3D quantum Hall effect of Fermi arcs in topological semimetals

The quantum Hall effect is usually observed in 2D systems. We show that the Fermi arcs can give rise to a distinctive 3D quantum Hall effect in topological semimetals. Because of the topological constraint, the Fermi arc at a single surface has an open Fermi surface, which cannot host the quantum Hall effect. Via a "wormhole" tunneling assisted by the Weyl nodes, the Fermi arcs at opposite surfaces can form a complete Fermi loop and support the quantum Hall effect. The edge states of the Fermi arcs show a unique 3D distribution, giving an example of (d-2)-dimensional boundary states. This is distinctly different from the surface-state quantum Hall effect from a single surface of topological insulator. As the Fermi energy sweeps through the Weyl nodes, the sheet Hall conductivity evolves from the 1/B dependence to quantized plateaus at the Weyl nodes. This behavior can be realized by tuning gate voltages in a slab of topological semimetal, such as the TaAs family, Cd$_3$As$_2$, or Na$_3$Bi. This work will be instructive not only for searching transport signatures of the Fermi arcs but also for exploring novel electron gases in other topological phases of matter.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Experimental investigation of piloted flameholders

Four configurations of piloted flameholders were tested. The range of flame stabilization, flame propagation, pressure oscillation during ignition, and pressure drop of the configurations were determined. Some tests showed a very strong effect of inlet flow velocity profile and flameholder geometry on flame stabilization. These tests led to the following conclusions. (1) The use of a piloted flameholder in the turbofan augmentor may minimize the peak pressure rise during ignition. At the present experimental conditions, delta P/P asterisk over 2 is less than 10 percent; therefore, the use of a piloted flameholder is a good method to realize soft ignition. (2) The geometry of the piloted flameholder and the amount of fuel injected into the flameholder have a strong effect on the pressure oscillation during ignition of the fuel-air mixture in the secondary zone. (3) Compared with the V-gutter flameholder with holes in its wall, the V-gutter flameholder without holes not only has advantages such as simple structure and good rigidity but offers a wide combustion stability limit and a high capability of igniting the fuel-air mixture of the secondary zone

Technological innovations at the onset of the Mid-Pleistocene Climate Transition in high-latitude East Asia

The interplay between Pleistocene climatic variability and hominin adaptations to diverse terrestrial ecosystems is a key topic in human evolutionary studies. Early and Middle Pleistocene environmental change and its relation to hominin behavioural responses has been a subject of great interest in Africa and Europe, though little information is available for other key regions of the Old World, particularly from Eastern Asia. Here we examine key Early Pleistocene sites of the Nihewan Basin, in high-latitude northern China, dating between ∼1.4 to 1.0 million years ago (Ma). We compare stone tool assemblages from three Early Pleistocene sites in the Nihewan Basin, including detailed assessment of stone tool refitting sequences at the ∼1.1 Ma-old site of Cenjiawan. Increased toolmaking skills and technological innovations are evident in the Nihewan Basin at the onset of the Mid-Pleistocene Climate Transition (MPT). Examination of the lithic technology of the Nihewan sites, together with an assessment of other key Palaeolithic sites of China, indicates that toolkits show increasing diversity at the outset of the MPT and in its aftermath. The overall evidence indicates the adaptive flexibility of early hominins to ecosystem changes since the MPT, though regional abandonments are also apparent in high-latitudes, likely owing to cold and oscillating environmental conditions. The view presented here sharply contrasts with traditional arguments that stone tool technologies of China are homogeneous and continuous over the course of the Early Pleistocene.Introduction Results - Stone-tool-knapping skills recorded in the Cenjiawan assemblage - Technological comparisons of the Nihewan Basin assemblages Discussio