351 research outputs found
A double-dot quantum ratchet driven by an independently biased quantum point contact
We study a double quantum dot (DQD) coupled to a strongly biased quantum
point contact (QPC), each embedded in independent electric circuits. For weak
interdot tunnelling we observe a finite current flowing through the unbiased
Coulomb blockaded DQD in response to a strong bias on the QPC. The direction of
the current through the DQD is determined by the relative detuning of the
energy levels of the two quantum dots. The results are interpreted in terms of
a quantum ratchet phenomenon in a DQD energized by a nearby QPC.Comment: revised versio
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Surface Urban Energy and Water Balance Scheme (SUEWS) : Development and evaluation at two UK sites
Abstract The Surface Urban Energy and Water Balance Scheme (SUEWS) is evaluated at two locations in the UK: a dense urban site in the centre of London and a residential suburban site in Swindon. Eddy covariance observations of the turbulent fluxes are used to assess model performance over a two-year period (2011−2013). The distinct characteristics of the sites mean their surface energy exchanges differ considerably. The model suggests the largest differences can be attributed to surface cover (notably the proportion of vegetated versus impervious area) and the additional energy supplied by human activities. SUEWS performs better in summer than winter, and better at the suburban site than the dense urban site. One reason for this is the bias towards suburban summer field campaigns in observational data used to parameterise this (and other) model(s). The suitability of model parameters (such as albedo, energy use and water use) for the UK sites is considered and, where appropriate, alternative values are suggested. An alternative parameterisation for the surface conductance is implemented, which permits greater soil moisture deficits before evaporation is restricted at non-irrigated sites. Accounting for seasonal variation in the estimation of storage heat flux is necessary to obtain realistic wintertime fluxes.Peer reviewe
Dynamic photoconductive gain effect in shallow-etched AlGaAs/GaAs quantum wires
We report on a dynamic photoconductive gain effect in quantum wires which are
lithographically fabricated in an AlGaAs/GaAs quantum well via a shallow-etch
technique. The effect allows resolving the one-dimensional subbands of the
quantum wires as maxima in the photoresponse across the quantum wires. We
interpret the results by optically induced holes in the valence band of the
quantum well which shift the chemical potential of the quantum wire. The
non-linear current-voltage characteristics of the quantum wires also allow
detecting the photoresponse effect of excess charge carriers in the conduction
band of the quantum well. The dynamics of the photoconductive gain are limited
by the recombination time of both electrons and holes
Direct control of the tunnel splitting in a one-electron double quantum dot
Quasi-static transport measurements are employed on a laterally defined
tunnel-coupled double quantum dot. A nearby quantum point contact allows us to
track the charge as added to the device. If charged with only up to one
electron, the low-energy spectrum of the double quantum dot is characterized by
its quantum mechanical interdot tunnel splitting. We directly measure its
magnitude by utilizing particular anticrossing features in the stability
diagram at finite source-drain bias. By modification of gate voltages defining
the confinement potential as well as by variation of a perpendicular magnetic
field we demonstrate the tunability of the coherent tunnel coupling.Comment: High resolution pdf file available at
http://www2.nano.physik.uni-muenchen.de/~huettel/research/anticrossing.pd
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Volume for pollution dispersion: London’s atmospheric boundary layer during ClearfLo observed with two ground-based lidar types
In urban areas with high air pollution emissions, the boundary layer volume within which gases and particles are diluted is critical to air quality impacts. With advances in ground-based remote sensing technologies and data processing algorithms, observations of layers forming the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) are becoming increasingly available at high temporal resolution. Here, mixing height (MH) estimates determined from turbulence measurements of Doppler lidars and aerosol derived mixed layer height (MLH) based on automatic lidar and ceilometer (ALC) observations within the centre of London are assessed. While MH uncertainty increases with shorter duration of vertical stare sampling within the Doppler lidar scan pattern, instrument-related noise of the ALC may result
in large MLH errors due to the challenging task of layer attribution. However, when long time series are assessed most of the algorithm- and instrument-related uncertainties average out and therefore become less critical to overall climatological analyses. Systematic differences occur in nocturnal MH from two nearby (3-4 km) sites but MLH estimates at both sites generally agree with MH obtained at the denser urban setting. During daytime, most spatial variations in ABL structure induced by synoptic conditions or land cover heterogeneity at this scale do not exceed measurement uncertainty. Agreement between MH and MLH is clearly affected by ABL aerosol content and cloud 28 conditions. Discrepancies increase with cloud complexity. On average, MH rises ahead of MLH during the morning growth period and peaks earlier in the day. There is a faster afternoon decay of MLH so that MLH and MH converge again around sunset and often have similar nocturnal values. Results demonstrate that turbulence-derived MH and aerosol-derived MLH should not be used inter32 changeably for purposes of model evaluation, interpretation of surface air quality observations or 33 initialisation of chemical transport models
Molecular states in a one-electron double quantum dot
The transport spectrum of a strongly tunnel-coupled one-electron double
quantum dot electrostatically defined in a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure is
studied. At finite source-drain-voltage we demonstrate the unambiguous
identification of the symmetric ground state and the antisymmetric excited
state of the double well potential by means of differential conductance
measurements. A sizable magnetic field, perpendicular to the two-dimensional
electron gas, reduces the extent of the electronic wave-function and thereby
decreases the tunnel coupling. A perpendicular magnetic field also modulates
the orbital excitation energies in each individual dot. By additionally tuning
the asymmetry of the double well potential we can align the chemical potentials
of an excited state of one of the quantum dots and the ground state of the
other quantum dot. This results in a second anticrossing with a much larger
tunnel splitting than the anticrossing involving the two electronic ground
states.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; EP2DS-16 conference contributio
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Atmospheric boundary layer characteristics from ceilometer measurements. Part 1: a new method to track mixed layer height and classify clouds
The use of Automatic Lidars and Ceilometers (ALC) is increasingly extended beyond monitoring cloud base height to the study of atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) dynamics. Therefore, long-term sensor networks observations require robust algorithms to automatically detect the mixed layer height (ZML). Here, a novel automatic algorithm CABAM (Characterise the Atmospheric Boundary layer based on ALC Measurements) is presented . CABAM is the first, non-proprietary mixed layer height algorithm specifically designed for the commonly deployed Vaisala CL31 ceilometer. The method: tracks ZML, takes into account precipitation, classifies the ABL based on cloud cover and cloud type, and determines the relation between ZML and cloud base height. CABAM relies solely on ALC measurements. Results perform well against independent reference (AMDAR: Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay) measurements and supervised ZML detection. AMDAR derived temperature inversion heights allow ZML evaluation throughout the day. Very good agreement is found in the afternoon when the mixed layer height extends over the full ABL. However, during night or the morning transition the temperature inversion is more likely associated with the top of the residual layer. From comparison with SYNOP reports, the ABL classification scheme generally correctly distinguishes between convective and stratiform boundary layer clouds, with slightly better performance during daytime. Applied to six years of ALC observations in central London, Kotthaus and Grimmond (2018) demonstrate CABAM results are valuable to characterise the urban boundary layer over London, UK, where clouds of various types are frequent
Long exciton spin memory in coupled quantum wells
Spatially indirect excitons in a coupled quantum well structure were studied
by means of polarization and time resolved photoluminescence. A strong degree
of circular polarization (> 50%) in emission was achieved when the excitation
energy was tuned into resonance with the direct exciton state. The indirect
transition remained polarized several tens of nanoseconds after the pumping
laser pulse, demonstrating directly a very long relaxation time of exciton
spin. The observed spin memory effect exceeds the radiative lifetime of the
indirect excitons.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
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