2,538 research outputs found
Metastable states and information propagation in a 1D array of locally-coupled bistable cells
We study the effect of metastable states on the relaxation process (and hence
information propagation) in locally coupled and boundary-driven structures. We
first give a general argument to show that metastable states are inevitable
even in the simplest of structures, a wire. At finite temperatures, the
relaxation mechanism is a thermally assisted random walk. The time required to
reach the ground state and its life time are determined by the coupling
parameters. These time scales are studied in a model based on an array of
quantum dots.Comment: Accepted for publication in Journal of Applied Physic
Speeding Up Computer Simulations: The Transition Observable Method
A method is presented which allows for a tremendous speed-up of computer
simulations of statistical systems by orders of magnitude. This speed-up is
achieved by means of a new observable, while the algorithm of the simulation
remains unchanged.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures Submitted to Phys.Rev.E (August 1999) Replacement
due to some minor change
Neutron activation analysis traces copper artifacts to geographical point of origin
Impurities remaining in the metallic copper are identified and quantified by spectrographic and neutron activation analysis. Determination of the type of ore used for the copper artifact places the geographic point of origin of the artifact
Spin-Dependent Tunneling of Single Electrons into an Empty Quantum Dot
Using real-time charge sensing and gate pulsing techniques we measure the
ratio of the rates for tunneling into the excited and ground spin states of a
single-electron AlGaAs/GaAs quantum dot in a parallel magnetic field. We find
that the ratio decreases with increasing magnetic field until tunneling into
the excited spin state is completely suppressed. However, we find that by
adjusting the voltages on the surface gates to change the orbital configuration
of the dot we can restore tunneling into the excited spin state and that the
ratio reaches a maximum when the dot is symmetric.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Two-stage Kondo effect in a four-electron artificial atom
An artificial atom with four electrons is driven through a singlet-triplet
transition by varying the confining potential. In the triplet, a Kondo peak
with a narrow dip at drain-source voltage V_ds=0 is observed. The low energy
scale V_ds* characterizing the dip is consistent with predictions for the
two-stage Kondo effect. The phenomenon is studied as a function of temperature
T and magnetic field B, parallel to the two-dimensional electron gas. The low
energy scales T* and B* are extracted from the behavior of the zero-bias
conductance and are compared to the low energy scale V_ds* obtained from the
differential conductance. Good agreement is found between kT* and |g|muB*, but
eV_ds* is larger, perhaps because of nonequilibrium effects.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures. Added labels on Fig. 3f and one referenc
Electrical control of spin relaxation in a quantum dot
We demonstrate electrical control of the spin relaxation time T_1 between
Zeeman split spin states of a single electron in a lateral quantum dot. We find
that relaxation is mediated by the spin-orbit interaction, and by manipulating
the orbital states of the dot using gate voltages we vary the relaxation rate
W= (T_1)^-1 by over an order of magnitude. The dependence of W on orbital
confinement agrees with theoretical predictions and from these data we extract
the spin-orbit length. We also measure the dependence of W on magnetic field
and demonstrate that spin-orbit mediated coupling to phonons is the dominant
relaxation mechanism down to 1T, where T_1 exceeds 1s.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Spin-blockade spectroscopy of a two-level artificial molecule
Coulomb and spin blockade spectroscopy investigations have been performed on
an electrostatically defined ``artificial molecule'' connected to spin
polarized leads. The molecule is first effectively reduced to a two-level
system by placing both constituent atoms at a specific location of the level
spectrum. The spin sensitivity of the conductance enables us to identify the
electronic spin-states of the two-level molecule. We find in addition that the
magnetic field induces variations in the tunnel coupling between the two atoms.
The lateral nature of the device is evoked to explain this behavior.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; revised version with a minor change in Fig.2 and
additional inset in Fig.3.;accepted by PR
Energy Dependent Tunneling in a Quantum Dot
We present measurements of the rates for an electron to tunnel on and off a
quantum dot, obtained using a quantum point contact charge sensor. The tunnel
rates show exponential dependence on drain-source bias and plunger gate
voltages. The tunneling process is shown to be elastic, and a model describing
tunneling in terms of the dot energy relative to the height of the tunnel
barrier quantitatively describes the measurements.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Evidence for Accretion in the High-resolution X-ray Spectrum of the T Tauri Star System Hen 3-600
We present high-resolution X-ray spectra of the multiple T Tauri star system
Hen 3-600, obtained with the High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrograph on
the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Two binary components were detected in the
zeroth-order image. Hen 3-600-A, which has a large mid-infrared excess, is a
2-3 times fainter in X-rays than Hen 3-600-B, due to a large flare on B. The
dispersed X-ray spectra of the two primary components overlap spatially;
spectral analysis was performed on the combined system. Analysis of the
individual spectra was limited to regions where the contributions of A and B
can be disentangled. This analysis results in two lines of evidence indicating
that the X-ray emission from Hen 3-600 is derived from accretion processes:
line ratios of O VII indicate that the characteristic density of its
X-ray-emitting plasma is large; a significant component of low-temperature
plasma is present and is stronger in component A. These results are consistent
with results obtained from X-ray gratings spectroscopy of more rapidly
accreting systems. All of the signatures of Hen 3-600 that are potential
diagnostics of accretion activity -- X-ray emission, UV excess, H-alpha
emission, and weak infrared excess -- suggest that its components represent a
transition phase between rapidly accreting, classical T Tauri stars and
non-accreting, weak-lined T Tauri stars.Comment: latex, 27 pages, 12 figures, 6 tables; accepted by Ap
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