96 research outputs found
Spectral densities and partition functions of modular quantum systems as derived from a central limit theorem
Using a central limit theorem for arrays of interacting quantum systems, we
give analytical expressions for the density of states and the partition
function at finite temperature of such a system, which are valid in the limit
of infinite number of subsystems. Even for only small numbers of subsystems we
find good accordance with some known, exact results.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, some steps added to derivation, accepted for
publication in J. Stat. Phy
Nernst effect of iron pnictide and cuprate superconductors: signatures of spin density wave and stripe order
The Nernst effect has recently proven a sensitive probe for detecting unusual
normal state properties of unconventional superconductors. In particular, it
may sensitively detect Fermi surface reconstructions which are connected to a
charge or spin density wave (SDW) ordered state, and even fluctuating forms of
such a state. Here we summarize recent results for the Nernst effect of the
iron pnictide superconductor , whose ground state evolves
upon doping from an itinerant SDW to a superconducting state, and the cuprate
superconductor which exhibits static stripe
order as a ground state competing with the superconductivity. In , the SDW order leads to a huge Nernst response, which allows
to detect even fluctuating SDW precursors at superconducting doping levels
where long range SDW order is suppressed. This is in contrast to the impact of
stripe order on the normal state Nernst effect in . Here, though signatures of the stripe order are
detectable in the temperature dependence of the Nernst coefficient, its overall
temperature dependence is very similar to that of ,
where stripe order is absent. The anomalies which are induced by the stripe
order are very subtle and the enhancement of the Nernst response due to static
stripe order in as compared to that of the
pseudogap phase in , if any, is very small.Comment: To appear in: 'Properties and applications of thermoelectric
materials - II', V. Zlatic and A. Hewson, editors, Proceedings of NATO
Advanced Research Workshop, Hvar, Croatia, September 19 -25, 2011, NATO
Science for Peace and Security Series B: Physics and Biophysics, (Springer
Science+Business Media B.V. 2012
Nernst Effect of stripe ordering LaEuSrCuO
We investigate the transport properties of
LaEuSrCuO (, 0.08, 0.125, 0.15, 0.2) with a
special focus on the Nernst effect in the normal state. Various anomalous
features are present in the data. For and 0.15 a kink-like anomaly is
present in the vicinity of the onset of charge stripe order in the LTT phase,
suggestive of enhanced positive quasiparticle Nernst response in the stripe
ordered phase. At higher temperature, all doping levels except exhibit
a further kink anomaly in the LTO phase which cannot unambiguously be related
to stripe order. Moreover, a direct comparison between the Nernst coefficients
of stripe ordering LaEuSrCuO and superconducting
LaSrCuO at the doping levels and reveals
only weak differences. Our findings make high demands on any scenario
interpreting the Nernst response in hole-doped cuprates
The Aharonov-Bohm effect for an exciton
We study theoretically the exciton absorption on a ring shreded by a magnetic
flux. For the case when the attraction between electron and hole is
short-ranged we get an exact solution of the problem. We demonstrate that,
despite the electrical neutrality of the exciton, both the spectral position of
the exciton peak in the absorption, and the corresponding oscillator strength
oscillate with magnetic flux with a period ---the universal flux
quantum. The origin of the effect is the finite probability for electron and
hole, created by a photon at the same point, to tunnel in the opposite
directions and meet each other on the opposite side of the ring.Comment: 13 RevTeX 3.0 pages plus 4 EPS-figures, changes include updated
references and an improved chapter on possible experimental realization
Political Radicalization as a Communication Process
Based on data taken from 412 adult education students in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, this research attempts to show that attitudes toward French Canadian Separatism by the sample members can be accounted for by differentiaf communication processes. Results show that attitudes held by sample members are well explained (R2 = .64) by a weighted average of the information they received from interpersonal and media sources. The resultant attitude shows substantial effects on behaviors related to separatism for the same respondents.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67215/2/10.1177_009365027400100301.pd
Thermal transport in one-dimensional spin gap systems
We study thermal transport in one dimensional spin systems both in the
presence and absence of impurities. In the absence of disorder, all these spin
systems display a temperature dependent Drude peak in the thermal conductivity.
In gapless systems, the low temperature Drude weight is proportional to
temperature and to the central charge which characterizes the conformal field
theory that describes the system at low energies. On the other hand, the low
temperature Drude weight of spin gap systems shows an activated behavior
modulated by a power law. For temperatures higher than the spin gap, one
recovers the linear T behavior akin to gapless systems. For temperatures larger
than the exchange coupling, the Drude weight decays as 1/T^2. We argue that
this behavior is a generic feature of quasi one dimensional spin gap systems
with a relativistic-like low energy dispersion. We also consider the effect of
a magnetic field on the Drude weight with emphasis on the
commensurate-incommensurate transition induced by it. We then study the effect
of nonmagnetic impurities on the thermal conductivity of the dimerized XY chain
and the spin-1/2 two leg ladder. Impurities destroy the Drude peak and the
thermal conductivity exhibits a purely activated behavior at low temperature,
with an activation gap renormalized by disorder. The relevance of these results
for experiments is briefly discussed.Comment: 13 pages, 6 eps figures, RevTeX
Lichenometric dating (lichenometry) and the biology of the lichen genus rhizocarpon:challenges and future directions
Lichenometric dating (lichenometry) involves the use of lichen measurements to estimate the age of exposure of various substrata. Because of low radial growth rates and considerable longevity, species of the crustose lichen genus Rhizocarpon have been the most useful in lichenometry. The primary assumption of lichenometry is that colonization, growth and mortality of Rhizocarpon are similar on surfaces of known and unknown age so that the largest thalli present on the respective faces are of comparable age. This review describes the current state of knowledge regarding the biology of Rhizocarpon and considers two main questions: (1) to what extent does existing knowledge support this assumption; and (2) what further biological observations would be useful both to test its validity and to improve the accuracy of lichenometric dates? A review of the Rhizocarpon literature identified gaps in knowledge regarding early development, the growth rate/size curve, mortality, regeneration, competitive effects, colonization, and succession on rock surfaces. The data suggest that these processes may not be comparable on different rock surfaces, especially in regions where growth rates and thallus turnover are high. In addition, several variables could differ between rock surfaces and influence maximum thallus size, including rate and timing of colonization, radial growth rates, environmental differences, thallus fusion, allelopathy, thallus mortality, colonization and competition. Comparative measurements of these variables on surfaces of known and unknown age may help to determine whether the basic assumptions of lichenometry are valid. Ultimately, it may be possible to take these differences into account when interpreting estimated dates
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