Ballistic Hot Electron Transport in Graphene

We theoretically study the inelastic scattering rate and the carrier mean free path for energetic hot electrons in graphene, including both electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions. Taking account of optical phonon emission and electron-electron scattering, we find that the inelastic scattering time $\tau \sim 10^{-2}-10^{-1} \mathrm{ps}$ and the mean free path $l \sim 10-10^2 \mathrm{nm}$ for electron densities $n = 10^{12}-10^{13} \mathrm{cm}^{-2}$. In particular, we find that the mean free path exhibits a finite jump at the phonon energy $200 \mathrm{meV}$ due to electron-phonon interaction. Our results are directly applicable to device structures where ballistic transport is relevant with inelastic scattering dominating over elastic scattering.Comment: 4 page

Quantized Casimir Force

We investigate the Casimir effect between two-dimensional electron systems driven to the quantum Hall regime by a strong perpendicular magnetic field. In the large separation (d) limit where retardation effects are essential we find i) that the Casimir force is quantized in units of 3\hbar c \alpha^2/(8\pi^2 d^4), and ii) that the force is repulsive for mirrors with same type of carrier, and attractive for mirrors with opposite types of carrier. The sign of the Casimir force is therefore electrically tunable in ambipolar materials like graphene. The Casimir force is suppressed when one mirror is a charge-neutral graphene system in a filling factor \nu=0 quantum Hall state.Comment: 4.2 page

Simultaneous X-ray/optical observations of GX 9+9 (4U 1728-16)

We report on the results of the first simultaneous X-ray (RXTE) and optical (SAAO) observations of the luminous low mass X-ray binary (LMXB) GX 9+9 in 1999 August. The high-speed optical photometry revealed an orbital period of 4.1958 hr and confirmed previous observations, but with greater precision. No X-ray modulation was found at the orbital period. On shorter timescales, a possible 1.4-hr variability was found in the optical light curves which might be related to the mHz quasi-periodic oscillations seen in other LMXBs. We do not find any significant X-ray/optical correlation in the light curves. In X-rays, the colour-colour diagram and hardness-intensity diagram indicate that the source shows characteristics of an atoll source in the upper banana state, with a correlation between intensity and spectral hardness. Time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy suggests that two-component spectral models give a reasonable fit to the X-ray emission. Such models consist of a blackbody component which can be interpreted as the emission from an optically thick accretion disc or an optically thick boundary layer, and a hard Comptonized component for an extended corona.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figures; accepted for publication in MNRA

Discovery of {\gamma}-ray pulsation and X-ray emission from the black widow pulsar PSR J2051-0827

We report the discovery of pulsed {\gamma}-ray emission and X-ray emission from the black widow millisecond pulsar PSR J2051-0827 by using the data from the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer array (ACIS-S) on the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Using 3 years of LAT data, PSR J2051-0827 is clearly detected in {\gamma}-ray with a signicance of \sim 8{\sigma} in the 0.2 - 20 GeV band. The 200 MeV - 20 GeV {\gamma}-ray spectrum of PSR J2051-0827 can be modeled by a simple power- law with a photon index of 2.46 \pm 0.15. Significant (\sim 5{\sigma}) {\gamma}-ray pulsations at the radio period were detected. PSR J2051-0827 was also detected in soft (0.3-7 keV) X-ray with Chandra. By comparing the observed {\gamma}-rays and X-rays with theoretical models, we suggest that the {\gamma}-ray emission is from the outer gap while the X-rays can be from intra-binary shock and pulsar magnetospheric synchrotron emissions.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, accepted by ApJ on Jan 28, 201

Lattice vibrations and structural instability in Cesium near the cubic to tetragonal transition

Under pressure cesium undergoes a transition from a high-pressure fcc phase (Cs-II) to a collapsed fcc phase (Cs-III) near 4.2GPa. At 4.4GPa there follows a transition to the tetragonal Cs-IV phase. In order to investigate the lattice vibrations in the fcc phase and seek a possible dynamical instability of the lattice, the phonon spectra of fcc-Cs at volumes near the III-IV transition are calculated using Savrasov's density functional linear-response LMTO method. Compared with quasiharmonic model calculations including non-central interatomic forces up to second neighbours, at the volume $V/V_0= 0.44$ ($V_0$ is the experimental volume of bcc-Cs with $a_0$=6.048{\AA}), the linear-response calculations show soft intermediate wavelength $T_{[1\bar{1}0]}[{\xi}{\xi}0]$ phonons. Similar softening is also observed for short wavelength $L[\xi\xi\xi]$ and $L[00\xi]$ phonons and intermediate wavelength $L[\xi\xi\xi]$ phonons. The Born-von K\'{a}rm\'{a}n analysis of dispersion curves indicates that the interplanar force constants exhibit oscillating behaviours against plane spacing $n$ and the large softening of intermediate wavelength $T_{[1\bar{1}0]}[{\xi}{\xi}0]$ phonons results from a negative (110)-interplanar force-constant $\Phi_{n=2}$. The frequencies of the $T_{[1\bar{1}0]}[{\xi}{\xi}0]$ phonons with $\xi$ around 1/3 become imaginary and the fcc structure becomes dynamically unstable for volumes below $0.41V_0$. It is suggested that superstructures corresponding to the $\mathbf{q}{\neq}0$ soft mode should be present as a precursor of tetragonal Cs-IV structure.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

Discovery of gamma-ray emission from the supernova remnant Kes 17 with Fermi Large Area Telescope

We report the discovery of GeV emission at the position of supernova remnant Kes 17 by using the data from the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Kes 17 can be clearly detected with a significance of ~12 sigma in the 1 - 20 GeV range. Moreover, a number of gamma-ray sources were detected in its vicinity. The gamma-ray spectrum of Kes 17 can be well described by a simple power-law with a photon index of ~ 2.4. Together with the multi-wavelength evidence for its interactions with the nearby molecular cloud, the gamma-ray detection suggests that Kes 17 is a candidate acceleration site for cosmic-rays.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJ Lette