1,224,823 research outputs found
Electronic structure and magnetism in doped semiconducting half-Heusler compounds
We have studied in details the electronic structure and magnetism in M (Mn
and Cr) doped semiconducting half-Heusler compounds FeVSb, CoTiSb and NiTiSn
(XMYZ) in a wide concentration range using local-spin density
functional method in the framework of tight-binding linearized muffin tin
orbital method(TB-LMTO) and supercell approach. Our calculations indicate that
some of these compounds are not only ferromagnetic but also half-metallic and
may be useful for spintronics applications. The electronic structure of the
doped systems is analyzed with the aid of a simple model where we have
considered the interaction between the dopant transition metal (M) and the
valence band X-Z hybrid. We have shown that the strong X-d - M-d interaction
places the M-d states close to the Fermi level with the M-t states lying
higher in energy in comparison to the M-e states. Depending on the number
of available d-electrons, ferromagnetism is realized provided the d-manifold is
partially occupied. The tendencies toward ferromagnetic(FM) or
antiferromagnetic(AFM) behavior are discussed within Anderson-Hasegawa models
of super-exchange and double-exchange. In our calculations for Mn doped NiTiSn,
the strong preference for FM over AFM ordering suggests a possible high Curie
temperature for these systems.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure
A numerical study of fluids with pressure dependent viscosity flowing through a rigid porous medium
In this paper we consider modifications to Darcy's equation wherein the drag
coefficient is a function of pressure, which is a realistic model for
technological applications like enhanced oil recovery and geological carbon
sequestration. We first outline the approximations behind Darcy's equation and
the modifications that we propose to Darcy's equation, and derive the governing
equations through a systematic approach using mixture theory. We then propose a
stabilized mixed finite element formulation for the modified Darcy's equation.
To solve the resulting nonlinear equations we present a solution procedure
based on the consistent Newton-Raphson method. We solve representative test
problems to illustrate the performance of the proposed stabilized formulation.
One of the objectives of this paper is also to show that the dependence of
viscosity on the pressure can have a significant effect both on the qualitative
and quantitative nature of the solution
Observational Tests Of Intermediate Mass Star Yields Using Planetary Nebulae
This paper summarizes a project designed to study abundances in a sample of
planetary nebulae representing a broad range in progenitor mass and
metallicity. We collect abundances of C, N, and O determined for the entire
sample and compare them with theoretical predictions of planetary nebula
abundances from a grid of intermediate-mass star models. We find very good
agreement between observations and theory, lending strong support to our
current understanding of nucleosynthesis in stars with progenitor masses below
8 solar masses. This agreement between observation and theory also supports the
validity of published stellar yields of C and N in the study of the abundance
evolution of these two elements.Comment: 2 pages, to appear in the proceedings of ``Cosmic Evolution'', held
at Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, November 13-17, 200
``Weather'' Records: Musings on Cold Days after a Long Hot Indian Summer
We present a simple, pedagogical introduction to the statistics of extreme
values. Motivated by a string of record high temperatures in December 1998, we
consider the distribution, averages and lifetimes for a simplified model of
such ``records.'' Our ``data'' are sequences of independent random numbers all
of which are generated from the same probability distribution. A remarkable
universality emerges: a number of results, including the lifetime histogram,
are universal, that is, independent of the underlying distribution.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures. Invited paper for American Journal of Physic
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