A theoretical study of heterojunction and graded band gap type solar cells

The work performed concentrated on including multisun effects, high temperature effects, and electron irradiation effects into the computer analysis program for heterojunction and graded bandgap solar cells. These objectives were accomplished and the program is now available for such calculations

Fluctuations of Entropy Production in Partially Masked Electric Circuits: Theoretical Analysis

In this work we perform theoretical analysis about a coupled RC circuit with constant driven currents. Starting from stochastic differential equations, where voltages are subject to thermal noises, we derive time-correlation functions, steady-state distributions and transition probabilities of the system. The validity of the fluctuation theorem (FT) is examined for scenarios with complete and incomplete descriptions.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

A Strategy for Improving Student Engagement in Auditing: Evidence from Reflective Journals

Deficiencies identified in accounting graduate skills and capabilities have resulted in the spotlight being placed on techniques for improving student learning outcomes. Research has established that student approaches to learning have a significant influence on the achievement of learning outcomes. It has further been found that the contextual basis on which learning occurs contributes to the achievement of improved learning outcomes through improved motivation. One such basis is experiential learning. Through the analysis of student reflective journals, this study reveals how the inclusion of a mini-audit in the auditing course is perceived positively and leads to heightened motivation of students thus encouraging them to adopt a deep approach to learning. The implications of these findings for accounting educators are discussed and future research opportunities arising from this research are identified

Accretion through the inner hole of transitional disks: What happens to the dust?

We study the effect of radiation pressure on the dust in the inner rim of transitional disks with large inner holes. In particular, we evaluate whether radiation pressure can be responsible for keeping the inner holes dust-free, while allowing gas accretion to proceed. This has been proposed in a paper by Chiang and Murray-Clay (2007, Nature Physics 3, p. 604) who explain the formation of these holes as an inside-out evacuation due to X- ray-triggered accretion of the innermost layer of the disk rim outside of the hole. We show that radiation pressure is clearly incapable of stopping dust from flowing into the hole because of dust pile-up and optical depth effects, and also because of viscous mixing. Other mechanisms need to be found to explain the persistence of the opacity hole in the presence of accretion, and we speculate on possible solutions.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication by Astronomy and Astrophysic

Bond Refunding In Efficient Markets: A Dynamic Analysis With Tax Effects

This paper provides a dynamic analysis of the bond refunding problem in an efficient market setting with corporate taxes and transaction costs. A new methodology is developed to analyze the optimal exercise problem in the presence of imperfections. This analysis enables prediction of the effect of changes in corporate tax laws on the refunding decision. It also explains the empirical observation that bonds are often called when the bond price is below the call price.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108309/1/jfir00667.pd

The effect of scattering on the structure and SED of protoplanetary disks

In this paper we investigate how the inclusion of scattering of the stellar radiation into a passive flaring disk model affects its structure and spectral energy distribution, and whether neglecting it could significantly decrease the model reliability. In order to address these questions we construct a detailed 1+1D vertical structure model in which the scattering properties of the dust can be varied. Models are presented with and without dust scattering, and for different albedos and phase functions. It is found that scattering has the effect of reducing the disk temperature at all heights, so that the disk "shrinks", i.e., the the density at all intermediate heights decreases. However, this effect in most cases is more than compensated by the increase of the total extinction (absorption + scattering) cross section, so that the surface scale height increases, and images in scattered light will see a slightly thicker disk. The integrated infrared emission decreases as the albedo increases, because an increasing part of the flux captured by the disk is reflected away instead of absorbed and reprocessed. The reduction of the infrared thermal emission of the disk is stronger at short wavelengths (near infrared) and practically negligible at millimeter wavelengths. For relatively low albedo (alb <~ 0.5), or for strongly forward-peaked scattering (g roughly >0.8), the infrared flux reduction is relatively small.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

CP violation in the secluded U(1)'-extended MSSM

We study the Higgs sector of the secluded $U(1)'$-extended MSSM (sMSSM) focusing on CP violation. Using the one-loop effective potential that includes contributions from quarks and squarks in the third generation, we search for the allowed region under theoretical and experimental constraints. It is found that the possible region for the electroweak vacuum to exist is quite limited, depending on the parameters in the model. The masses and couplings of the Higgs bosons are calculated with/without CP violation. Even at the tree level, CP violation is possible by complex soft SUSY breaking masses. Similar to the CPX scenario in the MSSM, the scalar-pseudoscalar mixing enables the lightest Higgs boson mass to become smaller than the $Z$ boson mass while the coupling with the $Z$ boson is sufficiently suppressed to avoid the LEP experimental constraints. However, unlike the CPX scenario, large $\mu$ and $A$ are not required for the realization of large CP violation. The typical spectrum of the SUSY particles is thus different. We also investigate the possible upper bound of the lightest Higgs boson in the case of spontaneous CP violation. The maximal value of it can reach above 100 GeV with maximal CP-violating phases.Comment: 28 pages, 16 figures, JHEP styl

Spin injection from perpendicular magnetized ferromagnetic δ\delta-MnGa into (Al,Ga)As heterostructures

Electrical spin injection from ferromagnetic $\delta$-MnGa into an (Al,Ga)As p-i-n light emitting diode (LED) is demonstrated. The $\delta$-MnGa layers show strong perpendicular magnetocrystalline anisotropy, enabling detection of spin injection at remanence without an applied magnetic field. The bias and temperature dependence of the spin injection are found to be qualitatively similar to Fe-based spin LED devices. A Hanle effect is observed and demonstrates complete depolarization of spins in the semiconductor in a transverse magnetic field.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Chiral Condensates in Quark and nuclear Matter

We present a novel treatment for calculating the in-medium quark condensates. The advantage of this approach is that one does not need to make further assumptions on the derivatives of model parameters with respect to the quark current mass. The normally accepted model-independent result in nuclear matter is naturally reproduced. The change of the quark condensate induced by interactions depends on the incompressibility of nuclear matter. When it is greater than 260 MeV, the density at which the condensate vanishes is higher than that from the linear extrapolation. For the chiral condensate in quark matter, a similar model-independent linear behavior is found at lower densities, which means that the decreasing speed of the condensate in quark matter is merely half of that in nuclear matter if the pion-nucleon sigma commutator is six times the average current mass of u and d quarks. The modification due to QCD-like interactions is found to slow the decreasing speed of the condensate, compared with the linear extrapolation.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, revtex4 styl