8,030 research outputs found
Variable temperature study of the crystal and magnetic structures of the giant magnetoresistant materials LMnAsO (L=La, Nd)
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Rotationally resolved spectroscopy of (20000) Varuna in the near-infrared
Models of the escape and retention of volatiles by minor icy objects exclude
any presence of volatile ices on the surface of TNOs smaller than ~1000km in
diameter at the typical temperature in this region of the solar system, whereas
the same models show that water ice is stable on the surface of objects over a
wide range of diameters. Collisions and cometary activity have been used to
explain the process of surface refreshing of TNOs and Centaurs. These processes
can produce surface heterogeneity that can be studied by collecting information
at different rotational phases. The aims of this work are to study the surface
composition of (20000)Varuna, a TNO with a diameter ~650km and to search for
indications of rotational variability. We observed Varuna during two
consecutive nights in January 2011 with NICS@TNG obtaining a set of spectra
covering the whole rotation period of Varuna. After studying the spectra
corresponding to different rotational phases, we did not find any indication of
surface variability. In all the spectra, we detect an absorption at 2{\mu}m,
suggesting the presence of water ice on the surface. We do not detect any other
volatiles on the surface, although the S/N is not high enough to discard their
presence. Based on scattering models, we present two possible compositions
compatible with our set of data and discuss their implications in the frame of
the collisional history of the Kuiper Belt. We find that the most probable
composition for the surface of Varuna is a mixture of amorphous silicates,
complex organics, and water ice. This composition is compatible with all the
materials being primordial. However, our data can also be fitted by models
containing up to a 10% of methane ice. For an object with the characteristics
of Varuna, this volatile could not be primordial, so an event, such as an
energetic impact, would be needed to explain its presence on the surface.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, to be published in A&
Effects of Umklapp Scattering on Electronic States in One Dimension
The effects of Umklapp scattering on electronic states are studied in one
spatial dimension at absolute zero. The model is basically the Hubbard model,
where parameters characterizing the normal () and Umklapp () scattering
are treated independently. The density of states is calculated in the t-matrix
approximation by taking only the forward and Umklapp scattering into account.
It is found that the Umklapp scattering causes the global splitting of the
density of states. In the presence of sufficiently strong Umklapp scattering, a
pole in the t-matrix appears in the upper half plane, signalling an instability
towards the 'pairing' ordered state ( is the reciprocal lattice
vector), whose consequences are studied in the mean field approximation. It
turns out that this ordered state coexists with spin-density-wave state and
also brings about Cooper-pairs. A phase diagram is determined in the plane of
and electron filling .Comment: 22 pages, LaTeX, 17 figures included, uses jpsj.st
Geometric phase for a dimerized disordered continuum: Topological shot noise
Geometric phase shift associated with an electron propagating through a
dimerized-disordered continuum is shown to be 0, or (modulo 2),
according as the associated circuit traversed in the two-dimensional parameter
space excludes, or encircles a certain singularity. This phase-shift is a
topological invariant. Its discontinuous dependence on the electron energy and
disorder implies a statistical spectral and conductance fluctuation in a
corresponding mesoscopic system. Inasmuch as the fluctuation derives from the
discreteness of the phase shift, it may aptly be called a topological
shot-noise.Comment: 10 pages(LATEX) + 1 figure, (revised version). Will appear in
Europhys. Let
Anisotropy in the helicity modulus of a 3D XY-model: application to YBCO
We present a Monte Carlo study of the helicity moduli of an anisotropic
classical three-dimensional (3D) XY-model of YBCO in superconducting state. It
is found that both the ab-plane and the c-axis helicity moduli, which are
proportional to the inverse square of the corresponding magnetic field
penetration depth, vary linearly with temperature at low temperatures. The
result for the c-axis helicity modulus is in disagreement with the experiments
on high quality samples of YBCO. Thus we conclude that purely classical phase
fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter cannot account for the
observed c-axis electrodynamics of YBCO.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur
Comment on "Large energy gaps in CaC6 from tunneling spectroscopy: possible evidence of strong-coupling superconductivity"
Comment on "Large energy gaps in CaC6 from tunneling spectroscopy: possible
evidence of strong-coupling superconductivity
Quantum anisotropic Heisenberg chains with superlattice structure: a DMRG study
Using the density matrix renormalization group technique, we study spin
superlattices composed of a repeated pattern of two spin-1/2 XXZ chains with
different anisotropy parameters. The magnetization curve can exhibit two
plateaus, a non trivial plateau with the magnetization value given by the
relative sizes of the sub-chains and another trivial plateau with zero
magnetization. We find good agreement of the value and the width of the
plateaus with the analytical results obtained previously. In the gapless
regions away from the plateaus, we compare the finite-size spin gap with the
predictions based on bosonization and find reasonable agreement. These results
confirm the validity of the Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid superlattice description
of these systems.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
The Spectrum of Pluto, 0.40 - 0.93 m I. Secular and longitudinal distribution of ices and complex organics
Context. During the last 30 years the surface of Pluto has been
characterized, and its variability has been monitored, through continuous
near-infrared spectroscopic observations. But in the visible range only few
data are available. Aims. The aim of this work is to define the Pluto's
relative reflectance in the visible range to characterize the different
components of its surface, and to provide ground based observations in support
of the New Horizons mission. Methods. We observed Pluto on six nights between
May and July 2014, with the imager/spectrograph ACAM at the William Herschel
Telescope (La Palma, Spain). The six spectra obtained cover a whole rotation of
Pluto (Prot = 6.4 days). For all the spectra we computed the spectral slope and
the depth of the absorption bands of methane ice between 0.62 and 0.90 m.
To search for shifts of the center of the methane bands, associated with
dilution of CH4 in N2, we compared the bands with reflectances of pure methane
ice. Results. All the new spectra show the methane ice absorption bands between
0.62 and 0.90 m. The computation of the depth of the band at 0.62 m
in the new spectra of Pluto, and in the spectra of Makemake and Eris from the
literature, allowed us to estimate the Lambert coefficient at this wavelength,
at a temperature of 30 K and 40 K, never measured before. All the detected
bands are blue shifted, with minimum shifts in correspondence with the regions
where the abundance of methane is higher. This could be indicative of a
dilution of CH4:N2 more saturated in CH4. The longitudinal and secular
variations of the parameters measured in the spectra are in accordance with
results previously reported in the literature and with the distribution of the
dark and bright material that show the Pluto's albedo maps from New Horizons.Comment: This manuscript may change and improve during the reviewing process.
The data reduction and calibration is reliable and has been checked
independently using different reduction approaches. The data will be made
publicily available when the paper is accepted. If you need them before,
please, contact the autho
Colossal Magnetoresistance in the Mn2+ Oxypnictides NdMnAsO1-xFx
Colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) is a rare phenomenon in which the electronic
resistivity of a material can be decreased by orders of magnitude upon
application of a magnetic field. Such an effect could be the basis of the next
generation of magnetic memory devices. Here we report CMR in the
antiferromagnetic oxypnictide NdMnAsO1-xFx as a result of competition between
an antiferromagnetic insulating phase with strong electron correlations and a
paramagnetic semiconductor upon application of a magnetic field. The discovery
of CMR in antiferromagnetic Mn2+ oxypnictide materials could open up an array
of materials for further investigation and optimisation for technological
applications
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