Effect of thermodynamics on ion mixing

Ion mixing of elemental 4d-5d metallic bilayers at 77 K by 600 keV Xe + + ions has been studied to test the validity of the phenomenological model of ion mixing that predicts a dependence on the chemical heats of mixing, DeltaHmix, and on the cohesive energies, DeltaHcoh, of the bilayer elements. A series of samples was chosen to minimize the variation in kinematical properties between samples while maximizing the variation in heats of mixing. The experimental results agree well with the model's predictions, and the experimentally determined constants K1=0.034 Å and K2=27 agree with those of previous work

Analysis of the 3C445 Soft X-ray Spectrum as Observed by Chandra high-energy gratings

We present a detailed analysis of the soft X-ray emission of 3C445 using an archival Chandra HETG spectrum. Highly-ionized H- and He-like Mg, Si and S lines, as well as a resolved low-ionized Si K$\alpha$ line, are detected in the high resolution spectrum. The He-like triplets of Mg and Si are resolved into individual lines, and the calculated R ratios indicate a high density for the emitter. The low values of the G ratios indicate the lines originate from collisionally ionized plasmas. However, the detection of a resolved narrow Ne X RRC feature in the spectrum seems to prefer to a photoionized environment. The spectrum is subsequently modelled with a photoionization model, and the results are compared with that of a collisional model. Through a detailed analysis on the spectrum, we exclude a collisional origin for these emission lines. A one-component photoionization model provides a great fit to the emission features. The best-fit parameters are log$\xi$ = $3.3^{+0.4}_{-0.3}$ erg cm s$^{-1}$, $n_{H}$ = $5^{+15}_{-4.5}\times10^{10}$ cm$^{-3}$ and $N_{H}$ = $2.5^{+3.8}_{-1.7}\times10^{20}$ cm$^{-2}$. According to the calculated high density for the emitter, the measured velocity widths of the emission lines and the inferred the radial distance (6 $\times$ $10^{14}$ - 8 $\times$ $10^{15}$ cm), we suggest the emission lines originating from matter locate in the broad line region (BLR)

Chirally symmetric but confining dense and cold matter

The folklore tradition about the QCD phase diagram is that at the chiral restoration phase transition at finite density hadrons are deconfined and there appears the quark matter. We address this question within the only known exactly solvable confining and chirally symmetric model. It is postulated within this model that there exists linear Coulomb-like confining interaction. The chiral symmetry breaking and the quark Green function are obtained from the Schwinger-Dyson (gap) equation while the color-singlet meson spectrum results from the Bethe-Salpeter equation. We solve this model at T=0 and finite chemical potential $\mu$ and obtain a clear chiral restoration phase transition at the critical value \mu_{cr}. Below this value the spectrum is similar to the previously obtained one at \mu = 0. At \mu > \mu_{cr} the quarks are still confined and the physical spectrum consists of bound states which are arranged into a complete set of exact chiral multiplets. This explicitly demonstrates that a chirally symmetric matter consisting of confined but chirally symmetric hadrons at finite chemical potential is also possible in QCD. If so, there must be nontrivial implications for astrophysics.Comment: 7 pp; the paper has been expanded to make some technical details more clear; 3 new figures have been added. To appear in PR

Correlation between the cohesive energy and the onset of radiation-enhanced diffusion in ion mixing

A correlation between the cohesive energy of elemental solids and the characteristic temperature Tc for the onset of radiation-enhanced diffusion during ion mixing is established. This correlation enables one to predict the onset of radiation-enhanced diffusion for systems which have not yet been investigated. A theoretical argument based on the current models of cascade mixing and radiation-enhanced diffusion is provided as a basis for understanding this observation

Correlation between cohesive energy and mixing rate in ion mixing of metallic bilayers

We have compared the mixing rate of several 5d-4d metal bilayers which form ideal solutions. We observe a strong correlation between the mixing rate and the average cohesive energy of each bilayer. A model based on the thermal spike concept is proposed to explain this behavior. The model leads to a general expression describing mixing rates in metallic bilayers

Dominant moving species in the formation of amorphous NiZr by solid-state reaction

The displacements of W and Hf markers have been monitored by backscattering of MeV He to study the growth of the amorphous NiZr phase by solid-state reaction. We find that the Ni is the dominant moving species in this reaction

Modeling the Optical Afterglow of GRB 030329

The best-sampled afterglow light curves are available for GRB 030329. A distinguishing feature of this event is the obvious rebrightening at around 1.6 days after the burst. Proposed explanations for the rebrightening mainly include the two-component jet model and the refreshed shock model, although a sudden density-jump in the circumburst environment is also a potential choice. Here we re-examine the optical afterglow of GRB 030329 numerically in light of the three models. In the density-jump model, no obvious rebrightening can be produced at the jump moment. Additionally, after the density jump, the predicted flux density decreases rapidly to a level that is significantly below observations. A simple density-jump model thus can be excluded. In the two-component jet model, although the observed late afterglow (after 1.6 days) can potentially be explained as emission from the wide-component, the emergence of this emission actually is too slow and it does not manifest as a rebrightening as previously expected. The energy-injection model seems to be the most preferred choice. By engaging a sequence of energy-injection events, it provides an acceptable fit to the rebrightening at $\sim 1.6$ d, as well as the whole observed light curve that extends to $\sim 80$ d. Further studies on these multiple energy-injection processes may provide a valuable insight into the nature of the central engines of gamma-ray bursts.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures; a few references added and minor word changes; now accepted for publication in Ap

Coexistence and competition of multiple charge-density-wave orders in rare-earth tri-telluride RTe3

The occurrences of collective quantum states, such as superconductivity (SC) and charge- or spin-densitywaves (CDWs or SDWs), are among the most fascinating phenomena in solids. To date much effort has been made to explore the interplay between different orders, yet little is known about the relationship of multiple orders of the same type. Here we report optical spectroscopy study on CDWs in the rare-earth tri-telluride compounds RTe3 (R = rare earth elements). Besides the prior reported two CDW orders, the study reveals unexpectedly the presence of a third CDW order in the series which evolves systematically with the size of R element. With increased chemical pressure, the first and third CDW orders are both substantially suppressed and compete with the second one by depleting the low energy spectral weight. A complete phase diagram for the multiple CDW orders in this series is established.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl