Papers by Keyword: Hyperfine Interaction

Abstract: Au nanocluster may exhibit magnetic behaviour in contrast to its bulk state diamagnetic characteristic. We have used four functionals, namely, B3LYP, LSDA, HSEH1PBE and PBEPBE, in DFT calculations to examine the effect of different functionals on the structure of Au₂₃(SR)₁₆ nanocluster. The correct optimized structure Au₂₃(SR)₁₆ nanocluster that has a lower energy was found to be important to study possible muon sites and its associated hyperfine coupling constant. Our computational investigation shows that the B3LYP functional optimized structure resulted in lower total energy of the system as compared to the one produced by using the other functionals.

Abstract: The Density Functional Theory method was employed to investigate the electronic structure and muonium hyperfine interaction of muonium trapped near carbon atom labelled as '5' in cytosine nucleobase. Eighteen different basis sets in combination with B3LYP functional were examined in geometry optimization calculations on the muoniated radical. There are significant quantitative differences in the calculated total energy. The employment of basis set that does not include polarization function produces an optimized structure with high total energy. The 6-311++G(d,p) basis set yielded the lowest total energy as compared to other basis sets. The bond order of muonium trapped at C5 atom is in the range of 0.841 to 0.862. The 6-31G basis set produced the muonium Fermi contact coupling constant that is the closest to the experimental value.

Abstract: The DFT cluster method was employed to investigate the electronic structures and muonium hyperfine interactions in guanine nucleobase and nucleotide using three different basis sets. The total energy and Fermi contact values were calculated for muon trapped at carbon '8'. The three basis sets, 6-31G, 6-311G and 6-311G(d,p), were used in tandem with the B3LYP functional. There are significant quantitative differences in the calculated total energy. 6-311G(d,p) produced the lowest total energy as compared to the other basis sets. The lowering of the total energy is due to the increase in the number of basis functions to describe the atomic orbitals, which is consistent with the postulate on basis set completeness. The 6-31G basis set produced the muon Fermi contact value that is the closest to the experimental value. The calculated Fermi contact values for the nucleobase and nucleotide are significantly lowered in going from the double-zeta to the triple-zeta basis set by 5% and 4% respectively. The lowering of the Fermi contact value can be attributed to the extension of the triple-zeta basis set in describing the valence atomic orbitals. The presence of the sugar phosphate group in the nucleotide instead of the methyl group tends to lower the Fermi contact value. Thus, the sugar phosphate group should be taken into consideration when designing a calculation model.

Abstract: We demonstrate optically pumped dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) of ²⁹Si nuclear spins that are strongly coupled to paramagnetic color centers in 4H- and 6H-SiC. We observe 99%±1% degree of polarization. By combining ab initio theory with the experimental identification of the color centers’ optically excited states, we quantitatively model how the polarization derives from hyperfine-mediated level anticrossings. In addition, we developed a general model for these optical DNP processes that allows the effects of many microscopic processes to be integrated. Applying this theory, we gain a deeper insight into dynamic nuclear spin polarization. In particular, our findings show that the defect electron spin coherence times and excited state lifetimes are crucial factors in the entire DNP process. These results lay a foundation for SiC-based quantum memories, nuclear gyroscopes, and hyperpolarized probes for magnetic resonance imaging.

Abstract: Nowadays, computational techniques can greatly facilitate the identification of point defect related photoluminescence and EPR centers in semiconductors. Once the identification has been achieved, one can gain a detailed description of the microstructure and the electron configuration of the defect, providing a basis for further understanding and development. Recently, the importance of divacancy and related point defects in different polytypes of SiC has substantially increased due to their possible quantum bit application. However, their different configurations have not been satisfactorily identified yet. In our study, we carry out large-scale first principles supercell calculations to identify the divacancy related point defects in 4H and 6H-SiC. By resolving some general accuracy issues of usual ab initio supercell techniques, we are able to obtain convergent photoluminescence (PL) energies, zero-field-splitting, and hyperfine parameters. Our results confirm the previous assignment of the PL1-4 PL lines in 4H-SiC (also known as UD-2 luminescence lines previously) to the four possible divacancy configurations and provide the identification of QL1,QL2, and QL6 PL lines in 6H-SiC. In all cases the calculated zero-field and hyperfine tensors’ parameters are provided.

Abstract: We have performed First Principle computational studies utilizing Molecular-Orbital (MO) Cluster method to examine the electronic structure of muonated La₂CuO₄. Based on recent works, we investigated three suggested muon sites in La₂CuO₄. Two possible muon sites are located near the apical oxygen O(a), and the other one is near the planar oxygen O(p). The calculations were performed at the HF/Gen level of theory. The results of our investigation show that there is a very significant covalency effect between copper and oxygen. In the pure system, the effective charge on Cu is 0.77 while the charge on the oxygens is around –1.8. In the muonated system, the charge on Cu reduces to 0.58. The spin density at Cu is 0.78 in the pure system and becomes 0.70 when muon is added. As for the muon, the charge and spin density are +0.22 and –0.0026 respectively.

Abstract: Modern physics distinguishes three fundamental properties of atomic nuclei: mass; spin and related magnetic moment; volume (surrounding field strength), which are the source of isotope effects. The experiments showed that the isotope substitution of the light isotope with the hard one increased the band-to-band transition energy E_g, as well as the exciton binding energy E_b both in semiconductors and insulators. The representative manifestation of the spin has been observed in photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy in highly enriched ²⁸Si crystals with shallow donor P, as well as in the separation of ¹³C and ¹²С isotope in magnetic field.

Abstract: Structure, valence and magnetic states of iron ions of the nanodispersed magnetite stabilised by a dielectric matrix have been studied by the ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, X - ray and electronic microscopy.

Abstract: The method of perturbed angular correlation (PAC) was used to determine lattice locations of ¹¹¹In impurity probe atoms present in extreme dilution in the intermetallic compound FeGa₃. In slightly Ga-poor samples, probes were found to strongly prefer one of two inequivalent Ga-sites. In slightly Ga-rich samples at room temperature, 293 K, the PAC spectrum exhibited an unperturbed quadrupole interaction signal that is consistent with indium probes dissolved in small liquid pools of the excess Ga. A myriad of such pools are probably located along grain boundaries in the sample. Cooling from 293 K down to 12 K, the site fraction of indium in liquid decreased, being offset by the increase in a signal attributed to indium solutes in precipitates with other impurities at the sides of the Ga pools. However, these changes were completely reversible upon heating, and no crystallization of the liquid gallium pools was observed down to 12 K. This is attributed to the extraordinarily small volumes for the pools, which, while not measured directly, are orders of magnitude smaller than cubic microns. The measured temperature dependence of the site fraction of indium in the liquid was used to extend the metastable solubility curve for indium in liquid gallium down to a temperature of 150 K, much lower than the eutectic temperature of Ga-In at 288.5 K.

Abstract: Jump frequencies of ¹¹¹In/Cd tracer atoms were measured for a series of layered phases La_nCoIn_3n+2 using the technique of perturbed angular correlation of gamma rays (PAC). The frequencies were determined by analysis of nuclear quadrupole relaxation produced by fluctuating electric field gradients. Samples were synthesized having nominal values n= 1, 2, 3, 5 and , with n= corresponding to the L1₂ phase LaIn₃. The phases form heuristically from LaIn₃ by replacing every (n+1)^th (100) mixed plane of La and In atoms with a plane of Co-atoms. For the n=1 phase, LaCoIn₅, jump frequencies were too small to detect. Two signals were observed, one for indium atoms next to the Co-planes and the other for more distant indium atoms. No relaxation was observed for atoms next to the Co-planes, indicating that there is no diffusion across the Co-planes. With increasing n, jump rates for the other In-atoms increased toward values observed for LaIn₃. Jump frequency activation enthalpies for n= 3 and 5 were observed to be the same as for n=, suggesting the same diffusion mechanism. However, the jump-frequency prefactors were found to be smaller for small n, which is attributed to reductions in the connectivity of the diffusion sublattice. We conclude that diffusion in the layered phases is remarkably similar to diffusion in LaIn₃ once the reduced connectivity is taken into account.