Reactions between zirconium/permalloy bilayer thin films

The interdiffusion and reactions of zirconium/permalloy bilayer thin films annealed at 150 to 350 °C were investigated. Nickel atoms preferentially diffuse from the permalloy layer into the zirconium layer. This preferential diffusion results in the growth of an amorphous phase between the zirconium and permalloy thin films. Consequently, the magnetic properties of the permalloy thin layer in the bilayer thin films change. The starting temperature of interdiffusion between zirconium and permalloy films is higher than that of a titanium/permalloy system reported previously.     

Method for Calculation of Sky Light Luminance Aiming at an Interactive Architectural Design

Recently, computer graphics are frequently used for both architectural design and visual environmental assessment. Using computer graphics, designers can easily compare the effect of the natural light on their architectural designs under various conditions, such as different times of day, seasons, atmospheric conditions (clear or overcast sky) or building wall materials. In traditional methods of calculating the luminance due to sky light, however, all calculation must be performed from scratch if such conditions undergo change. Therefore, to compare the architectural designs under different conditions, a great deal of time has to be spent on generating the images. This paper proposes a new method of quickly generating images of an outdoor scene, taking into account glossy specular reflection, even if such conditions change. In this method, luminance due to sky light is expressed by a series of basis functions, and basis luminances corresponding to each basis function are precalculated and stored in a compressed form in the preprocess. Once the basis luminances are calculated, the luminance due to sky light can be quickly calculated by the weighted sum of the basis luminances. Several examples of an architectural design demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed method.     

Skylight for Interior Lighting Design

It is inevitable for indoor lighting design to render a room lit by natural light, especially for an atelier or an indoor pool where there are many windows. This paper proposes a method for calculating the illuminance due to natural light, i.e. direct sunlight and skylight, passing through transparent planes such as window glass. The proposed method makes it possible to efficiently calculate such illuminance accurately, because it takes into account both non-uniform luminous intensity distribution of skylight and the distribution of transparency of glass according to incident angles of light. Several examples including the lighting design in an indoor pool, are shown to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed method.     

Coulomb effects on 13C-NMR and polarons in (CH)x and a bound state of solitons

Using the PPP Hamiltonian model of (CH)_x, we study the effects of the Coulomb interaction on the ¹³C-NMR of doped (CH)_x and the electronic and lattice structures of polarons. The broad asymmetric ¹³C-NMR signal is explained by the Coulomb-induced charge density modulation around charged solitons. Polarons accompany the Coulomb-induced charge and spin density modulations which have a dip at the centre and different spreadings, the former being wider. The lattice dimerization in polarons is not only relaxed but also reversed in a central region. A polaron accompanies four midgap levels. With a suitably screened Coulomb interaction, we can get polaron and soliton levels in good agreement with the data of electrochemical doping voltage spectroscopy.The positively and negatively charged solitons make a breather-like bound state, which may explain the self-pinning of photogenerated solitons.