Evidence of a multiple boson emission in Sm1-xThxOFeAs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzmichev, S. A.; Kuzmicheva, T. E.; Zhigadlo, N. D.

2017-07-01

We studied a reproducible fine structure observed in dynamic conductance spectra of Andreev arrays in Sm1-x Th x OFeAs superconductors with various thorium concentrations {(x = 0.08\\text{--}0.3)} and critical temperatures Tc = 26\\text{--}50 \\text{K} . This structure is unambiguously caused by a multiple boson emission (of the same energy) during the process of multiple Andreev reflections. The directly determined energy of the bosonic mode reaches \\varepsilon0 = 14.8 +/- 2.2 \\text{meV} for optimal compounds. Within the studied range of T c , this energy as well as the large ΔL and the small ΔS superconducting gaps, nearly scale with critical temperature with the characteristic ratio \\varepsilon_0/k_BTc ≈ 3.2 (and 2Δ_L/k_BTc ≈ 5.3 , respectively) resembling the expected energy ΔL + ΔS of spin resonance and spectral density enhancement in s+/- and s++ states, respectively.

Coulomb Blockade and Multiple Andreev Reflection in a Superconducting Single-Electron Transistor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, Thomas; Sprenger, Susanne; Scheer, Elke

2018-06-01

In superconducting quantum point contacts, multiple Andreev reflection (MAR), which describes the coherent transport of m quasiparticles each carrying an electron charge with m≥3, sets in at voltage thresholds eV = 2Δ /m. In single-electron transistors, Coulomb blockade, however, suppresses the current at low voltage. The required voltage for charge transport increases with the square of the effective charge eV∝ ( me) ^2. Thus, studying the charge transport in all-superconducting single-electron transistors (SSETs) sets these two phenomena into competition. In this article, we present the fabrication as well as a measurement scheme and transport data for a SSET with one junction in which the transmission and thereby the MAR contributions can be continuously tuned. All regimes from weak to strong coupling are addressed. We extend the Orthodox theory by incorporating MAR processes to describe the observed data qualitatively. We detect a new transport process the nature of which is unclear at present. Furthermore, we observe a renormalization of the charging energy when approaching the strong coupling regime.

Investigations of Crossed Andreev Reflection in Hybrid Superconductor-Ferromagnet Structures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colci O'Hara, Madalina

2009-01-01

Cooper pair splitting is predicted to occur in hybrid devices where a superconductor is coupled to two ferromagnetic wires placed at a distance less than the superconducting coherence length. This thesis searches for signatures of this process, called crossed Andreev reflection (CAR), in three device geometries. The first devices studied are…

Enhanced Andreev reflection in gapped graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majidi, Leyla; Zareyan, Malek

2012-08-01

We theoretically demonstrate unusual features of superconducting proximity effect in gapped graphene that presents a pseudospin symmetry-broken ferromagnet with a net pseudomagnetization. We find that the presence of a band gap makes the Andreev conductance of graphene superconductor/pseudoferromagnet (S/PF) junction to behave similar to that of a graphene ferromagnet-superconductor junction. The energy gap ΔN can enhance the pseudospin inverted Andreev conductance of S/PF junction to reach a limiting maximum value for ΔN≫μ, which depending on the bias voltage can be larger than the value for the corresponding junction with no energy gap. We further demonstrate a damped-oscillatory behavior for the local density of states of the PF region of S/PF junction and a long-range crossed Andreev reflection process in PF/S/PF structure with antiparallel alignment of pseudomagnetizations of PFs, which confirm that, in this respect, the gapped normal graphene behaves like a ferromagnetic graphene.

Multigap superconductivity and strong electron-boson coupling in Fe-based superconductors: a point-contact Andreev-reflection study of Ba(Fe(1-x)Co(x))2As2 single crystals.

PubMed

Tortello, M; Daghero, D; Ummarino, G A; Stepanov, V A; Jiang, J; Weiss, J D; Hellstrom, E E; Gonnelli, R S

2010-12-03

Directional point-contact Andreev-reflection measurements in Ba(Fe(1-x)Co(x))2As2 single crystals (T(c) = 24.5 K) indicate the presence of two superconducting gaps with no line nodes on the Fermi surface. The point-contact Andreev-reflection spectra also feature additional structures related to the electron-boson interaction, from which the characteristic boson energy Ω(b)(T) is obtained, very similar to the spin-resonance energy observed in neutron scattering experiments. Both the gaps and the additional structures can be reproduced within a three-band s ± Eliashberg model by using an electron-boson spectral function peaked at Ω(0) = 12 meV ≃ Ω(b)(0).

Supercurrent and multiple Andreev reflections in micrometer-long ballistic graphene Josephson junctions.

PubMed

Zhu, Mengjian; Ben Shalom, Moshe; Mishchsenko, Artem; Fal'ko, Vladimir; Novoselov, Kostya; Geim, Andre

2018-02-08

Ballistic Josephson junctions are predicted to support a number of exotic physics processess, providing an ideal system to inject the supercurrent in the quantum Hall regime. Herein, we demonstrate electrical transport measurements on ballistic superconductor-graphene-superconductor junctions by contacting graphene to niobium with a junction length up to 1.5 μm. Hexagonal boron nitride encapsulation and one-dimensional edge contacts guarantee high-quality graphene Josephson junctions with a mean free path of several micrometers and record-low contact resistance. Transports in normal states including the observation of Fabry-Pérot oscillations and Sharvin resistance conclusively witness the ballistic propagation in the junctions. The critical current density J C is over one order of magnitude larger than that of the previously reported junctions. Away from the charge neutrality point, the I C R N product (I C is the critical current and R N the normal state resistance of junction) is nearly a constant, independent of carrier density n, which agrees well with the theory for ballistic Josephson junctions. Multiple Andreev reflections up to the third order are observed for the first time by measuring the differential resistance in the micrometer-long ballistic graphene Josephson junctions.

Selective equal spin Andreev reflection at vortex core center in magnetic semiconductor-superconductor heterostructure.

PubMed

Li, Chuang; Hu, Lun-Hui; Zhou, Yi; Zhang, Fu-Chun

2018-05-18

Sau, Lutchyn, Tewari and Das Sarma (SLTD) proposed a heterostructure consisting of a semiconducting thin film sandwiched between an s-wave superconductor and a magnetic insulator and showed possible Majorana zero mode. Here we study spin polarization of the vortex core states and spin selective Andreev reflection at the vortex center of the SLTD model. In the topological phase, the differential conductance at the vortex center contributed from the Andreev reflection, is spin selective and has a quantized value [Formula: see text] at zero bias. In the topological trivial phase, [Formula: see text] at the lowest quasiparticle energy of the vortex core is spin selective due to the spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Unlike in the topological phase, [Formula: see text] is suppressed in the Giaever limit and vanishes exactly at zero bias due to the quantum destruction interference.

Charge of a quasiparticle in a superconductor

PubMed Central

Ronen, Yuval; Cohen, Yonatan; Kang, Jung-Hyun; Haim, Arbel; Rieder, Maria-Theresa; Heiblum, Moty; Mahalu, Diana; Shtrikman, Hadas

2016-01-01

Nonlinear charge transport in superconductor–insulator–superconductor (SIS) Josephson junctions has a unique signature in the shuttled charge quantum between the two superconductors. In the zero-bias limit Cooper pairs, each with twice the electron charge, carry the Josephson current. An applied bias VSD leads to multiple Andreev reflections (MAR), which in the limit of weak tunneling probability should lead to integer multiples of the electron charge ne traversing the junction, with n integer larger than 2Δ/eVSD and Δ the superconducting order parameter. Exceptionally, just above the gap eVSD ≥ 2Δ, with Andreev reflections suppressed, one would expect the current to be carried by partitioned quasiparticles, each with energy-dependent charge, being a superposition of an electron and a hole. Using shot-noise measurements in an SIS junction induced in an InAs nanowire (with noise proportional to the partitioned charge), we first observed quantization of the partitioned charge q = e*/e=n, with n = 1–4, thus reaffirming the validity of our charge interpretation. Concentrating next on the bias region eVSD∼2Δ, we found a reproducible and clear dip in the extracted charge to q ∼0.6, which, after excluding other possibilities, we attribute to the partitioned quasiparticle charge. Such dip is supported by numerical simulations of our SIS structure. PMID:26831071

Doping influence on Sm1 - x Th x OFeAs superconducting properties: Observation of the effect of intrinsic multiple Andreev reflections and determination of the superconducting parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzmicheva, T. E.; Kuzmichev, S. A.; Zhigadlo, N. D.

2014-04-01

We studied SNS and S-N-S-N-...-S contacts (where S is a superconductor and N is a normal metal) formed by "break-junction" technique in polycrystalline Sm1 - x Th x OFeAs superconductor samples with critical temperatures T C = 34-45 K. In such contacts (intrinsic) multiple Andreev reflections effects were observed. Using spectroscopies based on these effects, we detected two independent bulk order parameters and determined their magnitudes. Theoretical analysis of the large and the small gap temperature dependences revealed superconducting properties of Sm1 - x Th x OFeAs to be driven by intraband coupling, and (where V ij are the electron-boson interaction matrix elements), whereas the ratio between density of states for the bands with the small and the large gap, N 2/ N 1, correspondingly, was roughly of an order. We estimated "solo" BCS-ratio values in a hypothetic case of zero interband coupling ( V i ≠ j = 0) for each condensate as 2ΔL, S/ k B T {C/L,S} ≤ 4.5. The values are constant within the range of critical temperatures studied, and correspond to a case of strong intraband electron-phonon coupling.

Charge of a quasiparticle in a superconductor.

PubMed

Ronen, Yuval; Cohen, Yonatan; Kang, Jung-Hyun; Haim, Arbel; Rieder, Maria-Theresa; Heiblum, Moty; Mahalu, Diana; Shtrikman, Hadas

2016-02-16

Nonlinear charge transport in superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) Josephson junctions has a unique signature in the shuttled charge quantum between the two superconductors. In the zero-bias limit Cooper pairs, each with twice the electron charge, carry the Josephson current. An applied bias VSD leads to multiple Andreev reflections (MAR), which in the limit of weak tunneling probability should lead to integer multiples of the electron charge ne traversing the junction, with n integer larger than 2Δ/eVSD and Δ the superconducting order parameter. Exceptionally, just above the gap eVSD ≥ 2Δ, with Andreev reflections suppressed, one would expect the current to be carried by partitioned quasiparticles, each with energy-dependent charge, being a superposition of an electron and a hole. Using shot-noise measurements in an SIS junction induced in an InAs nanowire (with noise proportional to the partitioned charge), we first observed quantization of the partitioned charge q = e*/e = n, with n = 1-4, thus reaffirming the validity of our charge interpretation. Concentrating next on the bias region eVSD ~ 2Δ, we found a reproducible and clear dip in the extracted charge to q ~ 0.6, which, after excluding other possibilities, we attribute to the partitioned quasiparticle charge. Such dip is supported by numerical simulations of our SIS structure.

Andreev Reflection Spectroscopy of Nb-doped Bi2Se3 Topological Insulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurter, C.; Finck, A. D. K.; Qiu, Y.; Huemiller, E.; Weis, A.; Atkinson, J.; Medvedeva, J.; Hor, Y. S.; van Harlingen, D. J.

2015-03-01

Doped topological insulators are speculated to realize p-wave superconductivity with unusual low energy quasiparticles, such as surface Andreev bound states. We present point contact spectroscopy of thin exfoliated flakes of Nb-doped Bi2Se3 where superconductivity persists up to ~ 1 K, compared to 3.2 K in bulk crystals. The critical magnetic field is strongly anisotropic, consistent with quasi-2D behavior. Andreev reflection measurements of devices with low resistance contacts result in prominent BTK-like behavior with an enhanced conductance plateau at low bias. For high resistance contacts, we observe a split zero bias conductance anomaly and additional features at the superconducting gap. Our results suggest that this material is a promising platform for studying topological superconductivity. We acknowledge support from Microsoft Project Q.

Sea of Majorana fermions from pseudo-scalar superconducting order in three dimensional Dirac materials.

PubMed

Salehi, Morteza; Jafari, S A

2017-08-15

We suggest that spin-singlet pseudo-scalar s-wave superconducting pairing creates a two dimensional sea of Majorana fermions on the surface of three dimensional Dirac superconductors (3DDS). This pseudo-scalar superconducting order parameter Δ 5 , in competition with scalar Dirac mass m, leads to a topological phase transition due to band inversion. We find that a perfect Andreev-Klein reflection is guaranteed by presence of anomalous Andreev reflection along with the conventional one. This effect manifests itself in a resonant peak of the differential conductance. Furthermore, Josephson current of the Δ 5 |m|Δ 5 junction in the presence of anomalous Andreev reflection is fractional with 4π period. Our finding suggests another search area for condensed matter realization of Majorana fermions which are beyond the vortex-core of p-wave superconductors. The required Δ 5 pairing can be extrinsically induced by a conventional s-wave superconductor into a three dimensional Dirac material (3DDM).

Hanbury Brown and Twiss correlations of Cooper pairs in helical liquids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Mahn-Soo

2014-01-01

We propose a Hanbury Brown and Twiss (HBT) experiment of Cooper pairs on the edge channels of quantum spin Hall insulators. The helical edge channels provide a well-defined beam of Cooper pairs and perfect Andreev reflections from superconductors. This allows our setup to be identical in spirit to the original HBT experiment. Interestingly, the cross correlation is always negative and provides no hint of the bosonic nature of Cooper pairs. This counterintuitive result is attributed to the perfect Andreev reflection and the true beam splitter in the setup.

Andreev bound states. Some quasiclassical reflections

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, Y., E-mail: yiriolin@illinois.edu; Leggett, A. J.

2014-12-15

We discuss a very simple and essentially exactly solvable model problem which illustrates some nice features of Andreev bound states, namely, the trapping of a single Bogoliubov quasiparticle in a neutral s-wave BCS superfluid by a wide and shallow Zeeman trap. In the quasiclassical limit, the ground state is a doublet with a splitting which is proportional to the exponentially small amplitude for “normal” reflection by the edges of the trap. We comment briefly on a prima facie paradox concerning the continuity equation and conjecture a resolution to it.

Andreev bound states. Some quasiclassical reflections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Y.; Leggett, A. J.

2014-12-01

We discuss a very simple and essentially exactly solvable model problem which illustrates some nice features of Andreev bound states, namely, the trapping of a single Bogoliubov quasiparticle in a neutral s-wave BCS superfluid by a wide and shallow Zeeman trap. In the quasiclassical limit, the ground state is a doublet with a splitting which is proportional to the exponentially small amplitude for "normal" reflection by the edges of the trap. We comment briefly on a prima facie paradox concerning the continuity equation and conjecture a resolution to it.

Long-range effect of a Zeeman field on the electric current through the helical metal-superconductor interface in an Andreev interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mal'shukov, A. G.

2018-02-01

It is shown that the spin-orbit and Zeeman interactions result in phase shifts of Andreev-reflected holes propagating at the surface of a topological insulator, or in Rashba spin-orbit-coupled two-dimensional normal metals, which are in contact with an s -wave superconductor. Due to interference of holes reflected through different paths of the Andreev interferometer the electric current through external contacts varies depending on the strength and direction of the Zeeman field. It also depends on mutual orientations of Zeeman fields in different shoulders of the interferometer. Such a nonlocal effect is a result of the long-range coherency caused by the superconducting proximity effect. This current has been calculated within the semiclassical theory for Green's functions in the diffusive regime, by assuming a strong disorder due to elastic scattering of electrons.

Valley switch in a graphene superlattice due to pseudo-Andreev reflection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beenakker, C. W. J.; Gnezdilov, N. V.; Dresselhaus, E.; Ostroukh, V. P.; Herasymenko, Y.; Adagideli, I.; Tworzydło, J.

2018-06-01

Dirac electrons in graphene have a valley degree of freedom that is being explored as a carrier of information. In that context of "valleytronics" one seeks to coherently manipulate the valley index. Here, we show that reflection from a superlattice potential can provide a valley switch: Electrons approaching a pristine-graphene-superlattice-graphene interface near normal incidence are reflected in the opposite valley. We identify the topological origin of this valley switch, by mapping the problem onto that of Andreev reflection from a topological superconductor, with the electron-hole degree of freedom playing the role of the valley index. The valley switch is ideal at a symmetry point of the superlattice potential, but remains close to 100% in a broad parameter range.

Doubled full shot noise in quantum coherent superconductor-semiconductor junctions.

PubMed

Lefloch, F; Hoffmann, C; Sanquer, M; Quirion, D

2003-02-14

We performed low temperature shot noise measurements in superconductor (TiN) strongly disordered normal metal (heavily doped Si) weakly transparent junctions. We show that the conductance has a maximum due to coherent multiple Andreev reflections at low energy and that the shot noise is then twice the Poisson noise (S = 4eI). When the subgap conductance reaches its minimum at finite voltage the shot noise changes to the normal value (S = 2eI) due to a large quasiparticle contribution.

Superconducting gap symmetry in the superconductor BaFe1.9Ni0.1As2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzmicheva, T. E.; Kuzmichev, S. A.; Sadakov, A. V.; Gavrilkin, S. Yu.; Tsvetkov, A. Yu.; Lu, X.; Luo, H.; Vasiliev, A. N.; Pudalov, V. M.; Chen, Xiao-Jia; Abdel-Hafiez, Mahmoud

2018-06-01

We report on the Andreev spectroscopy and specific heat of high-quality single crystals of BaFe1.9Ni0.1As2 . The intrinsic multiple Andreev reflection spectroscopy reveals two anisotropic superconducting gaps ΔL≈3.2 -4.5 meV , ΔS≈1.2 -1.6 meV (the ranges correspond to the minimum and maximum value of the coupling energy in the kxky plane). The 25 %-30 % anisotropy shows the absence of nodes in the superconducting gaps. Using a two-band model with s -wave-like gaps ΔL≈3.2 meV and ΔS≈1.6 meV , the temperature dependence of the electronic specific heat can be well described. A linear magnetic field dependence of the low-temperature specific heat offers further support of s -wave type of the order parameter. We find that a d -wave or single-gap BCS theory under the weak-coupling approach cannot describe our experiments.

Andreev reflection enhancement in semiconductor-superconductor structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouscher, Shlomi; Winik, Roni; Hayat, Alex

2018-02-01

We develop a theoretical approach for modeling a wide range of semiconductor-superconductor structures with arbitrary potential barriers and a spatially dependent superconducting order parameter. We demonstrate asymmetry in the conductance spectrum as a result of a Schottky barrier shape. We further show that the Andreev reflection process can be significantly enhanced through resonant tunneling with appropriate barrier configuration, which can incorporate the Schottky barrier as a contributing component of the device. Moreover, we show that resonant tunneling can be achieved in superlattice structures as well. These theoretically demonstrated effects along with our modeling approach enable much more efficient Cooper pair injection into semiconductor-superconductor structures, including superconducting optoelectronic devices.

Spin transistor based on pure nonlocal Andreev reflection in EuO-graphene/superconductor/EuO-graphene nanostructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ang, Yee Sin; Ang, Lay Kee; Zhang, Chao; Ma, Zhongshui

In graphene-magnetic-insulator hybrid structure such as graphene-Europium-oxide, proximity induced exchange interaction opens up a spin-dependent bandgap and spin splitting in the Dirac band. We show that such band topology allows pure crossed Andreev reflection to be generated exclusively without the parasitic local Andreev reflection and elastic cotunnelling over a wide range of bias and Fermi levels. We model the charge transport in an EuO-graphene/superconductor/EuO-graphene three-terminal device and found that the pure non-local conductance exhibits rapid on/off switching characteristic with a minimal subthreshold swing of ~ 20 mV. Non-local conductance oscillation is observed when the Fermi levels in the superconducting lead is varied. The oscillatory behavior is directly related to the quasiparticle propagation in the superconducting lead and hence can be used as a tool to probe the subgap quasiparticle mode in superconducting graphene. The non-local current is 100% spin-polarized and is highly tunable in our proposed device. This opens up the possibility of highly tunable graphene-based spin transistor that operates purely in the non-local transport regime.

Subgap transport in silicene-based superconducting hybrid structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Hai

2016-08-01

We investigate the influences of exchange field and perpendicular electric field on the subgap transport in silicene-based ferromagnetic/superconducting (FS) and ferromagnetic/superconducting/ferromagnetic (FSF) junctions. Owing to the unique buckling structure of silicene, the Andreev reflection and subgap conductance can be effectively modulated by a perpendicular electric field. It is revealed that the subgap conductance in the FS junction can be distinctly enhanced by an exchange field. Remarkably, resorting to the tunable band gap of silicene, an exclusive crossed Andreev reflection (CAR) process in the FSF junction can be realized within a wide range of related parameters. Moreover, in the FSF junction the exclusive CAR and exclusive elastic cotunneling processes can be switched by reversing the magnetization direction in one of the ferromagnetic regions.

Majorana fermions from Landau quantization in a superconductor and topological-insulator hybrid structure.

PubMed

Tiwari, Rakesh P; Zülicke, U; Bruder, C

2013-05-03

We show that the interplay of cyclotron motion and Andreev reflection experienced by massless-Dirac-like charge carriers in topological-insulator surface states generates a Majorana-particle excitation. On the basis of an envelope-function description of the Dirac-Andreev edge states, we discuss the kinematic properties of the Majorana mode and find them to be tunable by changing the superconductor's chemical potential and/or the magnitude of the perpendicular magnetic field. Our proposal opens up new possibilities for studying Majorana fermions in a controllable setup.

Andreev spectrum with high spin-orbit interactions: Revealing spin splitting and topologically protected crossings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murani, A.; Chepelianskii, A.; Guéron, S.; Bouchiat, H.

2017-10-01

In order to point out experimentally accessible signatures of spin-orbit interaction, we investigate numerically the Andreev spectrum of a multichannel mesoscopic quantum wire (N) with high spin-orbit interaction coupled to superconducting electrodes (S), contrasting topological and nontopological behaviors. In the nontopological case (square lattice with Rashba interactions), we find that the Kramers degeneracy of Andreev levels is lifted by a phase difference between the S reservoirs except at multiples of π , when the normal quantum wires can host several conduction channels. The level crossings at these points invariant by time-reversal symmetry are not lifted by disorder. Whereas the dc Josephson current is insensitive to these level crossings, the high-frequency admittance (susceptibility) at finite temperature reveals these level crossings and the lifting of their degeneracy at π by a small Zeeman field. We have also investigated the hexagonal lattice with intrinsic spin-orbit interaction in the range of parameters where it is a two-dimensional topological insulator with one-dimensional helical edges protected against disorder. Nontopological superconducting contacts can induce topological superconductivity in this system characterized by zero-energy level crossing of Andreev levels. Both Josephson current and finite-frequency admittance carry then very specific signatures at low temperature of this disorder-protected Andreev level crossing at π and zero energy.

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

PubMed

Sheet, Goutam; Mehta, Manan; Dikin, D A; Lee, S; Bark, C W; Jiang, J; Weiss, J D; Hellstrom, E E; Rzchowski, M S; Eom, C B; Chandrasekhar, V

2010-10-15

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))₂As₂ 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.

Electron and Cooper-pair transport across a single magnetic molecule explored with a scanning tunneling microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brand, J.; Gozdzik, S.; Néel, N.; Lado, J. L.; Fernández-Rossier, J.; Kröger, J.

2018-05-01

A scanning tunneling microscope is used to explore the evolution of electron and Cooper-pair transport across single Mn-phthalocyanine molecules adsorbed on Pb(111) from tunneling to contact ranges. Normal-metal as well as superconducting tips give rise to a gradual transition of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer energy gap in the tunneling range into a zero-energy resonance close to and at contact. Supporting transport calculations show that in the normal-metal-superconductor junctions this resonance reflects the merging of in-gap Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states as well as the onset of Andreev reflection. For the superconductor-superconductor contacts, the zero-energy resonance is rationalized in terms of a finite Josephson current that is carried by phase-dependent Andreev and Yu-Shiba-Rusinov levels.

Andreev reflection without Fermi surface alignment in high- T c van der Waals heterostructures

DOE PAGES

Zareapour, Parisa; Hayat, Alex; Zhao, Shu Yang F.; ...

2017-04-05

We address the controversy over the proximity effect between topological materials and high-T c superconductors. Junctions are produced between Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2Omore » $${}_{8+\\delta }$$ and materials with different Fermi surfaces (Bi 2Te 3 and graphite). Both cases reveal tunneling spectra that are consistent with Andreev reflection. This is confirmed by a magnetic field that shifts features via the Doppler effect. This is modeled with a single parameter that accounts for tunneling into a screening supercurrent. Thus the tunneling involves Cooper pairs crossing the heterostructure, showing that the Fermi surface mismatch does not hinder the ability to form transparent interfaces, which is accounted for by the extended Brillouin zone and different lattice symmetries.« less

Sensing with Superconducting Point Contacts

PubMed Central

Nurbawono, Argo; Zhang, Chun

2012-01-01

Superconducting point contacts have been used for measuring magnetic polarizations, identifying magnetic impurities, electronic structures, and even the vibrational modes of small molecules. Due to intrinsically small energy scale in the subgap structures of the supercurrent determined by the size of the superconducting energy gap, superconductors provide ultrahigh sensitivities for high resolution spectroscopies. The so-called Andreev reflection process between normal metal and superconductor carries complex and rich information which can be utilized as powerful sensor when fully exploited. In this review, we would discuss recent experimental and theoretical developments in the supercurrent transport through superconducting point contacts and their relevance to sensing applications, and we would highlight their current issues and potentials. A true utilization of the method based on Andreev reflection analysis opens up possibilities for a new class of ultrasensitive sensors. PMID:22778630

Andreev Reflection in an s-Type Superconductor Proximized 3D Topological Insulator.

PubMed

Tikhonov, E S; Shovkun, D V; Snelder, M; Stehno, M P; Huang, Y; Golden, M S; Golubov, A A; Brinkman, A; Khrapai, V S

2016-09-30

We investigate transport and shot noise in lateral normal-metal-3D topological-insulator-superconductor contacts, where the 3D topological insulator (TI) is based on Bi. In the normal state, the devices are in the elastic diffusive transport regime, as demonstrated by a nearly universal value of the shot noise Fano factor F_{N}≈1/3 in magnetic field and in a reference normal-metal contact. In the absence of magnetic field, we identify the Andreev reflection (AR) regime, which gives rise to the effective charge doubling in shot noise measurements. Surprisingly, the Fano factor F_{AR}≈0.22±0.02 is considerably reduced in the AR regime compared to F_{N}, in contrast to previous AR experiments in normal metals and semiconductors. We suggest that this effect is related to a finite thermal conduction of the proximized, superconducting TI owing to a residual density of states at low energies.

Chiral Majorana fermion modes regulated by a scanning tunneling microscope tip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yan-Feng; Hou, Zhe; Zhang, Ying-Tao; Sun, Qing-Feng

2018-03-01

The Majorana fermion can be described by a real wave function with only two phases (zero and π ) which provide a controllable degree of freedom. We propose a strategy to regulate the phase of the chiral Majorana state by coupling with a scanning tunneling microscope tip in a system consisting of a quantum anomalous Hall insulator coupled with a superconductor. With the change in the chemical potential, the chiral Majorana state can be tuned alternately between zero and π , in which the perfect normal tunneling and perfect crossed Andreev reflection appear, respectively. The perfect crossed Andreev reflection, by which a Cooper pair can be split into two electrons going into different terminals completely, leads to a pumping current and distinct quantized resistances. These findings may provide a signature of Majorana fermions and pave a feasible avenue to regulate the phase of the Majorana state.

Point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy on Bi 2 Se 3 single crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Granstrom, C. R.; Fridman, I.; Lei, H. -C.

In order to study how Andreev reflection (AR) occurs between a superconductor and a three-dimensional topological insulator (TI), we use superconducting Nb tips to perform point-contact AR spectroscopy at 4.2 K on as-grown single crystals of Bi 2Se 3. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy are also used to characterize the superconducting tip and both the doping level and surface condition of the TI sample. Furthermore, the point-contact measurements show clear spectral signatures of AR, as well as a depression of zero-bias conductance with decreasing junction impedance. The latter observation can be attributed to interfacial Rashba spin-orbit coupling, andmore » the presence of bulk bands at the Fermi level in our samples suggests that bulk states of Bi2Se3 are involved in the observed AR.« less

Point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy on Bi 2 Se 3 single crystals

DOE PAGES

Granstrom, C. R.; Fridman, I.; Lei, H. -C.; ...

2016-04-27

In order to study how Andreev reflection (AR) occurs between a superconductor and a three-dimensional topological insulator (TI), we use superconducting Nb tips to perform point-contact AR spectroscopy at 4.2 K on as-grown single crystals of Bi 2Se 3. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy are also used to characterize the superconducting tip and both the doping level and surface condition of the TI sample. Furthermore, the point-contact measurements show clear spectral signatures of AR, as well as a depression of zero-bias conductance with decreasing junction impedance. The latter observation can be attributed to interfacial Rashba spin-orbit coupling, andmore » the presence of bulk bands at the Fermi level in our samples suggests that bulk states of Bi2Se3 are involved in the observed AR.« less

Correlated spin currents generated by resonant-crossed Andreev reflections in topological superconductors

PubMed Central

He, James J.; Wu, Jiansheng; Choy, Ting-Pong; Liu, Xiong-Jun; Tanaka, Y.; Law, K. T.

2014-01-01

Topological superconductors, which support Majorana fermion excitations, have been the subject of intense studies due to their novel transport properties and their potential applications in fault-tolerant quantum computations. Here we propose a new type of topological superconductors that can be used as a novel source of correlated spin currents. We show that inducing superconductivity on a AIII class topological insulator wire, which respects a chiral symmetry and supports protected fermionic end states, will result in a topological superconductor. This topological superconductor supports two topological phases with one or two Majorana fermion end states, respectively. In the phase with two Majorana fermions, the superconductor can split Cooper pairs efficiently into electrons in two spatially separated leads due to Majorana-induced resonant-crossed Andreev reflections. The resulting currents in the leads are correlated and spin-polarized. Importantly, the proposed topological superconductors can be realized using quantum anomalous Hall insulators in proximity to superconductors. PMID:24492649

Vortices and gate-tunable bound states in a topological insulator coupled to superconducting leads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finck, Aaron; Kurter, C.; Hor, Y. S.; van Harlingen, D. J.

2014-03-01

It has been predicted that zero energy Majorana bound states can be found in the core of vortices within topological superconductors. Here, we report on Andreev spectroscopy measurements of the topological insulator Bi2Se3 with a normal metal lead and one or more niobium leads. The niobium induces superconductivity in the Bi2Se3 through the proximity effect, leading to both signatures of Andreev reflection and a prominent re-entrant resistance effect. When a large magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the surface of the Bi2Se3, we observe multiple abrupt changes in the subgap conductance that are accompanied by sharp peaks in the dynamical resistance. These peaks are very sensitive to changes in magnetic field and disappear at temperatures associated with the critical temperature of the induced superconductivity. The appearance of the transitions and peaks can be tuned by a top gate. At high magnetic fields, we also find evidence of gate-tunable states, which can lead to stable zero-bias conductance peaks. We interpret our results in terms of a transition occurring within the proximity effect region of the topological insulator, likely due to the formation of vortices. We acknowledge support from Microsoft Project Q.

Splitting efficiency and interference effects in a Cooper pair splitter based on a triple quantum dot with ferromagnetic contacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bocian, Kacper; Rudziński, Wojciech; Weymann, Ireneusz

2018-05-01

We theoretically study the spin-resolved subgap transport properties of a Cooper pair splitter based on a triple quantum dot attached to superconducting and ferromagnetic leads. Using the Keldysh Green's function formalism, we analyze the dependence of the Andreev conductance, Cooper pair splitting efficiency, and tunnel magnetoresistance on the gate and bias voltages applied to the system. We show that the system's transport properties are strongly affected by spin dependence of tunneling processes and quantum interference between different local and nonlocal Andreev reflections. We also study the effects of finite hopping between the side quantum dots on the Andreev current. This allows for identifying the optimal conditions for enhancing the Cooper pair splitting efficiency of the device. We find that the splitting efficiency exhibits a nonmonotonic dependence on the degree of spin polarization of the leads and the magnitude and type of hopping between the dots. An almost perfect splitting efficiency is predicted in the nonlinear response regime when the energies of the side quantum dots are tuned to the energies of the corresponding Andreev bound states. In addition, we analyzed features of the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) for a wide range of the gate and bias voltages, as well as for different model parameters, finding the corresponding sign changes of the TMR in certain transport regimes. The mechanisms leading to these effects are thoroughly discussed.

Josephson junctions of multiple superconducting wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deb, Oindrila; Sengupta, K.; Sen, Diptiman

2018-05-01

We study the spectrum of Andreev bound states and Josephson currents across a junction of N superconducting wires which may have s - or p -wave pairing symmetries and develop a scattering matrix based formalism which allows us to address transport across such junctions. For N ≥3 , it is well known that Berry curvature terms contribute to the Josephson currents; we chart out situations where such terms can have relatively large effects. For a system of three s -wave or three p -wave superconductors, we provide analytic expressions for the Andreev bound-state energies and study the Josephson currents in response to a constant voltage applied across one of the wires; we find that the integrated transconductance at zero temperature is quantized to integer multiples of 4 e2/h , where e is the electron charge and h =2 π ℏ is Planck's constant. For a sinusoidal current with frequency ω applied across one of the wires in the junction, we find that Shapiro plateaus appear in the time-averaged voltage across that wire for any rational fractional multiple (in contrast to only integer multiples in junctions of two wires) of 2 e /(ℏ ω ) . We also use our formalism to study junctions of two p -wave and one s -wave wires. We find that the corresponding Andreev bound-state energies depend on the spin of the Bogoliubov quasiparticles; this produces a net magnetic moment in such junctions. The time variation of these magnetic moments may be controlled by an external voltage applied across the junction. We discuss experiments which may test our theory.

Point-contact spectroscopic studies on normal and superconducting AFe2As2-type iron pnictide single crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Xin; Park, W. K.; Yuan, H. Q.; Chen, G. F.; Luo, G. L.; Wang, N. L.; Sefat, A. S.; McGuire, M. A.; Jin, R.; Sales, B. C.; Mandrus, D.; Gillett, J.; Sebastian, Suchitra E.; Greene, L. H.

2010-05-01

Point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy is applied to investigate the gap structure in iron pnictide single-crystal superconductors of the AFe2As2 (A = Ba, Sr) family ('Fe-122'). The observed point-contact junction conductance curves, G(V), can be divided into two categories: one where Andreev reflection is present for both (Ba0.6K0.4)Fe2As2 and Ba(Fe0.9Co0.1)2As2, and the other with a V2/3 background conductance universally observed, extending even up to 100 meV for Sr0.6Na0.4Fe2As2 and Sr(Fe0.9Co0.1)2As2. The latter is also observed in point-contact junctions on the nonsuperconducting parent compound BaFe2As2 and superconducting (Ba0.6K0.4)Fe2As2 crystals. Mesoscopic phase-separated coexistence of magnetic and superconducting orders is considered to explain distinct behaviors in the superconducting samples. For Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2, double peaks due to Andreev reflection with a strongly sloping background are frequently observed for point contacts on freshly cleaved c-axis surfaces. If normalized using a background baseline and analyzed using the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model, the data show a gap size of ~ 3.0-4.0 meV with 2Δ0/kBTc ~ 2.0-2.6, consistent with the smaller gap size reported for the LnFeAsO family ('Fe-1111'). For the Ba(Fe0.9Co0.1)2As2, the G(V) curves typically display a zero-bias conductance peak.

Spectroscopic evidence for two-gap superconductivity in the quasi-1D chalcogenide Nb2Pd0.81S5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Eunsung; Lee, Sangyun; Ronning, Filip; Thompson, Joe D.; Zhang, Qiu; Balicas, Luis; Lu, Xin; Park, Tuson

2018-04-01

Low-dimensional electronic systems with confined electronic wave functions have attracted interest due to their propensity toward novel quantum phases and their use in wide range of nanotechnologies. The newly discovered chalcogenide Nb2PdS5 possesses a quasi-one-dimensional electronic structure and becomes superconducting. Here, we report spectroscopic evidence for two-band superconductivity, where soft point-contact spectroscopic measurements in the superconducting (SC) state reveal Andreev reflection in the differential conductance G. Multiple peaks in G are observed at 1.8 K and explained by the two-band Blonder–Tinkham–Klapwijk model with two gaps Δ1  =  0.61 meV and Δ2  =  1.20 meV. The progressive evolution of G with temperature and magnetic field corroborates the multiple nature of the SC gaps.

Phase coherence and Andreev reflection in topological insulator devices

DOE PAGES

Finck, A. D. K.; Kurter, C.; Hor, Y. S.; ...

2014-11-04

Topological insulators (TIs) have attracted immense interest because they host helical surface states. Protected by time-reversal symmetry, they are robust to nonmagnetic disorder. When superconductivity is induced in these helical states, they are predicted to emulate p-wave pairing symmetry, with Majorana states bound to vortices. Majorana bound states possess non-Abelian exchange statistics that can be probed through interferometry. Here, we take a significant step towards Majorana interferometry by observing pronounced Fabry-Pérot oscillations in a TI sandwiched between a superconducting and a normal lead. For energies below the superconducting gap, we observe a doubling in the frequency of the oscillations, arisingmore » from an additional phase from Andreev reflection. When a magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the TI surface, a number of very sharp and gate-tunable conductance peaks appear at or near zero energy, which has consequences for interpreting spectroscopic probes of Majorana fermions. Our results show that TIs are a promising platform for exploring phase-coherent transport in a solid-state system.« less

Topological π Junctions from Crossed Andreev Reflection in the Quantum Hall Regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finocchiaro, F.; Guinea, F.; San-Jose, P.

2018-03-01

We consider a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in the quantum Hall regime in the presence of a Zeeman field, with the Fermi level tuned to a filling factor of ν =1 . We show that, in the presence of spin-orbit coupling, contacting the 2DEG with a narrow strip of an s -wave superconductor produces a topological superconducting gap along the contact as a result of crossed Andreev reflection (CAR) processes across the strip. The sign of the topological gap, controlled by the CAR amplitude, depends periodically on the Fermi wavelength and strip width and can be externally tuned. An interface between two halves of a long strip with topological gaps of opposite sign implements a robust π junction, hosting a pair of Majorana zero modes that do not split despite their overlap. We show that such a configuration can be exploited to perform protected non-Abelian tunnel-braid operations without any fine tuning.

Electronic transport close to semi-infinite 2D systems and their interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Fanbing; Wang, Jian; Jian Wang's research Group Team

Transport properties of 2D materials especially close to their boundary has received much attention after the successful fabrication of Graphene. While most previous work is devoted to the conventional lead-device-lead setup with a finite size center area, this project investigates real space transport properties of infinite and semi-infinite 2D systems under the framework of Non-equilibrium Green's function. The commonly used method of calculating Green's function by inverting matrices in the real space can be unstable in dealing with large systems as sometimes it gives non-converging result. By transforming from the real space to momentum space, the author managed to replace the matrix inverting process by Brillouin Zone integral which can be greatly simplified by the application of contour integral. Combining this methodology with Dyson equations, we are able to calculate transport properties of semi-infinite graphene close to its zigzag boundary and its combination with other material including s-wave superconductor. Interference pattern of transmitted and reflected electrons, Graphene lensing effects and difference between Specular Andreev reflection and normal Andreev reflection are verified. We also generalize how to apply this method to a broad range of 2D materials. The University of Hong Kong.

What can Andreev bound states tell us about superconductors?

PubMed

Millo, Oded; Koren, Gad

2018-08-06

Zero-energy Andreev bound states, which manifest themselves in the tunnelling spectra as zero-bias conductance peaks (ZBCPs), are abundant at interfaces between superconductors and other materials and on the nodal surface of high-temperature superconductors. In this review, we focus on the information such excitations can provide on the properties of superconductor systems. First, a general introduction to the physics of Andreev bound states in superconductor/normal metal interfaces is given with a particular emphasis on why they appear at zero energy in d -wave superconductors. Then, specific spectroscopic tunnelling studies of thin films, bilayers and junctions are described, focusing on the corresponding ZBCP features. Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS) studies show that the ZBCPs on the c -axis YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7- δ (YBCO) films are correlated with the surface morphology and appear only in proximity to (110) facets. STS on c -axis La 1.88 Sr 0.12 CuO 4 (LSCO) films exhibiting the 1/8 anomaly shows spatially modulated peaks near zero bias associated with the anti-phase ordering of the d -wave order parameter predicted at this doping level. ZBCPs were also found in micrometre-size edge junctions of YBCO/SrRuO 3 /YBCO, where SrRuO 3 is ferromagnetic. Here, the results are consistent with a crossed Andreev reflection effect (CARE) at the narrow domain walls of the SrRuO 3 ZBCPs measured in STS studies of manganite/cuprate bilayers could not be attributed to CARE because the manganite's domain wall is much larger than the coherence length in YBCO, and instead are attributed to proximity-induced triplet-pairing superconductivity with non-conventional symmetry. And finally, ZBCPs found in junctions of non-intentionally doped topological insulator films of Bi 2 Se 3 and the s -wave superconductor NbN are attributed to proximity-induced p x  + ip y triplet order parameter in the topological material.This article is part of the theme issue 'Andreev bound states'. © 2018 The Author(s).

The effect of radioactive waste storage in Andreev Bay on contamination of the Barents Sea ecosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matishov, G. G.; Ilyin, G. V.; Usyagina, I. S.; Moiseev, D. V.; Dahle, Salve; Kasatkina, N. E.; Valuyskaya, D. A.

2017-02-01

The effect of temporary radioactive waste storage on the ecological status of the sea and biota in the littoral of Andreev and Malaya Andreev bays and near the shore of Motovskii Gulf (including the mouth part of the Zapadnaya Litsa Bay) was analyzed. The littoral sediments contaminated by the 137Cs, 90Sr, 238Pu, and 239,240Pu isotopes are located in the zones of constant groundwater discharge on the shores of Andreev and Malaya Andreev bays. The littoral slopes and bottom depressions of the bays accumulate finely dispersed terrigenous material and 137Cs. The investigations have shown that the storage does not exert a significant adverse effect on the radioactive conditions and the status of the sea ecosystems beyond Andreev Bay.

Proximity-induced superconductivity within the InAs/GaSb edge conducting state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kononov, A.; Kostarev, V. A.; Semyagin, B. R.; Preobrazhenskii, V. V.; Putyato, M. A.; Emelyanov, E. A.; Deviatov, E. V.

2017-12-01

We experimentally investigate Andreev transport through the interface between an indium superconductor and the edge of the InAs/GaSb bilayer. To cover all possible regimes of the InAs/GaSb spectrum, we study samples with 10-nm-, 12-nm-, and 14-nm-thick InAs quantum wells. For the trivial case of a direct band insulator in 10 nm samples, differential resistance demonstrates standard Andreev reflection. For InAs/GaSb structures with band inversion (12 and 14 nm samples), we observe distinct low-energy structures, which we regard as direct evidence for the proximity-induced superconductivity within the current-carrying edge state. For 14 nm InAs well samples, we additionally observe mesoscopiclike resistance fluctuations, which are subjected to threshold suppression in low magnetic fields.

Fermi-Surface Topological Phase Transition and Horizontal Order-Parameter Nodes in CaFe2As2 Under Pressure

PubMed Central

Gonnelli, R. S.; Daghero, D.; Tortello, M.; Ummarino, G. A.; Bukowski, Z.; Karpinski, J.; Reuvekamp, P. G.; Kremer, R. K.; Profeta, G.; Suzuki, K.; Kuroki, K.

2016-01-01

Iron-based compounds (IBS) display a surprising variety of superconducting properties that seems to arise from the strong sensitivity of these systems to tiny details of the lattice structure. In this respect, systems that become superconducting under pressure, like CaFe2As2, are of particular interest. Here we report on the first directional point-contact Andreev-reflection spectroscopy (PCARS) measurements on CaFe2As2 crystals under quasi-hydrostatic pressure, and on the interpretation of the results using a 3D model for Andreev reflection combined with ab-initio calculations of the Fermi surface (within the density functional theory) and of the order parameter symmetry (within a random-phase-approximation approach in a ten-orbital model). The almost perfect agreement between PCARS results at different pressures and theoretical predictions highlights the intimate connection between the changes in the lattice structure, a topological transition in the holelike Fermi surface sheet, and the emergence on the same sheet of an order parameter with a horizontal node line. PMID:27216477

Cryomagnetic Point-Contact Andreev Reflection Spectroscopy on Single Crystal Iron-Chalcogenide Superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yen, Y. T.; Hu, Rongwei; Petrovic, C.; Yeh, K. W.; Wu, M. K.; Wei, J. Y. T.

2012-02-01

We report on cryomagnetic point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy performed on single crystals of superconducting FeTe1-xSx and FeTe1-xSex. The samples are cleaved in-situ and the measurements are carried out at temperatures down to 4.2K and in a field up to 9T. At base temperature and zero field, we observe a cone-shaped hump at lower voltages in the conductance spectra with no dips at zero bias and a linear background at higher voltages. The spectral evolution of gap size, zero-bias conductance, and excess spectral area are analyzed as a function of temperature and field. Further spectral analysis is carried out using theoretical models of conductance spectra in multiband superconductors [1,2] and of gap symmetry in Fe-based superconductors [3]. The role of interstitial iron is also considered, by comparison with atomically-resolved scanning tunneling spectroscopy data.[4pt] [1] V. Lukic and E.J. Nicol, PRB 76, 144508 (2007) [2] A. Golubov et al., PRL 103, 077003 (2009) [3] P.J. Hirschfeld et al., RPP 74, 124508 (2011)

Fermi-Surface Topological Phase Transition and Horizontal Order-Parameter Nodes in CaFe2As2 Under Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonnelli, R. S.; Daghero, D.; Tortello, M.; Ummarino, G. A.; Bukowski, Z.; Karpinski, J.; Reuvekamp, P. G.; Kremer, R. K.; Profeta, G.; Suzuki, K.; Kuroki, K.

2016-05-01

Iron-based compounds (IBS) display a surprising variety of superconducting properties that seems to arise from the strong sensitivity of these systems to tiny details of the lattice structure. In this respect, systems that become superconducting under pressure, like CaFe2As2, are of particular interest. Here we report on the first directional point-contact Andreev-reflection spectroscopy (PCARS) measurements on CaFe2As2 crystals under quasi-hydrostatic pressure, and on the interpretation of the results using a 3D model for Andreev reflection combined with ab-initio calculations of the Fermi surface (within the density functional theory) and of the order parameter symmetry (within a random-phase-approximation approach in a ten-orbital model). The almost perfect agreement between PCARS results at different pressures and theoretical predictions highlights the intimate connection between the changes in the lattice structure, a topological transition in the holelike Fermi surface sheet, and the emergence on the same sheet of an order parameter with a horizontal node line.

Point-contact spectroscopic studies on normal and superconducting AFe2As2-type iron-pnictide single crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lu, Xin; Park, W.K.; Yuan, H.Q.

2010-04-23

Point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy is applied to investigate the gap structure in iron pnictide single-crystal superconductors of the AFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} (A = Ba, Sr) family ('Fe-122'). The observed point-contact junction conductance curves, G(V), can be divided into two categories: one where Andreev reflection is present for both (Ba{sub 0.6}K{sub 0.4})Fe{sub 2}As{sub 2} and Ba(Fe{sub 0.9}Co{sub 0.1}){sub 2}As{sub 2}, and the other with a V{sup 2/3} background conductance universally observed, extending even up to 100 meV for Sr{sub 0.6}Na{sub 0.4}Fe{sub 2}As{sub 2} and Sr(Fe{sub 0.9}Co{sub 0.1}){sub 2}As{sub 2}. The latter is also observed in point-contact junctions on the nonsuperconducting parentmore » compound BaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} and superconducting (Ba{sub 0.6}K{sub 0.4})Fe{sub 2}As{sub 2} crystals. Mesoscopic phase-separated coexistence of magnetic and superconducting orders is considered to explain distinct behaviors in the superconducting samples. For Ba{sub 0.6}K{sub 0.4}Fe{sub 2}As{sub 2}, double peaks due to Andreev reflection with a strongly sloping background are frequently observed for point contacts on freshly cleaved c-axis surfaces. If normalized using a background baseline and analyzed using the Blonder–Tinkham–Klapwijk model, the data show a gap size of ~ 3.0–4.0 meV with 2Δ{sub 0}/k{sub B}T{sub c} ~ 2.0–2.6, consistent with the smaller gap size reported for the LnFeAsO family ('Fe-1111'). For the Ba(Fe{sub 0.9}Co{sub 0.1}){sub 2}As{sub 2}, the G(V) curves typically display a zero-bias conductance peak.« less

Point-contact spectroscopic studies on normal and superconducting AFe2As2-type iron pnictide single crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lu, Xin; Park, W. K.; Yuan, H. Q.

2010-01-01

Point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy is applied to investigate the gap structure in iron pnictide single-crystal superconductors of the AFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} (A = Ba, Sr) family (Fe-122). The observed point-contact junction conductance curves, G(V), can be divided into two categories: one where Andreev reflection is present for both (Ba{sub 0.6}K{sub 0.4})Fe{sub 2}As{sub 2} and Ba(Fe{sub 0.9}Co{sub 0.1}){sub 2}As{sub 2}, and the other with a V{sup 2/3} background conductance universally observed, extending even up to 100 meV for Sr{sub 0.6}Na{sub 0.4}Fe{sub 2}As{sub 2} and Sr(Fe{sub 0.9}Co{sub 0.1}){sub 2}As{sub 2}. The latter is also observed in point-contact junctions on the nonsuperconducting parentmore » compound BaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} and superconducting (Ba{sub 0.6}K{sub 0.4})Fe{sub 2}As{sub 2} crystals. Mesoscopic phase-separated coexistence of magnetic and superconducting orders is considered to explain distinct behaviors in the superconducting samples. For Ba{sub 0.6}K{sub 0.4}Fe{sub 2}As{sub 2}, double peaks due to Andreev reflection with a strongly sloping background are frequently observed for point contacts on freshly cleaved c-axis surfaces. If normalized using a background baseline and analyzed using the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model, the data show a gap size of {approx} 3.0-4.0 meV with 2{Delta}{sub 0}/k{sub B}T{sub c} {approx} 2.0-2.6, consistent with the smaller gap size reported for the LnFeAsO family (Fe-1111). For the Ba(Fe{sub 0.9}Co{sub 0.1}){sub 2}As{sub 2}, the G(V) curves typically display a zero-bias conductance peak.« less

Nonlocal superconducting correlations in graphene in the quantum Hall regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beconcini, Michael; Polini, Marco; Taddei, Fabio

2018-05-01

We study Andreev processes and nonlocal transport in a three-terminal graphene-superconductor hybrid system under a quantizing perpendicular magnetic field [G.-H. Lee et al., Nat. Phys. 13, 693 (2017), 10.1038/nphys4084]. We find that the amplitude of the crossed Andreev reflection (CAR) processes crucially depends on the orientation of the lattice. By employing Landauer-Büttiker scattering theory, we find that CAR is generally very small for a zigzag edge, while for an armchair edge it can be larger than the normal transmission, thereby resulting in a negative nonlocal resistance. In the case of an armchair edge and with a wide superconducting region (as compared to the superconducting coherence length), CAR exhibits large oscillations as a function of the magnetic field due to interference effects. This results in sign changes of the nonlocal resistance.

Tunnelling spectroscopy of Andreev states in graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bretheau, Landry; Wang, Joel I.-Jan; Pisoni, Riccardo; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Jarillo-Herrero, Pablo

2017-08-01

A normal conductor placed in good contact with a superconductor can inherit its remarkable electronic properties. This proximity effect microscopically originates from the formation in the conductor of entangled electron-hole states, called Andreev states. Spectroscopic studies of Andreev states have been performed in just a handful of systems. The unique geometry, electronic structure and high mobility of graphene make it a novel platform for studying Andreev physics in two dimensions. Here we use a full van der Waals heterostructure to perform tunnelling spectroscopy measurements of the proximity effect in superconductor-graphene-superconductor junctions. The measured energy spectra, which depend on the phase difference between the superconductors, reveal the presence of a continuum of Andreev bound states. Moreover, our device heterostructure geometry and materials enable us to measure the Andreev spectrum as a function of the graphene Fermi energy, showing a transition between different mesoscopic regimes. Furthermore, by experimentally introducing a novel concept, the supercurrent spectral density, we determine the supercurrent-phase relation in a tunnelling experiment, thus establishing the connection between Andreev physics at finite energy and the Josephson effect. This work opens up new avenues for probing exotic topological phases of matter in hybrid superconducting Dirac materials.

Asymmetric Andreev resonant state with a magnetic exchange field in spin-triplet superconducting monolayer MoS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goudarzi, H.; Khezerlou, M.; Ebadzadeh, S. F.

2018-03-01

We study the influence of magnetic exchange field (MEF) on the chirality of Andreev resonant state (ARS) appearing at the relating monolayer MoS2 ferromagnet/superconductor interface, in which the induced pairing order parameter is chiral p-wave symmetry. Transmission of low-energy Dirac-like electron (hole) quasiparticles through a ferromagnet/superconductor (F/S) interface is considered based on Dirac-Bogoliubov-de Gennes Hamiltonian and, of course, Andreev reflection process. The magnetic exchange field of a ferromagnetic section on top of ML-MDS may affect the electron (hole) excitations for spin-up and spin-down electrons, differently. We find the chirality symmetry of ARS to be conserved in the absence of MEF, whereas it is broken in the presence of MEF. Tuning the MEF enables one to control either electrical properties (such as band gap, SOC and etc.) or spin-polarized transport. The resulting normal conductance is found to be more sensitive to the magnitude of MEF and doping regime of F region. Unconventional spin-triplet p-wave symmetry features the zero-bias conductance, which strongly depends on p-doping level of F region in the relating NFS junction. A sharp conductance switching in zero is achieved in the absence of SOC.

Tunneling spectroscopy of a spiral Luttinger liquid in contact with superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Dong E.; Levchenko, Alex

2014-03-01

One-dimensional wires with Rashba spin-orbit coupling, magnetic field, and strong electron-electron interactions are described by a spiral Luttinger liquid model. We develop a theory to investigate the tunneling density of states into a spiral Luttinger liquid in contact with superconductors at its two ends. This approach provides a way to disentangle the delicate interplay between superconducting correlations and strong electron interactions. If the wire-superconductor boundary is dominated by Andreev reflection, we find that in the vicinity of the interface the zero-bias tunneling anomaly reveals a power law enhancement with the unusual exponent. This zero-bias due to Andreev reflections may coexist and thus mask possible peak due to Majorana bound states. Far away from the interface strong correlations inherent to the Luttinger liquid prevail and restore conventional suppression of the tunneling density of states at the Fermi level, which acquires a Friedel-like oscillatory envelope with the period renormalized by the strength of the interaction. D.E.L. was supported by Michigan State University and in part by ARO through Contract No. W911NF-12-1-0235. A.L. acknowledges support from NSF under Grant No. PHYS-1066293, and the hospitality of the Aspen Center for Physics.

Point contact Andreev reflection spectroscopic (PCARS) studies on 122-type iron-based superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Xin; Park, W. K.; Greene, L. H.; Yuan, H. Q.; Chen, G. F.; Luo, G. L.; Wang, N. L.; Sefat, A. S.; McGuire, M. A.; Jin, R.; Sales, B. C.; Mandrus, D.; Gillett, J.; Sebastian, S. E.

2010-03-01

PCARS is applied to investigate the superconducting gap in iron pnictide single crystal superconductors of the AFe2As2 (A=Ba, Sr) family with two categories of G(V) curves observed [1]: one where Andreev reflection (AR) is present for (Ba0.6K0.4)Fe2As2 and Ba(Fe0.9Co0.1)2As2, and the other without AR but a V^2/3 shape for Sr0.6Na0.4Fe2As2 and Sr(Fe0.9Co0.1)2As2. The latter is also observed in the nonsuperconducting parent compound BaFe2As2. Mesoscopic phase-separated coexistence of magnetic and superconducting orders is considered to explain distinct behaviors. A gap size ˜3.0-4.0 meV with 2δ0/kBTc˜2.0-2.6 is observed for PCARS on Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2. For the Ba(Fe0.9Co0.1)2As2, G(V) curves typically display a zero-bias conductance peak, sometimes with a V-shape background. [1] Xin Lu et al., arXiv:0910.4230

Phase transitions in the distribution of the Andreev conductance of superconductor-metal junctions with multiple transverse modes.

PubMed

Damle, Kedar; Majumdar, Satya N; Tripathi, Vikram; Vivo, Pierpaolo

2011-10-21

We compute analytically the full distribution of Andreev conductance G(NS) of a metal-superconductor interface with a large number N(c) of transverse modes, using a random matrix approach. The probability distribution P(G(NS),N(c) in the limit of large N(c) displays a Gaussian behavior near the average value =(2-√2)N(c) and asymmetric power-law tails in the two limits of very small and very large G(NS). In addition, we find a novel third regime sandwiched between the central Gaussian peak and the power-law tail for large G(NS). Weakly nonanalytic points separate these four regimes-these are shown to be consequences of three phase transitions in an associated Coulomb gas problem. © 2011 American Physical Society

Point-contact spectroscopy of the iron chalcogenide superconductors: interplay between multiband superconductivity and magnetism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Wan Kyu; Hunt, C. R.; Arham, H. Z.; Lu, X.; Greene, L. H.; Xu, Z. J.; Wen, J. S.; Lin, Z. W.; Li, Q.; Gu, G.

2010-03-01

We report point-contact conductance measurements on the iron chalcogenide superconductors, Fe1+yTe1-xSex. The excess Fe atoms are known to occupy the interstitial sites in the Te-Se plane, affecting the superconductivity as well as the magnetism in this family. For a compound having nominal values of y=0 and x=0.45, a single superconducting transition is observed at 14.2 K. In the superconducting state, BTK-like double peak structures due to Andreev reflection are observed. However, the peak position of different point contacts falls to a wide voltage range, 1.5 -- 4 mV. Additional multiple humps are sometimes observed in a much higher bias voltage range, 8 -- 15 mV. Most strikingly, conductance enhancement persists well above Tc. We will present possible interpretations of these experimental observations in terms of multiband superconductivity and the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism.

Rashba sandwiches with topological superconducting phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volpez, Yanick; Loss, Daniel; Klinovaja, Jelena

2018-05-01

We introduce a versatile heterostructure harboring various topological superconducting phases characterized by the presence of helical, chiral, or unidirectional edge states. Changing parameters, such as an effective Zeeman field or chemical potential, one can tune between these three topological phases in the same setup. Our model relies only on conventional nontopological ingredients. The bilayer setup consists of an s -wave superconductor sandwiched between two two-dimensional electron gas layers with strong Rashba spin-orbit interaction. The interplay between two different pairing mechanisms, proximity induced direct and crossed Andreev superconducting pairings, gives rise to multiple topological phases. In particular, helical edge states occur if crossed Andreev superconducting pairing is dominant. In addition, an in-plane Zeeman field leads to a two-dimensional gapless topological phase with unidirectional edge states, which were previously predicted to exist only in noncentrosymmetric superconductors. If the Zeeman field is tilted out of the plane, the system is in a topological phase hosting chiral edge states.

Quantum charge pumping through resonant crossed Andreev reflection in a superconducting hybrid junction of silicene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Ganesh C.; Saha, Arijit

2017-01-01

We theoretically investigate the phenomena of adiabatic quantum charge pumping through a normal-insulator-superconductor-insulator-normal (NISIN) setup of silicene within the scattering matrix formalism. Assuming a thin barrier limit, we consider the strength of the two barriers (χ1 and χ2) as the two pumping parameters in the adiabatic regime. Within this geometry, we obtain crossed Andreev reflection (CAR) with probability unity in the χ1-χ2 plane without concomitant transmission or elastic co-tunneling. Tunability of the band gap at the Dirac point by applying an external electric field perpendicular to the silicene sheet and variation of the chemical potential at the normal silicene region, open up the possibility of achieving either a perfect CAR or transmission process through our setup. This resonant behavior is periodic with the barrier strengths. We analyze the behavior of the pumped charge through the NISIN structure as a function of the pumping strength and angles of the incident electrons. We show that large (Q ˜2 e ) pumped charge can be obtained through our geometry when the pumping contour encloses either the CAR or transmission resonance in the pumping parameter space. We discuss possible experimental feasibility of our theoretical predictions.

Superconductivity switch from spin-singlet to -triplet pairing in a topological superconducting junction.

PubMed

Tao, Ze; Chen, F J; Zhou, L Y; Li, Bin; Tao, Y C; Wang, J

2018-06-06

The interedge coupling is the cardinal characteristic of the narrow quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulator, and thus could bring about exotic transport phenomena. Herein, we present a theoretical investigation of the spin-resolved Andreev reflection (AR) in a QSH insulator strip touching on two neighbouring ferromagnetic insulators and one s-wave superconductor. It is demonstrated that, due to the interplay of the interedge coupling and ferromagnetic configuration, there could be not only usual local ARs leading to the spin-singlet pairing with the incident electron and Andreev-reflected hole from different spin subbands, but also novel local ARs giving rise to the spin-triplet pairing from the same spin subband. However, only the latter exists in the absence of the interedge coupling, and therefore the two pairings in turn testify the helical spin texture of the edge states. By proper tuning of the band structures of the ferromagnetic layers, under the resonance bias voltage, the usual and novel local ARs of [Formula: see text] can be all exhibited, resulting in fully spin-polarized pure spin-singlet superconductivity and pure spin-triplet superconductivity, respectively, which suggests a superconductivity switch from spin-singlet to -triplet pairing by electrical control. The results can be experimentally confirmed by the tunneling conductance and the noise power.

Superconductivity switch from spin-singlet to -triplet pairing in a topological superconducting junction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Ze; Chen, F. J.; Zhou, L. Y.; Li, Bin; Tao, Y. C.; Wang, J.

2018-06-01

The interedge coupling is the cardinal characteristic of the narrow quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulator, and thus could bring about exotic transport phenomena. Herein, we present a theoretical investigation of the spin-resolved Andreev reflection (AR) in a QSH insulator strip touching on two neighbouring ferromagnetic insulators and one s-wave superconductor. It is demonstrated that, due to the interplay of the interedge coupling and ferromagnetic configuration, there could be not only usual local ARs leading to the spin-singlet pairing with the incident electron and Andreev-reflected hole from different spin subbands, but also novel local ARs giving rise to the spin-triplet pairing from the same spin subband. However, only the latter exists in the absence of the interedge coupling, and therefore the two pairings in turn testify the helical spin texture of the edge states. By proper tuning of the band structures of the ferromagnetic layers, under the resonance bias voltage, the usual and novel local ARs of can be all exhibited, resulting in fully spin-polarized pure spin-singlet superconductivity and pure spin-triplet superconductivity, respectively, which suggests a superconductivity switch from spin-singlet to -triplet pairing by electrical control. The results can be experimentally confirmed by the tunneling conductance and the noise power.

Graphene based superconducting junctions as spin sources for spintronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emamipour, Hamidreza

2018-02-01

We investigate spin-polarized transport in graphene-based ferromagnet-superconductor junctions within the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk formalism by using spin-polarized Dirac-Bogoliubov-de-Gennes equations. We consider superconductor in spin-singlet s-wave pairing state and ferromagnet is modeled by an exchange field with energy of Ex. We have found that graphene-based junctions can be used to produce highly spin-polarized current in different situations. For example, if we design a junction with high Ex and EF compared to order parameter of superconductor, then one can have a large spin-polarized current which is tunable in magnitude and sign by bias voltage and Ex. Therefore graphene-based superconducting junction can be used in spintronic devices in alternative to conventional junctions or half-metallic ferromagnets. Also, we have found that the calculated spin polarization can be used as a tool to distinguish specular Andreev reflection (SAR) from the conventional Andreev reflection (CAR) such that in the case of CAR, spin polarization in sub-gap region is completely negative which means that spin-down current is greater than spin-up current. When the SAR is dominated, the spin polarization is positive at all bias-voltages, which itself shows that spin-up current is greater than spin-down current.

Andreev rectifier: A nonlocal conductance signature of topological phase transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosdahl, T. Ö.; Vuik, A.; Kjaergaard, M.; Akhmerov, A. R.

2018-01-01

The proximity effect in hybrid superconductor-semiconductor structures, crucial for realizing Majorana edge modes, is complicated to control due to its dependence on many unknown microscopic parameters. In addition, defects can spoil the induced superconductivity locally in the proximitized system, which complicates measuring global properties with a local probe. We show how to use the nonlocal conductance between two spatially separated leads to probe three global properties of a proximitized system: the bulk superconducting gap, the induced gap, and the induced coherence length. Unlike local conductance spectroscopy, nonlocal conductance measurements distinguish between nontopological zero-energy modes localized around potential inhomogeneities, and true Majorana edge modes that emerge in the topological phase. In addition, we find that the nonlocal conductance is an odd function of bias at the topological phase transition, acting as a current rectifier in the low-bias limit. More generally, we identify conditions for crossed Andreev reflection to dominate the nonlocal conductance and show how to design a Cooper pair splitter in the open regime.

Andreev current for low temperature thermometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faivre, T.; Golubev, D. S.; Pekola, J. P.

2015-05-01

We demonstrate experimentally that disorder enhanced Andreev current in a tunnel junction between a normal metal and a superconductor provides a method to measure electronic temperature, specifically at temperatures below 200 mK when aluminum is used. This Andreev thermometer has some advantages over conventional quasiparticle thermometers: For instance, it does not conduct heat and its reading does not saturate until at lower temperatures. Another merit is that the responsivity is constant over a wide temperature range.

Andreev bound states in a semiconducting nanowire Josephson junction, Part II: Quantum jumps and Fermion parity switching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hays, M.; de Lange, G.; Serniak, K.; van Woerkom, D. J.; Väyrynen, J. I.; van Heck, B.; Vool, U.; Krogstrup, P.; Nygård, J.; Frunzio, L.; Geresdi, A.; Glazman, L. I.; Devoret, M. H.

Proximitized semiconducting nanowires subject to magnetic field should display topological superconductivity and support Majorana zero modes which have non-Abelian braiding statistics. The conventional Andreev levels formed in such wires in the absence of field are a precursor to these exotic zero modes. The fermion-parity switching time of Andreev levels sets a lower bound on the bandwidth required for experiments aimed at harnessing non-Abelian braiding statistics. We demonstrate the observation of quantum jumps between even and odd-parity states of an individual Andreev bound state in a non-topological junction, providing a direct measurement of the state populations and the parity lifetime. Work supported by: ARO, ONR, AFOSR, EU Marie Curie and YINQE.

Continuous control of spin polarization using a magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gifford, J. A.; Zhao, G. J.; Li, B. C.; Tracy, Brian D.; Zhang, J.; Kim, D. R.; Smith, David J.; Chen, T. Y.

2016-05-01

The giant magnetoresistance (GMR) of a point contact between a Co/Cu multilayer and a superconductor tip varies for different bias voltage. Direct measurement of spin polarization by Andreev reflection spectroscopy reveals that the GMR change is due to a change in spin polarization. This work demonstrates that the GMR structure can be utilized as a spin source and that the spin polarization can be continuously controlled by using an external magnetic field.

Twofold spin-triplet pairing states and tunneling conductance in ferromagnet/ferromagnet/iron pnictide superconductor heterojunctions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, X.; Tao, Y.C., E-mail: yctao88@163.com; Dong, Z.C.

By applying an extended eight-component Bogoliubov–de Gennes equation, we study theoretically the tunneling conductance in clean ferromagnet/ferromagnet/iron pnictide superconductor (FM/FM/iron-based SC) heterojunctions. Under the condition of noncollinear magnetizations, twofold novel Andreev reflections exist due to the existence of two bands in the SC, in which the incident electron and the two Andreev-reflected holes, belonging to the same spin subband, form twofold spin-triplet pairing states near the FM/iron-based SC interface. It is shown that the conversions of the conductance not only between the zero-bias peak and valley at zero energy but also between the peaks and dips at two gap energiesmore » are strongly dependent on both the interband coupling strength in the SC and the spin polarization in the FM. The qualitative differences from tunneling into a conventional s-wave SC are also presented, which may help with experimentally probing and identifying the antiphase s-wave pairing symmetry in the iron-based SC. -- Highlights: •An eight-component Bogoliubov–de Gennes (BDG) equation. •Twofold novel ARs and twofold usual ARs. •Conversions of conductance between the zero-bias peak and valley at zero energy. •Conversions of conductance between peaks and dips at two gap energies. •The importance of the interband coupling strength in the SC.« less

Magnetoconductance oscillations at a nanoparticle film-superconductor interface: a means for probing flux penetration depth.

PubMed

Dunford, Jeffrey L; Dhirani, Al-Amin

2008-11-12

Interfaces between disordered normal materials and superconductors (S) can exhibit 'reflectionless tunnelling' (RT)-a phenomenon that arises from repeated disorder-driven elastic scattering, multiple Andreev reflections, and electron/hole interference. RT has been used to explain zero-bias conductance peaks (ZBCPs) observed using doped semiconductors and evaporated granular metal films as the disordered normal materials. Recently, in addition to ZBCPs, magnetoconductance oscillations predicted by RT theory have been observed using a novel normal disordered material: self-assembled nanoparticle films. In the present study, we find that the period of these oscillations decreases as temperature (T) increases. This suggests that the magnetic flux associated with interfering pathways increases accordingly. We propose that the increasing flux can be attributed to magnetic field penetration into S as [Formula: see text]. This model agrees remarkably well with known T dependence of penetration depth predicted by Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory. Our study shows that this additional region of flux is significant and must be considered in experimental and theoretical studies of RT.

Phase coherent transport in hybrid superconductor-topological insulator devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finck, Aaron

2015-03-01

Heterostructures of superconductors and topological insulators are predicted to host unusual zero energy bound states known as Majorana fermions, which can robustly store and process quantum information. Here, I will discuss our studies of such heterostructures through phase-coherent transport, which can act as a unique probe of Majorana fermions. We have extensively explored topological insulator Josephson junctions through SQUID and single-junction diffraction patterns, whose unusual behavior give evidence for low-energy Andreev bound states. In topological insulator devices with closely spaced normal and superconducting leads, we observe prominent Fabry-Perot oscillations, signifying gate-tunable, quasi-ballistic transport that can elegantly interact with Andreev reflection. Superconducting disks deposited on the surface of a topological insulator generate Aharonov-Bohm-like oscillations, giving evidence for unusual states lying near the interface between the superconductor and topological insulator surface. Our results point the way towards sophisticated interferometers that can detect and read out the state of Majorana fermions in topological systems. This work was done in collaboration with Cihan Kurter, Yew San Hor, and Dale Van Harlingen. We acknowledge funding from Microsoft Project Q.

Andreev molecules in semiconductor nanowire double quantum dots.

PubMed

Su, Zhaoen; Tacla, Alexandre B; Hocevar, Moïra; Car, Diana; Plissard, Sébastien R; Bakkers, Erik P A M; Daley, Andrew J; Pekker, David; Frolov, Sergey M

2017-09-19

Chains of quantum dots coupled to superconductors are promising for the realization of the Kitaev model of a topological superconductor. While individual superconducting quantum dots have been explored, control of longer chains requires understanding of interdot coupling. Here, double quantum dots are defined by gate voltages in indium antimonide nanowires. High transparency superconducting niobium titanium nitride contacts are made to each of the dots in order to induce superconductivity, as well as probe electron transport. Andreev bound states induced on each of dots hybridize to define Andreev molecular states. The evolution of these states is studied as a function of charge parity on the dots, and in magnetic field. The experiments are found in agreement with a numerical model.Quantum dots in a nanowire are one possible approach to creating a solid-state quantum simulator. Here, the authors demonstrate the coupling of electronic states in a double quantum dot to form Andreev molecule states; a potential building block for longer chains suitable for quantum simulation.

Shooting quasiparticles from Andreev bound states in a superconducting constriction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Riwar, R.-P.; Houzet, M.; Meyer, J. S.

2014-12-15

A few-channel superconducting constriction provides a set of discrete Andreev bound states that may be populated with quasiparticles. Motivated by recent experimental research, we study the processes in an a.c. driven constriction whereby a quasiparticle is promoted to the delocalized states outside the superconducting gap and flies away. We distinguish two processes of this kind. In the process of ionization, a quasiparticle present in the Andreev bound state is transferred to the delocalized states leaving the constriction. The refill process involves two quasiparticles: one flies away while another one appears in the Andreev bound state. We notice an interesting asymmetrymore » of these processes. The electron-like quasiparticles are predominantly emitted to one side of the constriction while the hole-like ones are emitted to the other side. This produces a charge imbalance of accumulated quasiparticles, that is opposite on opposite sides of the junction. The imbalance may be detected with a tunnel contact to a normal metal lead.« less

Andreev Bound States Formation and Quasiparticle Trapping in Quench Dynamics Revealed by Time-Dependent Counting Statistics.

PubMed

Souto, R Seoane; Martín-Rodero, A; Yeyati, A Levy

2016-12-23

We analyze the quantum quench dynamics in the formation of a phase-biased superconducting nanojunction. We find that in the absence of an external relaxation mechanism and for very general conditions the system gets trapped in a metastable state, corresponding to a nonequilibrium population of the Andreev bound states. The use of the time-dependent full counting statistics analysis allows us to extract information on the asymptotic population of even and odd many-body states, demonstrating that a universal behavior, dependent only on the Andreev state energy, is reached in the quantum point contact limit. These results shed light on recent experimental observations on quasiparticle trapping in superconducting atomic contacts.

Majorana bound states from exceptional points in non-topological superconductors

PubMed Central

San-Jose, Pablo; Cayao, Jorge; Prada, Elsa; Aguado, Ramón

2016-01-01

Recent experimental efforts towards the detection of Majorana bound states have focused on creating the conditions for topological superconductivity. Here we demonstrate an alternative route, which achieves fully localised zero-energy Majorana bound states when a topologically trivial superconductor is strongly coupled to a helical normal region. Such a junction can be experimentally realised by e.g. proximitizing a finite section of a nanowire with spin-orbit coupling, and combining electrostatic depletion and a Zeeman field to drive the non-proximitized (normal) portion into a helical phase. Majorana zero modes emerge in such an open system without fine-tuning as a result of charge-conjugation symmetry, and can be ultimately linked to the existence of ‘exceptional points’ (EPs) in parameter space, where two quasibound Andreev levels bifurcate into two quasibound Majorana zero modes. After the EP, one of the latter becomes non-decaying as the junction approaches perfect Andreev reflection, thus resulting in a Majorana dark state (MDS) localised at the NS junction. We show that MDSs exhibit the full range of properties associated to conventional closed-system Majorana bound states (zero-energy, self-conjugation, 4π-Josephson effect and non-Abelian braiding statistics), while not requiring topological superconductivity. PMID:26865011

14C/C measurements support Andreev's internode method to determine lichen growth rates in Cladina stygia (Fr.) Ahti

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holt, E; Bench, G

2007-12-05

Growth rates and the ability to date an organism can greatly contribute to understanding its population biology and community dynamics. 1n 1954, Andreev proposed a method to date Cladina, a fruticose lichen, using total thallus length and number of internodes. No research, however, has demonstrated the reliability of this technique or compared its estimates to those derived by other means. In this study, we demonstrate the utility of {sup 14}C/C ratios to determine lichen age and growth rate in Cladina stygia (Fr.) Ahti collected from northwestern Alaska, USA. The average growth rate using {sup 14}C/C ratios was 6.5 mm {center_dot}more » yr{sup -1}, which was not significantly different from growth rates derived by Andreev's internode method (average = 6.2 mm {center_dot} yr{sup -1}); thus, suggesting the reliability of Andreev's simple field method for dating lichens. In addition, we found lichen growth rates appeared to differ with geographic location, yet did not seem related to ambient temperature and total precipitation.« less

Tunable-φ Josephson junction with a quantum anomalous Hall insulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakurai, Keimei; Ikegaya, Satoshi; Asano, Yasuhiro

2017-12-01

We theoretically study the Josephson current in a superconductor/quantum anomalous Hall insulator/superconductor junction by using the lattice Green function technique. When an in-plane external Zeeman field is applied to the quantum anomalous Hall insulator, the Josephson current J flows without a phase difference across the junction θ . The phase shift φ appearing in the current-phase relationship J ∝sin(θ -φ ) is proportional to the amplitude of Zeeman fields and depends on the direction of Zeeman fields. A phenomenological analysis of the Andreev reflection processes explains the physical origin of φ . In a quantum anomalous Hall insulator, time-reversal symmetry and mirror-reflection symmetry are broken simultaneously. However, magnetic mirror-reflection symmetry is preserved. Such characteristic symmetry properties enable us to have a tunable φ junction with a quantum Hall insulator.

Coherent Charge Transport in Ballistic InSb Nanowire Josephson Junctions

PubMed Central

Li, S.; Kang, N.; Fan, D. X.; Wang, L. B.; Huang, Y. Q.; Caroff, P.; Xu, H. Q.

2016-01-01

Hybrid InSb nanowire-superconductor devices are promising for investigating Majorana modes and topological quantum computation in solid-state devices. An experimental realisation of ballistic, phase-coherent superconductor-nanowire hybrid devices is a necessary step towards engineering topological superconducting electronics. Here, we report on a low-temperature transport study of Josephson junction devices fabricated from InSb nanowires grown by molecular-beam epitaxy and provide a clear evidence for phase-coherent, ballistic charge transport through the nanowires in the junctions. We demonstrate that our devices show gate-tunable proximity-induced supercurrent and clear signatures of multiple Andreev reflections in the differential conductance, indicating phase-coherent transport within the junctions. We also observe periodic modulations of the critical current that can be associated with the Fabry-Pérot interference in the nanowires in the ballistic transport regime. Our work shows that the InSb nanowires grown by molecular-beam epitaxy are of excellent material quality and hybrid superconducting devices made from these nanowires are highly desirable for investigation of the novel physics in topological states of matter and for applications in topological quantum electronics. PMID:27102689

Direct penetration of spin-triplet superconductivity into a ferromagnet in Au/SrRuO3/Sr2RuO4 junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anwar, M. S.; Lee, S. R.; Ishiguro, R.; Sugimoto, Y.; Tano, Y.; Kang, S. J.; Shin, Y. J.; Yonezawa, S.; Manske, D.; Takayanagi, H.; Noh, T. W.; Maeno, Y.

2016-10-01

Efforts have been ongoing to establish superconducting spintronics utilizing ferromagnet/superconductor heterostructures. Previously reported devices are based on spin-singlet superconductors (SSCs), where the spin degree of freedom is lost. Spin-polarized supercurrent induction in ferromagnetic metals (FMs) is achieved even with SSCs, but only with the aid of interfacial complex magnetic structures, which severely affect information imprinted to the electron spin. Use of spin-triplet superconductors (TSCs) with spin-polarizable Cooper pairs potentially overcomes this difficulty and further leads to novel functionalities. Here, we report spin-triplet superconductivity induction into a FM SrRuO3 from a leading TSC candidate Sr2RuO4, by fabricating microscopic devices using an epitaxial SrRuO3/Sr2RuO4 hybrid. The differential conductance, exhibiting Andreev-reflection features with multiple energy scales up to around half tesla, indicates the penetration of superconductivity over a considerable distance of 15 nm across the SrRuO3 layer without help of interfacial complex magnetism. This demonstrates potential utility of FM/TSC devices for superspintronics.

Direct penetration of spin-triplet superconductivity into a ferromagnet in Au/SrRuO3/Sr2RuO4 junctions

PubMed Central

Anwar, M. S.; Lee, S. R.; Ishiguro, R.; Sugimoto, Y.; Tano, Y.; Kang, S. J.; Shin, Y. J.; Yonezawa, S.; Manske, D.; Takayanagi, H.; Noh, T. W.; Maeno, Y.

2016-01-01

Efforts have been ongoing to establish superconducting spintronics utilizing ferromagnet/superconductor heterostructures. Previously reported devices are based on spin-singlet superconductors (SSCs), where the spin degree of freedom is lost. Spin-polarized supercurrent induction in ferromagnetic metals (FMs) is achieved even with SSCs, but only with the aid of interfacial complex magnetic structures, which severely affect information imprinted to the electron spin. Use of spin-triplet superconductors (TSCs) with spin-polarizable Cooper pairs potentially overcomes this difficulty and further leads to novel functionalities. Here, we report spin-triplet superconductivity induction into a FM SrRuO3 from a leading TSC candidate Sr2RuO4, by fabricating microscopic devices using an epitaxial SrRuO3/Sr2RuO4 hybrid. The differential conductance, exhibiting Andreev-reflection features with multiple energy scales up to around half tesla, indicates the penetration of superconductivity over a considerable distance of 15 nm across the SrRuO3 layer without help of interfacial complex magnetism. This demonstrates potential utility of FM/TSC devices for superspintronics. PMID:27782151

Conductance of graphene based normal-superconductor junction with double magnetic barriers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdollahipour, B.; Mohebalipour, A.; Maleki, M. A.

2018-05-01

We study conductance of a graphene based normal metal-superconductor junction with two magnetic barriers. The magnetic barriers are induced via two applied magnetic fields with the same magnitudes and opposite directions accompanied by an applied electrostatic potential. We solve Dirac-Bogoliubov-De-Gennes (DBdG) equation to calculate conductance of the junction. We find that applying the magnetic field leads to suppression of the Andreev reflection and conductance for all energies. On the other hand, we observe a crossover from oscillatory to tunneling behavior of the conductance as a function of the applied potential by increasing the magnetic field.

Aharonov-Bohm and Aharonov-Casher effects for local and nonlocal Cooper pairs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomaszewski, Damian; Busz, Piotr; López, Rosa; Žitko, Rok; Lee, Minchul; Martinek, Jan

2018-06-01

We study combined interference effects due to the Aharonov-Bohm (AB) and Aharonov-Casher (AC) phases in a Josephson supercurrent of local and nonlocal (split) Cooper pairs. We analyze a junction between two superconductors interconnected through a normal-state nanostructure with either (i) a ring, where single-electron interference is possible, or (ii) two parallel nanowires, where the single-electron interference can be absent, but the cross Andreev reflection can occur. In the low-transmission regime in both geometries the AB and AC effects can be related to only local or nonlocal Cooper pair transport, respectively.

Determination of spin polarization using an unconventional iron superconductor

DOE PAGES

Gifford, J. A.; Chen, B. B.; Zhang, J.; ...

2016-11-21

Here, an unconventional iron superconductor, SmO 0.7F 0.3FeAs, has been utilized to determine the spin polarization and temperature dependence of a highly spin-polarized material, La 0.67Sr 0.33MnO 3, with Andreev reflection spectroscopy. The polarization value obtained is the same as that determined using a conventional superconductor Pb but the temperature dependence of the spin polarization can be measured up to 52 K, a temperature range, which is several times wider than that using a typical conventional superconductor. The result excludes spin-parallel triplet pairing in the iron superconductor.

Study of Proximity Effect at D-Wave Superconductors in Quasiclassical Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanuma, Y.; Tanaka, Y.; Kashiwaya, S.

2005-08-01

Tunneling spectra via Andreev bound states between a normal metal (N) / dx2-y2-wave superconductor (S) (in the presence of a subdominant s-wave pair potential) junction are investigated. In the present work, in order to study the role of proximity effect, we employ quasiclassical Green's function methods. This merit is that we can determine the spatial variation of the pair potentials self-consistently, where the leaking of pair potentials into the N side is involved. In the N/S junction with orientational angle θ = π/4, we can regard as the isolated d-wave superconductor, where attractive interaction in the N side is negligible. On the other hand, in the case of a high transparent contact to the d-wave superconductor (θ = 0), the pair potential penetrates into the inside of the N due to the proximity effect, where the is-wave is not indued at all. Then, the tunneling spectra has a very sharp zero-energy peak (ZEP). This ZEP originates from the fact that quasiparticles feel different sign of the pair potentials between normal metals and d-wave superconductors through Andreev reflections. We show that the spatial dependence of pair potentials is significantly sensitive to the transparency of the junction.

Valley- and spin-switch effects in molybdenum disulfide superconducting spin valve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majidi, Leyla; Asgari, Reza

2014-10-01

We propose a hole-doped molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) superconducting spin valve (F/S/F) hybrid structure in which the Andreev reflection process is suppressed for all incoming waves with a determined range of the chemical potential in ferromagnetic (F) region and the cross-conductance in the right F region depends crucially on the configuration of magnetizations in the two F regions. Using the scattering formalism, we find that the transport is mediated purely by elastic electron cotunneling (CT) process in a parallel configuration and changes to the pure crossed Andreev reflection (CAR) process in the low-energy regime, without fixing of a unique parameter, by reversing the direction of magnetization in the right F region. This suggests both valley- and spin-switch effects between the perfect elastic CT and perfect CAR processes and makes the nonlocal charge current to be fully valley- and spin-polarized inside the right F region where the type of the polarizations can be changed by reversing the magnetization direction in the right F region. We further demonstrate that the presence of the strong spin-orbit interaction λ and an additional topological term (β ) in the Hamiltonian of MoS2 result in an enhancement of the charge conductance of the CT and CAR processes and make them to be present for long lengths of the superconducting region. Besides, we find that the thermal conductance of the structure with a small length of the highly doped superconducting region exhibits linear dependence on the temperature at low temperatures, whereas it enhances exponentially at higher temperatures. In particular, we demonstrate that the thermal conductance versus the strength of the exchange field (h ) in F region displays a maximum value at h <λ , which moves towards larger exchange fields by increasing the temperature.

Magnetoelectric Andreev Effect due to Proximity-Induced Nonunitary Triplet Superconductivity in Helical Metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tkachov, G.

2017-01-01

Noncentrosymmetric superconductors exhibit the magnetoelectric effect, which manifests itself in the appearance of the magnetic spin polarization in response to a dissipationless electric current (supercurrent). While much attention has been dedicated to the thermodynamic version of this phenomenon (Edelstein effect), nonequilibrium transport magnetoelectric effects have not been explored yet. We propose the magnetoelectric Andreev effect (MAE), which consists in the generation of spin-polarized triplet Andreev conductance by an electric supercurrent. The MAE stems from the spin polarization of the Cooper-pair condensate due to a supercurrent-induced nonunitary triplet pairing. We propose the realization of such a nonunitary pairing and MAE in superconducting proximity structures based on two-dimensional helical metals—strongly spin-orbit-coupled electronic systems with the Dirac spectrum such as the topological surface states. Our results uncover an unexplored route towards electrically controlled superconducting spintronics and are a smoking gun for induced unconventional superconductivity in spin-orbit-coupled materials.

Weyl nodes in Andreev spectra of multiterminal Josephson junctions: Chern numbers, conductances, and supercurrents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Hong-Yi; Vavilov, Maxim G.; Levchenko, Alex

2018-02-01

We consider mesoscopic four-terminal Josephson junctions and study emergent topological properties of the Andreev subgap bands. We use symmetry-constrained analysis for Wigner-Dyson classes of scattering matrices to derive band dispersions. When the scattering matrix of the normal region connecting superconducting leads is energy independent, the determinant formula for Andreev spectrum can be reduced to a palindromic equation that admits a complete analytical solution. Band topology manifests with an appearance of the Weyl nodes which serve as monopoles of finite Berry curvature. The corresponding fluxes are quantified by Chern numbers that translate into a quantized nonlocal conductance that we compute explicitly for the time-reversal-symmetric scattering matrix. The topological regime can also be identified by supercurrents as Josephson current-phase relationships exhibit pronounced nonanalytic behavior and discontinuities near Weyl points that can be controllably accessed in experiments.

Josephson Radiation from Gapless Andreev Bound States in HgTe-Based Topological Junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deacon, R. S.; Wiedenmann, J.; Bocquillon, E.; Domínguez, F.; Klapwijk, T. M.; Leubner, P.; Brüne, C.; Hankiewicz, E. M.; Tarucha, S.; Ishibashi, K.; Buhmann, H.; Molenkamp, L. W.

2017-04-01

Frequency analysis of the rf emission of oscillating Josephson supercurrent is a powerful passive way of probing properties of topological Josephson junctions. In particular, measurements of the Josephson emission enable the detection of topological gapless Andreev bound states that give rise to emission at half the Josephson frequency fJ rather than conventional emission at fJ. Here, we report direct measurement of rf emission spectra on Josephson junctions made of HgTe-based gate-tunable topological weak links. The emission spectra exhibit a clear signal at half the Josephson frequency fJ/2 . The linewidths of emission lines indicate a coherence time of 0.3-4 ns for the fJ/2 line, much shorter than for the fJ line (3-4 ns). These observations strongly point towards the presence of topological gapless Andreev bound states and pave the way for a future HgTe-based platform for topological quantum computation.

Index theorem for the flat Andreev bound states at a dirty surface of a nodal superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikegaya, Satoshi; Asano, Yasuhiro

2018-03-01

We discuss the stability of at-band Andreev bound states appearing at a surface of a nodal unconventional superconductor. In the clean limit, the existence of the surface bound states is topologically characterized by a momentum-dependent topological invariant: one-dimensional winding number de ned in the restricted Brillouin zone. Thus, such topological invariant is ill-defined in the presence of potential disorder which is inevitable in experiments. By paying attention to chiral symmetry of the Hamiltonian, we provide an alternative topological index N ZES that predicts the number of Andreev bound states at a dirty surface of an unconventional superconductor. Moreover, we demonstrate that the zero-bias differential conductance in a normal metal/unconventional superconductor junction is quantized at (4e 2 /h)|N ZES | in the limit of strong impurity scattering in the normal metal.

Zero bias conductance peak in InAs nanowire coupled to superconducting electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Nam-Hee; Shin, Yun-Sok; Kim, Hong-Seok; Song, Jin-Dong; Doh, Yong-Joo

2018-04-01

We report the occurrence of the zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) in an InAs nanowire coupled to PbIn superconductors with varying temperature, bias voltage, and magnetic field. The ZBCP is suppressed with increasing temperature and bias voltage above the Thouless energy of the nanowire. Applying a magnetic field also diminishes the ZBCP when the resultant magnetic flux reaches the magnetic flux quantum h/2e. Our observations are consistent with theoretical expectations of reflectionless tunneling, in which the phase coherence between an electron and its Andreev-reflected hole induces the ZBCP as long as time-reversal symmetry is preserved.

Spin Polarization of Alternate Monatomic Epitaxial [Fe/Co]n Superlattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, In Chang; Doi, Masaaki; Sahashi, Masashi; Rajanikanth, Ammanabrolu; Takahashi, Yukiko; Hono, Kazuhiro

2012-09-01

The spin polarization (P) of alternate monatomic layered (AML) epitaxial [Fe/Co]n superlattices grown on MgO(001) substrates by electron beam (EB) evaporation has been measured by the point contact Andreev reflection (PCAR) method. The intrinsic transport P of 0.60 was obtained for the AML epitaxial [Fe/Co]n superlattice grown at 75 °C, which is comparable to that of half-metallic Heusler alloys measured by PCAR. The AML epitaxial [Fe/Co]n superlattices on MgO(001), which are expected to possess the B2 ordered structure, show the highest spin polarization of metallic Fe-Co alloy films.

Nonlocal thermoelectric effects and nonlocal Onsager relations in a three-terminal proximity-coupled superconductor-ferromagnet device.

PubMed

Machon, P; Eschrig, M; Belzig, W

2013-01-25

We study thermal and charge transport in a three-terminal setup consisting of one superconducting and two ferromagnetic contacts. We predict that the simultaneous presence of spin filtering and of spin-dependent scattering phase shifts at each of the two interfaces will lead to very large nonlocal thermoelectric effects both in clean and in disordered systems. The symmetries of thermal and electric transport coefficients are related to fundamental thermodynamic principles by the Onsager reciprocity. Our results show that a nonlocal version of the Onsager relations for thermoelectric currents holds in a three-terminal quantum coherent ferromagnet-superconductor heterostructure including a spin-dependent crossed Andreev reflection and coherent electron transfer processes.

Distinguishing topological Majorana bound states from trivial Andreev bound states: Proposed tests through differential tunneling conductance spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chun-Xiao; Sau, Jay D.; Das Sarma, S.

2018-06-01

Trivial Andreev bound states arising from chemical-potential variations could lead to zero-bias tunneling conductance peaks at finite magnetic field in class-D nanowires, precisely mimicking the predicted zero-bias conductance peaks arising from the topological Majorana bound states. This finding raises a serious question on the efficacy of using zero-bias tunneling conductance peaks, by themselves, as evidence supporting the existence of topological Majorana bound states in nanowires. In the current work, we provide specific experimental protocols for tunneling spectroscopy measurements to distinguish between Andreev and Majorana bound states without invoking more demanding nonlocal measurements which have not yet been successfully performed in nanowire systems. In particular, we discuss three distinct experimental schemes involving the response of the zero-bias peak to local perturbations of the tunnel barrier, the overlap of bound states from the wire ends, and, most compellingly, introducing a sharp localized potential in the wire itself to perturb the zero-bias tunneling peaks. We provide extensive numerical simulations clarifying and supporting our theoretical predictions.

MoRe-based tunnel junctions and their characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaternik, V.; Larkin, S.; Noskov, V.; Chubatyy, V.; Sizontov, V.; Miroshnikov, A.; Karmazin, A.

2008-02-01

Perspective Josephson Mo-Re alloy-oxide-Pb, Mo-Re alloy-normal metal-oxide-Pb and Mo-Re alloy-normal metal-oxide-normal metal-Mo-Re alloy junctions have been fabricated and investigated. Thin (~50-100 nm) MoRe superconducting films are deposited on Al2O3 substrates by using a dc magnetron sputtering of MoRe target. Normal metal (Sn, Al) thin films are deposited on the MoRe films surfaces by thermal evaporation of metals in vacuum and oxidized to fabricate junctions oxide barriers. Quasiparticle I-V curves of the fabricated junctions were measured in wide range of voltages. To investigate a transparency spread for the fabricated junctions barriers the computer simulation of the measured quasiparticle I-V curves have been done in framework of the model of multiple Andreev reflections in double-barrier junction interfaces. It's demonstrated the investigated junctions can be described as highly asymmetric double-barrier Josephson junctions with great difference between the two barrier transparencies. The result of the comparison of experimental quasiparticle I-V curves and calculated ones is proposed and discussed. Also I-V curves of the fabricated junctions have been measured under microwave irradiation with 60 GHz frequency, clear Shapiro steps in the measured I-V curves were observed and discussed.

Signatures of evanescent transport in ballistic suspended graphene-superconductor junctions

PubMed Central

Kumaravadivel, Piranavan; Du, Xu

2016-01-01

In Dirac materials, the low energy excitations behave like ultra-relativistic massless particles with linear energy dispersion. A particularly intriguing phenomenon arises with the intrinsic charge transport behavior at the Dirac point where the charge density approaches zero. In graphene, a 2-D Dirac fermion gas system, it was predicted that charge transport near the Dirac point is carried by evanescent modes, resulting in unconventional “pseudo-diffusive” charge transport even in the absence of disorder. In the past decade, experimental observation of this phenomenon remained challenging due to the presence of strong disorder in graphene devices which limits the accessibility of the low carrier density regime close enough to the Dirac point. Here we report transport measurements on ballistic suspended graphene-Niobium Josephson weak links that demonstrate a transition from ballistic to pseudo-diffusive like evanescent transport below a carrier density of ~1010 cm−2. Approaching the Dirac point, the sub-harmonic gap structures due to multiple Andreev reflections display a strong Fermi energy-dependence and become increasingly pronounced, while the normalized excess current through the superconductor-graphene interface decreases sharply. Our observations are in qualitative agreement with the long standing theoretical prediction for the emergence of evanescent transport mediated pseudo-diffusive transport in graphene. PMID:27080733

Current-phase relation and flux-dependent thermoelectricity in Andreev interferometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolgirev, Pavel E.; Kalenkov, Mikhail S.; Zaikin, Andrei D.

2018-02-01

We predict a novel current-phase relation in multiterminal Andreev interferometers that emerges from an interplay between long-range quantum coherence and nonequilibrium effects. Under nonzero bias V the current-phase relation IS(ϕ ) resembles that of a ϕ0 junction differing from the latter due to a nonzero average I0(V ) =<;IS(ϕ)>;ϕ . The flux-dependent thermopower S (Φ ) of the system has a similar form to that of the current-phase relation and in certain limits it can reduce to an either odd or even function of Φ in agreement with a number of experimental observations.

Effects of nonmagnetic disorder on the energy of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiendl, Thomas; von Oppen, Felix; Brouwer, Piet W.

2017-10-01

We study the sensitivity of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states, bound states that form around magnetic scatterers in superconductors, to the presence of nonmagnetic disorder in both two and three dimensional systems. We formulate a scattering approach to this problem and reduce the effects of disorder to two contributions: disorder-induced normal reflection and a random phase of the amplitude for Andreev reflection. We find that both of these are small even for moderate amounts of disorder. In the dirty limit in which the disorder-induced mean free path is smaller than the superconducting coherence length, the variance of the energy of the Yu-Shiba-Rusinov state remains small in the ratio of the Fermi wavelength and the mean free path. This effect is more pronounced in three dimensions, where only impurities within a few Fermi wavelengths of the magnetic scatterer contribute. In two dimensions the energy variance is larger by a logarithmic factor because impurities contribute up to a distance of the order of the superconducting coherence length.

Josephson current through a quantum dot molecule with a Majorana zero mode and Andreev bound states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Han-Zhao; Zhang, Ying-Tao; Liu, Jian-Jun

2018-04-01

Based on the Green's function method, we investigate the interplay between Majorana zero mode (MZM) and Andreev bound states (ABSs) in a quantum dot molecule side coupled to a topological superconducting nanowire with a pair of MZMs forming a Josephson junction. Since the strong electron-hole asymmetry induced by the nanowire with a topologically non-trivial phase, the MZM suppress the ABSs. The suppression induced by the MZM is robust against the Coulomb repulsion. The interplay between the MZM and the ABSs in Josephson junction presents a feasible experimental means for distinguish between the presence of MZM and ABSs.

Switching effects and spin-valley Andreev resonant peak shifting in silicene superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soodchomshom, Bumned; Niyomsoot, Kittipong; Pattrawutthiwong, Eakkarat

2018-03-01

The magnetoresistance and spin-valley transport properties in a silicene-based NM/FB/SC junction are investigated, where NM, FB and SC are normal, ferromagnetic and s-wave superconducting silicene, respectively. In the FB region, perpendicular electric and staggered exchange fields are applied. The quasiparticles may be described by Dirac Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation due to Cooper pairs formed by spin-valley massive fermions. The spin-valley conductances are calculated based on the modified Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk formalism. We find the spin-valley dependent Andreev resonant peaks in the junction shifted by applying exchange field. Perfect conductance switch generated by interplay of intrinsic spin orbit interaction and superconducting gap has been predicted. Spin and valley polarizations are almost linearly dependent on biased voltage near zero bias and then turn into perfect switch at biased voltage approaching the superconducting gap. The perfect switching of large magnetoresistance has been also predicted at biased energy near the superconducting gap. These switching effects may be due to the presence of spin-valley Andreev resonant peak near the superconducting gap. Our work reveals potential of silicene as applications of electronic switching devices and linear control of spin and valley polarizations.

Superconducting Proximity Effect in Graphene Nanodevices: A Transport and Tunneling Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, I.-Jan

Provided that it is in good electrical contact with a superconductor, a normal metal can acquire superconducting properties when the temperature is low enough. Known as the superconducting proximity effect, this phenomenon has been studied for more than 50 years and, because of the richness of its physics, continues to fascinate many scientists. In this thesis, we present our study of the superconducting proximity effect in a hybrid system made by bringing graphene, a mono- layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, into contact with metallic BCS superconductors. Here graphene plays two roles: First it is a truly 2-dimensional crystal whose electron gas can be accessed on the surface easily. This property allows both transparent electrical contact with superconductors and direct observation of electronic properties made by a variety of probing schemes. Second, with its unique gapless band structure and linear energy dispersion, graphene provides a platform for the study of superconductivity carried by Dirac fermions. Graphene's first role may facilitate endeavors to reach a deeper understanding of proximity effects. However, it is predicted that in its second role graphene may give rise to exotic phenomena in superconducting regime. In order to realize these potentials, it is crucial to have good control of this material in regard to both fabrication and characterization. Two key elements have been recognized as necessary in fabrication: a graphene device with low disorder and a large induced gap in the normal region. In addition, a deeper understanding of the microscopic mechanism of supercurrent transport in graphene or any 2-dimensional system in general, is bound to provide a basis for abundant insights or may even produce surprises. The research discussed in this thesis has been shaped by this overall approach. An introduction to the basic electronic properties of graphene is given in Chapter 1, which presents the band structure of graphene based on a tight-binding model. In addition, gate-tunability and the chiral nature of Dirac fermions in graphene, both of which are essential in our experiments, are also discussed. Chapter 2 provides a theoretical background to superconductivity, with an emphasis on its manifestation in inhomogeneous systems at the mesoscopic scale. The Andreev reflection, the phase-coherent transport of particles coupled by superconductors, and the corresponding energy bound states (Andreev bound states) are studied in long- and short-junction limits. We will also show how the existence of impurity affects the physics presented in our experiments. Chapter 3 demonstrates the first graphene-based superconducting devices that we investigated. Fabrication and low-temperature measurement techniques of SGS junctions made of graphene and NbN, a type II superconductor with a large gap (TC ~ 12K) and a large critical field (HC2 > 9T ) are also discussed. Chapter 4 focuses on the development of h-BN-encapsulated graphene Josephson junctions. The pick-up and transfer techniques for the 2- dimensional Van der Waals materials that we used to make these heterostructures are described in details. The device we fabricated in this way exhibits ballistic transport characteristics, i.e. the signs of low disorder in graphene, in both normal and superconducting regimes. In Chapter 5, the tunneling spectroscopy of supercurrent-carrying Andreev states is presented. In order to study the intrinsic properties of the sample, we developed a new fabrication scheme aiming at preserving the pristine nature of the 2-DEGS as well as to minimize the doping introduced by external probes. The tunneling spectroscopy of graphene in superconducting regime reveals not only the Andreev bound states in the 2-dimensional limit, but also what we call the "Andreev scattering state" in the energy continuum.

Conductance signatures of odd-frequency superconductivity in quantum spin Hall systems using a quantum point contact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleckenstein, C.; Ziani, N. Traverso; Trauzettel, B.

2018-04-01

Topological superconductors give rise to unconventional superconductivity, which is mainly characterized by the symmetry of the superconducting pairing amplitude. However, since the symmetry of the superconducting pairing amplitude is not directly observable, its experimental identification is rather difficult. In our work, we propose a system, composed of a quantum point contact and proximity-induced s -wave superconductivity at the helical edge of a two-dimensional topological insulator, for which we demonstrate the presence of odd-frequency pairing and its intimate connection to unambiguous transport signatures. Notably, our proposal requires no time-reversal symmetry breaking terms. We discover the domination of crossed Andreev reflection over electron cotunneling in a wide range of parameter space, which is a quite unusual transport regime.

Enhancement of the thermoelectric figure of merit in a ferromagnet-quantum dot-superconductor device due to intradot spin-flip scattering and ac field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Wei-Ping; Zhang, Yu-Ying; Li, Zhi-Jian; Nie, Yi-Hang

2017-08-01

We investigate the thermoelectric properties of a ferromagnet-quantum dot-superconductor hybrid system with the intradot spin-flip scattering and the external microwave field. The results indicate that the increase of figure of merit in the gap is very slight when the spin-flip scattering strength increases, but outside the gap it significantly increases with enhancing spin-flip scattering strength. The presence of microwave field results in photon-assisted Andreev reflection and induces the satellite peaks in conductance spectrum. The appropriate match of spin-flip scattering strength, microwave field strength and frequency can significantly enhances the figure of merit of thermoelectric conversion of the device, which can be used as a scheme improving thermoelectric efficiency using microwave frequency.

The zero-bias anomaly of point contacts with ferromagnetic Ni and with the heavy-fermion antiferromagnet CeAl2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gloos, Kurt; Huupponen, Jouko

2010-01-01

We have investigated spear-anvil type point-contacts between ferromagnetic nickel as well as the heavy-fermion antiferromagnet CeAl2 and various simple metals (Cu, Ta, Nb). Contacts with small resistance usually showed electron-phonon scattering, Andreev reflection in case of superconducting counter-electrodes, as well as anomalies due to magnetic ordering. With increasing contact resistance (decreasing contact size) a zero-bias anomaly appeared in both Ni and CeAl2 contacts. It is conventionally attributed to resonant scattering at two-level systems or at magnetic impurities (Kondo effect). At contacts of ~ 1 nm diameter it suppressed completely all other spectral features. We discuss whether those mechanisms are relevant here and what alternatives there might be.

Distinguishing Majorana bound states and Andreev bound states with microwave spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhen-Tao

2018-04-01

Majorana fermions are a fascinating and not yet confirmed quasiparticles in condensed matter physics. Here we propose using microwave spectra to distinguish Majorana bound states (MBSs) from topological trivial Andreev bound states. By numerically calculating the transmission and Zeeman field dependence of the many-body excitation spectrum of a 1D Josephson junction, we find that the two kinds of bound states have distinct responses to variations in the related parameters. Furthermore, the singular behaviors of the MBSs spectrum could be attributed to the robust fractional Josephson coupling and nonlocality of MBSs. Our results provide a feasible method to verify the existence of MBSs and could accelerate its application to topological quantum computation.

Photoinduced half-integer quantized conductance plateaus in topological-insulator/superconductor heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yap, Han Hoe; Zhou, Longwen; Lee, Ching Hua; Gong, Jiangbin

2018-04-01

The past few years have witnessed increased attention to the quest for Majorana-like excitations in the condensed matter community. As a promising candidate in this race, the one-dimensional chiral Majorana edge mode (CMEM) in topological insulator-superconductor heterostructures has gathered renewed interests after an experimental breakthrough [Q. L. He et al., Science 357, 294 (2017), 10.1126/science.aag2792]. In this work, we study computationally the quantum transport of topological insulator-superconductor hybrid devices subject to time-periodic modulation. We report half-integer quantized conductance plateaus at 1/2 e/2h and 3/2 e/2h upon applying the so-called sum rule in the theory of quantum transport in Floquet topological matter. In particular, in a photoinduced topological superconductor sandwiched between two Floquet Chern insulators, it is found that for each Floquet sideband, the CMEM admits equal probability for normal transmission and local Andreev reflection over a wide range of parameter regimes, yielding half-integer quantized plateaus that resist static and time-periodic disorder. While it is well-established that periodic driving fields can simultaneously create and manipulate multiple pairs of Majorana bound states, their detection scheme remains elusive, in part due to their being neutral excitations. Therefore the 3/2 e/2h plateau indicates the possibility to verify the generation of multiple pairs of photoinduced CMEMs via transport measurements. The robust and half-quantized conductance plateaus due to CMEMs are both fascinating and subtle because they only emerge after a summation over contributions from all Floquet sidebands. Our work may add insights into the transport properties of Floquet topological systems and stimulate further studies on the optical control of topological superconductivity.

Tracing the evolution of the two energy gaps in magnesium diboride under pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kononenko, V.; Tarenkov, V.; Belogolovskii, M.; Döring, S.; Schmidt, S.; Seidel, P.

2015-04-01

We have studied transport characteristics of mesoscopic multiple-mode superconducting contacts formed between two grains in bulk two-gap magnesium diboride. The experimental setup was realized by driving a normal-metal tip into MgB2 polycrystalline sample and proved to be extremely stable, providing possibility to perform pressure experiments at low temperatures. It is argued that in our procedure a small piece of the superconducting electrode is captured by the tip apex and, as a result, two junctions in series are formed: a junction between a tip and MgB2 grain and a mesoscopic disordered contact between two superconducting pellets. Although the relative weight of the first junction resistance was considerably less, its contribution is shown to be important for the comparison of measured data with expected gap values. Two hallmarks of multiple Andreev reflections inside the MgB2-c-MgB2 contact (c stands for a high-transparent constriction), a zero-bias 1/ √{|V | } -like singularity of the dc differential conductance and peaks connected to the two gap values, have been revealed. Finally, we report results of a hydrostatic compression experiment showing the evolution of the MgB2 gap values with pressure. In contrast to the theoretical expectations, we have observed an increase of the smaller gap Δπ whereas the larger gap Δσ decreased with increasing pressure as it should be for the electron-phonon pairing mechanism. We argue that the so-called separable model of anisotropy effects is insufficient to describe such changes and only improved two-band versions are capable to reproduce the pressure effect on the energy gaps in magnesium diboride.

Anomalous Damping of a Microelectromechanical Oscillator in Superfluid ^{3}He-B.

PubMed

Zheng, P; Jiang, W G; Barquist, C S; Lee, Y; Chan, H B

2016-11-04

The mechanical resonance properties of a microelectromechanical oscillator with a gap of 1.25  μm was studied in superfluid ^{3}He-B at various pressures. The oscillator was driven in the linear damping regime where the damping coefficient is independent of the oscillator velocity. The quality factor of the oscillator remains low (Q≈80) down to 0.1T_{c}, 4 orders of magnitude less than the intrinsic quality factor measured in vacuum at 4 K. In addition to the Boltzmann temperature dependent contribution to the damping, a damping proportional to temperature was found to dominate at low temperatures. We propose a multiple scattering mechanism of the surface Andreev bound states to be a possible cause for the anomalous damping.

Resonant and Inelastic Andreev Tunneling Observed on a Carbon Nanotube Quantum Dot.

PubMed

Gramich, J; Baumgartner, A; Schönenberger, C

2015-11-20

We report the observation of two fundamental subgap transport processes through a quantum dot (QD) with a superconducting contact. The device consists of a carbon nanotube contacted by a Nb superconducting and a normal metal contact. First, we find a single resonance with position, shape, and amplitude consistent with the theoretically predicted resonant Andreev tunneling (AT) through a single QD level. Second, we observe a series of discrete replicas of resonant AT at a separation of ~145 μeV, with a gate, bias, and temperature dependence characteristic for boson-assisted, inelastic AT, in which energy is exchanged between a bosonic bath and the electrons. The magnetic field dependence of the replica's amplitudes and energies suggest that two different bosons couple to the tunnel process.

A ballistic two-dimensional-electron-gas Andreev interferometer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amado, M., E-mail: mario.amadomontero@sns.it; Fornieri, A.; Sorba, L.

2014-06-16

We report the realization and investigation of a ballistic Andreev interferometer based on an InAs two dimensional electron gas coupled to a superconducting Nb loop. We observe strong magnetic modulations in the voltage drop across the device due to quasiparticle interference within the weak-link. The interferometer exhibits flux noise down to ∼80 μΦ{sub 0}/√(Hz) and a robust behavior in temperature with voltage oscillations surviving up to ∼7 K. Besides this remarkable performance, the device represents a crucial first step for the realization of a fully-tunable ballistic superconducting magnetometer and embodies a potential advanced platform for the investigation of Majorana bound states, non-localmore » entanglement of Cooper pairs, as well as the manipulation and control of spin triplet correlations.« less

Coherence-enhanced phase-dependent dissipation in long SNS Josephson junctions: Revealing Andreev bound state dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dassonneville, B.; Murani, A.; Ferrier, M.; Guéron, S.; Bouchiat, H.

2018-05-01

One of the best known causes of dissipation in ac-driven quantum systems stems from photon absorption causing transitions between levels. Dissipation can also be caused by the retarded response to the time-dependent excitation, and in general gives insight into the system's relaxation times and mechanisms. Here we address the dissipation in a mesoscopic normal wire with superconducting contacts, that sustains a dissipationless supercurrent at zero frequency and that may therefore naively be expected to remain dissipationless at a frequency lower than the superconducting gap. We probe the high-frequency linear response of such a normal metal/superconductor (NS) ring to a time-dependent flux by coupling it to a highly sensitive multimode microwave resonator. Far from being the simple, dissipationless derivative of the supercurrent-versus-phase relation, the ring's ac susceptibility also displays a dissipative component whose phase dependence is a signature of the dynamical processes occurring within the Andreev spectrum. We show how dissipation is driven by the competition between two mechanisms. The first is the relaxation of the Andreev level distribution function, while the second corresponds to microwave-induced transitions within the spectrum. Depending on the relative strength of those contributions, dissipation can be maximal at π , a phase at which the proximity-induced minigap closes, or can be maximal near π /2 , a phase at which the dc supercurrent is maximal. We also find that the dissipative response paradoxically increases at low temperature and can even exceed the normal-state conductance. The results are successfully confronted with theoretical predictions of the Kubo linear response and time-dependent Usadel equations, derived from the Bogoliubov-de Gennes Hamiltonian describing the SNS junction. These experiments thus demonstrate the power of the ac susceptibility measurement of individual hybrid mesoscopic systems in probing in a controlled way the quantum dynamics of Andreev bound states. By spanning different physical regimes, our experiments provide unique access to inelastic scattering and spectroscopy of an isolated quantum coherent system, and reveal the associated relaxation times. This technique should be a tool of choice to investigate topological superconductivity and detect the topological protection of edge states.

Quench dynamics in superconducting nanojunctions: Metastability and dynamical Yang-Lee zeros

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Souto, R. Seoane; Martín-Rodero, A.; Yeyati, A. Levy

2017-10-01

We study the charge transfer dynamics following the formation of a phase or voltage biased superconducting nanojunction using a full counting statistics analysis. We demonstrate that the evolution of the zeros of the generating function allows one to identify the population of different many body states much in the same way as the accumulation of Yang-Lee zeros of the partition function in equilibrium statistical mechanics is connected to phase transitions. We give an exact expression connecting the dynamical zeros to the charge transfer cumulants and discuss when an approximation based on "dominant" zeros is valid. We show that, for generic values of the parameters, the system gets trapped into a metastable state characterized by a nonequilibrium population of the many body states which is dependent on the initial conditions. We study in particular the effect of the switching rates in the dynamics showing that, in contrast to intuition, the deviation from thermal equilibrium increases for the slower rates. In the voltage biased case the steady state is reached independent of the initial conditions. Our method allows us to obtain accurate results for the steady state current and noise in quantitative agreement with steady state methods developed to describe the multiple Andreev reflections regime. Finally, we discuss the system dynamics after a sudden voltage drop showing the possibility of tuning the many body states population by an appropriate choice of the initial voltage, providing a feasible experimental way to access the quench dynamics and control the state of the system.

High spin polarization and the origin of unique ferromagnetic ground state in CuFeSb

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sirohi, Anshu; Saha, Preetha; Gayen, Sirshendu

CuFeSb is isostructural to the ferro-pnictide and chalcogenide superconductors and it is one of the few materials in the family that are known to stabilize in a ferromagnetic ground state. Majority of the members of this family are either superconductors or antiferromagnets. Therefore, CuFeSb may be used as an ideal source of spin polarized current in spin-transport devices involving pnictide and the chalcogenide superconductors. However, for that the Fermi surface of CuFeSb needs to be sufficiently spin polarized. In this paper we report direct measurement of transport spin polarization in CuFeSb by spin-resolved Andreev reflection spectroscopy. From a number ofmore » measurements using multiple superconducting tips we found that the intrinsic transport spin polarization in CuFeSb is high (∼47%). In order to understand the unique ground state of CuFeSb and the origin of large spin polarization at the Fermi level, we have evaluated the spin-polarized band structure of CuFeSb through first principles calculations. Apart from supporting the observed 47% transport spin polarization, such calculations also indicate that the Sb-Fe-Sb angles and the height of Sb from the Fe plane are strikingly different for CuFeSb than the equivalent parameters in other members of the same family thereby explaining the origin of the unique ground state of CuFeSb.« less

Distinction between critical current effects and intrinsic anomalies in the point-contact Andreev reflection spectra of unconventional superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Ge; Wei, Zhong-Xu; Brisbois, Jérémy; Jia, Yan-Li; Huang, Yu-Long; Zhou, Hua-Xue; Ni, Shun-Li; Silhanek, Alejandro V.; Shan, Lei; Zhu, Bei-Yi; Yuan, Jie; Dong, Xiao-Li; Zhou, Fang; Zhao, Zhong-Xian; Jin, Kui

2018-04-01

Not Available Project supported by the National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant Nos. 2015CB921000, 2016YFA0300301, and 2017YFA0302902), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11674374 and 1474338), the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. QYZDB-SSW-SLH008), the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant Nos. XDB07020100 and XDB07030200), the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Project (Grant No. Z161100002116011), the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique–FNRS and the ARC Grant 13/18-08 for Concerted Research Actions, financed by the French Community of Belgium (Wallonia-Brussels Federation). Jérémy Brisbois acknowledges the support from F.R.S.–FNRS (Research Fellowship), The work of Alejandro V Silhanek is partially supported by PDR T.0106.16 of the F.R.S.–FNRS..

Long-range Cooper pair splitter with high entanglement production rate

PubMed Central

Chen, Wei; Shi, D. N.; Xing, D. Y.

2015-01-01

Cooper pairs in the superconductor are a natural source of spin entanglement. The existing proposals of the Cooper pair splitter can only realize a low efficiency of entanglement production, and its size is constrained by the superconducting coherence length. Here we show that a long-range Cooper pair splitter can be implemented in a normal metal-superconductor-normal metal (NSN) junction by driving a supercurrent in the S. The supercurrent results in a band gap modification of the S, which significantly enhances the crossed Andreev reflection (CAR) of the NSN junction and simultaneously quenches its elastic cotunneling. Therefore, a high entanglement production rate close to its saturation value can be achieved by the inverse CAR. Interestingly, in addition to the conventional entangled electron states between opposite energy levels, novel entangled states with equal energy can also be induced in our proposal. PMID:25556521

High spin polarization in CoFeMnGe equiatomic quaternary Heusler alloy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bainsla, Lakhan; Magnetic Materials Unit, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0047; Suresh, K. G., E-mail: suresh@phy.iitb.ac.in

2014-11-28

We report the structure, magnetic property, and spin polarization of CoFeMnGe equiatomic quaternary Heusler alloy. The alloy was found to crystallize in the cubic Heusler structure (prototype LiMgPdSn) with considerable amount of DO{sub 3} disorder. Thermal analysis result indicated the Curie temperature is about 750 K without any other phase transformation up to melting temperature. The magnetization value was close to that predicted by the Slater-Pauling curve. Current spin polarization of P = 0.70 ± 0.01 was deduced using point contact andreev reflection measurements. The temperature dependence of electrical resistivity has been fitted in the temperature range of 5–300 K in order to check for themore » half metallic behavior. Considering the high spin polarization and Curie temperature, this material appears to be promising for spintronic applications.« less

Ballistic superconductivity in semiconductor nanowires.

PubMed

Zhang, Hao; Gül, Önder; Conesa-Boj, Sonia; Nowak, Michał P; Wimmer, Michael; Zuo, Kun; Mourik, Vincent; de Vries, Folkert K; van Veen, Jasper; de Moor, Michiel W A; Bommer, Jouri D S; van Woerkom, David J; Car, Diana; Plissard, Sébastien R; Bakkers, Erik P A M; Quintero-Pérez, Marina; Cassidy, Maja C; Koelling, Sebastian; Goswami, Srijit; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Kouwenhoven, Leo P

2017-07-06

Semiconductor nanowires have opened new research avenues in quantum transport owing to their confined geometry and electrostatic tunability. They have offered an exceptional testbed for superconductivity, leading to the realization of hybrid systems combining the macroscopic quantum properties of superconductors with the possibility to control charges down to a single electron. These advances brought semiconductor nanowires to the forefront of efforts to realize topological superconductivity and Majorana modes. A prime challenge to benefit from the topological properties of Majoranas is to reduce the disorder in hybrid nanowire devices. Here we show ballistic superconductivity in InSb semiconductor nanowires. Our structural and chemical analyses demonstrate a high-quality interface between the nanowire and a NbTiN superconductor that enables ballistic transport. This is manifested by a quantized conductance for normal carriers, a strongly enhanced conductance for Andreev-reflecting carriers, and an induced hard gap with a significantly reduced density of states. These results pave the way for disorder-free Majorana devices.

Spin polarization in Co-Pt alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pulikkotil, J.; Antropov, V.; Faiz, M.; Panguluri, R.; Nadgorny, B.; Kaiser, C.; Parkin, S.

2007-03-01

The degree of spin polarization in the system of disordered Co-Pt alloys has been studied using density functional approach. The electronic structure of several ordered intermetallics have been analyzed in details. Our analysis is focussed on the difference between magnetization and the degree of spin polarization as a function of Pt concentration, measured by spin tunneling spectroscopy[1] and Andreev reflection spectroscopy[2]. Several factors influencing the deviation of these quantities from a linear behavior have been identified. We attempt to explain the dependence of spin polarization on magnetization observed experimentally by both techniques. We also discuss the effect of different tunnel barriers observed in Ref.[1]. In general, experimental tendencies have been confirmed using ab-intio methods, and we consider the possible origin of spin polarization in these alloys. [1] C. Kaiser, S. van Dijken, S.-H. Yang, H. Yang, and S. S. P. Parkin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 247203 (2005) [2] R. P. Panguluri et al, unpublished

Effect of d-wave pairing symmetry in transport properties of silicene-based superconductor junction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vosoughi-nia, S.; Rashedi, G.; hajati, Y.

2018-06-01

We theoretically study the tunneling conductance of a normal/d-wave superconductor silicene junction using Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) formalism. We discuss how the conductance spectra are affected by changing the chemical potential (μN) in the normal silicene region. It is obtained that the amplitude of the spin/valley-dependent Andreev reflection (AR) and charge conductance (G) of the junction can be strongly modulated by the orientation angle of superconductive gap (β) and perpendicular electric field (Ez). We demonstrate that the charge conductance exhibits an oscillatory behavior as a function of β by a period of π/2. Remarkably, variation of μN strongly modifies the amplitude of the oscillations and periodically there are transport gaps in the G - β oscillations for a range of μN. These findings suggest that one may experimentally tune the transport properties of the junction through changing β, Ez and μN.

Magnetically-driven colossal supercurrent enhancement in InAs nanowire Josephson junctions

PubMed Central

Tiira, J.; Strambini, E.; Amado, M.; Roddaro, S.; San-Jose, P.; Aguado, R.; Bergeret, F. S.; Ercolani, D.; Sorba, L.; Giazotto, F.

2017-01-01

The Josephson effect is a fundamental quantum phenomenon where a dissipationless supercurrent is introduced in a weak link between two superconducting electrodes by Andreev reflections. The physical details and topology of the junction drastically modify the properties of the supercurrent and a strong enhancement of the critical supercurrent is expected to occur when the topology of the junction allows an emergence of Majorana bound states. Here we report charge transport measurements in mesoscopic Josephson junctions formed by InAs nanowires and Ti/Al superconducting leads. Our main observation is a colossal enhancement of the critical supercurrent induced by an external magnetic field applied perpendicular to the substrate. This striking and anomalous supercurrent enhancement cannot be described by any known conventional phenomenon of Josephson junctions. We consider these results in the context of topological superconductivity, and show that the observed critical supercurrent enhancement is compatible with a magnetic field-induced topological transition. PMID:28401951

Creation of Spin-Triplet Cooper Pairs in the Absence of Magnetic Ordering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breunig, Daniel; Burset, Pablo; Trauzettel, Björn

2018-01-01

In superconducting spintronics, it is essential to generate spin-triplet Cooper pairs on demand. Up to now, proposals to do so concentrate on hybrid structures in which a superconductor (SC) is combined with a magnetically ordered material (or an external magnetic field). We, instead, identify a novel way to create and isolate spin-triplet Cooper pairs in the absence of any magnetic ordering. This achievement is only possible because we drive a system with strong spin-orbit interaction—the Dirac surface states of a strong topological insulator (TI)-out of equilibrium. In particular, we consider a bipolar TI-SC-TI junction, where the electrochemical potentials in the outer leads differ in their overall sign. As a result, we find that nonlocal singlet pairing across the junction is completely suppressed for any excitation energy. Hence, this junction acts as a perfect spin-triplet filter across the SC, generating equal-spin Cooper pairs via crossed Andreev reflection.

Robust transport signatures of topological superconductivity in topological insulator nanowires.

PubMed

de Juan, Fernando; Ilan, Roni; Bardarson, Jens H

2014-09-05

Finding a clear signature of topological superconductivity in transport experiments remains an outstanding challenge. In this work, we propose exploiting the unique properties of three-dimensional topological insulator nanowires to generate a normal-superconductor junction in the single-mode regime where an exactly quantized 2e2/h zero-bias conductance can be observed over a wide range of realistic system parameters. This is achieved by inducing superconductivity in half of the wire, which can be tuned at will from trivial to topological with a parallel magnetic field, while a perpendicular field is used to gap out the normal part, except for two spatially separated chiral channels. The combination of chiral mode transport and perfect Andreev reflection makes the measurement robust to moderate disorder, and the quantization of conductance survives to much higher temperatures than in tunnel junction experiments. Our proposal may be understood as a variant of a Majorana interferometer which is easily realizable in experiments.

Creation of Spin-Triplet Cooper Pairs in the Absence of Magnetic Ordering.

PubMed

Breunig, Daniel; Burset, Pablo; Trauzettel, Björn

2018-01-19

In superconducting spintronics, it is essential to generate spin-triplet Cooper pairs on demand. Up to now, proposals to do so concentrate on hybrid structures in which a superconductor (SC) is combined with a magnetically ordered material (or an external magnetic field). We, instead, identify a novel way to create and isolate spin-triplet Cooper pairs in the absence of any magnetic ordering. This achievement is only possible because we drive a system with strong spin-orbit interaction-the Dirac surface states of a strong topological insulator (TI)-out of equilibrium. In particular, we consider a bipolar TI-SC-TI junction, where the electrochemical potentials in the outer leads differ in their overall sign. As a result, we find that nonlocal singlet pairing across the junction is completely suppressed for any excitation energy. Hence, this junction acts as a perfect spin-triplet filter across the SC, generating equal-spin Cooper pairs via crossed Andreev reflection.

Quantum interferometer based on GaAs/InAs core/shell nanowires connected to superconducting contacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haas, F.; Dickheuer, S.; Zellekens, P.; Rieger, T.; Lepsa, M. I.; Lüth, H.; Grützmacher, D.; Schäpers, Th

2018-06-01

An interferometer structure was realized based on a GaAs/InAs core/shell nanowire and Nb superconducting electrodes. Two pairs of Nb contacts are attached to the side facets of the nanowire allowing for carrier transport in three different orientations. Owing to the core/shell geometry, the current flows in the tubular conductive InAs shell. In transport measurements with superconducting electrodes directly facing each other, indications of a Josephson supercurrent are found. In contrast for junctions in diagonal and longitudinal configuration a deficiency current is observed, owing to the weaker coupling on longer distances. By applying a magnetic field along the nanowires axis pronounced h/2e flux-periodic oscillations are measured in all three contact configurations. The appearance of these oscillations is explained in terms of interference effects in the Josephson supercurrent and long-range phase-coherent Andreev reflection.

Perturbation theory of a superconducting 0 - π impurity quantum phase transition.

PubMed

Žonda, M; Pokorný, V; Janiš, V; Novotný, T

2015-03-06

A single-level quantum dot with Coulomb repulsion attached to two superconducting leads is studied via the perturbation expansion in the interaction strength. We use the Nambu formalism and the standard many-body diagrammatic representation of the impurity Green functions to formulate the Matsubara self-consistent perturbation expansion. We show that at zero temperature second order of the expansion in its spin-symmetric version yields a nearly perfect agreement with the numerically exact calculations for the position of the 0 - π phase boundary at which the Andreev bound states reach the Fermi energy as well as for the values of single-particle quantities in the 0-phase. We present results for phase diagrams, level occupation, induced local superconducting gap, Josephson current, and energy of the Andreev bound states with the precision surpassing any (semi)analytical approaches employed thus far.

Dominant Majorana bound energy and critical current enhancement in ferromagnetic-superconducting topological insulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khezerlou, Maryam; Goudarzi, Hadi; Asgarifar, Samin

2017-03-01

Among the potential applications of topological insulators, we theoretically study the coexistence of proximity-induced ferromagnetic and superconducting orders in the surface states of a 3-dimensional topological insulator. The superconducting electron-hole excitations can be significantly affected by the magnetic order induced by a ferromagnet. In one hand, the surface state of the topological insulator, protected by the time-reversal symmetry, creates a spin-triplet and, on the other hand, magnetic order causes to renormalize the effective superconducting gap. We find Majorana mode energy along the ferromagnet/superconductor interface to sensitively depend on the magnitude of magnetization m zfs from superconductor region, and its slope around perpendicular incidence is steep with very low dependency on m zfs . The superconducting effective gap is renormalized by a factor η( m zfs ), and Andreev bound state in ferromagnet-superconductor/ferromagnet/ferromagnet-superconductor (FS/F/FS) Josephson junction is more sensitive to the magnitude of magnetizations of FS and F regions. In particular, we show that the presence of m zfs has a noticeable impact on the gap opening in Andreev bound state, which occurs in finite angle of incidence. This directly results in zero-energy Andreev state being dominant. By introducing the proper form of corresponding Dirac spinors for FS electron-hole states, we find that via the inclusion of m zfs , the Josephson supercurrent is enhanced and exhibits almost abrupt crossover curve, featuring the dominant zero-energy Majorana bound states.

Order, disorder, and tunable gaps in the spectrum of Andreev bound states in a multiterminal superconducting device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yokoyama, Tomohiro; Reutlinger, Johannes; Belzig, Wolfgang; Nazarov, Yuli V.

2017-01-01

We consider the spectrum of Andreev bound states (ABSs) in an exemplary four-terminal superconducting structure where four chaotic cavities are connected by quantum point contacts to the terminals and to each other forming a ring. We nickname the resulting device 4T-ring. Such a tunable device can be realized in a 2D electron gas-superconductor or a graphene-based hybrid structure. We concentrate on the limit of a short structure and large conductance of the point contacts where there are many ABS in the device forming a quasicontinuous spectrum. The energies of the ABS can be tuned by changing the superconducting phases of the terminals. We observe the opening and closing of gaps in the spectrum upon changing the phases. This concerns the usual proximity gap that separates the levels from zero energy as well as less usual "smile" gaps that split the levels of the quasicontinuous spectrum. We demonstrate a remarkable crossover in the overall spectrum that occurs upon changing the ratio of conductances of the inner and outer point contacts. At big values of the ratio (closed limit), the levels exhibit a generic behavior expected for the spectrum of a disordered system manifesting level repulsion and Brownian "motion" upon changing the phases. At small values of the ratio (open limit), the levels are squeezed into narrow bunches separated by wide smile gaps. Each bunch consists of almost degenerate ABS formed by Andreev reflection between two adjacent terminals. We study in detail the properties of the spectrum in the limit of a small ratio, paying special attention to the crossings of bunches. We distinguish two types of crossings: (i) with a regular phase dependence of the levels and (ii) crossings where the Brownian motion of the levels leads to an apparently irregular phase dependence. We work out a perturbation theory that explains the observations both at a detailed level of random scattering in the device and at a phenomenological level of positively defined random matrices. The unusual properties of the spectrum originate from rather unobvious topological effects. The topology of the first kind is restricted to the semiclassical limit and related to the winding of the semiclassical Green function. It is responsible for the closing of the proximity gaps. The topology of the second kind comes about the discreteness of the number of modes in the point contacts and is responsible for the smile gaps. The topology of the third kind leads to the emergence of Weyl points in the spectrum and is not discussed in the context of this article.

Distinguishing Majorana bound states from localized Andreev bound states by interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hell, Michael; Flensberg, Karsten; Leijnse, Martin

2018-04-01

Experimental evidence for Majorana bound states (MBSs) is so far mainly based on the robustness of a zero-bias conductance peak. However, similar features can also arise due to Andreev bound states (ABSs) localized at the end of an island. We show that these two scenarios can be distinguished by an interferometry experiment based on embedding a Coulomb-blockaded island into an Aharonov-Bohm ring. For two ABSs, when the ground state is nearly degenerate, cotunneling can change the state of the island, and interference is suppressed. By contrast, for two MBSs the ground state is nondegenerate, and cotunneling has to preserve the island state, which leads to h /e -periodic conductance oscillations with magnetic flux. Such interference setups can be realized with semiconducting nanowires or two-dimensional electron gases with proximity-induced superconductivity and may also be a useful spectroscopic tool for parity-flip mechanisms.

Ferromagnetic MnGaN thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for spintronics applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Hwachol; Sukegawa, Hiroaki, E-mail: sukegawa.hiroaki@nims.go.jp; Ohkubo, Tadakatsu

2015-07-20

Perpendicularly magnetized flat thin films of antiperovskite Mn{sub 67}Ga{sub 24}N{sub 9} were grown on an MgO(001) substrate by reactive sputtering using an argon/1% nitrogen gas mixture and a Mn{sub 70}Ga{sub 30} target. The films showed a saturation magnetization of 80 –100 kA/m, an effective perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) energy of 0.1–0.2 MJ/m{sup 3}, and a Curie temperature of 660–740 K. Upon increasing the N composition, the films transformed from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic as expected in the stoichiometric Mn{sub 3}GaN phase. Point contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy revealed that the ferromagnetic MnGaN has a current spin polarization of 57%, which is comparable to D0{sub 22}-MnGa. Thesemore » findings suggest that MnGaN is a promising PMA layer for future spintronics devices.« less

Induced Superconductivity and Engineered Josephson Tunneling Devices in Epitaxial (111)-Oriented Gold/Vanadium Heterostructures.

PubMed

Wei, Peng; Katmis, Ferhat; Chang, Cui-Zu; Moodera, Jagadeesh S

2016-04-13

We report a unique experimental approach to create topological superconductors by inducing superconductivity into epitaxial metallic thin film with strong spin-orbit coupling. Utilizing molecular beam epitaxy technique under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, we are able to achieve (111) oriented single phase of gold (Au) thin film grown on a well-oriented vanadium (V) s-wave superconductor film with clean interface. We obtained atomically smooth Au thin films with thicknesses even down to below a nanometer showing near-ideal surface quality. The as-grown V/Au bilayer heterostructure exhibits superconducting transition at around 3.9 K. Clear Josephson tunneling and Andreev reflection are observed in S-I-S tunnel junctions fabricated from the epitaxial bilayers. The barrier thickness dependent tunneling and the associated subharmonic gap structures (SGS) confirmed the induced superconductivity in Au (111), paving the way for engineering thin film heterostructures based on p-wave superconductivity and nano devices exploiting Majorana Fermions for quantum computing.

Quantum transport in new two-dimensional heterostructures: Thin films of topological insulators, phosphorene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majidi, Leyla; Zare, Moslem; Asgari, Reza

2018-06-01

The unusual features of the charge and spin transport characteristics are investigated in new two-dimensional heterostructures. Intraband specular Andreev reflection is realized in a topological insulator thin film normal/superconducting junction in the presence of a gate electric field. Perfect specular electron-hole conversion is shown for different excitation energy values in a wide experimentally available range of the electric field and also for all angles of incidence when the excitation energy has a particular value. It is further demonstrated that the transmission probabilities of the incoming electrons from different spin subbands to the monolayer phosphorene ferromagnetic/normal/ferromagnetic (F/N/F) hybrid structure have different behavior with the angle of incidence and perfect transmission occurs at defined angles of incidence to the proposed structure with different length of the N region, and different alignments of magnetization vectors. Moreover, the sign change of the spin-current density is demonstrated by tuning the chemical potential and exchange field of the F region.

Ballistic superconductivity in semiconductor nanowires

PubMed Central

Zhang, Hao; Gül, Önder; Conesa-Boj, Sonia; Nowak, Michał P.; Wimmer, Michael; Zuo, Kun; Mourik, Vincent; de Vries, Folkert K.; van Veen, Jasper; de Moor, Michiel W. A.; Bommer, Jouri D. S.; van Woerkom, David J.; Car, Diana; Plissard, Sébastien R; Bakkers, Erik P.A.M.; Quintero-Pérez, Marina; Cassidy, Maja C.; Koelling, Sebastian; Goswami, Srijit; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Kouwenhoven, Leo P.

2017-01-01

Semiconductor nanowires have opened new research avenues in quantum transport owing to their confined geometry and electrostatic tunability. They have offered an exceptional testbed for superconductivity, leading to the realization of hybrid systems combining the macroscopic quantum properties of superconductors with the possibility to control charges down to a single electron. These advances brought semiconductor nanowires to the forefront of efforts to realize topological superconductivity and Majorana modes. A prime challenge to benefit from the topological properties of Majoranas is to reduce the disorder in hybrid nanowire devices. Here we show ballistic superconductivity in InSb semiconductor nanowires. Our structural and chemical analyses demonstrate a high-quality interface between the nanowire and a NbTiN superconductor that enables ballistic transport. This is manifested by a quantized conductance for normal carriers, a strongly enhanced conductance for Andreev-reflecting carriers, and an induced hard gap with a significantly reduced density of states. These results pave the way for disorder-free Majorana devices. PMID:28681843

Quantum interference effects on tunneling conductance and shot noise in ferromagnet/ferromagnet/d-wave superconductor double tunnel junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Z. C.; Xing, D. Y.; Dong, Jinming

2002-06-01

We study the oscillatory behavior of differential conductance (G) and shot noise (S) in ferromagnet/insulator/ferromagnet/insulator/d-wave superconductor (FM/I/FM/I/d-wave SC) structures by applying an extended Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk approach. There are two oscillation components with different periods in either G or S. It is found that the short-period component can be separated from the long-period one by increasing the exchange splitting in FM's and the barrier strength at the FM/SC interface, and vice versa, indicating that the long- and short-period components arise from quantum interference effects, respectively, due to the Andreev and normal reflections at the FM/SC interface. It is also shown that zero-bias G and S in the d-wave SC case is quite different from in the s-wave SC case, which may be used to distinguish between d-wave and s-wave SC's.

Excess current in ferromagnet-superconductor structures with fully polarized triplet component

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moor, Andreas; Volkov, Anatoly F.; Efetov, Konstantin B.

2016-05-01

We study the I -V characteristics of ST/n/N contacts, where ST is a BCS superconductor S with a built-in exchange field h , n represents a normal metal wire, and N a normal metal reservoir. The superconductor ST is separated from the n wire by a spin filter which allows the passage of electrons with a certain spin direction so that only fully polarized triplet Cooper pairs penetrate into the n wire. We show that both the subgap conductance σsg and the excess current Iexc, which occur in conventional S/n/N contacts due to Andreev reflection (AR), exist also in the considered system. In our case, they are caused by unconventional AR that is not accompanied by spin flip. The excess current Iexc exists only if h exceeds a certain magnitude hc. At h

Structural, magnetic, and transport properties of Permalloy for spintronic experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nahrwold, Gesche; Scholtyssek, Jan M.; Motl-Ziegler, Sandra

2010-07-15

Permalloy (Ni{sub 80}Fe{sub 20}) is broadly used to prepare magnetic nanostructures for high-frequency experiments where the magnetization is either excited by electrical currents or magnetic fields. Detailed knowledge of the material properties is mandatory for thorough understanding its magnetization dynamics. In this work, thin Permalloy films are grown by dc-magnetron sputtering on heated substrates and by thermal evaporation with subsequent annealing. The specific resistance is determined by van der Pauw methods. Point-contact Andreev reflection is employed to determine the spin polarization of the films. The topography is imaged by atomic-force microscopy, and the magnetic microstructure by magnetic-force microscopy. Transmission-electron microscopymore » and transmission-electron diffraction are performed to determine atomic composition, crystal structure, and morphology. From ferromagnetic resonance absorption spectra the saturation magnetization, the anisotropy, and the Gilbert damping parameter are determined. Coercive fields and anisotropy are measured by magneto-optical Kerr magnetometry. The sum of the findings enables optimization of Permalloy for spintronic experiments.« less

Mesoscopic superconductivity and high spin polarization coexisting at metallic point contacts on Weyl semimetal TaAs

PubMed Central

Aggarwal, Leena; Gayen, Sirshendu; Das, Shekhar; Kumar, Ritesh; Süß, Vicky; Felser, Claudia; Shekhar, Chandra; Sheet, Goutam

2017-01-01

A Weyl semimetal is a topologically non-trivial phase of matter that hosts mass-less Weyl fermions, the particles that remained elusive for more than 80 years since their theoretical discovery. The Weyl semimetals exhibit unique transport properties and remarkably high surface spin polarization. Here we show that a mesoscopic superconducting phase with critical temperature Tc=7 K can be realized by forming metallic point contacts with silver (Ag) on single crystals of TaAs, while neither Ag nor TaAs are superconductors. Andreev reflection spectroscopy of such point contacts reveals a superconducting gap of 1.2 meV that coexists with a high transport spin polarization of 60% indicating a highly spin-polarized supercurrent flowing through the point contacts on TaAs. Therefore, apart from the discovery of a novel mesoscopic superconducting phase, our results also show that the point contacts on Weyl semimetals are potentially important for applications in spintronics. PMID:28071685

Coherent Dynamics of Open Quantum System in the Presence of Majorana Fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Assuncao, Maryzaura O.; Diniz, Ginetom S.; Vernek, Edson; Souza, Fabricio M.

In recent years the research on quantum coherent dynamics of open systems has attracted great attention due to its relevance for future implementation of quantum computers. In the present study we apply the Kadanoff-Baym formalism to simulate the population dynamics of a double-dot molecular system attached to both a superconductor and fermionic reservoirs. We solve both analytically and numerically a set of coupled differential equations that account for crossed Andreev reflection (CAR), intramolecular hopping and tunneling. We pay particular attention on how Majorana bound states can affect the population dynamics of the molecule. We investigate on how initial state configuration affects the dynamics. For instance, if one dot is occupied and the other one is empty, the dynamics is dictated by the inter dot tunneling. On the other hand, for initially empty dots, the CAR dominates. We also investigate how the source and drain currents evolve in time. This work was supporte by FAPEMIG, CNPq and CAPES.

Above 400-K robust perpendicular ferromagnetic phase in a topological insulator

PubMed Central

Tang, Chi; Chang, Cui-Zu; Zhao, Gejian; Liu, Yawen; Jiang, Zilong; Liu, Chao-Xing; McCartney, Martha R.; Smith, David J.; Chen, Tingyong; Moodera, Jagadeesh S.; Shi, Jing

2017-01-01

The quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) that emerges under broken time-reversal symmetry in topological insulators (TIs) exhibits many fascinating physical properties for potential applications in nanoelectronics and spintronics. However, in transition metal–doped TIs, the only experimentally demonstrated QAHE system to date, the QAHE is lost at practically relevant temperatures. This constraint is imposed by the relatively low Curie temperature (Tc) and inherent spin disorder associated with the random magnetic dopants. We demonstrate drastically enhanced Tc by exchange coupling TIs to Tm3Fe5O12, a high-Tc magnetic insulator with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Signatures showing that the TI surface states acquire robust ferromagnetism are revealed by distinct squared anomalous Hall hysteresis loops at 400 K. Point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy confirms that the TI surface is spin-polarized. The greatly enhanced Tc, absence of spin disorder, and perpendicular anisotropy are all essential to the occurrence of the QAHE at high temperatures. PMID:28691097

4π-periodic Josephson supercurrent in HgTe-based topological Josephson junctions

PubMed Central

Wiedenmann, J.; Bocquillon, E.; Deacon, R. S.; Hartinger, S.; Herrmann, O.; Klapwijk, T. M.; Maier, L.; Ames, C.; Brüne, C.; Gould, C.; Oiwa, A.; Ishibashi, K.; Tarucha, S.; Buhmann, H.; Molenkamp, L. W.

2016-01-01

The Josephson effect describes the generic appearance of a supercurrent in a weak link between two superconductors. Its exact physical nature deeply influences the properties of the supercurrent. In recent years, considerable efforts have focused on the coupling of superconductors to the surface states of a three-dimensional topological insulator. In such a material, an unconventional induced p-wave superconductivity should occur, with a doublet of topologically protected gapless Andreev bound states, whose energies vary 4π-periodically with the superconducting phase difference across the junction. In this article, we report the observation of an anomalous response to rf irradiation in a Josephson junction made of a HgTe weak link. The response is understood as due to a 4π-periodic contribution to the supercurrent, and its amplitude is compatible with the expected contribution of a gapless Andreev doublet. Our work opens the way to more elaborate experiments to investigate the induced superconductivity in a three-dimensional insulator. PMID:26792013

Nonadiabatic Josephson current pumping by chiral microwave irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venitucci, B.; Feinberg, D.; Mélin, R.; Douçot, B.

2018-05-01

Irradiating a Josephson junction with microwaves can operate not only on the amplitude but also on the phase of the Josephson current. This requires breaking time-inversion symmetry, which is achieved by introducing a phase lapse between the microwave components acting on the two sides of the junction. General symmetry arguments and the solution of a specific single-level quantum dot model show that this induces chirality in the Cooper pair dynamics due to the topology of the Andreev bound-state wave function. Another essential condition is to break electron-hole symmetry within the junction. A shift of the current-phase relation is obtained, which is controllable in sign and amplitude with the microwave phase and an electrostatic gate, thus producing a "chiral" Josephson transistor. The dot model is solved in the infinite-gap limit by Floquet theory and in the general case with Keldysh nonequilibrium Green's functions. The chiral current is nonadiabatic: it is extremal and changes sign close to resonant chiral transitions between the Andreev bound states.

East Europe Report, Scientific Affairs, Number 749

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-07-23

Scientific Associate A. Andreev, Corresponding Member D. Shopov , Scientific Associate B. Kunev, V. Idakiev and A. Bankova. A collective at the Economic...operational systems — manual, automatic and remote control; control system — G P oSL ?nP™ y measurement ~ automatic and in percentage figures; power

Superconductivity-induced macroscopic resonant tunneling.

PubMed

Goorden, M C; Jacquod, Ph; Weiss, J

2008-02-15

We show analytically and by numerical simulations that the conductance through pi-biased chaotic Josephson junctions is enhanced by several orders of magnitude in the short-wavelength regime. We identify the mechanism behind this effect as macroscopic resonant tunneling through a macroscopic number of low-energy quasidegenerate Andreev levels.

?-BiPd: a clean noncentrosymmetric superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramakrishnan, Srinivasan; Joshi, Bhanu; Thamizhavel, A.

2017-12-01

We present a comprehensive review of the normal and superconducting state properties of a high-quality single crystal of monoclinic BiPd (?-BiPd, space group ?). The superconductivity of this crystal below 3.8 K is established by measuring its properties using bulk as well as spectroscopic techniques. BiPd is one of the cleanest noncentrosymmetric superconductors that display superconductivity with multiple energy gaps. Evidence of multiple energy gaps was found in heat capacity, point contact (PC) spectroscopy, penetration depth, muon spin rotation, small angle neutron scattering and NMR/NQR measurements. Moreover, Muon spin rotation measurements also suggest strong field dependence of the penetration depth of this superconductor. Unusual superconducting properties due to possible s and p wave mixing are shown by the observation of Andreev bound state in PC measurements as well as the suppressed coherence peak in the temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation in the NQR measurements. This surmise is at variance with the recent STM measurements (different crystal). The observed unusual properties and multiband superconductivity are extremely sensitive to disorder in BiPd. Finally, there is a possibility of tuning the electron correlations by selective substitution in BiPd, thus making it an important system for further investigations.

Experimental studies on hybrid superconductor-topological insulator nanoribbon Josephson devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kayyalha, Morteza; Jauregui, Luis; Kazakov, Aleksander; Miotkowski, Ireneusz; Rokhinson, Leonid; Chen, Yong

The spin-helical topological surface states (TSS) of topological insulators in proximity with an s-wave superconductor are predicted to demonstrate signatures of topological superconductivity and host Majorana fermions. Here, we report on the observation of gate-tunable proximity-induced superconductivity in an intrinsic BiSbTeSe2 topological insulator nanoribbon (TINR) based Josephson junction (JJ) with Nb contacts. We observe a gate-tunable critical current (IC) with an anomalous behavior in the temperature (T) dependence of IC. We discuss various possible scenarios that could be relevant to this anomalous behavior, such as (i) the different temperature dependence of supercurrent generated by in-gap, where phase slip plays an important role, and out-of-gap Andreev bound states or (ii) the different critical temperatures associated with the top and bottom topological surface states. Our modeling of IC vs. T suggests the possible existence of one pair of in-gap Andreev bound states in our TINR. We have also studied the effects of magnetic fields on the critical current in our TINR Josephson junctions.

Gapless Andreev bound states in the quantum spin Hall insulator HgTe.

PubMed

Bocquillon, Erwann; Deacon, Russell S; Wiedenmann, Jonas; Leubner, Philipp; Klapwijk, Teunis M; Brüne, Christoph; Ishibashi, Koji; Buhmann, Hartmut; Molenkamp, Laurens W

2017-02-01

In recent years, Majorana physics has attracted considerable attention because of exotic new phenomena and its prospects for fault-tolerant topological quantum computation. To this end, one needs to engineer the interplay between superconductivity and electronic properties in a topological insulator, but experimental work remains scarce and ambiguous. Here, we report experimental evidence for topological superconductivity induced in a HgTe quantum well, a 2D topological insulator that exhibits the quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect. The a.c. Josephson effect demonstrates that the supercurrent has a 4π periodicity in the superconducting phase difference, as indicated by a doubling of the voltage step for multiple Shapiro steps. In addition, this response like that of a superconducting quantum interference device to a perpendicular magnetic field shows that the 4π-periodic supercurrent originates from states located on the edges of the junction. Both features appear strongest towards the QSH regime, and thus provide evidence for induced topological superconductivity in the QSH edge states.

Design and construction of a point-contact spectroscopy rig with lateral scanning capability.

PubMed

Tortello, M; Park, W K; Ascencio, C O; Saraf, P; Greene, L H

2016-06-01

The design and realization of a cryogenic rig for point-contact spectroscopy measurements in the needle-anvil configuration is presented. Thanks to the use of two piezoelectric nano-positioners, the tip can move along the vertical (z) and horizontal (x) direction and thus the rig is suitable to probe different regions of a sample in situ. Moreover, it can also form double point-contacts on different facets of a single crystal for achieving, e.g., an interferometer configuration for phase-sensitive measurements. For the later purpose, the sample holder can also host a Helmholtz coil for applying a small transverse magnetic field to the junction. A semi-rigid coaxial cable can be easily added for studying the behavior of Josephson junctions under microwave irradiation. The rig can be detached from the probe and thus used with different cryostats. The performance of this new probe has been tested in a Quantum Design PPMS system by conducting point-contact Andreev reflection measurements on Nb thin films over large areas as a function of temperature and magnetic field.

Design and construction of a point-contact spectroscopy rig with lateral scanning capability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tortello, M.; Park, W. K.; Ascencio, C. O.; Saraf, P.; Greene, L. H.

2016-06-01

The design and realization of a cryogenic rig for point-contact spectroscopy measurements in the needle-anvil configuration is presented. Thanks to the use of two piezoelectric nano-positioners, the tip can move along the vertical (z) and horizontal (x) direction and thus the rig is suitable to probe different regions of a sample in situ. Moreover, it can also form double point-contacts on different facets of a single crystal for achieving, e.g., an interferometer configuration for phase-sensitive measurements. For the later purpose, the sample holder can also host a Helmholtz coil for applying a small transverse magnetic field to the junction. A semi-rigid coaxial cable can be easily added for studying the behavior of Josephson junctions under microwave irradiation. The rig can be detached from the probe and thus used with different cryostats. The performance of this new probe has been tested in a Quantum Design PPMS system by conducting point-contact Andreev reflection measurements on Nb thin films over large areas as a function of temperature and magnetic field.

Electrically Controlled Coherent Excitonic Steady States in Semiconductor Bilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Ming; MacDonald, Allan

Spatially indirect excitons are long lived bosonic quasiparticles that can form quasi-equilibrium condensed states. Optical access to these excitons has been limited by their small optical matrix elements. Here we propose a promising electrical process that can be used both to populate and to probe fluids of indirect excitons, and is analogous to the crossed Andreev reflection (CAR) process of Cooper pairs in superconductors. We consider vertically stacked multilayer heterostructures containing two transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) layers that host the indirect excitons, graphene layers on the top and the bottom of the heterostructure, and hBN tunnel barrier layers of variable thickness. When the bias voltage between the graphene leads is smaller than the indirect gap, tunneling between the graphene leads and the TMD hetero-bilayer is possible only through the CAR process. Both DC and low frequency AC bias cases are explored and establish that electrical measurements can be used to determine crucial properties such as the condensate density, interaction strength and CAR tunneling amplitudes. We have also proposed a way to electrically manipulate another type of bosonic quasiparticles, cavity exciton-polaritons, in a laterally contacted structure.

Proximity coupling in superconductor-graphene heterostructures.

PubMed

Lee, Gil-Ho; Lee, Hu-Jong

2018-05-01

This review discusses the electronic properties and the prospective research directions of superconductor-graphene heterostructures. The basic electronic properties of graphene are introduced to highlight the unique possibility of combining two seemingly unrelated physics, superconductivity and relativity. We then focus on graphene-based Josephson junctions, one of the most versatile superconducting quantum devices. The various theoretical methods that have been developed to describe graphene Josephson junctions are examined, together with their advantages and limitations, followed by a discussion on the advances in device fabrication and the relevant length scales. The phase-sensitive properties and phase-particle dynamics of graphene Josephson junctions are examined to provide an understanding of the underlying mechanisms of Josephson coupling via graphene. Thereafter, microscopic transport of correlated quasiparticles produced by Andreev reflections at superconducting interfaces and their phase-coherent behaviors are discussed. Quantum phase transitions studied with graphene as an electrostatically tunable 2D platform are reviewed. The interplay between proximity-induced superconductivity and the quantum-Hall phase is discussed as a possible route to study topological superconductivity and non-Abelian physics. Finally, a brief summary on the prospective future research directions is given.

Proximity coupling in superconductor-graphene heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Gil-Ho; Lee, Hu-Jong

2018-05-01

This review discusses the electronic properties and the prospective research directions of superconductor-graphene heterostructures. The basic electronic properties of graphene are introduced to highlight the unique possibility of combining two seemingly unrelated physics, superconductivity and relativity. We then focus on graphene-based Josephson junctions, one of the most versatile superconducting quantum devices. The various theoretical methods that have been developed to describe graphene Josephson junctions are examined, together with their advantages and limitations, followed by a discussion on the advances in device fabrication and the relevant length scales. The phase-sensitive properties and phase-particle dynamics of graphene Josephson junctions are examined to provide an understanding of the underlying mechanisms of Josephson coupling via graphene. Thereafter, microscopic transport of correlated quasiparticles produced by Andreev reflections at superconducting interfaces and their phase-coherent behaviors are discussed. Quantum phase transitions studied with graphene as an electrostatically tunable 2D platform are reviewed. The interplay between proximity-induced superconductivity and the quantum-Hall phase is discussed as a possible route to study topological superconductivity and non-Abelian physics. Finally, a brief summary on the prospective future research directions is given.

Design and construction of a point-contact spectroscopy rig with lateral scanning capability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tortello, M.; Park, W. K., E-mail: wkpark@illinois.edu; Ascencio, C. O.

2016-06-15

The design and realization of a cryogenic rig for point-contact spectroscopy measurements in the needle-anvil configuration is presented. Thanks to the use of two piezoelectric nano-positioners, the tip can move along the vertical (z) and horizontal (x) direction and thus the rig is suitable to probe different regions of a sample in situ. Moreover, it can also form double point-contacts on different facets of a single crystal for achieving, e.g., an interferometer configuration for phase-sensitive measurements. For the later purpose, the sample holder can also host a Helmholtz coil for applying a small transverse magnetic field to the junction. Amore » semi-rigid coaxial cable can be easily added for studying the behavior of Josephson junctions under microwave irradiation. The rig can be detached from the probe and thus used with different cryostats. The performance of this new probe has been tested in a Quantum Design PPMS system by conducting point-contact Andreev reflection measurements on Nb thin films over large areas as a function of temperature and magnetic field.« less

A Quasiparticle Detector for Imaging Quantum Turbulence in Superfluid He-B

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahlstrom, S. L.; Bradley, D. I.; Fisher, S. N.; Guénault, A. M.; Guise, E. A.; Haley, R. P.; Holt, S.; Kolosov, O.; McClintock, P. V. E.; Pickett, G. R.; Poole, M.; Schanen, R.; Tsepelin, V.; Woods, A. J.

2014-06-01

We describe the development of a two-dimensional quasiparticle detector for use in visualising quantum turbulence in superfluid He-B at ultra-low temperatures. The detector consists of a matrix of pixels, each a 1 mm diameter hole in a copper block containing a miniature quartz tuning fork. The damping on each fork provides a measure of the local quasiparticle flux. The detector is illuminated by a beam of ballistic quasiparticles generated from a nearby black-body radiator. A comparison of the damping on the different forks provides a measure of the cross-sectional profile of the beam. Further, we generate a tangle of vortices (quantum turbulence) in the path of the beam using a vibrating wire resonator. The vortices cast a shadow onto the face of the detector due to the Andreev reflection of quasiparticles in the beam. This allows us to image the vortices and to investigate their dynamics. Here we give details of the design and construction of the detector and show some preliminary results for one row of pixels which demonstrates its successful application to measuring quasiparticle beams and quantum turbulence.

Discovery of highly spin-polarized conducting surface states in the strong spin-orbit coupling semiconductor Sb2Se3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Shekhar; Sirohi, Anshu; Kumar Gupta, Gaurav; Kamboj, Suman; Vasdev, Aastha; Gayen, Sirshendu; Guptasarma, Prasenjit; Das, Tanmoy; Sheet, Goutam

2018-06-01

Majority of the A2B3 -type chalcogenide systems with strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC), such as Bi2Se3,Bi2Te3 , and Sb2Te3 , etc., are topological insulators. One important exception is Sb2Se3 where a topological nontrivial phase was argued to be possible under ambient conditions, but such a phase could be detected to exist only under pressure. In this paper, we show that Sb2Se3 like Bi2Se3 displays a generation of highly spin-polarized current under mesoscopic superconducting point contacts as measured by point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy. In addition, we observe a large negative and anisotropic magnetoresistance of the mesoscopic metallic point contacts formed on Sb2Se3 . Our band-structure calculations confirm the trivial nature of Sb2Se3 crystals and reveal two trivial surface states one of which shows large spin splitting due to Rashba-type SOC. The observed high spin polarization and related phenomena in Sb2Se3 can be attributed to this spin splitting.

Decoupling of critical temperature and superconducting gaps in irradiated films of a Fe-based superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daghero, Dario; Tortello, Mauro; Ummarino, Giovanni A.; Piatti, Erik; Ghigo, Gianluca; Hatano, Takafumi; Kawaguchi, Takahiko; Ikuta, Hiroshi; Gonnelli, Renato S.

2018-07-01

We report on direct measurements of the energy gaps (carried out by means of point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy, PCARS) and of the critical temperature in thin, optimally doped, epitaxial films of BaFe2(As1-x P x )2 irradiated with 250 MeV Au ions. The low-temperature PCARS spectra (taken with the current flowing along the c axis) can be fitted by a modified Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model with two nodeless gaps; this is not in contrast with the possible presence of node lines suggested by various experiments in literature. Up to a fluence Φ = 7.3 × 1011 cm-2, we observe a monotonic suppression of the critical temperature and of the gap amplitudes Δ1 and Δ2. Interestingly, while T c decreases by about 3%, the gaps decrease much more (by about 37% and 25% respectively), suggesting a decoupling between high-temperature and low-temperature superconducting properties. An explanation for this finding is proposed within an effective two-band Eliashberg model, in which such decoupling is inherently associated to defects created by irradiation.

A New Method for Growth and Analysis of Next-Generation IR Detector Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

Until recently the highest concentration of nitrogen reported in GaSb1- xNx was 1.75% (Buckle, et al., 2005). Recent work at the Army Research...Andreev, B. N. Murdin, E. P. O’Reilly and C. R. Pidgeon, 2003: InSb1− xNx growth and devices, Solid- State Electronics, 47(3), 387-394. L. Buckle

Surface Andreev Bound States and Odd-Frequency Pairing in Topological Superconductor Junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Yukio; Tamura, Shun

2018-04-01

In this review, we summarize the achievement of the physics of surface Andreev bound states (SABS) up to now. The route of this activity has started from the physics of SABS of unconventional superconductors where the pair potential has a sign change on the Fermi surface. It has been established that SABS can be regarded as a topological edge state with topological invariant defined in the bulk Hamiltonian. On the other hand, SABS accompanies odd-frequency pairing like spin-triplet s-wave or spin-singlet p-wave. In a spin-triplet superconductor junction, induced odd-frequency pairing can penetrate into a diffusive normal metal (DN) attached to the superconductor. It causes so called anomalous proximity effect where the local density of states of quasiparticle in DN has a zero energy peak. When bulk pairing symmetry is spin-triplet px-wave, the anomalous proximity effect becomes prominent and the zero bias voltage conductance is always quantized independent of the resistance in DN and interface. Finally, we show that the present anomalous proximity effect is realized in an artificial topological superconducting system, where a nanowire with spin-orbit coupling and Zeeman field is put on the conventional spin-singlet s-wave superconductor.

Nematic superconductivity in CuxBi2Se3 : Surface Andreev bound states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Lei; Ting, C. S.

2017-10-01

We study theoretically the topological surface states (TSSs) and the possible surface Andreev bound states (SABSs) of CuxBi2Se3 , which is known to be a topological insulator at x =0 . The superconductivity (SC) pairing of this compound is assumed to have broken spin-rotation symmetry, similar to that of the A-phase of 3He as suggested by recent nuclear-magnetic resonance experiments. For both spheroidal and corrugated cylindrical Fermi surfaces with the hexagonal warping terms, we show that the bulk SC gap is rather anisotropic; the minimum of the gap is negligibly small as compared to the maximum of the gap. This would make the fully gapped pairing effectively nodal. For a clean system, our results indicate the bulk of this compound to be a topological superconductor with the SABSs appearing inside the bulk SC gap. The zero-energy SABSs, which are Majorana fermions, together with the TSSs not gapped by the pairing, produce a zero-energy peak in the surface density of states (SDOS). The SABSs are expected to be stable against short-range nonmagnetic impurities, and the local SDOS is calculated around a nonmagnetic impurity. The relevance of our results to experiments is discussed.

Initial Test Bed for Very High Efficiency Solar Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-01

efficiency, both at the solar cell and module levels. The optical system consists of a tiled nonimaging concentrating system, coupled with a spectral...Benítez, P. (2005). Nonimaging Optics . Boston: Elsevier Academic Press. [6] Luque, A.L. & Andreev, V.M. (2007). Concentrator Photovoltaics. New York: Springer. ...lateral optical concentrating system, which splits the incident solar spectrum into several bands and allows different optical and photovoltaic

Andreev bound states probed in three-terminal quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gramich, J.; Baumgartner, A.; Schönenberger, C.

2017-11-01

Andreev bound states (ABSs) are well-defined many-body quantum states that emerge from the hybridization of individual quantum dot (QD) states with a superconductor and exhibit very rich and fundamental phenomena. We demonstrate several electron transport phenomena mediated by ABSs that form on three-terminal carbon nanotube (CNT) QDs, with one superconducting (S) contact in the center and two adjacent normal-metal (N) contacts. Three-terminal spectroscopy allows us to identify the coupling to the N contacts as the origin of the Andreev resonance (AR) linewidths and to determine the critical coupling strengths to S, for which a ground state (or quantum phase) transition in such S-QD systems can occur. In addition, we ascribe replicas of the lowest-energy ABS resonance to transitions between the ABS and odd-parity excited QD states, a process we call excited state ABS resonances. In the conductance between the two N contacts we find a characteristic pattern of positive and negative differential subgap conductance, which we explain by considering two nonlocal processes, the creation of Cooper pairs in S by electrons from both N terminals, and a transport mechanism we call resonant ABS tunneling, possible only in multiterminal QD devices. In the latter process, electrons are transferred via the ABS without effectively creating Cooper pairs in S. The three-terminal geometry also allows spectroscopy experiments with different boundary conditions, for example by leaving S floating. Surprisingly, we find that, depending on the boundary conditions and the device parameters, the experiments either show single-particle Coulomb blockade resonances, ABS characteristics, or both in the same measurements, seemingly contradicting the notion of ABSs replacing the single-particle states as eigenstates of the QD. We qualitatively explain these results as originating from the finite time scale required for the coherent oscillations between the superposition states after a single-electron tunneling event. These experiments demonstrate that three-terminal experiments on a single complex quantum object can also be useful to investigate charge dynamics otherwise not accessible due to the very high frequencies.

Temperature dependence of differential conductance in Co-based Heusler alloy Co2TiSn and superconductor Pb junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ooka, Ryutaro; Shigeta, Iduru; Umetsu, Rie Y.; Nomura, Akiko; Yubuta, Kunio; Yamauchi, Touru; Kanomata, Takeshi; Hiroi, Masahiko

2018-05-01

We investigated temperature dependence of differential conductance G (V) in planar junctions consisting of Co-based Heusler alloy Co2TiSn and superconductor Pb. Ferromagnetic Co2TiSn was predicted to be half-metal by first-principles band calculations. The spin polarization P of Co2TiSn was deduced to be 60.0% at 1.4 K by the Andreev reflection spectroscopy. The G (V) spectral shape was smeared gradually with increasing temperature and its structure was disappeared above the superconducting transition temperature Tc. Theoretical model analysis revealed that the superconducting energy gap Δ was 1.06 meV at 1.4 K and the Tc was 6.8 K , indicating that both values were suppressed from bulk values. However, the temperature dependent Δ (T) behavior was in good agreement with that of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory. The experimental results exhibit that the superconductivity of Pb attached to half-metallic Co2TiSn was kept the conventional BCS mechanism characterized strong-coupling superconductors while its superconductivity was slightly suppressed by the superconducting proximity effect at the Co2TiSn/Pb interface.

Majorana-assisted nonlocal electron transport through a floating topological superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulrich, Jascha; Hassler, Fabian

2015-08-01

The nonlocal nature of the fermionic mode spanned by a pair of Majorana bound states in a one-dimensional topological superconductor has inspired many proposals aiming at demonstrating this property in transport. In particular, transport through the mode from a lead attached to the left bound state to a lead attached to the right will result in current cross correlations. For ideal zero modes on a grounded superconductor, the cross correlations are however completely suppressed in favor of purely local Andreev reflection. In order to obtain a nonvanishing cross correlation, previous studies have required the presence of an additional global charging energy. Adding nonlocal terms in the form of a global charging energy to the Hamiltonian when testing the intrinsic nonlocality of the Majorana modes seems to be conceptually troublesome. Here, we show that a floating superconductor allows observing nonlocal current correlations in the absence of charging energy. We show that the noninteracting and the Coulomb-blockade regime have the same peak conductance e2/h but different shot-noise power; whereas the shot noise is sub-Poissonian in the Coulomb-blockade regime in the large-bias limit, Poissonian shot noise is generically obtained in the noninteracting case.

Observation of Majorana fermions in the vortex on topological insulator-superconductor heterostructure Bi2Te3/NbSe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Jinfeng

Majorana fermion (MF) zero modes have been predicted in a wide variety of condensed matter systems and proposed as a potential building block for fault-tolerant quantum computer. Signatures of the MFs have been reported in the form of zero-energy conductance peak in various systems. As predicted, MFs appear as zero-energy vortex core modes with distinctive spatial profile in proximity-induced superconducting surface states of topological insulators. Furthermore, MFs can induce spin selective Andreev reflection (SSAR), a unique signature of MFs. We report the observation of all the three features for the MFs inside vortices in Bi2Te3/NbSe2 hetero-structure, in which proximity-induced superconducting gap on topological surface states was previously established. Especially, by using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS), we observed the spin dependent tunneling effect, and fully supported by theoretical analyses, which is a direct evidence for the SSAR from MFs. More importantly, all evidences are self-consistent. Our work provides definitive evidences of MFs and will stimulate the MFs research on their novel physical properties, hence a step towards their non-Abelian statistics and application in quantum computing.

A New Method for Growth and Analysis of Next-generation Infrared (IR) Detector Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

N) into the group V sites of the semiconductor lattice. Until recently the highest concentration of nitrogen reported in GaSb1– xNx was 1.75% (2...Adams, A. R.; Andreev, A.; Murdin, B. N.; O’Reilly, E. P.; Pidgeon, C. R. InSb1− xNx Growth and Devices. Solid-State Electronics 47 2003, 3, 387–394

Tunneling-thermally activated vacancy diffusion mechanism in quantum crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Natsik, V. D.; Smirnov, S. N.

2017-10-01

We consider a quasiparticle model of a vacancy in a quantum crystal, with metastable quantum states localized at the lattice sites in potential wells of the crystal field. It is assumed that the quantum dynamics of such vacancies can be described in the semi-classical approximation, where its spectrum consists of a broad band with several split-off levels. The diffusive movement of the vacancy in the crystal volume is reduced to a sequence of tunneling and thermally activated hops between the lattice cites. The temperature dependence of the vacancy diffusion coefficient shows a monotonic decrease during cooling with a sharp transition from an exponential dependence that is characteristic of a high-temperature thermally activated diffusion, to a non-thermal tunneling process in the region of extremely low temperatures. Similar trends have been recently observed in an experimental study of mass-transfer in the 4He and 3He crystals [V. A. Zhuchkov et al., Low Temp. Phys. 41, 169 (2015); Low Temp. Phys. 42, 1075 (2016)]. This mechanism of vacancy diffusion and its analysis complement the concept of a diffusional flow of a defection-quasiparticle quantum gas with a band energy spectrum proposed by Andreev and Lifshitz [JETP 29, 1107 (1969)] and Andreev [Sov. Phys. Usp. 19, 137 (1976)].

Seismic reflection imaging, accounting for primary and multiple reflections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wapenaar, Kees; van der Neut, Joost; Thorbecke, Jan; Broggini, Filippo; Slob, Evert; Snieder, Roel

2015-04-01

Imaging of seismic reflection data is usually based on the assumption that the seismic response consists of primary reflections only. Multiple reflections, i.e. waves that have reflected more than once, are treated as primaries and are imaged at wrong positions. There are two classes of multiple reflections, which we will call surface-related multiples and internal multiples. Surface-related multiples are those multiples that contain at least one reflection at the earth's surface, whereas internal multiples consist of waves that have reflected only at subsurface interfaces. Surface-related multiples are the strongest, but also relatively easy to deal with because the reflecting boundary (the earth's surface) is known. Internal multiples constitute a much more difficult problem for seismic imaging, because the positions and properties of the reflecting interfaces are not known. We are developing reflection imaging methodology which deals with internal multiples. Starting with the Marchenko equation for 1D inverse scattering problems, we derived 3D Marchenko-type equations, which relate reflection data at the surface to Green's functions between virtual sources anywhere in the subsurface and receivers at the surface. Based on these equations, we derived an iterative scheme by which these Green's functions can be retrieved from the reflection data at the surface. This iterative scheme requires an estimate of the direct wave of the Green's functions in a background medium. Note that this is precisely the same information that is also required by standard reflection imaging schemes. However, unlike in standard imaging, our iterative Marchenko scheme retrieves the multiple reflections of the Green's functions from the reflection data at the surface. For this, no knowledge of the positions and properties of the reflecting interfaces is required. Once the full Green's functions are retrieved, reflection imaging can be carried out by which the primaries and multiples are mapped to their correct positions, with correct reflection amplitudes. In the presentation we will illustrate this new methodology with numerical examples and discuss its potential and limitations.

Multiple attenuation to reflection seismic data using Radon filter and Wave Equation Multiple Rejection (WEMR) method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Erlangga, Mokhammad Puput

Separation between signal and noise, incoherent or coherent, is important in seismic data processing. Although we have processed the seismic data, the coherent noise is still mixing with the primary signal. Multiple reflections are a kind of coherent noise. In this research, we processed seismic data to attenuate multiple reflections in the both synthetic and real seismic data of Mentawai. There are several methods to attenuate multiple reflection, one of them is Radon filter method that discriminates between primary reflection and multiple reflection in the τ-p domain based on move out difference between primary reflection and multiple reflection. However, inmore » case where the move out difference is too small, the Radon filter method is not enough to attenuate the multiple reflections. The Radon filter also produces the artifacts on the gathers data. Except the Radon filter method, we also use the Wave Equation Multiple Elimination (WEMR) method to attenuate the long period multiple reflection. The WEMR method can attenuate the long period multiple reflection based on wave equation inversion. Refer to the inversion of wave equation and the magnitude of the seismic wave amplitude that observed on the free surface, we get the water bottom reflectivity which is used to eliminate the multiple reflections. The WEMR method does not depend on the move out difference to attenuate the long period multiple reflection. Therefore, the WEMR method can be applied to the seismic data which has small move out difference as the Mentawai seismic data. The small move out difference on the Mentawai seismic data is caused by the restrictiveness of far offset, which is only 705 meter. We compared the real free multiple stacking data after processing with Radon filter and WEMR process. The conclusion is the WEMR method can more attenuate the long period multiple reflection than the Radon filter method on the real (Mentawai) seismic data.« less

Coherent quantum transport in hybrid Nb-InGaAs-Nb Josephson junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delfanazari, Kaveh; Puddy, R.; Ma, P.; Cao, M.; Yi, T.; Gul, Y.; Farrer, I.; Ritchie, D.; Joyce, H.; Kelly, M.; Smith, C.

Because of the recently reported detection of Majorana fermions states at the superconductor-semiconductor (S-Sm) interface in InAs nanowire devices, the study of hybrid structures has received renewed interest. In this paper we present experimental results on proximity induced superconductivity in a high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas in InGaAs heterostructures. Eight symmetric S-Sm-S Josephson junctions were fabricated on a single InGaAs chip and each junction was measured individually using a lock-in measurement technique. The superconducting electrodes were made of Niobium (Nb). The measurements were carried out in a dilution fridge with a base temperature of 40 mK, and the quantum transport of junctions were measured below 800 mK. Owing to Andreev reflections at the S-Sm interfaces, the differential resistance (dV/dI) versus V curve shows the well-known subharmonic energy gap structure (SGS) at V = 2ΔNb/ne. The SGS features suppressed significantly with increasing temperature and magnetic field, leading to a shift of the SGSs toward zero bias. Our result paves the way for development of highly transparent hybrid S-Sm-S junctions and coherent circuits for quantum devices capable of performing quantum logic and processing functions.

Bi-2212/1T-TaS 2 Van der Waals junctions: Interplay of proximity induced high-T c superconductivity and CDW order

DOE PAGES

Li, Ang J.; Zhu, Xiaochen; Stewart, G. R.; ...

2017-07-05

Understanding the coexistence, competition and/or cooperation between superconductivity and charge density waves (CDWs) in the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is an elusive goal which, when realized, promises to reveal fundamental information on this important class of materials. Here in this paper, we use four-terminal current-voltage measurements to study the Van der Waals interface between freshly exfoliated flakes of the high-T c superconductor, Bi-2212, and the CDW-dominated TMD layered material, 1T-TaS 2. For highly transparent barriers, there is a pronounced Andreev reflection feature providing evidence for proximity-induced high-Tc superconductivity in 1T-TaS 2 with a surprisingly large energy gap (~20 meV) equalmore » to half that of intrinsic Bi-2212 (~40 meV). Our systematic study using conductance spectroscopy of junctions with different transparencies also reveals the presence of two separate boson modes, each associated with a “dip-hump” structure. Finally, we infer that the proximityinduced high-T c superconductivity in the 1T-TaS 2 is driven by coupling to the metastable metallic phase coexisting within the Mott commensurate CDW (CCDW) phase and associated with a concomitant change of the CCDW order parameter in the interfacial region.« less

SINIS bolometer with a suspended absorber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarasov, M.; Edelman, V.; Mahashabde, S.; Fominsky, M.; Lemzyakov, S.; Chekushkin, A.; Yusupov, R.; Winkler, D.; Yurgens, A.

2018-03-01

We have developed a Superconductor-Insulator-Normal Metal-Insulator-Superconductor (SINIS) bolometer with a suspended normal metal bridge. The suspended bridge acts as a bolometric absorber with reduced heat losses to the substrate. Such bolometers were characterized at 100-350 mK bath temperatures and electrical responsivity of over 109 V/W was measured by dc heating the absorber through additional contacts. Suspended bolometers were also integrated in planar twin-slot and log-periodic antennas for operation in the submillimetre-band of radiation. The measured voltage response to radiation at 300 GHz and at 100 mK bath temperature is 3*108 V/W and a current response is 1.1*104 A/W which corresponds to a quantum efficiency of ~15 electrons per photon. An important feature of such suspended bolometers is the thermalization of electrons in the absorber heated by optical radiation, which in turn provides better quantum efficiency. This has been confirmed by comparison of bolometric response to dc and rf heating. We investigate the performance of direct SN traps and NIS traps with a tunnel barrier between the superconductor and normal metal trap. Increasing the volume of superconducting electrode helps to reduce overheating of superconductor. Influence of Andreev reflection and Kapitza resistance, as well as electron-phonon heat conductivity and thermal conductivity of N-wiring are estimated for such SINIS devices.

Bi-2212/1T-TaS2 Van der Waals junctions: Interplay of proximity induced high-T c superconductivity and CDW order.

PubMed

Li, Ang J; Zhu, Xiaochen; Stewart, G R; Hebard, Arthur F

2017-07-05

Understanding the coexistence, competition and/or cooperation between superconductivity and charge density waves (CDWs) in the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is an elusive goal which, when realized, promises to reveal fundamental information on this important class of materials. Here, we use four-terminal current-voltage measurements to study the Van der Waals interface between freshly exfoliated flakes of the high-T c superconductor, Bi-2212, and the CDW-dominated TMD layered material, 1T-TaS 2 . For highly transparent barriers, there is a pronounced Andreev reflection feature providing evidence for proximity-induced high-T c superconductivity in 1T-TaS 2 with a surprisingly large energy gap (~20 meV) equal to half that of intrinsic Bi-2212 (~40 meV). Our systematic study using conductance spectroscopy of junctions with different transparencies also reveals the presence of two separate boson modes, each associated with a "dip-hump" structure. We infer that the proximity-induced high-T c superconductivity in the 1T-TaS 2 is driven by coupling to the metastable metallic phase coexisting within the Mott commensurate CDW (CCDW) phase and associated with a concomitant change of the CCDW order parameter in the interfacial region.

Enhanced superconductivity at the interface of W/Sr2RuO4 point contact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Jian; Wang, He; Lou, Weijian; Luo, Jiawei; Liu, Ying; Ortmann, J. E.; Mao, Z. Q.

Differential resistance measurements are conducted for point contacts (PCs) between the Sr2RuO4 (SRO) single crystal and the tungsten tip. Since the tungsten tip is hard enough to penetrate through the surface layer, consistent superconducting features are observed. Firstly, with the tip pushed towards the crystal, the zero bias conductance peak (ZBCP) due to Andreev reflection at the normal-superconducting interface increases from 3% to more than 20%, much larger than previously reported, and extends to temperature higher than the bulk transition temperature. Reproducible ZBCP within 0.2 mV may also help determine the gap value of SRO, on which no consensus has been reached. Secondly, the logarithmic background can be fitted with the Altshuler-Aronov theory of electron-electron interaction for tunneling into quasi two dimensional electron system. Feasibility of such fitting confirms that spectroscopic information like density of states is probed, and electronic temperature retrieved from such fitting can be important to analyse the PC spectra. Third, at bias much higher than 0.2 mV there are conductance dips due to the critical current effect and these dips persist up to 6.2 K. For more details see. National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) through Grant No. 2011CBA00106 and No. 2012CB927400.

Bi-2212/1T-TaS 2 Van der Waals junctions: Interplay of proximity induced high-T c superconductivity and CDW order

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Ang J.; Zhu, Xiaochen; Stewart, G. R.

Understanding the coexistence, competition and/or cooperation between superconductivity and charge density waves (CDWs) in the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is an elusive goal which, when realized, promises to reveal fundamental information on this important class of materials. Here in this paper, we use four-terminal current-voltage measurements to study the Van der Waals interface between freshly exfoliated flakes of the high-T c superconductor, Bi-2212, and the CDW-dominated TMD layered material, 1T-TaS 2. For highly transparent barriers, there is a pronounced Andreev reflection feature providing evidence for proximity-induced high-Tc superconductivity in 1T-TaS 2 with a surprisingly large energy gap (~20 meV) equalmore » to half that of intrinsic Bi-2212 (~40 meV). Our systematic study using conductance spectroscopy of junctions with different transparencies also reveals the presence of two separate boson modes, each associated with a “dip-hump” structure. Finally, we infer that the proximityinduced high-T c superconductivity in the 1T-TaS 2 is driven by coupling to the metastable metallic phase coexisting within the Mott commensurate CDW (CCDW) phase and associated with a concomitant change of the CCDW order parameter in the interfacial region.« less

Tunable Optical Tweezers for Wavelength-dependent Measurements

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-23

have been studied in an optical levitation scheme over short laser wavelength ranges20 and for dye-loaded di- electric particles.21 In the first case...M. Block, IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 2, 1066 (1996). 7K. Dholakia, W. M. Lee, L. Paterson, M. P. MacDonald, I. Andreev, P. Mthunzi, C. T. A...Brown, R. F. Marchington, and A. C. Riches, IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 13, 1646 (2007). 8K. Dholakia, M. P. MacDonald, P. Zemanek, and T

Topological phase transition of Dirac superconductors in the presence of pseudo-scalar pairings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salehi, Morteza; Jafari, S. A.

2018-06-01

Motivated by recent developments in the field of topological superconductors, we show that there is a topological phase transition (TPT) for three dimensional Dirac superconductors (3DDS) in the presence of pseudo-scalar superconducting order parameter which leads to the appearance of a two dimensional Majorana sea (2DMS) on its surface. The perfect Andreev-Klein transmission, resonant peak with robust character in the differential conductance and 4π periodic Josephson current are experimental signatures of 2DMS.

Accuracy improvement in measurement of arterial wall elasticity by applying pulse inversion to phased-tracking method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyachi, Yukiya; Arakawa, Mototaka; Kanai, Hiroshi

2018-07-01

In our studies on ultrasonic elasticity assessment, minute change in the thickness of the arterial wall was measured by the phased-tracking method. However, most images in carotid artery examinations contain multiple-reflection noise, making it difficult to evaluate arterial wall elasticity precisely. In the present study, a modified phased-tracking method using the pulse inversion method was examined to reduce the influence of the multiple-reflection noise. Moreover, aliasing in the harmonic components was corrected by the fundamental components. The conventional and proposed methods were applied to a pulsated tube phantom mimicking the arterial wall. For the conventional method, the elasticity was 298 kPa without multiple-reflection noise and 353 kPa with multiple-reflection noise on the posterior wall. That of the proposed method was 302 kPa without multiple-reflection noise and 297 kPa with multiple-reflection noise on the posterior wall. Therefore, the proposed method was very robust against multiple-reflection noise.

STM/STS on proximity-coupled superconducting graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovadia, Maoz; Ji, Yu; Lee, Gil-Ho; Fang, Wenjing; Hoffman, Jennifer; Jarillo-Herrero, Pablo; Kong, Jing; Kim, Philip

Graphene in good electrical contact with a superconductor has been observed to have an enhanced proximity effect. Application of a magnetic field is expected to generate an Abrikosov lattice of superconducting vortices, each containing Andreev bound states in its core. With our versatile, homebuilt, low temperature scanning tunneling force microscope (STM/SFM), we investigate the electronic properties of graphene on superconducting NbSe2 in a magnetic field and search for signatures of these vortex core states. This work was supported by the STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials, NSF Grant No. DMR-1231319.

STM/STS on proximity-coupled superconducting graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovadia, Maoz; Ji, Yu; Hoffman, Jennifer; Wang, Joel I.-Jan; Jarillo-Herrero, Pablo

2015-03-01

Graphene in good electrical contact with a superconductor has been observed to have an enhanced proximity effect. Application of a magnetic field is expected to generate an Abrikosov lattice of superconducting vortices, each containing Andreev bound states in its core. With our versatile, homebuilt, low temperature scanning tunneling force microscope (STM/SFM), we investigate the electronic properties of graphene on superconducting NbSe2 in a magnetic field and search for signatures of these vortex core states. This work was supported by the STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials, NSF Grant No. DMR-1231319.

Unitary limit in crossed Andreev transport

DOE PAGES

Sadovskyy, I. A.; Lesovik, G. B.; Vinokur, V. M.

2015-10-08

One of the most promising approaches for generating spin- and energy-entangled electron pairs is splitting a Cooper pair into the metal through spatially separated terminals. Utilizing hybrid systems with the energy-dependent barriers at the superconductor/normal metal (NS) interfaces, one can achieve a practically 100% efficiency outcome of entangled electrons. We investigate a minimalistic one-dimensional model comprising a superconductor and two metallic leads and derive an expression for an electron-to-hole transmission probability as a measure of splitting efficiency. We find the conditions for achieving 100% efficiency and present analytical results for the differential conductance and differential noise.

Origin of excess low-energy states in a disordered superconductor in a Zeeman field.

PubMed

Loh, Y L; Trivedi, N; Xiong, Y M; Adams, P W; Catelani, G

2011-08-05

Tunneling density of states measurements of disordered superconducting Al films in high Zeeman fields reveal a significant population of subgap states which cannot be explained by standard BCS theory. We provide a natural explanation of these excess states in terms of a novel disordered Larkin-Ovchinnikov phase that occurs near the spin-paramagnetic transition at the Chandrasekhar-Clogston critical field. The disordered Larkin-Ovchinnikov superconductor is characterized by a pairing amplitude that changes sign at domain walls. These domain walls carry magnetization and support Andreev bound states that lead to distinct spectral signatures at low energy.

Structural effects of radiation-induced volumetric expansion on unreinforced concrete biological shields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Le Pape, Y.

Limited literature (Pomaro et al., 2011, Mirhosseini et al., 2014, Salomoni et al., 2014 and Andreev and Kapliy, 2014) is available on the structural analysis of irradiated concrete biological shield (CBS), although extended operations of nuclear powers plants may lead to critical neutron exposure above 1.0 × 10 +19 n cm ₋2. To the notable exception of Andreev and Kapliy, available structural models do not account for radiation-induced volumetric expansion, although it was found to develop important linear dimensional change of the order of 1%, and, can lead to significant concrete damage (Le Pape et al., 2015). A 1D-cylindrical model of an unreinforced CBS accounting for temperature and irradiation effects is developed. Irradiated concrete properties are characterized probabilistically using the updated database collected by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Field et al., 2015). The overstressed concrete ratio (OCR) of the CBS, i.e., the proportion of the wall thickness being subject to stresses beyond the resistance of concrete, is derived by deterministic and probabilistic analysis assuming that irradiated concrete behaves as an elastic materials. In the bi-axial compressive zone near the reactor cavity, the OCR is limited to 5.7%, i.e., 8.6 cm (3more » $$_2^1$$ in.), whereas, in the tension zone, the OCR extends to 72%, i.e., 1.08 m (42$$_2^1$$ in.). Finally, we find that these results, valid for a maximum neutron fluence on the concrete surface of 3.1 × 10 +19 n cm ₋2 (E > 0.1 MeV) and, obtained after 80 years of operation, give an indication of the potential detrimental effects of prolonged irradiation of concrete in nuclear power plants.« less

Structural effects of radiation-induced volumetric expansion on unreinforced concrete biological shields

DOE PAGES

Le Pape, Y.

2015-11-22

Limited literature (Pomaro et al., 2011, Mirhosseini et al., 2014, Salomoni et al., 2014 and Andreev and Kapliy, 2014) is available on the structural analysis of irradiated concrete biological shield (CBS), although extended operations of nuclear powers plants may lead to critical neutron exposure above 1.0 × 10 +19 n cm ₋2. To the notable exception of Andreev and Kapliy, available structural models do not account for radiation-induced volumetric expansion, although it was found to develop important linear dimensional change of the order of 1%, and, can lead to significant concrete damage (Le Pape et al., 2015). A 1D-cylindrical model of an unreinforced CBS accounting for temperature and irradiation effects is developed. Irradiated concrete properties are characterized probabilistically using the updated database collected by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Field et al., 2015). The overstressed concrete ratio (OCR) of the CBS, i.e., the proportion of the wall thickness being subject to stresses beyond the resistance of concrete, is derived by deterministic and probabilistic analysis assuming that irradiated concrete behaves as an elastic materials. In the bi-axial compressive zone near the reactor cavity, the OCR is limited to 5.7%, i.e., 8.6 cm (3more » $$_2^1$$ in.), whereas, in the tension zone, the OCR extends to 72%, i.e., 1.08 m (42$$_2^1$$ in.). Finally, we find that these results, valid for a maximum neutron fluence on the concrete surface of 3.1 × 10 +19 n cm ₋2 (E > 0.1 MeV) and, obtained after 80 years of operation, give an indication of the potential detrimental effects of prolonged irradiation of concrete in nuclear power plants.« less

Multiple-path model of spectral reflectance of a dyed fabric.

PubMed

Rogers, Geoffrey; Dalloz, Nicolas; Fournel, Thierry; Hebert, Mathieu

2017-05-01

Experimental results are presented of the spectral reflectance of a dyed fabric as analyzed by a multiple-path model of reflection. The multiple-path model provides simple analytic expressions for reflection and transmission of turbid media by applying the Beer-Lambert law to each path through the medium and summing over all paths, each path weighted by its probability. The path-length probability is determined by a random-walk analysis. The experimental results presented here show excellent agreement with predictions made by the model.

LAI inversion from optical reflectance using a neural network trained with a multiple scattering model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, James A.

1992-01-01

The inversion of the leaf area index (LAI) canopy parameter from optical spectral reflectance measurements is obtained using a backpropagation artificial neural network trained using input-output pairs generated by a multiple scattering reflectance model. The problem of LAI estimation over sparse canopies (LAI < 1.0) with varying soil reflectance backgrounds is particularly difficult. Standard multiple regression methods applied to canopies within a single homogeneous soil type yield good results but perform unacceptably when applied across soil boundaries, resulting in absolute percentage errors of >1000 percent for low LAI. Minimization methods applied to merit functions constructed from differences between measured reflectances and predicted reflectances using multiple-scattering models are unacceptably sensitive to a good initial guess for the desired parameter. In contrast, the neural network reported generally yields absolute percentage errors of <30 percent when weighting coefficients trained on one soil type were applied to predicted canopy reflectance at a different soil background.

A Hot-electron Direct Detector for Radioastronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karasik, B. S.; McGrath, W. R.; LeDuc, H. G.

2000-01-01

A new approach is proposed to improve the sensitivity of direct-detection bolometers. The idea is to adjust a speed of the thermal relaxation of hot-electrons in a nanometer size normal metal or superconductive transition edge bolometer by controlling the elastic electron mean free path. If the bolometer contacts are made of a superconductor with high critical temperature then the thermal diffusion into the contacts is absent because of the Andreev's reflection and the electron-phonon relaxation is the only mechanism for heat removal. The relaxation rate should behave as 7(exp 4)l at subkelvin temperatures (l is the electron elastic mean free path) and can be reduced by factor of 10 - 100 by decreasing l. Then an antenna- or waveguide-coupled bolometer with a time constant approx. 10(exp -3) to 10(exp -5) S at T approx. = 0.1 - 0.3 K will exhibit photon-noise limited performance in millimeter and subn-millimeter range. The bolometer will have a figure-of-merit NEk square root of tau approx. = 10(exp -22) 10(exp -21) W/Hz at 100 mK which is 10(exp 3) times smaller than that of a state-of-the-art bolometer. This will allow for a tremendous increase in speed which will have a significant impact for observational mapping applications. Alternatively, the bolometer could operate at higher temperature with still superior sensitivity This research was performed by the Center for Space Microelectronics Technology, JPL, California Institute of Technology, under the contract for NASA.

Origin and enhancement of spin polarized current in diluted magnetic oxides by oxygen vacancies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chou, Hsiung, E-mail: hchou@mail.nsysu.edu.tw; Yang, Kung-Shang; Tsao, Yao-Chung

Spin polarized current (SPC) is a crucial characteristic of diluted magnetic oxides due to the potential application of oxides in spintronic devices. However, most research has been focused on ferromagnetic properties rather than polarization of electric current, because direct measurements are difficult and the origin of SPC has yet to be fully understood. The method to increase the SPC percentage is beyond practical consideration at present. To address this problem, we focus on the role of oxygen vacancies (V{sub O}) on SPC, which are controlled by growing the Co-doped ZnO thin-films at room temperature in a reducing atmosphere [Ar + (1%–30%)H{sub 2}].more » We found that the conductivity increases with an increase of V{sub O} via two independent channels: the variable range hopping (VRH) within localized states and the itinerant transport in the conduction band. The point contact Andreev reflection measurements at 4.2 K, where the electric conduction is governed only by the VRH mechanism, prove that the current flowing in the VRH hopping channel is SPC. The percentage of SPC increases with the introduction of V{sub O} and increase in its concentration. The transport measurement shows that by manipulating V{sub O}, one can control the percentage of VRH hopping conduction such that it can even dominate room temperature conduction. The highest achieved SPC ratio at room temperature was 80%.« less

Simple aerosol correction technique based on the spectral relationships of the aerosol multiple-scattering reflectances for atmospheric correction over the oceans.

PubMed

Ahn, Jae-Hyun; Park, Young-Je; Kim, Wonkook; Lee, Boram

2016-12-26

An estimation of the aerosol multiple-scattering reflectance is an important part of the atmospheric correction procedure in satellite ocean color data processing. Most commonly, the utilization of two near-infrared (NIR) bands to estimate the aerosol optical properties has been adopted for the estimation of the effects of aerosols. Previously, the operational Geostationary Color Ocean Imager (GOCI) atmospheric correction scheme relies on a single-scattering reflectance ratio (SSE), which was developed for the processing of the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) data to determine the appropriate aerosol models and their aerosol optical thicknesses. The scheme computes reflectance contributions (weighting factor) of candidate aerosol models in a single scattering domain then spectrally extrapolates the single-scattering aerosol reflectance from NIR to visible (VIS) bands using the SSE. However, it directly applies the weight value to all wavelengths in a multiple-scattering domain although the multiple-scattering aerosol reflectance has a non-linear relationship with the single-scattering reflectance and inter-band relationship of multiple scattering aerosol reflectances is non-linear. To avoid these issues, we propose an alternative scheme for estimating the aerosol reflectance that uses the spectral relationships in the aerosol multiple-scattering reflectance between different wavelengths (called SRAMS). The process directly calculates the multiple-scattering reflectance contributions in NIR with no residual errors for selected aerosol models. Then it spectrally extrapolates the reflectance contribution from NIR to visible bands for each selected model using the SRAMS. To assess the performance of the algorithm regarding the errors in the water reflectance at the surface or remote-sensing reflectance retrieval, we compared the SRAMS atmospheric correction results with the SSE atmospheric correction using both simulations and in situ match-ups with the GOCI data. From simulations, the mean errors for bands from 412 to 555 nm were 5.2% for the SRAMS scheme and 11.5% for SSE scheme in case-I waters. From in situ match-ups, 16.5% for the SRAMS scheme and 17.6% scheme for the SSE scheme in both case-I and case-II waters. Although we applied the SRAMS algorithm to the GOCI, it can be applied to other ocean color sensors which have two NIR wavelengths.

High-accuracy self-mixing interferometer based on multiple reflections using a simple external reflecting mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiu-lin; Wei, Zheng; Wang, Rui; Huang, Wen-cai

2018-05-01

A self-mixing interferometer (SMI) with resolution twenty times higher than that of a conventional interferometer is developed by multiple reflections. Only by employing a simple external reflecting mirror, the multiple-pass optical configuration can be constructed. The advantage of the configuration is simple and easy to make the light re-injected back into the laser cavity. Theoretical analysis shows that the resolution of measurement is scalable by adjusting the number of reflections. The experiment shows that the proposed method has the optical resolution of approximate λ/40. The influence of displacement sensitivity gain ( G) is further analyzed and discussed in practical experiments.

Harnessing Multiple Internal Reflections to Design Highly Absorptive Acoustic Metasurfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Chen; Cummer, Steven A.

2018-05-01

The rapid development of metasurfaces has enabled numerous intriguing applications with acoustically thin sheets. Here we report the theory and experimental realization of a nonresonant sound-absorbing strategy using metasurfaces by harnessing multiple internal reflections. We theoretically and numerically show that the higher-order diffraction of thin gradient-index metasurfaces is tied to multiple internal reflections inside the unit cells. Highly absorbing acoustic metasurfaces can be realized by enforcing multiple internal reflections together with a small amount of loss. A reflective gradient-index acoustic metasurface is designed based on the theory, and we further experimentally verify the performance using a three-dimensional printed prototype. Measurements show over 99% energy absorption at the peak frequency and a 95% energy absorption bandwidth of around 600 Hz. The proposed mechanism provides an alternative route for sound absorption without the necessity of high absorption of the individual unit cells.

Analysing and correcting the differences between multi-source and multi-scale spatial remote sensing observations.

PubMed

Dong, Yingying; Luo, Ruisen; Feng, Haikuan; Wang, Jihua; Zhao, Jinling; Zhu, Yining; Yang, Guijun

2014-01-01

Differences exist among analysis results of agriculture monitoring and crop production based on remote sensing observations, which are obtained at different spatial scales from multiple remote sensors in same time period, and processed by same algorithms, models or methods. These differences can be mainly quantitatively described from three aspects, i.e. multiple remote sensing observations, crop parameters estimation models, and spatial scale effects of surface parameters. Our research proposed a new method to analyse and correct the differences between multi-source and multi-scale spatial remote sensing surface reflectance datasets, aiming to provide references for further studies in agricultural application with multiple remotely sensed observations from different sources. The new method was constructed on the basis of physical and mathematical properties of multi-source and multi-scale reflectance datasets. Theories of statistics were involved to extract statistical characteristics of multiple surface reflectance datasets, and further quantitatively analyse spatial variations of these characteristics at multiple spatial scales. Then, taking the surface reflectance at small spatial scale as the baseline data, theories of Gaussian distribution were selected for multiple surface reflectance datasets correction based on the above obtained physical characteristics and mathematical distribution properties, and their spatial variations. This proposed method was verified by two sets of multiple satellite images, which were obtained in two experimental fields located in Inner Mongolia and Beijing, China with different degrees of homogeneity of underlying surfaces. Experimental results indicate that differences of surface reflectance datasets at multiple spatial scales could be effectively corrected over non-homogeneous underlying surfaces, which provide database for further multi-source and multi-scale crop growth monitoring and yield prediction, and their corresponding consistency analysis evaluation.

Analysing and Correcting the Differences between Multi-Source and Multi-Scale Spatial Remote Sensing Observations

PubMed Central

Dong, Yingying; Luo, Ruisen; Feng, Haikuan; Wang, Jihua; Zhao, Jinling; Zhu, Yining; Yang, Guijun

2014-01-01

Differences exist among analysis results of agriculture monitoring and crop production based on remote sensing observations, which are obtained at different spatial scales from multiple remote sensors in same time period, and processed by same algorithms, models or methods. These differences can be mainly quantitatively described from three aspects, i.e. multiple remote sensing observations, crop parameters estimation models, and spatial scale effects of surface parameters. Our research proposed a new method to analyse and correct the differences between multi-source and multi-scale spatial remote sensing surface reflectance datasets, aiming to provide references for further studies in agricultural application with multiple remotely sensed observations from different sources. The new method was constructed on the basis of physical and mathematical properties of multi-source and multi-scale reflectance datasets. Theories of statistics were involved to extract statistical characteristics of multiple surface reflectance datasets, and further quantitatively analyse spatial variations of these characteristics at multiple spatial scales. Then, taking the surface reflectance at small spatial scale as the baseline data, theories of Gaussian distribution were selected for multiple surface reflectance datasets correction based on the above obtained physical characteristics and mathematical distribution properties, and their spatial variations. This proposed method was verified by two sets of multiple satellite images, which were obtained in two experimental fields located in Inner Mongolia and Beijing, China with different degrees of homogeneity of underlying surfaces. Experimental results indicate that differences of surface reflectance datasets at multiple spatial scales could be effectively corrected over non-homogeneous underlying surfaces, which provide database for further multi-source and multi-scale crop growth monitoring and yield prediction, and their corresponding consistency analysis evaluation. PMID:25405760

Cloud Effects in Hyperspectral Imagery from First-Principles Scene Simulations

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

SPIE. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic or multiple reproduction, or distribution to multiple locations...scattering and absorption, scattering events, surface scattering with material-dependent bidirectional reflectances, multiple surface adjacency...aerosols or clouds, they may be absorbed, or they may reflect off the ground or an object. A given photon may undergo multiple scattering events

Measurement of Bose-Einstein correlations in e^+e^->W^+W^- events at LEP [rapid communication] L3 Collaboration, P. Achard, O. Adriani, M. Aguilar-Benitez, J. Alcaraz, G. Alemanni, J. Allaby, A. Aloisio, M.G. Alviggi, H. Anderhub, V.P. Andreev, F. Anselmo, A. Arefiev, T. Azemoon, T. Aziz,

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagnaia, P.; Bajo, A.; Baksay, G.; Baksay, L.; Baldew, S. V.; Banerjee, S.; Banerjee, S.; Barczyk, A.; Barillere, R.; Bartalini, P.; Basile, M.; Batalova, N.; Battiston, R.; Bay, A.; Becattini, F.; Becker, U.; Behner, F.; Bellucci, L.; Berbeco, R.; Berdugo, J.; Berges, P.; Bertucci, B.; Betev, B. L.; Biasini, M.; Biglietti, M.; Biland, A.; Blaising, J. J.; Blyth, S. C.; Bobbink, G. J.; Bohm, A.; Boldizsar, L.; Borgia, B.; Bottai, S.; Bourilkov, D.; Bourquin, M.; Braccini, S.; Branson, J. G.; Brochu, F.; Burger, J. D.; Burger, W. J.; Cai, X. D.; Capell, M.; Romeo, G. Cara; Carlino, G.; Cartacci, A.; Casaus, J.; Cavallari, F.; Cavallo, N.; Cecchi, C.; Cerrada, M.; Chamizo, M.; Chang, Y. H.; Chemarin, M.; Chen, A.; Chen, G.; Chen, G. M.; Chen, H. F.; Chen, H. S.; Chiefari, G.; Cifarelli, L.; Cindolo, F.; Clare, I.; Clare, R.; Coignet, G.; Colino, N.; Costantini, S.; de la Cruz, B.; Cucciarelli, S.; van Dalen, J. A.; de Asmundis, R.; Deglon, P.; Debreczeni, J.; Degre, A.; Dehmelt, K.; Deiters, K.; della Volpe, D.; Delmeire, E.; Denes, P.; DeNotaristefani, F.; De Salvo, A.; Diemoz, M.; Dierckxsens, M.; Dionisi, C.; Dittmar, M.; Doria, A.; Dova, M. T.; Duchesneau, D.; Echenard, B.; Eline, A.; El Mamouni, H.; Engler, A.; Eppling, F. J.; Ewers, A.; Extermann, P.; Falagan, M. A.; Falciano, S.; Favara, A.; Fay, J.; Fedin, O.; Felcini, M.; Ferguson, T.; Fesefeldt, H.; Fiandrini, E.; Field, J. H.; Filthaut, F.; Fisher, P. H.; Fisher, W.; Fisk, I.; Forconi, G.; Freudenreich, K.; Furetta, C.; Galaktionov, Y.; Ganguli, S. N.; Garcia-Abia, P.; Gataullin, M.; Gentile, S.; Giagu, S.; Gong, Z. F.; Grenier, G.; Grimm, O.; Gruenewald, M. W.; Guida, M.; van Gulik, R.; Gupta, V. K.; Gurtu, A.; Gutay, L. J.; Haas, D.; Hakobyan, R. S.; Hatzifotiadou, D.; Hebbeker, T.; Herve, A.; Hirschfelder, J.; Hofer, H.; Hohlmann, M.; Holzner, G.; Hou, S. R.; Hu, Y.; Jin, B. N.; Jones, L. W.; de Jong, P.; Josa-Mutuberra, I.; Kafer, D.; Kaur, M.; Kienzle-Focacci, M. N.; Kim, J. K.; Kirkby, J.; Kittel, W.; Klimentov, A.; Konig, A. C.; Kopal, M.; Koutsenko, V.; Kraber, M.; Kraemer, R. W.; Krenz, W.; Kruger, A.; Kunin, A.; Ladron de Guevara, P.; Laktineh, I.; Landi, G.; Lebeau, M.; Lebedev, A.; Lebrun, P.; Lecomte, P.; Lecoq, P.; Le Coultre, P.; Le Goff, J. M.; Leiste, R.; Levtchenko, M.; Levtchenko, P.; Li, C.; Likhoded, S.; Lin, C. H.; Lin, W. T.; Linde, F. L.; Lista, L.; Liu, Z. A.; Lohmann, W.; Longo, E.; Lu, Y. S.; Lubelsmeyer, K.; Luci, C.; Luminari, L.; Lustermann, W.; Ma, W. G.; Malgeri, L.; Malinin, A.; Mana, C.; Mangeol, D.; Mans, J.; Martin, J. P.; Marzano, F.; Mazumdar, K.; McNeil, R. R.; Mele, S.; Merola, L.; Meschini, M.; Metzger, W. J.; Mihul, A.; Milcent, H.; Mirabelli, G.; Mnich, J.; Mohanty, G. B.; Muanza, G. S.; Muijs, A. J. M.; Musicar, B.; Musy, M.; Nagy, S.; Natale, S.; Napolitano, M.; Nessi-Tedaldi, F.; Newman, H.; Niessen, T.; Nisati, A.; Nowak, H.; Ofierzynski, R.; Organtini, G.; Palomares, C.; Pandoulas, D.; Paolucci, P.; Paramatti, R.; Passaleva, G.; Patricelli, S.; Paul, T.; Pauluzzi, M.; Paus, C.; Pauss, F.; Pedace, M.; Pensotti, S.; Perret-Gallix, D.; Petersen, B.; Piccolo, D.; Pierella, F.; Pioppi, M.; Piroue, P. A.; Pistolesi, E.; Plyaskin, V.; Pohl, M.; Pojidaev, V.; Pothier, J.; Prokofiev, D. O.; Prokofiev, D.; Quartieri, J.; Rahal-Callot, G.; Rahaman, M. A.; Raics, P.; Raja, N.; Ramelli, R.; Rancoita, P. G.; Ranieri, R.; Raspereza, A.; Razis, P.; Ren, D.; Rescigno, M.; Reucroft, S.; Riemann, S.; Riles, K.; Roe, B. P.; Romero, L.; Rosca, A.; Rosier-Lees, S.; Roth, S.; Rosenbleck, C.; Roux, B.; Rubio, J. A.; Ruggiero, G.; Rykaczewski, H.; Sakharov, A.; Saremi, S.; Sarkar, S.; Salicio, J.; Sanchez, E.; Sanders, M. P.; Schafer, C.; Schegelsky, V.; Schmidt-Kaerst, S.; Schmitz, D.; Schopper, H.; Schotanus, D. J.; Schwering, G.; Sciacca, C.; Servoli, L.; Shevchenko, S.; Shivarov, N.; Shoutko, V.; Shumilov, E.; Shvorob, A.; Siedenburg, T.; Son, D.; Souga, C.; Spillantini, P.; Steuer, M.; Stickland, D. P.; Stoyanov, B.; Straessner, A.; Sudhakar, K.; Sultanov, G.; Sun, L. Z.; Sushkov, S.; Suter, H.; Swain, J. D.; Szillasi, Z.; Tang, X. W.; Tarjan, P.; Tauscher, L.; Taylor, L.; Tellili, B.; Teyssier, D.; Timmermans, C.; Ting, C. C.; Ting, S. M.; Tonwar, S. C.; Toth, J.; Tully, C.; Tung, K. L.; Ulbricht, J.; Valente, E.; Van de Walle, R. T.; Vasquez, R.; Veszpremi, V.; Vesztergombi, G.; Vetlitsky, I.; Vicinanza, D.; Viertel, G.; Villa, S.; Vivargent, M.; Vlachos, S.; Vodopianov, I.; Vogel, H.; Vogt, H.; Vorobiev, I.; Vorobyov, A. A.; Wadhwa, M.; Wallraff, W.; Wang, X. L.; Wang, Z. M.; Weber, M.; Wienemann, P.; Wilkens, H.; Wynhoff, S.; Xia, L.; Xu, Z. Z.; Yamamoto, J.; Yang, B. Z.; Yang, C. G.; Yang, H. J.; Yang, M.; Yeh, S. C.; Zalite, A.; Zalite, Y.; Zhang, Z. P.; Zhao, J.; Zhu, G. Y.; Zhu, R. Y.; Zhuang, H. L.; Zichichi, A.; Zimmermann, B.; Zoller, M.

2002-11-01

Bose-Einstein correlations in W-pair production at LEP are investigated in a data sample of 629 pb^-1 collected by the L3 detector at centre-of-mass energies of 189-209 GeV. Bose-Einstein correlations between pions within a W decay are observed and found to be in good agreement with those in light-quark Z decay. No evidence is found for Bose-Einstein correlations between hadrons coming from different W's in the same event.

Multi- and hyperspectral scene modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borel, Christoph C.; Tuttle, Ronald F.

2011-06-01

This paper shows how to use a public domain raytracer POV-Ray (Persistence Of Vision Raytracer) to render multiand hyper-spectral scenes. The scripting environment allows automatic changing of the reflectance and transmittance parameters. The radiosity rendering mode allows accurate simulation of multiple-reflections between surfaces and also allows semi-transparent surfaces such as plant leaves. We show that POV-Ray computes occlusion accurately using a test scene with two blocks under a uniform sky. A complex scene representing a plant canopy is generated using a few lines of script. With appropriate rendering settings, shadows cast by leaves are rendered in many bands. Comparing single and multiple reflection renderings, the effect of multiple reflections is clearly visible and accounts for 25% of the overall apparent canopy reflectance in the near infrared.

Empathetic, Critical Integrations of Multiple Perspectives: A Core Practice for Language Teacher Education?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniel, Shannon M.

2015-01-01

In this self-study, the author reflects on her implementation of empathetic, critical integrations of multiple perspectives (ECI), which she designed to afford preservice teachers the opportunity to discuss and collectively reflect upon the oft-diverging multiple perspectives, values, and practices they experience during their practicum (Daniel,…

Strong Electron Self-Cooling in the Cold-Electron Bolometers Designed for CMB Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzmin, L. S.; Pankratov, A. L.; Gordeeva, A. V.; Zbrozhek, V. O.; Revin, L. S.; Shamporov, V. A.; Masi, S.; de Bernardis, P.

2018-03-01

We have realized cold-electron bolometers (CEB) with direct electron self-cooling of the nanoabsorber by SIN (Superconductor-Insulator-Normal metal) tunnel junctions. This electron self-cooling acts as a strong negative electrothermal feedback, improving noise and dynamic properties. Due to this cooling the photon-noise-limited operation of CEBs was realized in array of bolometers developed for the 345 GHz channel of the OLIMPO Balloon Telescope in the power range from 10 pW to 20 pW at phonon temperature Tph =310 mK. The negative electrothermal feedback in CEB is analogous to TES but instead of artificial heating we use cooling of the absorber. The high efficiency of the electron self-cooling to Te =100 mK without power load and to Te=160 mK under power load is achieved by: - a very small volume of the nanoabsorber (0.02 μm3) and a large area of the SIN tunnel junctions, - effective removal of hot quasiparticles by arranging double stock at both sides of the junctions and close position of the normal metal traps, - self-protection of the 2D array of CEBs against interferences by dividing them between N series CEBs (for voltage interferences) and M parallel CEBs (for current interferences), - suppression of Andreev reflection by a thin layer of Fe in the AlFe absorber. As a result even under high power load the CEBs are working at electron temperature Te less than Tph . To our knowledge, there is no analogue in the bolometers technology in the world for bolometers working at electron temperature colder than phonon temperature.

Channel Model Optimization with Reflection Residual Component for Indoor MIMO-VLC System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yong; Li, Tengfei; Liu, Huanlin; Li, Yichao

2017-12-01

A fast channel modeling method is studied to solve the problem of reflection channel gain for multiple input multiple output-visible light communications (MIMO-VLC) in the paper. For reducing the computational complexity when associating with the reflection times, no more than 3 reflections are taken into consideration in VLC. We think that higher order reflection link consists of corresponding many times line of sight link and firstly present reflection residual component to characterize higher reflection (more than 2 reflections). We perform computer simulation results for point-to-point channel impulse response, receiving optical power and receiving signal to noise ratio. Based on theoretical analysis and simulation results, the proposed method can effectively reduce the computational complexity of higher order reflection in channel modeling.

Scaling in cognitive performance reflects multiplicative multifractal cascade dynamics

PubMed Central

Stephen, Damian G.; Anastas, Jason R.; Dixon, James A.

2012-01-01

Self-organized criticality purports to build multi-scaled structures out of local interactions. Evidence of scaling in various domains of biology may be more generally understood to reflect multiplicative interactions weaving together many disparate scales. The self-similarity of power-law scaling entails homogeneity: fluctuations distribute themselves similarly across many spatial and temporal scales. However, this apparent homogeneity can be misleading, especially as it spans more scales. Reducing biological processes to one power-law relationship neglects rich cascade dynamics. We review recent research into multifractality in executive-function cognitive tasks and propose that scaling reflects not criticality but instead interactions across multiple scales and among fluctuations of multiple sizes. PMID:22529819

Multiple-reflection optical gas cell

DOEpatents

Matthews, Thomas G.

1983-01-01

A multiple-reflection optical cell for Raman or fluorescence gas analysis consists of two spherical mirrors positioned transverse to a multiple-pass laser cell in a confronting plane-parallel alignment. The two mirrors are of equal diameter but possess different radii of curvature. The spacing between the mirrors is uniform and less than half of the radius of curvature of either mirror. The mirror of greater curvature possesses a small circular portal in its center which is the effective point source for conventional F1 double lens collection optics of a monochromator-detection system. Gas to be analyzed is flowed into the cell and irradiated by a multiply-reflected composite laser beam centered between the mirrors of the cell. Raman or fluorescence radiation originating from a large volume within the cell is (1) collected via multiple reflections with the cell mirrors, (2) partially collimated and (3) directed through the cell portal in a geometric array compatible with F1 collection optics.

Techniques for estimating Space Station aerodynamic characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Richard E.

1993-01-01

A method was devised and calculations were performed to determine the effects of reflected molecules on the aerodynamic force and moment coefficients for a body in free molecule flow. A procedure was developed for determining the velocity and temperature distributions of molecules reflected from a surface of arbitrary momentum and energy accommodation. A system of equations, based on momentum and energy balances for the surface, incident, and reflected molecules, was solved by a numerical optimization technique. The minimization of a 'cost' function, developed from the set of equations, resulted in the determination of the defining properties of the flow reflected from the arbitrary surface. The properties used to define both the incident and reflected flows were: average temperature of the molecules in the flow, angle of the flow with respect to a vector normal to the surface, and the molecular speed ratio. The properties of the reflected flow were used to calculate the contribution of multiply reflected molecules to the force and moments on a test body in the flow. The test configuration consisted of two flat plates joined along one edge at a right angle to each other. When force and moment coefficients of this 90 deg concave wedge were compared to results that did not include multiple reflections, it was found that multiple reflections could nearly double lift and drag coefficients, with nearly a 50 percent increase in pitching moment for cases with specular or nearly specular accommodation. The cases of diffuse or nearly diffuse accommodation often had minor reductions in axial and normal forces when multiple reflections were included. There were several cases of intermediate accommodation where the addition of multiple reflection effects more than tripled the lift coefficient over the convex technique.

Code division multiple access signaling for modulated reflector technology

DOEpatents

Briles, Scott D [Los Alamos, NM

2012-05-01

A method and apparatus for utilizing code division multiple access in modulated reflectance transmissions comprises the steps of generating a phase-modulated reflectance data bit stream; modifying the modulated reflectance data bit stream; providing the modified modulated reflectance data bit stream to a switch that connects an antenna to an infinite impedance in the event a "+1" is to be sent, or connects the antenna to ground in the event a "0" or a "-1" is to be sent.

Lamp method and apparatus using multiple reflections

DOEpatents

MacLennan, Donald A.; Turner, Brian; Kipling, Kent

1999-01-01

A method wherein the light in a sulfur or selenium lamp is reflected through the fill a multiplicity of times to convert ultraviolet radiation to visible. A light emitting device comprised of an electrodeless envelope which bears a light reflecting covering around a first portion which does not crack due to differential thermal expansion and which has a second portion which comprises a light transmissive aperture.

Polarized BRDF for coatings based on three-component assumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hong; Zhu, Jingping; Wang, Kai; Xu, Rong

2017-02-01

A pBRDF(polarized bidirectional reflection distribution function) model for coatings is given based on three-component reflection assumption in order to improve the polarized scattering simulation capability for space objects. In this model, the specular reflection is given based on microfacet theory, the multiple reflection and volume scattering are given separately according to experimental results. The polarization of specular reflection is considered from Fresnel's law, and both multiple reflection and volume scattering are assumed depolarized. Simulation and measurement results of two satellite coating samples SR107 and S781 are given to validate that the pBRDF modeling accuracy can be significantly improved by the three-component model given in this paper.

Kondo-like zero-bias conductance anomaly in a three-dimensional topological insulator nanowire

DOE PAGES

Cho, Sungjae; Zhong, Ruidan; Schneeloch, John A.; ...

2016-02-25

Zero-bias anomalies in topological nanowires have recently captured significant attention, as they are possible signatures of Majorana modes. Yet there are many other possible origins of zero-bias peaks in nanowires—for example, weak localization, Andreev bound states, or the Kondo effect. Here, we discuss observations of differential-conductance peaks at zero-bias voltage in non-superconducting electronic transport through a 3D topological insulator (Bi 1.33Sb 0.67)Se 3 nanowire. The zero-bias conductance peaks show logarithmic temperature dependence and often linear splitting with magnetic fields, both of which are signatures of the Kondo effect in quantum dots. As a result, we characterize the zero-bias peaks andmore » discuss their origin.« less

Quasi-distributed fiber sensor using active mode locking laser cavity with multiple FBG reflections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Chang Hyun; Kim, Gyeong Hun; Kim, Chang-Seok; Lee, Hwi Don; Chung, Youngjoo

2017-04-01

We have demonstrated a quasi-distributed sensor using an active mode-locking (AML) laser with multiple fiber Bragg grating (FBG) reflections of the same center wavelength. We found that variations in the multiple cavity segment lengths between FBGs can be measured by simply sweeping the modulation frequency, because the modulation frequency of the AML laser is proportionally affected by cavity length.

Lamp method and apparatus using multiple reflections

DOEpatents

MacLennan, D.A.; Turner, B.; Kipling, K.

1999-05-11

A method wherein the light in a sulfur or selenium lamp is reflected through the fill a multiplicity of times to convert ultraviolet radiation to visible is disclosed. A light emitting device comprised of an electrodeless envelope which bears a light reflecting covering around a first portion which does not crack due to differential thermal expansion and which has a second portion which comprises a light transmissive aperture. 20 figs.

Resting-state fMRI data reflects default network activity rather than null data: A defense of commonly employed methods to correct for multiple comparisons.

PubMed

Slotnick, Scott D

2017-07-01

Analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data typically involves over one hundred thousand independent statistical tests; therefore, it is necessary to correct for multiple comparisons to control familywise error. In a recent paper, Eklund, Nichols, and Knutsson used resting-state fMRI data to evaluate commonly employed methods to correct for multiple comparisons and reported unacceptable rates of familywise error. Eklund et al.'s analysis was based on the assumption that resting-state fMRI data reflect null data; however, their 'null data' actually reflected default network activity that inflated familywise error. As such, Eklund et al.'s results provide no basis to question the validity of the thousands of published fMRI studies that have corrected for multiple comparisons or the commonly employed methods to correct for multiple comparisons.

On the Angular Variation of Solar Reflectance of Snow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, A. T. C.; Choudhury, B. J.

1979-01-01

Spectral and integrated solar reflectance of nonhomogeneous snowpacks were derived assuming surface reflection of direct radiation and subsurface multiple scattering. For surface reflection, a bidirectional reflectance distribution function derived for an isotropic Gaussian faceted surface was considered and for subsurface multiple scattering, an approximate solution of the radiative transfer equation was studied. Solar radiation incident on the snowpack was decomposed into direct and atmospherically scattered radiation. Spectral attenuation coefficients of ozone, carbon dioxide, water vapor, aerosol and molecular scattering were included in the calculation of incident solar radiation. Illustrative numerical results were given for a case of North American winter atmospheric conditions. The calculated dependence of spectrally integrated directional reflectance (or albedo) on solar elevation was in qualitative agreement with available observations.

Influence of multiple scattering on CloudSat measurements in snow: A model study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matrosov, Sergey Y.; Battaglia, Alessandro

2009-06-01

The effects of multiple scattering on larger precipitating hydrometers have an influence on measurements of the spaceborne W-band (94 GHz) CloudSat radar. This study presents initial quantitative estimates of these effects in “dry” snow using radiative transfer calculations for appropriate snowfall models. It is shown that these effects become significant (i.e., greater than approximately 1 dB) when snowfall radar reflectivity factors are greater than about 10-15 dBZ. Reflectivity enhancement due to multiple scattering can reach 4-5 dB in heavier stratiform snowfalls. Multiple scattering effects counteract signal attenuation, so the observed CloudSat reflectivity factors in snowfall could be relatively close to the values that would be observed in the case of single scattering and the absence of attenuation.

General theory of remote gaze estimation using the pupil center and corneal reflections.

PubMed

Guestrin, Elias Daniel; Eizenman, Moshe

2006-06-01

This paper presents a general theory for the remote estimation of the point-of-gaze (POG) from the coordinates of the centers of the pupil and corneal reflections. Corneal reflections are produced by light sources that illuminate the eye and the centers of the pupil and corneal reflections are estimated in video images from one or more cameras. The general theory covers the full range of possible system configurations. Using one camera and one light source, the POG can be estimated only if the head is completely stationary. Using one camera and multiple light sources, the POG can be estimated with free head movements, following the completion of a multiple-point calibration procedure. When multiple cameras and multiple light sources are used, the POG can be estimated following a simple one-point calibration procedure. Experimental and simulation results suggest that the main sources of gaze estimation errors are the discrepancy between the shape of real corneas and the spherical corneal shape assumed in the general theory, and the noise in the estimation of the centers of the pupil and corneal reflections. A detailed example of a system that uses the general theory to estimate the POG on a computer screen is presented.

Angular distribution of diffuse reflectance from incoherent multiple scattering in turbid media.

PubMed

Gao, M; Huang, X; Yang, P; Kattawar, G W

2013-08-20

The angular distribution of diffuse reflection is elucidated with greater understanding by studying a homogeneous turbid medium. We modeled the medium as an infinite slab and studied the reflection dependence on the following three parameters: the incident direction, optical depth, and asymmetry factor. The diffuse reflection is produced by incoherent multiple scattering and is solved through radiative transfer theory. At large optical depths, the angular distribution of the diffuse reflection with small incident angles is similar to that of a Lambertian surface, but, with incident angles larger than 60°, the angular distributions have a prominent reflection peak around the specular reflection angle. These reflection peaks are found originating from the scattering within one transport mean free path in the top layer of the medium. The maximum reflection angles for different incident angles are analyzed and can characterize the structure of angular distributions for different asymmetry factors and optical depths. The properties of the angular distribution can be applied to more complex systems for a better understanding of diffuse reflection.

Limitations of quantitative analysis of deep crustal seismic reflection data: Examples from GLIMPCE

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, Myung W.; Hutchinson, Deborah R.

1992-01-01

Amplitude preservation in seismic reflection data can be obtained by a relative true amplitude (RTA) processing technique in which the relative strength of reflection amplitudes is preserved vertically as well as horizontally, after compensating for amplitude distortion by near-surface effects and propagation effects. Quantitative analysis of relative true amplitudes of the Great Lakes International Multidisciplinary Program on Crustal Evolution seismic data is hampered by large uncertainties in estimates of the water bottom reflection coefficient and the vertical amplitude correction and by inadequate noise suppression. Processing techniques such as deconvolution, F-K filtering, and migration significantly change the overall shape of amplitude curves and hence calculation of reflection coefficients and average reflectance. Thus lithological interpretation of deep crustal seismic data based on the absolute value of estimated reflection strength alone is meaningless. The relative strength of individual events, however, is preserved on curves generated at different stages in the processing. We suggest that qualitative comparisons of relative strength, if used carefully, provide a meaningful measure of variations in reflectivity. Simple theoretical models indicate that peg-leg multiples rather than water bottom multiples are the most severe source of noise contamination. These multiples are extremely difficult to remove when the water bottom reflection coefficient is large (>0.6), a condition that exists beneath parts of Lake Superior and most of Lake Huron.

Analysis of multiple internal reflections in a parallel aligned liquid crystal on silicon SLM.

PubMed

Martínez, José Luis; Moreno, Ignacio; del Mar Sánchez-López, María; Vargas, Asticio; García-Martínez, Pascuala

2014-10-20

Multiple internal reflection effects on the optical modulation of a commercial reflective parallel-aligned liquid-crystal on silicon (PAL-LCoS) spatial light modulator (SLM) are analyzed. The display is illuminated with different wavelengths and different angles of incidence. Non-negligible Fabry-Perot (FP) effect is observed due to the sandwiched LC layer structure. A simplified physical model that quantitatively accounts for the observed phenomena is proposed. It is shown how the expected pure phase modulation response is substantially modified in the following aspects: 1) a coupled amplitude modulation, 2) a non-linear behavior of the phase modulation, 3) some amount of unmodulated light, and 4) a reduction of the effective phase modulation as the angle of incidence increases. Finally, it is shown that multiple reflections can be useful since the effect of a displayed diffraction grating is doubled on a beam that is reflected twice through the LC layer, thus rendering gratings with doubled phase modulation depth.

Small-displacement sensing system based on multiple total internal reflections in heterodyne interferometry.

PubMed

Wang, Shinn-Fwu; Chiu, Ming-Hung; Chen, Wei-Wu; Kao, Fu-Hsi; Chang, Rong-Seng

2009-05-01

A small-displacement sensing system based on multiple total internal reflections in heterodyne interferometry is proposed. In this paper, a small displacement can be obtained only by measuring the variation in phase difference between s- and p-polarization states for the total internal reflection effect. In order to improve the sensitivity, we increase the number of total internal reflections by using a parallelogram prism. The theoretical resolution of the method is better than 0.417 nm. The method has some merits, e.g., high resolution, high sensitivity, and real-time measurement. Also, its feasibility is demonstrated.

Initiation of Detonation in Multiple Shock-Compressed Liquid Explosives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshinaka, A. C.; Zhang, F.; Petel, O. E.; Higgins, A. J.

2006-07-01

Initiation and resulting propagation of detonation via multiple shock reverberations between two high impedance plates has been investigated in amine-sensitized nitromethane. Experiments were designed so that the first reflected shock strength was below the critical value for initiation found previously. Luminosity combined with a distinct pressure hump indicated onset of reaction and successful initiation after double or triple shock reflection off the bottom plate. Final temperature estimates for double or triple shock reflection immediately before initiation lie between 700-720 K, consistent with those found previously for both incident and singly reflected shock initiation.

Dirac quasiparticle tunneling in a NG/ferromagnetic barrier/SG graphene junction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soodchomshom, Bumned; Tang, I.-Ming; Hoonsawat, Rassmidara

2009-07-01

We study the tunneling conductance in a spin dependent barrier NG/F B/SG graphene junction, where NG, F B and SG are normal graphene, gate ferromagnetic graphene barrier with thickness d and the graphene s-wave superconductor, respectively. In our work, the quasiparticle scattering process at the interfaces is based on quasi particles governed by the Dirac Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation with effective speed of light vF ∼ 10 6 m/s. The conductance of the junction is calculated based on Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) formalism. The oscillatory conductance under varying gate potential and exchange energy in F B and the conductance induced by specular Andreev reflection are studied. By taking into account both effects of barrier strengths due to the gate potential χ∼Vd/ℏv and the exchange energy χ∼Ed/ℏv in the F B region, we find that the zero bias conductance of junction depends only on the ferromagnetic barrier strength χex in F B, when the Fermi energy in SG is very much larger than that the Fermi energy in NG ( EFS ≫ EFN). The oscillatory conductance peaks can be controlled by either varying χex or χG. In the limiting case, by setting Eex = 0, the conductance in a NG/N B/SG graphene junction, where SG is the s-wave superconductor, is also studied in order to compare with two earlier contradicted data. Our result agrees with what was obtained by Linder and Sudbo [J. Linder, A. Sudbo, Phys. Rev. B 77 (2008) 64507], which confirms the contradiction to what was given by Bhattacharjee and Sengupta [S. Bhattacharjee, K. Sengupta, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97 (2006) 217001].

Luttinger liquid behavior in low-dimensional systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandler, Nancy Patricia

The purpose of this thesis is the study of different low-dimensional systems displaying the physical properties of Luttinger liquids (LL). In recent years, the LL model has been successfully applied to understand the transport properties, and recently noise measurements, of low-dimensional electronic systems. In this thesis, I focus on quantum wires (QW) and two-dimensional systems exhibiting the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) as two different examples of systems showing Luttinger liquid behavior. In the case of QW, I analyze the effect of the dimensionality crossover on the finite temperature conductance in weakly disordered quantum wires. I show that although the quasi-one-dimensional QW exhibits a typical Luttinger liquid behavior for a small number of channels in the wire, the well-established Fermi liquid picture sets in when the number of channels increases. As another example of LL behavior, I study junctions between fractional quantum Hall (FQH) systems with different filling fractions. These junctions display a rich and interesting array of new physics. For example, I show that, by analyzing the scattering processes at the junction site, processes analogous to Andreev reflection present in superconductor/normal metal junctions are also present in the FQH junctions. I also analyze the noise spectrum of FQH junctions, and show that the scale of the noise spectrum is determined by the conductance of the junction. Furthermore, I discuss the implications of these results on the interpretation of recent experiments in terms of quasiparticles with fractional charge. Finally, I introduce the concept of generalized noise Wilson ratios as universal quotients between noise amplitudes in the thermal and shot noise regimes and discuss their experimental consequences.

Investigation of electronic noise in selected mesoscopic devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camino, Fernando Enrique

In the last few years, several experiments and theoretical works have confirmed the importance of shot-noise measurements as a source of information about the charge transport in electronic devices, information that is not in all cases accessible from conductance measurements. The use of shot-noise for the direct confirmation of the fractional charge in the fractional quantum Hall effect or the identification of the transport mechanism in negative differential resistance devices are a few examples of its importance. In this thesis, we have performed shot-noise measurements on two semiconductor-based systems in which shot noise is different from the Poissonian value 2eI The first one is a superconductor/semiconductor/superconductor (sp/sm/sp) junction where the superconducting electrodes are 0.5 um apart and the semiconductor bridge between them is composed of a two-dimensional electron gas (2-DEG). The second system is a 2-DEG in the hopping conduction regime. The fabrication of sp/sm/sp junctions is explained in detail in this work as so are the noise measurements of two devices that show enhancement from the Poissonian value. These devices present the signatures of the phenomenon of Andreev reflections and supercurrent at 1.2K; therefore, we tentatively attribute the enhancement to this phenomenon, which has been predicted to give giant noise enhancement for superconducting quantum point contacts (SQPC). On the other hand, in the hoping conduction device, we have observed shot-noise suppression from its classical value, confirming in a different material system a previous experimental result that was explained by percolation theory. In addition, we have driven the system to a region where percolation theory seems to fail, signaling a reconstruction of the hopping trajectories.

Peculiarities of section topograms for the multiple diffraction of X rays

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kohn, V. G., E-mail: kohnvict@yandex.ru; Smirnova, I. A.

The distortion of interference fringes on the section topograms of single crystal due to the multiple diffraction of X rays has been investigated. The cases of the 220 and 400 reflections in a silicon crystal in the form of a plate with a surface oriented normally to the [001] direction are considered both theoretically and experimentally. The same section topogram exhibits five cases of multiple diffraction at small azimuthal angles for the 400 reflection and MoK{sub α} radiation, while the topogram for the 220 reflection demonstrates two cases of multiple diffraction. All these cases correspond to different combinations of reciprocalmore » lattice vectors. Exact theoretical calculations of section topograms for the aforementioned cases of multiple diffraction have been performed for the first time. The section topograms exhibit two different distortion regions. The distortions in the central region of the structure are fairly complex and depend strongly on the azimuthal angle. In the tails of the multiple diffraction region, there is a shift of two-beam interference fringes, which can be observed even with a laboratory X-ray source.« less

Detection of Second Order Melting Transitions in the HTSC's by Specific Heat Measurements?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierson, Stephen W.; Valls, Oriol T.

1997-03-01

The finite magnetic field phase transition in the high-temperature superconductors from the solid vortex lattice to the liquid has been under intense study recently. Detection of this melting is difficult but has been seen in magnetization and resistivity measurements. It has also been reported recently in specific heat measurements. In particular, in one case, evidence for a second order melting phase transition has been presented based on specific heat measurements.(M. Roulin, A. Junod, and E. Walker. Science 273), 1210 (1996). However, we present evidence that the feature in the specific heat data can be explained using a theory derived using the lowest-Landau-level approximation(Z. Tes)anović and A. V. Andreev, Phys. Rev. B 49, 4064 (1994) that does not invoke flux lattice melting arguments.

Symmetry conditions of a nodal superconductor for generating robust flat-band Andreev bound states at its dirty surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikegaya, Satoshi; Kobayashi, Shingo; Asano, Yasuhiro

2018-05-01

We discuss the symmetry property of a nodal superconductor that hosts robust flat-band zero-energy states at its surface under potential disorder. Such robust zero-energy states are known to induce the anomalous proximity effect in a dirty normal metal attached to a superconductor. A recent study has shown that a topological index NZES describes the number of zero-energy states at the dirty surface of a p -wave superconductor. We generalize the theory to clarify the conditions required for a superconductor that enables NZES≠0 . Our results show that NZES≠0 is realized in a topological material that belongs to either the BDI or CII class. We also present two realistic Hamiltonians that result in NZES≠0 .

Second-order multiple-scattering theory associated with backscattering enhancement for a millimeter wavelength weather radar with a finite beam width

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, Satoru; Tanelli, Simone; Im, Eastwood

2005-12-01

Effects of multiple scattering on reflectivity are studied for millimeter wavelength weather radars. A time-independent vector theory, including up to second-order scattering, is derived for a single layer of hydrometeors of a uniform density and a uniform diameter. In this theory, spherical waves with a Gaussian antenna pattern are used to calculate ladder and cross terms in the analytical scattering theory. The former terms represent the conventional multiple scattering, while the latter terms cause backscattering enhancement in both the copolarized and cross-polarized components. As the optical thickness of the hydrometeor layer increases, the differences from the conventional plane wave theory become more significant, and essentially, the reflectivity of multiple scattering depends on the ratio of mean free path to radar footprint radius. These results must be taken into account when analyzing radar reflectivity for use in remote sensing.

Optical Anisotropy of Photonic Crystals of Cubic Symmetry Induced by Multiple Diffraction of Light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ukleev, T. A.; Shevchenko, N. N.; Iurasova, D. I.; Sel'kin, A. V.

2018-05-01

The optical spectra of Bragg reflection from opal-like photonic crystals under conditions of the resonant enhancement of the multiple diffraction of light have been studied experimentally and theoretically using the photonic crystal structures prepared of monodisperse polystyrene globules. It is shown that the reflection signal registered in mutually orthogonal configurations of the polarizer and analyzer is related to the intrinsic optical anisotropy of the crystals and is a specific manifestation of the multiple Bragg diffraction in three-dimensional photonic crystals.

Character of the opposition effect and negative polarization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pieters, Carle M.; Shkuratov, Yu. G.; Stankevich, D. G.

1991-01-01

Photometric and polarimetric properties at small phase angles were measured for silicates with controlled surface properties in order to distinguish properties that are associated with surface reflection from those that are associated with multiple scattering from internal grain boundaries. These data provide insight into the causes and conditions of photometric properties observed at small phase angles for dark bodies of the solar system. Obsidian was chosen to represent a silicate dielectric with no internal scattering boundaries. Because obsidian is free of internal scatterers, light reflected from both the rough and smooth obsidian samples is almost entirely single and multiple Fresnel reflections form surface facets with no body component. Surface structure alone cannot produce an opposition effect. Comparison of the obsidian and basalt results indicates that for an opposition effect to occur, surface texture must be both rough and contain internal scattering interfaces. Although the negative polarization observed for the obsidian samples indicates single and multiple reflections are part of negative polarization, the longer inversion angle of the multigrain inversion samples implies that internal reflections must also contribute a significant negative polarization component.

Two-terminal charge tunneling: Disentangling Majorana zero modes from partially separated Andreev bound states in semiconductor-superconductor heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Christopher; Stanescu, Tudor D.; Tewari, Sumanta

2018-04-01

We show that a pair of overlapping Majorana bound states (MBSs) forming a partially separated Andreev bound state (ps-ABS) represents a generic low-energy feature in spin-orbit-coupled semiconductor-superconductor (SM-SC) hybrid nanowire in the presence of a Zeeman field. The ps-ABS interpolates continuously between the "garden variety" ABS, which consists of two MBSs sitting on top of each other, and the topologically protected Majorana zero modes (MZMs), which are separated by a distance given by the length of the wire. The really problematic ps-ABSs consist of component MBSs separated by a distance of the order of the characteristic Majorana decay length ξ , and have nearly zero energy in a significant range of control parameters, such as the Zeeman field and chemical potential, within the topologically trivial phase. Despite being topologically trivial, such ps-ABSs can generate signatures identical to MZMs in local charge tunneling experiments. In particular, the height of the zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) generated by ps-ABSs has the quantized value 2 e2/h , and it can remain unchanged in an extended range of experimental parameters, such as Zeeman field and the tunnel barrier height. We illustrate the formation of such low-energy robust ps-ABSs in two experimentally relevant situations: a hybrid SM-SC system consisting of a proximitized nanowire coupled to a quantum dot and the SM-SC system in the presence of a spatially varying inhomogeneous potential. We then show that, unlike local measurements, a two-terminal experiment involving charge tunneling at both ends of the wire is capable of distinguishing between the generic ps-ABSs and the non-Abelian MZMs. While the MZMs localized at the opposite ends of the wire generate correlated differential conduction spectra, including correlations in energy splittings and critical Zeeman fields associated with the emergence of the ZBCPs, such correlations are absent if the ZBCPs are due to ps-ABSs emerging in the topologically trivial phase. Measuring such correlations is the clearest and most straightforward test of topological MZMs in SM-SC heterostructures that can be done in a currently accessible experimental setup.

Fast solar radiation pressure modelling with ray tracing and multiple reflections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhen; Ziebart, Marek; Bhattarai, Santosh; Harrison, David; Grey, Stuart

2018-05-01

Physics based SRP (Solar Radiation Pressure) models using ray tracing methods are powerful tools when modelling the forces on complex real world space vehicles. Currently high resolution (1 mm) ray tracing with secondary intersections is done on high performance computers at UCL (University College London). This study introduces the BVH (Bounding Volume Hierarchy) into the ray tracing approach for physics based SRP modelling and makes it possible to run high resolution analysis on personal computers. The ray tracer is both general and efficient enough to cope with the complex shape of satellites and multiple reflections (three or more, with no upper limit). In this study, the traditional ray tracing technique is introduced in the first place and then the BVH is integrated into the ray tracing. Four aspects of the ray tracer were tested for investigating the performance including runtime, accuracy, the effects of multiple reflections and the effects of pixel array resolution.Test results in runtime on GPS IIR and Galileo IOV (In Orbit Validation) satellites show that the BVH can make the force model computation 30-50 times faster. The ray tracer has an absolute accuracy of several nanonewtons by comparing the test results for spheres and planes with the analytical computations. The multiple reflection effects are investigated both in the intersection number and acceleration on GPS IIR, Galileo IOV and Sentinel-1 spacecraft. Considering the number of intersections, the 3rd reflection can capture 99.12 %, 99.14 % , and 91.34 % of the total reflections for GPS IIR, Galileo IOV satellite bus and the Sentinel-1 spacecraft respectively. In terms of the multiple reflection effects on the acceleration, the secondary reflection effect for Galileo IOV satellite and Sentinel-1 can reach 0.2 nm /s2 and 0.4 nm /s2 respectively. The error percentage in the accelerations magnitude results show that the 3rd reflection should be considered in order to make it less than 0.035 % . The pixel array resolution tests show that the dimensions of the components have to be considered when choosing the spacing of the pixel in order not to miss some components of the satellite in ray tracing. This paper presents the first systematic and quantitative study of the secondary and higher order intersection effects. It shows conclusively the effect is non-negligible for certain classes of misson.

Multiple-channel, total-reflection optic with controllable divergence

DOEpatents

Gibson, David M.; Downing, Robert G.

1997-01-01

An apparatus and method for providing focused x-ray, gamma-ray, charged particle and neutral particle, including neutron, radiation beams with a controllable amount of divergence are disclosed. The apparatus features a novel use of a radiation blocking structure, which, when combined with multiple-channel total reflection optics, increases the versatility of the optics by providing user-controlled output-beam divergence.

Multiple-channel, total-reflection optic with controllable divergence

DOEpatents

Gibson, D.M.; Downing, R.G.

1997-02-18

An apparatus and method for providing focused x-ray, gamma-ray, charged particle and neutral particle, including neutron, radiation beams with a controllable amount of divergence are disclosed. The apparatus features a novel use of a radiation blocking structure, which, when combined with multiple-channel total reflection optics, increases the versatility of the optics by providing user-controlled output-beam divergence. 11 figs.

Multiple diffraction in an icosahedral Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, C. Z.; Weber, Th.; Deloudi, S.; Steurer, W.

2011-07-01

In order to reveal its influence on quasicrystal structure analysis, multiple diffraction (MD) effects in an icosahedral Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystal have been investigated in-house on an Oxford Diffraction four-circle diffractometer equipped with an Onyx™ CCD area detector and MoKα radiation. For that purpose, an automated approach for Renninger scans (ψ-scans) has been developed. Two weak reflections were chosen as the main reflections (called P) in the present measurements. As is well known for periodic crystals, it is also observed for this quasicrystal that the intensity of the main reflection may significantly increase if the simultaneous (H) and the coupling (P-H) reflections are both strong, while there is no obvious MD effect if one of them is weak. The occurrence of MD events during ψ-scans has been studied based on an ideal structure model and the kinematical MD theory. The reliability of the approach is revealed by the good agreement between simulation and experiment. It shows that the multiple diffraction effect is quite significant.

Studies of the Reflection, Refraction and Internal Reflection of Light

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lanchester, P. C.

2014-01-01

An inexpensive apparatus and associated experiments are described for studying the basic laws of reflection and refraction of light at an air-glass interface, and multiple internal reflections within a glass block. In order to motivate students and encourage their active participation, a novel technique is described for determining the refractive…

Polarization-based index of refraction and reflection angle estimation for remote sensing applications.

PubMed

Thilak, Vimal; Voelz, David G; Creusere, Charles D

2007-10-20

A passive-polarization-based imaging system records the polarization state of light reflected by objects that are illuminated with an unpolarized and generally uncontrolled source. Such systems can be useful in many remote sensing applications including target detection, object segmentation, and material classification. We present a method to jointly estimate the complex index of refraction and the reflection angle (reflected zenith angle) of a target from multiple measurements collected by a passive polarimeter. An expression for the degree of polarization is derived from the microfacet polarimetric bidirectional reflectance model for the case of scattering in the plane of incidence. Using this expression, we develop a nonlinear least-squares estimation algorithm for extracting an apparent index of refraction and the reflection angle from a set of polarization measurements collected from multiple source positions. Computer simulation results show that the estimation accuracy generally improves with an increasing number of source position measurements. Laboratory results indicate that the proposed method is effective for recovering the reflection angle and that the estimated index of refraction provides a feature vector that is robust to the reflection angle.

Polarization-based index of refraction and reflection angle estimation for remote sensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thilak, Vimal; Voelz, David G.; Creusere, Charles D.

2007-10-01

A passive-polarization-based imaging system records the polarization state of light reflected by objects that are illuminated with an unpolarized and generally uncontrolled source. Such systems can be useful in many remote sensing applications including target detection, object segmentation, and material classification. We present a method to jointly estimate the complex index of refraction and the reflection angle (reflected zenith angle) of a target from multiple measurements collected by a passive polarimeter. An expression for the degree of polarization is derived from the microfacet polarimetric bidirectional reflectance model for the case of scattering in the plane of incidence. Using this expression, we develop a nonlinear least-squares estimation algorithm for extracting an apparent index of refraction and the reflection angle from a set of polarization measurements collected from multiple source positions. Computer simulation results show that the estimation accuracy generally improves with an increasing number of source position measurements. Laboratory results indicate that the proposed method is effective for recovering the reflection angle and that the estimated index of refraction provides a feature vector that is robust to the reflection angle.

Out-of-equilibrium spin transport in mesoscopic superconductors.

PubMed

Quay, C H L; Aprili, M

2018-08-06

The excitations in conventional superconductors, Bogoliubov quasi-particles, are spin-[Formula: see text] fermions but their charge is energy-dependent and, in fact, zero at the gap edge. Therefore, in superconductors (unlike normal metals) spin and charge degrees of freedom may be separated. In this article, we review spin injection into conventional superconductors and focus on recent experiments on mesoscopic superconductors. We show how quasi-particle spin transport and out-of-equilibrium spin-dependent superconductivity can be triggered using the Zeeman splitting of the quasi-particle density of states in thin-film superconductors with small spin-mixing scattering. Finally, we address the spin dynamics and the feedback of quasi-particle spin imbalances on the amplitude of the superconducting energy gap.This article is part of the theme issue 'Andreev bound states'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Nonmagnetic impurity resonances as a signature of sign-reversal pairing in FeAs-based superconductors.

PubMed

Zhang, Degang

2009-10-30

The energy band structure of FeAs-based superconductors is fitted by a tight-binding model with two Fe ions per unit cell and two degenerate orbitals per Fe ion. Based on this, superconductivity with extended s-wave pairing symmetry of the form cosk(x)+cosk(y) is examined. The local density of states near an impurity is also investigated by using the T-matrix approach. For the nonmagnetic scattering potential, we found that there exist two major resonances inside the gap. The height of the resonance peaks depends on the strength of the impurity potential. These in-gap resonances are originated in the Andreev's bound states due to the quasiparticle scattering between the hole Fermi surfaces around Gamma point with positive order parameter and the electron Fermi surfaces around M point with negative order parameter.

Transport spectroscopy of induced superconductivity in the three-dimensional topological insulator HgTe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiedenmann, Jonas; Liebhaber, Eva; Kübert, Johannes; Bocquillon, Erwann; Burset, Pablo; Ames, Christopher; Buhmann, Hartmut; Klapwijk, Teun M.; Molenkamp, Laurens W.

2017-10-01

The proximity-induced superconducting state in the three-dimensional topological insulator HgTe has been studied using electronic transport of a normal metal-superconducting point contact as a spectroscopic tool (Andreev point-contact spectroscopy). By analyzing the conductance as a function of voltage for various temperatures, magnetic fields, and gate voltages, we find evidence, in equilibrium, for an induced order parameter in HgTe of 70 µeV and a niobium order parameter of 1.1 meV. To understand the full conductance curve as a function of applied voltage we suggest a non-equilibrium-driven transformation of the quantum transport process where the relevant scattering region and equilibrium reservoirs change with voltage. This change implies that the spectroscopy probes the superconducting correlations at different positions in the sample, depending on the bias voltage.

A Critical Reflection on the Multiple Roles Required to Facilitate Mutual Learning during Service-Learning in Creative Arts Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Merna; Wood, Lesley

2017-01-01

In this article, I critically reflect on my own learning during a community-based, service-learning pilot project, highlighting the multiple roles that were required of me as facilitator. I provided opportunity for student teachers in a Creative Arts module to engage with youth from a local township community. The purpose of the participatory…

Using Aspects of the TEACCH Structured Teaching Approach with Students with Multiple Disabilities and Visual Impairment: Reflections on Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Kim; Preece, David

2010-01-01

This article reflects on how the first author has adapted aspects of the TEACCH structured teaching approach--developed for use with students with autism--in her work with students with multiple disabilities and visual impairment (MDVI) in a special secondary school for students with severe learning difficulties in England. A brief overview of the…

Unpolarized emissivity with shadow and multiple reflections from random rough surfaces with the geometric optics approximation: application to Gaussian sea surfaces in the infrared band.

PubMed

Bourlier, Christophe

2006-08-20

The emissivity from a stationary random rough surface is derived by taking into account the multiple reflections and the shadowing effect. The model is applied to the ocean surface. The geometric optics approximation is assumed to be valid, which means that the rough surface is modeled as a collection of facets reflecting locally the light in the specular direction. In particular, the emissivity with zero, single, and double reflections are analytically calculated, and each contribution is studied numerically by considering a 1D sea surface observed in the near infrared band. The model is also compared with results computed from a Monte Carlo ray-tracing method.

Universal Algorithms for Plant Phenotyping: Are we there yet?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kakani, V. G.; Kambham, R. R.; Zhao, D.; Foster, A. J.; Gowda, P. H.

2017-12-01

Hyperspectral remote sensing offers ability to capture spectral signatures of plant morpho-physio-biochemical traits at multiple scales (leaf to canopy to aerial). Experimental results on plant phenotype from pot, growth chamber and field studies at multiple location were used in this study. Pigment, leaf/plant water status, plant nutrient status, plant height, leaf area, fresh and dry weights of biomass and its components are correlated with hyperspectral reflectance signatures. Leaf reflectance was collected with spectroradiometer having a light source. Canopy hyperspectral reflectance was collected from 1.5 m above the canopy using a spectroradiometer, while multispectral images were acquired from aerial platforms ( 400m). Several statistical methods including simple ratios, principal component analysis, and partial least squares regression were used to identify hyperspectral reflectance bands that were tightly associated with plant phenotypic traits. Leaf level spectra best described the morpho-physio-biochemical traits (R2 = 0.6-0.9), while canopy reflectance best described plant height (R2 = 0.65), leaf area index (R2 = 0.67-0.74) and biomass (R2 = 0.69-0.78), while aerial spectra improved canopy level regression coefficients for plant height (R2 = 0.93) and leaf area index (R2 = 0.89). The comparison of multi-level spectra and resolution, clearly showed the advantage of hyperspectral reflectance data over the multispectral reflectance data, particularly for understanding the basis for spectral reflectance differences among species and traits. In conclusion, high resolution (1-2 cm) spectral imagery can help to bridge the gap across multiple levels of phenotype measurement.

Reflection for Meaning and Action as an Engine for Professional Development across Multiple Early Childhood Teacher Education Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isik-Ercan, Zeynep; Perkins, Kelley

2017-01-01

Drawing from sociocultural theories of learning and literature on reflection in educational contexts, this article describes reflective practices as a meaning-making and action engine to support early childhood education practitioners' professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions. We argue that the process of reflection requires a differential…

Diffracting Mandates for Reflective Practices in Teacher Education and Development: Multiple Readings from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Casey Y.; Smith, Kylie A.; Tesar, Marek

2017-01-01

Despite the ubiquity of reflective practice in education, mandating reflective processes within sanctioned frameworks is inherently problematic, as it may lead to reproduction, standardization, and forced universalities, rather than the critical and innovative pedagogy they intend. This article engages with reflection through both the metaphor and…

The Health Policy Process in Vietnam: Going Beyond Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Theory

PubMed Central

Kane, Sumit

2016-01-01

This commentary reflects upon the article along three broad lines. It reflects on the theoretical choices and omissions, particularly highlighting why it is important to adapt the multiple streams framework (MSF) when applying it in a socio-political context like Vietnam’s. The commentary also reflects upon the analytical threads tackled by Ha et al; for instance, it highlights the opportunities offered by, and raises questions about the centrality of the Policy Entrepreneur in getting the policy onto the political agenda and in pushing it through. The commentary also dwells on the implications of the article for development aid policies and practices. Throughout, the commentary signposts possible themes for Ha et al to consider for further analysis, and more generally, for future research using Kingdon’s multiple streams theory. PMID:27694671

A multiple reflection model for the investigation of infrared transmission of a graphene/substrate system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jie; Ding, Lan; Liang, Changneng; Xiao, Yiming; Xu, Wen

2017-11-01

We develop a multiple reflection model (MRM) for the examination of infrared transmission properties of a graphene/substrate system. The incident angle and the multiple reflection beams in the substrate with finite thickness are taken into consideration. The model can be applied to predict the optical responses of graphene/substrate systems or to extract the real part of the optical conductance of graphene from the experimental measurement. As an example, we calculate the relative transmittance of graphene/quartz and graphene/sapphire systems by using MRM and provide an experimental verification in the near-infrared range. The measured results show good agreement with the calculated ones. Our method can be easily extended to accurately and non-invasively identify the layer numbers of other 2D materials, and assess the quality of them.

Specimen illumination apparatus with optical cavity for dark field illumination

DOEpatents

Pinkel, Daniel; Sudar, Damir; Albertson, Donna

1999-01-01

An illumination apparatus with a specimen slide holder, an illumination source, an optical cavity producing multiple reflection of illumination light to a specimen comprising a first and a second reflective surface arranged to achieve multiple reflections of light to a specimen is provided. The apparatus can further include additional reflective surfaces to achieve the optical cavity, a slide for mounting the specimen, a coverslip which is a reflective component of the optical cavity, one or more prisms for directing light within the optical cavity, antifading solutions for improving the viewing properties of the specimen, an array of materials for analysis, fluorescent components, curved reflective surfaces as components of the optical cavity, specimen detection apparatus, optical detection equipment, computers for analysis of optical images, a plane polarizer, fiberoptics, light transmission apertures, microscopic components, lenses for viewing the specimen, and upper and lower mirrors above and below the specimen slide as components of the optical cavity. Methods of using the apparatus are also provided.

TOGA - A GNSS Reflections Instrument for Remote Sensing Using Beamforming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Esterhuizen, S.; Meehan, T. K.; Robison, D.

2009-01-01

Remotely sensing the Earth's surface using GNSS signals as bi-static radar sources is one of the most challenging applications for radiometric instrument design. As part of NASA's Instrument Incubator Program, our group at JPL has built a prototype instrument, TOGA (Time-shifted, Orthometric, GNSS Array), to address a variety of GNSS science needs. Observing GNSS reflections is major focus of the design/development effort. The TOGA design features a steerable beam antenna array which can form a high-gain antenna pattern in multiple directions simultaneously. Multiple FPGAs provide flexible digital signal processing logic to process both GPS and Galileo reflections. A Linux OS based science processor serves as experiment scheduler and data post-processor. This paper outlines the TOGA design approach as well as preliminary results of reflection data collected from test flights over the Pacific ocean. This reflections data demonstrates observation of the GPS L1/L2C/L5 signals.

Multiple-reflection model of human skin and estimation of pigment concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohtsuki, Rie; Tominaga, Shoji; Tanno, Osamu

2012-07-01

We describe a new method for estimating the concentrations of pigments in the human skin using surface spectral reflectance. We derive an equation that expresses the surface spectral reflectance of the human skin. First, we propose an optical model of the human skin that accounts for the stratum corneum. We also consider the difference between the scattering coefficient of the epidermis and that of the dermis. We then derive an equation by applying the Kubelka-Munk theory to an optical model of the human skin. Unlike a model developed in a recent study, the present equation considers pigments as well as multiple reflections and the thicknesses of the skin layers as factors that affect the color of the human skin. In two experiments, we estimate the pigment concentrations using the measured surface spectral reflectances. Finally, we confirm the feasibility of the concentrations estimated by the proposed method by evaluating the estimated pigment concentrations in the skin.

Wide-band/angle Blazed Surfaces using Multiple Coupled Blazing Resonances

PubMed Central

Memarian, Mohammad; Li, Xiaoqiang; Morimoto, Yasuo; Itoh, Tatsuo

2017-01-01

Blazed gratings can reflect an oblique incident wave back in the path of incidence, unlike mirrors and metal plates that only reflect specular waves. Perfect blazing (and zero specular scattering) is a type of Wood’s anomaly that has been observed when a resonance condition occurs in the unit-cell of the blazed grating. Such elusive anomalies have been studied thus far as individual perfect blazing points. In this work, we present reflective blazed surfaces that, by design, have multiple coupled blazing resonances per cell. This enables an unprecedented way of tailoring the blazing operation, for widening and/or controlling of blazing bandwidth and incident angle range of operation. The surface can thus achieve blazing at multiple wavelengths, each corresponding to different incident wavenumbers. The multiple blazing resonances are combined similar to the case of coupled resonator filters, forming a blazing passband between the incident wave and the first grating order. Blazed gratings with single and multi-pole blazing passbands are fabricated and measured showing increase in the bandwidth of blazing/specular-reflection-rejection, demonstrated here at X-band for convenience. If translated to appropriate frequencies, such technique can impact various applications such as Littrow cavities and lasers, spectroscopy, radar, and frequency scanned antenna reflectors. PMID:28211506

A Multiple Identity Approach to Gender: Identification with Women, Identification with Feminists, and Their Interaction

PubMed Central

van Breen, Jolien A.; Spears, Russell; Kuppens, Toon; de Lemus, Soledad

2017-01-01

Across four studies, we examine multiple identities in the context of gender and propose that women's attitudes toward gender group membership are governed by two largely orthogonal dimensions of gender identity: identification with women and identification with feminists. We argue that identification with women reflects attitudes toward the content society gives to group membership: what does it mean to be a woman in terms of group characteristics, interests and values? Identification with feminists, on the other hand, is a politicized identity dimension reflecting attitudes toward the social position of the group: what does it mean to be a woman in terms of disadvantage, inequality, and relative status? We examine the utility of this multiple identity approach in four studies. Study 1 showed that identification with women reflects attitudes toward group characteristics, such as femininity and self-stereotyping, while identification with feminists reflects attitudes toward the group's social position, such as perceived sexism. The two dimensions are shown to be largely independent, and as such provide support for the multiple identity approach. In Studies 2–4, we examine the utility of this multiple identity approach in predicting qualitative differences in gender attitudes. Results show that specific combinations of identification with women and feminists predicted attitudes toward collective action and gender stereotypes. Higher identification with feminists led to endorsement of radical collective action (Study 2) and critical attitudes toward gender stereotypes (Studies 3–4), especially at lower levels of identification with women. The different combinations of high vs. low identification with women and feminists can be thought of as reflecting four theoretical identity “types.” A woman can be (1) strongly identified with neither women nor feminists (“low identifier”), (2) strongly identified with women but less so with feminists (“traditional identifier”), (3) strongly identified with both women and feminists (“dual identifier”), or (4) strongly identified with feminists but less so with women (“distinctive feminist”). In sum, by considering identification with women and identification with feminists as multiple identities we aim to show how the multiple identity approach predicts distinct attitudes to gender issues and offer a new perspective on gender identity. PMID:28713297

A Multiple Identity Approach to Gender: Identification with Women, Identification with Feminists, and Their Interaction.

PubMed

van Breen, Jolien A; Spears, Russell; Kuppens, Toon; de Lemus, Soledad

2017-01-01

Across four studies, we examine multiple identities in the context of gender and propose that women's attitudes toward gender group membership are governed by two largely orthogonal dimensions of gender identity: identification with women and identification with feminists. We argue that identification with women reflects attitudes toward the content society gives to group membership: what does it mean to be a woman in terms of group characteristics, interests and values? Identification with feminists, on the other hand, is a politicized identity dimension reflecting attitudes toward the social position of the group: what does it mean to be a woman in terms of disadvantage, inequality, and relative status? We examine the utility of this multiple identity approach in four studies. Study 1 showed that identification with women reflects attitudes toward group characteristics, such as femininity and self-stereotyping, while identification with feminists reflects attitudes toward the group's social position, such as perceived sexism. The two dimensions are shown to be largely independent, and as such provide support for the multiple identity approach. In Studies 2-4, we examine the utility of this multiple identity approach in predicting qualitative differences in gender attitudes. Results show that specific combinations of identification with women and feminists predicted attitudes toward collective action and gender stereotypes. Higher identification with feminists led to endorsement of radical collective action (Study 2) and critical attitudes toward gender stereotypes (Studies 3-4), especially at lower levels of identification with women. The different combinations of high vs. low identification with women and feminists can be thought of as reflecting four theoretical identity "types." A woman can be (1) strongly identified with neither women nor feminists ("low identifier"), (2) strongly identified with women but less so with feminists ("traditional identifier"), (3) strongly identified with both women and feminists ("dual identifier"), or (4) strongly identified with feminists but less so with women ("distinctive feminist"). In sum, by considering identification with women and identification with feminists as multiple identities we aim to show how the multiple identity approach predicts distinct attitudes to gender issues and offer a new perspective on gender identity.

Free Surface Downgoing VSP Multiple Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maula, Fahdi; Dac, Nguyen

2018-03-01

The common usage of a vertical seismic profile is to capture the reflection wavefield (upgoing wavefield) so that it can be used for further well tie or other interpretations. Borehole Seismic (VSP) receivers capture the reflection from below the well trajectory, traditionally no seismic image information above trajectory. The non-traditional way of processing the VSP multiple can be used to expand the imaging above the well trajectory. This paper presents the case study of using VSP downgoing multiples for further non-traditional imaging applications. In general, VSP processing, upgoing and downgoing arrivals are separated during processing. The up-going wavefield is used for subsurface illumination, whereas the downgoing wavefield and multiples are normally excluded from the processing. In a situation where the downgoing wavefield passes the reflectors several times (multiple), the downgoing wavefield carries reflection information. Its benefit is that it can be used for seismic tie up to seabed, and possibility for shallow hazards identifications. One of the concepts of downgoing imaging is widely known as mirror-imaging technique. This paper presents a case study from deep water offshore Vietnam. The case study is presented to demonstrate the robustness of the technique, and the limitations encountered during its processing.

Performance analysis of cross-seeding WDM-PON system using transfer matrix method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simatupang, Joni Welman; Pukhrambam, Puspa Devi; Huang, Yen-Ru

2016-12-01

In this paper, a model based on the transfer matrix method is adopted to analyze the effects of Rayleigh backscattering and Fresnel multiple reflections on a cross-seeding WDM-PON system. As part of analytical approximation methods, this time-independent model is quite simple but very efficient when it is applied to various WDM-PON transmission systems, including the cross-seeding scheme. The cross seeding scheme is most beneficial for systems with low loop-back ONU gain or low reflection loss at the drop fiber for upstream data in bidirectional transmission. However for downstream data transmission, multiple reflections power could destroy the usefulness of the cross-seeding scheme when the reflectivity is high enough and the RN is positioned near OLT or close to ONU.

Mining Multi-Aspect Reflection of News Events in Twitter: Discovery, Linking and Presentation

PubMed Central

Wang, Jingjing; Tong, Wenzhu; Yu, Hongkun; Li, Min; Ma, Xiuli; Cai, Haoyan; Hanratty, Tim; Han, Jiawei

2015-01-01

A major event often has repercussions on both news media and microblogging sites such as Twitter. Reports from mainstream news agencies and discussions from Twitter complement each other to form a complete picture. An event can have multiple aspects (sub-events) describing it from multiple angles, each of which attracts opinions/comments posted on Twitter. Mining such reflections is interesting to both policy makers and ordinary people seeking information. In this paper, we propose a unified framework to mine multi-aspect reflections of news events in Twitter. We propose a novel and efficient dynamic hierarchical entity-aware event discovery model to learn news events and their multiple aspects. The aspects of an event are linked to their reflections in Twitter by a bootstrapped dataless classification scheme, which elegantly handles the challenges of selecting informative tweets under overwhelming noise and bridging the vocabularies of news and tweets. In addition, we demonstrate that our framework naturally generates an informative presentation of each event with entity graphs, time spans, news summaries and tweet highlights to facilitate user digestion. PMID:27034625

Mining Multi-Aspect Reflection of News Events in Twitter: Discovery, Linking and Presentation.

PubMed

Wang, Jingjing; Tong, Wenzhu; Yu, Hongkun; Li, Min; Ma, Xiuli; Cai, Haoyan; Hanratty, Tim; Han, Jiawei

2015-11-01

A major event often has repercussions on both news media and microblogging sites such as Twitter. Reports from mainstream news agencies and discussions from Twitter complement each other to form a complete picture. An event can have multiple aspects (sub-events) describing it from multiple angles, each of which attracts opinions/comments posted on Twitter. Mining such reflections is interesting to both policy makers and ordinary people seeking information. In this paper, we propose a unified framework to mine multi-aspect reflections of news events in Twitter. We propose a novel and efficient dynamic hierarchical entity-aware event discovery model to learn news events and their multiple aspects. The aspects of an event are linked to their reflections in Twitter by a bootstrapped dataless classification scheme, which elegantly handles the challenges of selecting informative tweets under overwhelming noise and bridging the vocabularies of news and tweets. In addition, we demonstrate that our framework naturally generates an informative presentation of each event with entity graphs, time spans, news summaries and tweet highlights to facilitate user digestion.

Taking a Risk to Develop Reflective Skills in Business Practitioners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mackay, Margaret; Tymon, Alex

2016-01-01

Critical reflection can support alternative decision-making in business practice. This paper examines the effectiveness of a risk-based pedagogy to engage practitioners in reflective thinking. Educators adopting a radical pedagogy in professionally accredited programmes face multiple challenges: learners often resist the process of self-reflection…

The Health Policy Process in Vietnam: Going Beyond Kingdon's Multiple Streams TheoryComment on "Shaping the Health Policy Agenda: The Case of Safe Motherhood Policy in Vietnam".

PubMed

Kane, Sumit

2016-04-25

This commentary reflects upon the article along three broad lines. It reflects on the theoretical choices and omissions, particularly highlighting why it is important to adapt the multiple streams framework (MSF) when applying it in a socio-political context like Vietnam's. The commentary also reflects upon the analytical threads tackled by Ha et al; for instance, it highlights the opportunities offered by, and raises questions about the centrality of the Policy Entrepreneur in getting the policy onto the political agenda and in pushing it through. The commentary also dwells on the implications of the article for development aid policies and practices. Throughout, the commentary signposts possible themes for Ha et al to consider for further analysis, and more generally, for future research using Kingdon's multiple streams theory. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

Waveform modeling of the seismic response of a mid-ocean ridge axial melt sill

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Min; Stephen, R. A.; Canales, J. Pablo

2017-12-01

Seismic reflections from axial magma lens (AML) are commonly observed along many mid-ocean ridges, and are thought to arise from the negative impedance contrast between a solid, high-speed lid and the underlying low-speed, molten or partially molten (mush) sill. The polarity of the AML reflection ( P AML P) at vertical incidence and the amplitude vs offset (AVO) behavior of the AML reflections (e.g., P AML P and S-converted P AML S waves) are often used as a diagnostic tool for the nature of the low-speed sill. Time-domain finite difference calculations for two-dimensional laterally homogeneous models show some scenarios make the interpretation of melt content from partial-offset stacks of P- and S-waves difficult. Laterally heterogeneous model calculations indicate diffractions from the edges of the finite-width AML reducing the amplitude of the AML reflections. Rough seafloor and/or a rough AML surface can also greatly reduce the amplitude of peg-leg multiples because of scattering and destructive interference. Mid-crustal seismic reflection events are observed in the three-dimensional multi-channel seismic dataset acquired over the RIDGE-2000 Integrated Study Site at East Pacific Rise (EPR, cruise MGL0812). Modeling indicates that the mid-crustal seismic reflection reflections are unlikely to arise from peg-leg multiples of the AML reflections, P-to- S converted phases, or scattering due to rough topography, but could probably arise from deeper multiple magma sills. Our results support the identification of Marjanović et al. (Nat Geosci 7(11):825-829, 2014) that a multi-level complex of melt lenses is present beneath the axis of the EPR.

Field- and Remote Sensing-based Structural Attributes Measured at Multiple Scales Influence the Relationship Between Nitrogen and Reflectance of Forest Canopies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sullivan, F.; Ollinger, S. V.; Palace, M. W.; Ouimette, A.; Sanders-DeMott, R.; Lepine, L. C.

2017-12-01

The correlation between near-infrared reflectance and forest canopy nitrogen concentration has been demonstrated at varying scales using a range of optical sensors on airborne and satellite platforms. Although the mechanism underpinning the relationship is unclear, at its basis are biologically-driven functional relationships of multiple plant traits that affect canopy chemistry and structure. The link between near-infrared reflectance and canopy nitrogen has been hypothesized to be partially driven by covariation of canopy nitrogen with canopy structure. In this study, we used a combination of airborne LiDAR data and field measured leaf and canopy chemical and structural traits to explore interrelationships between canopy nitrogen, near-infrared reflectance, and canopy structure on plots at Bartlett Experimental Forest in the White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire. Over each plot, we developed a 1-meter resolution canopy height profile and a 1-meter resolution canopy height model. From canopy height profiles and canopy height models, we calculated a set of metrics describing the plot-level variability, breadth, depth, and arrangement of LiDAR returns. This combination of metrics was used to describe both vertical and horizontal variation in structure. In addition, we developed and measured several field-based metrics of leaf and canopy structure at the plot scale by directly measuring the canopy or by weighting leaf-level metrics by species leaf area contribution. We assessed relationships between leaf and structural metrics, near-infrared reflectance and canopy nitrogen concentration using multiple linear regression and mixed effects modeling. Consistent with our hypothesis, we found moderately strong links between both near-infrared reflectance and canopy nitrogen concentration with LiDAR-derived structural metrics, and we additionally found that leaf-level metrics scaled to the plot level share an important role in canopy reflectance. We suggest that canopy structure has a governing role in canopy reflectance, reducing maximum potential reflectance as structural complexity increases, and therefore also influences the relationship between canopy nitrogen and NIR reflectance.

Tunable Electron-Electron Interactions in LaAlO 3 / SrTiO 3 Nanostructures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cheng, Guanglei; Tomczyk, Michelle; Tacla, Alexandre B.

The interface between the two complex oxides LaAlO 3 and SrTiO 3 has remarkable properties that can be locally reconfigured between conducting and insulating states using a conductive atomic force microscope. Prior investigations of “sketched” quantum dot devices revealed a phase in which electrons form pairs, implying a strongly attractive electron-electron interaction. Here, we show that these devices with strong electron-electron interactions can exhibit a gate-tunable transition from a pair-tunneling regime to a single-electron (Andreev bound state) tunneling regime where the interactions become repulsive. The electron-electron interaction sign change is associated with a Lifshitz transition where the d xz andmore » d yz bands start to become occupied. This electronically tunable electron-electron interaction, combined with the nanoscale reconfigurability of this system, provides an interesting starting point towards solid-state quantum simulation.« less

Production of single W bosons at LEP and measurement of WW@c gauge coupling parameters [rapid communication] L3 Collaboration, P. Achard, O. Adriani, M. Aguilar-Benitez, J. Alcaraz, G. Alemanni, J. Allaby, A. Aloisio, M.G. Alviggi, H. Anderhub, V.P. Andreev, F. Anselmo, A. Arefiev, T. Azemoon, T. Aziz,

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagnaia, P.; Bajo, A.; Baksay, G.; Baksay, L.; Baldew, S. V.; Banerjee, S.; Banerjee, S.; Barczyk, A.; Barillere, R.; Bartalini, P.; Basile, M.; Batalova, N.; Battiston, R.; Bay, A.; Becattini, F.; Becker, U.; Behner, F.; Bellucci, L.; Berbeco, R.; Berdugo, J.; Berges, P.; Bertucci, B.; Betev, B. L.; Biasini, M.; Biglietti, M.; Biland, A.; Blaising, J. J.; Blyth, S. C.; Bobbink, G. J.; Bohm, A.; Boldizsar, L.; Borgia, B.; Bottai, S.; Bourilkov, D.; Bourquin, M.; Braccini, S.; Branson, J. G.; Brochu, F.; Burger, J. D.; Burger, W. J.; Cai, X. D.; Capell, M.; Romeo, G. Cara; Carlino, G.; Cartacci, A.; Casaus, J.; Cavallari, F.; Cavallo, N.; Cecchi, C.; Cerrada, M.; Chamizo, M.; Chang, Y. H.; Chemarin, M.; Chen, A.; Chen, G.; Chen, G. M.; Chen, H. F.; Chen, H. S.; Chiefari, G.; Cifarelli, L.; Cindolo, F.; Clare, I.; Clare, R.; Coignet, G.; Colino, N.; Costantini, S.; de la Cruz, B.; Cucciarelli, S.; van Dalen, J. A.; de Asmundis, R.; Deglon, P.; Debreczeni, J.; Degre, A.; Dehmelt, K.; Deiters, K.; della Volpe, D.; Delmeire, E.; Denes, P.; DeNotaristefani, F.; De Salvo, A.; Diemoz, M.; Dierckxsens, M.; Dionisi, C.; Dittmar, M.; Doria, A.; Dova, M. T.; Duchesneau, D.; Echenard, B.; Eline, A.; El Mamouni, H.; Engler, A.; Eppling, F. J.; Ewers, A.; Extermann, P.; Falagan, M. A.; Falciano, S.; Favara, A.; Fay, J.; Fedin, O.; Felcini, M.; Ferguson, T.; Fesefeldt, H.; Fiandrini, E.; Field, J. H.; Filthaut, F.; Fisher, P. H.; Fisher, W.; Fisk, I.; Forconi, G.; Freudenreich, K.; Furetta, C.; Galaktionov, Y.; Ganguli, S. N.; Garcia-Abia, P.; Gataullin, M.; Gentile, S.; Giagu, S.; Gong, Z. F.; Grenier, G.; Grimm, O.; Gruenewald, M. W.; Guida, M.; van Gulik, R.; Gupta, V. K.; Gurtu, A.; Gutay, L. J.; Haas, D.; Hakobyan, R. S.; Hatzifotiadou, D.; Hebbeker, T.; Herve, A.; Hirschfelder, J.; Hofer, H.; Hohlmann, M.; Holzner, G.; Hou, S. R.; Hu, Y.; Jin, B. N.; Jones, L. W.; de Jong, P.; Josa-Mutuberra, I.; Kafer, D.; Kaur, M.; Kienzle-Focacci, M. N.; Kim, J. K.; Kirkby, J.; Kittel, W.; Klimentov, A.; Konig, A. C.; Kopal, M.; Koutsenko, V.; Kraber, M.; Kraemer, R. W.; Krenz, W.; Kruger, A.; Kunin, A.; Ladron de Guevara, P.; Laktineh, I.; Landi, G.; Lebeau, M.; Lebedev, A.; Lebrun, P.; Lecomte, P.; Lecoq, P.; Le Coultre, P.; Le Goff, J. M.; Leiste, R.; Levtchenko, M.; Levtchenko, P.; Li, C.; Likhoded, S.; Lin, C. H.; Lin, W. T.; Linde, F. L.; Lista, L.; Liu, Z. A.; Lohmann, W.; Longo, E.; Lu, Y. S.; Lubelsmeyer, K.; Luci, C.; Luminari, L.; Lustermann, W.; Ma, W. G.; Malgeri, L.; Malinin, A.; Mana, C.; Mangeol, D.; Mans, J.; Martin, J. P.; Marzano, F.; Mazumdar, K.; McNeil, R. R.; Mele, S.; Merola, L.; Meschini, M.; Metzger, W. J.; Mihul, A.; Milcent, H.; Mirabelli, G.; Mnich, J.; Mohanty, G. B.; Muanza, G. S.; Muijs, A. J. M.; Musicar, B.; Musy, M.; Nagy, S.; Natale, S.; Napolitano, M.; Nessi-Tedaldi, F.; Newman, H.; Niessen, T.; Nisati, A.; Nowak, H.; Ofierzynski, R.; Organtini, G.; Palomares, C.; Pandoulas, D.; Paolucci, P.; Paramatti, R.; Passaleva, G.; Patricelli, S.; Paul, T.; Pauluzzi, M.; Paus, C.; Pauss, F.; Pedace, M.; Pensotti, S.; Perret-Gallix, D.; Petersen, B.; Piccolo, D.; Pierella, F.; Pioppi, M.; Piroue, P. A.; Pistolesi, E.; Plyaskin, V.; Pohl, M.; Pojidaev, V.; Pothier, J.; Prokofiev, D. O.; Prokofiev, D.; Quartieri, J.; Rahal-Callot, G.; Rahaman, M. A.; Raics, P.; Raja, N.; Ramelli, R.; Rancoita, P. G.; Ranieri, R.; Raspereza, A.; Razis, P.; Ren, D.; Rescigno, M.; Reucroft, S.; Riemann, S.; Riles, K.; Roe, B. P.; Romero, L.; Rosca, A.; Rosier-Lees, S.; Roth, S.; Rosenbleck, C.; Roux, B.; Rubio, J. A.; Ruggiero, G.; Rykaczewski, H.; Sakharov, A.; Saremi, S.; Sarkar, S.; Salicio, J.; Sanchez, E.; Sanders, M. P.; Schafer, C.; Schegelsky, V.; Schmidt-Kaerst, S.; Schmitz, D.; Schopper, H.; Schotanus, D. J.; Schwering, G.; Sciacca, C.; Servoli, L.; Shevchenko, S.; Shivarov, N.; Shoutko, V.; Shumilov, E.; Shvorob, A.; Siedenburg, T.; Son, D.; Souga, C.; Spillantini, P.; Steuer, M.; Stickland, D. P.; Stoyanov, B.; Straessner, A.; Sudhakar, K.; Sultanov, G.; Sun, L. Z.; Sushkov, S.; Suter, H.; Swain, J. D.; Szillasi, Z.; Tang, X. W.; Tarjan, P.; Tauscher, L.; Taylor, L.; Tellili, B.; Teyssier, D.; Timmermans, C.; Ting, S. C. C.; Ting, S. M.; Tonwar, S. C.; Toth, J.; Tully, C.; Tung, K. L.; Ulbricht, J.; Valente, E.; Van de Walle, R. T.; Vasquez, R.; Veszpremi, V.; Vesztergombi, G.; Vetlitsky, I.; Vicinanza, D.; Viertel, G.; Villa, S.; Vivargent, M.; Vlachos, S.; Vodopianov, I.; Vogel, H.; Vogt, H.; Vorobiev, I.; Vorobyov, A. A.; Wadhwa, M.; Wallraff, W.; Wang, X. L.; Wang, Z. M.; Weber, M.; Wienemann, P.; Wilkens, H.; Wynhoff, S.; Xia, L.; Xu, Z. Z.; Yamamoto, J.; Yang, B. Z.; Yang, C. G.; Yang, H. J.; Yang, M.; Yeh, S. C.; Zalite, A.; Zalite, Y.; Zhang, Z. P.; Zhao, J.; Zhu, G. Y.; Zhu, R. Y.; Zhuang, H. L.; Zichichi, A.; Zimmermann, B.; Zoller, M.

2002-11-01

Single W boson production in electron-positron collisions is studied with the L3 detector at centre-of-mass energies between 192 GeV and 209 GeV. Events with two acoplanar hadronic jets or a single energetic lepton are selected, and the single W cross section is measured. Combining the results with measurements at lower centre-of-mass energies, the ratio of the measured cross section to the Standard Model expectation is found to be 1.12^{+0.11}_{-0.10}+/-0.03. From all single W data, the WWgamma gauge coupling parameter kappa_gamma is measured to be 1.116^{+0.082}_{-0.086}+/-0.068.

Current-phase relations in low carrier density graphene Josephson junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kratz, Philip; Amet, Francois; Watson, Christopher; Moler, Kathryn; Ke, Chung; Borzenets, Ivan; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Deacon, Russell; Yamamoto, Michihisa; Bomze, Yuriy; Tarucha, Seigo; Finkelstein, Gleb

Ideal Dirac semimetals have the unique property of being gate tunable to arbitrarily low electron and hole carrier concentrations near the Dirac point, without suffering from conduction channel pinch-off or Fermi level pinning to band edges and deep-level charge traps, which are common in typical semiconductors. SNS junctions, where N is a Dirac semimetal, can provide a versatile platform for studying few-mode superconducting weak links, with potential device applications for superconducting logic and qubits. We will use an inductive readout technique, scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry, to measure the current-phase relations of high-mobility graphene SNS junctions as a function of temperature and carrier density, complementing magnetic Fraunhofer diffraction analysis from transport measurements which previously have assumed sinusoidal current-phase relations for junction Andreev modes. Deviations from sinusoidal behavior convey information about resonant scattering processes, dissipation, and ballistic modes in few-mode superconducting weak links.

Tunable Electron-Electron Interactions in LaAlO 3 / SrTiO 3 Nanostructures

DOE PAGES

Cheng, Guanglei; Tomczyk, Michelle; Tacla, Alexandre B.; ...

2016-12-01

The interface between the two complex oxides LaAlO 3 and SrTiO 3 has remarkable properties that can be locally reconfigured between conducting and insulating states using a conductive atomic force microscope. Prior investigations of “sketched” quantum dot devices revealed a phase in which electrons form pairs, implying a strongly attractive electron-electron interaction. Here, we show that these devices with strong electron-electron interactions can exhibit a gate-tunable transition from a pair-tunneling regime to a single-electron (Andreev bound state) tunneling regime where the interactions become repulsive. The electron-electron interaction sign change is associated with a Lifshitz transition where the d xz andmore » d yz bands start to become occupied. This electronically tunable electron-electron interaction, combined with the nanoscale reconfigurability of this system, provides an interesting starting point towards solid-state quantum simulation.« less

Negative differential conductance in doped-silicon nanoscale devices with superconducting electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapovalov, A.; Shaternik, V.; Suvorov, O.; Zhitlukhina, E.; Belogolovskii, M.

2018-02-01

We present a proof-of-concept nanoelectronics device with a negative differential conductance, an attractive from the applied viewpoint functionality. The device, characterized by the decreasing current with increasing voltage in a certain voltage region above a threshold bias of about several hundred millivolts, consists of two superconducting electrodes with an amorphous 10-nm-thick silicon interlayer doped by tungsten nano-inclusions. We show that small changes in the W content radically modify the shape of the trilayer current-voltage dependence and identify sudden conductance switching at a threshold voltage as an effect of Andreev fluctuators. The latter entities are two-level systems at the superconductor-doped silicon interface where a Cooper pair tunnels from a superconductor and occupies a pair of localized electronic states. We argue that in contrast to previously proposed devices, our samples permit very large-scale integration and are practically feasible.

Seismic multiple attenuation in the northern continent-ocean transition zone of the South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, N.; Li, C. F.

2017-12-01

In seismic exploration, especially in marine oil and gas exploration, presence of multiple reflections lowers signal-to-noise ratio of seismic data and makes it difficult to analyze seismic velocity. In northern continent-ocean transition zone of the South China Sea (SCS), low-velocity Cenozoic strata cover sets of high-velocity carbonate strata directly, and over 1000 m thick of sediments were deposited on the igneous basement in the northwest SCS. These sedimentary boundaries generate quite strong impedance interfaces and strong internal multiples. Diffractions as a result of variation of seabed topography, coupled with the vibration, free surface multiples and refraction multiples, cause a variety of strong energy disturbances and missing of frequency component. In this study, we process four recently acquired multichannel reflection seismic profiles from the northern continent-ocean transition zone of the SCS with a new combination of demultiple techniques. There is a variety of strong multiples in the raw data, and the seabed multiple occurs between 9 to 11 seconds in two-way travel time (TWTT), and we apply Surface-related Multiple Elimination (SRME) to attenuate the free surface multiples. After SRME, we use high-resolution Radon transform (RAMUR) to attenuate deep multiples concentrating below 10 seconds in TWTT. Normal moveout correction (NMO) is necessary to flatten true reflections and turn multiples into a parabola before RAMUR, and we can attenuate the deep multiples in theτ-p domain. The seabed topography varies greatly in the continent-ocean transition zone, so the diffractions are well developed. However, SRME and RAMUR are not effective in attenuating diffractions and internal multiples. We select diffracted multiple attenuation (DIMAT) after many trials and detailed analysis. The diffractions are extracted in decomposed frequency bands. The internal multiples below 11 seconds in TWTT and high-amplitude noises are successfully suppressed while keeping the primary events. This combination of SRME, RAMUR and DIMAT in sequence demonstrates to be quite effective in attenuating these types of multiples on the continent-ocean transition zone. Keywords: Continent-ocean transition zone, seismic exploration, data processing, multiple attenuation

Space Object Classification and Characterization Via Multiple Model Adaptive Estimation

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-14

BRDF ) which models light distribution scattered from the surface due to the incident light. The BRDF at any point on the surface is a function of two...uu B vu B nu obs I u sun I u I hu (b) Reflection Geometry Fig. 2: Reflection Geometry and Space Object Shape Model of the BRDF is ρdiff(i...Space Object Classification and Characterization Via Multiple Model Adaptive Estimation Richard Linares Director’s Postdoctoral Fellow Space Science

Very High Reflectivity Supermirrors And Their Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mezei, F.

1989-01-01

Very high reflectivity (some 95 % or better) supermirrors, with cut-off angles up to 2 times the critical angle of Ni coated simple total reflection neutron mirrors, can be produced using well established conventional deposition techniques. This performance makes applications involving multiple reflections and transmission geometries feasible, which in turn allow us to use more sophisticated neutron optical systems in order to optimize performance and minimize the amount a scarce supermirrors required. A key feature of several of these novel systems is the distribution of tasks between the several optical components achieving the desired performance by multiple action. The design and characteristics of a series of novel applications, such as polarizing cavities, collimators and guides, non-polarizing guides, beam compressors, deflectors and splitters (most of them tested or being implemented) are the main subjects of the present paper.

Characteristics and processing of seismic data collected on thick, floating ice: Results from the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beaudoin, Bruce C.; ten Brink, Uri S.; Stern, Tim A.

1992-01-01

Coincident reflection and refraction data, collected in the austral summer of 1988/89 by Stanford University and the Geophysical Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Zealand, imaged the crust beneath the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica. The Ross Ice Shelf is a unique acquisition environment for seismic reflection profiling because of its thick, floating ice cover. The ice shelf velocity structure is multilayered with a high velocity‐gradient firn layer constituting the upper 50 to 100 m. This near surface firn layer influences the data character by amplifying and frequency modulating the incoming wavefield. In addition, the ice‐water column introduces pervasive, high energy seafloor, intra‐ice, and intra‐water multiples that have moveout velocities similar to the expected subseafloor primary velocities. Successful removal of these high energy multiples relies on predictive deconvolution, inverse velocity stack filtering, and frequency filtering. Removal of the multiples reveals a faulted, sedimentary wedge which is truncated at or near the seafloor. Beneath this wedge the reflection character is diffractive to a two‐way traveltime of ∼7.2 s. At this time, a prominent reflection is evident on the southeast end of the reflection profile. This reflection is interpreted as Moho indicating that the crust is ∼21-km thick beneath the profile. These results provide seismic evidence that the extensional features observed in the Ross Sea region of the Ross Embayment extend beneath the Ross Ice Shelf.

Optically controlled reflection modulator using GaAs-AlGaAs n-i-p-i/multiple-quantum-well structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Law, K.-K.; Simes, R. J.; Coldren, L. A.; Gossard, A. C.; Maserjian, J.

1989-01-01

An optically controlled reflection modulator has been demonstrated that consists of a combination of a GaAs-AlGaAs n-i-p-i doping structure with a multiple-quantum-well structures on top of a distributed Bragg reflector, all grown by MBE. A modulation of approximately 60 percent is obtained on the test structure, corresponding to a differential change of absorption coefficient in the quantum wells of approximately 7500/cm. Changes in reflectance can be observed with a control beam power as low as 1.5 microW. This device structure has the potential of being developed as an optically addressed spatial light modulator for optical information processing.

Superconductivity in iron-based compounds (Scientific session of the Physical Sciences Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 29 January 2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2014-08-01

A scientific session of the Physical Sciences Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), entitled 'Superconductivity in iron-based compounds', was held on 29 January 2014 at the conference hall of the Lebedev Physical Institute, RAS. The agenda of the session, announced on the website http://www.gpad.ac.ru of the RAS Physical Sciences Division listed the following reports: (1) Eremin I M (Institut für Theoretische Physik III, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Deutschland; Kazan (Volga region) Federal University, Kazan, Russian Federation) "Antiferromagnetism in iron-based superconductors: interaction of the magnetic, orbital, and lattice degrees of freedom"; (2) Korshunov M M (Kirenskii Institute of Physics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Krasnoyarsk) "Superconducting state in iron-based materials and spin-fluctuation pairing theory"; (3) Kuzmicheva T E (Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow; Lomonosov Moscow State University) "Andreev spectroscopy of iron-based superconductors: temperature dependence of the order parameters and scaling of Δ_L, S with T_C"; (4) Eltsev Yu F (Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow) "Synthesis and study of the magnetic and transport properties of iron-based superconductors of the 122 family". Papers written on the basis of oral presentations 1-4 are published below. • Antiferromagnetism in iron-based superconductors: magnetic order in the model of delocalized electrons, I M Eremin Physics-Uspekhi, 2014, Volume 57, Number 8, Pages 807-813 • Superconducting state in iron-based materials and spin-fluctuation pairing theory, M M Korshunov Physics-Uspekhi, 2014, Volume 57, Number 8, Pages 813-819 • Andreev spectroscopy of iron-based superconductors: temperature dependence of the order parameters and scaling of Δ_L, S with T_C, T E Kuzmicheva, S A Kuzmichev, M G Mikheev, Ya G Ponomarev, S N Tchesnokov, V M Pudalov, E P Khlybov, N D Zhigadlo Physics-Uspekhi, 2014, Volume 57, Number 8, Pages 819-827 • Magnetic and transport properties of single crystals of Fe-based superconductors of the 122 family, Yu F Eltsev, K S Pervakov, V A Vlasenko, S Yu Gavrilkin, E P Khlybov, V M Pudalov Physics-Uspekhi, 2014, Volume 57, Number 8, Pages 827-832

Role of Multiple Atmospheric Reflections in Formation of Electron Distribution Function in the Diffuse Aurora Region. Chapter 9

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, George V.; Himwich, Elizabeth W.; Glocer, Alex; Sibeck, David G.

2015-01-01

The precipitation of high-energy magnetospheric electrons (E greater than 500-600 electronvolts) in the diffuse aurora contributes significant energy flux into Earth's ionosphere. In the diffuse aurora, precipitating electrons initially injected from the plasmasheet via wave-particle interaction processes degrade in the atmosphere toward lower energies and produce secondary electrons via impact ionization of the neutral atmosphere. These initially precipitating electrons of magnetospheric origin can be additionally reflected back into the magnetosphere by the two magnetically conjugated atmospheres, leading to a series of multiple reflections that can greatly influence the initially precipitating flux at the upper ionospheric boundary (700-800 kilometers) and the resultant population of secondary electrons and electrons cascading toward lower energies. We present the solution of the Boltzmann.Landau kinetic equation that uniformly describes the entire electron distribution function in the diffuse aurora, including the affiliated production of secondary electrons (E is less than or equal to 600 electronvolts) and their energy interplay in the magnetosphere and two conjugated ionospheres. This solution takes into account the role of multiple atmospheric reflections of the precipitated electrons that were initially moved into the loss cone via wave.particle interaction processes in Earth's plasmasheet.

Ray tracing of multiple transmitted/reflected/converted waves in 2-D/3-D layered anisotropic TTI media and application to crosswell traveltime tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Chao-Ying; Huang, Guo-Jiao; Li, Xiao-Ling; Zhou, Bing; Greenhalgh, Stewart

2013-11-01

To overcome the deficiency of some current grid-/cell-based ray tracing algorithms, which are only able to handle first arrivals or primary reflections (or conversions) in anisotropic media, we have extended the functionality of the multistage irregular shortest-path method to 2-D/3-D tilted transversely isotropic (TTI) media. The new approach is able to track multiple transmitted/reflected/converted arrivals composed of any kind of combinations of transmissions, reflections and mode conversions. The basic principle is that the seven parameters (five elastic parameters plus two polar angles defining the tilt of the symmetry axis) of the TTI media are sampled at primary nodes, and the group velocity values at secondary nodes are obtained by tri-linear interpolation of the primary nodes across each cell, from which the group velocities of the three wave modes (qP, qSV and qSH) are calculated. Finally, we conduct grid-/cell-based wave front expansion to trace multiple transmitted/reflected/converted arrivals from one region to the next. The results of calculations in uniform anisotropic media indicate that the numerical results agree with the analytical solutions except in directions of SV-wave triplications, at which only the lowest velocity value is selected at the singularity points by the multistage irregular shortest-path anisotropic ray tracing method. This verifies the accuracy of the methodology. Several simulation results show that the new method is able to efficiently and accurately approximate situations involving continuous velocity variations and undulating discontinuities, and that it is suitable for any combination of multiple transmitted/reflected/converted arrival tracking in TTI media of arbitrary strength and tilt. Crosshole synthetic traveltime tomographic tests have been performed, which highlight the importance of using such code when the medium is distinctly anisotropic.

Step Back and Consider: Learning from Reflective Practice in Infant Mental Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gatti, Shelley Neilsen; Watson, Christopher L.; Siegel, Carol F.

2011-01-01

Reflective practice is used in different fields such as education and mental health. The educational form of reflective practice has been around since the 1930s (Dewey, as cited in Pedro, 2006); it is a problem-solving process that facilitates examination of behavior and responses to behavior. It takes into consideration multiple factors,…

Variations in Form and Skill: Supporting Multiple Orientations to Reflective Thinking in Leadership Preparation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carver, Cynthia L; Klein, C. Suzanne

2016-01-01

Drawing on data collected as part of a qualitative action research study, our analysis examines the reflective thinking skill of candidates as they begin a two-year principal preparation program. As leadership educators, we noticed that our highest performing students were also the most skilled at thinking reflectively. Using candidates' writing…

Multiple scattering in the remote sensing of natural surfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Wen-Hao; Weeks, R.; Gillespie, A.R.

1996-07-01

Radiosity models predict the amount of light scattered many times (multiple scattering) among scene elements in addition to light interacting with a surface only once (direct reflectance). Such models are little used in remote sensing studies because they require accurate digital terrain models and, typically, large amounts of computer time. We have developed a practical radiosity model that runs relatively quickly within suitable accuracy limits, and have used it to explore problems caused by multiple-scattering in image calibration, terrain correction, and surface roughness estimation for optical images. We applied the radiosity model to real topographic surfaces sampled at two verymore » different spatial scales: 30 m (rugged mountains) and 1 cm (cobbles and gravel on an alluvial fan). The magnitude of the multiple-scattering (MS) effect varies with solar illumination geometry, surface reflectivity, sky illumination and surface roughness. At the coarse scale, for typical illumination geometries, as much as 20% of the image can be significantly affected (>5%) by MS, which can account for as much as {approximately}10% of the radiance from sunlit slopes, and much more for shadowed slopes, otherwise illuminated only by skylight. At the fine scale, radiance from as much as 30-40% of the scene can have a significant MS component, and the MS contribution is locally as high as {approximately}70%, although integrating to the meter scale reduces this limit to {approximately}10%. Because the amount of MS increases with reflectivity as well as roughness, MS effects will distort the shape of reflectance spectra as well as changing their overall amplitude. The change is proportional to surface roughness. Our results have significant implications for determining reflectivity and surface roughness in remote sensing.« less

A Hot-Electron Far-Infrared Direct Detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karasik, B. S.; McGrath, W. R.; LeDuc, H. G.

2000-01-01

A new approach is proposed to improve the sensitivity of direct-detection bolometers at millimeter, submillimeter and far-infrared wavelengths. The idea is to adjust a speed of the thermal relaxation of hot-electrons in a nanometer size normal metal or super-conductive transition edge bolometer by controlling the elastic electron mean free path. If the bolometer contacts are made of a superconductor with high critical temperature (Nb, Pb etc.) then the thermal diffusion into the contacts is absent because of the Andreev's reflection and the electron-phonon relaxation is the only mechanism for heat removal. The relaxation rate should behave as T(sup 4)l at subkelvin temperatures (l is the electron elastic mean free path) and can be reduced by factor of 10-100 by decreasing l. Then an antenna- or waveguide-coupled bolometer with a time constant about 10(exp -3) to 10(exp -5) s at T approximately equals 0.1-0.3 K will exhibit photon-noise limited performance in millimeter and submillimeter range. The choice of the bolometer material is a tradeoff between a low electron heat capacity and fabrication. A state-of-the-art bolometer currently offers NEP = 10(exp -17) W(Square root of (Hz)) at 100 mK along with a approximately equals 2 msec time constant. The bolometer we propose will have a figure-of-merit, NEP(square root (r)), which is 10(exp 3) times smaller. This will allow for a tremendous increase in speed which will have a significant impact for observational mapping applications. Alternatively, the bolometer could operate at higher temperature with still superior sensitivity. This device can significantly increase a science return and reduce the cost for future observational missions. This research was performed by the Center for Space Microelectronics Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, and was sponsored by NASA, Office of Space Science.

Melanin and blood concentration in human skin studied by multiple regression analysis: experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimada, M.; Yamada, Y.; Itoh, M.; Yatagai, T.

2001-09-01

Knowledge of the mechanism of human skin colour and measurement of melanin and blood concentration in human skin are needed in the medical and cosmetic fields. The absorbance spectrum from reflectance at the visible wavelength of human skin increases under several conditions such as a sunburn or scalding. The change of the absorbance spectrum from reflectance including the scattering effect does not correspond to the molar absorption spectrum of melanin and blood. The modified Beer-Lambert law is applied to the change in the absorbance spectrum from reflectance of human skin as the change in melanin and blood is assumed to be small. The concentration of melanin and blood was estimated from the absorbance spectrum reflectance of human skin using multiple regression analysis. Estimated concentrations were compared with the measured one in a phantom experiment and this method was applied to in vivo skin.

Applying Multiple Intelligences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christodoulou, Joanna A.

2009-01-01

The ideas of multiple intelligences introduced by Howard Gardner of Harvard University more than 25 years ago have taken form in many ways, both in schools and in other sometimes-surprising settings. The silver anniversary of Gardner's learning theory provides an opportunity to reflect on the ways multiple intelligences theory has taken form and…

Reconstructing surface wave profiles from reflected acoustic pulses using multiple receivers.

PubMed

Walstead, Sean P; Deane, Grant B

2014-08-01

Surface wave shapes are determined by analyzing underwater reflected acoustic signals collected at multiple receivers. The transmitted signals are of nominal frequency 300 kHz and are reflected off surface gravity waves that are paddle-generated in a wave tank. An inverse processing algorithm reconstructs 50 surface wave shapes over a length span of 2.10 m. The inverse scheme uses a broadband forward scattering model based on Kirchhoff's diffraction formula to determine wave shapes. The surface reconstruction algorithm is self-starting in that source and receiver geometry and initial estimates of wave shape are determined from the same acoustic signals used in the inverse processing. A high speed camera provides ground-truth measurements of the surface wave field for comparison with the acoustically derived surface waves. Within Fresnel zone regions the statistical confidence of the inversely optimized surface profile exceeds that of the camera profile. Reconstructed surfaces are accurate to a resolution of about a quarter-wavelength of the acoustic pulse only within Fresnel zones associated with each source and receiver pair. Multiple isolated Fresnel zones from multiple receivers extend the spatial extent of accurate surface reconstruction while overlapping Fresnel zones increase confidence in the optimized profiles there.

Strong fiber Bragg grating based asymmetric Fabry-Perot sensor system with multiple reflections for high sensitivity enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei; Hu, Zhengliang; Ma, Mingxiang; Lin, Huizu; Hu, Yongming

2014-03-01

A fiber Bragg grating based (FBG-based) Fabry-Perot (FP) sensor system utilizing multiple reflections between two strong FBGs with different reflectiveties to enhance the sensitivity is proposed. The different interference signals are obtained by using different multiple-path-matched Michelson interferometers (MIs). The system is lighted by the ultra-narrow line width erbium-doped fiber ring laser and the signal is demodulated by phase-generated carrier (PGC) scheme. The method to choose the optimal parameters of the FBG-based asymmetric FP sensor and the different matching MIs is analyzed. The experimental results show that each matching MI can steadily enhance the sensitivity of the demodulated signal in the bandwidth of 80-8000 Hz. The sensitivity of the system can be enhanced about 19.1 dB when the light reflects nine times between the two FBGs. Further more, this system can be used to extend the dynamic range and the effective working bandwidth and so on.

Analysis of the Yule-Nielsen effect with the multiple-path point spread function in a frequency-modulated halftone.

PubMed

Rogers, Geoffrey

2018-06-01

The Yule-Nielsen effect is an influence on halftone color caused by the diffusion of light within the paper upon which the halftone ink is printed. The diffusion can be characterized by a point spread function. In this paper, a point spread function for paper is derived using the multiple-path model of reflection. This model treats the interaction of light with turbid media as a random walk. Using the multiple-path point spread function, a general expression is derived for the average reflectance of light from a frequency-modulated halftone, in which dot size is constant and the number of dots is varied, with the arrangement of dots random. It is also shown that the line spread function derived from the multiple-path model has the form of a Lorentzian function.

Ion Acceleration by Multiple Reflections at Martian Bow Shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamauchi, M.; Futaana, Y.; Fedorov, A.; Frahm, R. A.; Dubinin, E.; Lundin, R.; Sauvaud, J.-A.; Winningham, J. D.; Barabash, S.; Holmström, H.

2012-04-01

The ion mass analyzer (IMA) on board Mars Express revealed bundled structures of ions in the energy domain within a distance of a proton gyroradius from the Martian bow shock. Seven prominent traversals during 2005 were examined when the energy-bunched structure was observed together with pick-up ions of exospheric origin, the latter of which is used to determine the local magnetic field orientation from its circular trajectory in velocity space. These seven traversals include different bow shock configurations: (a) quasi-perpendicular shock with its specular direction of the solar wind more perpendicular to the magnetic field (QT), (b) quasi-perpendicular shock with its specular reflection direction of the solar wind more along the magnetic field (FS), and (c) quasi-parallel (QL) shock. In all seven cases, the velocity components of the energy-bunched structure are consistent with multiple specular reflections of the solar wind at the bow shock up to at least two reflections. The accelerated solar wind ions after two specular reflections have large parallel components with respect to the magnetic field for the QL shock whereas the field-aligned speed is much smaller than the perpendicular speed for the QT shock. The reflected ions escape into the solar wind when and only when the reflection is in the field-aligned direction.

Multiple Perspectives on Literacy as It Continuously Changes: Reflections on Opportunities and Challenges When Literacy Is Deictic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forzani, Elena; Leu, Donald J.

2017-01-01

In this joint reflection, the authors discuss the nature of literacy in relation to "New Literacies: A Dual-Level Theory of the Changing Nature of Literacy, Instruction, and Assessment" (Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, Castek, & Henry, 2013), a chapter reprinted in this issue of the "Journal of Education." They reflect on the meaning…

Triple-wavelength, narrowband Mg/SiC multilayers with corrosion barriers and high peak reflectance in the 25-80 nm wavelength region

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fernández-Perea, Mónica; Soufli, Regina; Robinson, Jeff C.

2012-01-01

We have developed new, corrosion-resistant Mg/SiC multilayer coatings which can be used to efficiently and simultaneously reflect extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation in single or multiple narrow bands centered at wavelengths in the spectral region from 25 to 80 nm. Corrosion mitigation is achieved through the use of partially amorphous Al-Mg thin layers. Three different multilayer design concepts were developed and deposited by magnetron sputtering and the reflectance was measured at near-normal incidence in a broad spectral range. Unprotected Mg/SiC multilayers were also deposited and measured for comparison. They were shown to efficiently reflect radiation at a wavelength of 76.9 nmmore » with a peak reflectance of 40.6% at near-normal incidence, the highest experimental reflectance reported at this wavelength for a narrowband coating. The demonstration of multilayer coatings with corrosion resistance and multiplewavelength EUV performance is of great interest in the development of mirrors for space-borne solar physics telescopes and other applications requiring long-lasting coatings with narrowband response in multiple emission lines across the EUV range.« less

Perspectives of Patients, Clinicians, and Health System Leaders on Changes Needed to Improve the Health Care and Outcomes of Older Adults With Multiple Chronic Conditions.

PubMed

Ferris, Rosie; Blaum, Caroline; Kiwak, Eliza; Austin, Janet; Esterson, Jessica; Harkless, Gene; Oftedahl, Gary; Parchman, Michael; Van Ness, Peter H; Tinetti, Mary E

2018-06-01

To ascertain perspectives of multiple stakeholders on contributors to inappropriate care for older adults with multiple chronic conditions. Perspectives of 36 purposively sampled patients, clinicians, health systems, and payers were elicited. Data analysis followed a constant comparative method. Structural factors triggering burden and fragmentation include disease-based quality metrics and need to interact with multiple clinicians. The key cultural barrier identified is the assumption that "physicians know best." Inappropriate decision making may result from inattention to trade-offs and adherence to multiple disease guidelines. Stakeholders recommended changes in culture, structure, and decision making. Care options and quality metrics should reflect a focus on patients' priorities. Clinician-patient partnerships should reflect patients knowing their health goals and clinicians knowing how to achieve them. Access to specialty expertise should not require visits. Stakeholders' recommendations suggest health care redesigns that incorporate patients' health priorities into care decisions and realign relationships across patients and clinicians.

Attending to Multiple Visual Streams: Interactions between Location-Based and Category-Based Attentional Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fagioli, Sabrina; Macaluso, Emiliano

2009-01-01

Behavioral studies indicate that subjects are able to divide attention between multiple streams of information at different locations. However, it is still unclear to what extent the observed costs reflect processes specifically associated with spatial attention, versus more general interference due the concurrent monitoring of multiple streams of…

Simultaneous detection of multiple chemical residues in milk using broad-specifity antibodies in a hybrid immunosorbent assay

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The wide array of applications using quantum dots (QDs) for detection of multiple analytes reflects the versatility of the technology. In this study, a novel immunoassay using 2 types of sensors (QDs and an enzyme) were simultaneously used for detecting multiple structurally different low-molecular...

Drought monitoring using remote sensing of evapotranspiration

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Drought assessment is a complex endeavor, requiring monitoring of deficiencies in multiple components of the hydrologic budget. Precipitation anomalies reflect variability in water supply to the land surface, while soil moisture (SM), ground and surface water anomalies reflect deficiencies in moist...

Zn1-xCdxSe/ZnSe multiple quantum well photomodulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Jiuyao; Kawakami, Yoichi; Fujita, Shizuo; Fujita, Shigeo

1996-10-01

ZnCdSe/ZnSe multiple quantum well (MQW) transmission and reflection photomodulators operating at room temperature were fabricated employing quantum-confined Stark effect on the exciton absorption. Samples were grown on p-type GaAs substrates by MBE with an i-Zn0.87Cd0.13Se/ZnSe MQW heterostructure sandwiched by a ZnSe p-n junction. The transmission modulator was constructed with a Zn0.87Cd0.13Se/ZnSe MQW glued onto a piece of ITO film-covered glass with silver paste and epoxy. To avoid absorption in GaAs substrates, a window with a diameter of about 2 mm was opened using a selective etch. For the reflective use an Al mirror was deposited on the glass back surface, the device then operates in reflection with the light to be modulated making a double pass through the active quantum well region, thereby increasing the modulation amplitude. Measurement results are given in this paper for transmission, reflection, differential transmission, differential absorption, and differential reflection as a function of the incident photon wavelength and the applied field.

Elementary teachers' perceptions about the effective features of explicit-reflective nature of science instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adibelli-Sahin, Elif; Deniz, Hasan

2017-04-01

This qualitative study explored elementary teachers' perceptions about the effective features of explicit-reflective nature of science (NOS) instruction. Our participants were four elementary teachers from a public charter school located in the Southwestern U.S.A. The four elementary teachers participated in an academic year-long professional development about NOS which consisted of NOS training and NOS teaching phases. After each phase of the professional development, we specifically asked our participants which features of the explicit-reflective NOS instruction they found effective in improving their NOS conceptions by presenting pre- and post-profiles of their NOS conceptions. We identified nine features perceived by the participants as effective components of explicit-reflective NOS instruction: (1) specific focus on NOS content, (2) participation in hands-on NOS activities, (3) introductory NOS readings, (4) multiple types/forms of reflection, (5) multiple exposure to NOS content, (6) structural consistency in the presentation of NOS content, (7) the evaluation of secondary NOS data from elementary students, (8) the analysis of national and state science standards in terms of NOS content, and (9) NOS teaching experience.

Utilizing a Tower Based System for Optical Sensing of Ecosystem Carbon Fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huemmrich, K. F.; Corp, L. A.; Middleton, E.; Campbell, P. K. E.; Landis, D.; Kustas, W. P.

2015-12-01

Optical sampling of spectral reflectance and solar induced fluorescence provide information on the physiological status of vegetation that can be used to infer stress responses and estimates of production. Multiple repeated observations are required to observe the effects of changing environmental conditions on vegetation. This study examines the use of optical signals to determine inputs to a light use efficiency (LUE) model describing productivity of a cornfield where repeated observations of carbon flux, spectral reflectance and fluorescence were collected. Data were collected at the Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3) fields (39.03°N, 76.85°W) at USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. Agricultural Research Service researchers measured CO2 fluxes using eddy covariance methods throughout the growing season. Optical measurements were made from the nearby tower supporting the NASA FUSION sensors. The sensor system consists of two dual channel, upward and downward looking, spectrometers used to simultaneously collect high spectral resolution measurements of reflected and fluoresced light from vegetation canopies at multiple view angles. Estimates of chlorophyll fluorescence, combined with measures of vegetation pigment content and the Photosynthetic Reflectance Index (PRI) derived from the spectral reflectance are compared with CO2 fluxes over diurnal periods for multiple days. The relationships among the different optical measurements indicate that they are providing different types of information on the vegetation and that combinations of these measurements provide improved retrievals of CO2 fluxes than any index alone

Weighted least-square approach for simultaneous measurement of multiple reflective surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Shouhong; Bills, Richard E.; Freischlad, Klaus

2007-09-01

Phase shifting interferometry (PSI) is a highly accurate method for measuring the nanometer-scale relative surface height of a semi-reflective test surface. PSI is effectively used in conjunction with Fizeau interferometers for optical testing, hard disk inspection, and semiconductor wafer flatness. However, commonly-used PSI algorithms are unable to produce an accurate phase measurement if more than one reflective surface is present in the Fizeau interferometer test cavity. Examples of test parts that fall into this category include lithography mask blanks and their protective pellicles, and plane parallel optical beam splitters. The plane parallel surfaces of these parts generate multiple interferograms that are superimposed in the recording plane of the Fizeau interferometer. When using wavelength shifting in PSI the phase shifting speed of each interferogram is proportional to the optical path difference (OPD) between the two reflective surfaces. The proposed method is able to differentiate each underlying interferogram from each other in an optimal manner. In this paper, we present a method for simultaneously measuring the multiple test surfaces of all underlying interferograms from these superimposed interferograms through the use of a weighted least-square fitting technique. The theoretical analysis of weighted least-square technique and the measurement results will be described in this paper.

Modal smoothing for analysis of room reflections measured with spherical microphone and loudspeaker arrays.

PubMed

Morgenstern, Hai; Rafaely, Boaz

2018-02-01

Spatial analysis of room acoustics is an ongoing research topic. Microphone arrays have been employed for spatial analyses with an important objective being the estimation of the direction-of-arrival (DOA) of direct sound and early room reflections using room impulse responses (RIRs). An optimal method for DOA estimation is the multiple signal classification algorithm. When RIRs are considered, this method typically fails due to the correlation of room reflections, which leads to rank deficiency of the cross-spectrum matrix. Preprocessing methods for rank restoration, which may involve averaging over frequency, for example, have been proposed exclusively for spherical arrays. However, these methods fail in the case of reflections with equal time delays, which may arise in practice and could be of interest. In this paper, a method is proposed for systems that combine a spherical microphone array and a spherical loudspeaker array, referred to as multiple-input multiple-output systems. This method, referred to as modal smoothing, exploits the additional spatial diversity for rank restoration and succeeds where previous methods fail, as demonstrated in a simulation study. Finally, combining modal smoothing with a preprocessing method is proposed in order to increase the number of DOAs that can be estimated using low-order spherical loudspeaker arrays.

Creating a Space for Acknowledgment and Generativity in Reflective Group Supervision.

PubMed

Paré, David

2016-06-01

Small group supervision is a powerful venue for generative conversations because of the multiplicity of perspectives available and the potential for an appreciative audience to a practitioner's work. At the same time, the well-intentioned reflections by a few practitioners in a room can inadvertently duplicate normative discourses that circulate in the wider culture and the profession. This article explores the use of narrative practices for benefiting from the advantages of group supervision while mindful of the vulnerability that comes with sharing one's work among colleagues. The reflective group supervision processes described were modified from the work of Tom Andersen and Michael White to provide a venue that encourages the creative multiplicity of group conversation while discouraging unhelpful discourses which constrain generative conversation. © 2016 Family Process Institute.

Relative importance of multiple scattering by air molecules and aerosols in forming the atmospheric path radiance in the visible and near-infrared parts of the spectrum.

PubMed

Antoine, D; Morel, A

1998-04-20

Single and multiple scattering by molecules or by atmospheric aerosols only (homogeneous scattering), and heterogeneous scattering by aerosols and molecules, are recorded in Monte Carlo simulations. It is shown that heterogeneous scattering (1) always contributes significantly to the path reflectance (rho(path)), (2) is realized at the expense of homogeneous scattering, (3) decreases when aerosols are absorbing, and (4) introduces deviations in the spectral dependencies of reflectances compared with the Rayleigh exponent and the aerosol angstrom exponent. The ratio of rho(path) to the Rayleigh reflectance for an aerosol-free atmosphere is linearly related to the aerosol optical thickness. This result provides a basis for a new scheme for atmospheric correction of remotely sensed ocean color observations.

An Examination of Multiple Intelligence Domains and Learning Styles of Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers: Their Reflections on Mathematics Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozgen, Kemal; Tataroglu, Berna; Alkan, Huseyin

2011-01-01

The present study aims to identify pre-service mathematics teachers' multiple intelligence domains and learning style profiles, and to establish relationships between them. Employing the survey model, the study was conducted with the participation of 243 pre-service mathematics teachers. The study used the "multiple intelligence domains…

Multiple Forensic Interviews during Investigations of Child Sexual Abuse: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Block, Stephanie D.; Foster, E. Michael; Pierce, Matthew W.; Berkoff, Molly C.; Runyan, Desmond K.

2013-01-01

In suspected child sexual abuse some professionals recommend multiple child interviews to increase the likelihood of disclosure or more details to improve decision-making and increase convictions. We modeled the yield of a policy of routinely conducting multiple child interviews and increased convictions. Our decision tree reflected the path of a…

Reduction of shading-derived artifacts in skin chromophore imaging without measurements or assumptions about the shape of the subject

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, Kenichiro; Nishidate, Izumi; Ojima, Nobutoshi; Iwata, Kayoko

2014-01-01

To quantitatively evaluate skin chromophores over a wide region of curved skin surface, we propose an approach that suppresses the effect of the shading-derived error in the reflectance on the estimation of chromophore concentrations, without sacrificing the accuracy of that estimation. In our method, we use multiple regression analysis, assuming the absorbance spectrum as the response variable and the extinction coefficients of melanin, oxygenated hemoglobin, and deoxygenated hemoglobin as the predictor variables. The concentrations of melanin and total hemoglobin are determined from the multiple regression coefficients using compensation formulae (CF) based on the diffuse reflectance spectra derived from a Monte Carlo simulation. To suppress the shading-derived error, we investigated three different combinations of multiple regression coefficients for the CF. In vivo measurements with the forearm skin demonstrated that the proposed approach can reduce the estimation errors that are due to shading-derived errors in the reflectance. With the best combination of multiple regression coefficients, we estimated that the ratio of the error to the chromophore concentrations is about 10%. The proposed method does not require any measurements or assumptions about the shape of the subjects; this is an advantage over other studies related to the reduction of shading-derived errors.

Genetic Heterogeneity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates Reflected in IS6110 Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Patterns as Low-Intensity Bands

PubMed Central

de Boer, Annette S.; Kremer, Kristin; Borgdorff, Martien W.; de Haas, Petra E. W.; Heersma, Herre F.; van Soolingen, Dick

2000-01-01

Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates with identical IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns are considered to originate from the same ancestral strain and thus to reflect ongoing transmission. In this study, we investigated 1,277 IS6110 RFLP patterns for the presence of multiple low-intensity bands (LIBs), which may indicate infections with multiple M. tuberculosis strains. We did not find any multiple LIBs, suggesting that multiple infections are rare in the Netherlands. However, we did observe a few LIBs in 94 patterns (7.4%) and examined the nature of this phenomenon. With single-colony cultures it was found that LIBs mostly represent mixed bacterial populations with slightly different RFLP patterns. Mixtures were expressed in RFLP patterns as LIBs when 10 to 30% of the DNA analyzed originated from a bacterial population with another RFLP pattern. Presumably, a part of the LIBs did not represent mixed bacterial populations, as in some clusters all strains exhibited LIBs in their RFLP patterns. The occurrence of LIBs was associated with increased age in patients. This may reflect either a gradual change of the bacterial population in the human body over time or IS6110-mediated genetic adaptation of M. tuberculosis to changes in the environmental conditions during the dormant state or reactivation thereafter. PMID:11101583

Using Journals to Enhance Learning in Business Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hocking, Deborah E.

2010-01-01

This study investigates the process of using journals that incorporated holistic approaches (cognitive, affective, spiritual, multiple intelligences, and inclusive education) to infuse passion, engage students in deeper reflection, and foster higher level personal skills reflected in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' (AICPA)…

Non-Gaussian Correlations between Reflected and Transmitted Intensity Patterns Emerging from Opaque Disordered Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starshynov, I.; Paniagua-Diaz, A. M.; Fayard, N.; Goetschy, A.; Pierrat, R.; Carminati, R.; Bertolotti, J.

2018-04-01

The propagation of monochromatic light through a scattering medium produces speckle patterns in reflection and transmission, and the apparent randomness of these patterns prevents direct imaging through thick turbid media. Yet, since elastic multiple scattering is fundamentally a linear and deterministic process, information is not lost but distributed among many degrees of freedom that can be resolved and manipulated. Here, we demonstrate experimentally that the reflected and transmitted speckle patterns are robustly correlated, and we unravel all the complex and unexpected features of this fundamentally non-Gaussian and long-range correlation. In particular, we show that it is preserved even for opaque media with thickness much larger than the scattering mean free path, proving that information survives the multiple scattering process and can be recovered. The existence of correlations between the two sides of a scattering medium opens up new possibilities for the control of transmitted light without any feedback from the target side, but using only information gathered from the reflected speckle.

Metasurface for multi-channel terahertz beam splitters and polarization rotators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zang, XiaoFei; Gong, HanHong; Li, Zhen; Xie, JingYa; Cheng, QingQing; Chen, Lin; Shkurinov, Alexander P.; Zhu, YiMing; Zhuang, SongLin

2018-04-01

Terahertz beam splitters and polarization rotators are two typical devices with wide applications ranging from terahertz communication to system integration. However, they are faced with severe challenges in manipulating THz waves in multiple channels, which is desirable for system integration and device miniaturization. Here, we propose a method to design ultra-thin multi-channel THz beam splitters and polarization rotators simultaneously. The reflected beams are divided into four beams with nearly the same density under illumination of linear-polarized THz waves, while the polarization of reflected beams in each channel is modulated with a rotation angle or invariable with respect to the incident THz waves, leading to the multi-channel polarization rotator (multiple polarization rotation in the reflective channels) and beam splitter, respectively. Reflective metasurfaces, created by patterning metal-rods with different orientations on a polyimide film, were fabricated and measured to demonstrate these characteristics. The proposed approach provides an efficient way of controlling polarization of THz waves in various channels, which significantly simplifies THz functional devices and the experimental system.

System and method for determination of the reflection wavelength of multiple low-reflectivity bragg gratings in a sensing optical fiber

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Jason P. (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A system and method for determining a reflection wavelength of multiple Bragg gratings in a sensing optical fiber comprise: (1) a source laser; (2) an optical detector configured to detect a reflected signal from the sensing optical fiber; (3) a plurality of frequency generators configured to generate a signal having a frequency corresponding to an interferometer frequency of a different one of the plurality of Bragg gratings; (4) a plurality of demodulation elements, each demodulation element configured to combine the signal produced by a different one of the plurality of frequency generators with the detected signal from the sensing optical fiber; (5) a plurality of peak detectors, each peak detector configured to detect a peak of the combined signal from a different one of the demodulation elements; and (6) a laser wavenumber detection element configured to determine a wavenumber of the laser when any of the peak detectors detects a peak.

Multiple resolution chirp reflectometry for fault localization and diagnosis in a high voltage cable in automotive electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Seung Jin; Lee, Chun Ku; Shin, Yong-June; Park, Jin Bae

2016-12-01

A multiple chirp reflectometry system with a fault estimation process is proposed to obtain multiple resolution and to measure the degree of fault in a target cable. A multiple resolution algorithm has the ability to localize faults, regardless of fault location. The time delay information, which is derived from the normalized cross-correlation between the incident signal and bandpass filtered reflected signals, is converted to a fault location and cable length. The in-phase and quadrature components are obtained by lowpass filtering of the mixed signal of the incident signal and the reflected signal. Based on in-phase and quadrature components, the reflection coefficient is estimated by the proposed fault estimation process including the mixing and filtering procedure. Also, the measurement uncertainty for this experiment is analyzed according to the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement. To verify the performance of the proposed method, we conduct comparative experiments to detect and measure faults under different conditions. Considering the installation environment of the high voltage cable used in an actual vehicle, target cable length and fault position are designed. To simulate the degree of fault, the variety of termination impedance (10 Ω , 30 Ω , 50 Ω , and 1 \\text{k} Ω ) are used and estimated by the proposed method in this experiment. The proposed method demonstrates advantages in that it has multiple resolution to overcome the blind spot problem, and can assess the state of the fault.

Three-dimensional reconstruction from multiple reflected views within a realist painting: an application to Scott Fraser's "Three way vanitas"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Brandon M.; Stork, David G.; Zhang, Li

2009-01-01

The problem of reconstructing a three-dimensional scene from single or multiple views has been thoroughly studied in the computer vision literature, and recently has been applied to problems in the history of art. Criminisi pioneered the application of single-view metrology to reconstructing the fictive spaces in Renaissance paintings, such as the vault in Masaccio's Trinità and the plaza in Piero della Francesca's Flagellazione. While the vast majority of realist paintings provide but a single view, some provide multiple views, through mirrors depicted within their tableaus. The contemporary American realist Scott Fraser's Three way vanitas is a highly realistic still-life containing three mirrors; each mirror provides a new view of the objects in the tableau. We applied multiple-view reconstruction methods to the direct image and the images reflected by these mirrors to reconstruct the three-dimensional tableau. Our methods estimate virtual viewpoints for each view using the geometric constraints provided by the direct view of the mirror frames, along with the reflected images themselves. Moreover, our methods automatically discover inconsistencies between the different views, including ones that might elude careful scrutiny by eye, for example the fact that the height of the water in the glass differs between the direct view and that in the mirror at the right. We believe our work provides the first application of multiple-view reconstruction to a single painting and will have application to other paintings and questions in the history of art.

Effect of surface deposits on electromagnetic waves propagating in uniform ducts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baumeister, Kenneth J.

1990-01-01

A finite-element Galerkin formulation was used to study the effect of material surface deposits on the reflective characteristics of straight uniform ducts with PEC (perfectly electric conducting) walls. Over a wide frequency range, the effect of both single and multiple surface deposits on the duct reflection coefficient were examined. The power reflection coefficient was found to be significantly increased by the addition of deposits on the wall.

Artificial neural networks for retrieving absorption and reduced scattering spectra from frequency-domain diffuse reflectance spectroscopy at short source-detector separation

PubMed Central

Chen, Yu-Wen; Chen, Chien-Chih; Huang, Po-Jung; Tseng, Sheng-Hao

2016-01-01

Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) based on the frequency-domain (FD) technique has been employed to investigate the optical properties of deep tissues such as breast and brain using source to detector separation up to 40 mm. Due to the modeling and system limitations, efficient and precise determination of turbid sample optical properties from the FD diffuse reflectance acquired at a source-detector separation (SDS) of around 1 mm has not been demonstrated. In this study, we revealed that at SDS of 1 mm, acquiring FD diffuse reflectance at multiple frequencies is necessary for alleviating the influence of inevitable measurement uncertainty on the optical property recovery accuracy. Furthermore, we developed artificial neural networks (ANNs) trained by Monte Carlo simulation generated databases that were capable of efficiently determining FD reflectance at multiple frequencies. The ANNs could work in conjunction with a least-square optimization algorithm to rapidly (within 1 second), accurately (within 10%) quantify the sample optical properties from FD reflectance measured at SDS of 1 mm. In addition, we demonstrated that incorporating the steady-state apparatus into the FD DRS system with 1 mm SDS would enable obtaining broadband absorption and reduced scattering spectra of turbid samples in the wavelength range from 650 to 1000 nm. PMID:27446671

Method and apparatus for removing unwanted reflections from an interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steimle, Lawrence J. (Inventor); Thiessen, David L. (Inventor)

1994-01-01

A device for eliminating unwanted reflections from refractive optical elements in an optical system is provided. The device operates to prevent desired multiple fringe patterns from being obscured by reflections from refractive elements positioned in proximity to a focal plane of the system. The problem occurs when an optical beam is projected into, and reflected back out of, the optical system. Surfaces of the refractive elements reflect portions of the beam which interfere with portions of the beam which are transmitted through the refractive elements. Interference between the reflected and transmitted portions of the beam produce multiple fringe sets which tend to obscure desired interference fringes. With the refractive optical element in close proximity to the focal plane of the system, the undesired reflected light reflects at an angle 180 degrees opposite from the desired transmitted beam. The device exploits the 180-degree offset, or rotational shear, of the undesired reflected light by providing an optical stop for blocking one-half of the cross-section of the test beam. By blocking one-half of the test beam, the undesired offset beam is blocked, while the returning transmitted beam passes into the optical system unaffected. An image is thereby produced from only the desired transmitted beam. In one configuration, the blocking device includes a semicircular aperture which is caused to rotate about the axis of the test beam. By rotating, all portions of the test beam are cyclically projected into the optical system to thereby produce a complete test image. The rotating optical stop is preferably caused to rotate rapidly to eliminate flicker in the resulting image.

Experimental Determination of Dynamical Lee-Yang Zeros

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandner, Kay; Maisi, Ville F.; Pekola, Jukka P.; Garrahan, Juan P.; Flindt, Christian

2017-05-01

Statistical physics provides the concepts and methods to explain the phase behavior of interacting many-body systems. Investigations of Lee-Yang zeros—complex singularities of the free energy in systems of finite size—have led to a unified understanding of equilibrium phase transitions. The ideas of Lee and Yang, however, are not restricted to equilibrium phenomena. Recently, Lee-Yang zeros have been used to characterize nonequilibrium processes such as dynamical phase transitions in quantum systems after a quench or dynamic order-disorder transitions in glasses. Here, we experimentally realize a scheme for determining Lee-Yang zeros in such nonequilibrium settings. We extract the dynamical Lee-Yang zeros of a stochastic process involving Andreev tunneling between a normal-state island and two superconducting leads from measurements of the dynamical activity along a trajectory. From the short-time behavior of the Lee-Yang zeros, we predict the large-deviation statistics of the activity which is typically difficult to measure. Our method paves the way for further experiments on the statistical mechanics of many-body systems out of equilibrium.

Observation of conductance doubling in an Andreev quantum point contact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kjaergaard, M.; Nichele, F.; Suominen, H.; Nowak, M.; Wimmer, M.; Akhmerov, A.; Folk, J.; Flensberg, K.; Shabani, J.; Palmstrom, C.; Marcus, C.

One route to study the non-Abelian nature of excitations in topological superconductors is to realise gateable two dimensional (2D) semiconducting systems, with spin-orbit coupling in proximity to an s-wave superconductor. Previous work on coupling 2D electron gases (2DEG) with superconductors has been hindered by a non-ideal interface and unstable gateability. We report measurements on a gateable 2DEG coupled to superconductors through a pristine interface, and use aluminum grown in situ epitaxially on an InGaAs/InAs electron gas. We demonstrate quantization in units of 4e2 / h in a quantum point contact (QPC) in such hybrid systems. Operating the QPC as a tunnel probe, we observe a hard superconducting gap, overcoming the soft-gap problem in 2D superconductor/semiconductor systems. Our work paves way for a new and highly scalable system in which to pursue topological quantum information processing. Research supported by Microsoft Project Q and the Danish National Research Foundation.

Symmetry breaking in SNS junctions: edge transport and field asymmetries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suominen, Henri; Nichele, Fabrizio; Kjaergaard, Morten; Rasmussen, Asbjorn; Danon, Jeroen; Flensberg, Karsten; Levitov, Leonid; Shabani, Javad; Palmstrom, Chris; Marcus, Charles

We study magnetic diffraction patterns in a tunable superconductor-semiconductor-superconductor junction. By utilizing epitaxial growth of aluminum on InAs/InGaAs we obtain transparent junctions which display a conventional Fraunhofer pattern of the critical current as a function of applied perpendicular magnetic field, B⊥. By studying the angular dependence of the critical current with applied magnetic fields in the plane of the junction we find a striking anisotropy. We attribute this effect to dephasing of Andreev states in the bulk of the junction, leading to SQUID like behavior when the magnetic field is applied parallel to current flow. Furthermore, in the presence of both in-plane and perpendicular fields, asymmetries in +/-B⊥ are observed. We suggest possible origins and discuss the role of spin-orbit and Zeeman physics together with a background disorder potential breaking spatial symmetries of the junction. Research supported by Microsoft Project Q, the Danish National Research Foundation and the NSF through the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network.

A scanning tunneling microscope for a dilution refrigerator.

PubMed

Marz, M; Goll, G; Löhneysen, H v

2010-04-01

We present the main features of a home-built scanning tunneling microscope that has been attached to the mixing chamber of a dilution refrigerator. It allows scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy measurements down to the base temperature of the cryostat, T approximately 30 mK, and in applied magnetic fields up to 13 T. The topography of both highly ordered pyrolytic graphite and the dichalcogenide superconductor NbSe(2) has been imaged with atomic resolution down to T approximately 50 mK as determined from a resistance thermometer adjacent to the sample. As a test for a successful operation in magnetic fields, the flux-line lattice of superconducting NbSe(2) in low magnetic fields has been studied. The lattice constant of the Abrikosov lattice shows the expected field dependence proportional to 1/square root of B and measurements in the scanning tunneling spectroscopy mode clearly show the superconductive density of states with Andreev bound states in the vortex core.

Spontaneous supercurrent and φ0 phase shift parallel to magnetized topological insulator interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alidoust, Mohammad; Hamzehpour, Hossein

2017-10-01

Employing a Keldysh-Eilenberger technique, we theoretically study the generation of a spontaneous supercurrent and the appearance of the φ0 phase shift parallel to uniformly in-plane magnetized superconducting interfaces made of the surface states of a three-dimensional topological insulator. We consider two weakly coupled uniformly magnetized superconducting surfaces where a macroscopic phase difference between the s -wave superconductors can be controlled externally. We find that, depending on the magnetization strength and orientation on each side, a spontaneous supercurrent due to the φ0 states flows parallel to the interface at the nanojunction location. Our calculations demonstrate that nonsinusoidal phase relations of current components with opposite directions result in maximal spontaneous supercurrent at phase differences close to π . We also study the Andreev subgap channels at the interface and show that the spin-momentum locking phenomenon in the surface states can be uncovered through density of states studies. We finally discuss realistic experimental implications of our findings.

Tunable hybridization of Majorana bound states at the quantum spin Hall edge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keidel, Felix; Burset, Pablo; Trauzettel, Björn

2018-02-01

Confinement at the helical edge of a topological insulator is possible in the presence of proximity-induced magnetic (F) or superconducting (S) order. The interplay of both phenomena leads to the formation of localized Majorana bound states (MBS) or likewise (under certain resonance conditions) the formation of ordinary Andreev bound states (ABS). We investigate the properties of bound states in junctions composed of alternating regions of F or S barriers. Interestingly, the direction of magnetization in F regions and the relative superconducting phase between S regions can be exploited to hybridize MBS or ABS at will. We show that the local properties of MBS translate into a particular nonlocal superconducting pairing amplitude. Remarkably, the symmetry of the pairing amplitude contains information about the nature of the bound state that it stems from. Hence this symmetry can in principle be used to distinguish MBS from ABS, owing to the strong connection between local density of states and nonlocal pairing in our setup.

The problem with the phrase women and minorities: intersectionality-an important theoretical framework for public health.

PubMed

Bowleg, Lisa

2012-07-01

Intersectionality is a theoretical framework that posits that multiple social categories (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status) intersect at the micro level of individual experience to reflect multiple interlocking systems of privilege and oppression at the macro, social-structural level (e.g., racism, sexism, heterosexism). Public health's commitment to social justice makes it a natural fit with intersectionality's focus on multiple historically oppressed populations. Yet despite a plethora of research focused on these populations, public health studies that reflect intersectionality in their theoretical frameworks, designs, analyses, or interpretations are rare. Accordingly, I describe the history and central tenets of intersectionality, address some theoretical and methodological challenges, and highlight the benefits of intersectionality for public health theory, research, and policy.

The Problem With the Phrase Women and Minorities: Intersectionality—an Important Theoretical Framework for Public Health

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Intersectionality is a theoretical framework that posits that multiple social categories (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status) intersect at the micro level of individual experience to reflect multiple interlocking systems of privilege and oppression at the macro, social-structural level (e.g., racism, sexism, heterosexism). Public health’s commitment to social justice makes it a natural fit with intersectionality’s focus on multiple historically oppressed populations. Yet despite a plethora of research focused on these populations, public health studies that reflect intersectionality in their theoretical frameworks, designs, analyses, or interpretations are rare. Accordingly, I describe the history and central tenets of intersectionality, address some theoretical and methodological challenges, and highlight the benefits of intersectionality for public health theory, research, and policy. PMID:22594719

An Exploration of Group and Member Development in Experiential Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohrt, Jonathan H.; Prochenko, Yulia; Stulmaker, Hayley; Huffman, David; Fernando, Delini; Swan, Karrie

2014-01-01

In this phenomenological study, we explored 52 group members' development in experiential groups. Specifically, participants completed 10 weekly journal reflections about their experiences as members and also reflected on the group's overall development. Four overall themes--exploration, transition, working, closure--as well as multiple subthemes…

Polarimetric and Multi-Doppler Radar Observations of Electrified and Unelectrified Wildfire Smoke Plumes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lang, Timothy J.; Rutledge, Steven A.; Dolan, Brenda; Krehbiel, Paul; Rison, William; Lindsey, Daniel T.

2013-01-01

Pyrocumulus clouds above three Colorado wildfires (Hewlett Gulch, High Park, and Waldo Canyon; all occurred during summer 2012) electrified and produced small intracloud discharges whenever the smoke plumes grew to high altitudes (over 10 km above mean sea level, or MSL). This occurred during periods of rapid wildfire growth, as indicated by the shortwave infrared channel on a geostationary satellite, as well as by incident reports. In the Hewlett Gulch case, the fire growth led to increased updrafts within the plume, as inferred by multiple- Doppler radar syntheses, which led to the vertical development and subsequent electrification - a life cycle as short as 30 minutes. The lightning, detected by a threedimensional lightning mapping network, was favored in high-altitude regions (10 km MSL) containing modest reflectivities (25 dBZ and lower), 0 dB differential reflectivity, and reduced correlation coefficient (0.6-0.7). This indicated the likely presence of ice particles (crystals and aggregates, possibly rimed) mixed with ash. Though neither multiple-Doppler nor polarimetric observations were available during the electrification of the High Park and Waldo Canyon plumes, their NEXRAD observations showed reflectivity structures consistent with Hewlett Gulch. In addition, polarimetric and multiple-Doppler scanning of unelectrified High Park plumes indicated only irregularly shaped ash, and not ice, was present (i.e., reflectivities < 25 dBZ, differential reflectivity > 5 dB, correlation < 0.4), and there was no broaching of the 10 km altitude. Based on these results, the electrification likely was caused by ice-based processes that did not involve significant amounts of graupel. The results demonstrate the scientific value of multiple-Doppler and polarimetric radar observations of wildfire smoke plumes - including the ability to distinguish between regions of pure hydrometeors, regions of pure ash, and mixtures of both - and also suggest a possible new application for lightning data in monitoring wildfires.

Jigsaw puzzle metasurface for multiple functions: polarization conversion, anomalous reflection and diffusion.

PubMed

Zhao, Yi; Cao, Xiangyu; Gao, Jun; Liu, Xiao; Li, Sijia

2016-05-16

We demonstrate a simple reconfigurable metasurface with multiple functions. Anisotropic tiles are investigated and manufactured as fundamental elements. Then, the tiles are combined in a certain sequence to construct a metasurface. Each of the tiles can be adjusted independently which is like a jigsaw puzzle and the whole metasurface can achieve diverse functions by different layouts. For demonstration purposes, we realize polarization conversion, anomalous reflection and diffusion by a jigsaw puzzle metasurface with 6 × 6 pieces of anisotropic tile. Simulated and measured results prove that our method offers a simple and effective strategy for metasurface design.

The Multiple Realities of Curriculum Policy Making.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopmann, Stefan

Concerning curriculum making, it is impossible to integrate the different meanings of "curriculum" into a single formula. Read as social constructions, different conceptions reflect varying educational, social-political, and historical contexts. This paper explores how these contexts, or multiple realities, evolved historically and how…

Qualitative Analysis of Written Reflections during a Teaching Certificate Program

PubMed Central

Castleberry, Ashley N.; Payakachat, Nalin; Ashby, Sarah; Nolen, Amanda; Carle, Martha; Neill, Kathryn K.

2016-01-01

Objective. To evaluate the success of a teaching certificate program by qualitatively evaluating the content and extent of participants’ reflections. Methods. Two investigators independently identified themes within midpoint and final reflection essays across six program years. Each essay was evaluated to determine the extent of reflection in prompted teaching-related topic areas (strengths, weaknesses, assessment, feedback). Results. Twenty-eight themes were identified within 132 essays. Common themes encompassed content delivery, student assessment, personal successes, and challenges encountered. Deep reflection was exhibited, with 48% of essays achieving the highest level of critical reflection. Extent of reflection trended higher from midpoint to final essays, with significant increases in the strengths and feedback areas. Conclusion. The teaching certificate program fostered critical reflection and self-reported positive behavior change in teaching, thus providing a high-quality professional development opportunity. Such programs should strongly consider emphasizing critical reflection through required reflective exercises at multiple points within program curricula. PMID:26941436

Hyperspectral material identification on radiance data using single-atmosphere or multiple-atmosphere modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariano, Adrian V.; Grossmann, John M.

2010-11-01

Reflectance-domain methods convert hyperspectral data from radiance to reflectance using an atmospheric compensation model. Material detection and identification are performed by comparing the compensated data to target reflectance spectra. We introduce two radiance-domain approaches, Single atmosphere Adaptive Cosine Estimator (SACE) and Multiple atmosphere ACE (MACE) in which the target reflectance spectra are instead converted into sensor-reaching radiance using physics-based models. For SACE, known illumination and atmospheric conditions are incorporated in a single atmospheric model. For MACE the conditions are unknown so the algorithm uses many atmospheric models to cover the range of environmental variability, and it approximates the result using a subspace model. This approach is sometimes called the invariant method, and requires the choice of a subspace dimension for the model. We compare these two radiance-domain approaches to a Reflectance-domain ACE (RACE) approach on a HYDICE image featuring concealed materials. All three algorithms use the ACE detector, and all three techniques are able to detect most of the hidden materials in the imagery. For MACE we observe a strong dependence on the choice of the material subspace dimension. Increasing this value can lead to a decline in performance.

Ion acceleration by multiple reflections at Martian bow shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamauchi, M.; Futaana, Y.; Fedorov, A.; Frahm, R. A.; Dubinin, E.; Lundin, R.; Sauvaud, J.-A.; Winningham, J. D.; Barabash, S.; Holmström, M.

2012-02-01

The ion mass analyzer (IMA) on board Mars Express revealed bundled structures of ions in the energy domain within a distance of a proton gyroradius from the Martian bow shock. Seven prominent traversals during 2005 were examined when the energy-bunched structure was observed together with pick-up ions of exospheric origin, the latter of which is used to determine the local magnetic field orientation from its circular trajectory in velocity space. These seven traversals include different bow shock configurations: (a) quasi-perpendicular shock with its specular direction of the solar wind more perpendicular to the magnetic field (QT), (b) quasi-perpendicular shock with its specular reflection direction of the solar wind more along the magnetic field (FS), and (c) quasi-parallel (QL) shock. In all seven cases, the velocity components of the energy-bunched structure are consistent with multiple specular reflections of the solar wind at the bow shock up to at least two reflections. The accelerated solar wind ions after two specular reflections have large parallel components with respect to the magnetic field for both QL cases whereas the field-aligned speed is much smaller than the perpendicular speed for all QT cases.

Influence of multiple scattering and absorption on the full scattering profile and the isobaric point in tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duadi, Hamootal; Fixler, Dror

2015-05-01

Light reflectance and transmission from soft tissue has been utilized in noninvasive clinical measurement devices such as the photoplethysmograph (PPG) and reflectance pulse oximeter. Incident light on the skin travels into the underlying layers and is in part reflected back to the surface, in part transferred and in part absorbed. Most methods of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy focus on the volume reflectance from a semi-infinite sample, while very few measure transmission. We have previously shown that examining the full scattering profile (angular distribution of exiting photons) provides more comprehensive information when measuring from a cylindrical tissue. Furthermore, an isobaric point was found which is not dependent on changes in the reduced scattering coefficient. The angle corresponding to this isobaric point depends on the tissue diameter. We investigated the role of multiple scattering and absorption on the full scattering profile of a cylindrical tissue. First, we define the range in which multiple scattering occurs for different tissue diameters. Next, we examine the role of the absorption coefficient in the attenuation of the full scattering profile. We demonstrate that the absorption linearly influences the intensity at each angle of the full scattering profile and, more importantly, the absorption does not change the position of the isobaric point. The findings of this work demonstrate a realistic model for optical tissue measurements such as NIR spectroscopy, PPG, and pulse oximetery.

Developing Teachers Who Are Reflective Practitioners: A Complex Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ostorga, Alcione N.

2006-01-01

Teachers everywhere are being held accountable for their professional actions through the test-driven curricula sweeping the nation. The National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE, 2002) makes it clear that promotion of reflective practice is an important component of teacher education programs. This multiple case study…

Ask Systems: Interrogative Access to Multiple Ways of Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jonassen, David H.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to familiarize instructional designers and researchers with a useful design and research paradigm known as "Ask Systems." Ask Systems are interrogative interfaces to information and learning environments that model conversations with a skilled, reflective practitioner (Schon, The reflective practitioner, "1983") or…

"Meta-Talk" as a Composition Tool: Promoting Reflective Dialogue during the Drafting Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Ah-Young

2017-01-01

This article argues for expanded opportunities for metalinguistic dialogue and written response rounds in order to better understand students' needs. Encouraging students to reflect on their compositions can invite multiple stylistic approaches and inform a more participatory composition process. The writing explores theoretical underpinnings,…

Feedback for Thought: Examining the Influence of Feedback Constituents on Learning Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aoun, Chadi; Vatanasakdakul, Savanid; Ang, Karyne

2018-01-01

Reflective teaching practice is often heralded as a pillar of effective tuition. However, the perceptions of multiple forms of feedback among learners and their contributions to reflective learning is yet to attract significant attention, particularly in the Information Systems (IS) context. This research investigates the antecedent constituents…

Comparison of genetic diversity and population structure of Pacific Coast whitebark pine across multiple markers

Treesearch

Andrew D. Bower; Bryce A. Richardson; Valerie Hipkins; Regina Rochefort; Carol Aubry

2011-01-01

Analysis of "neutral" molecular markers and "adaptive" quantitative traits are common methods of assessing genetic diversity and population structure. Molecular markers typically reflect the effects of demographic and stochastic processes but are generally assumed to not reflect natural selection. Conversely, quantitative (or "adaptive")...

Effect of surface deposits on electromagnetic propagation in uniform ducts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baumeister, Kenneth J.

1991-01-01

A finite-element Galerkin formulation has been used to study the effect of material surface deposits on the reflective characteristics of straight uniform ducts with PEC (perfectly electric conducting) walls. Over a wide frequency range, the effect of both single and multiple dielectric surface deposits on the duct reflection coefficient were examined. The power reflection coefficient was found to be significantly increased by the addition of deposits on the wall.

Effect of response format on cognitive reflection: Validating a two- and four-option multiple choice question version of the Cognitive Reflection Test.

PubMed

Sirota, Miroslav; Juanchich, Marie

2018-03-27

The Cognitive Reflection Test, measuring intuition inhibition and cognitive reflection, has become extremely popular because it reliably predicts reasoning performance, decision-making, and beliefs. Across studies, the response format of CRT items sometimes differs, based on the assumed construct equivalence of tests with open-ended versus multiple-choice items (the equivalence hypothesis). Evidence and theoretical reasons, however, suggest that the cognitive processes measured by these response formats and their associated performances might differ (the nonequivalence hypothesis). We tested the two hypotheses experimentally by assessing the performance in tests with different response formats and by comparing their predictive and construct validity. In a between-subjects experiment (n = 452), participants answered stem-equivalent CRT items in an open-ended, a two-option, or a four-option response format and then completed tasks on belief bias, denominator neglect, and paranormal beliefs (benchmark indicators of predictive validity), as well as on actively open-minded thinking and numeracy (benchmark indicators of construct validity). We found no significant differences between the three response formats in the numbers of correct responses, the numbers of intuitive responses (with the exception of the two-option version, which had a higher number than the other tests), and the correlational patterns of the indicators of predictive and construct validity. All three test versions were similarly reliable, but the multiple-choice formats were completed more quickly. We speculate that the specific nature of the CRT items helps build construct equivalence among the different response formats. We recommend using the validated multiple-choice version of the CRT presented here, particularly the four-option CRT, for practical and methodological reasons. Supplementary materials and data are available at https://osf.io/mzhyc/ .

Tidal Channel Diatom Assemblages Reflect within Wetland Environmental Conditions and Land Use at Multiple Scales

EPA Science Inventory

We characterized regional patterns of the tidal channel benthic diatom community and examined the relative importance of local wetland and surrounding landscape level factors measured at multiple scales in structuring this assemblage. Surrounding land cover was characterized at ...

Surface roughness effects on the solar reflectance of cool asphalt shingles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Akbari, Hashem; Berdahl, Paul; Akbari, Hashem

2008-02-17

We analyze the solar reflectance of asphalt roofing shingles that are covered with pigmented mineral roofing granules. The reflecting surface is rough, with a total area approximately twice the nominal area. We introduce a simple analytical model that relates the 'micro-reflectance' of a small surface region to the 'macro-reflectance' of the shingle. This model uses a mean field approximation to account for multiple scattering effects. The model is then used to compute the reflectance of shingles with a mixture of different colored granules, when the reflectances of the corresponding mono-color shingles are known. Simple linear averaging works well, with smallmore » corrections to linear averaging derived for highly reflective materials. Reflective base granules and reflective surface coatings aid achievement of high solar reflectance. Other factors that influence the solar reflectance are the size distribution of the granules, coverage of the asphalt substrate, and orientation of the granules as affected by rollers during fabrication.« less

Computation of Transonic Nozzle Sound Transmission and Rotor Problems by the Dispersion-Relation-Preserving Scheme

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tam, Christopher K. W.; Aganin, Alexei

2000-01-01

The transonic nozzle transmission problem and the open rotor noise radiation problem are solved computationally. Both are multiple length scales problems. For efficient and accurate numerical simulation, the multiple-size-mesh multiple-time-step Dispersion-Relation-Preserving scheme is used to calculate the time periodic solution. To ensure an accurate solution, high quality numerical boundary conditions are also needed. For the nozzle problem, a set of nonhomogeneous, outflow boundary conditions are required. The nonhomogeneous boundary conditions not only generate the incoming sound waves but also, at the same time, allow the reflected acoustic waves and entropy waves, if present, to exit the computation domain without reflection. For the open rotor problem, there is an apparent singularity at the axis of rotation. An analytic extension approach is developed to provide a high quality axis boundary treatment.

Developing Multiple Choice Tests: Tips & Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCowan, Richard J.

1999-01-01

Item writing is a major responsibility of trainers. Too often, qualified staff who prepare lessons carefully and teach conscientiously use inadequate tests that do not validly reflect the true level of trainee achievement. This monograph describes techniques for constructing multiple-choice items that measure student performance accurately. It…

Metacognition and the Development of Strategic Skills in Impulsive and Reflective Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurtz, Beth E.; Borkowski, John G.

Examined were relationships between metamemory and strategic behavior in 130 impulsive and reflective children in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. Of these, 77 had been tested 3 years earlier on multiple metamemory and memory tasks. At pretraining, children were assessed on metamemory, cognitive tempo, summarization skills, and teacher ratings of…

Situated Learning, Reflective Practice and Conceptual Expansion: Effective Peer Observation for Tutor Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Amani; Mladenovic, Rosina

2015-01-01

Despite tutors' importance, they often encounter inadequate professional development and support. This study describes the impact of peer observation of teaching activities on tutors' professional development using multiple data-sets over a three-year period. The data was analysed according to three themes: situated learning, reflective practice…

Multi-reflective acoustic wave device

DOEpatents

Andle, Jeffrey C.

2006-02-21

An acoustic wave device, which utilizes multiple localized reflections of acoustic wave for achieving an infinite impulse response while maintaining high tolerance for dampening effects, is disclosed. The device utilized a plurality of electromechanically significant electrodes disposed on most of the active surface. A plurality of sensors utilizing the disclosed acoustic wave mode device are also described.

Reflective Practice: Using Focus Groups to Determine Family Priorities and Guide Social Pragmatic Program Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Theadore, Geraldine; Laurent, Amy; Kovarsky, Dana; Weiss, Amy L.

2011-01-01

Reflective practice requires that professionals carefully examine and integrate multiple sources of information when designing intervention and evaluating its effectiveness. This article describes the use of focus group discussion as a form of qualitative research for understanding parents' perspectives of a university-based intervention program…

An Examination of the Addition of Video Informed Reflective Practice to the Active Support Toolkit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Peter; Appleton, Philippa; Williams, Rosie

2017-01-01

Background: This study evaluated a package of Active Support (AS), which included standard training with additional video informed reflective practice. Materials & Methods: The training package was implemented as part of a service improvement initiative in four residential intellectual disability homes, using a concurrent multiple baseline…

Iterated intracochlear reflection shapes the envelopes of basilar-membrane click responses

PubMed Central

Shera, Christopher A.

2015-01-01

Multiple internal reflection of cochlear traveling waves has been argued to provide a plausible explanation for the waxing and waning and other temporal structures often exhibited by the envelopes of basilar-membrane (BM) and auditory-nerve responses to acoustic clicks. However, a recent theoretical analysis of a BM click response measured in chinchilla concludes that the waveform cannot have arisen via any equal, repetitive process, such as iterated intracochlear reflection [Wit and Bell (2015), J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 138, 94–96]. Reanalysis of the waveform contradicts this conclusion. The measured BM click response is used to derive the frequency-domain transfer function characterizing every iteration of the loop. The selfsame transfer function that yields waxing and waning of the BM click response also captures the spectral features of ear-canal stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions measured in the same animal, consistent with the predictions of multiple internal reflection. Small shifts in transfer-function phase simulate results at different measurement locations and reproduce the heterogeneity of BM click response envelopes observed experimentally. PMID:26723327

Geometric optics-based multiband cloaking of large objects with the wave phase and amplitude preservation.

PubMed

Duan, Ran; Semouchkina, Elena; Pandey, Ravi

2014-11-03

The geometric optics principles are used to develop a unidirectional transmission cloak for hiding objects with dimensions substantially exceeding the incident radiation wavelengths. Invisibility of both the object and the cloak is achieved without metamaterials, so that significant widths of the cloaking bands are provided. For the preservation of wave phases, the λ-multiple delays of waves passing through the cloak are realized. Suppression of reflection losses is achieved by using half-λ multiple thicknesses of optical elements. Due to periodicity of phase delay and reflection suppression conditions, the cloak demonstrates efficient multiband performance confirmed by full-wave simulations.

Emerging geomorphic approaches to guide river management practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brierley, Gary; Hooke, Janet

2015-12-01

Humans have been modifying river systems across much of the world for many thousands of years. Initially, piecemeal impacts inadvertently affected particular parts of landscapes. Subsequently, many rivers have been subjected to multiple layers of human disturbance, and changes have become widespread and systematic. Increasingly, human impacts reflect deliberative actions as part of river management programmes. These activities entail significant choices in determining the desirable (or acceptable) state and behavioural regime of a river. Typically, contemporary decision-making reflects negotiations among multiple stakeholders, seeking to provide balanced approaches to the management of socio-economic, cultural, and environmental values (e.g. Jähnig et al., 2011).

Lower Crstal Reflectity bands and Magma Emplacement in Norweigian sea, NE Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rai, A.; Breivik, A. J.; Mjelde, R.

2013-12-01

In this study we present the OBS data collected along seismic profiles in the norweigian sea. The traveltime modelling of the OBS data provides first-hand information about seismic structure of the subsurface. However, waveform modelling is used to further constrain the fine scale structure, velocity constrast and velocity gradients. By forward modelling and inversion of the seismic waveforms, we show that the multiple bands of reflectivity could be due to multiple episodes of magma emplacements that might have frozen in the form of sills. These mafic intrusions probably intruded into the ductile lower crust during the main rifting phase of Europe and Greenland.

Radius of curvature measurement of spherical smooth surfaces by multiple-beam interferometry in reflection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelsalam, D. G.; Shaalan, M. S.; Eloker, M. M.; Kim, Daesuk

2010-06-01

In this paper a method is presented to accurately measure the radius of curvature of different types of curved surfaces of different radii of curvatures of 38 000,18 000 and 8000 mm using multiple-beam interference fringes in reflection. The images captured by the digital detector were corrected by flat fielding method. The corrected images were analyzed and the form of the surfaces was obtained. A 3D profile for the three types of surfaces was obtained using Zernike polynomial fitting. Some sources of uncertainty in measurement were calculated by means of ray tracing simulations and the uncertainty budget was estimated within λ/40.

Reflective practice in speech-language pathology: a scoping review.

PubMed

Caty, Marie-Ève; Kinsella, Elizabeth Anne; Doyle, Philip C

2015-01-01

Within the profession of speech-language pathology, there is limited information related to both conceptual and empirical perspectives of reflective practice. This review considers the key concepts and approaches to reflection and reflective practice that have been published in the speech-language pathology literature in order to identify potential research gaps. A scoping review was conducted using Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) framework. A total of 42 relevant publications were selected for review. The resulting literature mapping revealed that scholarship on reflection and reflective practice in speech-language pathology is limited. Our conceptual mapping pointed to the use of both multiple and generic terms and a lack of conceptual clarity about reflection and reflective practice in speech-language pathology. Two predominant approaches to reflection and reflective practice were identified: written reflection and reflective discussion. Both educational and clinical practice contexts were associated with reflection and reflective practice. Publications reviewed were primarily concerned with reflection and reflective practice by novices and expert practitioners. Based on this review, we posit that there is considerable need for conceptual and empirical work with a goal to support university- and work-based educational initiatives involving reflection and reflective practice in speech-language pathology.

NDE Imaging of Time Differential Terahertz Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trinh, Long B.

2008-01-01

Natural voids are present in the vicinity of a conathane interface that bonds two different foam materials. These voids are out of focus with the terahertz imaging system and multiple optical reflections also make it difficult to determine their depths. However, waves passing through the top foam article at normal incidence are partially reflected at the denser conathane layer prior to total reflection at the tank s wall. Reflections embedded in the oscillating noise segment prior to the main signals can be extracted with dual applications of filtering and time derivative. Void's depth is computed from direct path's time of flight.

Rape Myths, Rape Scripts, and Common Rape Experiences of College Women: Differences in Perceptions of Women Who Have Been Raped.

PubMed

Hockett, Jericho M; Saucier, Donald A; Badke, Caitlyn

2016-03-01

Rape is prevalent at colleges. Although research suggests commonalities across many college women's rape experiences (e.g., perpetrators using multiple coercive strategies), vignettes used to assess rape perceptions often reflect false beliefs. Two studies varying a perpetrator's coercive tactics examine rape perceptions using vignettes reflecting rape myths, rape scripts, or many college women's common rape experiences. Participants perceive a woman who was raped more positively in vignettes reflecting common rape experiences versus those reflecting rape myths or scripts. Theoretical, educational, and research implications are discussed. © The Author(s) 2015.

Interferometric imaging of crustal structure from wide-angle multicomponent OBS-airgun data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiraishi, K.; Fujie, G.; Sato, T.; Abe, S.; Asakawa, E.; Kodaira, S.

2015-12-01

In wide-angle seismic surveys with ocean bottom seismograph (OBS) and airgun, surface-related multiple reflections and upgoing P-to-S conversions are frequently observed. We applied two interferometric imaging methods to the multicomponent OBS data in order to highly utilize seismic signals for subsurface imaging.First, seismic interferometry (SI) is applied to vertical component in order to obtain reflection profile with multiple reflections. By correlating seismic traces on common receiver records, pseudo seismic data are generated with virtual sources and receivers located on all original shot positions. We adopt the deconvolution SI because source and receiver spectra can be canceled by spectral division. Consequently, gapless reflection images from just below the seafloor to the deeper are obtained.Second, receiver function (RF) imaging is applied to multicomponent OBS data in order to image P-to-S conversion boundary. Though RF is commonly applied to teleseismic data, our purpose is to extract upgoing PS converted waves from wide-angle OBS data. The RF traces are synthesized by deconvolution of radial and vertical components at same OBS location for each shot. Final section obtained by stacking RF traces shows the PS conversion boundaries beneath OBSs. Then, Vp/Vs ratio can be estimated by comparing one-way traveltime delay with two-way traveltime of P wave reflections.We applied these methods to field data sets; (a) 175 km survey in Nankai trough subduction zone using 71 OBSs with from 1 km to 10 km intervals and 878 shots with 200 m interval, and (b) 237 km survey in northwest pacific ocean with almost flat layers before subduction using 25 OBSs with 6km interval and 1188 shots with 200 m interval. In our study, SI imaging with multiple reflections is highly applicable to OBS data even in a complex geological setting, and PS conversion boundary is well imaged by RF imaging and Vp/Vs ratio distribution in sediment is estimated in case of simple structure.

Predicting Speech Intelligibility with a Multiple Speech Subsystems Approach in Children with Cerebral Palsy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jimin; Hustad, Katherine C.; Weismer, Gary

2014-01-01

Purpose: Speech acoustic characteristics of children with cerebral palsy (CP) were examined with a multiple speech subsystems approach; speech intelligibility was evaluated using a prediction model in which acoustic measures were selected to represent three speech subsystems. Method: Nine acoustic variables reflecting different subsystems, and…

Valuing Assessment in Teacher Education - Multiple-Choice Competency Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Dona L.; Itter, Diane

2014-01-01

When our focus is on assessment educators should work to value the nature of assessment. This paper presents a new approach to multiple-choice competency testing in mathematics education. The instrument discussed here reflects student competence, encourages self-regulatory learning behaviours and links content with current curriculum documents and…

Student Selection for Selective Educational Programs Using Multiple Criteria.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, Jerry A.

This paper shows that multiple sources of data reflecting educational progress may be used with relative ease to systematically, objectively, and accurately place students in selective educational programs, such as those funded under Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act, using readily available commercial microcomputer…

Multiple Beam Interferometry in Elementary Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tolansky, S.

1970-01-01

Discusses a relatively simple technique for demonstrating multiple beam interferometry. The technique can be applied to measuring (1) radii of curvature of lenses, (2) surface finish of glass, and (3) differential phase change on reflection. Microtopographies, modulated fringe systems and opaque objects may also be observed by this technique.…

Ecological Issues Related to Children's Health and Safety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aldridge, Jerry; Kohler, Maxie

2009-01-01

Issues concerning the health and safety of children and youth occur at multiple levels. Bronfenbrenner (1995) proposed an ecological systems approach in which multiple systems interact to enhance or diminish children's development. The same systems are at work in health promotion. The authors present and review articles that reflect the multiple…

Adolescent Racial Identity: Self-Identification of Multiple and "Other" Race/Ethnicities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Bryn; Ravert, Russell D.; Sullivan, Amanda L.

2017-01-01

This mixed methods study focused on adolescents who rejected conventional singular racial/ethnic categorization by selecting multiple race/ethnicities or writing descriptions of "Other" racial/ethnic identities in response to a survey item asking them to identify their race/ethnicity. Written responses reflected eight distinct categories…

Interactions of light with rough dielectric surfaces - Spectral reflectance and polarimetric properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yon, S. A.; Pieters, C. M.

1988-01-01

The nature of the interactions of visible and NIR radiation with the surfaces of rock and mineral samples was investigated by measuring the reflectance and the polarization properties of scattered and reflected light for slab samples of obsidian and fine-grained basalt, prepared to controlled surface roughness. It is shown that the degree to which radiation can penetrate a surface and then scatter back out, an essential criterion for mineralogic determinations based on reflectance spectra, depends not only upon the composition of the material, but also on its physical condition such as sample grain size and surface roughness. Comparison of the experimentally measured reflectance and polarization from smooth and rough slab materials with the predicted models indicates that single Fresnel reflections are responsible for the largest part of the reflected intensity resulting from interactions with the surfaces of dielectric materials; multiple Fresnel reflections are much less important for such surfaces.

Helping students learn effective problem solving strategies by reflecting with peers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mason, Andrew; Singh, Chandralekha

2010-07-01

We study how introductory physics students engage in reflection with peers about problem solving. The recitations for an introductory physics course with 200 students were broken into a "peer reflection" (PR) group and a traditional group. Each week in recitation, small teams of students in the PR group reflected on selected problems from the homework and discussed why the solutions of some students employed better problem solving strategies than others. The graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants in the PR recitations provided guidance and coaching to help students learn effective problem solving heuristics. In the traditional group recitations students could ask the graduate TA questions about the homework before they took a weekly quiz. The traditional group recitation quiz questions were similar to the homework questions selected for peer reflection in the PR group recitations. As one measure of the impact of this intervention, we investigated how likely students were to draw diagrams to help with problem solving on the final exam with only multiple-choice questions. We found that the PR group drew diagrams on more problems than the traditional group even when there was no explicit reward for doing so. Also, students who drew more diagrams for the multiple-choice questions outperformed those who did not, regardless of which group they were a member.

Spectroscopic sensitivity of real-time, rapidly induced phytochemical change in response to damage.

PubMed

Couture, John J; Serbin, Shawn P; Townsend, Philip A

2013-04-01

An ecological consequence of plant-herbivore interactions is the phytochemical induction of defenses in response to insect damage. Here, we used reflectance spectroscopy to characterize the foliar induction profile of cardenolides in Asclepias syriaca in response to damage, tracked in vivo changes and examined the influence of multiple plant traits on cardenolide concentrations. Foliar cardenolide concentrations were measured at specific time points following damage to capture their induction profile. Partial least-squares regression (PLSR) modeling was employed to calibrate cardenolide concentrations to reflectance spectroscopy. In addition, subsets of plants were either repeatedly sampled to track in vivo changes or modified to reduce latex flow to damaged areas. Cardenolide concentrations and the induction profile of A. syriaca were well predicted using models derived from reflectance spectroscopy, and this held true for repeatedly sampled plants. Correlations between cardenolides and other foliar-related variables were weak or not significant. Plant modification for latex reduction inhibited an induced cardenolide response. Our findings show that reflectance spectroscopy can characterize rapid phytochemical changes in vivo. We used reflectance spectroscopy to identify the mechanisms behind the production of plant secondary metabolites, simultaneously characterizing multiple foliar constituents. In this case, cardenolide induction appears to be largely driven by enhanced latex delivery to leaves following damage. © 2013 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2013 New Phytologist Trust.

Coherent noise reduction in digital holographic microscopy by averaging multiple holograms recorded with a multimode laser.

PubMed

Pan, Feng; Yang, Lizhi; Xiao, Wen

2017-09-04

In digital holographic microscopy (DHM), it is undesirable to observe coherent noise in the reconstructed images. The sources of the noise are mainly the parasitic interference fringes caused by multiple reflections and the speckle pattern caused by the optical scattering on the object surface. Here we propose a noise reduction approach in DHM by averaging multiple holograms recorded with a multimode laser. Based on the periodicity of the temporal coherence of a multimode semiconductor laser, we acquire a series of holograms by changing the optical path length difference between the reference beam and object beam. Because of the use of low coherence light, we can remove the parasitic interference fringes caused by multiple reflections in the holograms. In addition, the coherent noise patterns change in this process due to the different optical paths. Therefore, the coherent noise can be reduced by averaging the multiple reconstructions with uncorrelated noise patterns. Several experiments have been carried out to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for coherent noise reduction in DHM. It is shown a remarkable improvement both in amplitude imaging quality and phase measurement accuracy.

Note: Rigid holder to host and bend a crystal for multiple volume reflection of a particle beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carassiti, V.; Melchiorri, M.; Dalpiaz, P.

2010-06-15

A holder to lodge and bend a silicon crystal to excite multivolume reflection of a high-energy particle beam has been designed and fabricated. A mechanically robust and stable structure fastens a crystal at best condition for experiments. The holder has allowed the observation of 12-time repeated volume reflection with very high efficiency. We detail the most important features behind the construction of the holder together with the characterization of the crystal being bent by the holder.

Potential damage to DC superconducting magnets due to the high frequency electromagnetic waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gabriel, G. J.

1977-01-01

Experimental data are presented in support of the hypothesis that a dc superconducting magnet coil does not behave strictly as an inductor, but as a complicated electrodynamic device capable of supporting electromagnetic waves. Travel times of nanosecond pulses and evidence of sinusoidal standing waves were observed on a prototype four-layer solenoidal coil at room temperature. Ringing observed during switching transients appears as a sequence of multiple reflected square pulses whose durations are related to the layer lengths. With sinusoidal excitation of the coil, the voltage amplitude between a pair of points on the coil exhibits maxima at those frequencies such that the distance between these points is an odd multiple of half wavelength in free space. Evidence indicates that any disturbance, such as that resulting from switching or sudden fault, initiates multiple reflections between layers, thus raising the possibility for sufficiently high voltages to cause breakdown.

deltaGseg: macrostate estimation via molecular dynamics simulations and multiscale time series analysis.

PubMed

Low, Diana H P; Motakis, Efthymios

2013-10-01

Binding free energy calculations obtained through molecular dynamics simulations reflect intermolecular interaction states through a series of independent snapshots. Typically, the free energies of multiple simulated series (each with slightly different starting conditions) need to be estimated. Previous approaches carry out this task by moving averages at certain decorrelation times, assuming that the system comes from a single conformation description of binding events. Here, we discuss a more general approach that uses statistical modeling, wavelets denoising and hierarchical clustering to estimate the significance of multiple statistically distinct subpopulations, reflecting potential macrostates of the system. We present the deltaGseg R package that performs macrostate estimation from multiple replicated series and allows molecular biologists/chemists to gain physical insight into the molecular details that are not easily accessible by experimental techniques. deltaGseg is a Bioconductor R package available at http://bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/deltaGseg.html.

An Evaluation of the Influence of Case Method Instruction on the Reflective Thinking of MSW Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milner, Marleen

2009-01-01

Social work practice requires that graduates be prepared to deal with complex, multifaceted problems which cannot be defined completely, do not have absolute, correct answers and can be approached from multiple perspectives. This study evaluated the influence of case-based instruction on MSW students' reflective judgment, an aspect of critical…

In the Middle of Something: Reflections on Multimodal Inquiry as Artful Bricolage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vasudevan, Lalitha; Reilly, Mary Ann

2013-01-01

This article presents a conversation about the nature of multimodal inquiry and composing between Lalitha Vasudevan and Mary Ann Reilly. The authors draw on their Twitter exchanges, blog posts, art, photography, and reflections as they consider what literacy education is and can be in a world that offers multiple means of expression. The…

Mirrors, Mirrors on the Wall...The Ubiquitous Multiple Reflection Error

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawson, Rebecca

2012-01-01

Participants decided when somebody, Janine, could see their face in a horizontal row of adjacent mirrors mounted flat on the same wall. They saw real mirrors and a shop-dummy representing Janine. Such coplanar mirrors reflect different, non-overlapping areas of a scene. However, almost everybody made an unexpected error: they claimed that Janine…

Video-Mediated Microteaching--A Stimulus for Reflection and Teacher Growth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kourieos, Stella

2016-01-01

Numerous studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of video as an effective means of reflective practice in pre-service Teacher Education. However, only few studies have explored preservice teachers' own perceptions in this regard in the field of ELT and none of these was related to primary level. To address this gap, multiple forms of…

Temporal reflection as a spectral-broadening mechanism in dual-pumped dispersion-decreasing fibers and its connection to dispersive waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antikainen, Aku; Arteaga-Sierra, Francisco R.; Agrawal, Govind P.

2017-03-01

We show that temporal reflections off a moving refractive index barrier play a major role in the spectral broadening of a dual-wavelength input inside a highly nonlinear, dispersion-decreasing fiber. We also find that a recently developed linear theory of temporal reflections works well in predicting the reflected frequencies. Successive temporal reflections from multiple closely spaced solitons create a blueshifted spectral band, while continuous narrowing of solitons inside the dispersion-decreasing fiber enhances Raman-induced redshifts, leading to supercontinuum generation at relatively low pump powers. We also show how dispersive wave emission can be considered a special case of the more general process of temporal reflections. Hence our findings have implications on all systems able to support solitons.

Using MCNP6 to Estimate Fission Neutron Properties of a Reflected Plutonium Sphere

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clark, Alexander Rich; Nelson, Mark Andrew; Hutchinson, Jesson D.

The purpose of this project was to determine the fission multiplicity distribution, p(v), for the Beryllium Reflected Plutonium (BeRP) ball and to determine whether or not it changed appreciably for various High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) reflected configurations. The motivation for this project was to determine whether or not the average number of neutrons emitted per fission, v, changed significantly enough to reduce the discrepancy between MCNP6 and Robba, Dowdy, Atwater (RDA) point kinetic model estimates of multiplication. The energy spectrum of neutrons that induced fissions in the BeRP ball, NIF (E), was also computed in order to determine the averagemore » energy of neutrons inducing fissions, NIF . p(v) was computed using the FMULT card, NIF (E) and NIF were computed using an F4 tally with an FM tally modifier (F4/FM) card, and the multiplication factor, k eff, was computed using the KCODE card. Although NIF (E) changed significantly between bare and HDPE reflected configurations of the BeRP ball, the change in p(v), and thus the change in v, was insignificant. This is likely due to a difference between the way that NIF is computed using the FMULT and F4/FM cards. The F4/FM card indicated that NIF (E) was essentially Watt-fission distributed for a bare configuration and highly thermalized for all HDPE reflected configurations, while the FMULT card returned an average energy between 1 and 2 MeV for all configurations, which would indicate that the spectrum is Watt-fission distributed, regardless of the amount of HDPE reflector. The spectrum computed with the F4/FM cards is more physically meaningful and so the discrepancy between it and the FMULT card result is being investigated. It is hoped that resolving the discrepancy between the FMULT and F4/FM card estimates of NIF(E) will provide better v estimates that will lead to RDA multiplication estimates that are in better agreement with MCNP6 simulations.« less

Optical Sensing of Ecosystem Carbon Fluxes Combining Spectral Reflectance Indices with Solar Induced Fluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huemmrich, K. F.; Middleton, E.; Corp, L. A.; Campbell, P. K.; Kustas, W. P.

2014-12-01

Optical sampling of spectral reflectance and solar induced fluorescence provide information on the physiological status of vegetation that can be used to infer stress responses and estimates of production. Multiple repeated observations are required to observe the effects of changing environmental conditions on vegetation. This study examines the use of optical signals to determine inputs to a light use efficiency (LUE) model describing productivity of a cornfield where repeated observations of carbon flux, spectral reflectance and fluorescence were collected. Data were collected at the Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3) fields (39.03°N, 76.85°W) at USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. Agricultural Research Service researchers measured CO2 fluxes using eddy covariance methods throughout the growing season. Optical measurements were made from the nearby tower supporting the NASA FUSION sensors. The sensor system consists of two dual channel, upward and downward looking, spectrometers used to simultaneously collect high spectral resolution measurements of reflected and fluoresced light from vegetation canopies. Estimates of chlorophyll fluorescence, combined with measures of vegetation pigment content and the Photosynthetic Reflectance Index (PRI) derived from the spectral reflectance are compared with CO2 fluxes over diurnal periods for multiple days. PRI detects changes in Xanthophyll cycle pigments using reflectance at 531 nm compared to a reference band at 570 nm. The relationships among the different optical measurements indicate that they are providing different types of information on the vegetation and that combinations of these measurements provide improved retrievals of CO2 fluxes than any index alone.

Optical Sensing of Ecosystem Carbon Fluxes Combining Spectral Reflectance Indices with Solar Induced Fluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huemmrich, K. F.; Corp, L.; Campbell, P. K.; Cook, B. D.; Middleton, E.; Cheng, Y.; Zhang, Q.; Russ, A.; Kustas, W. P.

2013-12-01

Optical sampling of spectral reflectance and solar induced fluorescence provide information on the physiological status of vegetation that can be used to infer stress responses and estimates of production. Multiple repeated observations can observe the effects of changing environmental conditions on vegetation. This study examines the use of optical signals to determine inputs to a light use efficiency (LUE) model describing productivity of a cornfield where repeated observations of carbon flux, spectral reflectance and fluorescence were collected. Data were collected at the Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3) fields (39.03°N, 76.85°W) at USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. Agricultural Research Service researchers measured CO2 fluxes using eddy covariance methods throughout the growing season. Optical measurements were made from the nearby tower supporting the NASA FUSION sensors. This sensor system consists of two dual channel, upward and downward looking, spectrometers used to simultaneously collect high spectral resolution measurements of reflected and fluoresced light from vegetation canopies. Estimates of chlorophyll fluorescence, combined with measures of vegetation pigment content and the Photosynthetic Reflectance Index (PRI) derived from the spectral reflectance are compared with CO2 fluxes over diurnal periods for multiple days. PRI detects changes in Xanthophyll cycle pigments using reflectance at 531 nm compared to a reference band at 570 nm. The relationships among the different optical measurements indicate that they are providing different types of information on the vegetation and that combinations of these measurements provide improved retrievals of CO2 fluxes than any index alone.

A Study of Two English Language Coursebooks in Turkey: Focus on Multiple Intelligences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arikan, Arda; Soydan, Elif; Isler, Özlem

2014-01-01

This study aims to analyze two coursebooks, namely, "Texture of English 4" and "My English 5" on the basis of to what extent the activities and tasks included reflect the intelligent types proposed by multiple intelligences theory. Taking the general characteristics of the intelligences into account, a checklist has been…

Disturbance patterns in a socio-ecological system at multiple scales

Treesearch

G. Zurlini; Kurt H. Riitters; N. Zaccarelli; I. Petrosillo; K.B. Jones; L. Rossi

2006-01-01

Ecological systems with hierarchical organization and non-equilibrium dynamics require multiple-scale analyses to comprehend how a system is structured and to formulate hypotheses about regulatory mechanisms. Characteristic scales in real landscapes are determined by, or at least reflect, the spatial patterns and scales of constraining human interactions with the...

Control of Visually Guided Saccades in Multiple Sclerosis: Disruption to Higher-Order Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fielding, Joanne; Kilpatrick, Trevor; Millist, Lynette; White, Owen

2009-01-01

Ocular motor abnormalities are a common feature of multiple sclerosis (MS), with more salient deficits reflecting tissue damage within brainstem and cerebellar circuits. However, MS may also result in disruption to higher level or cognitive control processes governing eye movement, including attentional processes that enhance the neural processing…

ANALYTICAL SOLUTIONS OF THE ATMOSPHERIC DIFFUSION EQUATION WITH MULTIPLE SOURCES AND HEIGHT-DEPENDENT WIND SPEED AND EDDY DIFFUSIVITIES. (R825689C072)

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract

Three-dimensional analytical solutions of the atmospheric diffusion equation with multiple sources and height-dependent wind speed and eddy diffusivities are derived in a systematic fashion. For homogeneous Neumann (total reflection), Dirichlet (total adsorpti...

ANALYTICAL SOLUTIONS OF THE ATMOSPHERIC DIFFUSION EQUATION WITH MULTIPLE SOURCES AND HEIGHT-DEPENDENT WIND SPEED AND EDDY DIFFUSIVITIES. (R825689C048)

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract

Three-dimensional analytical solutions of the atmospheric diffusion equation with multiple sources and height-dependent wind speed and eddy diffusivities are derived in a systematic fashion. For homogeneous Neumann (total reflection), Dirichlet (total adsorpti...

Simulation and Implementation of Moth-eye Structures as a Broadband Anti-Reflective Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deshpande, Ketan S.

Conventional single layer thin anti-reflective coatings (ARCs) are only suitable for narrowband applications. A multilayer film stack is often employed for broadband applications. A coating of multiple layers with alternating low and high refractive index materials increases the overall cost of the system. This makes multilayer ARCs unsuitable for low-cost broadband applications. Since the discovery of moth-eye corneal nipple patterns and their potential applicability in the field of broadband ARCs, many studies have been carried out to fabricate these bio-inspired nanostructures with available manufacturing processes. Plasma etching processes used in microelectronic manufacturing are applied for creating these nanostructures at the Rochester Institute of Technology's Semiconductor & Microsystems Fabrication Laboratory (SMFL). Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) scanned surfaces of the nanostructure layer are simulated and characterized for their optical properties using a Finite-Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulator from Lumerical Solutions, Inc. known as FDTD Solutions. Simulation results show that the layer is anti-reflective over 50 to 350 nm broadband of wavelengths at 0° angle of incidence. These simulation results were supported by ellipsometer reflection measurements off the actual samples at multiple angles of light incidence, which show a 10% to 15% decrease in reflection for 240 to 400 nm wavelengths. Further improvements in the optical efficiency of these structures can be achieved through simulation-fabrication-characterization cycles performed for this project. The optimized nanostructures can then serve the purpose of low-cost anti-reflective coatings for solar cells and similar applications.

The measurement and evaluation of bidirectional reflectance characteristics of Dunhuang radiometric calibration test site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Chun-yan; Li, Xin; Wei, Wei; Zheng, Xiao-bing

2016-10-01

With the progress of quantitative remote sensing, the acquisition of surface BRDF becomes more and more important. In order to improve the accuracy of the surface BRDF measurements, a VNIR-SWIR Bidirectional Reflectance Automatic Measurement System, which was developed by Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HIPS), is introduced that allows in situ measurements of hyperspectral bidirectional reflectance data. Hyperspectral bidirectional reflectance distribution function data sets taken with the BRDF automatic measurement system nominally cover the spectral range between 390 and 2390 nm in 971 bands. In July 2007, September 2008, June 2011, we acquired a series of the BRDF data covered Dunhuang radiometric calibration test site in terms of the BRDF measurement system. We have not obtained such comprehensive and accurate data as they are, since 1990s when the site was built up. These data are applied to calibration for FY-2 and other satellites sensors. Field BRDF data of a Dunhuang site surface reveal a strong spectral variability. An anisotropy factor (ANIF), defined as the ratio between the directional reflectance and nadir reflectance over the hemisphere, is introduced as a surrogate measurement for the extent of spectral BRDF effects. The ANIF data show a very high correlation with the solar zenith angle due to multiple scattering effects over a desert site. Since surface geometry, multiple scattering, and BRDF effects are related, these findings may help to derive BRDF model parameters from the in-situ BRDF measurement remotely sensed hyperspectral data sets.

Spin polarization measurements and sensor applications in thin films and carbon nanotube-based devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanders, Jeff T.

The unique properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) show a great deal of potential for nanoelectronic devices, spintronic devices, biosensing and chemical sensing applications. Their applicability as interconnects for spintronic devices derives from their one-dimensionality and theoretically predicted preservation of spin current. In this work, we combine an investigation of spin polarization in materials such as half-metallic oxides in thin film and bulk form with studies on several aspects of CNTs for sensing and spin transport applications. These two areas of study are intimately related within the umbrella of spin-electronics and nanoscale sensors that are being pursued with great topical interest in recent times. A measurement system has been developed to perform Point-Contact Andreev Reflection (PCAR) in the presence of variable magnetic fields and temperatures. It was designed and built, accepted for patent by the USF, and submitted to the U.S. Patent Office. A study of spin polarization in superconductor-magnet junctions has been performed over a wide range in magnetic fields (0 to 3T) and temperature (2 to 300K) on several systems including Cu, SrRuO3, LaSrMnO3, and CrO2. Spin transport experiments have been extended to single walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) networks in order to explore spin transport in nanotube networks for potential sensor applications. Carbon nanotube networks have been used as the electronic material for chemical and biological sensing where capacitance and conductance response to the adsorbtion of a chemical or biological analyte are simultaneously measured and a very fast response and recovery is observed. Chemical specificity has been investigated through different means since a goal of the U.S. Navy is to have an array of these sensors, each chemically specific to a unique analyte. Finally, research is ongoing in the analysis of our PCAR spectra in the SrRuO3 series and the La1-x(Ca, Ba, Sr)xMnO 3 to investigate the square root dependence of the background conductance data and the fundamental aspects of the fitting procedure by using a chi 2 statistical model to more accurately determine the spin polarization, P.

Enhancement of Photon Number Reflected by the Relativistic Flying Mirror

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kando, M.; Pirozhkov, A. S.; Kawase, K.

2009-12-04

Laser light reflection by a relativistically moving electron density modulation (flying mirror) in a wake wave generated in a plasma by a high intensity laser pulse is investigated experimentally. A counterpropagating laser pulse is reflected and upshifted in frequency with a multiplication factor of 37-66, corresponding to the extreme ultraviolet wavelength. The demonstrated flying mirror reflectivity (from 3x10{sup -6} to 2x10{sup -5}, and from 1.3x10{sup -4} to 0.6x10{sup -3}, for the photon number and pulse energy, respectively) is close to the theoretical estimate for the parameters of the experiment.

In Search of Multi-Peaked Reflective Spectrum with Optic Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor for Dynamic Strain Measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tai, Hsiang

2006-01-01

In a typical optic fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain measurement, unless in an ideal static laboratory environment, the presence of vibration or often disturbance always exists, which often creates spurious multiple peaks in the reflected spectrum, resulting in a non-unique determination of strain value. In this report we attempt to investigate the origin of this phenomenon by physical arguments and simple numerical simulation. We postulate that the fiber gratings execute small amplitude transverse vibrations changing the optical path in which the reflected light traverses slightly and non-uniformly. Ultimately, this causes the multi-peak reflected spectrum.

Variable area light reflecting assembly

DOEpatents

Howard, T.C.

1986-12-23

Device is described for tracking daylight and projecting it into a building. The device tracks the sun and automatically adjusts both the orientation and area of the reflecting surface. The device may be mounted in either a wall or roof of a building. Additionally, multiple devices may be employed in a light shaft in a building, providing daylight to several different floors. The preferred embodiment employs a thin reflective film as the reflecting device. One edge of the reflective film is fixed, and the opposite end is attached to a spring-loaded take-up roller. As the sun moves across the sky, the take-up roller automatically adjusts the angle and surface area of the film. Additionally, louvers may be mounted at the light entrance to the device to reflect incoming daylight in an angle perpendicular to the device to provide maximum reflective capability when daylight enters the device at non-perpendicular angles. 9 figs.

Variable area light reflecting assembly

DOEpatents

Howard, Thomas C.

1986-01-01

Device for tracking daylight and projecting it into a building. The device tracks the sun and automatically adjusts both the orientation and area of the reflecting surface. The device may be mounted in either a wall or roof of a building. Additionally, multiple devices may be employed in a light shaft in a building, providing daylight to several different floors. The preferred embodiment employs a thin reflective film as the reflecting device. One edge of the reflective film is fixed, and the opposite end is attached to a spring-loaded take-up roller. As the sun moves across the sky, the take-up roller automatically adjusts the angle and surface area of the film. Additionally, louvers may be mounted at the light entrance to the device to reflect incoming daylight in an angle perpendicular to the device to provide maximum reflective capability when daylight enters the device at non-perpendicular angles.

Hemispherical reflectance model for passive images in an outdoor environment.

PubMed

Kim, Charles C; Thai, Bea; Yamaoka, Neil; Aboutalib, Omar

2015-05-01

We present a hemispherical reflectance model for simulating passive images in an outdoor environment where illumination is provided by natural sources such as the sun and the clouds. While the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) accurately produces radiance from any objects after the illumination, using the BRDF in calculating radiance requires double integration. Replacing the BRDF by hemispherical reflectance under the natural sources transforms the double integration into a multiplication. This reduces both storage space and computation time. We present the formalism for the radiance of the scene using hemispherical reflectance instead of BRDF. This enables us to generate passive images in an outdoor environment taking advantage of the computational and storage efficiencies. We show some examples for illustration.

Functional connectivity of task context representations in prefrontal nodes of the multiple demand network.

PubMed

Stiers, Peter; Goulas, Alexandros

2018-06-01

A subset of regions in the lateral and medial prefrontal cortex and the anterior insula increase their activity level whenever a cognitive task becomes more demanding, regardless of the specific nature of this demand. During execution of a task, these areas and the surrounding cortex temporally encode aspects of the task context in spatially distributed patterns of activity. It is not clear whether these patterns reflect underlying anatomical subnetworks that still exist when task execution has finished. We use fMRI in 12 participants performing alternating blocks of three cognitive tasks to address this question. A first data set is used to define multiple demand regions in each participant. A second dataset from the same participants is used to determine multiple demand voxel assemblies with a preference for one task over the others. We then show that these voxels remain functionally coupled during execution of non-preferred tasks and that they exhibit stronger functional connectivity during rest. This indicates that the assemblies of task preference sharing voxels reflect patterns of underlying anatomical connections. Moreover, we show that voxels preferring the same task have more similar whole brain functional connectivity profiles that are consistent across participants. This suggests that voxel assemblies differ in patterns of input-output connections, most likely reflecting task demand-specific information exchange.

Basilar-membrane interference patterns from multiple internal reflection of cochlear traveling waves.

PubMed

Shera, Christopher A; Cooper, Nigel P

2013-04-01

At low stimulus levels, basilar-membrane (BM) mechanical transfer functions in sensitive cochleae manifest a quasiperiodic rippling pattern in both amplitude and phase. Analysis of the responses of active cochlear models suggests that the rippling is a mechanical interference pattern created by multiple internal reflection within the cochlea. In models, the interference arises when reverse-traveling waves responsible for stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs) reflect off the stapes on their way to the ear canal, launching a secondary forward-traveling wave that combines with the primary wave produced by the stimulus. Frequency-dependent phase differences between the two waves then create the rippling pattern measurable on the BM. Measurements of BM ripples and SFOAEs in individual chinchilla ears demonstrate that the ripples are strongly correlated with the acoustic interference pattern measured in ear-canal pressure, consistent with a common origin involving the generation of SFOAEs. In BM responses to clicks, the ripples appear as temporal fine structure in the response envelope (multiple lobes, waxing and waning). Analysis of the ripple spacing and response phase gradients provides a test for the role of fast- and slow-wave modes of reverse energy propagation within the cochlea. The data indicate that SFOAE delays are consistent with reverse slow-wave propagation but much too long to be explained by fast waves.

Assessing the Application of Cloud-Shadow Atmospheric Correction Algorithm on HICO

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-01

multiple times and intercompare the results to assess variability in the retrieved reflectance spectra. Retrieved chlorophyll values from this...intercomparison are similar and also agree well with the In situ chlorophyll measurements. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Atmospheric correction, cloud-shadow...reflectance spectra. Re- trieved chlorophyll values from this intercomparison are similar and also agree well with the in situ chlorophyll measurements

The Effect of Reflective Portfolio Use on Student Self-Regulation Skills in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenwood, Jacob C.

2010-01-01

This study investigated the use of reflective portfolios in science as a means to provide students a medium to develop a repertoire of study and self-regulation strategies. These self-regulation strategies can be accessed and utilized by students to engage in independent study and help to manage workloads from multiple teachers. The use of a…

Differing Relationships to Research in Higher and Further Education in the UK: A Reflective Account from a Practitioner Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Child, Sue

2009-01-01

Within education, the term "research" is used in a multiplicity of ways. This paper draws on my own reflection of how educational practitioners experience shifting relationships to research. It suggests that within the further education (FE) sector, professionalism in teaching is measured through observation in the form of the Ofsted…

Supporting Reflective Practices in Social Change Processes with the Dynamic Learning Agenda: An Example of Learning about the Process towards Disability Inclusive Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Veen, Saskia C.; de Wildt-Liesveld, Renée; Bunders, Joske F. G.; Regeer, Barbara J.

2014-01-01

Change processes are increasingly seen as the solution to entrenched (social) problems. However, change is difficult to realise while dealing with multiple actors, values, and approaches. (Inter)organisational learning is seen as a way to facilitate reflective practices in social change that support emergent changes, vicarious learning, and…

2010 CEOS Field Reflectance Intercomparisons Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thome, Kurtis; Fox, Nigel

2011-01-01

This paper summarizes lessons learned from the 2009 and 2010 joint field campaigns to Tuz Golu, Turkey. Emphasis is placed on the 2010 campaign related to understanding the equipment and measurement protocols, processing schemes, and traceability to SI quantities. Participants in both 2009 and 2010 used an array of measurement approaches to determine surface reflectance. One lesson learned is that even with all of the differences in collection between groups, the differences in reflectance are currently dominated by instrumental artifacts including knowledge of the white reference. Processing methodology plays a limited role once the bi-directional reflectance of the white reference is used rather than a hemispheric-directional value. The lack of a basic set of measurement protocols, or best practices, limits a group s ability to ensure SI traceability and the development of proper error budgets. Finally, rigorous attention to sampling methodology and its impact on instrument behavior is needed. The results of the 2009 and 2010 joint campaigns clearly demonstrate both the need and utility of such campaigns and such comparisons must continue in the future to ensure a coherent set of data that can span multiple sensor types and multiple decades.

Measurements and simulations of the optical gain and anti-reflection coating modal reflectivity in quantum cascade lasers with multiple active region stacks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bidaux, Y., E-mail: yves.bidaux@alpeslasers.ch; Alpes Lasers SA, 1-3 Maximilien-de-Meuron, CH-2000 Neuchatel; Terazzi, R.

2015-09-07

We report spectrally resolved gain measurements and simulations for quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) composed of multiple heterogeneous stacks designed for broadband emission in the mid-infrared. The measurement method is first demonstrated on a reference single active region QCL based on a double-phonon resonance design emitting at 7.8 μm. It is then extended to a three-stack active region based on bound-to-continuum designs with a broadband emission range from 7.5 to 10.5 μm. A tight agreement is found with simulations based on a density matrix model. The latter implements exhaustive microscopic scattering and dephasing sources with virtually no fitting parameters. The quantitative agreement ismore » furthermore assessed by measuring gain coefficients obtained by studying the threshold current dependence with the cavity length. These results are particularly relevant to understand fundamental gain mechanisms in complex semiconductor heterostructure QCLs and to move towards efficient gain engineering. Finally, the method is extended to the measurement of the modal reflectivity of an anti-reflection coating deposited on the front facet of the broadband QCL.« less

Reflection/suppression coatings for 900 - 1200 A radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edelstein, Jerry

1989-01-01

The design and performance of multiple-layer, selective-reflection, selective-suppression coatings for the 900 - 1200 A band are described. These coatings are designed to optimize both high reflectivity at a desirable wavelength and low reflectivity at an undesirable wavelength. The minimum structure for a selective coating consists of a thin metal or metal oxide layer (50 - 150 A thickness) over an aluminum substrate protected with a semi-transparent dielectric (100 - 1000 A thickness). Predicted coating performance is strongly effected by varying the layer combination and thickness. A graphical method of optimizing the coating layer structure is developed. Aluminum, silicon, their oxides, and gold have been investigated as coating layer materials. A very simple coating with a 1026 to 1216 A reflectivity ratio greater than 100 was fabricated. Such reflection/suppression coatings may be of great utility to spaceborne EUV spectrographs.

Estimating big bluestem albedo from directional reflectance measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Irons, J. R.; Ranson, K. J.; Daughtry, C. S. T.

1988-01-01

Multidirectional reflectance factor measurements acquired in the summer of 1986 are used to make estimates of big bluestem grass albedo, evaluating the variation of albedo with changes in solar zenith angle and phenology. On any given day, the albedo was observed to increase by at least 19 percent as solar zenith angle increased. Changes in albedo were found to correspond to changes in the green leaf area index of the grass canopy. Estimates of albedo made using reflectance data acquired within only one or two azimuthal planes and at a restricted range of view zenith angle were evaluated and compared to 'true' albedos derived from all available reflectance factor data. It was found that even a limited amount of multiple direction reflectance data was preferable to a single nadir reflectance factor for the estimation of prarie grass albedo.

From single magnetic adatoms on superconductors to coupled spin chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franke, Katharina J.

Magnetic adsorbates on conventional s-wave superconductors lead to exchange interactions that induce Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) states inside the superconducting energy gap. Here, we employ tunneling spectroscopy at 1.1 K to investigate magnetic atoms and chains on superconducting Pb surfaces. We show that individual Manganese (Mn) atoms give rise to a distinct number of YSR-states. The single-atom junctions are stable over several orders of magnitude in conductance. We identify single-electron tunneling as well as Andreev processes. When the atoms are brought into sufficiently close distance, the Shiba states hybridize, thus giving rise to states with bonding and anti-bonding character. It has been shown that the Pb(110) surface supports the self-assembly of Fe chains, which exhibit fingerprints of Majorana bound states. Using superconducting tips, we resolve a rich subgap structure including peaks at zero energy and low-energy resonances, which overlap with the putative Majorana states. We gratefully acknowledge funding by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft through collaborative research Grant Sfb 658, and through Grant FR2726/4, as well by the European Research Council through Consolidator Grant NanoSpin.

Quasiparticle scattering spectroscopy (QPS) of Kondo lattice heavy fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, L. H.; Narasiwodeyar, S. M.; Banerjee, P.; Park, W. K.; Bauer, E. D.; Tobash, P. H.; Baumbach, R. E.; Ronning, F.; Sarrao, J. L.; Thompson, J. D.

2013-03-01

Point-contact spectroscopy (PCS) is a powerful technique to study electronic properties via measurements of non-linear current-voltage characteristic across a ballistic junction. It has been frequently adopted to investigate novel and/or unconventional superconductors by detecting the energy-dependent Andreev scattering. PCS of non-superconducting materials has been much rarely reported. From our recent studies on heavy fermions, we have frequently observed strongly bias-dependent and asymmetric conductance behaviors. Based on a Fano resonance model in a Kondo lattice, we attribute them to energy-dependent quasiparticle scattering off hybridized renormalized electronic states, dubbing it QPS. We will present our QPS results on several heavy-fermion systems and discuss QPS as a novel technique to probe the bulk spectroscopic properties of the electronic structure. For instance, it reveals that the hybridization gap in URu2Si2 opens well above the hidden order transition. The work at UIUC is supported by the U.S. DOE under Award No. DE-FG02-07ER46453 and the NSF DMR 12-06766, and the work at LANL is carried out under the auspices of the U.S. DOE, Office of Science.

Superconductivity in doped Dirac semimetals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashimoto, Tatsuki; Kobayashi, Shingo; Tanaka, Yukio; Sato, Masatoshi

2016-07-01

We theoretically study intrinsic superconductivity in doped Dirac semimetals. Dirac semimetals host bulk Dirac points, which are formed by doubly degenerate bands, so the Hamiltonian is described by a 4 ×4 matrix and six types of k -independent pair potentials are allowed by the Fermi-Dirac statistics. We show that the unique spin-orbit coupling leads to characteristic superconducting gap structures and d vectors on the Fermi surface and the electron-electron interaction between intra and interorbitals gives a novel phase diagram of superconductivity. It is found that when the interorbital attraction is dominant, an unconventional superconducting state with point nodes appears. To verify the experimental signature of possible superconducting states, we calculate the temperature dependence of bulk physical properties such as electronic specific heat and spin susceptibility and surface state. In the unconventional superconducting phase, either dispersive or flat Andreev bound states appear between point nodes, which leads to double peaks or a single peak in the surface density of states, respectively. As a result, possible superconducting states can be distinguished by combining bulk and surface measurements.

Contrasting SYK-like models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnan, Chethan; Pavan Kumar, K. V.; Rosa, Dario

2018-01-01

We contrast some aspects of various SYK-like models with large- N melonic behavior. First, we note that ungauged tensor models can exhibit symmetry breaking, even though these are 0+1 dimensional theories. Related to this, we show that when gauged, some of them admit no singlets, and are anomalous. The uncolored Majorana tensor model with even N is a simple case where gauge singlets can exist in the spectrum. We outline a strategy for solving for the singlet spectrum, taking advantage of the results in arXiv:1706.05364, and reproduce the singlet states expected in N = 2. In the second part of the paper, we contrast the random matrix aspects of some ungauged tensor models, the original SYK model, and a model due to Gross and Rosenhaus. The latter, even though disorder averaged, shows parallels with the Gurau-Witten model. In particular, the two models fall into identical Andreev ensembles as a function of N . In an appendix, we contrast the (expected) spectra of AdS2 quantum gravity, SYK and SYK-like tensor models, and the zeros of the Riemann Zeta function.

Spectral decomposition of AVIRIS data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaddis, Lisa; Soderblom, Laurence; Kieffer, Hugh; Becker, Kris; Torson, Jim; Mullins, Kevin

1993-01-01

A set of techniques is presented that uses only information contained within a raw Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) scene to estimate and to remove additive components such as multiple scattering and instrument dark current. Multiplicative components (instrument gain, topographic modulation of brightness, atmospheric transmission) can then be normalized, permitting enhancement, extraction, and identification of relative reflectance information related to surface composition and mineralogy. The technique for derivation of additive-component spectra from a raw AVIRIS scene is an adaption of the 'regression intersection method' of Crippen. This method uses two surface units that are spatially extensive, and located in rugged terrain. For a given wavelength pair, subtraction of the derived additive component from individual band values will remove topography in both regions in a band/band ratio image. Normalization of all spectra in the scene to the average scene spectrum then results in cancellation of multiplicative components and production of a relative-reflectance scene. The resulting AVIRIS product contains relative-reflectance features due to mineral absorption that depart from the average spectrum. These features commonly are extremely weak and difficult to recognize, but they can be enhanced by using two simple 3-D image-processing tools. The validity of these techniques will be demonstrated by comparisons between relative-reflectance AVIRIS spectra and those derived by using JPL standard calibrations. The AVIRIS data used in this analysis were acquired over the Kelso Dunes area (34 deg 55' N, 115 deg 43' W) of the eastern Mojave Desert, CA (in 1987) and the Upheaval Dome area (38 deg 27' N, 109 deg 55' W) of the Canyonlands National Park, UT (in 1991).

High-fidelity simulations of blast loadings in urban environments using an overset meshing strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, X.; Remotigue, M.; Arnoldus, Q.; Janus, M.; Luke, E.; Thompson, D.; Weed, R.; Bessette, G.

2017-05-01

Detailed blast propagation and evolution through multiple structures representing an urban environment were simulated using the code Loci/BLAST, which employs an overset meshing strategy. The use of overset meshes simplifies mesh generation by allowing meshes for individual component geometries to be generated independently. Detailed blast propagation and evolution through multiple structures, wave reflection and interaction between structures, and blast loadings on structures were simulated and analyzed. Predicted results showed good agreement with experimental data generated by the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center. Loci/BLAST results were also found to compare favorably to simulations obtained using the Second-Order Hydrodynamic Automatic Mesh Refinement Code (SHAMRC). The results obtained demonstrated that blast reflections in an urban setting significantly increased the blast loads on adjacent buildings. Correlations of computational results with experimental data yielded valuable insights into the physics of blast propagation, reflection, and interaction under an urban setting and verified the use of Loci/BLAST as a viable tool for urban blast analysis.

In-flight radiometric calibration of the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Conel, James E.; Green, Robert O.; Alley, Ronald E.; Bruegge, Carol J.; Carrere, Veronique; Margolis, Jack S.; Vane, Gregg; Chrien, Thomas G.; Slater, Philip N.; Biggard, Stuart F.

1988-01-01

A reflectance-based method was used to provide an analysis of the in-flight radiometric performance of AVIRIS. Field spectral reflectance measurements of the surface and extinction measurements of the atmosphere using solar radiation were used as input to atmospheric radiative transfer calculations. Five separate codes were used in the analysis. Four include multiple scattering, and the computed radiances from these for flight conditions were in good agreement. Code-generated radiances were compared with AVIRIS-predicted radiances based on two laboratory calibrations (pre- and post-season of flight) for a uniform highly reflecting natural dry lake target. For one spectrometer (C), the pre- and post-season calibration factors were found to give identical results, and to be in agreement with the atmospheric models that include multiple scattering. This positive result validates the field and laboratory calibration technique. Results for the other spectrometers (A, B and D) were widely at variance with the models no matter which calibration factors were used. Potential causes of these discrepancies are discussed.

Fluorescence excitation and imaging of single molecules near dielectric-coated and bare surfaces: a theoretical study.

PubMed

Axelrod, Daniel

2012-08-01

Microscopic fluorescent samples of interest to cell and molecular biology are commonly embedded in an aqueous medium near a solid surface that is coated with a thin film such as a lipid multilayer, collagen, acrylamide, or a cell wall. Both excitation and emission of fluorescent single molecules near film-coated surfaces are strongly affected by the proximity of the coated surface, the film thickness, its refractive index and the fluorophore's orientation. For total internal reflection excitation, multiple reflections in the film can lead to resonance peaks in the evanescent intensity versus incidence angle curve. For emission, multiple reflections arising from the fluorophore's near field emission can create a distinct intensity pattern in both the back focal plane and the image plane of a high aperture objective. This theoretical analysis discusses how these features can be used to report film thickness and refractive index, and fluorophore axial position and orientation. © 2012 The Author Journal of Microscopy © 2012 Royal Microscopical Society.

Method for Calculating the Optical Diffuse Reflection Coefficient for the Ocular Fundus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lisenko, S. A.; Kugeiko, M. M.

2016-07-01

We have developed a method for calculating the optical diffuse reflection coefficient for the ocular fundus, taking into account multiple scattering of light in its layers (retina, epithelium, choroid) and multiple refl ection of light between layers. The method is based on the formulas for optical "combination" of the layers of the medium, in which the optical parameters of the layers (absorption and scattering coefficients) are replaced by some effective values, different for cases of directional and diffuse illumination of the layer. Coefficients relating the effective optical parameters of the layers and the actual values were established based on the results of a Monte Carlo numerical simulation of radiation transport in the medium. We estimate the uncertainties in retrieval of the structural and morphological parameters for the fundus from its diffuse reflectance spectrum using our method. We show that the simulated spectra correspond to the experimental data and that the estimates of the fundus parameters obtained as a result of solving the inverse problem are reasonable.

Monitoring technique for multiple power splitter-passive optical networks using a tunable OTDR and FBGs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hann, Swook; Kim, Dong-Hwan; Park, Chang-Soo

2006-04-01

A monitoring technique for multiple power splitter-passive optical networks (PS-PON) is presented. The technique is based on the remote sensing of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) using a tunable OTDR. To monitor the multiple PS-PON, the FBG can be used for a wavelength dependent reflective reference on each branch end of the PS. The FBG helps discern an individual event of the multiple PS-PON for the monitoring in collaborate with information of Rayleigh backscattered power. The multiple PS-PON can be analyzed by the monitoring method at the central office under 10-Gbit/s in-service.

Derivation of scaled surface reflectances from AVIRIS data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gao, Bo-Cai; Heidebrecht, Kathleen B.; Goetz, Alexander F. H.

1993-01-01

A method for retrieving 'scaled surface reflectances' assuming horizontal surfaces having Lambertian reflectances from spectral data collected by Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) is presented here. In this method, the integrated water vapor amount on a pixel by pixel basis is derived from the 0.94 micron and 1.14 micron water vapor absorption features. The transmission spectra of H2O, CO2, O3, N2O, CO, CH4, and O2 in the 0.4-2.5 micron region are simulated. The scattering effect due to atmospheric molecules and aerosols is modeled with the 5S computer code. The AVIRIS radiances are divided by solar irradiances above the atmosphere to obtain the apparent reflectances. The scaled surface reflectances are derived from the apparent reflectances using the simulated atmospheric gaseous transmittances and the simulated molecular and aerosol scattering data. The scaled surface reflectances differ from the real surface reflectances by a multiplicative factor. In order to convert the scaled surface reflectances into real surface reflectances, the slopes and aspects of the surfaces must be known.

Surface albedo from bidirectional reflectance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ranson, K. J.; Irons, J. R.; Daughtry, C. S. T.

1991-01-01

The validity of integrating over discrete wavelength bands is examined to estimate total shortwave bidirectional reflectance of vegetated and bare soil surfaces. Methods for estimating albedo from multiple angle, discrete wavelength band radiometer measurements are studied. These methods include a numerical integration technique and the integration of an empirically derived equation for bidirectional reflectance. It is concluded that shortwave albedos estimated through both techniques agree favorably with the independent pyranometer measurements. Absolute rms errors are found to be 0.5 percent or less for both grass sod and bare soil surfaces.

Tracking Iron in Multiple Sclerosis: A Combined Imaging and Histopathological Study at 7 Tesla

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagnato, Francesca; Hametner, Simon; Yao, Bing; van Gelderen, Peter; Merkle, Hellmut; Cantor, Fredric K.; Lassmann, Hans; Duyn, Jeff H.

2011-01-01

Previous authors have shown that the transverse relaxivity R[subscript 2][superscript *] and frequency shifts that characterize gradient echo signal decay in magnetic resonance imaging are closely associated with the distribution of iron and myelin in the brain's white matter. In multiple sclerosis, iron accumulation in brain tissue may reflect a…

Diffusion Weighted Callosal Integrity Reflects Interhemispheric Communication Efficiency in Multiple Sclerosis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warlop, Nele P.; Achten, Eric; Debruyne, Jan; Vingerhoets, Guy

2008-01-01

We aimed to investigate the relation between damage in the corpus callosum and the performance on an interhemispheric communication task in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Relative callosal lesion load defined as the ratio between callosal area and the total lesion load in the total corpus callosum, and the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)…

Two-dimensional PSF prediction of multiple-reflection optical systems with rough surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tayabaly, Kashmira; Spiga, Daniele; Sironi, Giorgia; Pareschi, Giovani; Lavagna, Michele

2016-09-01

The focusing accuracy in reflective optical systems, usually expressed in terms of the Point Spread Function (PSF) is chiefly determined by two factors: the deviation of the mirror shape from the nominal design and the surface finishing. While the effects of the former are usually well described by the geometrical optics, the latter is diffractive/interferential in nature and determined by a distribution of defects that cover several decades in the lateral scale (from a few millimeters to a few microns). Clearly, reducing the level of scattered light is crucial to improve the focusing of the collected radiation, particularly for astronomical telescopes that aim to detect faint light signals from our Universe. Telescopes are typically arranged in multiple reflections configuration and the behavior of the multiply-scattered radiation becomes difficult to predict and control. Also it is difficult to disentangle the effect of surface scattering from the PSF degradation caused by the shape deformation of the optical elements. This paper presents a simple and unifying method for evaluating the contribution of optical surfaces defects to the two-dimensional PSF of a multi-reflections system, regardless of the classification of a spectral range as "geometry" or "roughness". This method, entirely based on Huygens-Fresnel principle in the far-field approximation, was already applied in grazing-incidence X-ray mirrors and experimentally validated for a single reflection system, accounting for the real surface topography of the optics. In this work we show the extension of this formalism to a double reflection system and introducing real microroughness data. The formalism is applied to a MAGIC-I panel mirror that was fully characterized, allowing us to predict the PSF and the validation with real measurements of the double reflection ASTRI telescope, a prototype of CTA-SST telescope.

Replacing backscattering with reduced scattering. A better formulation of reflectance function?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piskozub, Jacek; McKee, David; Freda, Wlodzimierz

2014-05-01

Modern reflectance formulas all involve backscattering coefficient divided by absorption coefficient (bb/a). The backscattering (or backward scattering) coefficient describes how much of the incident radiation is scattered at angles between 90 and 180 deg. However, water leaving photons are not necessarily backscattered because it is possible for a variable fraction to exit after multiple forward scattering events. Therefore the whole angular function of scattering probability (phase function) influences the reflectance signal. This is the reason why phase functions of identical backscattering ratio may result in different reflectance values, contrary to the universally used formula. This creates the question whether there may exist a better formula using a parameter better describing phase function shape than backscattering ratio. The asymmetry parameter g (the average scattering cosine) is commonly used to parametrize phase functions. A replacement for backscattering should decrease with increasing g. Therefore, the simplest candidate to replace backscattering has the form of b(1-g), where b is the scattering coefficient. Such a parameter is well known in biomedical optics under the name of reduced scattering (sometimes transport scattering). It has even been used in parametrizing reflectance in (highly turbid) human tissues. However no attempt has been made to check its usefulness in marine optics. We perform Monte Carlo radiative transfer calculations of reflectance for multiple combinations of inherent optical properties, including different phase functions. The results are used to create a new reflectance formula as a function of reduced scattering and absorption and test its robustness to changes in phase function shape compared to the traditional bb/a formula. We discuss its usefulness as well as advantages and disadvantages compared to the traditional formulation.

NCSP IER 422 CED-3b Documentation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hutchinson, Jesson D.; Cutler, Theresa Elizabeth; Bahran, Rian Mustafa

2017-11-22

A Subcritical Copper-Reflected α-phase Plutonium (SCRαP) integral benchmark experiment has been designed and measured. In this experiment, multiplication is approximated using correlated neutron data from a detector system consisting of 3He tubes inside high density polyethylene (HDPE). Measurements were performed on various subcritical experimental configurations consisting of a weapons-grade plutonium sphere surrounded by different Cu thicknesses. In addition to the proposed base experimental configurations with Cu, additional configurations were performed with the plutonium ball nested in various thicknesses of interleaved HDPE spherical shells mixed in with the Cu shells. The HDPE is intended to provide fast neutron moderation and reflection,more » resulting in additional measurements with differing multiplication, spectra, and nuclear data sensitivity.« less

Modified Hitschfeld-Bordan Equations for Attenuation-Corrected Radar Rain Reflectivity: Application to Nonuniform Beamfilling at Off-Nadir Incidence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meneghini, Robert; Liao, Liang

2013-01-01

As shown by Takahashi et al., multiple path attenuation estimates over the field of view of an airborne or spaceborne weather radar are feasible for off-nadir incidence angles. This follows from the fact that the surface reference technique, which provides path attenuation estimates, can be applied to each radar range gate that intersects the surface. This study builds on this result by showing that three of the modified Hitschfeld-Bordan estimates for the attenuation-corrected radar reflectivity factor can be generalized to the case where multiple path attenuation estimates are available, thereby providing a correction to the effects of nonuniform beamfilling. A simple simulation is presented showing some strengths and weaknesses of the approach.

Personal Reflection: "Joy Ride" with SoTL Practice: The Investigation of the Effectiveness of Assistive Technology Course Contents on Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cho, Jeong il

2012-01-01

This reflection is based on my project that investigated the impact of new course content on student learning of basic knowledge and attitudes toward various assistive technology (AT) devices and services using multiple measures in an introductory-level course in a special education program at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.…

The albedo of particles in reflection nebulae

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rush, W. F.

1974-01-01

The relation between the apparent angular extent of a reflection nebula and the apparent magnitude of its illuminating star was reconsidered under a less restrictive set of assumptions. A computational technique was developed which permits the use of fits to the observed m-log a values to determine the albedo of particles composing reflection nebulae, providing only that a phase function and average optical thickness are assumed. Multiple scattering, anisotropic phase functions, and illumination by the general star field are considered, and the albedo of reflection nebular particles appears to be the same as that for interstellar particles in general. The possibility of continuous fluorescence contributions to the surface brightness is also considered.

On the Electrification of Pyrocumulus Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lang, Timothy J.; Rutledge, Steven A.; Dolan, Brenda; Krehbiel, Paul; Rison, William; Lindsey, Daniel T.

2013-01-01

The electrification (or lack thereof) of pyrocumulus clouds is examined for several different wildfires that occurred during 2012-2013. For example, pyrocumulus clouds above three Colorado wildfires (Hewlett Gulch, High Park, and Waldo Canyon; all occurred during summer 2012) electrified and produced small intracloud discharges whenever the smoke plumes grew to high altitudes (over 10 km above mean sea level, or MSL). This occurred during periods of rapid wildfire growth, as indicated by the shortwave infrared channel on a geostationary satellite, as well as by incident reports. In the Hewlett Gulch case, the fire growth led to increased updrafts within the plume, as inferred by multiple-Doppler radar syntheses, which led to the vertical development and subsequent electrification - a life cycle as short as 30 minutes. The lightning, detected by a three-dimensional lightning mapping network, was favored in high-altitude regions (10 km MSL) containing modest reflectivities (25 dBZ and lower), 0 dB differential reflectivity, and reduced correlation coefficient (0.6-0.7). This indicated the likely presence of ice particles (crystals and aggregates, possibly rimed) mixed with ash. Though neither multiple-Doppler nor polarimetric observations were available during the electrification of the High Park and Waldo Canyon plumes, their NEXRAD observations showed reflectivity structures consistent with Hewlett Gulch. In addition, polarimetric and multiple-Doppler scanning of unelectrified High Park plumes indicated only irregularly shaped ash, and not ice, was present (i.e., reflectivities < 25 dBZ, differential reflectivity > 5 dB, correlation < 0.4), and there was no broaching of the 10 km altitude. Based on these results, the electrification likely was caused by ice-based processes that did not involve significant amounts of graupel. Results for pyrocumulus clouds above notable 2013 wildfires that also experienced rapid growth (e.g., Black Forest, Yarnell Hill, West Fork, Tres Lagunas, etc.) will be compared against the 2012 cases, with special emphasis on polarimetric NEXRAD and available lightning measurements, in order to better understand the physical processes responsible for pyrocumulus electrification.

Noninvasive spectral imaging of skin chromophores based on multiple regression analysis aided by Monte Carlo simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishidate, Izumi; Wiswadarma, Aditya; Hase, Yota; Tanaka, Noriyuki; Maeda, Takaaki; Niizeki, Kyuichi; Aizu, Yoshihisa

2011-08-01

In order to visualize melanin and blood concentrations and oxygen saturation in human skin tissue, a simple imaging technique based on multispectral diffuse reflectance images acquired at six wavelengths (500, 520, 540, 560, 580 and 600nm) was developed. The technique utilizes multiple regression analysis aided by Monte Carlo simulation for diffuse reflectance spectra. Using the absorbance spectrum as a response variable and the extinction coefficients of melanin, oxygenated hemoglobin, and deoxygenated hemoglobin as predictor variables, multiple regression analysis provides regression coefficients. Concentrations of melanin and total blood are then determined from the regression coefficients using conversion vectors that are deduced numerically in advance, while oxygen saturation is obtained directly from the regression coefficients. Experiments with a tissue-like agar gel phantom validated the method. In vivo experiments with human skin of the human hand during upper limb occlusion and of the inner forearm exposed to UV irradiation demonstrated the ability of the method to evaluate physiological reactions of human skin tissue.

Sequential fitting-and-separating reflectance components for analytical bidirectional reflectance distribution function estimation.

PubMed

Lee, Yu; Yu, Chanki; Lee, Sang Wook

2018-01-10

We present a sequential fitting-and-separating algorithm for surface reflectance components that separates individual dominant reflectance components and simultaneously estimates the corresponding bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) parameters from the separated reflectance values. We tackle the estimation of a Lafortune BRDF model, which combines a nonLambertian diffuse reflection and multiple specular reflectance components with a different specular lobe. Our proposed method infers the appropriate number of BRDF lobes and their parameters by separating and estimating each of the reflectance components using an interval analysis-based branch-and-bound method in conjunction with iterative K-ordered scale estimation. The focus of this paper is the estimation of the Lafortune BRDF model. Nevertheless, our proposed method can be applied to other analytical BRDF models such as the Cook-Torrance and Ward models. Experiments were carried out to validate the proposed method using isotropic materials from the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MERL-MIT) BRDF database, and the results show that our method is superior to a conventional minimization algorithm.

Speech and Pause Characteristics in Multiple Sclerosis: A Preliminary Study of Speakers with High and Low Neuropsychological Test Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feenaughty, Lynda; Tjaden, Kris; Benedict, Ralph H. B.; Weinstock-Guttman, Bianca

2013-01-01

This preliminary study investigated how cognitive-linguistic status in multiple sclerosis (MS) is reflected in two speech tasks (i.e. oral reading, narrative) that differ in cognitive-linguistic demand. Twenty individuals with MS were selected to comprise High and Low performance groups based on clinical tests of executive function and information…

Video-Enhanced Lesson Observation as a Source of Multiple Modes of Data for School Leadership: A Videographic Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hidson, Elizabeth

2018-01-01

A growing body of literature recognizes the affordances of video in education, especially in relation to lesson observation and reflection as part of teachers' initial teacher education and continuing professional development. Minimal attention has been paid to the outcomes of video-enhanced observation as a source of multiple modes of data for…

Phase matrix induced symmetrics for multiple scattering using the matrix operator method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hitzfelder, S. J.; Kattawar, G. W.

1973-01-01

Entirely rigorous proofs of the symmetries induced by the phase matrix into the reflection and transmission operators used in the matrix operator theory are given. Results are obtained for multiple scattering in both homogeneous and inhomogeneous atmospheres. These results will be useful to researchers using the method since large savings in computer time and storage are obtainable.

Non-destructive testing of full-length bonded rock bolts based on HHT signal analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Z. M.; Liu, L.; Peng, M.; Liu, C. C.; Tao, F. J.; Liu, C. S.

2018-04-01

Full-length bonded rock bolts are commonly used in mining, tunneling and slope engineering because of their simple design and resistance to corrosion. However, the length of a rock bolt and grouting quality do not often meet the required design standards in practice because of the concealment and complexity of bolt construction. Non-destructive testing is preferred when testing a rock bolt's quality because of the convenience, low cost and wide detection range. In this paper, a signal analysis method for the non-destructive sound wave testing of full-length bonded rock bolts is presented, which is based on the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT). First, we introduce the HHT analysis method to calculate the bolt length and identify defect locations based on sound wave reflection test signals, which includes decomposing the test signal via empirical mode decomposition (EMD), selecting the intrinsic mode functions (IMF) using the Pearson Correlation Index (PCI) and calculating the instantaneous phase and frequency via the Hilbert transform (HT). Second, six model tests are conducted using different grouting defects and bolt protruding lengths to verify the effectiveness of the HHT analysis method. Lastly, the influence of the bolt protruding length on the test signal, identification of multiple reflections from defects, bolt end and protruding end, and mode mixing from EMD are discussed. The HHT analysis method can identify the bolt length and grouting defect locations from signals that contain noise at multiple reflected interfaces. The reflection from the long protruding end creates an irregular test signal with many frequency peaks on the spectrum. The reflections from defects barely change the original signal because they are low energy, which cannot be adequately resolved using existing methods. The HHT analysis method can identify reflections from the long protruding end of the bolt and multiple reflections from grouting defects based on mutations in the instantaneous frequency, which makes weak reflections more noticeable. The mode mixing phenomenon is observed in several tests, but this does not markedly affect the identification results due to the simple medium in bolt tests. The mode mixing can be reduced by ensemble EMD (EEMD) or complete ensemble EMD with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN), which are powerful tools to used analyze the test signal in a complex medium and may play an important role in future studies. The HHT bolt signal analysis method is a self-adaptive and automatic process, which can be programed as analysis software and will make bolt tests more convenient in practice.

The conceptualization and measurement of cognitive reserve using common proxy indicators: Testing some tenable reflective and formative models.

PubMed

Ikanga, Jean; Hill, Elizabeth M; MacDonald, Douglas A

2017-02-01

The examination of cognitive reserve (CR) literature reveals a lack of consensus regarding conceptualization and pervasive problems with its measurement. This study aimed at examining the conceptual nature of CR through the analysis of reflective and formative models using eight proxies commonly employed in the CR literature. We hypothesized that all CR proxies would significantly contribute to a one-factor reflective model and that educational and occupational attainment would produce the strongest loadings on a single CR factor. The sample consisted of 149 participants (82 male/67 female), with 18.1 average years of education and ages of 45-99 years. Participants were assessed for eight proxies of CR (parent socioeconomic status, intellectual functioning, level of education, health literacy, occupational prestige, life leisure activities, physical activities, and spiritual and religious activities). Primary statistical analyses consisted of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test reflective models and structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) models. CFA did not produce compelling support for a unitary CR construct when using all eight of our CR proxy variables in a reflective model but fairly cogent evidence for a one-factor model with four variable proxies. A second three-factor reflective model based upon an exploratory principal components analysis of the eight proxies was tested using CFA. Though all eight indicators significantly loaded on their assigned factors, evidence in support of overall model fit was mixed. Based upon the results involving the three-factor reflective model, two alternative formative models were developed and evaluated. While some support was obtained for both, the model in which the formative influences were specified as latent variables appeared to best account for the contributions of all eight proxies to the CR construct. While the findings provide partial support for our hypothesis regarding CR as a one-dimensional reflective construct, the results strongly suggest that the construct is more complex than what can be captured in a reflective model alone. There is a need for theory to better identify and differentiate formative from reflective indicators and to articulate the mechanisms by which CR develops and operates.

Discrete ordinates solutions of nongray radiative transfer with diffusely reflecting walls

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menart, J. A.; Lee, Haeok S.; Kim, Tae-Kuk

1993-01-01

Nongray gas radiation in a plane parallel slab bounded by gray, diffusely reflecting walls is studied using the discrete ordinates method. The spectral equation of transfer is averaged over a narrow wavenumber interval preserving the spectral correlation effect. The governing equations are derived by considering the history of multiple reflections between two reflecting wails. A closure approximation is applied so that only a finite number of reflections have to be explicitly included. The closure solutions express the physics of the problem to a very high degree and show relatively little error. Numerical solutions are obtained by applying a statistical narrow-band model for gas properties and a discrete ordinates code. The net radiative wail heat fluxes and the radiative source distributions are obtained for different temperature profiles. A zeroth-degree formulation, where no wall reflection is handled explicitly, is sufficient to predict the radiative transfer accurately for most cases considered, when compared with increasingly accurate solutions based on explicitly tracing a larger number of wail reflections without any closure approximation applied.

Impact of multiple radar reflectivity data assimilation on the numerical simulation of a flash flood event during the HyMeX campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maiello, Ida; Gentile, Sabrina; Ferretti, Rossella; Baldini, Luca; Roberto, Nicoletta; Picciotti, Errico; Alberoni, Pier Paolo; Silvio Marzano, Frank

2017-11-01

An analysis to evaluate the impact of multiple radar reflectivity data with a three-dimensional variational (3-D-Var) assimilation system on a heavy precipitation event is presented. The main goal is to build a regionally tuned numerical prediction model and a decision-support system for environmental civil protection services and demonstrate it in the central Italian regions, distinguishing which type of observations, conventional and not (or a combination of them), is more effective in improving the accuracy of the forecasted rainfall. In that respect, during the first special observation period (SOP1) of HyMeX (Hydrological cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment) campaign several intensive observing periods (IOPs) were launched and nine of which occurred in Italy. Among them, IOP4 is chosen for this study because of its low predictability regarding the exact location and amount of precipitation. This event hit central Italy on 14 September 2012 producing heavy precipitation and causing several cases of damage to buildings, infrastructure, and roads. Reflectivity data taken from three C-band Doppler radars running operationally during the event are assimilated using the 3-D-Var technique to improve high-resolution initial conditions. In order to evaluate the impact of the assimilation procedure at different horizontal resolutions and to assess the impact of assimilating reflectivity data from multiple radars, several experiments using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model are performed. Finally, traditional verification scores such as accuracy, equitable threat score, false alarm ratio, and frequency bias - interpreted by analysing their uncertainty through bootstrap confidence intervals (CIs) - are used to objectively compare the experiments, using rain gauge data as a benchmark.

Specialized Color Targets for Spectral Reflectance Reconstruction of Magnified Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruschwitz, Jennifer D. T.

Digital images are used almost exclusively instead of film to capture visual information across many scientific fields. The colorimetric color representation within these digital images can be relayed from the digital counts produced by the camera with the use of a known color target. In image capture of magnified images, there is currently no reliable color target that can be used at multiple magnifications and give the user a solid understanding of the color ground truth within those images. The first part of this dissertation included the design, fabrication, and testing of a color target produced with optical interference coated microlenses for use in an off-axis illumination, compound microscope. An ideal target was designed to increase the color gamut for colorimetric imaging and provide the necessary "Block Dye" spectral reflectance profiles across the visible spectrum to reduce the number of color patches necessary for multiple filter imaging systems that rely on statistical models for spectral reflectance reconstruction. There are other scientific disciplines that can benefit from a specialized color target to determine the color ground truth in their magnified images and perform spectral estimation. Not every discipline has the luxury of having a multi-filter imaging system. The second part of this dissertation developed two unique ways of using an interference coated color mirror target: one that relies on multiple light-source angles, and one that leverages a dynamic color change with time. The source multi-angle technique would be used for the microelectronic discipline where the reconstructed spectral reflectance would be used to determine a dielectric film thickness on a silicon substrate, and the time varying technique would be used for a biomedical example to determine the thickness of human tear film.

Identifying explosives by dielectric properties obtained through wide-band millimeter-wave illumination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weatherall, James C.; Barber, Jeffrey; Smith, Barry T.

2015-05-01

A method for extracting dielectric constant from free-space 18 - 40 GHz millimeter-wave reflection data is demonstrated. The reflection coefficient is a function of frequency because of propagation effects, and numerically fitting data to a theoretical model based on geometric optics gives a solution for the complex dielectric constant and target thickness. The discriminative value is illustrated with inert substances and military sheet explosive. In principle, the measurement of reflectivity across multiple frequencies can be incorporated into Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) systems to automatically identify the composition of anomalies detected on persons at screening checkpoints.

Intranasal Insulin: A Novel Treatment for Gulf War Multisymptom Illness

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

nervous system (CNS). Over the years it has been found that cognitive complaints have been particularly troublesome to GWV. Recent studies have shown a...central nervous system (CNS). Over the years it has been found that cognitive complaints have been particularly troublesome to GWV. Recent studies...GWV may reflect executive system dysfunction (Tillman et al., 2010) as reflected by slower motor responses across multiple cognitive domains (RAC

Reflective Writing about the Utility Value of Science as a Tool for Increasing STEM Motivation and Retention -- Can AI Help Scale Up?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beigman Klebanov, Beata; Burstein, Jill; Harackiewicz, Judith M.; Priniski, Stacy J.; Mulholland, Matthew

2017-01-01

The integration of subject matter learning with reading and writing skills takes place in multiple ways. Students learn to read, interpret, and write texts in the discipline-relevant genres. However, writing can be used not only for the purposes of practice in professional communication, but also as an opportunity to reflect on the learned…

Interactive Acoustic Simulation in Urban and Complex Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-21

and validity of the solution given by the two methods. Transfer functions are used to model two-way couplings to allow multiple orders of acoustic...Function ( BRDF )[79, 137]. The ray models have also been applied to inhomogeneous outdoor media by numerical integration of the differential ray...surface, the interaction can be modeled by specular reflection, Snell’s law refraction, or BRDF -based reflection, depending on the surface properties

Using Reflection with Peers to Help Students Learn Effective Problem Solving Strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mason, Andrew; Singh, Chandralekha

2010-10-01

We describe a study in which introductory physics students engage in reflection with peers about problem solving. The recitations for an introductory physics course with 200 students were broken into the "Peer Reflection" (PR) group and the traditional group. Each week in recitation, students in the PR group reflected in small teams on selected problems from the homework. The graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants (TAs) in the PR group recitations provided guidance and coaching to help students learn effective problem solving heuristics. In the recitations for the traditional group, students had the opportunity to ask the graduate TA questions about the homework before they took a weekly quiz. On the final exam with only multiple-choice questions, the PR group drew diagrams on more problems than the traditional group, even when there was no external reward for doing so. Since there was no partial credit for drawing the diagrams on the scratch books, students did not draw diagrams simply to get credit for the effort shown and must value the use of diagrams for solving problems if they drew them. We also find that, regardless of whether the students belonged to the traditional or PR groups, those who drew more diagrams for the multiple-choice questions outperformed those who did not draw them.

Optical Sensing of Ecosystem Carbon Fluxes from Tower-mounted Spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huemmrich, K. F.; Corp, L. A.; Middleton, E.; Cook, B.; Campbell, P. K. E.; Zhang, Q.; Hom, M.; Russ, A.; Kustas, W. P.

2016-12-01

Optical sampling of spectral reflectance and solar induced fluorescence provide information on the physiological status of vegetation that can be used to infer stress responses and estimates of production. To fully understand these measurements requires descriptions of temporal and bidirectional variability. The NASA FUSION tower-mounted system consists of two dual channel, upward and downward looking, spectrometers used to simultaneously collect high spectral resolution measurements of reflected and fluoresced light from vegetation canopies at multiple view angles. This comprehensive tower measurement dataset can provide insights into interpretation of satellite or aircraft observations. Data were collected in the Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancement (OPE3) cornfields (39.03°N, 76.85°W) at USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in conjunction with CO2 eddy covariance fluxes throughout the growing season. Estimates of chlorophyll fluorescence, combined with measures of vegetation pigment content and the Photosynthetic Reflectance Index (PRI) derived from the spectral reflectance are compared with CO2 fluxes over diurnal periods for multiple days. We find significant bidirectional effects. The relationships among the different optical measurements indicate that they are providing different types of information on the vegetation and that combinations of these measurements provide improved retrievals of CO2 fluxes than any index alone.

Changes in reflectance anisotropy of wheat crop during different phenophases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lunagaria, Manoj M.; Patel, Haridas R.

2017-04-01

The canopy structure of wheat changes significantly with growth stages and leads to changes in reflectance anisotropy. Bidirectional reflectance distribution function characterises the reflectance anisotropy of the targets, which can be approximated. Spectrodirectional reflectance measurements on wheat crop were acquired using a field goniometer system. The bidirectional reflectance spectra were acquired at 54 view angles to cover the hemispheric span up to 60° view zenith. The observations were made during early growth stages till maturity of the crop. The anisotropy was not constant for all wavelengths and anisotropic factors clearly revealed spectral dependence, which was more pronounced in near principal plane. In near infrared, wheat canopy expressed less reflectance anisotropy because of higher multiple scattering. The broad hotspot signature was noticeable in reflectance of canopy whenever view and solar angles were close. Distinct changes in bidirectional reflectance distribution function were observed during booting to flowering stages as the canopy achieves more uniformity, height and head emergence. The function clearly reveals bowl shape during heading to early milking growth stages of the crop. Late growth stages show less prominent gap and shadow effects. Anisotropy index revealed that wheat exhibits changes in reflectance anisotropy with phenological development and with spectral bands.

On the social nature of global self-esteem: a replication study.

PubMed

Stephan, Yannick; Maiano, Christophe

2007-10-01

Few researchers have considered the relationship between global self-esteem and the reflected appraisal of others in one's life, or how reflected appraisals and global self-esteem may change as a result of interpersonal feedback. In this study, the authors collected data from 110 undergraduate students on (a) their global self-esteem and the reflected appraisals of multiple others in their lives and (b) how these dimensions changed in hypothetical interpersonal-feedback situations. Results showed that participants' global self-esteem was related to the reflected appraisals of their fathers, teachers, and friends. The results also indicated that others' reflected appraisals and the individual's global self-esteem fluctuated according to the nature (i.e., positive vs. negative) of the hypothetical interpersonal feedback. Overall, the findings emphasize the social nature and regulation of global self-esteem.

Bright color optical switching device by polymer network liquid crystal with a specular reflector.

PubMed

Lee, Gae Hwang; Hwang, Kyu Young; Jang, Jae Eun; Jin, Yong Wan; Lee, Sang Yoon; Jung, Jae Eun

2011-07-04

The color optical switching device by polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC) with color filter on a specular reflector shows excellent performance; white reflectance of 22%, color gamut of 32%, and contrast ratio up to 50:1 in reflective mode measurement. The view-angle dependence of the reflectance can be adjusted by changing the PNLC thickness. The color chromaticity shown by the device is close to the limit value of color filters, and its value nearly remains with respect to the operating voltage. These optical properties of the device can be explained from the prediction based on multiple interactions between the light and the droplets of liquid crystal. The high reflectance, vivid color image, and moderate responds time allow the PNLC device to drive good color moving image. It can widely extend the applications of the reflective device.

An Evaluation of Seismic Reflection Studies in the Yucca Mountain Area, Nevada Test Site

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGovern, Thomas F.; Introduction by Pankratz, L. W.; Ackermann, H.D.

1983-01-01

As part of a total geophysical evaluation of Yucca Mountain for use as a Nuclear Waste Repository the seismic reflection technique has been applied. This study has been conducted to analyze the historical and technical efforts which have been used by three geophysical contractors employing a wide variety of techniques ranging from the most simple to very elaborate 3-D surveys. In each case elaborate noise studies were conducted, and based upon their evaluation parameters were chosen for multifold CDP recording. In every case, the signal-to-noise ratio was such that no reflections were discernable. Since the reflections cannot be separated from the noise even using very elaborate noise suppression techniques and up to 384 fold multiplicity it is apparent that in this volcanic terrain reflection surveys, can not work.

Measurement of the Length of Installed Rock Bolt Based on Stress Wave Reflection by Using a Giant Magnetostrictive (GMS) Actuator and a PZT Sensor.

PubMed

Luo, Mingzhang; Li, Weijie; Wang, Bo; Fu, Qingqing; Song, Gangbing

2017-02-23

Rock bolts, as a type of reinforcing element, are widely adopted in underground excavations and civil engineering structures. Given the importance of rock bolts, the research outlined in this paper attempts to develop a portable non-destructive evaluation method for assessing the length of installed rock bolts for inspection purposes. Traditionally, piezoelectric elements or hammer impacts were used to perform non-destructive evaluation of rock bolts. However, such methods suffered from many major issues, such as the weak energy generated and the requirement for permanent installation for piezoelectric elements, and the inconsistency of wave generation for hammer impact. In this paper, we proposed a portable device for the non-destructive evaluation of rock bolt conditions based on a giant magnetostrictive (GMS) actuator. The GMS actuator generates enough energy to ensure multiple reflections of the stress waves along the rock bolt and a lead zirconate titantate (PZT) sensor is used to detect the reflected waves. A new integrated procedure that involves correlation analysis, wavelet denoising, and Hilbert transform was proposed to process the multiple reflection signals to determine the length of an installed rock bolt. The experimental results from a lab test and field tests showed that, by analyzing the instant phase of the periodic reflections of the stress wave generated by the GMS transducer, the length of an embedded rock bolt can be accurately determined.

Measurement of the Length of Installed Rock Bolt Based on Stress Wave Reflection by Using a Giant Magnetostrictive (GMS) Actuator and a PZT Sensor

PubMed Central

Luo, Mingzhang; Li, Weijie; Wang, Bo; Fu, Qingqing; Song, Gangbing

2017-01-01

Rock bolts, as a type of reinforcing element, are widely adopted in underground excavations and civil engineering structures. Given the importance of rock bolts, the research outlined in this paper attempts to develop a portable non-destructive evaluation method for assessing the length of installed rock bolts for inspection purposes. Traditionally, piezoelectric elements or hammer impacts were used to perform non-destructive evaluation of rock bolts. However, such methods suffered from many major issues, such as the weak energy generated and the requirement for permanent installation for piezoelectric elements, and the inconsistency of wave generation for hammer impact. In this paper, we proposed a portable device for the non-destructive evaluation of rock bolt conditions based on a giant magnetostrictive (GMS) actuator. The GMS actuator generates enough energy to ensure multiple reflections of the stress waves along the rock bolt and a lead zirconate titantate (PZT) sensor is used to detect the reflected waves. A new integrated procedure that involves correlation analysis, wavelet denoising, and Hilbert transform was proposed to process the multiple reflection signals to determine the length of an installed rock bolt. The experimental results from a lab test and field tests showed that, by analyzing the instant phase of the periodic reflections of the stress wave generated by the GMS transducer, the length of an embedded rock bolt can be accurately determined. PMID:28241503

Distributed gain in plasmonic reflectors and its use for terahertz generation.

PubMed

Sydoruk, O; Syms, R R A; Solymar, L

2012-08-27

Semiconductor plasmons have potential for terahertz generation. Because practical device formats may be quasi-optical, we studied theoretically distributed plasmonic reflectors that comprise multiple interfaces between cascaded two-dimensional electron channels. Employing a mode-matching technique, we show that transmission through and reflection from a single interface depend on the magnitude and direction of a dc current flowing in the channels. As a result, plasmons can be amplified at an interface, and the cumulative effect of multiple interfaces increases the total gain, leading to plasmonic reflection coefficients exceeding unity. Reversing the current direction in a distributed reflector, however, has the opposite effect of plasmonic deamplification. Consequently, we propose structurally asymmetric resonators comprising two different distributed reflectors and predict that they are capable of terahertz oscillations at low threshold currents.

Optical behaviors of flexible photonic films via the developed multiple UV-exposed fabrications.

PubMed

Chien, Chih-Chieh; Liu, Jui-Hsiang

2014-07-01

Recently, extensive investigations are carried out on design of highly controlled architecture and morphology by polymerizing the monomers doped in well-defined liquid crystalline materials, followed by removal of the template liquid crystal molecules. In this communication, a photonic structure used as a new photonic bandgap (PBG) material is developed by imprinting helical structures on polymer matrices through multiple photocrosslinking processes in an induced chiral nematic mesophase using flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films as substrates. The tuning properties of the reflection band of the imprinted cell are achieved using an uniaxial thermo-stretching equipment. Furthermore, refilling of isotropic materials into the imprinted cells tune the reflection light wavelength leads to the change of color. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Comparative analysis of student self-reflections on course projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pomales-García, Cristina; Cortés Barreto, Kenneth

2014-11-01

This study presents the skills, experiences, and values identified in project self-reflections of 161 undergraduate engineering students. Self-reflections from two different engineering design courses, which provide experiences in project-based learning (PBL), are analysed through the content analysis methodology. Results show that 'application', 'true life', 'satisfaction', and 'communication' are the common keywords shared in the reflections. Multiple hypothesis tests to identify differences between courses, project types, years, and gender suggest that there are no significant differences between experiences, skills, and values self-reported by students who completed either a case study or an industry project. Based on research findings, recommendations will be provided to enhance the engineering curriculum based on PBL experiences to support the development of relevant professional skills and experiences.

A one-shot-projection method for measurement of specular surfaces.

PubMed

Wang, Zhenzhou

2015-02-09

In this paper, a method is proposed to measure the shapes of specular surfaces with one-shot-projection of structured laser patterns. By intercepting the reflection of the reflected laser pattern twice with two diffusive planes, the closed form solution is achieved for each reflected ray. The points on the specular surface are reconstructed by computing the intersections of the incident rays and the reflected rays. The proposed method can measure both static and dynamic specular shapes due to its one-shot-projection, which is beyond the capability of most of state of art methods that need multiple projections. To our knowledge, the proposed method is the only method so far that could yield the closed form solutions for the dynamic and specular surfaces.

Multiple Beam Optical Processing

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

the interference of multiple reflections between the two mirrors. The most promising optical bistable devices, at present, are very thin, solid Fabry...MEDIUM b) R - Ir ,, PMASE SHIFTr Figure 1.3 (a) Nonlinear Fabry-Perot etalon consisting of solid material with parallel surfaces with coatings of...instead of the solid planar structure [2.10]. Voids between columns cause an Inhomogeneous broadening and an exponential extension (Urbach tail) of the

Maritime Adaptive Optics Beam Control

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

Liquid Crystal LMS Least Mean Square MIMO Multiple- Input Multiple-Output MMDM Micromachined Membrane Deformable Mirror MSE Mean Square Error...determine how the beam is distorted, a control computer to calculate the correction to be applied, and a corrective element, usually a deformable mirror ...during this research, an overview of the system modification is provided here. Using additional mirrors and reflecting the beam to and from an

A hybrid asymptotic-modal analysis of the EM scattering by an open-ended S-shaped rectangular waveguide cavity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Law, P. H.; Burkholder, R. J.; Pathak, P. H.

1988-01-01

The electromagnetic fields (EM) backscatter from a 3-dimensional perfectly conducting S-shaped open-ended cavity with a planar interior termination is analyzed when it is illuminated by an external plane wave. The analysis is based on a self-consistent multiple scattering method which accounts for the multiple wave interactions between the open end and the interior termination. The scattering matrices which described the reflection and transmission coefficients of the waveguide modes reflected and transmitted at each junction between the different waveguide sections, as well at the scattering from the edges at the open end are found via asymptotic high frequency methods such as the geometrical and physical theories of diffraction used in conjunction with the equivalent current method. The numerical results for an S-shaped inlet cavity are compared with the backscatter from a straight inlet cavity; the backscattered patterns are different because the curvature of an S-shaped inlet cavity redistributes the energy reflected from the interior termination in a way that is different from a straight inlet cavity.

Model for the ultrasound reflection from micro-beads and cells distributed in layers on a uniform surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Couture, O.; Cherin, E.; Foster, F. S.

2007-07-01

A model predicting the reflection of ultrasound from multiple layers of small scattering spheres is developed. Predictions of the reflection coefficient, which takes into account the interferences between the different sphere layers, are compared to measurements performed in the 10-80 MHz and 15-35 MHz frequency range with layers of glass beads and spherical acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells, respectively. For both types of scatterers, the reflection coefficient increases as a function of their density on the surface for less than three superimposed layers, at which point it saturates at 0.38 for glass beads and 0.02 for AML cells. Above three layers, oscillations of the reflection coefficient due to constructive or destructive interference between layers are observed experimentally and are accurately predicted by the model. The use of such a model could lead to a better understanding of the structures observed in layered tissue images.

Dimensions of the epilepsy foundation concerns index.

PubMed

Loring, David W; Larrabee, Glenn J; Meador, Kimford J; Lee, Gregory P

2005-05-01

We performed principal component analysis (PCA) of the Epilepsy Foundation Concerns Index scale in 189 patients undergoing evaluation for epilepsy surgery. We identified a five-factor solution in which there were no varimax-rotated factors consisting of fewer than two questions. Factor 1 reflects affective impact on enjoyment of life, Factor 2 reflects general autonomy concerns, Factor 3 reflects fear of seizure recurrence, Factor 4 reflects concern of being a burden to one's family, and Factor 5 reflects a perceived lack of understanding by others. Multiple regression using the Quality of Life in Epilepsy--89 question version; Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory--2; Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--third edition; and verbal and visual memory tests as predictors demonstrated a different pattern of association with the factor and summary scores. We conclude that the Epilepsy Foundation Concerns Index is multidimensional, and using a global score based on all items may mask specific concerns that may be relevant when applied to individual patients.

Biological versus electronic adaptive coloration: how can one inform the other?

PubMed Central

Kreit, Eric; Mäthger, Lydia M.; Hanlon, Roger T.; Dennis, Patrick B.; Naik, Rajesh R.; Forsythe, Eric; Heikenfeld, Jason

2013-01-01

Adaptive reflective surfaces have been a challenge for both electronic paper (e-paper) and biological organisms. Multiple colours, contrast, polarization, reflectance, diffusivity and texture must all be controlled simultaneously without optical losses in order to fully replicate the appearance of natural surfaces and vividly communicate information. This review merges the frontiers of knowledge for both biological adaptive coloration, with a focus on cephalopods, and synthetic reflective e-paper within a consistent framework of scientific metrics. Currently, the highest performance approach for both nature and technology uses colourant transposition. Three outcomes are envisioned from this review: reflective display engineers may gain new insights from millions of years of natural selection and evolution; biologists will benefit from understanding the types of mechanisms, characterization and metrics used in synthetic reflective e-paper; all scientists will gain a clearer picture of the long-term prospects for capabilities such as adaptive concealment and signalling. PMID:23015522

Slowness based CCP stacking technique in suppressing crustal multiples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Z.; Niu, F.

2016-12-01

Common-conversion-point (CCP) stacking of receiver function is a widely used technique to image velocity discontinuities in the mantle, such as the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) in the upper mantle, the 410-km and the 660-km discontinuities in the mantle transition zone. In a layered medium, a teleseismic record can be considered as the summation of the direct arrival and a series of conversions and reflections at boundaries below the station. Receiver functions are an attempt to approximate a Green's function associated with structure beneath the receiver by deconvolving one component of a teleseismic signal from another to remove source signals from seismograms. The CCP technique assumes that receiver functions composed solely of P to S conversions at velocity boundaries, whose depths can be mapped out through their arrival times. The multiple reflections at shallow boundaries with large velocity contrasts, such as the base of unconsolidated sediments and the Moho, can pose significant challenges to the accuracy of CCP imaging. In principle, the P to S conversions and multiples originated from deep and shallow boundaries arrive at a seismic station with incident angles that are, respectively, smaller and larger than that of the direct P wave. Therefore the corresponding slowness can be used to isolate the conversions from multiples, allowing for minimizing multiple-induced artifacts. We developed a refined CCP stacking method that uses relative slowness as a weighting factor to suppress the multiples. We performed extensive numerical tests with synthetic data to seek the best weighting scheme and to verify the robustness of the images. We applied the refined technique to the NECESSArray data, and found that the complicated low velocity structures in the depth range of 200-400 km shown in the CCP images of previous studies are mostly artifacts resulted from crustal multiples.

Ecophysiological Remote Sensing of Leaf-Canopy Photosynthetic Characteristics in a Cool-Temperate Deciduous Forest in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noda, H. M.; Muraoka, H.

2014-12-01

Satellite remote sensing of structure and function of canopy is crucial to detect temporal and spatial distributions of forest ecosystems dynamics in changing environments. The spectral reflectance of the canopy is determined by optical properties (spectral reflectance and transmittance) of single leaves and their spatial arrangements in the canopy. The optical properties of leaves reflect their pigments contents and anatomical structures. Thus detailed information and understandings of the consequence between ecophysiological traits and optical properties from single leaf to canopy level are essential for remote sensing of canopy ecophysiology. To develop the ecophysiological remote sensing of forest canopy, we have been promoting multiple and cross-scale measurements in "Takayama site" belonging to AsiaFlux and JaLTER networks, located in a cool-temperate deciduous broadleaf forest on a mountainous landscape in Japan. In this forest, in situ measurement of canopy spectral reflectance has been conducted continuously by a spectroradiometer as part of the "Phenological Eyes Network (PEN)" since 2004. To analyze the canopy spectral reflectance from leaf ecophysiological viewpoints, leaf mass per area, nitrogen content, chlorophyll contents, photosynthetic capacities and the optical properties have been measured for dominant canopy tree species Quercus crispla and Betula ermanii throughout the seasons for multiple years.Photosynthetic capacity was largely correlated with chlorophyll contents throughout the growing season in both Q. crispla and B. ermanii. In these leaves, the reflectance at "red edge" (710 nm) changed by corresponding to the changes of chlorophyll contents throughout the seasons. Our canopy-level examination showed that vegetation indices obtained by red edge reflectance have linear relationship with leaf chlorophyll contents and photosynthetic capacity. Finally we apply this knowledge to the Rapid Eye satellite imagery around Takayama site to scale-up the leaf-level findings to canopy and landscape levels on a mountainous landscape.

Design of an ultra-thin dual band infrared system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Ke; Cheng, Xuemin; Lv, Qichao; Hu, YiFei

2014-11-01

The ultra-thin imaging system using reflective multiple-fold structure has smaller volume and less weight while maintaining high resolution compared with conventional optical systems. The multi-folded approach can significantly extend focal distance within wide spectral range without incurring chromatic aberrations. In this paper, we present a dual infrared imaging system of four-folded reflection with two air-spaced concentric reflective surfaces. The dual brand IR system has 107mm effective focal length, 0.7NA, +/-4° FOV, and 50mm effective aperture with 80mm outer diameter into a 25mm total thickness, which spectral response is 3~12μm.

Synchronous scattering and diffraction from gold nanotextured surfaces with structure factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Min-Jhong; Lee, Ming-Tsang; Huang, Chien-Hsun; Wu, Chi-Chun; Chen, Yu-Bin

2018-05-01

Synchronous scattering and diffraction were demonstrated using reflectance from gold nanotextured surfaces at oblique (θi = 15° and 60°) incidence of wavelength λ = 405 nm. Two samples of unique auto-correlation functions were cost-effectively fabricated. Multiple structure factors of their profiles were confirmed with Fourier expansions. Bi-directional reflectance function (BRDF) from these samples provided experimental proofs. On the other hand, standard deviation of height and unique auto-correlation function of each sample were used to generate surfaces numerically. Comparing their BRDF with those of totally random rough surfaces further suggested that structure factors in profile could reduce specular reflection more than totally random roughness.

Vapor Flow Patterns During a Start-Up Transient in Heat Pipes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Issacci, F.; Ghoniem, N, M.; Catton, I.

1996-01-01

The vapor flow patterns in heat pipes are examined during the start-up transient phase. The vapor core is modelled as a channel flow using a two dimensional compressible flow model. A nonlinear filtering technique is used as a post process to eliminate the non-physical oscillations of the flow variables. For high-input heat flux, multiple shock reflections are observed in the evaporation region. The reflections cause a reverse flow in the evaporation and circulations in the adiabatic region. Furthermore, each shock reflection causes a significant increase in the local pressure and a large pressure drop along the heat pipe.

Relaxation of water infiltration pulses observed with GPR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hantschel, Lisa; Hemmer, Benedikt; Roth, Kurt

2017-04-01

We observe the relaxation of infiltration pulses in sandy soil with ground-penetrating radar (GPR). The spatial distribution of water in the infiltration area and its temporal evolution is represented by ordinary reflections at layer boundaries as well as multiple reflections at the wetting front and the pulse boundaries. The structure of these highly resolved signals are reproduced by numerical simulations of electromagnetic wave propagation. The temporally highly resolved electrical fields reveal the origin also of complex reflection signals. The usage of these more complex signals might allow a more detailed representation of the infiltration process by direct analysis as well as in combination with inversion techniques.

Analysis of translucent and opaque photocathodes.

PubMed

Sizelove, J R; Love Iii, J A

1966-09-01

By an analysis of the photodetection process, the response of photodetectors to wide band, noncoherent light and guidelines for its improvement are determined. In this paper, the phenomenon of multiple reflections within the emitter of a reflecting-translucent and a reflecting-opaque photocathode is analyzed. Geometrical and optical configurations and solid state parameters are evaluated in terms of their effect on the photodetection process. The quantum yield, the percent of incident light absorbed, and the collection efficiency are determined as functions of the thickness of the emitting layer. These results are then employed to suggest areas of improvement in the use of state-of-the-art photocathodes.

Fiber sensor network with multipoint sensing using double-pass hybrid LPFG-FBG sensor configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yong, Yun-Thung; Lee, Sheng-Chyan; Rahman, Faidz Abd

2017-03-01

This is a study on double-pass intensity-based hybrid Long Period Fiber Grating (LPFG)and Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor configuration where a fiber sensor network was constructed with multiple sensing capability. The sensing principle is based on interrogation of intensity changes of the reflected signal from an FBG caused by the LPFG spectral response to the surrounding perturbations. The sensor network developed was tested in monitoring diesel adulteration of up to a distance of 8 km. Kerosene concentration from 0% to 50% was added as adulterant into diesel. The sensitivity of the double-pass hybrid LPFG-FBG sensor over multiple points was>0.21 dB/% (for adulteration range of 0-30%) and >0.45 dB/% from 30% to 50% adulteration. It is found that the sensitivity can drop up to 35% when the fiber length increased from 0 km to 8 km (for the case of adulteration of 0-30%). With the multiple sensing capabilities, normalized FBG's reflected power can be demodulated at the same time for comparison of sensitivity performance across various fiber sensors.

Surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy sensor and methods for using same

DOEpatents

Anderson, Brian Benjamin; Nave, Stanley Eugene

2002-01-01

A surface plasmon resonance ("SPR") probe with a detachable sensor head and system and methods for using the same in various applications is described. The SPR probe couples fiber optic cables directly to an SPR substrate that has a generally planar input surface and a generally curved reflecting surface, such as a substrate formed as a hemisphere. Forming the SPR probe in this manner allows the probe to be miniaturized and operate without the need for high precision, expensive and bulky collimating or focusing optics. Additionally, the curved reflecting surface of the substrate can be coated with one or multiple patches of sensing medium to allow the probe to detect for multiple analytes of interest or to provide multiple readings for comparison and higher precision. Specific applications for the probe are disclosed, including extremely high sensitive relative humidity and dewpoint detection for, e.g., moisture-sensitive environment such as volatile chemical reactions. The SPR probe disclosed operates with a large dynamic range and provides extremely high quality spectra despite being robust enough for field deployment and readily manufacturable.

The Mirror Dance in retrospect.

PubMed

Krieger, Susan

2005-01-01

In this article, Susan Krieger reflects on lessons learned from her classic study of a lesbian community, The Mirror Dance, first published in 1983. Krieger's study was unusual in that it eschewed a traditional social scientist's narrative voice, and instead was written from the point of view of the multiple voices of community members. In this retrospective piece, Krieger again challenges us to think in "multiple voices" about the importance of lesbian communities.

Approximating Reflectance and Transmittance of Vegetation Using Multiple Spectral Invariants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mottus, M.

2011-12-01

Canopy spectral invariants, eigenvalues of the radiative transfer equation and photon recollision probability are some of the new theoretical tools that have been applied in remote sensing of vegetation and atmosphere. The theoretical approach based on spectral invariants, informally also referred to as the p-theory, owns its attractivity to several factors. Firstly, it provides a rapid and physically-based way of describing canopy scattering. Secondly, the p-theory aims at parameterizing canopy structure in reflectance models using a simple and intuitive concept which can be applied at various structural levels, from shoot to tree crown. The theory has already been applied at scales from the molecular level to forest stands. The most important shortcoming of the p-theory lies in its inability to predict the directionality of scattering. The theory is currently based on only one physical parameter, the photon recollision probability p. It is evident that one parameter cannot contain enough information to reasonably predict the observed complex reflectance patterns produced by natural vegetation canopies. Without estimating scattering directionality, however, the theory cannot be compared with even the most simple (and well-tested) two-stream vegetation reflectance models. In this study, we evaluate the possibility to use additional parameters to fit the measured reflectance and transmittance of a vegetation stand. As a first step, the parameters are applied to separate canopy scattering into reflectance and transmittance. New parameters are introduced following the general approach of eigenvector expansion. Thus, the new parameters are coined higher-order spectral invariants. Calculation of higher-order invariants is based on separating first-order scattering from total scattering. Thus, the method explicitly accounts for different view geometries with different fractions of visible sunlit canopy (e.g., hot-spot). It additionally allows to produce different irradiation levels on leaf surfaces for direct and diffuse incidence, thus (in theory) allowing more accurate calculation of potential photosynthesis rates. Similarly to the p-theory, the use of multiple spectral invariants facilitates easy parametrization of canopy structure and scaling between different structural levels (leaf-shoot-stand). Spectral invariant-based remote sensing approaches are well suited for relatively large pixels even when no detailed ground truth information is available. In a case study, the theory of multiple spectral invariants was applied to measured canopy scattering. Spectral reflectance and transmittance measurements were carried out in gray alder (Alnus incana) plantation at Tartu Observatory, Estonia, in August 2006. The equations produced by the theory of spectral invariants were fitted to measured radiation fluxes. Preliminary results indicate that quantities with invariant-like behavior may indeed be used to approximate canopy scattering directionality.

[Multiple sclerosis in literature, cinema and television].

PubMed

Collado-Vazquez, S; Carrillo, J M; Cano-de-la-Cuerda, R

2016-12-16

Today, the care of patients with multiple sclerosis and those around them represents a clinical and therapeutic challenge for healthcare professionals. The aim of this study is to analyse the appearance of multiple sclerosis in literature, cinema and television, and to reflect upon the image it has in these media. Several representative works that have addressed multiple sclerosis were reviewed, and many of them were seen to offer a very true-to-life vision of the disease. Likewise, a review was also conducted of the most relevant films and TV series that, on occasions, offer the general public a close look at the impact of the disease on patients or relatives, although they are sometimes somewhat exaggerated for the sake of increased dramatic effect and offer a slightly distorted view of reality. Literature largely reflects the real epidemiology, the symptoms and development of the disease, while less attention seems to be given to the diagnostic and therapeutic options open to patients. Cinema and television have offered a correct image but sometimes with the addition of more dramatic effects. It is important for literature, cinema and television to offer a realistic view of this neurological disease so as to make it better known among the public and to help lessen the stigma attached to it.

Theory and investigation of acoustic multiple-input multiple-output systems based on spherical arrays in a room.

PubMed

Morgenstern, Hai; Rafaely, Boaz; Zotter, Franz

2015-11-01

Spatial attributes of room acoustics have been widely studied using microphone and loudspeaker arrays. However, systems that combine both arrays, referred to as multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, have only been studied to a limited degree in this context. These systems can potentially provide a powerful tool for room acoustics analysis due to the ability to simultaneously control both arrays. This paper offers a theoretical framework for the spatial analysis of enclosed sound fields using a MIMO system comprising spherical loudspeaker and microphone arrays. A system transfer function is formulated in matrix form for free-field conditions, and its properties are studied using tools from linear algebra. The system is shown to have unit-rank, regardless of the array types, and its singular vectors are related to the directions of arrival and radiation at the microphone and loudspeaker arrays, respectively. The formulation is then generalized to apply to rooms, using an image source method. In this case, the rank of the system is related to the number of significant reflections. The paper ends with simulation studies, which support the developed theory, and with an extensive reflection analysis of a room impulse response, using the platform of a MIMO system.

The effects of positive versus negative impact reflection on change in job performance and work-life conflict.

PubMed

Cardador, M Teresa

2014-01-01

Research on task significance and relational job design suggests that information from beneficiaries of one's work fosters perceptions of impact, and thus improved work outcomes. This paper presents results from a longitudinal field experiment examining the effect of another strategy for fostering perceptions of impact - engaging employees in regular reflection about how their work benefits others. With a sample of professionals from multiple organizations, this longitudinal study examined the effect on job performance and work-life conflict of both positive and negative impact reflection. Results show that negative impact reflection had a pronounced negative effect on job performance, but no effect on work-life conflict. Positive impact reflection had a weak positive effect on work-life conflict, but no significant effect on job performance. The direction of effects seen in the no intervention condition mirrored that of the negative impact reflection condition, suggesting a possible buffering effect for positive impact reflection. This research provides empirical and theoretical contributions to the literatures on relational job design and task significance.

The effects of positive versus negative impact reflection on change in job performance and work-life conflict

PubMed Central

Cardador, M. Teresa

2014-01-01

Research on task significance and relational job design suggests that information from beneficiaries of one’s work fosters perceptions of impact, and thus improved work outcomes. This paper presents results from a longitudinal field experiment examining the effect of another strategy for fostering perceptions of impact – engaging employees in regular reflection about how their work benefits others. With a sample of professionals from multiple organizations, this longitudinal study examined the effect on job performance and work-life conflict of both positive and negative impact reflection. Results show that negative impact reflection had a pronounced negative effect on job performance, but no effect on work-life conflict. Positive impact reflection had a weak positive effect on work-life conflict, but no significant effect on job performance. The direction of effects seen in the no intervention condition mirrored that of the negative impact reflection condition, suggesting a possible buffering effect for positive impact reflection. This research provides empirical and theoretical contributions to the literatures on relational job design and task significance. PMID:25505890

Fabrication of a simultaneous red-green-blue reflector using single-pitched cholesteric liquid crystals.

PubMed

Ha, Na Young; Ohtsuka, Youko; Jeong, Soon Moon; Nishimura, Suzushi; Suzaki, Goroh; Takanishi, Yoichi; Ishikawa, Ken; Takezoe, Hideo

2008-01-01

A cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) is a self-assembled photonic crystal formed by rodlike molecules, including chiral molecules, that arrange themselves in a helical fashion. The CLC has a single photonic bandgap and an associated one-colour reflection band for circularly polarized light with the same handedness as the CLC helix (selective reflection). These optical characteristics, particularly the circular polarization of the reflected light, are attractive for applications in reflective colour displays without using a backlight, for use as polarizers or colour filters and for mirrorless lasing. Recently, we showed by numerical simulation that simultaneous multicolour reflection is possible by introducing fibonaccian phase defects. Here, we design and fabricate a CLC system consisting of thin isotropic films and of polymeric CLC films, and demonstrate experimentally simultaneous red, green and blue reflections (multiple photonic bandgaps) using the single-pitched polymeric CLC films. The experimental reflection spectra are well simulated by calculations. The presented system can extend applications of CLCs to a wide-band region and could give rise to new photonic devices, in which white or multicolour light is manipulated.

Rumination and self-reflection in stress narratives and relations to psychological functioning.

PubMed

Marin, Kelly A; Rotondo, Elena K

2017-01-01

The longitudinal study aims to expand what is known about the costs and benefits of narrating stressful experiences by exploring changes in rumination within the narrative process and comparing it to changes in self-reflection. Rumination (e.g., brooding, self-criticism, and negative emotions) and self-reflection were measured in stress narratives of 56 college students. There were several goals: (1) examine changes in narrative rumination and narrative self-reflection over 3 days of writing, (2) examine the relations among the changes in narrative rumination variables and narrative self-reflection and (3) examine how changes in narrative rumination and narrative self-reflection relate to multiple measures of psychological functioning. Overall, individuals increased self-reflection over the 3-day writing task. Individuals who increased ruminative brooding across the 3 days of writing showed lower ego identity development (short term and long term) and self-esteem (short term), while increased self-criticism was positively correlated with identity distress (short term). Implications of the different aspects of narrative rumination, specifically in the context of stressful experiences, are discussed.

High power water load for microwave and millimeter-wave radio frequency sources

DOEpatents

Ives, R. Lawrence; Mizuhara, Yosuke M.; Schumacher, Richard V.; Pendleton, Rand P.

1999-01-01

A high power water load for microwave and millimeter wave radio frequency sources has a front wall including an input port for the application of RF power, a cylindrical dissipation cavity lined with a dissipating material having a thickness which varies with depth, and a rear wall including a rotating reflector for the reflection of wave energy inside the cylindrical cavity. The dissipation cavity includes a water jacket for removal of heat generated by the absorptive material coating the dissipation cavity, and this absorptive material has a thickness which is greater near the front wall than near the rear wall. Waves entering the cavity reflect from the rotating reflector, impinging and reflecting multiple times on the absorptive coating of the dissipation cavity, dissipating equal amounts of power on each internal reflection.

Polarized reflectance and transmittance properties of windblown sea surfaces.

PubMed

Mobley, Curtis D

2015-05-20

Generation of random sea surfaces using wave variance spectra and Fourier transforms is formulated in a way that guarantees conservation of wave energy and fully resolves wave height and slope variances. Monte Carlo polarized ray tracing, which accounts for multiple scattering between light rays and wave facets, is used to compute effective Mueller matrices for reflection and transmission of air- or water-incident polarized radiance. Irradiance reflectances computed using a Rayleigh sky radiance distribution, sea surfaces generated with Cox-Munk statistics, and unpolarized ray tracing differ by 10%-18% compared with values computed using elevation- and slope-resolving surfaces and polarized ray tracing. Radiance reflectance factors, as used to estimate water-leaving radiance from measured upwelling and sky radiances, are shown to depend on sky polarization, and improved values are given.

Silicon Nanotips Antireflection Surface for Micro Sun Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bae, Sam Y.; Lee, Choonsup; Mobasser, Sohrab; Manohara, Harish

2006-01-01

We have developed a new technique to fabricate antireflection surface using silicon nano-tips for use on a micro sun sensor for Mars rovers. We have achieved randomly distributed nano-tips of radius spanning from 20 nm to 100 nm and aspect ratio of 200 using a two-step dry etching process. The 30(deg) specular reflectance at the target wavelength of 1 (mu)m is only about 0.09 %, nearly three orders of magnitude lower than that of bare silicon, and the hemispherical reflectance is 8%. By changing the density and aspect ratio of these nanotips, the change in reflectance is demonstrated. Using surfaces covered with these nano-tips, the critical problem of ghost images that are caused by multiple internal reflections in a micro sun sensor was solved.

Fabrication of multi-functional silicon surface by direct laser writing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verma, Ashwani Kumar; Soni, R. K.

2018-05-01

We present a simple, quick and one-step methodology based on nano-second laser direct writing for the fabrication of micro-nanostructures on silicon surface. The fabricated surfaces suppress the optical reflection by multiple reflection due to light trapping effect to a much lower value than polished silicon surface. These textured surfaces offer high enhancement ability after gold nanoparticle deposition and then explored for Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) for specific molecular detection. The effect of laser scanning line interval on optical reflection and SERS signal enhancement ability was also investigated. Our results indicate that low optical reflection substrates exhibit uniform SERS enhancement with enhancement factor of the order of 106. Furthermore, this methodology provide an alternative approach for cost-effective large area fabrication with good control over feature size.

Ray Tracing with Virtual Objects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leinoff, Stuart

1991-01-01

Introduces the method of ray tracing to analyze the refraction or reflection of real or virtual images from multiple optical devices. Discusses ray-tracing techniques for locating images using convex and concave lenses or mirrors. (MDH)

Learning Disabilities: A Multifaceted Health Threat

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, J. Floyd

1976-01-01

Learning disabilities are a health threat because they prevent a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and they should be treated with a variety of remedial strategies reflecting their multiple causes. (MB)

High-Speed Interrogation for Large-Scale Fiber Bragg Grating Sensing

PubMed Central

Hu, Chenyuan; Bai, Wei

2018-01-01

A high-speed interrogation scheme for large-scale fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensing arrays is presented. This technique employs parallel computing and pipeline control to modulate incident light and demodulate the reflected sensing signal. One Electro-optic modulator (EOM) and one semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) were used to generate a phase delay to filter reflected spectrum form multiple candidate FBGs with the same optical path difference (OPD). Experimental results showed that the fastest interrogation delay time for the proposed method was only about 27.2 us for a single FBG interrogation, and the system scanning period was only limited by the optical transmission delay in the sensing fiber owing to the multiple simultaneous central wavelength calculations. Furthermore, the proposed FPGA-based technique had a verified FBG wavelength demodulation stability of ±1 pm without average processing. PMID:29495263

High-Speed Interrogation for Large-Scale Fiber Bragg Grating Sensing.

PubMed

Hu, Chenyuan; Bai, Wei

2018-02-24

A high-speed interrogation scheme for large-scale fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensing arrays is presented. This technique employs parallel computing and pipeline control to modulate incident light and demodulate the reflected sensing signal. One Electro-optic modulator (EOM) and one semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) were used to generate a phase delay to filter reflected spectrum form multiple candidate FBGs with the same optical path difference (OPD). Experimental results showed that the fastest interrogation delay time for the proposed method was only about 27.2 us for a single FBG interrogation, and the system scanning period was only limited by the optical transmission delay in the sensing fiber owing to the multiple simultaneous central wavelength calculations. Furthermore, the proposed FPGA-based technique had a verified FBG wavelength demodulation stability of ±1 pm without average processing.

In vivo bioluminescence and reflectance imaging of multiple organs in bioluminescence reporter mice by bundled-fiber-coupled microscopy

PubMed Central

Ando, Yoriko; Sakurai, Takashi; Koida, Kowa; Tei, Hajime; Hida, Akiko; Nakao, Kazuki; Natsume, Mistuo; Numano, Rika

2016-01-01

Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is used in biomedical research to monitor biological processes within living organisms. Recently, fiber bundles with high transmittance and density have been developed to detect low light with high resolution. Therefore, we have developed a bundled-fiber-coupled microscope with a highly sensitive cooled-CCD camera that enables the BLI of organs within the mouse body. This is the first report of in vivo BLI of the brain and multiple organs in luciferase-reporter mice using bundled-fiber optics. With reflectance imaging, the structures of blood vessels and organs can be seen clearly with light illumination, and it allowed identification of the structural details of bioluminescence images. This technique can also be applied to clinical diagnostics in a low invasive manner. PMID:27231601

Coherent total internal reflection dark-field microscopy: label-free imaging beyond the diffraction limit.

PubMed

von Olshausen, Philipp; Rohrbach, Alexander

2013-10-15

Coherent imaging is barely applicable in life-science microscopy due to multiple interference artifacts. Here, we show how these interferences can be used to improve image resolution and contrast. We present a dark-field microscopy technique with evanescent illumination via total internal reflection that delivers high-contrast images of coherently scattering samples. By incoherent averaging of multiple coherent images illuminated from different directions we can resolve image structures that remain unresolved by conventional (incoherent) fluorescence microscopy. We provide images of 190 nm beads revealing resolution beyond the diffraction limit and slightly increased object distances. An analytical model is introduced that accounts for the observed effects and which is confirmed by numerical simulations. Our approach may be a route to fast, label-free, super-resolution imaging in live-cell microscopy.

Density, ultrasound velocity, acoustic impedance, reflection and absorption coefficient determination of liquids via multiple reflection method.

PubMed

Hoche, S; Hussein, M A; Becker, T

2015-03-01

The accuracy of density, reflection coefficient, and acoustic impedance determination via multiple reflection method was validated experimentally. The ternary system water-maltose-ethanol was used to execute a systematic, temperature dependent study over a wide range of densities and viscosities aiming an application as inline sensor in beverage industries. The validation results of the presented method and setup show root mean square errors of: 1.201E-3 g cm(-3) (±0.12%) density, 0.515E-3 (0.15%) reflection coefficient and 1.851E+3 kg s(-1) m(-2) (0.12%) specific acoustic impedance. The results of the diffraction corrected absorption showed an average standard deviation of only 0.12%. It was found that the absorption change shows a good correlation to concentration variations and may be useful for laboratory analysis of sufficiently pure liquids. The main part of the observed errors can be explained by the observed noise, temperature variation and the low signal resolution of 50 MHz. In particular, the poor signal-to-noise ratio of the second reflector echo was found to be a main accuracy limitation. Concerning the investigation of liquids the unstable properties of the reference material PMMA, due to hygroscopicity, were identified to be an additional, unpredictable source of uncertainty. While dimensional changes can be considered by adequate methodology, the impact of the time and temperature dependent water absorption on relevant reference properties like the buffer's sound velocity and density could not be considered and may explain part of the observed deviations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modelling the circular polarisation of Earth-like exoplanets: constraints on detecting homochirality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogenboom, Michael; Stam, Daphne; Rossi, Loic; Snik, Frans

2016-04-01

The circular polarisation of light is a property of electromagnetic radiation from which extensive information can be extracted. It is oft-neglected due to its small signal relative to linear polarisation and the need for advanced instrumentation in measuring it. Additionally, numerical modelling is complex as the full Stokes vector must always be computed. Circular polarisation is commonly induced through the multiple scattering of light by aerosols te{hansen} and multiple reflections of light by rough surfaces te{circplanets}. Most interestingly, distinctive spectral circular polarimetric behaviour is exhibited by light reflected by organisms due to the homochiral molecular structure of all known organisms te{chiralbailey}. Especially fascinating is the unique circular polarimetric behaviour of light reflected by photosynthesising organisms at the absorption wavelength of the chlorophyll pigment te{circpolchar}. This presents the previously unexplored possibility of circular polarimetry as a method for identifying and characterising the presence of organisms, a method which could be applied in the hunt for extraterrestrial life. To date, few telescopes exist that measure circular polarisation and none that have been deployed in space. Observations of the circular polarisation reflected by other planets in the solar system have been made with ground-based telescopes, with significant results te{circplanets}. However, none of these observations have been made at the phase angles at which exoplanets will be observed. Also, none have been made of the Earth, which is the logical starting point for the study of biologically induced circular polarisation signals. This introduces the need for numerical modelling to determine the extent to which circular polarisation is present in light reflected by exoplanets or the Earth. In this study, we model the multiple scattering and reflection of light using the doubling-adding method te{dehaan}. We will present circular polarisation signals for both spatially resolved and spatially unresolved planets, using various atmospheric and surface properties and across a range of phase angles. As a test, the calculated degree of circular polarisation resulting from the multiple scattering of light in an atmosphere with varying properties was compared with results presented by Kawata te{circatmos} and was found to be in agreement. Initial modelling of the atmospheric scattering of light by a planetary disk has shown a presence of degree of circular polarisation in the order of 10-4. This represents a static case with one cloudy hemisphere, one cloudless hemisphere and a Lambertian surface. Results containing varied patchy cloud patterns shall also be presented in a bid to reflect the random nature of planetary cloud cover. We will also present the calculated degree of circular polarisation of planets with various cloud coverage and a circularly polarising surface in order to discover the influence of organisms on the numerical results. {1} {hansen} J. E. {Hansen} and L. D. {Travis}. {Light scattering in planetary atmospheres}. {Space Science Reviews}, 16:527-610, October 1974. {circplanets} J. C. {Kemp} and R. D. {Wolstencroft}. {Circular Polarization: Jupiter and Other Planets}. {Nature}, 232:165-168, July 1971. {chiralbailey} J. {Bailey}. {Circular Polarization and the Origin of Biomolecular Homochirality}. In G. {Lemarchand} and K. {Meech}, editors, {Bioastronomy 99}, volume 213 of {Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series}, 2000. {circpolchar} L. {Nagdimunov}, L. {Kolokolova}, and D. {Mackowski}. {Characterization and remote sensing of biological particles using circular polarization}. {Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer}, 131:59-65, December 2013. dehaan} J. F. {de Haan}, P. B. {Bosma}, and J. W. {Hovenier}. {The adding method for multiple scattering calculations of polarized light}. {Astronomy and Astrophysics}, 183:371-391, September 1987. {circatmos} Y. {Kawata}. {Circular polarization of sunlight reflected by planetary atmospheres}. {Icarus}, 33:217-232, January 1978.

Dopamine prediction error responses integrate subjective value from different reward dimensions

PubMed Central

Lak, Armin; Stauffer, William R.; Schultz, Wolfram

2014-01-01

Prediction error signals enable us to learn through experience. These experiences include economic choices between different rewards that vary along multiple dimensions. Therefore, an ideal way to reinforce economic choice is to encode a prediction error that reflects the subjective value integrated across these reward dimensions. Previous studies demonstrated that dopamine prediction error responses reflect the value of singular reward attributes that include magnitude, probability, and delay. Obviously, preferences between rewards that vary along one dimension are completely determined by the manipulated variable. However, it is unknown whether dopamine prediction error responses reflect the subjective value integrated from different reward dimensions. Here, we measured the preferences between rewards that varied along multiple dimensions, and as such could not be ranked according to objective metrics. Monkeys chose between rewards that differed in amount, risk, and type. Because their choices were complete and transitive, the monkeys chose “as if” they integrated different rewards and attributes into a common scale of value. The prediction error responses of single dopamine neurons reflected the integrated subjective value inferred from the choices, rather than the singular reward attributes. Specifically, amount, risk, and reward type modulated dopamine responses exactly to the extent that they influenced economic choices, even when rewards were vastly different, such as liquid and food. This prediction error response could provide a direct updating signal for economic values. PMID:24453218

Reply to Effect of concentration of organic matter on optical maturity parameters. Interlaboratory results of the organic matter concentration working group of the ICCP. Discussion by Vinay K. Sahay

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mendonca, Filho J.G.; Araujo, C.V.; Borrego, A.G.; Cook, A.; Flores, D.; Hackley, P.; Hower, J.C.; Kern, M.L.; Kommeren, K.; Kus, J.; Mastalerz, Maria; Mendonca, J.O.; Menezes, T.R.; Newman, J.; Ranasinghe, P.; Souza, I.V.A.F.; Suarez-Ruiz, I.; Ujiie, Y.

2011-01-01

This reply is motivated by Sahay's comments on the paper published by Mendon??a Filho et al. (2010) dealing with the effect of concentration of an organic matter on optical maturity parameters. Four points were raised by Sahay: suggestion to use of chemical parameters to assess the effect of isolation, indication that suppression of vitrinite reflectance in liptinite-rich rocks was insufficiently addressed, discussion on the way to deal with the existence of multiple vitrinite populations in a dispersed organic matter, and contradictory explanation of results involving the influence of isolation procedure on fluorescence properties but no effect on vitrinite reflectance. The four points were separately addressed being the two first ones out of the scope of the paper. The existence of multiple vitrinite populations is a well-recognized problem whose importance in the results could be addressed because the participants provided individual records of vitrinite reflectance. These results indicated that election of different populations was not a major problem in the results. The influence of isolation procedure on the fluorescence spectra of alginite while the vitrinite reflectance remains unaltered is not considered contradictory because both parameters are measured on different components which may have a different response to the acid treatment. ?? 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Prediction of erodibility in Oxisols using iron oxides, soil color and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arantes Camargo, Livia; Marques, José, Jr.

2015-04-01

The prediction of erodibility using indirect methods such as diffuse reflectance spectroscopy could facilitate the characterization of the spatial variability in large areas and optimize implementation of conservation practices. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prediction of interrill erodibility (Ki) and rill erodibility (Kr) by means of iron oxides content and soil color using multiple linear regression and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) using regression analysis by least squares partial (PLSR). The soils were collected from three geomorphic surfaces and analyzed for chemical, physical and mineralogical properties, plus scanned in the spectral range from the visible and infrared. Maps of spatial distribution of Ki and Kr were built with the values calculated by the calibrated models that obtained the best accuracy using geostatistics. Interrill-rill erodibility presented negative correlation with iron extracted by dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate, hematite, and chroma, confirming the influence of iron oxides in soil structural stability. Hematite and hue were the attributes that most contributed in calibration models by multiple linear regression for the prediction of Ki (R2 = 0.55) and Kr (R2 = 0.53). The diffuse reflectance spectroscopy via PLSR allowed to predict Interrill-rill erodibility with high accuracy (R2adj = 0.76, 0.81 respectively and RPD> 2.0) in the range of the visible spectrum (380-800 nm) and the characterization of the spatial variability of these attributes by geostatistics.

Method for distinguishing multiple targets using time-reversal acoustics

DOEpatents

Berryman, James G.

2004-06-29

A method for distinguishing multiple targets using time-reversal acoustics. Time-reversal acoustics uses an iterative process to determine the optimum signal for locating a strongly reflecting target in a cluttered environment. An acoustic array sends a signal into a medium, and then receives the returned/reflected signal. This returned/reflected signal is then time-reversed and sent back into the medium again, and again, until the signal being sent and received is no longer changing. At that point, the array has isolated the largest eigenvalue/eigenvector combination and has effectively determined the location of a single target in the medium (the one that is most strongly reflecting). After the largest eigenvalue/eigenvector combination has been determined, to determine the location of other targets, instead of sending back the same signals, the method sends back these time reversed signals, but half of them will also be reversed in sign. There are various possibilities for choosing which half to do sign reversal. The most obvious choice is to reverse every other one in a linear array, or as in a checkerboard pattern in 2D. Then, a new send/receive, send-time reversed/receive iteration can proceed. Often, the first iteration in this sequence will be close to the desired signal from a second target. In some cases, orthogonalization procedures must be implemented to assure the returned signals are in fact orthogonal to the first eigenvector found.

Multimodal coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy reveals microglia-associated myelin and axonal dysfunction in multiple sclerosis-like lesions in mice

PubMed Central

Imitola, Jaime; Côté, Daniel; Rasmussen, Stine; Xie, X. Sunney; Liu, Yingru; Chitnis, Tanuja; Sidman, Richard L.; Lin, Charles. P.; Khoury, Samia J.

2011-01-01

Myelin loss and axonal degeneration predominate in many neurological disorders; however, methods to visualize them simultaneously in live tissue are unavailable. We describe a new imaging strategy combining video rate reflectance and fluorescence confocal imaging with coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy tuned to CH2 vibration of myelin lipids, applied in live tissue of animals with chronic experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Our method allows monitoring over time of demyelination and neurodegeneration in brain slices with high spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. Local areas of severe loss of lipid signal indicative of demyelination and loss of the reflectance signal from axons were seen in the corpus callosum and spinal cord of EAE animals. Even in myelinated areas of EAE mice, the intensity of myelin lipid signals is significantly reduced. Using heterozygous knock-in mice in which green fluorescent protein replaces the CX3CR1 coding sequence that labels central nervous system microglia, we find areas of activated microglia colocalized with areas of altered reflectance and CARS signals reflecting axonal injury and demyelination. Our data demonstrate the use of multimodal CARS microscopy for characterization of demyelinating and neurodegenerative pathology in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, and further confirm the critical role of microglia in chronic inflammatory neurodegeneration. PMID:21361672

Effective interactions in a quantum Bose-Bose mixture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utesov, O. I.; Baglay, M. I.; Andreev, S. V.

2018-05-01

We generalize the Beliaev diagrammatic theory of an interacting spinless Bose-Einstein condensate to the case of a binary mixture. We derive a set of coupled Dyson equations and find analytically the Green's functions of the system. The elementary excitation spectrum consists of two branches, one of which takes the characteristic parabolic form ω ∝p2 in the limit of a spin-independent interaction. We observe renormalization of the magnon mass and the spin-wave velocity due to the Andreev-Bashkin entrainment effect. For a three-dimensional weakly interacting gas the spectrum can be obtained by applying the Bogoliubov transformation to a second-quantized Hamiltonian in which the microscopic two-body potentials in each channel are replaced by the corresponding off-shell scattering amplitudes. The superfluid drag density can be calculated by considering a mixture of phonons and magnons interacting via the effective potentials. We show that this problem is identical to the second-order perturbative treatment of a Bose polaron. In two dimensions the drag contributes to the magnon dispersion already in the first approximation. Our consideration provides a basis for systematic study of emergent phases in quantum degenerate Bose-Bose mixtures.

Odd-frequency pairing in superconducting heterostructures .

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golubov, A. A.; Tanaka, Y.; Yokoyama, T.; Asano, Y.

2007-03-01

We present a general theory of the proximity effect in junctions between unconventional superconductors and diffusive normal metals (DN) or ferromagnets (DF). We consider all possible symmetry classes in a superconductor allowed by the Pauli principle: even-frequency spin-singlet even-parity state, even-frequency spin-triplet odd-parity state, odd-frequency spin-triplet even-parity state and odd-frequency spin-singlet odd-parity state. For each of the above states, symmetry and spectral properties of the induced pair amplitude in the DN (DF) are determined. The cases of junctions with spin-singlet s- and d-wave superconductors and spin-triplet p-wave superconductors are adressed in detail. We discuss the interplay between the proximity effect and midgap Andreev bound states arising at interfaces in unconventional (d- or p-wave) junctions. The most striking property is the odd-frequency symmetry of the pairing amplitude induced in DN (DF) in contacts with p-wave superconductors. This leads to zero-energy singularity in the density of states and to anomalous screening of an external magnetic field. Peculiarities of Josephson effect in d- or p-wave junctions are discussed. Experiments are suggested to detect an order parameter symmetry using heterostructures with unconventional superconductors.

A fast calculating two-stream-like multiple scattering algorithm that captures azimuthal and elevation variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiorino, Steven T.; Elmore, Brannon; Schmidt, Jaclyn; Matchefts, Elizabeth; Burley, Jarred L.

2016-05-01

Properly accounting for multiple scattering effects can have important implications for remote sensing and possibly directed energy applications. For example, increasing path radiance can affect signal noise. This study describes the implementation of a fast-calculating two-stream-like multiple scattering algorithm that captures azimuthal and elevation variations into the Laser Environmental Effects Definition and Reference (LEEDR) atmospheric characterization and radiative transfer code. The multiple scattering algorithm fully solves for molecular, aerosol, cloud, and precipitation single-scatter layer effects with a Mie algorithm at every calculation point/layer rather than an interpolated value from a pre-calculated look-up-table. This top-down cumulative diffusivity method first considers the incident solar radiance contribution to a given layer accounting for solid angle and elevation, and it then measures the contribution of diffused energy from previous layers based on the transmission of the current level to produce a cumulative radiance that is reflected from a surface and measured at the aperture at the observer. Then a unique set of asymmetry and backscattering phase function parameter calculations are made which account for the radiance loss due to the molecular and aerosol constituent reflectivity within a level and allows for a more accurate characterization of diffuse layers that contribute to multiple scattered radiances in inhomogeneous atmospheres. The code logic is valid for spectral bands between 200 nm and radio wavelengths, and the accuracy is demonstrated by comparing the results from LEEDR to observed sky radiance data.

The impacts of environmental variables on water reflectance measured using a lightweight unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based spectrometer system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Chuiqing; Richardson, Murray; King, Douglas J.

2017-08-01

Remote sensing methods to study spatial and temporal changes in water quality using satellite or aerial imagery are limited by the inherently low reflectance signal of water across the visible and near infrared spectrum, as well as environmental variables such as surface scattering effects (sun glint), substrate and aquatic vegetation reflectance, and atmospheric effects. This study exploits the low altitude, high-resolution remote sensing capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms to examine the major environmental variables that affect water reflectance acquisition, without the confounding influence of atmospheric effects typical of higher-altitude platforms. After observation and analysis, we found: (1) multiple water spectra measured at the same location had a standard deviation of 10.4%; (2) water spectra changes associated with increasing altitude from 20 m to 100 m were negligible; (3) the difference between mean reflectance at three off-shore locations in an urban water body reached 29.9%; (4) water bottom visibility increased water reflectance by 20.1% in near shore areas compared to deep water spectra in a clear water lake; (5) emergent plants caused the water spectra to shift towards a shape that is characteristic of vegetation, whereas submerged vegetation showed limited effect on water spectra in the studied lake; (6) cloud and sun glint had major effects and caused water spectra to change abruptly; while glint and shadow effects on spectra may balance each other under certain conditions, the water reflectance can also be unpredictable at times due to wave effects and their effects on lines-of-site to calm water; (7) water spectra collected under a variety of different conditions (e.g. multiple locations, waves) resulted in weaker regression models compared to spectra collected under ideal conditions (e.g. single location, no wave), although the resulting model coefficients were relatively stable. The methods and results from this study contribute to better understanding of water reflectance acquisition using remote sensing, and can be applied in UAV-based water quality assessment or to aid in validation of higher altitude imagery.

Born approximation, multiple scattering, and butterfly algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, Alex; Qiao, Zhijun

2014-06-01

Many imaging algorithms have been designed assuming the absence of multiple scattering. In the 2013 SPIE proceeding, we discussed an algorithm for removing high order scattering components from collected data. In this paper, our goal is to continue this work. First, we survey the current state of multiple scattering in SAR. Then, we revise our method and test it. Given an estimate of our target reflectivity, we compute the multi scattering effects in our target region for various frequencies. Furthermore, we propagate this energy through free space towards our antenna, and remove it from the collected data.

The Airline Quality Rating 2001 (PDF file)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-04-01

The Airline Quality Rating (AQR) was developed and first announced in early : 1991 as an objective method of comparing airline quality on combined multiple : performance criteria. This current report, Airline Quality Rating 2001, reflects monthly Air...

Tower-supported solar-energy collector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Selcuk, M. K.

1977-01-01

Multiple-collector tower system supports three receiver/concentrators that absorb solar energy reflected from surrounding field of heliostats. System overcomes disadvantages of tower-supported collectors. Booms can be lowered during heavy winds to protect arms and collectors.