163 research outputs found
Structure and growth of titanium buffer layers on Al2O3(0001)
The structure of titanium films on \alpha - Al2O3(0001) surfaces at room
temperature was investigated through in situ reflection high energy electron
diffraction (RHEED). The \alpha-phase of titanium was observed to grow with the
Ti(0001) || Al2O3(0001), Ti[1100] || Al2O3[2110] and Ti[1010] || Al2O3[1100]
epitaxy. For up to 6 nm thick films, an other structure was found to coexist
with \alpha-Ti. Its presence has dramatic consequences for the wetting of
silver, which partly explains the nontrivial buffer effect of titanium at the
silver/alumina interface. From the RHEED data, the extra structure is assigned
to the high-pressure hexagonal \omega-Ti phase. This is supported by
tight-binding total energy calculations that demonstrate that the \omega phase
could actually be stabilized by the \alpha - Al2O3(0001) substrate
From favorable atomic configurations to supershell structures: a new interpretation of conductance histograms
Title: From favorable atomic configurations to supershell structures: a new
interpretation of conductance histograms Authors: A. Hasmy (IVIC), E. Medina
(IVIC), P.A. Serena (CSIC,IVIC) Comments: 7 pages, 3 figures,
cond-mat.anwar.10825 Subj-class: Soft Condensed MatterComment: 7 pages, 3 figuresSubject: fput HMS.tex HMS-FIG1.ps HMS-FIG2.ps
HMS-FIG3.p
A flare in the optical spotted in the changing-look Seyfert NGC 3516
We present observations from the short-term intensive optical campaign (from
Sep2019 to Jan2020) of the changing-look Seyfert NGC 3516. This active galactic
nucleus is known to have strong optical variability and has changed its type in
the past. It has been in the low-activity state in the optical since 2013, with
some rebrightening from the end of 2015 to the beginning of 2016, after which
it remained dormant. We aim to study the photometric and spectral variability
of NGC 3516 from the new observations in U- and B-bands and examine the
profiles of the optical broad emission lines in order to demonstrate that this
object may be entering a new state of activity. NGC 3516 has been monitored
intensively for the past 4 months with an automated telescope in U and B
filters, enabling accurate photometry of 0.01 precision. Spectral observations
were triggered when an increase in brightness was spotted. We support our
analysis of past-episodes of violent variability with the UV and X-ray
long-term light curves constructed from the archival Swift data. An increase of
the photometric magnitude is seen in both U and B filters to a maximum
amplitude of 0.25mag and 0.1 mag, respectively. During the flare, we observe
stronger forbidden high-ionization iron lines than reported before, as well as
the complex broad Ha and Hb lines. This is especially seen in Ha which appears
to be double-peaked. It seems that a very broad component of ~10,000 km/s in
width in the Balmer lines is appearing. The trends in the optical, UV, and
X-ray light curves are similar, with the amplitudes of variability being
significantly larger in the case of UV and X-ray bands. The increase of the
continuum emission, the variability of the coronal lines, and the very broad
component in the Balmer lines may indicate that the AGN of NGC 3516 is finally
leaving the low-activity state in which it has been for the last ~3 years.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, accepted in A&A (corrected after receiving
comments from the language editor
Advanced optical imaging in living embryos
Developmental biology investigations have evolved from static studies of embryo anatomy and into dynamic studies of the genetic and cellular mechanisms responsible for shaping the embryo anatomy. With the advancement of fluorescent protein fusions, the ability to visualize and comprehend how thousands to millions of cells interact with one another to form tissues and organs in three dimensions (xyz) over time (t) is just beginning to be realized and exploited. In this review, we explore recent advances utilizing confocal and multi-photon time-lapse microscopy to capture gene expression, cell behavior, and embryo development. From choosing the appropriate fluorophore, to labeling strategy, to experimental set-up, and data pipeline handling, this review covers the various aspects related to acquiring and analyzing multi-dimensional data sets. These innovative techniques in multi-dimensional imaging and analysis can be applied across a number of fields in time and space including protein dynamics to cell biology to morphogenesis
Do Twin Boundaries Always Strengthen Metal Nanowires?
It has been widely reported that twin boundaries strengthen nanowires regardless of their morphology—that is, the strength of nanowires goes up as twin spacing goes down. This article shows that twin boundaries do not always strengthen nanowires. Using classical molecular dynamics simulations, the authors show that whether twin boundaries strengthen nanowires depends on the necessary stress for dislocation nucleation, which in turn depends on surface morphologies. When nanowires are circular cylindrical, the necessary stress of dislocation nucleation is high and the presence of twin boundaries lowers this stress; twin boundaries soften nanowires. In contrast, when nanowires are square cylindrical, the necessary stress of dislocation nucleation is low, and a higher stress is required for dislocations to penetrate twin boundaries; they strengthen nanowires
The MHD nature of ionospheric wave packets excited by the solar terminator
We obtained the first experimental evidence for the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD)
nature of ionospheric medium-scale travelling wave packets (MSTWP). We used
data on total electron content (TEC) measurements obtained at the dense
Japanese network GPS/GEONET (1220 stations) in 2008-2009. We found that the
diurnal, seasonal and spectral MSTWP characteristics are specified by the solar
terminator (ST) dynamics. MSTWPs are the chains of narrow-band TEC oscillations
with single packet's duration of about 1-2 hours and oscillation periods of
10-20 minutes. Their total duration is about 4--6 hours. The MSTWP spatial
structure is characterized by a high degree of anisotropy and coherence at the
distance of more than 10 wavelengths. The MSTWP direction of travelling is
characterized by a high directivity regardless of seasons. Occurrence rate of
daytime MSTWPs is high in winter and during equinoxes. Occurrence rate of
nighttime MSTIDs has its peak in summer. These features are consistent with
previous MS travelling ionosphere disturbance (TID) statistics obtained from
630-nm airglow imaging observations in Japan. In winter, MSTWPs in the northern
hemisphere are observed 3-4 hours after the morning ST passage. In summer,
MSTWPs are detected 1.5-2 hours before the evening ST occurrence at the point
of observations, at the moment of the evening ST passage in the
magneto-conjugate point. Both the high Q-factor of oscillatory system and
synchronization of MSTWP occurrence with the solar terminator passage at the
point of observations and in the magneto-conjugate area testify the MHD nature
of ST-excited MSTWP generation. The obtained results are the first experimental
evidence for the hypothesis of the ST-generated ion sound waves.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
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