537 research outputs found
The MSFC vector magnetograph
The NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center's solar vector magnetograph system allows measurements of all components of the Sun's photospheric magnetic field over a 5 x 5 or 2.5 x 2.5 arc min square field of view with an optimum time resolution of approximately 100 sec and an optimum signal-to-noise of approximately 1000. The basic system components are described, including the optics, detector, digital system, and associated electronics. Automatic sequencing and control functions are outlined as well as manual selections of system parameters which afford unique system flexibility. Results of system calibration and performance are presented, including linearity, dynamic range, uniformity, spatial and spectral resolutions, signal-to-noise, electro-optical retardation and polarization calibration
Focus on artificial frustrated systems
Frustration in physics is the inability of a system to simultaneously satisfy all the competing pairwise interactions within it. The past decade has seen an explosion of activity involving engineering frustration in artificial systems built using nanotechnology. The most common are the artificial spin ices that comprise arrays of nanomagnets with competing magnetostatic interactions. As well as being physical embodiments of idealized statistical mechanical models in which properties can be tuned by design, artificial spin ices can be studied using magnetic microscopy, allowing all the details of the microstates of these systems to be interrogated, both in equilibrium and when perturbed away from it. This 'focus on' collection brings together reports on the latest results from leading groups around the globe in this fascinating and fast-moving field
Quantum suppression of shot noise in field emitters
We have analyzed the shot noise of electron emission under strong applied
electric fields within the Landauer-Buttiker scheme. In contrast to the
previous studies of vacuum-tube emitters, we show that in new generation
electron emitters, scaled down to the nanometer dimensions, shot noise much
smaller than the Schottky noise is observable. Carbon nanotube field emitters
are among possible candidates to observe the effect of shot-noise suppression
caused by quantum partitioning.Comment: 5 pages, 1 fig, minor changes, published versio
Quantum Interference Effects in Electronic Transport through Nanotube Contacts
Quantum interference has dramatic effects on electronic transport through
nanotube contacts. In optimal configuration the intertube conductance can
approach that of a perfect nanotube (). The maximum conductance
increases rapidly with the contact length up to 10 nm, beyond which it exhibits
long wavelength oscillations. This is attributed to the resonant cavity-like
interference phenomena in the contact region. For two concentric nanotubes
symmetry breaking reduces the maximum intertube conductance from to
. The phenomena discussed here can serve as a foundation for building
nanotube electronic circuits and high speed nanoscale electromechanical
devices
Dynamics of artificial spin ice: continuous honeycomb network
We model the dynamics of magnetization in an artificial analog of spin ice
specializing to the case of a honeycomb network of connected magnetic
nanowires. The inherently dissipative dynamics is mediated by the emission,
propagation and absorption of domain walls in the links of the lattice. These
domain walls carry two natural units of magnetic charge, whereas sites of the
lattice contain a unit magnetic charge. Magnetostatic Coulomb forces between
these charges play a major role in the physics of the system, as does quenched
disorder caused by imperfections of the lattice. We identify and describe
different regimes of magnetization reversal in an applied magnetic field
determined by the orientation of the applied field with respect to the initial
magnetization. One of the regimes is characterized by magnetic avalanches with
a 1/n distribution of lengths.Comment: 19 pages, focus issue of New J. Phys. on artificial frustrated
systems, minor clarifications requested by refere
Spin-injection Hall effect in a planar photovoltaic cell
Successful incorporation of the spin degree of freedom in semiconductor
technology requires the development of a new paradigm allowing for a scalable,
non-destructive electrical detection of the spin-polarization of injected
charge carriers as they propagate along the semiconducting channel. In this
paper we report the observation of a spin-injection Hall effect (SIHE) which
exploits the quantum-relativistic nature of spin-charge transport and which
meets all these key requirements on the spin detection. The two-dimensional
electron-hole gas photo-voltaic cell we designed to observe the SIHE allows us
to develop a quantitative microscopic theory of the phenomenon and to
demonstrate its direct application in optoelectronics. We report an
experimental realization of a non-magnetic spin-photovoltaic effect via the
SIHE, rendering our device an electrical polarimeter which directly converts
the degree of circular polarization of light to a voltage signal.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
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