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Occurrence of polar mesosphere summer echoes at very high latitudes
2009, Zecha, M., Röttger, J.
Observations of polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE) have been carried out during the summer periodes 1999–2001 and 2003–2004 at the very high latitude of 78° N using the SOUSY Svalbard Radar (53.5 MHz) at Longyearbyen. Although the measurements could not be done continuously in these seasons, PMSE have been detected over more than 6600 h of 9300 h of observation time overall. Using this data base, particular PMSE occurrence characteristics have been determined. PMSE at Svalbard appear from the middle of May to the end of August with an almost permanent total occurrence in June and July. Diurnal variations are observable in the height-depend occurrence rates and in PMSE thickness, they show a maximum around 09:00–10:00 UTC and a minimum around 21:00–22:00 UTC. PMSE occur nearly exclusively between a height of 80 km and 92 km with a maximum near 85 km. However, PMSE appear not simultaneously over the entire height range, the mean vertical PMSE extension is around 4–6 km in June and July. Furthermore, typically PMSE are separated into several layers, and only 30% of all PMSE are single layers. The probability of multiple layers is greater in June and July than at the beginning and the end of the PMSE season and shows a marked 5-day-variation. The same variation is noticeable in the seasonal dependence of the PMSE occurrence and the PMSE thickness. We finally discuss potential geophysical processes to explain our observational results.
Investigation of the strain-sensitive superconducting transition of BaFe1.8Co0.2As2 thin films utilizing piezoelectric substrates
2014, Trommler, S., Hänisch, J., Iida, K., Kurth, F., Schultz, L., Holzapfel, B., Hühne, R.
The preparation of biaxially textured BaFe1.8Co0.2As2 thin films has been optimized on MgO single crystals and transfered to piezoelectric (001) Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)0.72Ti0.28O3 substrates. By utilizing the inverse piezoelectric effect the lattice parameter of these substrates can be controlled applying an electric field, leading to a induction of biaxial strain into the superconducting layer. High electric fields were used to achieve a total strain of up to 0.05% at low temperatures. A sharpening of the resistive transition and a shift of about 0.6 K to higher temperatures was found at a compressive strain of 0.035%.
On the co-alignment of solar telescopes. A new approach to solar pointing
2013, Staiger, J.
Helioseismological measurements require long observing times and thus may be adversely affected by lateral image drifts as caused by pointing instabilities. At the Vacuum Tower Telescope VTT, Tenerife we have recorded drift values of up to 5" per hour under unstable thermal conditions (dome opening, strong day-to-day thermal gradients). Typically drifts of 0.5" – 1.0" per hour may be encountered under more favorable conditions. Past experience has shown that most high-resolution solar telescopes may be affected by this problem to some degree. This inherent shortcoming of solar pointing is caused by the fact that the guiding loop can be closed only within the guiding beam but not within the telescope's main beam. We have developed a new approach to this problem. We correlate continuum brightness patterns observed from within the telescope main beam with patterns originating from a full disk telescope. We show that brightness patterns of sufficient size are unique with respect to solar location at any instant of time and may serve as a location identifier. We make use of the fact that averaged location information of solar structures is invariant with respect to telescope resolution. We have carried out tests at the VTT together with SDO. We have used SDO as a full disk reference. We were able to reduce lateral image drifts by an order of magnitude.
Quasi-static and dynamic deformation behaviour of Zr-based bulk metallic glass
2013, Nekouie, V., Kühn, U., Roy, A., Silberschmidt, V.
Nano- and micro-indentation studies were carried out to characterise a plasticity mechanism through the evolution of localised shear bands that drive material's deformation at sub-micron length scale. Initial deformation of Zr-based bulk metallic glass (BMG) was investigated with nanoindentation tests using a spherical indenter. The indentation cycle reflects an elastic deformation with the yielding load of approx. 3 mN. For designed cycling indentation, hardening and softening phenomena were observed in nano- and micro-indentations, respectively. High-precision dynamic mechanical relaxation measurements were performed using a Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA), on decreasing frequency from 160 Hz to 0.1 Hz. A mechanical response of the BMG surface to a concentrated impact load was also studied. The obtained results indicated that the studied Zr-based BMG behaved as an elastic-perfectly plastic material at macroscale with discrete plasticity events at smaller length scales.
The PAC2MAN mission: A new tool to understand and predict solar energetic events
2015, Amaya, Jorge, Musset, Sophie, Andersson, Viktor, Diercke, Andrea, Höller, Christian, Iliev, Sergiu, Juhász, Lilla, Kiefer, René, Lasagni, Riccardo, Lejosne, Solène, Madi, Mohammad, Rummelhagen, Mirko, Scheucher, Markus, Sorba, Arianna, Thonhofer, Stefan
An accurate forecast of flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) initiation requires precise measurements of the magnetic energy buildup and release in the active regions of the solar atmosphere. We designed a new space weather mission that performs such measurements using new optical instruments based on the Hanle and Zeeman effects. The mission consists of two satellites, one orbiting the L1 Lagrangian point (Spacecraft Earth, SCE) and the second in heliocentric orbit at 1AU trailing the Earth by 80° (Spacecraft 80, SC80). Optical instruments measure the vector magnetic field in multiple layers of the solar atmosphere. The orbits of the spacecraft allow for a continuous imaging of nearly 73% of the total solar surface. In-situ plasma instruments detect solar wind conditions at 1AU and ahead of our planet. Earth-directed CMEs can be tracked using the stereoscopic view of the spacecraft and the strategic placement of the SC80 satellite. Forecasting of geoeffective space weather events is possible thanks to an accurate surveillance of the magnetic energy buildup in the Sun, an optical tracking through the interplanetary space, and in-situ measurements of the near-Earth environment.
Bicrystalline grain boundary junctions of Co-doped and P-doped Ba-122 thin films
2014, Schmidt, S., Döring, S., Schmidl, F., Kurth, F., Iida, K., Holzapfel, B., Kawaguchi, T., Mori, Y., Ikuta, H., Seidel, P.
We prepared GB junctions of Ba(Fe0.9Co0.1)2As2 thin films on bicrystalline [00 l]-tilt SrTiO3 substrates. The junctions show clear Josephson effects. Electrical characterization shows asymmetric I-V characteristics which can be described within the resistively shunted junction (RSJ) model. A large excess current is observed. Their formal ICRN product is 20.2 μV at 4.2 K, which is decreased to 6.5 μV when taking Iex into account. Fabrication methods to increase this value are discussed. Additionally, measurements on GB junctions of BaFe2(As0.66P0.34)2 thin films on LSAT bicrystalline substrates are shown. Their symmetric RSJ/flux flow-behavior exhibits a formal ICRN product of 45 μV, whereas the excess corrected value is ll μV.
Temperature-dependent electric noise level in different iron-based superconductors
2014, Barone, C., Pagano, S., Bellingeri, E., Ferdeghini, C., Adamo, M., Sarnelli, E., Yokoyama, K., Kurth, F., Holzapfel, B, Iida, K.
The magnetic flux penetration into the melt-textured Y-Ba-Cu-O high temperature superconducting bulk magnets were precisely evaluated during and after the pulsed field magnetization processes operated at 30 K. The bulk magnets were carefully fabricated by the cold seeding method with use of a single and a pair of seed crystals composed of the Nd-Ba-Cu-O thin films. These seed crystals were put on the top surfaces of the precursors to let the large grains grow during the heat treatments. We observed the flux penetrations which occurred in the lower applied-field regions at around 3.1 T for the samples bearing the twin seeds than those of the single-seeded crystals at around 3.8 T. This means that the magnetic fluxes are capable of invading into the twin-seeded samples more easily than the single-seeds. It suggests that the anisotropic grain growths of parallel and normal to the rows of seed crystals affects the variations of Jc values with different distributions of the pinning centers, results in the preferential paths for the invading magnetic fluxes.
Magnetic flux-trapping of anisotropic-grown Y-Ba-Cu-O bulk superconductors during and after pulsed-field magnetizing processes
2014, Oka, T., Yamada, Y., Horiuchi, T., Ogawa, J., Fukui, S., Sato, T., Yokoyama, K., Langer, M.
The magnetic flux penetration into the melt-textured Y-Ba-Cu-O high temperature superconducting bulk magnets were precisely evaluated during and after the pulsed field magnetization processes operated at 30 K. The bulk magnets were carefully fabricated by the cold seeding method with use of a single and a pair of seed crystals composed of the Nd-Ba-Cu-O thin films. These seed crystals were put on the top surfaces of the precursors to let the large grains grow during the heat treatments. We observed the flux penetrations which occurred in the lower applied-field regions at around 3.1 T for the samples bearing the twin seeds than those of the single-seeded crystals at around 3.8 T. This means that the magnetic fluxes are capable of invading into the twin-seeded samples more easily than the single-seeds. It suggests that the anisotropic grain growths of parallel and normal to the rows of seed crystals affects the variations of Jc values with different distributions of the pinning centers, results in the preferential paths for the invading magnetic fluxes.
Cathodoluminescence and TEM investigations of structural and optical properties of AlGaN on epitaxial laterally overgrown AlN/sapphire templates
2013, Zeimer, U., Mogilatenko, A., Kueller, V., Knauer, A., Weyers, M.
Surface steps as high as 15 nm on up to 10 μm thick AlN layers grown on patterned AlN/sapphire templates play a major role for the structural and optical properties of AlxGa1−xN layers with x ≥ 0.5 grown subsequently by metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy. The higher the Ga content in these layers is, the stronger is the influence of the surface morphology on their properties. For x = 0.5 not only periodic inhomogeneities in the Al content due to growth of Ga-rich facets are observed by cathodoluminescence, but these facets give rise to additional dislocation formation as discovered by annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy. For AlxGa1−xN layers with x = 0.8 the difference in Al content between facets and surrounding material is much smaller. Therefore, the threading dislocation density (TDD) is only defined by the TDD in the underlying epitaxially laterally overgrown (ELO) AlN layer. This way high quality Al0.8Ga0.2N with a thickness up to 1.5 μm and a TDD ≤ 5x108 cm−2 was obtained.
Normally-off GaN transistors for power applications
2014, Hilt, O., Bahat-Treidel, E., Brunner, F., Knauer, A., Zhytnytska, R., Kotara, P., Wuerfl, J.
Normally-off high voltage GaN-HFETs for switching applications are presented. Normally-off operation with threshold voltages of 1 V and more and with 5 V gate swing has been obtained by using p-type GaN as gate. Different GaN-based buffer types using doping and backside potential barriers have been used to obtain blocking strengths up to 1000 V. The increase of the dynamic on-state resistance is analyzed for the different buffer types. The best trade-off between low dispersion and high blocking strength was obtained for a modified carbon-doped GaN-buffer that showed a 2.6x increase of the dynamic on-state resistance for 500 V switching as compared to switching from 20 V off-state drain bias. Device operation up to 200 °C ambient temperature without any threshold voltage shift is demonstrated.