Null Gravity Simulator Final Report

Theory of coplanar two-bar zero gravity simulato

Effect of Point Defects on the Optical and Transport Properties of MoS2 and WS2

Imperfections in the crystal structure, such as point defects, can strongly modify the optical and transport properties of materials. Here, we study the effect of point defects on the optical and DC conductivities of single layers of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides with the form $M$S$_2$, where $M$=Mo or W. The electronic structure is considered within a six bands tight-binding model, which accounts for the relevant combination of $d$ orbitals of the metal $M$ and $p$ orbitals of the chalcogen $S$. We use the Kubo formula for the calculation of the conductivity in samples with different distributions of disorder. We find that $M$ and/or S defects create mid-gap states that localize charge carriers around the defects and which modify the optical and transport properties of the material, in agreement with recent experiments. Furthermore, our results indicate a much higher mobility for $p$-doped WS$_2$ in comparison to MoS$_2$

Origin of the X-ray Emission in the Nuclei of FR Is

We investigate the X-ray origin in FRIs using the multi-waveband high resolution data of eight FR I sources, which have very low Eddington ratios. We fit their multi-waveband spectrum using a coupled accretion-jet model. We find that X-ray emission in the source with the highest L_X (~1.8*10^-4 L_Edd) is from the advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF). Four sources with moderate L_X(~several*10^-6 L_Edd) are complicated. The X-ray emission of one FR I is from the jet, and the other three is from the sum of the jet and ADAF. The X-ray emission in the three least luminous sources (L_X<1.0*10^-6L_Edd) is dominated by the jet. These results roughly support the predictions of Yuan and Cui(2005) where they predict that when the X-ray luminosity of the system is below a critical value, the X-radiation will not be dominated by the emission from the ADAF any longer, but by the jet. We also find that the accretion rates in four sources must be higher than the Bondi rates, which implies that other fuel supply (e.g., stellar winds) inside the Bondi radius should be important.Comment: 6 pages. To published in Journal of Physics, in proceedings of "The Universe under the Microscope - Astrophysics at High Angular Resolution" (Bad Honnef, Germany, April 2008), eds. R. Schoedel, A. Eckart, S. Pfalzner, and E. Ro

A New Parameter In Accretion Disk Model

Taking optically thin accretion flows as an example, we investigate the dynamics and the emergent spectra of accretion flows with different outer boundary conditions (OBCs) and find that OBC plays an important role in accretion disk model. This is because the accretion equations describing the behavior of accretion flows are a set of {\em differential} equations, therefore, accretion is intrinsically an initial-value problem. We argue that optically thick accretion flow should also show OBC-dependent behavior. The result means that we should seriously consider the initial physical state of the accretion flow such as its angular momentum and its temperature. An application example to Sgr A$^*$ is presented.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in the Proceeding of "Pacific Rim Conference on Stellar Astrophysics", Aug. 1999, HongKong, Chin

First-principles Calculations of Engineered Surface Spin Structures

The engineered spin structures recently built and measured in scanning tunneling microscope experiments are calculated using density functional theory. By determining the precise local structure around the surface impurities, we find the Mn atoms can form molecular structures with the binding surface, behaving like surface molecular magnets. The spin structures are confirmed to be antiferromagnetic, and the exchange couplings are calculated within 8% of the experimental values simply by collinear-spin GGA+U calculations. We can also explain why the exchange couplings significantly change with different impurity binding sites from the determined local structure. The bond polarity is studied by calculating the atomic charges with and without the Mn adatoms

Coexistence and competition of multiple charge-density-wave orders in rare-earth tri-telluride RTe3

The occurrences of collective quantum states, such as superconductivity (SC) and charge- or spin-densitywaves (CDWs or SDWs), are among the most fascinating phenomena in solids. To date much effort has been made to explore the interplay between different orders, yet little is known about the relationship of multiple orders of the same type. Here we report optical spectroscopy study on CDWs in the rare-earth tri-telluride compounds RTe3 (R = rare earth elements). Besides the prior reported two CDW orders, the study reveals unexpectedly the presence of a third CDW order in the series which evolves systematically with the size of R element. With increased chemical pressure, the first and third CDW orders are both substantially suppressed and compete with the second one by depleting the low energy spectral weight. A complete phase diagram for the multiple CDW orders in this series is established.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl

Isolated Galaxies versus Interacting Pairs with MaNGA

We present preliminary results of the spectral analysis on the radial distributions of the star formation history in both, a galaxy merger and a spiral isolated galaxy observed with MaNGA. We find that the central part of the isolated galaxy is composed by older stellar population ($\sim$2 Gyr) than in the outskirts ($\sim$7 Gyr). Also, the time-scale is gradually larger from 1 Gyr in the inner part to 3 Gyr in the outer regions of the galaxy. In the case of the merger, the stellar population in the central region is older than in the tails, presenting a longer time-scale in comparison to central part in the isolated galaxy. Our results are in agreement with a scenario where spiral galaxies are built from inside-out. In the case of the merger, we find evidence that interactions enhance star formation in the central part of the galaxy.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. Proceedings of the EWASS-2015 special session Sp3, accepted for publication in Special Issue "3D View on Interacting and Post-Interacting Galaxies from Clusters to Voids" of open access journal "Galaxies