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The phase transition temperature in a (K, Na)NbO3 (KNN) phase of a KNN-based composite lead-free piezoelectric ceramic with a KTiNbO5 system ((K1-xNax)0.86Ca0.04Li0.02Nb0.85O3-δ-K0.85 Ti0.85Nb1.15O5-BaZrO3-Co3O4-Fe2O3-ZnO) is lower than that in an undoped KNN ceramic by approximately 200 °C. We have studied the structural changes around the phase transition by using synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The crystal system of the main KNN phase is assigned to tetragonal as a stable structure at room temperature and does not change to orthorhombic on lowering the temperature all at once. The crystal structure changes from tetragonal to orthorhombic through the successive transition state. The curve of the phase transition temperature from x = 0.33 to 0.75 has a V shape and reaches its lowest value of approximately 0 °C in the vicinity of x = 0.56. From selected-area electron diffraction patterns of the KNN phase, weak superlattice spots owing to the tilt-ordered NbO6 octahedra are observed for x ≥ 0.56. This tilt-ordered NbO6 octahedral phase is formed at the nanometer-scale (nanodomains) in the tetragonal and orthorhombic KNN matrices, regardless of the phase transition. The minimum x to generate the nanodomains is substantially equal to the Na fraction at which the starting temperature of the successive phase transition shifts to the lowest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an indirect method of estimating the strength of a shock wave, allowing on line monitoring of its reproducibility in each laser shot. This method is based on a shot-to-shot measurement of the X-ray emission from the ablated plasma by a high resolution, spatially resolved focusing spectrometer. An optical pump laser with energy of 1.0 J and pulse duration of ∼660 ps was used to irradiate solid targets or foils with various thicknesses containing Oxygen, Aluminum, Iron, and Tantalum. The high sensitivity and resolving power of the X-ray spectrometer allowed spectra to be obtained on each laser shot and to control fluctuations of the spectral intensity emitted by different plasmas with an accuracy of ∼2%, implying an accuracy in the derived electron plasma temperature of 5%-10% in pump-probe high energy density science experiments. At nano- and sub-nanosecond duration of laser pulse with relatively low laser intensities and ratio Z/A∼0.5, the electron temperature follows Te∼Ilas2/3. Thus, measurements of the electron plasma temperature allow indirect estimation of the laser flux on the target and control its shot-to-shot fluctuation. Knowing the laser flux intensity and its fluctuation gives us the possibility of monitoring shot-to-shot reproducibility of shock wave strength generation with high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two phases of (K,Na)NbO3 (KNN) co-exist in a KNN-based composite lead-free piezoelectric ceramic 0.910(K1-xNax)0.86Ca0.04Li0.02Nb0.85O3-δ-0.042K0.85Ti0.85Nb1.15O5-0.036BaZrO3-0.0016Co3O4-0.0025Fe2O3-0.0069ZnO system, over a wide range of Na fractions, where 0.56-x-0.75. The crystal systems of the two KNN phases are identified to tetragonal and orthorhombic by analyzing the synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and selected-area electron diffraction (SAD). In the range 0.33≤x≤0.50, the main component of the composite system is found to be single-phase KNN with a tetragonal structure. Granular nanodomains of the orthorhombic phase dispersed in the tetragonal matrix have been identified by HR-TEM and SAD for 0.56≤x≤0.75. Only a trace amount of the orthorhombic phase has been found in the SAD patterns at the composition x=0.56. However, the number of orthorhombic nanodomains gradually increases with increasing Na content up to x<0.75, as observed from the HR-TEM images. An abrupt increase and agglomeration of the nanodomains are observed at x=0.75, where weak diffraction peaks of the orthorhombic phase have also become detectable from the XRD data. The maximum value of the electromechanical coupling coefficient, kp=0.56, has been observed at the composition x=0.56. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A (K,Na)NbO3-based lead-free piezoelectric ceramic was successfully densified. It exhibited an enhanced electromechanical coupling factor of kp = 0.52, a piezoelectric constant d33 = 252 pC/N, and a frequency constant Np = 3170 Hz m because of the incorporation of an elaborate secondary phase composed primarily of KTiNbO5. The ceramic's nominal composition was 0.92K0.42Na0.44Ca0.04Li0.02Nb0.85O3-0.047K0.85Ti0.85Nb1.15O5-0.023BaZrO3-0.0017Co3O4-0.002Fe2O3-0.005ZnO, abbreviated herein as KNN-NTK composite. The KNN-NTK ceramic exhibited a dense microstructure with few microvoids which significantly degraded its piezoelectric properties. Elemental maps recorded using transmission electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM-EDS) revealed regions of high concentrations of Co and Zn inside the NTK phase. In addition, X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed that a small portion of the NTK phase was converted into K2(Ti,Nb,Co,Zn)6O13 or CoZnTiO4 by a possible reaction between Co and Zn solutes and the NTK phase during a programmed sintering schedule. TEM studies also clarified a distortion around the KNN/NTK interfaces. Such an NTK phase filled voids between KNN particles, resulting in an improved chemical stability of the KNN ceramic. The manufacturing process was subsequently scaled to 100 kg per batch for granulated ceramic powder using a spray-drying technique. The properties of the KNN-NTK composite ceramic produced using the scaled-up method were confirmed to be identical to those of the ceramic prepared by conventional solid-state reaction sintering. Consequently, slight changes in the NTK phase composition and the distortion around the KNN/NTK interfaces affected the KNN-NTK composite ceramic's piezoelectric characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory on electric conductivity of electrolyte solutions we have developed [T. Yamaguchi, T. Matsuoka, and S. Koda, J. Chem. Phys. 127, 064508 (2007)] is applied to a model electrolyte solution that shows a minimum of equivalent conductivity as the function of concentration [T. Yamaguchi, T. Akatsuka, and S. Koda, J. Chem. Phys. 134, 244506 (2011)]. The theory succeeds in reproducing the equivalent conductivity minimum, whereas the mode-coupling theory (MCT) underestimates the conductivity in the low-concentration regime. The theory can also reproduce the decrease in the relaxation time of conductivity with increasing the concentration we have demonstrated with a Brownian dynamics simulation. A detailed analysis shows that the relaxation of the conductivity occurs through two processes. The faster one corresponds to the collision between a cation and an anion, and the slower one does to the polarization of the ionic atmosphere. The increase in the equivalent conductivity with concentration is attributed to the decrease in the effect of the ionic atmosphere, which is in turn explained by the fact that the counter ion cannot penetrate into the repulsive core when the Debye screening length is compatible or smaller than the ionic diameter. The same mechanism is also observed in MCT calculation with static structure factor determined by mean-spherical approximation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory on the frequency-dependent electric conductivity of electrolyte solutions proposed previously by Yamaguchi et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 127, 234501 (2007)] is extended to include the hydrodynamic interaction between ions. The theory is applied to the aqueous solution of NaCl and the concentration dependence of the conductivity agrees well with that determined by experiments. The effects of the hydrodynamic and relaxation effects are highly nonadditive in the concentrated solution, because the hydrodynamic interaction between ions affects the time-dependent response of the ionic atmosphere. The decrease in the electric conductivity is divided into the contributions of ion pair distribution at various distances. The long-range ionic atmosphere plays a major role at the concentration as low as 0.01 mol/kg, whereas the contribution of the contact ion pair region is important at 1 mol/kg. The magnitude of the contribution of the contact ion pair region is scarcely dependent on the presence of the hydrodynamic interaction. The transport number of cation is calculated to be a decreasing function of concentration as is observed in experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory on the ultrasonic absorption of electrolyte solutions we have proposed previously [T. Yamaguchi et al., J. Chem. Phys. 126, 144505 (2007)] is extended to calculate the frequency-dependent electric conductivity of the solution. The ionic contribution of the dielectric relaxation spectrum is obtained at the same time. The theory is able to handle the contributions of both the ion-pair dynamics and the relaxation of ionic atmosphere, as is the case of ultrasonic absorption. The effect of the barrier height between the contact and solvent-separated ion pairs is investigated in detail. It is clarified that the competition between the dissociation and reorientational relaxation rates of the contact ion pair is an important factor for the ion pair to be regarded as the ion pair in terms of ionic conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulses of nearly monoenergetic relativistic electrons have been generated by laser wakefield acceleration and used to perform photonuclear activation of carbon, copper, and photofission in uranium. Using bremsstrahlung converter targets, the electron beams generated by this technique have been shown to be effective in producing high energy γ-rays (tens of MeV) that are necessary to efficiently induce photonuclear reactions. Quantitative γ-ray spectroscopy of the irradiated C, Cu, and U samples indicates that more than 105 reactions were produced per joule of laser energy. The activation yield measurements have been compared with Monte Carlo modeling of electromagnetic cascade and photonuclear processes occurring in the targets to infer the characteristics of the laser accelerated electron beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory on the ultrasonic absorption spectrum of electrolytic solutions recently proposed by us is applied to the model system that resembles to the aqueous solution of MgSO4. The charges on ions are reduced to ±1.5e in order to obtain the equilibrium structure by the integral equation theory. The theory reproduces the existence of two relaxations around 100 kHz and 1 GHz. The physical origin of the relaxation is analyzed based on the theoretical expression. The slower relaxation is shown to originate in the formation of contact ion pair, in harmony with the conventional assignment. The amplitude of this relaxation agrees with the experimental one fairly well. The absorption cross section is a weakly increasing function of the concentration of the salt in theory, whereas it depends little on the concentration in experiment, which is ascribed to the weaker association of the pair in the theory. The deviation from the Debye relaxation is found for the faster process, and the concentration dependence is small. The analysis shows that this relaxation stems from the coupling between the pressure and the long-range concentration fluctuation, and the concentration independence and the non-Debye relaxation are explained based on the theoretical analysis. In particular, the theory demonstrates that this process has the t-3/2 tail in the time domain, which is confirmed by numerical calculation. The deviation of the theoretical relaxation amplitude from the experimental one is elucidated in terms of the theoretical expression of the coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theory is formulated that describes the sound absorption of electrolytic solutions due to the relative motion of ions, including the formation of ion pairs. The theory is based on the Kubo-Green formula for the bulk viscosity. The time correlation function of the pressure is projected onto the bilinear product of the density modes of ions. The time development of the product of density modes is described by the diffusive limit of the generalized Langevin equation, and approximate expressions for the three- and four-body correlation functions required are given with the hypernetted-chain integral equation theory. Calculations on the aqueous solutions of model electrolytes are performed. It is demonstrated that the theory describes both the activated barrier crossing between contact and solvent-separated ion pairs and the Coulombic correlation between ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theory on the time development of the density and current fields of simple fluids under an external field is formulated through the generalized Langevin formalism. The theory is applied to the linear solvation dynamics of a fixed solute regarding the solute as the external field on the solvent. The solute-solvent-solvent three-body correlation function is taken into account through the hypernetted-chain integral equation theory, and the time correlation function of the random force is approximated by that in the absence of the solute. The theoretical results are compared with those of molecular-dynamics (MD) simulation and the surrogate theory. As for the transient response of the density field, our theory is shown to be free from the artifact of the surrogate theory that the solvent can penetrate into the repulsive core of the solute during the relaxation. We have also found a large quantitative improvement of the solvation correlation function compared with the surrogate theory. In particular, the short-time part of the solvation correlation function is in almost perfect agreement with that from the MD simulation, reflecting that the short-time expansion of the theoretical solvation correlation function is exact up to t2 with the exact three-body correlation function. A quantitative improvement is found in the long-time region, too. Our theory is also applied to the force-force time correlation function of a fixed solute, and similar improvement is obtained, which suggests that our present theory can be a basis to improve the mode-coupling theory on the solute diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transient response function of the density profile of the solvent around a solute during the translational diffusion of the solute is formulated based on the generalized Langevin formalism. The resultant theory is applied to both neat Lennard-Jones fluids and cations in liquid water, and the response functions are obtained from the analysis of the molecular dynamics simulations. In the case of the self-diffusion of Lennard-Jones fluids, the responses of the solvation structures are in harmony with conventional pictures based on the mode-coupling theory, that is, the binary collision in the low-density fluids, the backflow effect from medium to high density fluids, and the backscatter effect in the liquids near the triple point. In the case of cations in water, the qualitative behavior is strongly dependent on the size of cations. The pictures similar to simple dense liquids are obtained for the large ion and the neutral molecule, while the solvent waters within the first solvation shell of small ions show an oscillatory response in the short-time region. In particular, the oscillation is remarkably underdumped for lithium ion. The origin of the oscillation is discussed in relation to the theoretical treatment of the translational diffusion of ions in water. © 2005 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecular motion of water in water–hydrophobic solute mixtures was investigated by the mode-coupling theory for molecular liquids based on the interaction-site description. When the model Lennard-Jones solute was mixed with water, both the translational and reorientational motions of solvent water become slower, in harmony with various experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. We compared the mechanism of the slowing down with that of the pressure dependence of the molecular motion of neat water [T. Yamaguchi, S.-H. Chong, and F. Hirata, J. Chem. Phys. 119, 1021 (2003)]. We found that the decrease in the solvent mobility caused by the solute can essentially be elucidated by the same mechanism: That is, the fluctuation of the number density of solvent due to the cavity formation by the solute strengthens the friction on the collective polarization through the dielectric friction mechanism: We also employed the solute molecule that is the same as solvent water except for the amount of partial charges, in order to alter the strength of the solute–solvent interaction continuously. The mobility of the solvent water was reduced both by the hydrophobic and strongly hydrophilic solutes, but it was enhanced in the intermediate case. Such a behavior was discussed in connection with the concept of positive and negative hydrations. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport coefficients of three ionic liquids, lithium bromide (LiBr), rubidium bromide (RbBr), and molten silica (SiO[sub 2]) are calculated by the mixture mode-coupling theory. The static partial structure factors required are obtained from the interionic interaction potential by the Ornstein–Zernike/hypernetted-chain integral equation. The anomalous pressure dependence of the transport properties, the increase in the molar ionic conductivity of LiBr and the fluidity of SiO[sub 2] in the low-pressure region, is reproduced qualitatively well by our theoretical calculation. The calculated results are analyzed in the similar way as that for water performed by Yamaguchi et al. [T. Yamaguchi, S.-H. Chong, and F. Hirata, J. Chem. Phys. 119, 1021 (2003)], and we found that the friction on the electric current caused by the coupling between the charge- and number-density modes is effective to the increase of the transport coefficient with pressure, as is the case of water. Comparing the results for LiBr and RbBr, the contribution of the electrostatic friction is smaller for RbBr, which leads to the normal pressure dependence of its molar ionic conductivity. The negative values of the Nernst–Einstein deviation parameter for the ionic conductivity of LiBr and SiO[sub 2] reported by previous MD simulations are also explained consistently. Furthermore, it is shown that the mechanism for the anomalous pressure dependence of the fluidity of molten SiO[sub 2] demonstrated in this work is consistent with a conventional picture that the five-coordinated silicon atom is important to enhance the ionic mobility. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ultrasonic vibration potential (UVP) and the electrokinetic sonic amplitude (ESA) are described in terms of equilibrium time-correlation functions using the linear response theory. The reciprocal relationship between UVP and ESA is shown based on the formulation. By introducing the generalized Langevin theory and taking the hydrodynamic limit, it is discussed how the effective volume of ions in the UVP measurement is related to their partial molar thermodynamic quantities. The effective volume is proven exactly equal to the isothermal partial molar volume in the isothermal formulation. The effect of the adiabaticity of sound wave is also investigated. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of lithium fluoride (LiF) crystal detectors to monochromatic X-rays is measured in the multi-kilo-electron-volt range. This response, as a function of the X-ray dose, is independent of photon energy with no saturation level found. The response, as a function of the incident energy flux, is found to increase for photons of lower energy due to the differing attenuation lengths of X-ray photons within the crystal. Small differences are seen between different confocal microscopes used to scan the data, suggesting the need for absolute calibration. The spatial resolution of the LiF is also measured (1.19–1.36 μm) and is found to be independent of incident photon energy. Finally, a photometric study is performed in order to assess the feasibility of using these detectors at current X-ray free electron laser and laser facilities worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an analysis of two-step-growth conditions for gallium nitride (GaN) on an aluminum nitride layer. Effects of various growth conditions; Problems with GaN crystal growth; Relationships between GaN properties and growth conditions for the buffer layer.

Presents a study that described metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy of gallium nitride on silicon carbide. Methodology; Examination of the surface morphology of gallium nitride; Evaluation of the surface polarity of the samples.

The electric and magnetic fields responsible for electron acceleration in a Laser Wakefield Accelerator (LWFA) also cause electrons to radiate x-ray photons. Such x-ray pulses have several desirable properties including short duration and being well collimated with tunable high energy. We measure the scaling of this x-ray source experimentally up to laser powers greater than 100 TW. An increase in laser power allows electron trapping at a lower density as well as with an increased trapped charge. These effects resulted in an x-ray fluence that was measured to increase non-linearly with laser power. The fluence of x-rays was also compared with that produced from K-α emission resulting from a solid target interaction for the same energy laser pulse. The flux was shown to be comparable, but the LWFA x-rays had a significantly smaller source size. This indicates that such a source may be useful as a backlighter for probing high energy density plasmas with ultrafast temporal resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recombination center at Si surfaces and Si/SiO2 interfaces was identified using highly sensitive spin-dependent recombination (SDR) detection of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The defect (Si-KU1) has a spin-triplet (S = 1) state owing to excitation by band-edge light employed in measurement. The Si-KU1 SDR-EPR spectrum exhibits orthorhombic symmetry along two equivalent <110> axes running parallel to the interface, which disappears upon mechanical lapping of the surface oxide or heat treatment above 400 °C. However, removal of surface oxide with diluted HF solution sharpens the Si-KU1 SDR-EPR lines. A plausible structural model of the center responsible for Si-KU1 is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ion acceleration from short pulse laser interactions at intensities of 2×1021Wcm-2 was studied experimentally under a wide variety of parameters, including laser contrast, incidence angle, and target thickness. Trends in maximum proton energy were observed, as well as evidence of improvement in the acceleration gradients by using dual plasma mirrors over traditional pulse cleaning techniques. Extremely high efficiency acceleration gradients were produced, accelerating both the contaminant layer and high charge state ions from the bulk of the target. Two dimensional particle-in-cell simulations enabled the study of the influence of scale length on submicron targets, where hydrodynamic expansion affects the rear surface as well as the front. Experimental evidence of larger electric fields for sharp density plasmas is observed in simulation results as well for such targets, where target ions are accelerated without the need for contaminant removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the scaling of laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) is crucial to the design of potential future systems. A number of computational and theoretical studies have predicted scalings with laser power for various parameters, but experimental studies have typically been limited to small parameter ranges. Here, we detail extensive measurements of LWFA experiments conducted over a considerable range in power from 20 to 110 TW, which allows for a greater plasma density range and for a large number of data points. These measurements include scalings of the electron beam charge and maximum energy as functions of density as well as injection threshold density, beam charge, and total beam energy as functions of laser power. The observed scalings are consistent with theoretical understandings of operation in the bubble regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser-driven d(d, n)-3He beam-target fusion neutron production from bulk deuterated plastic (CD) targets is compared with a pitcher-catcher target scheme using an identical laser and detector arrangement. For laser intensities in the range of (1-3) × 1019 W cm-2, it was found that the bulk targets produced a high yield (5 × 104 neutrons per steradian) beamed preferentially in the laser propagation direction. Numerical modeling shows the importance of considering the temperature adjusted stopping powers to correctly model the neutron production. The bulk CD targets have a high background target temperature leading to a reduced stopping power for the deuterons, which increases the probability of generating neutrons by fusion. Neutron production from the pitcher-catcher targets was not as efficient since it does not benefit from the reduced stopping power in the cold catcher target. Also, the inhibition of the deuteron acceleration by a proton rich contamination layer significantly reduces the pitcher-catcher neutron production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ablatively driven capillary discharge plasma waveguide has been used to demonstrate guiding of 30 fs, 35 TW laser pulses over distances up to 3 cm with incident intensity in excess of 4×1018 W/cm2. The plasma density range over which good guiding was observed was 1–3×1018 cm-3. The quality of the laser spot at the exit mode was observed to be similar to that at the entrance and the transmitted energy was ∼25% at input powers of 35 TW. The transmitted laser spectrum typically showed blueshifting due to ionization of carbon and hydrogen atoms in the capillary plasma by the high intensity laser pulse. The low plasma density regime in which these capillaries operate makes these devices attractive for use in single stage electron accelerators to multi-GeV energies driven by petawatt class laser systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser plasma interactions in a relativistic regime relevant to the fast ignition in inertial confinement fusion have been investigated. Ultraintense laser propagation in preformed plasmas and hot electron generation are studied. The experiments are performed using a 100 TW 0.6 ps laser and a 20 TW 0.6 ps laser synchronized by a long pulse laser. In the study, a self-focused ultraintense laser beam propagates along its axis into an overdense plasma with peak density 1022/cm3. Channel formation in the plasma is observed. The laser transmission in the overdense plasma depends on the position of its focus and can take place in plasmas with peak densities as high as 5×1022/cm3. The hot electron beams produced by the laser-plasma interaction have a divergence angle of ∼30°, which is smaller than that from laser-solid interactions. For deeper penetration of the laser light into the plasma, the use of multiple short pulse lasers is proposed. The latter scheme is investigated using particle-in-cell simulation. It is found that when the pulse duration and the interval between the pulses are appropriate, the laser pulse train can channel into the plasma deeper than a single longer pulse laser of similar peak intensity and total energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments on electron acceleration and optical diagnostics of laser wakes were performed on the HERCULES facility in a wide range of laser and plasma parameters. Using frequency domain holography we demonstrated single shot visualization of individual plasma waves, produced by 40 TW, 30 fs laser pulses focused to the intensity of 1019 W/cm2 onto a supersonic He gas jet with plasma densities ne<1019 cm-3. These holographic “snapshots” capture the variation in shape of the plasma wave with distance behind the driver, and resolve wave front curvature seen previously only in simulations. High-energy quasimonoenergetic electron beams were generated using plasma density in the range 1.5×1019≤ne≤3.5×1019 cm-3. These experiments demonstrated that the energy, charge, divergence, and pointing stability of the beam can be controlled by changing ne, and that higher electron energies and more stable beams are produced for lower densities. An optimized quasimonoenergetic beam of over 300 MeV and 10 mrad angular divergence is demonstrated at a plasma density of ne≃1.5×1019 cm-3. The resultant relativistic electron beams have been used to perform photo-fission of 238U with a record high reaction yields of ∼3×105/J. The results of initial experiments on electron acceleration at 70 TW are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A thin layer of overdense plasma is created when an electromagnetic pulse interacts with a rapidly ionizing thin foil. This layer will reflect the incoming pulse, forming a so-called plasma mirror. A simple realistic model based on paired kinetic and wave equations is used to analytically describe the process of mirror formation and the reflection and transmission of the incident pulse. The model incorporates the exact description of the ionization process in the foil and the polarization and conduction currents that follow. The analytical description of the reflected and transmitted pulses as well as their dependence on foil parameters, and initial pulse amplitude and form are presented. Possible application and effectiveness of this process to improve laser pulse contrast are discussed. In the case of the linearly polarized incident pulse, harmonic generation occurs, that is absent in the case of the circular polarization. The spectra of the reflected pulses for different initial forms and amplitudes are studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of hot electrons exceeding the Alfvén current can be produced when an ultraintense laser pulse irradiates a solid target. Self-excited extreme electrostatic and magnetic fields at the target rear could influence the electron trajectory. In order to investigate the influence, we measure the hot electrons when a plasma was created on the target rear surface in advance and observe an increase of the electron number by a factor of 2. This increase may be due to changes in the electrostatic potential formation process with the rear plasma. Using a one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation, it is shown that the retardation in the electrostatic potential formation lengthens the gate time when electrons can escape from the target. The electron number escaping within the lengthened time window appears to be much smaller than the net produced number and is consistent with our estimation using the Alfvén limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra intense laser interaction with solids is crucially modified by the presence of the plasma layer created by the prepulse associated with the peak intensity pulse. Here interferometric measurements of the preplasma created by a 40 TW, 600 fs Nd-glass laser are reported. Density profile and its target dependence are measured and the predicted scale length dependence on target atomic number is confirmed. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A system of optical beating spectroscopy has been newly developed for hyper-resolution Brillouin scattering. Frequency resolution as high as 1 kHz was obtained, far beyond the limit of the classical Fabry-Perot interferometer which is commonly used in ordinary experiments. This system is useful over the frequency range from 10[sup 4] to 10[sup 9] Hz at present. Experiments for Rayleigh and/or Brillouin spectra were performed in water, toulene, and carbon disulfide to demonstrate the performance of this system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the application of an intense, pulsed, light-ion beam (LIB) to materials science in addition to being initially developed as an energy driver for an inertial confinement fusion. High-density ablation plasma produced is an LIB is used to irradiate targets; Use of high-energy LIB implantation to make chemical compounds and the associated surface modification.

Laser driven proton acceleration experiments from micron and submicron thick targets using high intensity (2 × 1021 W/cm2), high contrast (10-15) laser pulses show an enhancement of maximum energy when hydrogen containing targets were used instead of non-hydrogen containing. In our experiments, using thin (<1μm) plastic foil targets resulted in maximum proton energies that were consistently 20%-100% higher than when equivalent thickness inorganic targets, including Si3N4 and Al, were used. Proton energies up to 20 MeV were measured with a flux of 107 protons/MeV/sr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that x-rays from a recently demonstrated table top source of bright, ultrafast, coherent synchrotron radiation [Kneip et al., Nat. Phys. 6, 980 (2010)] can be applied to phase contrast imaging of biological specimens. Our scheme is based on focusing a high power short pulse laser in a tenuous gas jet, setting up a plasma wakefield accelerator that accelerates and wiggles electrons analogously to a conventional synchrotron, but on the centimeter rather than tens of meter scale. We use the scheme to record absorption and phase contrast images of a tetra fish, damselfly and yellow jacket, in particular highlighting the contrast enhancement achievable with the simple propagation technique of phase contrast imaging. Coherence and ultrafast pulse duration will allow for the study of various aspects of biomechanics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advancements in laser wakefield accelerators have resulted in the generation of low divergence, hundred MeV, quasimonoenergetic electron beams. The bremsstrahlung produced by these highly energetic electrons in heavy converters includes a large number of MeV γ rays that have been utilized to induce photofission in natural uranium. Analysis of the measured delayed γ emission demonstrates production of greater than 3×105 fission events per joule of laser energy, which is more than an order of magnitude greater than that previously achieved. Monte Carlo simulations model the generated bremsstrahlung spectrum and compare photofission yields as a function of target depth and incident electron energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the photoluminescence of indium gallium nitride films grown at high temperature by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. Improvement of the crystalline quality; Correlation between indium source flow rate and nitrogen over pressure; Dependence of near band edge emission on indium mole fraction.

Nano-polycrystalline diamonds (NPDs) consist of nanosized diamond grains oriented in random directions. They have high toughness and isotropic mechanical properties. A NPD has neither the cleavage feature nor the anisotropy of hardness peculiar to single-crystal diamonds. Therefore, it is thought to be useful as a diamond anvil. We previously reported the usefulness of a NPD as an anvil for high-pressure development. In this study, some additional high-pressure generating tests using diamond anvils of various shapes prepared from NPDs were conducted to investigate the advantage of using NPDs for anvil applications. The results revealed that the achievable pressure value of a NPD anvil with a culet size of more than 300 μm is about 1.5 to 2 times higher than that of single-crystal diamond anvils, indicating that NPD anvils have considerable potential for large-volume diamond anvils with large culet sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin-film electroluminescent devices employing a new phosphor material ZnS:Sm,P have been found to exhibit bright red emission. Luminous efficiency of ZnS:Sm,P phosphor films is higher than that of ZnS:Sm phosphor films in the range of annealing temperature above 500 °C. A brightness of 1000 cd/m2 and an efficiency of 8×10-2 lm/W have been obtained in the devices with ZnS:Sm(1 at. %),P(0.5 at. %) phosphor films annealed at 600 °C. These results indicate that P is an efficient co-activator for Sm in ZnS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A paramagnetic recombination center having an orthorhombic symmetry with g[110] = 2.0095(2), g[001] = 2.0038(2), and g[formula] = 2.0029(2) is found at the interface between silicon and native oxide. The center is referred to Pm center and observed by a spin dependent recombination based electron paramagnetic resonance detection that has the sensitivity of ∼1011 spins/cm2. The employment of an isotopically enriched 28Si sample with the concentration of 29Si nuclear spins reduced to 0.017% leads to narrowing of the resonance line. This narrowing is the key for the accurate determination of the angular dependence of the g-factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Room temperature continuous wave operation of ZnSe-based blue/green laser diodes grown homoepitaxially on conductive ZnSe substrates with threshold current densities as low as 176 A/cm[sup 2] has been demonstrated. This is the lowest reported threshold among all short wavelength lasers in the blue/green region. Lifetimes at room temperature of up to 2.1 h have been obtained for lasers with pre-existing defect densities lower than 3×10[sup 4] cm[sup -2]. © 1998 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]