Investigations of backscattering peaks and of the nature of the confining potential in open quantum dots

The properties of open quantum dots are examined in magneto-transport. The quantum dots are prepared from a two-dimensional electron system (2DES) in AlGaAs/GaAs by lateral gate structures. These quantum dots are open, i.e. they are still connected to the surrounding 2DES regions. The low magnetic field magnetoresistance shows peak structures. These structures can be related to semi-classical ballistic trajectories in the confining potential of a dot. The calculations of different confining potentials (abrupt “hard-wall” and parabolic “soft-wall”) are compared with the experimental results. The experiments are better described by a soft-wall potential.     

Determination of tensile strength of UHMWPE fiber-reinforced polymer composites

Quasi-static tensile test of UHMWPE fiber-reinforced composite laminate is challenging to perform due to low interlaminar shear strength and low coefficient of friction. Tensile tests proposed in the literature were conducted and limitations associated with each method led to the evolution of a new method. Tensile test of single-ply was realized as the best representative of tensile strength of a composite than tensile test of UHMWPE laminate. A fixture was developed for single-ply tests which increased friction and provided the mechanical constraint to slipping. The fixture is easy to fabricate and has provided repeatable results for eight grades of UHMWPE fiber-based (0/90) fabrics. Reported tensile strengths are in quite high range of 900–1500 MPa.     

弹道明胶老化初级阶段的模型

用流变震荡模式研究了10 wt%浓度的弹道明胶在冷却和等温下的老化行为.对明胶从sol-gel点冷却到某个目标温度的过程,通过不同冷却速率的实验,建了一个弹性模量与温度的线性关系.不同温度下明胶的等温老化实验表明,弹性模量-时间曲线具有相似的形状.依据Normand提出的二级反应动力学模型,引入一个表征明胶老化行为的速率常数,构建了一个预测弹道明胶在老化初级阶段的弹性模量演化的模型.该模型中模量-温度关系在初始和无穷大时是直线,其他模量-温度线是近似直线,并交于sol-gel点.老化速率常数和过冷度之间符合Flory-Weaver方程.对弹性模量和老化时间进行归一化处理,可将不同温度下的老化曲线叠加成一条主曲线.     

Effects of atomic-scale contacts on transport properties through single molecules - ab initio study

Using the RTM/NEGF method, which is a first-principles calculation tool for the quantum transport through nanostructures between electrodes, we study the effects of atomic-scale contacts on the transport properties through single molecules. Electronic states and current-voltage (I-V) characteristics are investigated in various contact conditions with and without single molecules between electrodes. We find that similar nonlinear behaviors appear in the I-V characteristics. Such nonlinear behaviors are determined not only by the HOMO-LUMO electronic states of single molecules between electrodes, but also by the atomic-scale contact conditions. We show that the transitions from tunneling to ballistic regimes affect the I-V characteristics significantly.     

On the voltage sensitivity of current in electronic transport

The sensitivity of current-to-voltage is treated by defining an adequate parameter useful for a wide variety of cases within the context of ballistic electron transport. This parameter may be conceived as a normalized conductance which is studied in relation to electronic density of states.     

Ballistic phonon transport through a Fibonacci array of acoustic nanocavities in a narrow constriction

We investigate the ballistic phonon transport through a Fibonacci array of acoustic nanocavities in a narrow constriction of a semiconductor nanowire at low temperatures. It is found that the transmission spectrum of such a system consists of quasiband gaps and narrow resonances caused by the coupling of phonon waves. Both phonon transmission and thermal conductance exhibit the similarity due to the Fibonacci sequence structure. The similarity is sensitive to the number n and parameters of nanocavities. The results are compared with those in a periodic acoustic nanocavities.     

Spin-resolved polarized transport through a quasi one-dimensional mesoscopic quantum ring-shaped conductor with local Rashba spin-orbit interaction

We propose a quasi one-dimensional quantum ring-shaped model associated with Rashba spin-orbit (SO) interaction and Aharomov-Bohm flux to study a spin-dependent quantum transport. It is a possible candidate for spintronic current modulators. By tuning SO coupling strength and Fermi energy, we find there is a broad energy range of small vanishing spin transmission in the resonance and antiresonance interferences. More interestingly, the large on/off spin-resolved polarized conductance ratios are robust even in the presence of strong random on-site Anderson-type disorder in devices, which suggests a potential application in the real system.     

Transfer efficiency in ballistic electron emission microscopy taking diffraction of emitted hot electrons into account

We have analyzed the transfer efficiency of ballistic electron emission microscopy (BEEM), taking the finite spot size of the emitted electron beam from scanning probes into account. Three-dimensional diffraction from an aperture at a surface-metal/air interface is introduced to model an effect caused by the finiteness of spot size. As a general trend, the diffraction decreases BEEM transfer efficiency. The diffraction effect increases as the spot size decreases and the air-gap distance increases. In a Au/GaAs sample, BEEM transfer efficiency markedly deteriorates down to 6% of the value derived from a conventional planar tunneling theory when a spot size of 0.2 nm, an air-gap distance of 0.6 nm, and an electron energy of 0.2 eV, measured from the bottom of the GaAs conduction band, are assumed. BEEM transfer efficiency is markedly dependent on the spot size of the emitted hot electron. This result indicates that the BEEM current depends on the spatial resolution of the scanning probe, that is, the condition of the tip apex.     

Effect of air gaps on ballistic resistance of targets for conical impactors

High velocity penetration of a rigid conical impactor into a ductile target with air gaps between the plates is studied using the cylindrical cavity expansion approximation describing impactor–target interaction. It is showed that the latter model predicts improvement of the ballistic performance of the target with the increase of air gaps. It is found analytically that the ballistic limit velocity of the target consisting of N plates with a fixed total thickness with large air gaps increases with the increase of N. The conditions are discussed when the predicted effects can be most pronounced.