Angular Distribution of Photoelectrons During Irradiation of Metal Surface by HElectromagnetic Waves

Angular distribution of photoelectrons is investigated during the inner photoemissive effect for two variants: quantum of light basically reveals wave and basically corpuscular properties interacting with orbital electron. Distinction in angular distribution of photoelectrons for these variants is demonstrated. Angular distribution in the second variant is investigated for the nonrelativistic and relativistic cases.

Bidirectional electron conic observations for photoelectrons in the Martian ionosphere

Electron pitch angle distributions similar to bidirectional electron conics(BECs)have been reported at Mars in previous studies based on analyses of Mars Global Surveyor measurements.BEC distribution,also termed“butterfly”distribution,presents a local minimum flux at 90°and a maximum flux before reaching the local loss cone.Previous studies have focused on 115 eV electrons that were produced mainly via solar wind electron impact ionization.Here using Solar Wind Electron Analyzer measurements made onboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft,we identify 513 BEC events for 19-55 eV photoelectrons that were generated via photoionization only.Therefore,we are investigating electrons observed in regions well away from their source regions,to be distinguished from 115 eV electrons observed and produced in the same regions.We investigate the spatial distribution of the 19-55 eV BECs,revealing that they are more likely observed on the nightside as well as near strong crustal magnetic anomalies.We propose that the 19-55 eV photoelectron BECs are formed due to day-to-night transport and the magnetic mirror effect of photoelectrons moving along cross-terminator closed magnetic field lines.

ZnO and Zn1-xMnxO Minicrystal by CVT and Temporal Process of Photoelectrons

The ZnO and Zn1-xMnxO minicrystal were synthesized by chemical vapor transport (CVT). The electron trap structure (donor level) and process on the temporal behavior of photoelectrons of materials were respectively studied by thermo-luminescence and microwave absorption dielectric spectrometry. There are two peaks in the thermo-luminescence spectra in pure ZnO, one is -183 ℃ and the other is -127 ℃, which shows two kinds of electron trap energy level produced by the intrinsic defects in ZnO;but obtain very low thermo-luminescence that only equals to ten percent of pure ZnO in Zn1-xMnxO, which shows that its intensity of electron trap is less. The studies of microwave absorption dielectric spectrometry show that conduction band photoelectrons are two-step exponential decay process in ZnO, the lifetime of rapid process is 83 ns, while slow process is 828 ns, the reason of delay is relaxation effects of electron trap to conduction band photoelectrons. The intensity of electron trap is less in Zn1-xMnxO minicrystal, the relaxation effects of conduction band photoelectrons from electron trap is little, so electrons disappeared quickly at conduction band, and the decay process of photoelectrons is only 10～20 ns.

ANGULAR DISTRIBUTION OF PHOTOELECTRONS IN NON-RESONANT MULTIPHOTON IONIZATION OF ATOMIC LEAD

Non-resonant multiphoton ionization of atomic lead at 1064nm laser field has been studied.Both the angular distribution and the intensity dependence of photoelectrons have been measured.The results show that they are very sensitive to the process of multiphoton ionization.

Identification of Above-Threshold Ionization by Imaging Photoelectrons from Ammonia Molecules in an Intense Femtosecond Laser Field

The above-threshold ionization process of ammonia molecules induced by a femtosecond laser field at 800 nm is studied in the intensity range from 1.6×10^(13) to 5.7×10^(13)W/cm^(2).Channel switching under different laser intensities is observed and identified in the photoelectron kinetic energy spectra of ammonia.Based on the photoelectron kinetic energy distributions and the photoelectron angular distributions,the characteristic peaks observed are exclusively assigned to the multiphoton resonance through certain intermediate states,followed by multiphoton above-threshold ionization.

Distinct behavior of electronic structure under uniaxial strain in BaFe_(2)As_(2)

We report a study of the electronic structure of BaFe_(2)As_(2) under uniaxial strains using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and transport measurements. Two electron bands at the MY point, with an energy splitting of 50 meV in the strain-free sample, shift downward and merge into each other under a large uniaxial strain, while three hole bands at theГ point shift downward together. However, we also observed an enhancement of the resistance anisotropy under uniaxial strains by electrical transport measurements, implying that the applied strains strengthen the electronic nematic order in BaFe_(2)As_(2). These observations suggest that the splitting of these two electron bands at the MY point is not caused by the nematic order in BaFe_(2)As_(2).

Enhanced in-vitro degradation resistance and cytocompatibility of a thermomechanically processed novel Mg alloy:Insights into the role of microstructural attributes

The role of microstructural features on in-vitro degradation and surface film development of a thermomechanically processed Mg-4Zn-0.5Ca-0.8Mn alloy has been investigated employing electrochemical studies,scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The specimen forged at 523 K temperature developed a coarse unimodal microstructure consisting of basal oriented grains,whereas the specimens forged at 623 K and 723 K temperatures exhibited bimodal microstructures containing randomly oriented fine grains and basal oriented coarse grains.The bimodal microstructures exerted higher resistance to corrosion compared to the unimodal microstructure in presence of a protective surface film.The optimum size distribution of fine and coarse grains as well as the prevalence of basal oriented grains led to the lowest anodic current density in the specimen forged at 623 K.The morphology of Ca_(2)Mg_(6)Zn_(3)precipitates governed the cathodic kinetics by controlling the anode to cathode surface area ratio.Despite the specimen forged at 723 K comprised comparatively lower fraction of precipitates than at 623 K,the mesh-like precipitate morphology increased the effective cathodic surface area,leading to enhanced localised corrosion in the former specimen.Optimal microstructural features developed at 623 K forging temperature formed a well-protective surface film with lower Mg(OH)_(2)to MgO ratio,exhibiting distinctly high polarization resistance and superior cytocompatibility in terms of cell-proliferation and cell-differentiation.

Electron vortices generation of photoelectron of H_(2)^(+) by counter-rotating circularly polarized attosecond pulses

Molecular-frame photoelectron momentum distributions(MF-PMDs) of an H_(2)^(+) molecule ion in the presence of a pair of counter-rotating circularly polarized attosecond extreme ultraviolet laser pulses is studied by numerically solving the two-dimensional time-dependent Schrodinger equation within the frozen-nuclei approximation. At small time delay, our simulations show that the electron vortex structure is sensitive to the time delay and relative phase between the counterrotating pulses when they are partially overlapped. By adjusting time delay and relative phase, we have the ability to manipulate the MF-PMDs and the appearance of spiral arms. We further show that the internuclear distance can affect the spiral vortices due to its different transition cross sections in the parallel and perpendicular geometries. The lowest-order perturbation theory is employed to interpret these phenomena qualitatively. It is concluded that the internuclear distancedependent transition cross sections and the confinement effect in diatomic molecules are responsible for the variation of vortex structures in the MF-PMDs.

Theoretical characterization of the adsorption configuration of pyrrole on Si(100)surface by x-ray spectroscopy

The possible configurations of pyrrole absorbed on a Si(100)surface have been investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure(NEXAFS)spectra.The C-1s XPS and NEXAFS spectra of these adsorption configurations have been calculated by using the density functional theory(DFT)method and fullcore hole(FCH)approximation to investigate the relationship between the adsorption configurations and the spectra.The result shows that the XPS and NEXAFS spectra are structurally dependent on the configurations of pyrrole absorbed on the Si(100)surface.Compared with the XPS,the NEXAFS spectra are relatively sensitive to the adsorption configurations and can accurately identify them.The NEXAFS decomposition spectra produced by non-equivalent carbon atoms have also been calculated and show that the spectral features vary with the diverse types of carbon atoms and their structural environments.

Photoelectrons from Minerals and Microbial World

The Earth surface is a multiple open system. Semiconducting minerals, including most metal oxides and sulfides, absorb visible light of the solar spectrum. Microorganisms evolve varied pathways to get carbon and energy sources. It is obvious that the interaction among solar light, semiconducting minerals, photoelectron/photohole, organics, inorganics, valence electrons and microorganisms occurs continuously on our planet. In a recent study, Lu et al. (2012) presented evidence demonstrating solar energy mediated by semiconducting mineral photocatalysis, acting as energy source, promoted the growth of some non-photosynthetic bacteria and revealed that the ternary system of microorganisms, minerals and solar light has played a critical role in the history of life on our planet. In simulated system, under simulated solar light semiconducting minerals, such as metal oxides and metal sulfides, generates photoelectrons which could be used by non-phototrophic microorganisms to support their metabolisms. The growth of microorganism was closely related to photon quantity and energy, and the microorganism growth and mineral light absorption spectra were fitted well under different light wavelengths. The overall energy efficiency from photon to biomass was 0.13‰ to 1.9‰. Further studies revealed that in natural soil systems, semiconducting mineral photocatalysis could influence the microbial population. Solar energy utilization pathway by nonphototrophic microorganisms mediated by semiconducting mineral photocatalysis provides a new concept to evaluate the origin and evolution of life. Semiconducting minerals are ubiquitous on Earth’s surface and widely participate in redox reactions following photoelectron-photohole pairs excited by solar light. As photoholes can be easily scavenged by environmental reductive substances and microorganisms possess multiple strategies to utilize extracellular electrons, the highly reductive photoelectrons serve as potential energy source for microbial life. The discovery of this pathway extends our knowledge on the use of solar energy by nonphototrophic microorganisms, and provides important clues to evaluate life on the early Earth. Microorganisms, minerals and solar light constitute a complex but important ternary system through Earth history. The discovery of the novel energy conversion pathway in this system demonstrates how nonphototrophic microorganisms directly or indirectly utilized photoelectrons as the solar energy source. The fully comprehending of nonphototrophic bacteria solar energy utilization conducted by semiconducting minerals in present environment will greatly help us to better understand the energy transform mechanism among interfaces of lithosphere, pedosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.

XPS Studies on Electroless As-Deposited and Annealed Ni-P Films

Electroless deposition has been used to deposit Ni-P films on glass slides using the reducing agent sodium hypophosphite. This has been done with a purpose to use Ni-P films as back contact for silicon carbide radiation detectors. By keeping deposition time, temperature, pH and concentration of the precursor solution constant, the film deposition has been done. XPS studies were done to analyze the composition and stoichiometry of Ni-P thin films.

Corrosion behavior of single-and poly-crystalline dual-phase TiAl–Ti3Al alloy in NaCl solution

To clarify the correlation of single-crystalline structure with corrosion performance in high-strength TiAl alloys, electrochemical and surface characterization was performed by comparing Ti–45Al–8Nb dual-phase single crystals with their polycrystalline counterparts in NaCl solution. Polarization curves show a lower corrosion rate and a higher pitting potential of ~280 mV for the dual-phase single crystals. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiostatic polarization plots revealed a higher impedance of the charge transfer through the compact passive film. Surface composition analysis indicated a compact film with more content of Nb, as twice as that in the film on the polycrystals.Our results reflect that the dual-phase Ti–45Al–8Nb single crystals possess a higher corrosion resistance in NaCl solution, compared with their polycrystalline counterpart, arising from a more homogeneous microstructure and composition distribution.

Controlling Magnetic and Electric Nondipole Effects with Synthesized Two Perpendicularly Propagating Laser Fields

Nondipole effects are ubiquitous and crucial in light-matter interaction.However,they are too weak to be directly observed.In strong-field physics,motion of electrons is mainly confined in transverse plane of light fields,which suppresses the significance of nondipole effects.Here,we present a theoretical study on enhancing and controlling the nondipole effect by using the synthesized two perpendicularly propagating laser fields.We calculate the three-dimensional photoelectron momentum distributions of strong-field tunneling ionization of hydrogen atoms using the classical trajectory Monte Carlo model and show that the nondipole effects are noticeably enhanced in such laser fields due to their remarkable influences on the sub-cycle photoelectron dynamics.In particular,we reveal that the magnitudes of the magnetic and electric components of nondipole effects can be separately controlled by modulating the ellipticity and amplitude of driving laser fields.This novel scenario holds promising applications for future studies with ultrafast structured light fields.

Spectroscopic characterization of chain-to-ring structural evolution in platinum carbide clusters

Metal carbides play an important role in catalysis and functional materials.However,the structural characterization of metal carbide clusters has been proven to be a challenging experimental target due to the difficulty in size selection.Here we use the size-specific photoelectron velocity-map imaging spectroscopy to study the structures and properties of platinum carbide clusters.Quantum chemical calculations are carried out to identify the structures and to assign the experimental spectra.The results indicate that the cluster size of the chain-to-ring structural evolution for the PtC_(n)^(-)anions occurs at n=14,whereas that for the PtC_(n) neutrals at n=10,revealing a significant effect of charge on the structures of metal carbides.The greatest importance of these building blocks is the strong preference of the Pt atom to expose in the outer side of the chain or ring,exhibiting the active sites for catalyzing potential reactions.These findings provide unique spectroscopic snapshots for the formation and growth of platinum carbide clusters and have important implications in the development of related single-atom catalysts with isolated metal atoms dispersed on supports.

Deep-ultraviolet photonics for the disinfection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants(Delta and Omicron)in the cryogenic environment

Deep-ultraviolet(DUV)disinfection technology provides an expeditious and efficient way to suppress the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).However,the influences of viral variants(Delta and Omicron)and low temperatures on the DUV virucidal efficacy are still unknown.Here,we developed a reliable and uniform planar light source comprised of 275-nm light-emitting diodes(LEDs)to investigate the effects of these two unknown factors and delineated the principle behind different disinfection performances.We found the lethal effect of DUV at the same radiation dose was reduced by the cryogenic environment,and a negative-U large-relaxation model was used to explain the difference in view of the photoelectronic nature.The chances were higher in the cryogenic environment for the capture of excited electrons within active genetic molecules back to the initial photo-ionised positions.Additionally,the variant of Omicron required a significantly higher DUV dose to achieve the same virucidal efficacy,and this was thanks to the genetic and proteinic characteristics of the Omicron.The findings in this study are important for human society using DUV disinfection in cold conditions(e.g.,the food cold chain logistics and the open air in winter),and the relevant DUV disinfection suggestion against COVID-19 is provided.

Effect of N-doping-derived solvent adsorption on electrochemical double layer structure and performance of porous carbon

N-doped porous carbon has been extensively investigated for broad electrochemical applications.The performance is significantly impacted by the electrochemical double layer(EDL),which is material dependent and hard to characterize.Limited understanding of doping-derived EDL structure hinders insight into the structure-performance relations and the rational design of high-performance materials.Thus,we analyzed the mass and chemical composition variation of EDL within electrochemical operation by electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance,in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,and time-offlight secondary ion mass spectrometry.We found that N-doping triggers specifically adsorbed propylene carbonate solvent in the inner Helmholtz plane(IHP),which prevents ion rearrangement and enhances the migration of cations.However,this specific adsorption accelerated solvent decomposition,rendering rapid performance degradation in practical devices.This work reveals that the surface chemistry of electrodes can cause specific adsorption of solvents and change the EDL structure,which complements the classical EDL theory and provide guidance for practical applications.

Asymmetry parameters in single ionization of He,Ne by XUV pulses

Fully differential cross-sections of single ionization of He and Ne atoms are studied by linearly polarized extreme ultraviolet(XUV)photons in the energy range of 22.1 e V–43.7 e V,using a reaction microscope.Photoelectron angular distributions and theβasymmetry parameters for He 1s^(2) electrons prove the reliability of our experiment,and the β asymmetry parameters extracted from the angular distributions of Ne 2p^(6) electrons are obtained.By comparing with different theoretical calculations,it is found that the contribution of the electron correlation effect in Ne 2p^(6) single ionization becomes increasingly important as the incident photon energy increases,while the relativistic effect is relatively low in the whole incident energy range.Our experimentalβasymmetry parameters may serve as a significant reference to test the most elaborated theories in the field.The datasets presented in this paper,including the photoelectron angular distributions andβasymmetry parameters,are openly available at https://doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.j00113.00073.

XPS Study of Electroless Deposited Sb2Se3 Thin Films for Solar Cell Absorber Material

As a thin film solar cell absorber material, antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) has become a potential candidate recently because of its unique optical and electrical properties and easy fabrication method. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to determine the stoichiometry and composition of electroless Sb2Se3 thin films using depth profile studies. The surface layers were analyzed nearly stoichiometric. But the abundant amount of antimony makes the inner layer electrically more conductive.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Chinese Scientists Develop Super-Efficient All-Analog Photoelectronic Chip Researchers from Tsinghua University have developed an all-analog photoelectronic chip that can process computer vision tasks with greater speed and more energy efficiency than existing chips.

Depth Profile Study of Electroless Deposited Sb2S3 Thin Films Using XPS for Photovoltaic Applications

Sb2S3 has gained tremendous research recently for thin film solar cell absorber material because of their easy synthesis, unique electrical and optical properties. The stoichiometry and composition of electroless Sb2S3 thin films were analyzed using XPS depth profile studies. The surface layers were found nearly stoichiometric. On the other hand, the inner layer was rich in antimony composition making it more conductive electrically.