AC Conductance in Dense Array of the Ge0.7_{0.7}Si0.3_{0.3} Quantum Dots in Si

Complex AC-conductance, $\sigma^{AC}$, in the systems with dense Ge$_{0.7}$Si$_{0.3}$ quantum dot (QD) arrays in Si has been determined from simultaneous measurements of attenuation, $\Delta\Gamma=\Gamma(H)-\Gamma(0)$, and velocity, $\Delta V /V=(V(H)-V(0)) / V(0)$, of surface acoustic waves (SAW) with frequencies $f$ = 30-300 MHz as functions of transverse magnetic field $H \leq$ 18 T in the temperature range $T$ = 1-20 K. It has been shown that in the sample with dopant (B) concentration 8.2$\times 10^{11}$ cm$^{-2}$ at temperatures $T \leq$4 K the AC conductivity is dominated by hopping between states localized in different QDs. The observed power-law temperature dependence, $\sigma_1(H=0)\propto T^{2.4}$, and weak frequency dependence, $\sigma_1(H=0)\propto \omega^0$, of the AC conductivity are consistent with predictions of the two-site model for AC hopping conductivity for the case of $\omega \tau_0 \gg$1, where $\omega=2\pi f$ is the SAW angular frequency and $\tau_0$ is the typical population relaxation time. At $T >$ 7 K the AC conductivity is due to thermal activation of the carriers (holes) to the mobility edge. In intermediate temperature region 4$< T<$ 7 K, where AC conductivity is due to a combination of hops between QDs and diffusion on the mobility edge, one succeeded to separate both contributions. Temperature dependence of hopping contribution to the conductivity above $T^*\sim$ 4.5 K saturates, evidencing crossover to the regime where $\omega \tau_0 <$1. From crossover condition, $\omega \tau_0(T^*)$ = 1, the typical value, $\tau_0$, of the relaxation time has been determined.Comment: revtex, 3 pages, 6 figure

Density of States and Conductivity of Granular Metal or Array of Quantum Dots

The conductivity of a granular metal or an array of quantum dots usually has the temperature dependence associated with variable range hopping within the soft Coulomb gap of density of states. This is difficult to explain because neutral dots have a hard charging gap at the Fermi level. We show that uncontrolled or intentional doping of the insulator around dots by donors leads to random charging of dots and finite bare density of states at the Fermi level. Then Coulomb interactions between electrons of distant dots results in the a soft Coulomb gap. We show that in a sparse array of dots the bare density of states oscillates as a function of concentration of donors and causes periodic changes in the temperature dependence of conductivity. In a dense array of dots the bare density of states is totally smeared if there are several donors per dot in the insulator.Comment: 13 pages, 15 figures. Some misprints are fixed. Some figures are dropped. Some small changes are given to improve the organizatio

Correlated electron states and transport in triangular arrays

We study correlated electron states in frustrated geometry of a triangular lattice. The interplay of long range interactions and finite residual entropy of a classical system gives rise to unusual effects in equilibrium ordering as well as in transport. A novel correlated fluid phase is identified in a wide range of densities and temperatures above freezing into commensurate solid phases. The charge dynamics in the correlated phase is described in terms of a height field, its fluctuations, and topological defects. We demonstrate that the height field fluctuations give rise to a ``free'' charge flow and finite dc conductivity. We show that freezing into the solid phase, controlled by the long range interactions, manifests itself in singularities of transport properties.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figure

Staining method for coronary arteries

Detection of elastic and collagen fibers in the same histological section to determine their relationships and quantification is important for connective tissue investigations. The aim of the study was to assess the possibility of differentiated staining of elastic and collagen fibers with resorcin-fuchsin and fast green FCF in the same histological section and compare the result of this method with the results of the classical methods of staining connective tissue, performed according to standard protocols. Material and methods. We studied adult human hearts, obtained from patients who died from non-cardiac causes. We cut tissue sections from the anterior interventricular artery and the underlying myocardium. After formalin fixation, standard processing and embedding in paraffin of the material, histological sections were made. Histological sections were deparaffinized and immersed resorcin-fuchsin for 15 minutes, then stained with Weigert’s iron hematoxylin for 2 minutes, then for 2 minutes were applied to the preparation surface 0.1% solution of fast green FCF mixed with a saturated solution of picric acid immediately before staining in a ratio of 1:10, the histological sections were dehydrated, cleared and mounted in permanent mounting medium. Results. Elastic fibers were dyed in dark blue, and collagen fibers in different shades of green, which made it possible to differentiate them on the basis of color differences in one histological section. Conclusion. We have developed and tested the method of staining, which provides the possibility of simultaneous detection of elastic and collagen fibers with successive staining with solutions of resorcin-fuchsin and fast green FCF on one histological section

Magnetic Gaps related to Spin Glass Order in Fermionic Systems

We provide evidence for spin glass related magnetic gaps in the fermionic density of states below the freezing temperature. Model calculations are presented and proposed to be relevant for explaining resistivity measurements which observe a crossover from variable-range- to activated behavior. The magnetic field dependence of a hardgap and the low temperature decay of the density of states are given. In models with fermion transport a new metal-insulator transition is predicted to occur due to the spin-glass gap, anteceding the spin glass to quantum paramagnet transition at smaller spin density. Important fluctuation effects due to finite range frustrated interactions are estimated and discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 1 Postscript figure, revised version accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter

Absorption of Terahertz Radiation in Ge/Si(001) Heterostructures with Quantum Dots

The terahertz spectra of the dynamic conductivity and radiation absorption coefficient in germanium-silicon heterostructures with arrays of Ge hut clusters (quantum dots) have been measured for the first time in the frequency range of 0.3-1.2 THz at room temperature. It has been found that the effective dynamic conductivity and effective radiation absorption coefficient in the heterostructure due to the presence of germanium quantum dots in it are much larger than the respective quantities of both the bulk Ge single crystal and Ge/Si(001) without arrays of quantum dots. The possible microscopic mechanisms of the detected increase in the absorption in arrays of quantum dots have been discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures; typos correcte

High representation of archaea across all depths in oxic and low-pH sediment layers underlying an acidic stream

Parys Mountain or Mynydd Parys (Isle of Anglesey, United Kingdom) is a mine-impacted environment, which accommodates a variety of acidophilic organisms. Our previous research of water and sediments from one of the surface acidic streams showed a high proportion of archaea in the total microbial community. To understand the spatial distribution of archaea, we sampled cores (0–20 cm) of sediment and conducted chemical analyses and taxonomic profiling of microbiomes using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing in different core layers. The taxonomic affiliation of sequencing reads indicated that archaea represented between 6.2 and 54% of the microbial community at all sediment depths. Majority of archaea were associated with the order Thermoplasmatales, with the most abundant group of sequences being clustered closely with the phylotype B_DKE, followed by “E-plasma,” “A-plasma,” other yet uncultured Thermoplasmatales with Ferroplasma and Cuniculiplasma spp. represented in minor proportions. Thermoplasmatales were found at all depths and in the whole range of chemical conditions with their abundance correlating with sediment Fe, As, Cr, and Mn contents. The bacterial microbiome component was largely composed in all layers of sediment by members of the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Nitrospirae, Firmicutes, uncultured Chloroflexi (AD3 group), and Acidobacteria. This study has revealed a high abundance of Thermoplasmatales in acid mine drainage-affected sediment layers and pointed at these organisms being the main contributors to carbon, and probably to iron and sulfur cycles in this ecosystem

Granular Electronic Systems

A granular metal is an array of metallic nano-particles imbedded into an insulating matrix. Tuning the intergranular coupling strength a granular system can be transformed into either a good metal or an insulator and, in case of superconducting particles, experience superconductor-insulator transition. The ease of adjusting electronic properties of granular metals makes them most suitable for fundamental studies of disordered solids and assures them a fundamental role for nanotechnological applications. This Review discusses recent important theoretical advances in the study of granular metals, emphasizing on the interplay of disorder, quantum effects, fluctuations and effects of confinement in formation of electronic transport and thermodynamic properties of granular materials.Comment: 51 pages, 23 figures, submitted to Reviews of Modern Physic

Quantum Information Processing with Ferroelectrically Coupled Quantum Dots

I describe a proposal to construct a quantum information processor using ferroelectrically coupled Ge/Si quantum dots. The spin of single electrons form the fundamental qubits. Small (<10 nm diameter) Ge quantum dots are optically excited to create spin polarized electrons in Si. The static polarization of an epitaxial ferroelectric thin film confines electrons laterally in the semiconductor; spin interactions between nearest neighbor electrons are mediated by the nonlinear process of optical rectification. Single qubit operations are achieved through "g-factor engineering" in the Ge/Si structures; spin-spin interactions occur through Heisenberg exchange, controlled by ferroelectric gates. A method for reading out the final state, while required for quantum computing, is not described; electronic approaches involving single electron transistors may prove fruitful in satisfying this requirement.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure