Search results for "METASTABILITY"

Characterization of LiF and CaF2 surfaces using MIES and UPS (HeI)

1998

Metastable impact electron spectroscopy (MIES) and UPS (HeI) in combination with ab initio calculations (CRYSTALcode) were applied to study surface and bulk defects in LiF and CaF2. The investigated stoichiometric, defective and doped surfaces are LiF, LiF doped with Mg, and CaF2. The experimental information obtained on the electronic structure of stoichiometric and defective surfaces of LiF (100), LiF on W (110) and CaF2 (111) is discussed on the basis of the ab initio calculations. MIES spectra show features from Li agglomerates on the surface of electron bombarded LiF. The electronic structure of the LiF:Mg single crystal shows additional features above the valence band maximum caused b…

The energy transfer to the luminescence centers in PbWO4

1998

Abstract The luminescence spectra, rise and decay kinetics and the yield of luminescence in undoped PbWO 4 crystals were studied after pulsed electron beam irradiation. The luminescence intensity rise observed after irradiation pulse showed two mechanisms—excitonic relaxation and electron–hole recombination—were involved in the formation of the excited states of the blue luminescence centers. It is proposed that the excited states of WO 3 and WO 2− 4 luminescence centers were formed from some intermediate metastable state.

2016

Raman spectroscopic data were obtained for (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 samples during compression to 57 GPa. Single crystals of San Carlos olivine compressed hydrostatically above 41 GPa showed appearance of a new “defect” peak in the 820–840 cm−1 region associated with SiOSi linkages appearing between adjacent Embedded Image tetrahedra to result in five- or sixfold-coordinated silicate species. Appearance of this feature is accompanied by a broad amorphous background. The changes occur at lower pressure than metastable crystalline transitions of end-member Mg2SiO4 forsterite (Fo-I) into Fo-II and Fo-III phases described recently. We complemented our experimental study using density functional theory (DFT…

Nonlinear relaxation in quantum and mesoscopic systems

2013

The nonlinear relaxation of three mesoscopic and quantum systems are investigated. Specifically we study the nonlinear relaxation in: (i) a long Josephson junction (LJJ) driven by a non-Gaussian Lévy noise current; (ii) a metastable quantum open system driven by an external periodical driving; and (iii) the electron spin relaxation process in n-type GaAs crystals driven by a fluctuating electric field. In the first system the LJJ phase evolution is described by the perturbed sine-Gordon equation. Two well known noise induced effects are found: the noise enhanced stability and resonant activation phenomena. We investigate the mean escape time as a function of the bias current frequency, nois…

Competition between heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation near a flat wall

2009

We studied the competition between heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation of an aqueous suspension of charged colloidal spheres close to the container walls. Samples of equilibrium crystalline structure were shear-melted and the metastable melt left to solidify after the cessation of shear. The crystallization kinetics was monitored using time-resolved scattering techniques: at low particle number densities n we applied an improved static light scattering method while at large particle concentrations ultra-small-angle x-ray scattering was applied for the first time. Our results show some unexpected behavior: the heterogeneous nucleation at the container walls is delayed in comparison to t…

The Temperature Dependence of Scintillation Parameters in PbWO4 Crystals

1997

The luminescence spectra, decay kinetics and yield of luminescence in undoped PbWO 3 crystals were studied after pulsed electron beam irradiation. The rise time of luminescence pulses shows that two mechanisms - excitonic and recombination - were involved in luminescence center excited state formation. It is proposed that excited states of WO 3 and WO 2- 4 luminescence centers were formed from some metastable state, possibly from Pb related excitation.

Probability Distribution of the Residence Times in Periodically Fluctuating Metastable Systems

1998

We investigate experimentally and numerically the probability distribution of the residence times in periodically fluctuating metastable systems. The experiments are performed in a physical metastable system which is the series of a biasing resistor with a tunnel diode in parallel to a capacitor. The numerical simulations are performed in an overdamped model system with a time-dependent potential. We investigate both the cases where the system is deterministically overall-stable and overall-unstable. In the overall-unstable regime, the experimental and the numerically investigated systems show noise enhanced stability in the presence of a finite amount of noise. The determined P(T) is mult…

Correlations of the distribution of spin states in spin crossover compounds

1999

Abstract Short range correlations of the distribution of high spin (HS) and low spin (LS) states show up in thermal spin transition curves, decay curves of the light induced metastable HS state (LIESST state), and in structural features during the spin transitions. Correlations are due to short range interactions between the spin crossover molecules. Short range interactions may compete with omnipresent long range interactions and give rise to interesting spin transition phenomena. In this paper, the effect of correlations on the thermal spin transition in the mixed crystal system [Fe x Zn 1− x (pic) 3 ]Cl 2 ·EtOH (pic=picolylamine) is discussed. In particular the step in the thermal transi…

Pressure-Induced High Spin State in [Fe(btr)2(NCS)2]·H2O (btr = 4,4′-bis-1,2,4-triazole)

2000

Application of hydrostatic pressure (≤ 10.5 kbar) on the two-dimensional spin transition compound [Fe(btr)2(NCS)2]·H2O (btr = 4,4‘-bis-1,2,4-triazole) results in an unexpected stabilization of the HS state. On release of the pressure, the HS state is found to be partially trapped. After thermal relaxation of the metastable HS state obtained by the LIESST effect (light-induced excited spin state trapping), a pure LS state is obtained in contrast to the pressure experiments. This different behavior supports a structural phase transition as the likely basis of the pressure-induced HS state.

Kinetics of phase separation in thin films: simulations for the diffusive case.

2005

We study the diffusion-driven kinetics of phase separation of a symmetric binary mixture (AB), confined in a thin-film geometry between two parallel walls. We consider cases where (a) both walls preferentially attract the same component (A), and (b) one wall attracts A and the other wall attracts B (with the same strength). We focus on the interplay of phase separation and wetting at the walls, which is referred to as {\it surface-directed spinodal decomposition} (SDSD). The formation of SDSD waves at the two surfaces, with wave-vectors oriented perpendicular to them, often results in a metastable layered state (also referred to as ``stratified morphology''). This state is reminiscent of th…