396 research outputs found
Magnetic Fluctuations and Correlations in MnSi - Evidence for a Skyrmion Spin Liquid Phase
We present a comprehensive analysis of high resolution neutron scattering
data involving Neutron Spin Echo spectroscopy and Spherical Polarimetry which
confirm the first order nature of the helical transition and reveal the
existence of a new spin liquid skyrmion phase. Similar to the blue phases of
liquid crystals this phase appears in a very narrow temperature range between
the low temperature helical and the high temperature paramagnetic phases.Comment: 11 pages, 16 figure
Quantum beats in the electric-field quenching of metastable hydrogen
The strong field-induced quantum beats observed in beam-foil studies of Ly- alpha radiation are obtained in a conventional metastable-hydrogen quenching experiment. The phase relation between the Stark shifted 2s 1/2- 2p 1/2 Lamb-shift oscillations and the much more rapid 2s 1-2p 3/2 fine-structure oscillations depends on the detailed way in which the quenching field is switched on. Apart from a phaseshift, the results agree with a non-perturbative theoretical calculation which assumes that the field is applied suddenly. Various frequency components of the time-dependent radiation intensity are identified with specific hyperfine transitions or groups of transitions. No adjustable parameters are used for the initial state amplitudes
Microscopic formulation of the Zimm-Bragg model for the helix-coil transition
A microscopic spin model is proposed for the phenomenological Zimm-Bragg
model for the helix-coil transition in biopolymers. This model is shown to
provide the same thermophysical properties of the original Zimm-Bragg model and
it allows a very convenient framework to compute statistical quantities.
Physical origins of this spin model are made transparent by an exact mapping
into a one-dimensional Ising model with an external field. However, the
dependence on temperature of the reduced external field turns out to differ
from the standard one-dimensional Ising model and hence it gives rise to
different thermophysical properties, despite the exact mapping connecting them.
We discuss how this point has been frequently overlooked in the recent
literature.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure
Different faces of the phantom
The SNe type Ia data admit that the Universe today may be dominated by some
exotic matter with negative pressure violating all energy conditions. Such
exotic matter is called {\it phantom matter} due to the anomalies connected
with violation of the energy conditions. If a phantom matter dominates the
matter content of the universe, it can develop a singularity in a finite future
proper time. Here we show that, under certain conditions, the evolution of
perturbations of this matter may lead to avoidance of this future singularity
(the Big Rip). At the same time, we show that local concentrations of a phantom
field may form, among other regular configurations, black holes with
asymptotically flat static regions, separated by an event horizon from an
expanding, singularity-free, asymptotically de Sitter universe.Comment: 6 pages, presented at IRGAC 2006, Barcelona, 11-15 July 200
Kustaanheimo-Stiefel Regularization and the Quadrupolar Conjugacy
In this note, we present the Kustaanheimo-Stiefel regularization in a
symplectic and quaternionic fashion. The bilinear relation is associated with
the moment map of the - action of the Kustaanheimo-Stiefel
transformation, which yields a concise proof of the symplecticity of the
Kustaanheimo-Stiefel transformation symplectically reduced by this circle
action. The relation between the Kustaanheimo-Stiefel regularization and the
Levi-Civita regularization is established via the investigation of the
Levi-Civita planes. A set of Darboux coordinates (which we call
Chenciner-F\'ejoz coordinates) is generalized from the planar case to the
spatial case. Finally, we obtain a conjugacy relation between the integrable
approximating dynamics of the lunar spatial three-body problem and its
regularized counterpart, similar to the conjugacy relation between the extended
averaged system and the averaged regularized system in the planar case.Comment: 19 pages, corrected versio
Elasticity of Gaussian and nearly-Gaussian phantom networks
We study the elastic properties of phantom networks of Gaussian and
nearly-Gaussian springs. We show that the stress tensor of a Gaussian network
coincides with the conductivity tensor of an equivalent resistor network, while
its elastic constants vanish. We use a perturbation theory to analyze the
elastic behavior of networks of slightly non-Gaussian springs. We show that the
elastic constants of phantom percolation networks of nearly-Gaussian springs
have a power low dependence on the distance of the system from the percolation
threshold, and derive bounds on the exponents.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. E, 10 pages, 1 figur
Polarisation in spin-echo experiments: Multi-point and lock-in measurements.
Spin-echo instruments are typically used to measure diffusive processes and the dynamics and motion in samples on ps and ns time scales. A key aspect of the spin-echo technique is to determine the polarisation of a particle beam. We present two methods for measuring the spin polarisation in spin-echo experiments. The current method in use is based on taking a number of discrete readings. The implementation of a new method involves continuously rotating the spin and measuring its polarisation after being scattered from the sample. A control system running on a microcontroller is used to perform the spin rotation and to calculate the polarisation of the scattered beam based on a lock-in amplifier. First experimental tests of the method on a helium spin-echo spectrometer show that it is clearly working and that it has advantages over the discrete approach, i.e., it can track changes of the beam properties throughout the experiment. Moreover, we show that real-time numerical simulations can perfectly describe a complex experiment and can be easily used to develop improved experimental methods prior to a first hardware implementation
Fluctuations in granular gases
A driven granular material, e.g. a vibrated box full of sand, is a stationary
system which may be very far from equilibrium. The standard equilibrium
statistical mechanics is therefore inadequate to describe fluctuations in such
a system. Here we present numerical and analytical results concerning energy
and injected power fluctuations. In the first part we explain how the study of
the probability density function (pdf) of the fluctuations of total energy is
related to the characterization of velocity correlations. Two different regimes
are addressed: the gas driven at the boundaries and the homogeneously driven
gas. In a granular gas, due to non-Gaussianity of the velocity pdf or lack of
homogeneity in hydrodynamics profiles, even in the absence of velocity
correlations, the fluctuations of total energy are non-trivial and may lead to
erroneous conclusions about the role of correlations. In the second part of the
chapter we take into consideration the fluctuations of injected power in driven
granular gas models. Recently, real and numerical experiments have been
interpreted as evidence that the fluctuations of power injection seem to
satisfy the Gallavotti-Cohen Fluctuation Relation. We will discuss an
alternative interpretation of such results which invalidates the
Gallavotti-Cohen symmetry. Moreover, starting from the Liouville equation and
using techniques from large deviation theory, the general validity of a
Fluctuation Relation for power injection in driven granular gases is
questioned. Finally a functional is defined using the Lebowitz-Spohn approach
for Markov processes applied to the linear inelastic Boltzmann equation
relevant to describe the motion of a tracer particle. Such a functional results
to be different from injected power and to satisfy a Fluctuation Relation.Comment: 40 pages, 18 figure
Orbital structure of the GJ876 extrasolar planetary system, based on the latest Keck and HARPS radial velocity data
We use full available array of radial velocity data, including recently
published HARPS and Keck observatory sets, to characterize the orbital
configuration of the planetary system orbiting GJ876. First, we propose and
describe in detail a fast method to fit perturbed orbital configuration, based
on the integration of the sensitivity equations inferred by the equations of
the original -body problem. Further, we find that it is unsatisfactory to
treat the available radial velocity data for GJ876 in the traditional white
noise model, because the actual noise appears autocorrelated (and demonstrates
non-white frequency spectrum). The time scale of this correlation is about a
few days, and the contribution of the correlated noise is about 2 m/s (i.e.,
similar to the level of internal errors in the Keck data). We propose a
variation of the maximum-likelihood algorithm to estimate the orbital
configuration of the system, taking into account the red noise effects. We
show, in particular, that the non-zero orbital eccentricity of the innermost
planet \emph{d}, obtained in previous studies, is likely a result of
misinterpreted red noise in the data. In addition to offsets in some orbital
parameters, the red noise also makes the fit uncertainties systematically
underestimated (while they are treated in the traditional white noise model).
Also, we show that the orbital eccentricity of the outermost planet is actually
ill-determined, although bounded by . Finally, we investigate
possible orbital non-coplanarity of the system, and limit the mutual
inclination between the planets \emph{b} and \emph{c} orbits by
, depending on the angular position of the mutual orbital
nodes.Comment: 36 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables; Accepted to Celestial Mechanics and
Dynamical Astronom
Non-universality of elastic exponents in random bond-bending networks
We numerically investigate the rigidity percolation transition in
two-dimensional flexible, random rod networks with freely rotating cross-links.
Near the transition, networks are dominated by bending modes and the elastic
modulii vanish with an exponent f=3.0\pm0.2, in contrast with central force
percolation which shares the same geometric exponents. This indicates that
universality for geometric quantities does not imply universality for elastic
ones. The implications of this result for actin-fiber networks is discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, minor clarifications and amendments. To appear in
PRE Rap. Com
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