Two-subband electron transport in nonideal quantum wells

Electron transport in nonideal quantum wells (QW) with large-scale variations of energy levels is studied when two subbands are occupied. Although the mean fluctuations of these two levels are screened by the in-plane redistribution of electrons, the energies of both levels remain nonuniform over the plane. The effect of random inhomogeneities on the classical transport is studied within the framework of a local response approach for weak disorder. Both short-range and small-angle scattering mechanisms are considered. Magnetotransport characteristics and the modulation of the effective conductivity by transverse voltage are evaluated for different kinds of confinement potentials (hard wall QW, parabolic QW, and stepped QW).Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

The Radion in the Karch-Randall Braneworld

In a braneworld context, the radion is a massless mode coupling to the trace of the matter stress tensor. Since the radion also governs the separation between branes, it is expected to decouple from the physical spectrum in single brane scenarios, such as the one-brane Randall-Sundrum model. However, contrary to expectations, we demonstrate that the Karch-Randall radion always remains as a physical excitation, even in the single brane case. Here, the radion measures the distance not between branes, but rather between the brane and the anti-de Sitter boundary on the other side of the bulk.Comment: 19 pages, Plain Te

No Ending Point in The Bragg-to-Vortex Glass Phase Transition Line at Low Temperatures

We have measured the magnetic hysteresis loops and the magnetic relaxation for $Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+\delta}$ (Bi-2212) single crystals which exhibit the second magnetization peak effect. Although no second peak effect is observed below 20 K in the measurement with fast field sweeping rate, it is found that the second peak effect will appear again after long time relaxation or in a measurement with very slow field sweeping rate at 16 K. It is anticipated that the peak effect will appear at very low temperatures (approaching zero K) when the relaxation time is long enough. We attribute this phenomenon to the profile of the interior magnetic field and conclude that the phase transition line of Bragg glass to vortex glass has no ending point at low temperatures.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Multichannel Photon Counting Lidar Measurements Using USB-based Digital Storage Oscilloscope

We present a simple method of making multichannel photon counting measurements of weak lidar signal from large ranges, using commonly available USB-based digital storage oscilloscopes. The single photon pulses from compact photomultiplier tubes are amplified and stretched so that the pulses are large and broad enough to be sampled efficiently by the USB oscilloscopes. A software interface written in Labview is then used to count the number of photon pulses in each of the prescribed time bins to form the histogram of LIDAR signal. This method presents a flexible alternative to the modular multichannel scalers and facilitate the development of sensitive lidar systems

Linearized Gravity in the Karch-Randall Braneworld

We present a linearized gravity investigation of the bent braneworld, where an AdS_4 brane is embedded in AdS_5. While we focus on static spherically symmetric mass distributions on the brane, much of the analysis continues to hold for more general configurations. In addition to the identification of the massive Karch-Randall graviton and a tower of Kaluza-Klein gravitons, we find a radion mode that couples to the trace of the energy-momentum tensor on the brane. The Karch-Randall radion arises as a property of the embedding of the brane in the bulk space, even in the context of a single brane model.Comment: 30 pages, 1 figure (plain tex), references added and radion sign clarifie

New Forests and New Forest People in Central Vietnam: The Acacia Boom

Vietnam is the country with the largest area of plantations of Australasian Acacia species (‘wattles’) in South-East Asia. Between 6 and 9% of the national land area is cultivated with tropical wattles (A. auriculiformis, A. mangium and A. × mangiiformis). From the perspective of its promoters, the wattle plantation industry in Vietnam may be seen as a success beyond expectations. We review the origins of this boom and ask what it has done to and for the coun- try’s landscape and people. The chapter combines findings and insights from an interdisciplinary research project in Thừa Thiên Huế province, north-central Vietnam. Research took place across upland and lowland wattle-growing regions, with ethnic minorities as well as the Kinh majority, and with long-term wattle growers as well as new en- trants. It drew on questionnaires, interviews and observations, as well as information from remote sensing, eco- logical surveys and hydrological assessments. We first describe how substantial areas of ‘new forest’ (short-rotation wattle plantations) were created, initially in degraded bushland, but now sometimes through clearing of highly bi- odiverse natural forest stands. These wattle plantations alter local hydrology, soils and biodiversity, and are exposed to risks including soil erosion and plant pathogens. The plantations provide wood chips and timber, supporting rev- enue, employment and a strong forestry industry. Incomes have risen appreciably for many, although unequally, and a class of successful entrepreneurs has emerged. These plantations alter the livelihoods and identities of upland ‘forest people’, historically shifting cultivators, contributing to what might be called ‘new forest people’. Ethnic mi- nority villagers are building new identities around the wattle economy and around their contracts with state forest agencies, seeing themselves increasingly as forest growers and protectors. We conclude by raising some questions regarding the social changes and issues of environmental sustainability linked to this wattle boom

Navigating power in conservation

Conservation research and practice are increasingly engaging with people and drawing on social sciences to improve environmental governance. In doing so, conservation engages with power in many ways, often implicitly. Conservation scientists and practitioners exercise power when dealing with species, people and the environment, and increasingly they are trying to address power relations to ensure effective conservation outcomes (guiding decision-making, understanding conflict, ensuring just policy and management outcomes). However, engagement with power in conservation is often limited or misguided. To address challenges associated with power in conservation, we introduce the four dominant approaches to analyzing power to conservation scientists and practitioners who are less familiar with social theories of power. These include actor-centered, institutional, structural, and, discursive/governmental power. To complement these more common framings of power, we also discuss further approaches, notably non-human and Indigenous perspectives. We illustrate how power operates at different scales and in different contexts, and provide six guiding principles for better consideration of power in conservation research and practice. These include: (1) considering scales and spaces in decision-making, (2) clarifying underlying values and assumptions of actions, (3) recognizing conflicts as manifestations of power dynamics, (4) analyzing who wins and loses in conservation, (5) accounting for power relations in participatory schemes, and, (6) assessing the right to intervene and the consequences of interventions. We hope that a deeper engagement with social theories of power can make conservation and environmental management more effective and just while also improving transdisciplinary research and practice