551 research outputs found
Magnetic long-range order induced by quantum relaxation in single-molecule magnets
Can magnetic interactions between single-molecule magnets (SMMs) in a crystal
establish long-range magnetic order at low temperatures deep in the quantum
regime, where the only electron spin-fluctuations are due to incoherent
magnetic quantum tunneling (MQT)? Put inversely: can MQT provide the
temperature dependent fluctuations needed to destroy the ordered state above
some finite Tc, although it should basically itself be a T-independent process?
Our experiments on two novel Mn4 SMMs provide a positive answer to the above,
showing at the same time that MQT in the SMMs has to involve spin-lattice
coupling at a relaxation rate equaling that predicted and observed recently for
nuclear spin-mediated quantum relaxation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Partially incoherent optical vortices in self-focusing nonlinear media
We observe stable propagation of spatially localized single- and
double-charge optical vortices in a self-focusing nonlinear medium. The
vortices are created by self-trapping of partially incoherent light carrying a
phase dislocation, and they are stabilized when the spatial incoherence of
light exceeds a certain threshold. We confirm the vortex stabilization effect
by numerical simulations and also show that the similar mechanism of
stabilization applies to higher-order vortices.Comment: 4 pages and 6 figures (including 3 experimental figures
The European Union, borders and conflict transformation: the case of Cyprus
Much of the existing literature on the European Union (EU), conflict transformation and border dynamics has been premised on the assumption that the nature of the border determines EU intervention and the consequences that flow from this in terms of EU impact. The article aims to transcend this literature through assessing how domestic interpretations influence EU border transformation in conflict situations, taking Cyprus as a case study. Moreover, the objective is to fuse the literature on EU bordering impact and perceptions of the EU’s normative projection in conflict resolution. Pursuing this line of inquiry is an attempt to depart from the notion of borders being constructed solely by unidirectional EU logics of engagement or bordering practices to a conceptualization of the border as co-constituted space, where the interpretations of the EU’s normative projections by conflict parties, and the strategies that they pursue, can determine the relative openness of the EU border
Field-induced level crossings in spin clusters: Thermodynamics and magneto-elastic instability
Quantum spin clusters with dominant antiferromagnetic Heisenberg exchange
interactions typically exhibit a sequence of field-induced level crossings in
the ground state as function of magnetic field. For fields near a level
crossing, the cluster can be approximated by a two-level Hamiltonian at low
temperatures. Perturbations, such as magnetic anisotropy or spin-phonon
coupling, sensitively affect the behavior at the level-crossing points. The
general two-level Hamiltonian of the spin system is derived in first-order
perturbation theory, and the thermodynamic functions magnetization, magnetic
torque, and magnetic specific heat are calculated. Then a magneto-elastic
coupling is introduced and the effective two-level Hamilitonian for the
spin-lattice system derived in the adiabatic approximation of the phonons. At
the level crossings the system becomes unconditionally unstable against lattice
distortions due to the effects of magnetic anisotropy. The resultant
magneto-elastic instabilities at the level crossings are discussed, as well as
the magnetic behavior.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, REVTEX
A Distribution of Tunnel Splittings in Mn-Acetate
In magnetic fields applied parallel to the anisotropy axis, the relaxation of
the magnetization of Mn measured for different sweep rates is shown to
collapse onto a single scaled curve. The form of the scaling implies that the
dominant symmetry-breaking process that gives rise to tunneling is a locally
varying second-order anisotropy, forbidden by tetragonal symmetry in the
perfect crystal, which gives rise to a broad distribution of tunnel splittings
in a real crystal of Mn-acetate. Different forms applied to even and
odd-numbered steps provide a distinction between even step resonances
(associated with crystal anisotropy) and odd resonances (which require a
transverse component of magnetic field).Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. New title; text more clearly writte
The Total Solar Eclipse of March 2006: overview
International audienceThis paper provides an overview of integrated, multi-disciplinary effort to study the effects of a total solar eclipse on the environment, with special focus on the atmosphere. On the occasion of the 29 March 2006 total solar eclipse, visible over the Eastern Mediterranean, several research and academic institutes organised co-ordinated experimental campaigns, at different distances from the totality and in various environments in terms of air quality. The detailed results are presented in a number of scientific papers included in a Special Issue of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. The effects of the eclipse on the meteorology and the spectral solar radiation, the chemical response of the atmosphere to the abrupt "switch off" of the sun and the induced changes in the stratosphere and the ionosphere, have been among the issues covered. The rare event of a total solar eclipse provided the opportunity to evaluate 1-D and 3-D radiative transfer models (in the atmosphere and underwater), mesoscale meteorological, regional air quality and photochemical box models, against measurements. Within the challenging topics of this effort has been the investigation of eclipse impacts on ecosystems (field crops and marine plankton) and the identification of eclipse induced gravity waves, for the first time with simultaneous measurements at three altitudes namely the troposphere, the stratosphere and the ionosphere
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Observations of Past Lunar Landing Sites by the D-CIXS X-Ray Spectrometer on SMART-1
D-CIXS initial observations show a first unambiguous remote sensing of calcium in the lunar regolith. Data obtained are broadly consistent with current understanding of mare and highland composition. Ground truth is provided by the returned Apollo and Luna sample sets
Observational detection of eight mutual eclipses and occultations between the satellites of Uranus
We carried out observations, with five different instruments ranging in
aperture from 0.4m to 10m, of the satellites of Uranus during that planet's
2007 Equinox. Our observations covered specific intervals of time when mutual
eclipses and occultations were predicted.
The observations were carried out in the near-infrared part of the spectrum
to mitigate the glare from the planet. Frames were acquired at rates > 1/min.
Following modelling and subtraction of the planetary source from these frames,
differential aperture photometry was carried out on the satellite pairs
involved in the predicted events. In all cases but one, nearby bright
satellites were used as reference sources.
We have obtained fifteen individual lightcurves, eight of which show a clear
drop in the flux from the satellite pair, indicating that a mutual event took
place. Three of these involve the faint satellite Miranda. All eight
lightcurves were model-fitted to yield best estimates of the time of maximum
flux drop and the impact parameter. In three cases best-fit albedo ratios were
also derived. We used these estimates to generate intersatellite astrometric
positions with typical formal uncertainties of <0.01 arcsec, several times
better than conventional astrometry of these satellites. The statistics of our
estimated event midtimes show a systematic lag, with the observations later
than predictions. In addition, lightcurves of two partial eclipses of Miranda
show no statistically significant evidence of a light drop, at variance with
the predictions. These indicate that new information about the Uranian
satellite system is contained in observations of mutual events acquired here
and by other groups.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysics Uses aa style packag
Magnetization relaxation in the single molecule magnet Ni under continuous microwave irradiation
Spin relaxation between the two lowest-lying spin-states has been studied in
the S=4 single molecule magnet Ni under steady state conditions of low
amplitude and continuous microwave irradiation. The relaxation rate was
determined as a function of temperature at two frequencies, 10 and 27.8 GHz, by
simultaneously measuring the magnetization and the absorbed microwave power. A
strong temperature dependence is observed below 1.5 K, which is not consistent
with a direct single-spin-phonon relaxation process. The data instead suggest
that the spin relaxation is dominated by a phonon bottleneck at low
temperatures and occurs by an Orbach mechanism involving excited spin-levels at
higher temperatures. Experimental results are compared with detailed
calculations of the relaxation rate using the universal density matrix
equation.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Europhys. Let
Ensemble convolutional neural network classification for pancreatic steatosis assessment in biopsy images
Non-alcoholic fatty pancreas disease (NAFPD) is a common and at the same time not extensively examined pathological condition that is significantly associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance. These factors can lead to the development of critical pathogens such as type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), atherosclerosis, acute pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer. Until recently, the diagnosis of NAFPD was based on noninvasive medical imaging methods and visual evaluations of microscopic histological samples. The present study focuses on the quantification of steatosis prevalence in pancreatic biopsy specimens with varying degrees of NAFPD. All quantification results are extracted using a methodology consisting of digital image processing and transfer learning in pretrained convolutional neural networks for the detection of histological fat structures. The proposed method is applied to 20 digitized histological samples, producing an 0.08% mean fat quantification error thanks to an ensemble CNN voting system and 83.3% mean Dice fat segmentation similarity compared to the semi-quantitative estimates of specialist physicians
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