arXiv subjects

A. Franco

Publications and source records attributed to A. Franco.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Optical inspection of manufactured nanohole arrays to bridge the lab-industry gap

Metallic nanohole arrays have shown their potential as sensing tools. Important research supported by sophisticated laboratory experiments have been recently carried out, that may help to develop practical devices to be implemented in the real life. To get this goal, the gap between industry and technology at the nanoscale level must be overcome. One of the major drawbacks is the quality inspection of the manufactured nanostructured surfaces to ensure a reliable sensing. In this paper we introduce an optical method, based on the Extraordinary Optical Transmission phenomenon, for an inspection of such surfaces at industrial level. Unlike usual techniques like SEM, our method gives at the same time, a quick map of the surface homogeneity together with its local plasmonic performance. Our results show that this method is reproducible and reliable as to give a seal of identification and quality guarantee of the manufactured surface as basic element of a sensing device.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2012

The Geometry of the Vapor Layer Under a Leidenfrost Drop

In the Leidenfrost effect, liquid drops deposited on a hot surface levitate on a thin vapor cushion fed by evaporation of the liquid. This vapor layer forms a concave depression in the drop interface. Using laser-light interference coupled to high-speed imaging, we measured the radius, curvature, and height of the vapor pocket, as well as non-axisymmetric fluctuations of the interface for water drops at different temperatures. The geometry of the vapor pocket depends primarily on the drop size and not on the substrate temperature.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2007

The current progress of the ALICE Ring Imaging Cherenkov Detector

Recently, the last two modules (out of seven) of the ALICE High Momentum Particle Identification detector (HMPID) were assembled and tested. The full detector, after a pre-commissioning phase, has been installed in the experimental area, inside the ALICE solenoid, at the end of September 2006. In this paper we review the status of the ALICE/HMPID project and we present a summary of the series production of the CsI photo-cathodes. We describe the key features of the production procedure which ensures high quality photo-cathodes as well as the results of the quality assessment performed by means of a specially developed 2D scanner system able to produce a detailed map of the CsI photo-current over the entire photo-cathode surface. Finally we present our recent R&D efforts toward the development of a novel generation of imaging Cherenkov detectors with the aim to identify, in heavy ions collisions, hadrons up to 30 GeV/c.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2006

High temperature memory in (Pb/La)(Zr/Ti)O_3 as intrinsic of the relaxor state rather than due to defect relaxation

It has been recently shown that the memory of multiple aging stages, a phenomenon considered possible only below the glass transition of some glassy systems, appears also above that temperature range in the relaxor ferroelectric (Pb/La)(Zr/Ti)O_3 (PLZT). Doubts exist whether memory at such high temperature is intrinsic of the glassy relaxor state or is rather due to migration of mobile defects. It is shown that the memory in the electric susceptibility and elastic compliance of PLZT 9/65/35 is not enhanced but depressed by mobile defects like O vacancies, H defects and mobile charges resulting from their ionization. In addition, memory is drastically reduced at La contents slightly below the relaxor region of the phase diagram, unless aging is protracted for long times (months at room temperature). This is considered as evidence that in the non relaxor case memory is indeed due to slow migration of defects, while in the La rich case it is intrinsic of the relaxor state, even above the temperature of the susceptibility maximum.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2006

Surface conductivity of DR1-functionalized organic-inorganic sol-gel materials

In recent years, in looking for an important photorefractive application, several studies on electro-optic and photoconductive sol-gel responses have been done. A very important effort has been addressed to establish the appropriate induced-orientation procedure, in order to get the highest electro-optic coefficient. In this way a very high coefficient of 48 pm/V at 831 nm in sol-gel has been already found. Similarly, the importance of the non-linear chromophore concentration into the material electro-optic behavior has been studied. However, the influence of the orientation procedure and the chromophore concentration over the photoconductive response has not been performed. In this work we study the vacuum-surface-charge-transport under and without illumination after poling times of 10, 30 and 120 min on DR1-functionalized sol-gel thin films of 1.3 um in thickness with a suitable concentration of DR1. We include the measures before poling for other chromophore concentrations. We found the largest density of photocurrent at 633 nm for a poling time of 30 min. We also measured the order parameter in order to follow the Corona induced orientation evolution as function of time for each case. The saturation found into this parameter and into the photoconduction show the existence of an optimal poling time.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2004

Memory of multiple aging stages above the freezing temperature in the relaxor ferroelectric PLZT

The dynamic dielectric susceptibility and elastic compliance of the relaxor ferroelectric PLZT 9/65/35 have been measured under different cooling and heating protocols, in order to study aging and memory. The memory of multiple aging stages has been found (several dips in the susceptibility curves on heating), as in spin glass systems below the glass transition. Remarkably, in PLZT the memory is retained also above the freezing temperature deduced from the dynamic susceptibilities. The results are discussed in the light of the existing models of aging and memory in spin and dipolar glasses.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2003

Spin 1/2 Particle on a Cylinder with Radial Magnetic Field

We study the motion of a charged quantum particle, constrained on the surface of a cylinder, in the presence of a radial magnetic field. When the spin of the particle is neglected, the system essentially reduces to an infinite family of simple harmonic oscillators, equally spaced along the axis of the cylinder. Interestingly enough, it can be used as a quantum Fourier transformer, with convenient visual output. When the spin 1/2 of the particle is taken into account, a non-conventional perturbative analysis results in a recursive closed form for the corrections to the energy and the wavefunction, for all eigenstates, to all orders in the magnetic moment of the particle. A simple two-state system is also presented, the time evolution of which involves an approximate precession of the spin perpendicularly to the magnetic field. A number of plots highlight the findings while several three-dimensional animations have been made available on the web.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2002

Identification of High $\rm p_{\perp}$ Particles with the STAR-RICH Detector

The STAR-RICH detector extends the particle identification capapbilities of the STAR experiment for charged hadrons at mid-rapidity. This detector represents the first use of a proximity-focusing CsI-based RICH detector in a collider experiment. It provides identification of pions and kaons up to 3 GeV/c and protons up to 5 GeV/c. The characteristics and performance of the device in the inaugural RHIC run are described.

nucl-ex↗