Orbital disorder induced by charge fluctuations in vanadium spinels

Motivated by recent experiments on vanadium spinels, $A$V$_2$O$_4$, that show an increasing degree of electronic delocalization for smaller cation sizes, we study the evolution of orbital ordering (OO) between the strong and intermediate-coupling regimes of a multi-orbital Hubbard Hamiltonian. The underlying magnetic ordering of the Mott insulating state leads to a rapid suppression of OO due to enhanced charge fluctuations along ferromagnetic bonds. Orbital double-occupancy is rather low at the transition point indicating that the system is in the crossover region between strong and intermediate-coupling regimes when the orbital degrees of freedom become disordered

Does Quantum Cosmology Predict a Constant Dilatonic Field?

Quantum cosmology may permit to determine the initial conditions of the Universe. In particular, it may select a specific model between many possible classical models. In this work, we study a quantum cosmological model based on the string effective action coupled to matter. The Schutz's formalism is employed in the description of the fluid. A radiation fluid is considered. In this way, a time coordinate may be identified and the Wheeler-DeWitt equation reduces in the minisuperspace to a Schr\"odinger-like equation. It is shown that, under some quite natural assumptions, the expectation values indicate a null axionic field and a constant dilatonic field. At the same time the scale factor exhibits a bounce revealing a singularity-free cosmological model. In some cases, the mininum value of the scale factor can be related to the value of gravitational coupling.Comment: Latex file, 14 page

Qualitative analysis of a scalar-tensor theory with exponential potential

A qualitative analysis of a scalar-tensor cosmological model, with an exponential potential for the scalar field, is performed. The phase diagram for the flat case is constructed. It is shown that solutions with an initial and final inflationary behaviour appear. The conditions for which the scenario favored by supernova type Ia observations becomes an attractor in the space of the solutions are established.Comment: Latex file, 9 pages, 1 figur