From stripe to checkerboard order on the square lattice in the presence of quenched disorder

We discuss the effects of quenched disorder on a model of charge density wave (CDW) ordering on the square lattice. Our model may be applicable to the cuprate superconductors, where a random electrostatic potential exists in the CuO2 planes as a result of the presence of charged dopants. We argue that the presence of a random potential can affect the unidirectionality of the CDW order, characterized by an Ising order parameter. Coupling to a unidirectional CDW, the random potential can lead to the formation of domains with 90 degree relative orientation, thus tending to restore the rotational symmetry of the underlying lattice. We find that the correlation length of the Ising order can be significantly larger than the CDW correlation length. For a checkerboard CDW on the other hand, disorder generates spatial anisotropies on short length scales and thus some degree of unidirectionality. We quantify these disorder effects and suggest new techniques for analyzing the local density of states (LDOS) data measured in scanning tunneling microscopy experiments.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures; added referenc

Cu(I)-Catalyzed Alkynylation of Quinolones

[Image: see text] Herein we report the first alkynylation of quinolones with terminal alkynes under mild reaction conditions. The reaction is catalyzed by Cu(I) salts in the presence of a Lewis acid, which is essential for the reactivity of the system. The enantioselective version of this transformation has also been explored, and the methodology has been applied in the synthesis of the enantioenriched tetrahydroquinoline alkaloid cuspareine

Evidence for gapped spin-wave excitations in the frustrated Gd2Sn2O7 pyrochlore antiferromagnet from low-temperature specific heat measurements

We have measured the low-temperature specific heat of the geometrically frustrated pyrochlore Heisenberg antiferromagnet Gd2Sn2O7 in zero magnetic field. The specific heat is found to drop exponentially below approximately 350 mK. This provides evidence for a gapped spin-wave spectrum due to an anisotropy resulting from single ion effects and long-range dipolar interactions. The data are well fitted by linear spin-wave theory, ruling out unconventional low energy magnetic excitations in this system, and allowing a determination of the pertinent exchange interactions in this material

Analysis of photovoltaic self-consumption systems

Components and installation prices could make the self-consumption of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems competitive. In this paper, we explore different self-consumption options, off-grid PV systems (with back-up generator and/or batteries), and grid-connected PV systems under net-metering policies. The calculation of the net present cost (NPC) reveals that the grid-connected PV-only case (for the net-metering scheme) is the most attractive from the technical and financial points of view, with a levelised cost of energy less than 0.1 €/kWh. Off-grid PV + Diesel + Batteries has a higher cost, around two or three times the grid-connected PV-only under net metering. Additionally, the off-grid PV + Diesel is less attractive from a financial point of view, which has a cost of around 10 times the PV-only under net metering. In addition, the values of life cycle CO2 emissions in each of the cases studied have been compared, and we have concluded that although the off-grid PV + Diesel + Batteries system presents lower CO2 emissions than the PV-only system, the existence of batteries does not allow one to affirm that the PV + Diesel + Batteries system is the best from an environmental point of view

The Physical Parameters of the Retired A Star HD185351

We report here an analysis of the physical stellar parameters of the giant star HD185351 using Kepler short-cadence photometry, optical and near infrared interferometry from CHARA, and high-resolution spectroscopy. Asteroseismic oscillations detected in the Kepler short-cadence photometry combined with an effective temperature calculated from the interferometric angular diameter and bolometric flux yield a mean density, rho_star = 0.0130 +- 0.0003 rho_sun and surface gravity, logg = 3.280 +- 0.011. Combining the gravity and density we find Rstar = 5.35 +- 0.20 Rsun and Mstar = 1.99 +- 0.23 Msun. The trigonometric parallax and CHARA angular diameter give a radius Rstar = 4.97 +- 0.07 Rsun. This smaller radius,when combined with the mean stellar density, corresponds to a stellar mass Mstar = 1.60 +- 0.08 Msun, which is smaller than the asteroseismic mass by 1.6-sigma. We find that a larger mass is supported by the observation of mixed modes in our high-precision photometry, the spacing of which is consistent only for Mstar =~ 1.8 Msun. Our various and independent mass measurements can be compared to the mass measured from interpolating the spectroscopic parameters onto stellar evolution models, which yields a model-based mass M_star = 1.87 +- 0.07 Msun. This mass agrees well with the asteroseismic value,but is 2.6-sigma higher than the mass from the combination of asteroseismology and interferometry. The discrepancy motivates future studies with a larger sample of giant stars. However, all of our mass measurements are consistent with HD185351 having a mass in excess of 1.5 Msun.Comment: ApJ accepte