Search

The long theorized two-dimensional allotrope of SiC has remained elusive amid the exploration of graphenelike honeycomb structured monolayers. It is anticipated to possess a large direct band gap (2.5 eV), ambient stability, and chemical versatility. While $sp^{2}$ bonding between silicon and carbon is energetically favorable, only disordered nanoflakes have been reported to date. Here we demonstrate large-area, bottom-up synthesis of monocrystalline, epitaxial monolayer honeycomb SiC atop ultrathin transition metal carbide films on SiC substrates. We find the 2D phase of SiC to be almost planar and stable at high temperatures, up to 1200{\deg}C in vacuum. Interactions between the 2D-SiC and the transition metal carbide surface result in a Dirac-like feature in the electronic band structure, which in the case of a TaC substrate is strongly spin-split. Our findings represent the first step towards routine and tailored synthesis of 2D-SiC monolayers, and this novel heteroepitaxial system may find diverse applications ranging from photovoltaics to topological superconductivity.

Accurate atomic data are essential for opacity calculations and for abundance analyses of the Sun and other stars. The aim of this work is to provide accurate and extensive results of energy levels and transition data for C I - IV. The Multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock and relativistic configuration interaction methods were used in the present work. To improve the quality of the wave functions and reduce the relative differences between length and velocity forms for transition data involving high Rydberg states, alternative computational strategies were employed by imposing restrictions on the electron substitutions when constructing the orbital basis for each atom and ion. Transition data, e.g., weighted oscillator strengths and transition probabilities, are given for radiative electric dipole (E1) transitions involving levels up to 1s$^2$2s$^2$2p6s for C I, up to 1s$^2$2s$^2$7f for C II, up to 1s$^2$2s7f for C III, and up to 1s$^2$8g for CIV. Using the difference between the transition rates in length and velocity gauges as an internal validation, the average uncertainties of all presented E1 transitions are estimated to be 8.05%, 7.20%, 1.77%, and 0.28%, respectively, for C I - IV. Extensive comparisons with available experimental and theoretical results are performed and good agreement is observed for most of the transitions. In addition, the C I data were employed in a reanalysis of the solar carbon abundance. The new transition data give a line-by-line dispersion similar to the one obtained when using transition data that are typically used in stellar spectroscopic applications today., Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures

A new scheme to determine the neutrino mass matrix is proposed using atomic de-excitation between two states of a few eV energy spacing. The determination of the smallest neutrino mass of the order of 1 meV and neutrino mass type, Majorana or Dirac, becomes possible, if one can coherently excite more than 1 gram of atoms using two lasers., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

The KLM+KLN Auger electron spectrum of rubidium (Z=37) emitted in the electron capture decay of radioactive $^{83}$Sr in a polycrystalline platinum matrix and also $^{85}$Sr in polycrystalline platinum and carbon matrices as well as in an evaporated layer onto a carbon backing was experimentally studied in detail for the first time using a combined electrostatic electron spectrometer. Energies, relative intensities, and natural widths of fifteen basic spectrum components were determined and compared with both theoretical predictions and experimental data for krypton (Z=36). Relative spectrum line energies obtained from the semi-empirical calculations in intermediate coupling scheme were found to agree within 3$\sigma$ with the measured values while disagreement with experiment exceeding 3$\sigma$ was often observed for values obtained from our multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock calculations. The absolute energy of the dominant spectrum component given by the semi-empirical approach agrees within 1$\sigma$ with the measured value. Shifts of + (0.2$\pm$0.2) and - (1.9$\pm$0.2) eV were measured for the dominant KLM spectrum components between the $^{85}$Sr sources prepared by vacuum evaporation on and implanted into the carbon foil, respectively, relative to $^{85}$Sr implanted into the platinum foil. A value of (713$\pm$2) eV was determined for the energy difference of the dominant components of the KLM+KLN Auger electron spectra of rubidium and krypton generated in the polycrystalline platinum matrix. From the detailed analysis of the measured data and available theoretical results, the general conclusion can be drawn that the proper description of the KLM+KLN Auger electron spectrum for Z around 37 should still be based on intermediate coupling of angular momenta taking into account relativistic effects.

Multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock (MCDHF) and relativistic configuration interaction (RCI) calculations were performed for 28 and 78 states in neutral and singly ionized aluminium, respectively. In Al I, the configurations of interest are $3s^2nl$ for $n=3,4,5$ with $l=0$ to $4$, as well as $3s3p^2$ and $3s^26l$ for $l=0,1,2$. In Al II, the studied configurations are, besides the ground configuration $3s^2$, $3snl$ with $n=3$ to $6$ and $l=0$ to $5$, $3p^2$, $3s7s$, $3s7p$ and $3p3d$. Valence and core-valence electron correlation effects are systematically accounted for through large configuration state function (CSF) expansions. Calculated excitation energies are found to be in excellent agreement with experimental data from the NIST database. Lifetimes and transition data for radiative electric dipole (E1) transitions are given and compared with results from previous calculations and available measurements, for both Al I and Al II. The computed lifetimes of Al I are in very good agreement with the measured lifetimes in high-precision laser spectroscopy experiments. The present calculations provide a substantial amount of updated atomic data, including transition data in the infrared region. This is particularly important since the new generation of telescopes are designed for this region. There is a significant improvement in accuracy, in particular for the more complex system of neutral Al I. The complete tables of transition data are available.

Employing two state-of-the-art methods, multiconfiguration Dirac--Hartree--Fock and second-order many-body perturbation theory, the excitation energies and lifetimes for the lowest 200 states of the $2s^2 2p^4$, $2s 2p^5$, $2p^6$, $2s^2 2p^3 3s$, $2s^2 2p^3 3p$, $2s^2 2p^3 3d$, $2s 2p^4 3s$, $2s 2p^4 3p$, and $2s 2p^4 3d$ configurations, and multipole (electric dipole (E1), magnetic dipole (M1), and electric quadrupole (E2)) transition rates, line strengths, and oscillator strengths among these states are calculated for each O-like ion from Cr XVII to Zn XXIII. Our two data sets are compared with the NIST and CHIANTI compiled values, and previous calculations. The data are accurate enough for identification and deblending of new emission lines from the sun and other astrophysical sources. The amount of data of high accuracy is significantly increased for the $n = 3$ states of several O-like ions of astrophysics interest, where experimental data are very scarce.

Background: Atomic spectral lines from different isotopes display a small shift in energy, commonly referred to as the line isotope shift. One of the components of the isotope shift is the field shift, which depends on the extent and the shape of the nuclear charge density distribution. Purpose: To investigate how sensitive field shifts are with respect to variations in the nuclear size and shape and what information of nuclear charge distributions that can be extracted from measured field shifts. Methods: Nuclear properties are obtained from nuclear density functional theory calculations based on the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov approach. These results are combined with multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock methods to obtain realistic field shifts. Results: Phenomena such as nuclear deformation and variations in the diffuseness of nuclear charge distributions give measurable contributions to the field shifts. Using a novel approach, we demonstrate the possibility to extract new information concerning the nuclear charge densities from the observed field shifts. Conclusions: Combining methods used in atomic and nuclear structure theory gives an improved description of field shifts. Extracting additional nuclear information from measured field shifts is possible in the near future with improved experimental methods.