10,616 research outputs found
Noise Predictions for STM in Systems with Local Electron Nematic Order
We propose that thermal noise in local stripe orientation should be readily
detectable via STM on systems in which local stripe orientations are strongly
affected by quenched disorder. Stripes, a unidirectional, nanoscale modulation
of electronic charge, are strongly affected by quenched disorder in
two-dimensional and quasi-two-dimensional systems. While stripe orientations
tend to lock to major lattice directions, dopant disorder locally breaks
rotational symmetry. In a host crystal with otherwise rotational
symmetry, stripe orientations in the presence of quenched disorder map to the
random field Ising model. While the low temperature state of such a system is
generally a stripe glass in two dimensional or strongly layered systems, as the
temperature is raised, stripe orientational fluctuations become more prevalent.
We propose that these thermally excited fluctuations should be readily
detectable in scanning tunneling spectroscopy as {\em telegraph noise} in the
high voltage part of the local curves. We predict the spatial, temporal,
and thermal evolution of such noise, including the circumstances under which
such noise is most likely to be observed. In addition, we propose an in-situ
test, amenable to any local scanning probe, for assessing whether such noise is
due to correlated fluctuations rather than independent switchers.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging data using Bayesian nonparametric binary regression
In this work we perform a meta-analysis of neuroimaging data, consisting of
locations of peak activations identified in 162 separate studies on emotion.
Neuroimaging meta-analyses are typically performed using kernel-based methods.
However, these methods require the width of the kernel to be set a priori and
to be constant across the brain. To address these issues, we propose a fully
Bayesian nonparametric binary regression method to perform neuroimaging
meta-analyses. In our method, each location (or voxel) has a probability of
being a peak activation, and the corresponding probability function is based on
a spatially adaptive Gaussian Markov random field (GMRF). We also include
parameters in the model to robustify the procedure against miscoding of the
voxel response. Posterior inference is implemented using efficient MCMC
algorithms extended from those introduced in Holmes and Held [Bayesian Anal. 1
(2006) 145--168]. Our method allows the probability function to be locally
adaptive with respect to the covariates, that is, to be smooth in one region of
the covariate space and wiggly or even discontinuous in another. Posterior
miscoding probabilities for each of the identified voxels can also be obtained,
identifying voxels that may have been falsely classified as being activated.
Simulation studies and application to the emotion neuroimaging data indicate
that our method is superior to standard kernel-based methods.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/11-AOAS523 the Annals of
Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of
Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Development of Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Electrodes in Alkaline Electrochemical Systems
In recent years as a larger proportion of our energy needs are being met by renewable energy sources, research and development in energy storage is becoming more significant. Oxygen electrodes, found in electrical energy storage applications such as fuel cells, water electrolysers and metal-air secondary batteries, face the demand for improved performance. In view of this, the research in this thesis focuses on the synthesis and development of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts to overcome the slow kinetics of the oxygen electrochemical reactions in alkaline media, followed by the investigation of their combined performance in a tri-electrode zinc-air secondary cell. The ORR performance of various transition metal oxides and carbonaceous materials was initially compared against benchmark catalyst Pt/C using rotating disc electrode measurements. Amorphous MnOx combined with Vulcan XC-72R was found to demonstrate high ORR activity and good stability over the range of cathodic current densities tested. The influence of the synthesis parameters of amorphous MnOx on its ORR activity was subsequently investigated and it was found that optimal amorphous MnOx catalyst can be synthesised with a molar ratio of MnO4-/ Mn2+ of 2.67, by adding KMnO4 to Mn(CH3COO)2 in a basic solution of pH 12 at 295 K. Similarly, the OER performance of transition metal oxides and hydroxides coated on metal mesh was compared and electrodeposited Ni-Fe hydroxide was reported to display high activity and durability when held at anodic potentials. Based on this, various compositions of Ni-based binary and Ni-Fe based ternary metal hydroxides were screened with a unique microelectrode set-up at high current densities up to 1 A cm-2. Ni-Fe-Co hydroxide showed most improved OER performance. The effect of electrodeposition parameters on the electrocatalytic performance of Ni-Fe-Co hydroxide were examined and used to further optimise the catalyst. Ni-Fe-Co hydroxide cathodically deposited at 300 mA cm-2 for 240 s at 22 ºC, pH 3.9 was found to demonstrate best OER performance, giving an overpotential of 235 mV at 0.1 A cm-2. The electrodes with optimised catalysts were tested in an in-house built zinc-air cycling set-up, demonstrating energy efficiencies of 58-61% up to 40 h at 20 mA cm-2 in 4 M NaOH + 0.3 M ZnO at 333 K
Two-probe study of hot carriers in reduced graphene oxide
The energy relaxation of carriers in reduced graphene oxide thin films is
studied using optical pump-probe spectroscopy with two probes of different
colors. We measure the time difference between peaks of the carrier density at
each probing energy by measuring a time-resolved differential transmission and
find that the carrier density at the lower probing energy peaks later than that
at the higher probing energy. Also, we find that the peak time for the lower
probing energy shifts from about 92 to 37 fs after the higher probing energy
peak as the carrier density is increased from 1.5E12 to 3E13 per square
centimeter, while no noticeable shift is observed in that for the higher
probing energy. Assuming the carriers rapidly thermalize after excitation, this
indicates that the optical phonon emission time decreases from about 50 to
about 20 fs and the energy relaxation rate increases from 4 to 10 meV/fs. The
observed density dependence is inconsistent with the phonon bottleneck effect.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
Femtosecond Pump-Probe Studies of Reduced Graphene Oxide Thin Films
The dynamics of photocarriers in reduced graphene oxide thin films is studied
by using ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy. Time dependent differential
transmissions are measured with sample temperatures ranging from 9 to 300 K. At
each sample temperature and probe delay, the sign of differential transmission
remains positive. A fast energy relaxation of hot carriers is observed, and is
found to be independent of sample temperature. Our experiments show that the
carrier dynamics in reduced graphene oxide is similar to other types of
graphene, and that the differential transmission is caused by phase-state
filling of carriers.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure
Short-Range Correlations and Cooling of Ultracold Fermions in the Honeycomb Lattice
We use determinantal quantum Monte Carlo simulations and numerical
linked-cluster expansions to study thermodynamic properties and short-range
spin correlations of fermions in the honeycomb lattice. We find that, at half
filling and finite temperatures, nearest-neighbor spin correlations can be
stronger in this lattice than in the square lattice, even in regimes where the
ground state in the former is a semimetal or a spin liquid. The honeycomb
lattice also exhibits a more pronounced anomalous region in the double
occupancy that leads to stronger adiabatic cooling than in the square lattice.
We discuss the implications of these findings for optical lattice experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Vlasov Description Of Dense Quark Matter
We discuss properties of quark matter at finite baryon densities and zero
temperature in a Vlasov approach. We use a screened interquark Richardson's
potential consistent with the indications of Lattice QCD calculations.
We analyze the choices of the quark masses and the parameters entering the
potential which reproduce the binding energy (B.E.) of infinite nuclear matter.
There is a transition from nuclear to quark matter at densities 5 times above
normal nuclear matter density. The transition could be revealed from the
determination of the position of the shifted meson masses in dense baryonic
matter. A scaling form of the meson masses in dense matter is given.Comment: 15 pages 4 figure
A LTE MIMO OTA Test System Using Vector Signal Transceivers
A 2 × 2 multiple-input-multiple-output over-the-air (MIMO OTA) test system based on four field-programmable Vector-Signal-Transceiver (VST) modules is presented. The system enables 2 x 2 MIMO OTA testing by assembling of a twochannel Evolved Node B (eNodeB) LTE base station emulator, a 2x2 channel emulator, and a two-channel user equipment (UE) simulator. A two-stage MIMO OTA test method has been demonstrated with downlink Long-Term Evolution Time-Division Duplex (LTE-TDD) mode using different modulation and coding schemes (MCSs). Test results and analysis are shown. This system will allow a systematic study of MIMO OTA metrology needs
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