635 research outputs found
Energy-level statistics at the metal-insulator transition in anisotropic systems
We study the three-dimensional Anderson model of localization with
anisotropic hopping, i.e. weakly coupled chains and weakly coupled planes. In
our extensive numerical study we identify and characterize the metal-insulator
transition using energy-level statistics. The values of the critical disorder
are consistent with results of previous studies, including the
transfer-matrix method and multifractal analysis of the wave functions.
decreases from its isotropic value with a power law as a function of
anisotropy. Using high accuracy data for large system sizes we estimate the
critical exponent . This is in agreement with its value in the
isotropic case and in other models of the orthogonal universality class. The
critical level statistics which is independent of the system size at the
transition changes from its isotropic form towards the Poisson statistics with
increasing anisotropy.Comment: 22 pages, including 8 figures, revtex few typos corrected, added
journal referenc
Epitaxial Growth of Pentacene on Alkali Halide Surfaces Studied by Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy
In the field of molecular electronics thin films of molecules adsorbed on
insulating surfaces are used as the functional building blocks of electronic
devices. A control of the structural and electronic properties of the thin
films is required for a reliable operating mode of such devices. Here,
noncontact atomic force and Kelvin probe force microscopies have been used to
investigate the growth and electronic properties of pentacene on KBr(001) and
KCl(001) surfaces. Mainly molecular islands of upright standing pentacene are
formed, whereas a new phase of tilted molecules appear near step edges on some
KBr samples. Local contact potential differences (LCPD) have been studied with
both Kelvin experiments and density-functional theory calculations. Large LCPD
are found between the substrate and the differently oriented molecules, which
may be explained by a partial charge transfer from the pentacene to the
surface. The monitoring of the changes of the pentacene islands during
dewetting shows that multilayers build up at the expense of monolayers.
Moreover, in the Kelvin images, previously unknown line defects appear, which
unveil the epitaxial growth of pentacene crystals.Comment: This document is the unedited author's version of a Submitted Work
that was subsequently accepted for publication in ACSNano, copyright American
Chemical Society after peer review. To access the final edited and published
work see doi belo
The three-dimensional Anderson model of localization with binary random potential
We study the three-dimensional two-band Anderson model of localization and
compare our results to experimental results for amorphous metallic alloys
(AMA). Using the transfer-matrix method, we identify and characterize the
metal-insulator transitions as functions of Fermi level position, band
broadening due to disorder and concentration of alloy composition. The
appropriate phase diagrams of regions of extended and localized electronic
states are studied and qualitative agreement with AMA such as Ti-Ni and Ti-Cu
metallic glasses is found. We estimate the critical exponents nu_W, nu_E and
nu_x when either disorder W, energy E or concentration x is varied,
respectively. All our results are compatible with the universal value nu ~ 1.6
obtained in the single-band Anderson model.Comment: 9 RevTeX4 pages with 11 .eps figures included, submitted to PR
Scaling of the conductance distribution near the Anderson transition
The single parameter scaling hypothesis is the foundation of our
understanding of the Anderson transition. However, the conductance of a
disordered system is a fluctuating quantity which does not obey a one parameter
scaling law. It is essential to investigate the scaling of the full conductance
distribution to establish the scaling hypothesis. We present a clear cut
numerical demonstration that the conductance distribution indeed obeys one
parameter scaling near the Anderson transition
In vitro degradation and mechanical properties of PLA-PCL copolymer unit cell scaffolds generated by two-photon polymerization
The manufacture of 3D scaffolds with specific controlled porous architecture, defined microstructure and an adjustable degradation profile was achieved using two-photon polymerization (TPP) with a size of 2 × 4 × 2 mm3. Scaffolds made from poly(D,L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) copolymer with varying lactic acid (LA) and ε -caprolactone (CL) ratios (LC16:4, 18:2 and 9:1) were generated via ring-opening-polymerization and photoactivation. The reactivity was quantified using photo-DSC, yielding a double bond conversion ranging from 70% to 90%. The pore sizes for all LC scaffolds were see 300 μm and throat sizes varied from 152 to 177 μm. In vitro degradation was conducted at different temperatures; 37, 50 and 65°C. Change in compressive properties immersed at 37°C over time was also measured. Variations in thermal, degradation and mechanical properties of the LC scaffolds were related to the LA/CL ratio. Scaffold LC16:4 showed significantly lower glass transition temperature (T g) (4.8°C) in comparison with the LC 18:2 and 9:1 (see 32°C). Rates of mass loss for the LC16:4 scaffolds at all temperatures were significantly lower than that for LC18:2 and 9:1. The degradation activation energies for scaffold materials ranged from 82.7 to 94.9 kJ mol-1. A prediction for degradation time was applied through a correlation between long-term degradation studies at 37°C and short-term studies at elevated temperatures (50 and 65°C) using the half-life of mass loss (Time (M1/2)) parameter. However, the initial compressive moduli for LC18:2 and 9:1 scaffolds were 7 to 14 times higher than LC16:4 (see 0.27) which was suggested to be due to its higher CL content (20%). All scaffolds showed a gradual loss in their compressive strength and modulus over time as a result of progressive mass loss over time. The manufacturing process utilized and the scaffolds produced have potential for use in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications
Effects of Scale-Free Disorder on the Anderson Metal-Insulator Transition
We investigate the three-dimensional Anderson model of localization via a
modified transfer-matrix method in the presence of scale-free diagonal disorder
characterized by a disorder correlation function decaying asymptotically
as . We study the dependence of the localization-length exponent
on the correlation-strength exponent . % For fixed disorder ,
there is a critical , such that for ,
and for , remains that of the
uncorrelated system in accordance with the extended Harris criterion. At the
band center, is independent of but equal to that of the
uncorrelated system. The physical mechanisms leading to this different behavior
are discussed.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Metal-insulator transitions in anisotropic 2d systems
Several phenomena related to the critical behaviour of non-interacting
electrons in a disordered 2d tight-binding system with a magnetic field are
studied. Localization lengths, critical exponents and density of states are
computed using transfer matrix techniques. Scaling functions of isotropic
systems are recovered once the dimension of the system in each direction is
chosen proportional to the localization length. It is also found that the
critical point is independent of the propagation direction, and that the
critical exponents for the localization length for both propagating directions
are equal to that of the isotropic system (approximately 7/3). We also
calculate the critical value of the scaling function for both the isotropic and
the anisotropic system. It is found that the isotropic value equals the
geometric mean of the two anisotropic values. Detailed numerical studies of the
density of states for the isotropic system reveals that for an appreciable
amount of disorder the critical energy is off the band center.Comment: 6 pages RevTeX, 6 figures included, submitted to Physical Review
Néel-type skyrmion lattice with confined orientation in the polar magnetic semiconductor GaV4S8
Following the early prediction of the skyrmion lattice (SkL)—a periodic array of spin vortices—it has been observed recently
in various magnetic crystals mostly with chiral structure. Although non-chiral but polar crystals with Cnv symmetry were
identified as ideal SkL hosts in pioneering theoretical studies, this archetype of SkL has remained experimentally unexplored.
Here, we report the discovery of a SkL in the polar magnetic semiconductor GaV4S8 with rhombohedral (C3v) symmetry and
easy axis anisotropy. The SkL exists over an unusually broad temperature range compared with other bulk crystals and the
orientation of the vortices is not controlled by the external magnetic field, but instead confined to the magnetic easy axis.
Supporting theory attributes these unique features to a new Néel-type of SkL describable as a superposition of spin cycloids
in contrast to the Bloch-type SkL in chiral magnets described in terms of spin helices
- …