Optical characterization of individual quantum dots

Optical characterization of single quantum dots (QDs) by means of micro-photoluminescence (μPL) will be reviewed. Both QDs formed in the Stranski–Krastanov mode as well as dots in the apex of pyramidal structures will be presented. For InGaAs/GaAs dots, several excitonic features with different charge states will be demonstrated. By varying the magnitude of an external electric or magnetic field and/or the temperature, it has been demonstrated that the transportation of carriers is affected and accordingly the charge state of a single QD can be tuned. In addition, we have shown that the charge state of the QD can be controlled also by pure optical means, i.e. by altering the photo excitation conditions. Based on the experience of the developed InAs/GaAs QD system, similar methods have been applied on the InGaN/GaN QD system.     

Ultrafast photovoltaic response in ferroelectric nanolayers

We show that light drives large-amplitude structural changes in thin films of the prototypical ferroelectric PbTiO3 via direct coupling to its intrinsic photovoltaic response. Using time-resolved x-ray scattering to visualize atomic displacements on femtosecond time scales, photoinduced changes in the unit-cell tetragonality are observed. These are driven by the motion of photogenerated free charges within the ferroelectric and can be simply explained by a model including both shift and screening currents, associated with the displacement of electrons first antiparallel to and then parallel to the ferroelectric polarization direction.     

Experimental verification of the chemical sensitivity of two-site double core-hole states formed by an x-ray free-electron laser

We have performed x-ray two-photon photoelectron spectroscopy using the Linac Coherent Light Source x-ray free-electron laser in order to study double core-hole (DCH) states of CO2, N2O, and N2. The experiment verifies the theory behind the chemical sensitivity of two-site DCH states by comparing a set of small molecules with respect to the energy shift of the two-site DCH state and by extracting the relevant parameters from this shift.     

Feedback-controlled forcing in hybrid LES/RANS

The computational cost of large eddy simulation (LES) increases rapidly with the Reynolds number when applied to attached boundary layers. This problem can be avoided by use of a Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) model in the inner part of the boundary layer, which reduces the computational cost drastically. Such hybrid LES/RANS methods yield accurate results in general, but suffer from an artificial buffer layer and a shift in the velocity profile around the modeling interface. This velocity shift can be removed by use of additional forcing, but the results are very sensitive to the forcing amplitude.

The present paper proposes a feedback algorithm which efficiently finds the appropriate amplitude and thus yields accurate flow statistics. The feedback algorithm is relatively robust, both in that it is insensitive to the values of the parameters involved and that it yields accurate results with different forcing fields and for different Reynolds numbers. It is argued that the feedback algorithm is consistent with the underlying assumptions of hybrid LES/RANS and that it does not introduce additional empiricism into the method.     

PIV analysis of merging flow in a simplified model of a rotary kiln

Rotary kilns are used in a variety of industrial applications. The focus in this work is on characterizing the non-reacting, isothermal flow field in a rotary kiln used for iron ore pelletization. A downscaled, simplified model of the kiln is experimentally investigated using particle image velocimetry. Five different momentum flux ratios of the two inlet ducts to the kiln are investigated in order to evaluate its effect on the flow field in general and the recirculation zone in particular. Time-averaged and phase-averaged analyses are reported, and it is found that the flow field resembles that of two parallel merging jets, with the same characteristic flow zones. The back plate separating the inlet ducts acts as a bluff body to the flow and creates a region of reversed flow behind it. Due to the semicircular cross-section of the jets, the wake is elongated along the walls. Conclusions are that the flow field shows a dependence on momentum flux ratio of the jets; as the momentum flux ratio approaches unity, there is an increasing presence of von Kármán-type coherent structures with a Strouhal number of between 0.16 and 0.18. These large-scale structures enhance the mixing of the jets and also affect the size of the recirculation zone. It is also shown that the inclination of the upper inlet duct leads to a decrease in length of the recirculation zone in certain cases.     

Suitability of artificial bulk viscosity for large-eddy simulation of turbulent flows with shocks

The artificial bulk viscosity method to numerically capture shocks is investigated for large-eddy simulation (LES). Different variations of this method are tested on a turbulent flow over a cylinder at Reynolds number of 10,000 and free-stream Mach number of 0.85. The artificial bulk viscosity model by Cook and Cabot, which is parameterized by the strain rate magnitude, is found to provide unnecessary bulk viscosity in turbulent regions away from shocks. While developed turbulent structures are found unaffected, this extra bulk viscosity is shown to significantly damp the sound field. An alternative formulation of the model which is parameterized by the rate of dilatation is proposed. This formulation is shown to avoid the unnecessary bulk viscosity and enhance the sound-prediction capability of the model. It was found that standard LES combined with artificial bulk viscosity is a promising approach for simulation of turbulent flows with shocks. The formulation of the model on curvilinear coordinates is presented in the appendix.     

Stability and modal analysis of shock/boundary layer interactions

The dynamics of oblique shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interactions is analyzed by mining a large-eddy simulation (LES) database for various strengths of the incoming shock. The flow dynamics is first analyzed by means of dynamic mode decomposition (DMD), which highlights the simultaneous occurrence of two types of flow modes, namely a low-frequency type associated with breathing motion of the separation bubble, accompanied by flapping motion of the reflected shock, and a high-frequency type associated with the propagation of instability waves past the interaction zone. Global linear stability analysis performed on the mean LES flow fields yields a single unstable zero-frequency mode, plus a variety of marginally stable low-frequency modes whose stability margin decreases with the strength of the interaction. The least stable linear modes are grouped into two classes, one of which bears striking resemblance to the breathing mode recovered from DMD and another class associated with revolving motion within the separation bubble. The results of the modal and linear stability analysis support the notion that low-frequency dynamics is intrinsic to the interaction zone, but some continuous forcing from the upstream boundary layer may be required to keep the system near a limit cycle. This can be modeled as a weakly damped oscillator with forcing, as in the early empirical model by Plotkin (AIAA J 13:1036–1040, 1975).     

Wedge indentation of thin films modelled by strain gradient plasticity

A plane strain study of wedge indentation of a thin film on a substrate is performed. The film is modelled with the strain gradient plasticity theory by Gudmundson [Gudmundson, P., 2004. A unified treatment of strain gradient plasticity. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 52, 1379–1406] and analysed using finite element simulations. Several trends that have been experimentally observed elsewhere are captured in the predictions of the mechanical behaviour of the thin film. Such trends include increased hardness at shallow depths due to gradient effects as well as increased hardness at larger depths due to the influence of the substrate. In between, a plateau is found which is observed to scale linearly with the material length scale parameter. It is shown that the degree of hardening of the material has a strong influence on the substrate effect, where a high hardening modulus gives a larger impact on this effect. Furthermore, pile-up deformation dominated by plasticity at small values of the internal length scale parameter is turned into sink-in deformation where plasticity is suppressed for larger values of the length scale parameter. Finally, it is demonstrated that the effect of substrate compliance has a significant effect on the hardness predictions if the effective stiffness of the substrate is of the same order as the stiffness of the film.     

Process Parameters Optimization,Characterization, and Application of KOH-Activated Norway Spruce Bark Graphitic Biochars for Efficient Azo Dye Adsorption

In this work, Norway spruce bark was used as a precursor to prepare activated biochars (BCs) via chemical activation with potassium hydroxide (KOH) as a chemical activator. A Box–Behnken design (BBD) was conducted to evaluate and identify the optimal conditions to reach high specific surface area and high mass yield of BC samples. The studied BC preparation parameters and their levels were as follows: pyrolysis temperature (700, 800, and 900 °C), holding time (1, 2, and 3 h), and ratio of the biomass: chemical activator of 1: 1, 1.5, and 2. The planned BBD yielded BC with extremely high SSA values, up to 2209 m²·g⁻¹. In addition, the BCs were physiochemically characterized, and the results indicated that the BCs exhibited disordered carbon structures and presented a high quantity of O-bearing functional groups on their surfaces, which might improve their adsorption performance towards organic pollutant removal. The BC with the highest SSA value was then employed as an adsorbent to remove Evans blue dye (EB) and colorful effluents. The kinetic study followed a general-order (GO) model, as the most suitable model to describe the experimental data, while the Redlich–Peterson model fitted the equilibrium data better. The EB adsorption capacity was 396.1 mg·g⁻¹. The employment of the BC in the treatment of synthetic effluents, with several dyes and other organic and inorganic compounds, returned a high percentage of removal degree up to 87.7%. Desorption and cyclability tests showed that the biochar can be efficiently regenerated, maintaining an adsorption capacity of 75% after 4 adsorption–desorption cycles. The results of this work pointed out that Norway spruce bark indeed is a promising precursor for producing biochars with very promising properties.     

A Generalized Information-Theoretic Framework for the Emergence of Hierarchical Abstractions in Resource-Limited Systems

In this paper, a generalized information-theoretic framework for the emergence of multi-resolution hierarchical tree abstractions is developed. By leveraging ideas from information-theoretic signal encoding with side information, this paper develops a tree search problem which considers the generation of multi-resolution tree abstractions when there are multiple sources of relevant and irrelevant, or possibly confidential, information. We rigorously formulate an information-theoretic driven tree abstraction problem and discuss its connections with information-theoretic privacy and resource-limited systems. The problem structure is investigated and a novel algorithm, called G-tree search, is proposed. The proposed algorithm is analyzed and a number of theoretical results are established, including the optimally of the G-tree search algorithm. To demonstrate the utility of the proposed framework, we apply our method to a real-world example and provide a discussion of the results from the viewpoint of designing hierarchical abstractions for autonomous systems.