9,677 research outputs found
Spin relaxation and spin Hall transport in 5d transition-metal ultrathin films
The spin relaxation induced by the Elliott-Yafet mechanism and the extrinsic
spin Hall conductivity due to the skew-scattering are investigated in 5d
transition-metal ultrathin films with self-adatom impurities as scatterers. The
values of the Elliott-Yafet parameter and of the spin-flip relaxation rate
reveal a correlation with each other that is in agreement with the Elliott
approximation. At 10-layer thickness, the spin-flip relaxation time in 5d
transition-metal films is quantitatively reported about few hundred nanoseconds
at atomic percent which is one and two orders of magnitude shorter than that in
Au and Cu thin films, respectively. The anisotropy effect of the Elliott-Yafet
parameter and of the spin-flip relaxation rate with respect to the direction of
the spin-quantization axis in relation to the crystallographic axes is also
analyzed. We find that the anisotropy of the spin-flip relaxation rate is
enhanced due to the Rashba surface states on the Fermi surface, reaching values
as high as 97% in 10-layer Hf(0001) film or 71% in 10-layer W(110) film.
Finally, the spin Hall conductivity as well as the spin Hall angle due to the
skew-scattering off self-adatom impurities are calculated using the Boltzmann
approach. Our calculations employ a relativistic version of the
first-principles full-potential Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green function method
Strong spin-orbit fields and Dyakonov-Perel spin dephasing in supported metallic films
Spin dephasing by the Dyakonov-Perel mechanism in metallic films deposited on
insulating substrates is revealed, and quantitatively examined by means of
density functional calculations combined with a kinetic equation. The
surface-to-substrate asymmetry, probed by the metal wave functions in thin
films, is found to produce strong spin-orbit fields and a fast Larmor
precession, giving a dominant contribution to spin decay over the Elliott-Yafet
spin relaxation up to a thickness of 70 nm. The spin dephasing is oscillatory
in time with a rapid (sub-picosecond) initial decay. However, parts of the
Fermi surface act as spin traps, causing a persistent tail signal lasting 1000
times longer than the initial decay time. It is also found that the decay
depends on the direction of the initial spin polarization, resulting in a
spin-dephasing anisotropy of 200% in the examined cases
Optimized broad-histogram simulations for strong first-order phase transitions: Droplet transitions in the large-Q Potts model
The numerical simulation of strongly first-order phase transitions has
remained a notoriously difficult problem even for classical systems due to the
exponentially suppressed (thermal) equilibration in the vicinity of such a
transition. In the absence of efficient update techniques, a common approach to
improve equilibration in Monte Carlo simulations is to broaden the sampled
statistical ensemble beyond the bimodal distribution of the canonical ensemble.
Here we show how a recently developed feedback algorithm can systematically
optimize such broad-histogram ensembles and significantly speed up
equilibration in comparison with other extended ensemble techniques such as
flat-histogram, multicanonical or Wang-Landau sampling. As a prototypical
example of a strong first-order transition we simulate the two-dimensional
Potts model with up to Q=250 different states on large systems. The optimized
histogram develops a distinct multipeak structure, thereby resolving entropic
barriers and their associated phase transitions in the phase coexistence region
such as droplet nucleation and annihilation or droplet-strip transitions for
systems with periodic boundary conditions. We characterize the efficiency of
the optimized histogram sampling by measuring round-trip times tau(N,Q) across
the phase transition for samples of size N spins. While we find power-law
scaling of tau vs. N for small Q \lesssim 50 and N \lesssim 40^2, we observe a
crossover to exponential scaling for larger Q. These results demonstrate that
despite the ensemble optimization broad-histogram simulations cannot fully
eliminate the supercritical slowing down at strongly first-order transitions.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figure
Syzygies of torsion bundles and the geometry of the level l modular variety over M_g
We formulate, and in some cases prove, three statements concerning the purity
or, more generally the naturality of the resolution of various rings one can
attach to a generic curve of genus g and a torsion point of order l in its
Jacobian. These statements can be viewed an analogues of Green's Conjecture and
we verify them computationally for bounded genus. We then compute the
cohomology class of the corresponding non-vanishing locus in the moduli space
R_{g,l} of twisted level l curves of genus g and use this to derive results
about the birational geometry of R_{g, l}. For instance, we prove that R_{g,3}
is a variety of general type when g>11 and the Kodaira dimension of R_{11,3} is
greater than or equal to 19. In the last section we explain probabilistically
the unexpected failure of the Prym-Green conjecture in genus 8 and level 2.Comment: 35 pages, appeared in Invent Math. We correct an inaccuracy in the
statement of Prop 2.
Multi-functional annular fairing for coupling launch abort motor to space vehicle
An annular fairing having aerodynamic, thermal, structural and acoustic attributes couples a launch abort motor to a space vehicle having a payload of concern mounted on top of a rocket propulsion system. A first end of the annular fairing is fixedly attached to the launch abort motor while a second end of the annular fairing is attached in a releasable fashion to an aft region of the payload. The annular fairing increases in diameter between its first and second ends
Confluence of geodesic paths and separating loops in large planar quadrangulations
We consider planar quadrangulations with three marked vertices and discuss
the geometry of triangles made of three geodesic paths joining them. We also
study the geometry of minimal separating loops, i.e. paths of minimal length
among all closed paths passing by one of the three vertices and separating the
two others in the quadrangulation. We concentrate on the universal scaling
limit of large quadrangulations, also known as the Brownian map, where pairs of
geodesic paths or minimal separating loops have common parts of non-zero
macroscopic length. This is the phenomenon of confluence, which distinguishes
the geometry of random quadrangulations from that of smooth surfaces. We
characterize the universal probability distribution for the lengths of these
common parts.Comment: 48 pages, 33 color figures. Final version, with one concluding
paragraph and one reference added, and several other small correction
Highly Variable Objects in the Palomar-QUEST Survey: A Blazar Search using Optical Variability
We identify 3,113 highly variable objects in 7,200 square degrees of the
Palomar-QUEST Survey, which each varied by more than 0.4 magnitudes
simultaneously in two broadband optical filters on timescales from hours to
roughly 3.5 years. The primary goal of the selection is to find blazars by
their well-known violent optical variability. Because most known blazars have
been found in radio and/or X-ray wavelengths, a sample discovered through
optical variability may have very different selection effects, elucidating the
range of behavior possible in these systems. A set of blazars selected in this
unusual manner will improve our understanding of the physics behind this
extremely variable and diverse class of AGN. The object positions, variability
statistics, and color information are available using the Palomar-QUEST CasJobs
server. The time domain is just beginning to be explored over large sky areas;
we do not know exactly what a violently variable sample will hold. About 20% of
the sample has been classified in the literature; over 70% of those objects are
known or likely AGN. The remainder largely consists of a variety of variable
stars, including a number of RR Lyrae and cataclysmic variables.Comment: 22 pages (preprint format), 2 figures. Accepted for publication in
ApJ. References update
Thermally activated magnetization reversal in monoatomic magnetic chains on surfaces studied by classical atomistic spin-dynamics simulations
We analyze the spontaneous magnetization reversal of supported monoatomic
chains of finite length due to thermal fluctuations via atomistic spin-dynamics
simulations. Our approach is based on the integration of the Landau-Lifshitz
equation of motion of a classical spin Hamiltonian at the presence of
stochastic forces. The associated magnetization lifetime is found to obey an
Arrhenius law with an activation barrier equal to the domain wall energy in the
chain. For chains longer than one domain-wall width, the reversal is initiated
by nucleation of a reversed magnetization domain primarily at the chain edge
followed by a subsequent propagation of the domain wall to the other edge in a
random-walk fashion. This results in a linear dependence of the lifetime on the
chain length, if the magnetization correlation length is not exceeded. We
studied chains of uniaxial and tri-axial anisotropy and found that a tri-axial
anisotropy leads to a reduction of the magnetization lifetime due to a higher
reversal attempt rate, even though the activation barrier is not changed.Comment: 2nd version contains some improvements and new Appendi
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Patterns of initiation of second generation antipsychotics for bipolar disorder: a month-by-month analysis of provider behavior
Background: Several second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) received FDA approval for bipolar disorder in the 2000s. Although efficacious, they have been costly and may cause significant side effects. Little is known about the factors associated with prescribers’ decisions to initiate SGA prescriptions for this condition. Methods: We gathered administrative data from the Department of Veterans Affairs on 170,713 patients with bipolar disorder between fiscal years 2003–2010. Patients without a prior history of taking SGAs were considered eligible for SGA initiation during the study (n =126,556). Generalized estimating equations identified demographic, clinical, and comorbidity variables associated with initiation of an SGA prescription on a month-by-month basis. Results: While the number of patients with bipolar disorder using SGAs nearly doubled between 2003 and 2010, analyses controlling for patient characteristics and the rise in the bipolar population revealed a 1.2% annual decline in SGA initiation during this period. Most medical comorbidities were only modestly associated with overall SGA initiation, although significant differences emerged among individual SGAs. Several markers of patient severity predicted SGA initiation, including previous hospitalizations, psychotic features, and a history of other antimanic prescriptions; these severity markers became less firmly linked to SGA initiation over time. Providers in the South were somewhat more likely to initiate SGA treatment. Conclusions: The number of veterans with bipolar disorder prescribed SGAs is rising steadily, but this increase appears primarily driven by a corresponding increase in the bipolar population. Month-by-month analyses revealed that higher illness severity predicted SGA initiation, but that this association may be weakening over time
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