143 research outputs found
Observing The Mediterranean Sea from space: 21 years of Pathfinder-AVHRR Sea Surface Temperatures (1985 to 2005). Re-analysis and validation
International audienceThe time series of satellite infrared AVHRR data from 1985 to 2005 has been used to produce a daily series of optimally interpolated SST maps over the regular grid of the operational MFSTEP OGCM model of the Mediterranean basin. A complete validation of this OISST (Optimally Interpolated Sea Surface Temperature) product with in situ measurements has been performed in order to exclude any possibility of spurious trends due to instrumental calibration errors/shifts or algorithms malfunctioning related to local geophysical factors. The validation showed that satellite OISST is able to reproduce in situ measurements with a mean bias of less than 0.1°C and RMSE of about 0.5°C and that errors do not drift with time or with the percent interpolation error
Unexpected Structures for Intercalation of Sodium in Epitaxial Graphene-SiC Interfaces
We show using scanning tunneling microscopy, spectroscopy, and ab initio
calculations that several intercalation structures exist for Na in epitaxial
graphene on SiC(0001). Intercalation takes place at room temperature and Na
electron-dopes the graphene. It intercalates in-between single-layer graphene
and the carbon-rich interfacial layer. It also penetrates beneath the
interfacial layer and decouples it to form a second graphene layer. This
decoupling is accelerated by annealing and is verified by direct Na deposition
onto the interface layer. Our observations show that intercalation in graphene
is fundamentally different than in graphite and is a versatile means of
electronic control.Comment: 10 pages text, 2 pages, references, and 4 figure page
Towards high resolution mapping of 3-D mesoscale dynamics from observations
The MyOcean R&D project MESCLA (MEsoSCaLe dynamical Analysis through combined model, satellite and in situ data) was devoted to the high resolution 3-D retrieval of tracer and velocity fields in the oceans, based on the combination of in situ and satellite observations and quasi-geostrophic dynamical models. The retrieval techniques were also tested and compared with the output of a primitive equation model, with particular attention to the accuracy of the vertical velocity field as estimated through the <b><i>Q</i></b> vector formulation of the omega equation. The project focused on a test case, covering the region where the Gulf Stream separates from the US East Coast. This work demonstrated that innovative methods for the high resolution mapping of 3-D mesoscale dynamics from observations can be used to build the next generations of operational observation-based products
Mesoscale-driven dispersion of early life stages of European eel
The larvae of the European eel travel an extensive distance of approximately 5,000 km from the spawning area in the Sargasso Sea to the European coasts. We here study the larval drift with focus on the effects of mesoscale processes, analyzing data from a targeted survey and modeling possible drift trajectories. The survey covered the initial distribution of larvae in the Subtropical Convergence Zone (STCZ), which is characterized by complex patterns of oceanic fronts and mesoscale eddies. During March–April 2014, sampling was carried out along north–south transects. Hydrography was described using vertical CTD casts and UCTD profiles, and larval distributions assessed from hauls of a large ring net. Patterns in water mass distribution and particle dispersion dynamics were analyzed by reconstruction and diagnosis of mesoscale dynamics, combining satellite observations and Argo profiles. Lagrangian drift trajectories of eel larvae were subsequently simulated starting from a data-driven high-resolution 3D reconstruction of the modeled flow. We found the area of larval distribution delimited by frontal zones, defined by the combined effects of marked longitudinal salinity gradients and large-scale zonal temperature variations. Modeled patterns of eel larvae dispersion were predominantly influenced by the current shear and eddy strain, and while the direction was mainly westward, a significant dispersal was also observed in northeastward directions. Such almost isotropic transport of European eels is supported by historical data on larval size distribution, and results challenge common interpretations of eel larval drift, which propose an initial westward advection of the entire population to the Gulf Stream along the offshore edge of the Antilles current
Ultrathin films of black phosphorus as suitable platforms for unambiguous observation of the orbital Hall effect
Phosphorene, a monolayer of black phosphorus, is a two-dimensional material
that lacks a multivalley structure in the Brillouin zone and has negligible
spin-orbit coupling. This makes it a promising candidate for investigating the
orbital Hall effect independently of the valley or spin Hall effects. To model
phosphorene, we utilized a DFT-derived tight-binding Hamiltonian, which is
constructed with the pseudo atomic orbital projection method. For that purpose,
we use the PAOFLOW code with a newly implemented internal basis that provides a
fairly good description of the phosphorene conduction bands. By employing
linear response theory, we show that phosphorene exhibits a sizable orbital
Hall effect with strong anisotropy in the orbital Hall conductivity for the
out-of-plane orbital angular momentum component. The magnitude and sign of the
conductivity depend upon the in-plane direction of the applied electric field.
These distinctive features enable the observation of the orbital Hall effect in
this material unambiguously. The effects of strain and of a perpendicularly
applied electric field on the phosphorene orbital-Hall response are also
explored. We show that a supplementary electric field applied perpendicular to
the phosphorene layer in its conductive regime gives rise to an induced
in-plane orbital magnetization.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
Disentangling orbital and valley Hall effects in bilayers of transition metal dichalcogenides
It has been recently shown that monolayers of transition metal
dichalcogenides (TMDs) in the 2H structural phase exhibit relatively large
orbital Hall conductivity plateaus within their energy band gaps, where their
spin Hall conductivities vanish. However, since the valley Hall effect (VHE) in
these systems also generates a transverse flow of orbital angular momentum it
becomes experimentally challenging to distinguish between the two effects in
these materials. The VHE requires inversion symmetry breaking to occur, which
takes place in the TMD monolayers, but not in the bilayers. We show that a
bilayer of 2H-MoS is an orbital Hall insulator that exhibits a sizeable OHE
in the absence of both spin and valley Hall effects. This phase can be
characterised by an orbital Chern number that assumes the value
for the 2H-MoS bilayer and for the
monolayer, confirming the topological nature of these orbital-Hall insulator
systems. Our results are based on density functional theory (DFT) and
low-energy effective model calculations and strongly suggest that bilayers of
TMDs are highly suitable platforms for direct observation of the orbital Hall
insulating phase in two-dimensional materials. Implications of our findings for
attempts to observe the VHE in TMD bilayers are also discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures + Supplementary materia
Mn Interstitial Diffusion in (Ga,Mn)As
We present a combined theoretical and experimental study of the ferromagnetic
semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As which explains the remarkably large changes observed on
low temperature annealing. Careful control of the annealing conditions allows
us to obtain samples with ferromagnetic transition temperatures up to 159 K. Ab
initio calculations, and resistivity measurements during annealing, show that
the observed changes are due to out-diffusion of Mn interstitials towards the
surface, governed by an energy barrier of about 0.7-0.8 eV. The Mn interstitial
is a double donor resulting in compensation of charge carriers and suppression
of ferromagnetism. Electric fields induced by high concentrations of
substitutional Mn acceptors have a significant effect on the diffusion.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter
Phonon engineering in nanostructures: Controlling interfacial thermal resistance in multilayer-graphene/dielectric heterojunctions
Article discussing phonon engineering in nanostructures and controlling interfacial thermal resistance in multilayer-graphene/dielectric heterojunctions
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Multiple coexisting intercalation structures of sodium in epitaxial graphene-SiC interfaces
This article discusses multiple coexisting intercalation structures of sodium in peitaxial graphene-SiC interfaces
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