Quantum Transport Calculations Using Periodic Boundary Conditions

An efficient new method is presented to calculate the quantum transports using periodic boundary conditions. This method allows the use of conventional ground state ab initio programs without big changes. The computational effort is only a few times of a normal ground state calculation, thus it makes accurate quantum transport calculations for large systems possible.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Calibration and Irradiation Study of the BGO Background Monitor for the BEAST II Experiment

Beam commissioning of the SuperKEKB collider began in 2016. The Beam Exorcism for A STable experiment II (BEAST II) project is particularly designed to measure the beam backgrounds around the interaction point of the SuperKEKB collider for the Belle II experiment. We develop a system using bismuth germanium oxide (BGO) crystals with optical fibers connecting to a multianode photomultiplier tube (MAPMT) and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) embedded readout board for monitoring the real-time beam backgrounds in BEAST II. The overall radiation sensitivity of this system is estimated to be $(2.20\pm0.26)\times10^{-12}$ Gy/ADU (analog-to-digital unit) with the standard 10 m fibers for transmission and the MAPMT operating at 700 V. Our $\gamma$-ray irradiation study of the BGO system shows that the exposure of BGO crystals to $^{60}$Co $\gamma$-ray doses of 1 krad has led to immediate light output reductions of 25--40%, and the light outputs further drop by 30--45% after the crystals receive doses of 2--4 krad. Our findings agree with those of the previous studies on the radiation hard (RH) BGO crystals grown by the low thermal gradient Czochralski (LTG Cz) technology. The absolute dose from the BGO system is also consistent with the simulation, and is estimated to be about 1.18 times the equivalent dose. These results prove that the BGO system is able to monitor the background dose rate in real time under extreme high radiation conditions. This study concludes that the BGO system is reliable for the beam background study in BEAST II

Study the Heavy Molecular States in Quark Model with Meson Exchange Interaction

Some charmonium-like resonances such as X(3872) can be interpreted as possible $D^{(*)}D^{(*)}$ molecular states. Within the quark model, we study the structure of such molecular states and the similar $B^{(*)}B^{(*)}$ molecular states by taking into account of the light meson exchange ($\pi$, $\eta$, $\rho$, $\omega$ and $\sigma$) between two light quarks from different mesons

Optical transitions and nature of Stokes shift in spherical CdS quantum dots

We study the structure of the energy spectra along with the character of the states participating in optical transitions in colloidal CdS quantum dots (QDs) using the {\sl ab initio} accuracy charge patching method combined with the %pseudopotential based folded spectrum calculations of electronic structure of thousand-atom nanostructures. In particular, attention is paid to the nature of the large resonant Stokes shift observed in CdS quantum dots. We find that the top of the valence band state is bright, in contrast with the results of numerous {\bf k$\cdot$p} calculations, and determine the limits of applicability of the {\bf k$\cdot$p} approach. The calculated electron-hole exchange splitting suggests the spin-forbidden valence state may explain the nature of the ``dark exciton'' in CdS quantum dots.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Market valuation of decreases in R&D expenditures

While many studies report that R&D investments significantly contribute to firm value, little existing research investigates the effect of the reduction in R&D expenditures on firm value. This paper examines the long-term performance following significant R&D decreases. We find that, contrary to conventional wisdom, R&D decreases enhance rather than destroy shareholder value. We explore three potential economic motives behind R&D decreases -- R&D spillover, managerial myopia, and overinvestment. We find no compelling evidence to support either the spillover or myopia explanation. However, our results suggest that operating performance deteriorates immediately preceding R&D decreases and firms with low or decreasing investment opportunities outperform; these findings strongly support the overinvestment hypothesis. We also show that the cost of capital declines after R&D decreases. However, the market seems to underestimate the improvement in cost of capital following R&D reductions.postprintThe 2010 China International Conference in Finance (CICF 2010), Beijing, China, 4-7 July 2010

Entrainment and chaos in a pulse-driven Hodgkin-Huxley oscillator

The Hodgkin-Huxley model describes action potential generation in certain types of neurons and is a standard model for conductance-based, excitable cells. Following the early work of Winfree and Best, this paper explores the response of a spontaneously spiking Hodgkin-Huxley neuron model to a periodic pulsatile drive. The response as a function of drive period and amplitude is systematically characterized. A wide range of qualitatively distinct responses are found, including entrainment to the input pulse train and persistent chaos. These observations are consistent with a theory of kicked oscillators developed by Qiudong Wang and Lai-Sang Young. In addition to general features predicted by Wang-Young theory, it is found that most combinations of drive period and amplitude lead to entrainment instead of chaos. This preference for entrainment over chaos is explained by the structure of the Hodgkin-Huxley phase resetting curve.Comment: Minor revisions; modified Fig. 3; added reference

Experimental investigation of non-uniform heating effect on flow boiling instabilities in a microchannel-based heat sink

Copyright @ 2011 ElsevierTwo-phase flow boiling in microchannels is one of the most promising cooling technologies for coping with high heat fluxes produced by the next generation of central processor units (CPUs). If flow boiling is to be used as a thermal management method for high heat flux electronics it is necessary to understand the behaviour of a non-uniform heat distribution, which is typically the case observed in a real operating CPU. The work presented is an experimental study of two-phase boiling in a multi-channel silicon heat sink with non-uniform heating, using water as the cooling liquid. Thin nickel film sensors, integrated on the back side of the heat sinks were used in order to gain insight related to temperature fluctuations caused by two-phase flow instabilities under non-uniform heating. The effect of various hotspot locations on the temperature profile and pressure drop has been investigated. It was observed that boiling inside microchannels with axially non-uniform heating leads to high temperature non-uniformity in the transverse direction.This research was supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council through grant EP/D500109/1