7,386 research outputs found
Chirality distribution and transition energies of carbon nanotubes
From resonant Raman scattering on isolated nanotubes we obtained the optical
transition energies, the radial breathing mode frequency and Raman intensity of
both metallic and semiconducting tubes. We unambiguously assigned the chiral
index (n_1,n_2) of approximately 50 nanotubes based solely on a third-neighbor
tight-binding Kataura plot and find omega_RBM=214.4cm^-1nm/d+18.7cm^-1. In
contrast to luminescence experiments we observe all chiralities including
zig-zag tubes. The Raman intensities have a systematic chiral-angle dependence
confirming recent ab-initio calculations.Comment: 4 pages, to be published in Phys. Rev. Let
A radio continuum survey of the southern sky at 1420 MHz. Observations and data reduction
We describe the equipment, observational method and reduction procedure of an
absolutely calibrated radio continuum survey of the South Celestial Hemisphere
at a frequency of 1420 MHz. These observations cover the area 0h < R.A. < 24h
for declinations less than -10 degree. The sensitivity is about 50 mK T_B (full
beam brightness) and the angular resolution (HPBW) is 35.4', which matches the
existing northern sky survey at the same frequency.Comment: 9 pages with 9 figures, A&A, in pres
Radio and gamma-ray constraints on dark matter annihilation in the Galactic center
We determine upper limits on the dark matter (DM) self-annihilation cross
section for scenarios in which annihilation leads to the production of
electron--positron pairs. In the Galactic centre (GC), relativistic electrons
and positrons produce a radio flux via synchroton emission, and a gamma ray
flux via bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton scattering. On the basis of
archival, interferometric and single-dish radio data, we have determined the
radio spectrum of an elliptical region around the Galactic centre of extent 3
degrees semi-major axis (along the Galactic plane) and 1 degree semi-minor axis
and a second, rectangular region, also centered on the GC, of extent 1.6
degrees x 0.6 degrees. The radio spectra of both regions are non-thermal over
the range of frequencies for which we have data: 74 MHz -- 10 GHz. We also
consider gamma-ray data covering the same region from the EGRET instrument
(about GeV) and from HESS (around TeV). We show how the combination of these
data can be used to place robust constraints on DM annihilation scenarios, in a
way which is relatively insensitive to assumptions about the magnetic field
amplitude in this region. Our results are approximately an order of magnitude
more constraining than existing Galactic centre radio and gamma ray limits. For
a DM mass of m_\chi =10 GeV, and an NFW profile, we find that the
velocity-averaged cross-section must be less than a few times 10^-25 cm^3 s^-1.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures. Version accepted for publication in PRD.
Reference section updated/extended
Edge-functionalized and substitutional doped graphene nanoribbons: electronic and spin properties
Graphene nanoribbons are the counterpart of carbon nanotubes in
graphene-based nanoelectronics. We investigate the electronic properties of
chemically modified ribbons by means of density functional theory. We observe
that chemical modifications of zigzag ribbons can break the spin degeneracy.
This promotes the onset of a semiconducting-metal transition, or of an
half-semiconducting state, with the two spin channels having a different
bandgap, or of a spin-polarized half-semiconducting state -where the spins in
the valence and conduction bands are oppositely polarized. Edge
functionalization of armchair ribbons gives electronic states a few eV away
from the Fermi level, and does not significantly affect their bandgap. N and B
produce different effects, depending on the position of the substitutional
site. In particular, edge substitutions at low density do not significantly
alter the bandgap, while bulk substitution promotes the onset of
semiconducting-metal transitions. Pyridine-like defects induce a
semiconducting-metal transition.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure
Quantum Criticality in an Organic Magnet
Exchange interactions between sites in piperazinium
hexachlorodicuprate produce a frustrated bilayer magnet with a singlet ground
state. We have determined the field-temperature phase diagram by high field
magnetization and neutron scattering experiments. There are two quantum
critical points: T separates a quantum paramagnet phase from a
three dimensional, antiferromagnetically-ordered state while T
marks the onset of a fully polarized state. The ordered phase, which we
describe as a magnon Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), is embedded in a quantum
critical regime with short range correlations. A low temperature anomaly in the
BEC phase boundary indicates that additional low energy features of the
material become important near .Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. Replaced original
text with additional conten
Interaction of carbon clusters with Ni(100) : Application to the nucleation of carbon nanotubes
In order to understand the first stages of the nucleation of carbon nanotubes
in catalytic processes, we present a tight-binding Monte Carlo study of the
stability and cohesive mechanisms of different carbon structures deposited on
nickel (100) surfaces. Depending on the geometry, we obtain contrasted results.
On the one hand, the analysis of the local energy distributions of flat carbon
sheets, demonstrate that dangling bonds remain unsaturated in spite of the
presence of the metallic catalyst. Their adhesion results from the energy gain
of the surface Ni atoms located below the carbon nanostructure. On the other
hand, carbon caps are stabilized by the presence of carbon atoms occupying the
hollow sites of the fcc nickel structure suggesting the saturation of the
dangling bonds
CMB component separation by parameter estimation
We propose a solution to the CMB component separation problem based on
standard parameter estimation techniques. We assume a parametric spectral model
for each signal component, and fit the corresponding parameters pixel by pixel
in a two-stage process. First we fit for the full parameter set (e.g.,
component amplitudes and spectral indices) in low-resolution and high
signal-to-noise ratio maps using MCMC, obtaining both best-fit values for each
parameter, and the associated uncertainty. The goodness-of-fit is evaluated by
a chi^2 statistic. Then we fix all non-linear parameters at their
low-resolution best-fit values, and solve analytically for high-resolution
component amplitude maps. This likelihood approach has many advantages: The
fitted model may be chosen freely, and the method is therefore completely
general; all assumptions are transparent; no restrictions on spatial variations
of foreground properties are imposed; the results may be rigorously monitored
by goodness-of-fit tests; and, most importantly, we obtain reliable error
estimates on all estimated quantities. We apply the method to simulated Planck
and six-year WMAP data based on realistic models, and show that separation at
the muK level is indeed possible in these cases. We also outline how the
foreground uncertainties may be rigorously propagated through to the CMB power
spectrum and cosmological parameters using a Gibbs sampling technique.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, submitted to ApJ. For a high-resolution
version, see http://www.astro.uio.no/~hke/docs/eriksen_et_al_fgfit.p
Raman imaging and electronic properties of graphene
Graphite is a well-studied material with known electronic and optical
properties. Graphene, on the other hand, which is just one layer of carbon
atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, has been studied theoretically for quite
some time but has only recently become accessible for experiments. Here we
demonstrate how single- and multi-layer graphene can be unambiguously
identified using Raman scattering. Furthermore, we use a scanning Raman set-up
to image few-layer graphene flakes of various heights. In transport experiments
we measure weak localization and conductance fluctuations in a graphene flake
of about 7 monolayer thickness. We obtain a phase-coherence length of about 2
m at a temperature of 2 K. Furthermore we investigate the conductivity
through single-layer graphene flakes and the tuning of electron and hole
densities via a back gate
Faint HI 21-cm Emission Line Wings at Forbidden-Velocities
We present the results of a search for faint HI 21-cm emission line wings at
velocities forbidden by Galactic rotation in the Galactic plane using the
Leiden/Dwingeloo HI Survey data and the HI Southern Galactic Plane Survey data.
These ``forbidden-velocity wings (FVWs)'' appear as protruding excessive
emission in comparison with their surroundings in limited (< 2 deg) spatial
regions over velocity extent more than ~20 km/s in large-scale (l-v) diagrams.
Their high-velocities imply that there should be some dynamical phenomena
associated. We have identified 87 FVWs. We present their catalog, and discuss
their distribution and statistical properties. We found that 85% of FVWs are
not coincident with known supernova remnants (SNRs), galaxies, or high-velocity
clouds. Their natures are currently unknown. We suspect that many of them are
fast-moving HI shells and filaments associated with the oldest SNRs that are
essentially invisible except via their HI line emission. We discuss other
possible origins.Comment: 41 pages, 14 figures, to be published in apj
Characteristics of EGRET Blazars in the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey (VIPS)
We examine the radio properties of EGRET-detected blazars observed as part of
the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey (VIPS). VIPS has a flux limit roughly
an order of magnitude below the MOJAVE survey and most other samples that have
been used to study the properties of EGRET blazars. At lower flux levels, radio
flux density does not directly correlate with gamma-ray flux density. We do
find that the EGRET-detected blazars tend to have higher brightness
temperatures, greater core fractions, and possibly larger than average jet
opening angles. A weak correlation is also found with jet length and with
polarization. All of the well-established trends can be explained by
systematically larger Doppler factors in the gamma-ray loud blazars, consistent
with the measurements of higher apparent velocities found in monitoring
programs carried out at radio frequencies above 10 GHz.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, accepted to Ap
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