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Ce[sup3+]-doped nanocrystalline terbium aluminum garnet (Tb[sub3]Al[sub5]O[sub12]:Ce[sup3+], TAG:Ce[sup3+]) phosphors were successfully synthesized in low temperature by nitrate-citrate gel combustion method using microwave irradiation as a heating source. The pure TAG phase was obtained after calcining at 800°C for 6 h. The prepared nanocrystalline phosphors showed a broad peak at 551 nm, and the maximum doping concentration of Ce[sup3+] for the highest emission intensity was 0.8 mol % at 551 nm. The temperature dependence on photoluminescence properties of the prepared TAG:Ce[sup3+] phosphors was investigated from 25 to 275°C, and the activation energies (ΔE) for thermal quenching was determined by Arrhenius fitting. The experimental results clearly indicate that prepared nanocryatalline TAG:Ce[sup3+] has great potentials for a down-conversion yellow phosphor in white light emitting diodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the detection of long-period RV variations in HD 36384, HD 52030, and HD 208742 by using the high-resolution, fiber-fed Bohyunsan Observatory Echelle Spectrograph (BOES) for the precise radial velocity (RV) survey of about 200 northern circumpolar stars. Analyses of RV data, chromospheric activity indicators, and bisector variations spanning about five years suggest that the RV variations are compatible with planet or brown dwarf companions in Keplerian motion. However, HD 36384 shows photometric variations with a period very close to that of RV variations as well as amplitude variations in the weighted wavelet Z-transform (WWZ) analysis, which argues that the RV variations in HD 36384 are from the stellar pulsations. Assuming that the companion hypothesis is correct, HD 52030 hosts a companion with minimum mass 13.3 MJup orbiting in 484 days at a distance of 1.2 au. HD 208742 hosts a companion of 14.0 MJup at 1.5 au with a period of 602 days. All stars are located at the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stage on the H–R diagram after undergoing the helium flash and leaving the giant clump.With stellar radii of 53.0 R⊙ and 57.2 R⊙ for HD 52030 and HD 208742, respectively, these stars may be the largest yet, in terms of stellar radius, found to host substellar companions. However, given possible RV amplitude variations and the fact that these are highly evolved stars, the planet hypothesis is not yet certain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the electronic structures of the Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) surface and CdS/CZTSe heterointerface using X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS), and inversed photoemission spectroscopy (IPES) systems. These measurement systems are connected to the CdS deposition chamber via a transport chamber under ultrahigh vacuum. We revealed that the conduction band offset (CBO) and valence band offset (VBO) are +0.56 and +0.89 eV, respectively, at the CdS/CZTSe heterointerface. A positive CBO value, referred to as a “spike” structure, indicates that the position of the conduction band of CdS becomes higher than that of the absorber layer. Despite such a large spike structure in the conduction band at the interface, a conversion efficiency of 8.7% was obtained for our CdS/CZTSe heterojunction solar cells. Moreover, we found that the Fermi level at the CZTSe surface is located near the center of the bandgap and that the hole deficiency near the CZTSe surface is stronger than that inside the bulk CZTSe. We also found that Fermi level pinning did not occur at the CZTSe surface or CdS/CZTSe heterointerface by XPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have analyzed the temperature, velocity, and density of H2 gas in NGC 7023 with a high-resolution near-infrared spectrum of the northwestern filament of the reflection nebula. By observing NGC 7023 in the H and K bands at R ≃ 45,000 with the Immersion GRating INfrared Spectrograph, we detected 68 H2 emission lines within the 1″ × 15″ slit. The diagnostic ratio of 2-1 S(1)/1-0 S(1) is 0.41−0.56. In addition, the estimated ortho-to-para ratio (OPR) is 1.63−1.82, indicating that the H2 emission transitions in the observed region arise mostly from gas excited by UV fluorescence. Gradients in the temperature, velocity, and OPR within the observed area imply motion of the photodissociation region (PDR) relative to the molecular cloud. In addition, we derive the column density of H2 from the observed emission lines and compare these results with PDR models in the literature covering a range of densities and incident UV field intensities. The notable difference between PDR model predictions and the observed data, in high rotational J levels of ν = 1, is that the predicted formation temperature for newly formed H2 should be lower than that of the model predictions. To investigate the density distribution, we combine pixels in 1″ × 1″ areas and derive the density distribution at the 0.002 pc scale. The derived gradient of density suggests that NGC 7023 has a clumpy structure, including a high clump density of ∼105 cm−3 with a size smaller than ∼5 × 10−3 pc embedded in lower-density regions of 103–104 cm−3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a study of the three-dimensional (3D) outflow structure of a 15″ × 13″ area around the H2 peak 1 in Orion KL with slit-scan observations (13 slits) using the Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrograph. The datacubes have a high-velocity resolution (∼7.5 km s−1), provide high-contrast imaging within ultra-narrow bands, and enable the detection of the main stream of the previously reported H2 outflow fingers. We identified 31 distinct fingers in the H2 1−0 S(1) λ2.122 μm emission. The line profile at each finger shows multiple-velocity peaks with a strong low-velocity component around the systemic velocity at = +8 km s−1 and high-velocity emission ( = 45–135 km s−1), indicating a typical bow-shock. The observed radial velocity gradients of ∼4 km s−1 arcsec−1 agree well with the velocities inferred from large-scale proper motions, where the projected motion is proportional to the distance from a common origin. We construct a conceptual 3D map of the fingers with estimated inclination angles of 57°–74°. The extinction difference (ΔAv > 10 mag) between blueshifted and redshifted fingers indicates high internal extinction. The extinction, the overall angular spread, and the scale of the flow argue for an ambient medium with a very high density (105–106 cm−3), consistent with molecular line observations of the Orion Molecular Cloud core. The radial velocity gradients and the 3D distributions of the fingers together support the hypothesis of a simultaneous radial explosion of the Orion KL outflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate the improved efficiency of a Cu2Zn(Sn1−xGex)Se4 (CZTGSe) thin-film solar cell with a conversion efficiency of 12.3%; this cell exhibits a greatly improved open-circuit voltage (VOC) deficit of 0.583 V and a fill factor (FF) of 0.73 compared with previously reported CZTGSe cells. The VOC deficit was found to be improved through a reduced band tailing via the control of the Ge/(Sn + Se) ratio. In addition, the high FF was mainly induced by a reduced carrier recombination at the absorber/buffer interface and/or in the space charge region, whereas parasitic resistive effects on FF were very small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of high-resolution near-IR spectroscopy toward the multiple outflows around the Herbig Be star LkHα 234 using the Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrograph. Previous studies indicate that the region around LkHα 234 is complex, with several embedded young stellar objects and the outflows associated with them. In simultaneous H- and K-band spectra from HH 167, we detected 5 [Fe ii] and 14 H2 emission lines. We revealed a new [Fe ii] jet driven by radio continuum source VLA 3B. Position–velocity diagrams of the H2 1−0 S(1) λ2.122 μm line show multiple velocity peaks. The kinematics may be explained by a geometrical bow shock model. We detected a component of H2 emission at the systemic velocity (VLSR = −10.2 km s−1) along the whole slit in all slit positions, which may arise from the ambient photodissociation region. Low-velocity gas dominates the molecular hydrogen emission from knots A and B in HH 167, which is close to the systemic velocity; [Fe ii] emission lines are detected farther from the systemic velocity, at VLSR = −100–−130 km s−1. We infer that the H2 emission arises from shocked gas entrained by a high-velocity outflow. Population diagrams of H2 lines imply that the gas is thermalized at a temperature of 2500–3000 K and the emission results from shock excitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaporated Cu2SnSe3 (CTSe) and ZnSe bilayers are used as precursors for the fabrication of Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) thin films. Large grains (i.e., >1 µm) in CZTSe were obtained at a relatively low annealing temperature of 500 °C. The stacking order of precursors strongly affected the chemical composition of CZTSe thin films even under identical growth conditions. Zn loss in CTSe/ZnSe/Mo precursors occurred during CTSe deposition, whereas ZnSe/CTSe/Mo precursors showed improved stability in composition. The CZTSe solar cells fabricated using ZnSe/CTSe bilayer precursors with annealing showed a conversion efficiency of over 7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]