Vertex evoked potentials in a rating-scale detection task: Relation to signal probability

Vertex evoked potentials were recorded from human subjects performing in an auditory detection task with rating scale responses. Three values of a priori probability of signal presentation were tested. The amplitudes of the N1 and P3 components of the vertex potential associated with correct detections of the signal were found to be systematically related to the strictness of the response criterion and independent of variations in a priori signal probability. No similar evoked potential components were found associated with signal absent judgements (misses and correct rejections) regardless of the confidence level of the judgement or signal probability. These results strongly support the contention that the form of the vertex evoked response is closely correlated with the subject's psychophysical decision regarding the presence or absence of a threshold level signal

Design, fabrication and delivery of a prototype saturator for ACPL

The design configuration and performance characteristics of a saturator developed to provide ground-based simulation for some of the experiments for ACPL-1 first flights of Spacelab are described, some difficulties encountered with the apparatus are discussed, and recommendations concerning testing of this type of instrument are presented. The saturators provide a means of accurately fixing the water vapor mixing ratio of an aerosol sample. Dew point temperatures from almost freezing to ambient room temperatures can be attained with high precision. The instruments can accommodate aerosol flow rates approaching 1000 cc/s. Provisions were made to inject aerosols upstream of these saturators, although downstream injection can be accomplished as well. A device of this type will be used in the ACPL-1 to condition various aerosols delivered concurrently to a CFD, expansion chamber, and static diffusion chamber used in zero gravity cloud-forming experiments. The saturator was designed to meet the requirements projected for the flight instrument

Finite Temperature Dynamics of the Spin 1/2 Bond Alternating Heisenberg Antiferromagnetic Chain

We present results for the dynamic structure factor of the S=1/2 bond alternating Heisenberg chain over a large range of frequencies and temperatures. Data are obtained from a numerical evaluation of thermal averages based on the calculation of all eigenvalues and eigenfunctions for chains of up to 20 spins. Interpretation is guided by the exact temperature dependence in the noninteracting dimer limit which remains qualitatively valid up to an interdimer exchange $\lambda \approx 0.5$. The temperature induced central peak around zero frequency is clearly identified and aspects of the crossover to spin diffusion in its variation from low to high temperatures are discussed. The one-magnon peak acquires an asymmetric shape with increasing temperature. The two-magnon peak is dominated by the S=1 bound state which remains well defined up to temperatures of the order of J. The variation with temperature and wavevector of the integrated intensity for one and two magnon scattering and of the central peak are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Inelastic neutron scattering signal from deconfined spinons in a fractionalized antiferromagnet

We calculate the contribution of deconfined spinons to inelastic neutron scattering (INS) in the fractionalized antiferromagnet (AF*), introduced elsewhere. We find that the presence of free spin-1/2 charge-less excitations leads to a continuum INS signal above the Neel gap. This signal is found above and in addition to the usual spin-1 magnon signal, which to lowest order is the same as in the more conventional confined antiferromagnet. We calculate the relative weights of these two signals and find that the spinons contribute to the longitudinal response, where the magnon signal is absent to lowest order. Possible higher-order effects of interactions between magnons and spinons in the AF* phase are also discussed.Comment: 9 page

Magnetic spectrum of the two-dimensional antiferromagnet La2CoO4 studied by inelastic neutron scattering

We report measurements of the magnetic excitation spectrum of the layered antiferromagnet La2CoO4 by time-of-flight neutron inelastic scattering. In the energy range probed in our experiments (0-250 meV) the magnetic spectrum consists of spin-wave modes with strong in-plane dispersion extending up to 60 meV, and a nearly dispersionless peak at 190 meV. The spin-wave modes exhibit a small (~1 meV) dispersion along the magnetic zone boundary. We show that the magnetic spectrum can be described very well by a model of a Heisenberg antiferromagnet that includes the full spin and orbital degrees of freedom of Co2+ in an axially-distorted crystal field. The collective magnetic dynamics are found to be controlled by dominant nearest-neighbour exchange interactions, strong XY-like single-ion anisotropy and a substantial unquenched orbital angular momentum.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Collective Modes in the Loop Ordered Phase of Cuprates

We show that the two branches of collective modes discovered recently in under-doped Cuprates with huge spectral weight are a necessary consequence of the loop-current state. Such a state has been shown in earlier experiments to be consistent with the symmetry of the order parameter competing with superconductivity in four families of Cuprates. We also predict a third branch of excitations and suggest techniques to discover it. Using parameters to fit the observed modes, we show that the direction of the effective moments in the ground state lies in a cone at an angle to the c-axis as observed in experiments