Blue Phosphorene Oxide: Strain-tunable Quantum Phase Transitions and Novel 2D Emergent Fermions

Tunable quantum phase transitions and novel emergent fermions in solid state materials are fascinating subjects of research. Here, we propose a new stable two-dimensional (2D) material, the blue phosphorene oxide (BPO), which exhibits both. Based on first-principles calculations, we show that its equilibrium state is a narrow-bandgap semiconductor with three bands at low energy. Remarkably, a moderate strain can drive a semiconductor-to-semimetal quantum phase transition in BPO. At the critical transition point, the three bands cross at a single point at Fermi level, around which the quasiparticles are a novel type of 2D pseudospin-1 fermions. Going beyond the transition, the system becomes a symmetry-protected semimetal, for which the conduction and valence bands touch quadratically at a single Fermi point that is protected by symmetry, and the low-energy quasiparticles become another novel type of 2D double Weyl fermions. We construct effective models characterizing the phase transition and these novel emergent fermions, and we point out several exotic effects, including super Klein tunneling, supercollimation, and universal optical absorbance. Our result reveals BPO as an intriguing platform for the exploration of fundamental properties of quantum phase transitions and novel emergent fermions, and also suggests its great potential in nanoscale device applications.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figure

Regime switching in stochastic models of commodity prices: An application to an optimal tree harvesting problem

This paper investigates a regime switching model of stochastic lumber prices in the context of an optimal tree harvesting problem. Using lumber derivatives prices, two lumber price models are calibrated: a regime switching model and a single regime model. In the regime switching model, the lumber price can be in one of two regimes in which different mean reverting price processes prevail. An optimal tree harvesting problem is specified in terms of a linear complementarity problem which is solved using a fully implicit finite difference, fully-coupled, numerical approach. The land value and critical harvesting prices are found to be significantly different depending on which price model is used. The regime switching model shows promise as a parsimonious model of timber prices that can be incorporated into forestry investment problems.optimal tree harvesting, regime switching, calibration, lumber derivatives prices, fully implicit finite difference approach

Fundamental Conditions for N-th Order Accurate Lattice Boltzmann Models

In this paper, we theoretically prove a set of fundamental conditions pertaining discrete velocity sets and corresponding weights. These conditions provide sufficient conditions for a priori formulation of lattice Boltzmann models that automatically admit correct hydrodynamic moments up to any given N-th order

Anti-Hyperon polarization in high energy pp collisions with polarized beams

We study the longitudinal polarization of the Sigma_bar and Xi_bar anti-hyperons in polarized high energy pp collisions at large transverse momenta, extending a recent study for the Lambda_bar anti-hyperon. We make predictions by using different parametrizations of the polarized parton densities and models for the polarized fragmentation functions. Similar to the Lambda_bar polarization, the Xi_bar0 and Xi_bar+ polarizations are found to be sensitive to the polarized anti-strange sea in the nucleon. The Sigma_bar- and Sigma_bar+ polarizations show sensitivity to the light sea quark polarizations, \Delta \bar u(x) and \Delta \bar d(x), and their asymmetry.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures,version to appear in PR

Early Bilingual Education: An Examination of Purposely Selected Teacher Viewpoints: South East China and San Francisco Area

In the coming years, an increasing number of children in urban Chinese areas are taking a second language at an early age. It leads to an argument about whether it is appropriate for children to learn a second language in an early age Some people disagree that idea, because children are not developed enough to receive foreign language learning. Learning a second language early is disadvantageous for young children because they should first learn to speak the primary language well. Whereas, other people support that children should start learning second language early for three main reasons: children’s talent for language study, the need ofglobal communication, and the educational achievement. The purpose of this study is to examine teacher perceptions of children’s potential for learning a new language, and the effects of bilingual education on young children. Data were gathered from two kindergarten teachers in Fuzhou, Fujian, China and two teachers from San Francisco, CA, U.S. Teachers were interviewed about their viewpoints on bilingual education as an option for young children. Results indicated that early bilingual education is necessary for young children because language pronunciation shapes language confidence and proficiency. Implications of these findings suggest that children who have an interest in learning a second language may benefit from bilingual education. Children who are under three years old do not benefit from bilingual education