This is the first book devoted to applications of the isotope effect in solids. It is addressed to physicists, chemists, electronic engineers and materials scientists alike, and is intended both as a tutorial and as a reference work. Readers intent on mastering the basics should start by reading the first few overview chapters and then delve into the descriptions of specific current applications to see how they actually work. Important future applications are also outlined, including information storage, materials for computer memories, quantum computers, isotopic fibers, isotopic optoelectronics, and quantum electronics.

Klappentext

Readers intent on mastering the basics should start by reading the first few overview chapters and then delve into the descriptions of specific current applications to see how they actually work. Important future applications are also outlined, including information storage, materials for computer memories, quantum computers, isotopic fibers, isotopic optoelectronics, and quantum electronics.

Inhalt

1 Introduction.- 2 Phonon Spectra of Solids: Indicator of Their Isotope Purity.- 2.1 Theory of Lattice Dynamics.- 2.2 Elastic Properties.- 2.2.1 Theoretical Background of Elastic Constant Measurements.- 2.2.2 Experimental Results and Interpretation.- 2.3 Vibrational Properties.- 2.3.1 Phonon Dispersion and Density of Phonon States.- 2.3.2 Low Concentrations: Localized, Resonant, and Gap Modes.- 2.3.3 Phonon Spectra of Isotopically Mixed Crystals.- 2.3.4 Isotopically Induced Disorder Effects in Vibrational Spectra.- 3 Thermal Properties.- 3.1 Dependence of the Thermal Conductivity on the Isotopic Composition.- 3.1.1 Theoretical Models.- 3.1.2 Experimental Results.- 3.1.3 High Thermal Conductivity Silicon.- 3.2 Lattice Constant Dependence on Temperature and Isotopic Composition.- 4 Isotopic Renormalization of the Electronic Excitation Energy Spectrum.- 4.1 Exciton States.- 4.2 Exciton-Phonon Interaction.- 4.3 Giant Isotopic Effect in the Energy Spectrum of Wannier-Mott Exciton in LiH Crystals.- 4.4 Nonlinear Dependence of Band-Gap Energy on the Isotopic Effect.- 4.5 Renormalization of Binding Energy of Wannier-Mott Excitons by Isotopic Effect.- 4.6 Nonlinear Dependence of Binding Energy on Isotopic Concentration.- 4.7 Isotopic Effect in the Luminescence Spectrum.- 5 Process of Self-Diffusion in Isotopically Pure Materials and Heterostructures.- 5.1 General Remarks.- 5.2 The Relation of Diffusion Experiments to the Mathematics of Diffusion.- 5.3 The Self-Diffusion Process.- 5.4 The SIMS-Technique.- 5.5 Self-Diffusion of Li and H in LiH Crystals.- 5.6 Self-Diffusion in Intrinsic Ge.- 5.7 Self- and Interdiffusion of Ga and Al in Isotopically Pure and Doped Heterostructures.- 6 Neutron Transmutative Doping.- 6.1 The NTD Process: A New Reactor Technology.- 6.2 Reactor Facilities for Transmutative Doping.- 6.3 Nuclear Reaction Under the Influence of Charged Particles.- 6.4 Nuclear Reaction Under the Action of the ?-Rays.- 6.5 Nuclear Reactions Under the Influence of Neutrons.- 6.6 The Influence of Dopants.- 6.7 Atomic Displacement Effects in NTD.- 6.8 Experimental Results.- 6.8.1 Ge.- 6.8.2 Silicon.- 6.8.3 Other Compounds.- 7 Optical Fiber.- 7.1 Optical Communication.- 7.2 Maxwell's Equations.- 7.2.1 Planar Geometry.- 7.2.2 Cylindrical Geometry.- 7.2.3 The Electromagnetic Wave Equation.- 7.3 Geometric Optics of Fibers.- 7.4 Waveguide Mode Propagation.- 7.5 Pulse Spreading.- 7.6 Materials for Optical Fibers.- 7.6.1 Absorptive Losses in Glasses.- 7.6.2 Rayleigh Scattering.- 7.7 Fiber Preparation.- 7.8 Isotopes in Fibers.- 8 Laser Materials.- 8.1 Some General Remarks.- 8.2 Absorption and Induced Emission.- 8.3 Semiconductor Lasers.- 8.3.1 Heterojunction La.- 8.3.2 Study of Excitons Lasing.- 8.4 Nonlinear Properties of Excitons in Isotopically Mixed Crystals.- 9 Other Unexplored Applications of Isotopic Engineering.- 9.1 Isotopic Information Storage.- 9.2 Isotopic Structuring for Fundamental Studies.- 9.3 Other Possibilities.- 10 Conclusion.- References.