Superfluid-insulator transition in a periodically driven optical lattice

We demonstrate that the transition from a superfluid to a Mott insulator in the Bose-Hubbard model can be induced by an oscillating force through an effective renormalization of the tunneling matrix element. The mechanism involves adiabatic following of Floquet states, and can be tested experimentally with Bose-Einstein condensates in periodically driven optical lattices. Its extension from small to very large systems yields nontrivial information on the condensate dynamics.     

Temperature dependent energy relaxation time in AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures

The two-dimensional (2D) electron energy relaxation in Al_0.25Ga_0.75N/AlN/GaN heterostructures was investigated experimentally by using two experimental techniques; Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) effect and classical Hall Effect. The electron temperature (T_e) of hot electrons was obtained from the lattice temperature (T_L) and the applied electric field dependencies of the amplitude of SdH oscillations and Hall mobility. The experimental results for the electron temperature dependence of power loss are also compared with the current theoretical models for power loss in 2D semiconductors. The power loss that was determined from the SdH measurements indicates that the energy relaxation of electrons is due to acoustic phonon emission via unscreened piezoelectric interaction. In addition, the power loss from the electrons obtained from Hall mobility for electron temperatures in the range T_e > 100 K is associated with optical phonon emission. The temperature dependent energy relaxation time in Al_0.25Ga_0.75N/AlN/GaN heterostructures that was determined from the power loss data indicates that hot electrons relax spontaneously with MHz to THz emission with increasing temperatures.     

Low‐temperature photoluminescence of oxide‐covered single‐layer MoS2

We present a photoluminescence study of single‐layer MoS₂ flakes on SiO₂ surfaces. We demonstrate that the luminescence peak position of flakes prepared from natural MoS₂, which varies by up to 25 meV between individual flakes, can be homogenized by annealing in vacuum. We use HfO₂ and Al₂O₃ layers prepared by atomic layer deposition to cover some of our flakes. In these flakes, we observe a suppression of the low‐energy luminescence peak which appears in asprepared flakes at low temperatures. We infer that this peak originates from excitons bound to surface adsorbates. We also observe different temperature‐induced shifts of the luminescence peaks for the oxide‐covered flakes. This effect stems from the different thermal expansion coefficients of the oxide layers and the MoS₂ flakes. It indicates that the single‐layer MoS₂ flakes strongly adhere to the oxide layers and are therefore strained. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Approximation of transformation media-based reshaping action by genetic optimization

The aim of this paper is to study the laser-induced backside wet cleaning techniques for glass substrates. Two kinds of laser cleaning techniques are proposed in this study. The first involves applying an Nd:YAG laser to the backside of the substrate which is submerged in water. A metal plate is placed below the glass substrate. Most of the laser energy will be absorbed by the metal plate. The metal then vaporizes the water and generates a turbulent bubble flow. The bubble flow removes the alumina particles from the surface of the glass substrate. The second involves using a CO₂ laser to generate turbulent bubble flow to remove the particles. Both methods were successfully demonstrated for the removal of submicron particles of 0.5 μm in size. The phenomena of bubble generation and diffusion are presented in the paper. Because the laser is applied to the backside of the substrate, the damage due to the laser heat can be significantly reduced. The quality and efficient of the backside processing is better than those of the front side processing. The proposed techniques have great potential to provide an improved solution for glass cleaning.     

Evidence of Hofstadter's Fractal Energy Spectrum in the Quantized Hall Conductance

The energy spectrum of a two-dimensional electron system in a perpendicular homogeneous magnetic field and a weak lateral superlattice potential with square symmetry is composed of Landau bands with recursive internal subband structure. The Hall conductance in the minigaps is anticipated to be quantized in integer multiples of e(2)/h that vary erratically from minigap to minigap in accordance with a Diophantine equation. Hall measurements on samples with the requisite properties uncover this long searched for evidence of Hofstadter's butterflylike energy spectrum.     

Collective dynamics in fully hydrated phospholipid bilayers studied by inelastic x-ray scattering

The short wavelength density fluctuation of DLPC (dilaurylphosphatidylcholine) bilayers close to full hydration has been studied by the inelastic x-ray scattering technique below and above the main transition temperature. The analysis based on a generalized three effective eigenmode theory allows us to construct the dispersion relation of the high frequency sound mode for the first time. The marked softening of the excitation near k = 14 nm(-1), corresponding to the lipid chain-chain correlation peak in the structure factor, in the L(alpha) phase implies prevalent occurrences of short-wavelength in-plane motions of lipid chains that might be of importance for transportation of small molecules across membranes.     

Properties of noninteger moments in a first passage time problem

We calculate the moments t ^q , whereq is not necessarily an integer, of the first passage time to trapping for a simple diffusion problem in one dimension. If a characteristic length of the system isL and t _q ~L (q) asL, then we show that there is a phase transition atq=q _c such that whenq<q _c ,(g)=0, and forq>q _c , (q) is a linear function ofq. These analytical results can be used to explain results for large moments for diffusion on a hierarchic structure. We also show how to calculate noninteger moments in terms of characteristic functions.     

Phase-incoherent superconducting pairs in the normal state of Ba(Fe(1-x)Co(x))₂As₂

The normal state properties of the recently discovered ferropnictide superconductors might hold the key to understanding their exotic superconductivity. Using point-contact spectroscopy we show that Andreev reflection between an epitaxial thin film of Ba(Fe(0.92)Co(0.08))?As? and a silver tip can be seen in the normal state of the film up to temperature T～1.3T(c), where T(c) is the critical temperature of the superconductor. Andreev reflection far above T(c) can be understood only when superconducting pairs arising from strong fluctuation of the phase of the complex superconducting order parameter exist in the normal state. Our results provide spectroscopic evidence of phase-incoherent superconducting pairs in the normal state of the ferropnictide superconductors.