344 research outputs found
Energy-efficiency improvements for optical access
This article discusses novel approaches to improve energy efficiency of different optical access technologies, including time division multiplexing passive optical network (TDM-PON), time and wavelength division multiplexing PON (TWDM-PON), point-to-point (PTP) access network, wavelength division multiplexing PON (WDM-PON), and orthogonal frequency division multiple access PON (OFDMA-PON). These approaches include cyclic sleep mode, energy-efficient bit interleaving protocol, power reduction at component level, or frequency band selection. Depending on the target optical access technology, one or a combination of different approaches can be applied
Geometric versus geographic models for the estimation of an FTTH deployment
Optical access networks provide a future proof platform for a wide range of services, and today, several operators are deploying fibre to the home (FTTH) networks. Installing an FTTH infrastructure, however, involves very high investment cost. Therefore, a good estimation of the investment cost is important for building a successful business strategy and, consequently, to speed up the FTTH penetration. In this paper, for calculating the amount of cable and fibre in the outside plant together with the associated civil works, and the number of required network elements, two different approaches are investigated: (1) geometric modelling of the fibre plant based on approximate mathematical models and (2) geographic modelling of the fibre plant based on map-based geospatial data. The results obtained from these two approaches can then be used as input for preliminary investment cost calculations and/or techno-economic evaluations. Compared to more complex and accurate geographic modelling, we verify that especially with uneven population density and irregular street system, simple geometric models do not provide accurate results. However, if no geospatial data is available or a fast calculation is desired for a first estimation, geometric models definitely have their relevance. Based on the case studies presented in this paper, we propose some important guidelines to improve the accuracy of the geometric models by eliminating their main distortion factors
Geographic model for cost estimation of FTTH deployment: overcoming inaccuracy in uneven-populated areas
A geographic approach is proposed to accurately estimate the cost of FTTH networks. In contrast to the existing geometric models, our model can efficiently avoid inaccurate estimation of the fibre infrastructure cost in the uneven-populated areas
Coupling to haloform molecules in intercalated C60?
For field-effect-doped fullerenes it was reported that the superconducting
transition temperature Tc is markedly larger for C60.2CHX_3 (X=Cl, Br)
crystals, than for pure C60. Initially this was explained by the expansion of
the volume per C60-molecule and the corresponding increase in the density of
states at the Fermi level in the intercalated crystals. On closer examination
it has, however, turned out to be unlikely that this is the mechanism behind
the increase in Tc. An alternative explanation of the enhanced transition
temperatures assumes that the conduction electrons not only couple to the
vibrational modes of the C60-molecule, but also to the modes of the
intercalated molecules. We investigate the possibility of such a coupling. We
find that, assuming the ideal bulk structure of the intercalated crystal, both
a coupling due to hybridization of the molecular levels, and a coupling via
dipole moments should be very small. This suggests that the presence of the
gate-oxide in the field-effect-devices strongly affects the structure of the
fullerene crystal at the interface.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, to be published in PRB (rapid communication
Reconstruction Mechanism of FCC Transition-Metal (001) Surfaces
The reconstruction mechanism of (001) fcc transition metal surfaces is
investigated using a full-potential all-electron electronic structure method
within density-functional theory. Total-energy supercell calculations confirm
the experimental finding that a close-packed quasi-hexagonal overlayer
reconstruction is possible for the late 5-metals Ir, Pt, and Au, while it is
disfavoured in the isovalent 4 metals (Rh, Pd, Ag). The reconstructive
behaviour is driven by the tensile surface stress of the unreconstructed
surfaces; the stress is significantly larger in the 5 metals than in 4
ones, and only in the former case it overcomes the substrate resistance to the
required geometric rearrangement. It is shown that the surface stress for these
systems is due to charge depletion from the surface layer, and that the
cause of the 4th-to-5th row stress difference is the importance of relativistic
effects in the 5 series.Comment: RevTeX 3.0, 12 pages, 1 PostScript figure available upon request] 23
May 199
Reversal of the Charge Transfer between Host and Dopant Atoms in Semiconductor Nanocrystals
We present ab initio density functional calculations that show P (Al) dopant
atoms in small hydrogen-terminated Si crystals to be negatively (positively)
charged. These signs of the dopant charges are reversed relative to the same
dopants in bulk Si. We predict this novel reversal of the dopant charge (and
electronic character of the doping) to occur at crystal sizes of order 100 Si
atoms. We explain it as a result of competition between fundamental principles
governing charge transfer in bulk semiconductors and molecules and predict it
to occur in nanocrystals of most semiconductors.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures (3 in color), 2 table
Coexistence of Band Jahn Teller Distortion and superconductivity in correlated systems
The co-existence of band Jahn-Teller (BJT) effect with superconductivity (SC)
is studied for correlated systems, with orbitally degenerate bands using a
simple model. The Hubbard model for a doubly degenerate orbital with the
on-site intraorbital Coulomb repulsion treated in the slave boson formalism and
the interorbital Coulomb repulsion treated in the Hartree-Fock mean field
approximation, describes the correlated system. The model further incorporates
the BJT interaction and a pairing term to account for the lattice distortion
and superconductivity respectively. It is found that structural distortion
tends to suppress superconductivity and when SC sets in at low temperatures,
the growth of the lattice distortion is arrested. The phase diagram comprising
of the SC and structural transition temperatures and versus the
dopant concentration reveals that the highest obtainable for an
optimum doping is limited by structural transition. The dependence of the
occupation probabilities of the different bands as well as the density of
states (DOS) in the distorted-superconducting phase, on electron correlation
has been discussed.Comment: RevTex, 4 pages, 4 figuers (postscript files attached) Journal
Reference : Phys. Rev. B (accepted for publication
Europeanization and the soft law process of EU corporate governance: how has the 2003 action plan impacted on national corporate governance codes?
This study explores Europeanization, the interrelationship between domestic and EU-level policy activity. Specifically, it asks how domestic policy is affected by EU-level (soft-law) policy processes. This contrasts with the hard-law focus of most Europeanization research. Our empirical analysis seeks to determine the extent to which the European Commission's 2003 plan to enhance corporate governance delivered on its aim of 'co-ordinating corporate governance efforts of member states'. This study thus differs from most others on convergence in corporate governance regimes, which look for evidence of convergence perse, rather than convergence towards a specified set of principles. Applying content analysis and econometric tests to 95 corporate governance codes issued between 1992 and mid-2010, we find that the Action Plan has influenced member states' corporate governance policies. However, the degree of national policy alignment to the Action Plan's priorities depends on when the corporate governance code was issued, here, and by whom
Electron--Vibron Interactions and Berry Phases in Charged Buckminsterfullerene: Part I
A simple model for electron-vibron interactions on charged
buckminsterfullerene C, , is solved both at weak and
strong couplings. We consider a single vibrational multiplet interacting
with electrons. At strong coupling the semiclassical dynamical
Jahn-Teller theory is valid. The Jahn-Teller distortions are unimodal for
=1,2,4,5 electrons, and bimodal for 3 electrons. The distortions are
quantized as rigid body pseudo--rotators which are subject to geometrical Berry
phases. These impose ground state degeneracies and dramatically change zero
point energies. Exact diagonalization shows that the semiclassical level
degeneracies and ordering survive well into the weak coupling regime. At weak
coupling, we discover an enhancement factor of for the pair binding
energies over their classical values. This has potentially important
implications for superconductivity in fullerides, and demonstrates the
shortcoming of Migdal--Eliashberg theory for molecular crystals.Comment: 29 pages (+7 figures, 3 available upon request), LATEX,
report-number: BM515
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