2,719 research outputs found
Graphene nanoribbons subject to gentle bends
Since graphene nanoribbons are thin and flimsy, they need support. Support
gives firm ground for applications, and adhesion holds ribbons flat, although
not necessarily straight: ribbons with high aspect ratio are prone to bend. The
effects of bending on ribbons' electronic properties, however, are unknown.
Therefore, this article examines the electromechanics of planar and gently bent
graphene nanoribbons. Simulations with density-functional tight-binding and
revised periodic boundary conditions show that gentle bends in armchair ribbons
can cause significant widening or narrowing of energy gaps. Moreover, in zigzag
ribbons sizeable energy gaps can be opened due to axial symmetry breaking, even
without magnetism. These results infer that, in the electronic measurements of
supported ribbons, such bends must be heeded.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Extremely Irradiated Hot Jupiters: Non-Oxide Inversions, H- Opacity, and Thermal Dissociation of Molecules
Extremely irradiated hot Jupiters, exoplanets reaching dayside temperatures
2000 K, stretch our understanding of planetary atmospheres and the models
we use to interpret observations. While these objects are planets in every
other sense, their atmospheres reach temperatures at low pressures comparable
only to stellar atmospheres. In order to understand our \textit{a priori}
theoretical expectations for the nature of these objects, we self-consistently
model a number of extreme hot Jupiter scenarios with the PHOENIX model
atmosphere code. PHOENIX is well-tested on objects from cool brown dwarfs to
expanding supernovae shells and its expansive opacity database from the UV to
far-IR make PHOENIX well-suited for understanding extremely irradiated hot
Jupiters. We find several fundamental differences between hot Jupiters at
temperatures 2500 K and their cooler counterparts. First, absorption by
atomic metals like Fe and Mg, molecules including SiO and metal hydrides, and
continuous opacity sources like H all combined with the short-wavelength
output of early-type host stars result in strong thermal inversions, without
the need for TiO or VO. Second, many molecular species, including HO, TiO,
and VO are thermally dissociated at pressures probed by eclipse observations,
biasing retrieval algorithms that assume uniform vertical abundances. We
discuss other interesting properties of these objects, as well as future
prospects and predictions for observing and characterizing this unique class of
astrophysical object, including the first self-consistent model of the hottest
known jovian planet, KELT-9b.Comment: 23 pages, 16 figures, 1 table. Submitted to Ap
Magnetic phases of one-dimensional lattices with 2 to 4 fermions per site
We study the spectral and magnetic properties of one-dimensional lattices
filled with 2 to 4 fermions (with spin 1/2) per lattice site. We use a
generalized Hubbard model that takes account all interactions on a lattice
site, and solve the many-particle problem by exact diagonalization. We find an
intriguing magnetic phase diagram which includes ferromagnetism, spin-one
Heisenberg antiferromagnetism, and orbital antiferromagnetism.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
The Upper Atmosphere of HD17156b
HD17156b is a newly-found transiting extrasolar giant planet (EGP) that
orbits its G-type host star in a highly eccentric orbit (e~0.67) with an
orbital semi-major axis of 0.16 AU. Its period, 21.2 Earth days, is the longest
among the known transiting planets. The atmosphere of the planet undergoes a
27-fold variation in stellar irradiation during each orbit, making it an
interesting subject for atmospheric modelling. We have used a three-dimensional
model of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere for extrasolar gas giants in order
to simulate the progress of HD17156b along its eccentric orbit. Here we present
the results of these simulations and discuss the stability, circulation, and
composition in its upper atmosphere. Contrary to the well-known transiting
planet HD209458b, we find that the atmosphere of HD17156b is unlikely to escape
hydrodynamically at any point along the orbit, even if the upper atmosphere is
almost entirely composed of atomic hydrogen and H+, and infrared cooling by H3+
ions is negligible. The nature of the upper atmosphere is sensitive to to the
composition of the thermosphere, and in particular to the mixing ratio of H2,
as the availability of H2 regulates radiative cooling. In light of different
simulations we make specific predictions about the thermosphere-ionosphere
system of HD17156b that can potentially be verified by observations.Comment: 31 pages, 42 eps figure
Atmospheric Lepton Fluxes via Two-Dimensional Matrix Cascade Equations
The atmospheric lepton fluxes play a crucial role in many particle and
astroparticle physics experiments, e.g. in establishing the neutrino signal and
the muon background for neutrino oscillation measurements, or the atmospheric
background for astrophysical neutrino searches. The Matrix Cascade Equations
(MCEq) code is a numerical tool used to model the atmospheric lepton fluxes by
solving a system of coupled differential equations for particle production,
interaction, and decay at extremely low computational costs. Previously, the
MCEq framework only accommodated longitudinal development of air showers, an
approximation that works well for neutrino and muon fluxes at high energies
(O(10 GeV) and above). However, for accurate calculations of atmospheric lepton
angular distributions at lower energies, the lateral component of hadronic
cascades becomes significant, necessitating three-dimensional calculation
schemes. We introduce "2D MCEq", an efficient numerical approach for combined
longitudinal and angular evolution of air showers that retains the low
computational complexity. The accuracy of the "2D MCEq" is affirmed by its
benchmark comparison with the standard Monte Carlo code CORSIKA. This study
paves the way for efficient three-dimensional calculations of atmospheric
neutrino fluxes.Comment: 25 pages, 17 figure
Spin Density Matrix of Spin-3/2 Hole Systems
For hole systems with an effective spin j=3/2, we present an invariant
decomposition of the spin density matrix that can be interpreted as a multipole
expansion. The charge density corresponds to the monopole moment and the spin
polarization due to a magnetic field corresponds to a dipole moment while heavy
hole-light hole splitting can be interpreted as a quadrupole moment. For quasi
two-dimensional hole systems in the presence of an in-plane magnetic field B
the spin polarization is a higher-order effect that is typically much smaller
than one even if the minority spin subband is completely depopulated. On the
other hand, the field B can induce a substantial octupole moment which is a
unique feature of j=3/2 hole systems.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, 3 table
Magnetism in one-dimensional quantum dot arrays
We employ the density functional Kohn-Sham method in the local spin-density
approximation to study the electronic structure and magnetism of quasi
one-dimensional periodic arrays of few-electron quantum dots. At small values
of the lattice constant, the single dots overlap, forming a non-magnetic
quantum wire with nearly homogenous density. As the confinement perpendicular
to the wire is increased, i.e. as the wire is squeezed to become more
one-dimensional, it undergoes a spin-Peierls transition. Magnetism sets in as
the quantum dots are placed further apart. It is determined by the electronic
shell filling of the individual quantum dots. At larger values of the lattice
constant, the band structure for odd numbers of electrons per dot indicates
that the array could support spin-polarized transport and therefore act as a
spin filter.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Rotational and vibrational spectra of quantum rings
One can confine the two-dimensional electron gas in semiconductor
heterostructures electrostatically or by etching techniques such that a small
electron island is formed. These man-made ``artificial atoms'' provide the
experimental realization of a text-book example of many-particle physics: a
finite number of quantum particles in a trap. Much effort was spent on making
such "quantum dots" smaller and going from the mesoscopic to the quantum
regime. Far-reaching analogies to the physics of atoms, nuclei or metal
clusters were obvious from the very beginning: The concepts of shell structure
and Hund's rules were found to apply -- just as in real atoms! In this Letter,
we report the discovery that electrons confined in ring-shaped quantum dots
form rather rigid molecules with antiferromagnetic order in the ground state.
This can be seen best from an analysis of the rotational and vibrational
excitations
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