Abstract: The formation process of a microdischarge (MD) in both μm- and nm-sized catalyst pores is simulated by a two-dimensional particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision model. A parallel-plate dielectric barrier discharge configuration in filamentary mode is considered in ambient air. The discharge is powered by a high voltage pulse. Our calculations reveal that a streamer can penetrate into the surface features of a porous catalyst and MDs can be formed inside both μm- and nm-sized pores, yielding ionization inside the pore. For the μm-sized pores, the ionization mainly occurs inside the pore, while for the nm-sized pores the ionization is strongest near and inside the pore. Thus, enhanced discharges near and inside the mesoporous catalyst are observed. Indeed, the maximum values of the electric field, ionization rate and electron density occur near and inside the pore. The maximum electric field and electron density inside the pore first increase when the pore size rises from 4 nm to 10 nm, and then they decrease for the 100 nm pore, due to
a more pronounced surface discharge for the smaller pores. However, the ionization rate is highest for the 100 nm pore due to the largest effective ionization region.

Abstract: In this study, we present a computational model of a cylindrical electric probe in atmospheric pressure argon plasma. The plasma properties are varied in terms of density and electron temperature. Furthermore, results for plasmas with Maxwellian and non-Maxwellian electron energy distribution functions are also obtained and compared. The model is based on the fluid description of plasma within the COMSOL software package. The results for the ion saturation current are compared and show good agreement with existing analytical Langmuir probe theories. A strong dependence between the ion saturation current and electron transport properties was observed, and attributed to the effects of ambipolar diffusion.

Abstract: In this study we quantitatively investigate for the first time the plasma characteristics of an argon gliding arc with a 3D model. The model is validated by comparison with available experimental data from literature and a reasonable agreement is obtained for the calculated gas temperature and electron density. A complete arc cycle is modeled from initial ignition to arc decay. We investigate how the plasma characteristics, i.e., the electron temperature, gas temperature,
reduced electric field, and the densities of electrons, Ar+ and Ar2+ ions and Ar(4s) excited states, vary over one complete arc cycle, including their behavior in the discharge and post-discharge. These plasma characteristics exhibit a different evolution over one arc cycle, indicating that either the active discharge stage or the post-discharge stage can be beneficial for certain applications.

Abstract: Two-dimensional systems of inverse patchy colloids modeled as disks with a central charge and having their surface decorated with oppositely pointlike charged patches are investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The self-assembly of the patchy colloids leads to diverse ground state configurations ranging from crystalline arrangements of monomers to linear clusters, ramified linear clusters and to percolated configurations. Two structural phase diagrams are constructed: (1) as a function of the net charge and area fraction, and (2) as a function of the net charge and the range of the pair interaction potential. An interesting reentrant percolation transition is obtained as a function of the net charge of the colloids. We identify distinct mechanisms that lead to the percolation transition.

Abstract: The report on square ice sandwiched between two graphene layers by Algara-Siller et al. [Nature (London) 519, 443 (2015)] has generated a large interest in this system. By applying high lateral pressure on nanoconfined water, we found that monolayer ice is transformed to bilayer ice when the two graphene layers are separated by H = 6,7 angstrom. It was also found that three layers of a denser phase of ice with smaller lattice constant are formed if we start from bilayer ice and apply a lateral pressure of about 0.7 GPa with H = 8,9 angstrom. The lattice constant (2.5-2.6 angstrom) in both transitions is found to be smaller than those typical for the known phases of ice and water, i.e., 2.8 angstrom. We validate these results using ab initio calculations and find good agreement between ab initio O-O distance and those obtained from classical molecular dynamics simulations. The reversibility of the mentioned transitions is confirmed by decompressing the systems.

Abstract: Major obstacles in current CMOS technology, such as the interconnect bottleneck and thermal heat management, can be overcome by employing subwavelength-scaled light in plasmonic waveguides and devices. In this work, a plasmonic structure that implements the majority (MAJ) gate function is designed and thoroughly studied through simulations. The structure consists of three merging waveguides, serving as the MAJ gate inputs. The information of the logic signals is encoded in the phase of transmitted surface plasmon polaritons (SPP). SPPs are excited at all three inputs and the phase of the output SPP is determined by theMAJof the input phases. The operating dimensions are identified and the functionality is verified for all input combinations. This is the first reported simulation of a plasmonic MAJ gate and thus contributes to the field of optical computing at the nanoscale. (C) 2017 Author(s).

Abstract: The discharge properties of the plasma bulk flow near the surface of heated compound-materials strongly affects the kinetic layer parameters modeled and manifested in the Knudsen layer. This paper extends the widely used two-layer kinetic ablation model to the ablation controlled non-equilibrium discharge due to the fact that the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) approximation is often violated as a result of the interaction between the plasma and solid walls. Modifications to the governing set of equations, to account for this effect, are derived and presented by assuming that the temperature of the electrons deviates from that of the heavy particles. The ablation characteristics of one typical material, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) are calculated with this improved model. The internal degrees of freedom as well as the average particle mass and specific heat ratio of the polyatomic vapor, which strongly depends on the temperature, pressure and plasma non-equilibrium degree and plays a crucial role in the accurate determination of the ablation behavior by this model, are also taken into account. Our assessment showed the significance of including such modifications related to the non-equilibrium effect in the study of vaporization of heated compound materials in ablation controlled arcs. Additionally, a two-temperature magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) model accounting for the thermal non-equilibrium occurring near the wall surface is developed and applied into an ablation-dominated discharge for an electro-thermal chemical launch device. Special attention is paid to the interaction between the non-equilibrium plasma and the solid propellant surface. Both the mass exchange process caused by the wall ablation and plasma species deposition as well as the associated momentum and energy exchange processes are taken into account. A detailed comparison of the results of the non-equilibrium model with those of an equilibrium model is presented. The non-equilibrium results show a non-equilibrium region near the plasma-wall interaction region and this indicates the need for the consideration of the influence of the possible departure from LTE in the plasma bulk on the determination of ablation rate.

Abstract: within the Kubo formalism. We show that the anisotropic Rashba effect caused by an external field significantly changes the magnitude of the spin splitting. Furthermore, we obtain an analytical expression for the longitudinal optical conductivity associated with interband transitions as a function of the frequency for arbitrary polarization angle. We find that the diagonal components of the optical conductivity tensor are direction dependent and the optical absorption spectrum exhibits a strongly anisotropic absorption window. The height and width of this absorption window are very sensitive to the anisotropy of the system. While the height of absorption peak increases with increasing effective mass anisotropy ratio, the peak intensity is larger when the light polarization is along the armchair direction. Moreover, the absorption peak width becomes broader as the density-of-states mass or Rashba interaction is enhanced. These features in the optical absorption spectrum can be used to determine parameters relevant for spintronics.

Abstract: Here, we present routes to increase CO2 conversion into CO using an atmospheric pressure dielectric-barrier discharge. The change in conversion as a function of simple plasma parameters, such as power, flow rate, but also frequency, on-and-off power pulse, thickness and the chemical nature of the dielectric, wall and gas temperature, are described. By means of an in-depth electrical characterization of the discharge (effective plasma voltage, dielectric voltage, plasma current, number and lifetime of the microdischarges), combined with infrared analysis of the walls of the reactor, optical emission spectroscopy for the gas temperature, and mass spectrometry for the CO2 conversion, we propose a global interpretation of the effect of all the experimental parameters on the conversion and efficiency of the reaction.

Abstract: We discuss positron-annihilation lifetimes for a set of illustrative bulk materials within the framework of the weighted-density approximation (WDA). The WDA can correctly describe electron-positron correlations in strongly inhomogeneous systems, such as surfaces, where the applicability of (semi-)local approximations is limited. We analyze the WDA in detail and show that the electrons which cannot screen external charges efficiently, such as the core electrons, cannot be treated accurately via the pair correlation of the homogeneous electron gas. We discuss how this problem can be addressed by reducing the screening in the homogeneous electron gas by adding terms depending on the gradient of the electron density. Further improvements are obtained when core electrons are treated within the LDA and the valence electron using the WDA. Finally, we discuss a semiempirical WDA-based approach in which a sum rule is imposed to reproduce the experimental lifetimes.

Abstract: We propose a tight-binding (TB) model, that includes spin-orbit coupling (SOC), to describe the electronic properties of methyl-substituted germanane (GeCH3). This model gives an electronic spectrum in agreement with first principle results close to the Fermi level. Using the Z(2) formalism, we show that a topological phase transition from a normal insulator (NI) to a quantum spin Hall (QSH) phase occurs at 11.6% biaxial tensile strain. The sensitivity of the electronic properties of this system on strain, in particular its transition to the topological insulating phase, makes it very attractive for applications in strain sensors and other microelectronic applications.

Abstract: Starting from a Hamiltonian with anharmonic coupling between in-plane acoustic displacements and outof-plane (flexural) modes, we derived coupled equations of motion for in-plane displacements correlations and flexural mode density fluctuations. Linear response theory and time-dependent thermal Green's functions techniques are applied in order to obtain different response functions. As external perturbations we allow for stresses and thermal heat sources. The displacement correlations are described by a Dyson equation where the flexural density distribution enters as an additional perturbation. The flexural density distribution satisfies a kinetic equation where the in-plane lattice displacements act as a perturbation. In the hydrodynamic limit this system of coupled equations is at the basis of a unified description of elastic and thermal phenomena, such as isothermal versus adiabatic sound motion and thermal conductivity versus second sound. The general theory is formulated in view of application to graphene, two-dimensional h-BN, and 2H-transition metal dichalcogenides and oxides.

Abstract: Starting from first principles, we show the formation and evolution of superconducting gaps in MgB2 at its ultrathin limit. Atomically thin MgB2 is distinctly different from bulk MgB2 in that surface states become comparable in electronic density to the bulklike sigma and pi bands. Combining the ab initio electron-phonon coupling with the anisotropic Eliashberg equations, we showthat monolayer MgB2 develops three distinct superconducting gaps, on completely separate parts of the Fermi surface due to the emergent surface contribution. These gaps hybridize nontrivially with every extra monolayer added to the film owing to the opening of additional coupling channels. Furthermore, we reveal that the three-gap superconductivity in monolayer MgB2 is robust over the entire temperature range that stretches up to a considerably high critical temperature of 20 K. The latter can be boosted to >50K under biaxial tensile strain of similar to 4%, which is an enhancement that is stronger than in any other graphene-related superconductor known to date.

Abstract: Recent experiments show that an atomic step on the surface of atomically thin metallic films can strongly affect electronic transport. Here we reveal multiple and versatile effects that such a surface step can have on superconductivity in ultrathin films. By solving the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations self-consistently in this regime, where quantum confinement dominates the emergent physics, we show that the electronic structure is profoundly modified on the two sides of the step, as is the spatial distribution of the superconducting order parameter and its dependence on temperature and electronic gating. Furthermore, the surface step changes nontrivially the transport properties both in the proximity-induced superconducting pair correlations and the Josephson effect, depending on the step height. These results offer a new route to tailor superconducting circuits and design atomically thin heterojunctions made of one same material.