Silicon spin diffusion transistor: materials, physics and device characteristics

The realisation that eaveryday electronics has ignored the spin of the carrier in favour of its charge is the foundation of the field of spintronics. Starting with simple two-terminal devices based on GMR and tunnel magnetoresistance, the technology has advanced to consider three-terminal devices that aim to combine spin sensitivity with a high current gain and a large current output. These devices require both efficient spin injection and semiconductor fabrication. In this paper, a discussion is presented of the design, operation and characteristics of the only spin transistor that has yielded a current gain greater than one in combination with reasonable output current

Quantum state transformation by dispersive and absorbing four-port devices

The recently derived input-output relations for the radiation field at a dispersive and absorbing four-port device [T. Gruner and D.-G. Welsch, Phys. Rev. A 54, 1661 (1996)] are used to derive the unitary transformation that relates the output quantum state to the input quantum state, including radiation and matter and without placing frequency restrictions. It is shown that for each frequency the transformation can be regarded as a well-behaved SU(4) group transformation that can be decomposed into a product of U(2) and SU(2) group transformations. Each of them may be thought of as being realized by a particular lossless four-port device. If for narrow-bandwidth radiation far from the medium resonances the absorption matrix of the four-port device can be disregarded, the well-known SU(2) group transformation for a lossless device is recognized. Explicit formulas for the transformation of Fock-states and coherent states are given.Comment: 24 pages, RevTe

Pair creation: back-reactions and damping

We solve the quantum Vlasov equation for fermions and bosons, incorporating spontaneous pair creation in the presence of back-reactions and collisions. Pair creation is initiated by an external impulse field and the source term is non-Markovian. A simultaneous solution of Maxwell's equation in the presence of feedback yields an internal current and electric field that exhibit plasma oscillations with a period tau_pl. Allowing for collisions, these oscillations are damped on a time-scale, tau_r, determined by the collision frequency. Plasma oscillations cannot affect the early stages of the formation of a quark-gluon plasma unless tau_r >> tau_pl and tau_pl approx. 1/Lambda_QCD approx 1 fm/c.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure, REVTEX, epsfig.st

Triggered polarization-entangled photon pairs from a single quantum dot up to 30 K

The radiative biexciton-exciton decay in a semiconductor quantum dot (QD) has the potential of being a source of triggered polarization-entangled photon pairs. However, in most cases the anisotropy-induced exciton fine structure splitting destroys this entanglement. Here, we present measurements on improved QD structures, providing both significantly reduced inhomogeneous emission linewidths and near-zero fine structure splittings. A high-resolution detection technique is introduced which allows us to accurately determine the fine structure in the photoluminescence emission and therefore select appropriate QDs for quantum state tomography. We were able to verify the conditions of entangled or classically correlated photon pairs in full consistence with observed fine structure properties. Furthermore, we demonstrate reliable polarization-entanglement for elevated temperatures up to 30 K. The fidelity of the maximally entangled state decreases only a little from 72% at 4 K to 68% at 30 K. This is especially encouraging for future implementations in practical devices. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft

The flat phase of fixed-connectivity membranes

The statistical mechanics of flexible two-dimensional surfaces (membranes) appears in a wide variety of physical settings. In this talk we discuss the simplest case of fixed-connectivity surfaces. We first review the current theoretical understanding of the remarkable flat phase of such membranes. We then summarize the results of a recent large scale Monte Carlo simulation of the simplest conceivable discrete realization of this system \cite{BCFTA}. We verify the existence of long-range order, determine the associated critical exponents of the flat phase and compare the results to the predictions of various theoretical models.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables. LaTeX w/epscrc2.sty, combined contribution of M. Falcioni and M. Bowick to LATTICE96(gravity), to appear in Nucl. Phys. B (proc. suppl.

Comparative genomics of <em>Fusarium oxysporum</em> f. sp. <em>melonis</em> reveals the secreted protein recognized by the <em>Fom-2</em> resistance gene in melon

Development of resistant crops is the most effective way to control plant diseases to safeguard food and feed production. Disease resistance is commonly based on resistance genes, which generally mediate the recognition of small proteins secreted by invading pathogens. These proteins secreted by pathogens are called 'avirulence' proteins. Their identification is important for being able to assess the usefulness and durability of resistance genes in agricultural settings. We have used genome sequencing of a set of strains of the melon wilt fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis (Fom), bioinformatics-based genome comparison and genetic transformation of the fungus to identify AVRFOM2, the gene that encodes the avirulence protein recognized by the melon Fom-2 gene. Both an unbiased and a candidate gene approach identified a single candidate for the AVRFOM2 gene. Genetic complementation of AVRFOM2 in three different race 2 isolates resulted in resistance of Fom-2-harbouring melon cultivars. AvrFom2 is a small, secreted protein with two cysteine residues and weak similarity to secreted proteins of other fungi. The identification of AVRFOM2 will not only be helpful to select melon cultivars to avoid melon Fusarium wilt, but also to monitor how quickly a Fom population can adapt to deployment of Fom-2-containing cultivars in the field

The Phase Diagram of Crystalline Surfaces

We report the status of a high-statistics Monte Carlo simulation of non-self-avoiding crystalline surfaces with extrinsic curvature on lattices of size up to $128^2$ nodes. We impose free boundary conditions. The free energy is a gaussian spring tethering potential together with a normal-normal bending energy. Particular emphasis is given to the behavior of the model in the cold phase where we measure the decay of the normal-normal correlation function.Comment: 9 pages latex (epsf), 4 EPS figures, uuencoded and compressed. Contribution to Lattice '9

A piezoelectric microvalve for compact high frequency high differential pressure micropumping systems

A piezoelectrically driven hydraulic amplification microvalve for use in compact high-performance hydraulic pumping systems was designed, fabricated, and experimentally characterized. High-frequency, high-force actuation capabilities were enabled through the incorporation of bulk piezoelectric material elements beneath a micromachined annular tethered-piston structure. Large valve stroke at the microscale was achieved with an hydraulic amplification mechanism that amplified (40/spl times/-50/spl times/) the limited stroke of the piezoelectric material into a significantly larger motion of a micromachined valve membrane with attached valve cap. These design features enabled the valve to meet simultaneously a set of high frequency (/spl ges/1 kHz), high pressure(/spl ges/300 kPa), and large stroke (20-30 /spl mu/m) requirements not previously satisfied by other hydraulic flow regulation microvalves. This paper details the design, modeling, fabrication, assembly, and experimental characterization of this valve device. Fabrication challenges are detailed

Landelijke Vegetatie Databank : technische documentatie

Dit document bevat een beschrijving van de technische omgeving, hulpmiddelen en modellen die van belang zijn voor het beheer van de landelijke vegetatiedatabank. Het is bedoeld om de processen en procedures vast te leggen. Het verkrijgen van kwaliteitsstatus A is hierbij geen doel op zich maar is wel de stip op de horizon waar dit document aan bijdraagt. De landelijke vegetatiedatabank dient ervoor om op een gestructureerde manier gegevens vast te leggen over het voorkomen van vegetaties en daarmee ook van plantensoorten in Nederland. De procedures voor het verzamelen en beheren van deze gegevens zijn beschreven in dit document

Effector profiles distinguish <em>formae speciales</em> of <em>Fusarium oxysporum</em>

Formae speciales (ff.spp.) of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum are often polyphyletic within the species complex, making it impossible to identify them on the basis of conserved genes. However, sequences that determine host-specific pathogenicity may be expected to be similar between strains within the same forma specialis. Whole genome sequencing was performed on strains from five different ff.spp. (cucumerinum, niveum, melonis, radicis-cucumerinum and lycopersici). In each genome, genes for putative effectors were identified based on small size, secretion signal, and vicinity to a "miniature impala" transposable element. The candidate effector genes of all genomes were collected and the presence/absence patterns in each individual genome were clustered. Members of the same forma specialis turned out to group together, with cucurbit-infecting strains forming a supercluster separate from other ff.spp. Moreover, strains from different clonal lineages within the same forma specialis harbour identical effector gene sequences, supporting horizontal transfer of genetic material. These data offer new insight into the genetic basis of host specificity in the F. oxysporum species complex and show that (putative) effectors can be used to predict host specificity in F. oxysporum