Thermoelectric efficiency enhanced in a quantum dot with polarization leads,spin-flip and external magnetic field

We theoretically study the thermoelectric transport properties in a quantum dot system with two ferromagnetic leads, the spin-flip scattering and the external magnetic field. The results show that the spin polarization of the leads strongly influences thermoelectric coefficients of the device. For the parallel configuration the peak of figure of merit increases with the increase of polarization strength and non-collinear configuration trends to destroy the improvement of figure of merit induced by lead polarization. While the modulation of the spin-flip scattering on the figure of merit is effective only in the absence of external magnetic field or small magnetic field. In terms of improving the thermoelectric efficiency, the external magnetic field plays a more important role than spin-flip scattering. The thermoelectric efficiency can be significantly enhanced by the magnetic field for a given spin-flip scattering strength.     

A nearly zero temperature gradient furnace system for high pressure multi-anvil experiments

A new furnace system with an almost zero temperature gradient throughout the sample area was designed for multi-anvil high pressure experiments. Test experiments of the new design were performed using 18/11 and 25/15 cell assemblies at 4?GPa, 1400°C and 1500°C, respectively. The temperature field within the sample capsules appeared to be very homogenous as indicated by Mg₂Si₂O₆–MgCaSi₂O₆ two-pyroxene thermometry, by direct temperature measurements using two thermocouples within the same assembly, and by distribution of solid and liquid phases in the sample capsule. The temperature gradient is estimated to be <2.4°C/mm over an area of 4?×?5?mm² within the furnace. It is significantly lower than standard multi-anvil experiments with straight or stepped furnace systems, which are at the levels of 20–200°C/mm.     

Damage monitor and life prediction of carbon fiber-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites at room and elevated temperatures using hysteresis dissipated energy-based damage parameter

In this paper, the damage monitor and life prediction of carbon fiber-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites (C/SiC CMCs) have been investigated using the hysteresis dissipated energy-based damage parameter. The evolution of the interface shear stress, hysteresis dissipated energy, hysteresis dissipated energy-based damage parameter and the broken fibers fraction vs. cycle number, the fatigue life S?N curves of unidirectional, cross-ply and 2.5D C/SiC composites at room temperature and 800 °C in air atmosphere have been analyzed. For unidirectional C/SiC, the hysteresis dissipated energy and hysteresis dissipated energy-based damage parameter first increase and then decrease with cycle number, and the fatigue limit stress decreases from 88% tensile strength at room temperature to 20% of the tensile strength at 800 °C in air atmosphere; for cross-ply C/SiC, the hysteresis dissipated energy and hysteresis dissipated energy-based damage parameter decrease with increasing applied cycles, and the fatigue limit stress decreases from 85% tensile strength at room temperature to 22% tensile strength at 800 °C in air; and for 2.5D C/SiC, the hysteresis dissipated energy and hysteresis dissipated energy-based damage parameter increases with cycle number, and the fatigue limit stress decreases from 70% tensile strength at room temperature to 25% tensile strength at 800 °C in air.     

Stability of the DX- center in GaAs quantum dots

Using a first-principles band structure method, we study how the size of quantum dots affects the stability and transition energy levels of defects in GaAs. We show that, although a negatively charged DX- center is unstable in bulk GaAs:Si with respect to the tetrahedral coordinated Si(-)(Ga), it becomes stable when the dot size is small enough. The critical size of the dot is about 14.5 nm in diameter. The reason for the stabilization is the strong quantum-confinement effect, which increases the formation energy of Si(-)(Ga) more than that of the DX- defect center. Our studies show that defect properties in quantum dots could be significantly different from those in bulk semiconductors.     

Mathematical Modeling and Simulation of Antibubble Dynamics

In this study, we propose a mathematical model and perform numerical simulations for the antibubble dynamics. An antibubble is a droplet of liquid surrounded by a thin film of a lighter liquid, which is also in a heavier surrounding fluid. The model is based on a phase-field method using a conservative Allen-Cahn equation with a space-time dependent Lagrange multiplier and a modified Navier-Stokes equation. In this model, the inner fluid, middle fluid and outer fluid locate in specific diffusive layer regions according to specific phase filed (order parameter) values. If we represent the antibubble with conventional binary or ternary phase-field models, then it is difficult to have stable thin film. However, the proposed approach can prevent nonphysical breakup of fluid film during the simulation. Various numerical tests are performed to verify the efficiency of the proposed model.     

Blowup Criterion for Viscous Baratropic Flows with Vacuum States

We prove that the maximum norm of the deformation tensor of velocity gradients controls the possible breakdown of smooth(strong) solutions for the 3-dimensional (3D) barotropic compressible Navier-Stokes equations. More precisely, if a solution of the 3D barotropic compressible Navier-Stokes equations is initially regular and loses its regularity at some later time, then the loss of regularity implies the growth without bound of the deformation tensor as the critical time approaches. Our result is the same as Ponce’s criterion for 3-dimensional incompressible Euler equations (Ponce in Commun Math Phys 98:349–353, 1985). In addition, initial vacuum states are allowed in our cases.     

Frequency-dependent localization length of SH-wave in randomly disordered piezoelectric phononic crystals

In this paper, the localization length that represents the distance of elastic waves propagating along the disordered periodic structures is defined as the reciprocal of the smallest positive Lyapunov exponent, i.e. the localization factor. The algorithm for determining all the Lyapunov exponents in continuous dynamic systems presented by Wolf et al. is employed to calculate those in discrete dynamic systems. Numerical results of the localization lengths of SH-wave are presented and discussed in ordered and disordered piezoelectric phononic crystals to identify the different effect degrees for the decay of electrical potential in the polymers and the randomness on the localization level. For the disordered case, disorder in the thickness of the polymers and disorder in the elastic constant of the piezoelectric ceramics are all considered. The results show that some parameters such as the incident angle of elastic wave, the randomness degree and the piezoelectricity of piezoelectric ceramics and so on have pronounced effects on the frequency-dependent localization length.     

Mid-infrared polarization spectroscopy of C2H2: Non-intrusive spatial-resolved measurements of polyatomic hydrocarbon molecules for combustion diagnostics

Polarization spectroscopy in the mid-infrared (IRPS) has been applied to the detection of acetylene molecules making use of the asymmetric C-H stretching vibration at around 3 μm. The infrared laser pulses were produced through difference frequency generation in a LiNbO₃ crystal pumped by a Nd:YAG and dye laser system. By directly probing the ro-vibrational transitions with IRPS, sensitive detection of molecules with otherwise inaccessible electronic states was realized with high temporal and spatial resolution by using a pulsed laser and a cross-beam geometry. Detection sensitivities of 2 × 10¹³ molecules/cm³ (10 ppm in 70 mbar gas mixture) of C₂H₂ were achieved using the P(1 1) line of the (0 1 0(1 1)⁰)-(0 0 0 0⁰ 0⁰) band. The dependence of the IRPS signal on the pump laser fluence, acetylene mole fraction, and buffer gas pressure of Ar, N₂, H₂, and CO₂ has been studied experimentally. The investigation demonstrates the quantitative nature of IRPS for sensitive detection of polyatomic IR active molecules. In order to fully demonstrate the technique for combustion applications, nascent acetylene molecules were measured in a low pressure methane/oxygen flame.     

Influence of network structure on rumor propagation

Rumor propagation in complex networks is studied analytically and numerically by using the SIR model. Analytically, a mean-field theory is worked out by considering the influence of network topological structure and the unequal footings of neighbors of an infected node in propagating the rumor. It is found that the final infected density of population with degree k   is ρ(k)=1−exp(−αk)$\rho (k)=1-\exp (-\alpha k)$, where α is a parameter related to network structure. The number of the total final infected nodes depends on the network topological structure and will decrease when the structure changes from random to scale-free network. Numerical simulations confirm the theoretical predictions.