Development of compact rapid charging power supply for capacitive energy storage in pulsed power drivers.

PubMed

Sharma, Surender Kumar; Shyam, Anurag

2015-02-01

High energy capacitor bank is used for primary electrical energy storage in pulsed power drivers. The capacitors used in these pulsed power drivers have low inductance, low internal resistance, and less dc life, so it has to be charged rapidly and immediately discharged into the load. A series resonant converter based 45 kV compact power supply is designed and developed for rapid charging of the capacitor bank with constant charging current up to 150 mA. It is short circuit proof, and zero current switching technique is used to commute the semiconductor switch. A high frequency resonant inverter switching at 10 kHz makes the overall size small and reduces the switching losses. The output current of the power supply is limited by constant on-time and variable frequency switching control technique. The power supply is tested by charging the 45 kV/1.67 μF and 15 kV/356 μF capacitor banks. It has charged the capacitor bank up to rated voltage with maximum charging current of 150 mA and the average charging rate of 3.4 kJ/s. The output current of the power supply is limited by reducing the switching frequency at 5 kHz, 3.3 kHz, and 1.7 kHz and tested with 45 kV/1.67 μF capacitor bank. The protection circuit is included in the power supply for over current, under voltage, and over temperature. The design details and the experimental testing results of the power supply for resonant current, output current, and voltage traces of the power supply with capacitive, resistive, and short circuited load are presented and discussed.

Effect of trap states and microstructure on charge carrier conduction mechanism through semicrystalline poly(vinyl alcohol) granular film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, A. K.; Bhowmik, R. N.; Meikap, A. K.

2018-05-01

We report a comprehensive study on hysteresis behaviour of current-voltage characteristic and impedance spectroscopy of granular semicrystalline poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) film. The charge carrier conduction mechanism and charge traps of granular PVA film by measuring and analyzing the temperature dependent current-voltage characteristic indicate a bi-stable electronic state in the film. A sharp transformation of charge carrier conduction mechanism from Poole-Frenkel emission to space charge limited current mechanism has been observed. An anomalous oscillatory behaviour of current has been observed due to electric pulse effect on the molecular chain of the polymer. Effect of microstructure on charge transport mechanism has been investigated from impedance spectroscopy analysis. An equivalent circuit model has been proposed to explain the result.

Intensity limits of the PSI Injector II cyclotron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolano, A.; Adelmann, A.; Barlow, R.; Baumgarten, C.

2018-03-01

We investigate limits on the current of the PSI Injector II high intensity separate-sector isochronous cyclotron, in its present configuration and after a proposed upgrade. Accelerator Driven Subcritical Reactors, neutron and neutrino experiments, and medical isotope production all benefit from increases in current, even at the ∼ 10% level: the PSI cyclotrons provide relevant experience. As space charge dominates at low beam energy, the injector is critical. Understanding space charge effects and halo formation through detailed numerical modelling gives clues on how to maximise the extracted current. Simulation of a space-charge dominated low energy high intensity (9.5 mA DC) machine, with a complex collimator set up in the central region shaping the bunch, is not trivial. We use the OPAL code, a tool for charged-particle optics calculations in large accelerator structures and beam lines, including 3D space charge. We have a precise model of the present (production) Injector II, operating at 2.2 mA current. A simple model of the proposed future (upgraded) configuration of the cyclotron is also investigated. We estimate intensity limits based on the developed models, supported by fitted scaling laws and measurements. We have been able to perform more detailed analysis of the bunch parameters and halo development than any previous study. Optimisation techniques enable better matching of the simulation set-up with Injector II parameters and measurements. We show that in the production configuration the beam current scales to the power of three with the beam size. However, at higher intensities, 4th power scaling is a better fit, setting the limit of approximately 3 mA. Currents of over 5 mA, higher than have been achieved to date, can be produced if the collimation scheme is adjusted.

Alternative model of space-charge-limited thermionic current flow through a plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campanell, M. D.

2018-04-01

It is widely assumed that thermionic current flow through a plasma is limited by a "space-charge-limited" (SCL) cathode sheath that consumes the hot cathode's negative bias and accelerates upstream ions into the cathode. Here, we formulate a fundamentally different current-limited mode. In the "inverse" mode, the potentials of both electrodes are above the plasma potential, so that the plasma ions are confined. The bias is consumed by the anode sheath. There is no potential gradient in the neutral plasma region from resistivity or presheath. The inverse cathode sheath pulls some thermoelectrons back to the cathode, thereby limiting the circuit current. Thermoelectrons entering the zero-field plasma region that undergo collisions may also be sent back to the cathode, further attenuating the circuit current. In planar geometry, the plasma density is shown to vary linearly across the electrode gap. A continuum kinetic planar plasma diode simulation model is set up to compare the properties of current modes with classical, conventional SCL, and inverse cathode sheaths. SCL modes can exist only if charge-exchange collisions are turned off in the potential well of the virtual cathode to prevent ion trapping. With the collisions, the current-limited equilibrium must be inverse. Inverse operating modes should therefore be present or possible in many plasma devices that rely on hot cathodes. Evidence from past experiments is discussed. The inverse mode may offer opportunities to minimize sputtering and power consumption that were not previously explored due to the common assumption of SCL sheaths.

Current limiting mechanisms in electron and ion beam experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olsen, R. C.

1990-01-01

The emission and collection of current from satellites or rockets in the ionosphere is a process which, at equilibrium, requires a balance between inward and outward currents. In most active experiments in the ionosphere and magnetosphere, the emitted current exceeds the integrated thermal current by one or more orders of magnitude. The system response is typically for the emitted current to be limited by processes such as differential charging of insulating surfaces, interactions between an emitted beam and the local plasma, and interactions between the beam and local neutral gas. These current limiting mechanisms have been illustrated for 20 years in sounding rocket and satellite experiments, which are reviewed here. Detailed presentations of the Spacecraft Charging at High Altitude (SCATHA) electron and ion gun experiments are used to demonstrate the general range of observed phenomena.

Controlling electrostatic charging of nanocrystalline diamond at nanoscale.

PubMed

Verveniotis, Elisseos; Kromka, Alexander; Rezek, Bohuslav

2013-06-11

Constant electrical current in the range of -1 to -200 pA is applied by an atomic force microscope (AFM) in contact mode regime to induce and study local electrostatic charging of oxygen-terminated nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) thin films. The NCD films are deposited on silicon in 70 nm thickness and with 60% relative sp(2) phase content. Charging current is monitored by conductive AFM. Electric potential contrast induced by the current is evaluated by Kelvin force microscopy (KFM). KFM shows well-defined, homogeneous, and reproducible microscopic patterns that are not influenced by inherent tip-surface junction fluctuations during the charging process. The charged patterns are persistent for at least 72 h due to charge trapping inside the NCD film. The current-induced charging also clearly reveals field-induced detrapping at current amplitudes >-50 pA and tip instability at >-150 pA, both of which limit the achievable potential contrast. In addition, we show that the field also determines the range of electronic states that can trap the charge. We present a model and discuss implications for control of the nanoscale charging process.

Two-dimensional relativistic space charge limited current flow in the drift space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y. L.; Chen, S. H.; Koh, W. S.; Ang, L. K.

2014-04-01

Relativistic two-dimensional (2D) electrostatic (ES) formulations have been derived for studying the steady-state space charge limited (SCL) current flow of a finite width W in a drift space with a gap distance D. The theoretical analyses show that the 2D SCL current density in terms of the 1D SCL current density monotonically increases with D/W, and the theory recovers the 1D classical Child-Langmuir law in the drift space under the approximation of uniform charge density in the transverse direction. A 2D static model has also been constructed to study the dynamical behaviors of the current flow with current density exceeding the SCL current density, and the static theory for evaluating the transmitted current fraction and minimum potential position have been verified by using 2D ES particle-in-cell simulation. The results show the 2D SCL current density is mainly determined by the geometrical effects, but the dynamical behaviors of the current flow are mainly determined by the relativistic effect at the current density exceeding the SCL current density.

Charging and Transport Dynamics of a Flow-Through Electrode Capacitive Deionization System.

PubMed

Qu, Yatian; Campbell, Patrick G; Hemmatifar, Ali; Knipe, Jennifer M; Loeb, Colin K; Reidy, John J; Hubert, Mckenzie A; Stadermann, Michael; Santiago, Juan G

2018-01-11

We present a study of the interplay among electric charging rate, capacitance, salt removal, and mass transport in "flow-through electrode" capacitive deionization (CDI) systems. We develop two models describing coupled transport and electro-adsorption/desorption which capture salt removal dynamics. The first model is a simplified, unsteady zero-dimensional volume-averaged model which identifies dimensionless parameters and figures of merits associated with cell performance. The second model is a higher fidelity area-averaged model which captures both spatial and temporal responses of charging. We further conducted an experimental study of these dynamics and considered two salt transport regimes: (1) advection-limited regime and (2) dispersion-limited regime. We use these data to validate models. The study shows that, in the advection-limited regime, differential charge efficiency determines the salt adsorption at the early stage of the deionization process. Subsequently, charging transitions to a quasi-steady state where salt removal rate is proportional to applied current scaled by the inlet flow rate. In the dispersion-dominated regime, differential charge efficiency, cell volume, and diffusion rates govern adsorption dynamics and flow rate has little effect. In both regimes, the interplay among mass transport rate, differential charge efficiency, cell capacitance, and (electric) charging current governs salt removal in flow-through electrode CDI.

Explorations of Space-Charge Limits in Parallel-Plate Diodes and Associated Techniques for Automation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ragan-Kelley, Benjamin

Space-charge limited flow is a topic of much interest and varied application. We extend existing understanding of space-charge limits by simulations, and develop new tools and techniques for doing these simulations along the way. The Child-Langmuir limit is a simple analytic solution for space-charge limited current density in a one-dimensional diode. It has been previously extended to two dimensions by numerical calculation in planar geometries. By considering an axisymmetric cylindrical system with axial emission from a circular cathode of finite radius r and outer drift tube R > r and gap length L, we further examine the space charge limit in two dimensions. We simulate a two-dimensional axisymmetric parallel plate diode of various aspect ratios (r/L), and develop a scaling law for the measured two-dimensional space-charge limit (2DSCL) relative to the Child-Langmuir limit as a function of the aspect ratio of the diode. These simulations are done with a large (100T) longitudinal magnetic field to restrict electron motion to 1D, with the two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation code OOPIC. We find a scaling law that is a monotonically decreasing function of this aspect ratio, and the one-dimensional result is recovered in the limit as r >> L. The result is in good agreement with prior results in planar geometry, where the emission area is proportional to the cathode width. We find a weak contribution from the effects of the drift tube for current at the beam edge, and a strong contribution of high current-density "wings" at the outer-edge of the beam, with a very large relative contribution when the beam is narrow. Mechanisms for enhancing current beyond the Child-Langmuir limit remain a matter of great importance. We analyze the enhancement effects of upstream ion injection on the transmitted current in a one-dimensional parallel plate diode. Electrons are field-emitted at the cathode, and ions are injected at a controlled current from the anode. An analytic solution is derived for maximizing the electron current throughput in terms of the ion current. This analysis accounts for various energy regimes, from classical to fully relativistic. The analytical result is then confirmed by simulation of the diode in each energy regime. Field-limited emission is an approach for using Gauss's law to satisfy the space charge limit for emitting current in particle-in-cell simulations. We find that simple field-limited emission models make several assumptions, which introduce small, systematic errors in the system. We make a thorough analysis of each assumption, and ultimately develop and test a new emission scheme that accounts for each. The first correction we make is to allow for a non-zero surface field at the boundary. Since traditional field-emission schemes only aim to balance Gauss's law at the surface, a zero surface field is an assumed condition. But for many systems, this is not appropriate, so the addition of a target surface field is made. The next correction is to account for nonzero initial velocity, which, if neglected, results in a systematic underestimation of the current, due to assuming that all emitted charge will be weighted to the boundary, when in fact it will be weighted as a fraction strictly less than unity, depending on the distance across the initial cell the particle travels in its initial fractional timestep. A correction is made to the scheme, to use the actual particle weight to adjust the target emission. The final analyses involve geometric terms, analyzing the effects of cylindrical coordinates, and taking particular care to analyze the center of a cylindrical beam, as well as the outer edge of the beam, in Cartesian coordinates. We find that balancing Gauss's law at the edge of the beam is not the correct behavior, and that it is important to resolve the profile of the emitted current, in order to avoid systematic errors. A thorough analysis is done of the assumptions made in prior implementations, and corrections are introduced for cylindrical geometry, non-zero injection velocity, and non-zero surface field. Particular care is taken to determine special conditions for the outermost node, where we find that forcing a balance of Gauss's law would be incorrect. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Charging of nonspherical macroparticles in a plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holgate, J. T.; Coppins, M.

2016-03-01

The current theories of macroparticle charging in a plasma are limited to spheres, and are unsuitable for the multitude of nonspherical objects existing in astrophysical, atmospheric, laboratory, and fusion plasmas. This paper extends the most widely used spherical charging theory, orbit motion limited theory, to spheroids and, as such, provides a comprehensive study of the charging of nonspherical objects in a plasma. The spherical charging theory is shown to be a reasonable approximation for a considerable range of spheroids. However, the electric potential of highly elongated spheroids can be almost twice the spherical value. Furthermore, the total charge on the spheroids increases by a significantly larger factor than their potential.

Space charge tune shift, fast resonance traversal, and current limits in circular accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rees, G.H.

1996-06-01

Space charge tune shifts, fast resonance traversals, and current limits are important design issues for low energy, high power circular accelerators. Areas of interest are accumulator rings and fast cycling synchrotrons, and typical applications are for pulsed spallation neutron sources, heavy ion fusion storage ring drivers, and booster injectors for high energy proton and ion facilities. Aspects of the three topics are discussed in the paper. {copyright} {ital 1996 American Institute of Physics.}

Technical Study on Improvement of Endurance Capability of Limit Short-circuit Current of Charge Control SMART Meter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, W. W.; Du, Z. Z.; Yuan, R. m.; Xiong, D. Z.; Shi, E. W.; Lu, G. N.; Dai, Z. Y.; Chen, X. Q.; Jiang, Z. Y.; Lv, Y. G.

2017-10-01

Smart meter represents the development direction of energy-saving smart grid in the future. The load switch, one of the core parts of smart meter, should be of high reliability, safety and endurance capability of limit short-circuit current. For this reason, this paper discusses the quick simulation of relationship between attraction and counterforce of load switch without iteration, establishes dual response surface model of attraction and counterforce and optimizes the design scheme of load switch for charge control smart meter, thus increasing electromagnetic attraction and spring counterforce. In this way, this paper puts forward a method to improve the withstand capacity of limit short-circuit current.

Space-charge limited current in CdTe thin film solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qiang; Shen, Kai; Li, Xun; Yang, Ruilong; Deng, Yi; Wang, Deliang

2018-04-01

In this study, we demonstrate that space-charge limited current (SCLC) is an intrinsic current shunting leakage in CdTe thin film solar cells. The SCLC leakage channel, which is formed by contact between the front electrode, CdTe, and the back electrode, acts as a metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) like transport path. The presence of SCLC leaking microchannels in CdTe leads to a band bending at the MSM structure, which enhances minority carrier recombination and thus decreases the minority carrier lifetime in CdTe thin film solar cells. SCLC was found to be a limiting factor both for the fill factor and the open-circuit voltage of CdTe thin film solar cells.

Observation of increased space-charge limited thermionic electron emission current by neutral gas ionization in a weakly-ionized deuterium plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hollmann, E. M.; Yu, J. H.; Doerner, R. P.

2015-09-14

The thermionic electron emission current emitted from a laser-produced hot spot on a tungsten target in weakly-ionized deuterium plasma is measured. It is found to be one to two orders of magnitude larger than expected for bipolar space charge limited thermionic emission current assuming an unperturbed background plasma. This difference is attributed to the plasma being modified by ionization of background neutrals by the emitted electrons. This result indicates that the allowable level of emitted thermionic electron current can be significantly enhanced in weakly-ionized plasmas due to the presence of large neutral densities.

Polymer space-charge-limited transistor as a solid-state vacuum tube triode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chao, Yu-Chiang; Ku, Ming-Che; Tsai, Wu-Wei; Zan, Hsiao-Wen; Meng, Hsin-Fei; Tsai, Hung-Kuo; Horng, Sheng-Fu

2010-11-01

We report the construction of a polymer space-charge-limited transistor (SCLT), a solid-state version of vacuum tube triode. The SCLT achieves a high on/off ratio of 3×105 at a low operation voltage of 1.5 V by using high quality insulators both above and below the grid base electrode. Applying a greater bias to the base increases the barrier potential, and turns off the channel current, without introducing a large parasitic leakage current. Simulation result verifies the influence of base bias on channel potential distribution. The output current density is 1.7 mA/cm2 with current gain greater than 1000.

Virtual cathode formations in nested-well configurations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephens, K. F.; Ordonez, C. A.; Peterkin, R. E.

1999-12-01

Complete transmission of an electron beam through a cavity is not possible if the current exceeds the space-charge limited current. The formation of a virtual cathode reflects some of the beam electrons and reduces the current transmitted through the cavity. Transients in the injected current have been shown to lower the transmitted current below the value predicted by the electrostatic Child-Langmuir law. The present work considers the propagation of an electron beam through a nested-well configuration. Electrostatic particle-in-cell simulations are used to demonstrate that ions can be trapped in the electric potential depression of an electron beam. Furthermore, the trapped ions can prevent the formation of a virtual cathode for beam currents exceeding the space-charge limit.

Resolving Overlimiting Current Mechanisms in Microchannel-Nanochannel Interface Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yossifon, Gilad; Leibowitz, Neta; Liel, Uri; Schiffbauer, Jarrod; Park, Sinwook

2015-11-01

We present results demonstrating the space charge-mediated transition between classical, diffusion-limited current and surface-conduction dominant over-limiting currents in a shallow micro-nanochannel device. The extended space charge layer develops at the depleted micro-nanochannel entrance at high current and is correlated with a distinctive maximum in the dc resistance. Experimental results for a shallow surface-conduction dominated system are compared with theoretical models, allowing estimates of the effective surface charge at high voltage to be obtained. Further, we extend the study to microchannels of moderate to large depths where the role of various electro-convection mechanisms becomes dominant. In particular, electro-osmotic of the second kind and electro-osmotic instability (EOI) which competes each other at geometrically heterogeneous (e.g. undulated nanoslot interface, array of nanoslots) nanoslot devices. Also, these effects are also shown to be strongly modulated by the non-ideal permselectivity of the nanochannel.

Chamber transport for heavy ion fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olson, Craig L.

2014-01-01

A brief review is given of research on chamber transport for HIF (heavy ion fusion) dating from the first HIF Workshop in 1976 to the present. Chamber transport modes are categorized into ballistic transport modes and channel-like modes. Four major HIF reactor studies are summarized (HIBALL-II, HYLIFE-II, Prometheus-H, OSIRIS), with emphasis on the chamber transport environment. In general, many beams are used to provide the required symmetry and to permit focusing to the required small spots. Target parameters are then discussed, with a summary of the individual heavy ion beam parameters required for HIF. The beam parameters are then classified as to their line charge density and perveance, with special emphasis on the perveance limits for radial space charge spreading, for the space charge limiting current, and for the magnetic (Alfven) limiting current. The major experiments on ballistic transport (SFFE, Sabre beamlets, GAMBLE II, NTX, NDCX) are summarized, with specific reference to the axial electron trapping limit for charge neutralization. The major experiments on channel-like transport (GAMBLE II channel, GAMBLE II self-pinch, LBNL channels, GSI channels) are discussed. The status of current research on HIF chamber transport is summarized, and the value of future NDCX-II transport experiments for the future of HIF is noted.

An improved limit on the charge of antihydrogen from stochastic acceleration.

PubMed

Ahmadi, M; Baquero-Ruiz, M; Bertsche, W; Butler, E; Capra, A; Carruth, C; Cesar, C L; Charlton, M; Charman, A E; Eriksson, S; Evans, L T; Evetts, N; Fajans, J; Friesen, T; Fujiwara, M C; Gill, D R; Gutierrez, A; Hangst, J S; Hardy, W N; Hayden, M E; Isaac, C A; Ishida, A; Jones, S A; Jonsell, S; Kurchaninov, L; Madsen, N; Maxwell, D; McKenna, J T K; Menary, S; Michan, J M; Momose, T; Munich, J J; Nolan, P; Olchanski, K; Olin, A; Povilus, A; Pusa, P; Rasmussen, C Ø; Robicheaux, F; Sacramento, R L; Sameed, M; Sarid, E; Silveira, D M; So, C; Tharp, T D; Thompson, R I; van der Werf, D P; Wurtele, J S; Zhmoginov, A I

2016-01-21

Antimatter continues to intrigue physicists because of its apparent absence in the observable Universe. Current theory requires that matter and antimatter appeared in equal quantities after the Big Bang, but the Standard Model of particle physics offers no quantitative explanation for the apparent disappearance of half the Universe. It has recently become possible to study trapped atoms of antihydrogen to search for possible, as yet unobserved, differences in the physical behaviour of matter and antimatter. Here we consider the charge neutrality of the antihydrogen atom. By applying stochastic acceleration to trapped antihydrogen atoms, we determine an experimental bound on the antihydrogen charge, Qe, of |Q| < 0.71 parts per billion (one standard deviation), in which e is the elementary charge. This bound is a factor of 20 less than that determined from the best previous measurement of the antihydrogen charge. The electrical charge of atoms and molecules of normal matter is known to be no greater than about 10(-21)e for a diverse range of species including H2, He and SF6. Charge-parity-time symmetry and quantum anomaly cancellation demand that the charge of antihydrogen be similarly small. Thus, our measurement constitutes an improved limit and a test of fundamental aspects of the Standard Model. If we assume charge superposition and use the best measured value of the antiproton charge, then we can place a new limit on the positron charge anomaly (the relative difference between the positron and elementary charge) of about one part per billion (one standard deviation), a 25-fold reduction compared to the current best measurement.

Electrolyte additive enabled fast charging and stable cycling lithium metal batteries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zheng, Jianming; Engelhard, Mark H.; Mei, Donghai

2017-03-01

Batteries using lithium (Li) metal as anodes are considered promising energy storage systems because of their high energy densities. However, safety concerns associated with dendrite growth along with limited cycle life, especially at high charge current densities, hinder their practical uses. Here we report that an optimal amount (0.05 M) of LiPF6 as an additive in LiTFSI-LiBOB dual-salt/carbonate-solvent-based electrolytes significantly enhances the charging capability and cycling stability of Li metal batteries. In a Li metal battery using a 4-V Li-ion cathode at a moderately high loading of 1.75mAh cm(-2), a cyclability of 97.1% capacity retention after 500 cycles along withmore » very limited increase in electrode overpotential is accomplished at a charge/discharge current density up to 1.75 mA cm(-2). The fast charging and stable cycling performances are ascribed to the generation of a robust and conductive solid electrolyte interphase at the Li metal surface and stabilization of the Al cathode current collector.« less

Separation of heat and charge currents for boosted thermoelectric conversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazza, Francesco; Valentini, Stefano; Bosisio, Riccardo; Benenti, Giuliano; Giovannetti, Vittorio; Fazio, Rosario; Taddei, Fabio

2015-06-01

In a multiterminal device the (electronic) heat and charge currents can follow different paths. In this paper we introduce and analyze a class of multiterminal devices where this property is pushed to its extreme limits, with charge and heat currents flowing in different reservoirs. After introducing the main characteristics of this heat-charge current separation regime, we show how to realize it in a multiterminal device with normal and superconducting leads. We demonstrate that this regime allows us to control independently heat and charge flows and to greatly enhance thermoelectric performances at low temperatures. We analyze in detail a three-terminal setup involving a superconducting lead, a normal lead, and a voltage probe. For a generic scattering region we show that in the regime of heat-charge current separation both the power factor and the figure of merit Z T are highly increased with respect to a standard two-terminal system. These results are confirmed for the specific case of a system consisting of three coupled quantum dots.

A double-stage start-up structure to limit the inrush current used in current mode charge pump

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cong, Liu; Xinquan, Lai; Hanxiao, Du; Yuan, Chi

2016-06-01

A double-stage start-up structure to limit the inrush current used in current-mode charge pump with wide input range, fixed output and multimode operation is presented in this paper. As a widely utilized power source implement, a Li-battery is always used as the power supply for chips. Due to the internal resistance, a potential drop will be generated at the input terminal of the chip with an input current. A false shut down with a low supply voltage will happen if the input current is too large, leading to the degradation of the Li-battery's service life. To solve this problem, the inrush current is limited by introducing a new start-up state. All of the circuits have been implemented with the NUVOTON 0.6 μm CMOS process. The measurement results show that the inrush current can be limited below 1 A within all input supply ranges, and the power efficiency is higher than the conventional structure. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61106026).

Kapton charging characteristics: Effects of material thickness and electron-energy distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williamson, W. S.; Dulgeroff, C. R.; Hymann, J.; Viswanathan, R.

1985-01-01

Charging characteristics of polyimide (Kapton) of varying thicknesses under irradiation by a very-low-curent-density electron beam, with the back surface of the sample grounded are reported. These charging characteristics are in good agreement with a simple analytical model which predicts that in thin samples at low current density, sample surface potential is limited by conduction leakage through the bulk material. The charging of Kapton in a low-current-density electron beam in which the beam energy was modulated to simulate Maxwellian and biMaxwellian distribution functions is measured.

Charge of a quasiparticle in a superconductor

PubMed Central

Ronen, Yuval; Cohen, Yonatan; Kang, Jung-Hyun; Haim, Arbel; Rieder, Maria-Theresa; Heiblum, Moty; Mahalu, Diana; Shtrikman, Hadas

2016-01-01

Nonlinear charge transport in superconductor–insulator–superconductor (SIS) Josephson junctions has a unique signature in the shuttled charge quantum between the two superconductors. In the zero-bias limit Cooper pairs, each with twice the electron charge, carry the Josephson current. An applied bias VSD leads to multiple Andreev reflections (MAR), which in the limit of weak tunneling probability should lead to integer multiples of the electron charge ne traversing the junction, with n integer larger than 2Δ/eVSD and Δ the superconducting order parameter. Exceptionally, just above the gap eVSD ≥ 2Δ, with Andreev reflections suppressed, one would expect the current to be carried by partitioned quasiparticles, each with energy-dependent charge, being a superposition of an electron and a hole. Using shot-noise measurements in an SIS junction induced in an InAs nanowire (with noise proportional to the partitioned charge), we first observed quantization of the partitioned charge q = e*/e=n, with n = 1–4, thus reaffirming the validity of our charge interpretation. Concentrating next on the bias region eVSD∼2Δ, we found a reproducible and clear dip in the extracted charge to q ∼0.6, which, after excluding other possibilities, we attribute to the partitioned quasiparticle charge. Such dip is supported by numerical simulations of our SIS structure. PMID:26831071

Charge of a quasiparticle in a superconductor.

PubMed

Ronen, Yuval; Cohen, Yonatan; Kang, Jung-Hyun; Haim, Arbel; Rieder, Maria-Theresa; Heiblum, Moty; Mahalu, Diana; Shtrikman, Hadas

2016-02-16

Nonlinear charge transport in superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) Josephson junctions has a unique signature in the shuttled charge quantum between the two superconductors. In the zero-bias limit Cooper pairs, each with twice the electron charge, carry the Josephson current. An applied bias VSD leads to multiple Andreev reflections (MAR), which in the limit of weak tunneling probability should lead to integer multiples of the electron charge ne traversing the junction, with n integer larger than 2Δ/eVSD and Δ the superconducting order parameter. Exceptionally, just above the gap eVSD ≥ 2Δ, with Andreev reflections suppressed, one would expect the current to be carried by partitioned quasiparticles, each with energy-dependent charge, being a superposition of an electron and a hole. Using shot-noise measurements in an SIS junction induced in an InAs nanowire (with noise proportional to the partitioned charge), we first observed quantization of the partitioned charge q = e*/e = n, with n = 1-4, thus reaffirming the validity of our charge interpretation. Concentrating next on the bias region eVSD ~ 2Δ, we found a reproducible and clear dip in the extracted charge to q ~ 0.6, which, after excluding other possibilities, we attribute to the partitioned quasiparticle charge. Such dip is supported by numerical simulations of our SIS structure.

Charge collection kinetics on ferroelectric polymer surface using charge gradient microscopy

DOE PAGES

Choi, Yoon-Young; Tong, Sheng; Ducharme, Stephen P.; ...

2016-05-03

Here, a charge gradient microscopy (CGM) probe was used to collect surface screening charges on poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] thin films. These charges are naturally formed on unscreened ferroelectric domains in ambient condition. The CGM data were used to map the local electric current originating from the collected surface charges on the poled ferroelectric domains in the P(VDF-TrFE) thin films. Both the direction and amount of the collected current were controlled by changing the polarity and area of the poled domains. The endurance of charge collection by rubbing the CGM tip on the polymer film was limited to 20 scan cycles,more » after which the current reduced to almost zero. This degradation was attributed to the increase of the chemical bonding strength between the external screening charges and the polarization charges. Once this degradation mechanism is mitigated, the CGM technique can be applied to efficient energy harvesting devices using polymer ferroelectrics.« less

Exploring the validity and limitations of the Mott-Gurney law for charge-carrier mobility determination of semiconducting thin-films.

PubMed

Röhr, Jason A; Moia, Davide; Haque, Saif A; Kirchartz, Thomas; Nelson, Jenny

2018-03-14

Using drift-diffusion simulations, we investigate the voltage dependence of the dark current in single carrier devices typically used to determine charge-carrier mobilities. For both low and high voltages, the current increases linearly with the applied voltage. Whereas the linear current at low voltages is mainly due to space charge in the middle of the device, the linear current at high voltage is caused by charge-carrier saturation due to a high degree of injection. As a consequence, the current density at these voltages does not follow the classical square law derived by Mott and Gurney, and we show that for trap-free devices, only for intermediate voltages, a space-charge-limited drift current can be observed with a slope that approaches a value of two. We show that, depending on the thickness of the semiconductor layer and the size of the injection barriers, the two linear current-voltage regimes can dominate the whole voltage range, and the intermediate Mott-Gurney regime can shrink or disappear. In this case, which will especially occur for thicknesses and injection barriers typical of single-carrier devices used to probe organic semiconductors, a meaningful analysis using the Mott-Gurney law will become unachievable, because a square-law fit can no longer be achieved, resulting in the mobility being substantially underestimated. General criteria for when to expect deviations from the Mott-Gurney law when used for analysis of intrinsic semiconductors are discussed.

Exploring the validity and limitations of the Mott-Gurney law for charge-carrier mobility determination of semiconducting thin-films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Röhr, Jason A.; Moia, Davide; Haque, Saif A.; Kirchartz, Thomas; Nelson, Jenny

2018-03-01

Using drift-diffusion simulations, we investigate the voltage dependence of the dark current in single carrier devices typically used to determine charge-carrier mobilities. For both low and high voltages, the current increases linearly with the applied voltage. Whereas the linear current at low voltages is mainly due to space charge in the middle of the device, the linear current at high voltage is caused by charge-carrier saturation due to a high degree of injection. As a consequence, the current density at these voltages does not follow the classical square law derived by Mott and Gurney, and we show that for trap-free devices, only for intermediate voltages, a space-charge-limited drift current can be observed with a slope that approaches a value of two. We show that, depending on the thickness of the semiconductor layer and the size of the injection barriers, the two linear current-voltage regimes can dominate the whole voltage range, and the intermediate Mott-Gurney regime can shrink or disappear. In this case, which will especially occur for thicknesses and injection barriers typical of single-carrier devices used to probe organic semiconductors, a meaningful analysis using the Mott-Gurney law will become unachievable, because a square-law fit can no longer be achieved, resulting in the mobility being substantially underestimated. General criteria for when to expect deviations from the Mott-Gurney law when used for analysis of intrinsic semiconductors are discussed.

Alternative model of space-charge-limited thermionic current flow through a plasma

DOE PAGES

Campanell, M. D.

2018-04-19

It is widely assumed that thermionic current flow through a plasma is limited by a “space-charge-limited” (SCL) cathode sheath that consumes the hot cathode's negative bias and accelerates upstream ions into the cathode. In this paper, we formulate a fundamentally different current-limited mode. In the “inverse” mode, the potentials of both electrodes are above the plasma potential, so that the plasma ions are confined. The bias is consumed by the anode sheath. There is no potential gradient in the neutral plasma region from resistivity or presheath. The inverse cathode sheath pulls some thermoelectrons back to the cathode, thereby limiting themore » circuit current. Thermoelectrons entering the zero-field plasma region that undergo collisions may also be sent back to the cathode, further attenuating the circuit current. In planar geometry, the plasma density is shown to vary linearly across the electrode gap. A continuum kinetic planar plasma diode simulation model is set up to compare the properties of current modes with classical, conventional SCL, and inverse cathode sheaths. SCL modes can exist only if charge-exchange collisions are turned off in the potential well of the virtual cathode to prevent ion trapping. With the collisions, the current-limited equilibrium must be inverse. Inverse operating modes should therefore be present or possible in many plasma devices that rely on hot cathodes. Evidence from past experiments is discussed. Finally, the inverse mode may offer opportunities to minimize sputtering and power consumption that were not previously explored due to the common assumption of SCL sheaths.« less

Alternative model of space-charge-limited thermionic current flow through a plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Campanell, M. D.

It is widely assumed that thermionic current flow through a plasma is limited by a “space-charge-limited” (SCL) cathode sheath that consumes the hot cathode's negative bias and accelerates upstream ions into the cathode. In this paper, we formulate a fundamentally different current-limited mode. In the “inverse” mode, the potentials of both electrodes are above the plasma potential, so that the plasma ions are confined. The bias is consumed by the anode sheath. There is no potential gradient in the neutral plasma region from resistivity or presheath. The inverse cathode sheath pulls some thermoelectrons back to the cathode, thereby limiting themore » circuit current. Thermoelectrons entering the zero-field plasma region that undergo collisions may also be sent back to the cathode, further attenuating the circuit current. In planar geometry, the plasma density is shown to vary linearly across the electrode gap. A continuum kinetic planar plasma diode simulation model is set up to compare the properties of current modes with classical, conventional SCL, and inverse cathode sheaths. SCL modes can exist only if charge-exchange collisions are turned off in the potential well of the virtual cathode to prevent ion trapping. With the collisions, the current-limited equilibrium must be inverse. Inverse operating modes should therefore be present or possible in many plasma devices that rely on hot cathodes. Evidence from past experiments is discussed. Finally, the inverse mode may offer opportunities to minimize sputtering and power consumption that were not previously explored due to the common assumption of SCL sheaths.« less

Solar bus regulator and battery charger for IMP's H, I, and J

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paulkovich, J.

1972-01-01

Interplanetary Monitoring Probe (IMP) spacecrafts H, I, and J utilize a direct energy transfer (DET) type of power system operating from a solar array source. A shunt type of regulator prevents the bus voltage from exceeding a preset voltage level. The power system utilizes a single differential amplifier with dual outputs to control the battery charge/shunt regulator and the discharge regulator. A two-voltage level, current limited, series charger and a current sensor control battery state of charge of the silver-cadmium battery pack. Premature termination of the battery charge is prevented by a power available gate that also initiates charge current to the battery upon availability of excess power.

Molecular dynamics simulations of field emission from a prolate spheroidal tip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torfason, Kristinn; Valfells, Agust; Manolescu, Andrei

2016-12-01

High resolution molecular dynamics simulations with full Coulomb interactions of electrons are used to investigate field emission from a prolate spheroidal tip. The space charge limited current is several times lower than the current calculated with the Fowler-Nordheim formula. The image-charge is taken into account with a spherical approximation, which is good around the top of the tip, i.e., region where the current is generated.

Emission current from a single micropoint of explosive emission cathode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Ping; Science and Technology on High Power Microwave Laboratory, Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi'an 710024; Sun, Jun

Explosive emission cathodes (EECs) are widely used due to their large current. There has been much research on the explosive electron emission mechanism demonstrating that a current density of 10{sup 8}–10{sup 9 }A/cm{sup 2} is necessary for a micropoint to explode in several nanoseconds and the micropoint size is in micron-scale according to the observation of the cathode surface. This paper, however, makes an effort to research the current density and the micropoint size in another way which considers the space charge screening effect. Our model demonstrates that the relativistic effect is insignificant for the micropoint emission due to the smallmore » size of the micropoint and uncovers that the micron-scale size is an intrinsic demand for the micropoint to reach a space charge limited current density of 10{sup 8}–10{sup 9 }A/cm{sup 2}. Meanwhile, our analysis shows that as the voltage increases, the micropoint emission will turn from a field limited state to a space charge limited state, which makes the steady-state micropoint current density independent of the cathode work function and much less dependent on the electric field and the field enhancement factor than that predicted by the Fowler-Nordheim formula.« less

Electron dynamics inside a vacuum tube diode through linear differential equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González, Gabriel; Orozco, Fco. Javier González; Orozco

2014-04-01

In this paper we analyze the motion of charged particles in a vacuum tube diode by solving linear differential equations. Our analysis is based on expressing the volume charge density as a function of the current density and coordinates only, i.e. ρ=ρ(J,z), while in the usual scheme the volume charge density is expressed as a function of the current density and electrostatic potential, i.e. ρ=ρ(J,V). We show that, in the case of slow varying charge density, the space-charge-limited current is reduced up to 50%. Our approach gives the well-known behavior of the classical current density proportional to the three-halves power of the bias potential and inversely proportional to the square of the gap distance between electrodes, and does not require the solution of the nonlinear differential equation normally associated with the Child-Langmuir formulation.

The Design of a 100 GHz CARM (Cyclotron Auto-Resonance Maser) Oscillator Experiment

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-14

pulsed-power system must be considered. A model of the voltage pulse that consists of a linear voltage rise from zero to the operating voltage...to vary as the voltage to the 3/2 power in order to model space-charge limited flow from a relativistic diode.. As the current rises in the pulse, the...distribution due to a space-charge-limited, laminar flow of electrons based on a one-dimensional, planar, relativistic model . From the charge distribution

Plasma density enhancements created by the ionization of the Earth's upper atmosphere by artificial electron beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neubert, Torsten; Banks, Peter M.

1990-01-01

Analytical calculations and experimental observations relating to the interaction with the Earth's upper atmosphere of electron beams emitted from low altitude spacecraft are presented. The problem is described by two coupled nonlinear differential equations in the up-going (along a magnetic field line) and down-going differential energy flux. The equations are solved numerically, using the MSIS atmospheric model and the IRI ionospheric model. The results form the model compare well with recent observations from the CHARGE 2 sounding rocket experiment. Two aspects of the beam-neutral atmosphere interaction are discussed. First, the limits on the electron beam current that can be emitted from a spacecraft without substantial spacecraft charging are investigated. This is important because the charging of the spacecraft to positive potentials limits the current and the escape energy of the beam electrons and thereby limits the ionization of the neutral atmosphere. As an example, we find from CHARGE 2 observations and from the model calculations that below about 180 km, secondary electrons generated through the ionization of the neutral atmosphere by 1 to 10 keV electron beams from sounding rockets, completely balance the beam current, thereby allowing the emission of very high beam currents. Second, the amount of plasma production in the beam-streak is discussed. Results are shown for selected values of the beam energy, spacecraft velocity, and spacecraft altitude.

Lithium-Ion Batteries Being Evaluated for Low-Earth-Orbit Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McKissock, Barbara I.

2005-01-01

The performance characteristics and long-term cycle life of aerospace lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in low-Earth-orbit applications are being investigated. A statistically designed test using Li-ion cells from various manufacturers began in September 2004 to study the effects of temperature, end-of-charge voltage, and depth-of-discharge operating conditions on the cycle life and performance of these cells. Performance degradation with cycling is being evaluated, and performance characteristics and failure modes are being modeled statistically. As technology improvements are incorporated into aerospace Li-ion cells, these new designs can be added to the test to evaluate the effect of the design changes on performance and life. Cells from Lithion and Saft have achieved over 2000 cycles under 10 different test condition combinations and are being evaluated. Cells from Mine Safety Appliances (MSA) and modules made up of commercial-off-the-shelf 18650 Li-ion cells connected in series/parallel combinations are scheduled to be added in the summer of 2005. The test conditions include temperatures of 10, 20, and 30 C, end-of-charge voltages of 3.85, 3.95, and 4.05 V, and depth-of-discharges from 20 to 40 percent. The low-Earth-orbit regime consists of a 55 min charge, at a constant-current rate that is 110 percent of the current required to fully recharge the cells in 55 min until the charge voltage limit is reached, and then at a constant voltage for the remaining charge time. Cells are discharged for 35 min at the current required for their particular depth-of-discharge condition. Cells are being evaluated in four-cell series strings with charge voltage limits being applied to individual cells by the use of charge-control units designed and produced at the NASA Glenn Research Center. These charge-control units clamp the individual cell voltages as each cell reaches its end-of-charge voltage limit, and they bypass the excess current from that cell, while allowing the full current flow to the remaining cells in the pack. The goal of this evaluation is to identify conditions and cell designs for Li-ion technology that can achieve more than 30,000 low-Earth-orbit cycles. Testing is being performed at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, in Crane, Indiana.

Theory of space charge limited currents in films and nanowires with dopants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaoguang; Pantelides, Sokrates

2015-03-01

We show that proper description of the space charge limited currents (SCLC) in a homogeneous bulk material must account fully for the effect of the dopants and the interplay between dopants and traps. The sharp rise in the current at the trap-filled-limit (TFL) is partially mitigated by the dopant energy levels and the Frenkel effect, namely the lowering of the ionization energy by the electric field, which is screened by the free carriers. In nanowires, lack of effective screening causes the trap occupation at small biases to reach a high level comparable to the TFL in bulk. This explains the high current density in SCLCs observed in nanowires. This work is supported by the LDRD program at ORNL. Portion of this research was conducted at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, which is a DOE Office of Science User Facility.

Spacecraft-charging mitigation of a high-power electron beam emitted by a magnetospheric spacecraft: Simple theoretical model for the transient of the spacecraft potential

DOE PAGES

Castello, Federico Lucco; Delzanno, Gian Luca; Borovsky, Joseph E.; ...

2018-05-29

A spacecraft-charging mitigation scheme necessary for the operation of a high-power electron beam in the low-density magnetosphere is analyzed. The scheme is based on a plasma contactor, i.e. a high-density charge-neutral plasma emitted prior to and during beam emission, and its ability to emit high ion currents without strong space-charge limitations. A simple theoretical model for the transient of the spacecraft potential and contactor expansion during beam emission is presented. The model focuses on the contactor ion dynamics and is valid in the limit when the ion contactor current is equal to the beam current. The model is found inmore » very good agreement with Particle-In-Cell simulations over a large parametric study that varies the initial expansion time of the contactor, the contactor current and the ion mass. The model highlights the physics of the spacecraft-charging mitigation scheme, indicating that the most important part of the dynamics is the evolution of the outermost ion front which is pushed away by the charge accumulated in the system by the beam. The model can be also used to estimate the long-time evolution of the spacecraft potential. For a short contactor expansion (0.3 or 0.6 ms Helium plasma or 0.8 ms Argon plasma, both with 1 mA current) it yields a peak spacecraft potential of the order of 1-3 kV. This implies that a 1-mA relativistic electron beam would be easily emitted by the spacecraft.« less

Spacecraft-charging mitigation of a high-power electron beam emitted by a magnetospheric spacecraft: Simple theoretical model for the transient of the spacecraft potential

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Castello, Federico Lucco; Delzanno, Gian Luca; Borovsky, Joseph E.

A spacecraft-charging mitigation scheme necessary for the operation of a high-power electron beam in the low-density magnetosphere is analyzed. The scheme is based on a plasma contactor, i.e. a high-density charge-neutral plasma emitted prior to and during beam emission, and its ability to emit high ion currents without strong space-charge limitations. A simple theoretical model for the transient of the spacecraft potential and contactor expansion during beam emission is presented. The model focuses on the contactor ion dynamics and is valid in the limit when the ion contactor current is equal to the beam current. The model is found inmore » very good agreement with Particle-In-Cell simulations over a large parametric study that varies the initial expansion time of the contactor, the contactor current and the ion mass. The model highlights the physics of the spacecraft-charging mitigation scheme, indicating that the most important part of the dynamics is the evolution of the outermost ion front which is pushed away by the charge accumulated in the system by the beam. The model can be also used to estimate the long-time evolution of the spacecraft potential. For a short contactor expansion (0.3 or 0.6 ms Helium plasma or 0.8 ms Argon plasma, both with 1 mA current) it yields a peak spacecraft potential of the order of 1-3 kV. This implies that a 1-mA relativistic electron beam would be easily emitted by the spacecraft.« less

Gyrotron Gun Study Report,

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-18

of bern current to space-charge limited Langmuir current - Cathode surface current density S 2 a Cylindrical diode geometry function (tabulated in...design factor . t -13- " r =J... .. ::!, qm ! . ... ... - . , m- d nc- Cd (3) lsically, this equation arises from the recognition that the gap...S. Beam Current as a Fraction of the Limiting Langmuir Current (o/IL) Equation 5 in Table I is basically intended to provide a measure of the C

Space charge limited current measurements on conjugated polymer films using conductive atomic force microscopy.

PubMed

Reid, Obadiah G; Munechika, Keiko; Ginger, David S

2008-06-01

We describe local (~150 nm resolution), quantitative measurements of charge carrier mobility in conjugated polymer films that are commonly used in thin-film transistors and nanostructured solar cells. We measure space charge limited currents (SCLC) through these films using conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM) and in macroscopic diodes. The current densities we measure with c-AFM are substantially higher than those observed in planar devices at the same bias. This leads to an overestimation of carrier mobility by up to 3 orders of magnitude when using the standard Mott-Gurney law to fit the c-AFM data. We reconcile this apparent discrepancy between c-AFM and planar device measurements by accounting for the proper tip-sample geometry using finite element simulations of tip-sample currents. We show that a semiempirical scaling factor based on the ratio of the tip contact area diameter to the sample thickness can be used to correct c-AFM current-voltage curves and thus extract mobilities that are in good agreement with values measured in the conventional planar device geometry.

Nuclear axial currents in chiral effective field theory

DOE PAGES

Baroni, Alessandro; Girlanda, Luca; Pastore, Saori; ...

2016-01-11

Two-nucleon axial charge and current operators are derived in chiral effective field theory up to one loop. The derivation is based on time-ordered perturbation theory and accounts for cancellations between the contributions of irreducible diagrams and the contributions owing to nonstatic corrections from energy denominators of reducible diagrams. Ultraviolet divergencies associated with the loop corrections are isolated in dimensional regularization. The resulting axial current is finite and conserved in the chiral limit, while the axial charge requires renormalization. As a result, a complete set of contact terms for the axial charge up to the relevant order in the power countingmore » is constructed.« less

Study of charge transport in composite blend of P3HT and PCBM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Manoj; Kumar, Sunil; Upadhyaya, Aditi; Yadav, Anjali; Gupta, Saral K.; Singh, Amarjeet

2018-05-01

Poly (3-hexylthiophene-2,5diyl) (P3HT) as donor and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as acceptor are mostly used as active medium in polymeric electronic device. In this paper we have prepare the P3HT - PCBM based bulk hetero junction thin films by spin coating technique. The charge transport properties of P3HT:PCBM blends are investigated by the current-voltage measurements using Ag as an electron injecting electrode and ITO as a hole injecting contact. The current density v/s voltage relationships are analyzed in the backdrop of Schottky and Space charge limited current model.

High Current, Multi-Filament Photoconductive Semiconductor Switching

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

linear PCSS triggered with a 100 fs laser pulse . Figure 1. A generic photoconductive semiconductor switch rapidly discharges a charged capacitor...switching is the most critical challenge remaining for photoconductive semiconductor switch (PCSS) applications in Pulsed Power. Many authors have...isolation and control, pulsed or DC charging, and long device lifetime, provided the current per filament is limited to 20-30A for short pulse (10

Electric and magnetic microfields inside and outside space-limited configurations of ions and ionic currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanovsky, M. Yu; Ebeling, W.; Schimansky-Geier, L.

2005-01-01

The problem of electric and magnetic microfields inside finite spherical systems of stochastically moving ions and outside them is studied. The first possible field of applications is high temperature ion clusters created by laser fields [1]. Other possible applications are nearly spherical liquid systems at room-temperature containing electrolytes. Looking for biological applications we may also think about a cell which is a complicated electrolytic system or even a brain which is a still more complicated system of electrolytic currents. The essential model assumption is the random character of charges motion. We assume in our basic model that we have a finite nearly spherical system of randomly moving charges. Even taking into account that this is at best a caricature of any real system, it might be of interest as a limiting case, which admits a full theoretical treatment. For symmetry reasons, a random configuration of moving charges cannot generate a macroscopic magnetic field, but there will be microscopic fluctuating magnetic fields. Distributions for electric and magnetic microfields inside and outside such space- limited systems are calculated. Spherical systems of randomly distributed moving charges are investigated. Starting from earlier results for infinitely large systems, which lead to Holtsmark- type distributions, we show that the fluctuations in finite charge distributions are larger (in comparison to infinite systems of the same charge density).

Two-dimensional electromagnetic Child-Langmuir law of a short-pulse electron flow

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, S. H.; Tai, L. C.; Liu, Y. L.

Two-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations were performed to study the effect of the displacement current and the self-magnetic field on the space charge limited current density or the Child-Langmuir law of a short-pulse electron flow with a propagation distance of {zeta} and an emitting width of W from the classical regime to the relativistic regime. Numerical scaling of the two-dimensional electromagnetic Child-Langmuir law was constructed and it scales with ({zeta}/W) and ({zeta}/W){sup 2} at the classical and relativistic regimes, respectively. Our findings reveal that the displacement current can considerably enhance the space charge limited current density as compared to the well-knownmore » two-dimensional electrostatic Child-Langmuir law even at the classical regime.« less

100 years of the physics of diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Peng; Valfells, Ágúst; Ang, L. K.; Luginsland, J. W.; Lau, Y. Y.

2017-03-01

The Child-Langmuir Law (CL), discovered a century ago, gives the maximum current that can be transported across a planar diode in the steady state. As a quintessential example of the impact of space charge shielding near a charged surface, it is central to the studies of high current diodes, such as high power microwave sources, vacuum microelectronics, electron and ion sources, and high current drivers used in high energy density physics experiments. CL remains a touchstone of fundamental sheath physics, including contemporary studies of nanoscale quantum diodes and nano gap based plasmonic devices. Its solid state analog is the Mott-Gurney law, governing the maximum charge injection in solids, such as organic materials and other dielectrics, which is important to energy devices, such as solar cells and light emitting diodes. This paper reviews the important advances in the physics of diodes since the discovery of CL, including virtual cathode formation and extension of CL to multiple dimensions, to the quantum regime, and to ultrafast processes. We review the influence of magnetic fields, multiple species in bipolar flow, electromagnetic and time dependent effects in both short pulse and high frequency THz limits, and single electron regimes. Transitions from various emission mechanisms (thermionic-, field-, and photoemission) to the space charge limited state (CL) will be addressed, especially highlighting the important simulation and experimental developments in selected contemporary areas of study. We stress the fundamental physical links between the physics of beams to limiting currents in other areas, such as low temperature plasmas, laser plasmas, and space propulsion.

Current collection from an unmagnetized plasma: A tutorial

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whipple, Elden C.

1990-01-01

The current collected by a body in an unmagnetized plasma depends in general on: (1) the properties of the plasma; (2) the properties of the body; and (3) the properties of any neutral species that are present. The important plasma properties are the velocity distributions of the plasma particles at a location remote from the body (at infinity), and the Debye length which determines the importance of plasma space charge effects. The important body properties are its surface characteristics, namely the conductivity and secondary yield coefficients. The neutral species affect the current through collisions which impede the flow of current and possibly through ionization of the neutrals which can enhance the current. The technique for calculating the current collected by a body in a plasma is reviewed with special attention given to the distinction between orbit limited and space charge limited regimes, the asymptotic variation of the potential with distance from a body, and the concept of a sheath.

An Agent-Based Information System for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Deployment

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-08-18

The current scarcity of public charging infrastructure is one of the major barriers to mass household adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). Although most PEV drivers can recharge their vehicles at home, the limited driving range of the vehicl...

Scaling for quantum tunneling current in nano- and subnano-scale plasmonic junctions.

PubMed

Zhang, Peng

2015-05-19

When two conductors are separated by a sufficiently thin insulator, electrical current can flow between them by quantum tunneling. This paper presents a self-consistent model of tunneling current in a nano- and subnano-meter metal-insulator-metal plasmonic junction, by including the effects of space charge and exchange correlation potential. It is found that the J-V curve of the junction may be divided into three regimes: direct tunneling, field emission, and space-charge-limited regime. In general, the space charge inside the insulator reduces current transfer across the junction, whereas the exchange-correlation potential promotes current transfer. It is shown that these effects may modify the current density by orders of magnitude from the widely used Simmons' formula, which is only accurate for a limited parameter space (insulator thickness > 1 nm and barrier height > 3 eV) in the direct tunneling regime. The proposed self-consistent model may provide a more accurate evaluation of the tunneling current in the other regimes. The effects of anode emission and material properties (i.e. work function of the electrodes, electron affinity and permittivity of the insulator) are examined in detail in various regimes. Our simple model and the general scaling for tunneling current may provide insights to new regimes of quantum plasmonics.

Scaling for quantum tunneling current in nano- and subnano-scale plasmonic junctions

PubMed Central

Zhang, Peng

2015-01-01

When two conductors are separated by a sufficiently thin insulator, electrical current can flow between them by quantum tunneling. This paper presents a self-consistent model of tunneling current in a nano- and subnano-meter metal-insulator-metal plasmonic junction, by including the effects of space charge and exchange correlation potential. It is found that the J-V curve of the junction may be divided into three regimes: direct tunneling, field emission, and space-charge-limited regime. In general, the space charge inside the insulator reduces current transfer across the junction, whereas the exchange-correlation potential promotes current transfer. It is shown that these effects may modify the current density by orders of magnitude from the widely used Simmons’ formula, which is only accurate for a limited parameter space (insulator thickness > 1 nm and barrier height > 3 eV) in the direct tunneling regime. The proposed self-consistent model may provide a more accurate evaluation of the tunneling current in the other regimes. The effects of anode emission and material properties (i.e. work function of the electrodes, electron affinity and permittivity of the insulator) are examined in detail in various regimes. Our simple model and the general scaling for tunneling current may provide insights to new regimes of quantum plasmonics. PMID:25988951

Space-charge-limited currents for cathodes with electric field enhanced geometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lai, Dingguo, E-mail: laidingguo@nint.ac.cn; Qiu, Mengtong; Xu, Qifu

This paper presents the approximate analytic solutions of current density for annulus and circle cathodes. The current densities of annulus and circle cathodes are derived approximately from first principles, which are in agreement with simulation results. The large scaling laws can predict current densities of high current vacuum diodes including annulus and circle cathodes in practical applications. In order to discuss the relationship between current density and electric field on cathode surface, the existing analytical solutions of currents for concentric cylinder and sphere diodes are fitted from existing solutions relating with electric field enhancement factors. It is found that themore » space-charge-limited current density for the cathode with electric-field enhanced geometry can be written in a general form of J = g(β{sub E}){sup 2}J{sub 0}, where J{sub 0} is the classical (1D) Child-Langmuir current density, β{sub E} is the electric field enhancement factor, and g is the geometrical correction factor depending on the cathode geometry.« less

Electrical conductivity in Li2O2 and its role in determining capacity limitations in non-aqueous Li-O2 batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viswanathan, V.; Thygesen, K. S.; Hummelshøj, J. S.; Nørskov, J. K.; Girishkumar, G.; McCloskey, B. D.; Luntz, A. C.

2011-12-01

Non-aqueous Li-air or Li-O2 cells show considerable promise as a very high energy density battery couple. Such cells, however, show sudden death at capacities far below their theoretical capacity and this, among other problems, limits their practicality. In this paper, we show that this sudden death arises from limited charge transport through the growing Li2O2 film to the Li2O2-electrolyte interface, and this limitation defines a critical film thickness, above which it is not possible to support electrochemistry at the Li2O2-electrolyte interface. We report both electrochemical experiments using a reversible internal redox couple and a first principles metal-insulator-metal charge transport model to probe the electrical conductivity through Li2O2 films produced during Li-O2 discharge. Both experiment and theory show a "sudden death" in charge transport when film thickness is ˜5 to 10 nm. The theoretical model shows that this occurs when the tunneling current through the film can no longer support the electrochemical current. Thus, engineering charge transport through Li2O2 is a serious challenge if Li-O2 batteries are ever to reach their potential.

Electrical conductivity in Li2O2 and its role in determining capacity limitations in non-aqueous Li-O2 batteries.

PubMed

Viswanathan, V; Thygesen, K S; Hummelshøj, J S; Nørskov, J K; Girishkumar, G; McCloskey, B D; Luntz, A C

2011-12-07

Non-aqueous Li-air or Li-O(2) cells show considerable promise as a very high energy density battery couple. Such cells, however, show sudden death at capacities far below their theoretical capacity and this, among other problems, limits their practicality. In this paper, we show that this sudden death arises from limited charge transport through the growing Li(2)O(2) film to the Li(2)O(2)-electrolyte interface, and this limitation defines a critical film thickness, above which it is not possible to support electrochemistry at the Li(2)O(2)-electrolyte interface. We report both electrochemical experiments using a reversible internal redox couple and a first principles metal-insulator-metal charge transport model to probe the electrical conductivity through Li(2)O(2) films produced during Li-O(2) discharge. Both experiment and theory show a "sudden death" in charge transport when film thickness is ~5 to 10 nm. The theoretical model shows that this occurs when the tunneling current through the film can no longer support the electrochemical current. Thus, engineering charge transport through Li(2)O(2) is a serious challenge if Li-O(2) batteries are ever to reach their potential. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Modeling the effect of shunt current on the charge transfer efficiency of an all-vanadium redox flow battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yong-Song; Ho, Sze-Yuan; Chou, Han-Wen; Wei, Hwa-Jou

2018-06-01

In an all-vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB), a shunt current is inevitable owing to the electrically conductive electrolyte that fills the flow channels and manifolds connecting cells. The shunt current decreases the performance of a VRFB stack as well as the energy conversion efficiency of a VRFB system. To understand the shunt-current loss in a VRFB stack with various designs and operating conditions, a mathematical model is developed to investigate the effects of the shunt current on battery performance. The model is calibrated with experimental data under the same operating conditions. The effects of the battery design, including the number of cells, state of charge (SOC), operating current, and equivalent resistance of the electrolytes in the flow channels and manifolds, on the shunt current are analyzed and discussed. The charge-transfer efficiency is calculated to investigate the effects of the battery design parameters on the shunt current. When the cell number is increased from 5 to 40, the charge transfer efficiency is decreased from 0.99 to a range between 0.76 and 0.88, depending on operating current density. The charge transfer efficiency can be maintained at higher than 0.9 by limiting the cell number to less than 20.

Current Flow and Pair Creation at Low Altitude in Rotation-Powered Pulsars' Force-Free Magnetospheres: Space Charge Limited Flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Timokhin, A. N.; Arons, J.

2013-01-01

We report the results of an investigation of particle acceleration and electron-positron plasma generation at low altitude in the polar magnetic flux tubes of rotation-powered pulsars, when the stellar surface is free to emit whatever charges and currents are demanded by the force-free magnetosphere. We apply a new 1D hybrid plasma simulation code to the dynamical problem, using Particle-in-Cell methods for the dynamics of the charged particles, including a determination of the collective electrostatic fluctuations in the plasma, combined with a Monte Carlo treatment of the high-energy gamma-rays that mediate the formation of the electron-positron pairs.We assume the electric current flowing through the pair creation zone is fixed by the much higher inductance magnetosphere, and adopt the results of force-free magnetosphere models to provide the currents which must be carried by the accelerator. The models are spatially one dimensional, and designed to explore the physics, although of practical relevance to young, high-voltage pulsars. We observe novel behaviour (a) When the current density j is less than the Goldreich-Julian value (0 < j/j(sub GJ) < 1), space charge limited acceleration of the current carrying beam is mild, with the full Goldreich-Julian charge density comprising the charge densities of the beam and a cloud of electrically trapped particles with the same sign of charge as the beam. The voltage drops are of the order of mc(sup 2)/e, and pair creation is absent. (b) When the current density exceeds the Goldreich-Julian value (j/j(sub GJ) > 1), the system develops high voltage drops (TV or greater), causing emission of curvature gamma-rays and intense bursts of pair creation. The bursts exhibit limit cycle behaviour, with characteristic time-scales somewhat longer than the relativistic fly-by time over distances comparable to the polar cap diameter (microseconds). (c) In return current regions, where j/j(sub GJ) < 0, the system develops similar bursts of pair creation. These discharges are similar to those encountered in previous calculations by Timokhin of pair creation when the surface has a high work function and cannot freely emit charge. In cases (b) and (c), the intermittently generated pairs allow the system to simultaneously carry the magnetospherically prescribed currents and adjust the charge density and average electric field to force-free conditions. We also elucidate the conditions for pair creating beam flow to be steady (stationary with small fluctuations in the rotating frame), finding that such steady flows can occupy only a small fraction of the current density parameter space exhibited by the force-free magnetospheric model. The generic polar flow dynamics and pair creation are strongly time dependent. The model has an essential difference from almost all previous quantitative studies, in that we sought the accelerating voltage (with pair creation, when the voltage drops are sufficiently large; without, when they are small) as a function of the applied current.

Safe Direct Current Stimulation to Expand Capabilities of Neural Prostheses

PubMed Central

Fridman, Gene Y.; Della Santina, Charles C.

2014-01-01

While effective in treating some neurological disorders, neuroelectric prostheses are fundamentally limited because they must employ charge-balanced stimuli to avoid evolution of irreversible electrochemical reactions and their byproducts at the interface between metal electrodes and body fluids. Charge-balancing is typically achieved by using brief biphasic alternating current (AC) pulses, which typically excite nearby neural tissues but cannot efficiently inhibit them. In contrast, direct current (DC) applied via a metal electrode in contact with body fluids can excite, inhibit and modulate sensitivity of neurons; however, DC stimulation is biologically unsafe because it violates “safe charge injection” limits that have long been considered unavoidable constraints. In this report, we describe the design and fabrication of a safe DC stimulator (SDCS) that overcomes this constraint. The SCDS drives DC ionic current into target tissue via salt-bridge micropipette electrodes by switching valves in phase with AC square waves applied to metal electrodes contained within the device. This approach achieves DC ionic flow through tissue while still adhering to charge-balancing constraints at each electrode-saline interface. We show the SDCS’s ability to both inhibit and excite neural activity to achieve improved dynamic range during prosthetic stimulation of the vestibular part of the inner ear in chinchillas. PMID:23476007

Electrical Conductivity and Barrier Properties of Lithium Niobate Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gudkov, S. I.; Baklanova, K. D.; Kamenshchikov, M. V.; Solnyshkin, A. V.; Belov, A. N.

2018-04-01

The thin-film structures made of LiNbO3 and obtained via laser ablation and magnetron sputtering are studied with volt-farad and volt-ampere characteristics. A potential barrier on the Si-LiNbO3 interface was found for both types of the films with the capacitance-voltage characteristics. The current-voltage characteristics showed that there are several conduction mechanisms in the structures studied. The Poole-Frenkel effect and the currents limited by a space charge mainly contribute to the electrical conductivity in the LiNbO3 film produced with the laser ablation method. The currents limited by a space charge contribute to the main mechanism in the film heterostructure obtained with the magnetron sputtering method.

Fill factor in organic solar cells can exceed the Shockley-Queisser limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trukhanov, Vasily A.; Bruevich, Vladimir V.; Paraschuk, Dmitry Yu.

2015-06-01

The ultimate efficiency of organic solar cells (OSC) is under active debate. The solar cell efficiency is calculated from the current-voltage characteristic as a product of the open-circuit voltage (VOC), short-circuit current (JSC), and the fill factor (FF). While the factors limiting VOC and JSC for OSC were extensively studied, the ultimate FF for OSC is scarcely explored. Using numerical drift-diffusion modeling, we have found that the FF in OSC can exceed the Shockley-Queisser limit (SQL) established for inorganic p-n junction solar cells. Comparing charge generation and recombination in organic donor-acceptor bilayer heterojunction and inorganic p-n junction, we show that such distinctive properties of OSC as interface charge generation and heterojunction facilitate high FF, but the necessary condition for FF exceeding the SQL in OSC is field-dependence of charge recombination at the donor-acceptor interface. These findings can serve as a guideline for further improvement of OSC.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, Chong Shik; Shiltsev, Vladimir; Stancari, Giulio

The ability to transport a high current proton beam in a ring is ultimately limited by space charge effects. Two novel ways to overcome this limit in a proton ring are by adding low energy, externally matched electron beams (electron lens, e-lens), and by taking advantage of residual gas ionization induced neutralization to create an electron column (e-column). Theory predicts that an appropriately confined electrons can completely compensate the space charge through neutralization, both transversely and longitudinally. In this report, we will discuss the current status of the Fermilab’s e-lens experiment for the space charge compensation. In addition, we willmore » show how the IOTA e-column compensates space charge with theWARP simulations. The dynamics of proton beams inside of the e-column is understood by changing the magnetic field of a solenoid, the voltage on the electrodes, and the vacuum pressure, and by looking for electron accumulation, as well as by considering various beam dynamics in the IOTA ring.« less

Current flow and pair creation at low altitude in rotation-powered pulsars' force-free magnetospheres: space charge limited flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timokhin, A. N.; Arons, J.

2013-02-01

We report the results of an investigation of particle acceleration and electron-positron plasma generation at low altitude in the polar magnetic flux tubes of rotation-powered pulsars, when the stellar surface is free to emit whatever charges and currents are demanded by the force-free magnetosphere. We apply a new 1D hybrid plasma simulation code to the dynamical problem, using Particle-in-Cell methods for the dynamics of the charged particles, including a determination of the collective electrostatic fluctuations in the plasma, combined with a Monte Carlo treatment of the high-energy gamma-rays that mediate the formation of the electron-positron pairs. We assume the electric current flowing through the pair creation zone is fixed by the much higher inductance magnetosphere, and adopt the results of force-free magnetosphere models to provide the currents which must be carried by the accelerator. The models are spatially one dimensional, and designed to explore the physics, although of practical relevance to young, high-voltage pulsars. We observe novel behaviour (a) When the current density j is less than the Goldreich-Julian value (0 < j/jGJ < 1), space charge limited acceleration of the current carrying beam is mild, with the full Goldreich-Julian charge density comprising the charge densities of the beam and a cloud of electrically trapped particles with the same sign of charge as the beam. The voltage drops are of the order of mc2/e, and pair creation is absent. (b) When the current density exceeds the Goldreich-Julian value (j/jGJ > 1), the system develops high voltage drops (TV or greater), causing emission of curvature gamma-rays and intense bursts of pair creation. The bursts exhibit limit cycle behaviour, with characteristic time-scales somewhat longer than the relativistic fly-by time over distances comparable to the polar cap diameter (microseconds). (c) In return current regions, where j/jGJ < 0, the system develops similar bursts of pair creation. These discharges are similar to those encountered in previous calculations by Timokhin of pair creation when the surface has a high work function and cannot freely emit charge. In cases (b) and (c), the intermittently generated pairs allow the system to simultaneously carry the magnetospherically prescribed currents and adjust the charge density and average electric field to force-free conditions. We also elucidate the conditions for pair creating beam flow to be steady (stationary with small fluctuations in the rotating frame), finding that such steady flows can occupy only a small fraction of the current density parameter space exhibited by the force-free magnetospheric model. The generic polar flow dynamics and pair creation are strongly time dependent. The model has an essential difference from almost all previous quantitative studies, in that we sought the accelerating voltage (with pair creation, when the voltage drops are sufficiently large; without, when they are small) as a function of the applied current. The 1D results described here characterize the dependence of acceleration and pair creation on the magnitude and sign of current. The dependence on the spatial distribution of the current is a multi-dimensional problem, possibly exhibiting more chaotic behaviour. We briefly outline possible relations of the electric field fluctuations observed in the polar flows (both with and without pair creation discharges) to direct emission of radio waves, as well as revive the possible relation of the observed limit cycle behaviour to microstructure in the radio emission. Actually modelling these effects requires the multi-dimensional treatment, to be reported in a later paper.

Maximum time-dependent space-charge limited diode currents

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Griswold, M. E.; Fisch, N. J.

Recent papers claim that a one dimensional (1D) diode with a time-varying voltage drop can transmit current densities that exceed the Child-Langmuir (CL) limit on average, apparently contradicting a previous conjecture that there is a hard limit on the average current density across any 1D diode, as t → ∞, that is equal to the CL limit. However, these claims rest on a different definition of the CL limit, namely, a comparison between the time-averaged diode current and the adiabatic average of the expression for the stationary CL limit. If the current were considered as a function of the maximummore » applied voltage, rather than the average applied voltage, then the original conjecture would not have been refuted.« less

Electrolyte additive enabled fast charging and stable cycling lithium metal batteries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zheng, Jianming; Engelhard, Mark H.; Mei, Donghai

2017-03-01

Lithium (Li) metal battery is an attractive energy storage system owing to the ultrahigh specific capacity and the lowest redox potential of Li metal anode. However, safety concern associated with dendrite growth and limited cycle life especially at a high charge current density are two critical challenges hindering the practical applications of rechargeable Li metal batteries. Here, we report for the first time that an optimal amount (0.05 M) of LiPF6 as additive in the LiTFSI-LiBOB dual-salt/carbonate-based electrolyte can significantly enhance the charging capability and the long-term cycle life of Li metal batteries with a moderately high cathode loading ofmore » 1.75 mAh cm-2. Unprecedented stable-cycling (97.1% capacity retention after 500 cycles) along with very limited increase in electrode over-potential has been achieved at a high current density of 1.75 mA cm-2. This unparalleled fast charging and stable cycling performance is contributed from both the stabilized Al cathode current collector, and, more importantly, the robust and conductive SEI layer formed on Li metal anode in the presence of the LiPF6 additive.« less

Theory of Space Charge Limited Current in Fractional Dimensional Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zubair, Muhammad; Ang, L. K.

The concept of fractional dimensional space has been effectively applied in many areas of physics to describe the fractional effects on the physical systems. We will present some recent developments of space charge limited (SCL) current in free space and solid in the framework of fractional dimensional space which may account for the effect of imperfectness or roughness of the electrode surface. For SCL current in free space, the governing law is known as the Child-Langmuir (CL) law. Its analogy in a trap-free solid (or dielectric) is known as Mott-Gurney (MG) law. This work extends the one-dimensional CL Law and MG Law for the case of a D-dimensional fractional space with 0 < D <= 1 where parameter D defines the degree of roughness of the electrode surface. Such a fractional dimensional space generalization of SCL current theory can be used to characterize the charge injection by the imperfectness or roughness of the surface in applications related to high current cathode (CL law), and organic electronics (MG law). In terms of operating regime, the model has included the quantum effects when the spacing between the electrodes is small.

Thermal energy and charge currents in multi-terminal nanorings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kramer, Tobias; Konrad-Zuse-Zentrum für Informationstechnik Berlin, 14195 Berlin; Kreisbeck, Christoph

2016-06-15

We study in experiment and theory thermal energy and charge transfer close to the quantum limit in a ballistic nanodevice, consisting of multiply connected one-dimensional electron waveguides. The fabricated device is based on an AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructure and is covered by a global top-gate to steer the thermal energy and charge transfer in the presence of a temperature gradient, which is established by a heating current. The estimate of the heat transfer by means of thermal noise measurements shows the device acting as a switch for charge and thermal energy transfer. The wave-packet simulations are based on the multi-terminal Landauer-Büttiker approachmore » and confirm the experimental finding of a mode-dependent redistribution of the thermal energy current, if a scatterer breaks the device symmetry.« less

Electrochemical model based charge optimization for lithium-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pramanik, Sourav; Anwar, Sohel

2016-05-01

In this paper, we propose the design of a novel optimal strategy for charging the lithium-ion battery based on electrochemical battery model that is aimed at improved performance. A performance index that aims at minimizing the charging effort along with a minimum deviation from the rated maximum thresholds for cell temperature and charging current has been defined. The method proposed in this paper aims at achieving a faster charging rate while maintaining safe limits for various battery parameters. Safe operation of the battery is achieved by including the battery bulk temperature as a control component in the performance index which is of critical importance for electric vehicles. Another important aspect of the performance objective proposed here is the efficiency of the algorithm that would allow higher charging rates without compromising the internal electrochemical kinetics of the battery which would prevent abusive conditions, thereby improving the long term durability. A more realistic model, based on battery electro-chemistry has been used for the design of the optimal algorithm as opposed to the conventional equivalent circuit models. To solve the optimization problem, Pontryagins principle has been used which is very effective for constrained optimization problems with both state and input constraints. Simulation results show that the proposed optimal charging algorithm is capable of shortening the charging time of a lithium ion cell while maintaining the temperature constraint when compared with the standard constant current charging. The designed method also maintains the internal states within limits that can avoid abusive operating conditions.

Battery Cell By-Pass Circuit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mumaw, Susan J. (Inventor); Evers, Jeffrey (Inventor); Craig, Calvin L., Jr. (Inventor); Walker, Stuart D. (Inventor)

2001-01-01

The invention is a circuit and method of limiting the charging current voltage from a power supply net work applied to an individual cell of a plurality of cells making up a battery being charged in series. It is particularly designed for use with batteries that can be damaged by overcharging, such as Lithium-ion type batteries. In detail. the method includes the following steps: 1) sensing the actual voltage level of the individual cell; 2) comparing the actual voltage level of the individual cell with a reference value and providing an error signal representative thereof; and 3) by-passing the charging current around individual cell necessary to keep the individual cell voltage level generally equal a specific voltage level while continuing to charge the remaining cells. Preferably this is accomplished by by-passing the charging current around the individual cell if said actual voltage level is above the specific voltage level and allowing the charging current to the individual cell if the actual voltage level is equal or less than the specific voltage level. In the step of bypassing the charging current, the by-passed current is transferred at a proper voltage level to the power supply. The by-pass circuit a voltage comparison circuit is used to compare the actual voltage level of the individual cell with a reference value and to provide an error signal representative thereof. A third circuit, designed to be responsive to the error signal, is provided for maintaining the individual cell voltage level generally equal to the specific voltage level. Circuitry is provided in the third circuit for bypassing charging current around the individual cell if the actual voltage level is above the specific voltage level and transfers the excess charging current to the power supply net work. The circuitry also allows charging of the individual cell if the actual voltage level is equal or less than the specific voltage level.

Charge and Spin Currents in Open-Shell Molecules:  A Unified Description of NMR and EPR Observables.

PubMed

Soncini, Alessandro

2007-11-01

The theory of EPR hyperfine coupling tensors and NMR nuclear magnetic shielding tensors of open-shell molecules in the limit of vanishing spin-orbit coupling (e.g., for organic radicals) is analyzed in terms of spin and charge current density vector fields. The ab initio calculation of the spin and charge current density response has been implemented at the Restricted Open-Shell Hartree-Fock, Unrestricted Hartree-Fock, and unrestricted GGA-DFT level of theory. On the basis of this formalism, we introduce the definition of nuclear hyperfine coupling density, a scalar function of position providing a partition of the EPR observable over the molecular domain. Ab initio maps of spin and charge current density and hyperfine coupling density for small radicals are presented and discussed in order to illustrate the interpretative advantages of the newly introduced approach. Recent NMR experiments providing evidence for the existence of diatropic ring currents in the open-shell singlet pancake-bonded dimer of the neutral phenalenyl radical are directly assessed via the visualization of the induced current density.

High voltage space plasma interactions. [charging the solar power satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccoy, J. E.

1980-01-01

Two primary problems resulted from plasma interactions; one of concern to operations in geosynchronous orbit (GEO), the other in low orbits (LEO). The two problems are not the same. Spacecraft charging has become widely recognized as a problem, particularly for communications satellites operating in GEO. The very thin thermal plasmas at GEO are insufficient to bleed off voltage buildups due to higher energy charged particle radiation collected on outer surfaces. Resulting differential charging/discharging causes electrical transients, spurious command signals and possible direct overload damage. An extensive NASA/Air Force program has been underway for several years to address this problem. At lower altitudes, the denser plasmas of the plasmasphere/ionosphere provide sufficient thermal current to limit such charging to a few volts or less. Unfortunately, these thermal plasma currents which solve the GEO spacecraft charging problem can become large enough to cause just the opposite problem in LEO.

Electromechanical Properties and Spontaneous Response of the Current in InAsP Nanowires.

PubMed

Lee, Jong Hoon; Pin, Min Wook; Choi, Su Ji; Jo, Min Hyeok; Shin, Jae Cheol; Hong, Seong-Gu; Lee, Seung Mi; Cho, Boklae; Ahn, Sang Jung; Song, Nam Woong; Yi, Seong-Hoon; Kim, Young Heon

2016-11-09

The electromechanical properties of ternary InAsP nanowires (NWs) were investigated by applying a uniaxial tensile strain in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The electromechanical properties in our examined InAsP NWs were governed by the piezoresistive effect. We found that the electronic transport of the InAsP NWs is dominated by space-charge-limited transport, with a I ∞ V 2 relation. Upon increasing the tensile strain, the electrical current in the NWs increases linearly, and the piezoresistance gradually decreases nonlinearly. By analyzing the space-charge-limited I-V curves, we show that the electromechanical response is due to a mobility that increases with strain. Finally, we use dynamical measurements to establish an upper limit on the time scale for the electromechanical response.

Design and development of a low-cost biphasic charge-balanced functional electric stimulator and its clinical validation.

PubMed

Shendkar, Chandrashekhar; Lenka, Prasanna K; Biswas, Abhishek; Kumar, Ratnesh; Mahadevappa, Manjunatha

2015-10-01

Functional electric stimulators that produce near-ideal, charge-balanced biphasic stimulation waveforms with interphase delay are considered safer and more efficacious than conventional stimulators. An indigenously designed, low-cost, portable FES device named InStim is developed. It features a charge-balanced biphasic single channel. The authors present the complete design, mathematical analysis of the circuit and the clinical evaluation of the device. The developed circuit was tested on stroke patients affected by foot drop problems. It was tested both under laboratory conditions and in clinical settings. The key building blocks of this circuit are low dropout regulators, a DC-DC voltage booster and a single high-power current source OP-Amp with current-limiting capabilities. This allows the device to deliver high-voltage, constant current, biphasic pulses without the use of a bulky step-up transformer. The advantages of the proposed design over the currently existing devices include improved safety features (zero DC current, current-limiting mechanism and safe pulses), waveform morphology that causes less muscle fatigue, cost-effectiveness and compact power-efficient circuit design with minimal components. The device is also capable of producing appropriate ankle dorsiflexion in patients having foot drop problems of various Medical Research Council scale grades.

Magnetically insulated coaxial vacuum diode with partial space-charge-limited explosive emission from edge-type cathode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belomyttsev, S. Ya.; Rostov, V. V.; Romanchenko, I. V.; Shunailov, S. A.; Kolomiets, M. D.; Mesyats, G. A.; Sharypov, K. A.; Shpak, V. G.; Ulmaskulov, M. R.; Yalandin, M. I.

2016-01-01

The vacuum current associated with any type of electron emission for arbitrary configuration of the diode depends on the combination of the applied electric field and vacuum space charge (VSC) field created by the current. Such fundamental statement should give very close links between the diode current and the normalized cathode field θ which has been introduced by Forbes in 2008 for planar diodes as a reduction in the cathode surface field: θ = field-with/field-without VSC. This article reports the universal approximation of the type of cos(πθ/2) that is the ratio of the actual current and the fully space-charge-limited current. Also, the theoretical treatment and the experimental method of determination of the dynamic emissive characteristics of the macroscopic explosive emission from edge-type cathodes in the coaxial diode are developed. The experimental results obtained with a picosecond time reference between the cathode voltage and the onset of the high-current electron beam exhibit a good coincidence with the theoretical predictions. The presented methods enable the analysis of a real-time-resolved dynamics associated with the dense, magnetized electron beam formation, acceleration and drift motion, including kinematic effects and the phase-stable excitation of high-power microwave oscillators.

Magnetically insulated coaxial vacuum diode with partial space-charge-limited explosive emission from edge-type cathode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Belomyttsev, S. Ya.; Rostov, V. V.; Romanchenko, I. V.

2016-01-14

The vacuum current associated with any type of electron emission for arbitrary configuration of the diode depends on the combination of the applied electric field and vacuum space charge (VSC) field created by the current. Such fundamental statement should give very close links between the diode current and the normalized cathode field θ which has been introduced by Forbes in 2008 for planar diodes as a reduction in the cathode surface field: θ = field-with/field-without VSC. This article reports the universal approximation of the type of cos(πθ/2) that is the ratio of the actual current and the fully space-charge-limited current. Also, themore » theoretical treatment and the experimental method of determination of the dynamic emissive characteristics of the macroscopic explosive emission from edge-type cathodes in the coaxial diode are developed. The experimental results obtained with a picosecond time reference between the cathode voltage and the onset of the high-current electron beam exhibit a good coincidence with the theoretical predictions. The presented methods enable the analysis of a real-time-resolved dynamics associated with the dense, magnetized electron beam formation, acceleration and drift motion, including kinematic effects and the phase-stable excitation of high-power microwave oscillators.« less

Total Charge Movement per Channel

PubMed Central

Sigg, Daniel; Bezanilla, Francisco

1997-01-01

One measure of the voltage dependence of ion channel conductance is the amount of gating charge that moves during activation and vice versa. The limiting slope method, introduced by Almers (Almers, W. 1978. Rev. Physiol. Biochem. Pharmacol. 82:96–190), exploits the relationship of charge movement and voltage sensitivity, yielding a lower limit to the range of single channel gating charge displacement. In practice, the technique is plagued by low experimental resolution due to the requirement that the logarithmic voltage sensitivity of activation be measured at very low probabilities of opening. In addition, the linear sequential models to which the original theory was restricted needed to be expanded to accommodate the complexity of mechanisms available for the activation of channels. In this communication, we refine the theory by developing a relationship between the mean activation charge displacement (a measure of the voltage sensitivity of activation) and the gating charge displacement (the integral of gating current). We demonstrate that recording the equilibrium gating charge displacement as an adjunct to the limiting slope technique greatly improves accuracy under conditions where the plots of mean activation charge displacement and gross gating charge displacement versus voltage can be superimposed. We explore this relationship for a wide variety of channel models, which include those having a continuous density of states, nonsequential activation pathways, and subconductance states. We introduce new criteria for the appropriate use of the limiting slope procedure and provide a practical example of the theory applied to low resolution simulation data. PMID:8997663

Assessment study of infrared detector arrays for low-background astronomical research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ando, K. J.

1978-01-01

The current state-of-the-art of infrared detector arrays employing charge coupled devices (CCD) or charge injection devices (CID) readout are assessed. The applicability, limitations and potentials of such arrays under the low-background astronomical observing conditions of interest for SIRFT (Shuttle Infrared Telescope Facility) are determined. The following are reviewed: (1) monolithic extrinsic arrays; (2) monolithic intrinsic arrays; (3) charge injection devices; and (4) hybrid arrays.

High Mobility Conjugated Polymers

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-10-20

will act as a trap for opposite charge carriers; the electron affinities were 4.0 eV (BBL) and 2.7 eV (PTHQx) and ionization potentials were 6.0 eV...transistors (OFETs), photovoltaic cells, and photodetectors, is limited primarily by the low charge carrier mobilities of current materials. To address this...showing a maximum mobility with hexyl. Fundamental insights into the structural factors that govern high mobility charge transport and recombination in

Non-equilibrium character of resistive switching and negative differential resistance in Ga-doped Cr2O3 system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhowmik, R. N.; Siva, K. Venkata

2018-07-01

The samples of Ga-doped Cr2O3 system in rhombohedral crystal structure with space group R 3 bar C were prepared by chemical co-precipitation route and annealing at 800 °C. The current-voltage (I-V) curves exhibited many unique non-linear properties, e.g., hysteresis loop, resistive switching, and negative differential resistance (NDR). In this work, we report non-equilibrium properties of resistive switching and NDR phenomena. The non-equilibrium I-V characteristics were confirmed by repetiting measurement and time relaxation of current. The charge conduction process was understood by analysing the I-V curves using electrode-limited and bulk-limited charge conduction mechanisms, which were proposed for metal electrode/metal oxide/metal electrode structure. The I-V curves in the NDR regime and at higher bias voltage regime in our samples did not obey Fowler-Nordheim equation, which was proposed for charge tunneling mechanism in many thin film junctions. The non-equilibrium I-V phenomena were explained by considering the competitions between the injection of charge carriers from metal electrode to metal oxide, the charge flow through bulk material mediated by trapping/de-trapping and recombination of charge carriers at the defect sites of ions, the space charge effects at the junctions of electrodes and metal oxides, and finally, the out flow of electrons from metal oxide to metal electrode.

I-V curve hysteresis induced by gate-free charging of GaAs nanowires' surface oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alekseev, P. A.; Geydt, P.; Dunaevskiy, M. S.; Lähderanta, E.; Haggrén, T.; Kakko, J.-P.; Lipsanen, H.

2017-09-01

The control of nanowire-based device performance requires knowledge about the transport of charge carriers and its limiting factors. We present the experimental and modeled results of a study of electrical properties of GaAs nanowires (NWs), considering their native oxide cover. Measurements of individual vertical NWs were performed by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM). Experimental C-AFM observations with numerical simulations revealed the complex resistive behavior of NWs. A hysteresis of current-voltage characteristics of the p-doped NWs as-grown on substrates with different types of doping was registered. The emergence of hysteresis was explained by the trapping of majority carriers in the surface oxide layer near the reverse-biased barriers under the source-drain current. It was found that the accumulation of charge increases the current for highly doped p+-NWs on n+-substrates, while for moderately doped p-NWs on p+-substrates, charge accumulation decreases the current due to blocking of the conductive channel of NWs.

Current conduction in junction gate field effect transistors. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, C.

1970-01-01

The internal physical mechanism that governs the current conduction in junction-gate field effect transistors is studied. A numerical method of analyzing the devices with different length-to-width ratios and doping profiles is developed. This method takes into account the two dimensional character of the electric field and the field dependent mobility. Application of the method to various device models shows that the channel width and the carrier concentration in the conductive channel decrease with increasing drain-to-source voltage for conventional devices. It also shows larger differential drain conductances for shorter devices when the drift velocity is not saturated. The interaction of the source and the drain gives the carrier accumulation in the channel which leads to the space-charge-limited current flow. The important parameters for the space-charge-limited current flow are found to be the L/L sub DE ratio and the crossover voltage.

Improvements of low-detection-limit filter-free fluorescence sensor developed by charge accumulation operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Kiyotsugu; Choi, Yong Joon; Moriwaki, Yu; Hizawa, Takeshi; Iwata, Tatsuya; Dasai, Fumihiro; Kimura, Yasuyuki; Takahashi, Kazuhiro; Sawada, Kazuaki

2017-04-01

We developed a low-detection-limit filter-free fluorescence sensor by a charge accumulation technique. For charge accumulation, a floating diffusion amplifier (FDA), which included a floating diffusion capacitor, a transfer gate, and a source follower circuit, was used. To integrate CMOS circuits with the filter-free fluorescence sensor, we adopted a triple-well process to isolate transistors from the sensor on a single chip. We detected 0.1 nW fluorescence under the illumination of excitation light by 1.5 ms accumulation, which was one order of magnitude greater than that of a previous current detection sensor.

Ion Current Rectification, Limiting and Overlimiting Conductances in Nanopores

PubMed Central

van Oeffelen, Liesbeth; Van Roy, Willem; Idrissi, Hosni; Charlier, Daniel; Lagae, Liesbet; Borghs, Gustaaf

2015-01-01

Previous reports on Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) simulations of solid-state nanopores have focused on steady state behaviour under simplified boundary conditions. These are Neumann boundary conditions for the voltage at the pore walls, and in some cases also Donnan equilibrium boundary conditions for concentrations and voltages at both entrances of the nanopore. In this paper, we report time-dependent and steady state PNP simulations under less restrictive boundary conditions, including Neumann boundary conditions applied throughout the membrane relatively far away from the nanopore. We simulated ion currents through cylindrical and conical nanopores with several surface charge configurations, studying the spatial and temporal dependence of the currents contributed by each ion species. This revealed that, due to slow co-diffusion of oppositely charged ions, steady state is generally not reached in simulations or in practice. Furthermore, it is shown that ion concentration polarization is responsible for the observed limiting conductances and ion current rectification in nanopores with asymmetric surface charges or shapes. Hence, after more than a decade of collective research attempting to understand the nature of ion current rectification in solid-state nanopores, a relatively intuitive model is retrieved. Moreover, we measured and simulated current-voltage characteristics of rectifying silicon nitride nanopores presenting overlimiting conductances. The similarity between measurement and simulation shows that overlimiting conductances can result from the increased conductance of the electric double-layer at the membrane surface at the depletion side due to voltage-induced polarization charges. The MATLAB source code of the simulation software is available via the website http://micr.vub.ac.be. PMID:25978328

Ring current proton decay by charge exchange

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, P. H.; Hoffman, R. A.; Fritz, T.

1975-01-01

Explorer 45 measurements during the recovery phase of a moderate magnetic storm have confirmed that the charge exchange decay mechanism can account for the decay of the storm-time proton ring current. Data from the moderate magnetic storm of 24 February 1972 was selected for study since a symmetrical ring current had developed and effects due to asymmetric ring current losses could be eliminated. It was found that after the initial rapid decay of the proton flux, the equatorially mirroring protons in the energy range 5 to 30 keV decayed throughout the L-value range of 3.5 to 5.0 at the charge exchange decay rate calculated by Liemohn. After several days of decay, the proton fluxes reached a lower limit where an apparent equilibrium was maintained, between weak particle source mechanisms and the loss mechanisms, until fresh protons were injected into the ring current region during substorms. While other proton loss mechanisms may also be operating, the results indicate that charge exchange can entirely account for the storm-time proton ring current decay, and that this mechanism must be considered in all studies involving the loss of proton ring current particles.

Ultrafast dynamics of photoexcited charge and spin currents in semiconductor nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meier, Torsten; Pasenow, Bernhard; Duc, Huynh Thanh; Vu, Quang Tuyen; Haug, Hartmut; Koch, Stephan W.

2007-02-01

Employing the quantum interference among one- and two-photon excitations induced by ultrashort two-color laser pulses it is possible to generate charge and spin currents in semiconductors and semiconductor nanostructures on femtosecond time scales. Here, it is reviewed how the excitation process and the dynamics of such photocurrents can be described on the basis of a microscopic many-body theory. Numerical solutions of the semiconductor Bloch equations (SBE) provide a detailed description of the time-dependent material excitations. Applied to the case of photocurrents, numerical solutions of the SBE for a two-band model including many-body correlations on the second-Born Markov level predict an enhanced damping of the spin current relative to that of the charge current. Interesting effects are obtained when the scattering processes are computed beyond the Markovian limit. Whereas the overall decay of the currents is basically correctly described already within the Markov approximation, quantum-kinetic calculations show that memory effects may lead to additional oscillatory signatures in the current transients. When transitions to coupled heavy- and light-hole valence bands are incorporated into the SBE, additional charge and spin currents, which are not described by the two-band model, appear.

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy of molecular thin films and semiconductor nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaan, Sandeep

Work presented in this thesis mostly deals with nano-scale study of electronic properties of organic semiconducting molecules using pentacene (Pn) as a model system and compared with various SiC surfaces to gain more insight into physical processes at nano-scale. In addition, InAs quantum dots (QDs) in a GaAs matrix are studied to probe electronic states of individual QDs. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) are the primary experimental techniques used to probe local electronic properties on the nano-scale. Vacuum sublimated Pn thin films were deposited onto SiC substrates for STM/STS experiments. STM studies show high quality ordered Pn films. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images reveal dendritic growth pattern of these films. Local density of states (LDOS) measurements using STS reveals a HOMO-LUMO bandgap. In order to study charge transport properties of Pn films, different amount of charge were injected into the sample by systematically changing the tip-sample separation. Saturation of the tunnel current was observed at positive sample voltages (LUMO states). This effect was attributed to a transport/space charge limitation in tunnel current by treating it as a situation analogous to charge injection into insulators which gives rise to space charge limited current (also previously observed in the case of organic semiconductors). Using a simple model we were able to derive a hopping rate that characterizes nano-scale transport in Pn films at least in the vicinity of the STM probe-tip. We have studied effect of transport limitation in the tunnel current for various semiconductor surfaces. In order to probe surfaces of varying conductivities, we have used Si-rich SiC surfaces such as 3x3 and 3x3 -R30° (both Mott-Hubbard insulators) as well as a highly conducting C-rich graphene surface, and compared those results with the data obtained from Pn. We observe variation of the decay constant kappa (which characterizes the tunneling process) on these surfaces of varying conductivities. The graphene surface shows no transport limitation in the tunnel current, as evidenced by only small changes in kappa as a function of tunnel current for these surfaces. This result is in sharp contrast to the case of Pn where kappa rapidly decays to zero with increasing tunnel current due to transport/space charge limited effects in the semiconductor. Thus, the change is kappa value in STM experiments is reflective of non-ideal behavior of the tunneling. As a specific case of transport limitation on the nano-scale we have also studied InAs QDs grown in a GaAs matrix. We observe that the occupation of discrete quantized states in the dots with electrons has a significant effect on tunneling spectra. When the QD state is occupied by an electron the potential in the dot is modified such that this state does not contribute to the tunnel current. The state then remains "invisible" in the tunneling spectra. Only in presence of transport channels in the vicinity of the dots can the electron localized in the QD state leak out to the substrate, and only then does the state appears in the spectrum. In our experiments these transport channels arise from steps which form as a result of in situ cleaving process for cross-sectional STM (XSTM) measurements.

Space Charge Effect in the Sheet and Solid Electron Beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Ho Young; Kim, Hyoung Suk; Ahn, Saeyoung

1998-11-01

We analyze the space charge effect of two different types of electron beam ; sheet and solid electron beam. Electron gun simulations are carried out using shadow and control grids for high and low perveance. Rectangular and cylindrical geometries are used for sheet and solid electron beam in planar and disk type cathode. The E-gun code is used to study the limiting current and space charge loading in each geometries.

FAST TRACK COMMUNICATION Generation of stable multi-jets by flow-limited field-injection electrostatic spraying and their control via I-V characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, W.; Heil, P. E.; Choi, H.; Kim, K.

2010-12-01

The I-V characteristics of flow-limited field-injection electrostatic spraying (FFESS) were investigated, exposing a new way to predict and control the specific spraying modes from single-jet to multi-jet. Monitoring the I-V characteristics revealed characteristic drops in the current upon formation of an additional jet in the multi-jet spraying mode. For fixed jet numbers, space-charge-limited current behaviour was measured which was attributed to space charge in the dielectric liquids between the needle electrode and the nozzle opening. The present work establishes that FFESS can, in particular, generate stable multiple jets and that their control is possible through monitoring the I-V characteristics. This can allow for automatic control of the FFESS process and expedite its future scientific and industrial applications.

100 Years of the Physics of Diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luginsland, John

2013-10-01

The Child-Langmuir Law (CL), discovered 100 years ago, gives the maximum current that can be transported across a planar diode in the steady state. As a quintessential example of the impact of space-charge shielding near a charged surface, it is central to the studies of high current diodes, such as high power microwave sources, vacuum microelectronics, electron and ion sources, and high current drivers used in high-energy density physics experiments. CL remains a touchstone of fundamental sheath physics, including contemporary studies of nano-scale quantum diodes and plasmonic devices. Its solid state analog is the Mott-Gurney law, governing the maximum charge injection in solids, such as organic materials and other dielectrics, which is important to energy devices, such as solar cells and light-emitting diodes. This paper reviews the important advances in the physics of diodes since the discovery of CL, including virtual cathode formation and extension of CL to multiple dimensions, to the quantum regime, and to ultrafast processes. We will review the influence of magnetic fields, multiple species in bipolar flow, electromagnetic and time dependent effects in both short pulse and high frequency THz limits, and single electron regimes. Transitions from various emission mechanisms (thermionic, field, and photo-emission) to the space charge limited state (CL) will be addressed, especially highlighting important simulation and experimental developments in selected contemporary areas of study. This talk will stress the fundamental physical links between the physics of beams to limiting currents in other areas, such as low temperature plasmas, laser plasmas, and space propulsion. Also emphasized is the role of non-equilibrium phenomena associated with materials and plasmas in close contact. Work supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

Universal Quantum Noise in Adiabatic Pumping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herasymenko, Yaroslav; Snizhko, Kyrylo; Gefen, Yuval

2018-06-01

We consider charge pumping in a system of parafermions, implemented at fractional quantum Hall edges. Our pumping protocol leads to a noisy behavior of the pumped current. As the adiabatic limit is approached, not only does the noisy behavior persist but the counting statistics of the pumped current becomes robust and universal. In particular, the resulting Fano factor is given in terms of the system's topological degeneracy and the pumped quasiparticle charge. Our results are also applicable to the more conventional Majorana fermions.

Space-charge-mediated anomalous ferroelectric switching in P(VDF-TrEE) polymer films.

PubMed

Hu, Weijin; Wang, Zhihong; Du, Yuanmin; Zhang, Xi-Xiang; Wu, Tom

2014-11-12

We report on the switching dynamics of P(VDF-TrEE) copolymer devices and the realization of additional substable ferroelectric states via modulation of the coupling between polarizations and space charges. The space-charge-limited current is revealed to be the dominant leakage mechanism in such organic ferroelectric devices, and electrostatic interactions due to space charges lead to the emergence of anomalous ferroelectric loops. The reliable control of ferroelectric switching in P(VDF-TrEE) copolymers opens doors toward engineering advanced organic memories with tailored switching characteristics.

Prospects of In/CdTe X- and γ-ray detectors with MoO Ohmic contacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maslyanchuk, Olena L.; Solovan, Mykhailo M.; Maistruk, Eduard V.; Brus, Viktor V.; Maryanchuk, Pavlo D.; Gnatyuk, Volodymyr A.; Aoki, Toru

2018-01-01

The present paper analyzes the charge transport mechanisms and spectrometric properties of In/CdTe/MoOx heterojunctions prepared by magnetron sputtering of indium and molybdenum oxide thin films onto semi-insulating p-type single-crystal CdTe semiconductor, produced by Acrorad Co. Ltd. Current-voltage characteristics of the detectors at different temperatures were investigated. The charge transport mechanisms in the heterostructures under investigation were determined: the generation-recombination in the space charge region (SCR) at relatively low voltages and the space charge limited currents at high voltages. The spectra of 137Cs and 241Am isotopes taken at different applied bias voltages are presented. It is shown that the In/CdTe/MoOx structures can be used as X/γ-ray detectors in the spectrometric mode.

Child-Langmuir flow in a planar diode filled with charged dust impurities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tang Xiaoyan; Institut fuer Theoretische Physik IV, Fakultaet fuer Physik und Astronomie, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, D-44870 Bochum; Shukla, Padma Kant

The Child-Langmuir (CL) flow in a planar diode in the presence of stationary charged dust particles is studied. The limiting electron current density and other diode properties, such as the electrostatic potential, the electron flow speed, and the electron number density, are calculated analytically. A comparison of the results with the case without dust impurities reveals that the diode parameters mentioned above decrease with the increase of the dust charge density. Furthermore, it is found that the classical scaling of D{sup -2} (the gap spacing D) for the CL current density remains exactly valid, while the scaling of V{sup 3/2}more » (the applied gap voltage V) can be a good approximation for low applied gap voltage and for low dust charge density.« less

Evolved phase separation toward balanced charge transport and high efficiency in polymer solar cells.

PubMed

Fan, Haijun; Zhang, Maojie; Guo, Xia; Li, Yongfang; Zhan, Xiaowei

2011-09-01

Understanding effect of morphology on charge carrier transport within polymer/fullerene bulk heterojunction is necessary to develop high-performance polymer solar cells. In this work, we synthesized a new benzodithiophene-based polymer with good self-organization behavior as well as favorable morphology evolution of its blend films with PC(71)BM under improved processing conditions. Charge carrier transport behavior of blend films was characterized by space charge limited current method. Evolved blend film morphology by controlling blend composition and additive content gradually reaches an optimized state, featured with nanoscale fibrilla polymer phase in moderate size and balanced mobility ratio close to 1:1 for hole and electron. This optimized morphology toward more balanced charge carrier transport accounts for the best power conversion efficiency of 3.2%, measured under simulated AM 1.5 solar irradiation 100 mW/cm(2), through enhancing short circuit current and reducing geminate recombination loss.

Development of an Annular Electron Beam HPM Amplifier

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-09-01

34, Phys.Rev.Lett., 64(19), ppgs 2320-2323, 7 May 1990 9. Lau, Y.Y. and Chernin, D., "A review of the ac space - charge effect in electron-circuit interactions...the Child-Lanamuir, space - charge limiting current in the beam line. This removes the potential of torming a virtual cathode (Ref. 19). The...propagates the electron beam through a single modulating gap, with a specified voltage, frequency, and gap extent. The beam space charge is an input

Thermionic field emission in gold nitride Schottky nanodiodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spyropoulos-Antonakakis, N.; Sarantopoulou, E.; Kollia, Z.; Samardžija, Z.; Kobe, S.; Cefalas, A. C.

2012-11-01

We report on the thermionic field emission and charge transport properties of gold nitride nanodomains grown by pulsed laser deposition with a molecular fluorine laser at 157 nm. The nanodomains are sandwiched between the metallic tip of a conductive atomic force microscope and a thin gold layer forming thus a metal-semiconductor-metal junction. Although the limited existing data in the literature indicate that gold nitride was synthesized previously with low efficiency, poor stability, and metallic character; in this work, it is shown that gold nitride nanodomains exhibit semiconducting behavior and the metal-semiconductor-metal contact can be modeled with the back-to-back Schottky barrier model. From the experimental I-V curves, the main charge carrier transport process is found to be thermionic field emission via electron tunneling. The rectifying, near symmetric and asymmetric current response of nanocontacts is related to the effective contact area of the gold nitride nanodomains with the metals. A lower limit for the majority charge carriers concentration at the boundaries of nanodomains is also established using the full depletion approximation, as nanodomains with thickness as low as 6 nm were found to be conductive. Current rectification and charge memory effects are also observed in "quite small" conductive nanodomains (6-10 nm) due to stored charges. Indeed, charges near the surface are identified as inversion domains in the phase shift mapping performed with electrostatic force microscopy and are attributed to charge trapping at the boundaries of the nanodomains.

Evaluating the Impact of Policies to Regulate Involuntary Out-of-Network Charges on New Jersey Hospitals.

PubMed

Mattke, Soeren; White, Chapin; Hanson, Mark; Kotzias, Virginia I

2017-01-01

Policymakers must balance the complex and sometimes conflicting objectives of ensuring access to care, limiting the financial burden on patients, and controlling overall costs. States differ in how they handle involuntary out-of-network charges-i.e., payment for care when a patient does not have the option of selecting a hospital in his or her health plan's network. New Jersey's current regulations emphasize patient protection, in that patients are only responsible for the portion of the cost that they would have incurred for in-network care, and health plans must pay the remainder of the provider's charges. This policy is seen as contentious by health plans, who argue that they have been made responsible for paying whatever charges a hospital submits, and proposals to limit payments for involuntary out-of-network care are being debated in the state legislature. This study seeks to inform the current debate (as of October 2016) by analyzing the role of out-of-network payments in New Jersey hospitals' financial performance and simulating the effect of policies to limit charges for involuntary out-of-network care. The authors' estimates suggest that implementing New Jersey Bill A1952, which proposes a limit of between 90 and 200 percent of Medicare rates for involuntary out-of-network hospital care, would have reduced payments for hospital care by commercial plans by between 6 and 10 percent during 2010 through 2014. Assuming no change in operating expenses and no recoupment of lost out-of-network revenues, the cap would have led to an operating loss at between 48 and 70 percent of hospitals.

A summary of the CHARGE-2 electron beam rocket experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, Neil B.; Raitt, W. John

1990-01-01

The major purpose of the CHARGE-2 experiment was to study the interaction of a vehicle at high potential (up to 1 kV) with the ionosphere. The payload consisted of two parts that were separated during the flight. The high potential was obtained by electron emission from the mother vehicle, and by voltage-biasing of the daughter vehicle. Measurements of transient vehicle potential were obtained with a sample internal of 100 ns. The mother current collection exhibited magnetic limitations above 240 km. Below 240 km the mother collected a current far in excess of the magnetically limited models. This demonstrates the ability of an electron beam to interact with the neutral atmosphere at altitudes below 240 km.

Energy breakdown in capacitive deionization.

PubMed

Hemmatifar, Ali; Palko, James W; Stadermann, Michael; Santiago, Juan G

2016-11-01

We explored the energy loss mechanisms in capacitive deionization (CDI). We hypothesize that resistive and parasitic losses are two main sources of energy losses. We measured contribution from each loss mechanism in water desalination with constant current (CC) charge/discharge cycling. Resistive energy loss is expected to dominate in high current charging cases, as it increases approximately linearly with current for fixed charge transfer (resistive power loss scales as square of current and charging time scales as inverse of current). On the other hand, parasitic loss is dominant in low current cases, as the electrodes spend more time at higher voltages. We built a CDI cell with five electrode pairs and standard flow between architecture. We performed a series of experiments with various cycling currents and cut-off voltages (voltage at which current is reversed) and studied these energy losses. To this end, we measured series resistance of the cell (contact resistances, resistance of wires, and resistance of solution in spacers) during charging and discharging from voltage response of a small amplitude AC current signal added to the underlying cycling current. We performed a separate set of experiments to quantify parasitic (or leakage) current of the cell versus cell voltage. We then used these data to estimate parasitic losses under the assumption that leakage current is primarily voltage (and not current) dependent. Our results confirmed that resistive and parasitic losses respectively dominate in the limit of high and low currents. We also measured salt adsorption and report energy-normalized adsorbed salt (ENAS, energy loss per ion removed) and average salt adsorption rate (ASAR). We show a clear tradeoff between ASAR and ENAS and show that balancing these losses leads to optimal energy efficiency. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy breakdown in capacitive deionization

DOE PAGES

Hemmatifar, Ali; Palko, James W.; Stadermann, Michael; ...

2016-08-12

We explored the energy loss mechanisms in capacitive deionization (CDI). We hypothesize that resistive and parasitic losses are two main sources of energy losses. We measured contribution from each loss mechanism in water desalination with constant current (CC) charge/discharge cycling. Resistive energy loss is expected to dominate in high current charging cases, as it increases approximately linearly with current for fixed charge transfer (resistive power loss scales as square of current and charging time scales as inverse of current). On the other hand, parasitic loss is dominant in low current cases, as the electrodes spend more time at higher voltages.more » We built a CDI cell with five electrode pairs and standard flow between architecture. We performed a series of experiments with various cycling currents and cut-off voltages (voltage at which current is reversed) and studied these energy losses. To this end, we measured series resistance of the cell (contact resistances, resistance of wires, and resistance of solution in spacers) during charging and discharging from voltage response of a small amplitude AC current signal added to the underlying cycling current. We performed a separate set of experiments to quantify parasitic (or leakage) current of the cell versus cell voltage. We then used these data to estimate parasitic losses under the assumption that leakage current is primarily voltage (and not current) dependent. Our results confirmed that resistive and parasitic losses respectively dominate in the limit of high and low currents. We also measured salt adsorption and report energy-normalized adsorbed salt (ENAS, energy loss per ion removed) and average salt adsorption rate (ASAR). As a result, we show a clear tradeoff between ASAR and ENAS and show that balancing these losses leads to optimal energy efficiency.« less

Explicit continuous charge-based compact model for long channel heavily doped surrounding-gate MOSFETs incorporating interface traps and quantum effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamzah, Afiq; Hamid, Fatimah A.; Ismail, Razali

2016-12-01

An explicit solution for long-channel surrounding-gate (SRG) MOSFETs is presented from intrinsic to heavily doped body including the effects of interface traps and fixed oxide charges. The solution is based on the core SRGMOSFETs model of the Unified Charge Control Model (UCCM) for heavily doped conditions. The UCCM model of highly doped SRGMOSFETs is derived to obtain the exact equivalent expression as in the undoped case. Taking advantage of the undoped explicit charge-based expression, the asymptotic limits for below threshold and above threshold have been redefined to include the effect of trap states for heavily doped cases. After solving the asymptotic limits, an explicit mobile charge expression is obtained which includes the trap state effects. The explicit mobile charge model shows very good agreement with respect to numerical simulation over practical terminal voltages, doping concentration, geometry effects, and trap state effects due to the fixed oxide charges and interface traps. Then, the drain current is obtained using the Pao-Sah's dual integral, which is expressed as a function of inversion charge densities at the source/drain ends. The drain current agreed well with the implicit solution and numerical simulation for all regions of operation without employing any empirical parameters. A comparison with previous explicit models has been conducted to verify the competency of the proposed model with the doping concentration of 1× {10}19 {{cm}}-3, as the proposed model has better advantages in terms of its simplicity and accuracy at a higher doping concentration.

Controlling the electric charge of gold nanoplatelets on an insulator by field emission nc-AFM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baris, Bulent; Alchaar, Mohanad; Prasad, Janak; Gauthier, Sébastien; Dujardin, Erik; Martrou, David

2018-03-01

Charging of 2D Au nanoplatelets deposited on an insulating SiO2 substrate to or from the tip of a non-contact atomic force microscope (nc-AFM) is demonstrated. Charge transfer is controlled by monitoring the resonance frequency shift Δf(V) during the bias voltage ramp V applied to the tip-back electrode junction. The onset of charge transfer is revealed by a transition from a capacitive parabolic behavior to a constant Δf(V) region for both polarities. An analytical model, based on charging by electron field emission, shows that the field-emitted current saturates shortly after the onset of the charging, due to the limiting effect of the charge-induced rise of the Au platelet potential. The value of this current plateau depends only on the rate of the bias voltage ramp and on the value of the platelet/SiO2/back electrode capacitance. This analysis is confirmed by numerical simulations based on a virtual nc-AFM model that faithfully matches the experimental data. Our charging protocol could be used to tune the potential of the platelets at the single charge level.

Conduction mechanism of leakage current due to the traps in ZrO2 thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seo, Yohan; Lee, Sangyouk; An, Ilsin; Song, Chulgi; Jeong, Heejun

2009-11-01

In this work, a metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitor with zirconium oxide (ZrO2) gate dielectric was fabricated by an atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique and the leakage current characteristics under negative bias were studied. From the result of current-voltage curves there are two possible conduction mechanisms to explain the leakage current in the ZrO2 thin film. The dominant mechanism is the space charge limited conduction in the high-electric field region (1.5-5.0 MV cm-1) while the trap-assisted tunneling due to the existence of traps is prevailed in the low-electric field region (0.8-1.5 MV cm-1). Conduction caused by the trap-assisted tunneling is found from the experimental results of a weak temperature dependence of current, and the trap barrier height is obtained. The space charge limited conduction is evidenced, for different temperatures, by Child's law dependence of current density versus voltage. Child's law dependence can be explained by considering a single discrete trapping level and we can obtain the activation energy of 0.22 eV.

Space charge limited current emission for a sharp tip

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, Y. B., E-mail: zhuyingbin@gmail.com; Ang, L. K., E-mail: ricky-ang@sutd.edu.sg

In this paper, we formulate a self-consistent model to study the space charge limited current emission from a sharp tip in a dc gap. The tip is assumed to have a radius in the order of 10s nanometer. The electrons are emitted from the tip due to field emission process. It is found that the localized current density J at the apex of the tip can be much higher than the classical Child Langmuir law (flat surface). A scaling of J ∝ V{sub g}{sup 3/2}/D{sup m}, where V{sub g} is the gap bias, D is the gap size, and m = 1.1–1.2more » (depending on the emission area or radius) is proposed. The effects of non-uniform emission and the spatial dependence of work function are presented.« less

Effect of mass and charge transport speed and direction in porous anodes on microbial electrolysis cell performance.

PubMed

Sleutels, Tom H J A; Hamelers, Hubertus V M; Buisman, Cees J N

2011-01-01

The use of porous electrodes like graphite felt as anode material has the potential of achieving high volumetric current densities. High volumetric current densities, however, may also lead to mass transport limitations within these porous materials. Therefore, in this study we investigated the mass and charge transport limitations by increasing the speed of the forced flow and changing the flow direction through the porous anode. Increase of the flow speed led to a decrease in current density when the flow was directed towards the membrane caused by an increase in anode resistance. Current density increased at higher flow speed when the flow was directed away from the membrane. This was caused by a decrease in transport resistance of ions through the membrane which increased the buffering effect of the system. Furthermore, the increase in flow speed led to an increase of the coulombic efficiency by 306%. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relativistic space-charge-limited transport in Dirac semiconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ang, Yee Sin; Zubair, M.; Ang, L. K.; Lavoie, Philippe

The theory of space-charge-limited (SCL) current was first formulated by Mott and Gurney more than 70 years ago based on the semiclassical transport of quasi-free electron in dielectric solids. Its validity for recently fabricated 2D materials, which can host different classes of exotic quasiparticles, remains questionable. Recently, SCL transport measurements in 2D Dirac semiconductor, such as MoS2 and hBN monolayers, revealed anomalous current-voltage scaling of J V 1 . 7 which cannot be satisfactorily explained by conventional theories. In this work, we propose a theory of space-charge-limited transport that takes into account the relativistic quasiparticle dynamics in 2D Dirac semiconductor based on semiclassical Boltzmann transport equation. Our relativistic SCL model reveals an unconventional scaling relation of J Vα with 3 / 2 < α < 2 in the trap-free (or trap-filled) regime, which is in stark contrast to the Mott-Gurney relation of α = 2 and the Mark-Helfrich relation of α > 2 . The α < 2 scaling is a unique manifestation of the massive Dirac quasiparticles and is supported by the experimental data of MoS2. The relativistic SCL model proposed here shall provide a physical basis for the modelling of Dirac-material-based devices

Multipolar electrostatics.

PubMed

Cardamone, Salvatore; Hughes, Timothy J; Popelier, Paul L A

2014-06-14

Atomistic simulation of chemical systems is currently limited by the elementary description of electrostatics that atomic point-charges offer. Unfortunately, a model of one point-charge for each atom fails to capture the anisotropic nature of electronic features such as lone pairs or π-systems. Higher order electrostatic terms, such as those offered by a multipole moment expansion, naturally recover these important electronic features. The question remains as to why such a description has not yet been widely adopted by popular molecular mechanics force fields. There are two widely-held misconceptions about the more rigorous formalism of multipolar electrostatics: (1) Accuracy: the implementation of multipole moments, compared to point-charges, offers little to no advantage in terms of an accurate representation of a system's energetics, structure and dynamics. (2) Efficiency: atomistic simulation using multipole moments is computationally prohibitive compared to simulation using point-charges. Whilst the second of these may have found some basis when computational power was a limiting factor, the first has no theoretical grounding. In the current work, we disprove the two statements above and systematically demonstrate that multipole moments are not discredited by either. We hope that this perspective will help in catalysing the transition to more realistic electrostatic modelling, to be adopted by popular molecular simulation software.

Numerical simulation of ion transport in an atmosphere-to-vacuum interface taking into account gas dynamics and space charge.

PubMed

Skoblin, Michael G; Chudinov, Alexey V; Sulimenkov, Ilia V; Brusov, Vladimir S; Makarov, Alexander A; Wouters, Eloy R; Kozlovskiy, Viacheslav I

2017-08-01

A two-step approach was developed for the study of ion transport in an atmospheric pressure interface. In the first step, the flow in the interface was numerically simulated using the standard gas dynamic package ANSYS CFX 15.0. In the second step, the calculated fields of pressure, temperature, and velocity were imported into a custom-built software application for simulation of ion motion under the influence of both gas dynamic and electrostatic forces. To account for space charge effects in axially symmetric interfaces an analytical expression was used for the Coulomb force. For all other types of interfaces, an iterative approach for the Coulomb force computation was developed. The simulations show that the influence of the space charge is the main contributor to the loss of ion current in the heated capillary. In addition, the maximum ion current which can be transmitted through the heated capillary (0.58 mm inner diameter and 58.5 mm length) is limited to ∼6 nA for ions with m/z = 508 Da and with reduced ion mobility 1.05 cm 2 V -1 s -1 . This limit remains practically constant and independent of the ion current at the entrance of the capillary. For a particular ion type, this limit depends on its m/z ratio and ion mobility.

Phase slip process and charge density wave dynamics in a one dimensional conductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habiballah, N.; Zouadi, M.; Arbaoui, A.; Qjani, M.; Dumas, J.

In this paper, we study the phase slip effect on the charge density wave (CDW) dynamics in a one-dimensional conductor in the weak pinning limit. A considerable enhancement of JCDW is observed in the presence of phase slips. In addition, a spatial dependence of the CDW current density JCDW is also studied showing that a decrease of JCDW with distance from the current contact occurs. The results are discussed in terms the relationship between additional phase slips and the mobility of phase dislocations nucleated at electrical contacts.

Modelling of an advanced charging system for electric vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan Jaafar, Abdul; Rahman, Ataur; Mohiuddin, A. K. M.; Rashid, Mahbubur

2017-03-01

Climate Change is recognized as one of the greatest environmental problem facing the World today and it has long been appreciated by governments that reducing the impact of the internal combustion (IC) engine powered motor vehicle has an important part to play in addressing this threat. In Malaysia, IC engine powered motor vehicle accounts almost 90% of the national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The need to reduce the emission is paramount, as Malaysia has pledged to reduce 40% of CO2 intensity by 2020 from 2005 level by 25% of improvement in average fuel consumption. The introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) is one of the initiatives. However in terms of percentage, the electric vehicles have not been commonly used by people nowadays and one of the reasons is lack in charging infrastructure especially when cars are on the road. The aim of this study is to simulate and model an advanced charging system for the charging infrastructure of EVs/HEVs all over the nation with slow charging mode with charging current 25 A, medium charging mode with charging current 50 A and fast charging mode with charging current 100 A. The slow charging mode is proposed for residence, medium charging mode for office parking lots, and fast charging mode is called fast charging track for charging station on road. With three modes charger topology, consumers could choose a suitable mode for their car based on their need. The simulation and experiment of advanced charging system has been conducted on a scale down battery pack of nominal voltage of 3.75 V and capacity of 1020 mAh. Result shows that the battery could be charging less than 1 hour with fast charging mode. However, due to limitation of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) power grid, the maximum 50 A current is considered to be the optimized passive mode for the EV’s battery charging system. The developed advanced charger prototype performance has been compared with the simulation result and conventional charger performance, the maximum variation has been found 15%, this closed agreement between the advanced charger prototype, simulation model and conventional charger validate the prototype model. Furthermore, based on the result presented in this report, the battery to be charged up to 85% of its rated capacity by constant current mode only rather than continue with constant voltage, which could shorten the battery charging time by 16% and prolong the battery life by 10%.

A Search for Charged Massive Stable Particles at D0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eads, Michael Terry

2005-08-01

A search for charged massive stable particles has been performed with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. The signature is two particles reconstructed as muons, but with speed and invariant mass inconsistent with beam-produced muons. No excess of events is observed and limits are set on the production cross-section for pair-produced stable stau sleptons based on 390 pb -1 of data. Limits vary from 0.06 pb to 0.62 pb, depending on the stau mass, and are the strictest Tevatron limits to date. Mass limits are also set for stable charginos. The limits are 140 GeV/c 2 for a higgsino-likemore » chargino and 174 GeV/c 2 for a gaugino-like chargino. These are currently the best limits to date for stable charginos.« less

Switching power supply

DOEpatents

Mihalka, A.M.

1984-06-05

The invention is a repratable capacitor charging, switching power supply. A ferrite transformer steps up a dc input. The transformer primary is in a full bridge configuration utilizing power MOSFETs as the bridge switches. The transformer secondary is fed into a high voltage, full wave rectifier whose output is connected directly to the energy storage capacitor. The transformer is designed to provide adequate leakage inductance to limit capacitor current. The MOSFETs are switched to the variable frequency from 20 to 50 kHz to charge a capacitor from 0.6 kV. The peak current in a transformer primary and secondary is controlled by increasing the pulse width as the capacitor charges. A digital ripple counter counts pulses and after a preselected desired number is reached an up-counter is clocked.

Demonstration of cathode emittance dominated high bunch charge beams in a DC gun-based photoinjector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gulliford, Colwyn, E-mail: cg248@cornell.edu; Bartnik, Adam, E-mail: acb20@cornell.edu; Bazarov, Ivan

We present the results of transverse emittance and longitudinal current profile measurements of high bunch charge (≥100 pC) beams produced in the DC gun-based Cornell energy recovery linac photoinjector. In particular, we show that the cathode thermal and core beam emittances dominate the final 95% and core emittances measured at 9–9.5 MeV. Additionally, we demonstrate excellent agreement between optimized 3D space charge simulations and measurement, and show that the quality of the transverse laser distribution limits the optimal simulated and measured emittances. These results, previously thought achievable only with RF guns, demonstrate that DC gun based photoinjectors are capable of deliveringmore » beams with sufficient single bunch charge and beam quality suitable for many current and next generation accelerator projects such as Energy Recovery Linacs and Free Electron Lasers.« less

Capabilities of CdTe-Based Detectors With {mathrm {MoO}}_{x} Contacts for Detection of X- and gamma -Radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maslyanchuk, O. L.; Solovan, M. M.; Brus, V. V.; Kulchynsky, V. V.; Maryanchuk, P. D.; Fodchuk, I. M.; Gnatyuk, V. A.; Aoki, T.; Potiriadis, C.; Kaissas, Y.

2017-05-01

The charge transport mechanism and spectrometric properties of the X-ray and γ-ray detectors, fabricated by the deposition of molybdenum oxide thin films onto semi-insulating p-CdTe crystals were studied. The current transport processes in the Mo-MoOx/p-CdTe/MoOx-Mo structure are well described in the scope of the carrier's generation in the space-charge region and the space-charge-limited current models. The lifetime of charge carriers, the energy of hole traps, and the density of discrete trapping centers were determined from the comparison of the experimental data and calculations. Spectrometric properties of Mo-MoOx/p-CdTe/MoOx-Mo structures were also investigated. It is shown that the investigated heterojunctions have demonstrated promising characteristics for practical application in X-ray and γ-ray detector fabrication.

Alternating-Current Motor Drive for Electric Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krauthamer, S.; Rippel, W. E.

1982-01-01

New electric drive controls speed of a polyphase as motor by varying frequency of inverter output. Closed-loop current-sensing circuit automatically adjusts frequency of voltage-controlled oscillator that controls inverter frequency, to limit starting and accelerating surges. Efficient inverter and ac motor would give electric vehicles extra miles per battery charge.

Exciton transport, charge extraction, and loss mechanisms in organic photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scully, Shawn Ryan

Organic photovoltaics have attracted significant interest over the last decade due to their promise as clean low-cost alternatives to large-scale electric power generation such as coal-fired power, natural gas, and nuclear power. Many believe power conversion efficiency targets of 10-15% must be reached before commercialization is possible. Consequently, understanding the loss mechanisms which currently limit efficiencies to 4-5% is crucial to identify paths to reach higher efficiencies. In this work, we investigate the dominant loss mechanisms in some of the leading organic photovoltaic architectures. In the first class of architectures, which include planar heterojunctions and bulk heterojunctions with large domains, efficiencies are primarily limited by the distance photogenerated excitations (excitons) can be transported (termed the exciton diffusion length) to a heterojunction where the excitons may dissociate. We will discuss how to properly measure the exciton diffusion length focusing on the effects of optical interference and of energy transfer when using fullerenes as quenching layers and show how this explains the variety of diffusion lengths reported for the same material. After understanding that disorder and defects limit exciton diffusion lengths, we suggest some approaches to overcome this. We then extensively investigate the use of long-range resonant energy transfer to increase exciton harvesting. Using simulations and experiments as support, we discuss how energy transfer can be engineered into architectures to increase the distance excitons can be harvested. In an experimental model system, DOW Red/PTPTB, we will show how the distance excitons are harvested can be increased by almost an order of magnitude up to 27 nm from a heterojunction and give design rules and extensions of this concept for future architectures. After understanding exciton harvesting limitations we will look at other losses that are present in planar heterojunctions. One of the primary losses that puts stringent requirements on the charge carrier mobilities in these cells is the recombination losses due to space charge build up at the heterojunction. Because electrons are confined to the acceptor and holes to the donor, net charge density always exists even when mobilities are matched, in contrast to bulk heterojunctions wherein matched mobilities lead to zero net charge. This net charge creates an electric field which opposes the built-in field and limits the current that can be carried away from this heterojunction. Using simulations we show that for relevant current densities charge carrier mobilities must be higher than 10-4 cm2/V.s to avoid significant losses due to space charge formation. In the last part of this work, we will focus on the second class of architectures in which exciton harvesting is efficient. We will present a systematic analysis of one of the leading polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction cells to show that losses in this architecture are due to charge recombination. Using optical measurements and simulations, exciton harvesting measurements, and device characteristics we will show that the dominant loss is likely due to field-dependent geminate recombination of the electron and hole pair created immediately following exciton dissociation. No losses in this system are seen due to bimolecular recombination or space charge which provides information on charge-carrier mobility targets necessary for the future design of high efficiency organic photovoltaics.

AFEII Analog Front End Board Design Specifications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rubinov, Paul; /Fermilab

2005-04-01

This document describes the design of the 2nd iteration of the Analog Front End Board (AFEII), which has the function of receiving charge signals from the Central Fiber Tracker (CFT) and providing digital hit pattern and charge amplitude information from those charge signals. This second iteration is intended to address limitations of the current AFE (referred to as AFEI in this document). These limitations become increasingly deleterious to the performance of the Central Fiber Tracker as instantaneous luminosity increases. The limitations are inherent in the design of the key front end chips on the AFEI board (the SVXIIe and themore » SIFT) and the architecture of the board itself. The key limitations of the AFEI are: (1) SVX saturation; (2) Discriminator to analog readout cross talk; (3) Tick to tick pedestal variation; and (4) Channel to channel pedestal variation. The new version of the AFE board, AFEII, addresses these limitations by use of a new chip, the TriP-t and by architectural changes, while retaining the well understood and desirable features of the AFEI board.« less

Nonequilibrium optical conductivity: General theory and application to transient phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennes, D. M.; Wilner, E. Y.; Reichman, D. R.; Millis, A. J.

2017-08-01

A nonequilibrium theory of optical conductivity of dirty-limit superconductors and commensurate charge density wave is presented. We discuss the current response to different experimentally relevant light-field probe pulses and show that a single frequency definition of the optical conductivity σ (ω )≡j (ω )/E (ω ) is difficult to interpret out of the adiabatic limit. We identify characteristic time-domain signatures distinguishing between superconducting, normal-metal, and charge density wave states. We also suggest a route to directly address the instantaneous superfluid stiffness of a superconductor by shaping the probe light field.

CCD charge collection efficiency and the photon transfer technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Janesick, J.; Klaasen, K.; Elliott, T.

1985-01-01

The charge-coupled device (CCD) has shown unprecendented performance as a photon detector in the areas of spectral response, charge transfer, and readout noise. Recent experience indicates, however, that the full potential for the CCD's charge collection efficiency (CCE) lies well beyond that which is realized in currently available devices. A definition of CCE performance is presented and a standard test tool (the photon transfer technique) for measuring and optimizing this important CCD parameter is introduced. CCE characteristics for different types of CCDs are compared; the primary limitations in achieving high CCE performance are discussed, and the prospects for future improvement are outlined.

Modeling Electrostatic Fields Generated by Internal Charging of Materials in Space Radiation Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minow, Joseph I.

2011-01-01

Internal charging is a risk to spacecraft in energetic electron environments. DICTAT, NU MIT computational codes are the most widely used engineering tools for evaluating internal charging of insulator materials exposed to these environments. Engineering tools are designed for rapid evaluation of ESD threats, but there is a need for more physics based models for investigating the science of materials interactions with energetic electron environments. Current tools are limited by the physics included in the models and ease of user implementation .... additional development work is needed to improve models.

Dynamic tuning of optical absorbers for accelerated solar-thermal energy storage.

PubMed

Wang, Zhongyong; Tong, Zhen; Ye, Qinxian; Hu, Hang; Nie, Xiao; Yan, Chen; Shang, Wen; Song, Chengyi; Wu, Jianbo; Wang, Jun; Bao, Hua; Tao, Peng; Deng, Tao

2017-11-14

Currently, solar-thermal energy storage within phase-change materials relies on adding high thermal-conductivity fillers to improve the thermal-diffusion-based charging rate, which often leads to limited enhancement of charging speed and sacrificed energy storage capacity. Here we report the exploration of a magnetically enhanced photon-transport-based charging approach, which enables the dynamic tuning of the distribution of optical absorbers dispersed within phase-change materials, to simultaneously achieve fast charging rates, large phase-change enthalpy, and high solar-thermal energy conversion efficiency. Compared with conventional thermal charging, the optical charging strategy improves the charging rate by more than 270% and triples the amount of overall stored thermal energy. This superior performance results from the distinct step-by-step photon-transport charging mechanism and the increased latent heat storage through magnetic manipulation of the dynamic distribution of optical absorbers.

Electrical neurostimulation with imbalanced waveform mitigates dissolution of platinum electrodes

PubMed Central

Kumsa, Doe; Hudak, Eric M; Montague, Fred W; Kelley, Shawn C; Untereker, Darrel F; Hahn, Benjamin P; Condit, Chris; Cholette, Martin; Lee, Hyowon; Bardot, Dawn; Takmakov, Pavel

2017-01-01

Objective Electrical neurostimulation has traditionally been limited to the use of charge-balanced waveforms. Charge-imbalanced and monophasic waveforms are not used to deliver clinical therapy, because it is believed that these stimulation paradigms may generate noxious electrochemical species that cause tissue damage. Approach In this study, we investigated the dissolution of platinum as one of such irreversible reactions over a range of charge densities up to 160 µC cm−2 with current-controlled first phase, capacitive discharge second phase waveforms of both cathodic-first and anodic-first polarity. We monitored the concentration of platinum in solution under different stimulation delivery conditions including charge-balanced, charge-imbalanced, and monophasic pulses. Main results We observed that platinum dissolution decreased during charge-imbalanced and monophasic stimulation when compared to charge-balanced waveforms. Significance This observation provides an opportunity to re-evaluate the charge-balanced waveform as the primary option for sustainable neural stimulation. PMID:27650936

Influence of the contact potential and space-charge effect on the performance of a Stoffel-Johnson design electron source for inverse photoemission spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maniraj, M.; Barman, Sudipta Roy

By imaging the spatial intensity distribution of the electrons from a Stoffel-Johnson (SJ) type low energy electron source for inverse photoemission spectroscopy (IPES), we find that the focus is distorted when the beam current exceeds the limiting value due to space charge effect. The space charge effect and the contact potential difference suppress the beam current at low energies (<10 eV). In this work, we show that these limitations of the SJ source can be overcome by compensation of the contact potential difference between the cathode and the lens electrodes and an uniform well focused electron beam with the set kineticmore » energy can be obtained. The size of the electron beam is around 1 mm full width at half maximum over the whole energy range of 5 to 30 eV generally used for IPES. The compensation of the contact potential difference also enhances the beam current substantially at low energies (<10 eV) and uniform beam current is achieved for the whole energy range. We find that the drift in the electron beam position is sensitive to the lens electrode separation and it is about 1 mm over the whole energy range. By measuring the n = 1 image potential state on Cu(100), we show that the resolution is better when the cathode filament current is set to lower values.« less

Effect of traps on the charge transport in semiconducting polymer PCDTBT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Mohd Taukeer; Agrawal, Vikash; Almohammedi, Abdullah; Gupta, Vinay

2018-07-01

Organic semiconductors (OSCs) are nowadays called upon as promising candidates for next generation electronics devices. Due to disorder structure of these materials, a high density of traps are present in their energy band gap which affect the performance of these devices. In the present manuscript, we have investigated the role of traps on charge transport in PCDTBT thin film by measuring the temperature dependent J(V) characteristics in hole only device configuration. The obtained results were analyzed by space charge limited (SCL) conduction model. It has been found that the room temperature J(V) characteristics follow Mott-Gurney square law for trap-free SCL conduction. But below 278 K, the current increases according to trap-filling SCL law with traps distributed exponentially in the band gap of semiconductor. Furthermore, after reaching a crossover voltage of VC ∽ 12 V, all the traps filled by injected carriers and the trap-filling SCL current switch to trap-free SCL current. The hole mobility of trap-free SCL current is about one order higher as compared trap-filling SCL current and remains constant with temperature.

Efficiency Analysis of a High-Specific Impulse Hall Thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacobson, David (Technical Monitor); Hofer, Richard R.; Gallimore, Alec D.

2004-01-01

Performance and plasma measurements of the high-specific impulse NASA-173Mv2 Hall thruster were analyzed using a phenomenological performance model that accounts for a partially-ionized plasma containing multiply-charged ions. Between discharge voltages of 300 to 900 V, the results showed that although the net decrease of efficiency due to multiply-charged ions was only 1.5 to 3.0 percent, the effects of multiply-charged ions on the ion and electron currents could not be neglected. Between 300 to 900 V, the increase of the discharge current was attributed to the increasing fraction of multiply-charged ions, while the maximum deviation of the electron current from its average value was only +5/-14 percent. These findings revealed how efficient operation at high-specific impulse was enabled through the regulation of the electron current with the applied magnetic field. Between 300 to 900 V, the voltage utilization ranged from 89 to 97 percent, the mass utilization from 86 to 90 percent, and the current utilization from 77 to 81 percent. Therefore, the anode efficiency was largely determined by the current utilization. The electron Hall parameter was nearly constant with voltage, decreasing from an average of 210 at 300 V to an average of 160 between 400 to 900 V. These results confirmed our claim that efficient operation can be achieved only over a limited range of Hall parameters.

Anisotropic charge transport in large single crystals of π-conjugated organic molecules.

PubMed

Hourani, Wael; Rahimi, Khosrow; Botiz, Ioan; Koch, Felix Peter Vinzenz; Reiter, Günter; Lienerth, Peter; Heiser, Thomas; Bubendorff, Jean-Luc; Simon, Laurent

2014-05-07

The electronic properties of organic semiconductors depend strongly on the nature of the molecules, their conjugation and conformation, their mutual distance and the orientation between adjacent molecules. Variations of intramolecular distances and conformation disturb the conjugation and perturb the delocalization of charges. As a result, the mobility considerably decreases compared to that of a covalently well-organized crystal. Here, we present electrical characterization of large single crystals made of the regioregular octamer of 3-hexyl-thiophene (3HT)8 using a conductive-atomic force microscope (C-AFM) in air. We find a large anisotropy in the conduction with charge mobility values depending on the crystallographic orientation of the single crystal. The smaller conduction is in the direction of π-π stacking (along the long axis of the single crystal) with a mobility value in the order of 10(-3) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), and the larger one is along the molecular axis (in the direction normal to the single crystal surface) with a mobility value in the order of 0.5 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). The measured current-voltage (I-V) curves showed that along the molecular axis, the current followed an exponential dependence corresponding to an injection mode. In the π-π stacking direction, the current exhibits a space charge limited current (SCLC) behavior, which allows us to estimate the charge carrier mobility.

Performance of Li-Ion Cells Under Battery Voltage Charge Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rao, Gopalakrishna M.; Vaidyanathan, Hari; Day, John H. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

A study consisting of electrochemical characterization and Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) cycling of Li-Ion cells from three vendors was initiated in 1999 to determine the cycling performance and to infuse the new technology in the future NASA missions. The 8-cell batteries included in this evaluation are prismatic cells manufactured by Mine Safety Appliances Company (MSA), cylindrical cells manufactured by SAFT and prismatic cells manufactured by Yardney Technical Products, Inc. (YTP). The three batteries were cycle tested in the LEO regime at 40% depth of discharge, and under a charge control technique that consists of battery voltage clamp with a current taper. The initial testing was conducted at 20 C; however, the batteries were cycled also intermittently at low temperatures. YTP 20 Ah cells consisted of mixed-oxide (Co and Ni) positive, graphitic carbon negative, LIPF6 salt mixed with organic carbonate solvents. The battery voltage clamp was 32 V. The low temperature cycling tests started after 4575 cycles at 20 C. The cells were not capable of cycling. at low temperature since the charge acceptance at battery level was poor. There was a cell in the battery that showed too high an end-of-charge (EOC) voltage thereby limiting the ability to charge the rest of the cells in the battery. The battery has completed 6714 cycles. SAFT 12 Ah cells consisted of mixed-oxide (Co and NO positive, graphitic carbon negative, LiPF6 salt mixed with organic carbonate solvents. The battery voltage clamp was for 30.8 V. The low temperature cycling tests started after 4594 cycles at 20 C. A cell that showed low end of discharge (EOD) and EOC voltages and three other cells that showed higher EOC voltages limited the charge acceptance at the selected voltage limit during charge. The cells were capable of cycling at 10 C and 0 C but the charge voltage limit had to be increased to 34.3 V (4.3 V per cell). The low temperature cycling may have induced poor chargeability since the voltage had to be increased to achieve the required charge input. The battery has completed 6226 cycles. MSA 10 Ah cells consisted of Co oxide positive, graphitic carbon negative, LiPF6 salt mixed with organic carbonate solvents. The battery voltage clamp was 30.8 V. The low temperature cycling tests were started after 2182 cycles at 20 C. The cells were capable of cycling at 10 C and 0 C. Like SAFT, the voltage limit on charge had to be increased to 36 V (4.5 V per cell). There was a cell (cell S/N 13) in the battery that showed poor performance features such as low EOD voltage and high EOC voltage. The battery has completed 3441 cycles. A reconditioning procedure that consisted of C15 charge to a taper current of C/100 and C/20 discharge improved the voltage behavior of SAFT and MSA cells with no significant effect on YTP cells. We have demonstrated that the charge operation with VT clamp at battery rather than at cell level is feasible for onboard Li-Ion battery operation.

A dynamic plug flow reactor model for a vanadium redox flow battery cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yifeng; Skyllas-Kazacos, Maria; Bao, Jie

2016-04-01

A dynamic plug flow reactor model for a single cell VRB system is developed based on material balance, and the Nernst equation is employed to calculate cell voltage with consideration of activation and concentration overpotentials. Simulation studies were conducted under various conditions to investigate the effects of several key operation variables including electrolyte flow rate, upper SOC limit and input current magnitude on the cell charging performance. The results show that all three variables have a great impact on performance, particularly on the possibility of gassing during charging at high SOCs or inadequate flow rates. Simulations were also carried out to study the effects of electrolyte imbalance during long term charging and discharging cycling. The results show the minimum electrolyte flow rate needed for operation within a particular SOC range in order to avoid gassing side reactions during charging. The model also allows scheduling of partial electrolyte remixing operations to restore capacity and also avoid possible gassing side reactions during charging. Simulation results also suggest the proper placement for cell voltage monitoring and highlight potential problems associated with setting the upper charging cut-off limit based on the inlet SOC calculated from the open-circuit cell voltage measurement.

Noise in Charge Amplifiers— A gm/ID Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez, Enrique; Avila, Diego; Campillo, Hernan; Dragone, Angelo; Abusleme, Angel

2012-10-01

Charge amplifiers represent the standard solution to amplify signals from capacitive detectors in high energy physics experiments. In a typical front-end, the noise due to the charge amplifier, and particularly from its input transistor, limits the achievable resolution. The classic approach to attenuate noise effects in MOSFET charge amplifiers is to use the maximum power available, to use a minimum-length input device, and to establish the input transistor width in order to achieve the optimal capacitive matching at the input node. These conclusions, reached by analysis based on simple noise models, lead to sub-optimal results. In this work, a new approach on noise analysis for charge amplifiers based on an extension of the gm/ID methodology is presented. This method combines circuit equations and results from SPICE simulations, both valid for all operation regions and including all noise sources. The method, which allows to find the optimal operation point of the charge amplifier input device for maximum resolution, shows that the minimum device length is not necessarily the optimal, that flicker noise is responsible for the non-monotonic noise versus current function, and provides a deeper insight on the noise limits mechanism from an alternative and more design-oriented point of view.

EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENT AND INTERPRETATION OF VOLT-AMPERE CURVES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gingrich, J.E.; Warner, C.; Weeks, C.C.

1962-07-01

Cylindrical and parallel-plane cesium vapor thermionic converters were used for obtaining volt-ampere curves for systematic variations of emitter, collector, and cesium reservoir temperatures, with electrode spacings ranging from a few to many mean free paths, and with space charge conditions varying from electron-rich to ion-rich. The resulting curves exhibit much variety. The saturation currents agree well with the data of Houston and Aamodt for the space charge neutralized, few-mean-free-path cases. Apparent'' saturation currents for space charge limited cases were observed and were always less than the currents predicted by Houston and Aamodt. Several discontinuities in slope were observed in themore » reverse current portion of the curves and these have tentatively been identified with volume ionization of atoms in both the ground and excited states. Similar processes may be important for obtaining the ignited mode. The methods used to measure static and dynamic volt-ampere curves are described. The use of a controlled-current load has yielded a negative resistance'' region in the curves which show the ignited mode. The curves obtained with poor current control do not show this phenomenon. Extinction is considered from the standpoint of Kaufmann' s criterion for stability. (auth)« less

Superconducting cosmic string: Equation of state for spacelike and timelike current in the neutral limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peter, Patrick

1992-02-01

The equation of state relating the tension T and the energy per unit length U of a cosmic string is investigated in the simplest nontrivial case, namely, that of a field theory with U(1)local×U(1)global invariance, in four dimensions, which is interpretable as the zero-charge-coupling-constant limit of the more general superconducting string models that have been previously investigated. This limit has the advantage of giving vacuum vortex defects that are strictly local so that the quantities such as U and T that are relevant for the macroscopic description can be computed without ambiguity. In the case of ``electric'' states (with timelike current) for which no comparable previous calculations exist, it is shown there is a critical frequency wc beyond which the vortex becomes unstable due to ``charge'' carrier emission. In the case of ``magnetic'' states (with spacelike current), the present analysis provides more precise results than those of previous investigations, whose predictions are broadly confirmed for typical moderate models in which the tension T remains comparable to the energy density U though not for extreme models, in which serious discrepancies are revealed.

Transient current interruption mechanism in a magnetically delayed vacuum switch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, Gibson, Jr.; Dougal, Roger A.

1993-01-01

The capacity of a magnetically delayed vacuum switch to conduct current depends on the density of plasma injected into the switch. Exceeding the current capacity results in the switch entering a lossy mode of operation characterized by a transient interruption of the main current (opening behavior) and a rapid increase of voltage across the vacuum gap. Streak and framing photographs of the discharge indicate that a decrease of luminosity near the middle of the gap preceeds the transition to the opening phase. The zone of low luminosity propagates toward the cathode. This evidence suggests that the mechanism causing the opening phase is erosion of the background plasma in a manner similar to that in a plasma-opening switch. The resulting ion depletion forces a space-charge-limited conduction mode. The switch inductance maintains a high discharge current even during the space-charge-limited conduction phase, thus producing high internal fields. The high accelerating voltage, in turn, produces electron and ion beams that heat the electrode surfaces. As a result of the heating, jets of electrode vapor issue from the electrodes, either cathode or anode, depending on the selection of electrode materials.

Biased-probe-induced water ion injection into amorphous polymers investigated by electric force microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knorr, Nikolaus; Rosselli, Silvia; Miteva, Tzenka; Nelles, Gabriele

2009-06-01

Although charging of insulators by atomic force microscopy (AFM) has found widespread interest, often with data storage or nanoxerography in mind, less attention has been paid to the charging mechanism and the nature of the charge. Here we present a systematic study on charging of amorphous polymer films by voltage pulses applied to conducting AFM probes. We find a quadratic space charge limited current law of Kelvin probe force microscopy and electrostatic force microscopy peak volumes in pulse height, offset by a threshold voltage, and a power law in pulse width of positive exponents smaller than one. We interpret the results by a charging mechanism of injection and surface near accumulation of aqueous ions stemming from field induced water adsorption, with threshold voltages linked to the water affinities of the polymers.

A quantitative and spatially resolved analysis of the performance-bottleneck in high efficiency, planar hybrid perovskite solar cells

DOE PAGES

Draguta, Sergiu; Christians, Jeffrey A.; Morozov, Yurii V.; ...

2018-01-01

Hybrid perovskites represent a potential paradigm shift for the creation of low-cost solar cells. Current power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) exceed 22%. However, despite this, record PCEs are still far from their theoretical Shockley–Queisser limit of 31%. To increase these PCE values, there is a pressing need to understand, quantify and microscopically model charge recombination processes in full working devices. Here, we present a complete microscopic account of charge recombination processes in high efficiency (18–19% PCE) hybrid perovskite (mixed cation and methylammonium lead iodide) solar cells. We employ diffraction-limited optical measurements along with relevant kinetic modeling to establish, for the firstmore » time, local photoluminescence quantum yields, trap densities, trapping efficiencies, charge extraction efficiencies, quasi-Fermi-level splitting, and effective PCE estimates. Correlations between these spatially resolved parameters, in turn, allow us to conclude that intrinsic electron traps in the perovskite active layers limit the performance of these state-of-the-art hybrid perovskite solar cells.« less

A quantitative and spatially resolved analysis of the performance-bottleneck in high efficiency, planar hybrid perovskite solar cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Draguta, Sergiu; Christians, Jeffrey A.; Morozov, Yurii V.

Hybrid perovskites represent a potential paradigm shift for the creation of low-cost solar cells. Current power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) exceed 22%. However, despite this, record PCEs are still far from their theoretical Shockley–Queisser limit of 31%. To increase these PCE values, there is a pressing need to understand, quantify and microscopically model charge recombination processes in full working devices. Here, we present a complete microscopic account of charge recombination processes in high efficiency (18–19% PCE) hybrid perovskite (mixed cation and methylammonium lead iodide) solar cells. We employ diffraction-limited optical measurements along with relevant kinetic modeling to establish, for the firstmore » time, local photoluminescence quantum yields, trap densities, trapping efficiencies, charge extraction efficiencies, quasi-Fermi-level splitting, and effective PCE estimates. Correlations between these spatially resolved parameters, in turn, allow us to conclude that intrinsic electron traps in the perovskite active layers limit the performance of these state-of-the-art hybrid perovskite solar cells.« less

Charged string loops in Reissner-Nordström black hole background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oteev, Tursinbay; Kološ, Martin; Stuchlík, Zdeněk

2018-03-01

We study the motion of current carrying charged string loops in the Reissner-Nordström black hole background combining the gravitational and electromagnetic field. Introducing new electromagnetic interaction between central charge and charged string loop makes the string loop equations of motion to be non-integrable even in the flat spacetime limit, but it can be governed by an effective potential even in the black hole background. We classify different types of the string loop trajectories using effective potential approach, and we compare the innermost stable string loop positions with loci of the charged particle innermost stable orbits. We examine string loop small oscillations around minima of the string loop effective potential, and we plot radial profiles of the string loop oscillation frequencies for both the radial and vertical modes. We construct charged string loop quasi-periodic oscillations model and we compare it with observed data from microquasars GRO 1655-40, XTE 1550-564, and GRS 1915+105. We also study the acceleration of current carrying string loops along the vertical axis and the string loop ejection from RN black hole neighbourhood, taking also into account the electromagnetic interaction.

Boundary conditions on the plasma emitter surface in the presence of a particle counter flow: I. Ion emitter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Astrelin, V. T., E-mail: V.T.Astrelin@inp.nsk.su; Kotelnikov, I. A.

Emission of positively charged ions from a plasma emitter irradiated by a counterpropagating electron beam is studied theoretically. A bipolar diode with a plasma emitter in which the ion temperature is lower than the electron temperature and the counter electron flow is extracted from the ion collector is calculated in the one-dimensional model. An analog of Bohm’s criterion for ion emission in the presence of a counterpropagating electron beam is derived. The limiting density of the counterpropagating beam in a bipolar diode operating in the space-charge-limited-emission regime is calculated. The full set of boundary conditions on the plasma emitter surfacemore » that are required for operation of the high-current optics module in numerical codes used to simulate charged particle sources is formulated.« less

Cycle life test of secondary spacecraft cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harkness, J. D.

1980-01-01

The results of the life cycling program on rechargeable calls are reported. Information on required data, the use of which the data will be put, application details, including orbital description, charge control methods, load rquirements, etc., are given. Cycle tests were performed on 660 sealed, nickel cadmium cells. The cells consisted of seven sample classifications ranging form 3.0 to 20 amp. hours. Nickel cadmium, silver cadmium, and silver zinc sealed cells, excluding synchronous orbit and accelerated test packs were added. The capacities of the nickel cadmium cells, the silver cadmium and the silver zinc cells differed in range of amp hrs. The cells were cylced under different load, charge control, and temperature conditions. All cell packs are recharged by use of a pack voltage limit. All charging is constant current until the voltage limit is reached.

36 CFR 51.5 - What information will the prospectus include?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., include, but are not limited to the following: (1) The minimum acceptable franchise fee or other forms of... out by department for the three most recent years; franchise fees charged under the current concession...

36 CFR 51.5 - What information will the prospectus include?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., include, but are not limited to the following: (1) The minimum acceptable franchise fee or other forms of... out by department for the three most recent years; franchise fees charged under the current concession...

36 CFR 51.5 - What information will the prospectus include?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., include, but are not limited to the following: (1) The minimum acceptable franchise fee or other forms of... out by department for the three most recent years; franchise fees charged under the current concession...

36 CFR 51.5 - What information will the prospectus include?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., include, but are not limited to the following: (1) The minimum acceptable franchise fee or other forms of... out by department for the three most recent years; franchise fees charged under the current concession...

36 CFR 51.5 - What information will the prospectus include?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., include, but are not limited to the following: (1) The minimum acceptable franchise fee or other forms of... out by department for the three most recent years; franchise fees charged under the current concession...

Measurement of surface charges on the dielectric film based on field mills under the HVDC corona wire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donglai, WANG; Tiebing, LU; Yuan, WANG; Bo, CHEN; Xuebao, LI

2018-05-01

The ion flow field on the ground is one of the significant parameters used to evaluate the electromagnetic environment of high voltage direct current (HVDC) power lines. HVDC lines may cross the greenhouses due to the restricted transmission corridors. Under the condition of ion flow field, the dielectric films on the greenhouses will be charged, and the electric fields in the greenhouses may exceed the limit value. Field mills are widely used to measure the ground-level direct current electric fields under the HVDC power lines. In this paper, the charge inversion method is applied to calculate the surface charges on the dielectric film according to the measured ground-level electric fields. The advantages of hiding the field mill probes in the ground are studied. The charge inversion algorithm is optimized in order to decrease the impact of measurement errors. Based on the experimental results, the surface charge distribution on a piece of quadrate dielectric film under a HVDC corona wire is studied. The enhanced effect of dielectric film on ground-level electric field is obviously weakened with the increase of film height. Compared with the total electric field strengths, the normal components of film-free electric fields at the corresponding film-placed positions have a higher effect on surface charge accumulation.

Investigation of the optical and electrical characteristics of solution-processed poly (3 hexylthiophene) (P3HT): multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite-based devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rathore, Priyanka; Mohan Singh Negi, Chandra; Singh Verma, Ajay; Singh, Amarjeet; Chauhan, Gayatri; Regis Inigo, Anto; Gupta, Saral K.

2017-08-01

Devices comprised of solution-processed poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), with various concentrations of MWCNTs, were fabricated and characterized. The morphology of the P3HT: MWCNT nanocomposite was characterized by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The optical characteristics of the nanocomposite were studied by UV/VIS/NIR spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The electrical properties of the fabricated devices were characterized by measuring the current density-voltage (J-V) characteristics. While the J-V characteristics of a pristine P3HT device reveal thermal injection limited charge transport, the P3HT: MWCNT nanocomposite-based devices exhibit three distinct voltage-dependent conduction regimes. The fitting curve with measured data reveals Ohmic conduction for a low voltage range, a trap-charge limited conduction (TCLC) process at an intermediate voltage range followed by a trap free space-charge limited conduction (SCLC) process at much higher voltages. A fundamental understanding of this work can assist in creating new charge transport pathways which will provide new avenues for the development of highly efficient polymer-based optoelectronic devices.

Progress at the TITAN-EBIT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Klawitter, R.; Alanssari, M.; Frekers, D.

2015-01-09

Precision mass measurements of short-lived isotopes provide insight into a wide array of physics, including nuclear structure, nucleosynthesis, and tests of the Standard Model. The precision of Penning trap mass spectrometry (PTMS) measurements is limited by the lifetime of the isotopes of interest, but scales proportionally with their charge state q, making highly charged ions attractive for mass measurements of nuclides far from stability. TITAN, TRIUMF's Ion Trap(s) for Atomic and Nuclear science, is currently the only setup in the world coupling an EBIT to a rare isotope facility for the purpose of PTMS. Charge breeding ions for Penning trapmore » mass spectrometry, however, entails specific set of challenges. To make use of its potential, efficiencies have to be high, breeding times have to be short and the ion energy spread has to be small. An overview of the TITAN facility and charge-breeding program is given, current and future developments are highlighted and some selected results are presented.« less

Potential energy barriers to ion transport within lipid bilayers. Studies with tetraphenylborate.

PubMed Central

Andersen, P S; Fuchs, M

1975-01-01

Tetraphenylborate-induced current transients were studied in lipid bilayers formed from bacterial phosphatidylethanolamine in decane. This ion movement was essentially confined to the membrane in terior during the current transients. Charge movement through the interior of the membrane during the current transients was studied as a function of the applied potential. The transferred charge approached an upper limit with increasing potential, which is interpreted to be the amount of charge due to tetraphenylborate ions absorbed into the boundary regions of the bilayer. A further analysis of the charge transfer as a function of potential indicates that the movement of tetraphenylborate ions is only influenced by a certain farction of the applied potential. For bacterial phosphatidylethanolamine bilayers the effective potential is 77 +/- 4% of the applied potential. The initial conductance and the time constant of the current transients were studied as a function of the applied potential using a Nernst-Planck electrodiffusion regime. It was found that an image-force potential energy barrier gave a good prediction of the observed behavior, provided that the effective potential was used in the calculations. We could not get a satisfactory prediction of the observed behavior with an Eyring rate theory model or a trapezoidal potential energy barrier. PMID:1148364

Analysis of the internal temperature of the cells in a battery pack during SOC balancing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizanur, R.; Rashid, M. M.; Rahman, A.; Zahirul Alam, A. H. M.; Ihsan, S.; Mollik, M. S.

2017-03-01

Lithium-ion batteries are more suitable for the application of electric vehicle due to high energy and power density compared to other rechargeable batteries. However, the battery pack temperature has a great impact on the overall performance, cycle life, normal charging-discharging behaviour and even safety. During rapid charge transferring process, the internal temperature may exceed its allowable limit (460C). In this paper, an analysis of internal temperature during charge balancing and discharging conditions is presented. Specific interest is paid to the effects of temperature on the different rate of ambient temperature and discharging current. Matlab/Simulink Li-ion battery model and quasi-resonant converter base balancing system are used to study the temperature effect. Rising internal temperature depends on the rate of balancing current and ambient temperature found in the simulation results.

Low leakage current Ni/CdZnTe/In diodes for X/ γ-ray detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sklyarchuk, V. M.; Gnatyuk, V. A.; Pecharapa, W.

2018-01-01

The electrical characteristics of the Ni/Cd1-xZnxTe/In structures with a metal-semiconductor rectifying contact are investigated. The diodes, fabricated on the base of In-doped n-type Cd1-xZnxTe (CZT) crystals with resistivity of ∼1010 Ω ṡ cm, have low leakage current and can be used as X/ γ-ray detectors. The rectifying contact was obtained by vacuum deposition of Ni on the semiconductor surface pretreated with argon plasma. The high barrier rectifying contact allowed us to increase applied reverse bias voltage up to 2500 V at the CZT crystal thickness of 1 mm. Dark (leakage) currents of the diodes with the rectifying contact area of 4 mm2 did not exceed 3-5 nA at bias voltage of 2000 V and room temperature. The charge transport mechanisms in the Ni/CZT/In structures have been interpreted as generation-recombination in the space charge region within the range of reverse bias of 5-100 V and as currents limited by space charge at both forward and reverse bias at V >100 V.

Collective diffusion and quantum chaos in holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Shao-Feng; Wang, Bin; Ge, Xian-Hui; Tian, Yu

2018-05-01

We define a particular combination of charge and heat currents that is decoupled with the heat current. This "heat-decoupled" (HD) current can be transported by diffusion at long distances, when some thermoelectric conductivities and susceptibilities satisfy a simple condition. Using the diffusion condition together with the Kelvin formula, we show that the HD diffusivity can be same as the charge diffusivity and also the heat diffusivity. We illustrate that such mechanism is implemented in a strongly coupled field theory, which is dual to a Lifshitz gravity with the dynamical critical index z =2 . In particular, it is exhibited that both charge and heat diffusivities build the relationship to the quantum chaos. Moreover, we study the HD diffusivity without imposing the diffusion condition. In some homogeneous holographic lattices, it is found that the diffusivity/chaos relation holds independently of any parameters, including the strength of momentum relaxation, chemical potential, or temperature. We also show a counter example of the relation and discuss its limited universality.

Limiting current of intense electron beams in a decelerating gap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nusinovich, G. S.; Beaudoin, B. L.; Thompson, C.; Karakkad, J. A.; Antonsen, T. M.

2016-02-01

For numerous applications, it is desirable to develop electron beam driven efficient sources of electromagnetic radiation that are capable of producing the required power at beam voltages as low as possible. This trend is limited by space charge effects that cause the reduction of electron kinetic energy and can lead to electron reflection. So far, this effect was analyzed for intense beams propagating in uniform metallic pipes. In the present study, the limiting currents of intense electron beams are analyzed for the case of beam propagation in the tubes with gaps. A general treatment is illustrated by an example evaluating the limiting current in a high-power, tunable 1-10 MHz inductive output tube (IOT), which is currently under development for ionospheric modification. Results of the analytical theory are compared to results of numerical simulations. The results obtained allow one to estimate the interaction efficiency of IOTs.

Effects of dc bias on the kinetics and electrical properties of silicon dioxide grown in an electron cyclotron resonance plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carl, D. A.; Hess, D. W.; Lieberman, M. A.; Nguyen, T. D.; Gronsky, R.

1991-09-01

Thin (3-300-nm) oxides were grown on single-crystal silicon substrates at temperatures from 523 to 673 K in a low-pressure electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) oxygen plasma. Oxides were grown under floating, anodic or cathodic bias conditions, although only the oxides grown under floating or anodic bias conditions are acceptable for use as gate dielectrics in metal-oxide-semiconductor technology. Oxide thickness uniformity as measured by ellipsometry decreased with increasing oxidation time for all bias conditions. Oxidation kinetics under anodic conditions can be explained by negatively charged atomic oxygen, O-, transport limited growth. Constant current anodizations yielded three regions of growth: (1) a concentration gradient dominated regime for oxides thinner than 10 nm, (2) a field dominated regime with ohmic charged oxidant transport for oxide thickness in the range of 10 nm to approximately 100 nm, and (3) a space-charge limited regime for films thicker than approximately 100 nm. The relationship between oxide thickness (xox), overall potential drop (Vox) and ion current (ji) in the space-charge limited transport region was of the form: ji ∝ V2ox/x3ox. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of 5-60-nm-thick anodized films indicated that the silicon-silicon dioxide interface was indistinguishable from that of thermal oxides grown at 1123 K. High-frequency capacitance-voltage (C-V) and ramped bias current-voltage (I-V) studies performed on 5.4-30-nm gate thickness capacitors indicated that the as-grown ECR films had high levels of fixed oxide charge (≳1011 cm-2) and interface traps (≳1012 cm-2 eV-1). The fixed charge level could be reduced to ≊4×1010 cm-2 by a 20 min polysilicon gate activation anneal at 1123 K in nitrogen; the interface trap density at mid-band gap decreased to ≊(1-2)×1011 cm-2 eV-1 after this process. The mean breakdown strength for anodic oxides grown under optimum conditions was 10.87±0.83 MV cm-1. Electrical properties of the 5.4-8-nm gates compared well with thicker films and control dry thermal oxides of similar thicknesses.

Computer modeling of current collection by the CHARGE-2 mother payload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandell, M. J.; Lilley, J. R., Jr.; Katz, I.; Neubert, T.; Myers, Neil B.

1990-01-01

The three-dimensional computer codes NASCAP/LEO and POLAR have been used to calculate current collection by the mother payload of the CHARGE-2 rocket under conditions of positive and negative potential up to several hundred volts. For negative bias (ion collection), the calculations lie about 25 percent above the data, indicating that the ions were less dense, colder, or heavier than the input parameters. For positive bias (electron collection), NASCAP/LEO and POLAR calculations show similar agreement with the measurements at the highest altitudes. This agreement indicates that the current is classically magnetically limited, even during electron beam emission. However, the calculated values fall well below the data at lower altitudes. It is suggested that beam-plasma-neutral interactions are responsible for the high values of collected current at altitudes below 240 km.

Pulse charging of lead-acid traction cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smithrick, J. J.

1980-01-01

Pulse charging, as a method of rapidly and efficiently charging 300 amp-hour lead-acid traction cells for an electric vehicle application was investigated. A wide range of charge pulse current square waveforms were investigated and the results were compared to constant current charging at the time averaged pulse current values. Representative pulse current waveforms were: (1) positive waveform-peak charge pulse current of 300 amperes (amps), discharge pulse-current of zero amps, and a duty cycle of about 50%; (2) Romanov waveform-peak charge pulse current of 300 amps, peak discharge pulse current of 15 amps, and a duty of 50%; and (3) McCulloch waveform peak charge pulse current of 193 amps, peak discharge pulse current of about 575 amps, and a duty cycle of 94%. Experimental results indicate that on the basis of amp-hour efficiency, pulse charging offered no significant advantage as a method of rapidly charging 300 amp-hour lead-acid traction cells when compared to constant current charging at the time average pulse current value. There were, however, some disadvantages of pulse charging in particular a decrease in charge amp-hour and energy efficiencies and an increase in cell electrolyte temperature. The constant current charge method resulted in the best energy efficiency with no significant sacrifice of charge time or amp-hour output. Whether or not pulse charging offers an advantage over constant current charging with regard to the cell charge/discharge cycle life is unknown at this time.

Universal scaling laws for the disintegration of electrified drops

PubMed Central

Collins, Robert T.; Sambath, Krishnaraj; Harris, Michael T.; Basaran, Osman A.

2013-01-01

Drops subjected to strong electric fields emit charged jets from their pointed tips. The disintegration of such jets into a spray consisting of charged droplets is common to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, printing and coating processes, and raindrops in thunderclouds. Currently, there exist conflicting theories and measurements on the size and charge of these small electrospray droplets. We use theory and simulation to show that conductivity can be tuned to yield three scaling regimes for droplet radius and charge, a finding missed by previous studies. The amount of charge that electrospray droplets carry determines whether they are coulombically stable and charged below the Rayleigh limit of stability or are unstable and hence prone to further explosions once they are formed. Previous experiments reported droplet charge values ranging from 10% to in excess of . Simulations unequivocally show that electrospray droplets are coulombically stable at the instant they are created and that there exists a universal scaling law for droplet charge, . PMID:23487744

Nuclear chiral axial currents and applications to few-nucleon systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baroni, Alessandro

This Thesis is divided into three main parts. The first part discusses basic aspects of chiral effective field theory and the formalism, based on time ordered perturbation theory, used to to derive the nuclear potentials and currents from the chiral Lagrangians. The second part deals with the actual derivation, up to one loop, of the two-nucleon potential and one- and two-nucleon weak axial charge and current. In both derivations ultraviolet divergences generated by loop corrections are isolated using dimensional regularization. The resulting axial current is finite and conserved in the chiral limit, while the axial charge requires renormalization. A completemore » set of contact terms for the axial charge up to the relevant order in the power counting is constructed. The third part of this Thesis discusses two applications: (i) the calculation of the Gamow-Teller matrix element of tritium, used to constrain the single low-energy constant entering the axial current; (ii) the calculation of neutrino-deuteron inclusive cross sections at low energies. These results have confirmed previous predictions obtained in phenomenological approaches. These latter studies have played an important role in the analysis and interpretation of experiments at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory.« less

Indirectly sensing accelerator beam currents for limiting maximum beam current magnitude

DOEpatents

Bogaty, J.M.; Clifft, B.E.; Bollinger, L.M.

1995-08-08

A beam current limiter is disclosed for sensing and limiting the beam current in a particle accelerator, such as a cyclotron or linear accelerator, used in scientific research and medical treatment. A pair of independently operable capacitive electrodes sense the passage of charged particle bunches to develop an RF signal indicative of the beam current magnitude produced at the output of a bunched beam accelerator. The RF signal produced by each sensing electrode is converted to a variable DC voltage indicative of the beam current magnitude. The variable DC voltages thus developed are compared to each other to verify proper system function and are further compared to known references to detect beam currents in excess of pre-established limits. In the event of a system malfunction, or if the detected beam current exceeds pre-established limits, the beam current limiter automatically inhibits further accelerator operation. A high Q tank circuit associated with each sensing electrode provides a narrow system bandwidth to reduce noise and enhance dynamic range. System linearity is provided by injecting, into each sensing electrode, an RF signal that is offset from the bunching frequency by a pre-determined beat frequency to ensure that subsequent rectifying diodes operate in a linear response region. The system thus provides a large dynamic range in combination with good linearity. 6 figs.

Indirectly sensing accelerator beam currents for limiting maximum beam current magnitude

DOEpatents

Bogaty, John M.; Clifft, Benny E.; Bollinger, Lowell M.

1995-01-01

A beam current limiter for sensing and limiting the beam current in a particle accelerator, such as a cyclotron or linear accelerator, used in scientific research and medical treatment. A pair of independently operable capacitive electrodes sense the passage of charged particle bunches to develop an RF signal indicative of the beam current magnitude produced at the output of a bunched beam accelerator. The RF signal produced by each sensing electrode is converted to a variable DC voltage indicative of the beam current magnitude. The variable DC voltages thus developed are compared to each other to verify proper system function and are further compared to known references to detect beam currents in excess of pre-established limits. In the event of a system malfunction, or if the detected beam current exceeds pre-established limits, the beam current limiter automatically inhibits further accelerator operation. A high Q tank circuit associated with each sensing electrode provides a narrow system bandwidth to reduce noise and enhance dynamic range. System linearity is provided by injecting, into each sensing electrode, an RF signal that is offset from the bunching frequency by a pre-determined beat frequency to ensure that subsequent rectifying diodes operate in a linear response region. The system thus provides a large dynamic range in combination with good linearity.

Modeling space-charge-limited current transport in spatially disordered organic semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zubair, M.; Ang, Y. S.; Ang, L. K.

Charge transport properties in organic semiconductors are determined by two kinds of microscopic disorder, namely energetic disorder and the spatial disorder. It is demonstrated that the thickness dependence of space-charge limited current (SCLC) can be related to spatial disorder within the framework of fractional-dimensional space. We present a modified Mott-Gurney (MG) law in different regimes to model the varying thickness dependence in such spatially disordered materials. We analyze multiple experimental results from literature where thickness dependence of SCLC shows that the classical MG law might lead to less accurate extraction of mobility parameter, whereas the modified MG law would be a better choice in such devices. Experimental SCLC measurement in a PPV-based structure was previously modeled using a carrier-density dependent model which contradicts with a recent experiment that confirms a carrier-density independent mobility originating from the disordered morphology of the polymer. Here, this is reconciled by the modified MG law which intrinsically takes into account the effect of spatial disorder without the need of using a carrier-density dependent model. This work is supported by Singapore Temasek Laboratories (TL) Seed Grant (IGDS S16 02 05 1).

Optical and electrical properties of P3HT:graphene composite based devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, Anjali; Verma, Ajay Singh; Gupta, Saral Kumar; Negi, Chandra Mohan Singh

2018-04-01

The polymer-carbon derivate composites are well known for their uses and performances in the photovoltaic and optoelectronic industries. In this paper, we synthesis P3HT:graphene composites and discuss their optical and electrical properties. The composites have been prepared by using spin-coating technique onto the glass substrates. It has been found that the incorporation of graphene reduces absorption intensity. However, absorption peak remain unchanged with addition of graphene. The surface morphology studies display homogeneous distribution of graphene with P3HT. Raman studies suggest that chemical structure was not affected by graphene doping. Devices having the structure of glass/ITO/P3HT/ Al and glass ITO/P3HT:graphene/Al were then fabricated. I-V behavior of the fabricated devices was found to be similar to the Schottky diode. ITO/P3HT:graphene/Al structure shows tremendous increase in current values as compared to the ITO/P3HT/Al. Furthermore, charge transport mechanism were studied by analyzing the double logarithmic J-V characteristics curve, which indicates that the current at low voltage follows Ohmic behavior, trap-charge limited conduction (TCLC) mechanism at an intermediate voltage and space charge limited conduction (SCLC) mechanism at sufficiently high voltages.

Dimuon production by neutrinos in the Fermilab 15-ft bubble chamber at the Tevatron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, V.; Harris, F. A.; Aderholz, M.; Aggarwal, M. M.; Akbari, H.; Allport, P. P.; Baba, P. V.; Badyal, S. K.; Barth, M.; Baton, J. P.; Bingham, H. H.; Brucker, E. B.; Burnstein, R. A.; Campbell, J. R.; Cence, R. J.; Chatterjee, T. K.; Clayton, E. F.; Corrigan, G.; Coutures, C.; Deprospo, D.; Devanand; de Wolf, E.; Faulkner, P. J.; Fretter, W. B.; Gupta, V. K.; Guy, J.; Hanlon, J.; Harigel, G. G.; Jabiol, M. A.; Jacques, P.; Jones, G. T.; Jones, M. D.; Kafka, T.; Kalelkar, M.; Kasper, P.; Kaul, G. L.; Kaur, M.; Kohli, J. M.; Koller, E. L.; Krawiec, R. J.; Lauko, M.; Lys, J.; Marage, P.; Milburn, R. H.; Miller, D. B.; Mittra, I. S.; Mobayyen, M. M.; Moreels, J.; Morrison, D. R.; Myatt, G.; Nailor, P.; Naon, R.; Napier, A.; Neveu, M.; Passmore, D.; Peters, M. W.; Peterson, V. Z.; Plano, R.; Rao, N. K.; Rubin, H. A.; Sacton, J.; Saitta, B.; Schmid, P.; Schmitz, N.; Schneps, J.; Sekulin, R.; Sewell, S.; Singh, J. B.; Sood, P. M.; Smart, W.; Stamer, P.; Varvell, K. E.; Venus, W.; Verluyten, L.; Voyvodic, L.; Wachsmuth, H.; Wainstein, S.; Willocq, S.; Yost, G. P.

1990-04-01

The Fermilab 15-ft bubble chamber has been exposed to a quadrupole triplet neutrino beam produced at the Tevatron. The ratio of ν to ν¯ in the beam is approximately 2.5. The mean event energy for ν-induced charged-current events is 150 GeV, and for ν¯-induced charged-current events it is 110 GeV. A total of 64 dimuon candidates (1 μ+μ+, 52 μ-μ+ and μ+μ-, and 11 μ-μ-) is observed in the data sample of approximately 13 300 charged-current events. The number and properties of the μ-μ- and μ+μ+ candidates are consistent with their being produced by background processes, the important sources being π and K decay and punchthrough. The 90%-C.L. upper limit for μ-μ-/μ- for muon momenta above 4 GeV/c is 1.2×10-3, and for momenta above 9 GeV/c this limit is 1.1×10-3. The opposite-sign-dimuon-to-single-muon ratio is (0.62+/-0.13)% for muon momenta above 4 GeV/c. There are eight neutral strange particles in the opposite-sign sample, leading to a rate per dimuon event of 0.65+/-0.29. The opposite-sign-dimuon sample is consistent with the hypothesis of charm production and decay.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Lingyan, E-mail: l.y.wang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn, E-mail: wren@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Ren, Wei, E-mail: l.y.wang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn, E-mail: wren@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Shi, Peng

Lead-free ferroelectric un-doped and doped K{sub 0.5}Na{sub 0.5}NbO{sub 3} (KNN) films with different amounts of manganese (Mn) were prepared by a chemical solution deposition method. The thicknesses of all films are about 1.6 μm. Their phase, microstructure, leakage current behavior, and electrical properties were investigated. With increasing the amounts of Mn, the crystallinity became worse. Fortunately, the electrical properties were improved due to the decreased leakage current density after Mn-doping. The study on leakage behaviors shows that the dominant conduction mechanism at low electric field in the un-doped KNN film is ohmic mode and that at high electric field is space-charge-limitedmore » and Pool-Frenkel emission. After Mn doping, the dominant conduction mechanism at high electric field of KNN films changed single space-charge-limited. However, the introduction of higher amount of Mn into the KNN film would lead to a changed conduction mechanism from space-charge-limited to ohmic mode. Consequently, there exists an optimal amount of Mn doping of 2.0 mol. %. The 2.0 mol. % Mn doped KNN film shows the lowest leakage current density and the best electrical properties. With the secondary ion mass spectroscopies and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses, the homogeneous distribution in the KNN films and entrance of Mn element in the lattice of KNN perovskite structure were also confirmed.« less

Topologically protected charge transfer along the edge of a chiral p -wave superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gnezdilov, N. V.; van Heck, B.; Diez, M.; Hutasoit, Jimmy A.; Beenakker, C. W. J.

2015-09-01

The Majorana fermions propagating along the edge of a topological superconductor with px+i py pairing deliver a shot noise power of 1/2 ×e2/h per eV of voltage bias. We calculate the full counting statistics of the transferred charge and find that it becomes trinomial in the low-temperature limit, distinct from the binomial statistics of charge-e transfer in a single-mode nanowire or charge-2 e transfer through a normal-superconductor interface. All even-order correlators of current fluctuations have a universal quantized value, insensitive to disorder and decoherence. These electrical signatures are experimentally accessible, because they persist for temperatures and voltages large compared to the Thouless energy.

Application of Gauss's law space-charge limited emission model in iterative particle tracking method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altsybeyev, V. V.; Ponomarev, V. A.

2016-11-01

The particle tracking method with a so-called gun iteration for modeling the space charge is discussed in the following paper. We suggest to apply the emission model based on the Gauss's law for the calculation of the space charge limited current density distribution using considered method. Based on the presented emission model we have developed a numerical algorithm for this calculations. This approach allows us to perform accurate and low time consumpting numerical simulations for different vacuum sources with the curved emitting surfaces and also in the presence of additional physical effects such as bipolar flows and backscattered electrons. The results of the simulations of the cylindrical diode and diode with elliptical emitter with the use of axysimmetric coordinates are presented. The high efficiency and accuracy of the suggested approach are confirmed by the obtained results and comparisons with the analytical solutions.

Intrinsic limits on resolutions in muon- and electron-neutrino charged-current events in the KM3NeT/ORCA detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adrián-Martínez, S.; Ageron, M.; Aiello, S.; Albert, A.; Ameli, F.; Anassontzis, E. G.; Andre, M.; Androulakis, G.; Anghinolfi, M.; Anton, G.; Ardid, M.; Avgitas, T.; Barbarino, G.; Barbarito, E.; Baret, B.; Barrios-Mart, J.; Belias, A.; Berbee, E.; van den Berg, A.; Bertin, V.; Beurthey, S.; van Beveren, V.; Beverini, N.; Biagi, S.; Biagioni, A.; Billault, M.; Bondì, M.; Bormuth, R.; Bouhadef, B.; Bourlis, G.; Bourret, S.; Boutonnet, C.; Bouwhuis, M.; Bozza, C.; Bruijn, R.; Brunner, J.; Buis, E.; Buompane, R.; Busto, J.; Cacopardo, G.; Caillat, L.; Calamai, M.; Calvo, D.; Capone, A.; Caramete, L.; Cecchini, S.; Celli, S.; Champion, C.; Cherubini, S.; Chiarella, V.; Chiarelli, L.; Chiarusi, T.; Circella, M.; Classen, L.; Cobas, D.; Cocimano, R.; Coelho, J. A. B.; Coleiro, A.; Colonges, S.; Coniglione, R.; Cordelli, M.; Cosquer, A.; Coyle, P.; Creusot, A.; Cuttone, G.; D'Amato, C.; D'Amico, A.; D'Onofrio, A.; De Bonis, G.; De Sio, C.; Di Palma, I.; Díaz, A. F.; Distefano, C.; Donzaud, C.; Dornic, D.; Dorosti-Hasankiadeh, Q.; Drakopoulou, E.; Drouhin, D.; Durocher, M.; Eberl, T.; Eichie, S.; van Eijk, D.; El Bojaddaini, I.; Elsaesser, D.; Enzenhöfer, A.; Favaro, M.; Fermani, P.; Ferrara, G.; Frascadore, G.; Furini, M.; Fusco, L. A.; Gal, T.; Galatà, S.; Garufi, F.; Gay, P.; Gebyehu, M.; Giacomini, F.; Gialanella, L.; Giordano, V.; Gizani, N.; Gracia, R.; Graf, K.; Grégoire, T.; Grella, G.; Grmek, A.; Guerzoni, M.; Habel, R.; Hallmann, S.; van Haren, H.; Harissopulos, S.; Heid, T.; Heijboer, A.; Heine, E.; Henry, S.; Hernández-Rey, J. J.; Hevinga, M.; Hofestädt, J.; Hugon, C. M. F.; Illuminati, G.; James, C. W.; Jansweijerf, P.; Jongen, M.; de Jong, M.; Kadler, M.; Kalekin, O.; Kappes, A.; Katz, U. F.; Keller, P.; Kieft, G.; Kießling, D.; Koffeman, E. N.; Kooijman, P.; Kouchner, A.; Kreter, M.; Kulikovskiy, V.; Lahmann, R.; Lamare, P.; Larosa, G.; Leisos, A.; Leone, F.; Leonora, E.; Lindsey Clark, M.; Liolios, A.; Llorens Alvarez, C. D.; Lo Presti, D.; Löhner, H.; Lonardo, A.; Lotze, M.; Loucatos, S.; Maccioni, E.; Mannheim, K.; Manzali, M.; Margiotta, A.; Margotti, A.; Marinelli, A.; Maris, O.; Markou, C.; Martínez-Mora, J. A.; Martini, A.; Marzaioli, F.; Mele, R.; Melis, K. W.; Michael, T.; Migliozzi, P.; Migneco, E.; Mijakowski, P.; Miraglia, A.; Mollo, C. M.; Mongelli, M.; Morganti, M.; Moussa, A.; Musico, P.; Musumeci, M.; Navas, S.; Nicolau, C. A.; Olcina, I.; Olivetto, C.; Orlando, A.; Orzelli, A.; Pancaldi, G.; Papaikonomou, A.; Papaleo, R.; Păvălas, G. E.; Peek, H.; Pellegrini, G.; Pellegrino, C.; Perrina, C.; Pfutzner, M.; Piattelli, P.; Pikounis, K.; Pleinert, M.-O.; Poma, G. E.; Popa, V.; Pradier, T.; Pratolongo, F.; Pühlhofer, G.; Pulvirenti, S.; Quinn, L.; Racca, C.; Raffaelli, F.; Randazzo, N.; Rauch, T.; Real, D.; Resvanis, L.; Reubelt, J.; Riccobene, G.; Rossi, C.; Rovelli, A.; Saldaña, M.; Salvadori, I.; Samtleben, D. F. E.; Sánchez García, A.; Sánchez Losa, A.; Sanguineti, M.; Santangelo, A.; Santonocito, D.; Sapienza, P.; Schimmel, F.; Schmelling, J.; Schnabel, J.; Sciacca, V.; Sedita, M.; Seitz, T.; Sgura, I.; Simeone, F.; Sipala, V.; Spisso, B.; Spurio, M.; Stavropoulos, G.; Steijger, J.; Stellacci, S. M.; Stransky, D.; Taiuti, M.; Tayalati, Y.; Terrasi, F.; Tézier, D.; Theraube, S.; Timmer, P.; Tönnis, C.; Trasatti, L.; Travaglini, R.; Trovato, A.; Tsirigotis, A.; Tzamarias, S.; Tzamariudaki, E.; Vallage, B.; Van Elewyck, V.; Vermeulen, J.; Versari, F.; Vicini, P.; Viola, S.; Vivolo, D.; Volkert, M.; Wiggers, L.; Wilms, J.; de Wolf, E.; Zachariadou, K.; Zani, S.; Zornoza, J. D.; Zúñiga, J.

2017-05-01

Studying atmospheric neutrino oscillations in the few-GeV range with a multi-megaton detector promises to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy. This is the main science goal pursued by the future KM3NeT/ORCA water Cherenkov detector in the Mediterranean Sea. In this paper, the processes that limit the obtainable resolution in both energy and direction in charged-current neutrino events in the ORCA detector are investigated. These processes include the composition of the hadronic fragmentation products, the subsequent particle propagation and the photon-sampling fraction of the detector. GEANT simulations of neutrino interactions in seawater produced by GENIE are used to study the effects in the 1-20 GeV range. It is found that fluctuations in the hadronic cascade in conjunction with the variation of the inelasticity y are most detrimental to the resolutions. The effect of limited photon sampling in the detector is of significantly less importance. These results will therefore also be applicable to similar detectors/media, such as those in ice. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Charge Transport in Carbon Nanotubes-Polymer Composite Photovoltaic Cells

PubMed Central

Ltaief, Adnen; Bouazizi, Abdelaziz; Davenas, Joel

2009-01-01

We investigate the dark and illuminated current density-voltage (J/V) characteristics of poly(2-methoxy-5-(2’-ethylhexyloxy)1-4-phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV)/single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) composite photovoltaic cells. Using an exponential band tail model, the conduction mechanism has been analysed for polymer only devices and composite devices, in terms of space charge limited current (SCLC) conduction mechanism, where we determine the power parameters and the threshold voltages. Elaborated devices for MEH-PPV:SWNTs (1:1) composites showed a photoresponse with an open-circuit voltage Voc of 0.4 V, a short-circuit current density JSC of 1 µA/cm² and a fill factor FF of 43%. We have modelised the organic photovoltaic devices with an equivalent circuit, where we calculated the series and shunt resistances.

Dc and ac electrical response of MOCVD grown GaN in p-i-n structure, assessed through I-V and admittance measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayarcı Kuruoğlu, Neslihan; Özdemir, Orhan; Bozkurt, Kutsal; Sundaram, Suresh; Salvestrini, Jean-Paul; Ougazzaden, Abdallah; Gaimard, Quentin; Belahsene, Sofiane; Merghem, Kamel; Ramdane, Abderrahim

2017-12-01

The electrical response of gallium nitride (GaN), produced through metal-organic chemical vapor deposition in a p-i-n structure was investigated through temperature-dependent current-voltage (I-V) and admittance measurement. The I-V curves showed double diode behavior together with several distinct regions in which trap-assisted tunnelling current has been identified at low and moderate forward/reverse direction and space charge limited current (SCLC) at large forward/reverse bias. The value of extracted energy (˜200 meV in forward and  ˜70 meV in reverse direction) marked the tunnelling entity as electron and heavy hole in the present structure. These values were also obtained in space charge limited regime and considered as minority carriers which might originate the experimentally observed negative capacitance issue at low frequencies over the junction under both forward and reverse bias directions. Analytically derived expression for the admittance in the revised versions of SCLC model was also applied to explain the inductance effect, yielding good fits to the experimentally measured admittance data.

Impedance of an intense plasma-cathode electron source for tokamak startup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinson, E. T.; Barr, J. L.; Bongard, M. W.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Perry, J. M.

2016-05-01

An impedance model is formulated and tested for the ˜1 kV , 1 kA/cm2 , arc-plasma cathode electron source used for local helicity injection tokamak startup. A double layer sheath is established between the high-density arc plasma ( narc≈1021 m-3 ) within the electron source, and the less dense external tokamak edge plasma ( nedge≈1018 m-3 ) into which current is injected at the applied injector voltage, Vinj . Experiments on the Pegasus spherical tokamak show that the injected current, Iinj , increases with Vinj according to the standard double layer scaling Iinj˜Vinj3 /2 at low current and transitions to Iinj˜Vinj1 /2 at high currents. In this high current regime, sheath expansion and/or space charge neutralization impose limits on the beam density nb˜Iinj/Vinj1 /2 . For low tokamak edge density nedge and high Iinj , the inferred beam density nb is consistent with the requirement nb≤nedge imposed by space-charge neutralization of the beam in the tokamak edge plasma. At sufficient edge density, nb˜narc is observed, consistent with a limit to nb imposed by expansion of the double layer sheath. These results suggest that narc is a viable control actuator for the source impedance.

Rover wheel charging on the lunar surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, Telana L.; Farrell, William M.; Zimmerman, Michael I.

2015-03-01

The environment at the Moon is dynamic, with highly variable solar wind plasma conditions at the lunar dayside, terminator, and night side regions. Moving objects such as rover wheels will charge due to contact electrification with the surface, but the degree of charging is controlled by the local plasma environment. Using a dynamic charging model of a wheel, it is demonstrated herein that moving tires will tribocharge substantially when venturing into plasma-current starved regions such as polar craters or the lunar nightside. The surface regolith distribution and the overall effect on charge accumulation of grains cohesively sticking to the rover tire has been incorporated into the model. It is shown that dust sticking can limit the overall charge accumulated on the system. However charge dissipation times are greatly increased in shadowed regions and can present a potential hazard to astronauts and electrical systems performing extra-vehicular activities. We show that dissipation times change with wheel composition and overall system tribocharging is dependent upon wheel velocity.

Silver-silver sulfate reference electrodes for use in lead-acid batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruetschi, Paul

Electrochemical properties of silver-silver sulfate reference electrodes for lead-acid batteries are described, and the following possible applications discussed: Determination of individual capacities of positive and negative plates. Monitoring individual electrode behavior during deep discharge and cell reversal. Optimization charge or discharge parameters, by controlling the current such that pre-determined limits of positive or negative half-cell potential are respected. Observation of acid concentration differences, for example due to acid stratification, by measuring diffusion potentials (concentration-cell voltages). Detection of defective cells, and defective plate sets, in a string of cells, at the end of their service life. Silver-silver sulfate reference electrodes, permanently installed in lead-acid cells, may be a means to improve battery management, and therewith to improve reliability and service life. In vented batteries, reference electrodes may be used to limit positive plate polarization during charge, or float-charge. Limiting the positive half-cell potential to an upper, pre-set value would permit to keep anodic corrosion as low as possible. During cycling, discharge could be terminated when the half-cell potential of the positive electrode has dropped to a pre-set limit. This would prevent excessive discharge of the positive electrodes, which could result in an improvement of cycle life. In valve-regulated batteries, reference electrodes may be used to adjust float-charge conditions such as to assure sufficient cathodic polarization of the negative electrodes, in order to avoid sulfation. The use of such reference electrodes could be beneficial particularly in multi-cell batteries, with overall voltages above 12 V, operated in a partial-state-of-charge.

Interfacial characteristics and leakage current transfer mechanisms in organometal trihalide perovskite gate-controlled devices via doping of PCBM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yucheng; Zhang, Yuming; Liu, Yintao; Pang, Tiqiang; Hu, Ziyang; Zhu, Yuejin; Luan, Suzhen; Jia, Renxu

2017-11-01

Two types of perovskite (with and without doping of PCBM) based metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) gate-controlled devices were fabricated and characterized. The study of the interfacial characteristics and charge transfer mechanisms by doping of PCBM were analyzed by material and electrical measurements. Doping of PCBM does not affect the size and crystallinity of perovskite films, but has an impact on carrier extraction in perovskite MOS devices. The electrical hysteresis observed in capacitance-voltage and current-voltage measurements can be alleviated by doping of PCBM. Experimental results demonstrate that extremely low trap densities are found for the perovskite device without doping, while the doped sample leads to higher density of interface state. Three mechanisms including Ohm’s law, trap-filled-limit (TFL) emission, and child’s law were used to analyze possible charge transfer mechanisms. Ohm’s law mechanism is well suitable for charge transfer of both the perovskite MOS devices under light condition at large voltage, while TFL emission well addresses the behavior of charge transfer under dark at small voltage. This change of charge transfer mechanism is attributed to the impact of the ion drift within perovskites.

Exciton size and binding energy limitations in one-dimensional organic materials.

PubMed

Kraner, S; Scholz, R; Plasser, F; Koerner, C; Leo, K

2015-12-28

In current organic photovoltaic devices, the loss in energy caused by the charge transfer step necessary for exciton dissociation leads to a low open circuit voltage, being one of the main reasons for rather low power conversion efficiencies. A possible approach to avoid these losses is to tune the exciton binding energy to a value of the order of thermal energy, which would lead to free charges upon absorption of a photon, and therefore increase the power conversion efficiency towards the Shockley-Queisser limit. We determine the size of the excitons for different organic molecules and polymers by time dependent density functional theory calculations. For optically relevant transitions, the exciton size saturates around 0.7 nm for one-dimensional molecules with a size longer than about 4 nm. For the ladder-type polymer poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline), we obtain an exciton binding energy of about 0.3 eV, serving as a lower limit of the exciton binding energy for the organic materials investigated. Furthermore, we show that charge transfer transitions increase the exciton size and thus identify possible routes towards a further decrease of the exciton binding energy.

Atomistic simulation on charge mobility of amorphous tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3): origin of Poole-Frenkel-type behavior.

PubMed

Nagata, Yuki; Lennartz, Christian

2008-07-21

The atomistic simulation of charge transfer process for an amorphous Alq(3) system is reported. By employing electrostatic potential charges, we calculate site energies and find that the standard deviation of site energy distribution is about twice as large as predicted in previous research. The charge mobility is calculated via the Miller-Abrahams formalism and the master equation approach. We find that the wide site energy distribution governs Poole-Frenkel-type behavior of charge mobility against electric field, while the spatially correlated site energy is not a dominant mechanism of Poole-Frenkel behavior in the range from 2x10(5) to 1.4x10(6) V/cm. Also we reveal that randomly meshed connectivities are, in principle, required to account for the Poole-Frenkel mechanism. Charge carriers find a zigzag pathway at low electric field, while they find a straight pathway along electric field when a high electric field is applied. In the space-charge-limited current scheme, the charge-carrier density increases with electric field strength so that the nonlinear behavior of charge mobility is enhanced through the strong charge-carrier density dependence of charge mobility.

Photosensitive space charge limited current in screen printed CdTe thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vyas, C. U.; Pataniya, Pratik; Zankat, Chetan K.; Patel, Alkesh B.; Pathak, V. M.; Patel, K. D.; Solanki, G. K.

2018-05-01

Group II-VI Compounds have emerged out as most suitable in the class of photo sensitive material. They represent a strong position in terms of their applications in the field of detectors as well as photo voltaic devices. Cadmium telluride is the prime member of this Group, because of high acceptance of this material as active component in opto-electronic devices. In this paper we report preparation and characterization of CdTe thin films by using a most economical screen printing technique in association with sintering at 510°C temperature. Surface morphology and smoothness are prime parameters of any deposited to be used as an active region of devices. Thus, we studied of the screen printed thin film by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for this purpose. However, growth processes induced intrinsic defects in fabricated films work as charge traps and affect the conduction process significantly. So the conduction mechanism of deposited CdTe thin film is studied under dark as well as illuminated conditions. It is found that the deposited films showed the space charge limited conduction (SCLC) mechanism and hence various parameters of space charge limited conduction (SCLC) of CdTe film were evaluated and discussed and the photo responsive resistance is also presented in this paper.

Breadboard stellar tracker system test report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kollodge, J. C.; Parrish, K. A.

1984-01-01

BASD has, in the past, developed several unique position tracking algorithms for charge transfer device (CTD) sensors. These algorithms provide an interpixel transfer function with the following characteristics: (1) high linearity; (2) simplified track logic; (3) high gain; and (4) high noise rejection. A previous test program using the GE charge injection device (CID) showed that accuracy for BASD's breadboard was limited to approximately 2% of a pixel (1 sigma) whereas analysis and simulation indicated the limit should be less than 0.5% of a pixel, assuming the limit to be detector response and dark current noise. The test program was conducted under NASA contract No. NAS8-34263. The test approach for that program did not provide sufficient data to identify the sources of error and left open the amount of contribution from parameters such as image distribution, geometric distortion and system alignment errors.

Cool Down Experiences with the SST-1 Helium Cryogenics System before and after Current Feeders System Modification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, R.; Panchal, P.; Panchal, R.; Tank, J.; Mahesuriya, G.; Sonara, D.; Srikanth, G. L. N.; Garg, A.; Bairagi, N.; Christian, D.; Patel, K.; Shah, P.; Nimavat, H.; Sharma, R.; Patel, J. C.; Gupta, N. C.; Prasad, U.; Sharma, A. N.; Tanna, V. L.; Pradhan, S.

The SST-1 machine comprises a superconducting magnet system (SCMS), which includes TF and PF magnets. In order to charge the SCMS, we need superconducting current feeders consisting of SC feeders and vapor cooled current leads (VCCLs). We have installed all 10 (+/-) pairs of VCCLs for the TF and PF systems. While conducting initial engineering validation of the SST-1 machine, our prime objective was to produce circular plasma using only the TF system. During the SST-1 campaign I to VI, we have to stop the PF magnets cooling in order to get the cryo- stable conditions for current charging of the TF magnets system. In that case, the cooling of the PF current leads is not essential. It has been also observed that after aborting the PF system cooling, there was a limited experimental window of TF operation. Therefore, in the recent SST-1 campaign-VII, we removed the PF current leads (9 pairs) and kept only single (+/-) pair of the 10,000 A rated VCCLs to realize the charging of the TF system for the extended window of operation. We have observed a better cryogenic stability in the TF magnets after modifications in the CFS. In this paper, we report the comparison of the cool down performance for the SST-1 machine operation before and after modifications of the current feeders system.

Hybrid finite element and Brownian dynamics method for charged particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huber, Gary A., E-mail: ghuber@ucsd.edu; Miao, Yinglong; Zhou, Shenggao

2016-04-28

Diffusion is often the rate-determining step in many biological processes. Currently, the two main computational methods for studying diffusion are stochastic methods, such as Brownian dynamics, and continuum methods, such as the finite element method. A previous study introduced a new hybrid diffusion method that couples the strengths of each of these two methods, but was limited by the lack of interactions among the particles; the force on each particle had to be from an external field. This study further develops the method to allow charged particles. The method is derived for a general multidimensional system and is presented usingmore » a basic test case for a one-dimensional linear system with one charged species and a radially symmetric system with three charged species.« less

Simulation study on discrete charge effects of SiNW biosensors according to bound target position using a 3D TCAD simulator.

PubMed

Chung, In-Young; Jang, Hyeri; Lee, Jieun; Moon, Hyunggeun; Seo, Sung Min; Kim, Dae Hwan

2012-02-17

We introduce a simulation method for the biosensor environment which treats the semiconductor and the electrolyte region together, using the well-established semiconductor 3D TCAD simulator tool. Using this simulation method, we conduct electrostatic simulations of SiNW biosensors with a more realistic target charge model where the target is described as a charged cube, randomly located across the nanowire surface, and analyze the Coulomb effect on the SiNW FET according to the position and distribution of the target charges. The simulation results show the considerable variation in the SiNW current according to the bound target positions, and also the dependence of conductance modulation on the polarity of target charges. This simulation method and the results can be utilized for analysis of the properties and behavior of the biosensor device, such as the sensing limit or the sensing resolution.

Infinite charge mobility in muscovite at 300 K

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russell, F. Michael; Archilla, Juan F. R.; Frutos, Fabian; Medina-Carrasco, Santiago

2017-11-01

Evidence is presented for infinite charge mobility in natural crystals of muscovite mica at room temperature. Muscovite has a basic layered structure containing a flat monatomic sheet of potassium sandwiched between mirror silicate layers. It is an excellent electrical insulator. Studies of defects in muscovite crystals indicated that positive charge could propagate over great distances along atomic chains in the potassium sheets in the absence of an applied electric potential. The charge moved in association with anharmonic lattice excitations that moved at about sonic speed and created by nuclear recoil of the radioactive isotope 40K. This was verified by measuring currents passing through crystals when irradiated with energetic alpha particles at room temperature. The charge propagated more than 1000 times the range of the alpha particles of average energy and 250 times the range of channelling particles of maximum energy. The range is limited only by size of the crystal.

Charged particle motions in the distended magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Birmingham, T. J.

1982-01-01

Charged particle motion in the guiding center approximation is analyzed for models of the Jovian and Saturnian magnetospheric magnetic fields based on Voyager magnetometer observations. Field lines are traced and exhibit the distention which arises from azimuthally circulating magnetospheric currents. The spatial dependencies of the guiding center bounce period and azimuthal drift rate are investigated for the model fields. Non-dipolar effects in the gradient-curvature drift rate are most important at the equator and affect particles with all mirror latitudes. The effect is a factor of 10-15 for Jupiter with its strong magnetodisc current and 1-2 for Saturn with its more moderate ring current. Limits of adiabaticity, where particle gyroradii become comparable with magnetic scale lengths, are discussed and are shown to occur at quite modest kinetic energies for protons and heavier ions.

Non-perturbative measurement of low-intensity charged particle beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandes, M.; Geithner, R.; Golm, J.; Neubert, R.; Schwickert, M.; Stöhlker, T.; Tan, J.; Welsch, C. P.

2017-01-01

Non-perturbative measurements of low-intensity charged particle beams are particularly challenging to beam diagnostics due to the low amplitude of the induced electromagnetic fields. In the low-energy antiproton decelerator (AD) and the future extra low energy antiproton rings at CERN, an absolute measurement of the beam intensity is essential to monitor the operation efficiency. Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) based cryogenic current comparators (CCC) have been used for measuring slow charged beams in the nA range, showing a very good current resolution. But these were unable to measure fast bunched beams, due to the slew-rate limitation of SQUID devices and presented a strong susceptibility to external perturbations. Here, we present a CCC system developed for the AD machine, which was optimised in terms of its current resolution, system stability, ability to cope with short bunched beams, and immunity to mechanical vibrations. This paper presents the monitor design and the first results from measurements with a low energy antiproton beam obtained in the AD in 2015. These are the first CCC beam current measurements ever performed in a synchrotron machine with both coasting and short bunched beams. It is shown that the system is able to stably measure the AD beam throughout the entire cycle, with a current resolution of 30 {nA}.

Flavor and topological current correlators in parity-invariant three-dimensional QED

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karthik, Nikhil; Narayanan, Rajamani

2017-09-01

We use lattice regularization to study the flow of the flavor-triplet fermion current central charge CJf from its free field value in the ultraviolet limit to its conformal value in the infrared limit of the parity-invariant three-dimensional QED with two flavors of two-component fermions. The dependence of CJf on the scale is weak with a tendency to be below the free field value at intermediate distances. Our numerical data suggest that the flavor-triplet fermion current and the topological current correlators become degenerate within numerical errors in the infrared limit, thereby supporting an enhanced O(4) symmetry predicted by strong self-duality. Further, we demonstrate that fermion dynamics is necessary for the scale-invariant behavior of parity-invariant three-dimensional QED by showing that the pure gauge theory with noncompact gauge action has a nonzero bilinear condensate.

The influence of preferred orientation and poling temperature on the polarization switching current in PZT thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Mi; Zhang, Weikang; Zhang, Zebin; Zhang, Ping; Lan, Kuibo

2017-07-01

In this paper, Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) thin films with different preferred orientation were prepared on platinized silicon substrates by a modified sol-gel method. Our results indicate that the polarization switching current in PZT thin films is dependent on preferred orientation and poling temperature. In our measurements, (111)-oriented PZT has a larger polarization switching current than randomly oriented PZT, and with the increase of the degree of (111) preferred orientation and the poling temperature, the polarization switching current gradually increase. Considering the contact of PZT thin film with electrodes, the space-charged limited conduction (SCLC) combined with domain switching mechanism may be responsible for such phenomena. By analyzing the conduction data, we found the interface-limited Schottky emission (ES) and bulk-limited Poole-Frenkel hopping (PF) are not suitable for our samples.

Emergence of Landauer transport from quantum dynamics: A model Hamiltonian approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pal, Partha Pratim; Ramakrishna, S.; Seideman, Tamar

2018-04-01

The Landauer expression for computing current-voltage characteristics in nanoscale devices is efficient but not suited to transient phenomena and a time-dependent current because it is applicable only when the charge carriers transition into a steady flux after an external perturbation. In this article, we construct a very general expression for time-dependent current in an electrode-molecule-electrode arrangement. Utilizing a model Hamiltonian (consisting of the subsystem energy levels and their electronic coupling terms), we propagate the Schrödinger wave function equation to numerically compute the time-dependent population in the individual subsystems. The current in each electrode (defined in terms of the rate of change of the corresponding population) has two components, one due to the charges originating from the same electrode and the other due to the charges initially residing at the other electrode. We derive an analytical expression for the first component and illustrate that it agrees reasonably with its numerical counterpart at early times. Exploiting the unitary evolution of a wavefunction, we construct a more general Landauer style formula and illustrate the emergence of Landauer transport from our simulations without the assumption of time-independent charge flow. Our generalized Landauer formula is valid at all times for models beyond the wide-band limit, non-uniform electrode density of states and for time and energy-dependent electronic coupling between the subsystems. Subsequently, we investigate the ingredients in our model that regulate the onset time scale of this steady state. We compare the performance of our general current expression with the Landauer current for time-dependent electronic coupling. Finally, we comment on the applicability of the Landauer formula to compute hot-electron current arising upon plasmon decoherence.

Conversion of spin current into charge current in a topological insulator: Role of the interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dey, Rik; Prasad, Nitin; Register, Leonard F.; Banerjee, Sanjay K.

2018-05-01

Three-dimensional spin current density injected onto the surface of a topological insulator (TI) produces a two-dimensional charge current density on the surface of the TI, which is the so-called inverse Edelstein effect (IEE). The ratio of the surface charge current density on the TI to the spin current density injected across the interface defined as the IEE length was shown to be exactly equal to the mean free path in the TI determined to be independent of the electron transmission rate across the interface [Phys. Rev. B 94, 184423 (2016), 10.1103/PhysRevB.94.184423]. However, we find that the transmission rate across the interface gives a nonzero contribution to the transport relaxation rate in the TI as well as to the effective IEE relaxation rate (over and above any surface hybridization effects), and the IEE length is always less than the original mean free path in the TI without the interface. We show that both the IEE relaxation time and the transport relaxation time in the TI are modified by the interface transmission time. The correction becomes significant when the transmission time across the interface becomes comparable to or less than the original momentum scattering time in the TI. This correction is similar to experimental results in Rashba electron systems in which the IEE relaxation time was found shorter in the case of direct interface with metal in which the interface transmission rate will be much higher, compared to interfaces incorporating insulating oxides. Our results indicate the continued importance of the interface to obtain a better spin-to-charge current conversion and a limitation to the conversion efficiency due to the quality of the interface.

Emergence of Landauer transport from quantum dynamics: A model Hamiltonian approach.

PubMed

Pal, Partha Pratim; Ramakrishna, S; Seideman, Tamar

2018-04-14

The Landauer expression for computing current-voltage characteristics in nanoscale devices is efficient but not suited to transient phenomena and a time-dependent current because it is applicable only when the charge carriers transition into a steady flux after an external perturbation. In this article, we construct a very general expression for time-dependent current in an electrode-molecule-electrode arrangement. Utilizing a model Hamiltonian (consisting of the subsystem energy levels and their electronic coupling terms), we propagate the Schrödinger wave function equation to numerically compute the time-dependent population in the individual subsystems. The current in each electrode (defined in terms of the rate of change of the corresponding population) has two components, one due to the charges originating from the same electrode and the other due to the charges initially residing at the other electrode. We derive an analytical expression for the first component and illustrate that it agrees reasonably with its numerical counterpart at early times. Exploiting the unitary evolution of a wavefunction, we construct a more general Landauer style formula and illustrate the emergence of Landauer transport from our simulations without the assumption of time-independent charge flow. Our generalized Landauer formula is valid at all times for models beyond the wide-band limit, non-uniform electrode density of states and for time and energy-dependent electronic coupling between the subsystems. Subsequently, we investigate the ingredients in our model that regulate the onset time scale of this steady state. We compare the performance of our general current expression with the Landauer current for time-dependent electronic coupling. Finally, we comment on the applicability of the Landauer formula to compute hot-electron current arising upon plasmon decoherence.

Safety hazards associated with the charging of lithium/sulfur dioxide cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frank, H.; Halpert, G.; Lawson, D. D.; Barnes, J. A.; Bis, R. F.

1986-01-01

A continuing research program to assess the responses of spirally wound, lithium/sulfur dioxide cells to charging as functions of charging current, temperature, and cell condition prior to charging is described. Partially discharged cells that are charged at currents greater than one ampere explode with the time to explosion inversely proportional to the charging current. Cells charged at currents of less than one ampere may fail in one of several modes. The data allows an empirical prediction of when certain cells will fail given a constant charging current.

Influence of hydrogen on formability and bendability of DP1180 steel for car body application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Q.; Han, F.; Wortberg, D.; Bleck, W.; Liewald, M.

2016-11-01

In order to reach future light weight targets, it is increasing necessary to use advanced high strength steels with tensile strength 980 MPa or higher in automotive body-inwhite structures. Due to the sensitivity to hydrogen embrittlement and the limited understanding of various aspects of hydrogen embrittlement on processing and function, the wide application of these steels is still limited. In the current work, the influence of hydrogen on the multiaxial forming behavior was investigated by determining the forming limit curve and bending limit curve of DP1180 steel. Hydrogen concentration in the material was modified by cathodic charging. Then Nakajima tests on hydrogen uncharged and pre-charged samples were carried out in order to adjust and study different strain states resulting in the forming limit curve. In the study of bending limit curve, the steel sheets were pre-strained by Marciniak test. Bending load on the uncharged and pre-charged samples was introduced by VDA238-100 bending tests. The experimental results indicated that the presence of hydrogen affected the formability and bendability of DP1180 steel. A clear difference in the influence of hydrogen at different strain states was observed. When formed in a biaxial strain state via the Nakajima test, the material showed the highest degradation in formability. Moreover, the samples with biaxial pre-loading showed more degradation in bendability comparing to those pre-strained in plane strain and uni-axial paths. Fractography by scanning electron microscope gave evidence of hydrogen-induced cleavage fracture on pre-charged Nakajima samples. Thus this investigation improves the understanding of influences of hydrogen on forming processes and provides important evidence for further studies on HE susceptibility of AHSS for the application on car body constructions.

Measuring electrically charged particle fluxes in space using a fiber optic loop sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The purpose of this program was to demonstrate the potential of a fiber optic loop sensor for the measurement of electrically charged particle fluxes in space. The key elements of the sensor are a multiple turn loop of low birefringence, single mode fiber, with a laser diode light source, and a low noise optical receiver. The optical receiver is designed to be shot noise limited, with this being the limiting sensitivity factor for the sensor. The sensing element is the fiber optic loop. Under a magnetic field from an electric current flowing along the axis of the loop, there is a non-vanishing line integral along the fiber optic loop. This causes a net birefringence producing two states of polarization whose phase difference is correlated to magnetic field strength and thus, current in the optical receiver electronic processing. The objectives in this program were to develop a prototype laser diode powered fiber optic sensor. The performance specification of a minimum detectable current density of 1 (mu)amp/sq m-(radical)Hz, should be at the shot noise limit of the detection electronics. OPTRA has successfully built and tested a 3.2 m diameter loop with 137 turns of low birefringence optical fiber and achieved a minimum detectable current density of 5.4 x 10(exp-5) amps/(radical)Hz. If laboratory space considerations were not an issue, with the length of optical fiber available to us, we would have achieved a minimum detectable current density of 4 x 10(exp -7) amps/(radical)Hz.

The Structural Basis of IKs Ion-Channel Activation: Mechanistic Insights from Molecular Simulations.

PubMed

Ramasubramanian, Smiruthi; Rudy, Yoram

2018-06-05

Relating ion channel (iCh) structural dynamics to physiological function remains a challenge. Current experimental and computational techniques have limited ability to explore this relationship in atomistic detail over physiological timescales. A framework associating iCh structure to function is necessary for elucidating normal and disease mechanisms. We formulated a modeling schema that overcomes the limitations of current methods through applications of artificial intelligence machine learning. Using this approach, we studied molecular processes that underlie human IKs voltage-mediated gating. IKs malfunction underlies many debilitating and life-threatening diseases. Molecular components of IKs that underlie its electrophysiological function include KCNQ1 (a pore-forming tetramer) and KCNE1 (an auxiliary subunit). Simulations, using the IKs structure-function model, reproduced experimentally recorded saturation of gating-charge displacement at positive membrane voltages, two-step voltage sensor (VS) movement shown by fluorescence, iCh gating statistics, and current-voltage relationship. Mechanistic insights include the following: 1) pore energy profile determines iCh subconductance; 2) the entire protein structure, not limited to the pore, contributes to pore energy and channel subconductance; 3) interactions with KCNE1 result in two distinct VS movements, causing gating-charge saturation at positive membrane voltages and current activation delay; and 4) flexible coupling between VS and pore permits pore opening at lower VS positions, resulting in sequential gating. The new modeling approach is applicable to atomistic scale studies of other proteins on timescales of physiological function. Copyright © 2018 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improved understanding of the hot cathode current modes and mode transitions [Mechanism of the hot cathode current mode transitions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Campanell, Michael D.; Umansky, M. V.

Hot cathodes are crucial components in a variety of plasma sources and applications, but they induce mode transitions and oscillations that are not fully understood. It is often assumed that negatively biased hot cathodes have a space-charge limited (SCL) sheath whenever the current is limited. Here, we show on theoretical grounds that a SCL sheath cannot persist. First, charge-exchange ions born within the virtual cathode (VC) region get trapped and build up. After the ion density reaches the electron density at a point in the VC, a new neutral region is formed and begins growing in space. In planar geometry,more » this 'new plasma' containing cold trapped ions and cold thermoelectrons grows towards the anode and fills the gap, leaving behind an inverse cathode sheath. This explains how transitions from temperature-limited mode to anode glow mode occur in thermionic discharge experiments with magnetic fields. If the hot cathode is a small filament in an unmagnetized plasma, the trapped ion region is predicted to grow radially in both directions, get expelled if it reaches the cathode, and reform periodically. Filament-induced current oscillations consistent with this prediction have been reported in experiments. Here, we set up planar geometry simulations of thermionic discharges and demonstrate several mode transition phenomena for the first time. Lastly, our continuum kinetic code lacks the noise of particle simulations, enabling a closer study of the temporal dynamics.« less

Improved understanding of the hot cathode current modes and mode transitions [Mechanism of the hot cathode current mode transitions

DOE PAGES

Campanell, Michael D.; Umansky, M. V.

2017-11-22

Hot cathodes are crucial components in a variety of plasma sources and applications, but they induce mode transitions and oscillations that are not fully understood. It is often assumed that negatively biased hot cathodes have a space-charge limited (SCL) sheath whenever the current is limited. Here, we show on theoretical grounds that a SCL sheath cannot persist. First, charge-exchange ions born within the virtual cathode (VC) region get trapped and build up. After the ion density reaches the electron density at a point in the VC, a new neutral region is formed and begins growing in space. In planar geometry,more » this 'new plasma' containing cold trapped ions and cold thermoelectrons grows towards the anode and fills the gap, leaving behind an inverse cathode sheath. This explains how transitions from temperature-limited mode to anode glow mode occur in thermionic discharge experiments with magnetic fields. If the hot cathode is a small filament in an unmagnetized plasma, the trapped ion region is predicted to grow radially in both directions, get expelled if it reaches the cathode, and reform periodically. Filament-induced current oscillations consistent with this prediction have been reported in experiments. Here, we set up planar geometry simulations of thermionic discharges and demonstrate several mode transition phenomena for the first time. Lastly, our continuum kinetic code lacks the noise of particle simulations, enabling a closer study of the temporal dynamics.« less

Limitations on energy resolution of segmented silicon detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiącek, P.; Chudyba, M.; Fiutowski, T.; Dąbrowski, W.

2018-04-01

In the paper experimental study of charge division effects and energy resolution of X-ray silicon pad detectors are presented. The measurements of electrical parameters, capacitances and leakage currents, for six different layouts of pad arrays are reported. The X-ray spectra have been measured using a custom developed dedicated low noise front-end electronics. The spectra measured for six different detector layouts have been analysed in detail with particular emphasis on quantitative evaluation of charge division effects. Main components of the energy resolution due to Fano fluctuations, electronic noise, and charge division, have been estimated for six different sensor layouts. General recommendations regarding optimisation of pad sensor layout for achieving best possible energy resolution have been formulated.

Experiments in charge control at geosynchronous orbit - ATS-5 and ATS-6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olsen, R. C.

1985-01-01

In connection with existing theoretical concepts, it was difficult to explain the negative potentials found in sunlight, first on Applied Technology Satellite-5 (ATS-5) and then on ATS-6. The problem became important when an association between spacecraft charging and anomalies in spacecraft behavior was observed. A study of daylight charging phenomena on ATS-6 was conducted, and an investigation was performed with the objective to determine effective methods of charge control, taking into account the feasibility to utilize the ATS-5 and ATS-6 ion engines as current sources. In the present paper, data and analysis for the ion engine experiments on ATS-5 and ATS-6 are presented. It is shown that electron emission from a satellite with insulating surfaces is not an effective method of charge control because the increase in differential charging which results limits the effectiveness of electron emitters and increases the possibility of electrostatic discharges between surfaces at different potentials.

Modeling and simulation performance of photovoltaic system integration battery and supercapacitor paralellization of MPPT prototipe for solar vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ajiatmo, Dwi; Robandi, Imam

2017-03-01

This paper proposes a control scheme photovoltaic, battery and super capacitor connected in parallel for use in a solar vehicle. Based on the features of battery charging, the control scheme consists of three modes, namely, mode dynamic irradian, constant load mode and constant voltage charging mode. The shift of the three modes can be realized by controlling the duty cycle of the mosffet Boost converter system. Meanwhile, the high voltage which is more suitable for the application can be obtained. Compared with normal charging method with parallel connected current limiting detention and charging method with dynamic irradian mode, constant load mode and constant voltage charging mode, the control scheme is proposed to shorten the charging time and increase the use of power generated from the PV array. From the simulation results and analysis conducted to determine the performance of the system in state transient and steady-state by using simulation software Matlab / Simulink. Response simulation results demonstrate the suitability of the proposed concept.

Cross-tail current - Resonant orbits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaufmann, Richard L.; Lu, Chen

1993-01-01

A technique to generate self-consistent 1D current sheets is described. Groups of monoenergetic protons were followed in a modified Harris magnetic field. This sample current sheet is characterized by resonant quasi-adiabatic orbits. The magnetic moment of a quasi-adiabatic ion which is injected from outside a current sheet changes substantially during the orbit but returns to almost its initial value by the time the ion leaves. Several ion and electron groups were combined to produce a plasma sheet in which the charged particles carry the currents needed to generate the magnetic field in which the orbits were traced. An electric field also is required to maintain charge neutrality. Three distinct orbit types, one involving untrapped ions and two composed of trapped ions, were identified. Limitations associated with the use of a 1D model also were investigated; it can provide a good physical picture of an important component of the cross-tail current, but cannot adequately describe any region of the magnetotail in which the principal current sheet is separated from the plasma sheet boundary layer by a nearly isotropic outer position of the central plasma sheet.

Components of gating charge movement and S4 voltage-sensor exposure during activation of hERG channels.

PubMed

Wang, Zhuren; Dou, Ying; Goodchild, Samuel J; Es-Salah-Lamoureux, Zeineb; Fedida, David

2013-04-01

The human ether-á-go-go-related gene (hERG) K(+) channel encodes the pore-forming α subunit of the rapid delayed rectifier current, IKr, and has unique activation gating kinetics, in that the α subunit of the channel activates and deactivates very slowly, which focuses the role of IKr current to a critical period during action potential repolarization in the heart. Despite its physiological importance, fundamental mechanistic properties of hERG channel activation gating remain unclear, including how voltage-sensor movement rate limits pore opening. Here, we study this directly by recording voltage-sensor domain currents in mammalian cells for the first time and measuring the rates of voltage-sensor modification by [2-(trimethylammonium)ethyl] methanethiosulfonate chloride (MTSET). Gating currents recorded from hERG channels expressed in mammalian tsA201 cells using low resistance pipettes show two charge systems, defined as Q(1) and Q(2), with V(1/2)'s of -55.7 (equivalent charge, z = 1.60) and -54.2 mV (z = 1.30), respectively, with the Q(2) charge system carrying approximately two thirds of the overall gating charge. The time constants for charge movement at 0 mV were 2.5 and 36.2 ms for Q(1) and Q(2), decreasing to 4.3 ms for Q(2) at +60 mV, an order of magnitude faster than the time constants of ionic current appearance at these potentials. The voltage and time dependence of Q2 movement closely correlated with the rate of MTSET modification of I521C in the outermost region of the S4 segment, which had a V(1/2) of -64 mV and time constants of 36 ± 8.5 ms and 11.6 ± 6.3 ms at 0 and +60 mV, respectively. Modeling of Q(1) and Q(2) charge systems showed that a minimal scheme of three transitions is sufficient to account for the experimental findings. These data point to activation steps further downstream of voltage-sensor movement that provide the major delays to pore opening in hERG channels.

The electrification of stratiform anvils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boccippio, Dennis J.

1997-10-01

Stratiform precipitation regions accompany convective activity on many spatial scales. The electrification of these regions is anomalous in a number of ways. Surface and above-cloud fields are often 'inverted' from normal thunderstorm conditions. Unusually large, bright, horizontal 'spider' lightning and high current and charge transfer positive cloud-to-ground (CC) lightning dominates in these regions. Mesospheric 'red sprite' emissions have to date been observed exclusively over stratiform cloud shields. We postulate that a dominant 'inverted dipole' charge structure may account for this anomalous electrification. This is based upon laboratory observations of charge separation which show that in low liquid water content (LWC) environments, or dry but ice- supersaturated environments, precipitation ice tends to charge positively (instead of negatively) upon collision with smaller crystals. Under typical stratiform cloud conditions, liquid water should be depleted and this charging regime favored. An inverted dipole would be the natural consequence of large-scale charge separation (net flux divergence of charged ice), given typical hydrometeor profiles. The inverted dipole hypothesis is tested using radar and electrical observations of four weakly organized, late- stage systems in Orlando, Albuquerque and the Western Pacific. Time-evolving, area-average vertical velocity profiles are inferred from single Doppler radar data. These profiles provide the forcing for a 1-D steady state micro-physical retrieval, which yields vertical hydrometeor profiles and ice/water saturation conditions. The retrieved microphysical parameters are then combined with laboratory charge transfer measurements to infer the instantaneous charging behavior of the systems. Despite limitations in the analysis technique, the retrievals yield useful results. Total charge transfer drops only modestly as the storm enters the late (stratiform) stage, suggesting a continued active generator is plausible. Generator currents show an enhanced lowermost inverted dipole charging structure, which we may infer will result in a comparable inverted dipole charge structure, consistent with surface, in-situ and remote observations. Fine-scale vertical variations in ice and liquid water content may yield multipolar generator current profiles, despite unipolar charge transfer regimes. This suggests that multipoles observed in balloon soundings may not necessarily conflict with the simple ice-ice collisional charge separation mechanism. Overall, the results are consistent with, but not proof of, the inverted dipole model. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253- 1690.)

Finite-element 3D simulation tools for high-current relativistic electron beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humphries, Stanley; Ekdahl, Carl

2002-08-01

The DARHT second-axis injector is a challenge for computer simulations. Electrons are subject to strong beam-generated forces. The fields are fully three-dimensional and accurate calculations at surfaces are critical. We describe methods applied in OmniTrak, a 3D finite-element code suite that can address DARHT and the full range of charged-particle devices. The system handles mesh generation, electrostatics, magnetostatics and self-consistent particle orbits. The MetaMesh program generates meshes of conformal hexahedrons to fit any user geometry. The code has the unique ability to create structured conformal meshes with cubic logic. Organized meshes offer advantages in speed and memory utilization in the orbit and field solutions. OmniTrak is a versatile charged-particle code that handles 3D electric and magnetic field solutions on independent meshes. The program can update both 3D field solutions from the calculated beam space-charge and current-density. We shall describe numerical methods for orbit tracking on a hexahedron mesh. Topics include: 1) identification of elements along the particle trajectory, 2) fast searches and adaptive field calculations, 3) interpolation methods to terminate orbits on material surfaces, 4) automatic particle generation on multiple emission surfaces to model space-charge-limited emission and field emission, 5) flexible Child law algorithms, 6) implementation of the dual potential model for 3D magnetostatics, and 7) assignment of charge and current from model particle orbits for self-consistent fields.

Studies of Ion Beam Charge Neutralization by Ferroelectric Plasma Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stepanov, A.; Gilson, E. P.; Grisham, L.; Davidson, R. C.

2013-10-01

Space-charge forces limit the possible transverse compression of high perveance ion beams that are used in ion-beam-driven high energy density physics applications; the minimum radius to which a beam can be focused is an increasing function of perveance. The limit can be overcome if a plasma is introduced in the beam path between the focusing element and the target in order to neutralize the space charge of the beam. This concept has been implemented on the Neutralized Drift Compression eXperiment (NDCX) at LBNL using Ferroelectric Plasma Sources (FEPS). In our experiment at PPPL, we propagate a perveance-dominated ion beam through a FEPS to study the effect of the neutralizing plasma on the beam envelope and its evolution in time. A 30-60 keV space-charge-dominated Argon beam is focused with an Einzel lens into a FEPS located at the beam waist. The beam is intercepted downstream from the FEPS by a movable Faraday cup that provides time-resolved 2D current density profiles of the beam spot on target. We report results on: (a) dependence of charge neutralization on FEPS plasma density; (b) effects on beam emittance, and (c) time evolution of the beam envelope after the FEPS pulse. Research supported by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Hopping transport in the space-charge region of p-n structures with InGaN/GaN QWs as a source of excess 1/f noise and efficiency droop in LEDs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bochkareva, N. I.; Ivanov, A. M.; Klochkov, A. V.

2015-06-15

It is shown that the emission efficiency and the 1/f noise level in light-emitting diodes with InGaN/GaN quantum wells correlate with how the differential resistance of a diode varies with increasing current. Analysis of the results shows that hopping transport via defect states across the n-type part of the space-charge region results in limitation of the current by the tunneling resistance at intermediate currents and shunting of the n-type barrier at high currents. The increase in the average number of tunneling electrons suppresses the 1/f current noise at intermediate currents. The strong growth in the density of current noise atmore » high currents, S{sub J} ∝ J{sup 3}, is attributed to a decrease in the average number of tunneling electrons as the n-type barrier decreases in height and width with increasing forward bias. The tunneling-recombination leakage current along extended defects grows faster than the tunneling injection current, which leads to emission efficiency droop.« less

Amorphous and Polycrystalline Photoconductors for Direct Conversion Flat Panel X-Ray Image Sensors

PubMed Central

Kasap, Safa; Frey, Joel B.; Belev, George; Tousignant, Olivier; Mani, Habib; Greenspan, Jonathan; Laperriere, Luc; Bubon, Oleksandr; Reznik, Alla; DeCrescenzo, Giovanni; Karim, Karim S.; Rowlands, John A.

2011-01-01

In the last ten to fifteen years there has been much research in using amorphous and polycrystalline semiconductors as x-ray photoconductors in various x-ray image sensor applications, most notably in flat panel x-ray imagers (FPXIs). We first outline the essential requirements for an ideal large area photoconductor for use in a FPXI, and discuss how some of the current amorphous and polycrystalline semiconductors fulfill these requirements. At present, only stabilized amorphous selenium (doped and alloyed a-Se) has been commercialized, and FPXIs based on a-Se are particularly suitable for mammography, operating at the ideal limit of high detective quantum efficiency (DQE). Further, these FPXIs can also be used in real-time, and have already been used in such applications as tomosynthesis. We discuss some of the important attributes of amorphous and polycrystalline x-ray photoconductors such as their large area deposition ability, charge collection efficiency, x-ray sensitivity, DQE, modulation transfer function (MTF) and the importance of the dark current. We show the importance of charge trapping in limiting not only the sensitivity but also the resolution of these detectors. Limitations on the maximum acceptable dark current and the corresponding charge collection efficiency jointly impose a practical constraint that many photoconductors fail to satisfy. We discuss the case of a-Se in which the dark current was brought down by three orders of magnitude by the use of special blocking layers to satisfy the dark current constraint. There are also a number of polycrystalline photoconductors, HgI2 and PbO being good examples, that show potential for commercialization in the same way that multilayer stabilized a-Se x-ray photoconductors were developed for commercial applications. We highlight the unique nature of avalanche multiplication in a-Se and how it has led to the development of the commercial HARP video-tube. An all solid state version of the HARP has been recently demonstrated with excellent avalanche gains; the latter is expected to lead to a number of novel imaging device applications that would be quantum noise limited. While passive pixel sensors use one TFT (thin film transistor) as a switch at the pixel, active pixel sensors (APSs) have two or more transistors and provide gain at the pixel level. The advantages of APS based x-ray imagers are also discussed with examples. PMID:22163893

Preventing light-induced degradation in multicrystalline silicon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lindroos, J., E-mail: jeanette.lindroos@aalto.fi; Boulfrad, Y.; Yli-Koski, M.

2014-04-21

Multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) is currently dominating the silicon solar cell market due to low ingot costs, but its efficiency is limited by transition metals, extended defects, and light-induced degradation (LID). LID is traditionally associated with a boron-oxygen complex, but the origin of the degradation in the top of the commercial mc-Si brick is revealed to be interstitial copper. We demonstrate that both a large negative corona charge and an aluminum oxide thin film with a built-in negative charge decrease the interstitial copper concentration in the bulk, preventing LID in mc-Si.

Numerical simulations of the charged-particle flow dynamics for sources with a curved emission surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altsybeyev, V. V.

2016-12-01

The implementation of numerical methods for studying the dynamics of particle flows produced by pulsed sources is discussed. A particle tracking method with so-called gun iteration for simulations of beam dynamics is used. For the space charge limited emission problem, we suggest a Gauss law emission model for precise current-density calculation in the case of a curvilinear emitter. The results of numerical simulations of particle-flow formation for cylindrical bipolar diode and for diode with elliptical emitter are presented.

Preventing light-induced degradation in multicrystalline silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindroos, J.; Boulfrad, Y.; Yli-Koski, M.; Savin, H.

2014-04-01

Multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) is currently dominating the silicon solar cell market due to low ingot costs, but its efficiency is limited by transition metals, extended defects, and light-induced degradation (LID). LID is traditionally associated with a boron-oxygen complex, but the origin of the degradation in the top of the commercial mc-Si brick is revealed to be interstitial copper. We demonstrate that both a large negative corona charge and an aluminum oxide thin film with a built-in negative charge decrease the interstitial copper concentration in the bulk, preventing LID in mc-Si.

Electrical Investigation of Nanostructured Fe2O3/p-Si Heterojunction Diode Fabricated Using the Sol-Gel Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansour, Shehab A.; Ibrahim, Mervat M.

2017-11-01

Iron oxide (α-Fe2O3) nanocrystals have been synthesized via the sol-gel technique. The structural and morphological features of these nanocrystals were studied using x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Colloidal solution of synthesized α-Fe2O3 (hematite) was spin-coated onto a single-crystal p-type silicon (p-Si) wafer to fabricate a heterojunction diode with Mansourconfiguration Ag/Fe2O3/p-Si/Al. This diode was electrically characterized at room temperature using current-voltage (I-V) characteristics in the voltage range from -9 V to +9 V. The fabricated diode showed a good rectification behavior with a rectification factor 1.115 × 102 at 6 V. The junction parameters such as ideality factor, barrier height, series resistance and shunt resistance are determined using conventional I-V characteristics. For low forward voltage, the conduction mechanism is dominated by the defect-assisted tunneling process with conventional electron-hole recombination. However, at higher voltage, I-V ohmic and space charge-limited current conduction was became less effective with the contribution of the trapped-charge-limited current at the highest voltage range.

Cosmological magnetic fields from inflation in extended electromagnetism

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beltran Jimenez, Jose; Maroto, Antonio L.

2011-01-15

In this work we consider an extended electromagnetic theory in which the scalar state which is usually eliminated by means of the Lorenz condition is allowed to propagate. This state has been shown to generate a small cosmological constant in the context of standard inflationary cosmology. Here we show that the usual Lorenz gauge-breaking term now plays the role of an effective electromagnetic current. Such a current is generated during inflation from quantum fluctuations and gives rise to a stochastic effective charge density distribution. Because of the high electric conductivity of the cosmic plasma after inflation, the electric charge densitymore » generates currents which give rise to both vorticity and magnetic fields on sub-Hubble scales. Present upper limits on vorticity coming from temperature anisotropies of the CMB are translated into lower limits on the present value of cosmic magnetic fields. We find that, for a nearly scale invariant vorticity spectrum, magnetic fields B{sub {lambda}>}10{sup -12} G are typically generated with coherence lengths ranging from subgalactic scales up to the present Hubble radius. Those fields could act as seeds for a galactic dynamo or even account for observations just by collapse and differential rotation of the protogalactic cloud.« less

High rectification in organic diodes based on liquid crystalline phthalocyanines.

PubMed

Apostol, Petru; Eccher, Juliana; Dotto, Marta Elisa Rosso; Costa, Cassiano Batesttin; Cazati, Thiago; Hillard, Elizabeth A; Bock, Harald; Bechtold, Ivan H

2015-12-28

The optical and electrical properties of mesogenic metal-free and metalated phthalocyanines (PCs) with a moderately sized and regioregular alkyl periphery were investigated. In solution, the individualized molecules show fluorescence lifetimes of 4-6 ns in THF. When deposited as solid thin films the materials exhibit significantly shorter fluorescence lifetimes with bi-exponential decay (1.4-1.8 ns; 0.2-0.4 ns) that testify to the formation of aggregates viaπ-π intermolecular interactions. In diode structures, their pronounced columnar order outbalances the unfavorable planar alignment and leads to excellent rectification behavior. Field-dependent charge carrier mobilities are obtained from the J-V curves in the trap-limited space-charge-limited current regime and demonstrate that the metalated PCs display an improved electrical response with respect to the metal-free homologue. The excited-state lifetime characterization suggest that the π-π intermolecular interactions are stronger for the metal-free PC, confirming that the metallic centre plays an important role in the charge transport inside these materials.

Connecting dark matter annihilation to the vertex functions of Standard Model fermions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kumar, Jason; Light, Christopher, E-mail: jkumar@hawaii.edu, E-mail: lightc@hawaii.edu

We consider scenarios in which dark matter is a Majorana fermion which couples to Standard Model fermions through the exchange of charged mediating particles. The matrix elements for various dark matter annihilation processes are then related to one-loop corrections to the fermion-photon vertex, where dark matter and the charged mediators run in the loop. In particular, in the limit where Standard Model fermion helicity mixing is suppressed, the cross section for dark matter annihilation to various final states is related to corrections to the Standard Model fermion charge form factor. These corrections can be extracted in a gauge-invariant manner frommore » collider cross sections. Although current measurements from colliders are not precise enough to provide useful constraints on dark matter annihilation, improved measurements at future experiments, such as the International Linear Collider, could improve these constraints by several orders of magnitude, allowing them to surpass the limits obtainable by direct observation.« less

Improved understanding of the hot cathode current modes and mode transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campanell, M. D.; Umansky, M. V.

2017-12-01

Hot cathodes are crucial components in a variety of plasma sources and applications, but they induce mode transitions and oscillations that are not fully understood. It is often assumed that negatively biased hot cathodes have a space-charge limited (SCL) sheath whenever the current is limited. Here, we show on theoretical grounds that a SCL sheath cannot persist. First, charge-exchange ions born within the virtual cathode (VC) region get trapped and build up. After the ion density reaches the electron density at a point in the VC, a new neutral region is formed and begins growing in space. In planar geometry, this ‘new plasma’ containing cold trapped ions and cold thermoelectrons grows towards the anode and fills the gap, leaving behind an inverse cathode sheath. This explains how transitions from temperature-limited mode to anode glow mode occur in thermionic discharge experiments with magnetic fields. If the hot cathode is a small filament in an unmagnetized plasma, the trapped ion region is predicted to grow radially in both directions, get expelled if it reaches the cathode, and reform periodically. Filament-induced current oscillations consistent with this prediction have been reported in experiments. Here, we set up planar geometry simulations of thermionic discharges and demonstrate several mode transition phenomena for the first time. Our continuum kinetic code lacks the noise of particle simulations, enabling a closer study of the temporal dynamics.

Simulations with current constraints of ELM-induced tungsten melt motion in ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thorén, E.; Bazylev, B.; Ratynskaia, S.; Tolias, P.; Krieger, K.; Pitts, R. A.; Pestchanyi, S.; Komm, M.; Sieglin, B.; the EUROfusion MST1 Team; the ASDEX Upgrade Team

2017-12-01

Melt motion simulations of recent ASDEX Upgrade experiments on transient-induced melting of a tungsten leading edge during ELMing H-mode are performed with the incompressible fluid dynamics code MEMOS 3D. The total current flowing through the sample was measured in these experiments providing an important constraint for the simulations since thermionic emission is considered to be responsible for the replacement current driving melt motion. To allow for a reliable comparison, the description of the space-charge limited regime of thermionic emission has been updated in the code. The effect of non-periodic aspects of the spatio-temporal heat flux in the temperature distribution and melt characteristics as well as the importance of current limitation are investigated. The results are compared with measurements of the total current and melt profile.

Too expensive to meter: the influence of transaction costs in transportation and communication.

PubMed

Levinson, David; Odlyzko, Andrew

2008-06-13

Technology appears to be making fine-scale charging (as in tolls on roads that depend on time of day or even on current and anticipated levels of congestion) increasingly feasible. Such charging also appears to be increasingly desirable, as traffic on roads continues to grow and costs and public opposition limit new construction. Similar incentives towards fine-scale charging also appear to be operating in communications and other areas, such as electricity usage. Standard economic theory supports such measures and technology is being developed and deployed to implement them. But their spread is not very rapid and their prospects for the future are uncertain. This paper presents a collection of sketches, ranging from ancient history to very recent developments, that illustrate the costs that charging imposes. Some of those costs are explicit (in terms of the monetary costs to users and the costs of implementing the charging mechanisms). Others are implicit, such as the time or the mental processing costs of users. These argue that the case for fine-scale charging is not unambiguous and that in many cases such charging may lead to undesirable outcomes.

Investigation of diocotron modes in toroidally trapped electron plasmas using non-destructive method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lachhvani, Lavkesh; Pahari, Sambaran; Sengupta, Sudip; Yeole, Yogesh G.; Bajpai, Manu; Chattopadhyay, P. K.

2017-10-01

Experiments with trapped electron plasmas in a SMall Aspect Ratio Toroidal device (SMARTEX-C) have demonstrated a flute-like mode represented by oscillations on capacitive (wall) probes. Although analogous to diocotron mode observed in linear electron traps, the mode evolution in toroids can have interesting consequences due to the presence of in-homogeneous magnetic field. In SMARTEX-C, the probe signals are observed to undergo transition from small, near-sinusoidal oscillations to large amplitude, non-linear "double-peaked" oscillations. To interpret the wall probe signal and bring forth the dynamics, an expression for the induced current on the probe for an oscillating charge is derived, utilizing Green's Reciprocation Theorem. Equilibrium position, poloidal velocity of the charge cloud, and charge content of the cloud, required to compute the induced current, are estimated from the experiments. Signal through capacitive probes is thereby computed numerically for possible charge cloud trajectories. In order to correlate with experiments, starting with an intuitive guess of the trajectory, the model is evolved and tweaked to arrive at a signal consistent with experimentally observed probe signals. A possible vortex like dynamics is predicted, hitherto unexplored in toroidal geometries, for a limited set of experimental observations from SMARTEX-C. Though heuristic, a useful interpretation of capacitive probe data in terms of charge cloud dynamics is obtained.

On the correct interpretation of the low voltage regime in intrinsic single-carrier devices.

PubMed

Röhr, Jason A; Kirchartz, Thomas; Nelson, Jenny

2017-05-24

We discuss the approach of determining the charge-carrier density of a single-carrier device by combining Ohm's law and the Mott-Gurney law. We show that this approach is seldom valid, due to the fact that whenever Ohm's law is applicable the Mott-Gurney law is usually not, and vice versa. We do this using a numerical drift-diffusion solver to calculate the current density-voltage curves and the charge-carrier density, with increasing doping concentration. As this doping concentration is increased to very large values, using Ohm's law becomes a sensible way of measuring the product of mobility and doping density in the sample. However, in the high-doping limit, the current is no longer governed by space-charge and it will no longer be possible to determine the charge-carrier mobility using the Mott-Gurney law. This leaves the value for the mobility as an unknown in the mobility-doping density product in Ohm's law. We also show that, when the charge-carrier mobility for an intrinsic semiconductor is known in advance, the carrier density is underestimated up to many orders of magnitude if Ohm's law is used. We finally seek to establish a window of conditions where the two methods can be combined to yield reasonable results.

Anomalous charge storage exponents of organic bulk heterojunction solar cells.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nair, Pradeep; Dwivedi, Raaz; Kumar, Goutam; Dept of Electrical Engineering, IIT Bombay Team

2013-03-01

Organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) devices are increasingly being researched for low cost solar energy conversion. The efficiency of such solar cells is dictated by various recombination processes involved. While it is well known that the ideality factor and hence the charge storage exponents of conventional PN junction diodes are influenced by the recombination processes, the same aspects are not so well understood for organic solar cells. While dark currents of such devices typically show an ideality factor of 1 (after correcting for shunt resistance effects, if any), surprisingly, a wide range of charge storage exponents for such devices are reported in literature alluding to apparent concentration dependence for bi-molecular recombination rates. In this manuscript we critically analyze the role of bi-molecular recombination processes on charge storage exponents of organic solar cells. Our results indicate that the charge storage exponents are fundamentally influenced by the electrostatics and recombination processes and can be correlated to the dark current ideality factors. We believe that our findings are novel, and advance the state-of the art understanding on various recombination processes that dictate the performance limits of organic solar cells. The authors would like to thank the Centre of Excellence in Nanoelectronics (CEN) and the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE), IIT Bombay for computational and financial support

A comparison of current-voltage relationships of collectors in the earth's ionosphere with and without electron beam emission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, Neil B.; Raitt, W. John; Gilchrist, Brian E.; Banks, Peter M.; Neubert, Torsten

1989-01-01

Currents measurements obtained by the two sections of the Cooperative High Altitude Rocket Gun Experiment-2 sounding rocket, a mother vehicle carrying a 1-keV electron gun and a daughter vehicle tethered to the mother, are compared with the results of previous models of current collection by a charged conductor in a plasma. The current collection of the daughter vehicle, a conducting body in the ionosphere, is found to agree with the Parker-Murphy (1967) limit. The additional current collection found for the mother vehicle is attributed to beam-plasma interactions.

A comparison of current-voltage relationships of collectors in the earth's ionosphere with and without electron beam emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, Neil B.; Raitt, W. John; Gilchrist, Brian E.; Banks, Peter M.; Neubert, Torsten; Williamson, P. Roger; Sasaki, Susumu

1989-05-01

Currents measurements obtained by the two sections of the Cooperative High Altitude Rocket Gun Experiment-2 sounding rocket, a mother vehicle carrying a 1-keV electron gun and a daughter vehicle tethered to the mother, are compared with the results of previous models of current collection by a charged conductor in a plasma. The current collection of the daughter vehicle, a conducting body in the ionosphere, is found to agree with the Parker-Murphy (1967) limit. The additional current collection found for the mother vehicle is attributed to beam-plasma interactions.

Laboratory Experiments Enabling Electron Beam use in Tenuous Space Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miars, G.; Leon, O.; Gilchrist, B. E.; Delzanno, G. L.; Castello, F. L.; Borovsky, J.

2017-12-01

A mission concept is under development which involves firing a spacecraft-mounted electron beam from Earth's magnetosphere to connect distant magnetic field lines in real time. To prevent excessive spacecraft charging and consequent beam return, the spacecraft must be neutralized in the tenuous plasma environment of the magnetosphere. Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations suggest neutralization can be accomplished by emitting a neutral plasma with the electron beam. Interpretation of these simulations also led to an ion emission model in which ion current is emitted from a quasi-neutral plasma as defined by the space charge limit [1,2]. Experiments were performed at the University of Michigan's Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory (PEPL) to help validate the ion emission model. A hollow cathode plasma contactor was used as a representative spacecraft and charged with respect to the chamber walls to examine the effect of spacecraft charging on ion emission. Retarding Potential Analyzer (RPA) measurements were performed to understand ion flow velocity as this parameter relates directly to the expected space charge limit. Planar probe measurements were also made to identify where ion emission primarily occurred and to determine emission current density levels. Evidence of collisions within the plasma (particularly charge exchange collisions) and a simple model predicting emitted ion velocities are presented. While a detailed validation of the ion emission model and of the simulation tools used in [1,2] is ongoing, these measurements add to the physical understanding of ion emission as it may occur in the magnetosphere. 1. G.L. Delzanno, J.E. Borovsky, M.F. Thomsen, J.D. Moulton, and E.A. MacDonald, J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics 120, 3647, 2015. 2. G.L. Delzanno, J.E. Borovsky, M.F. Thomsen, and J.D. Moulton, J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics 120, 3588, 2015. ________________________________ * This work is supported by Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Extension of the Mott-Gurney Law for a Bilayer Gap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubinov, A. E.; Kitayev, I. N.

2018-04-01

Steady drift states of an electron flow in a planar gap filled with a bilayer dielectric have been considered. Exact mathematical formulas have been derived that describe the distributions of the electrostatic potential and space charge limited electron flow current (extended Mott-Gurney law for a bilayer diode).

Spin-polarized light-emitting diodes based on organic bipolar spin valves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vardeny, Zeev Valentine; Nguyen, Tho Duc; Ehrenfreund, Eitan Avraham

Spin-polarized organic light-emitting diodes are provided. Such spin-polarized organic light-emitting diodes incorporate ferromagnetic electrodes and show considerable spin-valve magneto-electroluminescence and magneto-conductivity responses, with voltage and temperature dependencies that originate from the bipolar spin-polarized space charge limited current.

Diffusion of Conserved Charges in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greif, Moritz; Fotakis, Jan. A.; Denicol, Gabriel S.; Greiner, Carsten

2018-06-01

We demonstrate that the diffusion currents do not depend only on gradients of their corresponding charge density, but that the different diffusion charge currents are coupled. This happens in such a way that it is possible for density gradients of a given charge to generate dissipative currents of another charge. Within this scheme, the charge diffusion coefficient is best viewed as a matrix, in which the diagonal terms correspond to the usual charge diffusion coefficients, while the off-diagonal terms describe the coupling between the different currents. In this Letter, we calculate for the first time the complete diffusion matrix for hot and dense nuclear matter, including baryon, electric, and strangeness charges. We find that the baryon diffusion current is strongly affected by baryon charge gradients but also by its coupling to gradients in strangeness. The electric charge diffusion current is found to be strongly affected by electric and strangeness gradients, whereas strangeness currents depend mostly on strange and baryon gradients.

High-voltage plasma interactions calculations using NASCAP/LEO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandell, M. J.; Katz, I.

1990-01-01

This paper reviews four previous simulations (two laboratory and two space-flight) of interactions of a high-voltage spacecraft with a plasma under low-earth orbit conditions, performed using a three-dimensional computer code NASCAP/LEO. Results show that NASCAP/LEO can perform meaningful simulations of high-voltage plasma interactions taking into account three-dimensional effects of geometry, spacecraft motion, and magnetic field. Two new calculations are presented: (1) for current collection by 1-mm pinholes in wires (showing that a pinhole in a wire can collect far more current than a similar pinhole in a flat plate); and (2) current collection by Charge-2 mother vehicle launched in December 1985. It is shown that the Charge-2 calculations predicted successfully ion collection at negative bias, the floating potential of a probe outside or inside the sheath under negative bias conditions, and magnetically limited electron collection under electron beam operation at high altitude.

Multi-functional spintronic devices based on boron- or aluminum-doped silicene nanoribbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y. S.; Dong, Y. J.; Zhang, J.; Yu, H. L.; Feng, J. F.; Yang, X. F.

2018-03-01

Zigzag silicene nanoribbons (ZSiNRs) in the ferromagnetic edge ordering have a metallic behavior, which limits their applications in spintronics. Here a robustly half-metallic property is achieved by the boron substitution doping at the edge of ZSiNRs. When the impurity atom is replaced by the aluminum atom, the doped ZSiNRs possess a spin semiconducting property. Its band gap is suppressed with the increase of ribbon’s width, and a pure thermal spin current is achieved by modulating ribbon’s width. Moreover, a negative differential thermoelectric resistance in the thermal charge current appears as the temperature gradient increases, which originates from the fact that the spin-up and spin-down thermal charge currents have diverse increasing rates at different temperature gradient regions. Our results put forward a promising route to design multi-functional spintronic devices which may be applied in future low-power-consumption technologies.

Burner ignition system

DOEpatents

Carignan, Forest J.

1986-01-21

An electronic ignition system for a gas burner is battery operated. The battery voltage is applied through a DC-DC chopper to a step-up transformer to charge a capacitor which provides the ignition spark. The step-up transformer has a significant leakage reactance in order to limit current flow from the battery during initial charging of the capacitor. A tank circuit at the input of the transformer returns magnetizing current resulting from the leakage reactance to the primary in succeeding cycles. An SCR in the output circuit is gated through a voltage divider which senses current flow through a flame. Once the flame is sensed, further sparks are precluded. The same flame sensor enables a thermopile driven main valve actuating circuit. A safety valve in series with the main gas valve responds to a control pressure thermostatically applied through a diaphragm. The valve closes after a predetermined delay determined by a time delay orifice if the pilot gas is not ignited.

Lattice and beam optics design for suppression of CSR-induced emittance growth at the KEK-ERL test facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimada, M.; Yokoya, K.; Suwada, T.; Enomoto, A.

2007-06-01

The lattice and beam optics of the arc section of the KEK-ERL test facility, having an energy of 200 MeV, were optimized to efficiently suppress emittance growth based on a simulation using a particle-tracking method taking coherent synchrotron radiation effects into account. The lattice optimization in the arc section was performed under two conditions: a high-current mode with a bunch charge of 76.9 pC without bunch compression, and a short-bunch mode with bunch compression, producing a final bunch length of around 0.1 ps. The simulation results showed that, in the high-current mode, emittance growth was efficiently suppressed by keeping a root-mean-square (rms) bunch length of 1 ps at a bunch charge of 76.9 pC, and in the short-bunch mode, emittance growth was kept within permissible limits with a maximum allowable bunch charge of 23.1 pC at an rms bunch length of 0.1 ps.

Exciton size and binding energy limitations in one-dimensional organic materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kraner, S., E-mail: stefan.kraner@iapp.de; Koerner, C.; Leo, K.

2015-12-28

In current organic photovoltaic devices, the loss in energy caused by the charge transfer step necessary for exciton dissociation leads to a low open circuit voltage, being one of the main reasons for rather low power conversion efficiencies. A possible approach to avoid these losses is to tune the exciton binding energy to a value of the order of thermal energy, which would lead to free charges upon absorption of a photon, and therefore increase the power conversion efficiency towards the Shockley-Queisser limit. We determine the size of the excitons for different organic molecules and polymers by time dependent densitymore » functional theory calculations. For optically relevant transitions, the exciton size saturates around 0.7 nm for one-dimensional molecules with a size longer than about 4 nm. For the ladder-type polymer poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline), we obtain an exciton binding energy of about 0.3 eV, serving as a lower limit of the exciton binding energy for the organic materials investigated. Furthermore, we show that charge transfer transitions increase the exciton size and thus identify possible routes towards a further decrease of the exciton binding energy.« less

On electrode pinning and charge blocking layers in organic solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magen, Osnat; Tessler, Nir

2017-05-01

We use device modelling for studying the losses introduced by metallic electrodes in organic solar cells' device structure. We first discuss the inclusion of pinning at the integer charge transfer state in device models, with and without using the image charge potential. In the presence of disorder, the space charge introduced due to the image potential enhances the pinning by more than 0.2 eV. The explicit introduction of the image potential creates band-gap narrowing at the contact, thus affecting both dark leakage current and photo conversion efficiency. We find that there are two regimes in which the contacts may limit the performance. For low (moderate) barriers, the contacts introduce minority carrier recombination at the contacts that adds to the bulk recombination channels. Only for high barriers, the contacts directly limit the open circuit voltage and impose a value that is equal to the contact's energy difference. Examining the device structures with blocking layers, we find that these are mainly useful for the low to moderate contacts' barriers and that for the high barrier case, the enhancement of open circuit voltage may be accompanied by the introduction of serial resistance or S shape.

Discharging dynamics in an electrolytic cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feicht, Sarah E.; Frankel, Alexandra E.; Khair, Aditya S.

2016-07-01

We analyze the dynamics of a discharging electrolytic cell comprised of a binary symmetric electrolyte between two planar, parallel blocking electrodes. When a voltage is initially applied, ions in the electrolyte migrate towards the electrodes, forming electrical double layers. After the system reaches steady state and the external current decays to zero, the applied voltage is switched off and the cell discharges, with the ions eventually returning to a uniform spatial concentration. At voltages on the order of the thermal voltage VT=kBT /q ≃25 mV, where kB is Boltzmann's constant, T is temperature, and q is the charge of a proton, experiments on surfactant-doped nonpolar fluids observe that the temporal evolution of the external current during charging and discharging is not symmetric [V. Novotny and M. A. Hopper, J. Electrochem. Soc. 126, 925 (1979), 10.1149/1.2129195; P. Kornilovitch and Y. Jeon, J. Appl. Phys. 109, 064509 (2011), 10.1063/1.3554445]. In fact, at sufficiently large voltages (several VT), the current during discharging is no longer monotonic: it displays a "reverse peak" before decaying in magnitude to zero. We analyze the dynamics of discharging by solving the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations governing ion transport via asymptotic and numerical techniques in three regimes. First, in the "linear regime" when the applied voltage V is formally much less than VT, the charging and discharging currents are antisymmetric in time; however, the potential and charge density profiles during charging and discharging are asymmetric. The current evolution is on the R C timescale of the cell, λDL /D , where L is the width of the cell, D is the diffusivity of ions, and λD is the Debye length. Second, in the (experimentally relevant) thin-double-layer limit ɛ =λD/L ≪1 , there is a "weakly nonlinear" regime defined by VT≲V ≲VTln(1 /ɛ ) , where the bulk salt concentration is uniform; thus the R C timescale of the evolution of the current magnitude persists. However, nonlinear, voltage-dependent, capacitance of the double layer is responsible for a break in temporal antisymmetry of the charging and discharging currents. Third, the reverse peak in the discharging current develops in a "strongly nonlinear" regime V ≳VTln(1 /ɛ ) , driven by neutral salt adsorption into the double layers and consequent bulk depletion during charging. The strongly nonlinear regime features current evolution over three timescales. The current decays in magnitude on the double layer relaxation timescale, λD2/D ; then grows exponentially in time towards the reverse peak on the diffusion timescale, L2/D , indicating that the reverse peak is the results of fast diffusion of ions from the double layer layer to the bulk. Following the reverse peak, the current decays exponentially to zero on the R C timescale. Notably, the current at the reverse peak and the time of the reverse peak saturate at large voltages V ≫VTln(1 /ɛ ) . We provide semi-analytic expressions for the saturated reverse peak time and current, which can be used to infer charge carrier diffusivity and concentration from experiments.

Conditions for l =1 Pomeranchuk instability in a Fermi liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yi-Ming; Klein, Avraham; Chubukov, Andrey V.

2018-04-01

We perform a microscopic analysis of how the constraints imposed by conservation laws affect q =0 Pomeranchuk instabilities in a Fermi liquid. The conventional view is that these instabilities are determined by the static interaction between low-energy quasiparticles near the Fermi surface, in the limit of vanishing momentum transfer q . The condition for a Pomeranchuk instability is set by Flc (s )=-1 , where Flc (s ) (a Landau parameter) is a properly normalized partial component of the antisymmetrized static interaction F (k ,k +q ;p ,p -q ) in a charge (c) or spin (s) subchannel with angular momentum l . However, it is known that conservation laws for total spin and charge prevent Pomeranchuk instabilities for l =1 spin- and charge-current order parameters. Our study aims to understand whether this holds only for these special forms of l =1 order parameters or is a more generic result. To this end we perform a diagrammatic analysis of spin and charge susceptibilities for charge and spin density order parameters, as well as perturbative calculations to second order in the Hubbard U . We argue that for l =1 spin-current and charge-current order parameters, certain vertex functions, which are determined by high-energy fermions, vanish at Fl=1 c (s )=-1 , preventing a Pomeranchuk instability from taking place. For an order parameter with a generic l =1 form factor, the vertex function is not expressed in terms of Fl=1 c (s ), and a Pomeranchuk instability may occur when F1c (s )=-1 . We argue that for other values of l , a Pomeranchuk instability may occur at Flc (s )=-1 for an order parameter with any form factor.

Currents between tethered electrodes in a magnetized laboratory plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stenzel, R. L.; Urrutia, J. M.

1989-01-01

Laboratory experiments on important plasma physics issues of electrodynamic tethers were performed. These included current propagation, formation of wave wings, limits of current collection, nonlinear effects and instabilities, charging phenomena, and characteristics of transmission lines in plasmas. The experiments were conducted in a large afterglow plasma. The current system was established with a small electron-emitting hot cathode tethered to an electron-collecting anode, both movable across the magnetic field and energized by potential difference up to V approx.=100 T(sub e). The total current density in space and time was obtained from complete measurements of the perturbed magnetic field. The fast spacecraft motion was reproduced in the laboratory by moving the tethered electrodes in small increments, applying delayed current pulses, and reconstructing the net field by a linear superposition of locally emitted wavelets. With this technique, the small-amplitude dc current pattern is shown to form whistler wings at each electrode instead of the generally accepted Alfven wings. For the beam electrode, the whistler wing separates from the field-aligned beam which carries no net current. Large amplitude return currents to a stationary anode generate current-driven microinstabilities, parallel electric fields, ion depletions, current disruptions and time-varying electrode charging. At appropriately high potentials and neutral densities, excess neutrals are ionized near the anode. The anode sheath emits high-frequency electron transit-time oscillations at the sheath-plasma resonance. The beam generates Langmuir turbulence, ion sound turbulence, electron heating, space charge fields, and Hall currents. An insulated, perfectly conducting transmission line embedded in the plasma becomes lossy due to excitation of whistler waves and magnetic field diffusion effects. The implications of the laboratory observations on electrodynamic tethers in space are discussed.

Physical renormalization condition for de Sitter QED

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashinaka, Takahiro; Xue, She-Sheng

2018-05-01

We considered a new renormalization condition for the vacuum expectation values of the scalar and spinor currents induced by a homogeneous and constant electric field background in de Sitter spacetime. Following a semiclassical argument, the condition named maximal subtraction imposes the exponential suppression on the massive charged particle limit of the renormalized currents. The maximal subtraction changes the behaviors of the induced currents previously obtained by the conventional minimal subtraction scheme. The maximal subtraction is favored for a couple of physically decent predictions including the identical asymptotic behavior of the scalar and spinor currents, the removal of the IR hyperconductivity from the scalar current, and the finite current for the massless fermion.

Laboratory Measurements on Charging of Individual Micron-Size Apollo-11 Dust Grains by Secondary Electron Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tankosic, D.; Abbas, M. M.

2012-01-01

Observations made during Apollo missions, as well as theoretical models indicate that the lunar surface and dust grains are electrostatically charged, levitated and transported. Lunar dust grains are charged by UV photoelectric emissions on the lunar dayside and by the impact of the solar wind electrons on the nightside. The knowledge of charging properties of individual lunar dust grains is important for developing appropriate theoretical models and mitigating strategies. Currently, very limited experimental data are available for charging of individual micron-size size lunar dust grains in particular by low energy electron impact. However, experimental results based on extensive laboratory measurements on the charging of individual 0.2-13 micron size lunar dust grains by the secondary electron emissions (SEE) have been presented in a recent publication. The SEE process of charging of micron-size dust grains, however, is found to be very complex phenomena with strong particle size dependence. In this paper we present some examples of the complex nature of the SEE properties of positively charged individual lunar dust grains levitated in an electrodynamic balance (EDB), and show that they remain unaffected by the variation of the AC field employed in the above mentioned measurements.

Modeling of Optical Waveguide Poling and Thermally Stimulated Discharge (TSD) Charge and Current Densities for Guest/Host Electro Optic Polymers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, Michael D.; Ashley, Paul R.; Abushagur, Mustafa

2004-01-01

A charge density and current density model of a waveguide system has been developed to explore the effects of electric field electrode poling. An optical waveguide may be modeled during poling by considering the dielectric charge distribution, polarization charge distribution, and conduction charge generated by the poling field. These charge distributions are the source of poling current densities. The model shows that boundary charge current density and polarization current density are the major source of currents measured during poling and thermally stimulated discharge These charge distributions provide insight into the poling mechanisms and are directly related to E(sub A), and, alpha(sub r). Initial comparisons with experimental data show excellent correlation to the model results.

Self-balancing feature of Lithium-Sulfur batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knap, Vaclav; Stroe, Daniel-Ioan; Christensen, Andreas E.; Propp, Karsten; Fotouhi, Abbas; Auger, Daniel J.; Schaltz, Erik; Teodorescu, Remus

2017-12-01

The Li-S batteries are a prospective battery technology, which despite to its currently remaining drawbacks offers useable performance and interesting features. The polysulfide shuttle mechanism, a characteristic phenomenon for the Li-S batteries, causes a significant self-discharge at higher state-of-charge (SOC) levels, which leads to the energy dissipation of cells with higher charge. In an operation of series-connected Li-S cells, the shuttle mechanism results into a self-balancing effect which is studied here. A model for prediction of the self-balancing effect is proposed in this work and it is validated by experiments. Our results confirm the self-balancing feature of Li-S cells and illustrate their dependence on various conditions such as temperature, charging limits and idling time at high SOC.

Low-temperature fabrication of alkali metal-organic charge transfer complexes on cotton textile for optoelectronics and gas sensing.

PubMed

Ramanathan, Rajesh; Walia, Sumeet; Kandjani, Ahmad Esmaielzadeh; Balendran, Sivacarendran; Mohammadtaheri, Mahsa; Bhargava, Suresh Kumar; Kalantar-zadeh, Kourosh; Bansal, Vipul

2015-02-03

A generalized low-temperature approach for fabricating high aspect ratio nanorod arrays of alkali metal-TCNQ (7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane) charge transfer complexes at 140 °C is demonstrated. This facile approach overcomes the current limitation associated with fabrication of alkali metal-TCNQ complexes that are based on physical vapor deposition processes and typically require an excess of 800 °C. The compatibility of soft substrates with the proposed low-temperature route allows direct fabrication of NaTCNQ and LiTCNQ nanoarrays on individual cotton threads interwoven within the 3D matrix of textiles. The applicability of these textile-supported TCNQ-based organic charge transfer complexes toward optoelectronics and gas sensing applications is established.

Design of an arc-free thermal blanket

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fellas, C. N.

1981-01-01

The success of a multilayer thermal blanket in eliminating arcing is discussed. Arcing is eliminated by limiting the surface potential to well below the threshold level for discharge. This is achieved by enhancing the leakage current which results in conduction of the excess charge to the spacecraft structure. The thermal blanket consists of several layers of thermal control (space approved) materials, bonded together, with Kapton on the outside, arranged in such a way that when the outer surface is charged by electron irradiation, a strong electric field is set up on the Kapton layer resulting in a greatly improved conductivity. The basic properties of matter utilized in designing this blanket method of charge removal, and optimum thermo-optical properties are summarized.

Chandra Observations of the Solar System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lisse, Carey

2014-11-01

Many solar system objects are now known to emit X-rays due to charge-exchange between highly charged solar wind (SW) minor ions and neutrals in their extended atmospheres, including Earth, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and the heliosphere, with total power outputs on the MW - GW scale. (Currently only upper limits exist for Saturn and Pluto.) Chandra observations of their morphology, spectra, and time dependence provide important information about the neutral atmosphere structure and the SW flux and charge state. Chandra observations of solar x-ray scattering from Earth, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon have also provided important clues for the scattering material and the solar radiation field at the body. We present here a 15 year summary of Chandra's solar system observations.

A charge carrier transport model for donor-acceptor blend layers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fischer, Janine, E-mail: janine.fischer@iapp.de; Widmer, Johannes; Koerner, Christian

2015-01-28

Highly efficient organic solar cells typically comprise donor-acceptor blend layers facilitating effective splitting of excitons. However, the charge carrier mobility in the blends can be substantially smaller than in neat materials, hampering the device performance. Currently, available mobility models do not describe the transport in blend layers entirely. Here, we investigate hole transport in a model blend system consisting of the small molecule donor zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and the acceptor fullerene C{sub 60} in different mixing ratios. The blend layer is sandwiched between p-doped organic injection layers, which prevent minority charge carrier injection and enable exploiting diffusion currents for themore » characterization of exponential tail states from a thickness variation of the blend layer using numerical drift-diffusion simulations. Trap-assisted recombination must be considered to correctly model the conductivity behavior of the devices, which are influenced by local electron currents in the active layer, even though the active layer is sandwiched in between p-doped contacts. We find that the density of deep tail states is largest in the devices with 1:1 mixing ratio (E{sub t} = 0.14 eV, N{sub t} = 1.2 × 10{sup 18 }cm{sup −3}) directing towards lattice disorder as the transport limiting process. A combined field and charge carrier density dependent mobility model are developed for this blend layer.« less

Polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells with PEDOT:PSS bilayer structure as hole extraction layer.

PubMed

Kim, Wanjung; Kim, Namhun; Kim, Jung Kyu; Park, Insun; Choi, Yeong Suk; Wang, Dong Hwan; Chae, Heeyeop; Park, Jong Hyeok

2013-06-01

A high current density obtained in a limited, nanometer-thick region is important for high efficiency polymer solar cells (PSCs). The conversion of incident photons to charge carriers only occurs in confined active layers; therefore, charge-carrier extraction from the active layer within the device by using solar light has an important impact on the current density and the related to power conversion efficiency. In this study, we observed a surprising result, that is, extracting the charge carrier generated in the active layer of a PSC device, with a thickness-controlled PEDOT:PSS bilayer that acted as a hole extraction layer (HEL), yielded a dramatically improved power conversion efficiency in two different model systems (P3HT:PC₆₀BM and PCDTBT:PC₇₀BM). To understand this phenomenon, we conducted optical strength simulation, photocurrent-voltage measurements, incident photon to charge carrier efficiency measurements, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and AFM studies. The results revealed that approximately 60 nm was the optimum PEDOT:PSS bilayer HEL thickness in PSCs for producing the maximum power conversion efficiency. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Analytical model of a corona discharge from a conical electrode under saturation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boltachev, G. Sh.; Zubarev, N. M.

2012-11-01

Exact partial solutions are found for the electric field distribution in the outer region of a stationary unipolar corona discharge from an ideal conical needle in the space-charge-limited current mode with allowance for the electric field dependence of the ion mobility. It is assumed that only the very tip of the cone is responsible for the discharge, i.e., that the ionization zone is a point. The solutions are obtained by joining the spherically symmetric potential distribution in the drift space and the self-similar potential distribution in the space-charge-free region. Such solutions are outside the framework of the conventional Deutsch approximation, according to which the space charge insignificantly influences the shape of equipotential surfaces and electric lines of force. The dependence is derived of the corona discharge saturation current on the apex angle of the conical electrode and applied potential difference. A simple analytical model is suggested that describes drift in the point-plane electrode geometry under saturation as a superposition of two exact solutions for the field potential. In terms of this model, the angular distribution of the current density over the massive plane electrode is derived, which agrees well with Warburg's empirical law.

Conduction in titanium dioxide films and metal–TiO{sub 2}–Si structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kalygina, V. M.; Egorova, I. M.; Prudaev, I. A.

2016-08-15

The effect of the annealing of titanium oxide films on the electrical properties of metal–TiO{sub 2}–n-Si structures is investigated. It is shown that, regardless of the annealing temperature, the conductivity of the structures at positive gate potentials is determined by the space-charge-limited current in the insulator with traps exponentially distributed in terms of energy. At negative gate potentials, the main contribution to the current is provided by the generation of electron–hole pairs in the space-charge region in silicon. The properties of the TiO{sub 2}/n-Si interface depend on the structure and phase state of the oxide film, which are determined bymore » the annealing temperature.« less

Enhanced bipolar resistive switching behavior in polar Cr-doped barium titanate thin films without electro-forming process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thakre, Atul; Kumar, Ashok

2017-12-01

An enhanced, repeatable and robust resistive switching phenomenon was observed in Cr substituted BaTiO3 polar ferroelectric thin films; fabricated and deposited by the sol-gel approach and spin coating technique, respectively. An enhanced bistable bipolar resistive switching (BRS) phenomenon without electro-forming process, low switching voltage (˜ 2 V) and moderate retention characteristics of 104 s along with a high Roff/Ron resistance ratio ˜103 was achieved. The current conduction analysis showed that the space charge limited conduction (SCLC) and Schottky emission conduction dominate in the high voltage range, while thermally active charge carriers (ohmic) in the lower voltage range. The impedance spectroscopy study indicates the formation of current conducting path and rupturing of oxygen vacancies during SET and RESET process.

Holography, black holes and condensed matter physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gentle, Simon Adam

In this thesis we employ holographic techniques to explore strongly-coupled quantum field theories at non-zero temperature and density. First we consider a state dual to a charged black hole with planar horizon and compute retarded Green's functions for conserved currents in the shear channel. We demonstrate the intricate motion of their poles and stress the importance of the residues at the poles beyond the hydrodynamic regime. We then explore the collective excitations of holographic quantum liquids arising on D3/D5 and D3/D7 brane intersections as a function of temperature and magnetic field in the probe limit. We observe a crossover from hydrodynamic charge diffusion to a sound mode similar to the zero sound mode in the collisionless regime of a Landau Fermi liquid. The location of this crossover is approximately independent of the magnetic field. The sound mode has a gap proportional to the magnetic field, leading to strong suppression of spectral weight for intermediate frequencies and sufficiently large magnetic fields. In the second part we explore the solution space of AdS gravity in the hope of learning general lessons about such theories. First we study charged scalar solitons in global AdS4. These solutions have a rich phase space and exhibit critical behaviour as a function of the scalar charge and scalar boundary conditions. We demonstrate how the planar limit of global solitons coincides generically with the zero-temperature limit of black branes with charged scalar hair. We exhibit these features in both phenomenological models and consistent truncations of eleven-dimensional supergravity. We then discover new branches of hairy black brane in SO(6) gauged supergravity. Despite the imbalance provided by three chemical potentials conjugate to the three R-charges, there is always at least one branch with charged scalar hair, emerging at a temperature where the normal phase is locally thermodynamically stable.

Minimization of transverse beam-emittance growth in the 90-degree bending section of the RAON rare-isotope accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, B. H.; Yoon, M.

2016-11-01

The major contribution of the transverse beam emittance growth (EG) in a RAON heavy-ion accelerator comes from the bending section, which consists of a charge-stripping section, a matching section, and a charge-selection section in sequence. In this paper, we describe our research to minimize the two-dimensional EG in the 90-degree bending section of the RAON currently being developed in Korea. The EG minimization was achieved with the help of multi-objective genetic algorithms and the simplex method. We utilized those algorithms to analyze the 90-degree bending section in a driver linac for the in-flight fragmentation system. Horizontal and vertical EGs were limited to below 10 % in the bending section by adjustment of the transverse beam optics upstream from the charge-stripping section, redesign of the charge-selection section, and optimization of the vertical beam optics at the entrance of a charge-selection section.

Charged-particle therapy in cancer: clinical uses and future perspectives.

PubMed

Durante, Marco; Orecchia, Roberto; Loeffler, Jay S

2017-08-01

Radiotherapy with high-energy charged particles has become an attractive therapeutic option for patients with several tumour types because this approach better spares healthy tissue from radiation than conventional photon therapy. The cost associated with the delivery of charged particles, however, is higher than that of even the most elaborate photon-delivery technologies. Reliable evidence of the relative cost-effectiveness of both modalities can only come from the results of randomized clinical trials. Thus, the hurdles that currently limit direct comparisons of these two approaches in clinical trials, especially those related to insurance coverage, should be removed. Herein, we review several randomized trials of charged-particle therapies that are ongoing, with results that will enable selective delivery to patients who are most likely to benefit from them. We also discuss aspects related to radiobiology, including the immune response and hypoxia, which will need to be taken into consideration in future randomized trials to fully exploit the potential of charged particles.

Ion permeation and glutamate residues linked by Poisson-Nernst-Planck theory in L-type calcium channels.

PubMed Central

Nonner, W; Eisenberg, B

1998-01-01

L-type Ca channels contain a cluster of four charged glutamate residues (EEEE locus), which seem essential for high Ca specificity. To understand how this highly charged structure might produce the currents and selectivity observed in this channel, a theory is needed that relates charge to current. We use an extended Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP2) theory to compute (mean) Coulombic interactions and thus to examine the role of the mean field electrostatic interactions in producing current and selectivity. The pore was modeled as a central cylinder with tapered atria; the cylinder (i.e., "pore proper") contained a uniform volume density of fixed charge equivalent to that of one to four carboxyl groups. The pore proper was assigned ion-specific, but spatially uniform, diffusion coefficients and excess chemical potentials. Thus electrostatic selection by valency was computed self-consistently, and selection by other features was also allowed. The five external parameters needed for a system of four ionic species (Na, Ca, Cl, and H) were determined analytically from published measurements of thre limiting conductances and two critical ion concentrations, while treating the pore as a macroscopic ion-exchange system in equilibrium with a uniform bath solution. The extended PNP equations were solved with these parameters, and the predictions were compared to currents measured in a variety of solutions over a range of transmembrane voltages. The extended PNP theory accurately predicted current-voltage relations, anomalous mole fraction effects in the observed current, saturation effects of varied Ca and Na concentrations, and block by protons. Pore geometry, dielectric permittivity, and the number of carboxyl groups had only weak effects. The successful prediction of Ca fluxes in this paper demonstrates that ad hoc electrostatic parameters, multiple discrete binding sites, and logistic assumptions of single-file movement are all unnecessary for the prediction of permeation in Ca channels over a wide range of conditions. Further work is needed, however, to understand the atomic origin of the fixed charge, excess chemical potentials, and diffusion coefficients of the channel. The Appendix uses PNP2 theory to predict ionic currents for published "barrier-and-well" energy profiles of this channel. PMID:9726931

Oxide materials for spintronic device applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prestgard, Megan Campbell

Spintronic devices are currently being researched as next-generation alternatives to traditional electronics. Electronics, which utilize the charge-carrying capabilities of electrons to store information, are fundamentally limited not only by size constraints, but also by limits on current flow and degradation, due to electro-migration. Spintronics devices are able to overcome these limitations, as their information storage is in the spin of electrons, rather than their charge. By using spin rather than charge, these current-limiting shortcomings can be easily overcome. However, for spintronic devices to be fully implemented into the current technology industry, their capabilities must be improved. Spintronic device operation relies on the movement and manipulation of spin-polarized electrons, in which there are three main processes that must be optimized in order to maximize device efficiencies. These spin-related processes are: the injection of spin-polarized electrons, the transport and manipulation of these carriers, and the detection of spin-polarized currents. In order to enhance the rate of spin-polarized injection, research has been focused on the use of alternative methods to enhance injection beyond that of a simple ferromagnetic metal/semiconductor injector interface. These alternatives include the use of oxide-based tunnel barriers and the modification of semiconductors and insulators for their use as ferromagnetic injector materials. The transport of spin-polarized carriers is heavily reliant on the optimization of materials' properties in order to enhance the carrier mobility and to quench spin-orbit coupling (SOC). However, a certain degree of SOC is necessary in order to allow for the electric-field, gate-controlled manipulation of spin currents. Spin detection can be performed via both optical and electrical techniques. Using electrical methods relies on the conversion between spin and charge currents via SOC and is often the preferred method for device-based applications. This dissertation presents experimental results on the use of oxides for fulfilling the three spintronic device requirements. In the case of spin injection, the study of dilute magnetic dielectrics (DMDs) shows the importance of doping on the magnetic properties of the resulting tunnel barriers. The study of spin transport in ZnO has shown that, even at room temperature, the spin diffusion length is relatively long, on the order of 100 nm. These studies have also probed the spin relaxation mechanics in ZnO and have shown that Dyakonov-Perel spin relaxation, operating according to Fermi-Dirac statistics, is the dominant spin relaxation mechanism in zinc oxide. Finally, spin detection in ZnO has shown that, similar to other semiconductors, by modifying the resistivity of the ZnO thin films, the spin Hall angle (SHA) can be enhanced to nearly that of metals. This is possible by enhancing extrinsic SOC due to skew-scattering from impurities as well as phonons. In addition, thermal spin injection has also been detected using ZnO, which results support the independently measured inverse spin-Hall effect studies. The work represented herein illustrates that oxide materials have the potential to enhance spintronic device potential in all processes pertinent to spintronic applications.

Measurements of high-current electron beams from X pinches and wire array Z pinches.

PubMed

Shelkovenko, T A; Pikuz, S A; Blesener, I C; McBride, R D; Bell, K S; Hammer, D A; Agafonov, A V; Romanova, V M; Mingaleev, A R

2008-10-01

Some issues concerning high-current electron beam transport from the X pinch cross point to the diagnostic system and measurements of the beam current by Faraday cups are discussed. Results of computer simulation of electron beam propagation from the pinch to the Faraday cup give limits for the measured current for beams having different energy spreads. The beam is partially neutralized as it propagates from the X pinch to a diagnostic system, but within a Faraday cup diagnostic, space charge effects can be very important. Experimental results show evidence of such effects.

What can be Learned from X-Ray Spectroscopy Concerning Hot Gas in the Local Bubble and Charge Exchange Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snowden, Steven L.

2007-01-01

Solar wind charge exchange produces diffuse X-ray emission with a variable surface brightness comparable to that of the cosmic background. While the temporal variation of the charge exchange emission allows some separation of the components, there remains a great deal of uncertainty as to the zero level of both. Because the production mechanisms of the two components are considerably different, their spectra would provide critical diagnostics to the understanding of both. However, current X-ray observatories are very limited in both spectral resolution and sensitivity in the critical soft X-ray (less than 1.0 keV) energy range. Non-dispersive high-resolution spectrometers, such as the calorimeter proposed for the Spectrum Roentgen Gamma mission, will be extremely useful in distinguishing the cascade emission of charge exchange from the spectra of thermal bremsstrahlung cosmic plasmas.

Pulse-Shape Discrimination of Alpha Particles of Different Specific Energy-Loss With Parallel-Plate Avalanche Counters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakhostin, M.; Baba, M.

2014-06-01

Parallel-plate avalanche counters have long been recognized as timing detectors for heavily ionizing particles. However, these detectors suffer from a poor pulse-height resolution which limits their capability to discriminate between different ionizing particles. In this paper, a new approach for discriminating between charged particles of different specific energy-loss with avalanche counters is demonstrated. We show that the effect of the self-induced space-charge in parallel-plate avalanche counters leads to a strong correlation between the shape of output current pulses and the amount of primary ionization created by the incident charged particles. The correlation is then exploited for the discrimination of charged particles with different energy-losses in the detector. The experimental results obtained with α-particles from an 241Am α-source demonstrate a discrimination capability far beyond that achievable with the standard pulse-height discrimination method.

Thickness dependent charge transport in ferroelectric BaTiO3 heterojunctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Pooja; Rout, P. K.; Singh, Manju; Rakshit, R. K.; Dogra, Anjana

2015-09-01

We have investigated the effect of ferroelectric barium titanate (BaTiO3) film thickness on the charge transport mechanism in pulsed laser deposited epitaxial metal-ferroelectric semiconductor junctions. The current (I)-voltage (V) measurements across the junctions comprising of 20-500 nm thick BaTiO3 and conducting bottom electrode (Nb: SrTiO3 substrate or La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 buffer layer) demonstrate the space charge limited conduction. Further analysis indicates a reduction in the ratio of free to trapped carriers with increasing thickness in spite of decreasing trap density. Such behaviour arises the deepening of the shallow trap levels (<0.65 eV) below conduction band with increasing thickness. Moreover, the observed hysteresis in I-V curves implies a bipolar resistive switching behaviour, which can be explained in terms of charge trapping and de-trapping process.

48 CFR 2152.216-70 - Fixed price with limited cost redetermination-risk charge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... cost redetermination-risk charge. 2152.216-70 Section 2152.216-70 Federal Acquisition Regulations....216-70 Fixed price with limited cost redetermination—risk charge. As prescribed in 2116.270-1(a), insert the following clause when a risk charge is negotiated: Fixed Price With Limited Cost...

Current transmission and nonlinear effects in un-gated thermionic cathode RF guns

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Edelen, J. P.; Harris, J. R.

Un-gated thermionic cathode RF guns are well known as a robust source of electrons for many accelerator applications. These sources are in principle scalable to high currents without degradation of the transverse emittance due to control grids but they are also known for being limited by back-bombardment. While back-bombardment presents a significant limitation, there is still a lack of general understanding on how emission over the whole RF period will affect the nature of the beams produced from these guns. In order to improve our understanding of how these guns can be used in general we develop analytical models thatmore » predict the transmission efficiency as a function of the design parameters, study how bunch compression and emission enhancement caused by Schottky barrier lowering affect the output current profile in the gun, and study the onset of space-charge limited effects and the resultant virtual cathode formation leading to a modulation in the output current distribution.« less

Comparison of Several Methods for Determining the Internal Resistance of Lithium Ion Cells

PubMed Central

Schweiger, Hans-Georg; Obeidi, Ossama; Komesker, Oliver; Raschke, André; Schiemann, Michael; Zehner, Christian; Gehnen, Markus; Keller, Michael; Birke, Peter

2010-01-01

The internal resistance is the key parameter for determining power, energy efficiency and lost heat of a lithium ion cell. Precise knowledge of this value is vital for designing battery systems for automotive applications. Internal resistance of a cell was determined by current step methods, AC (alternating current) methods, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and thermal loss methods. The outcomes of these measurements have been compared with each other. If charge or discharge of the cell is limited, current step methods provide the same results as energy loss methods. PMID:22219678

Greatly Increasing Trapped Ion Populations for Mobility Separations Using Traveling Waves in Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deng, Liulin; Ibrahim, Yehia M.; Garimella, Sandilya V. B.

The initial use of traveling waves (TW) for ion mobility (IM) separations using a structures for lossless ion manipulations (SLIM) employed an ion funnel trap (IFT) to accumulate ions from a continuous electrospray ionization source, and limited to injected ion populations of ~106 charges due to the onset of space charge effects in the trapping region. Additional limitations arise due to the loss of resolution for the injection of ions over longer periods (e.g. in extended pulses). In this work a new SLIM ‘flat funnel’ (FF) module has been developed and demonstrated to enable the accumulation of much larger ionmore » populations and their injection for IM separations. Ion current measurements indicate a capacity of ~3.2×108 charges for the extended trapping volume, over an order of magnitude greater than the IFT. The orthogonal ion injection into a funnel shaped separation region can greatly reduce space charge effects during the initial IM separation stage, and the gradually reduced width of the path allows the ion packet to be increasingly compressed in the lateral dimension as the separation progresses, allowing e.g. efficient transmission through conductance limits or compatibility with subsequent ion manipulations. This work examined the TW, RF, and DC confining field SLIM parameters involved in ion accumulation, injection, transmission and separation in the FF IM module using both direct ion current and MS measurements. Wide m/z range ion transmission is demonstrated, along with significant increases in signal to noise (S/N) ratios due to the larger ion populations injected. Additionally, we observed a reduction in the chemical background, which was attributed to more efficient desolvation of solvent related clusters over the extended ion accumulation periods. The TW SLIM FF IM module is anticipated to be especially effective as a front end for long path SLIM IM separation modules.« less

Improved Signal Chains for Readout of CMOS Imagers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pain, Bedabrata; Hancock, Bruce; Cunningham, Thomas

2009-01-01

An improved generic design has been devised for implementing signal chains involved in readout from complementary metal oxide/semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors and for other readout integrated circuits (ICs) that perform equivalent functions. The design applies to any such IC in which output signal charges from the pixels in a given row are transferred simultaneously into sampling capacitors at the bottoms of the columns, then voltages representing individual pixel charges are read out in sequence by sequentially turning on column-selecting field-effect transistors (FETs) in synchronism with source-follower- or operational-amplifier-based amplifier circuits. The improved design affords the best features of prior source-follower-and operational- amplifier-based designs while overcoming the major limitations of those designs. The limitations can be summarized as follows: a) For a source-follower-based signal chain, the ohmic voltage drop associated with DC bias current flowing through the column-selection FET causes unacceptable voltage offset, nonlinearity, and reduced small-signal gain. b) For an operational-amplifier-based signal chain, the required bias current and the output noise increase superlinearly with size of the pixel array because of a corresponding increase in the effective capacitance of the row bus used to couple the sampled column charges to the operational amplifier. The effect of the bus capacitance is to simultaneously slow down the readout circuit and increase noise through the Miller effect.

Thoughts on For-Profit Schools. Occasional Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levin, Henry M.

Although the theory of the market is well understood, little is known about how for-profit schools will operate in practice. This paper considers why for-profit schooling has developed during the current period and not before (e.g., entrepreneurs must compete against heavily subsidized public schools, which limits their ability to charge prices…

Mechanism of Carrier Transport in Hybrid GaN/AlN/Si Solar Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekinci, Huseyin; Kuryatkov, Vladimir V.; Gherasoiu, Iulian; Karpov, Sergey Y.; Nikishin, Sergey A.

2017-10-01

The particularities of the carrier transport in p- n-GaN/ n-AlN/ p- n-Si and n-GaN/ n-AlN /p- n-Si structures were investigated through temperature-dependent current density and forward voltage ( J- V) measurements, carrier distribution, and transport modeling. Despite the insulating properties of AlN, reasonably high current densities were achieved under forward bias. The experimental relationship between the current density and forward voltage was accurately approximated by an expression accounting for space-charge-limited current in the AlN layer and non-linear characteristics of the p- n junction formed in silicon. We suggest that extended defects throughout the AlN volume are responsible for the conduction, although the limited data available do not allow the accurate identification of the type of these defects.

Stochastic many-particle model for LFP electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guhlke, Clemens; Gajewski, Paul; Maurelli, Mario; Friz, Peter K.; Dreyer, Wolfgang

2018-02-01

In the framework of non-equilibrium thermodynamics, we derive a new model for many-particle electrodes. The model is applied to LiFePO4 (LFP) electrodes consisting of many LFP particles of nanometer size. The phase transition from a lithium-poor to a lithium-rich phase within LFP electrodes is controlled by both different particle sizes and surface fluctuations leading to a system of stochastic differential equations. An explicit relation between battery voltage and current controlled by the thermodynamic state variables is derived. This voltage-current relation reveals that in thin LFP electrodes lithium intercalation from the particle surfaces into the LFP particles is the principal rate-limiting process. There are only two constant kinetic parameters in the model describing the intercalation rate and the fluctuation strength, respectively. The model correctly predicts several features of LFP electrodes, viz. the phase transition, the observed voltage plateaus, hysteresis and the rate-limiting capacity. Moreover we study the impact of both the particle size distribution and the active surface area on the voltage-charge characteristics of the electrode. Finally we carefully discuss the phase transition for varying charging/discharging rates.

Semiconducting lithium indium diselenide: Charge-carrier properties and the impacts of high flux thermal neutron irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamm, Daniel S.; Rust, Mikah; Herrera, Elan H.; Matei, Liviu; Buliga, Vladimir; Groza, Michael; Burger, Arnold; Stowe, Ashley; Preston, Jeff; Lukosi, Eric D.

2018-06-01

This paper reports on the charge carrier properties of several lithium indium diselenide (LISe) semiconductors. It was found that the charge collection efficiency of LISe was improved after high flux thermal neutron irradiation including the presence of a typically unobservable alpha peak from hole-only collection. Charge carrier trap energies of the irradiated sample were measured using photo-induced current transient spectroscopy. Compared to previous studies of this material, no significant differences in trap energies were observed. Through trap-filled limited voltage measurements, neutron irradiation was found to increase the density of trap states within the bulk of the semiconductor, which created a polarization effect under alpha exposure but not neutron exposure. Further, the charge collection efficiency of the irradiated sample was higher (14-15 fC) than that of alpha particles (3-5 fC), indicating that an increase in hole signal contribution resulted from the neutron irradiation. Finally, it was observed that significant charge loss takes place near the point of generation, producing a significant scintillation response and artificially inflating the W-value of all semiconducting LISe crystals.

Nonstationary stochastic charge fluctuations of a dust particle in plasmas.

PubMed

Shotorban, B

2011-06-01

Stochastic charge fluctuations of a dust particle that are due to discreteness of electrons and ions in plasmas can be described by a one-step process master equation [T. Matsoukas and M. Russell, J. Appl. Phys. 77, 4285 (1995)] with no exact solution. In the present work, using the system size expansion method of Van Kampen along with the linear noise approximation, a Fokker-Planck equation with an exact Gaussian solution is developed by expanding the master equation. The Gaussian solution has time-dependent mean and variance governed by two ordinary differential equations modeling the nonstationary process of dust particle charging. The model is tested via the comparison of its results to the results obtained by solving the master equation numerically. The electron and ion currents are calculated through the orbital motion limited theory. At various times of the nonstationary process of charging, the model results are in a very good agreement with the master equation results. The deviation is more significant when the standard deviation of the charge is comparable to the mean charge in magnitude.

Charge modulation as fingerprints of phase-string triggered interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Zheng; Tian, Chushun; Jiang, Hong-Chen; Qi, Yang; Weng, Zheng-Yu; Zaanen, Jan

2015-07-01

Charge order appears to be an ubiquitous phenomenon in doped Mott insulators, which is currently under intense experimental and theoretical investigations particularly in the high Tc cuprates. This phenomenon is conventionally understood in terms of Hartree-Fock-type mean-field theory. Here we demonstrate a mechanism for charge modulation which is rooted in the many-particle quantum physics arising in the strong coupling limit. Specifically, we consider the problem of a single hole in a bipartite t -J ladder. As a remnant of the fermion signs, the hopping hole picks up subtle phases pending the fluctuating spins, the so-called phase-string effect. We demonstrate the presence of charge modulations in the density matrix renormalization group solutions which disappear when the phase strings are switched off. This form of charge modulation can be understood analytically in a path-integral language with a mean-field-like approximation adopted, showing that the phase strings give rise to constructive interferences leading to self-localization. When the latter occurs, left- and right-moving propagating modes emerge inside the localization volume and their interference is responsible for the real space charge modulation.

Simple standard model extension by heavy charged scalar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boos, E.; Volobuev, I.

2018-05-01

We consider a Standard Model (SM) extension by a heavy charged scalar gauged only under the UY(1 ) weak hypercharge gauge group. Such an extension, being gauge invariant with respect to the SM gauge group, is a simple special case of the well-known Zee model. Since the interactions of the charged scalar with the Standard Model fermions turn out to be significantly suppressed compared to the Standard Model interactions, the charged scalar provides an example of a long-lived charged particle being interesting to search for at the LHC. We present the pair and single production cross sections of the charged scalar at different colliders and the possible decay widths for various boson masses. It is shown that the current ATLAS and CMS searches at 8 and 13 TeV collision energy lead to the bounds on the scalar boson mass of about 300-320 GeV. The limits are expected to be much larger for higher collision energies and, assuming 15 a b-1 integrated luminosity, reach about 2.7 TeV at future 27 TeV LHC thus covering the most interesting mass region.

Status of the charged Higgs boson in two Higgs doublet models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arbey, A.; Mahmoudi, F.; Stål, O.; Stefaniak, T.

2018-03-01

The existence of charged Higgs boson(s) is inevitable in models with two (or more) Higgs doublets. Hence, their discovery would constitute unambiguous evidence for new physics beyond the Standard Model (SM). Taking into account all relevant results from direct charged and neutral Higgs boson searches at LEP and the LHC, as well as the most recent constraints from flavour physics, we present a detailed analysis of the current phenomenological status of the charged Higgs sector in a variety of well-motivated two Higgs doublet models (2HDMs). We find that charged Higgs bosons as light as 75 GeV can still be compatible with the combined data, although this implies severely suppressed charged Higgs couplings to all fermions. In more popular models, e.g. the 2HDM of Type II, we find that flavour physics observables impose a combined lower limit on the charged Higgs mass of M_{H^± } ≳ 600 GeV - independent of tan β - which increases to M_{H^± } ≳ 650 GeV for tan β < 1. We furthermore find that in certain scenarios, the signature of a charged Higgs boson decaying into a lighter neutral Higgs boson and a W boson provides a promising experimental avenue that would greatly complement the existing LHC search programme for charged Higgs boson(s).

Current collection in an anisotropic plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Wei-Wei

1990-01-01

A general method is given to derive the current-potential relations in anisotropic plasmas. Orbit limit current is assumed. The collector is a conductive sphere or an infinite cylinder. Any distribution which is an arbitrary function of the velocity vector can be considered as a superposition of many mono-energetic beams whose current-potential relations are known. The results for two typical pitch angle distributions are derived and discussed in detail. The general properties of the current potential relations are very similar to that of a Maxwellian plasma except for an effective temperature which varies with the angle between the magnetic field and the charging surface. The conclusions are meaningful to generalized geometries.

The HZE radiation problem. [highly-charged energetic galactic cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schimmerling, Walter

1990-01-01

Radiation-exposure limits have yet to be established for missions envisioned in the framework of the Space Exploration Initiative. The radiation threat outside the earth's magnetosphere encompasses protons from solar particle events and the highly charged energetic particles constituting galactic cosmic rays; radiation biology entails careful consideration of the extremely nonuniform patterns of such particles' energy deposition. The ability to project such biological consequences of exposure to energetic particles as carcinogenicity currently involves great uncertainties from: (1) different regions of space; (2) the effects of spacecraft structures; and (3) the dose-effect relationships of single traversals of energetic particles.

Space-charge limited photocurrent.

PubMed

Mihailetchi, V D; Wildeman, J; Blom, P W M

2005-04-01

In 1971 Goodman and Rose predicted the occurrence of a fundamental electrostatic limit for the photocurrent in semiconductors at high light intensities. Blends of conjugated polymers and fullerenes are an ideal model system to observe this space-charge limit experimentally, since they combine an unbalanced charge transport, long lifetimes, high charge carrier generation efficiencies, and low mobility of the slowest charge carrier. The experimental photocurrents reveal all the characteristics of a space-charge limited photocurrent: a one-half power dependence on voltage, a three-quarter power dependence on light intensity, and a one-half power scaling of the voltage at which the photocurrent switches into full saturation with light intensity.

TEMPO/viologen electrochemical heterojunction for diffusion-controlled redox mediation: a highly rectifying bilayer-sandwiched device based on cross-reaction at the interface between dissimilar redox polymers.

PubMed

Tokue, Hiroshi; Oyaizu, Kenichi; Sukegawa, Takashi; Nishide, Hiroyuki

2014-03-26

A couple of totally reversible redox-active molecules, which are different in redox potentials, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl (TEMPO) and viologen (V(2+)), were employed to give rise to a rectified redox conduction effect. Single-layer and bilayer devices were fabricated using polymers containing these sites as pendant groups per repeating unit. The devices were obtained by sandwiching the redox polymer layer(s) with indium tin oxide (ITO)/glass and Pt foil electrodes. Electrochemical measurements of the single-layer device composed of polynorbornene-bearing TEMPO (PTNB) exhibited a diffusion-limited current-voltage response based on the TEMPO(+)/TEMPO exchange reaction, which was almost equivalent to a redox gradient through the PTNB layer depending upon the thickness. The bilayer device gave rise to the current rectification because of the thermodynamically favored cross-reaction between TEMPO(+) and V(+) at the polymer/polymer interface. A current-voltage response obtained for the bilayer device demonstrated a two-step diffusion-limited current behavior as a result of the concurrent V(2+)/V(+) and V(+)/V(0) exchange reactions according to the voltage and suggested that the charge transport process through the device was most likely to be rate-determined by a redox gradient in the polymer layer. Current collection experiments revealed a charge transport balance throughout the device, as a result of the electrochemical stability and robustness of the polymers in both redox states.

Impedance of an intense plasma-cathode electron source for tokamak startup

DOE PAGES

Hinson, Edward Thomas; Barr, Jayson L.; Bongard, Michael W.; ...

2016-05-31

In this study, an impedance model is formulated and tested for the ~1kV, ~1kA/cm 2, arc-plasma cathode electron source used for local helicity injection tokamak startup. A double layer sheath is established between the high-density arc plasma (n arc ≈ 10 21 m -3) within the electron source, and the less dense external tokamak edge plasma (n edge ≈ 10 18 m -3) into which current is injected at the applied injector voltage, V inj. Experiments on the Pegasus spherical tokamak show the injected current, I inj, increases with V inj according to the standard double layer scaling I injmore » ~ V inj 3/2 at low current and transitions to I inj ~ V inj 1/2 at high currents. In this high current regime, sheath expansion and/or space charge neutralization impose limits on the beam density n b ~ I inj/V inj 1/2. For low tokamak edge density n edge and high I inj, the inferred beam density n b is consistent with the requirement n b ≤ n edge imposed by space-charge neutralization of the beam in the tokamak edge plasma. At sufficient edge density, n b ~ n arc is observed, consistent with a limit to n b imposed by expansion of the double layer sheath. These results suggest that n arc is a viable control actuator for the source impedance.« less

System and method for charging electrochemical cells in series

DOEpatents

DeLuca, William H.; Hornstra, Jr, Fred; Gelb, George H.; Berman, Baruch; Moede, Larry W.

1980-01-01

A battery charging system capable of equalizing the charge of each individual cell at a selected full charge voltage includes means for regulating charger current to first increase current at a constant rate until a bulk charging level is achieved or until any cell reaches a safe reference voltage. A system controller then begins to decrease the charging rate as long as any cell exceeds the reference voltage until an equalization current level is reached. At this point, the system controller activates a plurality of shunt modules to permit shunting of current around any cell having a voltage exceeding the reference voltage. Leads extending between the battery of cells and shunt modules are time shared to permit alternate shunting of current and voltage monitoring without the voltage drop caused by the shunt current. After each cell has at one time exceeded the reference voltage, the charging current is terminated.

Search for V+A current in top-quark decays in pp collisions at sqrts=1.96 TeV.

PubMed

Abulencia, A; Adelman, J; Affolder, T; Akimoto, T; Albrow, M G; Ambrose, D; Amerio, S; Amidei, D; Anastassov, A; Anikeev, K; Annovi, A; Antos, J; Aoki, M; Apollinari, G; Arguin, J-F; Arisawa, T; Artikov, A; Ashmanskas, W; Attal, A; Azfar, F; Azzi-Bacchetta, P; Azzurri, P; Bacchetta, N; Badgett, W; Barbaro-Galtieri, A; Barnes, V E; Barnett, B A; Baroiant, S; Bartsch, V; Bauer, G; Bedeschi, F; Behari, S; Belforte, S; Bellettini, G; Bellinger, J; Belloni, A; Benjamin, D; Beretvas, A; Beringer, J; Berry, T; Bhatti, A; Binkley, M; Bisello, D; Blair, R E; Blocker, C; Blumenfeld, B; Bocci, A; Bodek, A; Boisvert, V; Bolla, G; Bolshov, A; Bortoletto, D; Boudreau, J; Boveia, A; Brau, B; Brigliadori, L; Bromberg, C; Brubaker, E; Budagov, J; Budd, H S; Budd, S; Budroni, S; Burkett, K; Busetto, G; Bussey, P; Byrum, K L; Cabrera, S; Campanelli, M; Campbell, M; Canelli, F; Canepa, A; Carillo, S; Carlsmith, D; Carosi, R; Carron, S; Casarsa, M; Castro, A; Catastini, P; Cauz, D; Cavalli-Sforza, M; Cerri, A; Cerrito, L; Chang, S H; Chen, Y C; Chertok, M; Chiarelli, G; Chlachidze, G; Chlebana, F; Cho, I; Cho, K; Chokheli, D; Chou, J P; Choudalakis, G; Chuang, S H; Chung, K; Chung, W H; Chung, Y S; Ciljak, M; Ciobanu, C I; Ciocci, M A; Clark, A; Clark, D; Coca, M; Compostella, G; Convery, M E; Conway, J; Cooper, B; Copic, K; Cordelli, M; Cortiana, G; Crescioli, F; Almenar, C Cuenca; Cuevas, J; Culbertson, R; Cully, J C; Cyr, D; Daronco, S; Datta, M; D'Auria, S; Davies, T; D'Onofrio, M; Dagenhart, D; de Barbaro, P; Cecco, S De; Deisher, A; De Lentdecker, G; Dell'Orso, M; Delli Paoli, F; Demortier, L; Deng, J; Deninno, M; De Pedis, D; Derwent, P F; Di Giovanni, G P; Dionisi, C; Di Ruzza, B; Dittmann, J R; Dituro, P; Dörr, C; Donati, S; Donega, M; Dong, P; Donini, J; Dorigo, T; Dube, S; Efron, J; Erbacher, R; Errede, D; Errede, S; Eusebi, R; Fang, H C; Farrington, S; Fedorko, I; Fedorko, W T; Feild, R G; Feindt, M; Fernandez, J P; Field, R; Flanagan, G; Foland, A; Forrester, S; Foster, G W; Franklin, M; Freeman, J C; Furic, I; Gallinaro, M; Galyardt, J; Garcia, J E; Garberson, F; Garfinkel, A F; Gay, C; Gerberich, H; Gerdes, D; Giagu, S; Giannetti, P; Gibson, A; Gibson, K; Gimmell, J L; Ginsburg, C; Giokaris, N; Giordani, M; Giromini, P; Giunta, M; Giurgiu, G; Glagolev, V; Glenzinski, D; Gold, M; Goldschmidt, N; Goldstein, J; Golossanov, A; Gomez, G; Gomez-Ceballos, G; Goncharov, M; González, O; Gorelov, I; Goshaw, A T; Goulianos, K; Gresele, A; Griffiths, M; Grinstein, S; Grosso-Pilcher, C; Grundler, U; da Costa, J Guimaraes; Gunay-Unalan, Z; Haber, C; Hahn, K; Hahn, S R; Halkiadakis, E; Hamilton, A; Han, B-Y; Han, J Y; Handler, R; Happacher, F; Hara, K; Hare, M; Harper, S; Harr, R F; Harris, R M; Hartz, M; Hatakeyama, K; Hauser, J; Heijboer, A; Heinemann, B; Heinrich, J; Henderson, C; Herndon, M; Heuser, J; Hidas, D; Hill, C S; Hirschbuehl, D; Hocker, A; Holloway, A; Hou, S; Houlden, M; Hsu, S-C; Huffman, B T; Hughes, R E; Husemann, U; Huston, J; Incandela, J; Introzzi, G; Iori, M; Ishizawa, Y; Ivanov, A; Iyutin, B; James, E; Jang, D; Jayatilaka, B; Jeans, D; Jensen, H; Jeon, E J; Jindariani, S; Jones, M; Joo, K K; Jun, S Y; Jung, J E; Junk, T R; Kamon, T; Karchin, P E; Kato, Y; Kemp, Y; Kephart, R; Kerzel, U; Khotilovich, V; Kilminster, B; Kim, D H; Kim, H S; Kim, J E; Kim, M J; Kim, S B; Kim, S H; Kim, Y K; Kimura, N; Kirsch, L; Klimenko, S; Klute, M; Knuteson, B; Ko, B R; Kondo, K; Kong, D J; Konigsberg, J; Korytov, A; Kotwal, A V; Kovalev, A; Kraan, A C; Kraus, J; Kravchenko, I; Kreps, M; Kroll, J; Krumnack, N; Kruse, M; Krutelyov, V; Kubo, T; Kuhlmann, S E; Kuhr, T; Kusakabe, Y; Kwang, S; Laasanen, A T; Lai, S; Lami, S; Lammel, S; Lancaster, M; Lander, R L; Lannon, K; Lath, A; Latino, G; Lazzizzera, I; Lecompte, T; Lee, J; Lee, J; Lee, Y J; Lee, S W; Lefèvre, R; Leonardo, N; Leone, S; Levy, S; Lewis, J D; Lin, C; Lin, C S; Lindgren, M; Lipeles, E; Lister, A; Litvintsev, D O; Liu, T; Lockyer, N S; Loginov, A; Loreti, M; Loverre, P; Lu, R-S; Lucchesi, D; Lujan, P; Lukens, P; Lungu, G; Lyons, L; Lys, J; Lysak, R; Lytken, E; Mack, P; Macqueen, D; Madrak, R; Maeshima, K; Makhoul, K; Maki, T; Maksimovic, P; Malde, S; Manca, G; Margaroli, F; Marginean, R; Marino, C; Marino, C P; Martin, A; Martin, M; Martin, V; Martínez, M; Maruyama, T; Mastrandrea, P; Masubuchi, T; Matsunaga, H; Mattson, M E; Mazini, R; Mazzanti, P; McFarland, K S; McIntyre, P; McNulty, R; Mehta, A; Mehtala, P; Menzemer, S; Menzione, A; Merkel, P; Mesropian, C; Messina, A; Miao, T; Miladinovic, N; Miles, J; Miller, R; Mills, C; Milnik, M; Mitra, A; Mitselmakher, G; Miyamoto, A; Moed, S; Moggi, N; Mohr, B; Moore, R; Morello, M; Fernandez, P Movilla; Mülmenstädt, J; Mukherjee, A; Muller, Th; Mumford, R; Murat, P; Nachtman, J; Nagano, A; Naganoma, J; Nakano, I; Napier, A; Necula, V; Neu, C; Neubauer, M S; Nielsen, J; Nigmanov, T; Nodulman, L; Norniella, O; Nurse, E; Oh, S H; Oh, Y D; Oksuzian, I; Okusawa, T; Oldeman, R; Orava, R; Osterberg, K; Pagliarone, C; Palencia, E; Papadimitriou, V; Paramonov, A A; Parks, B; Pashapour, S; Patrick, J; Pauletta, G; Paulini, M; Paus, C; Pellett, D E; Penzo, A; Phillips, T J; Piacentino, G; Piedra, J; Pinera, L; Pitts, K; Plager, C; Pondrom, L; Portell, X; Poukhov, O; Pounder, N; Prakoshyn, F; Pronko, A; Proudfoot, J; Ptohos, F; Punzi, G; Pursley, J; Rademacker, J; Rahaman, A; Ranjan, N; Rappoccio, S; Reisert, B; Rekovic, V; Renton, P; Rescigno, M; Richter, S; Rimondi, F; Ristori, L; Robson, A; Rodrigo, T; Rogers, E; Rolli, S; Roser, R; Rossi, M; Rossin, R; Ruiz, A; Russ, J; Rusu, V; Saarikko, H; Sabik, S; Safonov, A; Sakumoto, W K; Salamanna, G; Saltó, O; Saltzberg, D; Sánchez, C; Santi, L; Sarkar, S; Sartori, L; Sato, K; Savard, P; Savoy-Navarro, A; Scheidle, T; Schlabach, P; Schmidt, E E; Schmidt, M P; Schmitt, M; Schwarz, T; Scodellaro, L; Scott, A L; Scribano, A; Scuri, F; Sedov, A; Seidel, S; Seiya, Y; Semenov, A; Sexton-Kennedy, L; Sfyrla, A; Shapiro, M D; Shears, T; Shepard, P F; Sherman, D; Shimojima, M; Shochet, M; Shon, Y; Shreyber, I; Sidoti, A; Sinervo, P; Sisakyan, A; Sjolin, J; Slaughter, A J; Slaunwhite, J; Sliwa, K; Smith, J R; Snider, F D; Snihur, R; Soderberg, M; Soha, A; Somalwar, S; Sorin, V; Spalding, J; Spinella, F; Spreitzer, T; Squillacioti, P; Stanitzki, M; Staveris-Polykalas, A; Denis, R St; Stelzer, B; Stelzer-Chilton, O; Stentz, D; Strologas, J; Stuart, D; Suh, J S; Sukhanov, A; Sun, H; Suzuki, T; Taffard, A; Takashima, R; Takeuchi, Y; Takikawa, K; Tanaka, M; Tanaka, R; Tecchio, M; Teng, P K; Terashi, K; Thom, J; Thompson, A S; Thomson, E; Tipton, P; Tiwari, V; Tkaczyk, S; Toback, D; Tokar, S; Tollefson, K; Tomura, T; Tonelli, D; Torre, S; Torretta, D; Tourneur, S; Trischuk, W; Tsuchiya, R; Tsuno, S; Turini, N; Ukegawa, F; Unverhau, T; Uozumi, S; Usynin, D; Vallecorsa, S; van Remortel, N; Varganov, A; Vataga, E; Vázquez, F; Velev, G; Veramendi, G; Veszpremi, V; Vidal, R; Vila, I; Vilar, R; Vine, T; Vollrath, I; Volobouev, I; Volpi, G; Würthwein, F; Wagner, P; Wagner, R G; Wagner, R L; Wagner, J; Wagner, W; Wallny, R; Wang, S M; Warburton, A; Waschke, S; Waters, D; Weinberger, M; Wester, W C; Whitehouse, B; Whiteson, D; Wicklund, A B; Wicklund, E; Williams, G; Williams, H H; Wilson, P; Winer, B L; Wittich, P; Wolbers, S; Wolfe, C; Wright, T; Wu, X; Wynne, S M; Yagil, A; Yamamoto, K; Yamaoka, J; Yamashita, T; Yang, C; Yang, U K; Yang, Y C; Yao, W M; Yeh, G P; Yoh, J; Yorita, K; Yoshida, T; Yu, G B; Yu, I; Yu, S S; Yun, J C; Zanello, L; Zanetti, A; Zaw, I; Zhang, X; Zhou, J; Zucchelli, S

2007-02-16

We report an upper limit on the fraction of V+A current, fV+A, in top-quark decays, using approximately 700 pb-1 of pp[over ] collisions at sqrts=1.96 TeV acquired by the upgraded Collider Detector at Fermilab. For the decay t-->Wb-->lnub (where l=e or micro), the invariant mass of the charged lepton and the bottom quark jet is sensitive to the polarization of the W boson. We determine fV+A=-0.06+/-0.25 given a top-quark mass of 175 GeV/c2. We set an upper limit on fV+A of 0.29 at the 95% confidence level, an improvement by a factor of 2 on the previous best direct limit.

Development and study of charge sensors for fast charge detection in quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thalakulam, Madhu

Charge detection at microsecond time-scales has far reaching consequences in both technology and in our understanding of electron dynamics in nanoscale devices such as quantum dots. Radio-frequency superconducting single electron transistors (RF-SET) and quantum point contacts (QPC) are ultra sensitive charge sensors operating near the quantum limit. The operation of RF-SETs outside the superconducting gap has been a topic of study; the sub-gap operation, especially in the presence of large quantum fluctuations of quasiparticles remains largely unexplored, both theoretically and experimentally. We have investigated the effects of quantum fluctuations of quasiparticles on the operation of RF-SETs for large values of the quasiparticle cotunneling parameter alpha = 8EJ/Ec, where EJ and Ec are the Josephson and charging energies. We find that, for alpha > 1, sub-gap RF-SET operation is still feasible despite quantum fluctuations that wash out quasiparticle tunneling thresholds. Such RF-SETs show linearity and signal-to-noise ratio superior to those obtained when quantum fluctuations are weak, while still demonstrating excellent charge sensitivity. We have operated a QPC charge detector in a radio frequency mode that allows fast charge detection in a bandwidth of several megahertz. The noise limiting the sensitivity of the charge detector is not the noise of a secondary amplifier, but the non-equilibrium device noise of the QPC itself. The noise power averaged over a measurement bandwidth of about 10MHz around the carrier frequency is in agreement with the theory of photon-assisted shot noise. Frequency-resolved measurements, however show several significant discrepancies with the theoretical predictions. The measurement techniques developed can also be used to investigate the noise of other semiconductor nanostructures such as quantum dots in the Kondo regime. A study of the noise characteristics alone can not determine whether the device is operating at the quantum limit; a characterization of back action is also necessary. The inelastic current through a double quantum dot system (DQD) is sensitive to the spectral density of voltage fluctuations in its electromagnetic environment. Electrical transport studies on a DQD system electrostatically coupled to an SET shows qualitative evidence of back-action of SET. The design and fabrication of a few electron DQD device with integrated RF-SET and QPC charge sensors for the study of back action of the sensors and real-time electron dynamics in the DQD are also discussed.

Conduction Mechanism and Improved Endurance in HfO2-Based RRAM with Nitridation Treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Fang-Yuan; Deng, Ning; Shih, Chih-Cheng; Tseng, Yi-Ting; Chang, Ting-Chang; Chang, Kuan-Chang; Wang, Ming-Hui; Chen, Wen-Chung; Zheng, Hao-Xuan; Wu, Huaqiang; Qian, He; Sze, Simon M.

2017-10-01

A nitridation treatment technology with a urea/ammonia complex nitrogen source improved resistive switching property in HfO2-based resistive random access memory (RRAM). The nitridation treatment produced a high performance and reliable device which results in superior endurance (more than 109 cycles) and a self-compliance effect. Thus, the current conduction mechanism changed due to defect passivation by nitrogen atoms in the HfO2 thin film. At a high resistance state (HRS), it transferred to Schottky emission from Poole-Frenkel in HfO2-based RRAM. At low resistance state (LRS), the current conduction mechanism was space charge limited current (SCLC) after the nitridation treatment, which suggests that the nitrogen atoms form Hf-N-Ox vacancy clusters (Vo +) which limit electron movement through the switching layer.

Applicability of micro-channel plate followed by phosphor screen to charged particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Himura, H., E-mail: himura@kit.ac.jp; Nakata, S.; Sanpei, A.

2016-06-15

This paper experimentally investigates the applicability of a micro-channel plate (MCP) followed by a phosphor screen to charged particles along with a calibration method for estimating the acceptable limit of input particle flux and appropriate operation parameters of a particular MCP. For the first time, plasmas consisting of only lithium ions are injected into the MCP. Despite large ion numbers (N{sub i}) on the order of ≃10{sup 7}, no deterioration in the effective gain (αG) of the MCP owing to an excess amount of the extracted charge occurs in a certain range of the amplifier voltage (ΔU{sub M}) applied tomore » the MCP. The measured αG nearly agrees with the expected value. However, once ΔU{sub M} exceeds a limit value, αG eventually begins to saturate. This is also verified in experiments using pure electron plasmas. An appropriate range of ΔU{sub M} is presented to avoid saturation and, finally, derive N{sub i} directly from the secondary electron current outputted from the MCP only after the indispensable calibration.« less

Constitutional limits to the financing of health care in the Czech Republic and in selected European countries.

PubMed

Prudil, Lukás

2003-01-01

The aim of this paper is to describe the constitutional limits to the financing of health care and especially of public health insurance in the Czech Republic. It describes the current situation in the financing of health care on the basis of the Czech constitutional order as it has been interpreted by the Constitutional Court. Finally it presents an overview of the incorporation of the right to health into the constitutional documents of several European countries with the stress on the right to receive health care "free of charge". It is not typical within the European region to specify in constitutional acts to what extent it is giving the right to health care free-of-charge or more precisely to what extent and for what groups health care is paid for by persons other than by the citizens (patients). The Czech Republic is one of the exceptional cases in which the basic right to health care free-of-charge on the basis of public insurance is given directly by the Constitution.

Back-streaming ion emission and beam focusing on high power linear induction accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jun; Chen, Nan; Yu, Haijun; Jiang, Xiaoguo; Wang, Yuan; Dai, Wenhua; Gao, Feng; Wang, Minhong; Li, Jin; Shi, Jinshui

2011-08-01

Ions released from target surfaces by impact of a high intensity and current electron beam can be accelerated and trapped in the beam potential, and further destroy the beam focus. By solving the 2D Poisson equation, we found that the charge neutralization factor of the ions to the beam under space charge limited condition is 1/3, which is large enough to disrupt the spot size. Therefore, the ion emission at the target in a single-pulse beam/target system must be source limited. Experimental results on the time-resolved beam profile measurement have also proven that. A new focus scheme is proposed in this paper to focus the beam to a small spot size with the existence of back-streaming ions. We found that the focal spot will move upstream as the charge neutralization factor increases. By comparing the theoretical and experimental focal length of the Dragon-I accelerator (20 MeV, 2.5 kA, 60 ns flattop), we found that the average neutralization factor is about 5% in the beam/target system.

Comparison of dust charging between orbital-motion-limited theory and particle-in-cell simulations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Delzanno, Gian Luca, E-mail: delzanno@lanl.gov; Tang, Xian-Zhu, E-mail: xtang@lanl.gov

The Orbital-Motion-Limited (OML) theory has been modified to predict the dust charge and the results were contrasted with the Whipple approximation [X. Z. Tang and G. L. Delzanno, Phys. Plasmas 21, 123708 (2014)]. To further establish its regime of applicability, in this paper, the OML predictions (for a non-electron-emitting, spherical dust grain at rest in a collisionless, unmagnetized plasma) are compared with particle-in-cell simulations that retain the absorption radius effect. It is found that for large dust grain radius r{sub d} relative to the plasma Debye length λ{sub D}, the revised OML theory remains a very good approximation as, formore » the parameters considered (r{sub d}/λ{sub D} ≤ 10, equal electron and ion temperatures), it yields the dust charge to within 20% accuracy. This is a substantial improvement over the Whipple approximation. The dust collected currents and energy fluxes, which remain the same in the revised and standard OML theories, are accurate to within 15%–30%.« less

Charging and breakdown in amorphous dielectrics: Phenomenological modeling approach and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palit, Sambit

Amorphous dielectrics of different thicknesses (nm to mm) are used in various applications. Low temperature processing/deposition of amorphous thin-film dielectrics often result in defect-states or electronic traps. These traps are responsible for increased leakage currents and bulk charge trapping in many associated applications. Additional defects may be generated during regular usage, leading to electrical breakdown. Increased leakage currents, charge trapping and defect generation/breakdown are important and pervasive reliability concerns in amorphous dielectrics. We first explore the issue of charge accumulation and leakage in amorphous dielectrics. Historically, charge transport in amorphous dielectrics has been presumed, depending on the dielectric thickness, to be either bulk dominated (Frenkel-Poole (FP) emission) or contact dominated (Fowler-Nordheim tunneling). We develop a comprehensive dielectric charging modeling framework which solves for the transient and steady state charge accumulation and leakage currents in an amorphous dielectric, and show that for intermediate thickness dielectrics, the conventional assumption of FP dominated current transport is incorrect, and may lead to false extraction of dielectric parameters. We propose an improved dielectric characterization methodology based on an analytical approximation of our model. Coupled with ab-initio computed defect levels, the dielectric charging model explains measured leakage currents more accurately with lesser empiricism. We study RF-MEMS capacitive switches as one of the target applications of intermediate thickness amorphous dielectrics. To achieve faster analysis and design of RF-MEMS switches in particular, and electro-mechanical actuators in general, we propose a set of fundamental scaling relationships which are independent of specific physical dimensions and material properties; the scaling relationships provide an intrinsic classification of all electro-mechanical actuators. However, RF-MEMS capacitive switches are plagued by the reliability issue of temporal shifts of actuation voltages due to dielectric charge accumulation, often resulting in failure due to membrane stiction. Using the dielectric charging model, we show that in spite of unpredictable roughness of deposited dielectrics, there are predictable shifts in actuation voltages due to dielectric charging in RF-MEMS switches. We also propose a novel non-obtrusive, non-contact, fully electronic resonance based technique to characterize charging driven actuation shifts in RF-MEMS switches which overcomes limitations in conventionally used methods. Finally, we look into the issue of defect generation and breakdown in thick polymer dielectrics. Polymer materials often face premature electrical breakdown due to high electric fields and frequencies, and exposure to ambient humidity conditions. Using a field-driven correlated defect generation model, coupled with a model for temperature rise due to dielectric heating at AC stresses, we explain measured trends in time-to-breakdown and breakdown electric fields in polymer materials. Using dielectric heating we are able to explain the observed lifetime and dielectric strength reduction with increasing dielectric thicknesses. Performing lifetime measurements after exposure to controlled humidity conditions, we find that moisture ingress into a polymer material reduces activation barriers for chain breakage and increases dielectric heating. Overall, this thesis develops a comprehensive framework of dielectric charging, leakage and degradation of insulators of different thicknesses that have broad applications in multiple technologies.

Analytical model for describing ion guiding through capillaries in insulating polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shi-Dong; Zhao, Yong-Tao; Wang, Yu-Yu; N, Stolterfoht; Cheng, Rui; Zhou, Xian-Ming; Xu, Hu-Shan; Xiao, Guo-Qing

2015-08-01

An analytical description for guiding of ions through nanocapillaries is given on the basis of previous work. The current entering into the capillary is assumed to be divided into a current fraction transmitted through the capillary, a current fraction flowing away via the capillary conductivity and a current fraction remaining within the capillary, which is responsible for its charge-up. The discharging current is assumed to be governed by the Frenkel-Poole process. At higher conductivities the analytical model shows a blocking of the ion transmission, which is in agreement with recent simulations. Also, it is shown that ion blocking observed in experiments is well reproduced by the analytical formula. Furthermore, the asymptotic fraction of transmitted ions is determined. Apart from the key controlling parameter (charge-to-energy ratio), the ratio of the capillary conductivity to the incident current is included in the model. Differences resulting from the nonlinear and linear limits of the Frenkel-Poole discharge are pointed out. Project supported by the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (Grant No. 2010CB832902) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11275241, 11275238, 11105192, and 11375034).

Effect of magnetic field configuration on the multiply charged ion and plume characteristics in Hall thruster plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Holak; Lim, Youbong; Choe, Wonho, E-mail: wchoe@kaist.ac.kr

2015-04-13

Multiply charged ions and plume characteristics in Hall thruster plasmas are investigated with regard to magnetic field configuration. Differences in the plume shape and the fraction of ions with different charge states are demonstrated by the counter-current and co-current magnetic field configurations, respectively. The significantly larger number of multiply charged and higher charge state ions including Xe{sup 4+} are observed in the co-current configuration than in the counter-current configuration. The large fraction of multiply charged ions and high ion currents in this experiment may be related to the strong electron confinement, which is due to the strong magnetic mirror effectmore » in the co-current magnetic field configuration.« less

FROM THE HISTORY OF PHYSICS: Electrolysis and surface phenomena. To the bicentenary of Volta's publication on the first direct-current source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gokhshtein, Aleksandr Ya

2000-07-01

The development of knowledge about electric current, potential, and the conversion of energy at the interface between electronic- and ionic-conductivity phases is briefly reviewed. Although soon after its discovery it was realized that electric current is the motion of charged particles, the double-layer field promoting charge transfer through the interface was considered for a long time to be as uniform as in a capacitor. One-dimensional ion discharge theory failed to explain the observed dependence of the current on the potential jump across the interface. The spatial segmentation of energy in the double layer due to the quantum evolution of the layer's periphery puts a limit on the charge transfer work the field may perform locally, and creates conditions for the ionic atmosphere being spontaneously compressed after the critical potential jump has been reached. A discrete interchange of states also occurs due to the adsorption of discharged particles and corresponds to the consecutive exclusion of the d-wave function nodes of metal surface atoms, the exclusion manifesting itself in the larger longitudinal and smaller lateral sizes of the atomic orbital. The elastic extension of the metal surface reduces the d-function overlap thus intensifying adsorption. Advances in experimentation, in particular new techniques capable of detecting alternating surface tension of solids, enabled these and some other phenomena to be observed.

Profiling of the injected charge drift current transients by cross-sectional scanning technique

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gaubas, E., E-mail: eugenijus.gaubas@ff.vu.lt; Ceponis, T.; Pavlov, J.

2014-02-07

The electric field distribution and charge drift currents in Si particle detectors are analyzed. Profiling of the injected charge drift current transients has been implemented by varying charge injection position within a cross-sectional boundary of the particle detector. The obtained profiles of the induction current density and duration of the injected charge drift pulses fit well the simulated current variations. Induction current transients have been interpreted by different stages of the bipolar and monopolar drift of the injected carriers. Profiles of the injected charge current transients registered in the non-irradiated and neutron irradiated Si diodes are compared. It has beenmore » shown that the mixed regime of the competing processes of drift, recombination, and diffusion appears in the measured current profiles on the irradiated samples. The impact of the avalanche effects can be ignored based on the investigations presented. It has been shown that even a simplified dynamic model enabled us to reproduce the main features of the profiled transients of induced charge drift current.« less

Review of a solution-processed vertical organic transistor as a solid-state vacuum tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Hung-Cheng; Zan, Hsiao-Wen; Chao, Yu-Chiang; Chang, Ming-Yu; Meng, Hsin-Fei

2015-05-01

In this paper, we investigate the key issues in raising the on/off current ratio and increasing the output current. A 1 V operated inverter composed of an enhancement-mode space-charge-limited transistor (SCLT) and a depletion-mode SCLT is demonstrated using the self-assembled monolayer modulation process. With a bulk-conduction mechanism, good bias-stress reliability, and good bending durability are obtained. Finally, key scaling-up processes, including nanoimprinting and blade-coated nanospheres, are demonstrated.

Search for Sterile Neutrinos Using the MiniBooNE Beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sorel, Michel

2005-01-01

The possible existence of light sterile neutrinos in Nature is motivated, and the prospects to extend sterile neutrino searches beyond current limits is substantiated, using the MiniBooNE neutrino beam and detector at Fermilab. We report on the neutrino flux predictions for the MiniBooNE experiment, on the characterization of the charged-current, quasi-elastic interactions of muon neutrinos ({nu}{sub {mu}}n {yields} {mu}{sup -}p) observed, and on the experiment's sensitivity to sterile neutrinos via muon neutrino disappearance.

Improved Control of Charging Voltage for Li-Ion Battery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Timmerman, Paul; Bugga, Ratnakumar

2006-01-01

The protocol for charging a lithium-ion battery would be modified, according to a proposal, to compensate for the internal voltage drop (charging current internal resistance of the battery). The essence of the modification is to provide for measurement of the internal voltage drop and to increase the terminal-voltage setting by the amount of the internal voltage drop. Ordinarily, a lithium-ion battery is charged at constant current until its terminal voltage attains a set value equal to the nominal full-charge potential. The set value is chosen carefully so as not to exceed the lithium-plating potential, because plated lithium in metallic form constitutes a hazard. When the battery is charged at low temperature, the internal voltage drop is considerable because the electrical conductivity of the battery electrolyte is low at low temperature. Charging the battery at high current at any temperature also gives rise to a high internal voltage drop. In some cases, the internal voltage drop can be as high as 1 volt per cell. Because the voltage available for charging is less than the terminal voltage by the amount of the internal voltage drop, the battery is not fully charged (see figure), even when the terminal voltage reaches the set value. In the modified protocol, the charging current would be periodically interrupted so that the zero-current battery-terminal voltage indicative of the state of charge could be measured. The terminal voltage would also be measured at full charging current. The difference between the full-current and zero-current voltages would equal the internal voltage drop. The set value of terminal voltage would then be increased beyond the nominal full-charge potential by the amount of the internal voltage drop. This adjustment would be performed repeatedly, in real time, so that the voltage setting would track variations in the internal voltage drop to afford full charge without risk of lithium plating. If the charging current and voltage settings were controlled by a computer, then this method of charge control could readily be implemented in software.

Comparison of chitosan and chitosan nanoparticles on the performance and charge recombination of water-based gel electrolyte in dye sensitized solar cells.

PubMed

Khalili, Malihe; Abedi, Mohammad; Amoli, Hossein Salar; Mozaffari, Seyed Ahmad

2017-11-01

In commercialization of liquid dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), whose leakage, evaporation and toxicity of organic solvents are limiting factors, replacement of organic solvents with water-based gel electrolyte is recommended. This work reports on utilizing and comparison of chitosan and chitosan nanoparticle as different gelling agents in preparation of water-based gel electrolyte in fabrication of dye sensitized solar cells. All photovoltaic parameters such as open circuit voltage (V oc ), fill factor (FF), short circuit current density (J sc ) and conversion efficiency (η) were measured. For further characterization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to study the charge transfer at Pt/electrolyte interface and charge recombination and electron transport at TiO 2 /dye/electrolyte interface. Significant improvements in conversion efficiency and short circuit current density of DSSCs fabricated by chitosan nanoparticle were observed that can be attributed to the higher mobility of I 3 - due to the lower viscosity and smaller size of chitosan nanoparticles. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydrodynamic description of spin Calogero-Sutherland model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abanov, Alexander; Kulkarni, Manas; Franchini, Fabio

2009-03-01

We study a non-linear collective field theory for an integrable spin-Calogero-Sutherland model. The hydrodynamic description of this SU(2) model in terms of charge density, charge velocity and spin currents is used to study non-perturbative solutions (solitons) and examine their correspondence with known quantum numbers of elementary excitations [1]. A conventional linear bosonization or harmonic approximation is not sufficient to describe, for example, the physics of spin-charge (non)separation. Therefore, we need this new collective bosonic field description that captures the effects of the band curvature. In the strong coupling limit [2] this model reduces to integrable SU(2) Haldane-Shastry model. We study a non-linear coupling of left and right spin currents which form a Kac-Moody algebra. Our quantum hydrodynamic description for the spin case is an extension for the one found in the spinless version in [3].[3pt] [1] Y. Kato,T. Yamamoto, and M. Arikawa, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 66, 1954-1961 (1997).[0pt] [2] A. Polychronakos, Phys Rev Lett. 70,2329-2331(1993).[0pt] [3] A.G.Abanov and P.B. Wiegmann, Phys Rev Lett 95, 076402(2005)

Smart Power Supply for Battery-Powered Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krasowski, Michael J.; Greer, Lawrence; Prokop, Norman F.; Flatico, Joseph M.

2010-01-01

A power supply for battery-powered systems has been designed with an embedded controller that is capable of monitoring and maintaining batteries, charging hardware, while maintaining output power. The power supply is primarily designed for rovers and other remote science and engineering vehicles, but it can be used in any battery alone, or battery and charging source applications. The supply can function autonomously, or can be connected to a host processor through a serial communications link. It can be programmed a priori or on the fly to return current and voltage readings to a host. It has two output power busses: a constant 24-V direct current nominal bus, and a programmable bus for output from approximately 24 up to approximately 50 V. The programmable bus voltage level, and its output power limit, can be changed on the fly as well. The power supply also offers options to reduce the programmable bus to 24 V when the set power limit is reached, limiting output power in the case of a system fault detected in the system. The smart power supply is based on an embedded 8051-type single-chip microcontroller. This choice was made in that a credible progression to flight (radiation hard, high reliability) can be assumed as many 8051 processors or gate arrays capable of accepting 8051-type core presently exist and will continue to do so for some time. To solve the problem of centralized control, this innovation moves an embedded microcontroller to the power supply and assigns it the task of overseeing the operation and charging of the power supply assets. This embedded processor is connected to the application central processor via a serial data link such that the central processor can request updates of various parameters within the supply, such as battery current, bus voltage, remaining power in battery estimations, etc. This supply has a direct connection to the battery bus for common (quiescent) power application. Because components from multiple vendors may have differing power needs, this supply also has a secondary power bus, which can be programmed a priori or on-the-fly to boost the primary battery voltage level from 24 to 50 V to accommodate various loads as they are brought on line. Through voltage and current monitoring, the device can also shield the charging source from overloads, keep it within safe operating modes, and can meter available power to the application and maintain safe operations.

12 CFR 226.54 - Limitations on the imposition of finance charges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Limitations on the imposition of finance... imposition of finance charges. (a) Limitations on imposing finance charges as a result of the loss of a grace... impose finance charges as a result of the loss of a grace period on a credit card account under an open...

12 CFR 226.54 - Limitations on the imposition of finance charges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Limitations on the imposition of finance... imposition of finance charges. (a) Limitations on imposing finance charges as a result of the loss of a grace... impose finance charges as a result of the loss of a grace period on a credit card account under an open...

Effect of positive pulse charge waveforms on the energy efficiency of lead-acid traction cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smithrick, J. J.

1981-01-01

The effects of four different charge methods on the energy conversion efficiency of 300 ampere hour lead acid traction cells were investigated. Three of the methods were positive pulse charge waveforms; the fourth, a constant current method, was used as a baseline of comparison. The positive pulse charge waveforms were: 120 Hz full wave rectified sinusoidal; 120 Hz silicon controlled rectified; and 1 kHz square wave. The constant current charger was set at the time average pulse current of each pulse waveform, which was 150 amps. The energy efficiency does not include charger losses. The lead acid traction cells were charged to 70 percent of rated ampere hour capacity in each case. The results of charging the cells using the three different pulse charge waveforms indicate there was no significant difference in energy conversion efficiency when compared to constant current charging at the time average pulse current value.

Impact of quantum confinement on transport and the electrostatic driven performance of silicon nanowire transistors at the scaling limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Ameri, Talib; Georgiev, Vihar P.; Sadi, Toufik; Wang, Yijiao; Adamu-Lema, Fikru; Wang, Xingsheng; Amoroso, Salvatore M.; Towie, Ewan; Brown, Andrew; Asenov, Asen

2017-03-01

In this work we investigate the impact of quantum mechanical effects on the device performance of n-type silicon nanowire transistors (NWT) for possible future CMOS applications at the scaling limit. For the purpose of this paper, we created Si NWTs with two channel crystallographic orientations <1 1 0> and <1 0 0> and six different cross-section profiles. In the first part, we study the impact of quantum corrections on the gate capacitance and mobile charge in the channel. The mobile charge to gate capacitance ratio, which is an indicator of the intrinsic performance of the NWTs, is also investigated. The influence of the rotating of the NWTs cross-sectional geometry by 90° on charge distribution in the channel is also studied. We compare the correlation between the charge profile in the channel and cross-sectional dimension for circular transistor with four different cross-sections diameters: 5 nm, 6 nm, 7 nm and 8 nm. In the second part of this paper, we expand the computational study by including different gate lengths for some of the Si NWTs. As a result, we establish a correlation between the mobile charge distribution in the channel and the gate capacitance, drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) and the subthreshold slope (SS). All calculations are based on a quantum mechanical description of the mobile charge distribution in the channel. This description is based on the solution of the Schrödinger equation in NWT cross sections along the current path, which is mandatory for nanowires with such ultra-scale dimensions.

Low-Temperature Supercapacitors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brandon, Erik J.; West, William C.; Smart, Marshall C.

2008-01-01

An effort to extend the low-temperature operational limit of supercapacitors is currently underway. At present, commercially available non-aqueous supercapacitors are rated for a minimum operating temperature of -40 C. A capability to operate at lower temperatures would be desirable for delivering power to systems that must operate in outer space or in the Polar Regions on Earth. Supercapacitors (also known as double-layer or electrochemical capacitors) offer a high power density (>1,000 W/kg) and moderate energy density (about 5 to 10 Wh/kg) technology for storing energy and delivering power. This combination of properties enables delivery of large currents for pulsed applications, or alternatively, smaller currents for low duty cycle applications. The mechanism of storage of electric charge in a supercapacitor -- at the electrical double-layer formed at a solid-electrode/liquid-electrolyte interface -- differs from that of a primary or secondary electrochemical cell (i.e., a battery) in such a manner as to impart a long cycle life (typically >10(exp 6) charge/discharge cycles).

Anomalous transport in discrete arcs and simulation of double layers in a model auroral circuit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Robert A.

1987-01-01

The evolution and long-time stability of a double layer (DL) in a discrete auroral arc requires that the parallel current in the arc, which may be considered uniform at the source, be diverted within the arc to charge the flanks of the U-shaped double layer potential structure. A simple model is presented in which this current redistribution is effected by anomalous transport based on electrostatic lower hybrid waves driven by the flank structure itself. This process provides the limiting constraint on the double layer potential. The flank charging may be represented as that of a nonlinear transmission line. A simplified model circuit, in which the transmission line is represented by a nonlinear impedance in parallel with a variable resistor, is incorporated in a one-dimensional simulation model to give the current density at the DL boundaries. Results are presented for the scaling of the DL potential as a function of the width of the arc and the saturation efficiency of the lower hybrid instability mechanism.

Anomalous transport in discrete arcs and simulation of double layers in a model auroral circuit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Robert A.

1987-01-01

The evolution and long-time stability of a double layer in a discrete auroral arc requires that the parallel current in the arc, which may be considered uniform at the source, be diverted within the arc to charge the flanks of the U-shaped double-layer potential structure. A simple model is presented in which this current re-distribution is effected by anomalous transport based on electrostatic lower hybrid waves driven by the flank structure itself. This process provides the limiting constraint on the double-layer potential. The flank charging may be represented as that of a nonlinear transmission. A simplified model circuit, in which the transmission line is represented by a nonlinear impedance in parallel with a variable resistor, is incorporated in a 1-d simulation model to give the current density at the DL boundaries. Results are presented for the scaling of the DL potential as a function of the width of the arc and the saturation efficiency of the lower hybrid instability mechanism.

Optimal Charging Profiles with Minimal Intercalation-Induced Stresses for Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Reformulated Pseudo 2-Dimensional Models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Suthar, B; Northrop, PWC; Braatz, RD

This paper illustrates the application of dynamic optimization in obtaining the optimal current profile for charging a lithium-ion battery by restricting the intercalation-induced stresses to a pre-determined limit estimated using a pseudo 2-dimensional (P2D). model. This paper focuses on the problem of maximizing the charge stored in a given time while restricting capacity fade due to intercalation-induced stresses. Conventional charging profiles for lithium-ion batteries (e.g., constant current followed by constant voltage or CC-CV) are not derived by considering capacity fade mechanisms, which are not only inefficient in terms of life-time usage of the batteries but are also slower by notmore » taking into account the changing dynamics of the system. (C) The Author(s) 2014. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 License (CC BY-NC-ND, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is not changed in any way and is properly cited. For permission for commercial reuse, please email: oa@electrochem.org. All rights reserved.« less

Charge carrier transport in defective reduced graphene oxide as quantum dots and nanoplatelets in multilayer films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jimenez, Mawin J. M.; Oliveira, Rafael F.; Almeida, Tiago P.; Hensel Ferreira, Rafael C.; Bufon, Carlos Cesar B.; Rodrigues, Varlei; Pereira-da-Silva, Marcelo A.; Gobbi, Ângelo L.; Piazzetta, Maria H. O.; Riul, Antonio, Jr.

2017-12-01

Graphene is a breakthrough 2D material due to its unique mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties, with considerable responsiveness in real applications. However, the coverage of large areas with pristine graphene is a challenge and graphene derivatives have been alternatively exploited to produce hybrid and composite materials that allow for new developments, considering also the handling of large areas using distinct methodologies. For electronic applications there is significant interest in the investigation of the electrical properties of graphene derivatives and related composites to determine whether the characteristic 2D charge transport of pristine graphene is preserved. Here, we report a systematic study of the charge transport mechanisms of reduced graphene oxide chemically functionalized with sodium polystyrene sulfonate (PSS), named as GPSS. GPSS was produced either as quantum dots (QDs) or nanoplatelets (NPLs), being further nanostructured with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) through the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly to produce graphene nanocomposites with molecular level control. Current-voltage (I-V) measurements indicated a meticulous growth of the LbL nanostructures onto gold interdigitated electrodes (IDEs), with a space-charge-limited current dominated by a Mott-variable range hopping mechanism. A 2D intra-planar conduction within the GPSS nanostructure was observed, which resulted in effective charge carrier mobility (μ) of 4.7 cm2 V-1 s-1 for the QDs and 34.7 cm2 V-1 s-1 for the NPLs. The LbL assemblies together with the dimension of the materials (QDs or NPLs) were favorably used for the fine tuning and control of the charge carrier mobility inside the LbL nanostructures. Such 2D charge conduction mechanism and high μ values inside an interlocked multilayered assembly containing graphene-based nanocomposites are of great interest for organic devices and functionalization of interfaces.

SA13B-1900 Auroral Charging of the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minow, Joseph I.; Chandler, Michael O.; Wright, Kenneth H., Jr.

2011-01-01

Electrostatic potential variations of the International Space Station (ISS) relative to the space plasma environment are dominated by interaction of the negatively grounded 160 volt US photovoltaic power system with the plasma environment in sunlight and inductive potential variations across the ISS structure generated by motion of the vehicle across the Earth's magnetic field. Auroral charging is also a source of potential variations because the 51.6? orbital inclination of ISS takes the vehicle to sufficiently high magnetic latitudes to encounter precipitating electrons during geomagnetic storms. Analysis of auroral charging for small spacecraft or isolated insulating regions on ISS predict rapid charging to high potentials of hundreds of volts but it has been thought that the large capacitance of the entire ISS structure on the order of 0.01 F will limit frame potentials to less than a volt when exposed to auroral conditions. We present three candidate auroral charging events characterized by transient ISS structure potentials varying from approximately 2 to 17 volts. The events occur primarily at night when the solar arrays are unbiased and cannot therefore be due to solar array current collection. ISS potential decreases to more negative values during the events indicating electron current collection and the events are always observed at the highest latitudes along the ISS trajectory. Comparison of the events with integral >30 keV electron flux measurements from NOAA TIROS spacecraft demonstrate they occur within regions of precipitating electron flux at levels consistent with the energetic electron thresholds reported for onset of auroral charging of the DMSP and Freja satellites. In contrast to the DMSP and Freja events, one of the ISS charging events occur in sunlight.

Nanosecond Time-Resolved Microscopic Gate-Modulation Imaging of Polycrystalline Organic Thin-Film Transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuoka, Satoshi; Tsutsumi, Jun'ya; Matsui, Hiroyuki; Kamata, Toshihide; Hasegawa, Tatsuo

2018-02-01

We develop a time-resolved microscopic gate-modulation (μ GM ) imaging technique to investigate the temporal evolution of the channel current and accumulated charges in polycrystalline pentacene thin-film transistors (TFTs). A time resolution of as high as 50 ns is achieved by using a fast image-intensifier system that could amplify a series of instantaneous optical microscopic images acquired at various time intervals after the stepped gate bias is switched on. The differential images obtained by subtracting the gate-off image allows us to acquire a series of temporal μ GM images that clearly show the gradual propagation of both channel charges and leaked gate fields within the polycrystalline channel layers. The frontal positions for the propagations of both channel charges and leaked gate fields coincide at all the time intervals, demonstrating that the layered gate dielectric capacitors are successively transversely charged up along the direction of current propagation. The initial μ GM images also indicate that the electric field effect is originally concentrated around a limited area with a width of a few micrometers bordering the channel-electrode interface, and that the field intensity reaches a maximum after 200 ns and then decays. The time required for charge propagation over the whole channel region with a length of 100 μ m is estimated at about 900 ns, which is consistent with the measured field-effect mobility and the temporal-response model for organic TFTs. The effect of grain boundaries can be also visualized by comparison of the μ GM images for the transient and the steady states, which confirms that the potential barriers at the grain boundaries cause the transient shift in the accumulated charges or the transient accumulation of additional charges around the grain boundaries.

Effect of pulsed current charging on the performance of nickel-cadium cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bedrossian, A. A.; Cheh, H. Y.

1977-01-01

The effect of pulsed current charging on the charge acceptance of NiCd cells in terms of mass transfer, kinetic, and structural considerations was investigated. A systemic investigation on the performance of Ni-Cd cells by pulsed current charging was conducted under a variety of well-defined charge-discharge conditions. Experiments were carried out with half cells and film electrodes. The system behavior was studied by charge acceptance, mechanistic, and structural measurements.

RF power absorption by plasma of low pressure low power inductive discharge located in the external magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kralkina, E. A.; Rukhadze, A. A.; Nekliudova, P. A.; Pavlov, V. B.; Petrov, A. K.; Vavilin, K. V.

2018-03-01

Present paper is aimed to reveal experimentally and theoretically the influence of magnetic field strength, antenna shape, pressure, operating frequency and geometrical size of plasma sources on the ability of plasma to absorb the RF power characterized by the equivalent plasma resistance for the case of low pressure RF inductive discharge located in the external magnetic field. The distinguishing feature of the present paper is the consideration of the antennas that generate not only current but charge on the external surface of plasma sources. It is shown that in the limited plasma source two linked waves can be excited. In case of antennas generating only azimuthal current the waves can be attributed as helicon and TG waves. In the case of an antenna with the longitudinal current there is a surface charge on the side surface of the plasma source, which gives rise to a significant increase of the longitudinal and radial components of the RF electric field as compared with the case of the azimuthal antenna current.

Pump-Probe Noise Spectroscopy of Molecular Junctions.

PubMed

Ochoa, Maicol A; Selzer, Yoram; Peskin, Uri; Galperin, Michael

2015-02-05

The slow response of electronic components in junctions limits the direct applicability of pump-probe type spectroscopy in assessing the intramolecular dynamics. Recently the possibility of getting information on a sub-picosecond time scale from dc current measurements was proposed. We revisit the idea of picosecond resolution by pump-probe spectroscopy from dc measurements and show that any intramolecular dynamics not directly related to charge transfer in the current direction is missed by current measurements. We propose a pump-probe dc shot noise spectroscopy as a suitable alternative. Numerical examples of time-dependent and average responses of junctions are presented for generic models.

The drift-diffusion interpretation of the electron current within the organic semiconductor characterized by the bulk single energy trap level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cvikl, B.

2010-01-01

The closed solution for the internal electric field and the total charge density derived in the drift-diffusion approximation for the model of a single layer organic semiconductor structure characterized by the bulk shallow single trap-charge energy level is presented. The solutions for two examples of electric field boundary conditions are tested on room temperature current density-voltage data of the electron conducting aluminum/tris(8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum/calcium structure [W. Brütting et al., Synth. Met. 122, 99 (2001)] for which jexp∝Va3.4, within the interval of bias 0.4 V≤Va≤7. In each case investigated the apparent electron mobility determined at given bias is distributed within a given, finite interval of values. The bias dependence of the logarithm of their lower limit, i.e., their minimum values, is found to be in each case, to a good approximation, proportional to the square root of the applied electric field. On account of the bias dependence as incorporated in the minimum value of the apparent electron mobility the spatial distribution of the organic bulk electric field as well as the total charge density turn out to be bias independent. The first case investigated is based on the boundary condition of zero electric field at the electron injection interface. It is shown that for minimum valued apparent mobilities, the strong but finite accumulation of electrons close to the anode is obtained, which characterize the inverted space charge limited current (SCLC) effect. The second example refers to the internal electric field allowing for self-adjustment of its boundary values. The total electron charge density is than found typically to be of U shape, which may, depending on the parameters, peak at both or at either Alq3 boundary. It is this example in which the proper SCLC effect is consequently predicted. In each of the above two cases, the calculations predict the minimum values of the electron apparent mobility, which substantially exceed the corresponding published measurements. For this reason the effect of the drift term alone is additionally investigated. On the basis of the published empirical electron mobilities and the diffusion term revoked, it is shown that the steady state electron current density within the Al/Alq3 (97 nm)/Ca single layer organic structure may well be pictured within the drift-only interpretation of the charge carriers within the Alq3 organic characterized by the single (shallow) trap energy level. In order to arrive at this result, it is necessary that the nonzero electric field, calculated to exist at the electron injecting Alq3/Ca boundary, is to be appropriately accounted for in the computation.

Electromagnetic pulse-driven spin-dependent currents in semiconductor quantum rings.

PubMed

Zhu, Zhen-Gang; Berakdar, Jamal

2009-04-08

We investigate the non-equilibrium charge and spin-dependent currents in a quantum ring with a Rashba spin-orbit interaction (SOI) driven by two asymmetric picosecond electromagnetic pulses. The equilibrium persistent charge and persistent spin-dependent currents are investigated as well. It is shown that the dynamical charge and the dynamical spin-dependent currents vary smoothly with a static external magnetic flux and the SOI provides a SU(2) effective flux that changes the phases of the dynamic charge and the dynamic spin-dependent currents. The period of the oscillation of the total charge current with the delay time between the pulses is larger in a quantum ring with a larger radius. The parameters of the pulse fields control to a certain extent the total charge and the total spin-dependent currents. The calculations are applicable to nanometre rings fabricated in heterojunctions of III-V and II-VI semiconductors containing several hundreds of electrons.

12 CFR 1026.54 - Limitations on the imposition of finance charges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 9 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Limitations on the imposition of finance... College Students § 1026.54 Limitations on the imposition of finance charges. (a) Limitations on imposing finance charges as a result of the loss of a grace period—(1) General rule. Except as provided in...

12 CFR 226.54 - Limitations on the imposition of finance charges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Limitations on the imposition of finance... Accounts and Open-End Credit Offered to College Students § 226.54 Limitations on the imposition of finance charges. (a) Limitations on imposing finance charges as a result of the loss of a grace period. (1...

12 CFR 1026.54 - Limitations on the imposition of finance charges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 8 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Limitations on the imposition of finance... College Students § 1026.54 Limitations on the imposition of finance charges. (a) Limitations on imposing finance charges as a result of the loss of a grace period—(1) General rule. Except as provided in...

12 CFR 226.54 - Limitations on the imposition of finance charges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Limitations on the imposition of finance... Accounts and Open-End Credit Offered to College Students § 226.54 Limitations on the imposition of finance charges. (a) Limitations on imposing finance charges as a result of the loss of a grace period. (1...

12 CFR 1026.54 - Limitations on the imposition of finance charges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 8 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Limitations on the imposition of finance... College Students § 1026.54 Limitations on the imposition of finance charges. (a) Limitations on imposing finance charges as a result of the loss of a grace period. (1) General rule. Except as provided in...

Implications of arcing due to spacecraft charging on spacecraft EMI margins of immunity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Inouye, G. T.

1981-01-01

Arcing due to spacecraft charging on spacecraft EMI margins of immunity was determined. The configuration of the P78-2 spacecraft of the SCATHA program was analyzed. A brushfire arc discharge model was developed, and a technique for initiating discharges with a spark plug trigger was for data configuration. A set of best estimate arc discharge parameters was defined. The effects of spacecraft potentials in limiting the discharge current blowout component are included. Arc discharge source models were incorporated into a SEMCAP EMI coupling analysis code for the DSP spacecraft. It is shown that with no mission critical circuits will be affected.

Strong field gravitational lensing by a charged Galileon black hole

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, Shan-Shan; Xie, Yi, E-mail: clefairy035@163.com, E-mail: yixie@nju.edu.cn

Strong field gravitational lensings are dramatically disparate from those in the weak field by representing relativistic images due to light winds one to infinity loops around a lens before escaping. We study such a lensing caused by a charged Galileon black hole, which is expected to have possibility to evade no-hair theorem. We calculate the angular separations and time delays between different relativistic images of the charged Galileon black hole. All these observables can potentially be used to discriminate a charged Galileon black hole from others. We estimate the magnitudes of these observables for the closest supermassive black hole Sgrmore » A*. The strong field lensing observables of the charged Galileon black hole can be close to those of a tidal Reissner-Nordström black hole or those of a Reissner-Nordström black hole. It will be helpful to distinguish these black holes if we can separate the outermost relativistic images and determine their angular separation, brightness difference and time delay, although it requires techniques beyond the current limit.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, Zheng; Tian, Chushun; Jiang, Hong-Chen

Charge order appears to be an ubiquitous phenomenon in doped Mott insulators, which is currently under intense experimental and theoretical investigations particularly in the high T c cuprates. This phenomenon is conventionally understood in terms of Hartree-Fock-type mean-field theory. Here we demonstrate a mechanism for charge modulation which is rooted in the many-particle quantum physics arising in the strong coupling limit. Specifically, we consider the problem of a single hole in a bipartite t - J ladder. As a remnant of the fermion signs, the hopping hole picks up subtle phases pending the fluctuating spins, the so-called phase-string effect. Wemore » demonstrate the presence of charge modulations in the density matrix renormalization group solutions which disappear when the phase strings are switched off. This form of charge modulation can be understood analytically in a path-integral language with a mean-field-like approximation adopted, showing that the phase strings give rise to constructive interferences leading to self-localization. When the latter occurs, left- and right-moving propagating modes emerge inside the localization volume and their interference is responsible for the real space charge modulation.« less

Finite frequency current noise in the Holstein model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stadler, P.; Rastelli, G.; Belzig, W.

2018-05-01

We investigate the effects of local vibrational excitations in the nonsymmetrized current noise S (ω ) of a nanojunction. For this purpose, we analyze a simple model—the Holstein model—in which the junction is described by a single electronic level that is coupled to two metallic leads and to a single vibrational mode. Using the Keldysh Green's function technique, we calculate the nonsymmetrized current noise to the leading order in the charge-vibration interaction. For the noise associated to the latter, we identify distinct terms corresponding to the mean-field noise and the vertex correction. The mean-field result can be further divided into an elastic correction to the noise and in an inelastic correction, the second one being related to energy exchange with the vibration. To illustrate the general behavior of the noise induced by the charge-vibration interaction, we consider two limit cases. In the first case, we assume a strong coupling of the dot to the leads with an energy-independent transmission, whereas in the second case we assume a weak tunneling coupling between the dot and the leads such that the transport occurs through a sharp resonant level. We find that the noise associated to the vibration-charge interaction shows a complex pattern as a function of the frequency ω and of the transmission function or of the dot's energy level. Several transitions from enhancement to suppression of the noise occurs in different regions, which are determined, in particular, by the vibrational frequency. Remarkably, in the regime of an energy-independent transmission, the zero-order elastic noise vanishes at perfect transmission and at positive frequency, whereas the noise related to the charge-vibration interaction remains finite, enabling the analysis of the pure vibrational-induced current noise.

A high-performance transcutaneous battery charger for medical implants.

PubMed

Artan, N; Vanjani, Hitesh; Vashist, Gurudath; Fu, Zhen; Bhakthavatsala, Santosh; Ludvig, Nandor; Medveczky, Geza; Chao, H

2010-01-01

As new functionality is added to the implantable devices, their power requirements also increase. Such power requirements make it hard for keeping such implants operational for long periods by non-rechargeable batteries. This result in a need for frequent surgeries to replace these batteries. Rechargeable batteries can satisfy the long-term power requirements of these new functions. To minimize the discomfort to the patients, the recharging of the batteries should be as infrequent as possible. Traditional battery charging methods have low battery charging efficiency. This means they may limit the amount of charge that can be delivered to the device, speeding up the depletion of the battery and forcing frequent recharging. In this paper, we evaluate the suitability of a state-of-the-art general purpose charging method called current-pumped battery charger (CPBC) for implant applications. Using off-the-shelf components and with minimum optimization, we prototyped a proof-of-concept transcutaenous battery charger based on CPBC and show that the CPBC can charge a 100 mAh battery transcutaneously within 137 minutes with at most 2.1°C increase in tissue temperature even with a misalignment of 1.3 cm in between the coils, while keeping the battery charging efficiency at 85%.

Diffusiophoresis of charged colloidal particles in the limit of very high salinity.

PubMed

Prieve, Dennis C; Malone, Stephanie M; Khair, Aditya S; Stout, Robert F; Kanj, Mazen Y

2018-06-13

Diffusiophoresis is the migration of a colloidal particle through a viscous fluid, caused by a gradient in concentration of some molecular solute; a long-range physical interaction between the particle and solute molecules is required. In the case of a charged particle and an ionic solute (e.g., table salt, NaCl), previous studies have predicted and experimentally verified the speed for very low salt concentrations at which the salt solution behaves ideally. The current study presents a study of diffusiophoresis at much higher salt concentrations (approaching the solubility limit). At such large salt concentrations, electrostatic interactions are almost completely screened, thus eliminating the long-range interaction required for diffusiophoresis; moreover, the high volume fraction occupied by ions makes the solution highly nonideal. Diffusiophoretic speeds were found to be measurable, albeit much smaller than for the same gradient at low salt concentrations.

The effect of cell design and test criteria on the series/parallel performance of nickel cadmium cells and batteries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halpert, G.; Webb, D. A.

1983-01-01

Three batteries were operated in parallel from a common bus during charge and discharge. SMM utilized NASA Standard 20AH cells and batteries, and LANDSAT-D NASA 50AH cells and batteries of a similar design. Each battery consisted of 22 series connected cells providing the nominal 28V bus. The three batteries were charged in parallel using the voltage limit/current taper mode wherein the voltage limit was temperature compensated. Discharge occurred on the demand of the spacecraft instruments and electronics. Both flights were planned for three to five year missions. The series/parallel configuration of cells and batteries for the 3-5 yr mission required a well controlled product with built-in reliability and uniformity. Examples of how component, cell and battery selection methods affect the uniformity of the series/parallel operation of the batteries both in testing and in flight are given.

The TSS-1R Results - the Physics of Current Collection in Magnetized Plasmas Revised

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papadopoulos, Konstantinos

1996-11-01

The Tethered Satellite System (TSS-1R) was deployed from the space shuttle "Columbia" (STS-75 Mission) on February 24, 1996. The satellite was deployed to a distance of 19.7 km above the shuttle. The system operated nominally over its deployment phase which lasted 5.5 hours. A defect in the tether insulation inside the orbiter caused a local discharge which led to a tether break. Data collected before and during the break revealed a host of new physics phenomena concerning the current collection by charged bodies in space moving at orbital velocities. The maximum EMF observed during the mission was 3.8 kV and the maximum current exceeded 1A. Power generation of several kW's was demonstrated. The current collected was significantly larger than expected by space charged limited flow in magnetized and even unmagnetized plasmas. For example the 1A current was collected with less than 1 kV potential instead of the 20 kV given by previous theories. The presentation will review the fascinating results of the TSS-1R and will discuss the ongoing physics analysis of the observed phenomena. *In collaboration with A. Drobot and C.L. Chang of SAIC.

Analysis of thermionic bare tether operation regimes in passive mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanmartín, J. R.; Chen, Xin; Sánchez-Arriaga, G.

2017-01-01

A thermionic bare tether (TBT) is a long conductor coated with a low work-function material. In drag mode, a tether segment extending from anodic end A to a zero-bias point B, with the standard Orbital-motion-limited current collection, is followed by a complex cathodic segment. In general, as bias becomes more negative in moving from B to cathodic end C, one first finds space-charge-limited (SCL) emission covering up to some intermediate point B*, then full Richardson-Dushman (RD) emission reaching from B* to end C. An approximate analytical study, which combines the current and voltage profile equations with results from asymptotic studies of the Vlasov-Poisson system for emissive probes, is carried out to determine the parameter domain covering two limit regimes, which are effectively controlled by just two dimensionless parameters involving ambient plasma and TBT material properties. In one such limit regime, no point B* is reached and thus no full RD emission develops. In an opposite regime, SCL segment BB* is too short to contribute significantly to the current balance.

Current-induced instability of domain walls in cylindrical nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Weiwei; Zhang, Zhaoyang; Pepper, Ryan A.; Mu, Congpu; Zhou, Yan; Fangohr, Hans

2018-01-01

We study the current-driven domain wall (DW) motion in cylindrical nanowires using micromagnetic simulations by implementing the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation with nonlocal spin-transfer torque in a finite difference micromagnetic package. We find that in the presence of DW, Gaussian wave packets (spin waves) will be generated when the charge current is suddenly applied to the system. This effect is excluded when using the local spin-transfer torque. The existence of spin waves emission indicates that transverse domain walls can not move arbitrarily fast in cylindrical nanowires although they are free from the Walker limit. We establish an upper velocity limit for DW motion by analyzing the stability of Gaussian wave packets using the local spin-transfer torque. Micromagnetic simulations show that the stable region obtained by using nonlocal spin-transfer torque is smaller than that by using its local counterpart. This limitation is essential for multiple DWs since the instability of Gaussian wave packets will break the structure of multiple DWs.

Influences of the coordinate dependent noncommutative space on charged and spin currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Ya-Jie; Ma, Kai

2018-06-01

We study the charged and spin currents on a coordinate dependent noncommutative space. Starting from the noncommutative extended relativistic equation of motion, the nonrelativistic approximation is obtained by using the Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation, and then the charged and spin currents are derived by using the extended Drude model. We find that the charged current is twisted by modifying the off-diagonal elements of the Hall conductivity, however, the spin current is not affected up to leading order of the noncommutative parameter.

Possible impact of multi-electron loss events on the average beam charge state in an HIF target chamber and a neutral beam approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grisham, L. R.

2001-05-01

Experiments were carried out during the early 1980s to assess the obtainable atomic neutralization of energetic beams of negative ions ranging from lithium to silicon. The experiments found (Grisham et al. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 53 (1982) 281; Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Report PPPL-1857, 1981) that, for higher atomic number elements than lithium, it appeared that a substantial fraction of the time more than one electron was being lost in a single collision. This result was inferred from the existence of more than one ionization state in the product beam for even the thinnest line densities at which any electron removal took place. Because of accelerator limitations, these experiments were limited to maximum energies of 7 MeV. However, based upon these results, it is possible that multi-electron loss events may also play a significant role in determining the average ion charge state of the much higher Z and more energetic beams traversing the medium in an heavy ion fusion chamber. This could result in the beam charge state being considerably higher than previously anticipated, and might require designers to consider harder vacuum ballistic focusing approaches, or the development of additional space charge neutralization schemes. This paper discusses the measurements that gave rise for these concerns, as well as a description of further measurements that are proposed to be carried out for atomic numbers and energies per amu which would be closer to those required for heavy ion fusion drivers. With a very low current beam of a massive, but low charge state energetic ion, the charge state distribution emerging from a target gas cell could be measured as a function of line density and medium composition. Varying the line density would allow one to simulate the charge state evolution of the beam as a function of distance into the target chamber. This paper also briefly discusses a possible alternative driver approach using photodetachment-neutralized atomic beams, which could reduce plasma complications far from the target, but which would impose more stringent limitations upon chamber pressure and repetition rate.

Space charge effect in spectrometers of ion mobility increment with planar drift chamber.

PubMed

Elistratov, A A; Sherbakov, L A

2007-01-01

The effect of space charge on the ion beam in a spectrometer of ion mobility increment with the planar drift chamber has been investigated. A model for the drift of ions under a non-uniform high-frequency electric field(1-3) has been developed recently. We have amplified this model by taking space charge effect into account. The ion peak shape taking into consideration the space charge effect is obtained. The output current saturation effect limiting the rise of the ion peak with increasing ion density at the input of the drift chamber of a spectrometer is observed. We show that the saturation effect is caused by the following phenomenon. The maximum possible output ion density exists, depending on the ion type (constant ion mobility, k(0)) and the time of the motion of ions through the drift chamber. At the same time, the ion density does not depend on the parameters of the drift chamber.

Charge transfer in photorechargeable composite films of TiO2 and polyaniline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomiyama, Teruaki; Sasabe, Kenichi; Sakamoto, Kenta; Horie, Yuji

2015-07-01

A photorechargeable battery (PRB) is a photovoltaic device having an energy storage function in a single cell. The photoactive electrode of PRB is a bilayer film consisting of bare porous TiO2 and a TiO2-polyaniline (PANi) mixture that work as a photovoltaic current generator and an electrochemical energy storage by ion dedoping, respectively. To study the charge transfer between TiO2 and PANi, the photorechargeable quantum efficiency QE ([electron count on discharge]/[incident photon count on photocharge]) was measured by varying the thickness LS of the TiO2-PANi mixture. The quantum efficiency QEuv for UV photons had a maximum of ˜7% at LS ˜ 7 µm. The time constant τTP for the charge transfer was about 10-1 s, which was longer ten times or more than the lifetime of excited electrons within TiO2. These facts reveal that the main rate-limiting factor in the photocharging process is the charge transfer between TiO2 and PANi.

Analytical and exact solutions of the spherical and cylindrical diodes of Langmuir-Blodgett law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres-Cordoba, Rafael; Martinez-Garcia, Edgar

2017-10-01

This paper discloses the exact solutions of a mathematical model that describes the cylindrical and spherical electron current emissions within the context of a physics approximation method. The solution involves analyzing the 1D nonlinear Poisson equation, for the radial component. Although an asymptotic solution has been previously obtained, we present a theoretical solution that satisfies arbitrary boundary conditions. The solution is found in its parametric form (i.e., φ(r )=φ(r (τ)) ) and is valid when the electric field at the cathode surface is non-zero. Furthermore, the non-stationary spatial solution of the electric potential between the anode and the cathode is also presented. In this work, the particle-beam interface is considered to be at the end of the plasma sheath as described by Sutherland et al. [Phys. Plasmas 12, 033103 2005]. Three regimes of space charge effects—no space charge saturation, space charge limited, and space charge saturation—are also considered.

Medium-energy heavy-ion single-event-burnout imaging of power MOSFETs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musseau, O.; Torres, A.; Campbell, A. B.; Knudson, A. R.; Buchner, S.; Fischer, B.; Schlogl, M.; Briand, P.

1999-12-01

We present the first experimental determination of the SEB sensitive area in a power MOSFET irradiated with a high-LET heavy-ion microbeam. We used a spectroscopy technique to perform coincident measurements of the charge collected in both source and drain junctions together, with a nondestructive technique (current limitation). The resulting charge collection images are related to the physical structure of the individual cells. These experimental data reveal the complex 3-dimensional behavior of a real structure, which can not easily be simulated using available tools. As the drain voltage is increased, the onset of burnout is reached, characterized by a sudden change in the charge collection image. "Hot spots" are observed where the collected charge reaches its maximum value. Those spots, due to burnout triggering events, correspond to areas where the silicon is degraded through thermal effects along a single ion track. This direct observation of SEB sensitive areas as applications for, either device hardening, by modifying doping profiles or layout of the cells, or for code calibration and device simulation.

Determination of diffusion coefficient in disordered organic semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rani, Varsha; Sharma, Akanksha; Ghosh, Subhasis

2016-05-01

Charge carrier transport in organic semiconductors is dominated by positional and energetic disorder in Gaussian density of states (GDOS) and is characterized by hopping through localized states. Due to the immobilization of charge carriers in these localized states, significant non-uniform carrier distribution exists, resulting diffusive transport. A simple, nevertheless powerful technique to determine diffusion coefficient D in disordered organic semiconductors has been presented. Diffusion coefficients of charge carriers in two technologically important organic molecular semiconductors, Pentacene and copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) have been measured from current-voltage (J-V) characteristics of Al/Pentacene/Au and Al/CuPc/Au based Schottky diodes. Ideality factor g and carrier mobility μ have been calculated from the exponential and space charge limited region respectively of J-V characteristics. Classical Einstein relation is not valid in organic semiconductors due to energetic disorders in DOS. Using generalized Einstein relation, diffusion coefficients have been obtained to be 1.31×10-6 and 1.73×10-7 cm2/s for Pentacene and CuPc respectively.

Ewald Summation Approach to Potential Models of Aqueous Electrolytes Involving Gaussian Charges and Induced Dipoles: Formal and Simulation Results

DOE PAGES

Chialvo, Ariel A.; Vlcek, Lukas

2014-11-01

We present a detailed derivation of the complete set of expressions required for the implementation of an Ewald summation approach to handle the long-range electrostatic interactions of polar and ionic model systems involving Gaussian charges and induced dipole moments with a particular application to the isobaricisothermal molecular dynamics simulation of our Gaussian Charge Polarizable (GCP) water model and its extension to aqueous electrolytes solutions. The set comprises the individual components of the potential energy, electrostatic potential, electrostatic field and gradient, the electrostatic force and the corresponding virial. Moreover, we show how the derived expressions converge to known point-based electrostatic counterpartsmore » when the parameters, defining the Gaussian charge and induced-dipole distributions, are extrapolated to their limiting point values. Finally, we illustrate the Ewald implementation against the current reaction field approach by isothermal-isobaric molecular dynamics of ambient GCP water for which we compared the outcomes of the thermodynamic, microstructural, and polarization behavior.« less

Electrostatics of Pharmaceutical Aerosols for Pulmonary Delivery.

PubMed

Lip Kwok, Philip Chi

2015-01-01

This paper provides a review on key research findings in the rapidly developing area of pharmaceutical aerosol electrostatics. Solids and liquids can become charged without electric fields, the former by contact or friction and the latter by flowing or spraying. Therefore, charged particles and droplets carrying net charges are produced from pharmaceutical inhalers (e.g. dry powder inhalers, metered dose inhalers, and nebulisers) due to the mechanical processes involved in aerosolisation. The charging depends on many physicochemical factors, such as formulation composition, solid state properties, inhaler material and design, and relative humidity. In silico, in vitro, and limited in vivo studies have shown that electrostatic charges may potentially influence particle deposition in the airways. However, the evidence is not yet conclusive. Furthermore, there are currently no regulatory requirements on the characterisation and control of the electrostatic properties of inhaled formulations. Besides the need for further investigations on the relationship between physicochemical factors and charging characteristics of the aerosols, controlled and detailed in vivo studies are also required to confirm whether charges can affect particle deposition in the airways. Since pharmaceutical aerosol electrostatics is a relatively new research area, much remains to be explored. Thus there is certainly potential for development. New findings in the future may contribute to the advancement of pharmaceutical aerosol formulations and respiratory drug delivery.

Scattering from a quantum anapole at low energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitcomb, Kyle M.; Latimer, David C.

2017-12-01

In quantum field theory, the photon-fermion vertex can be described in terms of four form-factors that encode the static electromagnetic properties of the particle, namely, its charge, magnetic dipole moment, electric dipole moment, and anapole moment. For Majorana fermions, only the anapole moment can be nonzero, a consequence of the fact that these particles are their own antiparticles. Using the framework of quantum field theory, we perform a scattering calculation that probes the anapole moment with a spinless charged particle. In the limit of low momentum transfer, we confirm that the anapole can be classically likened to a point-like toroidal solenoid whose magnetic field is confined to the origin. Such a toroidal current distribution can be used to demonstrate the Aharonov-Bohm effect. We find that, in the non-relativistic limit, our scattering cross section agrees with a quantum mechanical computation of the cross section for a spinless current scattered by an infinitesimally thin toroidal solenoid. Our presentation is geared toward advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students. This work serves as an introduction to the anapole moment and also provides an example of how one can develop an understanding of a particle's electromagnetic properties in quantum field theory.

Micrometer-resolution imaging using MÖNCH: towards G2-less grating interferometry

PubMed Central

Cartier, Sebastian; Kagias, Matias; Bergamaschi, Anna; Wang, Zhentian; Dinapoli, Roberto; Mozzanica, Aldo; Ramilli, Marco; Schmitt, Bernd; Brückner, Martin; Fröjdh, Erik; Greiffenberg, Dominic; Mayilyan, Davit; Mezza, Davide; Redford, Sophie; Ruder, Christian; Schädler, Lukas; Shi, Xintian; Thattil, Dhanya; Tinti, Gemma; Zhang, Jiaguo; Stampanoni, Marco

2016-01-01

MÖNCH is a 25 µm-pitch charge-integrating detector aimed at exploring the limits of current hybrid silicon detector technology. The small pixel size makes it ideal for high-resolution imaging. With an electronic noise of about 110 eV r.m.s., it opens new perspectives for many synchrotron applications where currently the detector is the limiting factor, e.g. inelastic X-ray scattering, Laue diffraction and soft X-ray or high-resolution color imaging. Due to the small pixel pitch, the charge cloud generated by absorbed X-rays is shared between neighboring pixels for most of the photons. Therefore, at low photon fluxes, interpolation algorithms can be applied to determine the absorption position of each photon with a resolution of the order of 1 µm. In this work, the characterization results of one of the MÖNCH prototypes are presented under low-flux conditions. A custom interpolation algorithm is described and applied to the data to obtain high-resolution images. Images obtained in grating interferometry experiments without the use of the absorption grating G2 are shown and discussed. Perspectives for the future developments of the MÖNCH detector are also presented. PMID:27787252

C70/C70:pentacene/pentacene organic heterojunction as the connecting layer for high performance tandem organic light-emitting diodes: Mechanism investigation of electron injection and transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Qingxun; Yang, Dezhi; Chen, Jiangshan; Qiao, Xianfeng; Ahamad, Tansir; Alshehri, Saad M.; Ma, Dongge

2017-03-01

A high performance tandem organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is realized by employing a C70/C70:pentacene/pentacene organic heterojunction as the efficient charge generation layer (CGL). Not only more than two time enhancement of external quantum efficiency but also significant improvement in both power efficiency and lifetime are well achieved. The mechanism investigations find that the electron injection from the CGL to the adjacent electron transport layer (ETL) in tandem devices is injection rate-limited due to the high interface energy barrier between the CGL and the ETL. By the capacitance-frequency (C-F) and low temperature current density-voltage (J-V) characteristic analysis, we confirm that the electron transport is a space-charge-limited current process with exponential trap distribution. These traps are localized states below the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital edge inside the gap and would be filled with the upward shift of the Fermi level during the n-doping process. Furthermore, both the trap density (Ht) and the activation energy (Ea) could be carefully worked out through low temperature J-V measurements, which is very important for developing high performance tandem OLEDs.

Electrical transport properties of thermally evaporated phthalocyanine (H 2Pc) thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Nahass, M. M.; Farid, A. M.; Attia, A. A.; Ali, H. A. M.

2006-08-01

Thin films of H 2Pc of various thicknesses have been deposited onto glass substrates using thermal evaporation technique at room temperature. The dark electrical resistivity measurements were carried out at different temperatures in the range 298-473 K. An estimation of mean free path ( lo) of charge carriers in H 2Pc thin films was attempted. Measurements of thermoelectric power confirm that H 2Pc thin films behave as a p-type semiconductor. The current density-voltage characteristics of Au/H 2Pc/Au at room temperature showed ohmic conduction mechanism at low voltages. At higher voltages the space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC) accompanied by an exponential trap distribution was dominant. The temperature dependence of current density allows the determination of some essential parameters such as the hole mobility ( μh), the total trap concentration ( Nt), the characteristic temperature ( Tt) and the trap density P( E).

Primary thermometry with nanoscale tunnel junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirvi, K. P.; Kauppinen, J. P.; Paalanen, M. A.; Pekola, J. P.

1995-10-01

We have found current-voltage (I-V) and conductance (dI/dV) characteristics of arrays of nanoscale tunnel junctions between normal metal electrodes to exhibit suitable features for primary thermometry. The current through a uniform array depends on the ratio of the thermal energy kBT and the electrostatic charging energy E c of the islands between the junctions and is completely blocked by Coulomb repulsion at T = 0 and at small voltages eV/2 ≤ Ec. In the opposite limit, kBT ≫ Ec, the width of the conductance minimum scales linearly and universally with T and N, the number of tunnel junctions, and qualifies as a primary thermometer. The zero bias drop in the conductance is proportional to T-1 and can be used as a secondary thermometer. We will show with Monte Carlo simulations how background charge and nonuniformities of the array will affect the thermometer.

Status of the Mu2e experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giovannella, S.

2018-05-01

The Mu2e experiment at Fermilab searches for the charged-lepton flavor violating neutrino-less conversion of a negative muon into an electron in the field of an aluminum nucleus. The dynamics of such a process is well modelled by a two-body decay, resulting in a mono-energetic electron with an energy slightly below the muon rest mass. If no events are observed, in three years of running Mu2e will improve the current limit by four orders of magnitude. Such a charged lepton flavor-violating reaction probes new physics at a scale inaccessible with direct searches at either present or planned high energy colliders. The experiment both complements and extends the current search for muon decay to electron-photon at MEG and searches for new physics at the LHC. This paper focuses on the physics motivation, the design and the status of the experiment.

Atmospheric Pressure Method and Apparatus for Removal of Organic Matter with Atomic and Ionic Oxygen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banks, Bruce A. (Inventor); Rutledge, Sharon K. (Inventor)

1996-01-01

A gas stream containing ionic and atomic oxygen in inert gas is used to remove organic matter from a substrate. The gas stream is formed by flowing a mixture of gaseous oxygen in an inert gas such as helium at atmospheric pressure past a high voltage, current limited, direct current arc which contacts the gas mixture and forms the ionic and atomic oxygen. The arc is curved at the cathode end and the ionic oxygen formed by the arc nearer to the anode end of the arc is accelerated in a direction towards the cathode by virtue of its charge. The relatively high mass to charge ratio of the ionic oxygen enables at least some of it to escape the arc before contacting the cathode and it is directed onto the substrate. This is useful for cleaning delicate substrates such as fine and historically important paintings and delicate equipment and the like.

Atmospheric Pressure Method and Apparatus for Removal of Organic Matter with Atomic and Ionic Oxygen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banks, Bruce A. (Inventor); Rutledge, Sharon K. (Inventor)

1997-01-01

A gas stream containing ionic and atomic oxygen in inert gas is used to remove organic matter from a substrate. The gas stream is formed by flowing a mixture of gaseous oxygen in an inert gas such as helium at atmospheric pressure past a high voltage, current limited, direct current arc which contacts the gas mixture and forms the ionic and atomic oxygen. The arc is curved at the cathode end and the ionic oxygen formed by the arc nearer to the anode end of the arc is accelerated in a direction towards the cathode by virtue of its charge. The relatively high mass to charge ratio of the ionic oxygen enables at least some of it to escape the arc before contacting the cathode and it is directed onto the substrate. This is useful for cleaning delicate substrates such as fine and historically important paintings and delicate equipment and the like.

Relativistic space-charge-limited current for massive Dirac fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ang, Y. S.; Zubair, M.; Ang, L. K.

2017-04-01

A theory of relativistic space-charge-limited current (SCLC) is formulated to determine the SCLC scaling, J ∝Vα/Lβ , for a finite band-gap Dirac material of length L biased under a voltage V . In one-dimensional (1D) bulk geometry, our model allows (α ,β ) to vary from (2,3) for the nonrelativistic model in traditional solids to (3/2,2) for the ultrarelativistic model of massless Dirac fermions. For 2D thin-film geometry we obtain α =β , which varies between 2 and 3/2, respectively, at the nonrelativistic and ultrarelativistic limits. We further provide rigorous proof based on a Green's-function approach that for a uniform SCLC model described by carrier-density-dependent mobility, the scaling relations of the 1D bulk model can be directly mapped into the case of 2D thin film for any contact geometries. Our simplified approach provides a convenient tool to obtain the 2D thin-film SCLC scaling relations without the need of explicitly solving the complicated 2D problems. Finally, this work clarifies the inconsistency in using the traditional SCLC models to explain the experimental measurement of a 2D Dirac semiconductor. We conclude that the voltage scaling 3 /2 <α <2 is a distinct signature of massive Dirac fermions in a Dirac semiconductor and is in agreement with experimental SCLC measurements in MoS2.

A New Kinetic Simulation Model with Self-Consistent Calculation of Regolith Layer Charging for Moon-Plasma Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, D.; Wang, J.

2015-12-01

The moon-plasma interactions and the resulting surface charging have been subjects of extensive recent investigations. While many particle-in-cell (PIC) based simulation models have been developed, all existing PIC simulation models treat the surface of the Moon as a boundary condition to the plasma flow. In such models, the surface of the Moon is typically limited to simple geometry configurations, the surface floating potential is calculated from a simplified current balance condition, and the electric field inside the regolith layer cannot be resolved. This paper presents a new full particle PIC model to simulate local scale plasma flow and surface charging. A major feature of this new model is that the surface is treated as an "interface" between two mediums rather than a boundary, and the simulation domain includes not only the plasma but also the regolith layer and the bedrock underneath it. There are no limitations on the surface shape. An immersed-finite-element field solver is applied which calculates the regolith surface floating potential and the electric field inside the regolith layer directly from local charge deposition. The material property of the regolith layer is also explicitly included in simulation. This new model is capable of providing a self-consistent solution to the plasma flow field, lunar surface charging, the electric field inside the regolith layer and the bedrock for realistic surface terrain. This new model is applied to simulate lunar surface-plasma interactions and surface charging under various ambient plasma conditions. The focus is on the lunar terminator region, where the combined effects from the low sun elevation angle and the localized plasma wake generated by plasma flow over a rugged terrain can generate strongly differentially charged surfaces and complex dust dynamics. We discuss the effects of the regolith properties and regolith layer charging on the plasma flow field, dust levitation, and dust transport.

Tunable dielectric properties of TiO2 thin film based MOS systems for application in microelectronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gyanan; Mondal, Sandip; Kumar, Arvind

2016-12-01

Post-deposition annealing (PDA) is an inherent part of a sol-gel fabrication process to achieve the optimum device performance, especially in CMOS applications. Annealing removes the oxygen vacancies and improves the structural order of the dielectric films. The process also reduces the interface related defects and improves the interfacial properties. Here, we applied a sol-gel spin-coating technique to prepare high-k TiO2 films on the p-Si substrate. These films were fired at 400 °C for the duration of 20, 40, 60 and 80 min to know the effects of annealing time on the device characteristics. The current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics of annealed TiO2 films were examined in Al/TiO2/p-Si device configuration at room temperature. The 60 min annealed film gives the optimum performance and contained 69.5% anatase and 39.5% rutile phase with refractive index 2.40 at 550 nm. The C-V and I-V characteristic showed a significant dependence on annealing time such as variation in dielectric constant and leakage current. This allows us to tune the various electrical properties of MOS systems. The accumulation capacitance (Cox), dielectric constant (κ) and the equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of the film fired for 60 min were found to be 458 pF, 33, and 4.25 nm, respectively with a low leakage current density (3.13 × 10-7 A/cm2) fired for 80 min at -1 V. The current conduction mechanisms at high bias voltage were dominated by trap-charge limited current (TCLC), while at small voltages, space charge limited current (SCLC) was more prominent.

Battery charging and discharging research based on the interactive technology of smart grid and electric vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Mingyang

2018-06-01

To further study the bidirectional flow problem of V2G (Vehicle to Grid) charge and discharge motor, the mathematical model of AC/DC converter and bi-directional DC/DC converter was established. Then, lithium battery was chosen as the battery of electric vehicle and its mathematical model was established. In order to improve the service life of lithium battery, bidirectional DC/DC converter adopted constant current and constant voltage control strategy. In the initial stage of charging, constant current charging was adopted with current single closed loop control. After reaching a certain value, voltage was switched to constant voltage charging controlled by voltage and current. Subsequently, the V2G system simulation model was built in MATLAB/Simulink. The simulation results verified the correctness of the control strategy and showed that when charging, constant current and constant voltage charging was achieved, the grid side voltage and current were in the same phase, and the power factor was about 1. When discharging, the constant current discharge was applied, and the grid voltage and current phase difference was r. To sum up, the simulation results are correct and helpful.

Dynamics of Charge Transfer in DNA Wires: A Proton-Coupled Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behnia, Sohrab; Fathizadeh, Samira; Ziaei, Javid; Akhshani, Afshin

2017-12-01

The advent of molecular electronics has fueled interest in studying DNA as a nanowire. The well-known Peyrard-Bishop-Dauxois (PBD) model, which was proposed for the purpose of understanding the mechanism of DNA denaturation, has a limited number of degrees of freedom. In addition, considering the Peyrard-Bishop-Holstein (PBH) model as a means of studying the charge transfer effect, in which the dynamical motion is described via the PBD model, may apply limitations on observing all the phenomena. Therefore, we have attempted to add the mutual interaction of a proton and electron in the form of proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) to the PBH model. PCET has been implicated in a variety of oxidative processes that ultimately lead to mutations. When we have considered the PCET approach to DNA based on a proton-combined PBH model, we were able to extract the electron and proton currents independently. In this case, the reciprocal influence of electron and proton current is considered. This interaction does not affect the general form of the electronic current in DNA, but it changes the threshold of the occurrence of phenomena such as negative differential resistance. It is worth mentioning that perceiving the structural properties of the attractors in phase space via the Rényi dimension and concentrating on the critical regions through a scalogram can present a clear picture of the critical points in such phenomena.

Limits on muon-neutrino to tau-neutrino oscillations induced by a sterile neutrino state obtained by OPERA at the CNGS beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agafonova, N.; Aleksandrov, A.; Anokhina, A.; Aoki, S.; Ariga, A.; Ariga, T.; Bender, D.; Bertolin, A.; Bodnarchuk, I.; Bozza, C.; Brugnera, R.; Buonaura, A.; Buontempo, S.; Büttner, B.; Chernyavsky, M.; Chukanov, A.; Consiglio, L.; D'Ambrosio, N.; De Lellis, G.; De Serio, M.; Del Amo Sanchez, P.; Di Crescenzo, A.; Di Ferdinando, D.; Di Marco, N.; Dmitrievski, S.; Dracos, M.; Duchesneau, D.; Dusini, S.; Dzhatdoev, T.; Ebert, J.; Ereditato, A.; Fini, R. A.; Fukuda, T.; Galati, G.; Garfagnini, A.; Goldberg, J.; Gornushkin, Y.; Grella, G.; Guler, A. M.; Gustavino, C.; Hagner, C.; Hara, T.; Hollnagel, A.; Hosseini, B.; Ishiguro, K.; Jakovcic, K.; Jollet, C.; Kamiscioglu, C.; Kamiscioglu, M.; Kim, J. H.; Kim, S. H.; Kitagawa, N.; Klicek, B.; Kodama, K.; Komatsu, M.; Kose, U.; Kreslo, I.; Lauria, A.; Ljubicic, A.; Longhin, A.; Malgin, A.; Malenica, M.; Mandrioli, G.; Matsuo, T.; Matveev, V.; Mauri, N.; Medinaceli, E.; Meregaglia, A.; Mikado, S.; Monacelli, P.; Montesi, M. C.; Morishima, K.; Muciaccia, M. T.; Naganawa, N.; Naka, T.; Nakamura, M.; Nakano, T.; Nakatsuka, Y.; Niwa, K.; Ogawa, S.; Omura, T.; Ozaki, K.; Paoloni, A.; Paparella, L.; Park, B. D.; Park, I. G.; Pasqualini, L.; Pastore, A.; Patrizii, L.; Pessard, H.; Podgrudkov, D.; Polukhina, N.; Pozzato, M.; Pupilli, F.; Roda, M.; Roganova, T.; Rokujo, H.; Rosa, G.; Ryazhskaya, O.; Sato, O.; Schembri, A.; Shakirianova, I.; Shchedrina, T.; Sheshukov, A.; Shibuya, H.; Shiraishi, T.; Shoziyoev, G.; Simone, S.; Sioli, M.; Sirignano, C.; Sirri, G.; Spinetti, M.; Stanco, L.; Starkov, N.; Stellacci, S. M.; Stipcevic, M.; Strolin, P.; Takahashi, S.; Tenti, M.; Terranova, F.; Tioukov, V.; Tufanli, S.; Vilain, P.; Vladymyrov, M.; Votano, L.; Vuilleumier, J. L.; Wilquet, G.; Wonsak, B.; Yoon, C. S.; Zemskova, S.

2015-06-01

The OPERA experiment, exposed to the CERN to Gran Sasso ν μ beam, collected data from 2008 to 2012. Four oscillated ν τ Charged Current interaction candidates have been detected in appearance mode, which are consistent with ν μ → ν τ oscillations at the atmospheric Δ m 2 within the "standard" three-neutrino framework. In this paper, the OPERA ν τ appearance results are used to derive limits on the mixing parameters of a massive sterile neutrino.

Simulation of bipolar charge transport in nanocomposite polymer films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lean, Meng H.; Chu, Wei-Ping L.

2015-03-01

This paper describes 3D particle-in-cell simulation of bipolar charge injection and transport through nanocomposite film comprised of ferroelectric ceramic nanofillers in an amorphous polymer matrix. The classical electrical double layer (EDL) model for a monopolar core is extended (eEDL) to represent the nanofiller by replacing it with a dipolar core. Charge injection at the electrodes assumes metal-polymer Schottky emission at low to moderate fields and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling at high fields. Injected particles migrate via field-dependent Poole-Frenkel mobility and recombine with Monte Carlo selection. The simulation algorithm uses a boundary integral equation method for solution of the Poisson equation coupled with a second-order predictor-corrector scheme for robust time integration of the equations of motion. The stability criterion of the explicit algorithm conforms to the Courant-Friedrichs-Levy limit assuring robust and rapid convergence. The model is capable of simulating a wide dynamic range spanning leakage current to pre-breakdown. Simulation results for BaTiO3 nanofiller in amorphous polymer matrix indicate that charge transport behavior depend on nanoparticle polarization with anti-parallel orientation showing the highest leakage conduction and therefore lowest level of charge trapping in the interaction zone. Charge recombination is also highest, at the cost of reduced leakage conduction charge. The eEDL model predicts the meandering pathways of charge particle trajectories.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chung, Ching-Yen; Chu, Peter; Gadh, Rajit

Currently, when Electric Vehicles (EVs) are charging, they only have the option to charge at a selected current or not charge. When during the day there is a power shortage, the charging infrastructure should have the options to either shut off the power to the charging stations or to lower the power to the EVs in order to satisfy the needs of the grid. There is a need for technology that controls the current being disbursed to these electric vehicles. This paper proposes a design for a smart charging infrastructure capable of providing power to several EVs from one circuitmore » by multiplexing power and providing charge control. The smart charging infrastructure includes the server and the smart charging station. With this smart charging infrastructure, the shortage of energy in a local grid could be solved by our EV management system« less

Determination of Charge-Carrier Mobility in Disordered Thin-Film Solar Cells as a Function of Current Density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mäckel, Helmut; MacKenzie, Roderick C. I.

2018-03-01

Charge-carrier mobility is a fundamental material parameter, which plays an important role in determining solar-cell efficiency. The higher the mobility, the less time a charge carrier will spend in a device and the less likely it is that it will be lost to recombination. Despite the importance of this physical property, it is notoriously difficult to measure accurately in disordered thin-film solar cells under operating conditions. We, therefore, investigate a method previously proposed in the literature for the determination of mobility as a function of current density. The method is based on a simple analytical model that relates the mobility to carrier density and transport resistance. By revising the theoretical background of the method, we clearly demonstrate what type of mobility can be extracted (constant mobility or effective mobility of electrons and holes). We generalize the method to any combination of measurements that is able to determine the mean electron and hole carrier density, and the transport resistance at a given current density. We explore the robustness of the method by simulating typical organic solar-cell structures with a variety of physical properties, including unbalanced mobilities, unbalanced carrier densities, and for high or low carrier trapping rates. The simulations reveal that near VOC and JSC , the method fails due to the limitation of determining the transport resistance. However, away from these regions (and, importantly, around the maximum power point), the method can accurately determine charge-carrier mobility. In the presence of strong carrier trapping, the method overestimates the effective mobility due to an underestimation of the carrier density.

Electrochemical quantum tunneling for electronic detection and characterization of biological toxins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Chaitanya; Walker, Ross M.; Gharpuray, Rishi; Shulaker, Max M.; Zhang, Zhiyong; Javanmard, Mehdi; Davis, Ronald W.; Murmann, Boris; Howe, Roger T.

2012-06-01

This paper introduces a label-free, electronic biomolecular sensing platform for the detection and characterization of trace amounts of biological toxins within a complex background matrix. The mechanism for signal transduction is the electrostatic coupling of molecule bond vibrations to charge transport across an insulated electrode-electrolyte interface. The current resulting from the interface charge flow has long been regarded as an experimental artifact of little interest in the development of traditional charge based biosensors like the ISFET, and has been referred to in the literature as a "leakage current". However, we demonstrate by experimental measurements and theoretical modeling that this current has a component that arises from the rate-limiting transition of a quantum mechanical electronic relaxation event, wherein the electronic tunneling process between a hydrated proton in the electrolyte and the metallic electrode is closely coupled to the bond vibrations of molecular species in the electrolyte. Different strategies to minimize the effect of quantum decoherence in the quantized exchange of energy between the molecular vibrations and electron energy will be discussed, as well as the experimental implications of such strategies. Since the mechanism for the transduction of chemical information is purely electronic and does not require labels or tags or optical transduction, the proposed platform is scalable. Furthermore, it can achieve the chemical specificity typically associated with traditional micro-array or mass spectrometry-based platforms that are used currently to analyze complex biological fluids for trace levels of toxins or pathogen markers.

Incoherent transport for phases that spontaneously break translations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donos, Aristomenis; Gauntlett, Jerome P.; Griffin, Tom; Ziogas, Vaios

2018-04-01

We consider phases of matter at finite charge density which spontaneously break spatial translations. Without taking a hydrodynamic limit we identify a boost invariant incoherent current operator. We also derive expressions for the small frequency behaviour of the thermoelectric conductivities generalising those that have been derived in a translationally invariant context. Within holographic constructions we show that the DC conductivity for the incoherent current can be obtained from a solution to a Stokes flow for an auxiliary fluid on the black hole horizon combined with specific thermodynamic quantities associated with the equilibrium black hole solutions.

Theory of electrohydrodynamic instabilities in electrolytic cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bruinsma, R.; Alexander, S.

1990-01-01

The paper develops the theory of the hydrodynamic stability of an electrolytic cell as a function of the imposed electric current. A new electrohydrodynamic instability is encountered when the current is forced to exceed the Nernst limit. The convection is driven by the volume force exerted by the electric field on space charges in the electrolyte. This intrinsic instability is found to be easily masked by extrinsic convection sources such as gravity or stirring. A linear stability analysis is performed and a dimensionless number Le is derived whose value determines the convection pattern.

Weak interaction probes of light nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Towner, I. S.

1986-03-01

Experimental evidence for pion enhancement in axial charge transitions as predicted by softpion theorems is reviewed. Corrections from non-soft-pion terms seem to be limited. For transitions involving the space part of the axial-vector current, soft-pion theorems are powerless. Meson-exchange currents then involve a complicated interplay among competing process. Explicit calculations in the hard-pion model for closed-shell-plus (or minus)-one nuclei, A=15 and A= =17, are in reasonable agreement with experiment. Quenching in the off-diagonal spin-flip matrix element is larger than in the diagonal matrix element.

Charging performance of automotive batteries-An underestimated factor influencing lifetime and reliable battery operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauer, Dirk Uwe; Karden, Eckhard; Fricke, Birger; Blanke, Holger; Thele, Marc; Bohlen, Oliver; Schiffer, Julia; Gerschler, Jochen Bernhard; Kaiser, Rudi

Dynamic charge acceptance and charge acceptance under constant voltage charging conditions are for two reasons essential for lead-acid battery operation: energy efficiency in applications with limited charging time (e.g. PV systems or regenerative braking in vehicles) and avoidance of accelerated ageing due to sulphation. Laboratory tests often use charge regimes which are beneficial for the battery life, but which differ significantly from the operating conditions in the field. Lead-acid batteries in applications with limited charging time and partial-state-of-charge operation are rarely fully charged due to their limited charge acceptance. Therefore, they suffer from sulphation and early capacity loss. However, when appropriate charging strategies are applied most of the lost capacity and thus performance for the user may be recovered. The paper presents several aspects of charging regimes and charge acceptance. Theoretical and experimental investigations show that temperature is the most critical parameter. Full charging within short times can be achieved only at elevated temperatures. A strong dependency of the charge acceptance during charging pulses on the pre-treatment of the battery can be observed, which is not yet fully understood. But these effects have a significant impact on the fuel efficiency of micro-hybrid electric vehicles.

Review of NASA approach to space radiation risk assessments for Mars exploration.

PubMed

Cucinotta, Francis A

2015-02-01

Long duration space missions present unique radiation protection challenges due to the complexity of the space radiation environment, which includes high charge and energy particles and other highly ionizing radiation such as neutrons. Based on a recommendation by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, a 3% lifetime risk of exposure-induced death for cancer has been used as a basis for risk limitation by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for low-Earth orbit missions. NASA has developed a risk-based approach to radiation exposure limits that accounts for individual factors (age, gender, and smoking history) and assesses the uncertainties in risk estimates. New radiation quality factors with associated probability distribution functions to represent the quality factor's uncertainty have been developed based on track structure models and recent radiobiology data for high charge and energy particles. The current radiation dose limits are reviewed for spaceflight and the various qualitative and quantitative uncertainties that impact the risk of exposure-induced death estimates using the NASA Space Cancer Risk (NSCR) model. NSCR estimates of the number of "safe days" in deep space to be within exposure limits and risk estimates for a Mars exploration mission are described.

Theoretical interpretation of the limiting electric conductivity in ionic solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraenkel, Dan

2017-12-01

The physical essence of the limiting equivalent ionic conductivity in solution, λ0i, has been a continuing challenge over almost a century. Here I briefly present an ab initio theoretical treatment providing (1) a new insight into the nature of λ0i, and (2) a mathematical formula for computing λ0i. In the new treatment, one assumes that any chosen ion i is surrounded by a spherical body of oriented solvent dipoles carrying the charge of the counterion, and the bulk solvent is a continuum with no molecular detail. λ0i is thus the result of the tandem operation, at hydrodynamic equilibrium, of the dipole body's electrophoretic and relaxation forces exerted on the drifting ion. λ0i is found to be proportional to the radius of ion i, and independent of the ionic charge. From experimental λ0i's, the ion radius can be computed as 'electric radius.' An electric ion-radius scale so derived compares well with other ion-size scales. The current theory expresses λ0i using only universal constants and unitary factors of the ionic solution, and it sheds new light on the fundamental nature of ion and charge transport in a polar liquid medium.

Thermionic noise measurements for on-line dispenser cathode diagnostics for linear beam microwave tubes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holland, C.; Brodie, I.

1985-01-01

A test stand has been set up to measure the current fluctuation noise properties of B- and M-type dispenser cathodes in a typical TWT gun structure. Noise techniques were used to determine the work function distribution on the cathode surfaces. Significant differences between the B and M types and significant changes in the work function distribution during activation and life are found. In turn, knowledge of the expected work function can be used to accurately determine the cathode-operating temperatures in a TWT structure. Noise measurements also demonstrate more sensitivity to space charge effects than the Miram method. Full automation of the measurements and computations is now required to speed up data acquisition and reduction. The complete set of equations for the space charge limited diode were programmed so that given four of the five measurable variables (J, J sub O, T, D, and V) the fifth could be computed. Using this program, we estimated that an rms fluctuation in the diode spacing d in the frequency range of 145 Hz about 20 kHz of only about 10 to the -5 power A would account for the observed noise in a space charge limited diode with 1 mm spacing.

Comprehensive approach to intrinsic charge carrier mobility in conjugated organic molecules, macromolecules, and supramolecular architectures.

PubMed

Saeki, Akinori; Koizumi, Yoshiko; Aida, Takuzo; Seki, Shu

2012-08-21

Si-based inorganic electronics have long dominated the semiconductor industry. However, in recent years conjugated polymers have attracted increasing attention because such systems are flexible and offer the potential for low-cost, large-area production via roll-to-roll processing. The state-of-the-art organic conjugated molecular crystals can exhibit charge carrier mobilities (μ) that nearly match or even exceed that of amorphous silicon (1-10 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1)). The mean free path of the charge carriers estimated from these mobilities corresponds to the typical intersite (intermolecular) hopping distances in conjugated organic materials, which strongly suggests that the conduction model for the electronic band structure only applies to μ > 1 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) for the translational motion of the charge carriers. However, to analyze the transport mechanism in organic electronics, researchers conventionally use a disorder formalism, where μ is usually less than 1 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) and dominated by impurities, disorders, or defects that disturb the long-range translational motion. In this Account, we discuss the relationship between the alternating-current and direct-current mobilities of charge carriers, using time-resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) and other techniques including field-effect transistor, time-of-flight, and space-charge limited current. TRMC measures the nanometer-scale mobility of charge carriers under an oscillating microwave electric field with no contact between the semiconductors and the metals. This separation allows us to evaluate the intrinsic charge carrier mobility with minimal trapping effects. We review a wide variety of organic electronics in terms of their charge carrier mobilities, and we describe recent studies of macromolecules, molecular crystals, and supramolecular architecture. For example, a rigid poly(phenylene-co-ethynylene) included in permethylated cyclodextrin shows a high intramolecular hole mobility of 0.5 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), based on a combination of flash-photolysis TRMC and transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) measurements. Single-crystal rubrene showed an ambipolarity with anisotropic charge carrier transport along each crystal axis on the nanometer scale. Finally, we describe the charge carrier mobility of a self-assembled nanotube consisting of a large π-plane of hexabenzocoronene (HBC) partially appended with an electron acceptor. The local (intratubular) charge carrier mobility reached 3 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) for the nanotubes that possessed well-ordered π-stacking, but it dropped to 0.7 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) in regions that contained greater amounts of the electron acceptor because those molecules reduced the structural integrity of π-stacked HBC arrays. Interestingly, the long-range (intertubular) charge carrier mobility was on the order of 10(-4) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) and monotonically decreased when the acceptor content was increased. These results suggest the importance of investigating charge carrier mobilities by frequency-dependent charge carrier motion for the development of more efficient organic electronic devices.

Alternate charging and discharging of capacitor to enhance the electron production of bioelectrochemical systems.

PubMed

Liang, Peng; Wu, Wenlong; Wei, Jincheng; Yuan, Lulu; Xia, Xue; Huang, Xia

2011-08-01

A bioelectrochemical system (BES) can be operated in both "microbial fuel cell" (MFC) and "microbial electrolysis cell" (MEC) modes, in which power is delivered and invested respectively. To enhance the electric current production, a BES was operated in MFC mode first and a capacitor was used to collect power from the system. Then the charged capacitor discharged electrons to the system itself, switching into MEC mode. This alternate charging and discharging (ACD) mode helped the system produce 22-32% higher average current compared to an intermittent charging (IC) mode, in which the capacitor was first charged from an MFC and then discharged to a resistor, at 21.6 Ω external resistance, 3.3 F capacitance and 300 mV charging voltage. The effects of external resistance, capacitance and charging voltage on average current were studied. The average current reduced as the external resistance and charging voltage increased and was slightly affected by the capacitance. Acquisition of higher average current in the ACD mode was attributed to the shorter discharging time compared to the charging time, as well as a higher anode potential caused by discharging the capacitor. Results from circuit analysis and quantitatively calculation were consistent with the experimental observations.

State-of-charge coulometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rowlette, J. J. (Inventor)

1985-01-01

A coulometer for accurately measuring the state-of-charge of an open-cell battery utilizing an aqueous electrolyte, includes a current meter for measuring the battery/discharge current and a flow meter for measuring the rate at which the battery produces gas during charge and discharge. Coupled to the flow meter is gas analyzer which measures the oxygen fraction of the battery gas. The outputs of the current meter, flow meter, and gas analyzer are coupled to a programmed microcomputer which includes a CPU and program and data memories. The microcomputer calculates that fraction of charge and discharge current consumed in the generation of gas so that the actual state-of-charge can be determined. The state-of-charge is then shown on a visual display.

Simultaneous determination of built-in voltage and charge carrier mobility in organic diodes from light intensity dependent current-voltage characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Fobao; Peng, Yingquan; Xu, Kun; Lv, Wenli; Xu, Sunan; Wang, Ying; Tang, Ying; Wei, Yi; Yang, Yuhuan; Liu, Guohan

2017-05-01

Built-in voltage (V bi) and charge carrier mobility are essential parameters of organic diodes, such as organic photodiodes, organic light-emitting diodes and organic solar cells. The existing methods for charge carrier mobility measurement require either expensive equipment, or stringent sample preparation. We demonstrate a method that simultaneously determines the V bi and charge carrier mobility in organic photodiodes and solar cells from incident light intensity dependent current-voltage characteristics. The V bi is determined from the saturation open-circuit voltage, while the charge carrier mobility from the space-charge limited photocurrent. The V bi for organic diodes, ‘ITO/copper phthalocyanine (CuPc)/2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (BCP)/Al’, ‘ITO/ lead phthalocyanine (PbPc)/BCP/Al’, ‘ITO/CuPc/C60/BCP/Al’, and ‘ITO/PbPc/C60/BCP/Al’, were measured to be 0.583  ±  0.019, 0.458  ±  0.002, 0.605  ±  0.009 and 0.538  ±  0.004 V, respectively; the hole mobility of CuPc and PbPc thin films were measured to be (1.383  ±  0.367)  ×  10-6 cm2 V-1 s-1 and (3.675  ±  0.887)  ×  10-6 cm2 V-1 s-1, respectively. The measured values for V bi and carrier mobility coincide with related experimental results reported in other literature.

Controlling charge quantization with quantum fluctuations.

PubMed

Jezouin, S; Iftikhar, Z; Anthore, A; Parmentier, F D; Gennser, U; Cavanna, A; Ouerghi, A; Levkivskyi, I P; Idrisov, E; Sukhorukov, E V; Glazman, L I; Pierre, F

2016-08-04

In 1909, Millikan showed that the charge of electrically isolated systems is quantized in units of the elementary electron charge e. Today, the persistence of charge quantization in small, weakly connected conductors allows for circuits in which single electrons are manipulated, with applications in, for example, metrology, detectors and thermometry. However, as the connection strength is increased, the discreteness of charge is progressively reduced by quantum fluctuations. Here we report the full quantum control and characterization of charge quantization. By using semiconductor-based tunable elemental conduction channels to connect a micrometre-scale metallic island to a circuit, we explore the complete evolution of charge quantization while scanning the entire range of connection strengths, from a very weak (tunnel) to a perfect (ballistic) contact. We observe, when approaching the ballistic limit, that charge quantization is destroyed by quantum fluctuations, and scales as the square root of the residual probability for an electron to be reflected across the quantum channel; this scaling also applies beyond the different regimes of connection strength currently accessible to theory. At increased temperatures, the thermal fluctuations result in an exponential suppression of charge quantization and in a universal square-root scaling, valid for all connection strengths, in agreement with expectations. Besides being pertinent for the improvement of single-electron circuits and their applications, and for the metal-semiconductor hybrids relevant to topological quantum computing, knowledge of the quantum laws of electricity will be essential for the quantum engineering of future nanoelectronic devices.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

Coulomb interaction between charged particles inside a bunch is one of the most importance collective effects in beam dynamics, becoming even more significant as the energy of the particle beam is lowered to accommodate analytical and low-Z material imaging purposes such as in the time resolved Ultrafast Electron Microscope (UEM) development currently underway at Michigan State University. In addition, space charge effects are the key limiting factor in the development of ultrafast atomic resolution electron imaging and diffraction technologies and are also correlated with an irreversible growth in rms beam emittance due to fluctuating components of the nonlinear electron dynamics.more » In the short pulse regime used in the UEM, space charge effects also lead to virtual cathode formation in which the negative charge of the electrons emitted at earlier times, combined with the attractive surface field, hinders further emission of particles and causes a degradation of the pulse properties. Space charge and virtual cathode effects and their remediation are core issues for the development of the next generation of high-brightness UEMs. Since the analytical models are only applicable for special cases, numerical simulations, in addition to experiments, are usually necessary to accurately understand the space charge effect. In this paper we will introduce a grid-free differential algebra based multiple level fast multipole algorithm, which calculates the 3D space charge field for n charged particles in arbitrary distribution with an efficiency of O(n), and the implementation of the algorithm to a simulation code for space charge dominated photoemission processes.« less

Apparatus for producing voltage and current pulses

DOEpatents

Kirbie, Hugh; Dale, Gregory E.

2010-12-21

An apparatus having one or more modular stages for producing voltage and current pulses. Each module includes a diode charging means to charge a capacitive means that stores energy. One or more charging impedance means are connected to the diode charging means to provide a return current pathway. A solid-state switch discharge means, with current interruption capability, is connected to the capacitive means to discharge stored energy. Finally, a control means is provided to command the switching action of the solid-state switch discharge means.

Bipolar resistive switching in Cu/AlN/Pt nonvolatile memory device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, C.; Yang, Y. C.; Zeng, F.; Pan, F.

2010-08-01

Highly stable and reproducible bipolar resistive switching effects are reported on Cu/AlN/Pt devices. Memory characteristics including large memory window of 103, long retention time of >106 s and good endurance of >103 were demonstrated. It is concluded that the reset current decreases as compliance current decreases, which provides an approach to suppress power consumption. The dominant conduction mechanisms of low resistance state and high resistance state were verified by Ohmic behavior and trap-controlled space charge limited current, respectively. The memory effect is explained by the model concerning redox reaction mediated formation and rupture of the conducting filament in AlN films.

Spin-charge coupled dynamics driven by a time-dependent magnetization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tölle, Sebastian; Eckern, Ulrich; Gorini, Cosimo

2017-03-01

The spin-charge coupled dynamics in a thin, magnetized metallic system are investigated. The effective driving force acting on the charge carriers is generated by a dynamical magnetic texture, which can be induced, e.g., by a magnetic material in contact with a normal-metal system. We consider a general inversion-asymmetric substrate/normal-metal/magnet structure, which, by specifying the precise nature of each layer, can mimic various experimentally employed setups. Inversion symmetry breaking gives rise to an effective Rashba spin-orbit interaction. We derive general spin-charge kinetic equations which show that such spin-orbit interaction, together with anisotropic Elliott-Yafet spin relaxation, yields significant corrections to the magnetization-induced dynamics. In particular, we present a consistent treatment of the spin density and spin current contributions to the equations of motion, inter alia, identifying a term in the effective force which appears due to a spin current polarized parallel to the magnetization. This "inverse-spin-filter" contribution depends markedly on the parameter which describes the anisotropy in spin relaxation. To further highlight the physical meaning of the different contributions, the spin-pumping configuration of typical experimental setups is analyzed in detail. In the two-dimensional limit the buildup of dc voltage is dominated by the spin-galvanic (inverse Edelstein) effect. A measuring scheme that could isolate this contribution is discussed.

An overview of general aviation propulsion research programs at NASA Lewis Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willis, E. A.; Strack, W. C.

1981-01-01

The review covers near-term improvements for current-type piston engines, as well as studies and limited corroborative research on several advanced g/a engine concepts, including diesels, small turboprops and both piston and rotary stratified-charge engines. Also described is basic combustion research, cycle modeling and diagnostic instrumentation work that is required to make new engines a reality.

Ab-Initio analysis of TlBr: limiting the ionic current without degrading the electronic one

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rocha Leao, Cedric; Lordi, Vincenzo

2011-03-01

Although TlBr in principle presents all the theoretical requirements for making high resolution room temperature radiation detectors, practical applications of TlBr have proven to be nonviable due to the polarization that is observed in the crystal after relatively short periods of operation. This polarization, that is believed to be caused by accumulation of oppositely charged ionic species at the ends of the crystal, results in an electric field that opposes that of the applied bias, counter-acting its effect. In this work, we use state of the art quantum modeling to benchmark the theoretical limits for the performance of TlBr as a radiation detector, showing that the best experimental reports demonstrate near-ideal electronic characteristics. We then propose a model to inhibit the detrimental ionic current in the material without impacting the excellent properties of the electronic current. Prepared by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

The Equivalent Electrokinetic Circuit Model of Ion Concentration Polarization Layer: Electrical Double Layer, Extended Space Charge and Electro-convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Inhee; Huh, Keon; Kwak, Rhokyun; Lee, Hyomin; Kim, Sung Jae

2016-11-01

The first direct chronopotentiometric measurement was provided to distinguish the potential difference through the extended space charge (ESC) layer which is formed with the electrical double layer (EDL) near a perm-selective membrane. From this experimental result, the linear relationship was obtained between the resistance of ESC and the applied current density. Furthermore, we observed the step-wise distributions of relaxation time at the limiting current regime, confirming the existence of ESC capacitance other than EDL's. In addition, we proposed the equivalent electrokinetic circuit model inside ion concentration polarization (ICP) layer under rigorous consideration of EDL, ESC and electro-convection (EC). In order to elucidate the voltage configuration in chronopotentiometric measurement, the EC component was considered as the "dependent voltage source" which is serially connected to the ESC layer. This model successfully described the charging behavior of the ESC layer with or without EC, where both cases determined each relaxation time, respectively. Finally, we quantitatively verified their values utilizing the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations. Therefore, this unified circuit model would provide a key insight of ICP system and potential energy-efficient applications.

Majorana-assisted nonlocal electron transport through a floating topological superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulrich, Jascha; Hassler, Fabian

2015-08-01

The nonlocal nature of the fermionic mode spanned by a pair of Majorana bound states in a one-dimensional topological superconductor has inspired many proposals aiming at demonstrating this property in transport. In particular, transport through the mode from a lead attached to the left bound state to a lead attached to the right will result in current cross correlations. For ideal zero modes on a grounded superconductor, the cross correlations are however completely suppressed in favor of purely local Andreev reflection. In order to obtain a nonvanishing cross correlation, previous studies have required the presence of an additional global charging energy. Adding nonlocal terms in the form of a global charging energy to the Hamiltonian when testing the intrinsic nonlocality of the Majorana modes seems to be conceptually troublesome. Here, we show that a floating superconductor allows observing nonlocal current correlations in the absence of charging energy. We show that the noninteracting and the Coulomb-blockade regime have the same peak conductance e2/h but different shot-noise power; whereas the shot noise is sub-Poissonian in the Coulomb-blockade regime in the large-bias limit, Poissonian shot noise is generically obtained in the noninteracting case.

Low intrinsic carrier density LSMO/Alq3/AlOx/Co organic spintronic devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riminucci, Alberto; Graziosi, Patrizio; Calbucci, Marco; Cecchini, Raimondo; Prezioso, Mirko; Borgatti, Francesco; Bergenti, Ilaria; Dediu, Valentin Alek

2018-04-01

The understanding of spin injection and transport in organic spintronic devices is still incomplete, with some experiments showing magnetoresistance and others not detecting it. We have investigated the transport properties of a large number of tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum-based organic spintronic devices with an electrical resistance greater than 5 MΩ that did not show magnetoresistance. Their transport properties could be described satisfactorily by known models for organic semiconductors. At high voltages (>2 V), the results followed the model of space charge limited current with a Poole-Frenkel mobility. At low voltages (˜0.1 V), that are those at which the spin valve behavior is usually observed, the charge transport was modelled by nearest neighbor hopping in intra-gap impurity levels, with a charge carrier density of n0 = (1.44 ± 0.21) × 1015 cm-3 at room temperature. Such a low carrier density can explain why no magnetoresistance was observed.

Optimization of power and energy densities in supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, David B.

Supercapacitors use nanoporous electrodes to store large amounts of charge on their high surface areas, and use the ions in electrolytes to carry charge into the pores. Their high power density makes them a potentially useful complement to batteries. However, ion transport through long, narrow channels still limits power and efficiency in these devices. Proper design can mitigate this. Current collector geometry must also be considered once this is done. Here, De Levie's model for porous electrodes is applied to quantitatively predict device performance and to propose optimal device designs for given specifications. Effects unique to nanoscale pores are considered, including that pores may not have enough salt to fully charge. Supercapacitors are of value for electric vehicles, portable electronics, and power conditioning in electrical grids with distributed renewable sources, and that value will increase as new device fabrication methods are developed and proper design accommodates those improvements. Example design outlines for vehicle applications are proposed and compared.

Lepton flavor violating radiative decays in EW-scale ν R model: an update

DOE PAGES

Hung, P. Q.; Le, Trinh; Tran, Van Que; ...

2015-12-28

Here, we perform an updated analysis for the one-loop induced charged lepton flavor violating radiative decays l i → l j γ in an extended mirror model. Mixing effects of the neutrinos and charged leptons constructed with a horizontal A 4 symmetry are also taken into account. Current experimental limit and projected sensitivity on the branching ratio of μ → eγ are used to constrain the parameter space of the model. Calculations of two related observables, the electric and magnetic dipole moments of the leptons, are included. Implications concerning the possible detection of mirror leptons at the LHC and themore » ILC are also discussed.« less

Particle and Photon Detection: Counting and Energy Measurement

PubMed Central

Janesick, James; Tower, John

2016-01-01

Fundamental limits for photon counting and photon energy measurement are reviewed for CCD and CMOS imagers. The challenges to extend photon counting into the visible/nIR wavelengths and achieve energy measurement in the UV with specific read noise requirements are discussed. Pixel flicker and random telegraph noise sources are highlighted along with various methods used in reducing their contribution on the sensor’s read noise floor. Practical requirements for quantum efficiency, charge collection efficiency, and charge transfer efficiency that interfere with photon counting performance are discussed. Lastly we will review current efforts in reducing flicker noise head-on, in hopes to drive read noise substantially below 1 carrier rms. PMID:27187398

The ST environment: Expected charged particle radiation levels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stassinopoulos, E. G.

1978-01-01

The external (surface incident) charged particle radiation, predicted for the ST satellite at the three different mission altitudes, was determined in two ways: (1) by orbital flux-integration and (2) by geographical instantaneous flux-mapping. The latest standard models of the environment were used in this effort. Magnetic field definitions for three nominal circular trajectories and for the geographic mapping positions were obtained from a current field model. Spatial and temporal variations or conditions affecting the static environment models were considered and accounted for, wherever possible. Limited shielding and dose evaluations were performed for a simple geometry. Results, given in tabular and graphical form, are analyzed, explained, and discussed. Conclusions are included.

Improvement of charge-pumping electrically detected magnetic resonance and its application to silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hori, Masahiro; Tsuchiya, Toshiaki; Ono, Yukinori

2017-01-01

Charge-pumping electrically detected magnetic resonance (CP EDMR), or EDMR in the CP mode, is improved and applied to a silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). Real-time monitoring of the CP process reveals that high-frequency transient currents are an obstacle to signal amplification for EDMR. Therefore, we introduce cutoff circuitry, leading to a detection limit for the number of spins as low as 103 for Si MOS interface defects. With this improved method, we demonstrate that CP EDMR inherits one of the most important features of the CP method: the gate control of the energy window of the detectable interface defects for spectroscopy.

Steady State Load Characterization Fact Sheet: 2012 Chevy Volt

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scoffield, Don

2015-03-01

This fact sheet characterizes the steady state charging behavior of a 2012 Chevy Volt. Both level 1 charging (120 volt) and level 2 charging (208 volts) is investigated. This fact sheet contains plots of efficiency, power factor, and current harmonics as vehicle charging is curtailed. Prominent current harmonics are also displayed in a histogram for various charge rates.

Measurement of the Q2 dependence of the charged and neutral current cross sections in e±p scattering at HERA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aid, S.; Andreev, V.; Andrieu, B.; Appuhn, R.-D.; Arpagaus, M.; Babaev, A.; Bähr, J.; Bán, J.; Ban, Y.; Baranov, P.; Barrelet, E.; Barschke, R.; Bartel, W.; Barth, M.; Bassler, U.; Beck, H. P.; Behrend, H.-J.; Belousov, A.; Berger, Ch.; Bernardi, G.; Bernet, R.; Bertrand-Coremans, G.; Besançon, M.; Beyer, R.; Biddulph, P.; Bispham, P.; Bizot, J. C.; Blobel, V.; Borras, K.; Botterweck, F.; Boudry, V.; Braemer, A.; Braunschweig, W.; Brisson, V.; Bruncko, D.; Brune, C.; Buchholz, R.; Büngener, L.; Bürger, J.; Büsser, F. W.; Buniatian, A.; Burke, S.; Burton, M. J.; Buschhorn, G.; Campbell, A. J.; Carli, T.; Charlet, M.; Clarke, D.; Clegg, A. B.; Clerbaux, B.; Cocks, S.; Contreras, J. G.; Cormack, C.; Coughlan, J. A.; Courau, A.; Cousinou, M.-C.; Cozzika, G.; Criegee, L.; Cussans, D. G.; Cvach, J.; Dagoret, S.; Dainton, J. B.; Dau, W. D.; Daum, K.; David, M.; Davis, C. L.; Delcourt, B.; De Roeck, A.; De Wolf, E. A.; Dirkmann, M.; Dixon, P.; Di Nezza, P.; Dlugosz, W.; Dollfus, C.; Dowell, J. D.; Dreis, H. B.; Droutskoi, A.; Düllmann, D.; Dünger, O.; Duhm, H.; Ebert, J.; Ebert, T. R.; Eckerlin, G.; Efremenko, V.; Egli, S.; Eichler, R.; Eisele, F.; Eisenhandler, E.; Ellison, R. J.; Elsen, E.; Erdmann, M.; Erdmann, W.; Evrard, E.; Fahr, A. B.; Favart, L.; Fedotov, A.; Feeken, D.; Felst, R.; Feltesse, J.; Ferencei, J.; Ferrarotto, F.; Flamm, K.; Fleischer, M.; Flieser, M.; Flügge, G.; Fomenko, A.; Fominykh, B.; Formánek, J.; Foster, J. M.; Franke, G.; Fretwurst, E.; Gabathuler, E.; Gabathuler, K.; Gaede, F.; Garvey, J.; Gayler, J.; Gebauer, M.; Gellrich, A.; Genzel, H.; Gerhards, R.; Glazov, A.; Goerlach, U.; Goerlich, L.; Gogitidze, N.; Goldberg, M.; Goldner, D.; Golec-Biernat, K.; Gonzalez-Pineiro, B.; Gorelov, I.; Grab, C.; Grässler, H.; Grässler, R.; Greenshaw, T.; Griffiths, R.; Grindhammer, G.; Gruber, A.; Gruber, C.; Haack, J.; Haidt, D.; Hajduk, L.; Hampel, M.; Hapke, M.; Haynes, W. J.; Heinzelmann, G.; Henderson, R. C. W.; Henschel, H.; Herynek, I.; Hess, M. F.; Hildesheim, W.; Hiller, K. H.; Hilton, C. D.; Hladký, J.; Hoeger, K. C.; Höppner, M.; Hoffmann, D.; Holtom, T.; Horisberger, R.; Hudgson, V. L.; Hütte, M.; Hufnagel, H.; Ibbotson, M.; Itterbeck, H.; Jacholkowska, A.; Jacobsson, C.; Jaffre, M.; Janoth, J.; Jansen, T.; Jönsson, L.; Johannsen, K.; Johnson, D. P.; Johnson, L.; Jung, H.; Kalmus, P. I. P.; Kander, M.; Kant, D.; Kaschowitz, R.; Kathage, U.; Katzy, J.; Kaufmann, H. H.; Kaufmann, O.; Kazarian, S.; Kenyon, I. R.; Kermiche, S.; Keuker, C.; Kiesling, C.; Klein, M.; Kleinwort, C.; Knies, G.; Köhler, T.; Köhne, J. H.; Kolanoski, H.; Kole, F.; Kolya, S. D.; Korbel, V.; Korn, M.; Kostka, P.; Kotelnikov, S. K.; Krämerkämper, T.; Krasny, M. W.; Krehbiel, H.; Krücker, D.; Krüger, U.; Krüner-Marquis, U.; Küster, H.; Kuhlen, M.; Kurča, T.; Kurzhöfer, J.; Lacour, D.; Laforge, B.; Lander, R.; Landon, M. P. J.; Lange, W.; Langenegger, U.; Laporte, J.-F.; Lebedev, A.; Lehner, F.; Leverenz, C.; Levonian, S.; Ley, Ch.; Lindström, G.; Lindstroem, M.; Link, J.; Linsel, F.; Lipinski, J.; List, B.; Lobo, G.; Lohmander, H.; Lomas, J. W.; Lopez, G. C.; Lubimov, V.; Lüke, D.; Magnussen, N.; Malinovski, E.; Mani, S.; Maraček, R.; Marage, P.; Marks, J.; Marshall, R.; Martens, J.; Martin, G.; Martin, R.; Martyn, H.-U.; Martyniak, J.; Mavroidis, T.; Maxfield, S. J.; McMahon, S. J.; Mehta, A.; Meier, K.; Merz, T.; Meyer, A.; Meyer, A.; Meyer, H.; Meyer, J.; Meyer, P.-O.; Migliori, A.; Mikocki, S.; Milstead, D.; Moeck, J.; Moreau, F.; Morris, J. V.; Mroczko, E.; Müller, D.; Müller, G.; Müller, K.; Murín, P.; Nagovizin, V.; Nahnhauer, R.; Naroska, B.; Naumann, Th.; Newman, P. R.; Newton, D.; Neyret, D.; Nguyen, H. K.; Nicholls, T. C.; Niebergall, F.; Niebuhr, C.; Niedzballa, Ch.; Niggli, H.; Nisius, R.; Nowak, G.; Noves, G. W.; Nyberg-Werther, M.; Oakden, M.; Oberlack, H.; Obrock, U.; Olsson, J. E.; Ozerov, D.; Palmen, P.; Panaro, E.; Panitch, A.; Pascaud, C.; Patel, G. D.; Pawletta, H.; Peppel, E.; Perez, E.; Phillips, J. P.; Pieuchot, A.; Pitzl, D.; Pope, G.; Prell, S.; Prosi, R.; Rabbertz, K.; Rädel, G.; Raupach, F.; Reimer, P.; Reinshagen, S.; Rick, H.; Riech, V.; Riedlberger, J.; Riepenhausen, F.; Riess, S.; Rizvi, E.; Robertson, S. M.; Robmann, P.; Roloff, H. E.; Roosen, R.; Rosenbauer, K.; Rostovtsev, A.; Rouse, F.; Royon, C.; Rüter, K.; Rusakov, S.; Rybicki, K.; Sahlmann, N.; Sankey, D. P. C.; Schacht, P.; Schiek, S.; Schleif, S.; Schleper, P.; von Schlippe, W.; Schmidt, D.; Schmidt, G.; Schöning, A.; Schröder, V.; Schuhmann, E.; Schwab, B.; Sefkow, F.; Seidel, M.; Sell, R.; Semenov, A.; Shekelyan, V.; Sheviakov, I.; Shtarkov, L. N.; Siegmon, G.; Siewert, U.; Sirois, Y.; Skillicorn, I. O.; Smirnov, P.; Smith, J. R.; Solochenko, V.; Soloviev, Y.; Specka, A.; Spiekermann, J.; Spielman, S.; Spitzer, H.; Squinabol, F.; Starosta, R.; Steenbock, M.; Steffen, P.; Steinberg, R.; Steiner, H.; Stella, B.; Stellberger, A.; Stier, J.; Stiewe, J.; Stößlein, U.; Stolze, K.; Straumann, U.; Struczinski, W.; Sutton, J. P.; Tapprogge, S.; Taševský, M.; Tchernyshov, V.; Tchetchelnitski, S.; Theissen, J.; Thiebaux, C.; Thompson, G.; Truöl, P.; Turnau, J.; Tutas, J.; Uelkes, P.; Usik, A.; Valkár, S.; Valkárová, A.; Vallée, C.; Vandenplas, D.; Van Esch, P.; Van Mechelen, P.; Vazdik, Y.; Verrecchia, P.; Villet, G.; Wacker, K.; Wagener, A.; Wagener, M.; Walther, A.; Waugh, B.; Weber, G.; Weber, M.; Wegener, D.; Wegner, A.; Wengler, T.; Werner, M.; West, L. R.; Wilksen, T.; Willard, S.; Winde, M.; Winter, G.-G.; Wittek, C.; Wünsch, E.; Žáček, J.; Zarbock, D.; Zhang, Z.; Zhokin, A.; Zomer, F.; Zsembery, J.; Zuber, K.; ZurNedden, M.; H1 Collaboration

1996-02-01

The Q2 dependence and the total cross sections for charged and neutral current processes are measured in e±p reactions for transverse momenta of the outgoing lepton larger than 25 GeV. Comparable size of cross sections for the neutral current process and for the weak charged current process are observed above Q2 ∥ 5000 GeV 2. Using the shape and magnitude of the charged current cross section we determine a propagator mass of mW = 84 -7+10 GeV.

Effect of interjunction coupling on superconducting current and charge correlations in intrinsic Josephson junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shukrinov, Yu. M.; Hamdipour, M.; Kolahchi, M. R.

2009-07-01

Charge formations on superconducting layers and creation of the longitudinal plasma wave in the stack of intrinsic Josephson junctions change crucially the superconducting current through the stack. Investigation of the correlations of superconducting currents in neighboring Josephson junctions and the charge correlations in neighboring superconducting layers allows us to predict the additional features in the current-voltage characteristics. The charge autocorrelation functions clearly demonstrate the difference between harmonic and chaotic behavior in the breakpoint region. Use of the correlation functions gives us a powerful method for the analysis of the current-voltage characteristics of coupled Josephson junctions.

Plasma Charge Current for Controlling and Monitoring Electron Beam Welding with Beam Oscillation

PubMed Central

Trushnikov, Dmitriy; Belenkiy, Vladimir; Shchavlev, Valeriy; Piskunov, Anatoliy; Abdullin, Aleksandr; Mladenov, Georgy

2012-01-01

Electron beam welding (EBW) shows certain problems with the control of focus regime. The electron beam focus can be controlled in electron-beam welding based on the parameters of a secondary signal. In this case, the parameters like secondary emissions and focus coil current have extreme relationships. There are two values of focus coil current which provide equal value signal parameters. Therefore, adaptive systems of electron beam focus control use low-frequency scanning of focus, which substantially limits the operation speed of these systems and has a negative effect on weld joint quality. The purpose of this study is to develop a method for operational control of the electron beam focus during welding in the deep penetration mode. The method uses the plasma charge current signal as an additional informational parameter. This parameter allows identification of the electron beam focus regime in electron-beam welding without application of additional low-frequency scanning of focus. It can be used for working out operational electron beam control methods focusing exactly on the welding. In addition, use of this parameter allows one to observe the shape of the keyhole during the welding process. PMID:23242276

Plasma charge current for controlling and monitoring electron beam welding with beam oscillation.

PubMed

Trushnikov, Dmitriy; Belenkiy, Vladimir; Shchavlev, Valeriy; Piskunov, Anatoliy; Abdullin, Aleksandr; Mladenov, Georgy

2012-12-14

Electron beam welding (EBW) shows certain problems with the control of focus regime. The electron beam focus can be controlled in electron-beam welding based on the parameters of a secondary signal. In this case, the parameters like secondary emissions and focus coil current have extreme relationships. There are two values of focus coil current which provide equal value signal parameters. Therefore, adaptive systems of electron beam focus control use low-frequency scanning of focus, which substantially limits the operation speed of these systems and has a negative effect on weld joint quality. The purpose of this study is to develop a method for operational control of the electron beam focus during welding in the deep penetration mode. The method uses the plasma charge current signal as an additional informational parameter. This parameter allows identification of the electron beam focus regime in electron-beam welding without application of additional low-frequency scanning of focus. It can be used for working out operational electron beam control methods focusing exactly on the welding. In addition, use of this parameter allows one to observe the shape of the keyhole during the welding process.

Generalization of the Child-Langmuir law to the alternate extraction of positive and negative ions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lafleur, T., E-mail: trevor.lafleur@lpp.polytechnique.fr; ONERA-The French Aerospace Lab, 91120 Palaiseau; Aanesland, A.

Using a combined analytical and simulation approach, we investigate positive and negative ion extraction between two electrodes from an ion-ion plasma source. With a square voltage waveform applied to the electrodes, we obtain approximate analytical solutions for the time-averaged extracted current densities, which are given simply by: J{sub p}{sup ac}=[α−fL√((M{sub p})/(q{sub p}V{sub 0}) )]J{sub p}{sup dc}, and J{sub n}{sup ac}=[(1−α)−fL√((M{sub n})/(q{sub n}V{sub 0}) )]J{sub n}{sup dc}, where J{sup ac} is the time-averaged current density, α is the square waveform duty cycle, f is the frequency, L is the electrode gap length, M is the ion mass, q is the ionmore » charge, V{sub 0} is the applied voltage amplitude, J{sup dc} is the dc extracted current density, and the subscripts p and n refer to positive and negative ions, respectively. In particular, if J{sup dc} is the dc space-charge limited current density, then these equations describe the square waveform generalization of the Child-Langmuir law.« less

An omnipotent Li-ion battery charger with multimode control and polarity reversible techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jiann-Jong; Ku, Yi-Tsen; Yang, Hong-Yi; Hwang, Yuh-Shyan; Yu, Cheng-Chieh

2016-07-01

The omnipotent Li-ion battery charger with multimode control and polarity reversible techniques is presented in this article. The proposed chip is fabricated with TSMC 0.35μm 2P4M complementary metal-oxide- semiconductor processes, and the chip area including pads is 1.5 × 1.5 mm2. The structure of the omnipotent charger combines three charging modes and polarity reversible techniques, which adapt to any Li-ion batteries. The three reversible Li-ion battery charging modes, including trickle-current charging, large-current charging and constant-voltage charging, can charge in matching polarities or opposite polarities. The proposed circuit has a maximum charging current of 300 mA and the input voltage of the proposed circuit is set to 4.5 V. The maximum efficiency of the proposed charger is about 91% and its average efficiency is 74.8%. The omnipotent charger can precisely provide the charging current to the battery.

Optical determination of Shockley-Read-Hall and interface recombination currents in hybrid perovskites

PubMed Central

Sarritzu, Valerio; Sestu, Nicola; Marongiu, Daniela; Chang, Xueqing; Masi, Sofia; Rizzo, Aurora; Colella, Silvia; Quochi, Francesco; Saba, Michele; Mura, Andrea; Bongiovanni, Giovanni

2017-01-01

Metal-halide perovskite solar cells rival the best inorganic solar cells in power conversion efficiency, providing the outlook for efficient, cheap devices. In order for the technology to mature and approach the ideal Shockley-Queissier efficiency, experimental tools are needed to diagnose what processes limit performances, beyond simply measuring electrical characteristics often affected by parasitic effects and difficult to interpret. Here we study the microscopic origin of recombination currents causing photoconversion losses with an all-optical technique, measuring the electron-hole free energy as a function of the exciting light intensity. Our method allows assessing the ideality factor and breaks down the electron-hole recombination current into bulk defect and interface contributions, providing an estimate of the limit photoconversion efficiency, without any real charge current flowing through the device. We identify Shockley-Read-Hall recombination as the main decay process in insulated perovskite layers and quantify the additional performance degradation due to interface recombination in heterojunctions. PMID:28317883

Stacking multiple connecting functional materials in tandem organic light-emitting diodes

PubMed Central

Zhang, Tao; Wang, Deng-Ke; Jiang, Nan; Lu, Zheng-Hong

2017-01-01

Tandem device is an important architecture in fabricating high performance organic light-emitting diodes and organic photovoltaic cells. The key element in making a high performance tandem device is the connecting materials stack, which plays an important role in electric field distribution, charge generation and charge injection. For a tandem organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with a simple Liq/Al/MoO3 stack, we discovered that there is a significant current lateral spreading causing light emission over an extremely large area outside the OLED pixel when the Al thickness exceeds 2 nm. This spread light emission, caused by an inductive electric field over one of the device unit, limits one’s ability to fabricate high performance tandem devices. To resolve this issue, a new connecting materials stack with a C60 fullerene buffer layer is reported. This new structure permits optimization of the Al metal layer in the connecting stack and thus enables us to fabricate an efficient tandem OLED having a high 155.6 cd/A current efficiency and a low roll-off (or droop) in current efficiency. PMID:28225028

Vertical distribution of overpotentials and irreversible charge losses in lithium ion battery electrodes.

PubMed

Klink, Stefan; Schuhmann, Wolfgang; La Mantia, Fabio

2014-08-01

Porous lithium ion battery electrodes are characterized using a vertical distribution of cross-currents. In an appropriate simplification, this distribution can be described by a transmission line model (TLM) consisting of infinitely thin electrode layers. To investigate the vertical distribution of currents, overpotentials, and irreversible charge losses in a porous graphite electrode in situ, a multi-layered working electrode (MWE) was developed as the experimental analogue of a TLM. In this MWE, each layer is in ionic contact but electrically insulated from the other layers by a porous separator. It was found that the negative graphite electrodes get lithiated and delithiated stage-by-stage and layer-by-layer. Several mass-transport- as well as non-mass-transport-limited processes could be identified. Local current densities can reach double the average, especially on the outermost layer at the beginning of each intercalation stage. Furthermore, graphite particles close to the counter electrode act as "electrochemical sieve" reducing the impurities present in the electrolyte such as water. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Stacking multiple connecting functional materials in tandem organic light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Tao; Wang, Deng-Ke; Jiang, Nan; Lu, Zheng-Hong

2017-02-01

Tandem device is an important architecture in fabricating high performance organic light-emitting diodes and organic photovoltaic cells. The key element in making a high performance tandem device is the connecting materials stack, which plays an important role in electric field distribution, charge generation and charge injection. For a tandem organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with a simple Liq/Al/MoO3 stack, we discovered that there is a significant current lateral spreading causing light emission over an extremely large area outside the OLED pixel when the Al thickness exceeds 2 nm. This spread light emission, caused by an inductive electric field over one of the device unit, limits one’s ability to fabricate high performance tandem devices. To resolve this issue, a new connecting materials stack with a C60 fullerene buffer layer is reported. This new structure permits optimization of the Al metal layer in the connecting stack and thus enables us to fabricate an efficient tandem OLED having a high 155.6 cd/A current efficiency and a low roll-off (or droop) in current efficiency.

An evaluation of an ICCD imager of dynamic range expansion technique and application of insitu procedures for life-time extension

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Currie, D. G.

1982-01-01

Research toward practical implementation of the Intensified Charge Coupled Device (ICCD) as a photon-counting array detector for astronomy is reported. The first area of concentration was to determine the rate and extent of the lifetime limiting damage to the CCD caused by the impact of high energy electrons, and to find whether various methods of annealing the damage were productive. The second effort was to determine the performance of the ICCD in a photon-counting mode to produce extended dynamic range measurements. There are two main effects that appear as the practical results of the electron damage to the CCD. One is an increase in the leakage current, i.e., the normal thermal generation of charge carriers in the silicon that provides a background dark signal that adds to the light produced image. In an undamaged CCD, the leakage current is usually fairly uniform across the photosensitive area of the silicon chip, with the exception of various bright pixels which have an anomalous leakage current well above the overall level.

Method and apparatus for clockless analog-to-digital conversion and peak detection

DOEpatents

DeGeronimo, Gianluigi

2007-03-06

An apparatus and method for analog-to-digital conversion and peak detection includes at least one stage, which includes a first switch, second switch, current source or capacitor, and discriminator. The discriminator changes state in response to a current or charge associated with the input signal exceeding a threshold, thereby indicating whether the current or charge associated with the input signal is greater than the threshold. The input signal includes a peak or a charge, and the converter includes a peak or charge detect mode in which a state of the switch is retained in response to a decrease in the current or charge associated with the input signal. The state of the switch represents at least a portion of a value of the peak or of the charge.

Fast charge implications: Pack and cell analysis and comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanim, Tanvir R.; Shirk, Matthew G.; Bewley, Randy L.; Dufek, Eric J.; Liaw, Bor Yann

2018-03-01

This study investigates the effect of 50-kW (about 2C) direct current fast charging on a full-size battery electric vehicle's battery pack in comparison to a pack exclusively charged at 3.3 kW, which is the common alternating current Level 2 charging power level. Comparable scaled charging protocols are also independently applied to individual cells at three different temperatures, 20 °C, 30 °C, and 40 °C, to perform a comparative analysis with the packs. Dominant cell-level aging modes were identified through incremental capacity analysis and compared with full packs to gain a clear understanding of additional key factors that affect pack aging. While the cell-level study showed a minor impact on performance due to direct current fast charging, the packs showed a significantly higher rate of capacity fade under similar charging protocols. This indicates that pack-level aging cannot be directly extrapolated from cell evaluation. Delayed fast charging, completing shortly before discharge, was found to have less of an impact on battery degradation than conventional alternating current Level 2 charging.

Emergence of charge density waves and a pseudogap in single-layer TiTe2.

PubMed

Chen, P; Pai, Woei Wu; Chan, Y-H; Takayama, A; Xu, C-Z; Karn, A; Hasegawa, S; Chou, M Y; Mo, S-K; Fedorov, A-V; Chiang, T-C

2017-09-11

Two-dimensional materials constitute a promising platform for developing nanoscale devices and systems. Their physical properties can be very different from those of the corresponding three-dimensional materials because of extreme quantum confinement and dimensional reduction. Here we report a study of TiTe 2 from the single-layer to the bulk limit. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, we observed the emergence of a (2 × 2) charge density wave order in single-layer TiTe 2 with a transition temperature of 92 ± 3 K. Also observed was a pseudogap of about 28 meV at the Fermi level at 4.2 K. Surprisingly, no charge density wave transitions were observed in two-layer and multi-layer TiTe 2 , despite the quasi-two-dimensional nature of the material in the bulk. The unique charge density wave phenomenon in the single layer raises intriguing questions that challenge the prevailing thinking about the mechanisms of charge density wave formation.Due to reduced dimensionality, the properties of 2D materials are often different from their 3D counterparts. Here, the authors identify the emergence of a unique charge density wave (CDW) order in monolayer TiTe 2 that challenges the current understanding of CDW formation.

Release of Native-like Gaseous Proteins from Electrospray Droplets via the Charged Residue Mechanism: Insights from Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

PubMed

McAllister, Robert G; Metwally, Haidy; Sun, Yu; Konermann, Lars

2015-10-07

The mechanism whereby gaseous protein ions are released from charged solvent droplets during electrospray ionization (ESI) remains a matter of debate. Also, it is unclear to what extent electrosprayed proteins retain their solution structure. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations offer insights into the temporal evolution of protein systems. Surprisingly, there have been no all-atom simulations of the protein ESI process to date. The current work closes this gap by investigating the behavior of protein-containing aqueous nanodroplets that carry excess positive charge. We focus on "native ESI", where proteins initially adopt their biologically active solution structures. ESI proceeds while the protein remains entrapped within the droplet. Protein release into the gas phase occurs upon solvent evaporation to dryness. Droplet shrinkage is accompanied by ejection of charge carriers (Na(+) for the conditions chosen here), keeping the droplet at ∼85% of the Rayleigh limit throughout its life cycle. Any remaining charge carriers bind to the protein as the final solvent molecules evaporate. The outcome of these events is largely independent of the initial protein charge and the mode of charge carrier binding. ESI charge states and collision cross sections of the MD structures agree with experimental data. Our results confirm the Rayleigh/charged residue model (CRM). Field emission of excess Na(+) plays an ancillary role by governing the net charge of the shrinking droplet. Models that envision protein ejection from the droplet are not supported. Most nascent CRM ions retain native-like conformations. For unfolded proteins ESI likely proceeds along routes that are different from the native state mechanism explored here.

The differential algebra based multiple level fast multipole algorithm for 3D space charge field calculation and photoemission simulation

DOE PAGES

None, None

2015-09-28

Coulomb interaction between charged particles inside a bunch is one of the most importance collective effects in beam dynamics, becoming even more significant as the energy of the particle beam is lowered to accommodate analytical and low-Z material imaging purposes such as in the time resolved Ultrafast Electron Microscope (UEM) development currently underway at Michigan State University. In addition, space charge effects are the key limiting factor in the development of ultrafast atomic resolution electron imaging and diffraction technologies and are also correlated with an irreversible growth in rms beam emittance due to fluctuating components of the nonlinear electron dynamics.more » In the short pulse regime used in the UEM, space charge effects also lead to virtual cathode formation in which the negative charge of the electrons emitted at earlier times, combined with the attractive surface field, hinders further emission of particles and causes a degradation of the pulse properties. Space charge and virtual cathode effects and their remediation are core issues for the development of the next generation of high-brightness UEMs. Since the analytical models are only applicable for special cases, numerical simulations, in addition to experiments, are usually necessary to accurately understand the space charge effect. In this paper we will introduce a grid-free differential algebra based multiple level fast multipole algorithm, which calculates the 3D space charge field for n charged particles in arbitrary distribution with an efficiency of O(n), and the implementation of the algorithm to a simulation code for space charge dominated photoemission processes.« less

The direct injection of intense ion beams from a high field electron cyclotron resonance ion source into a radio frequency quadrupole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, G.; Becker, R.; Hamm, R. W.; Baskaran, R.; Kanjilal, D.; Roy, A.

2014-02-01

The ion current achievable from high intensity ECR sources for highly charged ions is limited by the high space charge. This makes classical extraction systems for the transport and subsequent matching to a radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator less efficient. The direct plasma injection (DPI) method developed originally for the laser ion source avoids these problems and uses the combined focusing of the gap between the ion source and the RFQ vanes (or rods) and the focusing of the rf fields from the RFQ penetrating into this gap. For high performance ECR sources that use superconducting solenoids, the stray magnetic field of the source in addition to the DPI scheme provides focusing against the space charge blow-up of the beam. A combined extraction/matching system has been designed for a high performance ECR ion source injecting into an RFQ, allowing a total beam current of 10 mA from the ion source for the production of highly charged 238U40+ (1.33 mA) to be injected at an ion source voltage of 60 kV. In this design, the features of IGUN have been used to take into account the rf-focusing of an RFQ channel (without modulation), the electrostatic field between ion source extraction and the RFQ vanes, the magnetic stray field of the ECR superconducting solenoid, and the defocusing space charge of an ion beam. The stray magnetic field is shown to be critical in the case of a matched beam.

The direct injection of intense ion beams from a high field electron cyclotron resonance ion source into a radio frequency quadrupole.

PubMed

Rodrigues, G; Becker, R; Hamm, R W; Baskaran, R; Kanjilal, D; Roy, A

2014-02-01

The ion current achievable from high intensity ECR sources for highly charged ions is limited by the high space charge. This makes classical extraction systems for the transport and subsequent matching to a radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator less efficient. The direct plasma injection (DPI) method developed originally for the laser ion source avoids these problems and uses the combined focusing of the gap between the ion source and the RFQ vanes (or rods) and the focusing of the rf fields from the RFQ penetrating into this gap. For high performance ECR sources that use superconducting solenoids, the stray magnetic field of the source in addition to the DPI scheme provides focusing against the space charge blow-up of the beam. A combined extraction/matching system has been designed for a high performance ECR ion source injecting into an RFQ, allowing a total beam current of 10 mA from the ion source for the production of highly charged (238)U(40+) (1.33 mA) to be injected at an ion source voltage of 60 kV. In this design, the features of IGUN have been used to take into account the rf-focusing of an RFQ channel (without modulation), the electrostatic field between ion source extraction and the RFQ vanes, the magnetic stray field of the ECR superconducting solenoid, and the defocusing space charge of an ion beam. The stray magnetic field is shown to be critical in the case of a matched beam.

Impact of Space-Charge Layers on Sudden Death in Li/O2 Batteries.

PubMed

Radin, Maxwell D; Monroe, Charles W; Siegel, Donald J

2015-08-06

The performance of Li/O2 batteries is thought to be limited by charge transport through the solid Li2O2 discharge product. Prior studies suggest that electron tunneling is the main transport mechanism through thin, compact Li2O2 deposits. The present study employs a new continuum transport model to explore an alternative scenario, in which charge transport is mediated by polaron hopping. Unlike earlier models, which assume a uniform carrier concentration or local electroneutrality, the possibility of nonuniform space charge is accounted for at the Li2O2/electrolyte and Li2O2/electrode interfaces, providing a more realistic picture of transport in Li2O2 films. The temperature and current-density dependences of the discharge curves predicted by the model are in good agreement with flat-electrode experiments over a wide range of rates, supporting the hypothesis that polaron hopping contributes significantly to charge transport. Exercising the model suggests that this mechanism could explain the observed enhancement in cell performance at elevated temperature and that performance could be further improved by tuning the interfacial orientation of Li2O2 crystallites.

Coating polymeric carbon nitride photoanodes on conductive Y:ZnO nanorod arrays for overall water splitting.

PubMed

Fang, Yuanxing; Xu, Yuntao; Li, Xiaochun; Ma, Yiwen; Wang, Xinchen

2018-06-14

Solar-to-fuel conversion via photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has the potential to ease current energy and environmental concerns. In pursuit of sustainability, polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) photosensitizers are receiving increasing attention as replacements for their inorganic counterparts. However, intense charge recombination, primarily because of the numerous surface defects, limits the use of PCN in PEC systems. Herein, photoanodes are designed by coating PCN films onto highly conductive yttrium (Y) doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) serving as charge collectors. The generation of charge carriers can therefore be promoted by this type II heterostructure. Accordingly, the charge collectors would be kept nearby for charge separation and transport to be used in the interfacial redox reactions. As such, the photocurrent density of the polymer electrode is improved to an exceptional value of 0.4 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in a Na2SO4 electrolyte solution under AM 1.5 illumination. The result reveals a more than 50-fold enhancement over the PCN films achieved by powder, and the efficiency can be preserved at ca. 95% for 160 minutes. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Inversion of membrane surface charge by trivalent cations probed with a cation-selective channel

PubMed Central

Gurnev, Philip A.; Bezrukov, Sergey M.

2014-01-01

We demonstrate that the cation-selective channel formed by gramicidin A can be used as a reliable sensor for studying the multivalent ion accumulation at the surfaces of charged lipid membranes and the “charge inversion” phenomenon. In asymmetrically charged membranes with the individual leaflets formed from pure negative and positive lipids bathed by 0.1 M CsCl solutions the channel exhibits current rectification which is comparable to that of a typical n/p semiconductor diode. We show that even at these highly asymmetrical conditions the channel conductance can be satisfactorily described by the electrodiffusion equation in the constant field approximation but, due to predictable limitations, only when the applied voltages do not exceed 50 mV. Analysis of the changes in the voltage-dependent channel conductance upon addition of trivalent cations allows us to gauge their interactions with the membrane surface. The inversion of the sign of the effective surface charge takes place at the concentrations which correlate with the cation size. Specifically, these concentrations are close to 0.05 mM for lanthanum, 0.25 mM for hexaamminecobalt, and 4 mM for spermidine. PMID:23088396

Inversion of membrane surface charge by trivalent cations probed with a cation-selective channel.

PubMed

Gurnev, Philip A; Bezrukov, Sergey M

2012-11-13

We demonstrate that the cation-selective channel formed by gramicidin A can be used as a reliable sensor for studying the multivalent ion accumulation at the surfaces of charged lipid membranes and the "charge inversion" phenomenon. In asymmetrically charged membranes with the individual leaflets formed from pure negative and positive lipids bathed by 0.1 M CsCl solutions the channel exhibits current rectification, which is comparable to that of a typical n/p semiconductor diode. We show that even at these highly asymmetrical conditions the channel conductance can be satisfactorily described by the electrodiffusion equation in the constant field approximation but, due to predictable limitations, only when the applied voltages do not exceed 50 mV. Analysis of the changes in the voltage-dependent channel conductance upon addition of trivalent cations allows us to gauge their interactions with the membrane surface. The inversion of the sign of the effective surface charge takes place at the concentrations, which correlate with the cation size. Specifically, these concentrations are close to 0.05 mM for lanthanum, 0.25 mM for hexaamminecobalt, and 4 mM for spermidine.

Effect of ion compensation of the beam space charge on gyrotron operation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fokin, A. P.; Glyavin, M. Yu.; Nusinovich, G. S.

In gyrotrons, the coherent radiation of electromagnetic waves takes place when the cyclotron resonance condition between the wave frequency and the electron cyclotron frequency or its harmonic holds. The voltage depression caused by the beam space charge field changes the relativistic cyclotron frequency and, hence, can play an important role in the beam-wave interaction process. In long pulse and continuous-wave regimes, the beam space charge field can be partially compensated by the ions, which appear due to the beam impact ionization of neutral molecules of residual gases in the interaction space. In the present paper, the role of this ionmore » compensation of the beam space charge on the interaction efficiency is analyzed. We also analyze the effect of the electron velocity spread on the limiting currents and discuss some effects restricting the ion-to-beam electron density ratio in the saturation stage. It is shown that the effect of the ion compensation on the voltage depression caused by the beam space charge field can cause significant changes in the efficiency of gyrotron operation and, in some cases, even result in the break of oscillations.« less

Reconditioning of Batteries on the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hajela, Gyan; Cohen, Fred; Dalton, Penni

2004-01-01

Primary source of electric power for the International Space Station (ISS) is the photovoltaic module (PVM). At assembly complete stage, the ISS will be served by 4 PVMs. Each PVM contains two independent power channels such that one failure will result in loss of only one power channel. During early stages of assembly, the ISS is served by only one PVM designated as P6. Solar arrays are used to convert solar flux into electrical power. Nickel hydrogen batteries are used to store electrical power for use during periods when the solar input is not adequate to support channel loads. Batteries are operated per established procedures that ensure that they are maintained within specified temperature limits, charge current is controlled to conform to a specified charge profile, and battery voltages are maintained within specified limits. Both power channels on the PVM P6 have been operating flawlessly since December 2000 with 100 percent power availability. All components, including batteries, are monitored regularly to ensure that they are operating within specified limits and to trend their wear out and age effects. The paper briefly describes the battery trend data. Batteries have started to show some effects of aging and a battery reconditioning procedure is being evaluated at this time. Reconditioning is expected to reduce cell voltage divergence and provide data that can be used to update the state of charge (SOC) computation in the software to account for battery age. During reconditioning, each battery, one at a time, will be discharged per a specified procedure and then returned to a full state of charge. The paper describes the reconditioning procedure and the expected benefits. The reconditioning procedures have been thoroughly coordinated by all affected technical teams and approved by all required boards. The reconditioning is tentatively scheduled for September 2004.

A kinetic Monte Carlo model with improved charge injection model for the photocurrent characteristics of organic solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kipp, Dylan; Ganesan, Venkat

2013-06-01

We develop a kinetic Monte Carlo model for photocurrent generation in organic solar cells that demonstrates improved agreement with experimental illuminated and dark current-voltage curves. In our model, we introduce a charge injection rate prefactor to correct for the electrode grid-size and electrode charge density biases apparent in the coarse-grained approximation of the electrode as a grid of single occupancy, charge-injecting reservoirs. We use the charge injection rate prefactor to control the portion of dark current attributed to each of four kinds of charge injection. By shifting the dark current between electrode-polymer pairs, we align the injection timescales and expand the applicability of the method to accommodate ohmic energy barriers. We consider the device characteristics of the ITO/PEDOT/PSS:PPDI:PBTT:Al system and demonstrate the manner in which our model captures the device charge densities unique to systems with small injection energy barriers. To elucidate the defining characteristics of our model, we first demonstrate the manner in which charge accumulation and band bending affect the shape and placement of the various current-voltage regimes. We then discuss the influence of various model parameters upon the current-voltage characteristics.

Electron and hole transport in the organic small molecule α-NPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohloff, R.; Kotadiya, N. B.; Crǎciun, N. I.; Blom, P. W. M.; Wetzelaer, G. A. H.

2017-02-01

Electron and hole transport properties of the organic small molecule N,N'-Di(1-naphthyl)-N,N'-diphenyl-(1,1'-biphenyl)-4,4'-diamine are investigated by space-charge-limited current measurements. The hole transport shows trap-free behavior with a mobility of 2.3 × 10-8 m2/Vs at vanishing carrier density and electric field. The electron transport, on the other hand, shows heavily trap-limited behavior, which leads to highly unbalanced transport. A trap concentration of 1.3 × 1024 m-3 was found by modeling the electron currents, similar to the universal trap concentration found in conjugated polymers. This indicates that electron trapping is a generic property of organic semiconductors, ranging from vacuum-deposited small-molecules to solution-processed conjugated polymers.

Temperature-dependent leakage current behavior of epitaxial Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-based thin films made by pulsed laser deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hejazi, M. M.; Safari, A.

2011-11-01

This paper discusses the electrical conduction mechanisms in a 0.88 Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.08 Bi0.5K0.5TiO3-0.04 BaTiO3 thin film in the temperature range of 200-350 K. The film was deposited on a SrRuO3/SrTiO3 substrate by pulsed laser deposition technique. At all measurement temperatures, the leakage current behavior of the film matched well with the Lampert's triangle bounded by three straight lines of different slopes. The relative location of the triangle sides varied with temperature due to its effect on the density of charge carriers and un-filled traps. At low electric fields, the ohmic conduction governed the leakage mechanism. The calculated activation energy of the trap is 0.19 eV implying the presence of shallow traps in the film. With increasing the applied field, an abrupt increase in the leakage current was observed. This was attributed to a trap-filling process by the injected carriers. At sufficiently high electric fields, the leakage current obeyed the Child's trap-free square law suggesting the space charge limited current was the dominant mechanism.

High-Energy-Density, Low-Temperature Li/CFx Primary Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitacre, Jay; Bugga, Ratnakumar; Smart, Marshall; Prakash, G.; Yazami, Rachid

2007-01-01

High-energy-density primary (nonrechargeable) electrochemical cells capable of relatively high discharge currents at temperatures as low as -40 C have been developed through modification of the chemistry of commercial Li/CFx cells and batteries. The commercial Li/CFx units are not suitable for high-current and low-temperature applications because they are current limited and their maximum discharge rates decrease with decreasing temperature. The term "Li/CFx" refers to an anode made of lithium and a cathode made of a fluorinated carbonaceous material (typically graphite). In commercial cells, x typically ranges from 1.05 to 1.1. This cell composition makes it possible to attain specific energies up to 800 Wh/kg, but in order to prevent cell polarization and the consequent large loss of cell capacity, it is typically necessary to keep discharge currents below C/50 (where C is numerically equal to the current that, flowing during a charge or discharge time of one hour, would integrate to the nominal charge or discharge capacity of a cell). This limitation has been attributed to the low electronic conductivity of CFx for x approx. 1. To some extent, the limitation might be overcome by making cathodes thinner, and some battery manufacturers have obtained promising results using thin cathode structures in spiral configurations. The present approach includes not only making cathodes relatively thin [.2 mils (.0.051 mm)] but also using sub-fluorinated CFx cathode materials (x < 1) in conjunction with electrolytes formulated for use at low temperatures. The reason for choosing sub-fluorinated CFx cathode materials is that their electronic conductivities are high, relative to those for which x > 1. It was known from recent prior research that cells containing sub-fluorinated CFx cathodes (x between 0.33 and 0.66) are capable of retaining substantial portions of their nominal low-current specific energies when discharged at rates as high as 5C at room temperature. However, until experimental cells were fabricated following the present approach and tested, it was not known whether or to what extent low-temperature performance would be improved.

ELECTRIC CHARGING OF DUST AGGREGATES AND ITS EFFECT ON DUST COAGULATION IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Okuzumi, Satoshi

2009-06-20

Mutual sticking of dust aggregates is the first step toward planetesimal formation in protoplanetary disks. In spite that the electric charging of dust particles is well recognized in some contexts, it has been largely ignored in the current modeling of dust coagulation. In this study, we present a general analysis of the dust charge state in protoplanetary disks, and then demonstrate how the electric charging could dramatically change the currently accepted scenario of dust coagulation. First, we describe a new semianalytical method to calculate the dust charge state and gas ionization state self-consistently. This method is far more efficient thanmore » previous numerical methods, and provides a general and clear description of the charge state of a gas-dust mixture. Second, we apply this analysis to compute the collisional cross section of growing aggregates taking their charging into account. As an illustrative example, we focus on early evolutionary stages where the dust has been thought to grow into fractal (D {approx} 2) aggregates with a quasi-monodisperse (i.e., narrow) size distribution. We find that, for a wide range of model parameters, the fractal growth is strongly inhibited by the electric repulsion between colliding aggregates and eventually 'freezes out' on its way to the subsequent growth stage involving collisional compression. Strong disk turbulence would help the aggregates to overcome this growth barrier, but then it would cause catastrophic collisional fragmentation in later growth stages. These facts suggest that the combination of electric repulsion and collisional fragmentation would impose a serious limitation on dust growth in protoplanetary disks. We propose a possible scenario of dust evolution after the freezeout. Finally, we point out that the fractal growth of dust aggregates tends to maintain a low ionization degree and, as a result, a large magnetorotationally stable region in the disk.« less

Analysis of Blockade in Charge Transport Across Polymeric Heterojunctions as a Function of Thermal Annealing: A Different Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rathi, Sonika; Chauhan, Gayatri; Gupta, Saral K.; Srivastava, Ritu; Singh, Amarjeet

2017-02-01

A blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5diyl) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) is popularly used as an active medium in polymeric solar devices. According to the most recent understanding, the blend is a three-phase system contrary to its earlier understanding of two-phase bicontinuous network. We have synthesized a P3HT-PCBM based layered heterostructure system by spin coating and thermal vacuum evaporations. Current density ( J) was measured as a function of applied electric field ( E) across the system bound between two metal electrodes. J- E relations were analyzed into the backdrop of space charge limited current model and Schottky model. The later was used to predict dc-dielectric constants from the linear slopes of ln ( J) versus E 1/2. The curves were not monotonously linear, but observe a knee-bend separating into two linear segments for each curve. Thermal annealing from 40°C to 80°C was used as an activation tool for driving changes in the internal morphology via inter-diffusion of polymers and current measurements were performed at room temperature after each annealing. At the last stage of annealing the two linear slopes were highly distinct. The presence of sharp knee-bend results in approximately 20 times jump in dielectric constant as a function of electric field. Such high jumps in dielectric constant illustrate the potential for switching applications and charge storage. The high dielectric constants can be understood in terms of space charge polarization due to isolated domains which hindrance to charge transport. The high dielectric constants were confirmed by another experiment of capacitance measurements of a different set of similar samples. A study of thermal evolution of internal morphology was also carried out using x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques to correlate the morphological changes with the transport properties.

Network analysis of semiconducting Zn1-xCdxS based photosensitive device using impedance spectroscopy and current-voltage measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Datta, Joydeep; Das, Mrinmay; Dey, Arka; Halder, Soumi; Sil, Sayantan; Ray, Partha Pratim

2017-10-01

ZnCdS is an intermediate ternary alloy type semiconducting material which has huge tunable structural, optical and electrical properties. Here, we have synthesized Zn1-xCdxS compound and characterized its structural, optical and charge transport properties. It is seen that the particle size is greatly influenced by the amount of alloy concentration of cadmium. The performance of semiconductor device such as Schottky diode depends mainly on the charge transportation through the metal-semiconductor junction. So, we have fabricated Al/Zn1-xCdxS/ITO device and investigated the bias dependent impedance properties through equivalent circuit network analysis to study the electron lifetime and interfacial region resistance. The result of network analysis indicates that the charge transportation through Al- Zn0.6Cd0.4S is better than the other fabricated devices. For further explanation, we have studied the capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristic under dark and current-voltage (I-V) characteristic under dark and light. We have investigated barrier height, depletion layer width and employed SCLC (space charge limited current) theory in I-V characteristics to determine mobility, transit time and diffusion length. The mobility and diffusion length for Zn0.6Cd0.4S fabricated device are derived as 23.01 m2 V-1 s-1 and 4.4 μm respectively while both the values are less for the other devices. These values are enhanced upon illumination for all the devices but superiority comes from the Al/Zn0.6Cd0.4S/ITO device and it leads us to measure the photosensitivity, responsivity, specific detectivity. As expected, the photosensing parameters are enhanced for the Zn0.6Cd0.4S fabricated device. So, this literature not only explores the metal semiconductor charge transportation using impedance spectroscopy (IS) network analysis and SCLC theory but also explain it from the structural point of view.

Technical Consultation of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Nickel Hydrogen (NiH2) Battery Charge Capacity Prediction. Version 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gentz, Steven J.; Pandipati, Radha; Ling, Jerri; Miller, Thomas; Jeevarajan, Judith; Halpert, Gerald; Zimmerman, Albert

2005-01-01

The purpose of the GSFC position paper is to identify critical HST milestone dates for continued science studies followed by the attachment of a re-entry module or a robotic servicing mission. The paper examines the viability of the HST with respect to the NiH2 continued battery charge capacity. In the course of the assessment, it was recognized that the HST battery thermal control system has an average heat dissipation limitation of 30 W per bay per orbit cycle. This thermal constraint will continue to govern options for battery capacity maintenance. In addition, the HST usage represents the longest exposure ofNiH2 batteries to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at the current level of Depth of Discharge (DOD). Finally, the current battery life is at the limit predicted by the manufacturer, Eaglepicher. Therefore, given these factors, the potential exists that the HST battery capacities could radically degrade at any point. Given this caveat on any life extrapolations, the conservative model proposed in the GSFC position paper was viewed by the NESC as having several technical assumptions such as limited utilization of flight battery capacity data, the susceptibility of the proposed prediction method to large variations when supplemented with additional information, and the failure to qualitatively or quantitatively assess life prediction sensitivities. The NESC conducted an independent evaluation of the supporting information and assumptions to generate the predictions for battery capacity loss and practicality of on-orbit battery conditioning.

Battery Cell Voltage Sensing and Balancing Using Addressable Transformers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davies, Francis

2009-01-01

A document discusses the use of saturating transformers in a matrix arrangement to address individual cells in a high voltage battery. This arrangement is able to monitor and charge individual cells while limiting the complexity of circuitry in the battery. The arrangement has inherent galvanic isolation, low cell leakage currents, and allows a single bad cell in a battery of several hundred cells to be easily spotted.

Integration of Ferroelectric/Semiconductor Thin Films for SLM and Photorefractive Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-08-09

necessarily representing official policies, either expressed or implied, of the Defense Advanced Reserch Projects Agency or the U.S. Government." 9 Rockwell...studied with respect to film growth conditions, annealing temperature, substrate type and substrate orientation. After the samples are thoroughly...but because of the aforementioned space charge limited currents, these values may overestimate the true remanent polarization by up to 30%. Figure 3.8

Medium-energy heavy-ion single-event-burnout imaging of power MOSFETs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Musseau, O.; Torres, A.; Campbell, A.B.

The authors present the first experimental determination of the SEB sensitive area in a power MOSFET irradiated with a high-LET heavy-ion microbeam. They used a spectroscopy technique to perform coincident measurements of the charge collected in both source and drain junctions together, with a non-destructive technique (current limitation). The resulting charge collection images are related to the physical structure of the individual cells. These experimental data reveal the complex 3-dimensional behavior of a real structure, which can not easily be simulated using available tools. As the drain voltage is increased, the onset of burnout is reached, characterized by a suddenmore » change in the charge collection image. Hot spots are observed where the collected charge reaches its maximum value. Those spots, due to burnout triggering events, correspond to areas where the silicon is degraded through thermal effects along a single ion track. This direct observation of SEB sensitive areas as applications for, either device hardening, by modifying doping profiles or layout of the cells, or for code calibration and device simulation.« less

Use of the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory to Conduct Charged Particle Radiobiology Studies Relevant to Ion Therapy

PubMed Central

Held, Kathryn D.; Blakely, Eleanor A.; Story, Michael D.; Lowenstein, Derek I.

2016-01-01

Although clinical studies with carbon ions have been conducted successfully in Japan and Europe, the limited radiobiological information about charged particles that are heavier than protons remains a significant impediment to exploiting the full potential of particle therapy. There is growing interest in the U.S. to build a cancer treatment facility that utilizes charged particles heavier than protons. Therefore, it is essential that additional radiobiological knowledge be obtained using state-of-the-art technologies and biological models and end points relevant to clinical outcome. Currently, most such ion radiotherapy-related research is being conducted outside the U.S. This article addresses the substantial contributions to that research that are possible at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), which is the only facility in the U.S. at this time where heavy-ion radiobiology research with the ion species and energies of interest for therapy can be done. Here, we briefly discuss the relevant facilities at NSRL and how selected charged particle biology research gaps could be addressed using those facilities. PMID:27195609

Use of the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory to Conduct Charged Particle Radiobiology Studies Relevant to Ion Therapy.

PubMed

Held, Kathryn D; Blakely, Eleanor A; Story, Michael D; Lowenstein, Derek I

2016-06-01

Although clinical studies with carbon ions have been conducted successfully in Japan and Europe, the limited radiobiological information about charged particles that are heavier than protons remains a significant impediment to exploiting the full potential of particle therapy. There is growing interest in the U.S. to build a cancer treatment facility that utilizes charged particles heavier than protons. Therefore, it is essential that additional radiobiological knowledge be obtained using state-of-the-art technologies and biological models and end points relevant to clinical outcome. Currently, most such ion radiotherapy-related research is being conducted outside the U.S. This article addresses the substantial contributions to that research that are possible at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), which is the only facility in the U.S. at this time where heavy-ion radiobiology research with the ion species and energies of interest for therapy can be done. Here, we briefly discuss the relevant facilities at NSRL and how selected charged particle biology research gaps could be addressed using those facilities.

Exotic lepton searches via bound state production at the LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrie, Neil D.; Kobakhidze, Archil; Liang, Shelley; Talia, Matthew; Wu, Lei

2018-06-01

Heavy long-lived multi-charged leptons (MCLs) are predicted by various new physics models. These hypothetical MCLs can form bound states, due to their high electric charges and long life times. In this work, we propose a novel strategy of searching for MCLs through their bound state productions and decays. By utilising LHC-8 TeV data in searching for resonances in the diphoton channel, we exclude the masses of isospin singlet heavy leptons with electric charge | q | ≥ 6 (in units of electron charge) lower than ∼1.2 TeV, which are much stronger than the corresponding 8 TeV LHC bounds from analysing the high ionisation and the long time-of-flight of MCLs. By utilising the current 13 TeV LHC diphoton channel measurements the bound can further exclude MCL masses up to ∼1.6 TeV for | q | ≥ 6. Also, we demonstrate that the conventional LHC limits from searching for MCLs produced via Drell-Yan processes can be enhanced by including the contribution of photon fusion processes.

Cathode limited charge transport and performance of thin-film rechargeable lithium batteries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bates, J.B.; Hart, F.X.; Lubben, D.

1994-11-01

Several types of thin-film rechargeable batteries based on lithium metal anodes and amorphous V{sub 2}O{sub 5} (aV{sub 2}O{sub 5}), LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4}, and LiCoO{sub 2} cathodes have been investigated in this laboratory. In all cases, the current density of these cells is limited by lithium ion transport in the cathodes. This paper, discusses sources of this impedance in Li-aV{sub 2}O{sub 5} and Li-LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin-film cells and their effect on cell performance.

Effect of channel-width and chirality on graphene field-effect transistor based real-time biomolecule sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyu, Letian; Jaswal, Perveshwer; Xu, Guangyu

2018-03-01

Graphene field-effect transistors (GFET) hold promise in biomolecule sensing due to the outstanding properties of graphene materials. Charges in biomolecules are transduced into a change in the GFET current, which allows real-time monitoring of the biomolecule concentrations. Here we theoretically evaluate the performance of GFET based real-time biomolecule sensing, aiming to better understand the width-scaling limit in GFET based biosensors. In particular, we study the effect of the channel-width and the chirality on FET sensitivity by taking the percentage change of the FET current per unit charge density as the sensing signal. Firstly, GFETs made of graphene nanoribbons (GNR) and graphene sheets (GS) show comparable sensing signals to each other when gated at 1011 - 1012 cm-2 carrier densities. Sensing signals in GNRs are enhanced when gated near the sub-band thresholds, and increase their values in wider GNRs due to the change in device conductance and quantum capacitance. Secondly, the GNR chirality is found to fine tune the sensing signals. Armchair GNRs with smaller energy bandgaps appear to have an enhanced sensing signal close to 1011 cm-2 carrier densities. These results may help understand the scaling limit in GFET based biosensors along the width direction, and shed light on forming all-electrical bio-arrays.

Very Low Frequency Breakdown Properties of Electrical Insulation Materials at Cryogenic Temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauers, I.; Tuncer, E.; Polizos, G.; James, D. R.; Ellis, A. R.; Pace, M. O.

2010-04-01

For long cables or equipment with large capacitance it is not always possible to conduct high voltage withstand tests at 60 Hz due to limitations in charging currents of the power supply. Very low frequency (typically at a frequency of 0.1 Hz) has been used for conventional cables as a way of getting around the charging current limitation. For superconducting grid applications the same issues apply. However there is very little data at cryogenic temperatures on how materials perform at low frequency compared to 60 Hz and whether higher voltages should be applied when performing a high voltage acceptability test. Various materials including G10 (fiberglass reinforced plastic or FRP), Cryoflex™ (a tape insulation used in some high temperature superconducting cables), kapton (commonly used polyimide), polycarbonate, and polyetherimide, and in liquid nitrogen alone have been tested using a step method for frequencies of 60 Hz, 0.1 Hz, and dc. The dwell time at each step was chosen so that the aging factor would be the same in both the 60 Hz and 0.1 Hz tests. The data indicated that, while there is a small frequency dependence for liquid nitrogen, there are significant differences for the solid materials studied. Breakdown data for these materials and for model cables will be shown and discussed.

Electron cyclotron resonance ion source for high currents of mono- and multicharged ion and general purpose unlimited lifetime application on implantation devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bieth, C.; Bouly, J. L.; Curdy, J. C.; Kantas, S.; Sortais, P.; Sole, P.; Vieux-Rochaz, J. L.

2000-02-01

The electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion sources were originally developed for high energy physic applications. They are used as injectors on linear accelerators and cyclotrons to further increase the particle energy via high charge state ions. This ECR technology is well suited for sources placed on a high voltage platform where ac power available is limited by insulated transformers. The PANTECHNIK family of ion source with its wide range of ion beam (various charge states with various beam currents) offers new possibilities and perspectives in the field of ion implantation. In addition to all these possibilities, the PANTECHNIK ion sources have many other advantages like: a very long lifetime without maintenance expense, good stability, efficiency of ionization close to 100% (this improves the lifetime of the pumping system and other equipment), the possibility of producing ion beams with different energies, and a very good reproducibility. The main characteristics of sources like Nanogan or SuperNanogan will be recalled. We will especially present the results obtained with the new Microgan 10 GHz source that can be optimized for the production of high currents of monocharged ion, including reactive gas like BF3 (2 mA e of B+) or medium currents of low charge state like 0.5 mA e of Ar4+. The latest results obtained with Microgan 10 GHz show that it is possible to drive the source up to 30 mA e of total current, with an emittance of 150 π mm mrad at 40 kV and also to maintain the production of multicharged ions like Ar8+.

Monitoring In Vivo Changes in Tonic Extracellular Dopamine Level by Charge-Balancing Multiple Waveform Fast-Scan Cyclic Voltammetry.

PubMed

Oh, Yoonbae; Park, Cheonho; Kim, Do Hyoung; Shin, Hojin; Kang, Yu Min; DeWaele, Mark; Lee, Jeyeon; Min, Hoon-Ki; Blaha, Charles D; Bennet, Kevin E; Kim, In Young; Lee, Kendall H; Jang, Dong Pyo

2016-11-15

Dopamine (DA) modulates central neuronal activity through both phasic (second to second) and tonic (minutes to hours) terminal release. Conventional fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV), in combination with carbon fiber microelectrodes, has been used to measure phasic DA release in vivo by adopting a background subtraction procedure to remove background capacitive currents. However, measuring tonic changes in DA concentrations using conventional FSCV has been difficult because background capacitive currents are inherently unstable over long recording periods. To measure tonic changes in DA concentrations over several hours, we applied a novel charge-balancing multiple waveform FSCV (CBM-FSCV), combined with a dual background subtraction technique, to minimize temporal variations in background capacitive currents. Using this method, in vitro, charge variations from a reference time point were nearly zero for 48 h, whereas with conventional background subtraction, charge variations progressively increased. CBM-FSCV also demonstrated a high selectivity against 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and ascorbic acid, two major chemical interferents in the brain, yielding a sensitivity of 85.40 ± 14.30 nA/μM and limit of detection of 5.8 ± 0.9 nM for DA while maintaining selectivity. Recorded in vivo by CBM-FSCV, pharmacological inhibition of DA reuptake (nomifensine) resulted in a 235 ± 60 nM increase in tonic extracellular DA concentrations, while inhibition of DA synthesis (α-methyl-dl-tyrosine) resulted in a 72.5 ± 4.8 nM decrease in DA concentrations over a 2 h period. This study showed that CBM-FSCV may serve as a unique voltammetric technique to monitor relatively slow changes in tonic extracellular DA concentrations in vivo over a prolonged time period.

Surface-Charge-Based Micro-Models--A Solid Foundation for Learning about Direct Current Circuits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirvonen, P. E.

2007-01-01

This study explores how the use of a surface-charge-based instructional approach affects introductory university level students' understanding of direct current (dc) circuits. The introduced teaching intervention includes electrostatics, surface-charge-based micro-models that explain the existence of an electric field inside the current-carrying…

Understanding Charge Collection Mechanisms in InGaAs FinFETs Using High-Speed Pulsed-Laser Transient Testing With Tunable Wavelength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Kai; Sternberg, Andrew L.; Zhang, En Xia; Kozub, John A.; Jiang, Rong; Schrimpf, Ronald D.; Reed, Robert A.; Fleetwood, Daniel M.; Alles, Michael L.; McMorrow, Dale; Lin, Jianqiang; Vardi, Alon; del Alamo, Jesús

2017-08-01

A tunable wavelength laser system and high-resolution transient capture system are introduced to characterize transients in high-mobility MOSFETs. The experimental configuration enables resolution of fast transient signals and new understanding of charge collection mechanisms. The channel layer is critical in the charge collection process for the InGaAs FinFETs examined here. The transient current mainly comes from the channel current, due to shunt effects and parasitic bipolar effects, instead of the junction collection. The charge amplification factor is found to be as high as 14, which makes this technology relatively sensitive to transient radiation. The peak current is inversely proportional to the device gate length. Simulations show that the parasitic bipolar effect is due to source-to-channel barrier lowering caused by hole accumulation in the source and channel. Charge deposited in the channel causes prompt current, while charge deposited below the channel causes delayed and slow current.

New charging strategy for lithium-ion batteries based on the integration of Taguchi method and state of charge estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vo, Thanh Tu; Chen, Xiaopeng; Shen, Weixiang; Kapoor, Ajay

2015-01-01

In this paper, a new charging strategy of lithium-polymer batteries (LiPBs) has been proposed based on the integration of Taguchi method (TM) and state of charge estimation. The TM is applied to search an optimal charging current pattern. An adaptive switching gain sliding mode observer (ASGSMO) is adopted to estimate the SOC which controls and terminates the charging process. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed charging strategy can successfully charge the same types of LiPBs with different capacities and cycle life. The proposed charging strategy also provides much shorter charging time, narrower temperature variation and slightly higher energy efficiency than the equivalent constant current constant voltage charging method.

Part-II: Exchange current density and ionic diffusivity studies on the ordered and disordered spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amin, Ruhul; Belharouak, Ilias

2017-04-01

Additive-free pellets of Li1-xNi0.5Mn1.5O4 have been prepared for the purpose of performing ionic diffusivity and exchange current density studies. Here we report on the characterization of interfacial charge transfer kinetics and ionic diffusivity of ordered (P4332) and disordered (Fd 3 bar m) Li1-xNi0.5Mn1.5O4 as a function of lithium content at ambient temperature. The exchange current density at the electrode/electrolyte interface is found to be continuously increased with increasing the degree of delithiation for ordered phase (∼0.21-6.5 mA/cm2) at (x = 0.01-0.60), in contrast the disordered phase exhibits gradually decrease of exchange current density in the initial delithiation at the 4 V plateau regime (x = 0.01-0.04) and again monotonously increases (0.65-6.8 mA/cm2) with further delithiation at (x = 0.04-0.60). The ionic diffusivity of ordered and disordered phase is found to be ∼5 × 10-10cm2s-1 and ∼10-9cm2s-1, respectively, and does not vary much with the degree of delithiation. From the obtained results it appears that the chemical diffusivity during electrochemical use is limited by lithium transport, but is fast enough over the entire state-of-charge range to allow charge/discharge of micron-scale particles at practical C-rates.

Direct Effects on the Membrane Potential due to "Pumps" that Transfer No Net Charge

PubMed Central

Schwartz, Tobias L.

1971-01-01

The effects of active ionic transport are included in the derivation of a general expression for the zero current membrane potential. It is demonstrated that an active transport system that transfers no net charge (nonrheogenic) may, nevertheless, directly alter the membrane potential. This effect depends upon the exchange of matter within the membrane between the active and passive diffusion regimes. Furthermore, in the presence of such exchange, the transmembrane active fluxes measured by the usual techniques and the local pumped fluxes are not identical. Several common uses of the term “electrogenic pump” are thus shown to be inconsistent with each other. These inconsistencies persist when the derivation is extended to produce a Goldman equation modified to account for active transport; however, that equation is shown to be limited by less narrow constraints on membrane heterogeneity and internal electric field than those previously required. In particular, it is applicable to idealized mosaic membranes limited by these requirements. PMID:5113004

Measurement of the WZ cross section and triple gauge couplings in pp̄ collisions at √s=1.96 TeV

DOE PAGES

Aaltonen, T.; Álvarez González, B.; Amerio, S.; ...

2012-08-23

This article describes the current most precise measurement of the WZ production cross section as well as limits on anomalous WWZ couplings at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV in proton-antiproton collisions for the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF). WZ candidates are reconstructed from decays containing three charged leptons and missing energy from a neutrino, where the charged leptons are either electrons or muons. Using data collected by the CDF II detector (7.1 fb⁻¹ of integrated luminosity), 63 candidate events are observed with the expected background contributing 8±1 events. The measured total cross section σ(pp̄→WZ)=3.93 +0.60 –0.53(stat) +0.59 –0.46(syst) pbmore » is in good agreement with the standard model prediction of 3.50±0.21. The same sample is used to set limits on anomalous WWZ couplings.« less

Hollow cathode plasma coupling study, 1986

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilbur, Paul J.

1986-01-01

The electron collection and emission characteristics of a simple hollow cathode contactor, an extended anode hollow cathode contactor supplied by JSC, and a ring cusp magnetic field contactor are presented and the effects of discharge power and argon or xenon expellant flowrate on these characteristics are examined. All of the contactors are shown to exhibit good electron emission performance over a wide range of discharge power and expellant type and flowrate. Good electron performance is shown to be more difficult to achieve. Results suggest that the extended anode and ring cusp contactors should perform satisfactorily to electron emission currents beyond 1000 mA and electron collection currents beyond 500 mA. All contactors performed better on xenon than argon. A general theory of plasma contactor operation in both the electron collection and electron emission modes, which describes the current-limiting effects of space-charge phenomena is given. This current-limiting and collecting phenomenon is shown to be a function of driving potential differences and emitting and collecting surface radius ratio for the case of a spherical geometry. Discharge power did not appear to influence the electron collection current substantially in the experiments so it is suggested in light of the model that the contactors are generally not limited by their ion production capabilities under conditions at which they were tested.

Charging of Individual Micron-Size Interstellar/Planetary Dust Grains by Secondary Electron Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tankosic, D.; Abbas, M. M.

2012-01-01

Dust grains in various astrophysical environments are generally charged electrostatically by photoelectric emissions with UV/X-ray radiation, as well as by electron/ion impact. Knowledge of physical and optical properties of individual dust grains is required for understanding of the physical and dynamical processes in space environments and the role of dust in formation of stellar and planetary systems. In this paper, we discuss experimental results on dust charging by electron impact, where low energy electrons are scattered or stick to the dust grains, thereby charging the dust grains negatively, and at sufficiently high energies the incident electrons penetrate the grain leading to excitation and emission of electrons referred to as secondary electron emission (SEE). Currently, very limited experimental data are available for charging of individual micron-size dust grains, particularly by low energy electron impact. Available theoretical models based on the Sternglass equation (Sternglass, 1954) are applicable for neutral, planar, and bulk surfaces only. However, charging properties of individual micron-size dust grains are expected to be different from the values measured on bulk materials. Our recent experimental results on individual, positively charged, micron-size lunar dust grains levitated in an electrodynamic balance facility (at NASA-MSFC) indicate that the SEE by electron impact is a complex process. The electron impact may lead to charging or discharging of dust grains depending upon the grain size, surface potential, electron energy, electron flux, grain composition, and configuration (e.g. Abbas et al, 2010). Here we discuss the complex nature of SEE charging properties of individual micron-size lunar dust grains and silica microspheres.

Effect of charge on the current-voltage characteristics of silicon pin structures with and without getter annealing under beta irradiation of Ni-63.

PubMed

Nagornov, Yuri S

2018-05-01

The charge model for efficiency of betavoltaics effect is proposed. It allows calculating the charge value for pin structures under irradiation of Ni-63. We approximated the current-voltage characteristics of the structures using an equivalent diode circuit with a charge on the barrier capacitance. We calculated the charge function from current-voltage characteristics for two types of silicon pin structures - with and without getter annealing. The charging on the surface of pin structure decreases the efficiency of betavoltaics effect. Value of charge for our structures is changed in the range from -50 to +15mC/cm 2 and depends on the applied potential. The getter annealing allows getting the structures with a higher efficiency of betavoltaic effect, but it does not exclude the surface charging under beta irradiation from Ni-63. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Commutation circuit for an HVDC circuit breaker

DOEpatents

Premerlani, William J.

1981-01-01

A commutation circuit for a high voltage DC circuit breaker incorporates a resistor capacitor combination and a charging circuit connected to the main breaker, such that a commutating capacitor is discharged in opposition to the load current to force the current in an arc after breaker opening to zero to facilitate arc interruption. In a particular embodiment, a normally open commutating circuit is connected across the contacts of a main DC circuit breaker to absorb the inductive system energy trapped by breaker opening and to limit recovery voltages to a level tolerable by the commutating circuit components.

Commutation circuit for an HVDC circuit breaker

DOEpatents

Premerlani, W.J.

1981-11-10

A commutation circuit for a high voltage DC circuit breaker incorporates a resistor capacitor combination and a charging circuit connected to the main breaker, such that a commutating capacitor is discharged in opposition to the load current to force the current in an arc after breaker opening to zero to facilitate arc interruption. In a particular embodiment, a normally open commutating circuit is connected across the contacts of a main DC circuit breaker to absorb the inductive system energy trapped by breaker opening and to limit recovery voltages to a level tolerable by the commutating circuit components. 13 figs.

Thickness dependence of the poling and current-voltage characteristics of paint films made up of lead zirconate titanate ceramic powder and epoxy resin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egusa, Shigenori; Iwasawa, Naozumi

1995-11-01

A specially prepared paint made up of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic powder and epoxy resin was coated on an aluminum plate and was cured at room temperature, thus forming the paint film of 25-300 μm thickness with a PZT volume fraction of 53%. The paint film was then poled at room temperature, and the poling behavior was determined by measuring the piezoelectric activity as a function of poling field. The poling behavior shows that the piezoelectric activity obtained at a given poling field increases with an increase in the film thickness from 25 to 300 μm. The current-voltage characteristic of the paint film, on the other hand, shows that the increase in the film thickness leads not only to an increase in the magnitude of the current density at a given electric field but also to an increase in the critical electric field at which the transition from the ohmic to space-charge-limited conduction takes place. This fact indicates that the amount of the space charge of electrons injected into the paint film decreases as the film thickness increases. Furthermore, comparison of the current-voltage characteristic of the paint film with that of a pure epoxy film reveals that the space charge is accumulated largely at the interface between the PZT and epoxy phases in the paint film. On the basis of this finding, a model is developed for the poling behavior of the paint film by taking into account a possible effect of the space-charge accumulation and a broad distribution of the electric field in the PZT phase. This model is shown to give an excellent fit to the experimental data of the piezoelectric activity obtained here as a function of poling field and film thickness.

First Measurement of Monoenergetic Muon Neutrino Charged Current Interactions

DOE PAGES

Aguilar-Arevalo, A. A.; Brown, B. C.; Bugel, L.; ...

2018-04-06

We report the first measurement of monoenergetic muon neutrino charged current interactions. MiniBooNE has isolated 236 MeV muon neutrino events originating from charged kaon decay at rest (more » $$K^+ \\rightarrow \\mu^+ \

First Measurement of Monoenergetic Muon Neutrino Charged Current Interactions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aguilar-Arevalo, A. A.; Brown, B. C.; Bugel, L.

We report the first measurement of monoenergetic muon neutrino charged current interactions. MiniBooNE has isolated 236 MeV muon neutrino events originating from charged kaon decay at rest (more » $$K^+ \\rightarrow \\mu^+ \

Effects of space-radiation damage and temperature on CCD noise for the Lyman FUSE mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murowinski, Richard G.; Gao, Linzhuang; Deen, Mohamed J.

1993-09-01

Charge coupled device (CCD) imaging arrays are becoming more frequently used in space vehicles and equipment, especially space-based astronomical telescopes. It is important to understand the effects of radiation on a CCD so that its performance degradation during mission lifetime can be predicted, and so that methods to prevent unacceptable performance degradation can be found. Much recent work by various groups has focused on the problems surrounding the loss of charge transfer efficiency and the increase in dark current and dark current spikes in CCDs. The use of a CCD as the fine error sensor in the Lyman Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) is limited by its noise performance. In this work we attempt to understand some of the factors surrounding the noise degradation due to radiation in a space environment. Later, we demonstrate how low frequency noise can be used as a characterization tool for studying proton radiation damage in CCDs.

A chiral-based magnetic memory device without a permanent magnet

PubMed Central

Dor, Oren Ben; Yochelis, Shira; Mathew, Shinto P.; Naaman, Ron; Paltiel, Yossi

2013-01-01

Several technologies are currently in use for computer memory devices. However, there is a need for a universal memory device that has high density, high speed and low power requirements. To this end, various types of magnetic-based technologies with a permanent magnet have been proposed. Recent charge-transfer studies indicate that chiral molecules act as an efficient spin filter. Here we utilize this effect to achieve a proof of concept for a new type of chiral-based magnetic-based Si-compatible universal memory device without a permanent magnet. More specifically, we use spin-selective charge transfer through a self-assembled monolayer of polyalanine to magnetize a Ni layer. This magnitude of magnetization corresponds to applying an external magnetic field of 0.4 T to the Ni layer. The readout is achieved using low currents. The presented technology has the potential to overcome the limitations of other magnetic-based memory technologies to allow fabricating inexpensive, high-density universal memory-on-chip devices. PMID:23922081

A chiral-based magnetic memory device without a permanent magnet.

PubMed

Ben Dor, Oren; Yochelis, Shira; Mathew, Shinto P; Naaman, Ron; Paltiel, Yossi

2013-01-01

Several technologies are currently in use for computer memory devices. However, there is a need for a universal memory device that has high density, high speed and low power requirements. To this end, various types of magnetic-based technologies with a permanent magnet have been proposed. Recent charge-transfer studies indicate that chiral molecules act as an efficient spin filter. Here we utilize this effect to achieve a proof of concept for a new type of chiral-based magnetic-based Si-compatible universal memory device without a permanent magnet. More specifically, we use spin-selective charge transfer through a self-assembled monolayer of polyalanine to magnetize a Ni layer. This magnitude of magnetization corresponds to applying an external magnetic field of 0.4 T to the Ni layer. The readout is achieved using low currents. The presented technology has the potential to overcome the limitations of other magnetic-based memory technologies to allow fabricating inexpensive, high-density universal memory-on-chip devices.

Quantitative evaluation of spatial scale of carrier trapping at grain boundary by GHz-microwave dielectric loss spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, W.; Tsutsui, Y.; Miyakai, T.; Sakurai, T.; Seki, S.

2017-11-01

Charge carrier mobility is an important primary parameter for the electronic conductive materials, and the intrinsic limit of the mobility has been hardly access by conventional direct-current evaluation methods. In the present study, intra-grain hole mobility of pentacene thin films was estimated quantitatively using microwave-based dielectric loss spectroscopy (time-resolved microwave conductivity measurement) in alternating current mode of charge carrier local motion. Metal-insulator-semiconductor devices were prepared with different insulating polymers or substrate temperature upon vacuum deposition of the pentacene layer, which afforded totally four different grain-size conditions of pentacene layers. Under the condition where the local motion was determined by interfacial traps at the pentacene grain boundaries (grain-grain interfaces), the observed hole mobilities were plotted against the grain sizes, giving an excellent correlation fit successfully by a parabolic function representative of the boarder length. Consequently, the intra-grain mobility and trap-release time of holes were estimated as 15 cm2 V-1 s-1 and 9.4 ps.

Diketopyrrolopyrrole-based π-bridged donor-acceptor polymer for photovoltaic applications.

PubMed

Li, Wenting; Lee, Taegweon; Oh, Soong Ju; Kagan, Cherie R

2011-10-01

We report the synthesis, properties, and photovoltaic applications of a new conjugated copolymer (C12DPP-π-BT) containing a donor group (bithiophene) and an acceptor group (2,5-didodecylpyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4(2H,5H)-dione), bridged by a phenyl group. Using cyclic voltammetry, we found the energy levels of C12DPP-π-BT are intermediate to common electron donor and acceptor photovoltaic materials, poly (3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), respectively. Whereas P3HT and PCBM are exclusively electron donating or accepting, we predict C12DPP-π-BT may uniquely serve as either an electron donor or an acceptor when paired with PCBM or P3HT forming junctions with large built-in potentials. We confirmed the ambipolar nature of C12DPP-π-BT in space charge limited current measurements and in C12DPP-π-BT:PCBM and C12DPP-π-BT:P3HT bulk heterojunction solar cells, achieving power conversion efficiencies of 1.67% and 0.84%, respectively, under illumination of AM 1.5G (100 mW/cm(2)). Adding diiodooctane to C12DPP-π-BT:PCBM improved donor-acceptor inter-mixing and film uniformity, and therefore enhanced charge separation and overall device efficiency. Using higher-molecular-weight polymer C12DPP-π-BT in both C12DPP-π-BT:PCBM and C12DPP-π-BT:P3HT devices improved charge transport and hence the performance of the solar cells. In addition, we compared the structural and electronic properties of C12DPP-π-BT:PCBM and C12DPP-π-BT:P3HT blends, representing the materials classes of polymer:fullerene and polymer:polymer blends. In C12DPP-π-BT:PCBM blends, higher short circuit currents were obtained, consistent with faster charge transfer and balanced electron and hole transport, but lower open circuit voltages may be reduced by trap-assisted recombination and interfacial recombination losses. In contrast, C12DPP-π-BT:P3HT blends exhibit higher open circuit voltage, but short circuit currents were limited by charge transfer between the polymers. In conclusion, C12DPP-π-BT is a promising material with intrinsic ambipolar characteristics for organic photovoltaics and may operate as either a donor or acceptor in the design of bulk heterojunction solar cells. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Functional Evaluation of the DOZA DKG-05D Electronic Dosimeter System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Piper, Roman K.; Scherpelz, Robert I.

2009-11-04

The DOZA DKG-05D electronic personal dosimeter (EPD) was the subject of a limited type-test evaluation in support of Plutonium Production Reactor Agreement (PPRA) Implementation. The primary goal of this evaluation was to provide confidence in the functionality of the dosimeter and identify potential weaknesses in PPRA applications. The tests were based on IEC-61526, recommendations of the International Electrotechnical Commission pertaining to EPDs. All tests were performed in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) Radiological Calibrations and Standards Facility in the 318 building. The first testing category was functional considerations. The tests found that the mechanical characteristics of the DKG-05D support usability.more » However, user controls are not intuitive and straightforward, and the user instructions were unclear and difficult to follow. The unit functioned in a variety of humidity conditions. In high temperature conditions it performed well. However, in cold conditions the display began to fade, which limits its usefulness below about 5 °C. The vendor claims that the unit functions to -20 °C, and it may be correctly recording doses at that low temperature, but the doses cannot be read in real time. Testing found that battery life is generally good, operating for 200 hours on a full charge. This is far more than needed for the intended application. Charging the battery, however, had some pitfalls resulting from two charging modes. The high-current mode would be automatically selected if the battery charge fell below a threshold value when inserted in the charger. Otherwise, a low-current mode would be selected. In some cases a battery needing recharging would not get sufficient current to fully charge in a reasonable time period. There were also problems found in the low-battery indication and there was a possibility for data loss in the low-battery condition. The EPD generally performed well in measuring dose and dose rate. There were some small problems with non-linearity over a range of doses, but these non-linearities were at extremely low and very high doses and would not adversely affect the performance in our intended application. The testing resulted in the general conclusion that the DOZA DKG-05D is suitable for use in PPRA applications for real-time indication of dose received by a user and for estimation of stay times in radiation zones. It can be used as a supplement to a passive dosimeter, but it should not be used for measuring the user’s dose of record.« less

Experimental study of plasma properties in the shadow of the T--10 mushroom limiter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alferov, A.A.; Vershkov, V.A.; Grashin, S.A.

1988-04-01

The plasma properties in the shadow of a mushroom-shaped limiter installed in a lower port of the tokamak have been studied. A study of the asymmetry of the plasma streams on the ion and electron sides of the limiter leads to the conclusion that there are two mechanisms for the occurrence of the asymmetry: the toroidal rotation of the plasma and a predominant escape of plasma to the wall through the outer part of the torus. The asymmetry observed in the plasma floating potentials near the limiter leads to the flow of a current close to the Spitzer value j/submore » S/ through the limiter. With increasing plasma density, the plasma density in the channels of the limiter increases, and the temperature of this plasma decreases, so the loss of charged particles to the limiter depends only weakly on the average density. This circumstance is related to the degradation of the plasma confinement with decreasing density. The total flux of charged particles to the limiter is comparable to the flux of these particles out of the plasma column. The plasma stream into the channels is approximately ambipolar, and the power levels drawn by the neutralization plate are on the order of 10j/sub S/T/sub e//e. The behavior of the neutral gas pressure in the volume near the limiter as a function of the plasma streams into the channels is nonlinear. The maximum pressure is 3x10/sup -2/ torr.« less

Application of CaCu3Ti4O12 based quadruple perovskites as a promising candidate for optoelectronic devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pal, Kamalesh; Jana, Rajkumar; Dey, Arka; Ray, Partha P.; Seikh, Md Motin; Gayen, Arup

2018-05-01

We report the synthesis of nanosized (40-50 nm) CaCu3-xMnxTi4-xMnxO12 (x = 0, 0.5 and 1) quadruple perovskite (QP) semiconductor via a modified combustion method for use as Schottky barrier diode (SBD) at the Al/QP junction. The fabricated SBD is analysed on the basis of thermionic emission theory to observe its quality and some important diode parameters. For insight analysis of charge transport mechanism through metal-semiconductor junction, theory of space charge limited currents is applied and discussed in the light of parameters like carrier concentration, mobility-lifetime product and diffusion length. The Mn-doped exhibit better device performance compared to parent material.

Role of interface states on electron transport in a-Si:H/nc-Si:H multilayer structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, Asha; Kumari, Juhi; Agarwal, Pratima

2018-05-01

In this paper we report, I-V characteristic of a-Si:H/nc-Si:H multilayer structures in lateral as well as transverse direction. In lateral geometry, where the interfaces are parallel to the direction of electronic transport, residual photo conductivity (persistent photoconductivity) is observed after the light was turned off. On the other hand, in transverse geometry, where interfaces are along the direction of electronic transport, the space charge limited currents are affected and higher density of states is obtained. The PPC was more in the structures where numbers of such interface were more. These results have been understood in terms of the charge carriers trapped at the interface, which influence the electronic transport.

Fundamental performance differences between CMOS and CCD imagers: Part II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janesick, James; Andrews, James; Tower, John; Grygon, Mark; Elliott, Tom; Cheng, John; Lesser, Michael; Pinter, Jeff

2007-09-01

A new class of CMOS imagers that compete with scientific CCDs is presented. The sensors are based on deep depletion backside illuminated technology to achieve high near infrared quantum efficiency and low pixel cross-talk. The imagers deliver very low read noise suitable for single photon counting - Fano-noise limited soft x-ray applications. Digital correlated double sampling signal processing necessary to achieve low read noise performance is analyzed and demonstrated for CMOS use. Detailed experimental data products generated by different pixel architectures (notably 3TPPD, 5TPPD and 6TPG designs) are presented including read noise, charge capacity, dynamic range, quantum efficiency, charge collection and transfer efficiency and dark current generation. Radiation damage data taken for the imagers is also reported.

The effects of return current and target charging in short pulse high intensity laser interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beg, Farhat

2003-10-01

Since the introduction of the technique of chirped pulse amplification (CPA), peak laser intensities have increased dramatically. It is now possible to perform laser-plasma interaction experiments at intensities approaching 1021 Wcm-2. The electrons in the field of such lasers are highly relativistic (gamma 31) and the temperature of the hot electron distribution produced in a plasma at such extreme intensities can exceed 10 MeV. Since the resulting beam current exceeds the Alfvén limit, a neutralizing return current of cold plasma electrons moving in the opposite direction is produced. Another source of return current is that due to the escape of very energetic electrons from the target, which then creates a large electrostatic potential due to charge separation. These return currents can cause significant ohmic heating. We present results from experiments performed at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory using the VULCAN laser facility (I> 5 x1019 Wcm-2). Single wire targets were used and in some shots a secondary wire or foil was placed near the target. Three main observations were made: (i) generation of a Z-pinch in the wire due to the return current, (ii) optical transition radiation at 2w and (iii) proton emission from both the primary wire target and the secondary wire or foil. The Z-pinch was observed to be m=0 unstable. The current was estimated to be about 0.8 MA using simple energy balance considerations. Intense second harmonic emission due to coherent optical transition radiation from both the primary target and secondary objects was observed and is likely due to electron bunches accelerated by the ponderomotive jxB force of the laser. The proton emission from the secondary wire or foil was likely due to field emission of electrons from the these objects in response to the large potential produced from charging of the primary target. Results of simulations to model these interactions will also be presented.

Bimolecular crystals with an intercalated structure improve poly(p-phenylenevinylene)-based organic photovoltaic cells.

PubMed

Lim, Kyung-Geun; Park, Jun-Mo; Mangold, Hannah; Laquai, Frédéric; Choi, Tae-Lim; Lee, Tae-Woo

2015-01-01

The exciton dissociation, recombination, and charge transport of bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) is influenced strongly by the nanomorphology of the blend, such as the grain size and the molecular packing. Although it is well known that polymers based on amorphous poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) have a fundamental limit to their efficiency because of low carrier mobility, which leads to increased recombination and unbalanced charge extraction, herein, we demonstrate that the issue can be overcome by forming bimolecular crystals of an amorphous PPV-based polymer:phenyl-C61 -butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) intercalated structure. We used amorphous poly(2,5-dioctyloxy-p-phenylene vinylene-alt-2',5'-thienylene vinylene) (PPVTV), which has a simple chemical structure. A reasonably high power conversion efficiency (∼3.5 %) was obtained, although the material has an intrinsically amorphous structure and a relatively large band gap (2.0 eV). We demonstrate a correlation between a well-ordered bimolecular crystal of PPVTV:PCBM and an improved hole mobility of a PPVTV:PCBM film compared to a pristine PPVTV film by using 2 D grazing incidence XRD and space-charge-limited current measurements. Furthermore, we show that the bimolecular crystal structure in high-performance OPVs is related to an optimum molecular packing, which is influenced by the PPVTV:PCBM blending ratio, side-chain length, and molecular weight of the PPVTV polymer. Improved charge transport in PPVTV:PCBM bimolecular crystals leads to a fast sweep out of charges and thus suppression of nongeminate recombination under the operating conditions. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Influence of charge carrier mobility and morphology on solar cell parameters in devices of mono- and bis-fullerene adducts.

PubMed

Muth, Mathis-Andreas; Mitchell, William; Tierney, Steven; Lada, Thomas A; Xue, Xiang; Richter, Henning; Carrasco-Orozco, Miguel; Thelakkat, Mukundan

2013-12-06

Herein, we analyze charge carrier mobility and morphology of the active blend layer in thin film organic solar cells and correlate them with device parameters. A low band gap donor-acceptor copolymer in combination with phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) or two bis-adduct fullerenes, bis-PCBM and bis-o-quino-dimethane C60 (bis-oQDMC), is investigated. We study the charge transport of polymer:fullerene blends in hole- and electron-only devices using the space-charge limited current method. Lower electron mobilities are observed in both bis-adduct fullerene blends. Hole mobility, however, is decreased only in the blend containing bis-oQDMC. Both bis-adduct fullerene blends show very high open circuit voltage in solar cell devices, but poor photocurrent compared to the standard PCBM blend for an active layer thickness of 200 nm. Therefore, a higher short circuit current is feasible for the polymer:bis-PCBM blend by reducing the active layer thickness in order to compensate for the low electron mobility, which results in a PCE of 4.3%. For the polymer:bis-oQDMC blend, no such improvement is achieved due to an unfavorable morphology in this particular blend system. The results are supported by external quantum efficiency measurements, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and UV/vis spectroscopy. Based on these results, the investigations presented herein give a more scientific basis for the optimization of solar cells.

Radiation hardness of thin Low Gain Avalanche Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kramberger, G.; Carulla, M.; Cavallaro, E.; Cindro, V.; Flores, D.; Galloway, Z.; Grinstein, S.; Hidalgo, S.; Fadeyev, V.; Lange, J.; Mandić, I.; Medin, G.; Merlos, A.; McKinney-Martinez, F.; Mikuž, M.; Quirion, D.; Pellegrini, G.; Petek, M.; Sadrozinski, H. F.-W.; Seiden, A.; Zavrtanik, M.

2018-05-01

Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGAD) are based on a n++-p+-p-p++ structure where an appropriate doping of the multiplication layer (p+) leads to high enough electric fields for impact ionization. Gain factors of few tens in charge significantly improve the resolution of timing measurements, particularly for thin detectors, where the timing performance was shown to be limited by Landau fluctuations. The main obstacle for their operation is the decrease of gain with irradiation, attributed to effective acceptor removal in the gain layer. Sets of thin sensors were produced by two different producers on different substrates, with different gain layer doping profiles and thicknesses (45, 50 and 80 μm). Their performance in terms of gain/collected charge and leakage current was compared before and after irradiation with neutrons and pions up to the equivalent fluences of 5 ṡ 1015 cm-2. Transient Current Technique and charge collection measurements with LHC speed electronics were employed to characterize the detectors. The thin LGAD sensors were shown to perform much better than sensors of standard thickness (∼300 μm) and offer larger charge collection with respect to detectors without gain layer for fluences < 2 ṡ 1015 cm-2. Larger initial gain prolongs the beneficial performance of LGADs. Pions were found to be more damaging than neutrons at the same equivalent fluence, while no significant difference was found between different producers. At very high fluences and bias voltages the gain appears due to deep acceptors in the bulk, hence also in thin standard detectors.

Electromagnetic form factors of singly heavy baryons in the self-consistent SU(3) chiral quark-soliton model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, June-Young; Kim, Hyun-Chul

2018-06-01

The self-consistent chiral quark-soliton model is a relativistic pion mean-field approach in the large Nc limit, which describes both light and heavy baryons on an equal footing. In the limit of the infinitely heavy mass of the heavy quark, a heavy baryon can be regarded as Nc-1 valence quarks bound by the pion mean fields, leaving the heavy quark as a color static source. The structure of the heavy baryon in this scheme is mainly governed by the light-quark degrees of freedom. Based on this framework, we evaluate the electromagnetic form factors of the lowest-lying heavy baryons. The rotational 1 /Nc and strange current quark mass corrections in linear order are considered. We discuss the electric charge and magnetic densities of heavy baryons in comparison with those of the nucleons. The results of the electric charge radii of the positive-charged heavy baryons show explicitly that the heavy baryon is a compact object. The electric form factors are presented. The form factor of Σc++ is compared with that from a lattice QCD. We also discuss the results of the magnetic form factors. The magnetic moments of the baryon sextet with spin 1 /2 and the magnetic radii are compared with other works and the lattice data.

Biredox ionic liquids with solid-like redox density in the liquid state for high-energy supercapacitors.

PubMed

Mourad, Eléonore; Coustan, Laura; Lannelongue, Pierre; Zigah, Dodzi; Mehdi, Ahmad; Vioux, André; Freunberger, Stefan A; Favier, Frédéric; Fontaine, Olivier

2017-04-01

Kinetics of electrochemical reactions are several orders of magnitude slower in solids than in liquids as a result of the much lower ion diffusivity. Yet, the solid state maximizes the density of redox species, which is at least two orders of magnitude lower in liquids because of solubility limitations. With regard to electrochemical energy storage devices, this leads to high-energy batteries with limited power and high-power supercapacitors with a well-known energy deficiency. For such devices the ideal system should endow the liquid state with a density of redox species close to the solid state. Here we report an approach based on biredox ionic liquids to achieve bulk-like redox density at liquid-like fast kinetics. The cation and anion of these biredox ionic liquids bear moieties that undergo very fast reversible redox reactions. As a first demonstration of their potential for high-capacity/high-rate charge storage, we used them in redox supercapacitors. These ionic liquids are able to decouple charge storage from an ion-accessible electrode surface, by storing significant charge in the pores of the electrodes, to minimize self-discharge and leakage current as a result of retaining the redox species in the pores, and to raise working voltage due to their wide electrochemical window.

Synthesis and Characterization of Methylammonium Lead Iodide Perovskite and its Application in Planar Hetero-junction Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Upadhyaya, Aditi; Mohan Singh Negi, Chandra; Yadav, Anjali; Gupta, Saral K.; Singh Verma, Ajay

2018-06-01

The present paper reports on the synthesis and characterization of methylammonium lead iodide perovskite thin film and its applications in heterojunction devices. Perovskite thin films were deposited by a simple spin-coating method using a precursor solution including methyl ammonium iodide and lead iodide onto a glass substrate. The surface morphology study via field emission scanning electron microscopy of the perovskite thin film shows complete surface coverage on glass substrate with negligible pin-holes. UV–visible spectroscopy study revealed a broad absorption range and the exhibition of a band-gap of 1.6 eV. The dark current-voltage (I–V) characteristics of all the devices under study show rectifying behaviour similar to the Schottky diode. Various device parameters such as ideality factor and barrier height are extracted from the I–V curve. At low voltages the devices exhibit Ohmic behaviour, trap free space charge limited conduction governs the charge transport at an intermediate voltage range, while at much higher voltages the devices show trap controlled space charge limited conduction. Furthermore, impedance spectroscopy measurements enable us to extract the various internal parameters of the devices. Correlations between these parameters and I–V characteristics are discussed. The different capacitive process arising in the devices was discussed using the capacitance versus frequency curve.

Dark Coulomb binding of heavy neutrinos of fourth family

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belotsky, K. M.; Esipova, E. A.; Khlopov, M. Yu.; Laletin, M. N.

2015-11-01

Direct dark matter searches put severe constraints on the weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). These constraints cause serious troubles for the model of stable neutrino of fourth generation with mass around 50GeV. Though the calculations of primordial abundance of these particles make them in the charge symmetric case a sparse subdominant component of the modern dark matter, their presence in the universe would exceed the current upper limits by several orders of the magnitude. However, if quarks and leptons of fourth generation possess their own Coulomb-like y-interaction, recombination of pairs of heavy neutrinos and antineutrinos and their annihilation in the “neutrinium” atoms can play important role in their cosmological evolution, reducing their modern abundance far below the experimental upper limits. The model of stable fourth generation assumes that the dominant part of dark matter is explained by excessive Ū antiquarks, forming (ŪŪŪ)-- charged clusters, bound with primordial helium in nuclear-interacting O-helium (OHe) dark atoms. The y charge conservation implies generation of the same excess of fourth generation neutrinos, potentially dangerous WIMP component of this scenario. We show that due to y-interaction recombination of fourth neutrinos with OHe hides these WIMPs from direct WIMP searches, leaving the negligible fraction of free neutrinos, what makes their existence compatible with the experimental constraints.

"Fuel Gage" for Electric Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rowlette, J. J.

1984-01-01

Gas-emmission and time-integrated-current measurements indicate battery charge state. Tests indicate possibility of monitoring state of charge of lead/acid batteries at any stage in charging cycle by measuring charging current and either gas evolution or electrode potential. Data then processed by microcomputer. Uses include cell voltage, cell pressure, cell temperature and rate of gas recombination on catalyst.

Boosting the oxidase mimicking activity of nanoceria by fluoride capping: rivaling protein enzymes and ultrasensitive F- detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Biwu; Huang, Zhicheng; Liu, Juewen

2016-07-01

Nanomaterial-based enzyme mimics (nanozymes) are currently a new forefront of chemical research. However, the application of nanozymes is limited by their low catalytic activity and low turnover numbers. Cerium dioxide nanoparticles (nanoceria) are among the few with oxidase activity. Herein, we report an interesting finding addressing their limitations. The oxidase activity of nanoceria is improved by over 100-fold by fluoride capping, making it more close to real oxidases. The turnover number reached 700 in 15 min, drastically improved from ~15 turnovers for the naked particles. The mechanism is attributed to surface charge modulation and facilitated electron transfer by F- capping based on ζ-potential and free radical measurements. Ultrasensitive sensing of fluoride was achieved with a detection limit of 0.64 μM F- in water and in toothpastes, while no other tested anions can achieve the activity enhancement.Nanomaterial-based enzyme mimics (nanozymes) are currently a new forefront of chemical research. However, the application of nanozymes is limited by their low catalytic activity and low turnover numbers. Cerium dioxide nanoparticles (nanoceria) are among the few with oxidase activity. Herein, we report an interesting finding addressing their limitations. The oxidase activity of nanoceria is improved by over 100-fold by fluoride capping, making it more close to real oxidases. The turnover number reached 700 in 15 min, drastically improved from ~15 turnovers for the naked particles. The mechanism is attributed to surface charge modulation and facilitated electron transfer by F- capping based on ζ-potential and free radical measurements. Ultrasensitive sensing of fluoride was achieved with a detection limit of 0.64 μM F- in water and in toothpastes, while no other tested anions can achieve the activity enhancement. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Methods, TMB oxidation kinetics and control experiments. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr02730j

The Physics of Local Helicity Injection Non-Solenoidal Tokamak Startup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redd, A. J.; Barr, J. L.; Bongard, M. W.; Fonck, R. J.; Hinson, E. T.; Jardin, S.

2013-10-01

Non-solenoidal startup via Local Helicity Injection (LHI) uses compact current injectors to produce toroidal plasma current Ip up to 170 kA in the PEGASUS Toroidal Experiment, driven by 4-8 kA injector current on timescales of 5-20 milliseconds. Increasing the Ip buildup duration enables experimental demonstration of plasma position control on timescales relevant for high-current startup. LHI-driven discharges exhibit bursty MHD activity, apparently line-tied kinking of LHI-driven field lines, with the bursts correlating with rapid equilibrium changes, sharp Ip rises, and sharp drops in the injector impedance. Preliminary NIMROD results suggest that helical LHI-driven current channels remain coherent, with Ip increases due to reconnection between adjacent helical turns forming axisymmetric plasmoids, and corresponding sharp drops in the bias circuit impedance. The DC injector impedance is consistent with a space charge limit at low bias current and a magnetic limit at high bias current. Internal measurements show the current density profile starts strongly hollow and rapidly fills in during Ip buildup. Simulations of LHI discharges using the Tokamak Simulation Code (TSC) will provide insight into the detailed current drive mechanism and guide experiments on PEFASUS and NSTX-U. Work supported by US DOE Grants DE-FG02-96ER54375 and DE-SC0006928.

Meeting the Grand Challenge of Protecting Astronauts Health: Electrostatic Active Space Radiation Shielding for Deep Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tripathi, Ram K.

2016-01-01

This report describes the research completed during 2011 for the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) project. The research is motivated by the desire to safely send humans in deep space missions and to keep radiation exposures within permitted limits. To this end current material shielding, developed for low earth orbit missions, is not a viable option due to payload and cost penalties. The active radiation shielding is the path forward for such missions. To achieve active space radiation shielding innovative large lightweight gossamer space structures are used. The goal is to deflect enough positive ions without attracting negatively charged plasma and to investigate if a charged Gossamer structure can perform charge deflections without significant structural instabilities occurring. In this study different innovative configurations are explored to design an optimum active shielding. In addition, to establish technological feasibility experiments are performed with up to 10kV of membrane charging, and an electron flux source with up to 5keV of energy and 5mA of current. While these charge flux energy levels are much less than those encountered in space, the fundamental coupled interaction of charged Gossamer structures with the ambient charge flux can be experimentally investigated. Of interest are, will the EIMS remain inflated during the charge deflections, and are there visible charge flux interactions. Aluminum coated Mylar membrane prototype structures are created to test their inflation capability using electrostatic charging. To simulate the charge flux, a 5keV electron emitter is utilized. The remaining charge flux at the end of the test chamber is measured with a Faraday cup mounted on a movable boom. A range of experiments with this electron emitter and detector were performed within a 30x60cm vacuum chamber with vacuum environment capability of 10-7 Torr. Experiments are performed with the charge flux aimed at the electrostatically inflated membrane structure (EIMS) in both charged and uncharged configurations. The amount of charge shielding behind and around the EIMS was studied for different combinations of membrane structure voltages and electron energies. Both passive and active shielding were observed, with active shielding capable of deflecting nearly all incoming electrons. The pattern of charge distribution around the structure was studied as well as the stability of the structures in the charge flow. The charge deflection experiments illustrate that the EIMS remain inflated during charge deflection, but will experience small amplitude oscillations. Investigations were performed to determine a potential cause of the vibrations. It is postulated these vibrations are due to the charge flux causing local membrane charge distribution changes. As the membrane structure inflation pressure is changed, the shape responds, and causes the observed sustained vibration. Having identified this phenomenon is important when considering electrostatically inflated membrane structures (EIMS) in a space environment. Additionally, this project included a study of membrane material impacts, specifically the impact of membrane thickness. Extremely thin materials presented new challenges with vacuum preparation techniques and rapid charging. The thinner and lighter membrane materials were successfully inflated using electrostatic forces in a vacuum chamber. However, care must be taken when varying the potentials of such lighter structures as the currents can cause local heating and melting of the very thin membranes. Lastly, a preliminary analysis is performed to study rough order of magnitude power requirements for using EIMS for radiation shielding. The EIMS power requirement becomes increasingly more challenging as the spacecraft voltage is increased. As a result, the emphasis is on the deflection of charges away from the spacecraft rather than totally stopping them. This significantly alleviates the initial power requirements. With modest technological development(s) active shielding is emerging to be a viable option.

Efficiency limits for photoelectrochemical water-splitting

DOE PAGES

Fountaine, Katherine T.; Lewerenz, Hans Joachim; Atwater, Harry A.

2016-12-02

Theoretical limiting efficiencies have a critical role in determining technological viability and expectations for device prototypes, as evidenced by the photovoltaics community’s focus on detailed balance. However, due to their multicomponent nature, photoelectrochemical devices do not have an equivalent analogue to detailed balance, and reported theoretical efficiency limits vary depending on the assumptions made. Here we introduce a unified framework for photoelectrochemical device performance through which all previous limiting efficiencies can be understood and contextualized. Ideal and experimentally realistic limiting efficiencies are presented, and then generalized using five representative parameters—semiconductor absorption fraction, external radiative efficiency, series resistance, shunt resistance andmore » catalytic exchange current density—to account for imperfect light absorption, charge transport and catalysis. Finally, we discuss the origin of deviations between the limits discussed herein and reported water-splitting efficiencies. This analysis provides insight into the primary factors that determine device performance and a powerful handle to improve device efficiency.« less

Effect of the charge surface distribution on the flow field induced by a dielectric barrier discharge actuator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cristofolini, Andrea; Neretti, Gabriele; Borghi, Carlo A.

2013-08-01

The Electro-Hydro-Dynamics (EHD) interaction induced by a surface dielectric barrier discharge in the aerodynamic boundary layer at one atmosphere still air has been investigated. Three different geometrical configurations of the actuator have been utilized. In the first configuration, an electrode pair separated by a 2 mm dielectric sheet has been used. The second and the third configurations have been obtained by adding a third electrode on the upper side of the dielectric surface. This electrode has been placed downstream of the upper electrode and has been connected to ground or has been left floating. Three different dielectric materials have been utilized. The high voltage upper electrode was fed by an a.c. electric tension. Measurements of the dielectric surface potential generated by the charge deposition have been done. The discharge has been switched off after positive and negative phases of the plasma current (the current phase was characterized by a positive or a negative value, respectively). The measurements have been carried out after both phases. The charge distribution strongly depended on the switching off phase and was heavily affected by the geometrical configuration. A remarkable decrease of the charge deposited on the dielectric surface has been detected when the third electrode was connected to ground. Velocity profiles were obtained by using a Pitot probe. They showed that the presence of the third electrode limits the fluid dynamics performance of the actuator. A relation between the charge surface distribution and the EHD interaction phenomenon has been found. Imaging of the plasma has been done to evaluate the discharge structure and the extension of the plasma in the configurations investigated.

Electron emission from ferroelectrics - a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riege, H.

1994-02-01

The strong pulsed emission of electrons from the surface of ferroelectric (FE) materials was discovered at CERN in 1987. Since then many aspects and properties of the method of generation and propagation of electron beams from FE have been studied experimentally. The method is based on macroscopic charge separation and self-emission of electrons under the influence of their own space-charge fields. Hence, this type of emission is not limited by the Langmuir-Child law as are conventional emission methods. Charge separation and electron emission can be achieved by rapid switching of the spontaneous, ferroelectric polarization. Polarization switching may be induced by application of electrical-field or mechanical-pressure pulses, as well as by thermal heating or laser illumination of the ferroelectric emitter. At higher emission intensities plasma formation assists the FE emission and leads to a strong growth of emitted current amplitude, which is no longer limited by the FE material and the surface properties. The most attractive features of FE emission are robustness and ease of manipulation of the emitter cathodes which can be transported through atmospheric air and used without any problems in vacuum, low-pressure gas or plasma environments. Large-area arrangements of multiple emitters, switched in interleaved mode, can produce electron beams of any shape, current amplitude or time structure. The successful application of FE emission in accelerator technology has been demonstrated experimentally in several cases, e.g. for triggering high-power gas switches, for photocathodes in electron guns, and for electron-beam generators intended to generate, neutralize and enhance ion beams in ion sources and ion linacs. Other applications can be envisaged in microwave power generators and in the fields of electronics and vacuum microelectronics.

Digitally controlled droplet microfluidic system based on electrophoretic actuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Im, Do Jin; Yoo, Byeong Sun; Ahn, Myung Mo; Moon, Dustin; Kang, In Seok

2012-11-01

Most researches on direct charging and the subsequent manipulation of a charged droplet were focused on an on-demand sorting in microchannel where carrier fluid transports droplets. Only recently, an individual actuation of a droplet without microchannel and carrier fluid was tried. However, in the previous work, the system size was too large and the actuation voltage was too high (1.5 kV), which limits the applicability of the technology to mobile use. Therefore, in the current research, we have developed a miniaturized digital microfluidic system based on the electrophoresis of a charged droplet (ECD). By using a pin header socket for an array of electrodes, much smaller microfluidic system can be made from simple fabrication process with low cost. A full two dimensional manipulation (0.4 cm/s) of a droplet (300 nL) suspended in silicone oil (6 cSt) and multiple droplet actuation have been performed with reasonable actuation voltage (300 V). By multiple droplet actuation and coalescence, a practical biochemical application also has been demonstrated. We hope the current droplet manipulation method (ECD) can be a good alternative or complimentary technology to the conventional ones and therefore contributes to the development of droplet microfluidics. This work has been supported by BK21 program of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) of Korea.

Towards a unified description of the charge transport mechanisms in conductive atomic force microscopy studies of semiconducting polymers.

PubMed

Moerman, D; Sebaihi, N; Kaviyil, S E; Leclère, P; Lazzaroni, R; Douhéret, O

2014-09-21

In this work, conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) is used to study the local electrical properties in thin films of self-organized fibrillate poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), as a reference polymer semiconductor. Depending on the geometrical confinement in the transport channel, the C-AFM current is shown to be governed either by the charge transport in the film or by the carrier injection at the tip-sample contact, leading to either bulk or local electrical characterization of the semiconducting polymer, respectively. Local I-V profiles allow discrimination of the different dominating electrical mechanisms, i.e., resistive in the transport regime and space charge limited current (SCLC) in the local regime. A modified Mott-Gurney law is analytically derived for the contact regime, taking into account the point-probe geometry of the contact and the radial injection of carriers. Within the SCLC regime, the probed depth is shown to remain below 12 nm with a lateral electrical resolution below 5 nm. This confirms that high resolution is reached in those C-AFM measurements, which therefore allows for the analysis of single organic semiconducting nanostructures. The carrier density and mobility in the volume probed under the tip under steady-state conditions are also determined in the SCLC regime.

Structure of electric double layers in capacitive systems and to what extent (classical) density functional theory describes it

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Härtel, Andreas

2017-10-01

Ongoing scientific interest is aimed at the properties and structure of electric double layers (EDLs), which are crucial for capacitive energy storage, water treatment, and energy harvesting technologies like supercapacitors, desalination devices, blue engines, and thermocapacitive heat-to-current converters. A promising tool to describe their physics on a microscopic level is (classical) density functional theory (DFT), which can be applied in order to analyze pair correlations and charge ordering in the primitive model of charged hard spheres. This simple model captures the main properties of ionic liquids and solutions and it predicts many of the phenomena that occur in EDLs. The latter often lead to anomalous response in the differential capacitance of EDLs. This work constructively reviews the powerful theoretical framework of DFT and its recent developments regarding the description of EDLs. It explains to what extent current approaches in DFT describe structural ordering and in-plane transitions in EDLs, which occur when the corresponding electrodes are charged. Further, the review briefly summarizes the history of modeling EDLs, presents applications, and points out limitations and strengths in present theoretical approaches. It concludes that DFT as a sophisticated microscopic theory for ionic systems is expecting a challenging but promising future in both fundamental research and applications in supercapacitive technologies.

Flexure-FET biosensor to break the fundamental sensitivity limits of nanobiosensors using nonlinear electromechanical coupling

PubMed Central

Jain, Ankit; Nair, Pradeep R.; Alam, Muhammad A.

2012-01-01

In this article, we propose a Flexure-FET (flexure sensitive field effect transistor) ultrasensitive biosensor that utilizes the nonlinear electromechanical coupling to overcome the fundamental sensitivity limits of classical electrical or mechanical nanoscale biosensors. The stiffness of the suspended gate of Flexure-FET changes with the capture of the target biomolecules, and the corresponding change in the gate shape or deflection is reflected in the drain current of FET. The Flexure-FET is configured to operate such that the gate is biased near pull-in instability, and the FET-channel is biased in the subthreshold regime. In this coupled nonlinear operating mode, the sensitivity (S) of Flexure-FET with respect to the captured molecule density (Ns) is shown to be exponentially higher than that of any other electrical or mechanical biosensor. In other words, while , classical electrical or mechanical biosensors are limited to Sclassical ∼ γ3NS or γ4 ln(NS), where γi are sensor-specific constants. In addition, the proposed sensor can detect both charged and charge-neutral biomolecules, without requiring a reference electrode or any sophisticated instrumentation, making it a potential candidate for various low-cost, point-of-care applications. PMID:22623527

A gain and bandwidth enhanced transimpedance preamplifier for Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Tzu-Yung; Green, Roger J.; O'Connor, Peter B.

2011-12-01

The nature of the ion signal from a 12-T Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer and the electronic noise were studied to further understand the electronic detection limit. At minimal cost, a new transimpedance preamplifier was designed, computer simulated, built, and tested. The preamplifier design pushes the electronic signal-to-noise performance at room temperature to the limit, because of its enhanced tolerance of the capacitance of the detection device, lower intrinsic noise, and larger flat mid-band gain (input current noise spectral density of around 1 pA/sqrt{Hz} when the transimpedance is about 85 dBΩ). The designed preamplifier has a bandwidth of ˜3 kHz to 10 MHz, which corresponds to the mass-to-charge ratio, m/z, of approximately 18 to 61 k at 12 T. The transimpedance and the bandwidth can be easily adjusted by changing the value of passive components. The feedback limitation of the circuit is discussed. With the maximum possible transimpedance of 5.3 MΩ when using an 0402 surface mount resistor, the preamplifier was estimated to be able to detect ˜110 charges in a single scan.

Two-dimensional axisymmetric Child-Langmuir scaling law

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ragan-Kelley, Benjamin; Verboncoeur, John; Feng Yang

The classical one-dimensional (1D) Child-Langmuir law was previously extended to two dimensions by numerical calculation in planar geometries. By considering an axisymmetric cylindrical system with axial emission from a circular cathode of radius r, outer drift tube radius R>r, and gap length L, we further examine the space charge limit in two dimensions. Simulations were done with no applied magnetic field as well as with a large (100 T) longitudinal magnetic field to restrict motion of particles to 1D. The ratio of the observed current density limit J{sub CL2} to the theoretical 1D value J{sub CL1} is found to bemore » a monotonically decreasing function of the ratio of emission radius to gap separation r/L. This result is in agreement with the planar results, where the emission area is proportional to the cathode width W. The drift tube in axisymmetric systems is shown to have a small but measurable effect on the space charge limit. Strong beam edge effects are observed with J(r)/J(0) approaching 3.5. Two-dimensional axisymmetric electrostatic particle-in-cell simulations were used to produce these results.« less

A gain and bandwidth enhanced transimpedance preamplifier for Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, Tzu-Yung; Green, Roger J.; O'Connor, Peter B.

2011-12-15

The nature of the ion signal from a 12-T Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer and the electronic noise were studied to further understand the electronic detection limit. At minimal cost, a new transimpedance preamplifier was designed, computer simulated, built, and tested. The preamplifier design pushes the electronic signal-to-noise performance at room temperature to the limit, because of its enhanced tolerance of the capacitance of the detection device, lower intrinsic noise, and larger flat mid-band gain (input current noise spectral density of around 1 pA/{radical}(Hz) when the transimpedance is about 85 dB{Omega}). The designed preamplifier has a bandwidth of {approx}3more » kHz to 10 MHz, which corresponds to the mass-to-charge ratio, m/z, of approximately 18 to 61 k at 12 T. The transimpedance and the bandwidth can be easily adjusted by changing the value of passive components. The feedback limitation of the circuit is discussed. With the maximum possible transimpedance of 5.3 M{Omega} when using an 0402 surface mount resistor, the preamplifier was estimated to be able to detect {approx}110 charges in a single scan.« less

Dielectric Spectroscopy of Semiconductors.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-05-01

PRGRAM ELEMET.PROJCT AScong. 4AREA AWORK UNIT NUNSCrS Chelsa Cble" .11. 02AUniversity of London 110B5-3 London, UK _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11. CONTROLLING OFFICE...volume of the material in which "incomplete dc transport" is taking place, charges beirg prevented from freely crossing the sample from one electrode...process. The limitation of the method arises from the dark current and from the need to cool to sufficiently low temperature to prevent re-emission

Simulations of thermionic suppression during tungsten transient melting experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komm, M.; Tolias, P.; Ratynskaia, S.; Dejarnac, R.; Gunn, J. P.; Krieger, K.; Podolnik, A.; Pitts, R. A.; Panek, R.

2017-12-01

Plasma-facing components receive enormous heat fluxes under steady state and especially during transient conditions that can even lead to tungsten (W) melting. Under these conditions, the unimpeded thermionic current density emitted from the W surfaces can exceed the incident plasma current densities by several orders of magnitude triggering a replacement current which drives melt layer motion via the {\\boldsymbol{J}}× {\\boldsymbol{B}} force. However, in tokamaks, the thermionic current is suppressed by space-charge effects and prompt re-deposition due to gyro-rotation. We present comprehensive results of particle-in-cell modelling using the 2D3V code SPICE2 for the thermionic emissive sheath of tungsten. Simulations have been performed for various surface temperatures and selected inclinations of the magnetic field corresponding to the leading edge and sloped exposures. The surface temperature dependence of the escaping thermionic current and its limiting value are determined for various plasma parameters; for the leading edge geometry, the results agree remarkably well with the Takamura analytical model. For the sloped geometry, the limiting value is observed to be proportional to the thermal electron current and a simple analytical expression is proposed that accurately reproduces the numerical results.

Lithium-ion battery diagnostic and prognostic techniques

DOEpatents

Singh, Harmohan N.

2009-11-03

Embodiments provide a method and a system for determining cell imbalance condition of a multi-cell battery including a plurality of cell strings. To determine a cell imbalance condition, a charge current is applied to the battery and is monitored during charging. The charging time for each cell string is determined based on the monitor of the charge current. A charge time difference of any two cell strings in the battery is used to determine the cell imbalance condition by comparing with a predetermined acceptable charge time difference for the cell strings.

Currents Induced by Injected Charge in Junction Detectors

PubMed Central

Gaubas, Eugenijus; Ceponis, Tomas; Kalesinskas, Vidas

2013-01-01

The problem of drifting charge-induced currents is considered in order to predict the pulsed operational characteristics in photo- and particle-detectors with a junction controlled active area. The direct analysis of the field changes induced by drifting charge in the abrupt junction devices with a plane-parallel geometry of finite area electrodes is presented. The problem is solved using the one-dimensional approach. The models of the formation of the induced pulsed currents have been analyzed for the regimes of partial and full depletion. The obtained solutions for the current density contain expressions of a velocity field dependence on the applied voltage, location of the injected surface charge domain and carrier capture parameters. The drift component of this current coincides with Ramo's expression. It has been illustrated, that the synchronous action of carrier drift, trapping, generation and diffusion can lead to a vast variety of possible current pulse waveforms. Experimental illustrations of the current pulse variations determined by either the rather small or large carrier density within the photo-injected charge domain are presented, based on a study of Si detectors. PMID:24036586

Self similarities in desalination dynamics and performance using capacitive deionization.

PubMed

Ramachandran, Ashwin; Hemmatifar, Ali; Hawks, Steven A; Stadermann, Michael; Santiago, Juan G

2018-09-01

Charge transfer and mass transport are two underlying mechanisms which are coupled in desalination dynamics using capacitive deionization (CDI). We developed simple reduced-order models based on a mixed reactor volume principle which capture the coupled dynamics of CDI operation using closed-form semi-analytical and analytical solutions. We use the models to identify and explore self-similarities in the dynamics among flow rate, current, and voltage for CDI cell operation including both charging and discharging cycles. The similarity approach identifies the specific combination of cell (e.g. capacitance, resistance) and operational parameters (e.g. flow rate, current) which determine a unique effluent dynamic response. We here demonstrate self-similarity using a conventional flow between CDI (fbCDI) architecture, and we hypothesize that our similarity approach has potential application to a wide range of designs. We performed an experimental study of these dynamics and used well-controlled experiments of CDI cell operation to validate and explore limits of the model. For experiments, we used a CDI cell with five electrode pairs and a standard flow between (electrodes) architecture. Guided by the model, we performed a series of experiments that demonstrate natural response of the CDI system. We also identify cell parameters and operation conditions which lead to self-similar dynamics under a constant current forcing function and perform a series of experiments by varying flowrate, currents, and voltage thresholds to demonstrate self-similarity. Based on this study, we hypothesize that the average differential electric double layer (EDL) efficiency (a measure of ion adsorption rate to EDL charging rate) is mainly dependent on user-defined voltage thresholds, whereas flow efficiency (measure of how well desalinated water is recovered from inside the cell) depends on cell volumes flowed during charging, which is determined by flowrate, current and voltage thresholds. Results of experiments strongly support this hypothesis. Results show that cycle efficiency and salt removal for a given flowrate and current are maximum when average EDL and flow efficiencies are approximately equal. We further explored a range of CC operations with varying flowrates, currents, and voltage thresholds using our similarity variables to highlight trade-offs among salt removal, energy, and throughput performance. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gummel Symmetry Test on charge based drain current expression using modified first-order hyperbolic velocity-field expression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Kirmender; Bhattacharyya, A. B.

2017-03-01

Gummel Symmetry Test (GST) has been a benchmark industry standard for MOSFET models and is considered as one of important tests by the modeling community. BSIM4 MOSFET model fails to pass GST as the drain current equation is not symmetrical because drain and source potentials are not referenced to bulk. BSIM6 MOSFET model overcomes this limitation by taking all terminal biases with reference to bulk and using proper velocity saturation (v -E) model. The drain current equation in BSIM6 is charge based and continuous in all regions of operation. It, however, adopts a complicated method to compute source and drain charges. In this work we propose to use conventional charge based method formulated by Enz for obtaining simpler analytical drain current expression that passes GST. For this purpose we adopt two steps: (i) In the first step we use a modified first-order hyperbolic v -E model with adjustable coefficients which is integrable, simple and accurate, and (ii) In the second we use a multiplying factor in the modified first-order hyperbolic v -E expression to obtain correct monotonic asymptotic behavior around the origin of lateral electric field. This factor is of empirical form, which is a function of drain voltage (vd) and source voltage (vs) . After considering both the above steps we obtain drain current expression whose accuracy is similar to that obtained from second-order hyperbolic v -E model. In modified first-order hyperbolic v -E expression if vd and vs is replaced by smoothing functions for the effective drain voltage (vdeff) and effective source voltage (vseff), it will as well take care of discontinuity between linear to saturation regions of operation. The condition of symmetry is shown to be satisfied by drain current and its higher order derivatives, as both of them are odd functions and their even order derivatives smoothly pass through the origin. In strong inversion region and technology node of 22 nm the GST is shown to pass till sixth-order derivative and for weak inversion it is shown till fifth-order derivative. In the expression of drain current major short channel phenomena like vertical field mobility reduction, velocity saturation and velocity overshoot have been taken into consideration.

An investigation of flow-limited field-injection electrostatic spraying (FFESS) and its applications to thin film deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Ravindra Pratap

Electrostatic spraying is the process of controlled disruption of a liquid surface due to excess surface charge density. The technique has found applications in a wide range of fields from agricultural sprays to fuel injectors to colloidal thrusters for space vehicle propulsion. Over the past 20 years, the technique has been intensely studied in material processing for synthesis of ceramic and metal powders, nanoparticles and thin films. The importance of the technique lies in its simple setup, high deposition efficiency, and ambient atmosphere operation. In conventional electrostatic spraying (CESS), one uses a conducting nozzle to charge the liquid, mostly by induction charging. CESS is therefore restricted to the single jet mode of spraying which occurs at low spray currents. It lacks stability and reproducibility in the high current, multiple jet regime, which can generate much finer sprays. In flow-limited field-injection electrostatic spraying (FFESS), one uses a field-injection electrode to stably and controllably inject higher currents into the liquid, a la Fowler-Nordheim, using an otherwise insulating nozzle. This way, it is possible to stably electrospray in the multiple jet mode. In addition to producing much finer sprays, the multi-jet mode atomizes liquids at higher rates, and spreads the spray over a wider region and more uniformly than single jet sprays, thus paving way for large-area uniform thin film deposition. A simple yet comprehensive theory is formulated to describe the multi jet formation. The theory, which is based on the energy minimization principle, takes into account, for the first time, the interactions between charged jets which leads to saturation in the number of jets at high spray currents. The possibility of using an array of nozzles to obtain uniform large-area high-throughput thin film deposition is also investigated. A large number of FFESS nozzles with alternating positive and negative polarities arranged in a periodic 2-dimensional array are found to produce uniform thin films over large areas. Deposition of TiO2 and silver thin films using multi jet FFESS is studied, demonstrating great control on film morphology and properties. TiO2 thin films deposited on high-intensity discharge arc lamps are found to improve the quality of its light output. Silver thin films of high purity and conductivity, and with good adhesion, could be deposited at relatively high deposition rates and high deposition efficiency as compared to CVD techniques.

Rapid, efficient charging of lead-acid and nickel-zinc traction cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smithrick, J. J.

1978-01-01

Lead-acid and nickel-zinc traction cells were rapidly and efficiently charged using a high rate tapered direct current (HRTDC) charge method which could possibly be used for on-the-road service recharge of electric vehicles. The HRTDC method takes advantage of initial high cell charge acceptance and uses cell gassing rate and temperature as an indicator of charging efficiency. On the average, in these preliminary tests, 300 amp-hour nickel-zinc traction cells were given a HRTDC (initial current 500 amps, final current 100 amps) to 78 percent of rated amp-hour capacity within 53 minutes at an amp-hour efficiency of 92 percent and an energy efficiency of 52 percent. Three hundred amp-hour lead-acid traction cells were charged to 69 percent of rated amp-hour capacity within 46 minutes at an amp-hour efficiency of 91 percent with an energy efficiency of 64 percent. In order to find ways to further decrease the recharge times, the effect of periodically (0 to 400 Hz) pulse discharging cells during a constant current charging process (94% duty cycle) was investigated. Preliminary data indicate no significant effect of this type of pulse discharging during charge on charge acceptance of lead-acid or nickel-zinc cells.

Delocalization of charge and current in a chiral quasiparticle wave packet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, Subhajit

2018-03-01

A chiral quasiparticle wave packet (c-QPWP) is defined as a conventional superposition of chiral quasiparticle states corresponding to an interacting electron system in two dimensions (2D) in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC). I investigate its internal structure via studying the charge and the current densities within the first-order perturbation in the electron-electron interaction. It is found that the c-QPWP contains a localized charge which is less than the magnitude of the bare charge and the remaining charge resides at the system boundary. The amount of charge delocalized turns out to be inversely proportional to the degenerate Fermi velocity v0(=√{α2+2 μ /m }) when RSOC (with strength α ) is weak, and therefore externally tunable. For strong RSOC, the magnitudes of both the delocalized charge and the current further strongly depend on the direction of propagation of the wave packet. Both the charge and the current densities consist of an anisotropic r-2 tail away from the center of the wave packet. Possible implications of such delocalizations in real systems corresponding to 2D semiconductor heterostructure are also discussed within the context of particle injection experiments.

Hybrid vehicle control

DOEpatents

Shallvari, Iva; Velnati, Sashidhar; DeGroot, Kenneth P.

2015-07-28

A method and apparatus for heating a catalytic converter's catalyst to an efficient operating temperature in a hybrid electric vehicle when the vehicle is in a charge limited mode such as e.g., the charge depleting mode or when the vehicle's high voltage battery is otherwise charge limited. The method and apparatus determine whether a high voltage battery of the vehicle is incapable of accepting a first amount of charge associated with a first procedure to warm-up the catalyst. If it is determined that the high voltage battery is incapable of accepting the first amount of charge, a second procedure with an acceptable amount of charge is performed to warm-up the catalyst.

Revealing metabolic storage processes in electrode respiring bacteria by differential electrochemical mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Kubannek, F; Schröder, U; Krewer, U

2018-06-01

In this work we employ differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) in combination with static and dynamic electrochemical techniques for the study of metabolic processes of electrochemically active bacteria. CO 2 production during acetate oxidation by electrode respiring bacteria was measured, in-vivo and online with a sensitivity of 6.5 ⋅ 10 -13 mol/s. The correlation of ion current and electrical current provides insight into the interaction of metabolic processes and extra-cellular electron transfer. In low-turnover CVs, two competing potential dependent electron transfer mechanisms were observed and formal potentials of two redox systems that are involved in complete oxidation of acetate to CO 2 were determined. By balancing charge and carbon flows during dynamic measurements, two significant storage mechanisms in electrochemically active bacteria were identified: 1) a charge storage mechanism that allows substrate oxidation to proceed at a constant rate despite of external current flowing in cathodic direction. 2) a carbon storage mechanism that allows the biofilm to take up acetate at an unchanged rate at very low potentials even though the oxidation to CO 2 stops. These storage capabilities allow a limited decoupling of electrical current and CO 2 production rate. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Plug-in Electric Vehicles on Harmonic Analysis of Smart Grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heidarian, T.; Joorabian, M.; Reza, A.

2015-12-01

In this paper, the effect of plug-in electric vehicles is studied on the smart distribution system with a standard IEEE 30-bus network. At first, harmonic power flow analysis is performed by Newton-Raphson method and by considering distorted substation voltage. Afterward, proper sizes of capacitors is selected by cuckoo optimization algorithm to reduce the power losses and cost and by imposing acceptable limit for total harmonic distortion and RMS voltages. It is proposed that the impact of generated current harmonics by electric vehicle battery chargers should be factored into overall load control strategies of smart appliances. This study is generalized to the different hours of a day by using daily load curve, and then optimum time for charging of electric vehicles batteries in the parking lots are determined by cuckoo optimization algorithm. The results show that injecting harmonic currents of plug-in electric vehicles causes a drop in the voltage profile and increases power loss. Moreover, charging the vehicle batteries has more impact on increasing the power losses rather than the harmonic currents effect. Also, the findings showed that the current harmonics has a great influence on increasing of THD. Finally, optimum working times of all parking lots was obtained for the utilization cost reduction.

Search for diffuse neutrino flux from astrophysical sources with MACRO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MACRO Collaboration; Ambrosio, M.; Antolini, R.; Auriemma, G.; Bakari, D.; Baldini, A.; Barbarino, G. C.; Barish, B. C.; Battistoni, G.; Becherini, Y.; Bellotti, R.; Bemporad, C.; Bernardini, P.; Bilokon, H.; Bloise, C.; Bower, C.; Brigida, M.; Bussino, S.; Cafagna, F.; Calicchio, M.; Campana, D.; Carboni, M.; Caruso, R.; Cecchini, S.; Cei, F.; Chiarella, V.; Choudhary, B. C.; Coutu, S.; Cozzi, M.; de Cataldo, G.; Dekhissi, H.; de Marzo, C.; de Mitri, I.; Derkaoui, J.; de Vincenzi, M.; di Credico, A.; Erriquez, O.; Favuzzi, C.; Forti, C.; Fusco, P.; Giacomelli, G.; Giannini, G.; Giglietto, N.; Giorgini, M.; Grassi, M.; Grillo, A.; Guarino, F.; Gustavino, C.; Habig, A.; Hanson, K.; Heinz, R.; Iarocci, E.; Katsavounidis, E.; Katsavounidis, I.; Kearns, E.; Kim, H.; Kyriazopoulou, S.; Lamanna, E.; Lane, C.; Levin, D. S.; Lipari, P.; Longley, N. P.; Longo, M. J.; Loparco, F.; Maaroufi, F.; Mancarella, G.; Mandrioli, G.; Margiotta, A.; Marini, A.; Martello, D.; Marzari-Chiesa, A.; Mazziotta, M. N.; Michael, D. G.; Monacelli, P.; Montaruli, T.; Monteno, M.; Mufson, S.; Musser, J.; Nicolò, D.; Nolty, R.; Orth, C.; Osteria, G.; Palamara, O.; Patera, V.; Patrizii, L.; Pazzi, R.; Peck, C. W.; Perrone, L.; Petrera, S.; Pistilli, P.; Popa, V.; Rainò, A.; Reynoldson, J.; Ronga, F.; Rrhioua, A.; Satriano, C.; Scapparone, E.; Scholberg, K.; Sciubba, A.; Serra, P.; Sioli, M.; Sirri, G.; Sitta, M.; Spinelli, P.; Spinetti, M.; Spurio, M.; Steinberg, R.; Stone, J. L.; Sulak, L. R.; Surdo, A.; Tarlè, G.; Togo, V.; Vakili, M.; Walter, C. W.; Webb, R.

2003-04-01

Many galactic and extragalactic astrophysical sources are currently considered promising candidates as high-energy neutrino emitters. Astrophysical neutrinos can be detected as upward-going muons produced in charged-current interactions with the medium surrounding the detector. The expected neutrino fluxes from various models start to dominate on the atmospheric neutrino background at neutrino energies above some tens of TeV. We present the results of a search for an excess of high-energy upward-going muons among the sample of data collected by MACRO during ~5.8 years of effective running time. No significant evidence for this signal was found. As a consequence, an upper limit on the flux of upward-going muons from high-energy neutrinos was set at the level of 1.7×10-14 cm-2s-1sr-1. The corresponding upper limit for the diffuse neutrino flux was evaluated assuming a neutrino power law spectrum. Our result was compared with theoretical predictions and upper limits from other experiments.

Space charge effects on the current-voltage characteristics of gated field emitter arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jensen, K. L.; Kodis, M. A.; Murphy, R. A.; Zaidman, E. G.

1997-07-01

Microfabricated field emitter arrays (FEAs) can provide the very high electron current densities required for rf amplifier applications, typically on the order of 100 A/cm2. Determining the dependence of emission current on gate voltage is important for the prediction of emitter performance for device applications. Field emitters use high applied fields to extract current, and therefore, unlike thermionic emitters, the current densities can exceed 103A/cm2 when averaged over an array. At such high current densities, space charge effects (i.e., the influence of charge between cathode and collector on emission) affect the emission process or initiate conditions which can lead to failure mechanisms for field emitters. A simple model of a field emitter will be used to calculate the one-dimensional space charge effects on the emission characteristics by examining two components: charge between the gate and anode, which leads to Child's law, and charge within the FEA unit cell, which gives rise to a field suppression effect which can exist for a single field emitter. The predictions of the analytical model are compared with recent experimental measurements designed to assess space charge effects and predict the onset of gate current. It is shown that negative convexity on a Fowler-Nordheim plot of Ianode(Vgate) data can be explained in terms of field depression at the emitter tip in addition to reflection of electrons by a virtual cathode created when the anode field is insufficient to extract all of the current; in particular, the effects present within the unit cell constitute a newly described effect.

Nondissipative optimum charge regulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosen, R.; Vitebsky, J. N.

1970-01-01

Optimum charge regulator provides constant level charge/discharge control of storage batteries. Basic power transfer and control is performed by solar panel coupled to battery through power switching circuit. Optimum controller senses battery current and modifies duty cycle of switching circuit to maximize current available to battery.

Secondary electrospray ionization of complex vapor mixtures. Theoretical and experimental approach.

PubMed

Vidal-de-Miguel, Guillermo; Herrero, Ana

2012-06-01

In secondary electrospray ionization (SESI) systems, gaseous analytes exposed to an electrospray plume become ionized after charge is transferred from the charging electrosprayed particles (the charging agent) to the vapor species. Currently available SESI models are valid for simplified systems having only one type of electrosprayed species, which ionizes only one single vapor species, and for the limit of low vapor concentration. More realistic models require considering other effects. Here we develop a theoretical model that accounts for the effects of high vapor concentration, saturation effects, interferences between different vapor species, and electrosprays producing different types of species from the liquid phase. In spite of the relatively high complexity of the problem, we find simple relations between the different ionic species concentrations that hold independently of the particular ion source configuration. Our model suggests that an ideal SESI system should use highly concentrated charging agents composed preferably of only one dominating species with low mobility. Experimental measurements with a MeOH-H(2)O-NH(3) electrospray and a mixture of fatty acids and lactic acid served to test the theory, which gives good qualitative results. These results also suggest that the SESI ionization mechanism is primarily based on ions rather than on charged droplets.

Polypeptide multilayer film co-delivers oppositely-charged drug molecules in sustained manners.

PubMed

Jiang, Bingbing; Defusco, Elizabeth; Li, Bingyun

2010-12-13

The current state-of-the-art for drug-carrying biomedical devices is mostly limited to those that release a single drug. Yet there are many situations in which more than one therapeutic agent is needed. Also, most polyelectrolyte multilayer films intended for drug delivery are loaded with active molecules only during multilayer film preparation. In this paper, we present the integration of capsules as vehicles within polypeptide multilayer films for sustained release of multiple oppositely charged drug molecules using layer-by-layer nanoassembly technology. Calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) particles were impregnated with polyelectrolytes, shelled with polyelectrolyte multilayers, and then assembled onto polypeptide multilayer films using glutaraldehyde. Capsule-integrated polypeptide multilayer films were obtained after decomposition of CaCO(3) templates. Two oppositely charged drugs were loaded into capsules within polypeptide multilayer films postpreparation based on electrostatic interactions between the drugs and the polyelectrolytes impregnated within capsules. We determined that the developed innovative capsule-integrated polypeptide multilayer films could be used to load multiple drugs of very different properties (e.g., opposite charges) any time postpreparation (e.g., minutes before surgical implantation inside an operating room), and such capsule-integrated films allowed simultaneous delivery of two oppositely charged drug molecules and a sustained (up to two weeks or longer) and sequential release was achieved.

Polypeptide Multilayer Film Co-Delivers Oppositely-Charged Drug Molecules in Sustained Manners

PubMed Central

Jiang, Bingbing; DeFusco, Elizabeth; Li, Bingyun

2010-01-01

The current state-of-the-art for drug-carrying biomedical devices is mostly limited to those that release a single drug. Yet there are many situations in which more than one therapeutic agent is needed. Also, most polyelectrolyte multilayer films intending for drug delivery are loaded with active molecules only during multilayer film preparation. In this paper, we present the integration of capsules as vehicles within polypeptide multilayer films for sustained release of multiple oppositely-charged drug molecules using layer-by-layer nanoassembly technology. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) particles were impregnated with polyelectrolytes, shelled with polyelectrolyte multilayers, and then assembled onto polypeptide multilayer films using glutaraldehyde. Capsule-integrated polypeptide multilayer films were obtained after decomposition of CaCO3 templates. Two oppositely-charged drugs were loaded into capsules within polypeptide multilayer films post-preparation based on electrostatic interactions between the drugs and the polyelectrolytes impregnated within capsules. We determined that the developed innovative capsule-integrated polypeptide multilayer films could be used to load multiple drugs of very different properties (e.g. opposite charges) any time post-preparation (e.g. minutes before surgical implantation inside an operating room), and such capsule-integrated films allowed simultaneous delivery of two oppositely-charged drug molecules and a sustained (up to two weeks or longer) and sequential release was achieved. PMID:21058719

Polarization of gold in nanopores leads to ion current rectification

DOE PAGES

Yang, Crystal; Hinkle, Preston; Menestrina, Justin; ...

2016-10-03

Biomimetic nanopores with rectifying properties are relevant components of ionic switches, ionic circuits, and biological sensors. Rectification indicates that currents for voltages of one polarity are higher than currents for voltages of the opposite polarity. Ion current rectification requires the presence of surface charges on the pore walls, achieved either by the attachment of charged groups or in multielectrode systems by applying voltage to integrated gate electrodes. Here we present a simpler concept for introducing surface charges via polarization of a thin layer of Au present at one entrance of a silicon nitride nanopore. In an electric field applied bymore » two electrodes placed in bulk solution on both sides of the membrane, the Au layer polarizes such that excess positive charge locally concentrates at one end and negative charge concentrates at the other end. Consequently, a junction is formed between zones with enhanced anion and cation concentrations in the solution adjacent to the Au layer. This bipolar double layer together with enhanced cation concentration in a negatively charged silicon nitride nanopore leads to voltage-controlled surface-charge patterns and ion current rectification. The experimental findings are supported by numerical modeling that confirm modulation of ionic concentrations by the Au layer and ion current rectification even in low-aspect ratio nanopores. Lastly, our findings enable a new strategy for creating ionic circuits with diodes and transistors.« less