Optimization of structures on the basis of fracture mechanics and reliability criteria

Systematic summary of factors which are involved in optimization of given structural configuration is part of report resulting from study of analysis of objective function. Predicted reliability of performance of finished structure is sharply dependent upon results of coupon tests. Optimization analysis developed by study also involves expected cost of proof testing

Optimum pressure vessel design based on fracture mechanics and reliability criteria

Optimization design methods for spacecraft structural systems and subsystem

Does binding of synesthetic color to the evoking grapheme require attention?

The official published version can be accessed from the link below.The neural mechanisms involved in binding features such as shape and color are a matter of some debate. Does accurate binding rely on spatial attention functions of the parietal lobe or can it occur without attentional input? One extraordinary phenomenon that may shed light on this question is that of chromatic-graphemic synesthesia, a rare condition in which letter shapes evoke color perceptions. A popular suggestion is that synesthesia results from cross-activation between different functional regions (e.g., between shape and color areas of the ventral pathway). Under such conditions binding may not require parietal involvement and could occur preattentively. We tested this hypothesis in two synesthetes who perceived grayscale letters and digits in color. We found no evidence for preattentive binding using a visual search paradigm in which the target was a synesthetic inducer. In another experiment involving color judgments, we show that the congruency of target color and the synesthetic color of irrelevant digits modulates performance more when the digits are included within the attended region of space. We propose that the mechanisms giving rise to this type of synesthesia appear to follow at least some principles of normal binding, and even synesthetic binding seems to require attention.This work has been supported by a Veterans Administration Senior Research Career Scientist Award and NINDS grant #MH62331 to LCR and the Elizabeth Roboz Einstein fellowship in Neuroscience and Human Development to NS

Evidence for Interlayer Electronic Coupling in Multilayer Epitaxial Graphene from Polarization Dependent Coherently Controlled Photocurrent Generation

Most experimental studies to date of multilayer epitaxial graphene on C-face SiC have indicated that the electronic states of different layers are decoupled as a consequence of rotational stacking. We have measured the third order nonlinear tensor in epitaxial graphene as a novel approach to probe interlayer electronic coupling, by studying THz emission from coherently controlled photocurrents as a function of the optical pump and THz beam polarizations. We find that the polarization dependence of the coherently controlled THz emission expected from perfectly uncoupled layers, i.e. a single graphene sheet, is not observed. We hypothesize that the observed angular dependence arises from weak coupling between the layers; a model calculation of the angular dependence treating the multilayer structure as a stack of independent bilayers with variable interlayer coupling qualitatively reproduces the polarization dependence, providing evidence for coupling.Comment: submitted to Nano Letter

Microscopic correlation between chemical and electronic states in epitaxial graphene on SiC(000-1)

We present energy filtered electron emission spectromicroscopy with spatial and wave-vector resolution on few layer epitaxial graphene on SiC$(000-1) grown by furnace annealing. Low energy electron microscopy shows that more than 80% of the sample is covered by 2-3 graphene layers. C1s spectromicroscopy provides an independent measurement of the graphene thickness distribution map. The work function, measured by photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM), varies across the surface from 4.34 to 4.50eV according to both the graphene thickness and the graphene-SiC interface chemical state. At least two SiC surface chemical states (i.e., two different SiC surface structures) are present at the graphene/SiC interface. Charge transfer occurs at each graphene/SiC interface. K-space PEEM gives 3D maps of the k_|| pi - pi* band dispersion in micron scale regions show that the Dirac point shifts as a function of graphene thickness. Novel Bragg diffraction of the Dirac cones via the superlattice formed by the commensurately rotated graphene sheets is observed. The experiments underline the importance of lateral and spectroscopic resolution on the scale of future electronic devices in order to precisely characterize the transport properties and band alignments

Highly-ordered graphene for two dimensional electronics

With expanding interest in graphene-based electronics, it is crucial that high quality graphene films be grown. Sublimation of Si from the 4H-SiC(0001) Si-terminated) surface in ultrahigh vacuum is a demonstrated method to produce epitaxial graphene sheets on a semiconductor. In this paper we show that graphene grown from the SiC$(000\bar{1})$ (C-terminated) surface are of higher quality than those previously grown on SiC(0001). Graphene grown on the C-face can have structural domain sizes more than three times larger than those grown on the Si-face while at the same time reducing SiC substrate disorder from sublimation by an order of magnitude.Comment: Submitted to Appl. Phys. Let

High-Energy Limit of Massless Dirac Fermions in Multilayer Graphene using Magneto-Optical Transmission Spectroscopy

We have investigated the absorption spectrum of multilayer graphene in high magnetic fields. The low energy part of the spectrum of electrons in graphene is well described by the relativistic Dirac equation with a linear dispersion relation. However, at higher energies (>500 meV) a deviation from the ideal behavior of Dirac particles is observed. At an energy of 1.25 eV, the deviation from linearity is 40 meV. This result is in good agreement with the theoretical model, which includes trigonal warping of the Fermi surface and higher-order band corrections. Polarization-resolved measurements show no observable electron-hole asymmetry.Comment: 4 pages,3 figure

Adiabatic orientation of rotating dipole molecules in an external field

The induced polarization of a beam of polar clusters or molecules passing through an electric or magnetic field region differs from the textbook Langevin-Debye susceptibility. This distinction, which is important for the interpretation of deflection and focusing experiments, arises because instead of acquiring thermal equilibrium in the field region, the beam ensemble typically enters the field adiabatically, i.e., with a previously fixed distribution of rotational states. We discuss the orientation of rigid symmetric-top systems with a body-fixed electric or magnetic dipole moment. The analytical expression for their "adiabatic-entry" orientation is elucidated and compared with exact numerical results for a range of parameters. The differences between the polarization of thermodynamic and "adiabatic-entry" ensembles, of prolate and oblate tops, and of symmetric-top and linear rotators are illustrated and identified.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figure