GNSS troposphere tomography based on two-step reconstructions using GPS observations and COSMIC profiles

Traditionally, balloon-based radiosonde soundings are used to study the spatial distribution of atmospheric water vapour. However, this approach cannot be frequently employed due to its high cost. In contrast, GPS tomography technique can obtain water vapour in a high temporal resolution. In the tomography technique, an iterative or non-iterative reconstruction algorithm is usually utilised to overcome rank deficiency of observation equations for water vapour inversion. However, the single iterative or non-iterative reconstruction algorithm has their limitations. For instance, the iterative reconstruction algorithm requires accurate initial values of water vapour while the non-iterative reconstruction algorithm needs proper constraint conditions. To overcome these drawbacks, we present a combined iterative and non-iterative reconstruction approach for the three-dimensional (3-D) water vapour inversion using GPS observations and COSMIC profiles. In this approach, the non-iterative reconstruction algorithm is first used to estimate water vapour density based on a priori water vapour information derived from COSMIC radio occultation data. The estimates are then employed as initial values in the iterative reconstruction algorithm. The largest advantage of this approach is that precise initial values of water vapour density that are essential in the iterative reconstruction algorithm can be obtained. This combined reconstruction algorithm (CRA) is evaluated using 10-day GPS observations in Hong Kong and COSMIC profiles. The test results indicate that the water vapor accuracy from CRA is 16 and 14% higher than that of iterative and non-iterative reconstruction approaches, respectively. In addition, the tomography results obtained from the CRA are further validated using radiosonde data. Results indicate that water vapour densities derived from the CRA agree with radiosonde results very well at altitudes above 2.5 km. The average RMS value of their differences above 2.5 km is 0.44 g m⁻³

Vortex State in Na_xCoO_2.yH_2O: p_x\pm ip_y-wave versus d_{x^2-y^2}\pm id_{xy}-wave Pairing

Based on an effective Hamiltonian specified in the triangular lattice with possible $p_x\pm ip_y$- or $d_{x^2-y^2}\pm id_{xy}$-wave pairing, which has close relevance to the newly discovered Na$_{0.35}$CoO$_2$$\cdot y$H$_2$O, the electronic structure of the vortex state is studied by solving the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. It is found that $p_x\pm ip_y$-wave is favored for the electron doping as the hopping integral $t<0$. The lowest-lying vortex bound states are found to have respectively zero and positive energies for $p_x\pm ip_y$- and $d_{x^2-y^2}\pm id_{xy}$-wave superconductors, whose vortex structures exhibit the intriguing six-fold symmetry. In the presence of strong on-site repulsion, the antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic orders are induced around the vortex cores for the former and the latter, respectively, both of which cause the splitting of the LDOS peaks due to the lifting of spin degeneracy. STM and NMR measurements are able to probe the new features of vortex states uncovered in this work.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, The slightly shorter version was submitted to PR

Spectroscopy of reflection-asymmetric nuclei with relativistic energy density functionals

Quadrupole and octupole deformation energy surfaces, low-energy excitation spectra and transition rates in fourteen isotopic chains: Xe, Ba, Ce, Nd, Sm, Gd, Rn, Ra, Th, U, Pu, Cm, Cf, and Fm, are systematically analyzed using a theoretical framework based on a quadrupole-octupole collective Hamiltonian (QOCH), with parameters determined by constrained reflection-asymmetric and axially-symmetric relativistic mean-field calculations. The microscopic QOCH model based on the PC-PK1 energy density functional and $\delta$-interaction pairing is shown to accurately describe the empirical trend of low-energy quadrupole and octupole collective states, and predicted spectroscopic properties are consistent with recent microscopic calculations based on both relativistic and non-relativistic energy density functionals. Low-energy negative-parity bands, average octupole deformations, and transition rates show evidence for octupole collectivity in both mass regions, for which a microscopic mechanism is discussed in terms of evolution of single-nucleon orbitals with deformation.Comment: 36 pages, 21 figures, Accepted for Publication in Physical Review

Spectroscopic Properties of QSOs Selected from Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy Samples

We performed spectroscopic observations for a large infrared QSO sample with a total of 25 objects. The sample was compiled from the QDOT redshift survey, the 1 Jy ULIRGs survey and a sample obtained by a cross-correlation study of the IRAS Point Source Catalogue with the ROSAT All Sky Survey Catalogue. Statistical analyses of the optical spectra show that the vast majority of infrared QSOs have narrow permitted emission lines (with FWHM of Hbeta less than 4000 km/s) and more than 60% of them are luminous narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxies. Two of the infrared QSOs are also classified as low ionization BAL QSOs. More than 70% of infrared QSOs are moderately or extremely strong Fe II emitters. This is the highest percentage of strong Fe II emitters in all subclasses of QSO/Seyfert 1 samples. We found that the Fe II to Hbeta, line ratio is significantly correlated with the [OIII]5007 peak and Hbeta blueshift. Soft X-ray weak infrared QSOs tend to have large blueshifts in permitted emission lines and significant Fe II48,49 (5100--5400 A) residuals relative to the Boroson & Green Fe II template. If the blueshifts in permitted lines are caused by outflows, then they appear to be common in infrared QSOs. As the infrared-selected QSO sample includes both luminous narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxies and low ionization BAL QSOs, it could be a useful laboratory to investigate the evolutionary connection among these objects.Comment: 35 pages,14 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in A

Anisotropic magnetoresistance in topological insulator Bi1.5Sb0.5Te1.8Se1.2/CoFe heterostructures

Topological insulator is composed of an insulating bulk state and time reversal symmetry protected two-dimensional surface states. One of the characteristics of the surface states is the locking between electron momentum and spin orientation. Here, we report a novel in-plane anisotropic magnetoresistance in topological insulator Bi1.5Sb0.5Te1.8Se1.2/CoFe heterostructures. To explain the novel effect, we propose that the Bi1.5Sb0.5Te1.8Se1.2/CoFe heterostructure forms a spin-valve or Giant magnetoresistance device due to spin-momentum locking. The novel in-plane anisotropic magnetoresistance can be explained as a Giant magnetoresistance effect of the Bi1.5Sb0.5Te1.8Se1.2/CoFe heterostructures.Comment: 19 pages including 7 figure