3,403 research outputs found
Double Exchange in a Magnetically Frustrated System
This work examines the magnetic order and spin dynamics of a double-exchange
model with competing ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic Heisenberg
interactions between the local moments. The Heisenberg interactions are
periodically arranged in a Villain configuration in two dimensions with
nearest-neighbor, ferromagnetic coupling and antiferromagnetic coupling
. This model is solved at zero temperature by performing a
expansion in the rotated reference frame of each local moment.
When exceeds a critical value, the ground state is a magnetically
frustrated, canted antiferromagnet. With increasing hopping energy or
magnetic field , the local moments become aligned and the ferromagnetic
phase is stabilized above critical values of or . In the canted phase, a
charge-density wave forms because the electrons prefer to sit on lines of sites
that are coupled ferromagnetically. Due to a change in the topology of the
Fermi surface from closed to open, phase separation occurs in a narrow range of
parameters in the canted phase. In zero field, the long-wavelength spin waves
are isotropic in the region of phase separation. Whereas the average spin-wave
stiffness in the canted phase increases with or , it exhibits a more
complicated dependence on field. This work strongly suggests that the jump in
the spin-wave stiffness observed in PrCaMnO with at a field of 3 T is caused by the delocalization of the electrons rather
than by the alignment of the antiferromagnetic regions.Comment: 28 pages, 12 figure
Population Genetic Structure in a Social Landscape: Barley in a Traditional Ethiopian Agricultural System
Conservation strategies are increasingly driven by our understanding of the processes and patterns of gene flow across complex landscapes. The expansion of population genetic approaches into traditional agricultural systems requires understanding how social factors contribute to that landscape, and thus to gene flow. This study incorporates extensive farmer interviews and population genetic analysis of barley landraces (Hordeum vulgare) to build a holistic picture of farmer-mediated geneflow in an ancient, traditional agricultural system in the highlands of Ethiopia. We analyze barley samples at 14 microsatellite loci across sites at varying elevations and locations across a contiguous mountain range, and across farmer-identified barley types and management strategies. Genetic structure is analyzed using population-based and individual-based methods, including measures of population differentiation and genetic distance, multivariate Principal Coordinate Analysis, and Bayesian assignment tests. Phenotypic analysis links genetic patterns to traits identified by farmers. We find that differential farmer management strategies lead to markedly different patterns of population structure across elevation classes and barley types. The extent to which farmer seed management appears as a stronger determinant of spatial structure than the physical landscape highlights the need for incorporation of social, landscape, and genetic data for the design of conservation strategies in human-influenced landscapes
Long-term source monitoring with BATSE
The uncollimated Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) large area detectors (LADs) are well suited to nearly continuous monitoring of the stronger hard x-ray sources, and time series analysis for pulsars. An overview of the analysis techniques presently being applied to the data are discussed, including representative observations of the Crab Nebula, Crab pulsar, and summaries of the sources detected to data. Results of a search for variability in the Crab Pulsar pulse profile are presented
Proposed Next Generation GRB Mission: EXIST
A next generation Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) mission to follow the upcoming Swift
mission is described. The proposed Energetic X-ray Imaging Survey Telescope,
EXIST, would yield the limiting (practical) GRB trigger sensitivity, broad-band
spectral and temporal response, and spatial resolution over a wide field. It
would provide high resolution spectra and locations for GRBs detected at GeV
energies with GLAST. Together with the next generation missions
Constellation-X, NGST and LISA and optical-survey (LSST) telescopes, EXIST
would enable GRBs to be used as probes of the early universe and the first
generation of stars. EXIST alone would give ~10-50" positions (long or short
GRBs), approximate redshifts from lags, and constrain physics of jets, orphan
afterglows, neutrinos and SGRs.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Presented at Woods Hole GRB Conf. (2001); to
appear in AIP Conf. Pro
Outbreak of tropical rat mite (Ornithonyssus bacoti) dermatitis in a home for disabled persons
Five mentally handicapped individuals living in a home for disabled persons in Southern Germany were seen in our outpatient department with pruritic, red papules predominantly located in groups on the upper extremities, neck, upper trunk and face. Over several weeks 40 inhabitants and 5 caretakers were affected by the same rash. Inspection of their home and the sheds nearby disclosed infestation with rat populations and mites. Finally the diagnosis of tropical rat mite dermatitis was made by the identification of the arthropod Ornithonyssus bacoti or so-called tropical rat mite. The patients were treated with topical corticosteroids and antihistamines. After elimination of the rats and disinfection of the rooms by a professional exterminator no new cases of rat mite dermatitis occurred. The tropical rat mite is an external parasite occurring on rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters and various other small mammals. When the principal animal host is not available, human beings can become the victim of mite infestation. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Base
Detailed Analysis of the Pulsations During and After Bursts from the Bursting Pulsar (GRO J1744-28)
The hard X-ray bursts observed during both major outbursts of the Bursting
Pulsar (GRO J1744-28) show pulsations near the neutron star spin frequency with
an enhanced amplitude relative to that of the persistent emission. Consistent
with previous work, we find that the pulsations within bursts lag behind their
expected arrival times based upon the persistent pulsar ephemeris. For an
ensemble of 1293 bursts recorded with the Burst and Transient Source
Experiment, the average burst pulse time delay is 61.0 +/- 0.8 ms in the 25 -
50 keV energy range and 72 +/- 5 ms in the 50 - 100 keV band. The residual time
delay from 10 to 240 s following the start of the burst is 18.1 +/- 0.7 ms (25
- 50 keV). A significant correlation of the average burst time delay with burst
peak flux is found. Our results are consistent with the model of the pulse time
lags presented by Miller (1996).Comment: 11 pages, accepted for publication in Ap
The spike train statistics for consonant and dissonant musical accords
The simple system composed of three neural-like noisy elements is considered.
Two of them (sensory neurons or sensors) are stimulated by noise and periodic
signals with different ratio of frequencies, and the third one (interneuron)
receives the output of these two sensors and noise. We propose the analytical
approach to analysis of Interspike Intervals (ISI) statistics of the spike
train generated by the interneuron. The ISI distributions of the sensory
neurons are considered to be known. The frequencies of the input sinusoidal
signals are in ratios, which are usual for music. We show that in the case of
small integer ratios (musical consonance) the input pair of sinusoids results
in the ISI distribution appropriate for more regular output spike train than in
a case of large integer ratios (musical dissonance) of input frequencies. These
effects are explained from the viewpoint of the proposed theory.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure
Magnetic properties of the S=1/2 quasi square lattice antiferromagnet CuF2(H2O)2(pyz) (pyz=pyrazine) investigated by neutron scattering
We have performed elastic and inelastic neutron experiments on single crystal
samples of the coordination polymer compound CuF2(H2O)2(pyz) (pyz=pyrazine) to
study the magnetic structure and excitations. The elastic neutron diffraction
measurements indicate a collinear antiferromagnetic structure with moments
oriented along the [0.7 0 1] real-space direction and an ordered moment of 0.60
+/- 0.03 muB/Cu. This value is significantly smaller than the single ion
magnetic moment, reflecting the presence of strong quantum fluctuations. The
spin wave dispersion from magnetic zone center to the zone boundary points (0.5
1.5 0) and (0.5 0 1.5) can be described by a two dimensional Heisenberg model
with a nearest neighbor magnetic exchange constant J2d = 0.934 +/-0.0025 meV.
The inter-layer interaction Jperp in this compound is less than 1.5% of J2d.
The spin excitation energy at the (0.5 0.5 0.5) zone boundary point is reduced
when compared to the (0.5 1 0.5) zone boundary point by ~10.3 +/- 1.4 %. This
zone boundary dispersion is consistent with quantum Monte Carlo and series
expansion calculations which include corrections for quantum fluctuations to
linear spin wave theory.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
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