The theoretical DFT study of electronic structure of thin Si/SiO2 quantum nanodots and nanowires

The atomic and electronic structure of a set of proposed thin (1.6 nm in diameter) silicon/silica quantum nanodots and nanowires with narrow interface, as well as parent metastable silicon structures (1.2 nm in diameter), was studied in cluster and PBC approaches using B3LYP/6-31G* and PW PP LDA approximations. The total density of states (TDOS) of the smallest quasispherical silicon quantum dot (Si85) corresponds well to the TDOS of the bulk silicon. The elongated silicon nanodots and 1D nanowires demonstrate the metallic nature of the electronic structure. The surface oxidized layer opens the bandgap in the TDOS of the Si/SiO2 species. The top of the valence band and the bottom of conductivity band of the particles are formed by the silicon core derived states. The energy width of the bandgap is determined by the length of the Si/SiO2 clusters and demonstrates inverse dependence upon the size of the nanostructures. The theoretical data describes the size confinement effect in photoluminescence spectra of the silica embedded nanocrystalline silicon with high accuracy.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Reading-out the state of a flux qubit by Josephson transmission line solitons

We describe the read-out process of the state of a Josephson flux qubit via solitons in Josephson transmission lines (JTL) as they are in use in the standard rapid single flux quantum (RSFQ) technology. We consider the situation where the information about the state of the qubit is stored in the time delay of the soliton. We analyze dissipative underdamped JTLs, take into account their jitter, and provide estimates of the measuring time and efficiency of the measurement for relevant experimental parameters.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figure

Thermokarst Landscape Development Detected by Multiple-Geospatial Data in Churapcha, Eastern Siberia

Thermokarst is a typical process that indicates widespread permafrost degradation in yedoma landscapes. The Lena-Aldan interfluvial area in Central Yakutia in eastern Siberia is now facing extensive landscape changes with surface subsidence due to thermokarst development during the past few decades. To clarify the spatial extent and rate of subsidence, multiple spatial datasets, including GIS and remote sensing observations, were used to analyze the Churapcha rural locality, which has a typical yedoma landscape in Central Yakutia. Land cover classification maps for 1945 and 2009 provide basic information on anthropogenic disturbance to the natural landscape of boreal forest and dry grassland. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) with ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 data revealed activated surface subsidence of 2 cm/yr in the disturbed area, comprising mainly abandoned agricultural fields. Remote sensing with an unmanned aerial system also provided high-resolution information on polygonal relief formed by thermokarst development at a disused airfield where InSAR analysis exhibited extensive subsidence. It is worth noting that some historically deforested areas have likely recovered to the original landscape without further thermokarst development. Spatial information on historical land-use change is helpful because most areas with thermokarst development correspond to locations where land was used by humans in the past. Going forward, the integrated analysis of geospatial information will be essential for assessing permafrost degradation

Polynomial unconstrained binary optimisation inspired by optical simulation

We propose an algorithm inspired by optical coherent Ising machines to solve the problem of polynomial unconstrained binary optimisation (PUBO). We benchmark the proposed algorithm against existing PUBO algorithms on the extended Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model and random third-degree polynomial pseudo-Boolean functions, and observe its superior performance. We also address instances of practically relevant computational problems such as protein folding and electronic structure calculations with problem sizes not accessible to existing quantum annealing devices. In particular, we successfully find the lowest-energy conformation of lattice protein molecules containing up to eleven amino-acids. The application of our algorithm to quantum chemistry sheds light on the shortcomings of approximating the electronic structure problem by a PUBO problem, which, in turn, puts into question the applicability of quantum annealers in this context.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Optical activity induced by curvature in a gravitational pp-wave background

We study optical activity induced by curvature. The optical activity model we present has two phenomenological gyration parameters, within which we analyze three model cases, namely, an exactly integrable model, the Landau-Lifshitz model and the Fedorov model, these latter two are solved in the short wavelength approximation. The model background is a gravitational pp-wave. The solutions show that the optical activity induced by curvature leads to Faraday rotation.Comment: 16 pages, late

Magnetic Dirac semimetal state of (Mn,Ge)Bi2_2Te4_4

For quantum electronics, the possibility to finely tune the properties of magnetic topological insulators (TIs) is a key issue. We studied solid solutions between two isostructural Z$_2$ TIs, magnetic MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ and nonmagnetic GeBi$_2$Te$_4$, with Z$_2$ invariants of 1;000 and 1;001, respectively. For high-quality, large mixed crystals of Ge$_x$Mn$_{1-x}$Bi$_2$Te$_4$, we observed linear x-dependent magnetic properties, composition-independent pairwise exchange interactions along with an easy magnetization axis. The bulk band gap gradually decreases to zero for $x$ from 0 to 0.4, before reopening for $x>0.6$, evidencing topological phase transitions (TPTs) between topologically nontrivial phases and the semimetal state. The TPTs are driven purely by the variation of orbital contributions. By tracing the x-dependent $6p$ contribution to the states near the fundamental gap, the effective spin-orbit coupling variation is extracted. As $x$ varies, the maximum of this contribution switches from the valence to the conduction band, thereby driving two TPTs. The gapless state observed at $x=0.42$ closely resembles a Dirac semimetal above the Neel temperature and shows a magnetic gap below, which is clearly visible in raw photoemission data. The observed behavior of the Ge$_x$Mn$_{1-x}$Bi$_2$Te$_4$ system thereby demonstrates an ability to precisely control topological and magnetic properties of TIs

OPPORTUNITY ESTIMATION OF OPTICAL METHOD APPLICATION IN PROBLEM OF KINEMATIC CHARACTERISTICS REGISTRATION OF DYNAMIC INDENTING PROCESS

Subject of Research. A stereoscopic method of technical vision is proposed for recording the kinematic characteristics of the dynamic indentation process in determining the physico-mechanical properties of materials. The proposed method makes it possible to determine the values of the indenter motion speed with high accuracy. Method. The method is based on the use of two high-speed video cameras immovably fixed on one flat platform. Cameras allow for synchronous recording of the indentation process. The objectives and orientation of cameras in the stereo system provide intersection of the visual fields and the required depth of the image space field. Measurement of the movement speed is performed by triangulation method. The distance between the conjugate points of the recorded object on the stereo images is inversely proportional to the distance between the pair of cameras and the corresponding point of the object in the three-dimensional space. Based on the analysis of images obtained by spatially separated cameras, the coordinates of the object point are determined. Main Results. The experimental setup consisted of two high-speed monochrome camcorders Evercam 4000-32-M, rigidly fixed through stereo. Synchronous recording was kept at a speed of 4000 frames/s with a resolution of 1280 × 860 pixels. The indenter was made in the form of a steel ball with a mass of 230 g with a diameter of 38 mm and fell onto an aluminum disk 10 mm thick from a height of 310 mm. Video images from cameras were transferred to a personal computer for processing. The analysis of the obtained data was carried out in the MATLAB system with the help of a specially written software module. The sensitivity of the proposed method made it possible to determine confidently the values of the maximum approach speed of a steel ball equal to 2.39 m/s and a rebound velocity of 1.2 m/s. The random component of the method error did not exceed 2.5%. Practical Relevance. The development of this approach will enable to create high-precision sensors of dynamic indentation. The research results may be of interest to specialists involved in metrological support and non-destructive testing of materials and products in various fields of engineering and construction