Selective excitation of the yellow and blue luminescence in n- and p-doped Gallium Nitride (open access)

Selective excitation of the yellow and blue luminescence in n- and p-doped Gallium Nitride

GaN is an interesting material: technologically very useful, but still having many unexplained features. Two such features are the broad defect-related luminescence bands: the YL of n-type GaN and the BL of Mg-doped p-type GaN. We have employed selective excitation to investigate these bands. In the case of the YL, most of the previous evidence has supported a recombination model between distant donors and acceptors, most likely a transition involving a shallow donor to a deep acceptor. Our selective excitation experiments have resolved finer structures within the YL. Our results indicate that the YL in bulk samples is related to the YL in film samples. We suggest that selectively excited YL involves recombination at DAP complexes, rather than between spatially distant DAPs (however other recombination channels, including that of distant DAPs may become significant under other excitation conditions). Characteristics of the DAP complexes within our YL model include (a) an electron localization energy of around 60-70 meV, (b) a localized phonon energy of around 40 meV, and (c) excited states of the complex at 200 and 370 meV above the ground state. In the case of the BL, the deep defect responsible for the BL is unknown, and there may …
Date: December 31, 2000
Creator: Colton, John S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy studies of adsorbates on Pt(111): Studies of CO at high pressures and temperatures, coadsorbed with olefins and its role as a poison in ethylene hydrogenation (open access)

Sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy studies of adsorbates on Pt(111): Studies of CO at high pressures and temperatures, coadsorbed with olefins and its role as a poison in ethylene hydrogenation

High pressure high temperature CO adsorption and coadsorption with ethylene and propylene on Pt(111) was monitored in situ with infrared-visible sum frequency generation (SFG). At high pressures and high temperatures, CO dissociates on a Pt(111) surface to form carbon. At 400 torr CO pressure and 673K, CO modifies the Pt(111) surface through a carbonyl intermediate, and dissociates to leave carbon on the surface. SFG was used to follow the CO peak evolution from monolayer adsorption in ultra high vacuum (UHV) to 400 torr CO pressure. At this high pressure, a temperature dependence study from room temperature to 823K was carried out. Auger electron spectroscopy was used to identify carbon on the surface CO coadsorption with ethylene and CO coadsorption with propylene studies were carried out with 2-IR 1-visible SFG. With this setup, two spectral ranges covering the C-H stretch range and the CO stretch range can be monitored simultaneously. The coadsorption study with ethylene reveals that after 5L ethylene exposure on a Pt(111) surface to form ethylidyne , CO at high pressures cannot completely displace the ethylidyne from the surface. Instead, CO first adsorbs on defect sites at low pressures and then competes with ethylidyne for terrace sites at high …
Date: December 31, 2000
Creator: Kung, Kyle Yi
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sum-frequency spectroscopic studies: I. Surface melting of ice, II. Surface alignment of polymers (open access)

Sum-frequency spectroscopic studies: I. Surface melting of ice, II. Surface alignment of polymers

Surface vibrational spectroscopy via infrared-visible sum-frequency generation (SFG) has been established as a useful tool to study the structures of different kinds of surfaces and interfaces. This technique was used to study the (0001) face of hexagonal ice (Ih). SFG spectra in the O-H stretch frequency range were obtained at various sample temperatures. For the vapor(air)/ice interface, the degree of orientational order of the dangling OH bonds at the surface was measured as a function of temperature. Disordering sets in around 200 K and increases dramatically with temperature, which is strong evidence of surface melting of ice. For the other ice interfaces (silica/OTS/ice and silica/ice), a similar temperature dependence of the hydrogen bonded OH stretch peak was observed; the free OH stretch mode, however, appears to be different from that of the vapor (air)/ice interface due to interactions at the interfaces. The technique was also used to measure the orientational distributions of the polymer chains on a rubbed polyvinyl alcohol surface. Results show that the polymer chains at the surface appear to be well aligned by rubbing, and the adsorbed liquid crystal molecules are aligned, in turn, by the surface polymer chains. A strong correlation exists between the orientational distributions …
Date: December 21, 2000
Creator: Wei, Xing
System: The UNT Digital Library
A quasi-model-independent search for new high p{_}T physics at DO (open access)

A quasi-model-independent search for new high p{_}T physics at DO

We present a new quasi-model-independent strategy (''Sleuth'') for searching for physics beyond the standard model. We define final states to be studied, and construct a rule that identifies a set of relevant variables for any particular final state. A novel algorithm searches for regions of excess in those variables and quantifies the significance of any detected excess. This strategy is applied to search for new high p{_}T physics in approximately 100 pb{sup -1} of proton-anti-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV collected by the D0 experiment during 1992-1996 at the Fermilab Tevatron. We systematically analyze many exclusive final states, and demonstrate sensitivity to a variety of models predicting new phenomena at the electroweak scale. No evidence of new high p{_}T physics is observed.
Date: December 11, 2000
Creator: Knuteson, Bruce O.
System: The UNT Digital Library
XANES, EXAFS and Kbeta spectroscopic studies of the oxygen-evolving complex in Photosystem II (open access)

XANES, EXAFS and Kbeta spectroscopic studies of the oxygen-evolving complex in Photosystem II

A key question for the understanding of photosynthetic water oxidation is whether the four oxidizing equivalents necessary to oxidize water to dioxygen are accumulated on the four Mn ions of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC), or whether some ligand-centered oxidations take place before the formation and release of dioxygen during the S{sub 3} {r_arrow} [S{sub 4}] {r_arrow} S{sub 0} transition. Progress in instrumentation and flash sample preparation allowed us to apply Mn K{beta} X-ray emission spectroscopy (Kb XES) to this problem for the first time. The K{beta} XES results, in combination with Mn X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) data obtained from the same set of samples, show that the S{sub 2} {r_arrow} S{sub 3} transition, in contrast to the S{sub 0} {r_arrow} S{sub 1} and S{sub 1} {r_arrow} S{sub 2} transitions, does not involve a Mn-centered oxidation. This is rationalized by manganese {mu}-oxo bridge radical formation during the S{sub 2} {r_arrow} S{sub 3} transition. Using extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, the local environment of the Mn atoms in the S{sub 0} state has been structurally characterized. These results show that the Mn-Mn distance in one of the di-{mu}-oxo-bridged Mn-Mn moieties increases from 2.7 …
Date: December 1, 2000
Creator: Robblee, John H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The intergroup protocols: Scalable group communication for the internet (open access)

The intergroup protocols: Scalable group communication for the internet

Reliable group ordered delivery of multicast messages in a distributed system is a useful service that simplifies the programming of distributed applications. Such a service helps to maintain the consistency of replicated information and to coordinate the activities of the various processes. With the increasing popularity of the Internet, there is an increasing interest in scaling the protocols that provide this service to the environment of the Internet. The InterGroup protocol suite, described in this dissertation, provides such a service, and is intended for the environment of the Internet with scalability to large numbers of nodes and high latency links. The InterGroup protocols approach the scalability problem from various directions. They redefine the meaning of group membership, allow voluntary membership changes, add a receiver-oriented selection of delivery guarantees that permits heterogeneity of the receiver set, and provide a scalable reliability service. The InterGroup system comprises several components, executing at various sites within the system. Each component provides part of the services necessary to implement a group communication system for the wide-area. The components can be categorized as: (1) control hierarchy, (2) reliable multicast, (3) message distribution and delivery, and (4) process group membership. We have implemented a prototype of the …
Date: November 1, 2000
Creator: Berket, K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Measurement of Deuteron Tensor Polarization in Elastic Electron Scattering (open access)

Measurement of Deuteron Tensor Polarization in Elastic Electron Scattering

None
Date: November 1, 2000
Creator: Gustafsson, Kenneth K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Spatial Discretization Scheme for Solving the Transport Equation on Unstructured Grids of Polyhedra (open access)

A Spatial Discretization Scheme for Solving the Transport Equation on Unstructured Grids of Polyhedra

In this work, we develop a new spatial discretization scheme that may be used to numerically solve the neutron transport equation. This new discretization extends the family of corner balance spatial discretizations to include spatial grids of arbitrary polyhedra. This scheme enforces balance on subcell volumes called corners. It produces a lower triangular matrix for sweeping, is algebraically linear, is non-negative in a source-free absorber, and produces a robust and accurate solution in thick diffusive regions. Using an asymptotic analysis, we design the scheme so that in thick diffusive regions it will attain the same solution as an accurate polyhedral diffusion discretization. We then refine the approximations in the scheme to reduce numerical diffusion in vacuums, and we attempt to capture a second order truncation error. After we develop this Upstream Corner Balance Linear (UCBL) discretization we analyze its characteristics in several limits. We complete a full diffusion limit analysis showing that we capture the desired diffusion discretization in optically thick and highly scattering media. We review the upstream and linear properties of our discretization and then demonstrate that our scheme captures strictly non-negative solutions in source-free purely absorbing media. We then demonstrate the minimization of numerical diffusion of a …
Date: November 1, 2000
Creator: Thompson, Kelly Glen
System: The UNT Digital Library
Experimental Study of the Spin Structure of the Neutron (3He) at low Q2: a connection between the Bjorken and Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn Sum Rules (open access)

Experimental Study of the Spin Structure of the Neutron (3He) at low Q2: a connection between the Bjorken and Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn Sum Rules

The authors have presented the motivations in gathering doubly polarized data in the quasi-elastic, resonance and DIS domains. These data were used to calculate the extended GDH integral. The comparison of this quantity with the spin dependent forward Compton amplitude {bar S}{sub 1} is of particular importance for the unification of the two strong interaction descriptions (nucleonic/hadronic vs. partonic) because {bar S}{sub 1} is the first quantity theoretically calculable in the full Q{sup 2} domain of the strong interaction. Such a data taking was made possible because of three major technical achievements: (1) the beam of high duty cycle (100%), high current (up to 70 {micro}A) and high polarization (70%); (2) the {sup 3}He target of high density (above 10 atm) with a polarization of 35% and a length of 40 cm; and (3) the large acceptance (6 msr) and high resolution ({Delta}P/P {approx_equal} 10{sup {minus}4}) spectrometers. These features, available at Jefferson Lab, enabled them to achieve the highest luminosity in the world (about 10{sup 36} s{sup {minus}1} cm{sup {minus}2} with a current of 15 {micro}A) as far as polarized {sup 3}He targets are concerned. Consequently they were able to gather, in a rather short period of time (3 months), …
Date: October 9, 2000
Creator: Deur, Alexander
System: The UNT Digital Library
Analytical Chemistry at the Interface Between Materials Science and Biology (open access)

Analytical Chemistry at the Interface Between Materials Science and Biology

None
Date: September 21, 2000
Creator: O'Brien, J. C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A compact, discrete CsI(Tl) scintillator/Si photodiode gamma camera for breast cancer imaging (open access)

A compact, discrete CsI(Tl) scintillator/Si photodiode gamma camera for breast cancer imaging

Recent clinical evaluations of scintimammography (radionuclide breast imaging) are promising and suggest that this modality may prove a valuable complement to X-ray mammography and traditional breast cancer detection and diagnosis techniques. Scintimammography, however, typically has difficulty revealing tumors that are less than 1 cm in diameter, are located in the medial part of the breast, or are located in the axillary nodes. These shortcomings may in part be due to the use of large, conventional Anger cameras not optimized for breast imaging. In this thesis I present compact single photon camera technology designed specifically for scintimammography which strives to alleviate some of these limitations by allowing better and closer access to sites of possible breast tumors. Specific applications are outlined. The design is modular, thus a camera of the desired size and geometry can be constructed from an array (or arrays) of individual modules and a parallel hole lead collimator for directional information. Each module consists of: (1) an array of 64 discrete, optically-isolated CsI(Tl) scintillator crystals 3 x 3 x 5 mm{sup 3} in size, (2) an array of 64 low-noise Si PIN photodiodes matched 1-to-1 to the scintillator crystals, (3) an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that amplifies the …
Date: Autumn 2000
Creator: Gruber, Gregory J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Towards Chip Scale Liquid Chromatography and High Throughput Immunosensing (open access)

Towards Chip Scale Liquid Chromatography and High Throughput Immunosensing

This work describes several research projects aimed towards developing new instruments and novel methods for high throughput chemical and biological analysis. Approaches are taken in two directions. The first direction takes advantage of well-established semiconductor fabrication techniques and applies them to miniaturize instruments that are workhorses in analytical laboratories. Specifically, the first part of this work focused on the development of micropumps and microvalves for controlled fluid delivery. The mechanism of these micropumps and microvalves relies on the electrochemically-induced surface tension change at a mercury/electrolyte interface. A miniaturized flow injection analysis device was integrated and flow injection analyses were demonstrated. In the second part of this work, microfluidic chips were also designed, fabricated, and tested. Separations of two fluorescent dyes were demonstrated in microfabricated channels, based on an open-tubular liquid chromatography (OT LC) or an electrochemically-modulated liquid chromatography (EMLC) format. A reduction in instrument size can potentially increase analysis speed, and allow exceedingly small amounts of sample to be analyzed under diverse separation conditions. The second direction explores the surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as a signal transduction method for immunoassay analysis. It takes advantage of the improved detection sensitivity as a result of surface enhancement on colloidal gold, the …
Date: September 21, 2000
Creator: Ni, J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Transition Metal Complexes of Cr, Mo, W and Mn Containing {eta}{sup 1}(S)-2,5-Dimethylthiophene, Benzothiophene and Dibenzothiophene Ligands (open access)

Transition Metal Complexes of Cr, Mo, W and Mn Containing {eta}{sup 1}(S)-2,5-Dimethylthiophene, Benzothiophene and Dibenzothiophene Ligands

The UV photolysis of hexanes solutions containing the complexes M(CO){sub 6} (M=Cr, Mo, W) or CpMn(CO){sub 3} (Cp={eta}{sup 5}-C{sub 5}H{sub 5}) and excess thiophene (T{sup *}) (T{sup *}=2,5-dimethylthiophene (2,5-Me{sub 2}T), benzothiophene (BT), and dibenzothiophene (DBT)) produces the {eta}{sup 1}(S)-T{sup *} complexes (CO){sub 5}M({eta}{sup 1}(S)-T{sup *}) 1-8 or Cp(CO){sub 2}Mn({eta}{sup 1}(S)-T{sup *})9-11, respectively. However, when T{sup *}=DBT, and M=Mo, a mixture of two products result which includes the {eta}{sup 1}(S)-DBT complex (CO){sub 5}Mo({eta}{sup 1}(S)-DBT) 4a and the unexpected {pi}-complex (CO){sub 3}Mo({eta}{sup 6}-DBT) 4b as detected by {sup 1}H NMR. The liability of the {eta}{sup 1}(S)-T{sup *} ligands is illustrated by the rapid displacement of DBT in the complex (CO){sub 5}W({eta}{sup 1}(S)-DBT) (1) by THF, and also in the complexes (CO){sub 5}Cr({eta}{sup 1}(S)-DBT) (5) and CpMn(CO){sub 2}({eta}{sup 1}(S)-DBT) (9) by CO (1 atm) at room temperature. Complexes 1-11 have been characterized spectroscopically ({sup 1}H NMR, IR) and when possible isolated as analytically pure solids (elemental analysis, EIMS). Single crystal, X-ray structural determinations are reported for (CO){sub 5}W({eta}{sup 1}(S)-DBT) and Cp(CO){sub 2}Mn({eta}{sup 1}(S)-DBT).
Date: September 21, 2000
Creator: Reynolds, M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Scaled Final Focus Experiment for Heavy Ion Fusion (open access)

A Scaled Final Focus Experiment for Heavy Ion Fusion

A one-tenth dimensionally scaled version of a final focus sub-system design for a heavy ion fusion driver is built and tested. By properly scaling the physics parameters that relate particle energy and mass, beam current, beam emittance, and focusing field, the transverse dynamics of a driver scale final focus are replicated in a small laboratory beam. The experiment uses a 95 {micro}A beam of 160 keV Cs{sup +} ions to study the dynamics as the beam is brought to a ballistic focus in a lattice of six quadrupole magnets. Diagnostic stations along the experiment track the evolution of the transverse phase space of the beam. The measured focal spot size is consistent with calculations and the report of the design on which the experiment is based. By uniformly varying the strengths of the focusing fields in the lattice, the chromatic effect of a small energy deviation on the spot size can be reproduced. This is done for {+-}1% and {+-}2% shifts and the changes in the focus are measured. Additionally, a 400 {micro}A beam is propagated through the experiment and partially neutralized after the last magnet using electrons released from a hot tungsten filament. The increase in beam current allows …
Date: September 19, 2000
Creator: MacLaren, Stephan, Alexander
System: The UNT Digital Library
NIF and science (open access)

NIF and science

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) will have many uses besides its primary mission in the US Department of Energy's Stockpile Stewardship Program. It will provide a broad array of applications to basic science, and will also play an important role in the development of commercial fusion energy.
Date: September 15, 2000
Creator: Carpenter, J & Warner, B
System: The UNT Digital Library
NIF frequently asked questions (open access)

NIF frequently asked questions

The Stockpile Stewardship Program is an initiative to maintain the nuclear deterrent of the United States in the post-Cold War era. It is based on the maintenance of our stockpile through an ongoing process of surveillance, assessment, refurbishment, and recertification, without nuclear testing. At the heart of the SSP is an attempt to bring advanced experimental and computational tools to bear on the evaluation and certification of the stockpile itself; these advanced scientific capabilities are necessary because of the cessation of nuclear testing. This science-based approach requires new tools: advanced computers for more detailed 3-D simulations, multi-axis hydrodynamic facilities and plutonium research facilities for physics measurements of primaries, and the National Ignition Facility for fusion burn and high-energy-density science. The science basis requires summing up the pieces we can measure and simulate, which cannot be done without a complete set of tools. Refurbishing weapons with confidence, without testing, is a difficult challenge. Only with high-quality scientists and a complete set of tools, can the US accomplish this program. NIF is a unique element of the Stockpile Stewardship Program because it is the only facility that will allow the experimental study of thermonuclear burn and important regimes of high-energy-density science. Understanding …
Date: September 15, 2000
Creator: Carpenter, J & Warner, B
System: The UNT Digital Library
NIF program management (open access)

NIF program management

None
Date: September 15, 2000
Creator: Carpenter, J & Warner, B
System: The UNT Digital Library
Characterization of the Dilute Ising Antiferromagnet (open access)

Characterization of the Dilute Ising Antiferromagnet

A spin glass is a magnetic ground state in which ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic exchange interactions compete, thereby creating frustration and a multidegenerate state with no long range order. An Ising system is a system where the spins are constrained to lie parallel or antiparallel to a primary axis. There has been much theoretical interest in the past ten years in the effects of applying a magnetic field transverse to the primary axis in an Ising spin glass at low temperatures and thus study phase transitions at the T=0 limit. The focus of this study is to search for and characterize a new Ising spin glass system. This is accomplished by site diluting yttrium for terbium in the crystalline material TbNi{sub 2}Ge{sub 2}. The first part of this work gives a brief overview of the physics of rare earth magnetism and an overview of experimental characteristics of spin glasses. This is followed by the methodology used to manufacture the large single crystals used in this study, as well as the measurement techniques used. Next, a summary of the results of magnetic measurements on across the dilution series from pure terbium to pure yttrium is presented. This is followed by detailed measurements …
Date: September 12, 2000
Creator: Wiener, T.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development and Evaluation of an Externally Air-Cooled Low-Flow torch and the Attenuation of Space Charge and Matrix Effects in Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (open access)

Development and Evaluation of an Externally Air-Cooled Low-Flow torch and the Attenuation of Space Charge and Matrix Effects in Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

An externally air-cooled low-flow torch has been constructed and successfully demonstrated for applications in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The torch is cooled by pressurized air flowing at {approximately}70 L/min through a quartz air jacket onto the exterior of the outer tube. The outer gas flow rate and operating RF forward power are reduced considerably. Although plasmas can be sustained at the operating power as low as 400 W with a 2 L/min of outer gas flow, somewhat higher power and outer gas flows are advisable. A stable and analytical useful plasma can be obtained at 850 W with an outer gas flow rate of {approximately}4 L/min. Under these conditions, the air-cooled plasma produces comparable sensitivities, doubly charged ion ratios, matrix effects and other analytical merits as those produced by a conventional torch while using significantly less argon and power requirements. Metal oxide ion ratios are slightly higher with the air-cooled plasma but can be mitigated by reducing the aerosol gas flow rate slightly with only minor sacrifice in analyte sensitivity. A methodology to alleviate the space charge and matrix effects in ICP-MS has been developed. A supplemental electron source adapted from a conventional electron impact ionizer is added …
Date: September 12, 2000
Creator: Praphairaksit, N.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Microstructure-Strength Relationship of a Deformation-Processed Aluminum-Magnesium Composite (open access)

Microstructure-Strength Relationship of a Deformation-Processed Aluminum-Magnesium Composite

None
Date: September 12, 2000
Creator: Xu, K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Multichannel Simultaneous Determination of Activities of Lactate Dehydrogenase (open access)

Multichannel Simultaneous Determination of Activities of Lactate Dehydrogenase

It is very important to find the best conditions for some enzymes to do the best catalysis in current pharmaceutical industries. Based on the results above, we could say that this set-up could be widely used in finding the optimal condition for best enzyme activity of a certain enzyme. Instead of looking for the best condition for enzyme activity by doing many similar reactions repeatedly, we can complete this assignment with just one run if we could apply enough conditions.
Date: September 12, 2000
Creator: Ma, L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Novel Applications of the Methyltrioxorhenium/Hydrogen Peroxide Catalytic System (open access)

Novel Applications of the Methyltrioxorhenium/Hydrogen Peroxide Catalytic System

None
Date: September 12, 2000
Creator: Stankovic, S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Polar, Functional Diene-Based Materials: Free Radical Polymerization of 2-Cyanomethyl-1,3-Butadiene (open access)

Polar, Functional Diene-Based Materials: Free Radical Polymerization of 2-Cyanomethyl-1,3-Butadiene

None
Date: September 12, 2000
Creator: Jing, Y.
System: The UNT Digital Library