2,277 research outputs found
Si microwire-array solar cells
Si microwire-array solar cells with Air Mass 1.5 Global conversion efficiencies of up to 7.9% have been fabricated using an active volume of Si equivalent to a 4 μm thick Si wafer. These solar cells exhibited open-circuit voltages of 500 mV, short-circuit current densities (J_(sc)) of up to 24 mA cm^(-2), and fill factors >65% and employed Al_2O_3 dielectric particles that scattered light incident in the space between the wires, a Ag back reflector that prevented the escape of incident illumination from the back surface of the solar cell, and an a-SiN_x:H passivation/anti-reflection layer. Wire-array solar cells without some or all of these design features were also fabricated to demonstrate the importance of the light-trapping elements in achieving a high J_(sc). Scanning photocurrent microscopy images of the microwire-array solar cells revealed that the higher J_(sc) of the most advanced cell design resulted from an increased absorption of light incident in the space between the wires. Spectral response measurements further revealed that solar cells with light-trapping elements exhibited improved red and infrared response, as compared to solar cells without light-trapping elements
Universal persistence exponents in an extremally driven system
The local persistence R(t), defined as the proportion of the system still in
its initial state at time t, is measured for the Bak--Sneppen model. For 1 and
2 dimensions, it is found that the decay of R(t) depends on one of two classes
of initial configuration. For a subcritical initial state, R(t)\sim
t^{-\theta}, where the persistence exponent \theta can be expressed in terms of
a known universal exponent. Hence \theta is universal. Conversely, starting
from a supercritical state, R(t) decays by the anomalous form 1-R(t)\sim
t^{\tau_{\rm ALL}} until a finite time t_{0}, where \tau_{\rm ALL} is also a
known exponent. Finally, for the high dimensional model R(t) decays
exponentially with a non--universal decay constant.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.
High-performance Si microwire photovoltaics
Crystalline Si wires, grown by the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS)
process, have emerged as promising candidate materials for lowcost, thin-film photovoltaics. Here, we demonstrate VLS-grown Si microwires that have suitable electrical properties for high-performance photovoltaic applications, including long minority-carrier diffusion lengths (L_n » 30 µm) and low surface recombination velocities (S « 70 cm·s^(-1)). Single-wire radial p–n junction solar cells were fabricated with amorphous silicon and silicon nitride
surface coatings, achieving up to 9.0% apparent photovoltaic efficiency, and exhibiting up to ~600 mV open-circuit voltage with over 80% fill factor. Projective single-wire measurements and optoelectronic simulations suggest that large-area Si wire-array solar cells have the potential to exceed 17% energy-conversion efficiency, offering a promising route toward cost-effective crystalline Si photovoltaics
Reduction of Two-Dimensional Dilute Ising Spin Glasses
The recently proposed reduction method is applied to the Edwards-Anderson
model on bond-diluted square lattices. This allows, in combination with a
graph-theoretical matching algorithm, to calculate numerically exact ground
states of large systems. Low-temperature domain-wall excitations are studied to
determine the stiffness exponent y_2. A value of y_2=-0.281(3) is found,
consistent with previous results obtained on undiluted lattices. This
comparison demonstrates the validity of the reduction method for bond-diluted
spin systems and provides strong support for similar studies proclaiming
accurate results for stiffness exponents in dimensions d=3,...,7.Comment: 7 pages, RevTex4, 6 ps-figures included, for related information, see
http://www.physics.emory.edu/faculty/boettcher
Local field distributions in spin glasses
Numerical results for the local field distributions of a family of Ising
spin-glass models are presented. In particular, the Edwards-Anderson model in
dimensions two, three, and four is considered, as well as spin glasses with
long-range power-law-modulated interactions that interpolate between a
nearest-neighbour Edwards-Anderson system in one dimension and the
infinite-range Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model. Remarkably, the local field
distributions only depend weakly on the range of the interactions and the
dimensionality, and show strong similarities except for near zero local field.Comment: 17 pages, 34 eps-figs included, extensive updates and new results, as
to appear in JPA, find related articles at
http://www.physics.emory.edu/faculty/boettche
Aging in lattice-gas models with constrained dynamics
We investigate the aging behavior of lattice-gas models with constrained
dynamics in which particle exchange with a reservoir is allowed. Such models
provide a particularly simple interpretation of aging phenomena as a slow
approach to criticality. They appear as the simplest three dimensional models
exhibiting a glassy behavior similar to that of mean field (low temperature
mode-coupling) models.Comment: 5 pages and 3 figures, REVTeX. Submitted to Europhysics Letter
Optical Lightcurve & Cooling Break of GRB 050502A
We present lightcurves of the afterglow of GRB050502A, including very early
data at t-t_{GRB} < 60s. The lightcurve is composed of unfiltered ROTSE-IIIb
optical observations from 44s to 6h post-burst, R-band MDM observations from
1.6 to 8.4h post-burst, and PAIRITEL J H K_s observations from 0.6 to 2.6h
post-burst. The optical lightcurve is fit by a broken power law, where
t^{alpha} steepens from alpha = -1.13 +- 0.02 to alpha = -1.44 +- 0.02 at
\~5700s. This steepening is consistent with the evolution expected for the
passage of the cooling frequency nu_c through the optical band. Even in our
earliest observation at 44s post-burst, there is no evidence that the optical
flux is brighter than a backward extrapolation of the later power law would
suggest. The observed decay indices and spectral index are consistent with
either an ISM or a Wind fireball model, but slightly favor the ISM
interpretation. The expected spectral index in the ISM interpretation is
consistent within 1 sigma with the observed spectral index beta = -0.8 +- 0.1;
the Wind interpretation would imply a slightly (~2 sigma) shallower spectral
index than observed. A small amount of dust extinction at the source redshift
could steepen an intrinsic spectrum sufficiently to account for the observed
value of beta. In this picture, the early optical decay, with the peak at or
below 4.7e14 Hz at 44s, requires very small electron and magnetic energy
partitions from the fireball.Comment: 22 pages, including 3 tables and 1 figure, Accepted by Ap
Low-energy cross section of the 7Be(p,g)8B solar fusion reaction from Coulomb dissociation of 8B
Final results from an exclusive measurement of the Coulomb breakup of 8B into
7Be+p at 254 A MeV are reported. Energy-differential Coulomb-breakup cross
sections are analyzed using a potential model of 8B and first-order
perturbation theory. The deduced astrophysical S_17 factors are in good
agreement with the most recent direct 7Be(p,gamma)8B measurements and follow
closely the energy dependence predicted by the cluster-model description of 8B
by Descouvemont. We extract a zero-energy S_17 factor of 20.6 +- 0.8 (stat) +-
1.2 (syst) eV b.Comment: 14 pages including 16 figures, LaTeX, accepted for publication in
Physical Review C. Minor changes in text and layou
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