Morphological instability in InAs/GaSb superlattices due to interfacial bonds

Synchrotron x-ray diffraction is used to compare the misfit strain and composition in a self-organized nanowire array in an InAs/GaSb superlattice with InSb interfacial bonds to a planar InAs/GaSb superlattice with GaAs interfacial bonds. It is found that the morphological instability that occurs in the nanowire array results from the large misfit strain that the InSb interfacial bonds have in the nanowire array. Based on this result, we propose that tailoring the type of interfacial bonds during the epitaxial growth of III-V semiconductor films provides a novel approach for producing the technologically important morphological instability in anomalously thin layers.     

Hopping on a zig-zag course

We study the diffusion coefficient of Active Brownian particles in two dimensions. In addition to usual attributes of active motion we let the particles turn in preferred directions over random times. This angular motion is modeled by an effective Lorentz force with time dependent frequency switching between two values at exponentially distributed random times. The diffusion coefficient is calculated by the Taylor-Kubo formula where distributions found from a Fokker-Planck equation or from a continuous time random walk approach have been inserted for averaging. Eventually properties of the diffusion coefficient will be discussed.     

Does sex induce a phase transition?

We discovered a dynamic phase transition induced by sexual reproduction. The dynamics is a pure Darwinian rule applied to diploid bit-strings with both fundamental ingredients to drive Darwin's evolution: (1) random mutations and crossings which act in the sense of increasing the entropy (or diversity); and (2) selection which acts in the opposite sense by limiting the entropy explosion. Selection wins this competition if mutations performed at birth are few enough, and thus the wild genotype dominates the steady-state population. By slowly increasing the average number m of mutations, however, the population suddenly undergoes a mutational degradation precisely at a transition point m_c. Above this point, the “bad” alleles (represented by 1-bits) spread over the genetic pool of the population, overcoming the selection pressure. Individuals become selectively alike, and evolution stops. Only below this point, m < m_c, evolutionary life is possible. The finite-size-scaling behaviour of this transition is exhibited for large enough “chromosome” lengths L, through lengthy computer simulations. One important and surprising observation is the L-independence of the transition curves, for large L. They are also independent on the population size. Another is that m_c is near unity, i.e. life cannot be stable with much more than one mutation per diploid genome, independent of the chromosome length, in agreement with reality. One possible consequence is that an eventual evolutionary jump towards larger L enabling the storage of more genetic information would demand an improved DNA copying machinery in order to keep the same total number of mutations per offspring.     

Non-dynamical stochastic resonance: Theory and experiments with white and various coloured noises

Summary We describe the simplest system which shows stochastic resonance. A linear(ized) theory for white and (almost) arbitrarily coloured noise is presented. The presented new system has new, unique properties which originate from itsnon-dynamical character; for example, the strength and phase shift of periodic response of the system is independent of the frequency. Experiments have been carried out with the following noise processes: (physical) white noise, (physical) Lorentzian noise and (physical) 1/f noise. With a small extension of the system, its linear-response regime can be significantly increased. As the system is similar to some simple models of neurones, the new results might have not only physical but also biological importance. Paper presented at the International Workshop “Fluctuations in Physics and Biology: Stochastic Resonance, Signal Processing and Related Phenomena”, Elba, 5–10 June 1994.     

A laser scanning system for the measurement of facial surface morphology

A no contact system based on laser scanning, which records 20 000 facial surface coordinates with a dynamic resolution of approximately 0·9mm in 30s, has been developed for the study of facial changes following facial reconstructive surgery. Individual profiles are recorded with a resolution better than 0·5mm. The system is based on the analysis of the output from a video camera which obliquely views a laser line projected vertically onto the face. In order to sample the whole face, the subject sits on a chair which rotates at six degrees per second under computer control. Examples of applications of the system are given.     

Higgs boson cosmology

The discovery of the Standard Model Higgs boson opens up a range of speculative cosmological scenarios, from the formation of structure in the early universe immediately after the big bang, to relics from the electroweak phase transition one nanosecond after the big bang, on to the end of the present-day universe through vacuum decay. Higgs physics is wide ranging, and gives an impetus to go beyond the Standard Models of particle physics and cosmology to explore the physics of ultra-high energies and quantum gravity.     

Investigation of slow light enhanced nonlinear transmission for all-optical regeneration in silicon photonic crystal waveguides at 10 Gbit/s

We demonstrate bit error rate improvement, corroborated by eye diagram measurements, of a (10 MHz) amplitude distorted 10 Gbit/s data signal in silicon photonic crystal waveguides. This demonstration exploits a power clamping nonlinear transfer function, provided by slow light enhancement of nonlinear absorption in these waveguides.