Condensed Matter Physics

Both the pancake coiling and conductor on round core (CORC) cabling processes consist of winding second-generation high-temperature superconducting tape (REBCO) in a core. The contact behavior between the tape and the core during the winding process directly affects the critical current, cable flexibility, mechanical support and electrical contact resistance. Therefore, the winding process needs to be optimized to produce pancake coils and CORC cables with the desired electrical and mechanical properties. This paper comprehensively considers the role of the relaxation and Poisson effects. The theoretical model and the finite element model (FEM) for calculating the contact stress during the winding process are established, and a formula for the estimation of the contact force is proposed. The suitable winding pre-tension force, winding curvature radius of SCS2030 (2 mm width and 30 µm substrate thickness) and SCS4050 (4 mm width and 50 µm substrate thickness) of REBCO tapes are obtained and discussed by accounting for the relaxation effect and the critical current degradation limit. With consideration of the Poisson effect, the nonlinear contact behavior is investigated. In addition, the relaxation effect, Poisson effect and plasticity of the REBCO tape are taken into account in the FEM model. The results show that the axial strain in the REBCO layer during the winding process is related to the contact behavior. The greater the winding pre-tension force, the smaller the helical curvature radius, and the greater the contact force. The distribution of contact stress for several winding factors (winding pre-tension force, winding angle and the core radius) is divided into three contact types: the single-line contact, the double-line contact and the surface contact. The FEM model results are consistent with the theoretical evaluation and are more suitable for practical winding cases. This research is the basis for designing and optimizing pancake coils and CORC cables.

An efficient simulation method for transmission-type radio-frequency single-electron transistors (RF-SETs) is developed. By introducing equivalent circuits of propagating microwaves through RF cables, we solve the master equation for RF-SETs self-consistently by using the conventional circuit simulator SPICE together with the SET current model. By examining transmitted waves from the transmission-type RF-SET, we show that the developed method successfully reproduces the numerical reference methods (calculated selfconsistently). We also show that our method provides simple and fast ways to simulate and analyze RF-SETs even under complicated circuit geometry and in high frequencies over GHz. Based on the developed simulation method, we introduce the modulation technique to estimate the charge sensitivity of the transmission-type RF-SET.

In this work, highly transparent La 2 O 3 -doped yttria ceramics were fabricated by a hot-pressing method. The effects of the La 2 O 3 doping concentration (0-17 at.%) on the optical transmittance, microstructures, microhardness, and thermal conductivity levels of the transparent yttria were investigated in an effort to develop a user's choice guide pertaining to the optical, mechanical, and thermal properties. The optimal La 2 O 3 doping concentration for the optical transmittance was found to be 12 at.%, leading to in-line transmittance levels of 68.9% at 400 nm and 81.9% at 1100 nm (2 mm thick).

The effects of nickel (Ni) content on the mechanical properties and microstructure evolution in the weld metals of commercial K65 oil and gas pipeline steel were studied. Increase Ni content could significantly improve the strength and low temperature impact toughness (-40 °C and -60 °C) of the weld metal. The above influences of Ni were attributed to the formation of predominant acicular ferrite (AF), at the expense of grain boundary ferrite (GBF), ferrite side plates (FSP) and martensite/austenite (M/A) constituent in weld metal. EBSD results indicated that GBF keeps K-S or N-W relations only with the prior austensite grain that belongs to one side of the grain boundary and the variants belong to the same bain group which always forms low angle boundary. Moreover, the retained austenite as one part of M/A constituent was mainly found in the weld metal with lower Ni content. It indicated that the transformation process could be promoted more completely by the increase of Ni content. The mechanism of the toughness improvement brought by Ni increasing was ascribed to the relatively uniform transformation to final microstructure, which reduces the appearance of GBF and M/A constituents.

We use Monte Carlo simulations to study the finite temperature behavior of vortices in the XY model for tangent vector order on curved backgrounds. Contrary to naive expectations, we show that the underlying geometry does not affect the proliferation of vortices with temperature respect to what is observed on a flat surface. Long-range order in these systems is analyzed by using two-point correlation functions. As expected, in the case of slightly curved substrates these correlations behave similarly to the plane. However, for high curvatures, the presence of geometry-induced unbounded vortices at low temperatures produces the rapid decay of correlations and an apparent lack of long-range order. Our results shed light on the finite-temperature physics of soft-matter systems and anisotropic magnets deposited on curved substrates.

In the presented study, firstly the microstructural features of the PVP-Cu 2 Te interlayer was evaluated by employing XRD and SEM approaches and the PVP-Cu 2 Te is formed on the p-Si wafer. Secondly, both the forward and reverse biases current-voltage and capacitance/conductance-frequency characteristics of the prepared Al/p-Si (MS) and Al/(PVP-Cu 2 Te)/p-Si (MPS) structures have been analyzed to compare the organic interlayer effect. Basic electrical parameters for reverse-saturation current (I o ), ideality factor (n), and zero-bias BH (Φ Bo ) were calculated as 2.3 × 10 -6 A, 2.38, and 0.576 eV for MS and 2.2 × 10 -8 A, 1.85, and 0.692 eV for MPS structures, respectively. Apparently, Io value for MPS is almost two order lower than MS structure. Besides, organic interlayer usage enhances the performance of MPS structure in respect of high BH, high-rectifying ratio, lowseries (R s ) resistance, and low-leakage current. When the experimental and theoretical field-lowering coefficients compared, Poole-Frenkel emission (PFE) is dominated for two structures at reverse bias zone.

A survey on the generalizations of Heisenberg uncertainty relation and a general scheme for their entangled extensions to several states and observables is presented. The scheme is illustrated on the examples of one and two states and canonical quantum observables, and spin and quasi-spin components. Several new uncertainty relations are displayed.

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

To clarify, N a was utilized to describe the doping density of the wafer which indicates the arsenic density not the acceptor density. ͑3͒ The width of the tunneling distribution is described as less than 7 meV. It should be less than 70 meV. These mistakes do not change the results or conclusions of the paper. The corresponding author takes responsibility for these mistakes.

The hot electron attenuation length of Ag is measured utilizing ballistic electron emission microscopy on nanoscale Schottky diodes for Si(001) and Si(111) substrates. Marked differences in the attenuation length are observed at biases near the Schottky barrier depending upon the substrate orientation, increasing by an order of magnitude only for Si(001). These results provide clear evidence that the crystallographic orientation of the semiconductor substrate and parallel momentum conservation affect the charge transport across these interfaces. A theoretical model reproduces the effect that combines a free-electron description within the metal with an ab-initio description of the electronic structure of the semiconductor.

A large body of astrophysical observations indicate that around 85 percent of the matter in the universe is not made of recognized standard model particles. Understanding the nature of this so-called dark matter is of fundamental importance to cosmology, astrophysics, and high energy particle physics. We examine the response of commonly used semiconductor materials to low-mass WIMP interactions using numerical simulations based on classical interatomic potentials in these materials. These simulations, backed up by more precise density functional theory simulations and experiments, predict an angular dependence in the defect formation energy threshold that varies by around 20 eV from minimum to maximum. They also predict a nonlinear energy loss that never produces phonons due to the nonzero energy required to form crystallographic defects. We argue that such nonlinear effects related to defect formation in single-electron resolution semiconductor detectors allows for very effective directional sensitivity and possible statistical nuclear recoil discrimination to dark matter signals for masses below 1 GeV/c 2 .

In search of materials with better properties, polycrystalline materials are often found superior to their respective single crystalline counterparts. Reduction of grain size in polycrystalline materials can drastically alter the properties of materials, and when the grains reach nanometer scale, the improved mechanical response of the materials make them attractive in many applications. Multicomponent solid solution alloys have shown higher radiation tolerance compared to pure materials. Combining these both advantages, we investigate the radiation tolerance of nanocrystalline multicomponent alloys. We find that the alloys are able to withstand a much higher irradiation dose before the nanocrystallinity collapses, compared to nanocrystalline Ni. Some of the alloys managed to uphold their nanocrystallinity even twice as long as pure Ni.

Electron emission from nanometric size emitters becomes of increasing interest due to its involvement to sharp electron sources, vacuum breakdown phenomena and various other vacuum nanoelectronics applications. The most commonly used theoretical tools for the calculation of electron emission are still nowadays the Fowler-Nordheim and the Richardson-Laue-Dushman equations although it has been shown since the 1990's that they are inadequate for nanometrically sharp emitters or in the intermediate thermal-field regime. In this paper we develop a computational method for the calculation of emission currents and Nottingham heat, which automatically distinguishes among different emission regimes, and implements the appropriate calculation method for each. Our method covers all electron emission regimes (thermal, field and intermediate), aiming to maximize the calculation accuracy while minimizing the computational time. As an example, we implemented it in atomistic simulations of the thermal evolution of Cu nanotips under strong electric fields and found that the predicted behaviour of such nanotips by the developed technique differs significantly from estimations obtained based on the Fowler-Nordheim equation. Finally, we show that our tool can be also successfully applied in the analysis of experimental I -V data.

We develop an analytical model for the vacuum electric breakdown rate dependence on an external electric field, observed in test components for the compact linear collider concept. The model is based on a thermodynamic consideration of the effect of an external electric field on the formation enthalpy of defects. Although strictly speaking only valid for electric fields, the model also reproduces very well the breakdown rate of a wide range of radio-frequency breakdown experimental data. We further show that the fitting parameter in the model can be interpreted to be the relaxation volume of dislocation loops in materials. The values obtained for the volume are consistent with dislocation loops with radii of a few tens of nanometers.

Electron emission from nanometric size emitters becomes of increasing interest due to its involvement to sharp electron sources, vacuum breakdown phenomena and various other vacuum nanoelectronics applications. The most commonly used theoretical tools for the calculation of electron emission are still nowadays the Fowler-Nordheim and the Richardson-Laue-Dushman equations although it has been shown since the 1990's that they are inadequate for nanometrically sharp emitters or in the intermediate thermal-field regime. In this paper we develop a computational method for the calculation of emission currents and Nottingham heat, which automatically distinguishes among different emission regimes, and implements the appropriate calculation method for each. Our method covers all electron emission regimes (thermal, field and intermediate), aiming to maximize the calculation accuracy while minimizing the computational time. As an example, we implemented it in atomistic simulations of the thermal evolution of Cu nanotips under strong electric fields and found that the predicted behaviour of such nanotips by the developed technique differs significantly from estimations obtained based on the Fowler-Nordheim equation. Finally, we show that our tool can be also successfully applied in the analysis of experimental I -V data.

Interest in the strongly correlated electron system YbAl 3 has been recently renewed by the observation of a breakdown of coherence effects and Fermi liquid behavior when the alloy's particle size is reduced to around 11 nm. Powder diffraction measurements using neutron and synchrotron radiation allow us to estimate the thermal expansion of the nanostructured YbAl 3 . A region of negative thermal expansion in the nanostructured material occurs at higher temperatures compared to that of bulk YbAl 3 . This shows that the reduction in the size of YbAl 3 not only affects electronic properties, but also the lattice dynamics of this material.

This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of thermochromic materials for building applications to identify research trends, gaps, and future opportunities. The study reviewed 571 publications selected from the Scopus database. It examines global research patterns, including publication trends, patent activity, geographic distribution, leading authors, and growth trends. Key findings highlight the dominance of inorganic pigments, such as vanadium dioxide (VO2), in smart window applications. In contrast, organic thermochromic pigments remain less explored due to challenges such as photodegradation, despite their potential to improve energy efficiency. Emerging nanotechnologies based on hydrogels and perovskites are promising ways to improve the stability and multifunctionality of thermochromic materials. In contrast, additives such as TiO2 and SiO2 can help address durability and photodegradation issues. Although glass applications dominate the research, the potential for thermochromic coatings on roofs and walls remains underexplored. The study highlights ongoing challenges, including the need for improved durability, cost-effective solutions, and multifunctional capabilities. It emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to accelerate innovation and drive significant advances in thermochromic materials for building applications, ultimately promoting their wider implementation. Continued research is essential to achieve the full potential of these materials for energy-efficient and climate-responsive buildings.

van der Waals materials offer a large variety of electronic properties depending on chemical composition, number of layers, and stacking order. Among them, As2Te3 has attracted attention due to the promise of outstanding electronic properties and high photo-response. Precise experimental determinations of the electronic properties of As2Te3 are yet sorely needed for better understanding of potential properties and device applications. Here, we study the structural and electronic properties of α-As2Te3. Scanning transmission electron microscopy coupled to energy x-ray dispersion and micro-Raman spectroscopy all confirm that our specimens correspond to α-As2Te3. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) at 4.2 K demonstrates that α-As2Te3 exhibits an electronic bandgap of about 0.4 eV. The valence-band maxima are located at −0.03 eV below the Fermi level, thus confirming the residual p-type character of our samples. The material can be exfoliated, revealing the (100) anisotropic surface. ...

Metal mono-chalcogenide compounds offer a large variety of electronic properties depending on chemical composition, number of layers and stacking-order. Among them, the InSe has attracted much attention due to the promise of outstanding electronic properties, attractive quantum physics, and high photo-response. Precise experimental determination of the electronic structure of InSe is sorely needed for better understanding of potential properties and device applications. Here, combining scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and two-photon photoemission spectroscopy (2PPE), we demonstrate that InSe exhibit a direct band gap of about 1.25 eV located at the  point of the Brillouin zone (BZ). STS measurements underline the presence of a finite and almost constant density of states (DOS) near the conduction band minimum (CBM) and a very sharp one near the maximum of the valence band (VMB). This particular DOS is generated by a poorly dispersive nature of the top valence band, as shown by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) investigation. In fact, a hole effective mass of about m*/m0 = -0.95 (𝛤𝐾 ̅̅̅̅ direction) was measured. Moreover, using ARPES measurements a spin-orbit splitting of the deeper-lying bands of about 0.35 eV was evidenced. These findings allow a deeper understanding of the InSe electronic properties underlying the potential of III-VI semiconductors for electronic and photonic technologies.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have recently been the focus of extensive research. By following a similar trend as graphene, other 2D materials including transition metal dichalcogenides (MX 2 ) and metal monochalcogenides (MX) show great potential for ultrathin nanoelectronic and optoelectronic devices. Despite the weak nature of interlayer forces in semiconducting MX materials, their electronic properties are highly dependent on the number of layers. Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS), we demonstrate the tunability of the quasiparticle energy gap of few layered gallium selenide (GaSe) directly grown on a bilayer graphene substrate by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Our results show that the band gap is about 3.50 ± 0.05 eV for single-tetralayer (1TL), 3.00 ± 0.05 eV for bi-tetralayer (2TL) and 2.30 ± 0.05 eV for tritetralayer (3TL). This band gap evolution of GaSe, in particularly the shift of the valence band with respect to the Fermi level, was confirmed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements and our theoretical calculations. Moreover, we observed a charge transfer in GaSe/graphene van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure using ARPES. These findings demonstrate the high impact on the GaSe electronic band structure and electronic properties that can be obtained by the control of 2D materials layer thickness and the graphene induced doping.

In the recent work of , it has been shown that Pb nanocrystals (NCs) grown on the electron accumulation layer at the (110) surface of InAs are in the regime of Coulomb blockade. This enabled the first Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy (STM) study of the superconducting parity effect across the Anderson limit. The observation of Coulomb blockade implies the existence of a tunnel barrier between the NCs and the substrate. This tunnel barrier has been ascribed to a quantum constriction of the electronic wave function at the interface between the NCs and the electron accumulation layer owing to its large Fermi wavelength. In this proceeding, we detail and review the arguments leading to this conclusion.

How small can superconductors be? For isolated nanoparticles subject to quantum size effects, P.W. Anderson in 1959 conjectured that superconductivity could only exist when the electronic level spacing δ is smaller than the superconducting gap energy Δ. Here we report a scanning tunnelling spectroscopy study of superconducting lead (Pb) nanocrystals grown on the (110) surface of InAs. We find that for nanocrystals of lateral size smaller than the Fermi wavelength of the 2D electron gas at the surface of InAs, the electronic transmission of the interface is weak; this leads to Coulomb blockade and enables the extraction of electron addition energy of the nanocrystals. For large nanocrystals, the addition energy displays superconducting parity effect, a direct consequence of Cooper pairing. Studying this parity effect as a function of nanocrystal volume, we find the suppression of Cooper pairing when the mean electronic level spacing overcomes the superconducting gap energy, thus demo...

The transport properties of few-layer graphene are the directly result of a peculiar band structure near the Dirac point. Here, for epitaxial graphene grown on SiC, we determine the effect of charge transfer from the SiC substrate on the local density of states (LDOS) of trilayer graphene using scaning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Different spectra are observed and are attributed to the existence of two stable polytypes of trilayer: Bernal (ABA) and rhomboedreal (ABC) staking. Their electronic properties strongly depend on the charge transfer from the substrate. We show that the LDOS of ABC stacking shows an additional peak located above the Dirac point in comparison with the LDOS of ABA stacking. The observed LDOS features, reflecting the underlying symmetry of the two polytypes, were reproduced by explicit calculations within density functional theory (DFT) including the charge transfer from the substrate. These findings ...

Charge density waves (CDW) have been studied at the surface of a cleaved TTF-TCNQ single crystal using a low temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) under ultra high vacuum (UHV) conditions, between 300K and 33K with molecular resolution. All CDW phase transitions of TTF-TCNQ have been identified. The measurement of the modulation wave vector along the a direction provides the first evidence for the existence of domains comprising single plane wave modulated structures in the temperature regime where the transverse wave vector of the CDW is temperature dependent, as hinted by the theory more than 20 years ago.

TTF-TCNQ is a one-dimensional charge transfer compound. Charge density wave (CDW) transition occurs at 54 K in TTF-TCNQ, and CDW presents three phases: high temperature commensurate phase (T > 49 K; 2a  3:39b); inter-mediated incommensurate phase (T ¼ 38À49 K; ma  3:39b) and low temperature commensurate phase (T < 38 K; 4a  3:39b). In this report, we present our experimental result on cleaved (0 0 1) surfaces of TTF-TCNQ with UHV-LT-STM (Omicron LTSTM). For a broad temperature range (33-100 K), molecular resolution of TTF-TCNQ has been obtained. Below 54 K an additional two-dimensional superstructure of CDW appears in our images. The ordering of CDW modulation both along a and b direction are first revealed by our STM measurement. Our result shows that, on (0 0 1) surface of TTF-TCNQ, C-I-C CDW phase transition persists in nanometer scale and C-I-C transition is homogeneous. The determination of local CDW phase shift will be presented in this report too. At high temperature (60-280 K), we observed a v-shape pseudogap. The pseudo-gap and Peierls-gap co-exist at low temperature.

Local tunneling spectroscopy has been measured with low temperature UHV-STM on in-situ cleaved ab surface of organic TTF-TCNQ crystal. Due to ultra low image drift and clear molecular resolution, the spectroscopy is performed at specific molecular site either on TCNQ or TTF chains. In normal state (T= 63 K), a large pseudo-gap exists both in TTF and TCNQ chains. Above pseudo-gap local density of states differs for TTF and TCNQ chains that is in good agreement with double band model. By the signature of an anomalous in local spectroscopy measurement, a single impurity has been detected on a TTF chain. Charge density wave fluctuation is pinned by impurity above critical temperature (T=54K). Results obtained show that, Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy can provide spatially resolved spectroscopic information at nanometer scale.

We report the results of an experimental study of the effect of a dilute silica network on liquid-gas critical phenomena in carbon dioxide ͑CO 2 ͒. Using small-angle neutron scattering, we measured the correlation length of the density fluctuations in bulk ͑ bulk ͒ and confined CO 2 ͑ conf ͒ as a function of temperature and average fluid density. We find that quenched disorder induced by an aerogel suppresses density fluctuations: conf loses the Ising model divergence characteristic of bulk and does not exceed the size of pores in the homogeneous region.

The recently proposed reduction method is applied to the Edwards-Anderson model on bonddiluted square lattices. This allows, in combination with a graph-theoretical matching algorithm, to calculate numerically exact ground states of large systems. Low-temperature domain-wall excitations are studied to determine the stiffness exponent y2. A value of y2 = -0.281(3) is found, consistent with previous results obtained on undiluted lattices. This comparison demonstrates the validity of the reduction method for bond-diluted spin systems and provides strong support for similar studies proclaiming accurate results for stiffness exponents in dimensions d = 3, . . . , 7.

A reduction procedure to obtain ground states of spin glasses on sparse graphs is developed and tested on the hierarchical lattice associated with the Migdal-Kadanoff approximation for lowdimensional lattices. While more generally applicable, these rules here lead to a complete reduction of the lattice. The stiffness exponent governing the scaling of the defect energy ∆E with system size L, σ(∆E) ∼ L y , is obtained as y3 = 0.25546(3) by reducing the equivalent of lattices up to L = 2 100 in d = 3, and as y4 = 0.76382(4) for up to L = 2 35 in d = 4. The reduction rules allow the exact determination of the ground state energy, entropy, and also provide an approximation to the overlap distribution. With these methods, some well-know and some new features of diluted hierarchical lattices are calculated.

A new approach to exploring low-temperature excitations in finite-dimensional lattice spin glasses is proposed. By focusing on bond-diluted lattices just above the percolation threshold, large system sizes L can be obtained which lead to enhanced scaling regimes and more accurate exponents. Furthermore, this method in principle remains practical for any dimension, yielding exponents that so far have been elusive. This approach is demonstrated by determining the stiffness exponent for dimensions d = 3, d = 6 (the upper critical dimension), and d = 7. Key is the application of an exact reduction algorithm, which eliminates a large fraction of spins, so that the reduced lattices never exceed ∼ 10 3 variables for sizes as large as L = 30 in d = 3, L = 9 in d = 6, or L = 8 in d = 7. Finite size scaling analysis gives y3 = 0.24(1) for d = 3, significantly improving on previous work. The results for d = 6 and d = 7, y6 = 1.1(1) and y7 = 1.24(5), are entirely new and are compared with mean-field predictions made for d ≥ 6. = 0.25546(3) [18].

Extensive computations of ground state energies of the Edwards-Anderson spin glass on bonddiluted, hypercubic lattices are conducted in dimensions d = 3, . . . , 7. Results are presented for bond-densities exactly at the percolation threshold, p = pc, and deep within the glassy regime, p > pc, where finding ground-states is one of the hardest combinatorial optimization problems. Finite-size corrections of the form 1/N ω are shown to be consistent throughout with the prediction ω = 1 -y/d, where y refers to the "stiffness" exponent that controls the formation of domain wall excitations at low temperatures. At p = pc, an extrapolation for d → ∞ appears to match our mean-field results for these corrections. In the glassy phase, however, ω does not approach its anticipated mean-field value of 2/3, obtained from simulations of the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick spin glass on an N -clique graph. Instead, the value of ω reached at the upper critical dimension matches another type of mean-field spin glass models, namely those on sparse random networks of regular degree called Bethe lattices.

The recently proposed reduction method is applied to the Edwards-Anderson model on bonddiluted square lattices. This allows, in combination with a graph-theoretical matching algorithm, to calculate numerically exact ground states of large systems. Low-temperature domain-wall excitations are studied to determine the stiffness exponent y2. A value of y2 = -0.281(3) is found, consistent with previous results obtained on undiluted lattices. This comparison demonstrates the validity of the reduction method for bond-diluted spin systems and provides strong support for similar studies proclaiming accurate results for stiffness exponents in dimensions d = 3, . . . , 7.

The thermal-to-percolative crossover exponent φ, well-known for ferromagnetic systems, is studied extensively for Edwards-Anderson spin glasses. The scaling of defect energies are determined at the bond percolation threshold pc, using an new algorithm. Simulations extend to system sizes above N = 10 8 in dimensions d = 2, . . . , 7. The results can be related to the behavior of the transition temperature Tg ∼ (p -pc) φ between the paramagnetic and the glassy regime for p ց pc. In three dimensions, where our simulations predict φ = 1.127(5), this scaling form for Tg provides a rare experimental test of predictions arising from the equilibrium theory of low-temperature spin glasses. For dimension near and above the upper critical dimension, the results provide a new challenge to reconcile mean-field theory with finite-dimensional properties.

Extensive computations of ground state energies of the Edwards-Anderson spin glass on bonddiluted, hypercubic lattices are conducted in dimensions d = 3, . . . , 7. Results are presented for bond-densities exactly at the percolation threshold, p = pc, and deep within the glassy regime, p > pc, where finding ground-states is one of the hardest combinatorial optimization problems. Finite-size corrections of the form 1/N ω are shown to be consistent throughout with the prediction ω = 1 -y/d, where y refers to the "stiffness" exponent that controls the formation of domain wall excitations at low temperatures. At p = pc, an extrapolation for d → ∞ appears to match our mean-field results for these corrections. In the glassy phase, however, ω does not approach its anticipated mean-field value of 2/3, obtained from simulations of the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick spin glass on an N -clique graph. Instead, the value of ω reached at the upper critical dimension matches another type of mean-field spin glass models, namely those on sparse random networks of regular degree called Bethe lattices.

A reduction procedure to obtain ground states of spin glasses on sparse graphs is developed and tested on the hierarchical lattice associated with the Migdal-Kadanoff approximation for lowdimensional lattices. While more generally applicable, these rules here lead to a complete reduction of the lattice. The stiffness exponent governing the scaling of the defect energy ∆E with system size L, σ(∆E) ∼ L y , is obtained as y3 = 0.25546(3) by reducing the equivalent of lattices up to L = 2 100 in d = 3, and as y4 = 0.76382(4) for up to L = 2 35 in d = 4. The reduction rules allow the exact determination of the ground state energy, entropy, and also provide an approximation to the overlap distribution. With these methods, some well-know and some new features of diluted hierarchical lattices are calculated.

The paper presents a conceptual, analytical platform with various pathogen detection applications based on a hybrid magnetic field source comprised of permanent magnets and solenoid coils fixed on the same magnetic yoke that acts as a magnetic flux concentrator. The magnetic field creates magnetization forces that guide functionalized paramagnetic microparticles through the volume of an analyte sample to capture targeted pathogens. The presence of bacteria is sensed with an additional electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) module attached to the system at high-frequency electrical fields. The magnetic field control is studied using mathematical modeling and numerical simulation in several geometry setups, coil excitation, and remanent flux density values.

The structure and mechanism of the formation of superlattices lamellae in microporous polyole fine (polyethylene and polypropylene) films obtained by polymer melt extrusion followed by annealing, uniaxial extension, and thermal fixation stages have been studied by scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. It has been shown that oriented anisometric particles, i.e., lamellae aggregates, are formed in films as the spin draw ratio λ f increases. At the stage of uniaxial extension (pore formation) of annealed films, a particle ensemble transforms to spatial superlattices of lamellae. Numerical processing of electron micros copy images of the film surface show that the nonmonotonic dependences of the correlation length of density fluctuations and the ratios of the alternation period of particles along extension to their thickness on the parameter λ f correspond to a unified mechanism of lamellae ordering.

Microporous films of polyolefins, namely, polyethylene and polypropylene, have been prepared using the process based on the extrusion of the melt with the subsequent annealing, uniaxial extension, and thermal fixation. The influence of the conditions used for preparation of the films on their morphology, porosity, number and sizes of through flow channels, and mechanical properties has been investigated. It has been found that a significant influence on the characteristics of the porous structure of the films is exerted by the degree of orientation of the melt at extrusion, the annealing temperature, and the degree of uniaxial extension of the films. The threshold values of these parameters, at which through flow channels are formed in the films, have been determined. It has been shown using filtration porosimetry that polyethylene films have a higher permeability to liquids as compared to the polypropylene samples (240 and 180 L/(m 2 h atm), respectively). The porous structure of the polyethylene films is characterized by larger sizes of through pores than those of the polypropylene samples (the average pore sizes are 210 and 160 nm, respectively), whereas the polypropylene films contain a larger number of through flow channels.

The surface structure of polypropylene and polyethylene microporous films prepared by the extrusion of the polymer melt with the subsequent stages of annealing, uniaxial extension, and thermal fixa tion of the samples has been analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. It has been shown that percolation through pores corresponds to the axial texture of the surface with the channel structure described by the frac tal cluster model. The transition from open pores (through flow channels) to closed pores leads to the forma tion of surface regions with a biaxial texture. An increase in the density of the solid phase cluster is accompa nied by the formation of a homogeneous biaxial texture with a period of alternation of the density in two mutually perpendicular directions, one of which coincides with the direction of orientation of the films.

The Need for Detection of Antibiotic Residues The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts ten million annual deaths, globally, due to antibiotic-resistant infections, by 2050. The rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) bacteria is therefore considered a global threat. Cassini et al. studied deaths linked to drug-resistant infections in Europe and concluded that %700 000 infections in 2015 were related to resistant bacteria, of which 5% were fatal. Similarly, a study by Ventola demonstrated that two million patients in the USA developed hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), of which 99 000 cases proved fatal, a significant proportion of which were also caused by resistant bacteria. In addition to their impact on mortality, these resistant bacteria also pose a serious financial burden. Misurski et al. demonstrated that incorrect antibiotic prescription was estimated to be a $211 million burden,

The effect of high hydrostatic pressure (up to 10.3 GPa) at room temperature on fluorescence lifetime τ for R line ( 2 E → 4 A 2 transition) in ruby Al 2 O 3 :V 2+ was studied. The performed studies show the linear increase of τ with increasing pressure. At 10.3 GPa, τ is about 1.36 times higher than at ambient pressure. The obtained trend was explained by a model which considered the effect of pressure on τ through an induced change of line position, inter-ionic distance, compressibility, and molecular polarizability. A good agreement between the calculated and experimental values for τ was obtained.

The construction of a double discharge pulsed electron beam generator and the study of the characteristics of the beam are presented in this paper. The electron beam generator consists of a fast filamentary discharge in superposition with an ordinary glow discharge in low-pressure gases. The filling gas is argon or helium at approximately 0.1 Torr pressure. The duration of the electron beam is shorter than 50 ns and the peak current intensity is of the order of amperes. The electron density is evaluated by making use of Stark broadening of the H β line and compared with the full computer simulation method. The pinch effect of the filamentary discharge is evaluated and its size compared with the diameter of the beam.

The Raman spectrum of the defect tetrahedral layer compound GaGeTe at 297 and 80 K has been measured. Six prominent phonons, at 296, 286, 263, 178, 168, and 66 cm ', have been ob- served at 297 K. These phonons are compared with theoretical predictions based on the planar force constants of germanium for I 111 I planes.

A sequence of bidimensional X-ray diffraction patterns were acquired in transmission mode at regular intervals across the shell thickness. The scattering or degree of preferential orientation of crystals was calculated from the intensity profile along the selected Debye-Scherrer rings (χ-scans). The degree of crystal orientation was determined from the angular length of the arcs displayed in the Debye rings on the 2D X-ray diffraction patterns. The values of reflection intensities, degree of orientation and crystallinity show progressive variations within during the same shell layer as well as abrupt changes at the transitions between layers with different microstructural organizations. This study provides useful insights into both the mechanisms that control the development of order in mollusc shell microstructures and those that determine the switch between layers with different microstructural organizations. This information could be of interest to understand the processes of self-assembly that happen in these biomaterials and may be applied to the design of bio-inspired advanced ceramic materials.