Laser technologies general characteristics

Principles and Characteristics Atomic and molecular spectroscopy have been revolutionised and revitalised by laser technology. Laser spectroscopy excels in sensitivity and spectral or time resolution. Lasers enable chemists to microprobe systems of fluorophores with an exceptional degree of spectral selectivity, sensitivity, time response, and dynamic range. The four major areas of laser application in analytical atomic spectroscopy, namely LEAFS cfr. Chp. 3.3.1), LA-ICP-AES/MS (cfr. Chp. 3.2.1), LIBS (cfr Chp. 3.3.2) and LEIS, were described by Sneddon etal. [94]. For the types of laser and their general properties which are useful to the analytical atomic spectroscopist, cfr. ref. [95]. 

Nanowire systems have attracted a great deal of attention recently due to their technological potential They are of fundamental interest because they exhibit unique quantum confinement effects. In this article, advances in the fabrication of nanowires via template-assisted and laser-assisted approaches are reviewed. The structure and characteristics of different nanowire systems are discussed. To understand and predict the unusual properties of nanowires, we have developed a generalized theoretical model for the band structure of these onedimensional systems. A unique semimetal-semiconductor transition that occurs in bismuth nanowires is described. Transport measurements on bismuth and antimony nanowires illustrate that these novel materials are very different from their bulk counterparts. A transport... 

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