Photoconductivity of CdS-CdSe granular films: influence of microstructure

We study experimentally the photoconductivity of CdS-CdSe sintered granular films obtained by the screen printing method. We mostly focus on the dependences of photoconductivity on film's microstructure, which varies with changing heat-treatment conditions. The maximum photoconductivity is found for samples with compact packing of individual grains, which nevertheless are separated by gaps. Such a microstructure is typical for films heat-treated during an intermediate (optimal) time. In order to understand whether the dominant mechanism of charge transfer is identical with the one in monocrystals, we perform temperature measurements of photoresistance. Corresponding curves have the same peculiar nonmonotonic shape as in CdSe monocrystals, from which we conclude that the basic mechanism is also the same. It is suggested that the optimal heat-treatment time appears as a result of a competition between two mechanisms: improvement of film's connectivity and its oxidation. Photoresistance is also measured in vacuum and in helium atmosphere, which suppress oxygen and water absorption/chemisorption at intergrain boundaries. We demonstrate that this suppression increases photoconductivity, especially at high temperatures.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, final versio

Hidden Orders and RVB Formation of the Four-Leg Heisenberg Ladder Model

The ground state of the four-chain Heisenberg ladder model is numerically investigated. Hidden-order correlations suitable for the system are introduced and calculated with an emphasis on the spatially isotropic point, where a corresponding material exists. The existence of a long-range hidden correlation indicates formation of a short-range RVB state in the case of the antiferromagnetic inter-chain coupling. A transition between the phase of the ferromagnetic inter-chain coupling and that of the antiferromagnetic one is discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 16 Postscript figure

Search for gravitational waves from low mass compact binary coalescence in LIGO’s sixth science run and Virgo’s science runs 2 and 3

We report on a search for gravitational waves from coalescing compact binaries using LIGO and Virgo observations between July 7, 2009, and October 20, 2010. We searched for signals from binaries with total mass between 2 and 25M_⊙; this includes binary neutron stars, binary black holes, and binaries consisting of a black hole and neutron star. The detectors were sensitive to systems up to 40 Mpc distant for binary neutron stars, and further for higher mass systems. No gravitational-wave signals were detected. We report upper limits on the rate of compact binary coalescence as a function of total mass, including the results from previous LIGO and Virgo observations. The cumulative 90% confidence rate upper limits of the binary coalescence of binary neutron star, neutron star-black hole, and binary black hole systems are 1.3×10^(-4), 3.1×10^(-5), and 6.4×10^(-6)  Mpc^(-3) yr^(-1), respectively. These upper limits are up to a factor 1.4 lower than previously derived limits. We also report on results from a blind injection challenge

First LIGO search for gravitational wave bursts from cosmic (super)strings

We report on a matched-filter search for gravitational wave bursts from cosmic string cusps using LIGO data from the fourth science run (S4) which took place in February and March 2005. No gravitational waves were detected in 14.9 days of data from times when all three LIGO detectors were operating. We interpret the result in terms of a frequentist upper limit on the rate of gravitational wave bursts and use the limits on the rate to constrain the parameter space (string tension, reconnection probability, and loop sizes) of cosmic string models.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures. Replaced with version submitted to PR

Search for gravitational waves from binary inspirals in S3 and S4 LIGO data

We report on a search for gravitational waves from the coalescence of compact binaries during the third and fourth LIGO science runs. The search focused on gravitational waves generated during the inspiral phase of the binary evolution. In our analysis, we considered three categories of compact binary systems, ordered by mass: (i) primordial black hole binaries with masses in the range 0.35 M(sun) < m1, m2 < 1.0 M(sun), (ii) binary neutron stars with masses in the range 1.0 M(sun) < m1, m2 < 3.0 M(sun), and (iii) binary black holes with masses in the range 3.0 M(sun)< m1, m2 < m_(max) with the additional constraint m1+ m2 < m_(max), where m_(max) was set to 40.0 M(sun) and 80.0 M(sun) in the third and fourth science runs, respectively. Although the detectors could probe to distances as far as tens of Mpc, no gravitational-wave signals were identified in the 1364 hours of data we analyzed. Assuming a binary population with a Gaussian distribution around 0.75-0.75 M(sun), 1.4-1.4 M(sun), and 5.0-5.0 M(sun), we derived 90%-confidence upper limit rates of 4.9 yr^(-1) L10^(-1) for primordial black hole binaries, 1.2 yr^(-1) L10^(-1) for binary neutron stars, and 0.5 yr^(-1) L10^(-1) for stellar mass binary black holes, where L10 is 10^(10) times the blue light luminosity of the Sun.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure