485 research outputs found
Clausius inequality and optimality of quasi static transformations for nonequilibrium stationary states
Nonequilibrium stationary states of thermodynamic systems dissipate a
positive amount of energy per unit of time. If we consider transformations of
such states that are realized by letting the driving depend on time, the amount
of energy dissipated in an unbounded time window becomes then infinite.
Following the general proposal by Oono and Paniconi and using results of the
macroscopic fluctuation theory, we give a natural definition of a renormalized
work performed along any given transformation. We then show that the
renormalized work satisfies a Clausius inequality and prove that equality is
achieved for very slow transformations, that is in the quasi static limit. We
finally connect the renormalized work to the quasi potential of the macroscopic
fluctuation theory, that gives the probability of fluctuations in the
stationary nonequilibrium ensemble
The effect of Aharanov-Bohm phase on the magnetic-field dependence of two-pulse echos in glasses at low temperatures
The anomalous response of glasses in the echo amplitude experiment is
explained in the presence of a magnetic field. We have considered the low
energy excitations in terms of an effective two level system. The effective
model is constructed on the flip-flop configuration of two interacting two
level systems. The magnetic field affects the tunneling amplitude through the
Aharanov-Bohm effect. The effective model has a lower scale of energy in
addition to the new distribution of tunneling parameters which depend on the
interaction. We are able to explain some features of echo amplitude versus a
magnetic field, namely, the dephasing effect at low magnetic fields, dependence
on the strength of the electric field, pulse separation effect and the
influence of temperature. However this model fails to explain the isotope
effects which essentially can be explained by the nuclear quadrupole moment. We
will finally discuss the features of our results.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure
A precursor state to unconventional superconductivity in CeIrIn
We present sensitive measurements of the Hall effect and magnetoresistance in
CeIrIn down to temperatures of 50 mK and magnetic fields up to 15 T. The
presence of a low temperature coherent Kondo state is established. Deviations
from Kohler's rule and a quadratic temperature dependence of the cotangent of
the Hall angle are reminiscent of properties observed in the high temperature
superconducting cuprates. The most striking observation pertains to the
presence of a \textit{precursor} state--characterized by a change in the Hall
mobility--that appears to precede the superconductivity in this material, in
similarity to the pseudogap in the cuprate high superconductors.Comment: 4 figure
Two dimensional Dirac fermions and quantum magnetoresistance in CaMnBi
We report two dimensional Dirac fermions and quantum magnetoresistance in
single crystals of CaMnBi. The non-zero Berry's phase, small cyclotron
resonant mass and first-principle band structure suggest the existence of the
Dirac fermions in the Bi square nets. The in-plane transverse magnetoresistance
exhibits a crossover at a critical field from semiclassical weak-field
dependence to the high-field unsaturated linear magnetoresistance ( in 9 T at 2 K) due to the quantum limit of the Dirac fermions. The
temperature dependence of satisfies quadratic behavior, which is
attributed to the splitting of linear energy dispersion in high field. Our
results demonstrate the existence of two dimensional Dirac fermions in
CaMnBi with Bi square nets.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Electron-Beam Driven Relaxation Oscillations in Ferroelectric Nanodisks
Using a combination of computational simulations, atomic-scale resolution
imaging and phenomenological modelling, we examine the underlying mechanism for
nanodomain restructuring in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanodisks driven by
electron beams. The observed subhertz nanodomain dynamics are identified with
relaxation oscillations where the charging/discharging cycle time is determined
by saturation of charge traps and nanodomain wall creep. These results are
unusual in that they indicate very slow athermal dynamics in nanoscale systems.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
New excitations in bcc He - an inelastic neutron scattering study
We report neutron scattering measurements on bcc solid % He. We studied
the phonon branches and the recently discovered ''optic-like'' branch along the
main crystalline directions. In addition, we discovered another, dispersionless
"optic-like'' branch at an energy around 1 meV (~11K). The properties of
the two "optic-like" branches seem different. Since one expects only 3 acoustic
phonon branches in a monoatomic cubic crystal, these new branches must
represent different type of excitations. One possible interpretation involves
localized excitations unique to a quantum solid.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted by PRB, Rapid Communication
Damping in high-frequency metallic nanomechanical resonators
We have studied damping in polycrystalline Al nanomechanical resonators by
measuring the temperature dependence of their resonance frequency and quality
factor over a temperature range of 0.1 - 4 K. Two regimes are clearly
distinguished with a crossover temperature of 1 K. Below 1 K we observe a
logarithmic temperature dependence of the frequency and linear dependence of
damping that cannot be explained by the existing standard models. We attribute
these phenomena to the effect of the two-level systems characterized by the
unexpectedly long (at least two orders of magnitude longer) relaxation times
and discuss possible microscopic models for such systems. We conclude that the
dynamics of the two-level systems is dominated by their interaction with
one-dimensional phonon modes of the resonators.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Conservation Status of Marine Biodiversity in Oceania: An Analysis of Marine Species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Given the economic and cultural dependence on the marine environment in Oceania and a rapidly expanding human population, many marine species populations are in decline and may be vulnerable to extinction from a number of local and regional threats. IUCN Red List assessments, a widely used system for quantifying threats to species and assessing species extinction risk, have been completed for 1190 marine species in Oceania to date, including all known species of corals, mangroves, seagrasses, sea snakes, marine mammals, sea birds, sea turtles, sharks, and rays present in Oceania, plus all species in five important perciformfish groups. Many of the species in these groups are threatened by themodification or destruction of coastal habitats, overfishing fromdirect or indirect exploitation, pollution, and other ecological or environmental changes associated with climate change. Spatial analyses of threatened species highlight priority areas for both site- and species-specific conservation action. Although increased knowledge and use of newly available IUCN Red List assessments for marine species can greatly improve conservation priorities for marine species in Oceania,many important fish groups are still in urgent need of assessment
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