Surfactant-Mediated Epitaxial Growth of Single-Layer Graphene in an Unconventional Orientation on SiC

We report the use of a surfactant molecule during the epitaxy of graphene on SiC(0001) that leads to the growth in an unconventional orientation, namely $R0^\circ$ rotation with respect to the SiC lattice. It yields a very high-quality single-layer graphene with a uniform orientation with respect to the substrate, on the wafer scale. We find an increased quality and homogeneity compared to the approach based on the use of a pre-oriented template to induce the unconventional orientation. Using spot profile analysis low energy electron diffraction, angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, and the normal incidence x-ray standing wave technique, we assess the crystalline quality and coverage of the graphene layer. Combined with the presence of a covalently-bound graphene layer in the conventional orientation underneath, our surfactant-mediated growth offers an ideal platform to prepare epitaxial twisted bilayer graphene via intercalation.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Electron energy loss spectroscopy with parallel readout of energy and momentum

We introduce a high energy resolution electron source that matches the requirements for parallel readout of energy and momentum of modern hemispherical electron energy analyzers. The system is designed as an add-on device to typical photoemission chambers. Due to the multiplex gain, a complete phonon dispersion of a Cu(111) surface was measured in seven minutes with 4 meV energy resolution

A novel high-current, high-resolution, low-kinetic-energy electron source for inverse photoemission spectroscopy

A high-current electron source for inverse photoemission spectroscopy (IPES) is described. The source comprises a thermal cathode electron emission system, an electrostatic deflector-monochromator, and a lens system for variable kinetic energy (1.6 - 20 eV) at the target. When scaled to the energy resolution, the electron current is an order of magnitude higher than that of previously described electron sources developed in the context of electron energy loss spectroscopy. Surprisingly, the experimentally measured energy resolution turned out to be significantly better than calculated by standard programs, which include the electron-electron repulsion in the continuum approximation. The achieved currents are also significantly higher than predicted. We attribute this "inverse Boersch-effect" to a mechanism of velocity selection in the forward direction by binary electron-electron collisions

The Diffusion of Humans and Cultures in the Course of the Spread of Farming

The most profound change in the relationship between humans and their environment was the introduction of agriculture and pastoralism. [....] For an understanding of the expansion process, it appears appropriate to apply a diffusive model. Broadly, these numerical modeling approaches can be catego- rized in correlative, continuous and discrete. Common to all approaches is the comparison to collections of radiocarbon data that show the apparent wave of advance of the transition to farming. However, these data sets differ in entry density and data quality. Often they disregard local and regional specifics and research gaps, or dating uncertainties. Thus, most of these data bases may only be used on a very general, broad scale. One of the pitfalls of using irregularly spaced or irregularly documented radiocarbon data becomes evident from the map generated by Fort (this volume, Chapter 16): while the general east-west and south-north trends become evident, some areas appear as having undergone anomalously early transitions to farming. This may be due to faulty entries into the data base or regional problems with radiocarbon dating, if not unnoticed or undocumented laboratory mistakes.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Diffusive Spreading in Nature, Technology and Society, edited by Armin Bunde, J\"urgen Caro, J\"org K\"arger, Gero Vogl, Chapter 1

Effects of Strong Magnetic Fields on Neutron Star Structure

We study static neutron stars with poloidal magnetic fields and a simple class of electric current distributions consistent with the requirement of stationarity. For this class of electric current distributions, we find that magnetic fields are too large for static configurations to exist when the magnetic force pushes a sufficient amount of mass off-center that the gravitational force points outward near the origin in the equatorial plane. (In our coordinates an outward gravitational force corresponds to $\partial\ln g_{tt}/\partial r>0$, where $t$ and $r$ are respectively time and radial coordinates and $g_{tt}$ is coefficient of $dt^2$ in the line element.) For the equations of state (EOSs) employed in previous work, we obtain configurations of higher mass than had been reported; we also present results with more recent EOSs. For all EOSs studied, we find that the maximum mass among these static configurations with magnetic fields is noticeably larger than the maximum mass attainable by uniform rotation, and that for fixed values of baryon number the maximum mass configurations are all characterized by an off-center density maximum.Comment: Submitted to the Astrophysical Journal. 37 pages, 8 figures, uses aastex macro

A study of the static yield stress in a binary Lennard-Jones glass

The stress-strain relations and the yield behavior of model glass (a 80:20 binary Lennard-Jones mixture) is studied by means of MD simulations. First, a thorough analysis of the static yield stress is presented via simulations under imposed stress. Furthermore, using steady shear simulations, the effect of physical aging, shear rate and temperature on the stress-strain relation is investigated. In particular, we find that the stress at the yield point (the ``peak''-value of the stress-strain curve) exhibits a logarithmic dependence both on the imposed shear rate and on the ``age'' of the system in qualitative agreement with experiments on amorphous polymers and on metallic glasses. In addition to the very observation of the yield stress which is an important feature seen in experiments on complex systems like pastes, dense colloidal suspensions and foams, further links between our model and soft glassy materials are found. An example are hysteresis loops in the system response to a varying imposed stress. Finally, we measure the static yield stress for our model and study its dependence on temperature. We find that for temperatures far below the mode coupling critical temperature of the model ($Tc = 0.435$), \sigmay decreases slowly upon heating followed by a stronger decrease as \Tc is approached. We discuss the reliability of results on the static yield stress and give a criterion for its validity in terms of the time scales relevant to the problem.Comment: 14 pages, 18 figure

Quark-hadron phase transition in a neutron star under strong magnetic fields

We study the effect of a strong magnetic field on the properties of neutron stars with a quark-hadron phase transition. It is shown that the magnetic field prevents the appearance of a quark phase, enhances the leptonic fraction, decreases the baryonic density extension of the mixed phase and stiffens the total equation of state, including both the stellar matter and the magnetic field contributions. Two parametrisations of a density dependent static magnetic field, increasing, respectively, fast and slowly with the density and reaching $2-4\times 10^{18}$G in the center of the star, are considered. The compact stars with strong magnetic fields have maximum mass configurations with larger masses and radius and smaller quark fractions. The parametrisation of the magnetic field with density has a strong influence on the star properties.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, 8 tables, accepted for publication in J. Phys.

The Influence of the Magnetic Field on the Properties of Neutron Star Matter

In the mean field approximation of the relativistic $\sigma$-$\omega$-$\rho$ model, the magnetic fields are incorporated, and its influence on the properties of n-p-e neutron star matter are studied. When the strength of the magnetic field is weaker than $\sim 10^{18}$G, the particle fractions and chemical potentials, matter energy density and pressure hardly change with the magnetic field; when the strength of the magnetic field is stronger than $\sim 10^{20}$G, the above quantities change with the magnetic field evidently. Furthermore, the pressure is studied in both thermodynamics and hydrodynamics. The difference between these two ways exits in the high density region, that is, the thermal self-consistency may not be satisfied in this region if the magnetic field is considered.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, "Non-Perturbative Quantum Field Theory: Lattice and Beyond", Guangzhou, Chin

Anomalous behavior of pion production in high energy particle collisions

A shape of invariant differential cross section for charged hadron production as function of transverse momentum measured in various collider experiments is analyzed. Contrary to the behavior of produced charged kaons, protons and antiprotons, the pion spectra require an anomalously high contribution of an exponential term to describe the shape.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure

Analytical Approach to the Local Contact Potential Difference on (001) Ionic Surfaces: Implications for Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy

An analytical model of the electrostatic force between the tip of a non-contact Atomic Force Microscope (nc-AFM) and the (001) surface of an ionic crystal is reported. The model is able to account for the atomic contrast of the local contact potential difference (CPD) observed while nc-AFM-based Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) experiments. With the goal in mind to put in evidence this short-range electrostatic force, the Madelung potential arising at the surface of the ionic crystal is primarily derived. The expression of the force which is deduced can be split into two major contributions: the first stands for the coupling between the microscopic structure of the tip apex and the capacitor formed between the tip, the ionic crystal and the counter-electrode; the second term depicts the influence of the Madelung surface potential on the mesoscopic part of the tip, independently from its microscopic structure. These short-range electrostatic forces are in the range of ten pico-Newtons. When explicitly considering the crystal polarization, an analytical expression of the bias voltage to be applied on the tip to compensate for the local CPD, i.e. to cancel the short-range electrostatic force, is derived. The compensated CPD has the lateral periodicity of the Madelung surface potential. However, the strong dependence on the tip geometry, the applied modulation voltage as well as the tip-sample distance, which can even lead to an overestimation of the real surface potential, makes quantitative KPFM measurements of the local CPD extremely difficult