2,139 research outputs found
Continuous breakdown of Purcell's scallop theorem with inertia
Purcell's scallop theorem defines the type of motions of a solid body -
reciprocal motions - which cannot propel the body in a viscous fluid with zero
Reynolds number. For example, the flapping of a wing is reciprocal and, as was
recently shown, can lead to directed motion only if its frequency Reynolds
number, Re_f, is above a critical value of order one. Using elementary
examples, we show the existence of oscillatory reciprocal motions which are
effective for all arbitrarily small values of the frequency Reynolds number and
induce net velocities scaling as (Re_f)^\alpha (alpha > 0). This demonstrates a
continuous breakdown of the scallop theorem with inertia.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur
Fault-tolerant Quantum Communication with Minimal Physical Requirements
We describe a novel protocol for a quantum repeater which enables long
distance quantum communication through realistic, lossy photonic channels.
Contrary to previous proposals, our protocol incorporates active purification
of arbitrary errors at each step of the protocol using only two qubits at each
repeater station. Because of these minimal physical requirements, the present
protocol can be realized in simple physical systems such as solid-state single
photon emitters. As an example, we show how nitrogen vacancy color centers in
diamond can be used to implement the protocol, using the nuclear and electronic
spin to form the two qubits.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. V2: Minor modifications. V3: Major changes in the
presentation and new titl
Magnetic domain wall propagation in a submicron spin-valve stripe: influence of the pinned layer
The propagation of a domain wall in a submicron ferromagnetic spin-valve
stripe is investigated using giant magnetoresistance. A notch in the stripe
efficiently traps an injected wall stopping the domain propagation. The authors
show that the magnetic field at which the wall is depinned displays a
stochastic nature. Moreover, the depinning statistics are significantly
different for head to head and tail-to-tail domain walls. This is attributed to
the dipolar field generated in the vicinity of the notch by the pinned layer of
the spin-valve
Thermal Effects on the Magnetic Field Dependence of Spin Transfer Induced Magnetization Reversal
We have developed a self-aligned, high-yield process to fabricate CPP
(current perpendicular to the plane) magnetic sensors of sub 100 nm dimensions.
A pinned synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF) is used as the reference layer which
minimizes dipole coupling to the free layer and field induced rotation of the
reference layer. We find that the critical currents for spin transfer induced
magnetization reversal of the free layer vary dramatically with relatively
small changes the in-plane magnetic field, in contrast to theoretical
predictions based on stability analysis of the Gilbert equations of
magnetization dynamics including Slonczewski-type spin-torque terms. The
discrepancy is believed due to thermal fluctuations over the time scale of the
measurements. Once thermal fluctuations are taken into account, we find good
quantitative agreement between our experimental results and numerical
simulations.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, Submitted to Appl. Phys. Lett., Comparison of
some of these results with a model described by N. Smith in cond-mat/040648
Suppression of spin-torque in current perpendicular to the plane spin-valves by addition of Dy cap layers
We demonstrate that the addition of Dy capping layers in current
perpendicular to the plane giant magneto-resistive spin-valves can increase the
critical current density beyond which spin-torque induced instabilities are
observed by about a factor of three. Current densities as high as 5e7 A/cm2 are
measured provided that the electron current flows from the free to the
reference layer. While Dy capped samples exhibit nonmagnetic 1/f noise, it is
sufficiently small to be unimportant for read head operation at practical data
rates.Comment: 13 pages (manuscript form), with 5 figures. Submitted for publicatio
Ferromagnetic resonance force microscopy on microscopic cobalt single layer films
We report mechanical detection of ferromagnetic resonance signals from
microscopic Co single layer thin films using a magnetic resonance force
microscope (MRFM). Variations in the magnetic anisotropy field and the
inhomogeneity of were clearly observed in the FMR spectra of microscopic Co
thin films 500 and 1000 angstrom thick and 40 X 200 micron^2 in lateral extent.
This demonstrates the important potential that MRFM detection of FMR holds for
microscopic characterization of spatial distribution of magnetic properties in
magnetic layered materials and devices.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, RevTex. To be published in Applied Physics
Letters, October 5, 199
Ferromagnetic resonance imaging of Co films using magnetic resonance force microscopy
Lateral one-dimensional imaging of cobalt (Co) films by means of microscopic ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) detected using the magnetic resonance force microscope (MRFM) is demonstrated. A novel approach involving scanning a localized magnetic probe is shown to enable FMR imaging in spite of the broad resonance linewidth. We introduce a spatially selective local field by means of a small, magnetically polarized spherical crystallite of yttrium iron garnet (YIG). Using MRFM-detected FMR signals from a sample consisting of two Co films, we can resolve the ∼20 μm lateral separation between the films. The results can be qualitatively understood by consideration of the calculated spatial profiles of the magnetic field generated by the YIG sphere
OzDES multifibre spectroscopy for the Dark Energy Survey: 3-yr results and first data release
We present results for the first three years of OzDES, a six year programme to obtain redshifts for objects in the Dark Energy Survey (DES) supernova fields using the 2dF fibre positioner and AAOmega spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. OzDES is a multi-object spectroscopic survey targeting multiple types of targets at multiple epochs over a multiyear baseline and is one of the first multi-object spectroscopic surveys to dynamically include transients into the target list soon after their discovery. At the end of three years, OzDES has spectroscopically confirmed almost 100 supernovae, and has measured redshifts for 17 000 objects, including the redshifts of 2566 supernova hosts. We examine how our ability to measure redshifts for targets of various types depends on signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), magnitude and exposure time, finding that our redshift success rate increases significantly at a S/N of 2–3 per 1-Å bin. We also find that the change in  S/N with exposure time closely matches the Poisson limit for stacked exposures as long as 10 h. We use these results to predict the redshift yield of the full OzDES survey, as well as the potential yields of future surveys on other facilities such as (i.e. the 4-m Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope, the Subaru Prime Focus Spectrograph and the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer). This work marks the first OzDES data release, comprising 14 693 redshifts. OzDES is on target to obtain over 30 000 redshifts over the 6-yr duration of the survey, including a yield of approximately 5700 supernova host-galaxy redshifts
Do spiny lobsters prefer to associate with familiar individuals?
Juvenile spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) are known to be gregarious. We studied the preference of spiny lobsters in their association with other individuals. Twenty lobsters were captured for this experiment, paired, and divided into either dominant or subordinate status. The pairs of lobsters were then placed into the cattle tank with another pair and allowed to interact throughout the night. Spiny lobsters spent significantly more time in their home den than the away den and were much more likely to be in their home den with a familiar individual than with an unfamiliar individual
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