Quantum-coupled single-electron thermal to electric conversion scheme

D. M. Wu, P. L. Hagelstein, P. Chen, K. P. Sinha, and A. Meulenberg

JAThermal to electric energy conversion with thermophotovoltaics relies on radiation emitted by a hot body, which limits the power per unit area to that of a blackbody. Microgap thermophotovoltaics take advantage of evanescent waves to obtain higher throughput, with the power per unit area limited by the internal blackbody, which is n² higher. We propose that even higher power per unit area can be achieved by taking advantage of thermal fluctuations in the near-surface electric fields.

J. Appl. Phys. 106, 094315 (2009) | Press Release

Characterization of a CO₂/N₂/Ar supersonic flowing discharge

D. J. Drake, S. Popović, and L. Vušković

In all aspects besides the flow speed and gas temperature, the conditions we study correspond to Martian entry plasma. Plasma parameters were determined by optical emission spectroscopy techniques.  A kinetic model for the discharge was developed to calculate the electron density and compare with experimental data.

J. Appl. Phys. 106, 083305 (2009)

Multistep damage evolution process in cubic zirconia irradiated with MeV ions

S. Moll, L. Thomé, G. Sattonnay, A. Debelle, F. Garrido, L. Vincent, and J. Jagielski

A combination of Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and channeling, x-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy experiments was used to study the damage formation in cubic yttria-stabilized zirconia single crystals irradiated with medium-energy (4 MeV) heavy (Au) ions. The damage buildup, which is accounted for in the framework of the multistep damage accumulation model, occurs in three steps.

J. Appl. Phys. 106, 073509 (2009)