Despite its amazing quantitative successes and contributions to revolutionary technologies, physics currently faces many unsolved mysteries ranging from the meaning of quantum mechanics to the nature of the dark energy that will determine the future of the Universe. It is clearly prohibitive for the general reader, and even the best informed physicists, to follow the vast number of technical papers published in the thousands of specialized journals. For this reason, we have asked the leading experts across many of the most important areas of physics to summarise their global assessment of some of the most important issues. In lieu of an extremely long abstract summarising the contents, we invite the reader to look at the section headings and their authors, and then to indulge in a feast of stimulating topics spanning the current frontiers of fundamental physics from 'The Future of Physics' by William D Phillips and 'What characterises topological effects in physics?' by Gerard 't Hooft through the contributions of the widest imaginable range of world leaders in their respective areas. This paper is presented as a preface to exciting developments by senior and young scientists in the years that lie ahead, and a complement to the less authoritative popular accounts by journalists.
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Gerard 't Hooft et al 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 052501
S B Dugdale 2016 Phys. Scr. 91 053009
The concept of the Fermi surface is at the very heart of our understanding of the metallic state. Displaying intricate and often complicated shapes, the Fermi surfaces of real metals are both aesthetically beautiful and subtly powerful. A range of examples is presented of the startling array of physical phenomena whose origin can be traced to the shape of the Fermi surface, together with experimental observations of the particular Fermi surface features.
Gerianne Alexander et al 2020 Phys. Scr. 95 062501
Sounds of Science is the first movement of a symphony for many (scientific) instruments and voices, united in celebration of the frontiers of science and intended for a general audience. John Goodenough, the maestro who transformed energy usage and technology through the invention of the lithium-ion battery, opens the programme, reflecting on the ultimate limits of battery technology. This applied theme continues through the subsequent pieces on energy-related topics—the sodium-ion battery and artificial fuels, by Martin Månsson—and the ultimate challenge for 3D printing, the eventual production of life, by Anthony Atala. A passage by Gerianne Alexander follows, contemplating a related issue: How might an artificially produced human being behave? Next comes a consideration of consciousness and free will by Roland Allen and Suzy Lidström. Further voices and new instruments enter as Warwick Bowen, Nicolas Mauranyapin and Lars Madsen discuss whether dynamical processes of single molecules might be observed in their native state. The exploitation of chaos in science and technology, applications of Bose–Einstein condensates and the significance of entropy follow in pieces by Linda Reichl, Ernst Rasel and Roland Allen, respectively. Mikhail Katsnelson and Eugene Koonin then discuss the potential generalisation of thermodynamic concepts in the context of biological evolution. Entering with the music of the cosmos, Philip Yasskin discusses whether we might be able to observe torsion in the geometry of the Universe. The crescendo comes with the crisis of singularities, their nature and whether they can be resolved through quantum effects, in the composition of Alan Coley. The climax is Mario Krenn, Art Melvin and Anton Zeilinger's consideration of how computer code can be autonomously surprising and creative. In a harmonious counterpoint, his 'Guidelines for considering AIs as coauthors', Roman Yampolskiy concludes that code is not yet able to take responsibility for coauthoring a paper. An interlude summarises a speech by Zdeněk Papoušek. In a subsequent movement, new themes emerge as we seek to comprehend how far we have travelled along the path to understanding, and speculate on where new physics might arise. Who would have imagined, 100 years ago, a global society permeated by smartphones and scientific instruments so sophisticated that genes can be modified and gravitational waves detected?
Jack Smith 2022 Phys. Scr. 97 122001
First conceptualised in Olaf Stapledon's 1937 novel 'Star Maker', before being popularised by Freeman Dyson in the 1960s, Dyson Spheres are structures which surround a civilisation's sun to collect all the energy being radiated. This article presents a discussion of the features of such a feat of engineering, reviews the viability, scale and likely design of a Dyson structure, and analyses details about each stage of its construction and operation. It is found that a Dyson Swarm, a large array of individual satellites orbiting another celestial body, is the ideal design for such a structure as opposed to the solid sun-surrounding structure which is typically associated with the Dyson Sphere. In our solar system, such a structure based around Mars would be able to generate the Earth's 2019 global power consumption of 18.35 TW within fifty years once its construction has begun, which itself could start by 2040 using biennial launch windows. Alongside a 4.17 km2 ground-based heliostat array, the swarm of over 5.5 billion satellites would be constructed on the surface of Mars before being launched by electromagnetic accelerators into a Martian orbit. Efficiency of the Dyson Swarm ranges from 0.74–2.77% of the Sun's 3.85 × 1026 W output, with large potential for growth as both current technologies improve, and future concepts are brought to reality in the time before and during the swarm's construction. Not only would a Dyson Swarm provide a near-infinite, renewable power source for Earth, it would also allow for significant expansions in human space exploration and for our civilisation as a whole.
Anton Zeilinger 2017 Phys. Scr. 92 072501
The quantum physics of light is a most fascinating field. Here I present a very personal viewpoint, focusing on my own path to quantum entanglement and then on to applications. I have been fascinated by quantum physics ever since I heard about it for the first time in school. The theory struck me immediately for two reasons: (1) its immense mathematical beauty, and (2) the unparalleled precision to which its predictions have been verified again and again. Particularly fascinating for me were the predictions of quantum mechanics for individual particles, individual quantum systems. Surprisingly, the experimental realization of many of these fundamental phenomena has led to novel ideas for applications. Starting from my early experiments with neutrons, I later became interested in quantum entanglement, initially focusing on multi-particle entanglement like GHZ states. This work opened the experimental possibility to do quantum teleportation and quantum hyper-dense coding. The latter became the first entanglement-based quantum experiment breaking a classical limitation. One of the most fascinating phenomena is entanglement swapping, the teleportation of an entangled state. This phenomenon is fundamentally interesting because it can entangle two pairs of particles which do not share any common past. Surprisingly, it also became an important ingredient in a number of applications, including quantum repeaters which will connect future quantum computers with each other. Another application is entanglement-based quantum cryptography where I present some recent long-distance experiments. Entanglement swapping has also been applied in very recent so-called loophole-free tests of Bell's theorem. Within the physics community such loophole-free experiments are perceived as providing nearly definitive proof that local realism is untenable. While, out of principle, local realism can never be excluded entirely, the 2015 achievements narrow down the remaining possibilities for local realistic explanations of the quantum phenomenon of entanglement in a significant way. These experiments may go down in the history books of science. Future experiments will address particularly the freedom-of-choice loophole using cosmic sources of randomness. Such experiments confirm that unconditionally secure quantum cryptography is possible, since quantum cryptography based on Bell's theorem can provide unconditional security. The fact that the experiments were loophole-free proves that an eavesdropper cannot avoid detection in an experiment that correctly follows the protocol. I finally discuss some recent experiments with single- and entangled-photon states in higher dimensions. Such experiments realized quantum entanglement between two photons, each with quantum numbers beyond 10 000 and also simultaneous entanglement of two photons where each carries more than 100 dimensions. Thus they offer the possibility of quantum communication with more than one bit or qubit per photon. The paper concludes discussing Einstein's contributions and viewpoints of quantum mechanics. Even if some of his positions are not supported by recent experiments, he has to be given credit for the fact that his analysis of fundamental issues gave rise to developments which led to a new information technology. Finally, I reflect on some of the lessons learned by the fact that nature cannot be local, that objective randomness exists and about the emergence of a classical world. It is suggestive that information plays a fundamental role also in the foundations of quantum physics.
Ulrik L Andersen et al 2016 Phys. Scr. 91 053001
Squeezed light generation has come of age. Significant advances on squeezed light generation have been made over the last 30 years—from the initial, conceptual experiment in 1985 till today's top-tuned, application-oriented setups. Here we review the main experimental platforms for generating quadrature squeezed light that have been investigated in the last 30 years.
S Pfalzner et al 2015 Phys. Scr. 90 068001
The solar system started to form about 4.56 Gyr ago and despite the long intervening time span, there still exist several clues about its formation. The three major sources for this information are meteorites, the present solar system structure and the planet-forming systems around young stars. In this introduction we give an overview of the current understanding of the solar system formation from all these different research fields. This includes the question of the lifetime of the solar protoplanetary disc, the different stages of planet formation, their duration, and their relative importance. We consider whether meteorite evidence and observations of protoplanetary discs point in the same direction. This will tell us whether our solar system had a typical formation history or an exceptional one. There are also many indications that the solar system formed as part of a star cluster. Here we examine the types of cluster the Sun could have formed in, especially whether its stellar density was at any stage high enough to influence the properties of today's solar system. The likelihood of identifying siblings of the Sun is discussed. Finally, the possible dynamical evolution of the solar system since its formation and its future are considered.
Kaj Sotala and Roman V Yampolskiy 2015 Phys. Scr. 90 018001
Many researchers have argued that humanity will create artificial general intelligence (AGI) within the next twenty to one hundred years. It has been suggested that AGI may inflict serious damage to human well-being on a global scale ('catastrophic risk'). After summarizing the arguments for why AGI may pose such a risk, we review the fieldʼs proposed responses to AGI risk. We consider societal proposals, proposals for external constraints on AGI behaviors and proposals for creating AGIs that are safe due to their internal design.
Andrew R Hogan and Andy M Martin 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 055118
Both the Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard (JCH) and Dicke models can be thought of as idealised models of a quantum battery. In this paper we numerically investigate the charging properties of both of these models. The two models differ in how the two-level systems are contained in cavities. In the Dicke model, the N two-level systems are contained in a single cavity, while in the JCH model the two-level systems each have their own cavity and are able to pass photons between them. In each of these models we consider a scenario where the two-level systems start in the ground state and the coupling parameter between the photon and the two-level systems is quenched. Each of these models display a maximum charging power that scales with the size of the battery N and no super charging was found. Charging power also scales with the square root of the average number of photons per two-level system m for both models. Finally, in the JCH model, the power was found to charge inversely with the photon-cavity coupling κ.
Michael G Raymer and Ian A Walmsley 2020 Phys. Scr. 95 064002
We review the concepts of temporal modes (TMs) in quantum optics, highlighting Roy Glauber's crucial and historic contributions to their development, and their growing importance in quantum information science. TMs are orthogonal sets of wave packets that can be used to represent a multimode light field. They are temporal counterparts to transverse spatial modes of light and play analogous roles—decomposing multimode light into the most natural basis for isolating statistically independent degrees of freedom. We discuss how TMs were developed to describe compactly various processes: superfluorescence, stimulated Raman scattering, spontaneous parametric down conversion, and spontaneous four-wave mixing. TMs can be manipulated, converted, demultiplexed, and detected using nonlinear optical processes such as three-wave mixing and quantum optical memories. As such, they play an increasingly important role in constructing quantum information networks.
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Sedanur Kalecik et al 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 065980
Dental restorative materials are widely used to restore esthetics and function in prosthetic treatments. In this paper, reflection coefficients and effective atomic numbers of some restorative materials (Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), feldspathic porcelain (veneering porcelain on cobalt–chromium alloy as metal framework), lithium disilicate glass-ceramic, zircon core (veneering porcelain on yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal), monolithic zirconia, and zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate glass ceramic) were measured by using 59.54 keV energy gamma rays emitted from an Am-241 radioactive source. The scattering peaks of the restorative materials were detected using an HPGe detector. The gamma radiation absorption parameters of these materials (MAC, LAC, MFP, and HVL) were also investigated using a ULEGe detector for 59.54 keV photons. It is observed that the largest MAC value is Monolithic zirconia. The material with the highest reflection parameter was found to be PEEK. Of the dental restorative materials investigated, PEEK has the lowest effective atomic number value of 21.650 and Monolithic zirconia has the highest effective atomic number value of 37.841. Effective atomic numbers can be used in non-destructive analysis and medical imaging, as is well known. In addition, the calibration curve obtained can be used in the qualitative analysis of different restorative and implant materials.
Nitin Serwa 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 065037
We explore new symmetries in two-component third-order Burgers' type systems in (1+1)-dimension using Wang's -scheme. We also find a master symmetry for a (2+1)-dimensional Davey-Stewartson type system. These results shed light on the behavior of these equations and help us understand their integrability properties. Our approach offers a practical method for identifying symmetries, contributing to the study of integrable systems in mathematics and physics.
Selvi Altun et al 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 065244
This article introduces an examination of optical soliton solutions for the perturbed fourth-order nonlinear Schrödinger-Hirota equation, which plays a crucial role in optics. For the first time, it utilizes a novel approach by applying the extended auxiliary equation method. This equation models the propagation of optical pulses through nonlinear media, such as optical fibers, and has been the subject of many studies. Our goal extends beyond merely acquiring a significant number of soliton solutions using the method described in this article; we also aim to investigate the impact of the coefficients of group velocity dispersion, parabolic law, and fourth-order dispersion terms on soliton propagation in the problem examined. The 2D, 3D, and contour plots of the acquired dark and bright solitons, which represent the most fundamental soliton types, are presented. Additionally, all other calculations are performed using symbolic algebraic software. The results provide us with valuable insights, confirming that the introduced model can be analyzed from a physical perspective. It is demonstrated that the proposed technique is not only important but also efficient in analyzing various nonlinear scientific problems.
Anshika G et al 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 065544
In this work, the possibility of using reduced Graphene oxide for x-ray detection has been explored. A highly conductive reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) synthesized using a hybrid method was used to fabricate a pixelated Si/SiO2 bottom gate field effect transistor. The fabricated device is a 3×3 pixelated large area detector and was tested for its response to x-rays at room temperature and low temperatures by irradiating it with x-rays from top. Significant change in resistance of rGO is observed during irradiation which shows its sensitivity to x-rays.
Rohit Tamrakar and Vishnu Vardhan Reddy 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 065979
Unwanted vibrations cause discomfort and affect the accuracy of the machinery. Vibrations of low frequency (<30 Hz) are usually inutile. Various researchers focus on harvesting and enhancing energy output through low-frequency vibrations. This paper focuses on improving energy harvesting from low-frequency vibration sources through taper shape (TAP) bistable beam fabricated using thin Piezoelectric Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film sandwiched between thin copper and aluminium films on both sides. Voltage power output through a PVDF film depends on the film's strain distribution; hence, in this study, five different beam designs are studied for strain distribution through the ANSYS workbench. Further, an experimental harmonic analysis study for voltage output is performed on rectangular beam (RECT) and TAP beam for both straight and bistable configuration using three different harmonic input conditions, which concluded that the voltage output for the TAP beam is much more than that of the RECT beam, with a much more significant voltage output increase in bistable conditions for all three harmonic input conditions.
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Amrinder Mehta et al 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 062006
Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are metallic materials with unique thermomechanical characteristics that can regain their original shape after deformation. SMAs have been used in a range of industries. These include consumer electronics, touch devices, automobile parts, aircraft parts, and biomedical equipment. In this work, we define the current state of the art in SMA manufacturing and distribution across the aerospace, healthcare, and aerospace industries. We examine the effect of manganese on the structure and mechanical and corrosive properties of SMA Cu-Al-Ni and discuss the importance of incorporating small and medium-sized enterprises in the study of cu-Al luminum. This research outlines a fundamental example of SME integration in the analysis of superelasticity, a critical instance of SMA activity. It can also serve as a reference for activities such as medical, aerospace, and other industries that target SMA-based equipment and systems. Also, they can be used to look at SMA activation and material upgrade mechanisms. These FEM simulations are advantageous in optimizing and promoting design in fields such as aerospace and healthcare. FEM simulations identify the stress and strength of SMA-based devices and structures. This would result in minimizing cost and usage and lowering the risk of damage. FEM simulations can also recognize the weaknesses of the SMA designs and suggest improvements or adjustments to SMA-based designs.
Kishore Kumar Venkatesan and Sathiyan Samikannu 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 062005
The incredible characteristics of nanomaterial and the benefits of optical fiber may be coupled to provide an exciting new platform for sensing applications. In recent years, there has been significant development and documentation of numerous gas and humidity sensors utilizing optical fiber based on 2D nanomaterials. This review primarily examines the most recent implementations in fiber optic gas and humidity sensing through 2D nanomaterials. With the help of nanomaterial, researchers may be able to fine-tune sensor parameters like thickness, roughness, specific area, refractive index, etc. This could make it possible for sensors to respond faster or to be more sensitive than standard sensors. Optical sensors are a family of devices that use different types of light interactions (i.e., photon-atom) to sense, analyze, and measure molecules for various purposes. Optical sensors are capable of detecting light, often within a narrow band of the electromagnetic spectrum (ultraviolet, visible, and infrared). A fiber optic sensor is an optical device that transforms the physical state of the object being measured into a quantifiable optical signal. Based on the photoelectric effect, the sensor detects light's wavelength, frequency, or polarisation and transforms it into an electric signal. This review describes the state-of-the-art research in this rapidly evolving sector, impacting sensor type, structure, synthesis, deposition process, detection range, sensitivity, response & recovery time, and application of 2D materials. Lastly, the problems that are currently in the way of using 2D materials in sensor applications are talked about, as well as what the future might hold.
Chithiika Ruby V and Lakshmanan M 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 062004
Liénard-type nonlinear oscillators with linear and nonlinear damping terms exhibit diverse dynamical behavior in both the classical and quantum regimes. In this paper, we consider examples of various one-dimensional Liénard type-I and type-II oscillators. The associated Euler–Lagrange equations are divided into groups based on the characteristics of the damping and forcing terms. The Liénard type-I oscillators often display localized solutions, isochronous and non-isochronous oscillations and are also precisely solvable in quantum mechanics in general, where the ordering parameters play an important role. These include Mathews-Lakshmanan and Higgs oscillators. However, the classical solutions of some of the nonlinear oscillators are expressed in terms of elliptic functions and have been found to be quasi-exactly solvable in the quantum region. The three-dimensional generalizations of these classical systems add more degrees of freedom, which show complex dynamics. Their quantum equivalents are also explored in this article. The isotonic generalizations of the non-isochronous nonlinear oscillators have also been solved both classically and quantum mechanically to advance the studies. The modified Emden equation categorized as Liénard type-II exhibits isochronous oscillations at the classical level. This property makes it a valuable tool for studying the underlying nonlinear dynamics. The study on the quantum counterpart of the system provides a deeper understanding of the behavior in the quantum realm as a typical -symmetric system.
Dennis Bonatsos et al 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 062003
Prolate to oblate shape transitions have been predicted in an analytic way in the framework of the Interacting Boson Model (IBM), determining O(6) as the symmetry at the critical point. Parameter-independent predictions for prolate to oblate transitions in various regions on the nuclear chart have been made in the framework of the proxy-SU(3) and pseudo-SU(3) symmetries, corroborated by recent non-relativistic and relativistic mean field calculations along series of nuclear isotopes, with parameters fixed throughout, as well as by shell model calculations taking advantage of the quasi-SU(3) symmetry. Experimental evidence for regions of prolate to oblate shape transitions is in agreement with regions in which nuclei bearing the O(6) dynamical symmetry of the IBM have been identified, lying below major shell closures. In addition, gradual oblate to prolate transitions are seen when crossing major nuclear shell closures, in analogy to experimental observations in alkali clusters.
Raghavendra Garlapally et al 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 062002
The present summarized study focused on Anodically fabricated TiO2 nanotubes array shows an exceptional physical and chemical properties due to their high surface area as well as thickness near to nano scale regimes. Crystallization of an amorphous TiO2 nanotube plays an important role when it comes to applications point of view. Studies revealed that a change in the annealing process resulted in an enhancement in their structure and properties. In this review, we mainly focus on various annealing techniques, their advantages and drawbacks over the other methods. Additionally, we have reported the effect of morphology and crystal structure of different annealed anodically grown TiO2 nanotubes. Therefore, the anodized TiO2 nanotubes array review will not only have applications in water splitting, hydrogen generation, solar cells but also a suitable potential candidate in the immense applications as micro/nano needles for drug delivery in biomedical as well as different electronic device/sensing approaches in aerospace sectors as well.
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Wang et al
Magnetron sputtering is an alternative approach to prepare flexible copper clad laminates because of low cost and thin copper clad laminate thickness. However, Cu film has poor adhesion when directly deposited on polymer substrates, imposing certain limits to the use of magnetron sputtering technique. In this work, Cu film was deposited on polymer substrates including polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate and polytetrafluoroethylene. Different metal interlayers were introduced into the polymer/Cu interfaces to improve the adhesion between polymer substrates and Cu film. It was found that the metal interlayer could significantly improve the adhesion strength of Cu film to polymers and a reasonably rough polymer surface could also enhance the mechanical bonding with Cu film. A metal Ni interlayer provides the best adhesion enhancement, which is associated with the same crystal structure between Ni and Cu as well as their excellent solid solubility. Meanwhile, a metal interlayer also contributes to Cu (111) orientation growing during deposition. This proposes a promising route to overcome the wear adhesion problem between Cu film and polymers in the preparation of magnetron sputtered flexible copper clad laminates.
Zhao et al
The uncertainty relation is a distinctive characteristic of quantum theory. The uncertainty is essentially rooted in quantum states. In this work we regard the uncertainty as an intrinsic property of quantum state and characterize it systematically with respect to given projective measurement. Some basic concepts about uncertainty are reformulated in this context. We prove and get the form of the uncertainty preserving operations. The quantum states with maximal uncertainty are characterized. A universal decomposition of uncertainty into classical uncertainty and quantum uncertainty is provided. Furthermore, a unified and general relation among uncertainty, coherence and coherence of assistance is established. These results are independent of any explicit uncertainty measure. At last, we propose a new uncertainty measure called the geometric uncertainty based on the delity and link it with the geometric coherence.
Pedersen et al
The D-dimensional Schr ̈odinger equation for a confined harmonic potential perturbed by a time-dependent dipole field is analysed. The model uses exact confined solutions for the harmonic potential whereas the time-dependent field is treated using first-order time-dependent perturbation theory. Exact analytic solutions are obtained in terms of generalised Laguerre functions. This system has applications to nanostructures where there are strong confinement potentials in some dimensions and example calculations are carried out to illustrate the effect of the dimension.
Zhang et al
The arc discharge plasma (ADP) technology has been widely developed in the fields of cutting, welding, spraying and nanomaterials synthesis over the past 20 years. However, during the process of ADP, it is difficult to explain the generation and evolution of arc column, the interaction between arc column and electrodes, as well as the effect of plasma generator structure on the physical characteristics of ADP by experimental means. Therefore, numerical simulation has become an effective mean to explore the physical characteristics of ADP, but also faces severe challenges because it involves multiple physical field coupling, resolution of multiscale features as well as robustness in the presence of large gradients. From the point of view of the construction of ADP mathematical physical models and combined with the practical application of ADP, this paper systematically reviews the researches on physical properties of arc column, near-cathode region, near-anode region as well as the today's state of the numerical simulation of plasma generators. It provides a good reference for further mastering the physical characteristics of plasma, guiding the industrial application of plasma and optimizing the design of plasma generators. Meanwhile, the relevant computational aspects are discussed and the challenges of plasma numerical simulation in the future are summarized.
Butt et al
Metasurfaces are a cutting-edge development in optical technology miniaturization, enabling the manipulation of light at a microscopic scale while providing unprecedented control over its intrinsic characteristics, such as amplitude, polarization, and phase. Researchers have been making significant progress in advancing and developing high-efficiency and functionally versatile metasurfaces, aiming to achieve miniaturization and overcoming the technological limitations of conventional components. This article aims to develop a single-layered, highly transmissive all-dielectric multi-foci metalens that serves as a compact spectrometer that can be used for portable investigative measurements within the ultraviolet to the visible spectrum, especially for 290–460 nm band. The proposed metalens can achieve top-notch performance by precisely mapping the wavelength information into subwavelength diffraction-limited focusing spots by accomplishing simultaneous spectral splitting and focusing on the same plane. The proposed metalens consists of an array of intelligently optimized nanoantennas made of a CMOS-compatible silicon nitride material. It exploits a unique phase and wavelength multiplexing strategy to create highly dispersive multi-foci metalens, making it an ideal choice for an ultra
•compact, high-resolution, and dual-band meta-spectrometer. We expect our proposed framework to have numerous applications in the industrial and medical fields, enabling diagnosis, detection, and assessment within a compact platform.
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Nadir Kaplan et al 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 065975
The goal of this work is to determine how the rate of Ni deposition rates affect the structural characteristics that regulate the magnetization of Ni/Al multilayer thin films sputtered on flexible acrylic acetate polymer substrates. The films with a 5[Ni(20 nm)/Al(10 nm)] structure were gradually sputtered as different Ni deposition rates in the total thickness of 150 nm. With an increase in the rate of Ni deposition, the Ni contents increased from 61.5% to 69.6%. And, X-ray diffraction analysis verified that the films featured a face-centered cubic structure with variable peak intensities. Also, the scanning electron microscopy surface morphology analyses revealed that variations in the film surfaces were a result of the deposition rates. For magnetic measurements, the differences in the structural analysis were observed to cause a notable variation in saturation magnetization, MS, and coercivity, HC values. Accordingly, MS values increased consistently between 359.0 and 389.7 emu cm−3, but HC values decreased from around 34–32 to 28 Oe with the increase in Ni deposition rate from 0.02 to 0.10 nm s−1. It is also observed that when the Ni layers are generated at very fast deposition rates, the Ni/Al multilayer films have a high MS/HC ratio, which is significant for magnetic sensors. It has been concluded that the magnetisation of Ni/Al multilayer thin films can be controlled by the structural properties adjusting the Ni deposition rate.
Martin Beneke et al 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 065240
The inverted pendulum is a mechanical system with a rapidly oscillating pivot point. Using techniques similar in spirit to the methodology of effective field theories, we derive an effective Lagrangian that allows for the systematic computation of corrections to the so-called Kapitza equation. The derivation of the effective potential of the system requires non-trivial matching conditions, which need to be determined order by order in the power-counting of the problem. The convergence behavior of the series is investigated on the basis of high-order results obtained by this method. The results from this analysis can be used to determine the regions of parameter space, in which the inverted position of the pendulum is stable or unstable to high precision.
Shubin Yan et al 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 065541
In this study, a nanoscale refractive index sensor structure is proposed, which is realised using a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide and a grooved circular ring with double disk cavity (GRDD) structure coupled to each other. The finite element method (FEM) was used to analyze and investigate the effects of the variations of each structural parameter on the transmittance spectra and the comprehensive performance of the sensor. Based on the simulation results, the optimum sensitivity parameter of the sensor structure is 2800 nm R−1IU−1 with a figure of merit (FOM) value of 51.9 RIU−1. The sensor structure is capable of being used in biomedical field with sensitivities of and respectively, for detecting hemoglobin of blood types A, B, and O, and for detecting glucose concentration.
Ibrahim Elbatal et al 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 065231
In this research, we investigate a brand-new two-parameter distribution as a modification of the power Zeghdoudi distribution (PZD). Using the inverse transformation technique on the PZD, the produced distribution is called the inverted PZD (IPZD). Its usefulness in producing symmetric and asymmetric probability density functions makes it the perfect choice for lifetime phenomenon modeling. It is also appropriate for a range of real data since the relevant hazard rate function has one of the following shapes: increasing, decreasing, reverse j-shape or upside-down shape. Mode, quantiles, moments, geometric mean, inverse moments, incomplete moments, distribution of order statistics, Lorenz, Bonferroni, and Zenga curves are a few of the significant characteristics and aspects explored in our study along with some graphical representations. Twelve effective estimating techniques are used to determine the distribution parameters of the IPZD. These include the Kolmogorov, least squares (LS), a maximum product of spacing, Anderson-Darling (AD), maximum likelihood, minimum absolute spacing distance, right-tail AD, minimum absolute spacing-log distance, weighted LS, left-tailed AD, Cramér-von Mises, AD left-tail second-order. A Monte Carlo simulation is used to examine the effectiveness of the obtained estimates. The visual representation and numerical results show that the maximum likelihood estimation strategy regularly beats the other methods in terms of accuracy when estimating the relevant parameters. The usefulness of the recommended distribution for modelling data is illustrated and displayed visually using two real data sets through comparisons with other distributions.
L Bolzoni and F Yang 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 065024
X-ray diffraction (XRD) is routinely used to characterise Ti alloys, as it provides insight on structure-related aspects. However, there are no dedicated reports on its accuracy are available. To fill this gap, this work aims at examining the benefits and limitations of XRD analysis for phase identification in Ti-based alloys. It is worth mentioning that this study analyses both standard and experimental Ti alloys but the scope is primarily on alloys slow cooled from high temperature, thus characterised by equilibrium microstructures. To be comprehensive, this study considers the all spectrum of Ti alloys, ranging from alpha to beta Ti alloys. It is found that successful identification and quantification of the phases is achieved in the majority of the different type of Ti-based alloys. However, in some instances like for near-alpha alloys, the output of XRD analysis needs to be complemented with other characterisation techniques such as microscopy to be able to fully characterise the material. The correlation between the results of XRD analysis and the molybdenum equivalent parameter (MoE), which is widely used to design Ti alloys, was also investigated using structural-analytical models. The parallel model is found to be the best to estimate the amount of β-Ti phase as a function of the MoE parameter.
Davide Stirpe et al 2024 Phys. Scr.
We study here the semiclassical dynamics of a superconducting circuit constituted by two Josephson junctions in series, in the presence of a voltage bias. We derive the equations of motion for the circuit through a Hamiltonian description of the problem, considering the voltage sources as semi-holonomic constraints. We find that the dynamics of the system corresponds to that of a planar rotor with an oscillating pivot. We show that the system exhibits a rich dynamical behaviour with chaotic properties and we present a topological classification of the cyclic solutions, providing insight into the fractal nature of the dynamical attractors.
Vu Thanh Tung et al 2024 Phys. Scr.
A time-of-flight–based ranging system constructed by an intensity-modulated light source and photodetectors (PDs) is proposed. In the proposed system, the carrier wave, which comprises two cosine waves with different frequencies in the megahertz range, is reconstructed from a few samples obtained by PDs with a kilohertz sampling rate using the compressive sensing technique. This allows the system to observe the distance with very high accuracy and it also extends the measurement range while maintaining the accuracy of an existing system that utilizes a single-frequency carrier.
Bryan J Dalton 2024 Phys. Scr.
In this paper we consider the description by a general Bell-type non-local hidden variable theory of bipartite quantum states with two observables per sub-system. We derive Bell inequalities of the Collins-Gisin.-Liden-Massar-Popescu type which involve combinations of the probabilities of related outcomes for measurements for the four pairs of sub-system observables. It is shown that the corresponding quantum theory expressions violate the Bell inequalities in the case of the maximally entangled state of the bipartitite system. The CHSH Bell inequality is also derived from this general CGLMP Bell-type non-local hidden variable theory. This shows that quantum theory can not be underpinned by a Bell-type non-local hidden variable theory. So as a general Bell-type local hidden variable theory has already been shown to conflict with quantum theory, it follows that quantum theory can not be understood in terms of any CGLMP Bell-type hidden variable theory - local or non-local.
P Sarkar et al 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 065952
In thin film multilayer based optical componentsof x-ray imaging system, diffusion of one material into the other degrades the reflectivity of the mirrors severely. Along with this thermodynamically driven diffusion, there are also growth generated interface roughness of different special frequencies and microstructures which can increase the diffused scattering from the multilayer and reduce the resolution of an image. Generally grazing incidence x-ray reflectivity in specular geometry (specular GIXR) and diffused x-ray scattering measurement in rocking scan geometry yield information regarding microstructure and overall diffusion at the interfaces of a multilayer. In this paper it is shown that grazing incidence x-ray fluorescence (GIXRF) measurement in standing wave condition alongwith the above measurements can give precise information regarding element-specific diffusion at the interfaces of a multilayer structure. Periodic multilayers made of 75 Cr/Sc bilayers with bilayer thickness ∼4 nm with and without B4C barrier layer of 0.2 nm thickness at the interfaces have been prepared using ion beam sputtering system and characterized by GIXR, diffused x-ray scattering and GIXRF measurements using synchrotron x-ray radiation just above the Cr K-edge. From the above measurements, drastic reduction in interface diffusion of Cr and improvement of interface morphology after addition of B4C barrier layer at the interfaces of Cr/Sc multilayers have been observed which is also corroborated by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy of the multilayers. Finally, in the water window soft x-ray region of 2.3–4.4 nm performance of these multilayers have been tested and the Cr/B4C/Sc multilayer with improved interface quality has been found to yield ∼30.8% reflectivity at 3.11 nm wavelength which is comparable with the best reported reflectivities in the literature at this wavelength.
Man Li et al 2024 Phys. Scr. 99 065531
To obtain a highly linearly polarized light, a composite model consisting of white light emission, anti-reflection film, and metal-dielectric-metal nanowire grating was designed, analyzed, optimized, and fabricated. Based on the finite-difference time-domain method, the impacts of material, period, height, and incidence angle on the polarization performance of the composite model were discussed. The metal-dielectric-metal nanowire grating was fabricated on blue chip and fluorescent ceramics using nanoimprint technology. The employed materials of metal-dielectric-metal nanowire grating were aluminum and PMMA, with the period of 200 nm, wire width of 100 nm, and the height of metal and dielectric were 100 nm and 120 nm. Additionally, the anti-reflection film consisting of PMMA with the thickness of 45 nm was incorporated on fluorescent ceramics to enhance energy efficiency. Finally, through a series of test experiments, the composite model can be realized by the extinction ratio of 40 dB, while the transmittance of TM mode exceeds 50% at 450–750 nm. The theoretical analysis of this study is verified by experiments, and it has significant potential in the pursuit of high brightness, ultra-thin micro displays.