Distinct quasiparticle interference patterns for surface impurity scattering on various Weyl semimetals

We examine the response of the Fermi arc in the context of quasi-particle interference (QPI) with regard to a localized surface impurity on various three-dimensional Weyl semimetals (WSMs). Our study also reveals the variation of the local density of states (LDOS), obtained by Fourier transforming the QPI profile, on the two-dimensional surface. We use the $T$-matrix formalism to numerically (analytically and numerically) capture the details of the momentum space scattering in QPI (real space decay in LDOS), considering relevant tight-binding lattice and/or low-energy continuum models modeling a range of different WSMs. In particular, we consider multi-WSM (mWSM), hosting multiple Fermi arcs between two opposite chirality Weyl nodes (WNs), where we find a universal $1/r$-decay ($r$ measuring the radial distance from the impurity core) of the impurity-induced LDOS, irrespective of the topological charge. Interestingly, the inter-Fermi arc scattering is only present for triple WSMs, where we find an additional $1/r^3$-decay as compared to double and single WSMs. The untilted single (double) [triple] WSM shows a straight-line (leaf-like) [oval-shaped] QPI profile. The above QPI profiles are canted for hybrid WSMs where type-I and type-II Weyl nodes coexist, however, hybrid single WSM demonstrates strong non-uniformity, unlike the hybrid double and triple WSMs. We also show that the chirality and the positions of the Weyl nodes imprint marked signatures in the QPI profile. This allows us to distinguish between different WSMs, including the time-reversal-broken WSMs from the time-reversal-invariant WSM, even though both of the WSMs can host two pairs of Weyl nodes. Our study can thus shed light on experimentally obtainable complex QPI profiles and help differentiate different WSMs and their surface band structures.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure

Experimental Research on Corrosion-Induced Cracking Monitoring Based on Optical Fiber Sensor

Corrosion-induced cracking is a widely existent issue for coastal infrastructure, which leads to its advanced failure. The monitoring of corrosion-induced cracking is an important means of evaluating its influence on structure normal use and safe operation. However, traditional sensors such as strain gage are unsuitable to embed into concrete and to record long-term strain of concrete caused by steel bar corrosion. The optical fiber sensor, Brillouin Optical Time Domain Analysis (BOTDA) can effectively avoid the undetected phenomenon existing in point-wise test method, and it has the characteristic of automated monitoring. The optical fiber sensor is also electrical insulation and anti-electromagnetic interference; so it is suitable for detecting the corrosion-induced cracks. In this article, experimental research on corrosion-induced crack monitoring based on BOTDA is introduced. The distributed optical fiber is embedded into concrete around the steel bar to record expansion force of concrete. An accelerated corrosion test is performed to investigate the relationship between tiny geometrical changes of steel bar and concrete expansion force. Different rates of corrosion current are applied to the specimen. The accelerated corrosion test approved that the optical fiber sensor can effectively monitor the whole process of corrosion-induced cracking

Tip induced unconventional superconductivity on Weyl semimetal TaAs

Weyl fermion is a massless Dirac fermion with definite chirality, which has been long pursued since 1929. Though it has not been observed as a fundamental particle in nature, Weyl fermion can be realized as low-energy excitation around Weyl point in Weyl semimetal, which possesses Weyl fermion cones in the bulk and nontrivial Fermi arc states on the surface. As a firstly discovered Weyl semimetal, TaAs crystal possesses 12 pairs of Weyl points in the momentum space, which are topologically protected against small perturbations. Here, we report for the first time the tip induced superconductivity on TaAs crystal by point contact spectroscopy. A conductance plateau and sharp double dips are observed in the point contact spectra, indicating p-wave like unconventional superconductivity. Furthermore, the zero bias conductance peak in low temperature regime is detected, suggesting potentially the existence of Majorana zero modes. The experimentally observed tunneling spectra can be interpreted with a novel mirror-symmetry protected topological superconductor induced in TaAs, which can exhibit zero bias and double finite bias peaks, and double conductance dips in the measurements. Our work can open a broad avenue in search for new topological superconducting phases from topological Weyl materials and trigger intensive investigations for pursuing Majorana fermions

Effect of low-Raman window position on correlated photon-pair generation in a chalcogenide Ge11.5As24Se64.5 nanowire

We investigated correlated photon-pair generation via spontaneous four-wave mixing in an integrated chalcogenideGe11.5As24Se64.5photonicnanowire. The coincidence to accidental ratio, a key measurement for the quality of correlated photon-pair sources, was measured to be only 0.4 when the photon pairs were generated at 1.9 THz detuning from the pump frequency due to high spontaneous Raman noise in this regime. However, the existence of a characteristic low-Raman window at around 5.1 THz in this material's Raman spectrum and dispersion engineering of the nanowire allowed us to generate photon pairs with a coincidence to accidental ratio of 4.5, more than 10 times higher than the 1.9 THz case. Through comparing the results with those achieved in chalcogenide As2S3waveguides which also exhibit a low Raman-window but at a larger detuning of 7.4 THz, we find that the position of the characteristic low-Raman window plays an important role on reducing spontaneous Raman noise because the phonon population is higher at smaller detuning. Therefore the ultimate solution for Raman noise reduction in Ge11.5As24Se64.5 is to generate photon pairs outside the Raman gain band at more than 10 THz detuning

Two-Phase Iteration for Value Function Approximation and Hyperparameter Optimization in Gaussian-Kernel-Based Adaptive Critic Design

Adaptive Dynamic Programming (ADP) with critic-actor architecture is an effective way to perform online learning control. To avoid the subjectivity in the design of a neural network that serves as a critic network, kernel-based adaptive critic design (ACD) was developed recently. There are two essential issues for a static kernel-based model: how to determine proper hyperparameters in advance and how to select right samples to describe the value function. They all rely on the assessment of sample values. Based on the theoretical analysis, this paper presents a two-phase simultaneous learning method for a Gaussian-kernel-based critic network. It is able to estimate the values of samples without infinitively revisiting them. And the hyperparameters of the kernel model are optimized simultaneously. Based on the estimated sample values, the sample set can be refined by adding alternatives or deleting redundances. Combining this critic design with actor network, we present a Gaussian-kernel-based Adaptive Dynamic Programming (GK-ADP) approach. Simulations are used to verify its feasibility, particularly the necessity of two-phase learning, the convergence characteristics, and the improvement of the system performance by using a varying sample set

Arrival time in quantum field theory

Via the proper-time eigenstates (event states) instead of the proper-mass eigenstates (particle states), free-motion time-of-arrival theory for massive spin-1/2 particles is developed at the level of quantum field theory. The approach is based on a position-momentum dual formalism. Within the framework of field quantization, the total time-of-arrival is the sum of the single event-of-arrival contributions, and contains zero-point quantum fluctuations because the clocks under consideration follow the laws of quantum mechanics.Comment: 15 pages, A detailed version with a appendix, to be published in Physics Letters