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    Shell models for Hall effect induced magnetic turbulence
    (College Park, MD : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2007) Frick, P.; Stepanov, R.; Rheinhardt, M.
    The Hall effect occurs in strongly magnetized conductive media and results in non-dissipative currents perpendicular to the electric field. We discuss its influence on the magnetic field dynamics ignoring fluid motion and ambipolar diffusion. The magnetic field evolution can then be basically similar to that of the velocity field in hydrodynamic turbulence resulting in a magnetic turbulence. Shell models for the induction equation with Hall effect are constructed on the basis of the conservation of magnetic energy and helicity in the dissipation-free limit. Numerical simulations of these models indicate that a magnetic energy cascade does occur, but the time behaviour and spatial spectrum of the magnetic field are very different from those of the velocity in shell models of hydrodynamic turbulence. ©IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.
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    Epitaxial growth and stress relaxation of vapor-deposited Fe-Pd magnetic shape memory films
    (College Park, MD : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2009) Kühnemund, L.; Edler, T.; Kock, I.; Seibt, M.; Mayr, S.G.
    To achieve maximum performance in microscale magnetic shape memory actuation devices epitaxial films several hundred nanometers thick are needed. Epitaxial films were grown on hot MgO substrates (500 °C and above) by e-beam evaporation. Structural properties and stress relaxation mechanisms were investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, in situ substrate curvature measurements and classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The high misfit stress incorporated during Vollmer-Weber growth at the beginning was relaxed by partial or perfect dislocations depending on the substrate temperature. This relaxation allowed the avoidance of a stressinduced breakdown of epitaxy and no thickness limit for epitaxy was found. For substrate temperatures of 690 °C or above, the films grew in the fee austenite phase. Below this temperature, iron precipitates were formed. MD simulations showed how these precipitates influence the movements of partial dislocations, and can thereby explain the higher stress level observed in the experiments in the initial stage of growth for these films. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.
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    Particles as probes for complex plasmas in front of biased surfaces
    (College Park, MD : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2009) Basner, R.; Sigeneger, F.; Loffhagen, D.; Schubert, G.; Fehske, H.; Kersten, H.
    An interesting aspect in the research of complex (dusty) plasmas is the experimental study of the interaction of micro-particles with the surrounding plasma for diagnostic purposes. Local electric fields can be determined from the behaviour of particles in the plasma, e.g. particles may serve as electrostatic probes. Since in many cases of applications in plasma technology it is of great interest to describe the electric field conditions in front of floating or biased surfaces, the confinement and behaviour of test particles is studied in front of floating walls inserted into a plasma as well as in front of additionally biased surfaces. For the latter case, the behaviour of particles in front of an adaptive electrode, which allows for an efficient confinement and manipulation of the grains, has been experimentally studied in terms of the dependence on the discharge parameters and on different bias conditions of the electrode. The effect of the partially biased surface (dc and rf) on the charged micro-particles has been investigated by particle falling experiments. In addition to the experiments, we also investigate the particle behaviour numerically by molecular dynamics, in combination with a fluid and particle-in-cell description of the plasma. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.
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    Feasibility of electrostatic microparticle propulsion
    (College Park, MD : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2008) Trottenberg, T.; Kersten, H.; Neumann, H.
    This paper discusses the feasibility of electrostatic space propulsion which uses microparticles as propellant. It is shown that particle charging in a plasma is not sufficient for electrostatic acceleration. Moreover, it appears technically difficult to extract charged particles out of a plasma for subsequent acceleration without them being discharged. Two novel thruster concepts are proposed. In the first one, particles with low secondary electron emission are charged using energetic electrons in the order of magnitude of 100eV. The second concept charges the particles by contact with needle electrodes at high electrostatic potential (∼20kV). Both methods allow the maximum possible charges on microparticles. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.
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    Triggered polarization-entangled photon pairs from a single quantum dot up to 30 K
    (College Park, MD : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2007) Hafenbrak, R.; Ulrich, S.M.; Michler, P.; Wang, L.; Rastelli, A.; Schmidt, O.G.
    The radiative biexciton-exciton decay in a semiconductor quantum dot (QD) has the potential of being a source of triggered polarization-entangled photon pairs. However, in most cases the anisotropy-induced exciton fine structure splitting destroys this entanglement. Here, we present measurements on improved QD structures, providing both significantly reduced inhomogeneous emission linewidths and near-zero fine structure splittings. A high-resolution detection technique is introduced which allows us to accurately determine the fine structure in the photoluminescence emission and therefore select appropriate QDs for quantum state tomography. We were able to verify the conditions of entangled or classically correlated photon pairs in full consistence with observed fine structure properties. Furthermore, we demonstrate reliable polarization-entanglement for elevated temperatures up to 30 K. The fidelity of the maximally entangled state decreases only a little from 72% at 4 K to 68% at 30 K. This is especially encouraging for future implementations in practical devices. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.
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    Imaging of carrier-envelope phase effects in above-threshold ionization with intense few-cycle laser fields
    (College Park, MD : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2008) Kling, M.F.; Rauschenberger, J.; Verhoef, A.J.; Hasović, E.; Uphues, T.; Milošević, D.B.; Muller, H.G.; Vrakking, M.J.J.
    Sub-femtosecond control of the electron emission in above-threshold ionization of the rare gases Ar, Xe and Kr in intense few-cycle laser fields is reported with full angular resolution. Experimental data that were obtained with the velocity-map imaging technique are compared to simulations using the strong-field approximation (SFA) and full time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE) calculations. We find a pronounced asymmetry in both the energy and angular distributions of the electron emission that critically depends on the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of the laser field. The potential use of imaging techniques as a tool for single-shot detection of the CEP is discussed. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.
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    Towards deterministically controlled InGaAs/GaAs lateral quantum dot molecules
    (College Park, MD : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2008) Wang, L.; Rastelli, A.; Kiravittaya, S.; Atkinson, P.; Ding, F.; Bof Bufon, C.C.; Hermannstädter, C.; Witzany, M.; Beirne, G.J.; Michler, P.; Schmidt, O.G.
    We report on the fabrication, detailed characterization and modeling of lateral InGaAs quantum dot molecules (QDMs) embedded in a GaAs matrix and we discuss strategies to fully control their spatial configuration and electronic properties. The three-dimensional morphology of encapsulated QDMs was revealed by selective wet chemical etching of the GaAs top capping layer and subsequent imaging by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The AFM investigation showed that different overgrowth procedures have a profound consequence on the QDM height and shape. QDMs partially capped and annealed in situ for micro- photoluminescence spectroscopy consist of shallow but well-defined quantum dots (QDs) in contrast to misleading results usually provided by surface morphology measurements when they are buried by a thin GaAs layer. This uncapping approach is crucial for determining the QDM structural parameters, which are required for modeling the system. A single-band effective-mass approximation is employed to calculate the confined electron and heavy-hole energy levels, taking the geometry and structural information extracted from the uncapping experiments as inputs. The calculated transition energy of the single QDM shows good agreement with the experimentally observed values. By decreasing the edge-to-edge distance between the two QDs within a QDM, a splitting of the electron (hole) wavefunction into symmetric and antisymmetric states is observed, indicating the presence of lateral coupling. Site control of such lateral QDMs obtained by growth on a pre-patterned substrate, combined with a technology to fabricate gate structures at well-defined positions with respect to the QDMs, could lead to deterministically controlled devices based on QDMs. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.
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    Attosecond electron thermalization in laser-induced nonsequential multiple ionization: Hard versus glancing collisions
    (College Park, MD : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2008) Liu, X.; De Morisson Faria, C.F.; Becker, W.
    A recollision-based largely classical statistical model of laser-induced nonsequential multiple (N-fold) ionization of atoms is further explored. Upon its return to the ionic core, the first-ionized electron interacts with the other N - 1 bound electrons either through a contact or a Coulomb interaction. The returning electron may leave either immediately after this interaction or join the other electrons to form a thermalized complex which leaves the ion after the delay Δt, which is the sum of a thermalization time and a possible additional dwell time. Good agreement with the available triple and quadruple ionization data in neon and argon is obtained with the contact scenario and delays of Δt = 0.17 T and 0.265 T, respectively, with T the laser period. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.
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    Ultrafast optical excitations of metallic nanostructures: From light confinement to a novel electron source
    (College Park, MD : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2007) Ropers, C.; Elsaesser, T.; Cerullo, G.; Zavelani-Rossi, M.; Lienau, C.
    Combining ultrafast coherent spectroscopy with nano-optical microscopy techniques offers a wealth of new possibilities for exploring the structure and function of nanostructures. In this paper, we describe newly developed nano-optical methods based on short-pulse laser sources with durations in the 10 fs regime. These techniques are used to unravel some of the intricate dynamics of elementary excitations in metallic nanostructures. Specifically, we explore light localization and storage in plasmonic crystals, demonstrate field enhancement and second harmonic generation from metallic nanotips and describe a novel nanometre-sized source of electron pulses. The rapid progress in this area offers exciting new prospects for probing and controlling electron dynamics in metallic nanostructures with femtosecond temporal and nanometre spatial resolution. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.
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    Towards time resolved core level photoelectron spectroscopy with femtosecond x-ray free-electron lasers
    (College Park, MD : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2008) Pietzsch, A.; Föhlisch, A.; Beye, M.; Deppe, M.; Hennies, F.; Nagasono, M.; Suljotil, E.; Wurth, W.; Gahl, C.; Dörich, K.; Melnikov, A.
    We have performed core level photoelectron spectroscopy on a W(110) single crystal with femtosecond XUV pulses from the free-electron laser at Hamburg (FLASH). We demonstrate experimentally and through theoretical modelling that for a suitable range of photon fluences per pulse, time-resolved photoemission experiments on solid surfaces are possible. Using FLASH pulses in combination with a synchronized optical laser, we have performed femtosecond time-resolved core-level photoelectron spectroscopy and observed sideband formation on the W 4f lines indicating a cross correlation between femtosecond optical and XUV pulses. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.