A model is proposed to calculate the melting points of nanoparticles based on the Lennard-Jones (L-J) potential function. The effects of the size, the shape, and the atomic volume and surface packing of the nanoparticles are considered in the model. The model, based on the L-J potential function for spherical nanoparticles, agrees with the experimental values of gold (Au) and lead (Pb) nanoparticles. The model, based on the L-J potential function, is consistent with Qi and Wang’s model that predicts the Gibbs-Thompson relation. Moreover, the model based on the non-integer L-J potential function can be used to predict the melting points Tm of nanoparticles.

No abstract

We determine how a system composed of two nonidentical two-level atoms with different resonance frequencies and different damping rates could work as a nanoantenna for controlled mode switching and light routing. We calculate the angular distribution of the emitted field detected in a far-field zone of the system including the direct interatomic interactions and arbitrary linear dimensions of the system. The calculation is carried out in terms of the symmetric and antisymmetric modes of the two-atom system. We find that as long as the atoms are identical, the emission cannot be switched between the symmetric and antisymmetric modes. The switching may occur when the atoms are nonidentical and the emission can then be routed to different modes by changing the relative ratio of the atomic frequencies, or damping rates, or by a proper tuning of the laser frequency to the atomic resonance frequencies. It is shown that in the case of atoms of different resonance frequencies but equal damping rates, the light routing is independent of the frequency of the driving laser field. It depends only on the sign of the detuning between the atomic resonance frequencies. In the case of atoms of different damping rates, the emission can be switched between different modes by changing the laser frequency from the blue to red detuned from the atomic resonance. The effect of the interatomic interactions is also considered, and it is found that in the case of unequal resonance frequencies of the atoms, the interactions slightly modify the visibility of the intensity pattern. The case of unequal damping rates of the atoms is affected rather more drastically, the light routing becoming asymmetric under the dipole-dipole interaction with the enhanced intensities of the modes turned towards the atom of smaller damping rate.

No abstract

The classical dynamics of a cold atom trapped inside a static helical optical potential is investigated based on the Lagrangian formalism, which takes into account both the optical light field and the gravitational field. The resulting equations of motion are solved numerically and analytically. The topology of the helical optical potential, which drives the trapped cold atom, is responsible for two different types of oscillations, namely: the local oscillations, whereby the atomic motion is confined in a region smaller than the light field wavelength and the global oscillations, when the atomic motion is extended to larger regions comparable to the beam Rayleigh range Local oscillations guide the atom along the helical structure of the optical potential. The global oscillations, which constitute the main topic of our paper, define the atomic motion along the z-axis as an oscillation between two turning points. For typical values of the beam waist the turning points are symmetrical around the origin. For large values of the beam waist the global oscillations become asymmetric because the optical dipole potential weakens and the gravitational potential contributes to the determination of the turning points. For sufficiently large values of the beam waist there are no global oscillations and only one upper turning point defines the atom’s global motion.