Electron-Hole Generation and Recombination Rates for Coulomb Scattering in Graphene

We calculate electron-hole generation and recombination rates for Coulomb scattering (Auger recombination and impact ionization) in Graphene. The conduction and valence band dispersion relation in Graphene together with energy and momentum conservation requirements restrict the phase space for Coulomb scattering so that electron-hole recombination times can be much longer than 1 ps for electron-hole densities smaller than $10^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure

Identification and expression profile of a thioredoxin h in olive (Olea europaea L.)

The cellular response to stress also includes the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). When in excess, these second messengers can cause significant detrimental biochemical changes, such as stress-induced lipid peroxidation. In plants, a powerful endogenous antioxidant system is based on the enzymatic modification of redox-sensitive cysteines, carried out for example, by thioredoxin proteins. In this work, we report the cloning and characterization of a thioredoxin gene from olive (Olea europaea L.), which was named Oe-Trx h I. We also performed an expression analysis in drupes following biotic stress, as a first step towards the definition of its possible defensive role against the olive fruit fly [Bactrocera oleae (Rossi)]. The data indicate that the cloned thioredoxin h is a potential member of the biotic stress response in drupes and suggest that Oe-Trx h I may be a component active towards an increased resistance against oxidative stress. This work opens the way to further studies to assess the protective role of this gene against ROS accumulation and lipid peroxidation in drupes following larval feeding

Chiral constituent quark model and the coupling strength of eta'

Using the latest data pertaining to \bar u-\bar d asymmetry and the spin polarization functions, detailed implications of the possible values of the coupling strength of the singlet Goldstone boson \eta' have been investigated in the \chiCQM with configuration mixing. Using \Delta u, \Delta_3, \bar u-\bar d and \bar u/\bar d, the possible ranges of the coupling parameters a, \alpha^ 2, \beta^ 2 and \zeta^ 2, representing respectively the probabilities of fluctuations to pions, K, \eta and \eta^{'}, are shown to be 0.10 \lesssim a \lesssim 0.14, 0.2\lesssim \alpha \lesssim 0.5, 0.2\lesssim \beta \lesssim 0.7 and 0.10 lesssim |\zeta| \lesssim 0.70. To constrain the coupling strength of \eta', detailed fits have been obtained for spin polarization functions, quark distribution functions and baryon octet magnetic moments corresponding to the following sets of parameters: a=0.1, \alpha=0.4, \beta=0.7, |\zeta|=0.65 (Case I); a=0.1, \alpha=0.4, \beta=0.6, |\zeta|=0.70 (Case II); a=0.14, \alpha=0.4, \beta=0.2, \zeta=0 (Case III) and a=0.13, \alpha=\beta=0.45, |\zeta|=0.10 (Case IV). Case I represents the calculations where a is fixed to be 0.1, in accordance with earlier calculations, whereas other parameters are treated free and the Case IV represents our best fit. The fits clearly establish that a small non-zero value of the coupling of \eta' is preferred over the higher values of \eta' as well as when \zeta=0, the latter implying the absence of \eta' from the dynamics of \chiCQM. Our best fit achieves an overall excellent fit to the data, in particular the fit for \Delta u, \Delta d, \Delta_8 as well as the magnetic moments \mu_{n}, \mu_{\Sigma^-}, \mu_{\Sigma^+} and \mu_{\Xi^-} is almost perfect, the \mu_{\Xi^-} being a difficult case for most of the similar calculations.Comment: 8 RevTeX pages, 2 Tables, Revised version to appear in Int.J.Mod.Phys

Entanglement is not a lower bound for geometric discord

We show that partial transposition of any $2\otimes n$ state can have at most $(n-1)$ number of negative eigenvalues. This extends a decade old result of $2\otimes 2$ case by Sanpera et al [Phys. Rev. A {\bf 58}, 826 (1998)]. We then apply this result to critically assess an important conjecture recently made in [Phys. Rev. A {\bf 84}, 052110 (2011)], namely, the (normalized) geometric discord should always be lower bounded by squared negativity. This conjecture has strengthened the common belief that measures of generic quantum correlations should be more than those of entanglement. Our analysis shows that unfortunately this is not the case and we give several counterexamples to this conjecture. All the examples considered here are in finite dimensions. Surprisingly, there are counterexamples in $2\otimes n$ for any $n>2$. Coincidentally, it appears that the $4\otimes 4$ Werner state, when seen as a $2\otimes 8$ dimensional state, also violates the conjecture. This result contributes significantly to the negative side of the current ongoing debates on the defining notion of geometric discord as a good measure of generic correlations.Comment: v3: Title changed, matrix theoretic proof removed due to a gap; Supplementary Material will be added later; accepted in PRA as Rapid Communicatio

IRAC Excess in Distant Star-Forming Galaxies: Tentative Evidence for the 3.3μ\mum Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Feature ?

We present evidence for the existence of an IRAC excess in the spectral energy distribution (SED) of 5 galaxies at 0.6<z<0.9 and 1 galaxy at z=1.7. These 6 galaxies, located in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey field (GOODS-N), are star forming since they present strong 6.2, 7.7, and 11.3 um polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) lines in their Spitzer IRS mid-infrared spectra. We use a library of templates computed with PEGASE.2 to fit their multiwavelength photometry and derive their stellar continuum. Subtraction of the stellar continuum enables us to detect in 5 galaxies a significant excess in the IRAC band pass where the 3.3 um PAH is expected. We then assess if the physical origin of the IRAC excess is due to an obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) or warm dust emission. For one galaxy evidence of an obscured AGN is found, while the remaining four do not exhibit any significant AGN activity. Possible contamination by warm dust continuum of unknown origin as found in the Galactic diffuse emission is discussed. The properties of such a continuum would have to be different from the local Universe to explain the measured IRAC excess, but we cannot definitively rule out this possibility until its origin is understood. Assuming that the IRAC excess is dominated by the 3.3 um PAH feature, we find good agreement with the observed 11.3 um PAH line flux arising from the same C-H bending and stretching modes, consistent with model expectations. Finally, the IRAC excess appears to be correlated with the star-formation rate in the galaxies. Hence it could provide a powerful diagnostic for measuring dusty star formation in z>3 galaxies once the mid-infrared spectroscopic capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope become available.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Ap

Effect of La Doping on Microstructure and Critical Current Density of MgB2

In the present study, La-doped MgB_2 superconductors with different doping level (Mg1-xLaxB2; x=0.00, 0.01, 0.03 & 0.05) have been synthesized by solid-state reaction route at ambient pressure. Effect of La doping have been investigated in relation to microstructural characteristics and superconducting properties, particularly intragrain critical current density (Jc). The microstructural characteristics of the as synthesized Mg(La)B2 compounds were studied employing transmission electron microscopic (TEM) technique. The TEM investigations reveal inclusion of LaB6 nanoparticles within the MgB2 grains which provide effective flux pinning centres. The evaluation of intragrain Jc through magnetic measurements on the fine powdered version of the as synthesized samples reveal that Jc of the samples change significantly with the doping level. The optimum result on Jc is obtained for Mg0.97La0.03B2 at 5K, the Jc reaches ~1.4x107A/cm2 in self field, ~2.1 x 106A/cm2 at 1T, ~2.5 x 105A/cm2 at 2.5T and ~1.8 x 104 A/cm2 at 4.5T. The highest value of intragrain Jc in Mg0.97La0.03B2 superconductor has been attributed to the inclusion of LaB6 nanoparticles which are capable of providing effective flux pinning centres

Carrier Recombination and Generation Rates for Intravalley and Intervalley Phonon Scattering in Graphene

Electron-hole generation and recombination rates for intravalley and intervalley phonon scattering in Graphene are presented. The transverse and the longitudinal optical phonon modes ($E_{2g}$-modes) near the zone center ($\Gamma$-point) contribute to intravalley interband carrier scattering. At the zone edge ($K(K')$-point), only the transverse optical phonon mode ($A'_{1}$-mode) contributes significantly to intervalley interband scattering with recombination rates faster than those due to zone center phonons. The calculated recombination times range from less than a picosecond to more than hundreds of picoseconds and are strong functions of temperature and electron and hole densities. The theoretical calculations agree well with experimental measurements of the recombination rates of photoexcited carriers in graphene.Comment: 6 pages, 9 figure

Biosensing platform combining label-free and labelled analysis using Bloch surface waves

Bloch surface waves (BSW) propagating at the boundary of truncated photonic crystals (1D-PC) have emerged as an attractive approach for label-free sensing in plasmon-like sensor configurations. Due to the very low losses in such dielectric thin film stacks, BSW feature very low angular resonance widths compared to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) case. Besides label-free operation, the large field enhancement and the absence of quenching allow utilizing BSW coupled fluorescence detection to additionally sense the presence of fluorescent labels. This approach can be adapted to the case of angularly resolved resonance detection, thus giving rise to a combined label-free / labelled biosensor platform. It features a parallel analysis of multiple spots arranged as a one-dimensional array inside a microfluidic channel of a disposable chip. Application of such a combined biosensing approach to the detection of the Angiopoietin-2 cancer biomarker in buffer solutions is reported