Dynamic instability in resonant tunneling

We show that an instability may be present in resonant tunneling through a quantum well in one, two and three dimensions, when the resonance lies near the emitter Fermi level. A simple semiclassical model which simulates the resonance and the projected density of states by a nonlinear conductor, the Coulomb barrier by a capacitance, and the time evolution by an iterated map, is used. The model reproduces the observed hysteresis in such devices, and exhibits a series of bifurcations leading to fast chaotic current fluctuations.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure

Competition and coexistence of bond and charge orders in (TMTTF)2AsF6

(TMTTF)2AsF6 undergoes two phase transitions upon cooling from 300 K. At Tco=103 K a charge-ordering (CO) occurs, and at Tsp(B=9 T)=11 K the material undergoes a spin-Peierls (SP) transition. Within the intermediate, CO phase, the charge disproportionation ratio is found to be at least 3:1 from carbon-13 NMR 1/T1 measurements on spin-labeled samples. Above Tsp, up to about 3Tsp, 1/T1 is independent of temperature, indicative of low-dimensional magnetic correlations. With the application of about 0.15 GPa pressure, Tsp increases substantially, while Tco is rapidly suppressed, demonstrating that the two orders are competing. The experiments are compared to results obtained from calculations on the 1D extended Peierls-Hubbard model.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Oil-in-oil pickering emulsions stabilized by diblock copolymer nanoparticles

Hypothesis Diblock copolymer nanoparticles have been shown to be Pickering emulsifiers for both oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions. Recently, we reported the preparation of sterically-stabilized diblock copolymer spheres in a low-viscosity silicone oil (Macromolecules 53 (2020) 1785–1794). We hypothesized that such spheres could be used as a Pickering emulsifier for a range of oil-in-oil emulsions comprising droplets of a bio-sourced oil dispersed in silicone oil. Experiments Diblock copolymer spheres were prepared via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) dispersion polymerization of benzyl methacrylate in silicone oil and characterized by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. These spheres were evaluated as Pickering emulsifiers for a series of oil-in-oil Pickering emulsions. The influence of both sphere size and core-forming block composition was investigated. Findings \ud Optimization of the nanoparticle size and core-forming block composition enabled stable bio-sourced oil-in-silicone emulsions to be obtained for nine out of the ten bio-sourced oils investigated. These emulsions were characterized in terms of their mean droplet size by optical microscopy

Magnetic properties of a new molecular-based spin-ladder system: (5IAP)2CuBr4*2H2O

We have synthesized and characterized a new spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic ladder: bis 5-iodo-2-aminopyridinium tetrabromocuprate(II) dihydrate. X-ray diffraction studies show the structure of the compound to consist of well isolated stacked ladders and the interaction between the Cu(2+) atoms to be due to direct Br...Br contacts. Magnetic susceptibility and magnetization studies show the compound to be in the strong-coupling limit, with the interaction along the rungs (J' ~ 13 K) much greater than the interaction along the rails (J ~ 1 K). Magnetic critical fields are observed near 8.3 T and 10.4 T, respectively, establishing the existence of the energy gap.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. B Figure 4 did not print. *.eps files replaced with figures.ps fil

Synthesis of crystallizable poly(behenyl methacrylate)-based block and statistical copolymers and their performance as wax crystal modifiers

Two series of behenyl methacrylate-based diblock and statistical copolymers have been prepared by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) solution polymerization in n-dodecane and evaluated as additives for the crystal habit modification of a model wax (n-octacosane). DSC studies indicated that each statistical copolymer exhibited a significantly lower crystallization temperature (Tc) and melting temperature (Tm) for the semi-crystalline behenyl methacrylate component than the corresponding diblock copolymer of almost identical overall composition. Temperature-dependent turbidimetry studies were conducted for each copolymer using a series of solutions of 5.0% w/w n-octacosane dissolved in n-dodecane to determine Tcool, which is the temperature at which zero transmittance is first observed owing to wax crystallization. At a constant molar copolymer concentration of 0.26 mM, each of the eight copolymers produced a reduction in Tcool of approximately 3–5 °C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies confirmed that the presence of such copolymers led to a reduction in the overall size and/or a higher crystal aspect ratio. The diblock and statistical copolymers were similar in their performance as potential wax crystal modifiers. However, the statistical copolymers were easier to prepare and did not suffer from any homopolymer contamination. Moreover, optical microscopy and SEM studies revealed that needle-like crystals were formed instead of platelets when employing behenyl methacrylate-rich statistical copolymers

Non Linear Current Response of a Many-Level Tunneling System: Higher Harmonics Generation

The fully nonlinear response of a many-level tunneling system to a strong alternating field of high frequency $\omega$ is studied in terms of the Schwinger-Keldysh nonequilibrium Green functions. The nonlinear time dependent tunneling current $I(t)$ is calculated exactly and its resonance structure is elucidated. In particular, it is shown that under certain reasonable conditions on the physical parameters, the Fourier component $I_{n}$ is sharply peaked at $n=\frac {\Delta E} {\hbar \omega}$, where $\Delta E$ is the spacing between two levels. This frequency multiplication results from the highly nonlinear process of $n$ photon absorption (or emission) by the tunneling system. It is also conjectured that this effect (which so far is studied mainly in the context of nonlinear optics) might be experimentally feasible.Comment: 28 pages, LaTex, 7 figures are available upon request from [email protected], submitted to Phys.Rev.

Tropical montane cloud forest: Environmental drivers of vegetation structure and ecosystem function

Abstract:Tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF) are characterized by short trees, often twisted with multiple stems, with many stems per ground area, a large stem diameter to height ratio, and small, often thick leaves. These forests exhibit high root to shoot ratio, with a moderate leaf area index, low above-ground production, low leaf nutrient concentrations and often with luxuriant epiphytic growth. These traits of TMCF are caused by climatic conditions not geological substrate, and are particularly associated with frequent or persistent fog and low cloud. There are several reasons why fog might result in these features. Firstly, the fog and clouds reduce the amount of light received per unit area of ground and as closed-canopy forests absorb most of the light that reaches them the reduction in the total amount of light reduces growth. Secondly, the rate of photosynthesis per leaf area declines in comparison with that in the lowlands, which leads to less carbon fixation. Nitrogen supply limits growth in several of the few TMCFs where it has been investigated experimentally. High root : shoot biomass and production ratios are common in TMCF, and soils are often wet which may contribute to N limitation. Further study is needed to clarify the causes of several key features of TMCF ecosystems including high tree diameter : height ratio.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Cambridge University Press via http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S026646741500017

General distress, hopelessness-suicidal ideation and worrying in adolescence:concurrent and predictive validity of a symptom-level bifactor model for clinical diagnoses

BACKGROUND: Clinical disorders often share common symptoms and aetiological factors. Bifactor models acknowledge the role of an underlying general distress component and more specific sub-domains of psychopathology which specify the unique components of disorders over and above a general factor. METHODS: A bifactor model jointly calibrated data on subjective distress from The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. The bifactor model encompassed a general distress factor, and specific factors for (a) hopelessness-suicidal ideation, (b) generalised worrying and (c) restlessness-fatigue at age 14 which were related to lifetime clinical diagnoses established by interviews at ages 14 (concurrent validity) and current diagnoses at 17 years (predictive validity) in a British population sample of 1159 adolescents. RESULTS: Diagnostic interviews confirmed the validity of a symptom-level bifactor model. The underlying general distress factor was a powerful but non-specific predictor of affective, anxiety and behaviour disorders. The specific factors for hopelessness-suicidal ideation and generalised worrying contributed to predictive specificity. Hopelessness-suicidal ideation predicted concurrent and future affective disorder; generalised worrying predicted concurrent and future anxiety, specifically concurrent generalised anxiety disorders. Generalised worrying was negatively associated with behaviour disorders. LIMITATIONS: The analyses of gender differences and the prediction of specific disorders was limited due to a low frequency of disorders other than depression. CONCLUSIONS: The bifactor model was able to differentiate concurrent and predict future clinical diagnoses. This can inform the development of targeted as well as non-specific interventions for prevention and treatment of different disorders