3,584 research outputs found
The FIR-absorption of short period quantum wires and the transition from one to two dimensions
We investigate the FIR-absorption of short period parallel quantum wires in a
perpendicular quantizing magnetic field. The external time-dependent electric
field is linearly polarized along the wire modulation. The mutual Coulomb
interaction of the electrons is treated self-consistently in the ground state
and in the absorption calculation within the Hartree approximation. We consider
the effects of a metal gate grating coupler, with the same or with a different
period as the wire modulation, on the absorption. The evolution of the
magnetoplasmon in the nonlocal region where it is split into several Bernstein
modes is discussed in the transition from: narrow to broad wires, and isolated
to overlapping wires. We show that in the case of narrow and not strongly
modulated wires the absorption can be directly correlated with the underlying
electronic bandstructure.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, Revtex, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Climatic and geologic controls on suspended sediment flux in the Sutlej River Valley, western Himalaya
The sediment flux through Himalayan rivers directly impacts water quality and is important for sustaining agriculture as well as maintaining drinking-water and hydropower generation. Despite the recent increase in demand for these resources, little is known about the triggers and sources of extreme sediment flux events, which lower water quality and account for extensive hydropower reservoir filling and turbine abrasion. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the spatiotemporal trends in suspended sediment flux based on daily data during the past decade (2001–2009) from four sites along the Sutlej River and from four of its main tributaries. In conjunction with satellite data depicting rainfall and snow cover, air temperature and earthquake records, and field observations, we infer climatic and geologic controls of peak suspended sediment concentration (SSC) events. Our study identifies three key findings: First, peak SSC events (≥ 99th SSC percentile) coincide frequently (57–80%) with heavy rainstorms and account for about 30% of the suspended sediment flux in the semi-arid to arid interior of the orogen. Second, we observe an increase of suspended sediment flux from the Tibetan Plateau to the Himalayan Front at mean annual timescales. This sediment-flux gradient suggests that averaged, modern erosion in the western Himalaya is most pronounced at frontal regions, which are characterized by high monsoonal rainfall and thick soil cover. Third, in seven of eight catchments, we find an anticlockwise hysteresis loop of annual sediment flux variations with respect to river discharge, which appears to be related to enhanced glacial sediment evacuation during late summer. Our analysis emphasizes the importance of unconsolidated sediments in the high-elevation sector that can easily be mobilized by hydrometeorological events and higher glacial-meltwater contributions. In future climate change scenarios, including continuous glacial retreat and more frequent monsoonal rainstorms across the Himalaya, we expect an increase in peak SSC events, which will decrease the water quality and impact hydropower generation
Stationary Entangled Radiation from Micromechanical Motion
Mechanical systems facilitate the development of a new generation of hybrid
quantum technology comprising electrical, optical, atomic and acoustic degrees
of freedom. Entanglement is the essential resource that defines this new
paradigm of quantum enabled devices. Continuous variable (CV) entangled fields,
known as Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) states, are spatially separated two-mode
squeezed states that can be used to implement quantum teleportation and quantum
communication. In the optical domain, EPR states are typically generated using
nondegenerate optical amplifiers and at microwave frequencies Josephson
circuits can serve as a nonlinear medium. It is an outstanding goal to
deterministically generate and distribute entangled states with a mechanical
oscillator. Here we observe stationary emission of path-entangled microwave
radiation from a parametrically driven 30 micrometer long silicon nanostring
oscillator, squeezing the joint field operators of two thermal modes by
3.40(37) dB below the vacuum level. This mechanical system correlates up to 50
photons/s/Hz giving rise to a quantum discord that is robust with respect to
microwave noise. Such generalized quantum correlations of separable states are
important for quantum enhanced detection and provide direct evidence for the
non-classical nature of the mechanical oscillator without directly measuring
its state. This noninvasive measurement scheme allows to infer information
about otherwise inaccessible objects with potential implications in sensing,
open system dynamics and fundamental tests of quantum gravity. In the near
future, similar on-chip devices can be used to entangle subsystems on vastly
different energy scales such as microwave and optical photons.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure
Manifestation of the Hofstadter butterfly in far-infrared absorption
The far-infrared absorption of a two-dimensional electron gas with a
square-lattice modulation in a perpendicular constant magnetic field is
calculated self-consistently within the Hartree approximation. For strong
modulation and short period we obtain intra- and intersubband magnetoplasmon
modes reflecting the subbands of the Hofstadter butterfly in two or more Landau
bands. The character of the absorption and the correlation of the peaks to the
number of flux quanta through each unit cell of the periodic potential depends
strongly on the location of the chemical potential with respect to the
subbands, or what is the same, on the density of electrons in the system.Comment: RevTeX file + 4 postscript figures, to be published Phys. Rev. B
Rapid Com
Qualification Tests of the R11410-21 Photomultiplier Tubes for the XENON1T Detector
The Hamamatsu R11410-21 photomultiplier tube is the photodetector of choice
for the XENON1T dual-phase time projection chamber. The device has been
optimized for a very low intrinsic radioactivity, a high quantum efficiency and
a high sensitivity to single photon detection. A total of 248 tubes are
currently operated in XENON1T, selected out of 321 tested units. In this
article the procedures implemented to evaluate the large number of tubes prior
to their installation in XENON1T are described. The parameter distributions for
all tested tubes are shown, with an emphasis on those selected for XENON1T, of
which the impact on the detector performance is discussed. All photomultipliers
have been tested in a nitrogen atmosphere at cryogenic temperatures, with a
subset of the tubes being tested in gaseous and liquid xenon, simulating their
operating conditions in the dark matter detector. The performance and
evaluation of the tubes in the different environments is reported and the
criteria for rejection of PMTs are outlined and quantified.Comment: 24 pages, 16 figure
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