940 research outputs found
Scanning Electron Microscopy Studies of Extended Defects in Semiconductors
Extended defects, such as dislocations and grain boundaries, play an important role in determining the performance of various semiconductor devices. This paper reviews applications of electron-beam-induced-current and cathodoluminescence scanning electron microscopy for the investigation of dislocations and grain boundaries in semiconductors. We developed a simple analytical method for the determination of the grain boundary recombination velocity and the minority carrier diffusion length, in contrast to a previous method which requires the use of a computer for the numerical calculation of an integral expression. We, also, studied theoretically the influence of an individual dislocation on the minority carrier lifetime. Investigation of dislocations in GaP indicated that the carrier recombination takes place at a Cottrell atmosphere of the S-donor/Cu complexes surrounding the dislocations
Synergistic Gravity and the Role of Resonances in GRS-Inspired Braneworlds
We consider 5D braneworld models of quasi-localized gravity in which 4D
gravity is reproduced at intermediate scales while the extra dimension opens up
at both the very short and the very long distances, where the geometry is flat.
Our main interest is the interplay between the zero mode of these models,
whenever a normalizable zero mode exists, and the effects of zero energy
graviton resonant modes coming from the contributions of massive KK modes. We
first consider a compactified version of the GRS model and find that
quasi-localized gravity is characterized by a scale for which both the
resonance and the zero mode have significant contribution to 4D gravity. Above
this scale, gravity is primarily mediated by the zero mode, while the resonance
gives only minor corrections. Next, we consider an asymmetric version of the
standard non-compact GRS model, characterized by different cosmological
constants on each AdS side. We show that a resonance is present but the
asymmetry, through the form of the localizing potential, can weaken it,
resulting in a shorter lifetime and, thus, in a shorter distance scale for 4D
gravity. As a third model exhibiting quasi-localization, we consider a version
of the GRS model in which the central positive tension brane has been replaced
by a configuration of a scalar field propagating in the bulk.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, added 1 figure, revised version as published in
Class. Quant. Gra
Using late-time optical and near-infrared spectra to constrain Type Ia supernova explosion properties
The late-time spectra of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are powerful probes of
the underlying physics of their explosions. We investigate the late-time
optical and near-infrared spectra of seven SNe Ia obtained at the VLT with
XShooter at 200 d after explosion. At these epochs, the inner Fe-rich ejecta
can be studied. We use a line-fitting analysis to determine the relative line
fluxes, velocity shifts, and line widths of prominent features contributing to
the spectra ([Fe II], [Ni II], and [Co III]). By focussing on [Fe II] and [Ni
II] emission lines in the ~7000-7500 \AA\ region of the spectrum, we find that
the ratio of stable [Ni II] to mainly radioactively-produced [Fe II] for most
SNe Ia in the sample is consistent with Chandrasekhar-mass delayed-detonation
explosion models, as well as sub-Chandrasekhar mass explosions that have
metallicity values above solar. The mean measured Ni/Fe abundance of our sample
is consistent with the solar value. The more highly ionised [Co III] emission
lines are found to be more centrally located in the ejecta and have broader
lines than the [Fe II] and [Ni II] features. Our analysis also strengthens
previous results that SNe Ia with higher Si II velocities at maximum light
preferentially display blueshifted [Fe II] 7155 \AA\ lines at late times. Our
combined results lead us to speculate that the majority of normal SN Ia
explosions produce ejecta distributions that deviate significantly from
spherical symmetry.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figure, accepted for publication in MNRA
Greater repertoire and temporal variability of cross-frequency coupling (CFC) modes in resting-state neuromagnetic recordings among children with reading difficulties
Cross-frequency, phase-to-amplitude coupling (PAC) between neuronal oscillations at rest may serve as the substrate that supports information exchange between functionally specialized neuronal populations both within and between cortical regions. The study utilizes novel algorithms to identify prominent instantaneous modes of cross-frequency coupling and their temporal stability in resting state magnetoencephalography (MEG) data from 25 students experiencing severe reading difficulties (RD) and 27 age-matched non-impaired readers (NI). Phase coherence estimates were computed in order to identify the prominent mode of PAC interaction for each sensor, sensor pair, and pair of frequency bands (from δ to γ) at successive time windows of the continuous MEG record. The degree of variability in the characteristic frequency-pair PACf1−f2 modes over time was also estimated. Results revealed a wider repertoire of prominent PAC interactions in RD as compared to NI students, suggesting an altered functional substrate for information exchange between neuronal assemblies in the former group. Moreover, RD students showed significant variability in PAC modes over time. This temporal instability of PAC values was particularly prominent: (a) within and between right hemisphere temporo-parietal and occipito-temporal sensors and, (b) between left hemisphere frontal, temporal, and occipito-temporal sensors and corresponding right hemisphere sites. Altered modes of neuronal population coupling may help account for extant data revealing reduced, task-related neurophysiological and hemodynamic activation in left hemisphere regions involved in the reading network in RD. Moreover, the spatial distribution of pronounced instability of cross-frequency coupling modes in this group may provide an explanation for previous reports suggesting the presence of inefficient compensatory mechanisms to support reading
Brane Cosmology with a Non-Minimally Coupled Bulk-Scalar Field
We consider the cosmological evolution of a brane in the presence of a bulk
scalar field coupled to the Ricci scalar through a term f(\phi)R. We derive the
generalized Friedmann equation on the brane in the presence of arbitrary brane
and bulk-matter, as well as the scalar field equation, allowing for a general
scalar potential V(phi). We focus on a quadratic form of the above non-minimal
coupling and obtain a class of late-time solutions for the scale factor and the
scalar field on the brane that exhibit accelerated expansion for a range of the
non-minimal coupling parameter.Comment: 15 page
Classifying children with reading difficulties from non-impaired readers via symbolic dynamics and complexity analysis of MEG resting-state data
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a brain imaging method affording real-time temporal, and adequate spatial resolution to reveal aberrant neurophysiological function associated with dyslexia. In this study we analyzed sensor-level resting-state neuromagnetic recordings from 25 reading-disabled children and 27 non-impaired readers under the notion of symbolic dynamics and complexity analysis. We compared two techniques for estimating the complexity of MEG time-series in each of 8 frequency bands based on symbolic dynamics: (a) Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZC) entailing binarization of each MEG time series using the mean amplitude as a threshold, and (b) An approach based on the neural-gas algorithm (NG) which has been used by our group in the context of various symbolization schemes. The NG approach transforms each MEG time series to more than two symbols by learning the reconstructed manifold of each time series with a small error. Using this algorithm we computed a complexity index (CI) based on the distribution of words up to a predetermined length. The relative performance of the two complexity indexes was assessed using a classification procedure based on k-NN and Support Vector Machines. Results revealed the capacity of CI to discriminate impaired from non-impaired readers with 80% accuracy. Corresponding performance of LZC values did not exceed 55%. These findings indicate that symbolization of MEG recordings with an appropriate neuroinformatic approach, such as the proposed CI metric, may be of value in understanding the neural dynamics of dyslexia
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