Inter- and intra-layer excitons in MoS2_2/WS2_2 and MoSe2_2/WSe2_2 heterobilayers

Accurately described excitonic properties of transition metal dichalcogenide heterobilayers (HBLs) are crucial to comprehend the optical response and the charge carrier dynamics of them. Excitons in multilayer systems posses inter or intralayer character whose spectral positions depend on their binding energy and the band alignment of the constituent single-layers. In this study, we report the electronic structure and the absorption spectra of MoS$_2$/WS$_2$ and MoSe$_2$/WSe$_2$ HBLs from first-principles calculations. We explore the spectral positions, binding energies and the origins of inter and intralayer excitons and compare our results with experimental observations. The absorption spectra of the systems are obtained by solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation on top of a G$_0$W$_0$ calculation which corrects the independent particle eigenvalues obtained from density functional theory calculations. Our calculations reveal that the lowest energy exciton in both HBLs possesses interlayer character which is decisive regarding their possible device applications. Due to the spatially separated nature of the charge carriers, the binding energy of inter-layer excitons might be expected to be considerably smaller than that of intra-layer ones. However, according to our calculations the binding energy of lowest energy interlayer excitons is only $\sim$ 20\% lower due to the weaker screening of the Coulomb interaction between layers of the HBLs. Therefore, it can be deduced that the spectral positions of the interlayer excitons with respect to intralayer ones are mostly determined by the band offset of the constituent single-layers. By comparing oscillator strengths and thermal occupation factors, we show that in luminescence at low temperature, the interlayer exciton peak becomes dominant, while in absorption it is almost invisible.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure

Spatially Resolved Raman Spectroscopy of Single- and Few-Layer Graphene

We present Raman spectroscopy measurements on single- and few-layer graphene flakes. Using a scanning confocal approach we collect spectral data with spatial resolution, which allows us to directly compare Raman images with scanning force micrographs. Single-layer graphene can be distinguished from double- and few-layer by the width of the D' line: the single peak for single-layer graphene splits into different peaks for the double-layer. These findings are explained using the double-resonant Raman model based on ab-initio calculations of the electronic structure and of the phonon dispersion. We investigate the D line intensity and find no defects within the flake. A finite D line response originating from the edges can be attributed either to defects or to the breakdown of translational symmetry

Raman imaging of doping domains in graphene on SiO2

We present spatially resolved Raman images of the G and 2D lines of single-layer graphene flakes. The spatial fluctuations of G and 2D lines are correlated and are thus shown to be affiliated with local doping domains. We investigate the position of the 2D line -- the most significant Raman peak to identify single-layer graphene -- as a function of charging up to |n|~4 10^12 cm^-2. Contrary to the G line which exhibits a strong and symmetric stiffening with respect to electron and hole-doping, the 2D line shows a weak and slightly asymmetric stiffening for low doping. Additionally, the line width of the 2D line is, in contrast to the G line, doping-independent making this quantity a reliable measure for identifying single-layer graphene

Collisions of Slow Highly Charged Ions with Surfaces

Progress in the study of collisions of multiply charged ions with surfaces is reviewed with the help of a few recent examples. They range from fundamental quasi-one electron processes to highly complex ablation and material modification processes. Open questions and possible future directions will be discussed.Comment: 13 pages, 16 figures, review pape

New records of marine invertebrates from the coast of Gabon, Eastern Atlantic

An underwater inventory mission was conducted in November 2017 by six naturalists on the north rocky coast of Gabon between Cape Esterias and Cape Santa Clara. The following twenty-six species are recorded from the coast of Gabon for the first time : the protozoan Zoothamnium niveum, the octocoral Carijoa riisei, the sea anemone Actinostella flosculifera, the plathelmint Pseudobiceros wirtzi, nine opisthobranch molluscs, the polychaete Eurythoe sp., the mudshrimp Neaxius mclaughlinae, seven species of true shrimps, a possibly undescribed pagurid hermit crab, the mantis shrimp Protosquilla sp., the cirriped Conopea saotomensis, and the sea cucumber Isostichopus cf badionotus. For some of these species, this is a large extension of the known range of distribution. The poorly explored coasts of Gabon apparently harbour many still undetected species.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact of Many-Body Effects on Landau Levels in Graphene

We present magneto-Raman spectroscopy measurements on suspended graphene to investigate the charge carrier density-dependent electron-electron interaction in the presence of Landau levels. Utilizing gate-tunable magneto-phonon resonances, we extract the charge carrier density dependence of the Landau level transition energies and the associated effective Fermi velocity $v_\mathrm{F}$. In contrast to the logarithmic divergence of $v_\mathrm{F}$ at zero magnetic field, we find a piecewise linear scaling of $v_\mathrm{F}$ as a function of charge carrier density, due to a magnetic field-induced suppression of the long-range Coulomb interaction. We quantitatively confirm our experimental findings by performing tight-binding calculations on the level of the Hartree-Fock approximation, which also allow us to estimate an excitonic binding energy of $\approx$ 6 meV contained in the experimentally extracted Landau level transitions energies.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial of an NCD access to medicines initative: Evaluation of Novartis Access in Kenya

INTRODUCTION: Novartis recently launched Novartis Access, an initiative to provide a basket of reduced price medicines for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to be sold through the public and private nonprofit sectors in programme countries. This study will evaluate the impact of Novartis Access on the availability and price of NCD medicines at health facilities and households in Kenya, the first country to receive the programme. METHODS: This study will be a cluster randomised controlled trial. 8 counties in Kenya will be randomly assigned to the intervention or control group using a covariate constrained randomisation method to maximise balance on demographic and health characteristics. In intervention counties, public and private non-profit health facilities will be able to order Novartis Access NCD medicines from the Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS). Data will be collected from a random sample of 384 health facilities and 800 households at baseline, midline after 1-year of intervention, and end-line after 2 years. Quarterly surveillance data will also be collected from health facilities and a subsample of households through phone-based interviews. Households will be eligible if at least one resident has been previously diagnosed and prescribed a medicine for an NCD addressed by Novartis Access, including hypertension and diabetes. The primary outcomes will be availability and price of NCD medicines at health facilities, and availability, price, and expenditures on NCD medicines at households. Impacts will be estimated using intention-to-treat analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Boards at Strathmore University and at Boston University. Informed consent will be obtained from all participants at the start of the trial. The findings of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, international conferences, and meetings and events organised with local stakeholders

Excitons in boron nitride nanotubes: dimensionality effects

We show that the optical absorption spectra of boron nitride (BN) nanotubes are dominated by strongly bound excitons. Our first-principles calculations indicate that the binding energy for the first and dominant excitonic peak depends sensitively on the dimensionality of the system, varying from 0.7 eV in bulk hexagonal BN via 2.1 eV in the single sheet of BN to more than 3 eV in the hypothetical (2,2) tube. The strongly localized nature of this exciton dictates the fast convergence of its binding energy with increasing tube diameter towards the sheet value. The absolute position of the first excitonic peak is almost independent of the tube radius and system dimensionality. This provides an explanation for the observed "optical gap" constancy for different tubes and bulk hBN [R. Arenal et al., to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett. (2005)].Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

First record of Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) (Pisces: Rachycentridae) at the coast of Madeira Island (NE Atlantic Ocean

The Cobia Rachycentron canadum is recorded from Madeira Island for the first time. An individual of this species was encountered and video-documented while SCUBA-diving in about 12 m depth at the south coast of this island.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Collective Total Synthesis of Casbane Diterpenes: One Strategy, Multiple Targets

Of the more than 100 casbane diterpenes known to date, only the eponymous parent hydrocarbon casbene itself has ever been targeted by chemical synthesis. Outlined herein is a conceptually new approach that brings not a single but a variety of casbane derivatives into reach, especially the more highly oxygenated and arguably more relevant members of this family. The key design elements are a catalyst‐controlled intramolecular cyclopropanation with or without subsequent equilibration, chain extension of the resulting stereoisomeric cyclopropane building blocks by chemoselective hydroboration/cross‐coupling, and the efficient closure of the strained macrobicyclic framework by ring‐closing alkyne metathesis. A hydroxy‐directed catalytic trans‐hydrostannation allows for late‐stage diversity. These virtues are manifested in the concise total syntheses of depressin, yuexiandajisu A, and ent‐pekinenin C. The last compound turned out to be identical to euphorhylonal A, the structure of which had clearly been misassigned