Memory and superposition in a spin glass

Non-equilibrium dynamics in a Ag(Mn) spin glass are investigated by measurements of the temperature dependence of the remanent magnetisation. Using specific cooling protocols before recording the thermo- or isothermal remanent magnetisations on re-heating, it is found that the measured curves effectively disclose non-equilibrium spin glass characteristics such as ageing and memory phenomena as well as an extended validity of the superposition principle for the relaxation. The usefulness of this "simple" dc-method is discussed, as well as its applicability to other disordered magnetic systems.Comment: REVTeX style; 8 pages, 4 figure

Effects of selective dilution on the magnetic properties of La_{0.7}Sr_{0.3}Mn_{1-x}M'_xO_3 (M' = Al, Ti)

The magnetic lattice of mixed-valence Mn ions in La$_{0.7}$Sr$_{0.3}$MnO$_{3}$ is selectively diluted by partial substitution of Al or Ti for Mn. The ferromagnetic transition temperature $T_\mathrm{c}$ and the saturation magnetization $M_\mathrm{s}$ both decrease with substitution. By presenting the data in terms of selective dilution, $T_\mathrm{c}$ in the low-doping region is found to follow the relation $T_\mathrm{c}=T_\mathrm{c0}(1-n_\mathrm{p})$, where $T_\mathrm{c0}$ refers to the undiluted system and $n_\mathrm{p}$ is the dilution concentration defined as $n_\mathrm{p}=x/0.7$ or $n_\mathrm{p}=x/0.3$ for $M^\prime=$ Al or Ti, respectively. The scaling behavior of $T_\mathrm{c}(n_\mathrm{p})$ can be analyzed in the framework of the molecular-field theory and still valid when Mn is substituted by both Al and Ti. The results are discussed with respect to the contributions from ferromagnetic double exchange and other possible antiferromagnetic superexchange interactions coexisting in the material.Comment: Revtex4, 4 pages, 4 figures, 2006 Halong Conference Repor

Targeted Assembly of Short Sequence Reads

As next-generation sequence (NGS) production continues to increase, analysis is becoming a significant bottleneck. However, in situations where information is required only for specific sequence variants, it is not necessary to assemble or align whole genome data sets in their entirety. Rather, NGS data sets can be mined for the presence of sequence variants of interest by localized assembly, which is a faster, easier, and more accurate approach. We present TASR, a streamlined assembler that interrogates very large NGS data sets for the presence of specific variants, by only considering reads within the sequence space of input target sequences provided by the user. The NGS data set is searched for reads with an exact match to all possible short words within the target sequence, and these reads are then assembled strin-gently to generate a consensus of the target and flanking sequence. Typically, variants of a particular locus are provided as different target sequences, and the presence of the variant in the data set being interrogated is revealed by a successful assembly outcome. However, TASR can also be used to find unknown sequences that flank a given target. We demonstrate that TASR has utility in finding or confirming ge-nomic mutations, polymorphism, fusion and integration events. Targeted assembly is a powerful method for interrogating large data sets for the presence of sequence variants of interest. TASR is a fast, flexible and easy to use tool for targeted assembly

Short range ferromagnetism and spin glass state in Y0.7Ca0.3MnO3\mathrm{Y_{0.7}Ca_{0.3}MnO_{3}}

Dynamic magnetic properties of $\mathrm{Y_{0.7}Ca_{0.3}MnO_{3}}$ are reported. The system appears to attain local ferromagnetic order at $T_{\mathrm{SRF}} \approx 70$ K. Below this temperature the low field magnetization becomes history dependent, i.e. the zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetization deviate from each other and closely logarithmic relaxation appears at our experimental time scales (0.3-$10^{4}$ sec). The zero field cooled magnetization has a maximum at $T_{\mathrm{f}}\approx 30$ K, whereas the field cooled magnetization continues to increase, although less sharply, also below this temperature. Surprisingly, the dynamics of the system shows non-equilibrium spin glass (SG) features not only below the maximum in the ZFC magnetization, but also in the temperature region between this maximum and $T_{\mathrm{SRF}}$. The aging and temperature cycling experiments show only quantitative differences in the dynamic behavior above and below the maximum in the ZFC-magnetization; similarly, memory effects are observed in both temperature regions. We attribute the high temperature behavior to the existence of clusters of short range ferromagnetic order below $T_{\mathrm{SRF}}$; the configuration evolves into a conventional spin glass state at temperatures below $T_{\mathrm{f}}$.Comment: REVTeX style; 8 pages, 8 figure

SPEAR Far Ultraviolet Spectral Images of the Cygnus Loop

We present far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectral images, measured at C IV 1550, He II 1640, Si IV+O IV] 1400, and O III] 1664, of the entire Cygnus Loop, observed with the Spectroscopy of Plasma Evolution from Astrophysical Radiation (SPEAR) instrument, also known as FIMS. The spatial distribution of FUV emission generally corresponds with a limb-brightened shell, and is similar to optical, radio and X-ray images. The features found in the present work include a ``carrot'', diffuse interior, and breakout features, which have not been seen in previous FUV studies. Shock velocities of 140-160 km/s is found from a line ratio of O IV] to O III], which is insensitive not only to resonance scattering but also to elemental abundance. The estimated velocity indicates that the fast shocks are widespread across the remnant. By comparing various line ratios with steady-state shock models, it is also shown that the resonance scattering is widespread.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJ

Practical long-distance quantum key distribution system using decoy levels

Quantum key distribution (QKD) has the potential for widespread real-world applications. To date no secure long-distance experiment has demonstrated the truly practical operation needed to move QKD from the laboratory to the real world due largely to limitations in synchronization and poor detector performance. Here we report results obtained using a fully automated, robust QKD system based on the Bennett Brassard 1984 protocol (BB84) with low-noise superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) and decoy levels. Secret key is produced with unconditional security over a record 144.3 km of optical fibre, an increase of more than a factor of five compared to the previous record for unconditionally secure key generation in a practical QKD system.Comment: 9 page