Size dependent tunneling and optical spectroscopy of CdSe quantum rods

Photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy and scanning tunneling spectroscopy are used to study the electronic states in CdSe quantum rods that manifest a transition from a zero dimensional to a one dimensional quantum confined structure. Both optical and tunneling spectra show that the level structure depends primarily on the rod diameter and not on length. With increasing diameter, the band-gap and the excited state level spacings shift to the red. The level structure was assigned using a multi-band effective-mass model, showing a similar dependence on rod dimensions.Comment: Accepted to PRL (nearly final version). 4 pages in revtex, 4 figure

Mesoscopic Cooperative Emission From a Disordered System

We study theoretically the cooperative light emission from a system of $N\gg 1$ classical oscillators confined within a volume with spatial scale, $L$, much smaller than the radiation wavelength, $\lambda_0=2\pi c/\omega_0$. We assume that the oscillators frequencies are randomly distributed around a central frequency, $\omega_0$, with some characteristic width, $\Omega\ll\omega_0$. In the absence of disorder, that is $\Omega=0$, the cooperative emission spectrum is composed of a narrow subradiant peak superimposed on a wide superradiant band. When $\Omega\neq 0$, we demonstrate that if $N$ is large enough, the subradiant peak is not simply broadened by the disorder but rather splits into a system of random narrow peaks. We estimate the spectral width of these peaks as a function of $N, L, \Omega$, and $\lambda_0$. We also estimate the amplitude of this mesoscopic structure in the emission spectrum.Comment: 25 pages including 6 figure

Multimodel projections and uncertainties of irrigation water demand under climate change

Crop irrigation is responsible for 70% of humanity's water demand. Since the late 1990s, the expansion of irrigated areas has been tapering off, and this trend is expected to continue in the future. Future irrigation water demand (IWD) is, however, subject to large uncertainties due to anticipated climate change. Here, we use a set of seven global hydrological models (GHMs) to quantify the impact of projected global climate change on IWD on currently irrigated areas by the end of this century, and to assess the resulting uncertainties arising from both the GHMs and climate projections. The resulting ensemble projections generally show an increasing trend in future IWD, but the increase varies substantially depending on the degree of global warming and associated regional precipitation changes. Under the highest greenhouse gas emission scenario (RCP8.5), IWD will considerably increase during the summer in the Northern Hemisphere (>20% by 2100), and the present peak IWD is projected to shift one month or more over regions where ≥80% of the global irrigated areas exist and 4 billion people currently live. Uncertainties arising from GHMs and global climate models (GCMs) are large, with GHM uncertainty dominating throughout the century and with GCM uncertainty substantially increasing from the midcentury, indicating the choice of GHM outweighing by far the uncertainty arising from the choice of GCM and associated emission scenario. Key Points: IWD will considerably increase during the summer in the Northern Hemisphere Peak demand is projected to shift over 80% of the present irrigated areas Global hydrological models dominate the uncertainty in projected IWD. © 2013. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved

Comparing projections of future changes in runoff and water resources from hydrological and ecosystem models in ISI-MIP

Projections of future changes in runoff can have important implications for water resources and flooding. In this study, runoff projections from ISI-MIP (Inter-sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project) simulations forced with HadGEM2-ES bias-corrected climate data under the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 have been analysed. Projections of change from the baseline period (1981–2010) to the future (2070–2099) from a number of different ecosystems and hydrological models were studied. The differences between projections from the two types of model were looked at globally and regionally. Typically, across different regions the ecosystem models tended to project larger increases and smaller decreases in runoff than the hydrological models. However, the differences varied both regionally and seasonally. Sensitivity experiments were also used to investigate the contributions of varying CO2 and allowing vegetation distribution to evolve on projected changes in runoff. In two out of four models which had data available from CO2 sensitivity experiments, allowing CO2 to vary was found to increase runoff more than keeping CO2 constant, while in two models runoff decreased. This suggests more uncertainty in runoff responses to elevated CO2 than previously considered. As CO2 effects on evapotranspiration via stomatal conductance and leaf-area index are more commonly included in ecosystems models than in hydrological models, this may partially explain some of the difference between model types. Keeping the vegetation distribution static in JULES runs had much less effect on runoff projections than varying CO2, but this may be more pronounced if looked at over a longer timescale as vegetation changes may take longer to reach a new state

Can we rate public support for democracy in a comparable way? Cross-national equivalence of democratic attitudes in the World Value Survey

In this study we examine the cross-cultural equivalence of two scales that measure attitudes toward democracy across 36 countries in the World Value Survey (WVS) 2000. We examine the equivalence of these scales in order to explore if we can meaningfully compare democratic attitudes across countries. Multiple group confirmatory factor analyses (MGCFA) is applied to answer this question. The analyses indicate that the scales may be compared but only to a certain extent and not across all the countries. We close this article by discussing the implications of the findings

Stellar s -process neutron capture cross sections on 78,80,84,86Kr determined via activation, atom trap trace analysis, and decay counting

We present a detailed account of neutron capture experiments of astrophysical relevance on 78,80,84,86Kr (n ,γ ) reactions at the border between weak and main s process. The experiments were performed with quasi-Maxwellian neutrons from the Liquid-Lithium Target (LiLiT) and the mA-proton beam at 1.93 MeV (2-3 kW) of the Soreq Applied Research Accelerator Facility (SARAF). The setup yields high-intensity ≈40 keV quasi-Maxwellian neutrons (3-5 ×1010 n /s) closely reproducing the conditions of s -process stellar nucleosynthesis. A sample of 100 mg of atmospheric, pre-nuclear-age Kr gas contained in a Ti spherical shell was activated in the LiLiT neutron field. The abundances of long-lived Kr isotopes (81,85 gKr) were measured by atom counting via atom trap trace analysis (ATTA) at Argonne National Laboratory and low-level counting (LLC) at University of Bern. This work is the first measurement of a nuclear cross section using atom counting via ATTA. The activities of short-lived Kr isotopes (79,85 m,87Kr) were measured by γ -decay counting with a high-purity germanium detector. Maxwellian-averaged cross sections for s -process thermal energies are extracted. By comparison to reference values, our nucleosynthesis network calculations show that the experimental cross sections have a strong impact on calculated abundances of krypton and neighboring nuclides, in some cases improving agreement between theory and observations. </SUP

Efficiency of radiative emission from thin films of a light-emitting conjugated polymer

J. A. E. Wasey, A. Safonov, I. D. W. Samuel, and William L. Barnes, Physical Review B, Vol. 64, article 205201 (2001). "Copyright © 2001 by the American Physical Society."We examine the efficiency of radiative emission from thin layers of light-emitting conjugated polymers. We compare our experimental results for photoluminescence of the conjugated polymer poly(2-methoxy, 5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy) 1,4 phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV) with those of a theoretical model, finding good agreement between the two. The specially developed model takes into account several factors including absorption in the emissive layer, a spread of emitter sites within the layer, and the broad emission spectrum of the polymer. We find that the photoluminescence quantum efficiency for radiative emission of a bare MEH-PPV film on a glass substrate is ∼25%. We then apply our model to study electroluminescent devices. We show that for these structures the efficiency of radiative emission is ∼10%. There is thus potential for considerable improvement in efficiency for both systems through recovery of some of the wasted waveguided light. Finally we use our model to reexamine some controversial results that indicate the probability of singlet exciton formation to be 0.4±0.05, and thus greater than the 0.25 expected from spin statistics. Our reanalysis supports a probability >0.25. We conclude by discussing the limitations of present models, including our own, in predicting the performance of realistic light-emitting diodes

High Efficiency Colloidal Quantum Dot Infrared Light Emitting Diodes via Engineering at the Supra-Nanocrystalline Level

Colloidal quantum dot (CQD) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) deliver a compelling performance in the visible, yet infrared CQD LEDs underperform their visible-emitting counterparts, largely due to their low photoluminescence quantum efficiency. Here we employ a ternary blend of CQD thin film that comprises a binary host matrix that serves to electronically passivate as well as to cater for an efficient and balanced carrier supply to the emitting quantum dot species. In doing so, we report infrared PbS CQD LEDs with an external quantum efficiency of ~7.9% and a power conversion efficiency of ~9.3%, thanks to their very low density of trap states, on the order of 1014 cm−3, and very high photoluminescence quantum efficiency in electrically conductive quantum dot solids of more than 60%. When these blend devices operate as solar cells they deliver an open circuit voltage that approaches their radiative limit thanks to the synergistic effect of the reduced trap-state density and the density of state modification in the nanocomposite.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Theory, practice and policy: An inquiry into the uptake of HCI practices in the software industry of a developing country

With almost four decades of existence as a community, human–computer interaction (HCI) practice has yet to diffuse into a large range of software industries globally. A review of existing literature suggests that the diffusion of HCI practices in software organizations lacks theoretical guidance. Although many studies have tried to facilitate HCI uptake by the software industry, there are scarce studies that consider HCI practices as innovations that software organizations could or should adopt. Furthermore, there appears to be a lack of structure in the facilitation of HCI methodological development within the specialized emerging regions field such as Sub-Saharan Africa. In order to address this gap, an exploratory investigation regarding the state of uptake of HCI practices in Nigeria is conducted. The aim of this article is to improve our understanding regarding the state of HCI uptake in developing countries and the challenges prevailing. The findings show that HCI practice still remains within its infancy stage in most software companies. Universities are also lacking the required knowledge transfer of HCI to the students, and in effect themselves contributing to the lack of HCI skills in industry. Furthermore, government policies are in need of refinement and end-users’ involvement in software development is not prioritized

Dissolved inorganic nutrients and chlorophyll on the narrow continental shelf of Eastern Brazil

The eastern Brazilian continental shelf is narrow and subject to the influence of a western boundary current system, presenting lower biological productivity than other regions. In this study, the distribution of water masses, dissolved inorganic nutrients, chlorophyll-a and total suspended solids (TSS) on the inner shelf (< 35 m depth), between Itacaré and Canavieiras, eastern Brazil, is presented. Sampling surveys were carried out in March and August 2006 and March 2007. Tropical water (TW) prevailed during March 2006 and August 2007 with the lower salinity waters (< 36) found in most samples taken in March 2007, reflecting the influence of continental outflow and rain in coastal waters. Low concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients and Chl-a found were typical of TW and results suggested that the inner shelf waters were depleted in dissolved inorganic nitrogen in August 2006 and March 2007, and in phosphate in March 2006, potentially affecting phytoplankton growth. Stratification of the water column was observed due to differences in dissolved nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll-a and TSS when comparing surface and bottom samples, possibly the result of a colder water intrusion and mixing on the bottom shelf and a deep chlorophyll maximum and/or sediment resuspension effect. Despite this stratification, oceanographic processes such as lateral mixing driven by the Brazil Current as well as a northward alongshore drift driven by winds and tides transporting Coastal Water can lead to an enhanced mixing of these waters promoting some heterogeneity in this oligotrophic environment