320 research outputs found
Majorana Fermions on Zigzag Edge of Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides
Majorana fermions, quantum particles with non-Abelian exchange statistics,
are not only of fundamental importance, but also building blocks for
fault-tolerant quantum computation. Although certain experimental breakthroughs
for observing Majorana fermions have been made recently, their conclusive
dection is still challenging due to the lack of proper material properties of
the underlined experimental systems. Here we propose a new platform for
Majorana fermions based on edge states of certain non-topological
two-dimensional semiconductors with strong spin-orbit coupling, such as
monolayer group-VI transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD). Using
first-principles calculations and tight-binding modeling, we show that zigzag
edges of monolayer TMD can host well isolated single edge band with strong
spin-orbit coupling energy. Combining with proximity induced s-wave
superconductivity and in-plane magnetic fields, the zigzag edge supports robust
topological Majorana bound states at the edge ends, although the
two-dimensional bulk itself is non-topological. Our findings points to a
controllable and integrable platform for searching and manipulating Majorana
fermions.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure
Valley Contrasting Magnetoluminescence in Monolayer MoS Quantum Hall Systems
The valley dependent optical selection rules in recently discovered monolayer
group-VI transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) make possible optical control
of valley polarization, a crucial step towards valleytronic applications.
However, in presence of Landaul level(LL) quantization such selection rules are
taken over by selection rules between the LLs, which are not necessarily valley
contrasting. Using MoS as an example we show that the spatial
inversion-symmetry breaking results in unusual valley dependent inter-LL
selection rules, which directly locks polarization to valley. We find a
systematic valley splitting for all Landau levels (LLs) in the quantum Hall
regime, whose magnitude is linearly proportional to the magnetic field and in
comparable with the LL spacing. Consequently, unique plateau structures are
found in the optical Hall conductivity, which can be measured by the
magneto-optical Faraday rotations
Automatic Calibration for CE-QUAL-W2 Model Using Improved Global-Best Harmony Search Algorithm
CE-QUAL-W2 is widely used for simulating hydrodynamics and water quality of the aquatic environments. Currently, the model calibration is mainly based on trial and error, and therefore it is subject to the knowledge and experience of users. The Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm has been tested for automatic calibration of CE-QUAL-W2, but it has an issue of prematurely converging to a local optimum. In this study, we proposed an Improved Global-Best Harmony Search (IGHS) algorithm to automatically calibrate the CE-QUAL-W2 model to overcome these shortcomings. We tested the performance of the IGHS calibration method by simulating water temperature of Devils Lake, North Dakota, which agreed with field observations with R2 = 0.98, and RMSE = 1.23 and 0.77 °C for calibration (2008–2011) and validation (2011–2016) periods, respectively. The same comparison, but with the PSO-calibrated CE-QUAL-W2 model, produced R2 = 0.98 and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) = 1.33 and 0.91 °C. Between the two calibration methods, the CE-QUAL-W2 model calibrated by the IGHS method could lower the RMSE in water temperature simulation by approximately 7–15%
Superconductivity in metallic twisted bilayer graphene stabilized by WSeâ‚‚
Magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (TBG), with rotational misalignment close to 1.1 degrees, features isolated flat electronic bands that host a rich phase diagram of correlated insulating, superconducting, ferromagnetic and topological phases. Correlated insulators and superconductivity have been previously observed only for angles within 0.1 degree of the magic angle and occur in adjacent or overlapping electron-density ranges; nevertheless, the origins of these states and the relation between them remain unclear, owing to their sensitivity to microscopic details. Beyond twist angle and strain, the dependence of the TBG phase diagram on the alignment and thickness of the insulating hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) used to encapsulate the graphene sheets indicates the importance of the microscopic dielectric environment. Here we show that adding an insulating tungsten diselenide (WSe₂) monolayer between the hBN and the TBG stabilizes superconductivity at twist angles much smaller than the magic angle. For the smallest twist angle of 0.79 degrees, superconductivity is still observed despite the TBG exhibiting metallic behaviour across the whole range of electron densities. Finite-magnetic-field measurements further reveal weak antilocalization signatures as well as breaking of fourfold spin–valley symmetry, consistent with spin–orbit coupling induced in the TBG via its proximity to WSe₂. Our results constrain theoretical explanations for the emergence of superconductivity in TBG and open up avenues towards engineering quantum phases in moiré systems
SWAT Modeling of Non-Point Source Pollution in Depression-Dominated Basins under Varying Hydroclimatic Conditions
Non-point source (NPS) pollution from agricultural lands is the leading cause of various water quality problems across the United States. Particularly, surface depressions often alter the releasing patterns of NPS pollutants into the environment. However, most commonly-used hydrologic models may not be applicable to such depression-dominated regions. The objective of this study is to improve water quantity/quality modeling and its calibration for depression-dominated basins under wet and dry hydroclimatic conditions. Specifically, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was applied for hydrologic and water quality modeling in the Red River of the North Basin (RRB). Surface depressions across the RRB were incorporated into the model by employing a surface delineation method and the impacts of depressions were evaluated for two modeling scenarios, MS1 (basic scenario) and MS2 (depression-oriented scenario). Moreover, a traditional calibration scheme (CS1) was compared to a wet-dry calibration scheme (CS2) that accounted for the effects of hydroclimatic variations on hydrologic and water quality modeling. Results indicated that the surface runoff simulation and the associated water quality modeling were improved when topographic characteristics of depressions were incorporated into the model (MS2). The Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) coefficient indicated an average increase of 30.4% and 19.6% from CS1 to CS2 for the calibration and validation periods, respectively. Additionally, the CS2 provided acceptable simulations of water quality, with the NSE values of 0.50 and 0.74 for calibration and validation periods, respectively. These results highlight the enhanced capability of the proposed approach for simulating water quantity and quality for depression-dominated basins under the influence of varying hydroclimatic conditions
Strain Tuning Three-state Potts Nematicity in a Correlated Antiferromagnet
Electronic nematicity, a state in which rotational symmetry is spontaneously
broken, has become a familiar characteristic of many strongly correlated
materials. One widely studied example is the discovered Ising-nematicity and
its interplay with superconductivity in tetragonal iron pnictides. Since
nematic directors in crystalline solids are restricted by the underlying
crystal symmetry, recently identified quantum material systems with three-fold
rotational (C3) symmetry offer a new platform to investigate nematic order with
three-state Potts character. Here, we report reversible strain tuning of the
three-state Potts nematicity in a zigzag antiferromagnetic insulator, FePSe3.
Probing the nematicity via optical linear dichroism, we demonstrate either
2{\pi}/3 or {\pi}/2 rotation of nematic director by uniaxial strain. The nature
of the nematic phase transition can also be controlled such that it undergoes a
smooth crossover transition, a Potts nematic transition, or a Ising nematic
flop transition. The ability to tune the nematic order with in-situ strain
further enables the extraction of nematic susceptibility, which exhibits a
divergent behavior near the magnetic ordering temperature. Our work points to
an active control approach to manipulate and explore nematicity in three-state
Potts correlated materials.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, 6 additional figures. Initial submission on May
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