Photoluminescence in silicon/silicon oxide films produced by the Pulsed Electron Beam Ablation technique

In this work we report studies of the photoluminescence emission in samples based on Si/SiOx films deposited by the Pulsed Electron Beam Ablation (PEBA) technique. The samples were prepared at room temperature using targets with different Si/SiO2 concentrations. The samples were characterized using X-ray Absorption Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) at the Si-K edge, Raman spectroscopy, Photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The concentration of a-Si and nc-Si in the film was dependent on the silicon concentration in the target. It was also observed that the PL is strongly dependent on the structural amorphous/crystalline arrangement. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optical transition radiation used in the diagnostic of low energy and low current electron beams in particle accelerators

Optical transition radiation (OTR) plays an important role in beam diagnostics for high energy particle accelerators. Its linear intensity with beam current is a great advantage as compared to fluorescent screens, which are subject to saturation. Moreover, the measurement of the angular distribution of the emitted radiation enables the determination of many beam parameters in a single observation point. However, few works deals with the application of OTR to monitor low energy beams. In this work we describe the design of an OTR based beam monitor used to measure the transverse beam charge distribution of the 1.9-MeV electron beam of the linac injector of the IFUSP microtron using a standard vision machine camera. The average beam current in pulsed operation mode is of the order of tens of nano-Amps. Low energy and low beam current make OTR observation difficult. To improve sensitivity, the beam incidence angle on the target was chosen to maximize the photon flux in the camera field-of-view. Measurements that assess OTR observation (linearity with beam current, polarization, and spectrum shape) are presented, as well as a typical 1.9-MeV electron beam charge distribution obtained from OTR. Some aspects of emittance measurement using this device are also discussed. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4748519]

Environmental effects in kelvin force microscopy of modified diamond surfaces

We have explored the effects of atmospheric environment on Kelvin force microscopy (KFM) measurements of potential difference between different regions of test polycrystalline diamond surfaces. The diamond films were deposited by microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition, which naturally produces hydrogen terminations on the surface of the films formed. Selected regions were patterned by electron-beam lithography and chemical terminations of oxygen or fluorine were created by exposure to an oxygen or fluorine plasma source. For KFM imaging, the samples were mounted in a hood with a constant flow of helium gas. Successive images were taken over a 5-h period showing the effect of the environment on KFM imaging. We conclude that the helium flow removes water molecules adsorbed on the surface of the samples, resulting in differences in surface potential between adjacent regions. The degree of water removal is different for surfaces with different terminations. The results highlight the importance of taking into account the atmospheric environment when carrying out KFM analysis. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Searching for resonances in the unbound Be-6 nucleus by using a radioactive Be-7 beam

Knowledge of the He-3(He-3,2p)He-4 reaction is important for understanding stellar burning and solar neutrino production. Previous measurements have found a surprisingly large rise in the cross section at low energies that could be due to a low-energy resonance in the He-3 + He-3 (Be-6) system or electron screening. In the Be-6 nucleus, however, no excited states have been observed above the first 2(+) state at E (x) = 1.67 MeV up to 23 MeV, even though several are expected. The H-2(Be-7,H-3)Be-6 reaction has been studied for the first time to search for resonances in the Be-6 nucleus that may affect our understanding of the He-3(He-3,2p)He-4 reaction. A 100-MeV radioactive Be-7 beam from the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) was used to bombard CD2 targets, and tritons were detected by using the silicon detector array (SIDAR). A combination of reaction mechanisms appears to be necessary to explain the observed triton energy spectrum.

Entanglement of two-qubit photon beam by magnetic field.

We have studied the possibility of affecting the entanglement measure of 2-qubit system consisting of two photons with different fi xed frequencies but with two arbitrary linear polarizations, moving in the same direction, by the help of an applied external magnetic field. The interaction between the magnetic fi eld and the photons in our model is achieved through intermediate electrons that interact with both the photons and the magnetic fi eld. The possibility of exact theoretical analysis of this scheme is based on known exact solutions that describe the interaction of an electron subjected to an external magnetic fi eld (or a medium of electrons not interacting with each other) with a quantized field of two photons. We adapt these exact solutions to the case under consideration. Using explicit wave functions for the resulting electromagnetic fi eld, we calculate the entanglement measure of the photon beam as a function of the applied magnetic field and parameters of the electron medium.