The work function of hydrothermally synthesized UO2 and the implications for semiconductor device fabrication

The photoelectric work function of nearly stoichiometric (111) and (100) hydrothermally grown UO₂ was measured to be 6.28 ± 0.36 eV and 5.80 ± 0.36 eV, respectively. Candidate metals for electrical contacts are identified for both rectifying and non‐rectifying contacts based on work function, lattice compatibility, and electrical conductivity.     

Correlated electron current and temperature dependence of the conductance of a quantum point contact

We investigate finite temperature corrections to the Landauer formula due to electron–electron interaction within the quantum point contact. When the Fermi level is close to the barrier height, the conducting wavefunctions become peaked on the barrier, enhancing the electron–electron interaction. At the same time, away from the contact the interaction is strongly suppressed by screening. To describe electron transport we formulate and solve a kinetic equation for the density matrix of electrons. The correction to the conductance G is negative and strongly enhanced in the region 0.5 × 2e²/h ≤ G ≤ 1.0 × 2e²/h. Our results for conductance agree with the so-called “0.7 structure” observed in experiments.     

Self-healing slip pulses and the friction of gelatin gels

We present an extensive experimental study and scaling analysis of friction of gelatin gels on glass. At low driving velocities, sliding occurs via propagation of periodic self-healing slip pulses whose velocity is limited by collective diffusion of the gel network. Healing can be attributed to a frictional instability occurring at the slip velocity V = V _c. For V > V _c, sliding is homogeneous and friction is ruled by the shear-thinning rheology of an interfacial layer of thickness of order the (nanometric) mesh size, containing a solution of polymer chain ends hanging from the network. In spite of its high degree of confinement, the rheology of this system does not differ qualitatively from known bulk ones. The observed ageing of the static friction threshold reveals the slow increase of adhesive bonding between chain ends and glass. Such structural ageing is compatible with the existence of a velocity-weakening regime at velocities smaller than V _c, hence with the existence of the healing instability. Received: 7 March 2003 / Accepted: 2 May 2003 / Published online: 11 June 2003 RID="b" ID="b"e-mail: ronsin@gps.jussieu.fr     

Controllable π junction in a Josephson quantum-dot device with molecular spin

We consider a model for a single molecule with a large frozen spin sandwiched in between two BCS superconductors at equilibrium, and show that this system has a π junction behavior at low temperature. The π shift can be reversed by varying the other parameters of the system, e.g., temperature or the position of the quantum dot level, implying a controllable π junction with novel application as a Josephson current switch. We show that the mechanism leading to the π shift can be explained simply in terms of the contributions of the Andreev bound states and of the continuum of states above the superconducting gap. The free energy for certain configuration of parameters shows a bistable nature, which is a necessary pre-condition for achievement of a qubit.     

Thermodynamics of Squeezed State for Mesoscopic RLC Circuits

We present a density matrix of a mesoscopic RLC circuits to make it possible to analyze the connection between the initial condition and the certain temperature. Our results show that the quantum state evolution will be closely related to the initial condition; the system evolves to generalized coherent state if it is in ground state initially, and evolves to squeezed state if it is in excited state initially. In addition, we also obtain squeezed minimum uncertainty state with satisfying certain condition in mesoscopic RLC circuit.     

Community structure and ethnic preferences in school friendship networks

Recently developed concepts and techniques of analyzing complex systems provide new insight into the structure of social networks. Uncovering recurrent preferences and organizational principles in such networks is a key issue to characterize them. We investigate school friendship networks from the Add Health database. Applying threshold analysis, we find that the friendship networks do not form a single connected component through mutual strong nominations within a school, while under weaker conditions such interconnectedness is present. We extract the networks of overlapping communities at the schools (c-networks) and find that they are scale free and disassortative in contrast to the direct friendship networks, which have an exponential degree distribution and are assortative. Based on the network analysis we study the ethnic preferences in friendship selection. The clique percolation method we use reveals that when in minority, the students tend to build more densely interconnected groups of friends. We also find an asymmetry in the behavior of black minorities in a white majority as compared to that of white minorities in a black majority.     

三维介观超导环涡旋态的研究

通过数值求解非线性金兹堡-朗道(G-L)方程组,研究了三维介观超导环中的涡旋态。发现了在细环中只能存在巨涡旋态,以及存在顺磁、抗磁迈斯纳效应和间隙性超导现象。在粗环中,发现了多涡旋态和巨涡旋态共存的混合态。相应讨论有助于理解介观超导环中涡旋态相变。     

Synthesis, reactions and structural features of monofluorinated cyclopropanecarboxylates

Monofluorinated cyclopropanecarboxylates are available in racemic or optically active form by transition metal-catalyzed reactions of vinylfluorides with diazoacetates. From α-fluorostyrene and tert-butyl diazoacetate in the presence of 2 mol% of an enantiopure bis(oxazoline) copper complex, a 81:19 mixture of tert-butyl trans- and cis-2-fluoro-2-phenylcyclopropanecarboxylates was obtained with high enantiomeric excess (ee) of 93 or 89%, respectively. The corresponding racemic ethylesters were used as starting materials for the synthesis of carboxamides, of the cis- and trans-isomers of analogues of tranylcypromine, an anti-depressive drug and several of its homologous fluorinated cyclopropylmethyl and cyclopropylethyl amines. Corresponding enantiopure cyclopropylmethanols and several of their derivatives were synthesized also. Solid state structures of a selection of these compounds were examined by X-ray crystallography. Particularly, the cis-configurated fluorinated phenylcyclopropane derivatives showed extremely close intermolecular CH?FC contacts. The shortest of such distances (2.17 Å) was found in the N-(4-bromophenyl)carbamate of (1S,2R)-(2-fluoro-2-phenylcyclopropyl)methanol.     

Magnetoplasmon excitations in quantum dot arrays

Motivated by the far-infrared transmission experiments of Demel et al., we have investigated the magnetoplasmon excitations in an array of quantum dots within the Thomas–Fermi–Dirac–von Weizsäcker (TFDW) approximation. Detailed calculations of the magnetic dispersion and power absorption from a uniform radiation field unambiguously demonstrates that the noncircular symmetry of the individual dots is responsible for the anticrossing behaviour observed in the experiments. The interdot Coulomb interaction is unimportant at the interdot separation of the samples studied.     

Alpha particle detector with planar double Schottky contacts directly fabricated on semi-insulating GaN:Fe template

Alpha particle radiation detectors with planar double Schottky contacts (DSC) are directly fabricated on 5-μm-thick epitaxial semi-insulating (SI) GaN:Fe film with resistivity higher than 1×10⁸Ω·cm. Under 10 V bias, the detector exhibits a low dark current of less than 5.0×10^-11 A at room-temperature, which increases at higher temperatures. Linear behavior in the semi-log reverse current-voltage plot suggests that Poole-Frenkel emission is the dominant carrier leakage mechanism at high bias. Distinct double-peak characteristics are observed in the energy spectrum of alpha particles regardless of bias voltage. The energy resolution of the SI-GaN based detector is determined to be ～ 8.6% at the deposited energy of 1.209 MeV with a charge collection efficiency of ～ 81.7%. At a higher temperature of 90 ℃, the measured full width at half maximum (FWHM) rises to 235 keV with no shift of energy peak position, which proves that the GaN detector has potential to work stably in high temperature environment. This study provides a possible route to fabricate the low cost GaN-based alpha particle detector with reasonable performance.