Symmetry reduction in multiband Hamiltonians for semiconductor quantum dots: The role of interfaces and higher energy bands

The role of interfaces and higher bands on the electronic structure of embedded semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) was investigated. The term in the multiband k�p Hamiltonian that captures the effect of interface band mixing was derived starting from the microscopic theory. It was shown, analytically and numerically, that, with such a term included, the right symmetry of the QD system can be captured. It leads to splitting of otherwise degenerate energy levels of the order of several meV. The inclusion of additional higher bands beyond the ones from the standard eight-band model also leads to the reduction of symmetry from an artificially high one to the true atomistic symmetry of the system, however their quantitative effect is weaker. These results prove that the multiband k.p Hamiltonians are fully capable of describing the correct symmetry of a QD

Electron-phonon coupling in crystalline organic semiconductors: Microscopic evidence for nonpolaronic charge carriers

We consider electron(hole)-phonon coupling in crystalline organic semiconductors, using naphthalene for our case study. Employing a first-principles approach, we compute the changes in the self-consistent Kohn-Sham potential corresponding to different phonon modes and go on to obtain the carrier-phonon coupling matrix elements (vertex functions). We then evaluate perturbatively the quasiparticle spectral residues for electrons at the bottom of the lowest-unoccupied- (LUMO) and holes at the top of the highest-occupied (HOMO) band, respectively obtaining $Z_e\approx 0.74$ and $Z_h\approx 0.78$. Along with the widely accepted notion that the carrier-phonon coupling strengths in polyacenes decrease with increasing molecular size, our results provide a strong microscopic evidence for the previously conjectured nonpolaronic nature of band-like carriers in these systems.Comment: final, published versio

Electronic structure and optical properties of Sn and SnGe quantum dots

Self-assembled quantum dots in a Si–Ge–Sn system attract research attention as possible direct band gap materials, compatible with Si-based technology, with potential applications in optoelectronics. In this work, the electronic structure near the point and interband optical matrix elements of strained Sn and SnGe quantum dots in a Si or Ge matrix are calculated using the eight-band k·p method, and the competing L-valley conduction band states were found by the effective mass method. The strain distribution in the dots was found with the continuum mechanical model. The parameters required for the k·p or effective mass calculation for Sn were extracted by fitting to the energy band structure calculated by the nonlocal empirical pseudopotential method. The calculations show that the self-assembled Sn/Si dots, sized between 4 and 12 nm, have indirect interband transition energies between 0.8 and 0.4 eV and direct interband transitions between 2.5 and 2.0 eV. In particular, the actually grown, approximately cylindrical Sn dots in Si with a diameter and height of about 5 nm are calculated to have an indirect transition (to the L valley) of about 0.7 eV, which agrees very well with experimental results. Similar good agreement with the experiment was also found for SnGe dots grown on Si. However, neither of these is predicted to be direct band gap materials, in contrast to some earlier expectations

Effects of rapid thermal annealing on device characteristics of InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot infrared photodetectors

In this work, rapid thermal annealing was performed on InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) at different temperatures. The photoluminescence showed a blueshifted spectrum in comparison with the as-grown sample when the annealing temperature was higher than 700 °C, as a result of thermal interdiffusion of the quantum dots (QDs). Correspondingly, the spectral response from the annealed QDIP exhibited a redshift. At the higher annealing temperature of 800 °C, in addition to the largely redshifted photoresponse peak of 7.4 µm (compared with the 6.1 µm of the as-grown QDIP), a high energy peak at 5.6 µm (220 meV) was also observed, leading to a broad spectrum linewidth of 40%. This is due to the large interdiffusion effect which could greatly vary the composition of the QDs and thus increase the relative optical absorption intensity at higher energy. The other important detector characteristics such as dark current, peak responsivity, and detectivity were also measured. It was found that the overall device performance was not affected by low annealing temperature, however, for high annealing temperature, some degradation in device detectivity (but not responsivity) was observed. This is a consequence of increased dark current due to defect formation and increased ground state energy. © 2006 American Institute of Physic

Uticaj genotipa i perioda laktacije na količinu, fizičke i hemijske osobine ovčijeg mleka

Two genotype of sheep have been utilized in the conduct of the experiment composed of 60 ewes from Pirot x Virtemberg as genotype 1 and 60 ewes of Improved Pirot as genotype 2. All the ewes were reared under identical conditions and without any differences in nutrition and management during the whole period under study. The collection of Milk sampling was done in morning and evening during periods (1, 2, 3) of lactation duration. The average lactation duration and average total milk of the two genotypes were very close and has a minimal difference of 0.467 day and 1.562 kg, in favor of genotype 2. The differences between genotypes were not significant (P>0,05). Regarding physical and chemical properties of milk for both genotypes, the difference were very minimal such as follows; viscosity Pa x s - 0.006, electrical conductivity Ω - 0.018, density kg/m3 -0,001, freezing, t 0C - 0.013, LD number - 0.028 total solids, % - 0.014, fat,% - 0,026, protein,% - 0.085, lactose,% - 0.038, ash,% - 0,021, acidity, 0SH - 0.209. The results indicated that the properties of milk for both genotypes were very near to each other. It can be interpreted that the breeds utilized in the experiment were comparable due to similar characteristics perhaps. The effect of genotype was very significant only for the % protein of the milk. The lactation periods were highly significant in all physical and chemical properties of milk.Istraživanja su obavljena kod dve rase ovaca i to 60 grla Pirotska x Virtemberg kao genotip 1 i 60 ovaca pirotske oplemenjene populacije, kao genotip 2. Sve životinje su držane u istim proizvodnim uslovima na farmi u Vrnjačkoj Banji. Prosečne vrednosti trajanja laktacije i mleka dobijenog u periodu laktacije su bile vrlo ujednačene, tako da nije utvrđen uticaj genotipa na ova svojstva. Takođe, razlike između fizičko hemijskih osobina mleka, u većini slučajeva su bile nesignifikantne. Uticaj genotipa kao fiksnog faktora je bio vrlo signifikantan samo kod sadržaja proteina u mleku ovaca (P (lt) 0.01). Međutim utvrđeno je da period laktacije ima vrlo signifikantan uticaj na sva posmatrana fizička i hemijska svojstva mleka

Electronic structure of silver-bismuth iodide rudorffite nanomaterials studied by synchrotron radiation soft X-ray photoemission spectroscopy

Silver-bismuth iodide (Ag-Bi-I) rudorffites are chemically stable and non-toxic materials that can act as a possible replacement for methylammonium lead halide perovskites in optoelectronic devices. In this report we will present innovative routes for fabrication of AgBi-I nanomaterials, as well as the results of the investigation of the electronic structure of isolated Ag-Bi-I nanoparticles by soft X-ray aerosol photoemission spectroscopy [1, 2]. Aerosol photoemission spectroscopy allows studies of the electronic structure of submicrometer particles that are free from the influence of a substrate or solvent [1-5]. In this approach the aerosol particles can be produced directly from a solution or a colloidal dispersion, which opens a possibility for investigation of a variety of nanosystems that can be produced by wet chemistry methods. This technique relies on the interaction of focused beam of isolated particles with ionizing radiation under high vacuum conditions. In addition, by using tunable synchrotron radiation as an excitation source it is possible to obtain highresolution photoelectron spectra in the investigated photoelectron energy range.X Serbian Ceramic Society Conference - Advanced Ceramics and Application : new frontiers in multifunctional material science and processing : program and the book of abstracts; September 26-27, 2022; Belgrad

Extending SMT Solvers to Higher-Order Logic

International audienceSMT solvers have throughout the years been able to cope with increasingly expressive formulas, from ground logics to full first-order logic (FOL). In contrast, the extension of SMT solvers to higher-order logic (HOL) is mostly un-explored. We propose a pragmatic extension for SMT solvers to support HOL reasoning natively without compromising performance on FOL reasoning, thus leveraging the extensive research and implementation efforts dedicated to efficient SMT solving. We show how to generalize data structures and the ground decision procedure to support partial applications and extensionality, as well as how to reconcile quantifier instantiation techniques with higher-order variables. We also discuss a separate approach for redesigning an HOL SMT solver from the ground up via new data structures and algorithms. We apply our pragmatic extension to the CVC4 SMT solver and discuss a redesign of the veriT SMT solver. Our evaluation shows they are competitive with state-of-the-art HOL provers and often outperform the traditional encoding into FOL

Importance of Polaronic Effects for Charge Transport in CdSe Quantum Dot Solids

We developed an accurate model accounting for electron-phonon interaction in colloidal quantum dot supercrystals that allowed us to identify the nature of charge carriers and the electrical transport regime. We find that in experimentally analyzed CdSe nanocrystal solids the electron-phonon interaction is sufficiently strong that small polarons localized to single dots are formed. Charge-carrier transport occurs by small polaron hopping between the dots, with mobility that decreases with increasing temperature. While such a temperature dependence of mobility is usually considered as a proof of band transport, we show that the same type of dependence occurs in the system where transport is dominated by small polaron hopping

Effect of zoledronic acid on the doxycycline-induced decrease in tumour burden in a bone metastasis model of human breast cancer

Bone is one of the most frequent sites for metastasis in breast cancer patients often resulting in significant clinical morbidity and mortality. Bisphosphonates are currently the standard of care for breast cancer patients with bone metastasis. We have shown previously that doxycycline, a member of the tetracycline family of antibiotics, reduces total tumour burden in an experimental bone metastasis mouse model of human breast cancer. In this study, we combined doxycycline treatment together with zoledronic acid, the most potent bisphosphonate. Drug administration started 3 days before the injection of the MDA-MB-231 cells. When mice were administered zoledronic acid alone, the total tumour burden decreased by 43% compared to placebo treatment. Administration of a combination of zoledronic acid and doxycycline resulted in a 74% decrease in total tumour burden compared to untreated mice. In doxycycline- and zoledronate-treated mice bone formation was significantly enhanced as determined by increased numbers of osteoblasts, osteoid surface and volume, whereas a decrease in bone resorption was also observed. Doxycycline greatly reduced tumour burden and could also compensate for the increased bone resorption. The addition of zoledronate to the regimen further decreased tumour burden, caused an extensive decrease in bone-associated soft tissue tumour burden (93%), and sustained the bone volume, which could result in a smaller fracture risk. Treatment with zoledronic acid in combination with doxycycline may be very beneficial for breast cancer patients at risk for osteolytic bone metastasis