, and a low fluctuation of repetition rate of 12 Hz. The laser shows a high degree of polarization of 93%.

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A mode-locked external-cavity quantum-dot laser with a variable repetition rate Hot! Wu Jian (吴剑), Jin Peng (金鹏), Li Xin-Kun (李新坤), Wei Heng (魏恒), Wu Yan-Hua (吴艳华), Wang Fei-Fei (王飞飞), Chen Hong-Mei (陈红梅), Wu Ju (吴巨), Wang Zhan-Guo (王占国) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104206.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104206 Abstract ( 689 )   PDF (292KB) ( 1673 )   A mode-locked external-cavity laser emitting at 1.17-μm wavelength using an InAs/GaAs quantum-dot gain medium and a discrete semiconductor saturable absorber mirror is demonstrated. By changing the external-cavity length, repetition rates of 854, 912, and 969 MHz are achieved respectively. The narrowest-3-dB radio-frequency linewidth obtained is 38 kHz, indicating that the laser is under stable mode-locking operation.

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The dependence on optical energy of terahertz emission from air plasma induced by two-color femtosecond laser-pulses Wu Si-Qing (吴四清), Liu Jin-Song (刘劲松), Wang Sheng-Lie (汪盛烈), Hu Bing (胡兵) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104207.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104207 Abstract ( 699 )   PDF (321KB) ( 635 )   The generation of terahertz (THz) emission from air plasma induced by two-color femtosecond laser pulses is studied on the basis of a transient photocurrent model. While the gas is ionized by the two-color femtosecond laser-pulses composed of the fundamental and its second harmonic, a non-vanishing directional photoelectron current emerges, radiating a THz electromagnetic pulse. The gas ionization processes at three different laser-pulse energies are simulated, and the corresponding THz waveforms and spectra are plotted. The results demonstrate that, by keeping the laser-pulse width and the relative phase between two pulses invariant when the laser energy is at a moderate value, the emitted THz fields are significantly enhanced with a near-linear dependence on the optical energy.

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Optical bistability induced by quantum coherence in a negative index atomic medium Zhang Hong-Jun (张红军), Guo Hong-Ju (郭洪菊), Sun Hui (孙辉), Li Jin-Ping (李金萍), Yin Bao-Yin (尹宝银) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104208.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104208 Abstract ( 783 )   PDF (289KB) ( 533 )   Bistability behaviors in an optical ring cavity filled with a dense V-type four-level atomic medium are theoretically investigated. It is found that the optical bistability can appear in the negative refraction frequency band, while both the bistability and multi-stability can occur in the positive refraction frequency bands. Therefore, optical bistability can be realized from conventional material to negative index material due to quantum coherence in our scheme.

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The mobility of nonlocal solitons in fading optical lattices Dai Zhi-Ping (戴志平), Ling Xiao-Hui (凌晓辉), Wang You-Wen (王友文), You Kai-Ming (游开明) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104209.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104209 Abstract ( 782 )   PDF (593KB) ( 406 )   We study the soliton mobility in nonlocal nonlinear media with an imprinted fading optical lattice. The results show that the transverse mobility of solitons varies with the lattice decay rate and the nonlocality degree, which provides an opportunity for all-optical control of light.

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The influence of smoothing by spectral dispersion on the beam characteristics in the near field Fan Xin-Min (樊心民), Lü Zhi-Wei (吕志伟), Lin Dian-Yang (林殿阳), Wang Yu-Lei (王雨雷) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104210.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104210 Abstract ( 645 )   PDF (284KB) ( 404 )   The influences of SSD on the beam characteristics in the near field are investigated. Results show that if the SSD parameters are increased, the laser intensity modulation increases while fluence modulation decreases, which is attributed to the temporal and spatial variation of the SSD pulse phase. The variations of intensity and fluence modulations with the SSD parameters are given. The simulation results are presented along with a method for choosing appropriate SSD parameters according to the variations and the requirements of applications.

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Characteristics of photonic bands generated by quadrangular multiconnected networks Luo Rui-Fang (罗瑞芳), Yang Xiang-Bo (杨湘波), Lu Jian (卢剑), Liu Timon Cheng-Yi (刘承宜) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104211.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104211 Abstract ( 660 )   PDF (800KB) ( 475 )   In this paper, by means of the network equation and generalized dimensionless Floquet-Bloch theorem, we study the influences of the number of connected waveguide segments (NCWS) between adjacent nodes and the matching ratio of waveguide length (MRWL) on the photonic bands generated by quadrangular multiconnected networks (QMNs), and obtain a series of formulae. It is found that multicombining networks (MCNs) and repetitive combining networks (RCNs) are equivalent to each other and they can all be simplified into the simplest fundamental combining systems. It would be useful for adjusting the number, widths, and positions of photonic bands, and would possess potential applications for the designing of all-optical devices and photonic network devices.

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Optical phase front control in a metallic grating with equally spaced alternately tapered slits Zheng Gai-Ge (郑改革), Wu Yi-Gen (吴义根), Xu Lin-Hua (徐林华) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104212.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104212 Abstract ( 580 )   PDF (3530KB) ( 653 )   A technique capable of focusing and bending electromagnetic (EM) waves through plasmonic gratings with equally spaced alternately tapered slits has been introduced. Phase resonances are observed in the optical response of transmission gratings, and the EM wave passes through the tuning slits in the form of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and obtains the required phase retardation to focus at the focal plane. The bending effect is achieved by constructing an asymmetric phase front which results from the tapered slits and gradient refractive index (GRIN) distribution of the dielectric material. Rigorous electromagnetic analysis by using the two-dimensional (2D) finite difference time domain (FDTD) method is employed to verify our proposed designs. When the EM waves are incident at an angle on the optical axis, the beam splitting effect can also be achieved. These index-modulated slits are demonstrated to have unique advantages in beam manipulation compared with the width-modulated ones. In combination with previous studies, it is expected that our results could lead to the realization of optimum designs for plasmonic nanolenses.

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A high figure of merit localized surface plasmon sensor based on a gold nanograting on the top of a gold planar film Zhang Zu-Yin (张祖银), Wang Li-Na (王立娜), Hu Hai-Feng (胡海峰), Li Kang-Wen (李康文), Ma Xun-Peng (马勋鹏), Song Guo-Feng (宋国峰) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104213.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104213 Abstract ( 669 )   PDF (1548KB) ( 606 )   We investigate the sensitivity and figure of merit (FOM) of a localized surface plasmon (LSP) sensor with gold nanograting on the top of planar metallic film. The sensitivity of the localized surface plasmon sensor is 317 nm/RIU, and the FOM is predicted to be above 8, which is very high for a localized surface plasmon sensor. By employing the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) method, we analyze the distribution of the magnetic field and find that the sensing property of our proposed system is attributed to the interactions between the localized surface plasmon around the gold nanostrips and the surface plasmon polarition on the surface of the gold planar metallic film. These findings are important for developing high FOM localized surface plasmon sensors.

TOPICAL REVIEW—Magnetism, magnetic materials, and interdisciplinary research

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Magnetic microbubble：A biomedical platform co-constructed from magnetics and acoustics Yang Fang (杨芳), Gu Zhu-Xiao (顾竹笑), Jin Xin (金熙), Wang Hao-Yao (王皓瑶), Gu Ning (顾宁) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104301.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104301 Abstract ( 908 )   PDF (1326KB) ( 1147 )   Generation of magnetic micrbubbles and their basic magnetic and acoustic mechanism are reviewed. The ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance (MR) dual imaging, the controlled therapeutic delivery, as well as theranostic multifunctions are all introduced based on recent research results. Some on-going research is also discussed.

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

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A necessary and sufficient condition for transforming autonomous systems into linear autonomous Birkhoffian systems Cui Jin-Chao (崔金超), Liu Shi-Xing (刘世兴), Song Duan (宋端) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104501.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104501 Abstract ( 684 )   PDF (202KB) ( 383 )   The problem of transforming autonomous systems into Birkhoffian systems is studied. A reasonable form of linear autonomous Birkhoff equations is given. By combining them with the undetermined tensor method, a necessary and sufficient condition for an autonomous system to have a representation in terms of linear autonomous Birkhoff equations is obtained. The methods of constructing Birkhoffian dynamical functions are given. Two examples are given to illustrate the application of the results.

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The dynamic characteristics of harvesting energy from mechanical vibration via piezoelectric conversion Fan Kang-Qi (樊康旗), Ming Zheng-Feng (明正峰), Xu Chun-Hui (徐春辉), Chao Feng-Bo (晁锋波) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104502.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104502 Abstract ( 851 )   PDF (515KB) ( 572 )   As an alternative power solution for low-power devices, harvesting energy from the ambient mechanical vibration has received increasing research interest in recent years. In this paper we study the transient dynamic characteristics of a piezoelectric energy harvesting system including a piezoelectric energy harvester, a bridge rectifier, and a storage capacitor. To accomplish this, this energy harvesting system is modeled, and the charging process of the storage capacitor is investigated by employing the in-phase assumption. The results indicate that the charging voltage across the storage capacitor and the gathered power increase gradually as the charging process proceeds, whereas the charging rate slows down over time as the charging voltage approaches to the peak value of the piezoelectric voltage across the piezoelectric materials. In addition, due to the added electrical damping and the change of the system natural frequency when the charging process is initiated, a sudden drop in the vibration amplitude is observed, which in turn affects the charging rate. However, the vibration amplitude begins to increase as the charging process continues, which is caused by the decrease in the electrical damping (i.e., the decrease in the energy removed from the mechanical vibration). This electromechanical coupling characteristic is also revealed by the variation of the vibration amplitude with the charging voltage.

RAPID COMMUNICATION

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Noether symmetry and conserved quantities of the analytical dynamics of a Cosserat thin elastic rod Wang Peng (王鹏), Xue Yun (薛纭), Liu Yu-Lu (刘宇陆) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104503.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104503 Abstract ( 648 )   PDF (234KB) ( 604 )   In this paper, we investigate the Noether symmetry and Noether conservation law of elastic rod dynamics with two independent variables: time t and arc coordinate s. Starting from the Lagrange equations of Cosserat rod dynamics, the criterion of Noether symmetry with Lagrange style for rod dynamics is given and the Noether conserved quantity is obtained. Not only are the conservations of generalized moment and generalized energy obtained, but also some other integrals.

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

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Electro–magnetic control of shear flow over a cylinder for drag reduction and lift enhancement Zhang Hui (张辉), Fan Bao-Chun (范宝春), Chen Zhi-Hua (陈志华), Chen Shuai (陈帅), Li Hong-Zhi (李鸿志) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  104701.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/104701 Abstract ( 645 )   PDF (848KB) ( 414 )   In this paper, the electro–magnetic control of a cylinder wake in shear flow is investigated numerically. The effects of the shear rate and Lorentz force on the cylinder wake, the distribution of hydrodynamic force, and the drag/lift phase diagram are discussed in detail. It is revealed that Lorentz force can be classified into the field Lorentz force and the wall Lorentz force and they affect the drag and lift forces independently. The drag/lift phase diagram with a shape of “8” consists of two closed curves, which correspond to the halves of the shedding cycle dominated by the upper and lower vortices respectively. The free stream shear (K > 0) induces the diagram to move downward and leftward, so that the average lift force directs toward the downside. With the upper Lorentz force, the diagram moves downwards and to the right by the field Lorentz force, thus resulting in the drag increase and the lift reduction, whereas it moves upward and to the left by the wall Lorentz force, leading to the drag reduction and the lift increase. Finally the diagram is dominated by the wall Lorentz force, thus moving upward and leftward. Therefore the upper Lorentz force, which enhances the lift force, can be used to overcome the lift loss due to the free stream shear, which is also obtained in the experiment.

PHYSICS OF GASES, PLASMAS, AND ELECTRIC DISCHARGES

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The mechanism of hydrogen plasma passivation for poly-crystalline silicon thin film Li Juan (李娟), Luo Chong (罗翀), Meng Zhi-Guo (孟志国), Xiong Shao-Zhen (熊绍珍), Hoi Sing Kwok (郭海威) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  105101.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/105101 Abstract ( 681 )   PDF (286KB) ( 1192 )   The mechanism of hydrogen plasma passivation for poly-crystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin films is investigated by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) combined with Hall mobility, Raman spectra, absorption coefficient spectra, and so on. It is found that different kinds of hydrogen plasma radicals are responsible for passivating different defects in poly-Si. The Hα with lower energy is mainly responsible for passivating the solid phase crystallization (SPC) poly-Si whose crystallization precursor is deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The H* with higher energy may passivate the defects related to teh Ni impurity around the grain boundaries more effectively. In addition, Hβ and Hγ with the highest energy are required to passivate intra-grain defects in the poly-Si crystallized by SPC but whose precursor is deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD).

CONDENSED MATTER: STRUCTURAL, MECHANICAL, AND THERMAL PROPERTIES

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Silicon micro-hemispheres with periodic nanoscale rings produced by the laser ablation of single crystalline silicon Hot! Chen Ming (陈明), Li Shuang (李爽), Cui Qing-Qiang (崔清强), Liu Xiang-Dong (刘向东) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106101.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106101 Abstract ( 700 )   PDF (862KB) ( 583 )   We describe the fabrication of silicon micro-hemispheres by adopting the conventional laser ablation of single crystalline silicon in the vacuum condition without using any catalysts or additives. The highly oriented structures of silicon micro-hemispheres exhibit many periodic nanoscale rings along their outer surfaces. We consider that the self-organized growth of silicon micro-structures is highly dependent on the laser intensity and background air medium. The difference between these surface modifications is attributed to the amount of laser energy deposited in the silicon material and the consequent cooling velocity.

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TiO2/Ag composite nanowires for a recyclable surface enhanced Raman scattering substrate Deng Chao-Yue (邓超越), Zhang Gu-Ling (张谷令), Zou Bin (邹斌), Shi Hong-Long (施洪龙), Liang Yu-Jie (梁玉洁), Li Yong-Chao (李永超), Fu Jin-Xiang (付金祥), Wang Wen-Zhong (王文忠) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106102.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106102 Abstract ( 732 )   PDF (689KB) ( 754 )   Multifunctional TiO2/Ag composite nanowires are fabricated with a hydrothermal method by precipitating Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on the surfaces of TiO2 nanowires. This hierarchical one-dimensional (1D) nanostructure can be used as a surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate with high sensitivity, for detecting the rhodamine 6G (R6G) in a wide range of low concentrations (from 1×10-6 M to 1×10-12 M). In addition, the substrate can be self-cleaned under the irradiation of ultraviolet (UV) light due to the superior photocatalytic capacity of the TiO2/Ag composite nanostructure, making the recycled use of SERS substrates closer to reality. With both the evident SERS performance and high efficiency of photocatalytic capacity, such TiO2/Ag composite nanowires demonstrate considerable potential in the chemical sensing of organic pollutants.

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A phase-field model for simulating various spherulite morphologies of semi-crystalline polymers Wang Xiao-Dong (王晓东), Ouyang Jie (欧阳洁), Su Jin (苏进), Zhou Wen (周文) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106103.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106103 Abstract ( 711 )   PDF (2732KB) ( 1463 )   A modified phase-field model is proposed for simulating the isothermal crystallization of polymer melts. The model consists of a second-order phase-field equation and a heat conduction equation. It obtains its model parameters from the real material parameters and is easy to use with tolerable computational cost. Due to the use of a new free energy functional form, the model can reproduce various single crystal morphologies of polymer melts under quiescent conditions, including dendritic, lamellar branching, ring-banded, breakup of ring-banded, faceted hexagonal, and spherulitic structures. Simulation results of isotactic polystyrene crystals demonstrate that the present phase-field model has the ability to give qualitative predictions of polymer crystallization under isothermal and quiescent conditions.

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Effect of vacancy charge state on positron annihilation in silicon Liu Jian-Dang (刘建党), Cheng Bin (成斌), Kong Wei (孔伟), Ye Bang-Jiao (叶邦角) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106104.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106104 Abstract ( 748 )   PDF (449KB) ( 393 )   The charge-state-dependent lattice relaxation of mono-vacancy in silicon is studied using the first-principles pseudopotential plane-wave method. We observe that the structural relaxation for the first-neighbor atoms of the mono-vacancy is strongly dependent on its charge state. The difference in total electron density between with and without charge states in mono-vacancy and its relevant change due to the localized positron are also examined by means of first-principles simulation, demonstrating the strong interplay between positron and electron. Our calculations reveal that the positron lifetime decreases with absolute charge value increasing.

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Optical and magnetic properties of InFeP layers prepared by Fe+ implantation Zhou Lin (周霖), Shang Yan-Xia (尚艳霞), Wang Ze-Song (王泽松), Zhang Rui (张瑞), Zhang Zao-Di (张早娣), Vasiliy O. Pelenovich, Fu De-Jun (付德君), Kang Tae Won Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106105.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106105 Abstract ( 785 )   PDF (1022KB) ( 653 )   InFeP layers are prepared by ion implantation of InP with 100-keV Fe+ ions to a dose of 5×1016 cm-2 and investigated by optical, magnetic, and ion beam analysis measurements. Photoluminescence measurements show a deep-level peak at 1.035 eV due to Fe in InP and two exciton-related luminescences at 1.426 eV and 1.376 eV in the implanted samples annealed at 400 ℃. Conversion electron Mossbauer spectroscopy reveals a doublet corresponding to Fe3+ ions in the indium sites. Atomic force microscopy and magnetic force microscopy show that magnetic clusters are formed in the annealing process. The magnetization-field hysteresis loops show ferromagnetic properties persisting up to room temperature with a coercive field of 100 Oe (1 Oe=79.5775 A·m-1), saturation magnetization of 4.35×10-5 emu, and remnant magnetization of 4.4×10-6 emu.

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Effect of InxGa1-xN “continuously graded” buffer layer on InGaN epilayer grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition Qian Wei-Ning (钱卫宁), Su Shi-Chen (宿世臣), Chen Hong (陈弘), Ma Zi-Guang (马紫光), Zhu Ke-Bao (朱克宝), He Miao (何苗), Lu Ping-Yuan (卢平元), Wang Geng (王耿), Lu Tai-Ping (卢太平), Du Chun-Hua (杜春花), Wang Qiao (王巧), Wu Wen-Bo (吴汶波), Zhang Wei-Wei (张伟伟) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106106.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106106 Abstract ( 703 )   PDF (987KB) ( 435 )   In this paper we report on the effect of an InxGa1-xN continuously graded buffer layer on an InGaN epilayer grown on a GaN template. In our experiment, three types of buffer layers including constant composition, continuously graded composition, and the combination of constant and continuously graded composition are used. Surface morphologies, crystalline quality, indium incorporations, and relaxation degrees of InGaN epilayers with different buffer layers are investigated. It is found that the InxGa1-xN continuously graded buffer layer is effective to improve the surface morphology, crystalline quality, and the indium incorporation of the InGaN epilayer. These superior characteristics of the continuously graded buffer layer can be attributed to the sufficient strain release and the reduction of dislocations.

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Electric field modulation technique for high-voltage AlGaN/GaN Schottky barrier diodes Tang Cen (汤岑), Xie Gang (谢刚), Zhang Li (张丽), Guo Qing (郭清), Wang Tao (汪涛), Sheng Kuang (盛况) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106107.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106107 Abstract ( 1047 )   PDF (725KB) ( 700 )   A novel structure of AlGaN/GaN Schottky barrier diode (SBD) featuring electric field optimization techniques of anode-connected-field-plate (AFP) and magnesium-doped p-type buried layer under the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) channel is proposed. In comparison with conventional AlGaN/GaN SBDs, the magnesium-doped p-type buried layer in the proposed structure can provide holes that can help to deplete the surface 2DEG. As a result, surface field strength around the electrode edges is significantly suppressed and the electric field along the channel is distributed more evenly. Through 2D numerical analysis, the AFP parameters (field plate length, LAFP, and field plate height, TAFP) and p-type buried layer parameters (p-type layer concentration, NP, and p-type layer thickness, TP) are optimized to achieve a three-equal-peak surface channel field distribution under exact charge balance conditions. A novel structure with a total drift region length of 10.5 μm and a magnesium-doped p-type concentration of 1×1017 cm-3 achieves a high breakdown voltage (VB) of 1.8 kV, showing 5 times improvement compared with the conventional SBD with the same device dimension.

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Accurate measurement and influence on device reliability of defect density of a light-emitting diode Guo Zu-Qiang (郭祖强), Qian Ke-Yuan (钱可元) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106108.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106108 Abstract ( 760 )   PDF (287KB) ( 495 )   A method of accurately measuring the defect density of a high-power light-emitting diode (LED) is proposed. The method is based on measuring the number of emitting photons in the magnitude of 105 under the injection current as weak as nA and calculating the non-radiative recombination coefficient which is related to defect density. Defect density is obtained with the self-developed measurement system, and it is demonstrated that defect density has an important influence on LED optical properties like luminous flux and internal quantum efficiency (IQE). At the same time, a batch of GaN-based LEDs with the chip size of 1 mm×1 mm are selected to conduct the accelerated aging tests lasting for 1000 hours. The results show that defect density exhibits a greater variation and is more sensitive to LED reliability than luminous flux during aging tests. Based on these results, it is concluded that for the GaN-based LED with a chip size of 1mm×1mm, if its defect density is over 1017/cm3, the LED device performance suffers a serious deterioration, and finally fails.

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Effects of chromium on structure and mechanical properties of vanadium：A first-principles study Gui Li-Jiang (桂漓江), Liu Yue-Lin (刘悦林), Wang Wei-Tian (王伟田), Zhang Ying (张颖), Lü Guang-Hong (吕广宏), Yao Jun-En (姚骏恩) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106109.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106109 Abstract ( 621 )   PDF (1038KB) ( 655 )   Stability and diffusion of chromium (Cr) in vanadium (V), the interaction of Cr with vacancies, and the ideal mechanical properties of V are investigated by first-principles calculations. A single Cr atom is energetically favored in the substitution site. Vacancy plays a key role in the trapping of Cr in V. A very strong binding exists between a single Cr atom and the vacancy with a binding energy of 5.03 eV. The first-principles computational tensile test (FPCTT) shows that the ideal tensile strength is 19.1 GPa at the strain of 18% along the [100] direction for the ideal V single crystal, while it decreases to 16.4 GPa at a strain of 12% when one impurity Cr atom is introduced in a 128-atom V supercell. For shear deformation along the most preferable {110}<111> slip system in V, we found that one substitutional Cr atom can decrease the cleavage energy (γcl) and simultaneously increase the unstable stacking fault energy (γus) in comparison with the ideal V case. The reduced ratio of γcl/γus in comparison with pure V suggests that the presence of Cr can decrease the ductility of V.

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Size effect of the elastic modulus of rectangular nanobeams：Surface elasticity effect Yao Hai-Yan (姚海燕), Yun Guo-Hong (云国宏), Fan Wen-Liang (范文亮) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106201.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106201 Abstract ( 711 )   PDF (1120KB) ( 670 )   The size-dependent elastic property of rectangular nanobeams (nanowires or nanoplates) induced by the surface elasticity effect is investigated by using a developed modified core-shell model. The effect of surface elasticity on the elastic modulus of nanobeams can be characterized by two surface related parameters, i.e., inhomogeneous degree constant and surface layer thickness. The analytical results show that the elastic modulus of the rectangular nanobeam exhibits a distinct size effect when its characteristic size reduces below 100 nm. It is also found that the theoretical results calculated by a modified core-shell model have more obvious advantages than those by other models (core-shell model and core-surface model) by comparing them with relevant experimental measurements and computational results, especially when the dimensions of nanostructures reduce to a few tens of nanometers.

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Thermodynamic properties of 3C–SiC B. Y. Thakore, S. G. Khambholja, A. Y. Vahora, N. K. Bhatt, A. R. Jani Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106401.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106401 Abstract ( 627 )   PDF (438KB) ( 1367 )   In the present paper, we report on the results of various thermodynamic properties of 3C–SiC at high pressure and temperature using first principles calculations. We use the plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory as implemented in Quantum ESPRESSO code for calculating various cohesive properties in ambient condition. Further, ionic motion at a finite temperature is taken into account using the quasiharmonic Debye model. The calculated thermodynamic properties, phonon dispersion curves, and phonon densities of states at different temperatures and structural phase transitions at high pressures are found to be in good agreement with experimental and other theoretical results.

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Fabrication of pillar-array superhydrophobic silicon surface and thermodynamic analysis on the wetting state transition Liu Si-Si (刘思思), Zhang Chao-Hui (张朝辉), Zhang Han-Bing (张寒冰), Zhou Jie (周杰), He Jian-Guo (何建国), Yin Heng-Yang (尹恒洋) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106801.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106801 Abstract ( 760 )   PDF (1056KB) ( 720 )   Textured silicon (Si) substrates decorated with regular microscale square pillar arrays of nearly the same side length, height, but different intervals are fabricated by inductively coupled plasma, and then silanized by self-assembly octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) film. The systematic water contact angle (CA) measurements and micro/nanoscale hierarchical rough structure models are used to analyze the wetting behaviors of original and silanized textured Si substrates each as a function of pillar interval-to-width ratio. On the original textured Si substrate with hydrophilic pillars, the water droplet possesses a larger apparent CAs (>90°) and contact angle hysteresis (CAH), induced by the hierarchical roughness of microscale pillar arrays and nanoscale pit-like roughness. However, the silanized textured substrate shows superhydrophobicity induced by the low free energy OTS overcoat and the hierarchical roughness of microscale pillar arrays, and nanoscale island-like roughness. The largest apparent CA on the superhydrophobic surface is 169.8°. In addition, the wetting transition of a gently deposited water droplet is observed on the original textured substrate with pillar interval-to-width ratio increasing. Furthermore, the wetting state transition is analyzed by thermodynamic approach with the consideration of the CAH effect. The results indicate that the wetting state changed from a Cassie state to a pseudo-Wenzel during the transition.

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Fabrication of GaN-based LEDs with 22° undercut sidewalls by inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching Wang Bo (王波), Su Shi-Chen (宿世臣), He Miao (何苗), Chen Hong (陈弘), Wu Wen-Bo (吴汶波), Zhang Wei-Wei (张伟伟), Wang Qiao (王巧), Chen Yu-Long (陈虞龙), Gao You (高优), Zhang Li (张力), Zhu Ke-Bao (朱克宝), Lei Yan (雷严) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106802.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106802 Abstract ( 918 )   PDF (891KB) ( 789 )   We use a simple and controllable method to fabricate GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with 22° undercut sidewalls by the successful implementation of the inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE). Our experiment results show that the output powers of the LEDs with 22° undercut sidewalls are 34.8 mW under a 20-mA current injection, 6.75% higher than 32.6 mW, the output powers of the conventional LEDs under the same current injection.

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Influence of Si doping on the structural and optical properties of InGaN epilayers Lu Ping-Yuan (卢平元), Ma Zi-Guang (马紫光), Su Shi-Chen (宿世臣), Zhang Li (张力), Chen Hong (陈弘), Jia Hai-Qiang (贾海强), Jiang Yang (江洋), Qian Wei-Ning (钱卫宁), Wang Geng (王耿), Lu Tai-Ping (卢太平), He Miao (何苗) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106803.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106803 Abstract ( 829 )   PDF (812KB) ( 611 )   Influences of the Si doping on the structural and optical properties of the InGaN epilayers are investigated in detail by means of high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), photolumimescence (PL), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It is found that the Si doping may improve the surface morphology and crystal quality of the InGaN film and meanwhile it can also enhance the emission efficiency by increasing the electron concentration in the InGaN and suppressing the formation of V-defects, which act as nonradiative recombination centers in the InGaN, and it is proposed that the former plays a more important role in enhancing the emission efficiency in the InGaN.

RAPID COMMUNICATION

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Resonant energy transfer from nanocrystal Si to β-FeSi2 in hybrid Si/β-FeSi2 film He Jiu-Yang (何久洋), Zhang Qi-Zhen (张祺桢), Wu Xing-Long (吴兴龙), Chu Paul K. (朱剑豪) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  106804.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/106804 Abstract ( 696 )   PDF (370KB) ( 581 )   The photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of hybrid β-FeSi2/Si and pure β-FeSi2 films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition at 20 K are investigated. The intensity of the 1.54-μm PL from the former is enhanced, but the enhancement vanishes when the excitation wavelength is larger than the widened band gap of Si nanocrystal. Time-resolved PL decay measurements reveal that the lifetime of the photo-excited carriers in the hybrid β-FeSi2/Si film is longer than that in the pure β-FeSi2 film, providing evidence that the PL enhancement results from the resonant charge transfer from nanocrystalline Si to β-FeSi2.

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

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Growth of monodisperse nanospheres of MnFe2O4 with enhanced magnetic and optical properties M. Yasir Rafique, Pan Li-Qing (潘礼庆), Qurat-ul-ain Javed, M. Zubair Iqbal, Qiu Hong-Mei (邱红梅), M. Hassan Farooq, Guo Zhen-Gang (郭振刚), M. Tanveer Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107101.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107101 Abstract ( 630 )   PDF (1362KB) ( 1878 )   Highly dispersive nanospheres of MnFe2O4 are prepared by template free hydrothermal method. The nanospheres have 47.3-nm average diameter, narrow size distribution, and good crystallinity with average crystallite size about 22 nm. The reaction temperature strongly affects the morphology, and high temperature is found to be responsible for growth of uniform nanospheres. Raman spectroscopy reveals high purity of prepared nanospheres. High saturation magnetization (78.3 emu/g), low coercivity (45 Oe, 1 Oe=79.5775 A·cm-1), low remanence (5.32 emu/g), and high anisotropy constant 2.84×104 J/m3 (10 times larger than bulk) are observed at room temperatures. The nearly superparamagnetic behavior is due to comparable size of nanospheres with superparamagnetic critical diameter Dcrspm. The high value of Keff may be due to coupling between the pinned moment in the amorphous shell and the magnetic moment in the core of the nanospheres. The nanospheres show prominent optical absorption in the visible region, and the indirect band gap is estimated to be 0.98 eV from the transmission spectrum. The prepared Mn ferrite has potential applications in biomedicine and photocatalysis.

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First-principles calculations of electronic and magnetic properties of CeN：The LDA+U method Hao Ai-Min (郝爱民), Bai Jing (白静) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107102.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107102 Abstract ( 655 )   PDF (217KB) ( 818 )   Electronic and magnetic properties of CeN are investigated using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) with the LDA+U method. Our results show that CeN is a half-metal. The majority-spin electron band structure has metallic intersections, whereas the minority-spin electron band structure has a semiconducting gap straddling the Fermi level. A small indirect energy gap occurs between X and W. The calculated magnetic moment is 0.99 μB per unit cell.

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Theoretical optoelectronic analysis of intermediate-band photovoltaic material based on ZnY1-xOx (Y=S, Se, Te) semiconductors by first-principles calculations Wu Kong-Ping (吴孔平), Gu Shu-Lin (顾书林), Ye Jian-Dong (叶建东), Tang Kun (汤琨), Zhu Shun-Ming (朱顺明), Zhou Meng-Ran (周孟然), Huang You-Rui (黄友锐), Zhang Rong (张荣), Zheng You-Dou (郑有炓) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107103.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107103 Abstract ( 674 )   PDF (605KB) ( 875 )   The structural, energetic, and electronic properties of lattice highly mismatched ZnY1-xOx (Y=S, Se, Te) ternary alloys with dilute O concentrations are calculated from first principles within the density functional theory. We demonstrate the formation of an isolated intermediate electronic band structure through diluted O-substitute in zinc-blende ZnY (Y=S, Se, Te) at octahedral sites in a semiconductor by the calculations of density of states (DOS), leading to a significant absorption below the band gap of the parent semiconductor and an enhancement of the optical absorption in the whole energy range of the solar spectrum. It is found that the intermediate band states should be described as a result of the coupling between impurity O 2p states with the conduction band states. Moreover, the intermediate bands (IBs) in ZnTeO show high stabilization with the change of O concentration resulting from the largest electronegativity difference between O and Te compared with in the other ZnSO and ZnSeO.

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The effects of strain and surface roughness scattering on the quasi-ballistic characteristics of a Ge nanowire p-channel field-effect transistor Qin Jie-Yu (秦洁宇), Du Gang (杜刚), Liu Xiao-Yan (刘晓彦) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107104.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107104 Abstract ( 659 )   PDF (345KB) ( 599 )   The effects of strain and surface roughness scattering on the quasi-ballistic hole transport in a strained gate-all-around germanium nanowire p-channel field-effect transistor (pFET) are investigated in this work. The valence subbands are shifted up and warped more parabolically by the influence of HfO2 due to the lattice mismatch. However, the boundary force only shifts the subbands downwards and has little effect on the reshaping of bands. Strain induced by HfO2 increases both the hole mobility and ON-current (ION), but has little effect on the hole mobility. The ION is degraded by the surface roughness scattering in both strained and unstrained devices.

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The structural, elastic, and electronic properties of ZrxNb1-xC alloys from first principle calculations Sun Xiao-Wei (孙晓玮), Zhang Xin-Yu (张新宇), Zhang Su-Hong (张素红), Zhu Yan (朱岩), Wang Li-Min (王利民), Zhang Shi-Liang (张世良), Ma Ming-Zhen (马明臻), Liu Ri-Ping (刘日平) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107105.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107105 Abstract ( 694 )   PDF (311KB) ( 957 )   The structural, elastic, electronic, and thermodynamic properties of ZrxNb1-xC alloys are investigated using the first principles method based on the density functional theory. The results show that the structural properties of ZrxNb1-xC alloys vary continuously with the increase of Zr composition. The alloy possesses both the highest shear modulus (215 GPa) and a higher bulk modulus (294 GPa), with a Zr composition of 0.21. Meanwhile, the Zr0.21Nb0.79C alloy shows metallic conductivity based on the analysis of the density of states. In addition, the thermodynamic stability of the designed alloys is estimated using the calculated enthalpy of mixing.

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The nonlinear optical properties of a magneto-exciton in a strained Ga0.2In0.8As/GaAs quantum dot N. R. Senthil Kumar, A. John Peter, Chang Kyoo Yoo Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107106.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107106 Abstract ( 503 )   PDF (341KB) ( 769 )   The magnetic field-dependent heavy hole excitonic states in a strained Ga0.2In0.8As/GaAs quantum dot are investigated by taking into account the anisotropy, non-parabolicity of the conduction band, and the geometrical confinement. The strained quantum dot is considered as a parabolic dot of InAs embedded in a GaAs barrier material. The dependence of the effective excitonic g-factor as a function of dot radius and the magnetic field strength is numerically measured. The interband optical transition energy as a function of geometrical confinement is computed in the presence of a magnetic field. The magnetic field-dependent oscillator strength of interband transition under the geometrical confinement is studied. The exchange enhancements as a function of dot radius are observed for various magnetic field strengths in a strained Ga0.2In0.8As/GaAs quantum dot. Heavy hole excitonic absorption spectra, the changes in refractive index, and the third-order susceptibility of third-order harmonic generation are investigated in the Ga0.2In0.8As/GaAs quantum dot. The result shows that the effect of magnetic field strength is more strongly dependent on the nonlinear optical property in a low-dimensional semiconductor system.

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Structural and electrical properties of laser-crystallized nanocrystalline Ge films and nanocrystalline Ge/SiNx multilayers Li Cong (李悰), Xu Jun (徐骏), Li Wei (李伟), Jiang Xiao-Fan (江小帆), Sun Sheng-Hua (孙胜华), Xu Ling (徐岭), Chen Kun-Ji (陈坤基) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107201.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107201 Abstract ( 603 )   PDF (751KB) ( 695 )   Nanocrystalline Ge (nc-Ge) single layers and nc-Ge/SiNx multilayers are prepared by laser annealing amorphous Ge (a-Ge) films and a-Ge/SiNx multilayers. The microstructures as well as the electrical properties of laser-crystallized samples are systematically studied by using various techniques. It is found that the optical band gap of nc-Ge film is reduced compared with its amorphous counterpart. The formed nc-Ge film is of p-type, and the dark conductivity is enhanced by 6 orders for an nc-Ge single layer and 4 orders for a multilayer. It is suggested that the carrier transport mechanism is dominant by the thermally activation process via the nanocrystal, which is different from the thermally annealed nc-Ge sample at an intermediate temperature. The carrier mobility of nc-Ge film can reach as high as about 39.4 cm2·V-1·s-1, which indicates their potential applications in future nano-devices.

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A shortcut for determining growth mode R. A. Rehman, Cai Yi-Liang (蔡亦良), Zhang Han-Jie (张寒洁), Wu Ke (吴珂), Dou Wei-Dong (窦卫东), Li Hai-Yang (李海洋), He Pi-Mo (何丕模), Bao Shi-Ning (鲍世宁) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107202.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107202 Abstract ( 523 )   PDF (503KB) ( 470 )   Thin and thick films of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) molecules are deposited on a Ag (110) surface. The nature of the FePc growth and the interaction with the substrate have been studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). All of the core level spectra exhibit rigid shifts towards lower binding energies following the deposition of the organic films, each by a different magnitude. A greater change and a larger shift in the Fe2p level as compared to C1s core level reveals that the adsorbate interacts with the substrate mainly via the Fe atom, located at the center of the molecule. An increase/decrease in the intensity of C1s/Ag3d level is found to be exponentially linked to the overlayer molecular coverage. Finally, the so-called growth/decay curve indicates that FePc thin films initially develop following the FM growth mode and then transform to SK mode, resulting in 3D island aggregation.

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Temperature-dependent rectifying and photovoltaic characteristics of an oxygen-deficient Bi2Sr2Co2Oy/Si heterojunction Yan Guo-Ying (闫国英), Bai Zi-Long (白子龙), Li Hui-Ling (李慧玲), Fu Guang-Sheng (傅广生), Liu Fu-Qiang (刘富强), Yu Wei (于威), Wang Jiang-Long (王江龙), Wang Shu-Fang (王淑芳) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107301.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107301 Abstract ( 739 )   PDF (293KB) ( 340 )   A Bi2Sr2Co2Oy/Si heterojunction is obtained by growing a layer of p-type oxygen-deficient Bi2Sr2Co2Oy film on a commercial n-type silicon wafer by pulsed laser deposition. Its rectifying and photovoltaic properties are studied in a wide temperature range from 20 K to 300 K. The transport mechanism under the forward bias can be attributed to a trap-filled space-charge-limited current conduction mechanism. Under the irradiation of a 532-nm continuous wave laser, a clear photovoltaic effect is observed and the magnitude of photovoltage increases as the temperature decreases. The results demonstrate the potential application of a Bi2Sr2Co2Oy-based heterojunction in the photoelectronic devices.

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High-mobility germanium p-MOSFETs by using HCl and (NH4)2S surface passivation Xue Bai-Qing (薛百清), Wang Sheng-Kai (王盛凯), Han Le (韩乐), Chang Hu-Dong (常虎东), Sun Bing (孙兵), Zhao Wei (赵威), Liu Hong-Gang (刘洪刚) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107302.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107302 Abstract ( 617 )   PDF (502KB) ( 674 )   To achieve a high-quality high-κ/Ge interfaces for high hole mobility Ge p-MOSFET applications, a simple chemical cleaning and surface passivation scheme is introduced, and Ge p-MOSFETs with effective channel hole mobility up to 665 cm2/V·s are demonstrated on a Ge (111) substrate. Moreover, a physical model is proposed to explain the dipole layer formation at the metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) interface by analyzing the electrical characteristics of HCl-and (NH4)2S-passivated samples.

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The degradation mechanism of an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor under step-stress Chen Wei-Wei (陈伟伟), Ma Xiao-Hua (马晓华), Hou Bin (侯斌), Zhu Jie-Jie (祝杰杰), Zhang Jin-Cheng (张进成), Hao Yue (郝跃) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107303.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107303 Abstract ( 763 )   PDF (382KB) ( 713 )   Step-stress experiments are performed in this paper to investigate the degradation mechanism of an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT). It is found that the stress current shows a recoverable decrease during each voltage step and there is a critical voltage beyond which the stress current starts to increase sharply in our experiments. We postulate that defects may be randomly induced within the AlGaN barrier by the high electric field during each voltage step. But once the critical voltage is reached, the trap concentration will increase sharply due to the inverse piezoelectric effect. A leakage path may be introduced by excessive defect, and this may result in the permanent degradation of the AlGaN/GaN HEMT.

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A new modulated structure in α-Fe2O3 nanowires Cai Rong-Sheng (蔡鎔声), Shang Lei (商蕾), Liu Xue-Hua (刘雪华), Wang Yi-Qian (王乙潜), Yuan Lu (袁露), Zhou Guang-Wen (周光文) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107401.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107401 Abstract ( 847 )   PDF (2455KB) ( 480 )   A new modulated structure consisting of periodic (1120) stacking faults (SFs) in the α-Fe2O3 nanowires (NWs) formed by the thermal oxidation of Fe foils is reported, using a combination of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) observations and HRTEM image simulations. The periodicity of the modulated structure is 1.53 nm, which is ten times (3300) interplanar spacing and can be described by a shift of every ten (3300) planes with 1/2 the interplanar spacing of the (1120) plane. An atomic model for the Fe2O3 structure is proposed to simulate the modulated structure. HRTEM simulation results confirm that the modulated structure in α-Fe2O3 NWs is caused by SFs.

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The variation of Mn-dopant distribution state with x and its effect on the magnetic coupling mechanism in Zn1-xMnxO nanocrystals Cheng Yan (程岩), Hao Wei-Chang (郝维昌), Li Wen-Xian (李文献), Xu Huai-Zhe (许怀哲), Chen Rui (陈蕊), Dou Shi-Xue (窦士学) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107501.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107501 Abstract ( 620 )   PDF (833KB) ( 646 )   Zn1-xMnxO (x=0.0005, 0.001, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02) nanocrystals are synthesized by using a wet chemical process. The coordination environment of Mn is characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and its X-ray absorption fine structure. It is found that the solubility of substitutional Mn in a ZnO lattice is very low, which is less than 0.4%. Mn ions first dissolve into the substitutional sites in the ZnO lattice, thereby forming Mn2+O4 tetrahedral coordination when x ≤ 0.001, then entering into the interstitial sites and forming Mn3+O6 octahedral coordination when x ≥ 0.005. All the samples exhibit paramagnetic behaviors at room temperature, and antiferromagnetic coupling can be observed below 100 K.

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Transformation behaviors, structural and magnetic characteristics of Ni–Mn–Ga films on MgO (001) Xie Ren (谢忍), Tang Shao-Long (唐少龙), Tang Yan-Mei (唐妍梅), Liu Xiao-Chen (刘枭辰), Tang Tao (唐涛), Du You-Wei (都有为) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107502.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107502 Abstract ( 564 )   PDF (1124KB) ( 543 )   Ferromagnetic Ni–Mn–Ga films were fabricated by depositing on MgO (001) substrates at temperatures from 673 K to 923 K. Microstructure, crystal structure, martensitic transformation behavior, and magnetic properties of the films were studied. With increasing deposition temperature, the surface morphology of the films transforms from granular to continuous. The martensitic transformation temperature is not dependent on deposition temperature; while transformation behavior is affected substantially by deposition temperature. X-ray analysis reveals that the film deposited at 873 K has a 7M martensite phase, and its magnetization curve provides a typical step-increase, indicating the occurrence of magnetically induced reorientation (MIR). In situ magnetic domain structure observation on the film deposited at 873 K reflects that the martensitic transformation could be divided into two periods: nucleation and growth, in the form of stripe domains. The MIR occurs at the temperature at which martensitic transformation starts, and the switching field increases with the decrease of temperature due to damped thermal activation. The magnetically induced martensitic transformation is related to the difference of magnetization between martensite and austenite. A shift of martensite temperature of dT/dH=0.43 K/T is observed, consistent with the theoretical value, 0.41 K/T.

TOPICAL REVIEW—Magnetism, magnetic materials, and interdisciplinary research

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Chemical synthesis of magnetic nanocrystals：Recent progress Liu Fei (刘飞), Zhu Jing-Han (朱静菡), Hou Yang-Long (侯仰龙), Gao Song (高松) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107503.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107503 Abstract ( 715 )   PDF (2196KB) ( 1475 )   Colloidal chemical synthesis of various types of magnetic nanocrystals is discussed with regard to recent discoveries.We first outline the chemical preparation of single-component magnetic nanocrystals with controlled size, shape, and uniformity based on several solution-phase methods, especially thermal decomposition and/or reduction method. Then we discuss the synthetic strategies of multi-component nanocrystals incorporating at least one magnetic component by manipulating heterogeneous nucleation and growth process. Toward the end, approaches for preparing hollow/porous magnetic nanocrystals are highlighted. We believe that the summarized chemical synthesis will pave the way for the future development of extraordinary magnetic nanocrystals.

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

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Dielectric spectroscopy studies of ZnO single crystal Cheng Peng-Fei (成鹏飞), Li Sheng-Tao (李盛涛), Wang Hui (王辉) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107701.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107701 Abstract ( 912 )   PDF (359KB) ( 697 )   Dielectric relaxation and charge transport induced by electron hopping in ZnO single crystal are measured by using a novocontrol broadband dielectric spectrometer. Typical Debye-like dielectric relaxation originating from electronic hopping between electronic traps and conductive band in surface Schottky barrier region is observed for ZnO single crystal-Au electrode system. However, after insulation of ZnO single crystal by heat treatment in rich oxygen atmosphere, dielectric relaxation and alternating current conductance are observed simultaneously in the dielectric spectra, implying that dielectric relaxation and charge transport can be induced simultaneously by electronic hopping at high temperature in an ordered system. The intrinsic correlation between local dielectric relaxation and long range charge transport offers us a new method to explore complicated dielectrics.

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Bipolar resistive switching in BiFe0.95Zn0.05O3 films Yuan Xue-Yong (袁学勇), Luo Li-Rong (罗丽荣), Wu Di (吴迪), Xu Qing-Yu (徐庆宇) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107702.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107702 Abstract ( 659 )   PDF (1195KB) ( 496 )   Bipolar resistive switching is studied in BiFe0.95Zn0.05O3 films prepared by pulsed laser deposition on (001) SrTiO3 substrate, with LaNiO3 as the bottom electrode, and Pt as the top electrode. Multiple steps of resistance change are observed in the resistive switching process with a slow voltage sweep, indicating the formation/rupture of multiple conductive filaments. A resistive ratio of the high resistance state (HRS) to the low resistance state (LRS) of over three orders of magnitude is observed. Furthermore, the conduction mechanism is confirmed to be space-charge-limited conduction with the Schottky emission at the interface with the top Pt electrodes in the HRS, and Ohmic in the LRS. Impedance spectroscopy demonstrates a conductive ferroelectric/interfacial dielectric 2-layer structure, and the formation/rupture of the conductive filaments mainly occurs at the interfacial dielectric layer close to the top Pt electrodes.

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Analysis of tensile strain enhancement in Ge nano-belts on an insulator surrounded by dielectrics Lu Wei-Fang (卢卫芳), Li Cheng (李成), Huang Shi-Hao (黄诗浩), Lin Guang-Yang (林光杨), Wang Chen (王尘), Yan Guang-Ming (严光明), Huang Wei (黄巍), Lai Hong-Kai (赖虹凯), Chen Song-Yan (陈松岩) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107703.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107703 Abstract ( 638 )   PDF (555KB) ( 531 )   Ge nano-belts with large tensile strain are considered as one of the promising materials for high carrier mobility metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors and efficient photonic devices. In this paper, we design the Ge nano-belts on an insulator surrounded by Si3N4 or SiO2 for improving their tensile strain and simulate the strain profiles by using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. The width and thickness parameters of Ge nano-belts on an insulator, which have great effects on the strain profile, are optimized. A large uniaxial tensile strain of 1.16% in 50-nm width and 12-nm thickness Ge nano-belts with the sidewalls protected by Si3N4 is achieved after thermal treatments, which would significantly tailor the band gap structures of Ge-nanobelts to realize the high performance devices.

RAPID COMMUNICATION

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The design and preparation of a Fabry–Pérot polarizing filter Hou Yong-Qiang (侯永强), Qi Hong-Ji (齐红基), Yi Kui (易葵) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107801.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107801 Abstract ( 551 )   PDF (469KB) ( 467 )   A novel single-cavity narrowband Fabry–Pérot (FP) polarizing filter at normal incidence, constructed from a sandwich structure with sculptured anisotropic space layer and symmetric isotropic HR mirrors, is designed and prepared. The optical performances of transmittance, phase shift, central wavelength, and bandwidth for two polarized states are analyzed with the characteristic matrix. The numerical studies accord reasonably well with the experimental results. It is demonstrated that the polarization state of the electromagnetic wave and phase shift can be modulated by employing an anisotropic space layer in the polarizing beam splitter system. The birefringence of the anisotropic space layer provides a sophisticated phase modulation by varying the incidence angles over a broad range to have a wide-angle phase shift.

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

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The effect of an optical pump on the absorption coefficient of magnesium-doped near-stoichiometric lithium niobate in terahertz range Zuo Zhi-Gao (左志高), Ling Fu-Ri (凌福日), Ma De-Cai (马德才), Wu Liang (吴亮), Liu Jin-Song (刘劲松), Yao Jian-Quan (姚建铨) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107802.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107802 Abstract ( 742 )   PDF (1383KB) ( 572 )   The absorption coefficient of magnesium-doped near-stoichiometric lithium niobate crystal is measured by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in a frequency range of 0.2 THz-0.9 THz at room temperature. The absorption coefficient is modulated by external optical pump fields. Experimental results show that the absorption coefficient of near-SLN:Mg crystal is approximately in a range of 22 cm-1-35 cm-1 in a frequency range of 0.2 THz-0.9 THz and tunable up to nearly 15%. Further theoretical analysis reveals that the variation of absorption coefficient is related to the number of light-induced carriers, domain reversal process, and OH- absorption in this crystal.

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In-situ growth of a CdS window layer by vacuum thermal evaporation for CIGS thin film solar cell applications Cao Min (曹敏), Men Chuan-Ling (门传玲), Zhu De-Ming (朱德明), Tian Zi-Ao (田子傲), An Zheng-Hua (安正华) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107803.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107803 Abstract ( 599 )   PDF (529KB) ( 866 )   Highly crystalline and transparent CdS films are grown by utilizing the vacuum thermal evaporation (VTE) method. The structural, surface morphological, and optical properties of the films are studied and compared with those prepared by chemical bath deposition (CBD). It is found that the films deposited at a high substrate temperature (200 ℃) have a preferential orientation along (002) which is consistent with CBD-grown films. Absorption spectra reveal that the films are highly transparent and the optical band gap values are found to be in a range of 2.44 eV-2.56 eV. CuIn1-xGaxSe2 (CIGS) solar cells with in-situ VTE-grown CdS films exhibit higher values of Voc together with smaller values of Jsc than those from CBD. Eventually the conversion efficiency and fill factor become slightly better than those from the CBD method. Our work suggests that the in-situ thermal evaporation method can be a competitive alternative to the CBD method, particularly in the physical-and vacuum-based CIGS technology.

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The metamaterial analogue of electromagnetically induced transparency by dual-mode excitation of a symmetric resonator Shao Jian (邵健), Li Jie (李杰), Li Jia-Qi (李家奇), Wang Yu-Kun (王昱坤), Dong Zheng-Gao (董正高), Lu Wei-Bing (陆卫兵), Zhai Ya (翟亚) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107804.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107804 Abstract ( 817 )   PDF (401KB) ( 587 )   Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is obtained in a symmetric U-shaped metamaterial, which is attributed to the simultaneously excited dual modes in a single resonator under lateral incidence. A large group index accompanied with a sharp EIT-like transparency window offers potential applications for slowing down light and sensing.

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Tunable zeroth-order resonator based on a ferrite metamaterial structure Javad Ghalibafan, Nader Komjani Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107805.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107805 Abstract ( 661 )   PDF (247KB) ( 430 )   This paper proposes a tunable zeroth-order resonator on a composite right/left-handed transmission line consisting of a transversely magnetized ferrite substrate periodically loaded by microstrip inductors. Based on the propagation theory of edge guided modes, the analysis procedure of this structure is introduced. The numerical results demonstrate the tunability of the resonant frequency by changing the DC bias magnetic field applied to the ferrite. In contrast to previous work, the proposed structure is easy to design and fabricate and does not require a chip component.

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Structural distortions and magnetisms in Fe-doped LaMn1-xFexO 3 (0< x ≤ 0.6) Zheng Long (郑龙), Wu Xiao-Shan (吴小山) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107806.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107806 Abstract ( 804 )   PDF (415KB) ( 538 )   X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) at Mn K-edge and Fe K-edge in LaMn1-xFexO3 show that with the increase of Fe substitution the chemical valence of Mn4+ decreases, while the chemical valence of Fe3+ remains unchanged. Structural distortions, such as the rotating and tilting for oxygen octahedron in the unit cell vary with iron content. A phase transition occurs at the Fe content values of 0.2～0.3. The evolutions of rotation and tilting angle of FeO6/MnO6 octahedral may be the vital factors to the structure and magnetism. We believe that the spin configuration of Fe3+ may vary from the intermediate spin t2g4eg1 (S=3/2) to the higher spin t2g3eg2 (S=5/2) near the phase transition.

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A comparison of the field emission characteristics of vertically aligned graphene sheets grown on different SiC substrates Chen Lian-Lian (陈莲莲), Guo Li-Wei (郭丽伟), Liu Yu (刘宇), Li Zhi-Lin (李治林), Huang Jiao (黄郊), Lu Wei (芦伟) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  107901.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/107901 Abstract ( 970 )   PDF (802KB) ( 655 )   The field emission (FE) properties of vertically aligned graphene sheets (VAGSs) grown on different SiC substrates are reported. The VAGSs grown on nonpolar SiC (10-10) substrate show an ordered alignment with the graphene basal plane-parallel to each other, and show better FE features, with a lower turn-on field and a larger field enhancement factor. The VAGSs grown on polar SiC (000-1) substrate reveal a random petaloid-shaped arrangement and stable current emission over 8 hours with a maximum emission current fluctuation of only 4%. The reasons behind the differing FE characteristics of the VAGSs on different SiC substrates are analyzed and discussed.

INTERDISCIPLINARY PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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Controllable synthesis, characterization, and growth mechanism of hollow ZnxCd1-xS spheres generated by a one-step thermal evaporation method Yang Zai-Xing (杨再兴), Zhong Wei (钟伟), Au Chak-Tong (區澤棠), Du You-Wei (都有为) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108101.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108101 Abstract ( 621 )   PDF (1823KB) ( 655 )   Novel hollow ZnxCd1-xS spheres that are uniform in size are synthesized through the one-step thermal evaporation of a mixture of Zn and CdS powder. From an X-ray diffraction (XRD) study, the hexagonal wurtzite phase of ZnxCd1-xS is verified, and the Zn mole fraction (x) is determined to be 0.09. According to the experimental results, we propose a mechanism for the growth of Zn0.09Cd0.91S hollow spheres. The results of the cathodoluminescence investigation indicate uniform Zn, Cd, and S distribution of alloyed Zn0.09Cd0.91S, instead of separate CdS, ZnS, or nanocrystals of a core-shell structure. To the best of our knowledge, the fabrication of ZnxCd1-xS hollow spheres of this kind by one-step thermal evaporation has never been reported. This work would present a new method of growing and applying hollow spheres on Si substrates, and the discovery of the Zn0.09Cd0.91S hollow spheres would make the investigation of ZnxCd1-xS micro/nanostructures more interesting and intriguing.

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The effect of fractional thermoelasticity on a two-dimensional problem of a mode I crack in a rotating fiber-reinforced thermoelastic medium Ahmed E. Abouelregal, Ashraf M. Zenkour Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108102.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108102 Abstract ( 665 )   PDF (390KB) ( 2376 )   This article is concerned with the effect of rotation on the general model of the equations of the generalized thermoelasticity for a homogeneous isotropic elastic half-space solid, whose surface is subjected to a Mode-I crack problem. The fractional order theory of thermoelasticity is used to obtain the analytical solutions for displacement components, force stresses, and temperature. The boundary of the crack is subjected to a prescribed stress distribution and temperature. The normal mode analysis technique is used to solve the resulting non-dimensional coupled governing equations of the problem. The variations of the considered variables with the horizontal distance are illustrated graphically. Some particular cases are also discussed in the context of the problem. Effects of the fractional parameter, reinforcement, and rotation on the variations of different field quantities inside the elastic medium are analyzed graphically. Comparisons are made between the results in the presence and those in the absence of fiber-reinforcing, rotating and fractional parameters.

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Crystal growth, structural and physical properties of the 5d noncentrosymmetric LaOsSi3 Zhang Xu (张旭), Miao Shan-Shan (苗杉杉), Wang Pu (王瀑), Zheng Ping (郑萍), Yin Wen-Long (尹文龙), Yao Ji-Yong (姚吉勇), Jiang Hong-Wei (姜宏伟), Wang Hai (王海), Shi You-Guo (石友国) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108103.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108103 Abstract ( 615 )   PDF (528KB) ( 584 )   LaOsSi3 single crystals are synthesized for the first time by an arc melting method. The crystal features a tetragonal BaNiSn3-type structure (space group I4mm) which lacks inversion symmetry along the crystallographic c axis and is isostructural with the intensively studied Rashba-type noncentrosymmetric superconductors LaRhSi3 and LaIrSi3. Unlike LaRhSi3 and LaIrSi3 displaying superconductivity, LaOsSi3 shows only metallic behavior over the measured temperature range of 2 K-300 K. The Sommerfeld coefficient γ derived from specific heat is 5.76 mJ·mol-1·K-2, indicating that LaOsSi3 has a weak electronic correlation effect. The absence of superconductivity in LaOsSi3 may lie in the Os 5d bands in the electronic structure. If it is true, it would be useful to provide complementary knowledge in understanding the relation between conduction and the d bands of M in LaMSi3 compounds (M=transition metals).

TOPICAL REVIEW—Magnetism, magnetic materials, and interdisciplinary research

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Magnetic-mediated hyperthermia for cancer treatment：Research progress and clinical trials Zhao Ling-Yun (赵凌云), Liu Jia-Yi (刘嘉毅), Ouyang Wei-Wei (欧阳伟炜), Li Dan-Ye (李丹叶), Li Li (李立), Li Li-Ya(李利亚), Tang Jin-Tian (唐劲天) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108104.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108104 Abstract ( 869 )   PDF (1121KB) ( 2554 )   Research progress and frontiers of magnetic-mediated hyperthermia (MMH) are presented, along with clinical trials in Germany, the US, Japan, and China. Special attention is focused on MMH mediated by magnetic nanoparticles, and multifunctional magnetic devices for cancer multimodality treatment are also introduced.

INTERDISCIPLINARY PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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A fiber-array probe technique for measuring the viscosity of a substance under shock compression Feng Li-Peng (冯立鹏), Liu Fu-Sheng (刘福生), Ma Xiao-Juan (马小娟), Zhao Bei-Jing (赵北京), Zhang Ning-Chao (张宁超), Wang Wen-Peng (王文鹏), Hao Bin-Bin (郝斌斌) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108301.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108301 Abstract ( 813 )   PDF (392KB) ( 484 )   A fiber-array probe is designed to measure the damping behavior of a small perturbed shock wave in an opaque substance, by which the effective viscosity of substance under the condition of high temperature and high pressure can be constrained according to the flyer-impact technique. It shows that the measurement precision of the shock arrival time by using this technique is within 2 ns. To easily compare with the results given by electrical pin technique, the newly developed method is used to investigate the effective viscosity of aluminum (Al). The shear viscosity coefficient of Al is determined to be 1700 Pa·s at 71 GPa with a strain rate of 3.6×106 s-1, which is in good agreement with the results of other methods. The advantage of the new technique over the electrical pin one is that it is applicable for studying the non-conductive substances.

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A novel slotted helix slow-wave structure for high power Ka-band traveling-wave tubes Liu Lu-Wei (刘鲁伟), Wei Yan-Yu (魏彦玉), Wang Shao-Meng (王少萌), Hou Yan (侯艳), Yin Hai-Rong (殷海荣), Zhao Guo-Qing (赵国庆), Duan Zhao-Yun (段兆云), Xu Jin (徐进), Gong Yu-Bin (宫玉彬), Wang Wen-Xiang (王文祥), Yang Ming-Hua (杨明华) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108401.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108401 Abstract ( 782 )   PDF (1049KB) ( 506 )   A novel slotted helix slow-wave structure (SWS) is proposed to develop a high power, wide-bandwidth, and high reliability millimeter-wave traveling-wave tube (TWT). This novel structure, which has higher heat capacity than a conventional helix SWS, evolves from conventional helix SWS with three parallel rows of rectangular slots made in the outside of the helix tape. In this paper, the electromagnetic characteristics and the beam-wave interaction of this novel structure operating in the Ka-band are investigated. From our calculations, when the designed beam voltage and beam current are set to be 18.45 kV and 0.2 A, respectively, this novel circuit can produce over 700-W average output power in a frequency range from 27.5 GHz to 32.5 GHz, and the corresponding conversion efficiency values vary from 19% to 21.3%, and the maximum output power is 787 W at 30 GHz.

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The design and numerical analysis of tandem thermophotovoltaic cells Yang Hao-Yu (杨皓宇), Liu Ren-Jun (刘仁俊), Wang Lian-Kai (王连锴), Lü You (吕游), Li Tian-Tian (李天天), Li Guo-Xing (李国兴), Zhang Yuan-Tao (张源涛), Zhang Bao-Lin (张宝林) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108402.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108402 Abstract ( 672 )   PDF (316KB) ( 760 )   In this paper, numerical analysis of GaSb (Eg=0.72 eV)/Ga0.84In0.16As0.14Sb0.86 (Eg=0.53 eV) tandem thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells is carried out by using Silvaco/Atlas software. In the tandem cells, a GaSb p–n homojunction is used for the top cell and a GaInAsSb p–n homojunction for the bottom cell. A heavily doped GaSb tunnel junction connects the two sub-cells together. The simulations are carried out at a radiator temperature of 2000 K and a cell temperature of 300 K. The radiation photons are injected from the top of the tandem cells. Key properties of the single-and dual-junction TPV cells, including I–V characteristic, maximum output power (Pmax), open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Isc), etc. are presented. The effects of the sub-cell thickness and carrier concentration on the key properties of tandem cells are investigated. A comparison of the dual-TPV cells with GaSb and GaInAsSb single junction cells shows that the Pmax of tandem cells is almost twice as great as that of the single-junction cells.

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Gate-to-body tunneling current model for silicon-on-insulator MOSFETs Wu Qing-Qing (伍青青), Chen Jing (陈静), Luo Jie-Xin (罗杰馨), Lü Kai (吕凯), Yu Tao (余涛), Chai Zhan (柴展), Wang Xi (王曦) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108501.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108501 Abstract ( 744 )   PDF (267KB) ( 578 )   A gate-to-body tunneling current model for silicon-on-insulator (SOI) devices is simulated. As verified by the measured data, the model, considering both gate voltage and drain voltage dependence as well as image force-induced barrier low effect, provides a better prediction of the tunneling current and gate-induced floating body effect than the BSIMSOI4 model. A delayed gate-induced floating body effect is also predicted by the model.

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Analyses of temperature-dependent interface states, series resistances, and AC electrical conductivities of Al/p–Si and Al/Bi4Ti3O12/p–Si structures by using the admittance spectroscopy method Mert Yíldírím, Perihan Durmuş, Şemsettin Altíndal Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108502.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108502 Abstract ( 642 )   PDF (390KB) ( 661 )   In this study, Al/p–Si and Al/Bi4Ti3O12/p–Si structures are fabricated and their interface states (Nss), the values of series resistance (Rs), and AC electrical conductivity (σac) are obtained each as a function of temperature using admittance spectroscopy method which includes capacitance-voltage (C–V) and conductance-voltage (G–V) measurements. In addition, the effect of interfacial Bi4Ti3O12 (BTO) layer on the performance of the structure is investigated. The voltage-dependent profiles of Nss and Rs are obtained from the high-low frequency capacitance method and the Nicollian method, respectively. Experimental results show that Nss and Rs, as strong functions of temperature and applied bias voltage, each exhibit a peak, whose position shifts towards the reverse bias region, in the depletion region. Such a peak behavior is attributed to the particular distribution of Nss and the reordering and restructuring of Nss under the effect of temperature. The values of activation energy (Ea), obtained from the slope of the Arrhenius plot, of both structures are obtained to be bias voltage-independent, and the Ea of the metal-ferroelectric-semiconductor (MFS) structure is found to be half that of the metal-semiconductor (MS) structure. Furthermore, other main electrical parameters, such as carrier concentration of acceptor atoms (NA), built-in potential (Vbi), Fermi energy (EF), image force barrier lowering (ΔΦb), and barrier height (Φb), are extracted using reverse bias C-2-V characteristics as a function of temperature.

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Design and fabrication of a high-performance evanescently coupled waveguide photodetector Liu Shao-Qing (刘少卿), Yang Xiao-Hong (杨晓红), Liu Yu (刘宇), Li Bin (李彬), Han Qin (韩勤) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108503.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108503 Abstract ( 698 )   PDF (543KB) ( 619 )   In this paper, we present the design, fabrication, and measurement of an evanescently coupled waveguide photodetector operating at 1.55 μm, which mainly comprises a diluted waveguide, a single-mode rib waveguide and a p-i-n photodiode with an extended optical matching layer. The optical characteristics of this structure are studied by using a three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (3D FDTD) method. The photodetector exhibits a high 3-dB bandwidth of more than 35 GHz and a responsivity of 0.291 A/W at 1550 nm directly coupled with a cleaved fiber. Moreover, a linear response of more than 72-mW optical power is achieved, where a photocurrent of more than 21 mA is obtained at a reverse bias voltage of 3 V.

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Preliminary results for the design, fabrication, and performance of a backside-illuminated avalanche drift detector Qiao Yun (乔赟), Liang Kun (梁琨), Chen Wen-Fei (陈文飞), Han De-Jun (韩德俊) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108504.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108504 Abstract ( 636 )   PDF (666KB) ( 531 )   The detection of low-level light is a key technology in various experimental scientific studies. As a photon detector, the silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) has gradually become an alternative to the photomultiplier tube (PMT) in many applications in high-energy physics, astroparticle physics, and medical imaging because of its high photon detection efficiency (PDE), good resolution for single-photon detection, insensitivity to magnetic field, low operating voltage, compactness, and low cost. However, primarily because of the geometric fill factor, the PDE of most SiPMs is not very high; in particular, for those SiPMs with a high density of micro cells, the effective area is small, and the bandwidth of the light response is narrow. As a building block of the SiPM, the concept of the backside-illuminated avalanche drift detector (ADD) was first proposed by the Max Planck Institute of Germany eight years ago; the ADD is promising to have high PDE over the full energy range of optical photons, even ultraviolet light and X-ray light, and because the avalanche multiplication region is very small, the ADD is beneficial for the fabrication of large-area SiPMs. However, because of difficulties in design and fabrication, no significant progress had been made, and the concept had not yet been verified. In this paper, preliminary results in the design, fabrication, and performance of a backside-illuminated ADD are reported; the difficulties in and limitations to the backside-illuminated ADD are analyzed.

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Performance enhancement of an InGaN light-emitting diode with an AlGaN/InGaN superlattice electron-blocking layer Xiong Jian-Yong (熊建勇), Xu Yi-Qin (许毅钦), Zhao Fang (赵芳), Song Jing-Jing (宋晶晶), Ding Bin-Bin (丁彬彬), Zheng Shu-Wen (郑树文), Zhang Tao (张涛), Fan Guang-Han (范广涵) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108505.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108505 Abstract ( 740 )   PDF (1907KB) ( 1400 )   The efficiency enhancement of an InGaN light-emitting diode (LED) with an AlGaN/InGaN superlattice (SL) electron-blocking layer (EBL) is studied numerically, which involves the light-current performance curve, internal quantum efficiency electrostatic field band wavefunction, energy band diagram carrier concentration, electron current density, and radiative recombination rate. The simulation results indicate that the LED with an AlGaN/InGaN SL EBL has better optical performance than the LED with a conventional rectangular AlGaN EBL or a normal AlGaN/GaN SL EBL because of the appropriately modified energy band diagram, which is favorable for the injection of holes and confinement of electrons. Additionally, the efficiency droop of the LED with an AlGaN/InGaN SL EBL is markedly improved by reducing the polarization field in the active region.

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A comparison of coal supply-demand in China and in the US based on a network model Fang Cui-Cui (房翠翠), Sun Mei (孙梅), Zhang Pei-Pei (张培培), Gao An-Na (高安娜) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108901.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108901 Abstract ( 631 )   PDF (837KB) ( 880 )   Through analysis the actual coal supply and demand in the US and China, the properties of the coal supply-demand market in both countries are investigated based on the energy supply-demand network. The validity of our model is verified by comparing numerical results with empirical results. The comparison of empirical results and the comparison of coal network model parameters between in the US and in China reveal the essence of the internal differences and similarities of coal supply and demand in these two countries. The third stage of China’s coal network was close to that of the US in 1995, indicating that the evolutional situation of China’s coal market begins to transit to an oligopolistic type. Finally, suggestions for China’s coal supply-demand strategy are put forward.

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The effect of moving bottlenecks on a two-lane traffic flow Fang Yuan (方远), Chen Jian-Zhong (陈建忠), Peng Zhi-Yuan (彭志远) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108902.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108902 Abstract ( 858 )   PDF (1207KB) ( 972 )   In this paper, we study the effect of moving bottlenecks on traffic flow. The full velocity difference (FVD) model is extended to the traffic flow on a two-lane highway, and new lane changing rule is proposed to reproduce the vehicular lane changing behavior. Using this model, we derive the fundamental current–density diagrams for the traffic flow with the effect of moving bottleneck. Moreover, typical time–space diagram for a two-lane highway shows the formation and dissipation of a moving bottleneck. Results demonstrate that the effect of moving bottleneck enlarges with the increase of traffic density, but the effect can be reduced by increasing the maximum velocity of heavy truck. The effects of multiple moving bottlenecks under different conditions are investigated. The effect becomes more remarkable when the coupling effect of multiple moving bottlenecks occurs.

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An improvement of the fast uncovering community algorithm Wang Li (王莉), Wang Jiang (王将), Shen Hua-Wei (沈华伟), Cheng Xue-Qi (程学旗) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108903.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108903 Abstract ( 658 )   PDF (369KB) ( 531 )   Community detection methods have been used in computer, sociology, physics, biology, and brain information science areas. Many methods are based on the optimization of modularity. The algorithm proposed by Blondel et al. (Blondel V D, Guillaume J L, Lambiotte R and Lefebvre E 2008 J. Stat. Mech. 10 10008) is one of the most widely used methods because of its good performance, especially in the big data era. In this paper we make some improvements to this algorithm in correctness and performance. By tests we see that different node orders bring different performances and different community structures. We find some node swings in different communities that influence the performance. So we design some strategies on the sweeping order of node to reduce the computing cost made by repetition swing. We introduce a new concept of overlapping degree (OV) that shows the strength of connection between nodes. Three improvement strategies are proposed that are based on constant OV, adaptive OV, and adaptive weighted OV, respectively. Experiments on synthetic datasets and real datasets are made, showing that our improved strategies can improve the performance and correctness.

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Random walks in generalized delayed recursive trees Sun Wei-Gang (孙伟刚), Zhang Jing-Yuan (张静远), Chen Guan-Rong (陈关荣) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  108904.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/108904 Abstract ( 576 )   PDF (268KB) ( 370 )   Recently a great deal of effort has been made to explicitly determine the mean first-passage time (MFPT) between two nodes averaged over all pairs of nodes on a fractal network. In this paper, we first propose a family of generalized delayed recursive trees characterized by two parameters, where the existing nodes have a time delay to produce new nodes. We then study the MFPT of random walks on this kind of recursive tree and investigate the effect of the time delay on the MFPT. By relating random walks to electrical networks, we obtain an exact formula for the MFPT and verify it by numerical calculations. Based on the obtained results, we further show that the MFPT of delayed recursive trees is much shorter, implying that the efficiency of random walks is much higher compared with the non-delayed counterpart. Our study provides a deeper understanding of random walks on delayed fractal networks.

GEOPHYSICS, ASTRONOMY, AND ASTROPHYSICS

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Modeling and assessing the influence of linear energy transfer on multiple bit upset susceptibility Geng Chao (耿超), Liu Jie (刘杰), Xi Kai (习凯), Zhang Zhan-Gang (张战刚), Gu Song (古松), Liu Tian-Qi (刘天奇) Chin. Phys. B, 2013, 22 (10):  109501.  DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/10/109501 Abstract ( 564 )   PDF (456KB) ( 436 )   The influence of the metric of linear energy transfer (LET) on single event upset (SEU), particularly multiple bit upset (MBU) in a hypothetical 90-nm static random access memory (SRAM) is explored. To explain the odd point of higher LET incident ion but induced lower cross section in the curve of SEU cross section, MBUs induced by incident ions 132Xe and 209Bi with the same LET but different energies at oblique incidence are investigated using multi-functional package for single event effect analysis (MUFPSA). In addition, a comprehensive analytical model of the radial track structure is incorporated into MUFPSA, which is a complementation for assessing and interpreting MBU susceptibility of SRAM. The results show that (i) with the increase of incident angle, MBU multiplicity and probability each present an increasing trend; (ii) due to the higher ion relative velocity and longer range of δ electrons, higher energy ions trigger the MBU with less probability than lower energy ions.