On Klein tunneling of low-frequency elastic waves in hexagonal topological plates

Incident particles in the Klein tunnel phenomenon in quantum mechanics can pass a very high potential barrier.Introducing the concept of tunneling into the analysis of phononic crystals can broaden the application prospects.In this study,the structure of the unit cell is designed,and the low frequency(<1 k Hz)valley locked waveguide is realized through the creation of a phononic crystal plate with a topological phase transition interface.The defect immunity of the topological waveguide is verified,that is,the wave can propagate along the original path in the cases of impurities and disorder.Then,the tunneling phenomenon is introduced into the topological valley-locked waveguide to analyze the wave propagation,and its potential applications(such as signal separators and logic gates)are further explored by designing phononic crystal plates.This research has broad application prospects in information processing and vibration control,and potential applications in other directions are also worth exploring.

Tunneling Barrier Thickness Dependence of Spin Polarization of Ferromagnet in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

For designing low-impedance magnetic tunnel junctions(MTJs),it has been found that tunneling magnetoresistance strongly correlates with the insulating barrier thickness,imposing a fundamental problem about the relationship between spin polarization of ferromagnet and the insulating barrier thickness in MTJs.Here,we investigate the influence of alumina barrier thickness on tunneling spin polarization(TSP)through a combination of theoretical calculations and experimental verification.Our simulating results reveal a significant impact of barrier thickness on TSP,exhibiting an oscillating decay of TSP with the barrier layer thinning.Experimental verification is realized on FeNi/AlO_(x)/Al superconducting tunnel junctions to directly probe the spin polarization of FeNi ferromagnet using Zeeman-split tunneling spectroscopy technique.These findings provide valuable insights for designs of high-performance spintronic devices,particularly in applications such as magnetic random access memories,where precise control over the insulating barrier layer is crucial.

Pseudospin-filter tunneling of massless Dirac fermions

The tunneling of the massless Dirac fermions through a vector potential barrier are theoretically investigated, wherethe vector potential can be introduced by very high and very thin (d-function) magnetic potential barriers. We showthat, distinct from the previously studied electric barrier tunneling, the vector potential barriers are more transparent forpseudospin-1/2 Dirac fermions but more obstructive for pseudospin-1 Dirac fermions. By tuning the height of the vectorpotential barrier, the pseudospin-1/2 Dirac fermions remain transmitted, whereas the transmission of the pseudospin-1Dirac fermions is forbidden, leading to a pseudospin filtering effect for massless Dirac fermions.

Surface evolution of thermoelectric material KCu_(4)Se_(3) explored by scanning tunneling microscopy

Novel two-dimensional thermoelectric materials have attracted significant attention in the field of thermoelectric due to their low lattice thermal conductivity.A comprehensive understanding of their microscopic structures is crucial for driving further the optimization of materials properties and developing novel functional materials.Here,by using in situ scanning tunneling microscopy,we report the atomic layer evolution and surface reconstruction on the cleaved thermoelectric material KCu_(4)Se_(3) for the first time.We clearly revealed each atomic layer,including the naturally cleaved K atomic layer,the intermediate Se^(2-)atomic layer,and the Se^(-)atomic layer that emerges in the thermodynamic-stable state.Departing from the maj ority of studies that predominantly concentrate on macroscopic measurements of the charge transport,our results reveal the coexistence of potassium disorder and complex reconstructed patterns of selenium,which potentially influences charge carrier and lattice dynamics.These results provide direct insight into the surface microstructures and evolution of KCu_(4)Se_(3),and shed useful light on designing functional materials with superior performance.

Assessing the dynamics of O_(2) desorption from cobalt phthalocyanine by in situ electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy

We report here the in situ electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy(ECSTM) study of cobalt phthalocyanine(CoPc)-catalyzed O_(2) evolution reaction(OER) and the dynamics of CoPc-O_(2) dissociation.The self-assembled CoPc monolayer is fabricated on Au(111) substrate and resolved by ECSTM in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte.The OH^(-)adsorption on CoPc prior to OER is observed in ECSTM images.During OER,the generated O_(2) adsorbed on Co Pc is observed in the CoPc monolayer.Potential step experiment is employed to monitor the desorption of OER-generated O_(2) from CoPc,which results in the decreasing surface coverage of CoPc-O_(2) with time.The rate constant of O_(2) desorption is evaluated through data fitting.The insights into the dynamics of Co-O_(2) dissociation at the molecular level via in situ imaging help understand the role of Co-O_(2) in oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) and OER.

On the critical particle size of soil with clogging potential in shield tunneling

Shield tunneling is easily obstructed by clogging in clayey strata with small soil particles.However,soil clogging rarely occurs in strata with coarse-grained soils.Theoretically,a critical particle size of soils should exist,below which there is a high risk of soil clogging in shield tunneling.To determine the critical particle size,a series of laboratory tests was carried out with a large-scale rotary shear apparatus to measure the tangential adhesion strength of soils with different particle sizes and water contents.It was found that the tangential adhesion strength at the soilesteel interface gradually increased linearly with applied normal pressure.When the particle size of the soil specimen was less than 0.15 mm,the interfacial adhesion force first increased and then decreased as the water content gradually increased;otherwise,the soil specimens did not manifest any interfacial adhesion force.The amount of soil mass adhering to the steel disc was positively correlated with the interfacial adhesion force,thus the interfacial adhesion force was adopted to characterize the soil clogging risk in shield tunneling.The critical particle size of soils causing clogging was determined to be 0.15 mm.Finally,the generation mechanism of interfacial adhesion force was explored for soils with different particle sizes to explain the critical particle size of soil with clogging risk in shield tunneling.

Melatonin,tunneling nanotubes,mesenchymal cells,and tissue regeneration

Mesenchymal stem cells are multipotent stem cells that reside in many human tissues and organs.Mesenchymal stem cells are widely used in experimental and clinical regenerative medicine due to their capability to transdifferentiate into various lineages.However,when transplanted,they lose part of their multipotency and immunomodulatory properties,and most of them die after injection into the damaged tissue.In this review,we discuss the potential utility of melatonin in preserving mesenchymal stem cells’survival and function after transplantation.Melatonin is a pleiotropic molecule regulating critical cell functions including apoptosis,endoplasmic reticulum stress,and autophagy.Melatonin is also synthesized in the mitochondria where it reduces oxidative stress,the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and the downstream caspase activation,activates uncoupling proteins,and curtails the proinflammatory response.In addition,recent findings showed that melatonin also promotes the formation of tunneling nanotubes and the transfer of mitochondria between cells through the connecting tubules.As mitochondrial dysfunction is a primary cause of mesenchymal stem cells death and senescence and a critical issue for survival after transplantation,we propose that melatonin by favoring mitochondria functionality and their transfer through tunneling nanotubes from healthy to suffering cells could improve mesenchymal stem cellbased therapy in a large number of diseases for which basic and clinical trials are underway.

Analytical solutions for the restraint effect of isolation piles against tunneling-induced vertical ground displacements

This paper presents a simplified elastic continuum method for calculating the restraint effect of isolation piles on tunneling-induced vertical ground displacement,which can consider not only the relative sliding of the pile‒soil interface but also the pile rowesoil interaction.The proposed method is verified by comparisons with existing theoretical methods,including the boundary element method and the elastic foundation method.The results reveal the restraining mechanism of the isolation piles on vertical ground displacements due to tunneling,i.e.the positive and negative restraint effects exerted by the isolation piles jointly drive the ground vertical displacement along the depth direction from the original tunneling-induced nonlinear variation situation to a relatively uniform situation.The results also indicate that the stiffness of the pile‒soil interface,including the pile shaft‒surrounding soil interface and pile tip-supporting soil interface,describes the strength of the pile‒soil interaction.The pile rows can confine the vertical ground displacement caused by the tunnel excavation to the inner side of the isolation piles and effectively prevent the vertical ground displacement from expanding further toward the outer side of the isolation piles.

Activated dissociation of H_(2) on the Cu(001)surface:The role of quantum tunneling

The activation and dissociation of hydrogen molecules(H_(2))on the Cu(001)surface are studied theoretically.Using first-principles calculations,the activation barrier for the dissociation of H_(2) on Cu(001)is determined to be~0.59 eV in height.It is found that the electron transfer from the copper substrate to H_(2) plays a key role in the activation and breaking of the H–H bond,and the formation of the Cu–H bonds.Two stationary states are identified at around the critical height of bond breaking,corresponding to the molecular and the dissociative states,respectively.Using the transfer matrix method,we also investigate the role of quantum tunneling in the dissociation process along the minimum energy pathway(MEP),which is found to be significant at or below room temperature.At a given temperature,the tunneling contributions due to the translational and the vibrational motions of H_(2) are quantified for the dissociation process.Within a wide range of temperature,the effects of quantum tunneling on the effective barriers of dissociation and the rate constants are observed.The deduced energetic parameters associated with the thermal equilibrium and non-equilibrium(molecular beam)conditions are comparable to experimental data.In the low-temperature region,the crossover from classical to quantum regime is identified.

Development of a simple two-step lithography fabrication process for resonant tunneling diode using air-bridge technology

This article reports on the development of a simple two-step lithography process for double barrier quantum well(DBQW)InGaAs/AlAs resonant tunneling diode(RTD)on a semi-insulating indium phosphide(InP)substrate using an air-bridge technology.This approach minimizes processing steps,and therefore the processing time as well as the required resources.It is particularly suited for material qualification of new epitaxial layer designs.A DC performance comparison between the proposed process and the conventional process shows approximately the same results.We expect that this novel technique will aid in the recent and continuing rapid advances in RTD technology.

Quantum tunneling in the surface diffusion of single hydrogen atoms on Cu(001)

The adsorption and diffusion of hydrogen atoms on Cu(001)are studied using first-principles calculations.By taking into account the contribution of zero-point energy(ZPE),the originally identical barriers are shown to be different for H and D,which are respectively calculated to be~158 me V and~139 me V in height.Using the transfer matrix method(TMM),we are able to calculate the accurate probability of transmission across the barriers.The crucial role of quantum tunneling is clearly demonstrated at low-temperature region.By introducing a temperature-dependent attempting frequency prefactor,the rate constants and diffusion coefficients are calculated.The results are in agreement with the experimental measurements at temperatures from~50 K to 80 K.

An In-Situ Formed Tunneling Layer Enriches the Options of Anode for Efficient and Stable Regular Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cells(PSCs)are taking steps to commercialization.However,the halogen-reactive anode with high cost becomes a stumbling block.Here,the halogen migration in PSCs is utilized to in situ generate a uniform tunneling layer between the hole transport materials and anodes,which enriches the options of anodes by breaking the Schottky barrier,enabling the regular PSCs with both high efficiency and stability.Specifically,the regular PSC that uses silver iodide as the tunneling layer and copper as the anode obtains a champion power conversion efficiency of 23.24%(certified 22.74%)with an aperture area of 1.04 cm^(2).The devices are stable,maintaining 98.6%of the initial effi-ciency after 500 h of operation at the maximum power point with continuous 1 sun illumination.PSCs with different tunneling layers and anodes are fabricated,which confirm the generality of the strategy.

Tunneling via surface dislocation in W/β-Ga_(2)O_(3) Schottky barrier diodes

In this work,W/β-Ga_(2)O_(3)Schottky barrier diodes,prepared using a confined magnetic field-based sputtering method,were analyzed at different operation temperatures.Firstly,Schottky barrier height increased with increasing temperature from 100 to 300 K and reached 1.03 eV at room temperature.The ideality factor decreased with increasing temperature and it was higher than 2 at 100 K.This apparent high value was related to the tunneling effect.Secondly,the series and on-resistances decreased with increasing operation temperature.Finally,the interfacial dislocation was extracted from the tunneling current.A high dislocation density was found,which indicates the domination of tunneling through dislocation in the transport mecha-nism.These findings are evidently helpful in designing better performance devices.

GaAs-based resonant tunneling diode:Device aspects from design,manufacturing,characterization and applications

This review article discusses the development of gallium arsenide(GaAs)-based resonant tunneling diodes(RTD)since the 1970s.To the best of my knowledge,this article is the first review of GaAs RTD technology which covers different epitaxialstructure design,fabrication techniques,and characterizations for various application areas.It is expected that the details presented here will help the readers to gain a perspective on the previous accomplishments,as well as have an outlook on the current trends and future developments in GaAs RTD research.

A non-quasi-static model for nanowire gate-all-around tunneling field-effect transistors

Nanowires with gate-all-around(GAA) structures are widely considered as the most promising candidate for 3-nm technology with the best ability of suppressing the short channel effects,and tunneling field effect transistors(TFETs)based on GAA structures also present improved performance.In this paper,a non-quasi-static(NQS) device model is developed for nanowire GAA TFETs.The model can predict the transient current and capacitance varying with operation frequency,which is beyond the ability of the quasi-static(QS) model published before.Excellent agreements between the model results and numerical simulations are obtained.Moreover,the NQS model is derived from the published QS model including the current-voltage(I-V) and capacitance-voltage(C-V) characteristics.Therefore,the NQS model is compatible with the QS model for giving comprehensive understanding of GAA TFETs and would be helpful for further study of TFET circuits based on nanowire GAA structure.

Total removal of a large esophageal schwannoma by submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection:A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Primary schwannoma is a rare submucosal tumor of the esophagus,which is most often benign,and surgery is the only effective treatment.So far,only a few cases have been reported.Herein,we reported a single case diagnosed with primary esophageal schwannoma that was totally removed by submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection(STER).CASE SUMMARY A 62-year-old man presented to the hospital with a history of resection of a malignant gastric tumor and mild dysphagia.Endoscopic examination revealed a large submucosal elevated lesion in the esophagus 25-30 cm from the incisors.Endoscopic ultrasonography detected a 45 mm×35 mm×31 mm hypoechoic lesion;chest computed tomography showed a mass of approximately 55 mm×35 mm×29 mm.A preliminary examination showed features suggestive of a stromal tumor.Pathological findings indicated esophageal schwannoma.Next,STER alone was performed to completely resect the mass,and the patient recovered well post-surgery.Afterward,the patient was discharged and showed no tumor recurrence at 33 mo of follow-up.CONCLUSION Endoscopic resection is still an effective treatment for large esophageal schwannomas(>30 mm)under meticulous morphological evaluation.

Adjusting amplitude of the stored optical solitons by inter-dot tunneling coupling in triple quantum dot molecules

We study the propagation properties of a probe field in an aligned asymmetric triple quantum dot molecule with both sides inter-dot tunneling coupling effect. It is shown that the probe field can form optical soliton due to the destructive quantum interference induced by the quantum inter-dot tunneling coupling effect. Interestingly, these optical solitons can be stored and retrieved by adjusting single or double inter-dot tunneling coupling effect, different from that light memory in the ultra-cold atom system. Furthermore, we also find that the amplitude of the stored optical soliton can be adjusted by the strength of the single or double inter-dot tunneling coupling. It is possible to improve the stability and the fidelity of the optical information in the process of the storage and retrieval in semiconductor quantum dots devices.

Correction to:Wear mechanism and life prediction of the ripper in a 9‐m‐diameter shield machine tunneling project of the Beijing new airport line in a sand‐pebble stratum

Jiang H,Zhu J,Zhang X,Zhang J,Li H,Meng L.Wear mechanism and life prediction of the ripper in a 9‐m‐diameter shield machine tunneling project of the Beijing new airport line in a sand‐pebble stratum.Deep Undergr Sci Eng.2022;1:65‐76.doi:10.1002/dug2.12010.

Finite Element Analysis of Jumbo Rig Assembly for Tunneling

This paper describes the force acting the assembly of the jumbo rig for tunneling.The finite element analysis is used to calculate this machine structure on its different working states.

Shallow Tunneling Method and Control Measure for Ground Surface Settlement

In order to ensure that the tunnel deformation and surface settlement are controlled within the allowable range during the construction process,the design unit has compiled technical measures and monitoring schemes for ground settlement control of this project.Based on the example of a shallow tunneling project on Subway line 8,this paper analyzes and discusses the shallow tunneling method in detail and puts forward corresponding technical measures for ground settlement control.