arXiv subjects

M. A. Zubair

Publications and source records attributed to M. A. Zubair.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Direct measurement of $^{59}$Cu($p$,$α$)$^{56}$Ni precludes a strong NiCu cycle in Type-I X-ray bursts

Model-observation comparisons of type-I X-ray bursts (XRBs) can reveal the properties of accreting neutron star systems, including the neutron star compactness. XRBs are powered by nuclear burning and a handful of reactions have been shown to impact the model results. Reactions in the NiCu cycles, featuring a competition between $^{59}$Cu($p$,$γ$)$^{60}$Zn and $^{59}$Cu($p$,$α$)$^{56}$Ni, have been shown to be among the most important reactions as they are a critical checkpoint in $rp$-process flow and significantly impact the light curves and burst ashes. We report a direct measurement of $^{59}$Cu($p$,$α$)$^{56}$Ni bringing stringent constraints on this reaction rate. New results rule out a strong NiCu cycle in XRBs, with a negligible degree of recycling, $\leq$5\% up to 1.5 GK. The new reaction rate, when varied within new uncertainty limits, shows no impact on one-zone XRB model light-curves tailored for clocked-burster $\tt{GS 1826-24}$, hence removing an important nuclear physics uncertainty in the model-observation comparison.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2016

Saturation magnetization and band gap tuning in BiFeO$_3$ nanoparticles via co-substitution of Gd and Mn

In this investigation, Gd and Mn co-doped Bi$_{0.85}$Gd$_{0.15}$Fe$_{1-x}$Mn$_x$O$_3$ (x=0.0-0.15) nanoparticles have been prepared to report the influence of co-substitution on their structural, optical, magnetic and electrical properties. Due to simultaneous substitution of Gd and Mn in BiFeO$_3$, the crystal structure has been modified from rhombohedral (R3c) to orthorhombic (Pn21a) and the Fe-O-Fe bond angle and Fe-O bond length have been changed. For Mn doping up to 10 % in Bi$_{0.85}$Gd$_{0.15}$Fe$_{1-x}$Mn$_x$O$_3$ nanoparticles, the saturation magnetization (Ms) has been enhanced significantly, however, for a further increase of doping up to 15 %, the Ms has started to reduce again. The co-substitution of Gd and Mn in BiFeO$_3$ nanoparticles also demonstrates a strong reduction in the optical band gap energy and electrical resistivity compared to that of undoped BiFeO$_3$.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Size dependent magnetic and electrical properties of Ba-doped nanocrystalline BiFeO$_3$

Improvement in magnetic and electrical properties of multiferroic BiFeO$_3$ in conjunction with their dependence on particle size is crucial due to its potential applications in multifunctional miniaturized devices. In this investigation, we report a study on particle size dependent structural, magnetic and electrical properties of sol-gel derived Bi$_{0.9}$Ba$_{0.1}$FeO$_3$ nanoparticles of different sizes ranging from $\sim$ 12 to 49 nm. The substitution of Bi by Ba significantly suppresses oxygen vacancies, reduces leakage current density and Fe$^{2+}$ state. An improvement in both magnetic and electrical properties is observed for 10 % Ba-doped BiFeO$_3$ nanoparticles compared to its undoped counterpart. The saturation magnetization of Bi$_{0.9}$Ba$_{0.1}$FeO$_3$ nanoparticles increase with reducing particle size in contrast with a decreasing trend of ferroelectric polarization. Moreover, a first order metamagnetic transition is noticed for $\sim$ 49 nm Bi$_{0.9}$Ba$_{0.1}$FeO$_3$ nanoparticles which disappeared with decreasing particle size. The observed strong size dependent multiferroic properties are attributed to the complex interaction between vacancy induced crystallographic defects, multiple valence states of Fe, uncompensated surface spins, crystallographic distortion and suppression of spiral spin cycloid of BiFeO$_3$.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗