3,764 research outputs found
Carrier dynamics and coherent acoustic phonons in nitride heterostructures
We model generation and propagation of coherent acoustic phonons in
piezoelectric InGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells embedded in a \textit{pin} diode
structure and compute the time resolved reflectivity signal in simulated
pump-probe experiments. Carriers are created in the InGaN wells by ultrafast
pumping below the GaN band gap and the dynamics of the photoexcited carriers is
treated in a Boltzmann equation framework. Coherent acoustic phonons are
generated in the quantum well via both deformation potential electron-phonon
and piezoelectric electron-phonon interaction with photogenerated carriers,
with the latter mechanism being the dominant one. Coherent longitudinal
acoustic phonons propagate into the structure at the sound speed modifying the
optical properties and giving rise to a giant oscillatory differential
reflectivity signal. We demonstrate that coherent optical control of the
differential reflectivity can be achieved using a delayed control pulse.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure
The Physics of Miniature Worlds
This excerpt from a book length work on the history of the methodology of experimental physical models (physically similar systems) interwoven in Ludwig Wittgenstein's life begins in 1913-1914. It also discusses works by physicists around the same time that were thematically related to the philosophical topics he was working on: Ludwig Boltzmann, Wilhelm Ostwald, Edgar Buckingham, James Thomson, D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson, Henry Crew (and his new translation of Galileo's Two New Sciences during this period), Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, Van Der Waals, and Rayleigh (following up on the work of Gabriel Stokes), and Richard C Tolman. The landmark work at Britain's National Physical Laboratory in 1914 on Similar Motions by Stanton and Pannell, following up on Osborne Reynolds' work in Manchester, is also described and discussed.
Connections between physics and the history of flight are mentioned, too: Penuad's successes, Boltzmann's relationship with engineer Otto Lilienthal, and the significance that Hermann von Helmholtz's landmark paper in meteorology which addressed the problem of steering aircraft, took on during this period
Liquid Phase Electrochemistry at Ultralow Temperatures
Fluid electrolyte solutions based on mixtures of butyronitrile (PrCN) and ethyl chloride (EtCl) with or as electrolyte freeze below â180°C and provide excellent media for cryogenic electrochemical experiments. A 1:2 mixture of PrCN and EtCl exhibits the best combination of freezing point and ionic conductivity for ultralow temperature electrochemistry. Diffusion coefficients for bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) iron are measurable by potential step chronoamperometry down to â160°C using a conventionally sized electrode, but the resistivity of the solvent mixture is such that potential sweep voltammetry benefits from the use of microdisk (10 and 25 ÎŒm diam Pt) or microband (0.2 ÎŒm wide Au) electrodes. Voltammetry at a chemically modified electrode down to â170°C is presented for the case of thin films
The radical character of the acenes: A density matrix renormalization group study
We present a detailed investigation of the acene series using high-level
wavefunction theory. Our ab-initio Density Matrix Renormalization Group
algorithm has enabled us to carry out Complete Active Space calculations on the
acenes from napthalene to dodecacene correlating the full pi-valence space.
While we find that the ground-state is a singlet for all chain-lengths,
examination of several measures of radical character, including the natural
orbitals, effective number of unpaired electrons, and various correlation
functions, suggests that the longer acene ground-states are polyradical in
nature.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, supplementary material, to be published in J.
Chem. Phys. 127, 200
Propagating Coherent Acoustic Phonon Wavepackets in InMnAs/GaSb
We observe pronounced oscillations in the differential reflectivity of a
ferromagnetic InMnAs/GaSb heterostructure using two-color pump-probe
spectroscopy. Although originally thought to be associated with the
ferromagnetism, our studies show that the oscillations instead result from
changes in the position and frequency-dependent dielectric function due to the
generation of coherent acoustic phonons in the ferromagnetic InMnAs layer and
their subsequent propagation into the GaSb. Our theory accurately predicts the
experimentally measured oscillation period and decay time as a function of
probe wavelength.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
In-Situ Infrared Transmission Study of Rb- and K-Doped Fullerenes
We have measured the four IR active molecular vibrations in
as a function of doping . We observe
discontinuous changes in the vibrational spectra showing four distinct phases
(presumably , and 6). The and modes
show the largest changes shifting downward in frequency in four steps as the
doping increases. Several new very weak modes are visible in the phase
and are possibly Raman modes becoming weakly optically active. We present
quantitative fits of the data and calculate the electron-phonon coupling of the
IR mode.Comment: 3 pages, Figure 1 included, 3 more figures available by request.
REVTEX v3.0 IRC60DO
Comparison of two ancient DNA extraction protocols for skeletal remains from tropical environments
Objectives
The tropics harbor a large part of the world\u27s biodiversity and have a long history of human habitation. However, paleogenomics research in these climates has been constrained so far by poor ancient DNA yields. Here we compare the performance of two DNA extraction methods on ancient samples of teeth and petrous portions excavated from tropical and semiâtropical sites in Tanzania, Mexico, and Puerto Rico (Nâ=â12). Materials and Methods
All samples were extracted twice, built into doubleâstranded sequencing libraries, and shotgun sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq 2500. The first extraction protocol, Method D, was previously designed for recovery of ultrashort DNA fragments from skeletal remains. The second, Method H, modifies the first by adding an initial EDTA wash and an extended digestion and decalcification step. Results
No significant difference was found in overall ancient DNA yields or postâmortem damage patterns recovered from samples extracted with either method, irrespective of tissue type. However, Method H samples had higher endogenous content and more mapped reads after qualityâfiltering, but also higher clonality. In contrast, samples extracted with Method D had shorter average DNA fragments. Discussion
Both methods successfully recovered endogenous ancient DNA. But, since surviving DNA in ancient or historic remains from tropical contexts is extremely fragmented, our results suggest that Method D is the optimal choice for working with samples from warm and humid environments. Additional optimization of extraction conditions and further testing of Method H with different types of samples may allow for improvement of this protocol in the future
Measuring maternal mortality : an overview of opportunities and options for developing countries
Background:There is currently an unprecedented expressed need and demand for estimates of maternal mortality in developing countries. This has been stimulated in part by the creation of a Millennium Development Goal that will be judged partly on the basis of reductions in maternal mortality by 2015. Methods: Since the launch of the Safe Motherhood Initiative in 1987, new opportunities for data capture have arisen and new methods have been developed, tested and used. This paper provides a pragmatic overview of these methods and the optimal measurement strategies for different developing country contexts. Results: There are significant recent advances in the measurement of maternal mortality, yet also room for further improvement, particularly in assessing the magnitude and direction of biases and their implications for different data uses. Some of the innovations in measurement provide efficient mechanisms for gathering the requisite primary data at a reasonably low cost. No method, however, has zero costs. Investment is needed in measurement strategies for maternal mortality suited to the needs and resources of a country, and which also strengthen the technical capacity to generate and use credible estimates. Conclusion: Ownership of information is necessary for it to be acted upon: what you count is what you do. Difficulties with measurement must not be allowed to discourage efforts to reduce maternal mortality. Countries must be encouraged and enabled to count maternal deaths and act.WJG is funded partially by the University of Aberdeen. OMRC is partially funded by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. CS and SA are partially funded by Johns Hopkins University. CAZ is funded by the Health Metrics Network at the World Health Organization. WJG, OMRC, CS and SA are also partially supported through an international research program, Immpact, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Department for International Development, the European Commission and USAID
Scattering length of the ground state Mg+Mg collision
We have constructed the X 1SIGMAg+ potential for the collision between two
ground state Mg atoms and analyzed the effect of uncertainties in the shape of
the potential on scattering properties at ultra-cold temperatures. This
potential reproduces the experimental term values to 0.2 inverse cm and has a
scattering length of +1.4(5) nm where the error is prodominantly due to the
uncertainty in the dissociation energy and the C6 dispersion coefficient. A
positive sign of the scattering length suggests that a Bose-Einstein condensate
of ground state Mg atoms is stable.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, Submitted Phys. Rev.
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