4,743 research outputs found
Longitudinal variations, the opposition effect and monochromatic albedos for Mars
Magnitude at zero phase, phase coefficient, and monochromatic albedo computed for Mars as function of wavelengt
Voltage-controlled electron tunnelling from a single self-assembled quantum dot embedded in a two-dimensional-electron-gas-based photovoltaic cell
We perform high-resolution photocurrent (PC) spectroscopy to investigate
resonantly the neutral exciton ground-state (X0) in a single InAs/GaAs
self-assembled quantum dot (QD) embedded in the intrinsic region of an
n-i-Schottky photodiode based on a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG), which
was formed from a Si delta-doped GaAs layer. Using such a device, a single-QD
PC spectrum of X0 is measured by sweeping the bias-dependent X0 transition
energy through that of a fixed narrow-bandwidth laser via the quantum-confined
Stark effect (QCSE). By repeating such a measurement for a series of laser
energies, a precise relationship between the X0 transition energy and bias
voltage is then obtained. Taking into account power broadening of the X0
absorption peak, this allows for high-resolution measurements of the X0
homogeneous linewidth and, hence, the electron tunnelling rate. The electron
tunnelling rate is measured as a function of the vertical electric field and
described accurately by a theoretical model, yielding information about the
electron confinement energy and QD height. We demonstrate that our devices can
operate as 2DEG-based QD photovoltaic cells and conclude by proposing two
optical spintronic devices that are now feasible.Comment: 34 pages, 11 figure
Low voltage control of ferromagnetism in a semiconductor p-n junction
The concept of low-voltage depletion and accumulation of electron charge in
semiconductors, utilized in field-effect transistors (FETs), is one of the
cornerstones of current information processing technologies. Spintronics which
is based on manipulating the collective state of electron spins in a
ferromagnet provides complementary technologies for reading magnetic bits or
for the solid-state memories. The integration of these two distinct areas of
microelectronics in one physical element, with a potentially major impact on
the power consumption and scalability of future devices, requires to find
efficient means for controlling magnetization electrically. Current induced
magnetization switching phenomena represent a promising step towards this goal,
however, they relay on relatively large current densities. The direct approach
of controlling the magnetization by low-voltage charge depletion effects is
seemingly unfeasible as the two worlds of semiconductors and metal ferromagnets
are separated by many orders of magnitude in their typical carrier
concentrations. Here we demonstrate that this concept is viable by reporting
persistent magnetization switchings induced by short electrical pulses of a few
volts in an all-semiconductor, ferromagnetic p-n junction.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
AMPA Receptor Phosphorylation and Synaptic Colocalization on Motor Neurons Drive Maladaptive Plasticity below Complete Spinal Cord Injury.
Clinical spinal cord injury (SCI) is accompanied by comorbid peripheral injury in 47% of patients. Human and animal modeling data have shown that painful peripheral injuries undermine long-term recovery of locomotion through unknown mechanisms. Peripheral nociceptive stimuli induce maladaptive synaptic plasticity in dorsal horn sensory systems through AMPA receptor (AMPAR) phosphorylation and trafficking to synapses. Here we test whether ventral horn motor neurons in rats demonstrate similar experience-dependent maladaptive plasticity below a complete SCI in vivo. Quantitative biochemistry demonstrated that intermittent nociceptive stimulation (INS) rapidly and selectively increases AMPAR subunit GluA1 serine 831 phosphorylation and localization to synapses in the injured spinal cord, while reducing synaptic GluA2. These changes predict motor dysfunction in the absence of cell death signaling, suggesting an opportunity for therapeutic reversal. Automated confocal time-course analysis of lumbar ventral horn motor neurons confirmed a time-dependent increase in synaptic GluA1 with concurrent decrease in synaptic GluA2. Optical fractionation of neuronal plasma membranes revealed GluA2 removal from extrasynaptic sites on motor neurons early after INS followed by removal from synapses 2 h later. As GluA2-lacking AMPARs are canonical calcium-permeable AMPARs (CP-AMPARs), their stimulus- and time-dependent insertion provides a therapeutic target for limiting calcium-dependent dynamic maladaptive plasticity after SCI. Confirming this, a selective CP-AMPAR antagonist protected against INS-induced maladaptive spinal plasticity, restoring adaptive motor responses on a sensorimotor spinal training task. These findings highlight the critical involvement of AMPARs in experience-dependent spinal cord plasticity after injury and provide a pharmacologically targetable synaptic mechanism by which early postinjury experience shapes motor plasticity
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