4,440 research outputs found
Mesoscopic Thermovoltage Measurement Design
Quantitative thermoelectric measurements in the mesoscopic regime require
accurate knowledge of temperature, thermovoltage, and device energy scales. We
consider the effect of a finite load resistance on thermovoltage measurements
of InAs/InP heterostructure nanowires. Load resistance and ac attenuation
distort the measured thermovoltage therefore complicating the evaluation of
device performance. Understanding these effects improves experimental design
and data interpretation.Comment: 2 pages, 3 figure
Probing confined phonon modes by transport through a nanowire double quantum dot
Strong radial confinement in semiconductor nanowires leads to modified
electronic and phononic energy spectra. We analyze the current response to the
interplay between quantum confinement effects of the electron and phonon
systems in a gate-defined double quantum dot in a semiconductor nanowire. We
show that current spectroscopy of inelastic transitions between the two quantum
dots can be used as an experimental probe of the confined phonon environment.
The resulting discrete peak structure in the measurements is explained by
theoretical modeling of the confined phonon mode spectrum, where the
piezoelectric coupling is of crucial importance.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; final versio
Tunable effective g-factor in InAs nanowire quantum dots
We report tunneling spectroscopy measurements of the Zeeman spin splitting in
InAs few-electron quantum dots. The dots are formed between two InP barriers in
InAs nanowires with a wurtzite crystal structure grown by chemical beam
epitaxy. The values of the electron g-factors of the first few electrons
entering the dot are found to strongly depend on dot size and range from close
to the InAs bulk value in large dots |g^*|=13 down to |g^*|=2.3 for the
smallest dots. These findings are discussed in view of a simple model.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Quantum-dot thermometry
We present a method for the measurement of a temperature differential across
a single quantum dot that has transmission resonances that are separated in
energy by much more than the thermal energy. We determine numerically that the
method is accurate to within a few percent across a wide range of parameters.
The proposed method measures the temperature of the electrons that enter the
quantum dot and will be useful in experiments that aim to test theory which
predicts quantum dots are highly-efficient thermoelectrics.Comment: 3 pages, 4 Figure
Direct Measurement of the Spin-Orbit Interaction in a Two-Electron InAs Nanowire Quantum Dot
We demonstrate control of the electron number down to the last electron in
tunable few-electron quantum dots defined in catalytically grown InAs
nanowires. Using low temperature transport spectroscopy in the Coulomb blockade
regime we propose a simple method to directly determine the magnitude of the
spin-orbit interaction in a two-electron artificial atom with strong spin-orbit
coupling. Due to a large effective g-factor |g*|=8+/-1 the transition from
singlet S to triplet T+ groundstate with increasing magnetic field is dominated
by the Zeeman energy rather than by orbital effects. We find that the
spin-orbit coupling mixes the T+ and S states and thus induces an avoided
crossing with magnitude =0.25+/-0.05 meV. This allows us to
calculate the spin-orbit length 127 nm in such systems
using a simple model.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, including supplementary note
Volatility and dividend risk in perpetual American options
American options are financial instruments that can be exercised at any time
before expiration. In this paper we study the problem of pricing this kind of
derivatives within a framework in which some of the properties --volatility and
dividend policy-- of the underlaying stock can change at a random instant of
time, but in such a way that we can forecast their final values. Under this
assumption we can model actual market conditions because some of the most
relevant facts that may potentially affect a firm will entail sharp predictable
effects. We will analyse the consequences of this potential risk on perpetual
American derivatives, a topic connected with a wide class of recurrent problems
in physics: holders of American options must look for the fair price and the
optimal exercise strategy at once, a typical question of free absorbing
boundaries. We present explicit solutions to the most common contract
specifications and derive analytical expressions concerning the mean and higher
moments of the exercise time.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures, iopart, submitted for publication; deep
revision, two new appendice
Revealed cardinal preference
I prove that as long as we allow the marginal utility for money (lambda) to
vary between purchases (similarly to the budget) then the quasi-linear and
the ordinal budget-constrained models rationalize the same data. However, we know that lambda is approximately constant. I provide a simple constructive proof for the necessary and sufficient condition for the constant lambda rationalization, which I argue should replace the Generalized Axiom of
Revealed Preference in empirical studies of consumer behavior.
'Go Cardinals!'
It is the minimal requirement of any scientifi c theory that it is consistent with
the data it is trying to explain. In the case of (Hicksian) consumer theory it was
revealed preference -introduced by Samuelson (1938,1948) - that provided an
empirical test to satisfy this need. At that time most of economic reasoning was
done in terms of a competitive general equilibrium, a concept abstract enough
so that it can be built on the ordinal preferences over baskets of goods - even if
the extremely specialized ones of Arrow and Debreu. However, starting in the
sixties, economics has moved beyond the 'invisible hand' explanation of how
-even competitive- markets operate. A seemingly unavoidable step of this
'revolution' was that ever since, most economic research has been carried out
in a partial equilibrium context. Now, the partial equilibrium approach does
not mean that the rest of the markets are ignored, rather that they are held
constant. In other words, there is a special commodity -call it money - that
reflects the trade-offs of moving purchasing power across markets. As a result,
the basic building block of consumer behavior in partial equilibrium is no longer
the consumer's preferences over goods, rather her valuation of them, in terms
of money. This new paradigm necessitates a new theory of revealed preference
Enhanced Zeeman splitting in Ga0.25In0.75As quantum point contacts
The strength of the Zeeman splitting induced by an applied magnetic field is
an important factor for the realization of spin-resolved transport in
mesoscopic devices. We measure the Zeeman splitting for a quantum point contact
etched into a Ga0.25In0.75As quantum well, with the field oriented parallel to
the transport direction. We observe an enhancement of the Lande g-factor from
|g*|=3.8 +/- 0.2 for the third subband to |g*|=5.8 +/- 0.6 for the first
subband, six times larger than in GaAs. We report subband spacings in excess of
10 meV, which facilitates quantum transport at higher temperatures.Comment: [Version 2] Revtex4, 11 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in
Applied Physics Letter
Correlation-induced conductance suppression at level degeneracy in a quantum dot
The large, level-dependent g-factors in an InSb nanowire quantum dot allow
for the occurrence of a variety of level crossings in the dot. While we observe
the standard conductance enhancement in the Coulomb blockade region for aligned
levels with different spins due to the Kondo effect, a vanishing of the
conductance is found at the alignment of levels with equal spins. This
conductance suppression appears as a canyon cutting through the web of direct
tunneling lines and an enclosed Coulomb blockade region. In the center of the
Coulomb blockade region, we observe the predicted correlation-induced
resonance, which now turns out to be part of a larger scenario. Our findings
are supported by numerical and analytical calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Signatures of Wigner Localization in Epitaxially Grown Nanowires
It was predicted by Wigner in 1934 that the electron gas will undergo a
transition to a crystallized state when its density is very low. Whereas
significant progress has been made towards the detection of electronic Wigner
states, their clear and direct experimental verification still remains a
challenge. Here we address signatures of Wigner molecule formation in the
transport properties of InSb nanowire quantum dot systems, where a few
electrons may form localized states depending on the size of the dot (i.e. the
electron density). By a configuration interaction approach combined with an
appropriate transport formalism, we are able to predict the transport
properties of these systems, in excellent agreement with experimental data. We
identify specific signatures of Wigner state formation, such as the strong
suppression of the antiferromagnetic coupling, and are able to detect the onset
of Wigner localization, both experimentally and theoretically, by studying
different dot sizes.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
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