Extending the bounds of performance in E-mode p-channel GaN MOSHFETs

An investigation of the distribution of the electric field within a normally-off p-channel heterostructure field-effect transistor in GaN, explains why a high |Vth| requires a reduction of the thickness of oxide and the GaN channel layer. The trade-off between on-current |Ion| and |Vth|, responsible for the poor |ION| in E-mode devices is overcome with an additional cap AlGaN layer that modulates the electric field in itself and the oxide. A record |Ion| of 50-60 mA/mm is achieved with a |Vth| greater than |-2| V in the designed E-mode p-channel MOSHFET, which is more than double that in a conventional device

An E-mode p-channel GaN MOSHFET for a CMOS compatible PMIC

The operation principle of a low power E-mode p-channel GaN MOSHFET is explained via TCAD simulations. The challenges of achieving negative threshold voltage with the scaling of gate length are addressed by adjusting the mole fraction of an AlGaN cap layer beneath the gate. An inverter consisting of the proposed p-channel GaN MOSHFET with a gate length of 025 μm shows promise of a CMOS compatible Power Management IC in the MHz range

SUSY-GUTs, SUSY-Seesaw and the Neutralino Dark Matter

We will consider a SUSY-SU(5) with one right-handed neutrino with a large top like Yukawa coupling. Assuming universal soft masses at high scale we compute the low-energy spectrum and subsequently the neutralino LSP relic density taking also into consideration SU(5) as well as the see-saw running effects above the gauge coupling unification scale. We found that there exists no viable region in parameter space for \tan\beta \ler ~35. The $\tilde{\tau}$ coannihilation process starts becoming efficient for \tan\beta \ger 35-40. However, this process is significantly constrained by the limited range in which the stau is lighter than the neutralino. In fact, for a given $\tan\beta$ we find that there exists an upper bound on the lightest neutralino mass ($M_{\chi_1^0}$) in this region. The A-pole funnel region appears at very large $\tan\beta \simeq 45-50$, while the focus-point region does not make an appearance till large ($m_0,M_{1/2}$), namely a few TeV. Large $A_0$ terms at high scale can lead to extended regions consistent with WMAP constraints and remove the upper bounds in the stau coannihilation regions.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures; references added, figure added, improved discussions in text, to appear in JHE

Intrinsic quadrupole moment of the nucleon

We address the question of the intrinsic quadrupole moment Q_0 of the nucleon in various models. All models give a positive intrinsic quadrupole moment for the proton. This corresponds to a prolate deformation. We also calculate the intrinsic quadrupole moment of the Delta(1232). All our models lead to a negative intrinsic quadrupole moment of the Delta corresponding to an oblate deformation.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure

On Coloring Resilient Graphs

We introduce a new notion of resilience for constraint satisfaction problems, with the goal of more precisely determining the boundary between NP-hardness and the existence of efficient algorithms for resilient instances. In particular, we study $r$-resiliently $k$-colorable graphs, which are those $k$-colorable graphs that remain $k$-colorable even after the addition of any $r$ new edges. We prove lower bounds on the NP-hardness of coloring resiliently colorable graphs, and provide an algorithm that colors sufficiently resilient graphs. We also analyze the corresponding notion of resilience for $k$-SAT. This notion of resilience suggests an array of open questions for graph coloring and other combinatorial problems.Comment: Appearing in MFCS 201

Can slow roll inflation induce relevant helical magnetic fields?

We study the generation of helical magnetic fields during single field inflation induced by an axial coupling of the electromagnetic field to the inflaton. During slow roll inflation, we find that such a coupling always leads to a blue spectrum with $B^2(k) \propto k$, as long as the theory is treated perturbatively. The magnetic energy density at the end of inflation is found to be typically too small to backreact on the background dynamics of the inflaton. We also show that a short deviation from slow roll does not result in strong modifications to the shape of the spectrum. We calculate the evolution of the correlation length and the field amplitude during the inverse cascade and viscous damping of the helical magnetic field in the radiation era after inflation. We conclude that except for low scale inflation with very strong coupling, the magnetic fields generated by such an axial coupling in single field slow roll inflation with perturbative coupling to the inflaton are too weak to provide the seeds for the observed fields in galaxies and clusters.Comment: 33 pages 6 figures; v4 to match the accepted version to appear in JCA

Strategies and options for increasing and sustaining fisheries and aquaculture production to benefit poorer households in Asia [PDF in letter standard]

The last three decades have wi tnessed dramatic changes in the structure of supply and demand for fish, especially in Asia. This WorldFish research study sponsored by the Asian Development Bank focussed on nine developing countries û Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam, all active players in the transformation of global fish supply and demand. The study, broken into five components and reported here, considered: 1) the profile of key aquaculture technologies and fishing practices; 2) analysis of policies, institutions and support services; 3) socioeconomic profile of major stakeholders in the fisheries sector; 4) projections of fish demand and supply in the nine Asian countries; and 5) formulation of national action plans based on the findings and recommendations of the study.Research, Fisheries, Economic analysis, Aquaculture, Fish consumption, Trade, Policies, Socioeconomic aspects, Technology, Fishery products, Asia, China, People's Rep., Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam,

Role of surface roughness in hard x-ray emission from femtosecond laser produced copper plasmas

The hard x-ray emission in the energy range of 30-300 keV from copper plasmas produced by 100 fs, 806 nm laser pulses at intensities in the range of 10$^{15}-10^{16}$ W cm$^{-2}$ is investigated. We demonstrate that surface roughness of the targets overrides the role of polarization state in the coupling of light to the plasma. We further show that surface roughness has a significant role in enhancing the x-ray emission in the above mentioned energy range.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Warp propagation in astrophysical discs

Astrophysical discs are often warped, that is, their orbital planes change with radius. This occurs whenever there is a non-axisymmetric force acting on the disc, for example the Lense-Thirring precession induced by a misaligned spinning black hole, or the gravitational pull of a misaligned companion. Such misalignments appear to be generic in astrophysics. The wide range of systems that can harbour warped discs - protostars, X-ray binaries, tidal disruption events, quasars and others - allows for a rich variety in the disc's response. Here we review the basic physics of warped discs and its implications.Comment: To be published in Astrophysical Black Holes by Haardt et al., Lecture Notes in Physics, Springer 2015. 19 pages, 2 figure