44,676 research outputs found
Superconducting proximity effect and Majorana fermions at the surface of a topological insulator
We study the proximity effect between an s-wave superconductor and the
surface states of a strong topological insulator. The resulting two dimensional
state resembles a spinless p_x+ip_y superconductor, but does not break time
reversal symmetry. This state supports Majorana bound states at vortices. We
show that linear junctions between superconductors mediated by the topological
insulator form a non chiral 1 dimensional wire for Majorana fermions, and that
circuits formed from these junctions provide a method for creating,
manipulating and fusing Majorana bound states.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, published versio
Chaotic Properties of Subshifts Generated by a Non-Periodic Recurrent Orbit
The chaotic properties of some subshift maps are investigated. These
subshifts are the orbit closures of certain non-periodic recurrent points of a
shift map. We first provide a review of basic concepts for dynamics of
continuous maps in metric spaces. These concepts include nonwandering point,
recurrent point, eventually periodic point, scrambled set, sensitive dependence
on initial conditions, Robinson chaos, and topological entropy. Next we review
the notion of shift maps and subshifts. Then we show that the one-sided
subshifts generated by a non-periodic recurrent point are chaotic in the sense
of Robinson. Moreover, we show that such a subshift has an infinite scrambled
set if it has a periodic point. Finally, we give some examples and discuss the
topological entropy of these subshifts, and present two open problems on the
dynamics of subshifts
The transmission or scattering of elastic waves by an inhomogeneity of simple geometry: A comparison of theories
The extended method of equivalent inclusion developed is applied to study the specific wave problems of the transmission of elastic waves in an infinite medium containing a layer of inhomogeneity, and of the scattering of elastic waves in an infinite medium containing a perfect spherical inhomogeneity. The eigenstrains are expanded as a geometric series and the method of integration for the inhomogeneous Helmholtz operator given by Fu and Mura is adopted. The results obtained by using a limited number of terms in the eigenstrain expansion are compared with exact solutions for the layer problem and for a perfect sphere. Two parameters are singled out for this comparison: the ratio of elastic moduli, and the ratio of the mass densities. General trends for three different situations are shown
Comparative study of Steel-FRP, FRP and steel reinforced coral concrete beams in their flexural performance
In this paper, a comparative study of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) Bar and Steel-Carbon Fiber Composite Bar (SCFCB) reinforced coral concrete beams are made through a series experimental tests and theoretical analysis. The flexural capacity, crack development and failure modes of CFRP and SCFCB reinforced coral concrete were investigated in detail. They are also compared to ordinary steel reinforced coral concrete beams. The results show that under the same condition of reinforcement ratio, the SCFCB reinforced beam exhibits better performance than those of the CFRP reinforced beams, and its stiffness is slightly lower than that of the steel reinforced beam. Under the same load condition, the crack width of the SCFCB beam is between the steel reinforced beam and the CFRP bar reinforced beam. Before the steel core yields, the crack growth rate of SCFCB beam is similar to the steel reinforced beam. SCFCB has a higher strength utilization rate, about 70% -85% of its ultimate strength. The current design guidance was also examined based on the test results. It was found that the existing design specifications for FRP reinforced normal concrete is not suitable for SCFCB reinforced coral concrete structures
Probing Neutral Majorana Fermion Edge Modes with Charge Transport
We propose two experiments to probe the Majorana fermion edge states that
occur at a junction between a superconductor and a magnet deposited on the
surface of a topological insulator. Combining two Majorana fermions into a
single Dirac fermion on a magnetic domain wall allows the neutral Majorana
fermions to be probed with charge transport. We will discuss a novel
interferometer for Majorana fermions, which probes their Z_2 phase. This setup
also allows the transmission of neutral Majorana fermions through a point
contact to be measured. We introduce a point contact formed by a
superconducting junction and show that its transmission can be controlled by
the phase difference across the junction. We discuss the feasibility of these
experiments using the recently discovered topological insulator Bi_2 Se_3.Comment: 4 page
Two-component model for the chemical evolution of the Galactic disk
In the present paper, we introduce a two-component model of the Galactic disk
to investigate its chemical evolution. The formation of the thick and thin
disks occur in two main accretion episodes with both infall rates to be
Gaussian. Both the pre-thin and post-thin scenarios for the formation of the
Galactic disk are considered. The best-fitting is obtained through
-test between the models and the new observed metallicity distribution
function of G dwarfs in the solar neighbourhood (Hou et al 1998). Our results
show that post-thin disk scenario for the formation of the Galactic disk should
be preferred. Still, other comparison between model predictions and
observations are given.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figure
The Influence of Material Modification and Residues on Space Charge Accumulation in XLPE for DC Power Cable Application
The effects of material modification and cross-linking by-products (residues) quantity on space charge accumulation and decay in XLPE have been investigated using the pulsed electro-acoustic technique. The threshold stress for space charge generation during voltage-ramping was found to show considerable variation and to depend upon the material and the amount of residue present. However, the modified XLPE material was found to exhibit a higher threshold for space charge accumulation than the reference XLPE whatever the conditions. De-gassed samples were found to exhibit the highest threshold stress, with that of the modified de-gassed XLPE accumulating no space charge at all even after 24 hours stressing at 70kV. In general heterocharge regions were formed when the residues were present and homocharge or no charge was formed when the residues were removed by degassing. Differences were also found in the space charge decay following short-circuit (volts-off), with the decay of heterocharge being rapid, whereas that of homocharge was slow. A tentative explanation is offered to explain these features
Spin Hall effects for cold atoms in a light induced gauge potential
We propose an experimental scheme to observe spin Hall effects with cold
atoms in a light induced gauge potential. Under an appropriate configuration,
the cold atoms moving in a spatially varying laser field experience an
effective spin-dependent gauge potential. Through numerical simulation, we
demonstrate that such a gauge field leads to observable spin Hall currents
under realistic conditions. We also discuss the quantum spin Hall state in an
optical lattice.Comment: 4 pages; The published versio
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