ATOMIC STRUCTURE OF A SINGLE STEP AND DYNAMICS OF Sn ADATOMS ON THE Si(111)- v3 ? v3-Sn SURFACE

The atomic structure of single steps on the Si(111)- 3 3 ? -Sn surface and the dynamics of Sn adatoms in the vicinity of these steps were studied. The work was performed using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and ab initio calculations based on the density functional theory. The atomic structure model of the single steps consisting of Sn atomic chains along the steps was developed. This structure leads to the formation of potential double-wells near the steps acting as traps for Sn atoms and explains the fluctuating tunneling current recorded in these areas.

Geothermal energy in Germany

Geothermal energy is a significant source of renewable power. In Germany, geothermal technology incorporates a wide range of solutions as shown in this paper. Briefly, this technology is generally based on geothermal loop systems with double wells. There are also five well heat exchanger geothermal systems and two shaft water geothermal systems operating in Germany. Eleven geothermal power plants of 21.8 MW in sum are binary cycle operated and using coolants. Four of them generate electric power while seven cogenerate electric power and heat.

Analysis of Heat Dissipation and Reliability in Information Erasure: A Gaussian Mixture Approach

This article analyzes the effect of imperfections in physically realizable memory. Motivated by the realization of a bit as a Brownian particle within a double well potential, we investigate the energetics of an erasure protocol under a Gaussian mixture model. We obtain sharp quantitative entropy bounds that not only give rigorous justification for heuristics utilized in prior works, but also provide a guide toward the minimal scale at which an erasure protocol can be performed. We also compare the results obtained with the mean escape times from double wells to ensure reliability of the memory. The article quantifies the effect of overlap of two Gaussians on the the loss of interpretability of the state of a one bit memory, the required heat dissipated in partially successful erasures and reliability of information stored in a memory bit.