No Arabic abstract
We investigate the influence of X-ray and gamma-ray irradiation on the photophysical properties of sub-monolayer CdTe/CdS quantum dots (QDs) immobilized in porous silica (PSiO2) scaffolds. The highly luminescent QD-PSiO2 thin films allow for straightforward monitoring of the optical properties of the QDs through continuous wave and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. The PSiO2 host matrix itself does not modify the QD properties. X-ray irradiation of the QD-PSiO2 films in air leads to an exponential decrease in QD emission intensity, an exponential blue-shift in peak emission energy, and substantially faster exciton decay rates with increasing exposure doses from 2.2 Mrad(SiO2) to 6.6 Mrad(SiO2). Gamma-ray irradiation of a QD-PSiO2 thin film at a total exposure dose of 700 krad(SiO2) in a nitrogen environment results in over 80% QD photodarkening but no concurrent blue-shift in peak emission energy due to a lack of photo-oxidative effects. Near-complete and partial reversal of irradiation-induced photodarkening was demonstrated on X-ray and gamma-ray irradiated samples, respectively, through the use of a surface re-passivating solution, suggesting that there are different contributing mechanisms responsible for photodarkening under different irradiation energies. This work contributes to improving the reliability and robustness of QD based heterogeneous devices that are exposed to high risk, high energy environments with the possibility of also developing QD-based large area, low-cost, re-useable, and flexible optical dosimeters.
Using a combination of continuous wave and time-resolved spectroscopy, we study the effects of interfacial conditions on the radiative lifetimes and photoluminescence intensities of colloidal CdTe/CdS quantum dots (QDs) embedded in a three-dimensional nanostructured silicon (NSi) matrix. The NSi matrix was thermally oxidized under different conditions to change the interfacial oxide thickness. QDs embedded in a NSi matrix with ~0.5 nm of interfacial oxide exhibited reduced photoluminescence intensity and nearly five times shorter radiative lifetimes (~16 ns) compared to QDs immobilized within completely oxidized, nanostructured silica (NSiO2) frameworks (~78 ns). Optical absorption by the sub-nm oxidized NSi matrix partially lowers QD emission intensities while non-radiative carrier recombination and phonon assisted transitions influenced by defect sites within the oxide and NSi are believed to be the primary factors limiting the QD exciton lifetimes in the heterostructures.
We present a comparative study of two self-assembled quantum dot (QD) systems based on II-VI compounds: CdTe/ZnTe and CdSe/ZnSe. Using magneto-optical techniques we investigated a large population of individual QDs. The systematic photoluminescence studies of emission lines related to the recombination of neutral exciton X, biexciton XX, and singly charged excitons (X$^+$, X$^-$) allowed us to determine average parameters describing CdTe QDs (CdSe QDs): X-XX transition energy difference 12 meV (24 meV); fine-structure splitting $delta_{1}=$0.14 meV ($delta_{1}=$0.47 meV); $g$-factor $g=$2.12 ($g=$1.71); diamagnetic shift $gamma=$2.5 $mu$eV$/$T$^{2}$ ($gamma=$1.3 $mu$eV$/$T$^{2}$). We find also statistically significant correlations between various parameters describing internal structure of excitonic complexes.
This work presents methods of controlling the density of self-assembled CdTe quantum dots (QDs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Two approaches are discussed: increasing the deposition temperature of CdTe and the reduction of CdTe layer thickness. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements at low temperature confirms that both methods can be used for significant reduction of QDs density from 10$^{10}$QD/cm$^2$ to 10$^7$-10$^8$QD/cm$^2$. For very low QDs density, identification of all QDs lines observed in the spectrum is possible.
We demonstrate radio-frequency tuning of the energy of individual CdTe/ZnTe quantum dots (QDs) by Surface Acoustic Waves (SAWs). Despite the very weak piezoelectric coefficient of ZnTe, SAW in the GHz range can be launched on a ZnTe surface using interdigitated transducers deposited on a c-axis oriented ZnO layer grown on ZnTe containing CdTe QDs. The photoluminescence (PL) of individual QDs is used as a nanometer-scale sensor of the acoustic strain field. The energy of QDs is modulated by SAW in the GHz range and leads to characteristic broadening of time-integrated PL spectra. The dynamic modulation of the QD PL energy can also be detected in the time domain using phase-locked time domain spectroscopy. This technique is in particular used for monitoring complex local acoustic fields resulting from the superposition of two or more SAW pulses in a cavity. Under magnetic field, the dynamic spectral tuning of a single QD by SAW can be used to generate single photons with alternating circular polarization controlled in the GHz range.
NGC 4945 has an outstanding role among the Seyfert 2 active galatic nuclei (AGN) because it is one of the few non-blazars which have been detected in the gamma-rays. Here, we analyse the high energy spectrum using Suzaku, INTEGRAL and Fermi data. We reconstruct the spectral energy distribution in the soft X-ray to gamma-ray domain in order to provide a better understanding of the processes in the AGN. We present two models to fit the high-energy data. The first model assumes that the gamma-ray emission originates from one single non-thermal component, e.g. a shock-induced pion decay caused by the starburst processes in the host galaxy, or by interaction with cosmic rays. The second model describes the high-energy spectrum by two independent components: a thermal inverse Compton process of photons in the non-beamed AGN and a non-thermal emission of the gamma-rays. These components are represented by an absorbed cut-off power law for the thermal component in the X-ray energy range and a simple power law for the non-thermal component in the gamma-rays. For the thermal process, we obtain a photon index of Gamma=1.6, a cut-off energy of Ec ~ 150 keV and a hydrogen column density of NH = 6e24 1/cm**2. The non-thermal process has a photon index of Gamma=2.0 and a flux of F(0.1-100 GeV) = 1.4e-11 erg/cm**2/sec. The spectral energy distribution gives a total unabsorbed flux of F(2 keV - 100 GeV) = 5e-10 erg/cm**2/sec and a luminosity of L(2 keV - 100 GeV) = 9e41 erg/sec at a distance of 3.7 Mpc. It appears more reasonable that the gamma-ray emission is independent from the AGN and could be caused e.g. by shock processes in the starburst regions of the host galaxy.