1,926 research outputs found
Atomic carbon chains as spin-transmitters: an \textit{Ab initio} transport study
An atomic carbon chain joining two graphene flakes was recently realized in a
ground-breaking experiment by Jin {\it et al.}, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 102},
205501 (2009). We present {\it ab initio} results for the electron transport
properties of such chains and demonstrate complete spin-polarization of the
transmission in large energy ranges. The effect is due to the spin-polarized
zig-zag edge terminating each graphene flake causing a spin-splitting of the
graphene bands, and the chain states. Transmission occurs when the
graphene -states resonate with similar states in the strongly hybridized
edges and chain. This effect should in general hold for any -conjugated
molecules bridging the zig-zag edges of graphene electrodes. The polarization
of the transmission can be controlled by chemically or mechanically modifying
the molecule, or by applying an electrical gate
Ab initio study of spin-dependent transport in carbon nanotubes with iron and vanadium adatoms
We present an ab initio study of spin dependent transport in armchair carbon
nanotubes with transition metal adsorbates, iron or vanadium. We neglect the
effect of tube curvature and model the nanotube by graphene with periodic
boundary conditions. A density functional theory based nonequilibrium Green's
function method is used to compute the electronic structure and zero-bias
conductance. The presence of the adsorbate causes a strong scattering of
electrons of one spin type only. The scattering is shown to be due to coupling
of the two armchair band states to the metal 3d orbitals with matching symmetry
causing Fano resonances appearing as dips in the transmission function. The
spin type (majority/minority) being scattered depends on the adsorbate and is
explained in terms of d-state filling. The results are qualitatively reproduced
using a simple tight-binding model, which is then used to investigate the
dependence of the transmission on the nanotube width. We find a decrease in the
width of the transmission dip as the tube-size increases.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
The radio SNR G65.1+0.6 and its associated pulsar J1957+2831
New images of the radio Supernova Remnant (SNR) G65.1+0.6 are presented,
based on the 408 MHz and 1420 MHz continuum emission and the HI-line emission
data of the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey (CGPS). A large shell-like structure
seen in the 2695 MHz Effelsberg map appears to have nonthermal spectral index.
HI observations show structures associated with the SNR G65.1+0.6 in the radial
velocity range of -20 to -26 kms and suggest a distance of 9.2 kpc for the
SNR. The estimated Sedov age for G65.1+0.6 is 4 - 14 x10E4 yr. The pulsar (PSR)
J1957+2831 is possibly associated with G65.1+0.6, with consistent distance and
kinematic age estimate, but different characteristic age than the SNR. The
EGRET source 3EG J1958+2909 and gamma-ray source 2CG 065+00 are also near the
eastern edge of the SNR but do not agree in position with the pulsar and are
likely not associated with the SNR. The SNR's flux densities at 408 MHz
(8.6+-0.8 Jy), 1420 MHz (4.9+-0.5 Jy) and 2695 MHz (3.3+-0.5 Jy) have been
corrected for flux densities from compact sources within the SNR. The
integrated flux density based spectral index between 1420 MHz and 408 MHz is
0.45+-0.11 and agrees with the T-T plot spectral index of 0.34+-0.20. The
nearby SNR DA495 has a T-T plot spectral index of 0.50+-0.01.Comment: 7pages, 5 pictures and tables, will appear in A&
DFT study of graphene antidot lattices: The roles of geometry relaxation and spin
Graphene sheets with regular perforations, dubbed as antidot lattices, have
theoretically been predicted to have a number of interesting properties. Their
recent experimental realization with lattice constants below 100 nanometers
stresses the urgency of a thorough understanding of their electronic
properties. In this work we perform calculations of the band structure for
various hydrogen-passivated hole geometries using both spin-polarized density
functional theory (DFT) and DFT based tight-binding (DFTB) and address the
importance of relaxation of the structures using either method or a combination
thereof. We find from DFT that all structures investigated have band gaps
ranging from 0.2 eV to 1.5 eV. Band gap sizes and general trends are well
captured by DFTB with band gaps agreeing within about 0.2 eV even for very
small structures. A combination of the two methods is found to offer a good
trade-off between computational cost and accuracy. Both methods predict
non-degenerate midgap states for certain antidot hole symmetries. The inclusion
of spin results in a spin-splitting of these states as well as magnetic moments
obeying the Lieb theorem. The local spin texture of both magnetic and
non-magnetic symmetries is addressed
Searching for the Donor Stars of ULX Pulsars
We report on our search for the optical counterparts of two ultraluminous
X-ray pulsars with known orbital periods, M82 X-2 and NGC 5907 X-1, in new and
archival HST observations, in an effort to characterize the donor stars in
these systems. We detect five near-infrared sources consistent with the
position of M82 X-2 that are too bright to be single stars. We also detect
seven sources in the WFC3/UVIS F336W image whose photometry matches that of
10-15 M stars turning off the main sequence. Such stars have densities
consistent with the properties of the donor star of M82 X-2 as inferred from
X-ray timing analysis, although it is also possible that the donor is a lower
mass star below our detection limit or that there is a significant contribution
from the accretion disc to the optical emission. We detect three candidate
counterparts to NGC 5907 X-1 in the near-infrared. All of these are too bright
to be the donor star of the ULX, which based on its orbital period is a red
giant. The high background at the location of NGC 5907 X-1 precludes us from
detecting this expected donor star. The recently discovered NGC 5907 ULX-2 also
falls within the field of view of the near-infrared imaging; we detect four
sources in the error circle, with photometry that matches AGB stars. The star
suggested to be the counterpart of NGC 5907 ULX-2 by Pintore et al. (2018)
falls outside our 2- error circle.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
An XMM-Newton and NuSTAR study of IGR J18214-1318: a non-pulsating high-mass X-ray binary with a neutron star
IGR J18214-1318, a Galactic source discovered by the International Gamma-Ray
Astrophysics Laboratory, is a high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) with a supergiant
O-type stellar donor. We report on the XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations that
were undertaken to determine the nature of the compact object in this system.
This source exhibits high levels of aperiodic variability, but no periodic
pulsations are detected with a 90% confidence upper limit of 2% fractional rms
between 0.00003-88 Hz, a frequency range that includes the typical pulse
periods of neutron stars (NSs) in HMXBs (0.1-10 s). Although the lack of
pulsations prevents us from definitively identifying the compact object in IGR
J18214-1318, the presence of an exponential cutoff with e-folding energy
keV in its 0.3-79 keV spectrum strongly suggests that the compact
object is an NS. The X-ray spectrum also shows a Fe K emission line and
a soft excess, which can be accounted for by either a partial-covering absorber
with cm which could be due to the
inhomogeneous supergiant wind, or a blackbody component with
keV and km, which may originate
from NS hot spots. Although neither explanation for the soft excess can be
excluded, the former is more consistent with the properties observed in other
supergiant HMXBs. We compare IGR J18214-1318 to other HMXBs that lack
pulsations or have long pulsation periods beyond the range covered by our
observations.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, 4 table
A low-luminosity soft state in the short period black hole X-ray binary Swift J1753.5-0127
We present results from the spectral fitting of the candidate black hole
X-ray binary Swift J1753.5-0127 in an accretion state previously unseen in this
source. We fit the 0.7-78 keV spectrum with a number of models, however the
preferred model is one of a multi-temperature disk with an inner disk
temperature keV scattered into a steep
power-law with photon index and an additional
hard power law tail (). We report on the emergence of a
strong disk-dominated component in the X-ray spectrum and we conclude that the
source has entered the soft state for the first time in its ~10 year prolonged
outburst. Using reasonable estimates for the distance to the source ( kpc)
and black hole mass (), we find the unabsorbed luminosity (0.1-100
keV) to be % of the Eddington luminosity, making this one of the
lowest luminosity soft states recorded in X-ray binaries. We also find that the
accretion disk extended towards the compact object during its transition from
hard to soft, with the inner radius estimated to be
or ~, dependent on the boundary
condition chosen, assuming the above distance and mass, a spectral hardening
factor and a binary inclination .Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
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