17,842 research outputs found
Defect-induced spin-glass magnetism in incommensurate spin-gap magnets
We study magnetic order induced by non-magnetic impurities in quantum
paramagnets with incommensurate host spin correlations. In contrast to the
well-studied commensurate case where the defect-induced magnetism is spatially
disordered but non-frustrated, the present problem combines strong disorder
with frustration and, consequently, leads to spin-glass order. We discuss the
crossover from strong randomness in the dilute limit to more conventional glass
behavior at larger doping, and numerically characterize the robust short-range
order inherent to the spin-glass phase. We relate our findings to magnetic
order in both BiCu2PO6 and YBa2Cu3O6.6 induced by Zn substitution.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figs, (v2) real-space RG results added; discussion
extended, (v3) final version as publishe
Critical properties of an aperiodic model for interacting polymers
We investigate the effects of aperiodic interactions on the critical behavior
of an interacting two-polymer model on hierarchical lattices (equivalent to the
Migadal-Kadanoff approximation for the model on Bravais lattices), via
renormalization-group and tranfer-matrix calculations. The exact
renormalization-group recursion relations always present a symmetric fixed
point, associated with the critical behavior of the underlying uniform model.
If the aperiodic interactions, defined by s ubstitution rules, lead to relevant
geometric fluctuations, this fixed point becomes fully unstable, giving rise to
novel attractors of different nature. We present an explicit example in which
this new attractor is a two-cycle, with critical indices different from the
uniform model. In case of the four-letter Rudin-Shapiro substitution rule, we
find a surprising closed curve whose points are attractors of period two,
associated with a marginal operator. Nevertheless, a scaling analysis indicates
that this attractor may lead to a new critical universality class. In order to
provide an independent confirmation of the scaling results, we turn to a direct
thermodynamic calculation of the specific-heat exponent. The thermodynamic free
energy is obtained from a transfer matrix formalism, which had been previously
introduced for spin systems, and is now extended to the two-polymer model with
aperiodic interactions.Comment: 19 pages, 6 eps figures, to appear in J. Phys A: Math. Ge
SAMplus: adaptive optics at optical wavelengths for SOAR
Adaptive Optics (AO) is an innovative technique that substantially improves
the optical performance of ground-based telescopes. The SOAR Adaptive Module
(SAM) is a laser-assisted AO instrument, designed to compensate ground-layer
atmospheric turbulence in near-IR and visible wavelengths over a large Field of
View. Here we detail our proposal to upgrade SAM, dubbed SAMplus, that is
focused on enhancing its performance in visible wavelengths and increasing the
instrument reliability. As an illustration, for a seeing of 0.62 arcsec at 500
nm and a typical turbulence profile, current SAM improves the PSF FWHM to 0.40
arcsec, and with the upgrade we expect to deliver images with a FWHM of
arcsec -- up to 0.23 arcsec FWHM PSF under good seeing
conditions. Such capabilities will be fully integrated with the latest SAM
instruments, putting SOAR in an unique position as observatory facility.Comment: To appear in Proc. SPIE 10703 (Ground-based and Airborne
Instrumentation for Astronomy VII; SPIEastro18
Transition from Knudsen to molecular diffusion in activity of absorbing irregular interfaces
We investigate through molecular dynamics the transition from Knudsen to
molecular diffusion transport towards 2d absorbing interfaces with irregular
geometry. Our results indicate that the length of the active zone decreases
continuously with density from the Knudsen to the molecular diffusion regime.
In the limit where molecular diffusion dominates, we find that this length
approaches a constant value of the order of the system size, in agreement with
theoretical predictions for Laplacian transport in irregular geometries.
Finally, we show that all these features can be qualitatively described in
terms of a simple random-walk model of the diffusion process.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
On the 2D Dirac oscillator in the presence of vector and scalar potentials in the cosmic string spacetime in the context of spin and pseudospin symmetries
The Dirac equation with both scalar and vector couplings describing the
dynamics of a two-dimensional Dirac oscillator in the cosmic string spacetime
is considered. We derive the Dirac-Pauli equation and solve it in the limit of
the spin and the pseudo-spin symmetries. We analyze the presence of cylindrical
symmetric scalar potentials which allows us to provide analytic solutions for
the resultant field equation. By using an appropriate ansatz, we find that the
radial equation is a biconfluent Heun-like differential equation. The solution
of this equation provides us with more than one expression for the energy
eigenvalues of the oscillator. We investigate these energies and find that
there is a quantum condition between them. We study this condition in detail
and find that it requires the fixation of one of the physical parameters
involved in the problem. Expressions for the energy of the oscillator are
obtained for some values of the quantum number . Some particular cases which
lead to known physical systems are also addressed.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, matches published versio
Screening effects in flow through rough channels
A surprising similarity is found between the distribution of hydrodynamic
stress on the wall of an irregular channel and the distribution of flux from a
purely Laplacian field on the same geometry. This finding is a direct outcome
from numerical simulations of the Navier-Stokes equations for flow at low
Reynolds numbers in two-dimensional channels with rough walls presenting either
deterministic or random self-similar geometries. For high Reynolds numbers,
when inertial effects become relevant, the distribution of wall stresses on
deterministic and random fractal rough channels becomes substantially dependent
on the microscopic details of the walls geometry. In addition, we find that,
while the permeability of the random channel follows the usual decrease with
Reynolds, our results indicate an unexpected permeability increase for the
deterministic case, i.e., ``the rougher the better''. We show that this complex
behavior is closely related with the presence and relative intensity of
recirculation zones in the reentrant regions of the rough channel.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Tactical Voting in Plurality Elections
How often will elections end in landslides? What is the probability for a
head-to-head race? Analyzing ballot results from several large countries rather
anomalous and yet unexplained distributions have been observed. We identify
tactical voting as the driving ingredient for the anomalies and introduce a
model to study its effect on plurality elections, characterized by the relative
strength of the feedback from polls and the pairwise interaction between
individuals in the society. With this model it becomes possible to explain the
polarization of votes between two candidates, understand the small margin of
victories frequently observed for different elections, and analyze the polls'
impact in American, Canadian, and Brazilian ballots. Moreover, the model
reproduces, quantitatively, the distribution of votes obtained in the Brazilian
mayor elections with two, three, and four candidates.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
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