Terrestrial solar thermionic energy conversion systems concept

Results obtained from studies of a (1) solar concentrator, (2) solar energy receiver - thermionic converter system, and (3) solar thermionic topping system are described. Peripheral subsystems, which are required for any solar energy conversion system, are also discussed

Gate-controlled generation of optical pulse trains using individual carbon nanotubes

We report on optical pulse-train generation from individual air-suspended carbon nanotubes under an application of square-wave gate voltages. Electrostatically-induced carrier accummulation quenches photoluminescence, while a voltage sign reversal purges those carriers, resetting the nanotubes to become luminescent temporarily. Frequency domain measurements reveal photoluminescence recovery with characteristic frequencies that increase with excitation laser power, showing that photoexcited carriers quench the emission in a self-limiting manner. Time-resolved measurements directly confirm the presence of an optical pulse train sychronized to the gate voltage signal, and flexible control over pulse timing and duration is demonstrated.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Electronic Structure of Charge- and Spin-controlled Sr_{1-(x+y)}La_{x+y}Ti_{1-x}Cr_{x}O_{3}

We present the electronic structure of Sr_{1-(x+y)}La_{x+y}Ti_{1-x}Cr_{x}O_{3} investigated by high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy. In the vicinity of Fermi level, it was found that the electronic structure were composed of a Cr 3d local state with the t_{2g}^{3} configuration and a Ti 3d itinerant state. The energy levels of these Cr and Ti 3d states are well interpreted by the difference of the charge-transfer energy of both ions. The spectral weight of the Cr 3d state is completely proportional to the spin concentration x irrespective of the carrier concentration y, indicating that the spin density can be controlled by x as desired. In contrast, the spectral weight of the Ti 3d state is not proportional to y, depending on the amount of Cr doping.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Spontaneous exciton dissociation in carbon nanotubes

Simultaneous photoluminescence and photocurrent measurements on individual single-walled carbon nanotubes reveal spontaneous dissociation of excitons into free electron-hole pairs. Correlation of luminescence intensity and photocurrent shows that a significant fraction of excitons are dissociating during their relaxation into the lowest exciton state. Furthermore, the combination of optical and electrical signals also allows for extraction of the absorption cross section and the oscillator strength. Our observations explain the reasons for photoconductivity measurements in single-walled carbon nanotubes being straightforward despite the large exciton binding energies.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Orbital selectivity of the kink in the dispersion of Sr2RuO4

We present detailed energy dispersions near the Fermi level on the monolayer perovskite ruthenate Sr2RuO4, determined by high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. An orbital selectivity of the kink in the dispersion of Sr2RuO4 has been found: A kink for the Ru 4d_xy orbital is clearly observed, but not for the Ru 4d_yz and 4d_zx ones. The result provides insight into the origin of the kink.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Electronic structures of Cr1−δ_{1-\delta}X (X=S, Te) studied by Cr 2p soft x-ray magnetic circular dichroism

Cr 2p core excited XAS and XMCD spectra of ferromagnetic Cr$_{1-\delta}$Te with several concentrations of $\delta$=0.11-0.33 and ferrimagnetic Cr$_{5}$S$_{6}$ have been measured. The observed XMCD lineshapes are found to very weakly depend on $\delta$ for Cr$_{1-\delta}$Te. The experimental results are analyzed by means of a configuration-interaction cluster model calculation with consideration of hybridization and electron correlation effects. The obtained values of the spin magnetic moment by the cluster model analyses are in agreement with the results of the band structure calculation.The calculated result shows that the doped holes created by the Cr deficiency exist mainly in the Te 5porbital of Cr$_{1-\delta}$Te, whereas the holes are likely to be in Cr 3d state for Cr$_{5}$S$_{6}$.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review