The active layer is the top layer of permafrost soils that thaws during the summer season due to increased ambient temperatures and solar radiation inputs. This layer is important because almost all biological activity takes place there during the summer. The depth of active layer thaw is influenced by climatic conditions. Vegetation has also been found to have a strong impact on active layer t...

We report conduction measurements on the clean, free surface of transparent insulating BaTiO3 single crystals in high vacuum. We find that the insulating BaTiO3 crystals exhibit surface conductance that is dependent on the spontaneous polarization, whereas no conduction perpendicular to the surface is observed. The surface conduction shows semimetallic temperature dependence and persists down t...

Abstract Energy minimizers to a MEMS model with an insulating layer are shown converge in its reinforced limit the minimizer of limiting as thickness tends zero. The proof relies on identification $\Gamma $ Γ -limit energy this limit.

The potential dependence in the surlace second hannonic response from hydrogen terminated n-Si(111) i(l l and oxidized n-Si(1l1) ll surfaces has been examined in aqueous NH4F and H2S04 4 solutions. The relative phase of the nonlinear response as measured by rotational anisotropy experiments is found to be highly sensitive to the presence of the oxide and the field applied across Si(ll I)/mdde/e...

Niobium thin film wires were fabricated using electron beam lithography with a four layer liftoff mask system, and subsequently thinned by anodisation. The resistance along the wire was monitored in situ and trimmed by controlling the anodisation voltage. Depending on the room temperature sheet resistance, samples showed either superconducting or insulating behaviour at low temperatures. A Coul...