1,319 research outputs found
3D-xy critical properties of YBa2Cu4O8 and magnetic field induced 3D to 1D crossover
We present reversible magnetization data of a YBa2Cu4O8 single crystal and
analyze the evidence for 3D-xy critical behavior and a magnetic field induced
3D to 1D crossover. Remarkable consistency with these phenomena is observed in
agreement with a magnetic field induced finite size effect, whereupon the
correlation length transverse to the applied magnetic field cannot grow beyond
the limiting magnetic length scale L_H. By applying the appropriate scaling
form we obtain the zero-field critical temperature, the 3D to 1D crossover, the
vortex melting line and the universal ratios of the related scaling variables.
Accordingly there is no continuous phase transition in the (H,T)-plane along
the H_c2-lines as predicted by the mean-field treatment.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
Anharmonicity and self-energy effects of the E2g phonon in MgB2
We present a Raman scattering study of the E2g phonon anharmonicity and of
superconductivity induced self-energy effects in MgB2 single crystals. We show
that anharmonic two phonon decay is mainly responsible for the unusually large
linewidth of the E2g mode. We observe ~ 2.5 % hardening of the E2g phonon
frequency upon cooling into the superconducting state and estimate the
electron-phonon coupling strength associated with this renormalization.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted to PR
Pressure-induced lattice instabilities and superconductivity in YBa2Cu4O8 and optimally doped YBa2Cu3O7-{\delta}
Combined synchrotron angle-dispersive powder diffraction and micro-Raman
spectroscopy are used to investigate the pressure-induced lattice instabilities
that are accompanied by T anomalies in YBaCuO, in comparison with the optimally doped YBaCuO and the non-superconducting PrBaCuO. In the first two superconducting systems there is a clear
anomaly in the evolution of the lattice parameters and an increase of lattice
disorder with pressure, that starts at as well as
irreversibility that induces a hysteresis. On the contrary, in the Pr-compound
the lattice parameters follow very well the expected equation of state (EOS) up
to 7 GPa. In complete agreement with the structural data, the micro-Raman data
of the superconducting compounds show that the energy and width of the A phonons show anomalies at the same pressure range where the lattice
parameters deviate from the EOS and the average Cu2-O bond length
exhibits a strong contraction and correlate with the non-linear pressure
dependence of T. This is not the case for the non superconducting Pr
sample, clearly indicating a connection with the charge carriers. It appears
that the cuprates close to optimal doping are at the edge of lattice
instability.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure
Facebook® and academic performance
Kirschner, P. A., & Karpinski, A. (2010). Facebook® and academic performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(6),1237-1245.There is much talk of a change in modern youth – often referred to as digital natives or Homo Zappiens – with respect to their ability to simultaneously process multiple channels of information. In other words, kids today can multitask. Unfortunately for proponents of this position, there is much empirical documentation concerning the negative effects of attempting to simultaneously process different streams of information showing that such behavior leads to both increased study time to achieve learning parity and an increase in mistakes while processing information than those who are sequentially or serially processing that same information. This article presents the preliminary results of a descriptive and exploratory survey study involving Facebook use, often carried out simultaneously with other study activities, and its relation to
academic performance as measured by self-reported Grade Point Average (GPA) and hours spent studying per week. Results show that Facebook® users reported having lower GPAs and spend fewer hours per week studying than nonusers
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