2,851 research outputs found
Theory and design of InGaAsBi mid-infrared semiconductor lasers: type-I quantum wells for emission beyond 3 m on InP substrates
We present a theoretical analysis and optimisation of the properties and
performance of mid-infrared semiconductor lasers based on the dilute bismide
alloy InGaAsBi, grown on conventional (001) InP
substrates. The ability to independently vary the epitaxial strain and emission
wavelength in this quaternary alloy provides significant scope for band
structure engineering. Our calculations demonstrate that structures based on
compressively strained InGaAsBi quantum wells (QWs)
can readily achieve emission wavelengths in the 3 -- 5 m range, and that
these QWs have large type-I band offsets. As such, these structures have the
potential to overcome a number of limitations commonly associated with this
application-rich but technologically challenging wavelength range. By
considering structures having (i) fixed QW thickness and variable strain, and
(ii) fixed strain and variable QW thickness, we quantify key trends in the
properties and performance as functions of the alloy composition, structural
properties, and emission wavelength, and on this basis identify routes towards
the realisation of optimised devices for practical applications. Our analysis
suggests that simple laser structures -- incorporating
InGaAsBi QWs and unstrained ternary
InGaAs barriers -- which are compatible with established
epitaxial growth, provide a route to realising InP-based mid-infrared diode
lasers.Comment: Submitted versio
Inside the Bondi radius of M87
Chandra X-ray observations of the nearby brightest cluster galaxy M87 resolve
the hot gas structure across the Bondi accretion radius of the central
supermassive black hole, a measurement possible in only a handful of systems
but complicated by the bright nucleus and jet emission. By stacking only short
frame-time observations to limit pileup, and after subtracting the nuclear PSF,
we analysed the X-ray gas properties within the Bondi radius at 0.12-0.22 kpc
(1.5-2.8 arcsec), depending on the black hole mass. Within 2 kpc radius, we
detect two significant temperature components, which are consistent with
constant values of 2 keV and 0.9 keV down to 0.15 kpc radius. No evidence was
found for the expected temperature increase within ~0.25 kpc due to the
influence of the SMBH. Within the Bondi radius, the density profile is
consistent with . The lack of a temperature increase inside
the Bondi radius suggests that the hot gas structure is not dictated by the
SMBH's potential and, together with the shallow density profile, shows that the
classical Bondi rate may not reflect the accretion rate onto the SMBH. If this
density profile extends in towards the SMBH, the mass accretion rate onto the
SMBH could be at least two orders of magnitude less than the Bondi rate, which
agrees with Faraday rotation measurements for M87. We discuss the evidence for
outflow from the hot gas and the cold gas disk and for cold feedback, where gas
cooling rapidly from the hot atmosphere could feed the cirumnuclear disk and
fuel the SMBH. At 0.2 kpc radius, the cooler X-ray temperature component
represents ~20% of the total X-ray gas mass and, by losing angular momentum to
the hot gas component, could provide a fuel source of cold clouds within the
Bondi radius.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, accepted by MNRA
Solid state television camera system Patent
Solid state television camera system consisting of monolithic semiconductor mosaic sensor and molecular digital readout system
Natural history contributions of the University of Glasgow Exploration Society to Scotland and the World
Expeditions with a natural history focus have been
organised by University of Glasgow staff and
students since the 1930s. The educational benefits of
such expeditions to students have been reported by
Harper
et
al.
(
Journal
of
Biological
Education
51, 3-
16; 2017). Here, we present a short history of these
expeditions, concentrating on their scientific
achievements. In addition to expedition reports, a
large number of PhD theses, masters and honours
project reports and scientific papers have been
based on expedition work. Many biological
specimens have been deposited in museums,
including some new species. We provide case
histories of four expedition locations, to demonstrate
the variety of work done, and the value of returning
many times to the same place: Scotland, Trinidad and
Tobago, North Cyprus and Ecuador. A major problem
for expeditions is funding. For many years, the
Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland ran a
funding stream that was crucial to the viability of
Scottish university expeditions, but this has sadly
now closed. For Glasgow University expeditions, the
Blodwen Lloyd Binns Bequest has provided a reliable
source since 1994, and we hope that it will continue
to do so
Impact of alloy disorder on the band structure of compressively strained GaBiAs
The incorporation of bismuth (Bi) in GaAs results in a large reduction of the
band gap energy (E) accompanied with a large increase in the spin-orbit
splitting energy (), leading to the condition that
which is anticipated to reduce so-called CHSH Auger
recombination losses whereby the energy and momentum of a recombining
electron-hole pair is given to a second hole which is excited into the
spin-orbit band. We theoretically investigate the electronic structure of
experimentally grown GaBiAs samples on (100) GaAs substrates by
directly comparing our data with room temperature photo-modulated reflectance
(PR) measurements. Our atomistic theoretical calculations, in agreement with
the PR measurements, confirm that E is equal to for
9. We then theoretically probe the inhomogeneous
broadening of the interband transition energies as a function of the alloy
disorder. The broadening associated with spin-split-off transitions arises from
conventional alloy effects, while the behaviour of the heavy-hole transitions
can be well described using a valence band-anticrossing model. We show that for
the samples containing 8.5% and 10.4% Bi the difficulty in identifying a clear
light-hole-related transition energy from the measured PR data is due to the
significant broadening of the host matrix light-hole states as a result of the
presence of a large number of Bi resonant states in the same energy range and
disorder in the alloy. We further provide quantitative estimates of the impact
of supercell size and the assumed random distribution of Bi atoms on the
interband transition energies in GaBiAs. Our calculations support
a type-I band alignment at the GaBiAs/GaAs interface, consistent
with recent experimental findings
Editorial: Community Series in Tools, Techniques, and Strategies for Teaching in a Real-world Context with Microbiology, Volume II
This Research Topic is the second volume in the Community Series Tools, Techniques, and Strategies for Teaching in a Real-World Context with Microbiology. Making microbiology relevant to our students increases student engagement with science, which could not be more important as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. We have learned much during this period as we adapted and modified our learning environments and strategies, all while demonstrating the many ways microbes impact our world beyond disease. Placing microbes at center stage leads to engaging and exciting curricula and assignments. Microbes also are wonderful tools as they are easy to manipulate in the laboratory and serve as model organisms helping us to study biological phenomena and concepts. As faculty we can engage our students through guided inquiry, tactile hands-on tools, authentic research experiences, project-based learning, and case studies, with valuable, student-centered experiences occurring both inside and outside the classroom. We can also endeavor to abide by the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion and those of universal design allowing all students to succeed in our courses
The Search for Signatures Of Transient Mass Loss in Active Stars
The habitability of an exoplanet depends on many factors. One such factor is
the impact of stellar eruptive events on nearby exoplanets. Currently this is
poorly constrained due to heavy reliance on solar scaling relationships and a
lack of experimental evidence. Potential impacts of Coronal Mass Ejections
(CMEs), which are a large eruption of magnetic field and plasma from a star,
are space weather and atmospheric stripping. A method for observing CMEs as
they travel though the stellar atmosphere is the type II radio burst, and the
new LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) provides a means for detection. We report on 15
hours of observation of YZ Canis Minoris (YZ CMi), a nearby M dwarf flare star,
taken in LOFAR's beam-formed observation mode for the purposes of measuring
transient frequency-dependent low frequency radio emission. The observations
utilized Low-Band Antenna (10-90 MHz) or High-Band Antenna (110-190 MHz) for
five three-hour observation periods. In this data set, there were no confirmed
type II events in this frequency range. We explore the range of parameter space
for type II bursts constrained by our observations Assuming the rate of shocks
is a lower limit to the rate at which CMEs occur, no detections in a total of
15 hours of observation places a limit of shocks/hr for YZ CMi due to the stochastic nature of the events and
limits of observational sensitivity. We propose a methodology to interpret
jointly observed flares and CMEs which will provide greater constraints to CMEs
and test the applicability of solar scaling relations
Interferometric Detection of Linear Polarization from Sagittarius A* at 230 GHz
We measured the linear polarization of Sagittarius A* to be 7.2 +/- 0.6 % at
230 GHzusing the BIMA array with a resolution of 3.6 x 0.9 arcsec. This
confirms the previously reported detection with the JCMT 14-m antenna. Our high
resolution observations demonstrate that the polarization does not arise from
dust but from a synchrotron source associated with Sgr A*. We see no change in
the polarization position angle and only a small change in the polarization
fraction in four observations distributed over 60 days. We find a position
angle 139 +/- 4 degrees that differs substantially from what was found in
earlier JCMT observations at the same frequency. Polarized dust emission cannot
account for this discrepancy leaving variability and observational error as the
only explanations. The BIMA observations alone place an upper limit on the
magnitude of the rotation measure of 2 x 10^6 rad m^-2. These new observations
when combined with the JCMT observations at 150, 375 and 400 GHz suggest RM
=-4.3 +/- 0.1 x 10^5 rad m^-2. This RM may be caused by an external Faraday
screen. Barring a special geometry or a high number of field reversals, this RM
rules out accretion rates greater than ~ 10^-7 M_sun y^-1. This measurement is
inconsistent with high accretion rates necessary in standard advection
dominated accretion flow and Bondi-Hoyle models for Sgr A*. It argues for low
accretion rates as a major factor in the overall faintness of Sgr A*.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ, 18 pages, 4 figure
The Equation of State of Neutron-Star Matter in Strong Magnetic Fields
We study the effects of very strong magnetic fields on the equation of state
(EOS) in multicomponent, interacting matter by developing a covariant
description for the inclusion of the anomalous magnetic moments of nucleons.
For the description of neutron star matter, we employ a field-theoretical
approach which permits the study of several models which differ in their
behavior at high density. Effects of Landau quantization in ultra-strong
magnetic fields ( Gauss) lead to a reduction in the electron
chemical potential and a substantial increase in the proton fraction. We find
the generic result for Gauss that the softening of the EOS caused
by Landau quantization is overwhelmed by stiffening due to the incorporation of
the anomalous magnetic moments of the nucleons. In addition, the neutrons
become completely spin polarized. The inclusion of ultra-strong magnetic fields
leads to a dramatic increase in the proton fraction, with consequences for the
direct Urca process and neutron star cooling. The magnetization of the matter
never appears to become very large, as the value of never deviates from
unity by more than a few percent. Our findings have implications for the
structure of neutron stars in the presence of large frozen-in magnetic fields.Comment: 40 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Effects of Feeding Legume Silage With Differing Tannin Levels on Lactating Dairy Cattle
Condensed tannins (CT) bind to plant proteins in the rumen, reducing protein degradation to ammonia and increasing milk production and milk protein (e.g. Waghorn, 1987). Previous research showed that the reduced soluble non-protein nitrogen (NPN) content of red clover (Trifolium pratense) silage (RCS) was related to its greater N efficiency relative to lucerne (Medicago sativa) silage (LS) (Broderick et al., 2001). Commercial cultivars of birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus; BFT) contain modest levels of CT which reduce NPN formation in silage (Albrecht & Muck, 1991). The objective was to compare silages made from BFT with RCS and LS for milk production and N efficiency in lactating dairy cows
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