Asymmetry of the water flux induced by the deformation of a nanotube

The behavior of nano-confined water is expected to be fundamentally different from the behavior of bulk water.At the nanoscale,it is still unclear whether water flows more easily along the convergent direction or the divergent one,and whether a hourglass shape is more convenient than a funnel shape for water molecules to pass through a nanotube.Here,we present an approach to explore these questions by changing the deformation position of a carbon nanotube.The results of our molecular dynamics simulation indicate that the water flux through the nanotube changes significantly when the deformation position moves away from the middle region of the tube.Different from the macroscopic level,we find water flux asymmetry(water flows more easily along the convergent direction than along the divergent one),which plays a key role in a nano water pump driven by a ratchet-like mechanism.We explore the mechanism and calculate the water flux by means of the Fokker-Planck equation and find that our theoretical results are well consistent with the simulation results.Furthermore,the simulation results demonstrate that the effect of deformation location on the water flux will be reduced when the diameter of the nanochannel increases.These findings are helpful for devising water transporters or filters based on carbon nanotubes and understanding the molecular mechanism of biological channels.     

Two-state system in an oscillating field

We consider two states connected by two channels, one of which is activated but the other has no potential barrier. The height of the barrier is oscillating together with an external ac-field. We find that an external field shifts the average populations of the states and tends to equalize them. The steady-state flux circulates along the close circuit formed by these channels.     

Gating-by-tilt of mechanically sensitive membrane channels

We propose an alternative mechanism for the gating of biological membrane channels in response to membrane tension that involves a change in the slope of the membrane near the channel. Under biological membrane tensions we show that the energy difference between the closed (tilted) and open (untilted) states can far exceed k(B)T and is comparable to what is available under simple dilational gating. Recent experiments demonstrate that membrane leaflet asymmetries (spontaneous curvature) can strongly affect the gating of some channels. Such a phenomenon would be easier to explain under gating-by-tilt, given its novel intrinsic sensitivity to such asymmetry.     

Physics of size selectivity

We demonstrate that two mechanisms used by biological ion channels to select particles by size are driven by entropy. With uncharged particles in an infinite cylinder, we show that a channel that attracts particles is small-particle selective and that a channel that repels water from the wall is large-particle selective. Comparing against the extensive density-functional theory calculations of our model, we find that the main physics can be understood with surprisingly simple bulk models that neglect the confining geometry of the channel completely.     

Persistent currents in a thin hollow cylinder: The role of virtual channels

We investigate analytically and numerically the energy bands, persistent currents and the magnetic moment in a thin hollow cylinder in the presence of a magnetic field including the spin. Two different cases are considered systematically, an Aharonov-Bohm flux threading the hole of a cylinder and a magnetic field penetrating the whole cylinder. It is shown that the halving of the fundamental period of the magnetic moment can be attributed to the coupling of the azimuthal and paraxial electron motions caused by the impurity scattering. The influence of the virtual channels, resulting from evanescent states, on the energy bands and persistent currents is examined in detail. The virtual channels assure a continuous reconstruction of the energy bands immediately under the thresholds of the channels.     

Maximum relative entropy of coherence for quantum channels

Based on the resource theory for quantifying the coherence of quantum channels, we introduce a new coherence quantifier for quantum channels via maximum relative entropy. We prove that the maximum relative entropy for coherence of quantum channels is directly related to the maximally coherent channels under a particular class of superoperations, which results in an operational interpretation of the maximum relative entropy for coherence of quantum channels. We also introduce the conception of subsuperchannels and sub-superchannel discrimination. For any quantum channels, we show that the advantage of quantum channels in sub-superchannel discrimination can be exactly characterized by the maximum relative entropy of coherence for quantum channels. Similar to the maximum relative entropy of coherence for channels, the robustness of coherence for quantum channels has also been investigated. We show that the maximum relative entropy of coherence for channels provides new operational interpretations of robustness of coherence for quantum channels and illustrates the equivalence of the dephasing-covariant superchannels,incoherent superchannels, and strictly incoherent superchannels in these two operational tasks.     

Boiling heat transfer of refrigerant R-21 in upward flow in plate-fin heat exchanger

The article presents the results of experimental investigation of boiling heat transfer of refrigerant R-21 in upward flow in a vertical plate-fin heat exchanger with transverse size of the channels that is smaller than the capillary constant. The heat transfer coefficients obtained in ranges of small mass velocities and low heat fluxes, which are typical of the industry, have been poorly studied yet. The characteristic patterns of the upward liquid-vapor flow in the heat exchanger channels and the regions of their existence are detected. The obtained data show a weak dependence of heat transfer coefficient on equilibrium vapor quality, mass flow rate, and heat flux density and do not correspond to calculations by the known heat transfer models. A possible reason for this behavior is a decisive influence of evaporation of thin liquid films on the heat transfer at low heat flux.     

Neutral fermion excitations in the Moore-Read state at filling factor ν = 5/2

We present evidence supporting the weakly paired Moore-Read phase in the half-filled second Landau level, focusing on some of the qualitative features of its excitations. Based on numerical studies, we show that systems with odd particle number at the flux N(?)=2N-3 can be interpreted as a neutral fermion mode of one unpaired fermion, which is gapped. The mode is found to have two distinct minima, providing a signature that could be observed by photoluminescence. In the presence of two quasiparticles the same neutral fermion excitation is shown to be gapless, confirming expectations for non-abelian statistics of the Ising model with degenerate fusion channels 1 and ψ.     

Persistent currents in mesoscopic cavities and the effect of level crossings as random variables

In the present article we perform analytical and numerical calculations related to persistent currents in 2D isolated mesoscopic annular cavities threaded by a magnetic flux. The system considered has a high number of open channels and therefore the single particle spectrum exhibits many level crossings as the flux varies. We determine the effect of the distribution of level crossings on the typical persistent current. Received 5 July 1999     

e/3 Laughlin quasiparticle primary-filling nu=1/3 interferometer

We report experimental realization of a quasiparticle interferometer where the entire system is in 1/3 primary fractional quantum Hall state. The interferometer consists of chiral edge channels coupled by quantum-coherent tunneling in two constrictions, thus enclosing an Aharonov-Bohm area. We observe magnetic flux and charge periods h/e and e/3, equivalent to the creation of one quasielectron in the island. Quantum theory predicts a 3h/e flux period for charge e/3, integer statistics particles. Thus, the observed periods demonstrate the anyonic braiding statistics of Laughlin quasiparticles.     

用于热光伏系统的近场辐射光谱控制表面结构

为提升近场热光伏发电系统的能源转换效率和发电功率,设计了Ⅲ-Ⅴ族半导体表面的矩形光栅结构,以实现从热发射器到热光伏电池的近场辐射热流选择性调制.使用在近红外波段具有表面等离子体激元特性的掺杂氧化锌作为热发射器,在GaSb热光伏电池表面添加亚微米二维光栅结构,在近场间距下形成与表面波耦合的陷光效应,由此有选择性地增强了电池能带内的光谱辐射热流.有别于以往类似研究中常用的等效近似方法,开展了时域有限差分方法模拟,能够严格考虑周期性结构细节,结合以涨落耗散理论为基础的Langevin方法,直接计算了复杂结构参与的近场辐射传热问题,以此揭示表面结构影响近场辐射传热的物理机理.结果显示使用带表面结构的薄膜GaSb电池,可使辐射热流的光谱峰值达到同温度远场黑体辐射源情况下的2.84倍,且热流增益区集中在波长略短于电池能带的窄波段区间,适应高效率、高功率热光伏系统对辐射传热设计的要求.     

Direct measurement of the phase-coherence length in a GaAs/GaAlAs square network

The low temperature magnetoconductance of a large array of quantum coherent loops exhibits Altshuler-Aronov-Spivak oscillations with a periodicity corresponding to 1/2 flux quantum per loop. We show that the measurement of the harmonics content provides an accurate way to determine the electron phase-coherence length L(phi) in units of the lattice length with no adjustable parameters. We use this method to determine L(phi) in a square network realized from a 2D electron gas in a GaAs/GaAlAs heterojunction, with only a few conducting channels. The temperature dependence follows a power law T(-1/3) from 1.3 K to 25 mK with no saturation, as expected for 1D diffusive electronic motion and electron-electron scattering as the main decoherence mechanism.     

High power self-controled volume discharge based molecular lasers

An investigation was made of the characteristics of the formation of a selfcontroled volume discharge for the pumping of CO₂ lasers, i.e. self-sustained volume discharge (SSVD), which involved a preliminary filling of a discharge gap by an electron flux from an auxiliary-discharge plasma. We have found that this method was suitable for large interelectrode gaps, that distortion of the electric field in the gap by the space charge of the electron flux played an important role in the formation of the discharge and that the electrodes could be profiled dynamically during propagation of an electron flux through the discharge gap and a SSVD could form in systems with a strongly inhomogeneous field. High power SSVD based CO₂ laser systems have been created and investigated. Another type of self-controled volume discharge without pre-ionization, i.e. a selfinitiated volume discharge (SIVD), in nonchain HF lasers with SF₆−C₂H₆ mixtures was investigated as well in our review. We have established that, after the primary local electrical breakdown of the discharge gap, the SIVD spreads along the gap in directions perpendicular to that of the electric field by means of the successive formation of overlapping diffuse channels under a discharge voltage close to its quasi-steady state value. It is shown that, as new channels appear, the current flowing through the channels formed earlier decreases. The volume occupied by the SIVD increases with increase in the energy deposited in the plasma and, when the discharge volume is confined by a dielectric surface, the discharge voltage increases simultaneously with increase in the current. The possible mechanisms which explain the observed phenomena, namely the dissociation of SF₆ molecules and electron attachment SF₆ molecules, are examined. A simple analytical model, which makes it possible to describe these mechanisms at a qualitative level, was developed. High power SIVD based HF(DF) lasers have been developed and tested.     

FC-72在竖直壁面上及微小三角型通道内的沸腾传热

本文对浸在FC-72液池中的竖直壁面及两个微小三角形通道进行了沸腾实验研究,考虑了管道尺寸对沸腾传热特性的影响。两个微小三角形通道的边长分别为1.5和2.5 mm,水力直径分别为0.87和1.44 mm,长度50 mm,采用铜块上开V型沟槽,再覆盖上透明的玻璃片构成。热流密度由贴在铜块背后的膜状加热器提供。实验得到了沸腾曲线和传热系数,并用DV摄影机拍摄到了沸腾状况。实验结果显示,管道尺寸对沸腾传热特性有显著的影响,CHF值随通道尺寸的减小而减小,小通道在低热流密度时传热系数较大。     

Kinetics and mechanism of proton transport across membrane nanopores

We use computer simulations to study the kinetics and mechanism of proton passage through a narrow-pore carbon-nanotube membrane separating reservoirs of liquid water. Free energy and rate constant calculations show that protons move across the membrane diffusively along single-file chains of hydrogen-bonded water molecules. Proton passage through the membrane is opposed by a high barrier in the effective potential, reflecting the large electrostatic penalty for desolvation and reminiscent of charge exclusion in biological water channels. At neutral pH, we estimate a translocation rate of about 1 proton per hour and tube.     

Dynamics of Finger Formation in Laplacian Growth Without Surface Tension

We study the dynamics of “finger” formation in Laplacian growth without surface tension in a channel geometry (the Saffman–Taylor problem). We present a pedagogical derivation of the dynamics of the conformal map from a strip in the complex plane to the physical channel. In doing so we pay attention to the boundary conditions (no flux rather than periodic) and derive a field equation of motion for the conformal map. We first consider an explicit analytic class of conformal maps that form a basis for solutions in infinitely long channels, characterized by meromorphic derivatives. The great bulk of these solutions can lose conformality due to finite time singularities. By considerations of the nature of the analyticity of these solutions, we show that those solutions which are free of such singularities inevitably result in a single asymptotic “finger” whose width is determined by initial conditions. This is in contradiction with the experimental results that indicate selection of a finger of width 1/2. In the last part of this paper we show that such a solution might be determined by the boundary conditions of a finite body of fluid, e.g. finiteness can lead to pattern selection.     

Nearly space-filling fractal networks of carbon nanopores

Small-angle x-ray scattering, nitrogen adsorption, and scanning tunneling microscopy show that a series of activated carbons host an extended fractal network of channels with dimension D(p) = 2.8-3.0 (pore fractal), channel width 15-20 A (lower end of scaling), network diameter 3000-3400 A (upper end of scaling), and porosity of 0.3-0.6. We interpret the network as a stack of quasiplanar invasion percolation clusters, formed by oxidative removal of walls between closed voids of diameter of approximately 10 A and held in registry by fibrils of the biological precursor, and point out unique applications.     

Operational interpretation for global multipartite entanglement

We introduce an operational interpretation for pure-state global multipartite entanglement based on quantum estimation. We show that the estimation of the strength of low-noise locally depolarizing channels, as quantified by the regularized quantum Fisher information, is directly related to the Meyer-Wallach multipartite entanglement measure. Using channels that depolarize across different partitions, we obtain related multipartite entanglement measures. We show that this measure is the sum of expectation values of local observables on two copies of the state.