153 research outputs found
Theory of ferromagnetic (III,Mn)V semiconductors
The body of research on (III,Mn)V diluted magnetic semiconductors initiated
during the 1990's has concentrated on three major fronts: i) the microscopic
origins and fundamental physics of the ferromagnetism that occurs in these
systems, ii) the materials science of growth and defects and iii) the
development of spintronic devices with new functionalities. This article
reviews the current status of the field, concentrating on the first two, more
mature research directions. From the fundamental point of view, (Ga,Mn)As and
several other (III,Mn)V DMSs are now regarded as textbook examples of a rare
class of robust ferromagnets with dilute magnetic moments coupled by
delocalized charge carriers. Both local moments and itinerant holes are
provided by Mn, which makes the systems particularly favorable for realizing
this unusual ordered state. Advances in growth and post-growth treatment
techniques have played a central role in the field, often pushing the limits of
dilute Mn moment densities and the uniformity and purity of materials far
beyond those allowed by equilibrium thermodynamics. In (III,Mn)V compounds,
material quality and magnetic properties are intimately connected. In the
review we focus on the theoretical understanding of the origins of
ferromagnetism and basic structural, magnetic, magneto-transport, and
magneto-optical characteristics of simple (III,Mn)V epilayers, with the main
emphasis on (Ga,Mn)As. The conclusions we arrive at are based on an extensive
literature covering results of complementary ab initio and effective
Hamiltonian computational techniques, and on comparisons between theory and
experiment.Comment: 58 pages, 49 figures Version accepted for publication in Rev. Mod.
Phys. Related webpage: http://unix12.fzu.cz/ms
Diquat Derivatives: Highly Active, Two-Dimensional Nonlinear Optical Chromophores with Potential Redox Switchability
In this article, we present a detailed study of structure−activity relationships in diquaternized 2,2′-bipyridyl (diquat) derivatives. Sixteen new chromophores have been synthesized, with variations in the amino electron donor substituents, π-conjugated bridge, and alkyl diquaternizing unit. Our aim is to combine very large, two-dimensional (2D) quadratic nonlinear optical (NLO) responses with reversible redox chemistry. The chromophores have been characterized as their PF_6^− salts by using various techniques including electronic absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Their visible absorption spectra are dominated by intense π → π^* intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) bands, and all show two reversible diquat-based reductions. First hyperpolarizabilities β have been measured by using hyper-Rayleigh scattering with an 800 nm laser, and Stark spectroscopy of the ICT bands affords estimated static first hyperpolarizabilities β_0. The directly and indirectly derived β values are large and increase with the extent of π-conjugation and electron donor strength. Extending the quaternizing alkyl linkage always increases the ICT energy and decreases the E_(1/2) values for diquat reduction, but a compensating increase in the ICT intensity prevents significant decreases in Stark-based β_0 responses. Nine single-crystal X-ray structures have also been obtained. Time-dependent density functional theory clarifies the molecular electronic/optical properties, and finite field calculations agree with polarized HRS data in that the NLO responses of the disubstituted species are dominated by ‘off-diagonal’ β_(zyy) components. The most significant findings of these studies are: (i) β_0 values as much as 6 times that of the chromophore in the technologically important material (E)-4′-(dimethylamino)-N-methyl-4-stilbazolium tosylate; (ii) reversible electrochemistry that offers potential for redox-switching of optical properties over multiple states; (iii) strongly 2D NLO responses that may be exploited for novel practical applications; (iv) a new polar material, suitable for bulk NLO behavior
Phonon drag thermopower and weak localization
Previous experimental work on a two-dimensional (2D) electron gas in a
Si-on-sapphire device led to the conclusion that both conductivity and phonon
drag thermopower are affected to the same relative extent by weak
localization. The present paper presents further experimental and theoretical
results on these transport coefficients for two very low mobility 2D electron
gases in doped GaAs/GaAlAs quantum wells. The experiments
were carried out in the temperature range 3-7K where phonon drag dominates the
thermopower and, contrary to the previous work, the changes observed in the
thermopower due to weak localization were found to be an order of magnitude
less than those in the conductivity. A theoretical framework for phonon drag
thermopower in 2D and 3D semiconductors is presented which accounts for this
insensitivity of to weak localization. It also provides transparent
physical explanations of many previous experimental and theoretical results.Comment: 19 page Revtex file, 3 Postscript figur
Sustainability appraisal: Jack of all trades, master of none?
Sustainable development is a commonly quoted goal for decision making and supports a large number of other discourses. Sustainability appraisal has a stated goal of supporting decision making for sustainable development. We suggest that the inherent flexibility of sustainability appraisal facilitates outcomes that often do not adhere to the three goals enshrined in most definitions of sustainable development: economic growth, environmental protection and enhancement, and the wellbeing of the human population. Current practice is for sustainable development to be disenfranchised through the interpretation of sustainability, whereby the best alternative is good enough even when unsustainable. Practitioners must carefully and transparently review the frameworks applied during sustainability appraisal to ensure that outcomes will meet the three goals, rather than focusing on a discourse that emphasises one or more goals at the expense of the other(s)
Water Managers' Boundary Judgments and Adaptive Water Governance. An Analysis of the Dutch Haringvliet Sluices Case
__Abstract__
In this paper, we explore how managing actors' boundary judgments influence the adaptability of water governance. We approach this question by examining the relationship between the way water managers frame, and act in, complex water issues on the one hand and develop adaptive water governance strategies on the other. We define four categories of boundary judgments made by water managers in order to deal with the complexities in water governance issues. An in-depth case study analysis of an attempt to adjust the management of the water regime in the south-west Delta of the Netherlands is provided in order to reconstruct the water managers' boundary judgments and their impact upon governance strategies used. We found that, most of the time, the water managers involved predominantly made tight boundary judgments. These tight boundary judgments seemed to hamper the mutual learning process among a variety of stakeholders that is needed to realize adaptive water governance. We argue that wide boundary judgments enhance the chance of realizing adaptive practices and build upon exploration, learning, and connection
Nonvolatile ferroelectric control of ferromagnetism in (Ga,Mn)As
There is currently much interest in materials and structures that provide
coupled ferroelectric and ferromagnetic responses, with a long-term goal of
developing new memories and spintronic logic elements. Within the field there
is a focus on composites coupled by magnetostrictive and piezoelectric strain
transmitted across ferromagnetic-ferroelectric interfaces, but substrate
clamping limits the response in the supported multilayer configuration favoured
for devices. This constraint is avoided in a ferroelectric-ferromagnetic
bilayer in which the magnetic response is modulated by the electric field of
the poled ferroelectric. Here, we report the realization of such a device using
a diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) channel and a polymer ferroelectric
gate. Polarization reversal of the gate by a single voltage pulse results in a
persistent modulation of the Curie temperature as large as 5%. The device
demonstrates direct and quantitatively understood electric-fieldmediated
coupling in a multiferroic bilayer and may provide new routes to nanostructured
DMS materials and devices via ferroelectric domain nanopatterning. The
successful implementation of a polymer-ferroelectric gate fieldeffect
transistor (FeFET) with a DMS channel adds a new functionality to semiconductor
spintronics and may be of importance for future low-voltage spintronics devices
and memory structures.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figure
Loop Quantum Gravity
The problem of finding the quantum theory of the gravitational field, and
thus understanding what is quantum spacetime, is still open. One of the most
active of the current approaches is loop quantum gravity. Loop quantum gravity
is a mathematically well-defined, non-perturbative and background independent
quantization of general relativity, with its conventional matter couplings. The
research in loop quantum gravity forms today a vast area, ranging from
mathematical foundations to physical applications. Among the most significative
results obtained are: (i) The computation of the physical spectra of
geometrical quantities such as area and volume; which yields quantitative
predictions on Planck-scale physics. (ii) A derivation of the
Bekenstein-Hawking black hole entropy formula. (iii) An intriguing physical
picture of the microstructure of quantum physical space, characterized by a
polymer-like Planck scale discreteness. This discreteness emerges naturally
from the quantum theory and provides a mathematically well-defined realization
of Wheeler's intuition of a spacetime ``foam''. Long standing open problems
within the approach (lack of a scalar product, overcompleteness of the loop
basis, implementation of reality conditions) have been fully solved. The weak
part of the approach is the treatment of the dynamics: at present there exist
several proposals, which are intensely debated. Here, I provide a general
overview of ideas, techniques, results and open problems of this candidate
theory of quantum gravity, and a guide to the relevant literature.Comment: Review paper written for the electronic journal `Living Reviews'. 34
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Magnetotransport in a pseudomorphic GaAs/GaInAs/GaAlAs heterostructure with a Si delta-doping layer
Magnetotransport properties of a pseudomorphic
GaAs/Ga0.8In0.2As/Ga0.75Al0.25As heterostructure are investigated in pulsed
magnetic fields up to 50 T and at temperatures of T=1.4 K and 4.2 K. The
structure studied consists of a Si delta-layer parallel to a Ga0.8In0.2As
quantum well (QW). The dark electron density of the structure is n_e=1.67x
10^16 m^-2. By illumination the density can be increased up to a factor of 4;
this way the second subband in the Ga0.8In0.2As QW can become populated as well
as the Si delta-layer. The presence of electrons in the delta-layer results in
drastic changes in the transport data, especially at magnetic fields beyond 30
T. The phenomena observed are interpreted as: 1) magnetic freeze-out of
carriers in the delta-layer when a low density of electrons is present in the
delta-layer, and 2) quantization of the electron motion in the two dimensional
electron gases in both the Ga0.8In0.2As QW and the Si delta-layer in the case
of high densities. These conclusions are corroborated by the numerical results
of our theoretical model. We obtain a satisfactory agreement between model and
experiment.Comment: 23 pages, RevTex, 11 Postscript figures (accepted for Phys. Rev. B
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