7,727 research outputs found
Sample preparation for nanoanalytical electron microscopy using the FIB lift-out method and low energy ion milling
Thinning specimens to electron transparency for electron microscopy analysis can be done by conventional (2 - 4 kV) argon ion milling or focused ion beam (FIB) lift-out techniques. Both these methods tend to leave ''mottling'' visible on thin specimen areas, and this is believed to be surface damage caused by ion implantation and amorphisation. A low energy (250 - 500 V) Argon ion polish has been shown to greatly improve specimen quality for crystalline silicon samples. Here we investigate the preparation of technologically important materials for nanoanalysis using conventional and lift-out methods followed by a low energy polish in a GentleMill™ low energy ion mill. We use a low energy, low angle (6 - 8°) ion beam to remove the surface damage from previous processing steps. We assess this method for the preparation of technologically important materials, such as steel, silicon and GaAs. For these materials the ability to create specimens from specific sites, and to be able to image and analyse these specimens with the full resolution and sensitivity of the STEM, allows a significant increase of the power and flexibility of nanoanalytical electron microscopy
Texture, twinning and metastable "tetragonal" phase in ultrathin films of HfO<sub>2</sub> on a Si substrate
Thin HfO<sub>2</sub> films grown on the lightly oxidised surface of (100) Si wafers have been examined using dark-field transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction in plan view. The polycrystalline film has a grain size of the order of 100 nm and many of the grains show evidence of twinning on (110) and (001) planes. Diffraction studies showed that the film had a strong [110] out-of-plane texture, and that a tiny volume fraction of a metastable (possibly tetragonal) phase was retained. The reasons for the texture, twinning and the retention of the metastable phase are discussed
Decoherence suppression via environment preparation
To protect a quantum system from decoherence due to interaction with its
environment, we investigate the existence of initial states of the environment
allowing for decoherence-free evolution of the system. For models in which a
two-state system interacts with a dynamical environment, we prove that such
states exist if and only if the interaction and self-evolution Hamiltonians
share an eigenstate. If decoherence by state preparation is not possible, we
show that initial states minimizing decoherence result from a delicate
compromise between the environment and interaction dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
A multifractal zeta function for cookie cutter sets
Starting with the work of Lapidus and van Frankenhuysen a number of papers
have introduced zeta functions as a way of capturing multifractal information.
In this paper we propose a new multifractal zeta function and show that under
certain conditions the abscissa of convergence yields the Hausdorff
multifractal spectrum for a class of measures
EOS MLS observations of dehydration in the 2004-2005 polar winters
We prove various estimates for the first eigenvalue of the magnetic Dirichlet
Laplacian on a bounded domain in two dimensions. When the magnetic field is
constant, we give lower and upper bounds in terms of geometric quantities of
the domain. We furthermore prove a lower bound for the first magnetic Neumann
eigenvalue in the case of constant field.Comment: 19 page
Thermal conductivity in the vicinity of the quantum critical endpoint in Sr3Ru2O7
Thermal conductivity of Sr3Ru2O7 was measured down to 40 mK and at magnetic
fields through the quantum critical endpoint at H_c = 7.85 T. A peak in the
electrical resistivity as a function of field was mimicked by the thermal
resistivity. In the limit as T -> 0 K we find that the Wiedemann-Franz law is
satisfied to within 5% at all fields, implying that there is no breakdown of
the electron despite the destruction of the Fermi liquid state at quantum
criticality. A significant change in disorder (from (H=0T) = 2.1
cm to 0.5 cm) does not influence our conclusions. At
finite temperatures, the temperature dependence of the Lorenz number is
consistent with ferromagnetic fluctuations causing the non-Fermi liquid
behavior as one would expect at a metamagnetic quantum critical endpoint.Comment: 4 figures, published in PR
Probing the AGN Unification Model at redshift z 3 with MUSE observations of giant Ly nebulae
A prediction of the classic active galactic nuclei (AGN) unification model is
the presence of ionisation cones with different orientations depending on the
AGN type. Confirmations of this model exist for present times, but it is less
clear in the early Universe. Here, we use the morphology of giant Ly
nebulae around AGNs at redshift z3 to probe AGN emission and therefore
the validity of the AGN unification model at this redshift. We compare the
spatial morphology of 19 nebulae previously found around type I AGNs with a new
sample of 4 Ly nebulae detected around type II AGNs. Using two
independent techniques, we find that nebulae around type II AGNs are more
asymmetric than around type I, at least at radial distances ~physical kpc
(pkpc) from the ionizing source. We conclude that the type I and type II AGNs
in our sample show evidence of different surrounding ionising geometries. This
suggests that the classical AGN unification model is also valid for
high-redshift sources. Finally, we discuss how the lack of asymmetry in the
inner parts (r30 pkpc) and the associated high values of the HeII to
Ly ratios in these regions could indicate additional sources of (hard)
ionizing radiation originating within or in proximity of the AGN host galaxies.
This work demonstrates that the morphologies of giant Ly nebulae can be
used to understand and study the geometry of high redshift AGNs on
circum-nuclear scales and it lays the foundation for future studies using much
larger statistical samples.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
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