Evolution of Two-Dimensional Wormlike Nanoclusters on Metal Surfaces

A pinch-off phenomenon is discovered in the evolution of 2D wormlike nanoclusters formed in homoepitaxial adlayers. This feature is shown to distinguish mass transport via periphery diffusion from other mechanisms. Continuum modeling of such evolution accurately describes experimental observations, particularly if one incorporates the anisotropy in step-edge line tension

Scaling laws for the 2d 8-state Potts model with Fixed Boundary Conditions

We study the effects of frozen boundaries in a Monte Carlo simulation near a first order phase transition. Recent theoretical analysis of the dynamics of first order phase transitions has enabled to state the scaling laws governing the critical regime of the transition. We check these new scaling laws performing a Monte Carlo simulation of the 2d, 8-state spin Potts model. In particular, our results support a pseudo-critical beta finite-size scaling of the form beta(infinity) + a/L + b/L^2, instead of beta(infinity) + c/L^d + d/L^{2d}. Moreover, our value for the latent heat is 0.294(11), which does not coincide with the latent heat analytically derived for the same model if periodic boundary conditions are assumed, which is 0.486358...Comment: 10 pages, 3 postscript figure

Epitaxial growth of Cu on Cu(001): experiments and simulations

A quantitative comparison between experimental and Monte Carlo simulation results for the epitaxial growth of Cu/Cu(001) in the submonolayer regime is presented. The simulations take into account a complete set of hopping processes whose activation energies are derived from semi-empirical calculations using the embedded-atom method. The island separation is measured as a function of the incoming flux and the temperature. A good quantitative agreement between the experiment and simulation is found for the island separation, the activation energies for the dominant processes, and the exponents that characterize the growth. The simulation results are then analyzed at lower coverages, which are not accessible experimentally, providing good agreement with theoretical predictions as well.Comment: Latex document. 7 pages. 3 embedded figures in separate PS files. One bbl fil

Spectroscopic scanning tunneling microscopy insights into Fe-based superconductors

In the first three years since the discovery of Fe-based high Tc superconductors, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy have shed light on three important questions. First, STM has demonstrated the complexity of the pairing symmetry in Fe-based materials. Phase-sensitive quasiparticle interference (QPI) imaging and low temperature spectroscopy have shown that the pairing order parameter varies from nodal to nodeless s\pm within a single family, FeTe1-xSex. Second, STM has imaged C4 -> C2 symmetry breaking in the electronic states of both parent and superconducting materials. As a local probe, STM is in a strong position to understand the interactions between these broken symmetry states and superconductivity. Finally, STM has been used to image the vortex state, giving insights into the technical problem of vortex pinning, and the fundamental problem of the competing states introduced when superconductivity is locally quenched by a magnetic field. Here we give a pedagogical introduction to STM and QPI imaging, discuss the specific challenges associated with extracting bulk properties from the study of surfaces, and report on progress made in understanding Fe-based superconductors using STM techniques.Comment: 36 pages, 23 figures, 229 reference

Pairing symmetry and properties of iron-based high temperature superconductors

Pairing symmetry is important to indentify the pairing mechanism. The analysis becomes particularly timely and important for the newly discovered iron-based multi-orbital superconductors. From group theory point of view we classified all pairing matrices (in the orbital space) that carry irreducible representations of the system. The quasiparticle gap falls into three categories: full, nodal and gapless. The nodal-gap states show conventional Volovik effect even for on-site pairing. The gapless states are odd in orbital space, have a negative superfluid density and are therefore unstable. In connection to experiments we proposed possible pairing states and implications for the pairing mechanism.Comment: 4 pages, 1 table, 2 figures, polished versio

Cerebral processing of voice gender studied using a continuous carryover fMRI design

Normal listeners effortlessly determine a person's gender by voice, but the cerebral mechanisms underlying this ability remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate 2 stages of cerebral processing during voice gender categorization. Using voice morphing along with an adaptation-optimized functional magnetic resonance imaging design, we found that secondary auditory cortex including the anterior part of the temporal voice areas in the right hemisphere responded primarily to acoustical distance with the previously heard stimulus. In contrast, a network of bilateral regions involving inferior prefrontal and anterior and posterior cingulate cortex reflected perceived stimulus ambiguity. These findings suggest that voice gender recognition involves neuronal populations along the auditory ventral stream responsible for auditory feature extraction, functioning in pair with the prefrontal cortex in voice gender perception

Buffer layer-assisted growth of Ge nanoclusters on Si

In the buffer layer-assisted growth method, a condensed inert gas layer of xenon, with low-surface free energy, is used as a buffer to prevent direct interactions of deposited atoms with substrates. Because of␣an unusually wide applicability, the buffer layer-assisted growth method has provided a unique avenue for creation of nanostructures that are otherwise impossible to grow, and thus offered unprecedented opportunities for fundamental and applied research in nanoscale science and technology. In this article, we review recent progress in the application of the buffer layer-assisted growth method to the fabrication of Ge nanoclusters on Si substrates. In particular, we emphasize the novel configurations of the obtained Ge nanoclusters, which are characterized by the absence of a wetting layer, quasi-zero dimensionality with tunable sizes, and high cluster density in comparison with Ge nanoclusters that are formed with standard Stranski-Krastanov growth methods. The optical emission behaviors are discussed in correlation with the morphological properties