1,973 research outputs found
The Nature of the Variable Galactic Center Source IRS16SW
We report measurements of the light curve of the variable Galactic Center
source IRS16SW. The light curve is not consistent with an eclipsing binary or
any other obvious variable star. The source may be an example of a high mass
variable predicted theoretically but not observed previously.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures. Accepted by Ap
Activation mechanisms in sodium-doped Silicon MOSFETs
We have studied the temperature dependence of the conductivity of a silicon
MOSFET containing sodium ions in the oxide above 20 K. We find the impurity
band resulting from the presence of charges at the silicon-oxide interface is
split into a lower and an upper band. We have observed activation of electrons
from the upper band to the conduction band edge as well as from the lower to
the upper band. A possible explanation implying the presence of Hubbard bands
is given.Comment: published in J. Phys. : Condens. Matte
Foraging ecology of the South Australian glossy black-cockatoo ( Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus )
The endangered South Australian glossy black-cockatoo ( Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus Mathews 1912) feeds almost exclusively on the seeds of the drooping sheoak ( Allocasuarina verticillata ), and shows marked preferences for individual trees. This field study investigated foraging ecology and tree selection through observations of foraging birds and measurements of trees and seed cones. The cockatoos spent the vast majority of their foraging time (94%) handling seed cones, and handling behaviour was highly stereotyped. Handling time per cone was correlated primarily with cone size, while seed intake rate was correlated primarily with seed mass per cone. The cockatoos fed mostly in trees with signs of previous feeding. They tended initially to sample trees with large seeds, and to stay for long feeding bouts in trees with high ratios of seed-to-cone mass. As a result of these biases, feeding was concentrated in trees with high seed mass per cone. Preferred trees were also larger, with higher ratios of seed-to-cone mass and larger seeds containing more lipid and protein. By feeding from selected trees the cockatoos increased both their seed intake rate and the nutritional quality of the seeds ingested, thereby increasing their energy intake rate by an estimated 28%. They did not discriminate against trees that had re-grown from basal shoots after fires. Insect larvae were present in some seed cones but the cockatoos did not appear to actively seek them. Males foraged 19% more efficiently than females, resulting in greater daily food intake. The characteristics of individual A. verticillata trees that determined the cockatoos' feeding rates were also correlated with their distribution on a regional scale. This suggests that the distribution of this endangered cockatoo depends not only on the presence of food trees, but also on their regionally varying feeding profitability.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72786/1/j.1442-9993.2000.tb00003.x.pd
Fano effect and Kondo effect in quantum dots formed in strongly coupled quantum wells
We present lateral transport measurements on strongly, vertically coupled
quantum dots formed in separate quantum wells in a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure.
Coulomb oscillations are observed forming a honeycomb lattice consistent with
two strongly coupled dots. When the tunnel barriers in the upper well are
reduced we observe the Fano effect due to the interfering paths through a
resonant state in the lower well and a continuum state in the upper well. In
both regimes an in plane magnetic field reduces the coupling between the wells
when the magnetic length is comparable to the center to center separation of
the wells. We also observe the Kondo effect which allows the spin states of the
double dot system to be probed.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
A Photometric Survey for Variables and Transits in the Field of Praesepe with KELT
The Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT) project is a small aperture,
wide-angle search for planetary transits of solar-type stars. In this paper, we
present the results of a commissioning campaign with the KELT telescope to
observe the open cluster Praesepe for 34 nights in early 2005. Lightcurves were
obtained for 69,337 stars, out of which we identify 58 long period variables
and 152 periodic variables. Sixteen of these are previously known as variable,
yielding 194 newly discovered variable stars for which we provide properties
and lightcurves. We also searched for planetary-like transits, finding four
transit candidates. Follow-up observations indicate that two of the candidates
are astrophysical false positives, with two candidates remaining as potential
planetary transits.Comment: 45 pages, 16 figures. Submitted to AJ. PDF version with full
resolution figures located at
http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pepper/kelt.pd
Brightness of a phase-conjugating mirror behind a random medium
A random-matrix theory is presented for the reflection of light by a
disordered medium backed by a phase-conjugating mirror. Two regimes are
distinguished, depending on the relative magnitude of the inverse dwell time of
a photon in the disordered medium and the frequency shift acquired at the
mirror. The qualitatively different dependence of the reflectance on the degree
of disorder in the two regimes suggests a distinctive experimental test for
cancellation of phase shifts in a random medium.Comment: 4 pages LaTeX. 2 Postscript figures include
Evidence for multiple impurity bands in sodium-doped silicon MOSFETs
We report measurements of the temperature-dependent conductivity in a silicon
metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor that contains sodium
impurities in the oxide layer. We explain the variation of conductivity in
terms of Coulomb interactions that are partially screened by the proximity of
the metal gate. The study of the conductivity exponential prefactor and the
localization length as a function of gate voltage have allowed us to determine
the electronic density of states and has provided arguments for the presence of
two distinct bands and a soft gap at low temperature.Comment: 4 pages; 5 figures; Published in PRB Rapid-Communication
Variation of the hopping exponent in disordered silicon MOSFETs
We observe a complex change in the hopping exponent value from 1/2 to 1/3 as
a function of disorder strength and electron density in a sodium-doped silicon
MOSFET. The disorder was varied by applying a gate voltage and thermally
drifting the ions to different positions in the oxide. The same gate was then
used at low temperature to modify the carrier concentration.
Magnetoconductivity measurements are compatible with a change in transport
mechanisms when either the disorder or the electron density is modified
suggesting a possible transition from a Mott insulator to an Anderson insulator
in these systems.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Finite size scaling for quantum criticality using the finite-element method
Finite size scaling for the Schr\"{o}dinger equation is a systematic approach
to calculate the quantum critical parameters for a given Hamiltonian. This
approach has been shown to give very accurate results for critical parameters
by using a systematic expansion with global basis-type functions. Recently, the
finite element method was shown to be a powerful numerical method for ab initio
electronic structure calculations with a variable real-space resolution. In
this work, we demonstrate how to obtain quantum critical parameters by
combining the finite element method (FEM) with finite size scaling (FSS) using
different ab initio approximations and exact formulations. The critical
parameters could be atomic nuclear charges, internuclear distances, electron
density, disorder, lattice structure, and external fields for stability of
atomic, molecular systems and quantum phase transitions of extended systems. To
illustrate the effectiveness of this approach we provide detailed calculations
of applying FEM to approximate solutions for the two-electron atom with varying
nuclear charge; these include Hartree-Fock, density functional theory under the
local density approximation, and an "exact"' formulation using FEM. We then use
the FSS approach to determine its critical nuclear charge for stability; here,
the size of the system is related to the number of elements used in the
calculations. Results prove to be in good agreement with previous Slater-basis
set calculations and demonstrate that it is possible to combine finite size
scaling with the finite-element method by using ab initio calculations to
obtain quantum critical parameters. The combined approach provides a promising
first-principles approach to describe quantum phase transitions for materials
and extended systems.Comment: 15 pages, 19 figures, revision based on suggestions by referee,
accepted in Phys. Rev.
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