Abstract: By using a model Hamiltonian with competing antiferromagnetic (AFM) and d-wave superconductivity orders, the impurity-induced structures of orders in d-wave superconductors is investigated. We find that the transition between one-dimensional stripe and two-dimensional checkerboardlike modulation around a single nonmagnetic impurity can take place as the strength of the AFM interaction U or the impurity scattering strength V0 is varied. It is also found that the impurity-induced stripe can first transit to checkerboardlike modulation and then disappears with increasing the next-nearest-neighbor hopping strength |t|. Phase diagrams of V0 versus U and |t| for various modulations of the spin order are presented. In addition, the quantum interference effect on the modulations of orders due to two strong nonmagnetic impurities is briefly examined, and the checkerboardlike and quasistripe patterns can occur depending on the sites where two impurities are placed.

Abstract: Inelastic image simulation software is presented, implementing the double channeling approximation which takes into account the combination of multiple elastic and single inelastic scattering in a crystal. The approach is described with a density matrix formalism. Two applications in high resolution energy filtered (EFTEM) transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images are presented: thickness-defocus maps for SrTiO3 and exit plane intensities for an (LaAlO3)3(SrTiO3)3 multilayer system. Both systems show a severe breakdown in direct interpretability which becomes worse for higher acceleration voltages, thicker samples and lower excitation edge energies. Since this effect already occurs in the exit plane intensity, it is a fundamental limit and image simulations in EFTEM are indispensable just as they are indispensable for elastic high resolution TEM images.

Abstract: A computer model is developed for describing argon/nitrogen glow discharges. The species taken into account in the model include electrons, Ar atoms in the ground state and in the 4s metastable levels, N2 molecules in the ground state and in six different electronically excited levels, N atoms, Ar+ ions, N+, N2+, N3+ and N4+ ions. The fast electrons are simulated with a Monte Carlo model, whereas all other species are treated in a fluid model. 74 different chemical reactions are considered in the model. The calculation results include the densities of all the different plasma species, as well as information on their production and loss processes. The effect of different N2 additions, in the range between 0.1 and 10%, is investigated.

Abstract: Iron mineral containing sensory dendrites in the inner lining of the upper beak of homing pigeons [1] and various bird species [2] are the first candidate structures for an avian magnetic field receptor. A new concept of magnetoreception [3, 4] is based on detailed ultra-structural optical and electron microscopy analyses in combination with synchrotron radiation microscopic X-ray fluorescence analysis (micro-XRF) and microscopic X-ray absorption near edge structures (micro-XANES). Several behavioral experiments [5, 6] and first mathematical simulations [6] affirm our avian magnetoreceptor model. The iron minerals inside the dendrites are housed in three different subcellular compartments (bullets, platelets, vesicles), which could be clearly resolved and identified by electron microscopy on ultrathin sections [1, 3]. Micro-XRF and micro-XANES data obtained at HASYLAB beamline L added information about the elemental distribution and Fe speciation [3], but are averaged over the complete dendrite due to limited spatial resolution. Here we present recently performed micro-XRF maps with sub-micrometer resolution (ESRF ID21), which reveal for the first time subcellular structural information from almost bulk-like dendrite sample material. Due to the thickness of 30 μm the microarchitecture of the dendrites can be considered as undisturbed and artefacts introduced by sectioning might be widely reduced.

Abstract: We consider classical two-dimensional (2D) Coulomb clusters consisting of two species containing five particles with charge q1 and five with charge q2, respectively. Using Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we investigated the ground state configurations as well as radial and angular displacements of particles as a function of temperature and their dependence on the ratio q = q2/q1. We found new configurations and a new multi-step melting behavior for q sufficiently different from the uniform charge limit q = 1.

Abstract: Electrochemistry offers highly flexible routes to fabrication of a wide variety of mesostructures, including three-dimensional (3D) crystallites, thin films and nanowires. Using this method we have grown various 3D superconducting Pb mesostructures with vastly different morphologies. We present here results on a truncated(half)-icosahedron with a hexagonal base and a tripod structure with a triangular base. Using Hall probe magnetometry we have obtained magnetisation curves for these structures at several temperatures and see evidence of geometry-driven flux entry and exit as well as flux trapping caused by specific sample geometries. We also observe behaviour that we interpret in terms of the formation of giant vortices, bearing in mind that bulk Pb is a type-I superconducting material.

Abstract: We study vortex configurations in mesoscopic superconducting squares. Our theoretical approach is based on the analytical solution of the London equation using the Green's function method. The potential energy landscape found is then used in Langevin-type molecular-dynamics simulations to obtain stable vortex configurations. We show that the filling rules for vortices in squares with increasing applied magnetic field can be formulated, although in a different manner than in disks, in terms of the formation of vortex 'shells'. We discuss metastable states and the stability of the vortex configurations found with respect to variations of the material parameters and deformations of the shape of the sample.

Abstract: Composite micro- and mesoporous materials are synthesized using zeolite Beta nanoparticles without the need for a structure directing agent to form the mesopores. This leads to important ecological and economical advantages. The influence of the way of cooling the aged nanoparticles solution on the formation of the composite materials has been studied. The materials have been characterized towards porosity by N2-sorption, towards zeolitic properties by TGA, DRIFT, XRD and TEM, towards aluminium content by EPMA. All prepared structures possess zeolitic properties. However, the method of cooling down of the aged seeds leads to differences in the porosity and intensity of the zeolitic characteristics.

Abstract: Within the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) theory we studied the creation of phase-slip lines and the interplay with a vortex lattice in a finite-length superconducting thin stripe with finite-size normal metal leads. In zero magnetic field and with increasing transport current phase-slip lines appear across the sample leading to distinct jumps in the current-voltage characteristics. When a magnetic field is applied, the moving vortex lattice becomes rearranged by the external current and fast and slow moving vortex channels are formed. Curved vortex channels are observed near the normal contacts. We found the remarkable result that at small applied magnetic field the normal-state transition current is increased as compared to the one at zero magnetic field. This effect is more pronounced for larger values of the parameter in the TDGL formalism. This unusual field-induced increase in the critical current is a consequence of the nonuniform distribution of the current in the sample.

Abstract: Estimating personal exposure to air pollution is a crucial component in identifying high-risk populations and situations. It will enable policy makers to determine efficient control strategies. Cycling is again becoming a favorite mode of transport both in developing and in developed countries due to increasing traffic congestion and environmental concerns. in Europe, it is also seen as a healthy sports activity. However, due to high levels of hazardous pollutants in the present day road microenvironment the cyclist might be at a higher health risk due to higher breathing rate and proximity to the vehicular exhaust. In this paper we present estimates of the exposure of a cyclist to particles of various size fractions including ultrafine particles (UFP) in the town of Mol (Flanders, Belgium). The results indicate relatively higher UFP concentration exposure during morning office hours and moderate UFP levels during afternoon. The major sources of UFP and PM(10) were identified, which are vehicular emission and construction activities, respectively. We also present a dust mapping technique which can be a useful tool for town planners and local policy makers. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: The tunneling coupling in three vertically stacked (In,Ga)As/GaAs quantum rings is investigated. With increasing inter-ring separation (d), we find that the nonuniform strain results into a crossing of the lowest-energy electron states. Strain is also responsible for an increase in the ground electron energy above the level in the single quantum ring. The ground hole energy level exhibits decrease when d decreases, which is typical for antibonding states in an unstrained structure. These effects lead to a local maximum in the dependence of the ground-state exciton energy on d. Our theoretical results compare well with recent photoluminescence measurements but deviate considerably from the calculations for flat bands in quantum-ring molecules. We conclude that the nonuniform character of the strain distribution gives rise to a peculiar exciton hybridization in self-assembled quantum-ring molecules.

Abstract: Shelf sediments of the southern North Sea, were studied with a microanalytical [electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPXMA)] and two bulk [X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF)] techniques. The investigation proved that the promptness of the microanalytical method is combined with a reasonable analytical reliability. XRD studies of such a type of sediments with monotonous mineral composition are not able to provide mineralogical information beyond the main well-crystalline minerals and the mineralogical quantitative characteristic of the sediment based on XRD estimations are incorrect. The EPXMA mineralogical interpretations are based on the statistical evaluation of a huge data set (thousands of mineral particles) and provide a rather correct quantitative determination of the main minerals. The comparative EPXMAXRF study revealed that the Al, Si, K, Ca, Fe and to some extent Ti contents estimated by EPXMA are fairly reliable. In this respect the accuracy of the EPXMA-based mineral identification of the pure silicates, pure aluminosilicates, and Al-, Ca-, Fe- and Ti-containing minerals with simple composition is very high. Mg-calcite, augite and apatite determinations are assessed to be correct. The supposed accuracy of the clay mineral determinations is slightly lower (7080%) than that of the other main minerals due to the complex and varying composition of the clays. The identification of XRD-invisible accessory minerals and quantification of their presence in the sediments is an essential advantage of the EPXMA, which makes it a useful approach in tracing the origin of the sediments, the pathways of their transport and the geochemical processes they have undergone. However, the EPXMA has several flaws, which need to be solved in the future sediment investigations: (1) calibration with natural standards is needed in order to provide a higher accuracy of the mineral determinations; (2) any EPXMA study of sediments needs to be secured with XRF examinations of selected samples since EPXMA gives only semi-quantitative information about the abundance of the elements; (3) ultra-thin window EPXMA of low-Z elements has to be used since some of them (O, C) are always present in the main sediment components: silicates, aluminosilicates, carbonates and metal oxyhydroxides; (4) the interpretations of the clay fraction have to be supported with detailed XRD investigations of selected samples, while the mineralogy of the silt and sand fractions needs to be backed up with optical microscopy studies. The information from different analytical techniques (EPXMA with XRFXRD-optical microscopy of selected samples) combined with the knowledge about the most possible minerals in a given environment, would give the most reliable results in studying mineralogical composition of shelf sediments.

Abstract: Stained glass windows incorporating dark blue and purple enamel paint layers are in some cases subject to severe degradation while others from the same period survived the ravages of time. A series of dark blue, greenblue and purple enamel glass paints from the same region (Northwestern Europe) and from the same period (16early 20th centuries) has been studied by means of a combination of microscopic X-ray fluorescence analysis, electron probe micro analysis and transmission electron microscopy with the aim of better understanding the causes of the degradation. The chemical composition of the enamels diverges from the average chemical composition of window glass. Some of the compositions appear to be unstable, for example those with a high concentration of K2O and a low content of CaO and PbO. In other cases, the deterioration of the paint layers was caused by the less than optimal vitrification of the enamel during the firing process. Recipes and chemical compositions indicate that glassmakers of the 1617th century had full control over the color of the enamel glass paints they made. They mainly used three types of coloring agents, based on Co (dark blue), Mn (purple) and Cu (light-blue or greenblue) as coloring elements. Bluepurple enamel paints were obtained by mixing two different coloring agents. The coloring agent for redpurple enamel, introduced during the 19th century, was colloidal gold embedded in grains of lead glass.

Abstract: From the theory of many-electron states in atoms, we know that there exists a strong Coulomb repulsion, which results in the electronic term structure of atoms and is responsible for Hunds rules. By expanding the Coulomb on-site repulsion into a multipolar series, we derive this interaction and show that it is also present in solids as a correlation effect, which means that the interaction requires a multideterminant version of the Hartree-Fock method. Of particular interest is the case where this interaction couples states of localized ( f) and delocalized ( s) electrons. We show that the interaction is bilinear in the creation/annihilation operators for localized electrons and bilinear in the operators for conduction electrons. To study the coupling, we consider a simple model in the framework of an effective limited configuration interaction method with one localized f-electron and one itinerant s-electron per crystal site. The on-site multipole interaction between the f- and s-electrons is explicitly taken into account. It is shown that depending on the low-lying excitation spectrum imposed by the crystal electric field, the model can lead not only to ferromagnetism but also to a nonmagnetic state. The model is relevant for solids with localized and itinerant electron states.

Abstract: The effect of the oxygen plasma treatment on the electronic states of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is analyzed by X-ray photoemission measurements (XPS) and UPS, both using synchrotron radiation. It is found that the plasma treatment effectively grafts oxygen at the CNT-surface. Thereafter, the interaction between evaporated Pd and pristine or oxygen plasma-treated MWCNTs is investigated. Pd is found to nucleate at defective sites, whether initially present or introduced by oxygen plasma treatment. The plasma treatment induced a uniform dispersion of Pd clusters at the CNT-surface. The absence of additional features in the Pd 3d and C I s core levels spectra testifies that no Pd-C bond is formed. The shift of the Pd 3d core level towards high-binding energy for the smallest clusters is attributed to the Coulomb energy of the charged final state. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.