arXiv subjects

Jeremy N. Munday

Publications and source records attributed to Jeremy N. Munday.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Rotation of a liquid crystal by the Casimir torque

We present a calculation of the Casimir torque acting on a liquid crystal near a birefringent crystal. In this system, a liquid crystal bulk is uniformly aligned at one surface and is twisted at the other surface by a birefringent crystal, e.g. barium titanate. The liquid crystal is separated from the solid crystal by an isotropic, transparent material such as SiO$_2$. By varying the thickness of the deposited layer, we can observe the effect of retardation on the torque (which differentiates it from the close-range van der Waals torque). We find that a barium titanate slab would cause 5CB (4-cyano-4$'$-pentylbiphenyl) liquid crystal to rotate by 10$^\circ$ through its bulk when separated by 35 nm of SiO$_2$. The optical technique for measuring this twist is also outlined.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2014

The Shockley-Queisser limit for nanostructured solar cells

The Shockley-Queisser limit describes the maximum solar energy conversion efficiency achievable for a particular material and is the standard by which new photovoltaic technologies are compared. This limit is based on the principle of detailed balance, which equates the photon flux into a device to the particle flux (photons or electrons) out of that device. Nanostructured solar cells represent a new class of photovoltaic devices, and questions have been raised about whether or not they can exceed the Shockley-Queisser limit. Here we show that single-junction nanostructured solar cells have a theoretical maximum efficiency of 42% under AM 1.5 solar illumination. While this exceeds the efficiency of a non- concentrating planar device, it does not exceed the Shockley-Queisser limit for a planar device with optical concentration. We conclude that nanostructured solar cells offer an important route towards higher efficiency photovoltaic devices through a built-in optical concentration.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2014

The effect of patch potentials in Casimir force measurements determined by heterodyne Kelvin probe force microscopy

Measurements of the Casimir force require the elimination of electrostatic interactions between the surfaces. However, due to electrostatic patch potentials, the voltage required to minimize the total force may not be sufficient to completely nullify the electrostatic interaction. Thus, these surface potential variations cause an additional force, which can obscure the Casimir force signal. In this paper, we inspect the spatially varying surface potential (SP) of e-beamed, sputtered, sputtered and annealed, and template stripped gold surfaces with Heterodyne Amplitude Modulated Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (HAM-KPFM). It is demonstrated that HAM-KPFM improves the spatial resolution of surface potential measurements compared to Amplitude Modulated Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (AM-KPFM). We find that patch potentials vary depending on sample preparation, and that the calculated pressure can be similar to the pressure difference between Casimir force calculations employing the plasma and Drude models.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2004

On the torque on birefringent plates induced by quantum fluctuations

We present detailed numerical calculations of the mechanical torque induced by quantum fluctuations on two parallel birefringent plates with in plane optical anisotropy, separated by either vacuum or a liquid (ethanol). The torque is found to vary as $\sin(2θ)$, where $θ$ represents the angle between the two optical axes, and its magnitude rapidly increases with decreasing plate separation $d$. For a 40 $μ$m diameter disk, made out of either quartz or calcite, kept parallel to a Barium Titanate plate at $d\simeq 100$ nm, the maximum torque (at $θ={π\over 4}$) is of the order of $\simeq 10^{-19}$ N$\cdot$m. We propose an experiment to observe this torque when the Barium Titanate plate is immersed in ethanol and the other birefringent disk is placed on top of it. In this case the retarded van der Waals (or Casimir-Lifshitz) force between the two birefringent slabs is repulsive. The disk would float parallel to the plate at a distance where its net weight is counterbalanced by the retarded van der Waals repulsion, free to rotate in response to very small driving torques.

quant-ph↗