1,637 research outputs found
Two kinds of procedural semantics for privative modification
In this paper we present two kinds of procedural semantics for privative modification. We do this for three reasons. The first reason is to launch a tough test case to gauge the degree of substantial agreement between a constructivist and a realist interpretation of procedural semantics; the second is to extend Martin-L ̈f’s Constructive Type Theory to privative modification, which is characteristic of natural language; the third reason is to sketch a positive characterization of privation
Persistence of Randomly Coupled Fluctuating Interfaces
We study the persistence properties in a simple model of two coupled
interfaces characterized by heights h_1 and h_2 respectively, each growing over
a d-dimensional substrate. The first interface evolves independently of the
second and can correspond to any generic growing interface, e.g., of the
Edwards-Wilkinson or of the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang variety. The evolution of h_2,
however, is coupled to h_1 via a quenched random velocity field. In the limit
d\to 0, our model reduces to the Matheron-de Marsily model in two dimensions.
For d=1, our model describes a Rouse polymer chain in two dimensions advected
by a transverse velocity field. We show analytically that after a long waiting
time t_0\to \infty, the stochastic process h_2, at a fixed point in space but
as a function of time, becomes a fractional Brownian motion with a Hurst
exponent, H_2=1-\beta_1/2, where \beta_1 is the growth exponent characterizing
the first interface. The associated persistence exponent is shown to be
\theta_s^2=1-H_2=\beta_1/2. These analytical results are verified by numerical
simulations.Comment: 15 pages, 3 .eps figures include
Motorway network effects on local population and employment: The case of Denmark
The effects of proximity to the motorway system on local employment and population levels is analyzed in Denmark from 1981 to 2013 by the use of regression models correlating the change in the distance of Danish municipalities to the motorway network and their increase or reduction in population, employment and workplaces. The conclusion is that there is an indication of a small, but significant negative impact on local levels of population, employment and workplaces. Thus, motorways seem to support a centralization process rather than sustaining local economic activity
A Semiconductor Nanowire-Based Superconducting Qubit
We introduce a hybrid qubit based on a semiconductor nanowire with an
epitaxially grown superconductor layer. Josephson energy of the transmon-like
device ("gatemon") is controlled by an electrostatic gate that depletes
carriers in a semiconducting weak link region. Strong coupling to an on-chip
microwave cavity and coherent qubit control via gate voltage pulses is
demonstrated, yielding reasonably long relaxation times (0.8 {\mu}s) and
dephasing times (1 {\mu}s), exceeding gate operation times by two orders of
magnitude, in these first-generation devices. Because qubit control relies on
voltages rather than fluxes, dissipation in resistive control lines is reduced,
screening reduces crosstalk, and the absence of flux control allows operation
in a magnetic field, relevant for topological quantum information
Nonequilibrium Cotunneling through a Three-Level Quantum Dot
We calculate the nonlinear cotunneling conductance through a quantum dot with
3 electrons occupying the three highest lying energy levels. Starting from a
3-orbital Anderson model, we apply a generalized Schrieffer-Wolff
transformation to derive an effective Kondo model for the system. Within this
model we calculate the nonequilibrium occupation numbers and the corresponding
cotunneling current to leading order in the exchange couplings. We identify the
inelastic cotunneling thresholds and their splittings with applied magnetic
field, and make a qualitative comparison to recent experimental data on carbon
nanotube and InAs quantum-wire quantum dots. Further predictions of the model
like cascade resonances and a magnetic-field dependence of the orbital level
splitting are not yet observed but within reach of recent experimental work on
carbon nanotube and InAs nanowire quantum dots.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figure
Parity lifetime of bound states in a proximitized semiconductor nanowire
Quasiparticle excitations can compromise the performance of superconducting
devices, causing high frequency dissipation, decoherence in Josephson qubits,
and braiding errors in proposed Majorana-based topological quantum computers.
Quasiparticle dynamics have been studied in detail in metallic superconductors
but remain relatively unexplored in semiconductor-superconductor structures,
which are now being intensely pursued in the context of topological
superconductivity. To this end, we introduce a new physical system comprised of
a gate-confined semiconductor nanowire with an epitaxially grown superconductor
layer, yielding an isolated, proximitized nanowire segment. We identify
Andreev-like bound states in the semiconductor via bias spectroscopy, determine
the characteristic temperatures and magnetic fields for quasiparticle
excitations, and extract a parity lifetime (poisoning time) of the bound state
in the semiconductor exceeding 10 ms.Comment: text and supplementary information combine
Transport signatures of quasiparticle poisoning in a Majorana island
We investigate effects of quasiparticle poisoning in a Majorana island with
strong tunnel coupling to normal-metal leads. In addition to the main Coulomb
blockade diamonds, "shadow" diamonds appear, shifted by 1e in gate voltage,
consistent with transport through an excited (poisoned) state of the island.
Comparison to a simple model yields an estimate of parity lifetime for the
strongly coupled island (~ 1 {\mu}s) and sets a bound for a weakly coupled
island (> 10 {\mu}s). Fluctuations in the gate-voltage spacing of Coulomb peaks
at high field, reflecting Majorana hybridization, are enhanced by the reduced
lever arm at strong coupling. In energy units, fluctuations are consistent with
previous measurements.Comment: includes supplementary materia
Small-World Networks: Links with long-tailed distributions
Small-world networks (SWN), obtained by randomly adding to a regular
structure additional links (AL), are of current interest. In this article we
explore (based on physical models) a new variant of SWN, in which the
probability of realizing an AL depends on the chemical distance between the
connected sites. We assume a power-law probability distribution and study
random walkers on the network, focussing especially on their probability of
being at the origin. We connect the results to L\'evy Flights, which follow
from a mean field variant of our model.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys.Rev.
Comprehensive and comparative metabolomic profiling of wheat, barley, oat and rye using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and advanced chemometrics
Beyond the main bulk components of cereals such as the polysaccharides and proteins, lower concentration secondary metabolites largely contribute to the nutritional value. This paper outlines a comprehensive protocol for GC-MS metabolomic profiling of phenolics and organic acids in grains, the performance of which is demonstrated through a comparison of the metabolite profiles of the main northern European cereal crops: wheat, barley, oat and rye. Phenolics and organic acids were extracted using acidic hydrolysis, trimethylsilylated using a new method based on trimethylsilyl cyanide and analyzed by GC-MS. In order to extract pure metabolite peaks, the raw chromatographic data were processed by a multi-way decomposition method, Parallel Factor Analysis 2. This approach lead to the semi-quantitative detection of a total of 247 analytes, out of which 89 were identified based on RI and EI-MS library match. The cereal metabolome included 32 phenolics, 30 organic acids, 10 fatty acids, 11 carbohydrates and 6 sterols. The metabolome of the four cereals were compared in detail, including low concentration phenolics and organic acids. Rye and oat displayed higher total concentration of phenolic acids, but ferulic, caffeic and sinapinic acids and their esters were found to be the main phenolics in all four cereals. Compared to the previously reported methods, the outlined protocol provided an efficient and high throughput analysis of the cereal metabolome and the acidic hydrolysis improved the detection of conjugated phenolics
Superconductivity-enhanced bias spectroscopy in carbon nanotube quantum dots
We study low-temperature transport through carbon nanotube quantum dots in
the Coulomb blockade regime coupled to niobium-based superconducting leads. We
observe pronounced conductance peaks at finite source-drain bias, which we
ascribe to elastic and inelastic cotunneling processes enhanced by the
coherence peaks in the density of states of the superconducting leads. The
inelastic cotunneling lines display a marked dependence on the applied gate
voltage which we relate to different tunneling-renormalizations of the two
subbands in the nanotube. Finally, we discuss the origin of an especially
pronounced sub-gap structure observed in every fourth Coulomb diamond
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