661 research outputs found
Nonequilibrium Singlet-Triplet Kondo Effect in Carbon Nanotubes
The Kondo-effect is a many-body phenomenon arising due to conduction
electrons scattering off a localized spin. Coherent spin-flip scattering off
such a quantum impurity correlates the conduction electrons and at low
temperature this leads to a zero-bias conductance anomaly. This has become a
common signature in bias-spectroscopy of single-electron transistors, observed
in GaAs quantum dots as well as in various single-molecule transistors. While
the zero-bias Kondo effect is well established it remains uncertain to what
extent Kondo correlations persist in non-equilibrium situations where inelastic
processes induce decoherence. Here we report on a pronounced conductance peak
observed at finite bias-voltage in a carbon nanotube quantum dot in the spin
singlet ground state. We explain this finite-bias conductance anomaly by a
nonequilibrium Kondo-effect involving excitations into a spin triplet state.
Excellent agreement between calculated and measured nonlinear conductance is
obtained, thus strongly supporting the correlated nature of this nonequilibrium
resonance.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figure
Orbital Kondo effect in carbon nanotubes
Progress in the fabrication of nanometer-scale electronic devices is opening
new opportunities to uncover the deepest aspects of the Kondo effect, one of
the paradigmatic phenomena in the physics of strongly correlated electrons.
Artificial single-impurity Kondo systems have been realized in various
nanostructures, including semiconductor quantum dots, carbon nanotubes and
individual molecules. The Kondo effect is usually regarded as a spin-related
phenomenon, namely the coherent exchange of the spin between a localized state
and a Fermi sea of electrons. In principle, however, the role of the spin could
be replaced by other degrees of freedom, such as an orbital quantum number.
Here we demonstrate that the unique electronic structure of carbon nanotubes
enables the observation of a purely orbital Kondo effect. We use a magnetic
field to tune spin-polarized states into orbital degeneracy and conclude that
the orbital quantum number is conserved during tunneling. When orbital and spin
degeneracies are simultaneously present, we observe a strongly enhanced Kondo
effect, with a multiple splitting of the Kondo resonance at finite field and
predicted to obey a so-called SU(4) symmetry.Comment: 26 pages, including 4+2 figure
Spectroscopic analysis of finite size effects around a Kondo quantum dot
We consider a simple setup in which a small quantum dot is strongly connected
to a finite size box. This box can be either a metallic box or a finite size
quantum wire.The formation of the Kondo screening cloud in the box strongly
depends on the ratio between the Kondo temperature and the box level spacing.
By weakly connecting two metallic reservoirs to the quantum dot, a detailed
spectroscopic analysis can be performed. Since the transport channels and the
screening channels are almost decoupled, such a setup allows an easier access
to the measure of finite-size effects associated with the finite extension of
the Kondo cloud.Comment: contribution to Les Houches proceeding, ``Quantum magnetism'' 200
Generation of photovoltage in graphene on a femtosecond time scale through efficient carrier heating
Graphene is a promising material for ultrafast and broadband photodetection.
Earlier studies addressed the general operation of graphene-based
photo-thermoelectric devices, and the switching speed, which is limited by the
charge carrier cooling time, on the order of picoseconds. However, the
generation of the photovoltage could occur at a much faster time scale, as it
is associated with the carrier heating time. Here, we measure the photovoltage
generation time and find it to be faster than 50 femtoseconds. As a
proof-of-principle application of this ultrafast photodetector, we use graphene
to directly measure, electrically, the pulse duration of a sub-50 femtosecond
laser pulse. The observation that carrier heating is ultrafast suggests that
energy from absorbed photons can be efficiently transferred to carrier heat. To
study this, we examine the spectral response and find a constant spectral
responsivity between 500 and 1500 nm. This is consistent with efficient
electron heating. These results are promising for ultrafast femtosecond and
broadband photodetector applications.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Two-channel Kondo effect and renormalization flow with macroscopic quantum charge states
Many-body correlations and macroscopic quantum behaviors are fascinating
condensed matter problems. A powerful test-bed for the many-body concepts and
methods is the Kondo model which entails the coupling of a quantum impurity to
a continuum of states. It is central in highly correlated systems and can be
explored with tunable nanostructures. Although Kondo physics is usually
associated with the hybridization of itinerant electrons with microscopic
magnetic moments, theory predicts that it can arise whenever degenerate quantum
states are coupled to a continuum. Here we demonstrate the previously elusive
`charge' Kondo effect in a hybrid metal-semiconductor implementation of a
single-electron transistor, with a quantum pseudospin-1/2 constituted by two
degenerate macroscopic charge states of a metallic island. In contrast to other
Kondo nanostructures, each conduction channel connecting the island to an
electrode constitutes a distinct and fully tunable Kondo channel, thereby
providing an unprecedented access to the two-channel Kondo effect and a clear
path to multi-channel Kondo physics. Using a weakly coupled probe, we reveal
the renormalization flow, as temperature is reduced, of two Kondo channels
competing to screen the charge pseudospin. This provides a direct view of how
the predicted quantum phase transition develops across the symmetric quantum
critical point. Detuning the pseudospin away from degeneracy, we demonstrate,
on a fully characterized device, quantitative agreement with the predictions
for the finite-temperature crossover from quantum criticality.Comment: Letter (5 pages, 4 figures) and Methods (10 pages, 6 figures
The R136 star cluster dissected with Hubble Space Telescope/STIS. I. Far-ultraviolet spectroscopic census and the origin of He II lambda 1640 in young star clusters
We introduce a Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) stellar census of R136a, the central ionizing star cluster of 30 Doradus. We present low resolution far-ultraviolet STIS spectroscopy of R136 using 17 contiguous 52 arcsec × 0.2 arcsec slits which together provide complete coverage of the central 0.85 parsec (3.4 arcsec). We provide spectral types of 90 per cent of the 57 sources brighter than mF555W = 16.0 mag within a radius of 0.5 parsec of R136a1, plus 8 additional nearby sources including R136b (O4 If/WN8). We measure wind velocities for 52 early-type stars from C IVλλ1548–51, including 16 O2–3 stars. For the first time, we spectroscopically classify all Weigelt and Baier members of R136a, which comprise three WN5 stars (a1–a3), two O supergiants (a5–a6) and three early O dwarfs (a4, a7, a8). A complete Hertzsprung–Russell diagram for the most massive O stars in R136 is provided, from which we obtain a cluster age of 1.5
+0.3−0.7
−0.7+0.3
Myr. In addition, we discuss the integrated ultraviolet spectrum of R136, and highlight the central role played by the most luminous stars in producing the prominent He II λ1640 emission line. This emission is totally dominated by very massive stars with initial masses above ∼100 M⊙. The presence of strong He II λ1640 emission in the integrated light of very young star clusters (e.g. A1 in NGC 3125) favours an initial mass function extending well beyond a conventional upper limit of 100 M⊙. We include montages of ultraviolet spectroscopy for Large Magellanic Cloud O stars in the appendix. Future studies in this series will focus on optical STIS medium resolution observations
Forest carbon sequestration:the impact of forest management
In this chapter, we describe alternative ways in which forests and forestry can help to mítigate climate change, along with the potential impact of these activities. The three carbon storage compartments should be considered inall impact estimates. Carbon content in living biomass is easily estimated via species-specific equations or by applying factors to oven-dry biomass weights (e.g.,lbañez et al.,2002, Herrero et al.,2011,Castaño and Bravo, 2012).Litter carbon content has been analysed in many studies on primary forest productivity, though
information regarding the influence of forest management on litter carbon content is less abundant (Blanco et al., 2006). In the last decade,efforts have been made to assess soil carbon in forests, but studies on the effect of forest management on soils show discrepancies (Lindner and Karjalainen,2007).Hoover (2011), for example,found no difference in forest floor carbon stocks among stands subjected to partial or complete harvest treatments in the United States.Instituto Universitario de Gestión Forestal Sostenibl
Eta Carinae and the Luminous Blue Variables
We evaluate the place of Eta Carinae amongst the class of luminous blue
variables (LBVs) and show that the LBV phenomenon is not restricted to
extremely luminous objects like Eta Car, but extends luminosities as low as
log(L/Lsun) = 5.4 - corresponding to initial masses ~25 Msun, and final masses
as low as ~10-15 Msun. We present a census of S Doradus variability, and
discuss basic LBV properties, their mass-loss behaviour, and whether at maximum
light they form pseudo-photospheres. We argue that those objects that exhibit
giant Eta Car-type eruptions are most likely related to the more common type of
S Doradus variability. Alternative atmospheric models as well as
sub-photospheric models for the instability are presented, but the true nature
of the LBV phenomenon remains as yet elusive. We end with a discussion on the
evolutionary status of LBVs - highlighting recent indications that some LBVs
may be in a direct pre-supernova state, in contradiction to the standard
paradigm for massive star evolution.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures, Review Chapter in "Eta Carinae and the supernova
imposters" (eds R. Humphreys and K. Davidson) new version submitted to
Springe
Stranger to Familiar: Wild Strepsirhines Manage Xenophobia by Playing
The power of play in limiting xenophobia is a well-known phenomenon in humans. Yet, the evidence in social animals remains meager. Here, we aim to determine whether play promotes social tolerance toward strangers in one of the most basal group of primates, the strepsirhines. We observed two groups of wild lemurs (Propithecus verreauxi, Verreaux's sifaka) during the mating season. Data were also collected on nine visiting, outgroup males. We compared the distribution of play, grooming, and aggressive interactions across three conditions: OUT (resident/outgroup interactions), IN (resident/resident interactions in presence of outgroups) and BL-IN (baseline of resident/resident interactions in absence of outgroups). Play frequency between males was higher in OUT than in IN and BL-IN conditions; whereas, grooming was more frequent in IN than in OUT and BL-IN conditions. Aggression rates between resident and outgroup males were significantly higher than those between residents. However, aggressions between resident and outgroup males significantly decreased after the first play session and became comparable with resident-resident aggression levels. The presence of strangers in a well-established group implies the onset of novel social circumstances, which sifaka males cope with by two different tactics: grooming with ingroup males and playing with outgroup ones. The grooming peak, concurrently with the visit of outgroups, probably represents a social shield adopted by resident males to make their pre-existing affiliation more evident to the stranger “audience”. Being mostly restricted to unfamiliar males, adult play in sifaka appears to have a role in managing new social situations more than in maintaining old relationships. In particular, our results indicate not only that play is the interface between strangers but also that it has a specific function in reducing xenophobia. In conclusion, play appears to be an ice-breaker mechanism in the critical process that “upgrades” an individual from stranger to familiar
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