8,705 research outputs found
Nonlinear dynamics in superlattices driven by high frequency ac-fields
We investigate the dynamical processes taking place in nanodevices driven by
high-frequency electromagnetic fields. We want to elucidate the role of
different mechanisms that could lead to loss of quantum coherence. Our results
show how the dephasing effects of disorder that destroy after some periods
coherent oscillations, such as Rabi oscillations, can be overestimated if we do
not consider the electron-electron interactions that can reduce dramatically
the decoherence effects of the structural imperfections. Experimental
conditions for the observation of the predicted effects are discussed.Comment: REVTEX (8 pages) and 4 figures (Postscript
Critical point for the CAF-F phase transition at charge neutrality in bilayer graphene
We report on magneto-transport measurements up to 30 T performed on a bilayer
graphene Hall bar, enclosed by two thin hexagonal boron nitride flakes. Our
high mobility sample exhibits an insulating state at neutrality point which
evolves into a metallic phase when a strong in-plane field is applied, as
expected for a transition from a canted antiferromagnetic to a ferromagnetic
spin ordered phase. For the first time we individuate a temperature-independent
crossing in the four-terminal resistance as a function of the total magnetic
field, corresponding to the critical point of the transition. We show that the
critical field scales linearly with the perpendicular component of the field,
as expected from the underlying competition between the Zeeman energy and
interaction-induced anisotropies. A clear scaling of the resistance is also
found and an universal behavior is proposed in the vicinity of the transition
Topologically protected charge transfer along the edge of a chiral -wave superconductor
The Majorana fermions propagating along the edge of a topological
superconductor with pairing deliver a shot noise power of
per eV of voltage bias. We calculate the full
counting statistics of the transferred charge and find that it becomes
trinomial in the low-temperature limit, distinct from the binomial statistics
of charge- transfer in a single-mode nanowire or charge- transfer
through a normal-superconductor interface. All even-order correlators of
current fluctuations have a universal quantized value, insensitive to disorder
and decoherence. These electrical signatures are experimentally accessible,
because they persist for temperatures and voltages large compared to the
Thouless energy.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. v3 [post-publication]: added an appendix on the
effect of a tunnel barrier at the normal-superconductor contac
Loneliness, Depression, and Inflammation: Evidence from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Objective
Both objective and subjective aspects of social isolation have been associated with alterations in immune markers relevant to multiple chronic diseases among older adults. However, these associations may be confounded by health status, and it is unclear whether these social factors are associated with immune functioning among relatively healthy adults. The goal of this study was to examine the associations between perceived loneliness and circulating levels of inflammatory markers among a diverse sample of adults.
Methods
Data come from a subset of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (n = 441). Loneliness was measured by three items derived from the UCLA Loneliness Scale. The association between loneliness and C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen was assessed using multivariable linear regression analyses. Models were adjusted for demographic and health characteristics.
Results
Approximately 50% of participants reported that they hardly ever felt lonely and 17.2% felt highly lonely. Individuals who were unmarried/unpartnered or with higher depressive symptoms were more likely to report being highly lonely. There was no relationship between perceived loneliness and ln(CRP) (β = -0.051, p = 0.239) adjusting for demographic and health characteristics. Loneliness was inversely associated with ln(fibrinogen) (β = -0.091, p = 0.040), although the absolute magnitude of this relationship was small.
Conclusion
These results indicate that loneliness is not positively associated with fibrinogen or CRP among relatively healthy middle-aged adults
Circularly Polarized Resonant Rayleigh Scattering and Skyrmions in the = 1 Quantum Hall Ferromagnet
We use the circularly polarized resonant Rayleigh scattering (RRS) to study
the quantum Hall ferromagnet at = 1. At this filling factor we observe a
right handed copolarized RRS which probes the Skyrmion spin texture of the
electrons in the photoexcited grounds state. The resonant scattering is not
present in the left handed copolarization, and this can be related to the
correlation between Skymionic effects, screening and spin wave excitations.
These results evidence that RRS is a valid method for the study of the spin
texture of the quantum Hall states
Using an agent-based model to simulate children’s active travel to school
Abstract
Background
Despite the multiple advantages of active travel to school, only a small percentage of US children and adolescents walk or bicycle to school. Intervention studies are in a relatively early stage and evidence of their effectiveness over long periods is limited. The purpose of this study was to illustrate the utility of agent-based models in exploring how various policies may influence children’s active travel to school.
Methods
An agent-based model was developed to simulate children’s school travel behavior within a hypothetical city. The model was used to explore the plausible implications of policies targeting two established barriers to active school travel: long distance to school and traffic safety. The percent of children who walk to school was compared for various scenarios.
Results
To maximize the percent of children who walk to school the school locations should be evenly distributed over space and children should be assigned to the closest school. In the case of interventions to improve traffic safety, targeting a smaller area around the school with greater intensity may be more effective than targeting a larger area with less intensity.
Conclusions
Despite the challenges they present, agent based models are a useful complement to other analytical strategies in studying the plausible impact of various policies on active travel to school.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112566/1/12966_2012_Article_757.pd
A multi-objective DIRECT algorithm for ship hull optimization
The paper is concerned with black-box nonlinear constrained multi-objective optimization problems. Our interest is the definition of a multi-objective deterministic partition-based algorithm. The main target of the proposed algorithm is the solution of a real ship hull optimization problem. To this purpose and in pursuit of an efficient method, we develop an hybrid algorithm by coupling a multi-objective DIRECT-type algorithm with an efficient derivative-free local algorithm. The results obtained on a set of “hard” nonlinear constrained multi-objective test problems show viability of the proposed approach. Results on a hull-form optimization of a high-speed catamaran (sailing in head waves in the North Pacific Ocean) are also presented. In order to consider a real ocean environment, stochastic sea state and speed are taken into account. The problem is formulated as a multi-objective optimization aimed at (i) the reduction of the expected value of the mean total resistance in irregular head waves, at variable speed and (ii) the increase of the ship operability, with respect to a set of motion-related constraints. We show that the hybrid method performs well also on this industrial problem
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