Rippling Instabilities in Suspended Nanoribbons

Morphology mediates the interplay between the structure and electronic transport in atomically thin nanoribbons such as graphene as the relaxation of edge stresses occurs preferentially via out-of-plane deflections. In the case of end-supported suspended nanoribbons that we study here, past experiments and computations have identified a range of equilibrium morphologies, in particular for graphene flakes, yet a unified understanding of their relative stability remains elusive. Here, we employ atomic-scale simulations and a composite framework based on isotropic elastic plate theory to chart out the morphological stability space of suspended nanoribbons with respect to intrinsic (ribbon elasticity) and engineered (ribbon geometry) parameters, and the combination of edge and body actuation. The computations highlight a rich morphological shape space that can be naturally classified into two competing shapes, bending-like and twist-like, depending on the distribution of ripples across the interacting edges. The linearized elastic framework yields exact solutions for these rippled shapes. For compressive edge stresses, the body strain emerges as a key variable that controls their relative stability and in extreme cases stabilizes co-existing transverse ripples. Tensile edge stresses lead to dimples within the ribbon core that decay into the edges, a feature of obvious significance for stretchable nanoelectronics. The interplay between geometry and mechanics that we report should serve as a key input for quantifying the transport along these ribbons.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, Supplementary Informatio

Modeling the environmental controls on tree water use at different temporal scales

Acknowledgements This study is part of the first author’s PhD projects in 2010–2014, co-funded by the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training in Australia and the China Scholarship Council. We give thanks to Zijuan Deng and Xiang Xu for their assistance in the field. Constructive comments and suggestion from the anonymous reviewers are appreciated for significant improvement of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPostprin

Dynamical quantum phase transitions in non-Hermitian lattices

In closed quantum systems, a dynamical phase transition is identified by nonanalytic behaviors of the return probability as a function of time. In this work, we study the nonunitary dynamics following quenches across exceptional points in a non-Hermitian lattice realized by optical resonators. Dynamical quantum phase transitions with topological signatures are found when an isolated exceptional point is crossed during the quench. A topological winding number defined by a real, noncyclic geometric phase is introduced, whose value features quantized jumps at critical times of these phase transitions and remains constant elsewhere, mimicking the plateau transitions in quantum Hall effects. This work provides a simple framework to study dynamical and topological responses in non-Hermitian systems.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Permeability of Concrete with Recycled Concrete Aggregate and Pozzolanic Materials under Stress.

The research reported herein studied the permeability of concrete containing recycled-concrete aggregate (RA), superfine phosphorous slag (PHS), and ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) with and without stress. Test results showed that the chloride diffusion coefficient of RA concrete (RAC) without external loads decreased with time, and the permeability of RAC is much lower than that of the reference concrete due to the on-going hydration and the pozzolanic reaction provided by the PHS and GGBS additives in the RAC mixture. The permeability of chloride under flexural load is much more sensitive than that under compressive load due to the differences in porosity and cracking pattern. At low compressive stress levels, the permeability of chloride decreased by the closing of pores and microcracks within RAC specimens. However, in a relatively short time the chloride diffusion coefficient and the chloride content increased rapidly with the increase of compressive stress when it exceeded a threshold stress level of approximate 35% of the ultimate compressive strength. Under flexural stress, the chloride transport capability increased with the increase of stress level and time. At high compressive and flexural stress levels, creep had a significant effect on the permeability of chloride in the RAC specimens due to the damage from the nucleation and propagation of microcracks over time. It is apparent that mortar cracking has more of a significant effect on the chloride transport in concrete than cracking in the interfacial transition zone (ITZ)

Non-Hermitian dynamics of slowly-varying Hamiltonians

We develop a theoretical description of non-Hermitian time evolution that accounts for the break- down of the adiabatic theorem. We obtain closed-form expressions for the time-dependent state amplitudes, involving the complex eigen-energies as well as inter-band Berry connections calculated using basis sets from appropriately-chosen Schur decompositions. Using a two-level system as an example, we show that our theory accurately captures the phenomenon of "sudden transitions", where the system state abruptly jumps from one eigenstate to another.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure