Quantal-classical correspondence impulse theory

Broadband Epsilon-Near-Zero Perfect Absorption in the Near-Infrared

Perfect absorption (PA) of incident light is important for both fundamental light-matter interaction studies and practical device applications. PA studies so far have mainly used resonant nanostructures that require delicate structural patterning. Here, we realize tunable and broadband PA in the near-infrared region using relatively simple thin film coatings. We adjust the growth condition of an ITO film and control its epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) wavelength. We show that this results in highly tunable PA in the telecommunication window. Then, using an ITO multilayer of different ENZ wavelengths, we demonstrate broadband PA that covers a wide range of near-infrared wavelengths. The use of ENZ coatings makes PA adjustable during the film growth and does not require any structural patterning afterward. It also facilitates the chip-scale integration of perfect absorbers with other device components. Broadband PA relaxes the single wavelength condition in previous PA studies, and thus it is suitable for many practical device applications, including sensors, photodetectors, and energy harvesting devices.

Efficiency Boosting in Technical Grade Sugar Surfactant Based Microemulsions Using Pluronics

The high amount of surfactant needed to formulate a bicontinuous microemulsion is a limiting factor for industrial usage of these systems. Commercially available triblock copolymers can be obtained in high amounts. Here, we show the influence of size and composition of different poly(ethyleneoxide)-poly(propyleneoxide)-poly(ethyleneoxide) triblock copolymer surfactants (Pluronics) on a technical grade sugar surfactant microemulsion. The so-called efficiency boosting can also be realized in such technical grade systems. The resulting efficiency boosting is studied systematically with regard to the impact of the polymer size and the composition of the system.

Strain effects on work functions of pristine and potassium-decorated carbon nanotubes

Strain dependence of electronic structures and work functions of both pristine and potassium doped (5,5) (armchair) and (9,0) (zigzag) carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been thoroughly studied using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. We found that for pristine cases, the uniaxial strain has strong effects on work functions of CNTs, and the responses of work functions of CNT (5,5) and (9,0) to the strain are distinctly different. When the strain changes from -10% to 10%, the work function of the CNT (5,5) increases monotonically from 3.95 to 4.57 eV, and the work function of the (9,0) varies between 4.27 and 5.24 eV in a complicated manner. When coated with potassium, for both CNTs, work functions can be lowered down by more than 2.0 eV, and the strain dependence of work functions changes drastically. Our studies suggested that the combination of chemical coating and tuning of strain may be a powerful tool for controlling work functions of CNTs, which in turn will be useful in future design of CNT-based electronic and field-emitting devices.

A breathing wormlike chain model on DNA denaturation and bubble: effects of stacking interactions

DNA stably exists as a double-stranded structure due to hydrogen-bonding and stacking interactions between bases. The stacking interactions are strengthened when DNA is paired, which results in great enhancement of bending rigidity. We study the effects of this stacking-induced stiffness difference on DNA denaturation and bubble formations. To this end, we model double-stranded DNA as a duplex of two semiflexible chains whose persistence length varies depending on the base-pair distance. Using this model, we perform the Langevin dynamics simulation to examine the characteristics of the denaturation transition and the statistics of the bubbles. We find that the inclusion of the stacking interactions causes the denaturation transition to be much sharper than otherwise. At physiological temperature, the stacking interactions prohibit the initiation of bubble formation but promote bubbles, once grown, to retain the large size.

Classical stark mixing at ultralow collision energies

Exact solutions of the time-dependent classical equations are obtained for the full array of angular momentum mixing transitions nl-->nl(') in atomic hydrogen induced by collisions with charged particles at ultralow energies. A novel classical expression for the transition probability P(l(')l) is presented. The exact classical results for P(l(')l)(alpha) as a function of l,l(') and the Stark parameter alpha agree exceptionally well with (exact) quantal results. They complement the quantal results by revealing essential characteristics which remain obscured in the quantal treatment.