5,590 research outputs found
Singlet-triplet relaxation induced by confined phonons in nanowire-based quantum dots
The singlet-triplet relaxation in nanowire-based quantum dots induced by
confined phonons is investigated theoretically. Due to the
quasi-one-dimensional nature of the confined phonons, the singlet-triplet
relaxation rates exhibit multi-peaks as function of magnetic field and the
relaxation rate between the singlet and the spin up triplet state is found to
be enhanced at the vicinity of the singlet-triplet anti-crossing. We compare
the effect of the deformation-potential coupling and the piezoelectric coupling
and find that the deformation-potential coupling dominates the relaxation rates
in most cases.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
The Acidic Hydrolysis of Some Hydroxyanilides
Available evidence concerning the mechanism of acid catalysed amide hydrolysis and the roles played by intramolecular hydroxyl groups are briefly reviewed. Methods of treating kinetic and equilibrium data obtained from studies of reactions in moderately concentrated mineral acids are summarized. The rate enhancements observed upon the inclusion of a gamma or delta hydroxyl group in alkyl anilides are thought to be the result of a greater availability of a nucleophilic species at the reaction centre. The possible significance which can be given to the results of hydration parameter and linear free energy treatments of rate data from moderately concentrated acids is discussed. These parameters at least indicate that water performs another function besides that of nucleophile in acid catalysed amide hydrolysis. All kinetic parameters derived indicate that the intramolecular and intermolecular reactions proceed by similar mechanisms. A study was carried out of the acid catalysed lactonization of some bicyclic and olefinic hydroxy anilides in which the reactive groups are held in constant close proximity. Abnormal absorbance changes over normal anilide acid catalysed hydrolysis indicate that the reactions being monitored have changed in some way. It is suggested that the rate determining step in the reaction has altered. Two mechanisms for the reaction are proposed
Detection of Tiny Mechanical Motion by Means of the Ratchet Effect
We propose a position detection scheme for a nanoelectromechanical resonator
based on the ratchet effect. This scheme has an advantage of being a dc
measurement. We consider a three-junction SQUID where a part of the
superconducting loop can perform mechanical motion. The response of the ratchet
to a dc current is sensitive to the position of the resonator and the effect
can be further enhanced by biasing the SQUID with an ac current. We discuss the
feasibility of the proposed scheme in existing experimental setups.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure
Response of discrete nonlinear systems with many degrees of freedom
We study the response of a large array of coupled nonlinear oscillators to
parametric excitation, motivated by the growing interest in the nonlinear
dynamics of microelectromechanical and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS and
NEMS). Using a multiscale analysis, we derive an amplitude equation that
captures the slow dynamics of the coupled oscillators just above the onset of
parametric oscillations. The amplitude equation that we derive here from first
principles exhibits a wavenumber dependent bifurcation similar in character to
the behavior known to exist in fluids undergoing the Faraday wave instability.
We confirm this behavior numerically and make suggestions for testing it
experimentally with MEMS and NEMS resonators.Comment: Version 2 is an expanded version of the article, containing detailed
steps of the derivation that were left out in version 1, but no additional
result
Metastability and the Casimir Effect in Micromechanical Systems
Electrostatic and Casimir interactions limit the range of positional
stability of electrostatically-actuated or capacitively-coupled mechanical
devices. We investigate this range experimentally for a generic system
consisting of a doubly-clamped Au suspended beam, capacitively-coupled to an
adjacent stationary electrode. The mechanical properties of the beam, both in
the linear and nonlinear regimes, are monitored as the attractive forces are
increased to the point of instability. There "pull-in" occurs, resulting in
permanent adhesion between the electrodes. We investigate, experimentally and
theoretically, the position-dependent lifetimes of the free state (existing
prior to pull-in). We find that the data cannot be accounted for by simple
theory; the discrepancy may be reflective of internal structural instabilities
within the metal electrodes.Comment: RevTex, 4 pages, 4 figure
Polysemy in the mental lexicon: relatedness and frequency affect representational overlap
Meaning relatedness affects storage of ambiguous words in the mental lexicon: unrelated meanings(homonymy) are stored separately whereas related senses (polysemy) are stored as one large representational entry. We hypothesised that word frequency could have similar effects on storage, with low-frequency words having high representational overlap and high-frequency words having low representational overlap. Participants performed lexical decision or semantic
categorisation to high- and low-frequency nouns with few and many senses. Results showed a three-way interaction between frequency, task type, and polysemy. Low-frequency words showed a polysemy advantage with lexical decision but a polysemy disadvantage with semantic categorisation, whereas high-frequency words showed the opposite pattern. These results confirmed our hypothesis that relatedness and word frequency have similar effects on storage of ambiguous words
Qubit-induced phonon blockade as a signature of quantum behavior in nanomechanical resonators
The observation of quantized nanomechanical oscillations by detecting
femtometer-scale displacements is a significant challenge for experimentalists.
We propose that phonon blockade can serve as a signature of quantum behavior in
nanomechanical resonators. In analogy to photon blockade and Coulomb blockade
for electrons, the main idea for phonon blockade is that the second phonon
cannot be excited when there is one phonon in the nonlinear oscillator. To
realize phonon blockade, a superconducting quantum two-level system is coupled
to the nanomechanical resonator and is used to induce the phonon
self-interaction. Using Monte Carlo simulations, the dynamics of the induced
nonlinear oscillator is studied via the Cahill-Glauber -parametrized
quasiprobability distributions. We show how the oscillation of the resonator
can occur in the quantum regime and demonstrate how the phonon blockade can be
observed with currently accessible experimental parameters
Superconducting Qubits Coupled to Nanoelectromechanical Resonators: An Architecture for Solid-State Quantum Information Processing
We describe the design for a scalable, solid-state
quantum-information-processing architecture based on the integration of
GHz-frequency nanomechanical resonators with Josephson tunnel junctions, which
has the potential for demonstrating a variety of single- and multi-qubit
operations critical to quantum computation. The computational qubits are
eigenstates of large-area, current-biased Josephson junctions, manipulated and
measured using strobed external circuitry. Two or more of these phase qubits
are capacitively coupled to a high-quality-factor piezoelectric
nanoelectromechanical disk resonator, which forms the backbone of our
architecture, and which enables coherent coupling of the qubits. The integrated
system is analogous to one or more few-level atoms (the Josephson junction
qubits) in an electromagnetic cavity (the nanomechanical resonator). However,
unlike existing approaches using atoms in electromagnetic cavities, here we can
individually tune the level spacing of the ``atoms'' and control their
``electromagnetic'' interaction strength. We show theoretically that quantum
states prepared in a Josephson junction can be passed to the nanomechanical
resonator and stored there, and then can be passed back to the original
junction or transferred to another with high fidelity. The resonator can also
be used to produce maximally entangled Bell states between a pair of Josephson
junctions. Many such junction-resonator complexes can assembled in a
hub-and-spoke layout, resulting in a large-scale quantum circuit. Our proposed
architecture combines desirable features of both solid-state and cavity quantum
electrodynamics approaches, and could make quantum information processing
possible in a scalable, solid-state environment.Comment: 20 pages, 14 separate low-resolution jpeg figure
Sexual behaviour in the face of risk : preliminary results from first AIDS-related surveys
Preliminary results are presented from nationally representative surveys of the adult populations of five African countries, conducted in 1989 and 1990. General awareness of AIDS was high, as was knowledge of sexual transmission. In four of the five surveys, large proportions, from 25 to 64 per cent, of both men and women perceived themselves to have a high or moderate risk of HIV infection. High proportions also reported that they had modified their behaviour typically by more care in selecting partners or greater faithfulness. Greater use of condoms was mentioned rarely. The results, particularly on behavioural change, should not be interpreted literally. But the fact that so many report modification of behaviour at least suggests a willingness to contemplate the need for change. The prognosis would have been much worse, had these surveys indicated widespread denial of risk and unwillingness to consider changes in behaviour
Heat capacity of a thin membrane at very low temperature
We calculate the dependence of heat capacity of a free standing thin membrane
on its thickness and temperature. A remarkable fact is that for a given
temperature there exists a minimum in the dependence of the heat capacity on
the thickness. The ratio of the heat capacity to its minimal value for a given
temperature is a universal function of the ratio of the thickness to its value
corresponding to the minimum. The minimal value of the heat capacitance for
given temperature is proportional to the temperature squared. Our analysis can
be used, in particular, for optimizing support membranes for microbolometers
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