Two-Dimensional Vortex Lattice Melting

We report on a Monte-Carlo study of two-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau superconductors in a magnetic field which finds clear evidence for a first-order phase transition characterized by broken translational symmetry of the superfluid density. A key aspect of our study is the introduction of a quantity proportional to the Fourier transform of the superfluid density which can be sampled efficiently in Landau gauge Monte-Carlo simulations and which satisfies a useful sum rule. We estimate the latent heat per vortex of the melting transition to be $\sim 0.38 k_B T_M$ where $T_M$ is the melting temperature.Comment: 10 pages (4 figures available on request), RevTex 3.0, IUCM93-00

Renormalization group study of interacting electrons

The renormalization-group (RG) approach proposed earlier by Shankar for interacting spinless fermions at $T=0$ is extended to the case of non-zero temperature and spin. We study a model with $SU(N)$-invariant short-range effective interaction and rotationally invariant Fermi surface in two and three dimensions. We show that the Landau interaction function of the Fermi liquid, constructed from the bare parameters of the low-energy effective action, is RG invariant. On the other hand, the physical forward scattering vertex is found as a stable fixed point of the RG flow. We demonstrate that in $d=2$ and 3, the RG approach to this model is equivalent to Landau's mean-field treatment of the Fermi liquid. We discuss subtleties associated with the symmetry properties of the scattering amplitude, the Landau function and the low-energy effective action. Applying the RG to response functions, we find the compressibility and the spin susceptibility as fixed points.Comment: 11 pages, RevTeX 3.0, 2 PostScript figure

Renormalization group analysis of the 2D Hubbard model

Salmhofer [Commun. Math. Phys. 194, 249 (1998)] has recently developed a new renormalization group method for interacting Fermi systems, where the complete flow from the bare action of a microscopic model to the effective low-energy action, as a function of a continuously decreasing infrared cutoff, is given by a differential flow equation which is local in the flow parameter. We apply this approach to the repulsive two-dimensional Hubbard model with nearest and next-nearest neighbor hopping amplitudes. The flow equation for the effective interaction is evaluated numerically on 1-loop level. The effective interactions diverge at a finite energy scale which is exponentially small for small bare interactions. To analyze the nature of the instabilities signalled by the diverging interactions we extend Salmhofers renormalization group for the calculation of susceptibilities. We compute the singlet superconducting susceptibilities for various pairing symmetries and also charge and spin density susceptibilities. Depending on the choice of the model parameters (hopping amplitudes, interaction strength and band-filling) we find commensurate and incommensurate antiferromagnetic instabilities or d-wave superconductivity as leading instability. We present the resulting phase diagram in the vicinity of half-filling and also results for the density dependence of the critical energy scale.Comment: 16 pages, RevTeX, 16 eps figure

Delinquency and reputational orientations of adolescent at-risk and not-at-risk males and females

This research investigated differences in delinquent activities and the reputational orientations of at-risk and not-at-risk male and female adolescents. Initially, we sought to establish that adolescent males and females differed in these respects. This was found to be the case: males (n = 722) scored significantly higher than females (n = 738) on seven self-reported delinquency variables and on eight reputation enhancement variables pertaining to social deviance, non-conforming reputation, and power/evaluation private identity. When a sample of 31 at-risk females was subsequently pair-wise age matched with 31 not-at-risk females, at-risk females scored significantly higher on all delinquency variables other than school misdemeanors. These at-risk females also scored significantly higher on four reputation enhancement variables relating to social deviance and non-conformity. Given that at-risk females did not differ from their not-at-risk counterparts in level of involvement in school misdemeanors, we sought to determine whether this was also the case for at-risk and not-at-risk males. An age-matched sample of 91 pairs revealed that at-risk males reported significantly higher involvement than not-at-risk males in all aspects of delinquency, including school misdemeanors. They also sought a more non-conforming reputation. To explore the relationships between delinquency and reputation enhancement, a canonical correlation analysis was performed. All findings are discussed in the light of reputation enhancement theory. © 2008 Taylor & Franci

Applications of electrified dust and dust devil electrodynamics to Martian atmospheric electricity

Atmospheric transport and suspension of dust frequently brings electrification, which may be substantial. Electric fields of 10 kVm-1 to 100 kVm-1 have been observed at the surface beneath suspended dust in the terrestrial atmosphere, and some electrification has been observed to persist in dust at levels to 5 km, as well as in volcanic plumes. The interaction between individual particles which causes the electrification is incompletely understood, and multiple processes are thought to be acting. A variation in particle charge with particle size, and the effect of gravitational separation explains to, some extent, the charge structures observed in terrestrial dust storms. More extensive flow-based modelling demonstrates that bulk electric fields in excess of 10 kV m-1 can be obtained rapidly (in less than 10 s) from rotating dust systems (dust devils) and that terrestrial breakdown fields can be obtained. Modelled profiles of electrical conductivity in the Martian atmosphere suggest the possibility of dust electrification, and dust devils have been suggested as a mechanism of charge separation able to maintain current flow between one region of the atmosphere and another, through a global circuit. Fundamental new understanding of Martian atmospheric electricity will result from the ExoMars mission, which carries the DREAMS (Dust characterization, Risk Assessment, and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface)-MicroARES (Atmospheric Radiation and Electricity Sensor) instrumentation to Mars in 2016 for the first in situ measurements