393 research outputs found
Local formation of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond by swift heavy ions
We exposed nitrogen-implanted diamonds to beams of swift uranium and gold
ions (~1 GeV) and find that these irradiations lead directly to the formation
of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers, without thermal annealing. We compare the
photoluminescence intensities of swift heavy ion activated NV- centers to those
formed by irradiation with low-energy electrons and by thermal annealing. NV-
yields from irradiations with swift heavy ions are 0.1 of yields from low
energy electrons and 0.02 of yields from thermal annealing. We discuss possible
mechanisms of NV-center formation by swift heavy ions such as electronic
excitations and thermal spikes. While forming NV centers with low efficiency,
swift heavy ions enable the formation of three dimensional NV- assemblies over
relatively large distances of tens of micrometers. Further, our results show
that NV-center formation is a local probe of (partial) lattice damage
relaxation induced by electronic excitations from swift heavy ions in diamond.Comment: to be published in Journal of Applied Physic
Effects of low energy electron irradiation on formation of nitrogen-vacancy centers in single-crystal diamond
Exposure to beams of low energy electrons (2 to 30 keV) in a scanning
electron microscope locally induces formation of NV-centers without thermal
annealing in diamonds that have been implanted with nitrogen ions. We find that
non-thermal, electron beam induced NV-formation is about four times less
efficient than thermal annealing. But NV-center formation in a consecutive
thermal annealing step (800C) following exposure to low energy electrons
increases by a factor of up to 1.8 compared to thermal annealing alone. These
observations point to reconstruction of nitrogen-vacancy complexes induced by
electronic excitations from low energy electrons as an NV-center formation
mechanism and identify local electronic excitations as a means for spatially
controlled room-temperature NV-center formation
Electrically driven photon emission from individual atomic defects in monolayer WS2.
Quantum dot-like single-photon sources in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) exhibit appealing quantum optical properties but lack a well-defined atomic structure and are subject to large spectral variability. Here, we demonstrate electrically stimulated photon emission from individual atomic defects in monolayer WS2 and directly correlate the emission with the local atomic and electronic structure. Radiative transitions are locally excited by sequential inelastic electron tunneling from a metallic tip into selected discrete defect states in the WS2 bandgap. Coupling to the optical far field is mediated by tip plasmons, which transduce the excess energy into a single photon. The applied tip-sample voltage determines the transition energy. Atomically resolved emission maps of individual point defects closely resemble electronic defect orbitals, the final states of the optical transitions. Inelastic charge carrier injection into localized defect states of two-dimensional materials provides a powerful platform for electrically driven, broadly tunable, atomic-scale single-photon sources
Associations of parks, greenness, and blue space with cardiovascular and respiratory disease hospitalization in the US Medicare cohort
Natural environments have been linked to decreased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and respiratory disease (RSD) mortality. However, few cohort studies have looked at associations of natural environments with CVD or RSD hospitalization. The aim of this study was to evaluate these associations in a cohort of U.S. Medicare beneficiaries (âŒ63 million individuals). Our open cohort included all fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries (2000-2016), aged â„65, living in the contiguous U.S. We assessed zip code-level park cover based on the United States Geological Survey Protected Areas Database, average greenness (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI), and percent blue space cover based on Landsat satellite images. Cox-equivalent Poisson models were used to estimate associations of the exposures with first CVD and RSD hospitalization in the full cohort and among those living in urban zip codes (â„1000 persons/mile2). NDVI was weakly negatively correlated with percent park cover (Spearman Ï = -0.23) and not correlated with percent blue space (Spearman Ï = 0.00). After adjustment for potential confounders, percent park cover was not associated with CVD or RSD hospitalization in the full or urban population. An IQR (0.27) increase in NDVI was negatively associated with CVD (HR: 0.97, 95%CI: 0.96, 0.97), but not with RSD hospitalization (HR: 0.99, 95%CI: 0.98, 1.00). In urban zip codes, an IQR increase in NDVI was positively associated with RSD hospitalization (HR: 1.02, 95%CI: 1.00, 1.03). In stratified analyses, percent park cover was negatively associated with CVD and RSD hospitalization for Medicaid eligible individuals and individuals living in low socioeconomic status neighborhoods in the urban population. We observed no associations of percent blue space cover with CVD or RSD hospitalization. This study suggests that natural environments may benefit cardiorespiratory health; however, benefits may be limited to certain contexts and certain health outcomes
Mapping Local Charge Recombination Heterogeneity by Multidimensional Nanospectroscopic Imaging
As materials functionality becomes more dependent on local physical and electronic properties,
the importance of optically probing matter with true nanoscale spatial resolution has increased.
In this work, we mapped the influence of local trap states within individual nanowires on carrier
recombination with deeply subwavelength resolution. This is achieved using multidimensional
nanospectroscopic imaging based on a nano-optical device. Placed at the end of a scan probe,
the device delivers optimal near-field properties, including highly efficient far-field to near-field
coupling, ultralarge field enhancement, nearly background-free imaging, independence from
sample requirements, and broadband operation. We performed ~40-nanometerâresolution
hyperspectral imaging of indium phosphide nanowires via excitation and collection through
the probes, revealing optoelectronic structure along individual nanowires that is not accessible
with other methods
Fabrication of Nanostructured GaAs/AlGaAs Waveguide for Low-Density Polariton Condensation from a Bound State in the Continuum
Exciton-polaritons are hybrid light-matter states that arise from strong
coupling between an exciton resonance and a photonic cavity mode. As bosonic
excitations, they can undergo a phase transition to a condensed state that can
emit coherent light without a population inversion. This aspect makes them good
candidates for thresholdless lasers, yet short exciton-polariton lifetime has
made it difficult to achieve condensation at very low power densities. In this
sense, long-lived symmetry-protected states are excellent candidates to
overcome the limitations that arise from the finite mirror reflectivity of
monolithic microcavities. In this work we use a photonic symmetry protected
bound state in the continuum coupled to an excitonic resonance to achieve
state-of-the-art polariton condensation threshold in GaAs/AlGaAs waveguide.
Most important, we show the influence of fabrication control and how surface
passivation via atomic layer deposition provides a way to reduce exciton
quenching at the grating sidewalls
Strain engineering and one-dimensional organization of metal-insulator domains in single-crystal VO2 beams
Spatial phase inhomogeneity at the nano- to microscale is widely observed in
strongly-correlated electron materials. The underlying mechanism and
possibility of artificially controlling the phase inhomogeneity are still open
questions of critical importance for both the phase transition physics and
device applications. Lattice strain has been shown to cause the coexistence of
metallic and insulating phases in the Mott insulator VO2. By continuously
tuning strain over a wide range in single-crystal VO2 micro- and nanobeams,
here we demonstrate the nucleation and manipulation of one-dimensionally
ordered metal-insulator domain arrays along the beams. Mott transition is
achieved in these beams at room temperature by active control of strain. The
ability to engineer phase inhomogeneity with strain lends insight into
correlated electron materials in general, and opens opportunities for designing
and controlling the phase inhomogeneity of correlated electron materials for
micro- and nanoscale device applications.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, with supplementary informatio
Adsorption of CO on a Platinum (111) surface - a study within a four-component relativistic density functional approach
We report on results of a theoretical study of the adsorption process of a
single carbon oxide molecule on a Platinum (111) surface. A four-component
relativistic density functional method was applied to account for a proper
description of the strong relativistic effects. A limited number of atoms in
the framework of a cluster approach is used to describe the surface. Different
adsorption sites are investigated. We found that CO is preferably adsorbed at
the top position.Comment: 23 Pages with 4 figure
Autonomous Investigations over WS and Au{111} with Scanning Probe Microscopy
Individual atomic defects in 2D materials impact their macroscopic
functionality. Correlating the interplay is challenging, however, intelligent
hyperspectral scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) mapping provides a feasible
solution to this technically difficult and time consuming problem. Here, dense
spectroscopic volume is collected autonomously via Gaussian process regression,
where convolutional neural networks are used in tandem for spectral
identification. Acquired data enable defect segmentation, and a workflow is
provided for machine-driven decision making during experimentation with
capability for user customization. We provide a means towards autonomous
experimentation for the benefit of both enhanced reproducibility and
user-accessibility. Hyperspectral investigations on WS sulfur vacancy sites
are explored, which is combined with local density of states confirmation on
the Au{111} herringbone reconstruction. Chalcogen vacancies, pristine WS,
Au face-centered cubic, and Au hexagonal close packed regions are examined and
detected by machine learning methods to demonstrate the potential of artificial
intelligence for hyperspectral STS mapping.Comment: Updates from final journal publicatio
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