1,287 research outputs found
High Broadband Light Transmission for Solar Fuels Production Using Dielectric Optical Waveguides in TiOâ Nanocone Arrays
We describe the fabrication and use of arrays of TiOâ nanocones to yield high optical transmission into semiconductor photoelectrodes covered with high surface loadings of light-absorbing electrocatalysts. Covering over 50% of the surface of a light absorber with an array of high-refractive-index TiOâ nanocones imparted antireflective behavior ( 85% transmission of broadband light to the underlying Si, even when thick metal contacts or opaque catalyst coatings were deposited on areas of the light-facing surface that were not directly beneath a nanocone. Three-dimensional full-field electromagnetic simulations for the 400 â 1100 nm spectral range showed that incident broadband illumination couples to multiple waveguide modes in the TiOâ nanocones, reducing interactions of the light with the metal layer. A proof-of-concept experimental demonstration of light-driven water oxidation was performed using a pâșn-Si photoanode decorated with an array of TiOâ nanocones additionally having a Ni catalyst layer electrodeposited onto the areas of the pâșn-Si surface left uncovered by the TiOâ nanocones. This photoanode produced a light-limited photocurrent density of ~ 28 mA cmâ»ÂČ under 100 mW cmâ»ÂČ of simulated Air Mass 1.5 illumination, equivalent to the photocurrent density expected for a bare planar Si surface even though 54% of the front surface of the Si was covered by an ~ 70 nm thick Ni metal layer
Nickel: A very fast diffuser in silicon
Nickel is increasingly used in both IC and photovoltaic device fabrication, yet it has the potential to create highly recombination-active precipitates in silicon. For nearly three decades, the accepted nickel diffusivity in silicon has been DNi(T)=2.3Ă10expâ3 exp(â0.47 eV/kBT) cm2/s, a surprisingly low value given reports of rapid nickel diffusion in industrial applications. In this paper, we employ modern experimental methods to measure the higher nickel diffusivity DNi(T)=(1.69±0.74)Ă10expâ4 exp(â0.15±0.04 eV/kBT) âcm2/s. The measured activation energy is close to that predicted by first-principles theory using the nudged-elastic-band method. Our measured diffusivity of nickel is higher than previously published values at temperatures below 1150â°C, and orders of magnitude higher when extrapolated to room temperature.Peer reviewe
Bose-Einstein correlations of same-sign charged pions in the forward region in pp collisions at âs=7 TeV
Bose-Einstein correlations of same-sign charged pions, produced in protonproton collisions at a 7 TeV centre-of-mass energy, are studied using a data sample collected
by the LHCb experiment. The signature for Bose-Einstein correlations is observed in the
form of an enhancement of pairs of like-sign charged pions with small four-momentum
difference squared. The charged-particle multiplicity dependence of the Bose-Einstein correlation parameters describing the correlation strength and the size of the emitting source
is investigated, determining both the correlation radius and the chaoticity parameter. The
measured correlation radius is found to increase as a function of increasing charged-particle
multiplicity, while the chaoticity parameter is seen to decreas
Study of charmonium production in b -hadron decays and first evidence for the decay Bs0
Using decays to Ï-meson pairs, the inclusive production of charmonium states in b-hadron decays is studied with pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fbâ1, collected by the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. Denoting byBC ⥠B(b â C X) Ă B(C â ÏÏ) the inclusive branching fraction of a b hadron to a charmonium state C that decays into a pair of Ï mesons, ratios RC1C2 ⥠BC1 /BC2 are determined as RÏc0ηc(1S) = 0.147 ± 0.023 ± 0.011, RÏc1ηc(1S) =0.073 ± 0.016 ± 0.006, RÏc2ηc(1S) = 0.081 ± 0.013 ± 0.005,RÏc1 Ïc0 = 0.50 ± 0.11 ± 0.01, RÏc2 Ïc0 = 0.56 ± 0.10 ± 0.01and Rηc(2S)ηc(1S) = 0.040 ± 0.011 ± 0.004. Here and below the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic.Upper limits at 90% confidence level for the inclusive production of X(3872), X(3915) and Ïc2(2P) states are obtained as RX(3872)Ïc1 < 0.34, RX(3915)Ïc0 < 0.12 andRÏc2(2P)Ïc2 < 0.16. Differential cross-sections as a function of transverse momentum are measured for the ηc(1S) andÏc states. The branching fraction of the decay B0s â ÏÏÏ is measured for the first time, B(B0s â ÏÏÏ) = (2.15±0.54±0.28±0.21B)Ă10â6. Here the third uncertainty is due to the branching fraction of the decay B0s â ÏÏ, which is used for normalization. No evidence for intermediate resonances is seen. A preferentially transverse Ï polarization is observed.The measurements allow the determination of the ratio of the branching fractions for the ηc(1S) decays to ÏÏ and p p asB(ηc(1S)â ÏÏ)/B(ηc(1S)â p p) = 1.79 ± 0.14 ± 0.32
High Broadband Light Transmission for Solar Fuels Production Using Dielectric Optical Waveguides in TiOâ Nanocone Arrays
We describe the fabrication and use of arrays of TiOâ nanocones to yield high optical transmission into semiconductor photoelectrodes covered with high surface loadings of light-absorbing electrocatalysts. Covering over 50% of the surface of a light absorber with an array of high-refractive-index TiOâ nanocones imparted antireflective behavior ( 85% transmission of broadband light to the underlying Si, even when thick metal contacts or opaque catalyst coatings were deposited on areas of the light-facing surface that were not directly beneath a nanocone. Three-dimensional full-field electromagnetic simulations for the 400 â 1100 nm spectral range showed that incident broadband illumination couples to multiple waveguide modes in the TiOâ nanocones, reducing interactions of the light with the metal layer. A proof-of-concept experimental demonstration of light-driven water oxidation was performed using a pâșn-Si photoanode decorated with an array of TiOâ nanocones additionally having a Ni catalyst layer electrodeposited onto the areas of the pâșn-Si surface left uncovered by the TiOâ nanocones. This photoanode produced a light-limited photocurrent density of ~ 28 mA cmâ»ÂČ under 100 mW cmâ»ÂČ of simulated Air Mass 1.5 illumination, equivalent to the photocurrent density expected for a bare planar Si surface even though 54% of the front surface of the Si was covered by an ~ 70 nm thick Ni metal layer
Measurement of the inelastic pp cross-section at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV
The cross-section for inelastic proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV is measured with the LHCb detector. The fiducial cross-section for inelastic interactions producing at least one prompt long-lived charged particle with momentum p > 2 GeV/c in the pseudorapidity range 2 < η < 5 is determined to be Ï acc = 62:2 ± 0:2 ± 2:5mb. The first uncertainty is the intrinsic systematic uncertainty of the measurement, the second is due to the uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The statistical uncertainty is negligible. Extrapolation to full phase space yields the total inelastic proton-proton cross-section Ï inel = 75:4 ± 3:0 ± 4:5mb, where the first uncertainty is experimental and the second due to the extrapolation. An updated value of the inelastic cross-section at a centre-of-mass energy of 7TeV is also reported
Hetero-type dual photoanodes for unbiased solar water splitting with extended light harvesting
Metal oxide semiconductors are promising photoelectrode materials for solar water splitting due to their robustness in aqueous solutions and low cost. Yet, their solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiencies are still not high enough for practical applications. Here we present a strategy to enhance the efficiency of metal oxides, hetero-type dual photoelectrodes, in which two photoanodes of different bandgaps are connected in parallel for extended light harvesting. Thus, a photoelectrochemical device made of modified BiVO4 and alpha-Fe2O3 as dual photoanodes utilizes visible light up to 610nm for water splitting, and shows stable photocurrents of 7.0 +/- 0.2 mA cm(-2) at 1.23 V-RHE under 1 sun irradiation. A tandem cell composed with the dual photoanodes-silicon solar cell demonstrates unbiased water splitting efficiency of 7.7%. These results and concept represent a significant step forward en route to the goal of >10% efficiency required for practical solar hydrogen production.ope
Updated Determination of Dâ°âDÂŻâ°Mixing and CP Violation Parameters with Dâ°âKâșÏâ» Decays
We report measurements of charm-mixing parameters based on the decay-time-dependent ratio of Dâ°âKâșÏâ» to Dâ°âKâ»Ïâș rates. The analysis uses a data sample of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0ââfbâ»Âč recorded by the LHCb experiment from 2011 through 2016. Assuming charge-parity (CP) symmetry, the mixing parameters are determined to be xâČÂČ=(3.9±2.7)Ă10â»â”, yâČ=(5.28±0.52)Ă10â»Âł, and R[subscript D]=(3.454±0.031)Ă10â»Âł. Without this assumption, the measurement is performed separately for Dâ° and D[over ÂŻ]â° mesons, yielding a direct CP-violating asymmetry A[subscript D]=(-0.1±9.1)Ă10â»Âł, and magnitude of the ratio of mixing parameters 1.00<|q/p|<1.35 at the 68.3% confidence level. All results include statistical and systematic uncertainties and improve significantly upon previous single-measurement determinations. No evidence for CP violation in charm mixing is observed
Observation of Dâ° Meson Decays to Î âșÏâ»ÎŒâșΌ⻠and KâșKâ»ÎŒâșΌ⻠Final States
The first observation of the Dâ°âÏâșÏâ»ÎŒâșΌ⻠and Dâ°âKâșKâ»ÎŒâșΌ⻠decays is reported using a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by LHCb at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV, and corresponding to 2ââfbâ»Âč of integrated luminosity. The corresponding branching fractions are measured using as normalization the decay Dâ°âKâ»Ïâș[ÎŒâșÎŒâ»][subscript Ïâ°/Ï], where the two muons are consistent with coming from the decay of a Ïâ° or Ï meson. The results are B(Dâ°âÏâșÏâ»ÎŒâșÎŒâ»)=(9.64±0.48±0.51±0.97)Ă10â»â· and B(Dâ°âKâșKâ»ÎŒâșÎŒâ»)=(1.54±0.27±0.09±0.16)Ă10â»â·, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to the limited knowledge of the normalization branching fraction. The dependence of the branching fraction on the dimuon mass is also investigated
Study of prompt D0 meson production in pPb collisions at âsNN=5 TeV
Production of prompt D0 mesons is studied in proton-lead and lead-proton collisions recorded at the LHCb detector at the LHC. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.58±0.02 nbâ1 recorded at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of âsNN=5 TeV. Measurements of the differential cross-section, the forward-backward production ratio and the nuclear modification factor are reported using D 0 candidates with transverse momenta less than 10 GeV/c and rapidities in the ranges 1.5 < y â < 4.0 and â5.0 < y â < â2.5 in the nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass system.S
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