16,503 research outputs found
Geodesic properties in terms of multipole moments in scalar-tensor theories of gravity
The formalism for describing a metric and the corresponding scalar in terms
of multipole moments has recently been developed for scalar-tensor theories. We
take advantage of this formalism in order to obtain expressions for the
observables that characterise geodesics in terms of the moments. These
expressions provide some insight into how the structure of a scalarized compact
object affects observables. They can also be used to understand how deviations
from general relativity are imprinted on the observables.Comment: 16 page
Contractibility and Asset Ownership: On-Board Computers and Governance in U.S. Trucking
We investigate how the contractibility of actions affecting the value of an asset affects asset ownership. We examine this by testing how on-board computer (OBC) adoption affects truck ownership. We develop and test the proposition that adoption should lead to less ownership by drivers, particularly for hauls where drivers have the greatest incentive to drive in non-optimal ways or engage in rent-seeking behavior. We find evidence in favor: OBC adoption leads to less driver ownership, especially for long hauls and hauls that use specialized trailers. We also find that non-owner drivers with OBCs drive better than those without them. These results suggest that technology-enabled increases in contractibility may lead to less independent contracting and larger firms.
Make Versus Buy in Trucking: Asset Ownership, Job Design and Information
Explaining patterns of asset ownership in the economy is a central goal of both organizational economics and industrial organization. We develop a model of asset ownership in trucking, which we test by examining how the adoption of different classes of on-board computers (OBCs) between 1987 and 1997 influenced whether shippers use their own trucks for hauls or contract with for-hire carriers. We find that OBCs' incentive-improving features pushed hauls toward private carriage, but their resource-allocation-improving features pushed them toward for-hire carriage. We conclude that ownership patterns in trucking reflect the importance of both incomplete contracts (Grossman and Hart (1986)) and of job design and measurement issues (Holmstrom and Milgrom (1994)).
Is perpendicular magnetic anisotropy essential to all-optical ultrafast spin reversal in ferromagnets?
All-optical spin reversal presents a new opportunity for spin manipulations,
free of a magnetic field. Most of all-optical-spin-reversal ferromagnets are
found to have a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), but it has been
unknown whether PMA is necessary for the spin reversal. Here we theoretically
investigate magnetic thin films with either PMA or in-plane magnetic anisotropy
(IMA). Our results show that the spin reversal in IMA systems is possible, but
only with a longer laser pulse and within a narrow laser parameter region. The
spin reversal does not show a strong helicity dependence where the left- and
right-circularly polarized light lead to the identical results. By contrast,
the spin reversal in PMA systems is robust, provided both the spin angular
momentum and laser field are strong enough while the magnetic anisotropy itself
is not too strong. This explains why experimentally the majority of all-optical
spin-reversal samples are found to have strong PMA and why spins in Fe
nanoparticles only cant out of plane. It is the laser-induced spin-orbit torque
that plays a key role in the spin reversal. Surprisingly, the same spin-orbit
torque results in laser-induced spin rectification in spin-mixed configuration,
a prediction that can be tested experimentally. Our results clearly point out
that PMA is essential to the spin reversal, though there is an opportunity for
in-plane spin reversal.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures and one tabl
Direct Use of Low Enthalpy Deep Geothermal Resources in the East African Rift Valley
Geothermal energy is already harnessed across East Africa to provide hundreds of megawatts of electricity, with significant plans for future expansion towards generation at the gigawatt scale. This power generation utilizes the high steam temperatures (typically more than 200 °C) that are available in several locations in Kenya, Ethiopia and elsewhere. The presence of these high enthalpy resources has deflected attention from the often attractive low and medium enthalpy resources present across a more extensive portion of the region. Geothermally heated water at cooler temperatures (less than 90 °C) could be widely produced by drilling shallower and cheaper boreholes than those required for power production. This low enthalpy resource could be widely exploitable throughout the Rift Valley, offering a low carbon, sustainable, reliable and commercially competitive source of heating, drying and cooling (via absorption chillers) to local farmers and growers, and for low temperature commercial and industrial uses. Applications of this type would displace expensive fossil fuels, reducing costs and carbon emissions as well as improving the region’s energy and food security. The power input for pump systems can be accommodated by relatively small generators, so direct heat projects could be beneficial to consumers in areas with no grid access
Cruise Crimes: Economic-Legal Issues and Current Debates
Cruise tourism is one of the sunshine sectors of international tourism and is growing rapidly in many parts of the world. It is estimated that the growth rate of cruise tourism is twice the rate of tourism overall. Notwithstanding all the positives that accompany this growth, many critics have drawn attention to the “dark side” of cruise crimes. The eco-system aboard the cruise ship offers a fertile ground for the occurrence of crimes. The present paper examines the issue of crimes onboard from multiple standpoints and suggests some remedial measures that would lead to better management of cruise crimes. A presentation of the recent initiatives by the U.S. legislative bodies aimed at containing cruise crimes is also provided.cruise ships; criminology aboard; cruise crime typology; crime prevention; industry initiative; legislative intervention; and USA
Magnetic spin moment reduction in photoexcited ferromagnets through exchange interaction quenching: Beyond the rigid band approximation
The exchange interaction among electrons is one of the most fundamental
quantum mechanical interactions in nature and underlies any magnetic phenomena
from ferromagnetic ordering to magnetic storage. The current technology is
built upon a thermal or magnetic field, but a frontier is emerging to directly
control magnetism using ultrashort laser pulses. However, little is known about
the fate of the exchange interaction. Here we report unambiguously that
photoexcitation is capable of quenching the exchange interaction in all three
ferromagnetic metals. The entire process starts with a small number of
photoexcited electrons which build up a new and self-destructive potential that
collapses the system into a new state with a reduced exchange splitting. The
spin moment reduction follows a Bloch-like law as , where is
the absorbed photon energy and is a scaling exponent. A good agreement
is found between the experimental and our theoretical results. Our findings may
have a broader implication for dynamic electron correlation effects in
laser-excited iron-based superconductors, iron borate, rare-earth
orthoferrites, hematites and rare-earth transition metal alloys.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures, one supplementary material fil
First-principles and model simulation of all-optical spin reversal
All-optical spin switching is a potential trailblazer for information storage
and communication at an unprecedented fast rate and free of magnetic fields.
However, the current wisdom is largely based on semiempirical models of
effective magnetic fields and heat pulses, so it is difficult to provide
high-speed design protocols for actual devices. Here, we carry out a massively
parallel first-principles and model calculation for thirteen spin systems and
magnetic layers, free of any effective field, to establish a simpler and
alternative paradigm of laser-induced ultrafast spin reversal and to point out
a path to a full-integrated photospintronic device. It is the interplay of the
optical selection rule and sublattice spin orderings that underlines seemingly
irreconcilable helicity-dependent/independent switchings. Using realistic
experimental parameters, we predict that strong ferrimagnets, in particular,
Laves phase C15 rare-earth alloys, meet the telecommunication energy
requirement of 10 fJ, thus allowing a cost-effective subpicosecond laser to
switch spin in the GHz region.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures and one tabl
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