6,770 research outputs found
Topological energy gaps in the [111]-oriented InAs/GaSb and GaSb/InAs core-shell nanowires
The [111]-oriented InAs/GaSb and GaSb/InAs core-shell nanowires have been
studied by the Luttinger-Kohn Hamiltonian to
search for non-vanishing fundamental gaps between inverted electron and hole
bands. We focus on the variations of the topologically nontrivial fundamental
gap, the hybridization gap, and the effective gap with the core radius and
shell thickness of the nanowires. The evolutions of all the energy gaps with
the structural parameters are shown to be dominantly governed by quantum size
effects. With a fixed core radius, a topologically nontrivial fundamental gap
exists only at intermediate shell thicknesses. The maximum gap is
meV for GaSb/InAs and meV for InAs/GaSb core-shell nanowires, and
for the GaSb/InAs core-shell nanowires the gap persists over a wider range of
geometrical parameters. The intrinsic reason for these differences between the
two types of nanowires is that in the shell the electron-like states of InAs is
more delocalized than the hole-like state of GaSb, while in the core the
hole-like state of GaSb is more delocalized than the electron-like state of
InAs, and both features favor stronger electron-hole hybridization. Since
similar features of the electron- and hole-like states have been found in
nanowires of other materials, it could serve as a common rule to put the
hole-like state in the core while the electron-like state in the shell of a
core-shell nanowire to achieve better topological properties.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure
Discovery of gamma-ray emission from the supernova remnant Kes 17 with Fermi Large Area Telescope
We report the discovery of GeV emission at the position of supernova remnant
Kes 17 by using the data from the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi
Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Kes 17 can be clearly detected with a significance
of ~12 sigma in the 1 - 20 GeV range. Moreover, a number of gamma-ray sources
were detected in its vicinity. The gamma-ray spectrum of Kes 17 can be well
described by a simple power-law with a photon index of ~ 2.4. Together with the
multi-wavelength evidence for its interactions with the nearby molecular cloud,
the gamma-ray detection suggests that Kes 17 is a candidate acceleration site
for cosmic-rays.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJ Lette
Investigation of CTA 1 with Suzaku Observation
We report on an 105 ks Suzaku observation of the supernova remnant CTA 1
(G119.5+10.2). The Suzaku soft X-ray observation was carried out with both
timing mode and imaging mode. A ~ 10' extended feature, which is interpreted as
a bow-shock component of the pulsar wind nebula (PWN), is revealed in this deep
observation for the first time. The nebular spectrum can be modelled by a
power-law with a photon index of ~ 1.8 which suggests a slow synchrotron
cooling scenario. The photon index is approximately constant across this
extended feature. We compare and discuss our observations of this complex
nebula with previous X-ray investigations. We do not obtain any significant
pulsation from the central pulsar in the soft (0.2-12 keV) and hard (10-60 keV)
X-ray data. The non-detection is mainly due to the loss of the precise imaging
ability to accurately determine the source contribution. The spectra of XIS and
HXD can be directly connected without a significant spectral break according to
our analysis. Future observations of NuSTAR and Astro-H would be able to
resolve the contamination and provide an accurate hard X-ray measurement of CTA
1.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted by MNRA
Identification campaign of supernova remnant candidates in the Milky Way - I: Chandra observation of G308.3-1.4
ROSAT all-sky survey (RASS) data have provided another window to search for
supernova remnants (SNRs). In reexamining this data archive, a list of
unidentified extended X-ray objects have been suggested as promising SNR
candidate. However, most of these targets have not yet been fully explored by
the state-of-art X-ray observatories. For selecting a pilot target for a
long-term identification campaign, we have observed the brightest candidate,
G308.3-1.4, with Chandra X-ray observatory. An incomplete shell-like X-ray
structure which well-correlated with the radio shell emission at 843 MHz has
been revealed. The X-ray spectrum suggests the presence of a shock-heated
plasma. All these evidences confirm G308.3-1.4 as a SNR. The brightest X-ray
point source detected in this field-of-view is also the one locates closest to
the geometrical center of G308.3-1.4, which has a soft spectrum. The intriguing
temporal variability and the identification of optical/infrared counterpart
rule out the possibility of an isolated neutron star. On the other hand, the
spectral energy distribution from Ks band to R band suggests a late-type star.
Together with a putative periodicity of \sim1.4 hrs, the interesting excesses
in V, B bands and H-alpha suggest this source as a promising candidate of a
compact binary survived in a supernova explosion (SN).Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Ap
Reliability and validity of psychosocial and environmental correlates measures of physical activity and screen-based behaviors among Chinese children in Hong Kong
Background : Insufficient participation in physical activity and excessive screen time have been observed among Chinese children. The role of social and environmental factors in shaping physical activity and sedentary behaviors among Chinese children is under-investigated. The purpose of the present study was to assess the reliability and validity of a questionnaire to measure child- and parent-reported psychosocial and environmental correlates of physical activity and screen-based behaviors among Chinese children in Hong Kong. Methods : A total of 303 schoolchildren aged 9-14 years and their parents volunteered to participate in this study and 160 of them completed the questionnaire twice within an interval of 10 days. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), kappa statistics, and percent agreement were performed to evaluate test-retest reliability of the continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) were conducted to assess convergent validity of the emergent scales. Cronbach\u27s alpha and ICCs were performed to assess internal and test-retest reliability of the emergent scales. Criterion validity was assessed by correlating psychosocial and environmental measures with self-reported physical activity and screen-based behaviors, measured by a validated questionnaire. Results : Reliability statistics for both child- and parent-reported continuous variables showed acceptable consistency for all of the ICC values greater than 0.70. Kappa statistics showed fair to perfect test-retest reliability for the categorical items. Adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability were observed in most of the emergent scales. Criterion validity assessed by correlating psychosocial and environmental measures with child-reported physical activity found associations with physical activity in the self-efficacy scale (r = 0.25, P < 0.05), the peer support for physical activity scale (r = 0.25, P < 0.05) and home physical activity environmental (r = 0.14, P < 0.05). Children\u27s screen-based behaviors were associated with the family support for physical activity scale (r = -0.22, P < 0.05) and parental role modeling of TV (r = 0.12, P = 0.053). Conclusions : The findings provide psychometric support for using this questionnaire for examining psychosocial and environmental correlates of physical activity and screen-based behaviors among Chinese children in Hong Kong. Further research is needed to develop more robust measures based on the current questionnaire, especially for peer influence on physical activity and parental rules on screen-based behaviors. <br /
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