Iraqi Journal of Physics

The elastic and inelastic longitudinal electron scattering form factors in of chromium isotopes (50,52Cr) isotopes were studied using the radial wave functions of a transformed harmonic oscillator potential in the local scale transformation technique. Occupation numbers from configuration mixing using the Hsieh-Wildenthal (HW) method for 50,52Cr were considered in parallel with those obtained using the adjusted occupation numbers. For shell interactions, the model space for HW interaction is restricted to the 1d3/2 and 1f7/2 subshells. The charge density distributions in the ground state and differential electron scattering cross-sections were computed. The inelastic form factors were studied by including core polarization using the Bohr-Mottelson model. For 50Cr, the three C2 transitions and the two C4 transitions were investigated. For 52Cr, the inelastic form factor for the two C2 transitions and for the two C4 transitions is investigated. In general, the use of the transformed harmonic-oscillator (THO) basis proved itself to be a good candidate to study stable nuclei, where good results (elastic and inelastic Coulomb form factors and differential cross sections) were obtained for 50,52Cr isotopes.

This study investigates the nuclear structure of 12C, 15N, and 24Mg nuclei utilizing a shell model (SM) with the Skyrmee Hartree–Fock (SHF) approach. The form factors for inelastic electron scattering were computed for low-lying states that change their parity. This study demonstrates the practicality of the strategy using the truncated large-scale spsdpf shell model space with WBP two-body effective interaction. The data for the M2 transition (2-,0),(2-,1) states indicate energy levels of 12.180 MeV and 16.660 MeV in 12C, 12.666 MeV in 24Mg, 10.062 MeV and 10.800 MeV for 3/2+(3) and 3/2+(4) states, and 7.153 MeV and 10.529 MeV for 5/2+(2) and 5/2+(4) states in 15N. Within Hartree-Fock theory, Skyrme interactions are utilized to derive a one-body potential for the computation of single-particle matrix elements. The single-particle potential of harmonic oscillator (HO), Woods-Saxon (WS), and SHF potentials for inelastic form factors exhibits a remarkable concurrence with the existing experimental data.

This study outlines a technique for enhancing a metal oxide semiconductor gas
sensor's sensitivity to Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gas. Using a sol-gel and spin-coating
process, the gas sensor was constructed from hydrothermally generated ZnO
nanorods (ZNRs) and decorated with different concentrations of Copper oxide
(CuO) nanoparticles (NPs). Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM),
X-ray diffraction, and optical characteristics were used to examine the gas
sensor's morphology, crystal structure, and UV-Vis absorption. The primary
pattern's hexagonal structure was revealed by X-ray diffraction and FESEM
images, which showed the rough surface of ZNRs/CuO NPs. NO2 gas-sensing
characteristics were examined at three different CuO NPs concentrations 20, 40,
and 60 mg/L. The energy gap of ZNRs, ZNRs/20CuO NPs, ZNRs/40CuO NPs, and
ZNRs/60CuO NPs had values of approximately 3.25, 3.25, 3.24, and 3.04,
respectively. The findings showed that ZNRs decorated with CuO, compared to the
non-decorated ZnO nanorods, enhanced their sensitivity to NO2 gas. The highest
sensitivity was at ZNRs/60CuO, reaching 140% at 150°C compared to ZNRs,
ZNRs/20CuO, and ZNRs/40CuO samples.

Nanocomposite films, based on polypyrrole (PPy) and polyethylene oxide (PEO),
which can be doped with silver nitrate (AgNO₃) nanoparticles, were synthesized
using pyrolysis spray technique at room temperature. The systematic study of
optical and electrical properties of the prepared films was performed depending on
dopant concentration (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 wt. %). At about 400 nm, the UV-Vis
spectrometer exhibits a noticeable absorption peak. Higher concentrations of
AgNO3 intensify the peak, especially in the sample containing 12% AgNO3. Hall
measurements were used to establish the type, concentration of charge carriers,
and Hall mobility (μH). The results showed that the nanocomposite films had a
negative Hall coefficient (n-type) prior to the addition of AgNO3 nanoparticles.
The polymer mix films exhibit (p-type) conductivity with a positive Hall
coefficient at all AgNO3 nanoparticle concentrations. In D.C. studies, electrical
resistance decreases as temperature rises, but the nanocomposite film's D.C.
conductivity rises as AgNO3 nanoparticle concentrations rise. Across all produced
samples, alternating electrical conductivity (σa.c) increases as frequency increases.
At low frequencies, the alternating electrical conductivity doesn't change.

This paper presents the design and implementation of an E-shaped microstrip patch
antenna for wireless communication. The antenna features several advantages,
including low volume, low profile, easy mounting, lightweight construction, and
low fabrication cost. It operates at 3.2 and 3.4 GHz, using an FR4 substrate with a
dielectric constant of 4.3 and a thickness of 1.4 mm. The design incorporates two
parallel slots to perturb the surface current patch. The E-shaped antenna achieves
return losses of -13 dB and -16 dB at the operating frequencies of 3.2 and 3.4 GHz,
respectively. The design and simulation were conducted using CST software, with
coaxial probe feeding employed. Furthermore, this study investigates the effect of
surface roughness on the absorption of the radiation line of the implemented
antenna, which was treated using a Nd:YAG laser by bombarding the radiation line
of the desired antenna in order to gradually reduce the surface roughness, as this
improved the work performance of the antenna at the resonant frequencies of 3.2
and 3.4 GHz. After treatment, the antenna exhibited return losses of -15.7 dB and -
20 dB at 3.2 and 3.4 GHz, respectively. These qualities highlight the potential of
the Nd:YAG laser-treated inverted E-shaped antenna for enhancing the
performance of wireless communication systems.

In this study, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was synthesized from graphene oxide
(GO) via an ascorbic acid-assisted reduction process. GO was synthesized from
graphite powder using a modified Hummers technique. The surface morphology,
structure, functional groups, and elemental compositions of the produced
materials were studied using various methods, such as scanning electron
microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), X-ray diffraction
(XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and
UV-Vis. The removal of oxygen-containing functional groups in rGO through
reduction resulted in poor sample quality. In addition, FTIR investigations
revealed that GO contained more oxygen-containing functional groups than rGO.
Typical peaks at 26.7081° and 26.65° for rGO and GO, respectively, were
characterized using XRD. Additionally, a UV-Vis study confirmed the successful
reduction by observing a redshift in the absorption peak from 363 nm to 371 nm,
indicating partial restoration of the π-conjugation system. Overall, the results
demonstrated that graphene oxide was successfully oxidized from graphite and
that rGO was efficiently reduced from GO, yielding a material with improved
properties for the target application.

This study explains how nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles are made using a plasma
jet method at normal air pressure, using a direct current (DC) power supply set to a
steady voltage of 13 kV. The properties of the plasma were studied using optical
emission spectroscopy (OES) while changing the flow rates of argon gas to 0.25,
0.75, 1.75, and 2.25 L/min over a period of 6 minutes. NiO thin films were deposited
on glass substrates and annealed at 270 °C. UV-visible spectroscopy confirmed the
optical properties of the NiO nanoparticles, revealing a marked decrease in the
energy band gap from 4 eV to 2.5 eV with an increase in gas flow rate. X-ray
diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrated that the films possessed a polycrystalline
structure with a cubic crystal system. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis
showed that as the argon flow rates increased, the surface became rougher and the
average size of the particles got smaller. This work shows that the plasma jet system
is a new, fast, environmentally friendly, and scalable way to make high-purity NiO
nanoparticles that have better optical properties. These results suggest promising
applications of NiO nanoparticles in photovoltaic devices, solar cells, and other
optoelectronic devices.

Microwave plasma plays a vital role in various scientific and technological
applications due to its high efficiency and flexibility. The geometry of the
discharge tube, especially its cross-sectional area, significantly affects essential
plasma parameters such as electron density, ion density, and electron
temperature. These parameters directly influence plasma behaviour, including
energy absorption and electromagnetic field distribution. This study employs
COMSOL Multiphysics software to analyze how variations in the crosssectional
area of the discharge tube impact plasma characteristics. The
objective is to identify patterns that could improve the design and performance
of plasma-based systems, with potential benefits in fields like medical tissue
purification, environmental applications, and manufacturing. The tube had a
constant length of 25 cm and varying widths between 1 and 14 cm, resulting in
cross-sectional areas from 25 to 350 cm². The results revealed that increasing
the area notably affects thermal stability, energy distribution, and plasma
penetration. Electron density and temperature changed with the area; the
highest electron density was 2.05×10¹⁸ m⁻³ at 175 cm². Electron temperature
varied between 1.5 eV at 100 cm² and 1.75 eV at 25 cm², peaking at 1.65 eV at
175 cm².

This study methodically investigates the correlation between plasma parameters
and the structural properties of Ni nanoparticles synthesized via pulsed laser
ablation in liquid (PLAL) at varying laser energies, 600-900 mJ. Optical emission
spectroscopy (OES) revealed that increasing laser energy enhanced plasma
ionization with electron temperature (Te) rising from 0.262 to 0.334 eV, and
electron density (ne) increasing from 5.00×1018 to 5.63×1018 cm⁻³ due to
intensified collisional excitation. The plasma conditions directly affected the
changes in the size and shape of the crystals, showing that higher temperatures
and densities in the plasma lead to bigger and more organised nanoparticles. The
X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that both metallic nickel (Ni) and nickel
oxide (NiO) were formed, and the crystal size increased from 17.3 to 25.6 nm.
Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) demonstrated that, with
increasing plasma energy, nanoparticle size increased from 28.29 to 48.73 nm at
600 mJ and from 46.71 to 66.

This paper used the sol-gel dip-coating method to produce pure indium tin oxide
(ITO) and ITO thin films doped with AlCl₃ at varying concentrations (50, 100,
and 150 wt.%). Precursors such as InCl3 and SnCl4 were used in the synthesis.
The synthesized ITO samples underwent thorough characterization using UVVis,
atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission
scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (FESEM/
EDX), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The XRD
analysis revealed a strong peak for the (222) plane, showing that the indium
oxide in the thin films is very well-organized. EDX analysis confirmed the
presence of elements, including indium (In), oxygen (O), tin (Sn), aluminum
(Al), and chlorine (Cl), within the deposited layers. According to the FE-SEM
images, the average particle diameters were 45.47nm for pure ITO, 62.48,
42.72, and 35.25 nm for ITO with a 50, 100, and 150wt.% AlCl3 ratio,
respectively. The AFM analysis indicated that the pure ITO film had an average
particle size of 61 nm. In comparison, the films mixed with AlCl3 at 50, 100,
and 150 wt.% ratios had average particle sizes of 17, 21, and 68 nm. In addition,
the optical band gap of the ITO was measured at 4.5 eV. For films with AlCl3
at 50, 100, and 150 wt.% ratios, the energy gaps were found to be 1.5, 1.73, and
1.83 eV, respectively. The measured contact angle for the ITO film was 332.57°;
those with AlCl3 at 50, 100, and 150% were 65.39°, 85.99°, and 78.12°,
respectively.

Zinc sulfide (ZnS) thin films were deposited on glass substrates using the
spray pyrolysis technique (SPD) with different precursor concentrations (10-4
to 10-1M). The structural, morphological, compositional, and optical properties
were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy
(AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray
spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and
UV-Vis spectroscopy. XRD results revealed a transformation from amorphous
to crystalline cubic ZnS structure with increasing precursor concentration.
FESEM and AFM analyses showed that higher concentrations produced
smoother surfaces with smaller particle sizes. EDX confirmed improved
stoichiometry at higher concentrations. The optical band gap decreased from
4.16 to 3.21 eV as concentration increased, indicating improved crystallinity.
The results demonstrate the precursor concentration significantly influences
the structural and optical properties of ZnS thin films.

Oil extraction is a crucial industry for Iraq, significantly contributing to the country\'s
economy, particularly in Basra Governorate. However, intensive extraction activities
can lead to ground deformation, manifesting as subsidence and uplifts, which may
impact infrastructure and the environment. This study investigates ground
deformations caused by oil extraction in the Rumaila oilfield, one of Iraq\'s major oilproducing
areas, located in southern Iraq. The study employed Differential
Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) techniques using Sentinel-1
SAR data from the European Space Agency. To analyze these deformations,
DInSAR allows for precise measurement of surface deformation by calculating
displacement differences between pairs of SAR images over time, making it an
effective tool for monitoring subtle ground movements. The Rumaila oilfield, which
consists of northern and southern sections, was chosen due to its high oil production
and its significance to Iraq\'s economy. The results revealed significant deformation
in the Rumaila oilfield, with a subsidence rate that ranged between -1.53 and -1.64
m over six years. The southern Rumaila oilfield displayed more substantial
deformation (-1.64 m), which represents the maximum, correlating with higher
extraction rates, while the northern field exhibited relatively minor deformation due
to lower extraction levels. This distinction highlights the impact of extraction
intensity on ground stability within the field

This study provides a comprehensive photometric and structural analysis of the
galaxy UGC 10168, which is classified as (R₁R₂′)SABa(r′l)a in the Comprehensive
de Vaucouleurs Revised Hubble-Sandage (CVRHS) system. UGC 10168 is an
intermediate barred spiral galaxy with intricate inner and outer ring structures, which
presents an intriguing scenario for studying resonant feature dynamics. Surface
photometry was used to analyze the luminosity distribution, ellipticity, and position
angle profiles along the semi-major axis of the galaxy, utilizing multi-wavelength
imaging from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The classification (R₁R₂′)
emphasizes the existence of two distinct outer pseudorings that are formed by the
winding spiral arms; whereas (r′l) implies an interior, less regular ring that encircles
the bar. The galaxy's barred morphology (SAB) and early-type spiral features (Sa)
contribute to a complex structural profile, which was analyzed in detail using
photometric decomposition techniques. The R₁ and R₂′ pseudorings are conceivably
associated with the galaxy's bar dynamics and the influence of Lindblad resonances,
as our findings disclose notable resonant structures. The colour profiles, calculated
from the differences in light intensity between the SDSS filters (g-r, r-i and i-z) were
analyzed to understand the gradients in stellar populations and the level of star
formation within the rings, bar, and disk. Distinct colour variations between the inner
and outer rings indicate differing stellar ages and star-forming areas affected by
resonances. This study enhances understanding of ring creation and resonance events
in barred spiral galaxies, offering insights into their evolutionary trajectories within
galactic dynamics and shape.

Al-Razzaza Lake is one of the most important water resources in Iraq, holding
significant economic and environmental value for the country. The lake is now
undergoing significant ecological changes and experiencing water level declines,
primarily driven by increased evaporation due to climate change and reduced inflow
from the Euphrates River. It is, therefore, important to monitor the changes affecting
the lake using remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS). This study
aims to assess environmental changes in Al-Razzaza Lake by analyzing Landsat 4-
5 images for 2004 and Landsat 8-9 images for 2014 and 2024. Climate data were
obtained from the NASA Energy website (2004 and 2014) and the Al-Razzaza
station of the Ministry of Agriculture (2024). Supervised classification using the
Maximum Likelihood method and the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI)
was applied to classify the study area into water, soil, and vegetation. The
classification achieved overall accuracies of 94%, 97%, and 98% for 2004, 2014,
and 2024, respectively. The results indicated that the water surface area declined
significantly from 549.22 km² in 2004 to 189.77 km² in 2024, accompanied by an
expansion in the soil area and a reduction in vegetation cover. A strong inverse
correlation (r = -0.98) was observed between high temperatures and declining water
surface areas, while a positive correlation (r = 0.98) was found between rainfall and
water surface areas. The study features the alarming degradation of Al-Razzaza Lake
and the urgent need for continuous monitoring and adaptive water resource
management strategies.