Tuning biexciton binding and anti-binding in core/shell quantum dots

We use a path integral quantum Monte Carlo method to simulate excitons and biexcitons in core shell nanocrystals with Type-I, II and quasi-Type II band alignments. Quantum Monte Carlo techniques allow for all quantum correlations to be included when determining the thermal ground state, thus producing accurate predictions of biexciton binding. These subtle quantum correlations are found to cause the biexciton to be binding with Type-I carrier localization and strongly anti-binding with Type-II carrier localization, in agreement with experiment for both core shell nanocrystals and dot in rod nanocrystal structures. Simple treatments based on perturbative approaches are shown to miss this important transition in the biexciton binding. Understanding these correlations offers prospects to engineer strong biexciton anti-binding which is crucial to the design of nanocrystals for single exciton lasing applications.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figure

Bulk Fermi surface coexistence with Dirac surface state in Bi2_2Se3_3: a comparison of photoemission and Shubnikov-de Haas measurements

Shubnikov de Haas (SdH) oscillations and Angle Resolved PhotoEmission Spectroscopy (ARPES) are used to probe the Fermi surface of single crystals of Bi2Se3. We find that SdH and ARPES probes quantitatively agree on measurements of the effective mass and bulk band dispersion. In high carrier density samples, the two probes also agree in the exact position of the Fermi level EF, but for lower carrier density samples discrepancies emerge in the position of EF. In particular, SdH reveals a bulk three-dimensional Fermi surface for samples with carrier densities as low as 10^17cm-3. We suggest a simple mechanism to explain these differences and discuss consequences for existing and future transport studies of topological insulators.Comment: 5 mages, 5 figure

The surface-state of the topological insulator Bi2_2Se3_3 revealed by cyclotron resonance

To date transport measurements of topological insulators have been dominated by the conductivity of the bulk, leading to substantial difficulties in resolving the properties of the surface. To this end, we use high magnetic field, rf- and microwave-spectroscopy to selectively couple to the surface conductivity of Bi$_2$Se$_3$ at high frequency. In the frequency range of a few GHz we observe a crossover from quantum oscillations indicative of a small 3D Fermi surface, to cyclotron resonance indicative of a 2D surface state

Quantification of mitral regurgitation by integrated Doppler backscatter power

AbstractObjectives. We attempted to determine whether continuous wave Doppler backscatter power could be used to quantify mitral regurgitation.Background. The power of a Doppler backscatter signal is proportional to the number of scatterers insonated and, hence, to the moving volume of blood. The relative power of the continuous wave Doppler signals from mitral inflow and aortic outflow is therefore proportional to the relative volumes of blood in motion.Methods. Computer postprocessing was used to derive the relative power of the Doppler backscatter signal from the intensity of the pixels within the spectral display of anterograde aortic and mitral flow. The power ratio was used to calculate the regurgitant fraction in 20 patients (mean age 61.4 years) with mitral regurgitation. This Doppler regurgitant fraction was compared with that derived from angiographic left ventricular volume and thermodilution cardiac output. In addition, 12 normal control subjects were studied by the Doppler method.Results. Mean (± SD) catheterization regurgitant fraction was 0.50 ± 0.26, and mean Doppler regurgitant fraction was 0.47 ± 0.25 (r = 0.89). The limits of agreement between the two methods by Bland-Altman analysis were −0.21 to +0.27. In normal control subjects with an expected regurgitant fraction of close to zero, mean Doppler regurgitant fraction was 0.03 ± 0.05.Conclusions. Doppler backscatter power from mitral and aortic inflow provides a new and accurate method for quantifying mitral regurgitation

Magnetoresistance Scaling Reveals Symmetries of the Strongly Correlated Dynamics in BaFe_{2}(As_{1-x}P_{x})_{2}.

The phenomenon of T-linear resistivity commonly observed in a number of strange metals has been widely seen as evidence for the breakdown of the quasiparticle picture of metals. This study shows that a recently discovered H/T scaling relationship in the magnetoresistance of the strange metal BaFe_{2}(As_{1-x}P_{x})_{2} is independent of the relative orientations of current and magnetic field. Rather, its magnitude and form depend only on the orientation of the magnetic field with respect to a single crystallographic axis: the direction perpendicular to the magnetic iron layers. This finding suggests that the magnetotransport scaling does not originate from the conventional averaging or orbital velocity of quasiparticles as they traverse a Fermi surface, but rather from dissipation arising from two-dimensional correlations

Management of Acute COPD Exacerbations in Australia: Do we Follow the Guidelines?

Objective: We aimed to assess adherence to the Australian national guideline (COPD-X) against audited practice, and to document the outcomes of patients hospitalised with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at discharge and 28 days after. Methods: A prospective clinical audit of COPD hospital admission from five tertiary care hospitals in five states of Australia was conducted. Post-discharge follow-up was conducted via telephone to assess for readmission and health status. Results: There were 207 admissions for acute exacerbation (171 patients; mean 70.2 years old; 50.3%males). Readmission rates at 28 days were 25.4%, with one (0.6%) death during admission and eight(6.1%) post-discharge within 28 days. Concordance to the COPD-X guidance was variable; 22.7% performed spirometry, 81.1% had blood gases collected when forced expiratory volume in 1 s was \u3c1 \u3eL,99.5% had chest radiography performed, 95.1% were prescribed systemic corticosteroids and 95% were prescribed antibiotic therapy. There were 89.1% given oxygen therapy and 92.6% when arterial oxygen tension was \u3c80 \u3emmHg; 65.6% were given ventilatory assistance when pH was Conclusion: When compared against clinical practice guidelines, we found important gaps in management of patients admitted with COPD throughout tertiary care centres in Australia. Strategies to improve guideline uptake are needed to optimise care