Showing papers by "National Physical Laboratory published in 2010"

Towards a quantum resistance standard based on epitaxial graphene

Abstract: The quantum Hall effect(1) allows the international standard for resistance to be defined in terms of the electron charge and Planck's constant alone. The effect comprises the quantization of the Hall resistance in two-dimensional electron systems in rational fractions of R-K = h/e(2) = 25 812.807 557(18) Omega, the resistance quantum(2). Despite 30 years of research into the quantum Hall effect, the level of precision necessary for metrology-a few parts per billion-has been achieved only in silicon and III-V heterostructure devices(3-5). Graphene should, in principle, be an ideal material for a quantum resistance standard(6), because it is inherently two-dimensional and its discrete electron energy levels in a magnetic field (the Landau levels(7)) are widely spaced. However, the precisions demonstrated so far have been lower than one part per million(8). Here, we report a quantum Hall resistance quantization accuracy of three parts per billion in monolayer epitaxial graphene at 300 mK, four orders of magnitude better than previously reported. Moreover, by demonstrating the structural integrity and uniformity of graphene over hundreds of micrometres, as well as reproducible mobility and carrier concentrations across a half-centimetre wafer, these results boost the prospects of using epitaxial graphene in applications beyond quantum metrology.

Two-dimensional superconductivity at a Mott insulator/band insulator interface LaTiO3/SrTiO3.

Abstract: Transition metal oxides show a great variety of quantum electronic behaviours where correlations often have an important role. The achievement of high-quality epitaxial interfaces involving such materials gives a unique opportunity to engineer artificial structures where new electronic orders take place. One of the most striking result in this area is the recent observation of a two-dimensional electron gas at the interface between a strongly correlated Mott insulator LaTiO(3) and a band insulator SrTiO(3). The mechanism responsible for such a behaviour is still under debate. In particular, the influence of the nature of the insulator has to be clarified. In this article, we show that despite the expected electronic correlations, LaTiO(3)/SrTiO(3) heterostructures undergo a superconducting transition at a critical temperature T(c)(onset)~300 mK. We have found that the superconducting electron gas is confined over a typical thickness of 12 nm and is located mostly on the SrTiO(3) substrate.

Evolution of Hierarchical Hexagonal Stacked Plates of CuS from Liquid−Liquid Interface and its Photocatalytic Application for Oxidative Degradation of Different Dyes under Indoor Lighting

Abstract: Blue solution of copper(II) acetylacetonate complex, [Cu(acac)2] in dichloromethane (DCM) and an aqueous alkaline solution of thioacetamide (TAA) constitute a biphasic system. The system in a screw cap test tube under a modified hydrothermal (MHT) reaction condition produces a greenish black solid at the liquid−liquid interface. It has been characterized that the solid mass is an assembly of hexagonal copper sulfide (CuS) nanoplates representing a hierarchical structure. The as-synthesized CuS nanoplates are well characterized by several physical techniques. An ethanolic dispersion of CuS presents a high band gap energy (2.2 eV) which assists visible light photocatalytic mineralization of different dye molecules. Thus a cleanup measure of dye contaminated water body even under indoor light comes true.

Dosimetry for ion beam radiotherapy.

Abstract: Recently, ion beam radiotherapy (including protons as well as heavier ions) gained considerable interest. Although ion beam radiotherapy requires dose prescription in terms of iso-effective dose (referring to an iso-effective photon dose), absorbed dose is still required as an operative quantity to control beam delivery, to characterize the beam dosimetrically and to verify dose delivery. This paper reviews current methods and standards to determine absorbed dose to water in ion beam radiotherapy, including (i) the detectors used to measure absorbed dose, (ii) dosimetry under reference conditions and (iii) dosimetry under non-reference conditions. Due to the LET dependence of the response of films and solid-state detectors, dosimetric measurements are mostly based on ion chambers. While a primary standard for ion beam radiotherapy still remains to be established, ion chamber dosimetry under reference conditions is based on similar protocols as for photons and electrons although the involved uncertainty is larger than for photon beams. For non-reference conditions, dose measurements in tissue-equivalent materials may also be necessary. Regarding the atomic numbers of the composites of tissue-equivalent phantoms, special requirements have to be fulfilled for ion beams. Methods for calibrating the beam monitor depend on whether passive or active beam delivery techniques are used. QA measurements are comparable to conventional radiotherapy; however, dose verification is usually single field rather than treatment plan based. Dose verification for active beam delivery techniques requires the use of multi-channel dosimetry systems to check the compliance of measured and calculated dose for a representative sample of measurement points. Although methods for ion beam dosimetry have been established, there is still room for developments. This includes improvement of the dosimetric accuracy as well as development of more efficient measurement techniques.

Enhancement of SHG efficiency by urea doping in ZTS single crystals and its correlation with crystalline perfection as revealed by Kurtz powder and high‐resolution X‐ray diffraction methods

Abstract: The enhancement of second-harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency by urea doping in tristhioureazinc(II) sulfate (ZTS) single crystals and its correlation with crystalline perfection have been investigated. ZTS is a potential semiorganic nonlinear optical material. Pure and urea-doped single crystals of ZTS have been successfully grown by the slow evaporation solution technique. The presence of dopant has been confirmed and analysed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The influence of urea doping at different concentrations on crystalline perfection has been thoroughly assessed by high-resolution X-ray diffractometry (HRXRD). HRXRD studies revealed that the ZTS crystals could accommodate urea up to a critical concentration without any deterioration in crystalline perfection. Above this concentration, very low angle structural grain boundaries developed and it seems the excess urea above the critical concentration was segregated along the grain boundaries. At very high doping concentrations, the crystals were found to contain mosaic blocks. The SHG efficiency has been studied using the Kurtz powder technique. The relative SHG efficiency of the crystals was found to increase substantially with the increase in urea concentration. The correlation found between crystalline perfection and SHG efficiency is discussed.

Structure and activity of lysozyme on binding to ZnO nanoparticles.

Abstract: The interaction between ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) and lysozyme has been studied using calorimetric as well as spectrophotometric techniques, and interpreted in terms of the three-dimensional structure. The circular dichroism spectroscopic data show an increase in α-helical content on interaction with ZnO NPs. Glutaraldehyde cross-linking studies indicate that the monomeric form occurs to a greater extent than the dimer when lysozyme is conjugated with ZnO NPs. The enthalpy-driven binding between lysozyme and ZnO possibly involves the region encompassing the active site in the molecule, which is also the site for the dimer formation in a homologous structure. The enzyme retains high fraction of its native structure with negligible effect on its activity upon attachment to NPs. Compared to the free protein, lysozyme−ZnO conjugates are more stable in the presence of chaotropic agents (guanidine hydrochloride and urea) and also at elevated temperatures. The possible site of binding of NP to lysozyme has been pr...

Charge transfer between epitaxial graphene and silicon carbide

Abstract: We analyze doping of graphene grown on SiC in two models which differ by the source of charge transferred to graphene, namely, from SiC surface and from bulk donors. For each of the two models, we find the maximum electron density induced in monolayer and bilayer graphene, which is determined by the difference between the work function for electrons in pristine graphene and donor states on/in SiC, and analyze the responsivity of graphene to the density variation by means of electrostatic gates.

Nickel(ii) tetra-aminophthalocyanine modified MWCNTs as potential nanocomposite materials for the development of supercapacitors

Abstract: The supercapacitive properties of nickel(II) tetraaminophthalocyanine (NiTAPc)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposite films have been interrogated for the first time and found to possess a maximum specific capacitance of 981 ± 57 F g−1 (200 ± 12 mF cm−2), a maximum power density of 700 ± 1 Wkg−1, a maximum specific energy of 134 ± 8 Wh kg−1 and excellent stability of over 1500 charge-discharge continuous cycling. Impedimetric study proves that most of the stored energy of the MWCNT-NiTAPc nanocomposite can be accessible at high frequency (720 Hz). When compared to MWCNTs modified with unsubstituted nickel(II) phthalocyanine (MWCNT-NiPc) or nickel(II) tetra-tert-butylphthalocyanine (MWCNT-tBuNiPc), MWCNT-NiTAPc exhibited superior supercapacitive behaviour, possibly due to the influence of nitrogen-containing groups on the phthalocyanine rings.

Organic depth profiling of a nanostructured delta layer reference material using large argon cluster ions.

Abstract: Cluster ion beams have revolutionized the analysis of organic surfaces in time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and opened up new capabilities for organic depth profiling. Much effort has been devoted to understanding the capabilities and improving the performance of SF(5)(+) and C(60)(n+), which are successful for many, but not all, organic materials. Here, we explore the potential of organic depth profiling using novel argon cluster ions, Ar(500)(+) to Ar(1000)(+). We present results for an organic delta layer reference sample, consisting of ultrathin "delta" layers of Irganox 3114 (approximately 2.4 nm) embedded between thick layers of Irganox 1010 (approximately 46 or 91 nm). This indicates that, for the reference material, major benefits can be obtained with Ar cluster ions, including a constant high sputtering yield throughout a depth of approximately 390 nm, and an extremely low sputter-induced roughness of <5 nm. Although the depth resolution is currently limited by an instrumental artifact, and may not be the best attainable, these initial results strongly indicate the potential to achieve high depth resolution and suggest that Ar cluster ions may have a major role to play in the depth profiling of organic materials.

Reference Quality Upper-Air Measurements: guidance for developing GRUAN data products

Abstract: . The accurate monitoring of climate change imposes strict requirements upon observing systems, in particular regarding measurement accuracy and long-term stability. Currently available data records of the essential climate variables (temperature-T, geopotential-p, humidity-RH, wind, and cloud properties) in the upper-air generally fail to fulfil such requirements. This raises serious issues about the ability to detect, quantify and understand recent climate changes and their causes. GCOS is currently implementing a Reference Upper-Air Network (GRUAN) in order to fill this major void within the global observing system. As part of the GRUAN implementation plan we provide herein fundamental guidelines for establishing and maintaining reference quality atmospheric observations which are based on principal concepts of metrology, in particular traceability. It is argued that the detailed analysis of the uncertainty budget of a measurement technique is the critical step for achieving this goal. As we will demonstrate with an example, detailed knowledge of the calibration procedures and data processing algorithms are required for determining the uncertainty of each individual data point. Of particular importance is the careful assessment of the uncertainties introduced by correction schemes adjusting for systematic effects.

LET dependence of GafChromic films and an ion chamber in low-energy proton dosimetry.

Abstract: Dosimetry using a PMMA phantom was performed in 15 and 29 MeV proton beams from the Birmingham cyclotron, with a Markus parallel-plate ionization chamber and GafChromic EBT and MD-V2-55 film. Simulations of the depth?dose curves were performed with FLUKA 2008.3 and MCNPX 2.5.0, which agreed almost perfectly with each other in range and only differed by 2% in the Bragg peak (BP) region. FLUKA was also used to calculate kQ factors for Markus chamber measurements as an improvement to the IAEA TRS-398 values in low-energy beams. FLUKA depth?dose simulations overestimate the BP height measured by ion chamber by about 10%, where the initial proton energy spread was estimated by fitting to the slope of the measured BP distal edge. Both GafChromic films showed an under-response in the BP compared to ion chamber; however, EBT exhibits this effect at lower energies than MD-V2-55. A possible reason for this is attributed to the shape and arrangement of the monomer particles being different in the active components of EBT and MD-V2-55. Relative effectiveness (RE) of both films is presented as functions of residual range Rres in water and peak proton energy determined by FLUKA, with considerations for the spatial separation of the two active layers in each film. The proton energies at which RE reduces to 90% of maximum film response are 6.7 and 3.2 MeV for MD-V2-55 and EBT, respectively. Additionally, a beam quality correction factor () is suggested for both GafChromic films, involving water-to-film stopping power ratios evaluated using ICRU recommendations, and a polymer yield factor . RE in this work is equated to the reciprocal of the polymer yield factor. The calculated values of are constant within 2.1% and 1.2% across the proton energy range of 1?300 MeV for EBT and MD-V2-55, respectively, so it is concluded that the polymer yield factor is the dominant factor causing the LET quenching effect.

Sputtering yields of compounds using argon ions

Abstract: An analysis is made of published sputtering yield data for compounds using argon primary ions at normal incidence to evaluate the validity of simple predictive equations. These are sputtering yields at dynamical equilibrium. First, two archetypal compounds are analysed: GaAs with constituent elements of similar atomic number and weak preferential sputtering, and Ta2O5 with constituent elements of widely separate atomic number and strong preferential sputtering. The agreements of the sputtering yields predicted by the semi-empirical linear cascade theory are excellent when the appropriate parameters are interpolated, rather than using an average atomic number. The effect of preferential sputtering is included within the framework of the simple pair-bond theory. The average ratios of the data to the initial predictions for GaAs and Ta2O5 are 1.01 ± 0.06 and 1.00 ± 0.07, respectively. Extension of this analysis to a range of oxides shows that the heat of reaction of the oxidation process needs inclusion. It is here that the effect of preferential sputtering can lead to an expansion of the uncertainties. SiO2 is often used as a reference material and so the published yield data are analysed in detail. These show an extremely broad scatter and so new experimental data are measured. These new results are in the upper range of previous data and correlate with the semi-empirical theory with a scatter of only 9%. These correlations show that the semi-empirical linear cascade theory is excellent for predicting the energy dependence of the yield and can be excellent for absolute yields where the compound heat of formation is low.

Focusing of high-intensity ultrasound through the rib cage using a therapeutic random phased array.

Abstract: A method for focusing high-intensity ultrasound (HIFU) through a rib cage that aims to minimize heating of the ribs while maintaining high intensities at the focus (or foci) was proposed and tested theoretically and experimentally Two approaches, one based on geometric acoustics and the other accounting for diffraction effects associated with propagation through the rib cage, were investigated theoretically for idealized source conditions It is shown that for an idealized radiator, the diffraction approach provides a 23% gain in peak intensity and results in significantly less power losses on the ribs (1% vs 75% of the irradiated power) compared with the geometric one A 2-D 1-MHz phased array with 254 randomly distributed elements, tissue-mimicking phantoms and samples of porcine rib cages are used in experiments; the geometric approach is used to configure how the array is driven Intensity distributions are measured in the plane of the ribs and in the focal plane using an infrared camera Theoretical and experimental results show that it is possible to provide adequate focusing through the ribs without overheating them for a single focus and several foci, including steering at ± 10–15 mm off and ± 20 mm along the array axis Focus splitting caused by the periodic spatial structure of ribs is demonstrated both in simulations and experiments; the parameters of splitting are quantified The ability to produce thermal lesions with a split focal pattern in ex vivo porcine tissue placed beyond the rib phantom is also demonstrated The results suggest that the method is potentially useful for clinical applications of HIFU, for which the rib cage lies between the transducer(s) and the targeted tissue (E-mail: vera@aplwashingtonedu)

Photometry, radiometry and 'the candela': evolution in the classical and quantum world

Abstract: The metrological fields of photometry and radiometry and their associated units are closely linked through the current definition of the base unit of luminous intensity—the candela. These fields are important to a wide range of applications requiring precise and accurate measurements of electromagnetic radiation and, in particular, the amount of radiant energy (light) that is perceived by the human eye. The candela has been one of the base units since the inception of the International System of Units (SI) and is the only base unit that quantifies a fundamental biological process—human vision. This photobiological process spans an enormous dynamic range of light levels from a few-photon interaction involved in triggering the vision mechanism to a level of more than 1015 photons per second that is accommodated by the visual response under bright daylight conditions. This position paper, prepared by members of the Task Group on the SI of the Consultative Committee for Photometry and Radiometry Strategic Planning Working Group (CCPR WG-SP), reviews the evolution of these fields of optical radiation measurements and their consequent impact on definitions and realization of the candela. Over the past several decades, there have been significant developments in sources, detectors, measuring instruments and techniques, that have improved the measurement of photometric and radiometric quantities for classical applications in lighting design, manufacturing and quality control processes involving optical sources, detectors and materials. These improved realizations largely underpin the present (1979) definition of the candela. There is no consensus on whether this radiant-based definition fully satisfies the current and projected needs of the optical radiation community. There is also no consensus on whether a reformulation of the definition of the candela in terms of photon flux will be applicable to the lighting community. However, there have been significant recent advances in radiometry in the development of single-photon sources and single-photon detectors and the growth of associated technologies, such as quantum computing and quantum cryptography. The international acceptance of these new quantum-based technologies requires improved traceability and reliability of measurements at the level of a few photons. This review of the evolution of the candela and the impact of its possible reformulation might lead, in the future, to a reformulation in terms of quantum units (photons). This discussion is timely since redefinitions of four of the other SI base units are being considered now in terms of fundamental constants to provide a more universally realizable quantum-based SI system. This paper also introduces for the first time a fundamental constant for photometry.

First accuracy evaluation of the NPL-CsF2 primary frequency standard

Abstract: An accuracy evaluation of the caesium fountain NPL-CsF2 as a primary frequency standard is reported. The device operates with a simple one-stage magneto-optical trap as the source of cold atoms. Both the uncertainty in and magnitude of the cold collision frequency shift are reduced by taking advantage of the dependence of the cross section on the effective collision energy in an expanding atomic cloud. The combined type B uncertainty (typically 4 ? 10?16) is dominated by an estimate of the frequency shift due to the distributed cavity phase. When operated at single density, the short-term fractional frequency instability of NPL-CsF2 is 1.7 ? 10?13 at 1?s and limited by the noise of the room temperature quartz-based local oscillator. During a typical frequency measurement campaign, the fountain is operated in an alternating mode at high and low density in order to measure and correct for a residual collision shift. This increases the effective fractional frequency instability to 5.4 ? 10?13 at 1?s; consequently the averaging time required for the type A uncertainty level to match that of the type B is 20 days.

Characterization of copper nanoparticles synthesized by a novel microbiological method

Abstract: The exploitation of various biomaterials for the biosynthesis of nanoparticles is considered as green technology as it does not involve any harmful chemicals. The present study reports the synthesis of copper nanoparticles which involves non-pathogenic bacterial strain Pseudomonas stutzeri, isolated from soil. These copper nanoparticles are further characterized for size and shape distributions by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy techniques. The results showed that the particles are spherical and quite stable in nature and shows surface plasmon resonance clearly featured in the optical spectra in visible region.