716 research outputs found
Origins of plateau formation in ion energy spectra under target normal sheath acceleration
Target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) is a method employed in
laser--matter interaction experiments to accelerate light ions (usually
protons). Laser setups with durations of a few 10 fs and relatively low
intensity contrasts observe plateau regions in their ion energy spectra when
shooting on thin foil targets with thicknesses of order 10 m. In
this paper we identify a mechanism which explains this phenomenon using one
dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Fast electrons generated from the
laser interaction recirculate back and forth through the target, giving rise to
time-oscillating charge and current densities at the target backside. Periodic
decreases in the electron density lead to transient disruptions of the TNSA
sheath field: peaks in the ion spectra form as a result, which are then spread
in energy from a modified potential driven by further electron recirculation.
The ratio between the laser pulse duration and the recirculation period
(dependent on the target thickness, including the portion of the pre-plasma
which is denser than the critical density) determines if a plateau forms in the
energy spectra.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figure
Measurements of a Quantum Dot with an Impedance-Matching On-Chip LC Resonator at GHz Frequencies
We report the realization of a bonded-bridge on-chip superconducting coil and
its use in impedance-matching a highly ohmic quantum dot (QD) to a
measurement setup. The coil, modeled as a lumped-element resonator, is
more compact and has a wider bandwidth than resonators based on coplanar
transmission lines (e.g. impedance transformers and stub tuners) at
potentially better signal-to-noise ratios. In particular for measurements of
radiation emitted by the device, such as shot noise, the 50 larger
bandwidth reduces the time to acquire the spectral density. The resonance
frequency, close to 3.25 GHz, is three times higher than that of the one
previously reported wire-bonded coil. As a proof of principle, we fabricated an
circuit that achieves impedance-matching to a load
and validate it with a load defined by a carbon nanotube QD of which we measure
the shot noise in the Coulomb blockade regime.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Interpretation of runaway electron synchrotron and bremsstrahlung images
The crescent spot shape observed in DIII-D runaway electron synchrotron
radiation images is shown to result from the high degree of anisotropy in the
emitted radiation, the finite spectral range of the camera and the distribution
of runaways. The finite spectral camera range is found to be particularly
important, as the radiation from the high-field side can be stronger by a
factor than the radiation from the low-field side in DIII-D. By
combining a kinetic model of the runaway dynamics with a synthetic synchrotron
diagnostic we see that physical processes not described by the kinetic model
(such as radial transport) are likely to be limiting the energy of the
runaways. We show that a population of runaways with lower dominant energies
and larger pitch-angles than those predicted by the kinetic model provide a
better match to the synchrotron measurements. Using a new synthetic
bremsstrahlung diagnostic we also simulate the view of the Gamma Ray Imager
(GRI) diagnostic used at DIII-D to resolve the spatial distribution of
runaway-generated bremsstrahlung.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figure
Finite bias Cooper pair splitting
In a device with a superconductor coupled to two parallel quantum dots (QDs)
the electrical tunability of the QD levels can be used to exploit non-classical
current correlations due to the splitting of Cooper pairs. We experimentally
investigate the effect of a finite potential difference across one quantum dot
on the conductance through the other completely grounded QD in a Cooper pair
splitter fabricated on an InAs nanowire. We demonstrate that the electrical
transport through the device can be tuned by electrical means to be dominated
either by Cooper pair splitting (CPS), or by elastic co-tunneling (EC). The
basic experimental findings can be understood by considering the energy
dependent density of states in a QD. The reported experiments add
bias-dependent spectroscopy to the investigative tools necessary to develop
CPS-based sources of entangled electrons in solid-state devices.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Wet etch methods for InAs nanowire patterning and self-aligned electrical contacts
Advanced synthesis of semiconductor nanowires (NWs) enables their application
in diverse fields, notably in chemical and electrical sensing, photovoltaics,
or quantum electronic devices. In particular, Indium Arsenide (InAs) NWs are an
ideal platform for quantum devices, e.g. they may host topological Majorana
states. While the synthesis has been continously perfected, only few techniques
were developed to tailor individual NWs after growth. Here we present three wet
chemical etch methods for the post-growth morphological engineering of InAs NWs
on the sub-100 nm scale. The first two methods allow the formation of
self-aligned electrical contacts to etched NWs, while the third method results
in conical shaped NW profiles ideal for creating smooth electrical potential
gradients and shallow barriers. Low temperature experiments show that NWs with
etched segments have stable transport characteristics and can serve as building
blocks of quantum electronic devices. As an example we report the formation of
a single electrically stable quantum dot between two etched NW segments.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
Effect of partially-screened nuclei on fast-electron dynamics
We analyze the dynamics of fast electrons in plasmas containing partially
ionized impurity atoms, where the screening effect of bound electrons must be
included. We derive analytical expressions for the deflection and slowing-down
frequencies, and show that they are increased significantly compared to the
results obtained with complete screening, already at sub-relativistic electron
energies. Furthermore, we show that the modifications to the deflection and
slowing down frequencies are of equal importance in describing the runaway
current evolution. Our results greatly affect fast-electron dynamics and have
important implications, e.g. for the efficacy of mitigation strategies for
runaway electrons in tokamak devices, and energy loss during relativistic
breakdown in atmospheric discharges.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, fixed minor typo
Classical Aspects of Quantum Walls in One Dimension
We investigate the system of a particle moving on a half line x >= 0 under
the general walls at x = 0 that are permitted quantum mechanically. These
quantum walls, characterized by a parameter L, are shown to be realized as a
limit of regularized potentials. We then study the classical aspects of the
quantum walls, by seeking a classical counterpart which admits the same time
delay in scattering with the quantum wall, and also by examining the
WKB-exactness of the transition kernel based on the regularized potentials. It
is shown that no classical counterpart exists for walls with L < 0, and that
the WKB-exactness can hold only for L = 0 and L = infinity.Comment: TeX, 21 pages, 4 figures. v2: some parts of the text improved, new
and improved figure
Enhancement of laser-driven ion acceleration in non-periodic nanostructured targets
Using particle-in-cell simulations, we demonstrate an improvement of the
target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) of protons in non-periodically
nanostructured targets with micron-scale thickness. Compared to standard flat
foils, an increase in the proton cutoff energy by up to a factor of two is
observed in foils coated with nanocones or perforated with nanoholes. The
latter nano-perforated foils yield the highest enhancement, which we show to be
robust over a broad range of foil thicknesses and hole diameters. The
improvement of TNSA performance results from more efficient hot-electron
generation, caused by a more complex laser-electron interaction geometry and
increased effective interaction area and duration. We show that TNSA is
optimized for a nanohole distribution of relatively low areal density and that
is not required to be periodic, thus relaxing the manufacturing constraints.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
Local electrical tuning of the nonlocal signals in a Cooper pair splitter
A Cooper pair splitter consists of a central superconducting contact, S, from
which electrons are injected into two parallel, spatially separated quantum
dots (QDs). This geometry and electron interactions can lead to correlated
electrical currents due to the spatial separation of spin-singlet Cooper pairs
from S. We present experiments on such a device with a series of bottom gates,
which allows for spatially resolved tuning of the tunnel couplings between the
QDs and the electrical contacts and between the QDs. Our main findings are
gate-induced transitions between positive conductance correlation in the QDs
due to Cooper pair splitting and negative correlations due to QD dynamics.
Using a semi-classical rate equation model we show that the experimental
findings are consistent with in-situ electrical tuning of the local and
nonlocal quantum transport processes. In particular, we illustrate how the
competition between Cooper pair splitting and local processes can be optimized
in such hybrid nanostructures.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, 2 table
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