arXiv subjects

R. Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to R. Zhang.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Exponentially selective molecular sieving through angstrom pores

Two-dimensional crystals with angstrom-scale pores are widely considered as candidates for a next generation of molecular separation technologies aiming to provide extreme, exponentially large selectivity combined with high flow rates. No such pores have been demonstrated experimentally. Here we study gas transport through individual graphene pores created by low intensity exposure to low kV electrons. Helium and hydrogen permeate easily through these pores whereas larger species such as xenon and methane are practically blocked. Permeating gases experience activation barriers that increase quadratically with molecules' kinetic diameter, and the effective diameter of the created pores is estimated as ~2 angstroms, about one missing carbon ring. Our work reveals stringent conditions for achieving the long sought-after exponential selectivity using porous two-dimensional membranes and suggests limits on their possible performance.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Stellar Population Astrophysics (SPA) with the TNG: Stock 2, a little-studied open cluster with an eMSTO

Stock 2 is a little-studied open cluster that shows an extended main-sequence turnoff (eMSTO). In order to investigate this phenomenon and characterise the cluster itself we performed high-resolution spectroscopy in the framework of the Stellar Population Astrophysics (SPA) project. We employed the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher in North hemisphere spectrograph (HARPS-N) at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG). We completed our observations with additional spectra taken with the Catania Astrophysical Observatory Spectrograph (CAOS). In total we observed 46 stars (dwarfs and giants), which represent, by far, the largest sample collected for this cluster to date. We provide the stellar parameters, extinction, radial and projected rotational velocities for most of the stars. Chemical abundances for 21 species with atomic numbers up to 56 have also been derived. We notice a differential reddening in the cluster field whose average value is 0.27 mag. It seems to be the main responsible for the observed eMSTO, since it cannot be explained as the result of different rotational velocities, as found in other clusters. We estimate an age for Stock 2 of 450$\pm$150 Ma which corresponds to a MSTO stellar mass of $\approx$2.8 M$_{\odot}$. The cluster mean radial velocity is around 8.0 km s$^{-1}$. We find a solar-like metallicity for the cluster, [Fe/H]=$-$0.07$\pm$0.06, compatible with its Galactocentric distance. MS stars and giants show chemical abundances compatible within the errors, with the exceptions of Barium and Strontium, which are clearly overabundant in giants, and Cobalt, which is only marginally overabundant. Finally, Stock 2 presents a chemical composition fully compatible with that observed in other open clusters of the Galactic thin disc.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

The orbital effect on the anomalous magnetism and evolution in La$_x$Y$_{1-x}$VO$_3$($0\le x \le 0.2$) single crystals

The orbital effect on the anomalous magnetism and evolution of low La-doping single crystals, La$_x$Y$_{1-x}$VO$_{3}$ (x = 0, 0.1, and 0.2), has been investigated by applying the X-ray diffraction, specific heat, magnetization and Raman scattering techniques. The larger nearest-neighbor (NN) exchange interaction along c-axis stabilizes the fluctuant G-type orbital ordering (G-OO) which favors the exotic C-type antiferromagnetic order (C-AF). It is found that the NN exchange interaction in ab plane is anisotropy relating to the in plane magnetic anisotropy, which becomes smaller in high La-doped sample. Most interestingly, with increasing the La$^{3+}$ content the orbital fluctuation and hybridization are decreased which stabilizes the C-OO phase and destabilizes the G-OO phase. Meanwhile, the diamagnetism in the exotic C-AF phase becomes weak and the possible mechanism relates to the change of the competition between the single-ion magnetic anisotropy and the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya (DM) interaction with increasing x. Finally, the strong spin-orbital coupling has been observed at temperature just above T$_N$ in La$_{0.2}$Y$_{0.8}$VO$_{3}$ and a short range spin-orbital correlation is suggested.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Stellar Population Astrophysics (SPA) with TNG Atmospheric parameters of members of 16 unstudied open clusters

Thanks to modern understanding of stellar evolution, we can accurately measure the age of Open Clusters (OCs). Given their position, they are ideal tracers of the Galactic disc. Gaia data release 2, besides providing precise parallaxes, led to the detection of many new clusters, opening a new era for the study of the Galactic disc. However, detailed information on the chemical abundance for OCs is necessary to accurately date them and to efficiently use them to probe the evolution of the disc.Mapping and exploring the Milky Way structure %to combine accurate chemical information of OCs is the main aim of the Stellar Population Astrophysics (SPA) project. Part of this work involves the use of OCs and the derivation of their precise and accurate chemical composition.We analyze here a sample of OCs located within about 2 kpc from the Sun, with ages from about 50 Myr to a few Gyr.We used HARPS-N at the Telescopio Nazionale Gaileo and collected very high-resolution spectra (R = 115\,000) of 40 red giant/red clump stars in 18 OCs (16 never or scarcely studied plus two comparison clusters). We measured their radial velocities and derived the stellar parameters.We discussed the relationship between metallicity and Galactocentric distance, adding literature data to our results to enlarge the sample and taking also age into account. We compared the result of observational data with that from chemo-dynamical models. These models generally reproduce the metallicity gradient well. However, at young ages we found a large dispersion in metallicity, not reproduced by models. Several possible explanations are explored, including uncertainties in the derived metallicity. We confirm the difficulties in determining parameters for young stars (age < 200 Myr), due to a combination of intrinsic factors which atmospheric models can not easily reproduce and which affect the parameters uncertainty

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Physics reach of a low threshold scintillating argon bubble chamber in coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering reactor experiments

The physics reach of a low threshold (100 eV) scintillating argon bubble chamber sensitive to Coherent Elastic neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CE$ν$NS) from reactor neutrinos is studied. The sensitivity to the weak mixing angle, neutrino magnetic moment, and a light $Z'$ gauge boson mediator are analyzed. A Monte Carlo simulation of the backgrounds is performed to assess their contribution to the signal. The analysis shows that world-leading sensitivities are achieved with a one-year exposure for a 10 kg chamber at 3 m from a 1 MW$_{th}$ research reactor or a 100 kg chamber at 30 m from a 2000 MW$_{th}$ power reactor. Such a detector has the potential to become the leading technology to study CE$ν$NS using nuclear reactors.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2021

Multi-Objective Resource Allocation for IRS-Aided SWIPT

In this letter, we study the resource allocation for a multiuser intelligent reflecting surface (IRS)-aided simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) system. Specifically, a multi-antenna base station (BS) transmits energy and information signals simultaneously to multiple energy harvesting receivers (EHRs) and information decoding receivers (IDRs) assisted by an IRS. Under this setup, we introduce a multi-objective optimization (MOOP) framework to investigate the fundamental trade-off between the data sum-rate maximization and the total harvested energy maximization, by jointly optimizing the energy/information beamforming vectors at the BS and the phase shifts at the IRS. This MOOP problem is first converted to a single-objective optimization problem (SOOP) via the $ε$-constraint method and then solved by majorization minimization (MM) and inner approximation (IA) techniques. Simulation results unveil a non-trivial trade-off between the considered competing objectives, as well as the superior performance of the proposed scheme as compared to various baseline schemes.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2020

Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces vs. Relaying: Differences, Similarities, and Performance Comparison

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) have the potential of realizing the emerging concept of smart radio environments by leveraging the unique properties of meta-surfaces. In this article, we discuss the potential applications of RISs in wireless networks that operate at high-frequency bands, e.g., millimeter wave (30-100 GHz) and sub-millimeter wave (greater than 100 GHz) frequencies. When used in wireless networks, RISs may operate in a manner similar to relays. This paper elaborates on the key differences and similarities between RISs that are configured to operate as anomalous reflectors and relays. In particular, we illustrate numerical results that highlight the spectral efficiency gains of RISs when their size is sufficiently large as compared with the wavelength of the radio waves. In addition, we discuss key open issues that need to be addressed for unlocking the potential benefits of RISs.

eess.SP↗

arXiv2020

ATiO$_{3}$/TiO (A=Pb, Sn) superlattice: bridging ferroelectricity and conductivity

We propose to insert TiO layers to perovskite ATiO$_{3}$ to form a superlattice and use first-principles calculations to investigate its basic properties. Our computational analysis shows that the structure, which consists of repeated ATiO_{3} and TiO layers, has strong anisotropic conductivity. The structure immediately suggests a possible control of its conductivity by ion displacements related to its intrinsic ferroelectricity. In addition, we have obtained the structural information of its low-energy phases with the aid of phonon calculation and examined their evolution with epitaxial strain. Since the number of possible combinations is huge, we have therefore suggested an approach to mix perovskites and simpler metal-oxides to build materials with novel properties.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Giant tunability of the two-dimensional electron gas at the interface of gamma-Al2O3/SrTiO3

Herein, we reported giant tunability of the physical properties of 2DEGs at the spinel/perovskite interface of γ-Al2O3/SrTiO3 (GAO/STO). By modulating the carrier density thus the band filling with ionic-liquid gating, the system experiences a Lifshitz transition at a critical carrier density of 3E13 cm-2, where a remarkably strong enhancement of Rashba spin-orbit interaction and an emergence of Kondo effect at low temperatures are observed. Moreover, as the carrier concentration depletes with decreasing gating voltage, the electron mobility is enhanced by more than 6 times in magnitude, leading to the observation of clear quantum oscillations. The great tunability of GAO/STO interface by EDLT gating not only shows promise for design of oxide devices with on-demand properties, but also sheds new light on the electronic structure of 2DEG at the non-isostructural spinel/perovskite interface.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Observation of Terahertz Radiation via the Two-Color Laser Scheme with Uncommon Frequency Ratios

In the widely-studied two-color laser scheme for terahertz (THz) radiation from a gas, the frequency ratio of the two lasers is usually fixed at $ω_2/ω_1=$1:2. We investigate THz generation with uncommon frequency ratios. Our experiments show, for the first time, efficient THz generation with new ratios of $ω_2/ω_1=$1:4 and 2:3. We observe that the THz polarization can be adjusted by rotating the longer-wavelength laser polarization and the polarization adjustment becomes inefficient by rotating the other laser polarization; the THz energy shows similar scaling laws with different frequency ratios. These observations are inconsistent with multi-wave mixing theory, but support the gas-ionization model. This study pushes the development of the two-color scheme and provides a new dimension to explore the long-standing problem of the THz generation mechanism.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2017

Suppressed carrier density for the patterned high mobility two-dimensional electron gas at gamma-Al2O3/SrTiO3 heterointerfaces

The two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the non-isostructural interface between spinel gamma-Al2O3 and perovskite SrTiO3 is featured by a record electron mobility among complex oxide interfaces in addition to a high carrier density up to the order of 1E15 cm-2. Herein, we report on the patterning of 2DEG at the gamma-Al2O3/SrTiO3 interface grown at 650 °C by pulsed laser deposition using a hard mask of LaMnO3. The patterned 2DEG exhibits a critical thickness of 2 unit cells of gamma-Al2O3 for the occurrence of interface conductivity, similar to the unpatterned sample. However, its maximum carrier density is found to be approximately 3E13 cm-2, much lower than that of the unpatterned sample (1E15 cm-2). Remarkably, a high electron mobility of approximately 3,600 cm2V-1s-1 was obtained at low temperatures for the patterned 2DEG at a carrier density of 7E12 cm-2, which exhibits clear Shubnikov-de Hass quantum oscillations. The patterned high-mobility 2DEG at the gamma-Al2O3/SrTiO3 interface paves the way for the design and application of spinel/perovskite interfaces for high-mobility all-oxide electronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Electrostriction coefficient of ferroelectric materials from ab initio computation

Electrostriction is an important material property that characterizes how strain changes with the development of polarization inside a material. We show that \textit{ab initio }techniques developed in recent years can be exploited to compute and understand electrostriction of ferroelectric materials. Here, electrostriction coefficients of ferroelectric BaTiO$_{3}$, PbTiO$_{3}$, as well as dielectric BaZrO$_{3}$, are obtained and analyzed. Possible causes of the difference between experimental and numerical results are discussed. We also identified that relative displacements between certain ions at a given polarization could be a good indicator of a material's electrostriction property.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Self-replication with magnetic dipolar colloids

Colloidal self-replication represents an exciting research frontier in soft matter physics. Currently, all reported self-replication schemes involve coating colloidal particles with stimuli-responsive molecules to allow switchable interactions. In this paper, we introduce a scheme using ferromagnetic dipolar colloids and pre-programmed external magnetic fields to create an autonomous self-replication system. Interparticle dipole-dipole forces and periodically varying weak-strong magnetic fields cooperate to drive colloid monomers from the solute onto templates, bind them into replicas, and dissolve template complexes. We present three general design principles for autonomous linear replicators, derived from a focused study of a minimalist sphere-dimer magnetic system in which single binding sites allow formation of dimeric templates. We show via statistical models and computer simulations that our system exhibits nonlinear growth of templates and produces nearly exponential growth (low error rate) upon adding an optimized competing electrostatic potential. We devise experimental strategies for constructing the required magnetic colloids based on documented laboratory techniques. We also present qualitative ideas about building more complex self-replicating structures utilizing magnetic colloids.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2015

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism study of epitaxial magnetite ultrathin film on MgO (100)

The spin and orbital magnetic moments of the Fe3O4 epitaxial ultrathin film synthesized by plasma assisted simultaneous oxidization on MgO(100) have been studied with X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). The ultrathin film retains a rather large total magnetic moment, i.e. (2.7+-0.15) uB/f.u., which is ~ 70% of that for the bulk-like Fe3O4. A significant unquenched orbital moment up to (0.54+-0.05) uB/f.u. was observed, which could come from the symmetry breaking at the Fe3O4/MgO interface. Such sizable orbital moment will add capacities to the Fe3O4-based spintronics devices in the magnetization reversal by the electric field.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Integrated tuning fork nanocavity optomechanical transducers with high $f_{M}Q_{M}$ product and stress-engineered frequency tuning

Cavity optomechanical systems are being widely developed for precision force and displacement measurements. For nanomechanical transducers, there is usually a trade-off between the frequency ($f_{M}$) and quality factor ($Q_{M}$), which limits temporal resolution and sensitivity. Here, we present a monolithic cavity optomechanical transducer supporting both high $f_{M}$ and high $Q_{M}$. By replacing the common doubly-clamped, Si$_3$N$_4$ nanobeam with a tuning fork geometry, we demonstrate devices with the fundamental $f_{M}\approx29$ MHz and $Q_{M}\approx2.2$$\times10^5$, corresponding to an $f_{M}Q_{M}$ product of 6.35$\times10^{12}$ Hz, comparable to the highest values previously demonstrated for room temperature operation. This high $f_{M}Q_{M}$ product is partly achieved by engineering the stress of the tuning fork to be 3 times the residual film stress through clamp design, which results in an increase of $f_{M}$ up to 1.5 times. Simulations reveal that the tuning fork design simultaneously reduces the clamping, thermoelastic dissipation, and intrinsic material damping contributions to mechanical loss. This work may find application when both high temporal and force resolution are important, such as in compact sensors for atomic force microscopy.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Landau levels and magneto-transport property of monolayer phosphorene

We investigate theoretically the Landau levels (LLs) and magneto-transport properties of phosphorene under a perpendicular magnetic field within the framework of the effective \textbf{\emph{k$\cdot$p}} Hamiltonian and tight-binding (TB) model. At low field regime, we find that the LLs linearly depend both on the LL index $n$ and magnetic field $B$, which is similar with that of conventional semiconductor two-dimensional electron gas. The Landau splittings of conduction and valence band are different and the wavefunctions corresponding to the LLs are strongly anisotropic due to the different anisotropic effective masses. An analytical expression for the LLs in low energy regime is obtained via solving the decoupled Hamiltonian, which agrees well with the numerical calculations. At high magnetic regime, a self-similar Hofstadter butterfly (HB) spectrum is obtained by using the TB model. The HB spectrum is consistent with the Landau level fan calculated from the effective \textbf{\emph{k$\cdot$p}} theory in a wide regime of magnetic fields. We find the LLs of phosphorene nanoribbon depend strongly on the ribbon orientation due to the anisotropic hopping parameters. The Hall and the longitudinal conductances (resistances) clearly reveal the structure of LLs.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Spin and orbital moments of nanoscale Fe3O4 epitaxial thin film on MgO/GaAs(100)

Nanoscale Fe3O4 epitaxial thin film has been synthesized on MgO/GaAs(100) spintronic heterostructure, and studied with X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). We have observed a total magnetic moment of (3.32 +- 0.1) uB/f.u., retaining 83% of the bulk value. Unquenched orbital moment of (0.47 +- 0.05) uB/f.u. has been confirmed by carefully applying the sum rule. The results offer direct experimental evidence of the bulk-like total magnetic moment and a large orbital moment in the nanoscale fully epitaxial Fe3O4/MgO/GaAs(100) heterostructure, which is significant for spintronics applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Direct measurement of the temperature dependence of the magnetic penetration depth in Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Ni$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ superconductors

The temperature dependence of the in-plane magnetic penetration depth $λ_{ab}$ of Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Ni$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ single crystals is determined directly from the shielding magnetic susceptibility, measured in the Meissner region with the field parallel to the ab layers. The doping levels studied cover the underdoped, optimally-doped and overdoped regimes. At temperatures below 0.5Tc a well-defined power-law behavior $λ_{ab}(T)-λ_{ab}(0)=AT^n$ (with n approximately 2.5) is observed. At lower temperatures (T<0.3Tc) the data are still consistent with n=2 and $A\propto T_c^{-3}$, as predicted by the strong pair-breaking scenario proposed by Gordon et al., Phys. Rev. B 81, 180501(R) (2010). The temperature dependence of the superfluid density $ρ_s\proptoλ_{ab}^{-2}$ presents a marked positive curvature just below Tc which is a sign of two-gap superconductivity. The analysis of $ρ_s(T)$ in terms of a two-gap model allowed to estimate parameters like the in-band and inter-band couplings, the relative weight of each band, and their dependence with the doping level. A comparison with $ρ_s(T)$ data obtained by using other techniques in compounds with a similar composition is also presented.

cond-mat.supr-con↗