Coupled quantum dots fabricated by cleaved edge overgrowth: from artificial atoms to molecules

Atomically precise quantum dots of mesoscopic size have been fabricated in the gallium arsenide-aluminum gallium arsenide material system by cleaved edge overgrowth, with a high degree of control over shape, composition, and position. The formation of bonding and antibonding states between two such "artificial atoms" was studied as a function of quantum dot separation by microscopic photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The coupling strength within these "artificial molecules" is characterized by a systematic dependence of the separation of the bonding and antibonding levels, and of the PL linewidth, on the "interatomic" distance. This model system opens new insights into the physics of coupled quantum objects.     

Fine structure constant defines visual transparency of graphene

There are few phenomena in condensed matter physics that are defined only by the fundamental constants and do not depend on material parameters. Examples are the resistivity quantum, h/e2 (h is Planck's constant and e the electron charge), that appears in a variety of transport experiments and the magnetic flux quantum, h/e, playing an important role in the physics of superconductivity. By and large, sophisticated facilities and special measurement conditions are required to observe any of these phenomena. We show that the opacity of suspended graphene is defined solely by the fine structure constant, a = e2/hc feminine 1/137 (where c is the speed of light), the parameter that describes coupling between light and relativistic electrons and that is traditionally associated with quantum electrodynamics rather than materials science. Despite being only one atom thick, graphene is found to absorb a significant (pa = 2.3%) fraction of incident white light, a consequence of graphene's unique electronic structure.     

Topological phase transition and texture inversion in a tunable topological insulator

The recently discovered three-dimensional or bulk topological insulators are expected to exhibit exotic quantum phenomena. It is believed that a trivial insulator can be twisted into a topological state by modulating the spin-orbit interaction or the crystal lattice, driving the system through a topological quantum phase transition. By directly measuring the topological quantum numbers and invariants, we report the observation of a phase transition in a tunable spin-orbit system, BiTl(S(1-δ)Se(δ))(2), in which the topological state formation is visualized. In the topological state, vortex-like polarization states are observed to exhibit three-dimensional vectorial textures, which collectively feature a chirality transition as the spin momentum-locked electrons on the surface go through the zero carrier density point. Such phase transition and texture inversion can be the physical basis for observing fractional charge (±e/2) and other fractional topological phenomena.     

Intersubband electroluminescence from silicon-based quantum cascade structures

The quantum cascade laser, which uses electronic transitions within a single band of a semiconductor, constitutes a possible way to integrate active optical components into silicon-based technology. This concept necessitates a transition with a narrow linewidth and an upper state with a sufficiently long lifetime. We report the observation of intersubband electroluminescence from a p-type silicon/silicon-germanium quantum cascade structure, centered at 130 millielectron volts with a width of 22 millielectron volts, with the expected polarization, and discernible up to 180 kelvin. The nonradiative lifetime is found to depend strongly on the design of the quantum well structure, and is shown to reach values comparable to that of an equivalent GaInAs/AlInAs laser structure.     

Sonic hedgehog control of size and shape in midbrain pattern formation

Little is known about how patterns of cell types are organized to form brain structures of appropriate size and shape. To study this process, we employed in vivo electroporation during midbrain development to create ectopic sources of Sonic Hedgehog, a signaling molecule previously shown to specify different neuronal cell types in a concentration-dependent manner in vitro. We provide direct evidence that a Sonic Hedgehog source can control pattern at a distance in brain development and demonstrate that the size, shape, and orientation of the cell populations produced depend on the geometry of the morphogen source. Thus, a single regulatory molecule can coordinate tissue size and shape with cell-type identity in brain development.     

Macroscopic quantum effects in nanometer-scale magnets

Quantum tunneling, the passage of a microscopic system from one state to another by way of a classically forbidden path, is theoretically possible in the macroscopic world. One can now make direct observations of such macroscopic quantum tunneling in very small magnetic structures. This is possible because of significant advances both in the ability to obtain magnetic systems of almost any desirable size, shape, and composition and in the development of superconducting instrumentation for the detection of extremely weak magnetic signals. As an example, measurements on magnetic horse spleen ferritin proteins with the predictions of quantum tunneling theory are discussed and shown.     

A fluoroquinolone resistance protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis that mimics DNA

Fluoroquinolones are gaining increasing importance in the treatment of tuberculosis. The expression of MfpA, a member of the pentapeptide repeat family of proteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, causes resistance to ciprofloxacin and sparfloxacin. This protein binds to DNA gyrase and inhibits its activity. Its three-dimensional structure reveals a fold, which we have named the right-handed quadrilateral beta helix, that exhibits size, shape, and electrostatic similarity to B-form DNA. This represents a form of DNA mimicry and explains both its inhibitory effect on DNA gyrase and fluoroquinolone resistance resulting from the protein's expression in vivo.     

Size Dependence of Structural Metastability in Semiconductor Nanocrystals

The kinetics of a first-order, solid-solid phase transition were investigated in the prototypical nanocrystal system CdSe as a function of crystallite size. In contrast to extended solids, nanocrystals convert from one structure to another by single nucleation events, and the transformations obey simple unimolecular kinetics. Barrier heights were observed to increase with increasing nanocrystal size, although they also depend on the nature of the nanocrystal surface. These results are analogous to magnetic phase transitions in nanocrystals and suggest general rules that may be of use in the discovery of new metastable phases.     

Quantum optimally controlled transition landscapes

A large number of experimental studies and simulations show that it is surprisingly easy to find excellent quality control over broad classes of quantum systems. We now prove that for controllable quantum systems with no constraints placed on the controls, the only allowed extrema of the transition probability landscape correspond to perfect control or no control. Under these conditions, no suboptimal local extrema exist as traps that would impede the search for an optimal control. The identified landscape structure is universal for all controllable quantum systems of the same dimension when seeking to maximize the same transition probability, regardless of the detailed nature of the system Hamiltonian. The presence of weak control field noise or environmental decoherence is shown to preserve the general structure of the control landscape, but at lower resolution.     

Three-dimensional structure of Hayabusa samples: origin and evolution of Itokawa regolith

Regolith particles on the asteroid Itokawa were recovered by the Hayabusa mission. Their three-dimensional (3D) structure and other properties, revealed by x-ray microtomography, provide information on regolith formation. Modal abundances of minerals, bulk density (3.4 grams per cubic centimeter), and the 3D textures indicate that the particles represent a mixture of equilibrated and less-equilibrated LL chondrite materials. Evidence for melting was not seen on any of the particles. Some particles have rounded edges. Overall, the particles' size and shape are different from those seen in particles from the lunar regolith. These features suggest that meteoroid impacts on the asteroid surface primarily form much of the regolith particle, and that seismic-induced grain motion in the smooth terrain abrades them over time.     

New quantum structures

Structures in which electrons are confined to move in two dimensions (quantum wells) have led to new physical discoveries and technological applications. Modification of these structures to confine the electrons to one dimension (quantum wires) or release them in the third dimension, are predicted to lead to new electrical and optical properties. This article discusses techniques to make quantum wires, and quantum wells of controlled size and shape, from compound semiconductor materials, and describes some of the properties of these structures.     

Quantum communication with zero-capacity channels

Communication over a noisy quantum channel introduces errors in the transmission that must be corrected. A fundamental bound on quantum error correction is the quantum capacity, which quantifies the amount of quantum data that can be protected. We show theoretically that two quantum channels, each with a transmission capacity of zero, can have a nonzero capacity when used together. This unveils a rich structure in the theory of quantum communications, implying that the quantum capacity does not completely specify a channel's ability to transmit quantum information.     

Holes in a Quantum Spin Liquid

Magnetic neutron scattering provides evidence for nucleation of antiferromagnetic droplets around impurities in a doped nickel oxide-based quantum magnet. The undoped parent compound contains a spin liquid with a cooperative singlet ground state and a gap in the magnetic excitation spectrum. Calcium doping creates excitations below the gap with an incommensurate structure factor. We show that weakly interacting antiferromagnetic droplets with a central phase shift of pi and a size controlled by the correlation length of the quantum liquid can account for the data. The experiment provides a quantitative impression of the magnetic polarization cloud associated with holes in a doped transition metal oxide.     

Dislocation avalanches, strain bursts, and the problem of plastic forming at the micrometer scale

Under stress, many crystalline materials exhibit irreversible plastic deformation caused by the motion of lattice dislocations. In plastically deformed microcrystals, internal dislocation avalanches lead to jumps in the stress-strain curves (strain bursts), whereas in macroscopic samples plasticity appears as a smooth process. By combining three-dimensional simulations of the dynamics of interacting dislocations with statistical analysis of the corresponding deformation behavior, we determined the distribution of strain changes during dislocation avalanches and established its dependence on microcrystal size. Our results suggest that for sample dimensions on the micrometer and submicrometer scale, large strain fluctuations may make it difficult to control the resulting shape in a plastic-forming process.     

Probing quantum commutation rules by addition and subtraction of single photons to/from a light field

The possibility of arbitrarily "adding" and "subtracting" single photons to and from a light field may give access to a complete engineering of quantum states and to fundamental quantum phenomena. We experimentally implemented simple alternated sequences of photon creation and annihilation on a thermal field and used quantum tomography to verify the peculiar character of the resulting light states. In particular, as the final states depend on the order in which the two actions are performed, we directly observed the noncommutativity of the creation and annihilation operators, one of the cardinal concepts of quantum mechanics, at the basis of the quantum behavior of light. These results represent a step toward the full quantum control of a field and may provide new resources for quantum information protocols.     

河南省中小城市绿地系统规划特色分析与比较——以三门峡、桐柏、宜阳为例

绿地系统是影响城市生态格局的主导因素与空间形态的重要因素,其特色受城市地形、地貌、气候、空间布局、历史、社会、经济水平等因素影响。中小城市绿地系统与大型城市比较,具有尺度、规模、形态上的巨大差异,以往的研究多局限在大城市绿地系统构建的理论与方法。研究中小型城市绿地系统建设的规律与特征,对于完善绿地系统规划的理论具有重大的现实意义。本文以对河南省三门峡、桐柏、宜阳三个市(县)的绿地系统规划与城市形态及城市特色塑造的分析为基础,运用综合对分析方法,探讨了中小城市绿地系统构建的基本方法与特征,提出了与中小城市城市形态、城市自然、人文要素相适应的绿地系统构建的对策与措施,提出了塑造城市特色建议。     

原木形状识别系统设计

基于原木识别系统的设计原理,以原木沿纵向形状的椭圆形曲线为主,分析了原木的尺寸,以便识别原木的形状,计算原木的材积.原木识别系统采用8个传感器对原木进行8点采样,实测各点的数据,并通过计算机模拟再现原木外形,经过运算分析得出原木端面径级等几何形状参数,并由数据库统一存储和管理每根原木的参数信息.同时对电路系统进行了设计,实现设备与识别系统的接口.原木形状检测装置--WQK3102原木形状识别系统经实际应用表明,可以满足原木形状识别功能的要求.     

Actinide topological insulator materials with strong interaction

Topological band insulators have recently been discovered in spin-orbit coupled two-and three-dimensional systems. We theoretically predict a class of topological insulators where interaction effects play a dominant role. In actinide elements, simple rocksalt compounds formed by Pu and Am lie on the boundary between metals and insulators. We show that interaction drives a quantum phase transition to a topological insulator phase with a single Dirac cone on the surface. These putative topological insulators may provide a setting for both applied and fundamental investigation.     

大型立式隔震储液罐的地震响应数值模拟

为研究储液罐在双向地震波激励下的地震响应,以15×104m3立式浮放隔震储液罐为对象,利用有限元软件ADINA考虑接触非线性,进行大型立式浮放储罐隔震响应数值分析.整个系统主要分为基础隔离部件和液体-结构相互作用子系统两部分,分别利用壳单元和势流体单元模拟罐体结构和液体区域,并用弹簧-阻尼系统等效代替三维隔震.利用Ba...     

几何形态测量学及其在鱼类生态学研究中的应用进展

几何形态测量学为基于笛卡尔地标点的形状统计分析方法。该方法能够较完整地保留原始样本的形态信息,并配合使用数学与统计学方法对形态数据进行分析,目前已广泛应用至包括鱼类生态学在内的诸多领域中。本文简要概述了几何形态测量学的发展、重要概念、研究方法及其在鱼类生态学中的研究进展。几何形态测量学在鱼类生态学领域中的应用可概括为环境对个体发育的影响、适应辐射、功能形态与生态等三个方面。分析结果认为,几何形态测量学能够在生态学研究中较为细致地反映形态差异并配合后续数据分析,但仍需加强理论研究和技术手段开发。该方法在反映功能形态、结合系统发育、多角度或三维形态分析等方面均大有可为。