24,789 research outputs found

    Mechanical modulation of single-electron tunneling through molecular-assembled metallic nanoparticles

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    We present a microscopic study of single-electron tunneling in nanomechanical double-barrier tunneling junctions formed using a vibrating scanning nanoprobe and a metallic nanoparticle connected to a metallic substrate through a molecular bridge. We analyze the motion of single electrons on and off the nanoparticle through the tunneling current, the displacement current and the charging-induced electrostatic force on the vibrating nanoprobe. We demonstrate the mechanical single-electron turnstile effect by applying the theory to a gold nanoparticle connected to the gold substrate through alkane dithiol molecular bridge and probed by a vibrating platinum tip.Comment: Accepted by Phys. Rev.

    Microscopic theory of single-electron tunneling through molecular-assembled metallic nanoparticles

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    We present a microscopic theory of single-electron tunneling through metallic nanoparticles connected to the electrodes through molecular bridges. It combines the theory of electron transport through molecular junctions with the description of the charging dynamics on the nanoparticles. We apply the theory to study single-electron tunneling through a gold nanoparticle connected to the gold electrodes through two representative benzene-based molecules. We calculate the background charge on the nanoparticle induced by the charge transfer between the nanoparticle and linker molecules, the capacitance and resistance of molecular junction using a first-principles based Non-Equilibrium Green's Function theory. We demonstrate the variety of transport characteristics that can be achieved through ``engineering'' of the metal-molecule interaction.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev.

    A large-eddy simulation study on the diurnally evolving nonlinear trapped lee waves over a two-dimensional steep mountain

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    The diurnally evolving trapped lee wave over a small-scale two-dimensional steep mountain is investigated in large eddy simulations based on a fully compressible and non-hydrostatic model (ICON) with triangular grids of 50-m-edge length. An idealized atmospheric profile derived from a realistic case is designed to account for influences from the stagnant layer near the surface, the stability of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and the upper-level jet. Firstly, simulations were done to bridge from the linear regime to the nonlinear regime by increasing the mountain height, which showed that larger amplitude lee waves with longer wavelength can be produced in the nonlinear regime than in the linear regime. Secondly, the effects of the stagnant layer near the surface and the ABL stability were explored, which showed that the stagnant layer or the stable ABL can play a similar wave-absorbing role in the nonlinear regime as in linear theories or simulations. Thirdly, the role of the upper-level jet was explored, indicating that a stronger (weaker) upper-level jet can help to produce longer (shorter) lee waves. The stable ABL with a stagnant layer can more (less) efficiently absorb the longer (shorter) lee waves due to the stronger (weaker) jet, so that the wave response is more sensitive to the wave-absorption layer when an upper-level jet is present. Finally, the momentum budget was analyzed to explore the interaction between the upper and lower levels of the troposphere, which showed that the momentum flux due to the upward-propagating waves and trapped waves varies with the upper-level jet strength and low-level stagnancy and ABL stability

    Modeling the Broadband Spectral Energy Distribution of the Microquasars XTE J1550-564 and H 1743-322

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    We report results from a systematic study of the spectral energy distribution (SED) and spectral evolution of XTE J1550--564 and H 1743--322 in outburst. The jets of both sources have been directly imaged at both radio and X-ray frequencies, which makes it possible to constrain the spectrum of the radiating electrons in the jets. We modelled the observed SEDs of the jet `blobs' with synchrotron emission alone and with synchrotron emission plus inverse Compton scattering. The results favor a pure synchrotron origin of the observed jet emission. Moreover, we found evidence that the shape of the electron spectral distribution is similar for all jet `blobs' seen. Assuming that this is the case for the jet as a whole, we then applied the synchrotron model to the radio spectrum of the total emission and extrapolated the results to higher frequencies. In spite of significant degeneracy in the fits, it seems clear that, while the synchrotron radiation from the jets can account for nearly 100% of the measured radio fluxes, it contributes little to the observed X-ray emission, when the source is relatively bright. In this case, the X-ray emission is most likely dominated by emission from the accretion flows. When the source becomes fainter, however, the jet emission becomes more important, even dominant, at X-ray energies. We also examined the spectral properties of the sources during outbursts and the correlation between the observed radio and X-ray variabilities. The implication of the results is discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, MNRAS, accepted; the paper has been much expanded (e.g., arguments strengthened, another source H 1743-322 added) and rewritten (e.g., title changed, abstract revised); the main conclusions remain unchange

    A comprehensive numerical study of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions in marine stratocumulus

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    Three-dimensional large-eddy simulations (LES) with detailed bin-resolved microphysics are performed to explore the diurnal variation of marine stratocumulus (MSc) clouds under clean and polluted conditions. The sensitivity of the aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions to variation of sea surface temperature, free tropospheric humidity, large-scale divergence rate, and wind speed is assessed. The comprehensive set of simulations corroborates previous studies that (1) with moderate/heavy drizzle, an increase in aerosol leads to an increase in cloud thickness; and (2) with non/light drizzle, an increase in aerosol results in a thinner cloud, due to the pronounced effect on entrainment. It is shown that for higher SST, stronger large-scale divergence, drier free troposphere, or lower wind speed, the cloud thins and precipitation decreases. The sign and magnitude of the Twomey effect, droplet dispersion effect, cloud thickness effect, and cloud optical depth susceptibility to aerosol perturbations (i.e., change in cloud optical depth to change in aerosol number concentration) are evaluated by LES experiments and compared with analytical formulations. The Twomey effect emerges as dominant in total cloud optical depth susceptibility to aerosol perturbations. The dispersion effect, that of aerosol perturbations on the cloud droplet size spectrum, is positive (i.e., increase in aerosol leads to spectral narrowing) and accounts for 3% to 10% of the total cloud optical depth susceptibility at nighttime, with greater influence in heavier drizzling clouds. The cloud thickness effect is negative (i.e., increase in aerosol leads to thinner cloud) for non/light drizzling cloud and positive for a moderate/heavy drizzling clouds; the cloud thickness effect contributes 5% to 22% of the nighttime total cloud susceptibility. Overall, the total cloud optical depth susceptibility ranges from ~0.28 to 0.53 at night; an increase in aerosol concentration enhances cloud optical depth, especially with heavier precipitation and in a more pristine environment. During the daytime, the range of magnitude for each effect is more variable owing to cloud thinning and decoupling. The good agreement between LES experiments and analytical formulations suggests that the latter may be useful in evaluations of the total cloud susceptibility. The ratio of the magnitude of the cloud thickness effect to that of the Twomey effect depends on cloud base height and cloud thickness in unperturbed (clean) clouds

    Orientation and strain modulated electronic structures in puckered arsenene nanoribbons

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    Orthorhombic arsenene was recently predicted as an indirect bandgap semiconductor. Here, we demonstrate that nanostructuring arsenene into nanoribbons can successfully transform the bandgap to be direct. It is found that direct bandgaps hold for narrow armchair but wide zigzag nanoribbons, which is dominated by the competition between the in-plane and out-of-plane bondings. Moreover, straining the nanoribbons also induces a direct bandgap and simultaneously modulates effectively the transport property. The gap energy is largely enhanced by applying tensile strains to the armchair structures. In the zigzag ones, a tensile strain makes the effective mass of holes much higher while a compressive strain cause it much lower than that of electrons. Our results are crutial to understand and engineer the electronic properties of two dimensional materials beyond the planar ones like graphene

    Triaxially deformed relativistic point-coupling model for Λ\Lambda hypernuclei: a quantitative analysis of hyperon impurity effect on nuclear collective properties

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    The impurity effect of hyperon on atomic nuclei has received a renewed interest in nuclear physics since the first experimental observation of appreciable reduction of E2E2 transition strength in low-lying states of hypernucleus Λ7^{7}_\LambdaLi. Many more data on low-lying states of Λ\Lambda hypernuclei will be measured soon for sdsd-shell nuclei, providing good opportunities to study the Λ\Lambda impurity effect on nuclear low-energy excitations. We carry out a quantitative analysis of Λ\Lambda hyperon impurity effect on the low-lying states of sdsd-shell nuclei at the beyond-mean-field level based on a relativistic point-coupling energy density functional (EDF), considering that the Λ\Lambda hyperon is injected into the lowest positive-parity (Λs\Lambda_s) and negative-parity (Λp\Lambda_p) states. We adopt a triaxially deformed relativistic mean-field (RMF) approach for hypernuclei and calculate the Λ\Lambda binding energies of hypernuclei as well as the potential energy surfaces (PESs) in (β,γ)(\beta, \gamma) deformation plane. We also calculate the PESs for the Λ\Lambda hypernuclei with good quantum numbers using a microscopic particle rotor model (PRM) with the same relativistic EDF. The triaxially deformed RMF approach is further applied in order to determine the parameters of a five-dimensional collective Hamiltonian (5DCH) for the collective excitations of triaxially deformed core nuclei. Taking Λ25,27^{25,27}_{\Lambda}Mg and Λ31^{31}_{\Lambda}Si as examples, we analyse the impurity effects of Λs\Lambda_s and Λp\Lambda_p on the low-lying states of the core nuclei...Comment: 15 pages with 18 figures and 1 table (version to be published in Physical Review C

    The daytime trapped lee wave pattern and evolution induced by two small-scale mountains of different heights

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    Two large-eddy simulations are carried out to investigate the vertical structure and daytime evolution of trapped lee waves (TLWs) triggered by mountains of two heights (500 and 1500 m, denoted as HM500 and HM1500, respectively) based on a typical subtropical winter troposphere, in which a steady upper-level jet and a clear diurnal evolution of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) are present. Multimode TLWs co-exist at three altitudes with dominant wavelengths increasing with altitude in HM500, while a single-mode TLW dominates throughout most of the troposphere in HM1500. The wave amplitudes for both experiments increase from midday, reaching peaks in the afternoon, likely related to the reduction of the wave absorption by the ABL. Whereas the growth of the dominant wavelength of TLWs with time is mainly limited to layers near the ABL top for HM500; the dominant wavelength in HM1500 stays steady with time. The TLW pattern and evolution can be largely explained by linear theory. In HM500, the multimode pattern is due to the perturbation source at a low altitude where high wavenumbers are supported, and the wavelength lengthening near the ABL top can be explained by the decreasing Scorer parameter in the afternoon. In HM1500, the large-amplitude single-mode TLW is due to the enhanced and elevated perturbation source of the higher mountain where the Scorer parameter is smaller and affected less by the ABL. The continual amplification of the dominant TLW in HM1500 may be caused by the instability from the wave-induced momentum deficit at the upper ABL, which further facilitates the wave propagation. Our findings are beneficial for improving our process-scale understanding of the vertical structure and diurnal evolution of TLWs constrained by the upper-level jet and ABL evolution, and have implications for improving orographic gravity-wave parameterization especially when the model resolution approaches around 10 km. © 2022 The Author
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