The one- and two-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau equations are numerically integrated in a slab geometry, which is appropriate for comparison to experimental work done on films. When two-dimensional variations become energetically favorable, a vortex is found to nucleate and move to the center of the film with the Gibbs free energy decreasing during the process. An important process by which the energy is lowered during this nucleation procedure is found to be the savings in condensation energy arising from the shrinking size of the vortex core as it moves to the center of the film. The solutions of the Ginzburg-Landau equations are used to explain anomalies observed experimentally in the tunneling characteristics of thin films of PbIn. Excellent agreement between theory and experiment is found with the Ginzburg-Landau equations correctly predicting the field at which flux would first enter the films. We then use the Clem model of an isolated vortex to model vortex nucleation and dynamics under the influence of a transport current. The entry fields predicted by the model are found to be off by almost a factor of two but have the advantage of requiring simple computer programs for their solution, while the Ginzburg-Landau solutions require substantially more numerical …

Electron transfer from the excited state of sensitizing dyes to the conduction band of semiconductors has been studied through photoelectrochemical techniques. Two systems were analyzed in detail: rhodamine B on ZnO and rose bengal on TiO/sub 2/. Prior to electrochemical experimentation, the adsorption characteristics of these dyes were investigated using ZnO, ZnS, and TiO/sub 2/ single crystals as substrates. Absorbance measurements of the adsorbed dye were taken as a function of the solution concentration of the dye. Adsorption isotherms heats of adsorption were also established; they were similar to literature data reported for adsorption of these dyes on powdered substrates. Using the absorbance data, the quantum efficiency for photoinjection of electrons from rhodamine B into a ZnO electrode was determined to be 2.7 x 10/sup -2/. This value was independent of the dye surface concentration down to 50% coverage of the electrode. With the assumption that not all of the rhodamine B adsorbed on the electrode has the same rate of electron injection, a kinetic model for the time decay of the photocurrent was developed; data were analyzed according to this theory. A rate constant for photoreduction of the adsorbed dye was determined for the reducing agents. 86 references.