Generation of spin current and polarization under dynamic gate control of spin-orbit interaction in low-dimensional semiconductor systems

Based on the Keldysh formalism, the Boltzmann kinetic equation and the drift diffusion equation have been derived for studying spin polarization flow and spin accumulation under effect of the time dependent Rashba spin-orbit interaction in a semiconductor quantum well. The time dependent Rashba interaction is provided by time dependent electric gates of appropriate shapes. Several examples of spin manipulation by gates have been considered. Mechanisms and conditions for obtaining the stationary spin density and the induced rectified DC spin current are studied.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, RevTeX

Comparing two financial crises: the case of Hong Kong real estate markets

Hong Kong is no stranger to bubbles or crisis. During the Asian Financial Crisis(AFC), the Hong Kong housing price index drops more than 50% in less than a year. The same market then experiences the Internet Bubble, the SARS attack, and recently the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). This paper attempts to provide some “stylized facts” of the real estate markets and the macroeconomy, and follow the event-study methodology to examine whether the markets behave differently in the AFC and GFC, and discuss the possible linkage to the change in government policies (“learning effect”) and the flow of Chinese consumers and investors to Hong Kong (“China factor”).regime switching, structural change, small open economy, bounded rationality, banking policy

A non-dispersive Raman D-band activated by well-ordered interlayer interactions in rotationally stacked bi-layer Graphene

Raman measurements on monolayer graphene folded back upon itself as an ordered but skew-stacked bilayer (i.e. with interlayer rotation) presents new mechanism for Raman scattering in sp2 carbons that arises in systems that lack coherent AB interlayer stacking. Although the parent monolayer does not exhibit a D-band, the interior of the skewed bilayer produces a strong two-peak Raman feature near 1350 cm-1; one of these peaks is non-dispersive, unlike all previously observed D-band features in sp2 carbons. Within a double-resonant model of Raman scattering, these unusual features are consistent with a skewed bilayer coupling, wherein one layer imposes a weak but well-ordered perturbation on the other. The discrete Fourier structure of the rotated interlayer interaction potential explains the unusual non-dispersive peak near 1350 cm-1

NASA ground terminal communication equipment automated fault isolation expert systems

The prototype expert systems are described that diagnose the Distribution and Switching System I and II (DSS1 and DSS2), Statistical Multiplexers (SM), and Multiplexer and Demultiplexer systems (MDM) at the NASA Ground Terminal (NGT). A system level fault isolation expert system monitors the activities of a selected data stream, verifies that the fault exists in the NGT and identifies the faulty equipment. Equipment level fault isolation expert systems are invoked to isolate the fault to a Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) level. Input and sometimes output data stream activities for the equipment are available. The system level fault isolation expert system compares the equipment input and output status for a data stream and performs loopback tests (if necessary) to isolate the faulty equipment. The equipment level fault isolation system utilizes the process of elimination and/or the maintenance personnel's fault isolation experience stored in its knowledge base. The DSS1, DSS2 and SM fault isolation systems, using the knowledge of the current equipment configuration and the equipment circuitry issues a set of test connections according to the predefined rules. The faulty component or board can be identified by the expert system by analyzing the test results. The MDM fault isolation system correlates the failure symptoms with the faulty component based on maintenance personnel experience. The faulty component can be determined by knowing the failure symptoms. The DSS1, DSS2, SM, and MDM equipment simulators are implemented in PASCAL. The DSS1 fault isolation expert system was converted to C language from VP-Expert and integrated into the NGT automation software for offline switch diagnoses. Potentially, the NGT fault isolation algorithms can be used for the DSS1, SM, amd MDM located at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Novel Precursors for Boron Nanotubes: The Competition of Two-Center and Three-Center Bonding in Boron Sheets

We present a new class of boron sheets, composed of triangular and hexagonal motifs, that are more stable than structures considered to date and thus are likely to be the precursors of boron nanotubes. We describe a simple and clear picture of electronic bonding in boron sheets and highlight the importance of three-center bonding and its competition with two-center bonding, which can also explain the stability of recently discovered boron fullerenes. Our findings call for reconsideration of the literature on boron sheets, nanotubes, and clusters.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl

Nucleation of quark matter in neutron stars cores

We consider the general conditions of quark droplets formation in high density neutron matter. The growth of the quark bubble (assumed to contain a sufficiently large number of particles) can be described by means of a Fokker-Planck equation. The dynamics of the nucleation essentially depends on the physical properties of the medium it takes place. The conditions for quark bubble formation are analyzed within the frameworks of both dissipative and non-dissipative (with zero bulk and shear viscosity coefficients) approaches. The conversion time of the neutron star to a quark star is obtained as a function of the equation of state of the neutron matter and of the microscopic parameters of the quark nuclei. As an application of the obtained formalism we analyze the first order phase transition from neutron matter to quark matter in rapidly rotating neutron stars cores, triggered by the gravitational energy released during the spinning down of the neutron star. The endothermic conversion process, via gravitational energy absorption, could take place, in a very short time interval, of the order of few tens seconds, in a class of dense compact objects, with very high magnetic fields, called magnetars.Comment: 31 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Ap