270 research outputs found
Semiclassical description of spin ladders
The Heisenberg spin ladder is studied in the semiclassical limit, via a
mapping to the nonlinear model. Different treatments are needed if the
inter-chain coupling is small, intermediate or large. For intermediate
coupling a single nonlinear model is used for the ladder. Its predicts
a spin gap for all nonzero values of if the sum of the spins
of the two chains is an integer, and no gap otherwise. For small , a better
treatment proceeds by coupling two nonlinear sigma models, one for each chain.
For integer , the saddle-point approximation predicts a sharp drop
in the gap as increases from zero. A Monte-Carlo simulation of a spin 1
ladder is presented which supports the analytical results.Comment: 8 pages, RevTeX 3.0, 4 PostScript figure
First order Mott transition at zero temperature in two dimensions: Variational plaquette study
The nature of the metal-insulator Mott transition at zero temperature has
been discussed for a number of years. Whether it occurs through a quantum
critical point or through a first order transition is expected to profoundly
influence the nature of the finite temperature phase diagram. In this paper, we
study the zero temperature Mott transition in the two-dimensional Hubbard model
on the square lattice with the variational cluster approximation. This takes
into account the influence of antiferromagnetic short-range correlations. By
contrast to single-site dynamical mean-field theory, the transition turns out
to be first order even at zero temperature.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, version 2 with additional results for 8 bath
site
Spectral functions for strongly correlated 5f-electrons
We calculate the spectral functions of model systems describing 5f-compounds
adopting Cluster Perturbation Theory. The method allows for an accurate
treatment of the short-range correlations. The calculated excitation spectra
exhibit coherent 5f bands coexisting with features associated with local
intra-atomic transitions. The findings provide a microscopic basis for partial
localization. Results are presented for linear chains.Comment: 10 Page
Pseudogap and high-temperature superconductivity from weak to strong coupling. Towards quantitative theory
This is a short review of the theoretical work on the two-dimensional Hubbard
model performed in Sherbrooke in the last few years. It is written on the
occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the discovery of high-temperature
superconductivity. We discuss several approaches, how they were benchmarked and
how they agree sufficiently with each other that we can trust that the results
are accurate solutions of the Hubbard model. Then comparisons are made with
experiment. We show that the Hubbard model does exhibit d-wave
superconductivity and antiferromagnetism essentially where they are observed
for both hole and electron-doped cuprates. We also show that the pseudogap
phenomenon comes out of these calculations. In the case of electron-doped high
temperature superconductors, comparisons with angle-resolved photoemission
experiments are nearly quantitative. The value of the pseudogap temperature
observed for these compounds in recent photoemission experiments has been
predicted by theory before it was observed experimentally. Additional
experimental confirmation would be useful. The theoretical methods that are
surveyed include mostly the Two-Particle Self-Consistent Approach, Variational
Cluster Perturbation Theory (or variational cluster approximation), and
Cellular Dynamical Mean-Field Theory.Comment: 32 pages, 51 figures. Slight modifications to text, figures and
references. A PDF file with higher-resolution figures is available at
http://www.physique.usherbrooke.ca/senechal/LTP-toc.pd
Haldane gap in the quasi one-dimensional nonlinear -model
This work studies the appearance of a Haldane gap in quasi one-dimensional
antiferromagnets in the long wavelength limit, via the nonlinear
-model. The mapping from the three-dimensional, integer spin Heisenberg
model to the nonlinear -model is explained, taking into account two
antiferromagnetic couplings: one along the chain axis () and one along the
perpendicular planes () of a cubic lattice. An implicit equation for
the Haldane gap is derived, as a function of temperature and coupling ratio
. Solutions to these equations show the existence of a critical
coupling ratio beyond which a gap exists only above a transition temperature
. The cut-off dependence of these results is discussed.Comment: 14 pages (RevTeX 3.0), 3 PostScript figures appended (printing
instructions included
Neighbor Detection Induces Organ-Specific Transcriptomes, Revealing Patterns Underlying Hypocotyl-Specific Growth.
In response to neighbor proximity, plants increase the growth of specific organs (e.g., hypocotyls) to enhance access to sunlight. Shade enhances the activity of Phytochrome Interacting Factors (PIFs) by releasing these bHLH transcription factors from phytochrome B-mediated inhibition. PIFs promote elongation by inducing auxin production in cotyledons. In order to elucidate spatiotemporal aspects of the neighbor proximity response, we separately analyzed gene expression patterns in the major light-sensing organ (cotyledons) and in rapidly elongating hypocotyls of Arabidopsis thaliana PIFs initiate transcriptional reprogramming in both organs within 15 min, comprising regulated expression of several early auxin response genes. This suggests that hypocotyl growth is elicited by both local and distal auxin signals. We show that cotyledon-derived auxin is both necessary and sufficient to initiate hypocotyl growth, but we also provide evidence for the functional importance of the local PIF-induced response. With time, the transcriptional response diverges increasingly between organs. We identify genes whose differential expression may underlie organ-specific elongation. Finally, we uncover a growth promotion gene expression signature shared between different developmentally regulated growth processes and responses to the environment in different organs
The spectral weight of the Hubbard model through cluster perturbation theory
We calculate the spectral weight of the one- and two-dimensional Hubbard
models, by performing exact diagonalizations of finite clusters and treating
inter-cluster hopping with perturbation theory. Even with relatively modest
clusters (e.g. 12 sites), the spectra thus obtained give an accurate
description of the exact results. Thus, spin-charge separation (i.e. an
extended spectral weight bounded by singularities) is clearly recognized in the
one-dimensional Hubbard model, and so is extended spectral weight in the
two-dimensional Hubbard model.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Usefulness and limitation of dobutamine stress echocardiography to predict acute response to cardiac resynchronization therapy.
peer reviewedBackground: It has been hypothesized that a long-term response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) could correlate with myocardial viability in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Contractile reserve and viability in the region of the pacing lead have not been investigated in regard to acute response after CRT. Methods: Fifty-one consecutive patients with advanced heart failure, LV ejection fraction ≤ 35%, QRS duration > 120 ms, and intraventricular asynchronism ≥ 50 ms were prospectively included. The week before CRT implantation, the presence of viability was evaluated using dobutamine stress echocardiography. Acute responders were defined as a ≥15% increase in LV stroke volume. Results: The average of viable segments was 5.8 ± 1.9 in responders and 3.9 ± 3 in nonresponders (P = 0.03). Viability in the region of the pacing lead had an excellent sensitivity (96%), but a low specificity (56%) to predict acute response to CRT. Mitral regurgitation (MR) was reduced in 21 patients (84%) with acute response. The presence of MR was a poor predictor of response (sensibility 93% and specificity 17%). However, combining the presence of MR and viability in the region of the pacing lead yields a sensibility (89%) and a specificity (70%) to predict acute response to CRT. Conclusion: Myocardial viability is an important factor influencing acute hemodynamic response to CRT. In acute responders, significant MR reduction is frequent. The combined presence of MR and viability in the region of the pacing lead predicts acute response to CRT with the best accuracy
Long-range antiferromagnetic order in the S=1 chain compound LiVGe2O6
The phase transition in the compound LiVGe2O6 has been proposed as a unique
example of a spin-Peierls transition in an S=1 antiferromagnetic chain. We
report neutron and x-ray diffraction measurements of LiVGe2O6 above and below
the phase transition at T=24 K. No evidence is seen for any structural
distortion associated with the transition. The neutron results indicate that
the low temperature state is antiferromagnetic, driven by ferromagnetic
interchain couplings.Comment: 4 pages, 4 ps figures, REVTEX, submitted to PR
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