Emergent properties from CuPd alloy films under near-infrared excitation.

Noble-transition metal alloys offer emergent optical and electronic properties for near-infrared (NIR) optoelectronic devices. We investigate the optical and electronic properties of CuPd alloy thin films and their ultrafast electron dynamics under NIR excitation. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements supported by density functional theory calculations show strong d-band hybridization between the Cu 3d and Pd 4d bands.

Importance of van der Waals interactions forstudies of topological insulators.

We investigate the lattice and electronic structures of the bulk and surface of the prototypical layered topological insulators BiSeand BiTeusingdensity functional methods, and systematically compare the results of different methods of including van der Waals (vdW) interactions. We show that the methods utilizing semi-empirical energy corrections yield accurate descriptions of these materials, with the most precise results obtained by properly accounting for the long-range tail of the vdW interactions. The bulk lattice constants, distances between quintuple layers and the Dirac velocity of the topological surface states (TSS) are all in excellent agreement with experiment.

Family types and communication with parents: A comparison of youth at different identity levels.

Recent theory views adolescent behavior as nested in an ongoing system of family relationships. In keeping with this focus, differences in family functioning of high vs. low identity achievement youth were examined and variables to account for differing identity levels were explored.