Qualitative reasoning with directional relations

AbstractQualitative spatial reasoning (QSR) pursues a symbolic approach to reasoning about a spatial domain. Qualitative calculi are defined to capture domain properties in relation operations, granting a relation algebraic approach to reasoning. QSR has two primary goals: providing a symbolic model for human common-sense level of reasoning and providing efficient means for reasoning. In this paper, we dismantle the hope for efficient reasoning about directional information in infinite spatial domains by showing that it is inherently hard to decide consistency of a set of constraints that represents positions in the plane by specifying directions from reference objects. We assume that these reference objects are not fixed but only constrained through directional relations themselves. Known QSR reasoning methods fail to handle this information

Exchange interaction in p-type GaAs/Al_{x}Ga_{1-x}As heterostructures studied by magnetotransport

Low-temperature magnetotransport experiments have been performed on a p-type GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs quantum well. From activation measurements on Shubnikov–de Haas conduction minima it was found that exchange interactions can be of great importance for both odd and even filling factors and strongly influence the observed periodicity. Furthermore, it was found that the temperature dependence of Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations in the low-magnetic-field regime could not be explained within a single-particle model based on a solution of the full Luttinger Hamiltonian in a magnetic field. Numerical simulations of Shubnikov–de Haas spectra, based on a model that treats hole exchange interactions in a simplified manner, show unambiguously that exchange driven enhancement of hole "spin" splittings are extremely important at magnetic fields as low as 1.5 T. Also, the inclusion of a valence-band warping in the calculations is shown to be essential. Qualitatively, most experimental observations could be described within the presented model. Our results imply that, in any hole system, the effective masses obtained from temperature-dependent SdH measurements are to be treated with extreme care as they can deviate from their single-particle value by as much as a factor of 2

Large asymmetric Stark shift in GaxIn1–xAs/InP/InAsyP1–y composite quantum wells

Strong asymmetric Stark shift in excess of 115 meV of the lowest energy transition has been experimentally observed in composite Ga/sub x/In/sub 1-x/As/InP/InAs/sub y/P/sub 1-y/ quantum-well system. In this structure, we can independently control the confinement of electrons and holes by controlling the strain. The photoexcited electrons and holes are confined in spatially separated regions without the application of an electric field. Due to the large asymmetry in the structure, we observed large blueshifts and redshifts of the absorption edge with an applied electric field. All our measurements agree with the calculations within the framework of the Bir-Pikus strain Hamiltonia

Analysis of the shallow and deep center occupancies in silicon-doped aluminum gallium arsenide using a multilevel donor model

The concentration of occupied deep centers in Si-doped AlxGa1-xAs for x=0.2 has been calculated from a three-level donor model, in which the shallow levels are treated as excited states of the deep (DX) ground state. The deep level is assumed to be tied to the L valley, and the shallow levels to the G and X valleys. The behavior of the free-electron density and the thermal activation energy as function of composition is in good agreement with experimental results reported in the literature. In this model of dependent donor levels the deep-level occupancy can be directly calculated without needing deep-level transient spectroscopy measurements. A two-level donor model is used to calculate the pressure dependence of the deep level from a hydrostatic pressure experiment on a GaAs/Al0.3Ga0.7As heterostructure reported in the literature. We assume a shallow level tied to the G valley and an arbitrary deep level which is not coupled to any of the conduction bands. The calculation of the position of the deep level relative to the G valley as a function of pressure confirms the coupling of the deep level to the L valley. In this dependent donor model no large compensation is needed to fit the experimental data

Anisotropic Corbino magnetothermopower in a quantum Hall system

A Corbino-geometry contact configuration combined with a scanning laserspot as a heating source, is used for a thermovoltage mapping in a GaAs-AlGaAs quantum Hall device. For an isotropic system, the Corbino thermopower yields the diagonal component epsilon /sub xx/ of the thermoelectric tensor, which should be zero under the prevailing condition of phonon drag. The experiments reveal that epsilon /sub xx/ is large and anisotropic with respect to the crystallographic directions. The observations yield conclusive evidence that inhomogeneities are the origin for the existence of epsilon /sub xx

Exchange-correlation energy of a hole gas including valence band coupling

We have calculated an accurate exchange-correlation energy of a hole gas, including the complexities related to the valence band coupling as occurring in semiconductors like GaAs, but excluding the band warping. A parametrization for the dependence on the density and the ratio between light- and heavy-hole masses is given. We apply our results to a hole gas in an AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs quantum well and calculate the two-dimensional band structure and the band-gap renormalization. The inclusion of the valence band coupling in the calculation of the exchange-correlation potentials for holes and electrons leads to a much better agreement between theoretical and experimental data than when it is omitted

PICOSECOND CARRIER CAPTURE BY A SEPARATE CONFINEMENT LASER STRUCTURE

Contains fulltext : 14356.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)59-6

Effect of annealing on formation of self-assembled (In,Ga)As quantum wires on GaAs (100) by molecular beam epitaxy

The role of annealing for (In,Ga)As self-organized quantum wire (QWR) formation on GaAs (100) during growth of (In,Ga)As/GaAs superlattice (SL) structures is studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. XRD and AFM evidence that annealing after the supply of each layer of elongated (In,Ga)As quantum dots (QDs) in the SL is the crucial process for QWR formation. We conclude that during annealing, the shape anisotropy of the QDs is enhanced due to anisotropic mass transport and the QDs become connected along the [0-11] direction. Strain reduction by In desorption, revealed by XRD and PL, which accompanies this process, then results in well defined, uniform QWR arrays by repetition in SL growt

Formation of InAs quantum dot arrays on GaAs (100) by self-organized anisotropic strain engineering of a (In,Ga)As superlattice template

We demonstrate the formation of well-defined InAs quantum dot (QD) arrays by self-organized engineering of anisotropic strain in a (In,Ga)As/GaAs superlattice (SL). Due to the accumulation and improvement of the uniformity of the strain-field modulation along [011], formation of InAs QD arrays along [0-11] with 140 nm lateral periodicity is clearly observed on the SL template when the number of SL periods is larger than ten. By enhancing the In adatom surface migration length at low growth rates, clear arrays of single InAs QDs are obtained. The QD arrays exhibit strong photoluminescence efficiency that is not reduced compared to that from InAs QD layers on GaAs. Hence, ordering by self-organized anisotropic strain engineering maintains the high structural quality of InAs QD

Ultrafast carrier capture at room temperature in InAs/InP quantum dots emitting in the 1.55 µm wavelength region

The energy and excitation density dependence of the carrier dynamics in self-assembled InAs/InP quantum dots sQDsd, emitting in the 1.55 µm wavelength region, is investigated by means of time-resolved pump-probe differential reflection spectroscopy at room temperature. We observe ultrafast carrier capture and subsequential carrier relaxation into the QD ground state within 2.5 ps. The carrier lifetime in the QDs strongly depends on the QD optical transition energy within the QD ensemble as well as the carrier density, and ranges from 560 up to 2600 ps