3,905 research outputs found
Coherent transport through graphene nanoribbons in the presence of edge disorder
We simulate electron transport through graphene nanoribbons of experimentally
realizable size (length L up to 2 micrometer, width W approximately 40 nm) in
the presence of scattering at rough edges. Our numerical approach is based on a
modular recursive Green's function technique that features sub-linear scaling
with L of the computational effort. We identify the influence of the broken A-B
sublattice (or chiral) symmetry and of K-K' scattering by Fourier spectroscopy
of individual scattering states. For long ribbons we find Anderson-localized
scattering states with a well-defined exponential decay over 10 orders of
magnitude in amplitude.Comment: 8 pages, 6 Figure
Effective medium theory of elastic waves in random networks of rods
We formulate an effective medium (mean field) theory of a material consisting
of randomly distributed nodes connected by straight slender rods, hinged at the
nodes. Defining novel wavelength-dependent effective elastic moduli, we
calculate both the static moduli and the dispersion relations of ultrasonic
longitudinal and transverse elastic waves. At finite wave vector the waves
are dispersive, with phase and group velocities decreasing with increasing wave
vector. These results are directly applicable to networks with empty pore
space. They also describe the solid matrix in two-component (Biot) theories of
fluid-filled porous media. We suggest the possibility of low density materials
with higher ratios of stiffness and strength to density than those of foams,
aerogels or trabecular bone.Comment: 14 pp., 3 fig
Localized modes in defective multilayer structures
In this paper, the localized surface modes in a defective multilayer
structure has been investigated. It is shown that the defective multilayer
structures can support two different kind of localized modes depending on the
position and the thickness of the defect layer. One of these modes is localized
at the interface between the multilayer structure and a homogeneous medium (the
so-called surface mode) and the other one is localized at the defect layer
(defect localized mode). We reveal that the presence of defect layer pushes the
dispersion curve of surface modes to the lower or the upper edge of the
photonic bandgap depending on the homogeneous medium is a left-handed or
right-handed medium (e.g. vacuum), respectively. So, the existence region of
the surface modes restricted. Moreover, the effect of defect on the energy flow
velocity of the surface modes is discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figure
Is there Ornstein-Zernike equation in the canonical ensemble?
A general density-functional formalism using an extended variable-space is
presented for classical fluids in the canonical ensemble (CE). An exact
equation is derived that plays the role of the Ornstein-Zernike (OZ) equation
in the grand canonical ensemble (GCE). When applied to the ideal gas we obtain
the exact result for the total correlation function h_N. For a homogeneous
fluid with N particles the new equation only differs from OZ by 1/N and it
allows to obtain an approximate expression for h_N in terms of its GCE
counterpart that agrees with the expansion of h_N in powers of 1/N.Comment: 5 pages, RevTeX. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Electromigration in thin tunnel junctions with ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic: nanoconstrictions, local heating, and direct and wind forces
Current Induced Resistance Switching (CIS) was recently observed in thin
tunnel junctions with ferromagnetic (FM) electrodes \emph{i.e} FM/I/FM. This
effect was attributed to electromigration of metallic atoms in
nanoconstrictions in the insulating barrier (I). Here we study how the CIS
effect is influenced by a thin non-magnetic (NM) Ta layer, deposited just below
the AlO insulating barrier in tunnel junctions of the type FM/NM/I/FM
(FM=CoFe). Enhanced resistance switching occurs with increasing maximum applied
current (\Imax), until a plateau of constant CIS is reached for \Imax\sim65
mA (CIS60%) and above. However, such high electrical currents also lead
to a large (9%) irreversible resistance decrease, indicating barrier
degradation. Anomalous voltage-current characteristics with negative derivative
were also observed near \pm\Imax and this effect is here attributed to
heating in the tunnel junction. One observes that the current direction for
which resistance switches in FM/NM/I/FM (clockwise) is opposite to that of
FM/I/FM tunnel junctions (anti-clockwise). This effect will be discussed in
terms of a competition between the electromigration contributions due to the so
called direct and wind forces. It will be shown that the direct force is likely
to dominate electromigration in the Ta (NM) layers, while the wind contribution
likely dominates in the CoFe (FM) layers
Relationship between macroscopic physical properties and local distortions of low doping La{1-x}Ca{x}MnO3: an EXAFS study
A temperature-dependent EXAFS investigation of La{1-x}Ca{x}MnO3 is presented
for the concentration range that spans the ferromagnetic-insulator (FMI) to
ferromagnetic-metal (FMM) transition region, x = 0.16-0.22. The samples are
insulating for x = 0.16-0.2 and show a metal/insulator transition for x = 0.22.
All samples are ferromagnetic although the saturation magnetization for the 16%
Ca sample is only ~ 70% of the expected value at 0.4T. We find that the FMI
samples have similar correlations between changes in the local Mn-O distortions
and the magnetization as observed previously for the colossal magnetoresistance
(CMR) samples (0.2 < x < 0.5) - except that the FMI samples never become fully
magnetized. The data show that there are at least two distinct types of
distortions. The initial distortions removed as the insulating sample becomes
magnetized are small and provides direct evidence that roughly 50% of the Mn
sites have a small distortion/site and are magnetized first. The large
remaining Mn-O distortions at low T are attributed to a small fraction of
Jahn-Teller-distorted Mn sites that are either antiferromagnetically ordered or
unmagnetized. Thus the insulating samples are very similar to the behavior of
the CMR samples up to the point at which the M/I transition occurs for the CMR
materials. The lack of metallic conductivity for x <= 0.2, when 50% or more of
the sample is magnetic, implies that there must be preferred magnetized Mn
sites and that such sites do not percolate at these concentrations.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev.
Instanton Calculus of Lifshitz Tails
For noninteracting particles moving in a Gaussian random potential, there
exists a disagreement in the literature on the asymptotic expression for the
density of states in the tail of the band. We resolve this discrepancy. Further
we illuminate the physical facet of instantons appearing in replica and
supersymmetric derivations with another derivation employing a Lagrange
multiplier field.Comment: 5 page
EFFECT OF HABITAT AND FORAGING HEIGHT ON BAT ACTIVITY IN THE COASTAL PLAIN OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) populations on the Great Lakes expanded greatly during the past 2 decades. On Lake Erie, the number of breeding cormorants increased from 174 birds (87 nests) in 1979 to 26,542 (13,271 nests) in 2000. In 2000, 81% of the breeding population was on 2 western-basin islands (East Sister and Middle Islands). The plant communities on these islands represent some of the last remnants of Carolinian vegetation in Canada. Our study is the first to quantitatively assess the relationship between the distribution of nesting cormorants and forest health. On East Sister Island, 2 measures of forest cover were obtained using infrared aerial photographs and ground-based measurements of leaf area index. These measures of forest cover were correlated (rs = 0.70, P < 0.001), which validated the use of remotely sensed data to assess forest cover. Cormorant nest density was negatively correlated with tree cover on both East Sister and Middle Islands. Temporal comparisons of Middle Island data indicated a reduction in tree cover from 1995 to 2001, and these reductions coincided with a large increase in the island's cormorant population. Although correlational in nature, our results suggest that cormorants may be detrimentally affecting island forests
Dynamical structure factor of a nonlinear Klein-Gordon lattice
The quantum modes of a nonlinear Klein-Gordon lattice have been computed
numerically [L. Proville, Phys. Rev. B 71, 104306 (2005)]. The on-site
nonlinearity has been found to lead to phonon bound states. In the present
paper, we compute numerically the dynamical structure factor so as to simulate
the coherent scattering cross section at low temperature. The inelastic
contribution is studied as a function of the on-site anharmonicity.
Interestingly, our numerical method is not limited to the weak anharmonicity
and permits one to study thoroughly the spectra of nonlinear phonons
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