Soliton solutions of the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation with defect conditions

A recent development in the derivation of soliton solutions for initial-boundary value problems through Darboux transformations, motivated to reconsider solutions to the nonlinear Schr\"odinger (NLS) equation on two half-lines connected via integrable defect conditions. Thereby, the Darboux transformation to construct soliton solutions is applied, while preserving the spectral boundary constraint with a time-dependent defect matrix. In this particular model, $N$-soliton solutions vanishing at infinity are constructed. Further, it is proven that solitons are transmitted through the defect independently of one another.Comment: 35 pages, 6 figure

Competition between Superconductivity and Charge Density Wave Ordering in the Lu5_5Ir4_4(Si1−x_{1-x}Gex_x)10_{10} Alloy System

We have performed bulk measurements such as dc magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity and heat capacity on the pseudo-ternary alloys Lu$_5$Ir$_4$(Si$_{1-x}$Ge$_x$)$_{10}$ to study the interplay and competition between superconductivity and the charge density wave (CDW) ordering transition. We track the evolution of the superconducting transition temperature T$_{SC}$ and the CDW ordering temperature T$_{CDW}$ as a function of x (concentration of Ge) ($0.0 \leq x\leq~1.0$). We find that increasing x (increasing disorder) suppresses the T$_{CDW}$ rapidly with the concomitant increase in T$_{SC}$. We present a temperature-concentration (or volume) phase diagram for this system and compare our results with earlier work on substitution at the Lu or Ir site to show how dilution at the Si site presents a different situation from these other works. The heat capacity data in the vicinity of the CDW transition has been analyzed using a model of critical fluctuations in addition to a mean-field contribution and a smooth lattice background. We find that the critical exponents change appreciably with increasing disorder. This analysis suggests that the strong-coupling and non mean-field like CDW transition in the parent compound Lu$_5$Ir$_4$Si$_{10}$ changes to a mean-field like transition with increasing Ge concentration.Comment: 14 pages and 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Current-driven orbital order-disorder transition in LaMnO3

We report significant influence of electric current on the orbital order-disorder transition in LaMnO3. The transition temperature T_OO, thermal hysteresis in the resistivity (rho) versus temperature (T) plot around T_OO, and latent heat L associated with the transition decrease with the increase in current density. Eventually, at a critical current density, L reaches zero. The transition zone, on the other hand, broadens with the increase in current density. The states at ordered, disordered, and transition zone are all found to be stable within the time window from ~10^-3 to ~10^4 seconds.Comment: 7 pages including 5 figures; resolution of Fig.1 is better here than the published versio

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Photography by Jeremy K. Gruner

Pressure Induced Hydration Dynamics of Membranes

Pressure-jump initiated time-resolved x-ray diffraction studies of dynamics of the hydration of the hexagonal phase in biological membranes show that (i) the relaxation of the unit cell spacing is non-exponential in time; (ii) the Bragg peaks shift smoothly to their final positions without significant broadening or loss in crystalline order. This suggests that the hydration is not diffusion limited but occurs via a rather homogeneous swelling of the whole lattice, described by power law kinetics with an exponent $\beta = 1.3 \pm 0.2$.Comment: REVTEX 3, 10 pages,3 figures(available on request),#

Customer experience quality with social robots: Does trust matter?

Although service providers increasingly adopt social robots, much remains to be learned about what influences customers\u27 experiences with robots. To address this issue, this study investigates the relationships among customer equity drivers (i.e., value equity, brand equity and relationship equity), trust in social robots, and trust in service providers. Specifically, we hypothesize that customer equity drivers influence trust in social robots and trust in service providers. We also propose that customer equity drivers influence customer experience quality in the context of social robots and that trust in social robots and trust in service providers mediate these relationships. The study used a two-stage hybrid partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM)-artificial neural network (ANN) analysis to examine the proposed relationships. Findings show that while all the customer equity drivers influence trust in service providers, only brand and relationship equity influence trust in social robots. Results also suggest that trust in service providers mediates the relationship between customer equity drivers and customer experience quality. In addition, we find that consumers\u27 trust in service providers helps generate trust in social robots. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed