The transport properties of disordered solids have been the subject of much work since at least the 1950s, but with a new burst of activity during the 1980s which has survived up to the present day. There have been numerous reviews of a more or less specialized nature. The present review aims to fill the niche for a non-specialized review of this very active area of research. The basic concepts behind the theory are introduced with more detailed sections covering experimental results, one-dimensional localization, scaling theory, weak localization, magnetic field effects and fluctuations.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0034-4885/56/12/001/pdf

Localization: theory and experiment

Since the discovery of superconductivity above 30 K by Bednorz and M\"uller in the La copper oxide system, the critical temperature has been raised to 90 K in Y${\mathrm{Ba}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ and to 110 and 125 K in Bi-based and Tl-based copper oxides, respectively. In the two years since this Nobel-prize-winning discovery, a large number of electronic structure calculations have been carried out as a first step in understanding the electronic properties of these materials. In this paper these calculations (mostly of the density-functional type) are gathered and reviewed, and their results are compared with the relevant experimental data. The picture that emerges is one in which the important electronic states are dominated by the copper $d$ and oxygen $p$ orbitals, with strong hybridization between them. Photon, electron, and positron spectroscopies provide important information about the electronic states, and comparison with electronic structure calculations indicates that, while many features can be interpreted in terms of existing calculations, self-energy corrections ("correlations") are important for a more detailed understanding. The antiferromagnetism that occurs in some regions of the phase diagram poses a particularly challenging problem for any detailed theory. The study of structural stability, lattice dynamics, and electron-phonon coupling in the copper oxides is also discussed. Finally, a brief review is given of the attempts so far to identify interaction constants appropriate for a model Hamiltonian treatment of many-body interactions in these materials.

Electronic structure of the high-temperature oxide superconductors

White light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) as new solid-state light sources have a greatly promising application in the field of lighting and display. So far much effort has been devoted to exploring novel luminescent materials for WLEDs. Currently the major challenges in WLEDs are to achieve high luminous efficacy, high chromatic stability, brilliant color-rending properties, and price competitiveness against fluorescent lamps, which rely critically on the phosphor properties. In recent years, numerous efforts have been made to develop single-phase white-light-emitting phosphors for near-ultraviolet or ultraviolet excitation to solve the above challenges with certain achievements. This review article highlights the current methods to realize the white light emission in a single-phase host, including: (1) doping a single rare earth ion (Eu3+, Eu2+ or Dy3+) into appropriate single-phase hosts; (2) co-doping various luminescent ions with different emissions into a single matrix simultaneously, such as Tm3+/Tb3+/Eu3+, Tm3+/Dy3+, Yb3+/Er3+/Tm3+etc.; (3) codoping different ions in one host to control emission color via energy transfer processes; and (4) controlling the concentration of the defect and reaction conditions of defect-related luminescent materials.

How to produce white light in a single-phase host?

The 5d level positions of the trivalent lanthanides in inorganic compounds

The absorption and emission cross sections of the transition between the ground spin-orbit multiplet and the lowest excited multiplet were measured for Er/sup 3+/, Tm/sup 3+/, and Ho/sup 3+/ ions in a variety of crystalline hosts. The materials that were investigated include LiYF/sub 4/, BaY/sub 2/F/sub 8/, Y/sub 3/Al/sub 5/O/sub 12/, LaF/sub 3/, KCaF/sub 3/, YAlO/sub 3/, and La/sub 2/Be/sub 2/O/sub 5/. The absolute magnitudes of the emission cross sections were determined from the absorption spectra, with the aid of the principle of reciprocity. The calculated radiative emission lifetimes derived from these measured cross sections agree well with the measured emission decay times for most materials. The potential use of these rare-earth-doped materials in pulsed laser applications requires that the ground state exhibit adequate splitting to minimize the detrimental effects of the ground state thermal population, and also that the emission cross section be sufficiently large to permit efficient extraction energy. The systems based on Ho/sup 3+/ in the eightfold coordinated sites of LiYF/sub 4/, BaY/sub 2/F/sub 8/, and Y/sub 3/Al/sub 5/O/sub 12/ appear to be the most promising. >

Infrared cross-section measurements for crystals doped with Er/sup 3+/, Tm/sup 3+/, and Ho/sup 3+/

Photochromism in barium titanate was found to affect its deep and shallow trap properties. Argon ion laser illumination at 514.5 nm photo-induced semi-permanent (thermally reversible) changes in the visible absorption spectrum of barium titanate that were stable at room temperature. Increases in absorption at 514.5 nm, also the operating wavelength used to determine photorefractive properties, caused a decrease in the photorefractive response time but also a decrease in the sensitivity. When the photochromism was inactive the crystal shows light-induced absorption. With the photochromism saturated the crystal showed light-induced transparency. A model with two photoactive levels is used to characterize the photorefractive properties of this photochromic crystal.

Photochromic-Induced Photorefractive Changes in Barium Titanate

Parametric excitation of spin waves by noise pumping

: The goal of this research program was to investigate new and modified crystal-growth techniques that would lead to high-optical-quality BaTiO3 with increased photorefractive speed and sensitivity. The research program consisted of (1) feed material purification, (2) crystal growth by the top-seeded-solution technique as well as by a barium borate flux technique, (3) new furnace design studies and (4) photorefractive characterization experiments. Iron and nickel- doped BaTiO3 crystals were grown under the program. BaTiO3 is a promising photorefractive material due to its large electrooptic coefficient and excellent self-pumped phase conjugation. Our furnaces were limited by certain design and operating characteristics, and crystals grown in these furnaces were easily contaminated by the furnace itself. Two new furnaces, cylindrical and octagonal furnaces, were developed with commercially available parts that are cleaner, more mechanically reproducible , more uniform in temperature and more responsive to control action through reduced thermal mass. The two furnaces are equipped with precise computer control of the pulling and rotation system. The cylindrical furnace was found to be susceptible to cracking due to expansion when heated and to shrinkage after heating. To prevent cracking, expansion joints were provided and the insulation set was made of flat plates set up in an octagonal pattern. In order to widen the scope of BaTiO3 growth, we investigated the BaO-B203-TiO2 system, which, compared to the conventional BaO-TiO2 System, would allow crystallization under different chemical condition at a lower temperature and over a wider range of Ba to Ti ratio.

/pdf/optimized-photorefractive-barium-titanate-1b283skkga.pdf

Hans P. Jenssen

Papers

Photochromic-Induced Photorefractive Changes in Barium Titanate

Parametric excitation of spin waves by noise pumping

Optimized Photorefractive Barium Titanate