Quantum Dot and Hole Formation in Sputter Erosion

Recently it was experimentally demonstrated that sputtering under normal incidence leads to the formation of spatially ordered uniform nanoscale islands or holes. Here we show that these nanostructures have inherently nonlinear origin, first appearing when the nonlinear terms start to dominate the surface dynamics. Depending on the sign of the nonlinear terms, determined by the shape of the collision cascade, the surface can develop regular islands or holes with identical dynamical features, and while the size of these nanostructures is independent of flux and temperature, it can be modified by tuning the ion energy

Nanowire formation on sputter eroded surfaces

Rotated ripple structures (RRS) on sputter eroded surfaces are potential candidates for nanoscale wire fabrication. We show that the necessary condition for RRS formation is that the width of the collision cascade in the longitudinal direction has to be larger than that in the transverse direction, which can be achieved by using high energy ion beams. By calculating the structure factor for the RRS we find that they are more regular and their amplitude is more enhanced compared to the much studied ripple structure forming in the linear regime of sputter erosion.Comment: 3 pages, 5 figures, 2 column revtex format, submitted to Appl. Phys. Let

Quantum Dot and Hole Formation in Sputter Erosion

Recently it was experimentally demonstrated that sputtering under normal incidence leads to the formation of spatially ordered uniform nanoscale islands or holes. Here we show that these nanostructures have inherently nonlinear origin, first appearing when the nonlinear terms start to dominate the surface dynamics. Depending on the sign of the nonlinear terms, determined by the shape of the collision cascade, the surface can develop regular islands or holes with identical dynamical features, and while the size of these nanostructures is independent of flux and temperature, it can be modified by tuning the ion energy

Recent advances and open challenges in percolation

Percolation is the paradigm for random connectivity and has been one of the most applied statistical models. With simple geometrical rules a transition is obtained which is related to magnetic models. This transition is, in all dimensions, one of the most robust continuous transitions known. We present a very brief overview of more than 60 years of work in this area and discuss several open questions for a variety of models, including classical, explosive, invasion, bootstrap, and correlated percolation

Network analysis of online bidding activity

With the advent of digital media, people are increasingly resorting to online channels for commercial transactions. Online auction is a prototypical example. In such online transactions, the pattern of bidding activity is more complex than traditional online transactions; this is because the number of bidders participating in a given transaction is not bounded and the bidders can also easily respond to the bidding instantaneously. By using the recently developed network theory, we study the interaction patterns between bidders (items) who (that) are connected when they bid for the same item (if the item is bid by the same bidder). The resulting network is analyzed by using the hierarchical clustering algorithm, which is used for clustering analysis for expression data from DNA microarrays. A dendrogram is constructed for the item subcategories; this dendrogram is compared with a traditional classification scheme. The implication of the difference between the two is discussed.Comment: 8 pages and 11 figure

On continuum modeling of sputter erosion under normal incidence: interplay between nonlocality and nonlinearity

Under specific experimental circumstances, sputter erosion on semiconductor materials exhibits highly ordered hexagonal dot-like nanostructures. In a recent attempt to theoretically understand this pattern forming process, Facsko et al. [Phys. Rev. B 69, 153412 (2004)] suggested a nonlocal, damped Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation as a potential candidate for an adequate continuum model of this self-organizing process. In this study we theoretically investigate this proposal by (i) formally deriving such a nonlocal equation as minimal model from balance considerations, (ii) showing that it can be exactly mapped to a local, damped Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation, and (iii) inspecting the consequences of the resulting non-stationary erosion dynamics.Comment: 7 pages, 2 Postscript figures, accepted by Phys. Rev. B corrected typos, few minor change

A "metric" complexity for weakly chaotic systems

We consider the number of Bowen sets which are necessary to cover a large measure subset of the phase space. This introduce some complexity indicator characterizing different kind of (weakly) chaotic dynamics. Since in many systems its value is given by a sort of local entropy, this indicator is quite simple to be calculated. We give some example of calculation in nontrivial systems (interval exchanges, piecewise isometries e.g.) and a formula similar to the Ruelle-Pesin one, relating the complexity indicator to some initial condition sensitivity indicators playing the role of positive Lyapunov exponents.Comment: 15 pages, no figures. Articl

Modeling relaxation and jamming in granular media

We introduce a stochastic microscopic model to investigate the jamming and reorganization of grains induced by an object moving through a granular medium. The model reproduces the experimentally observed periodic sawtooth fluctuations in the jamming force and predicts the period and the power spectrum in terms of the controllable physical parameters. It also predicts that the avalanche sizes, defined as the number of displaced grains during a single advance of the object, follow a power-law, $P(s)\sim s^{-\tau}$, where the exponent is independent of the physical parameters