High performance Beowulf computer for lattice QCD

We describe the construction of a high performance parallel computer composed of PC components, as well as the performance test in lattice QCD.Comment: Lattice 2001 (Algorithms and Machines) 3 page

Low-Mass Baryon-Antibaryon Enhancements in B Decays

The nature of low-mass baryon-antibaryon enhancements seen in B decays is explored. Three possibilities include (i) states near threshold as found in a model by Nambu and Jona-Lasinio, (ii) isoscalar states with $J^{PC} = 0^{\pm +}$ coupled to a pair of gluons, and (iii) low-mass enhancements favored by the fragmentation process. Ways of distinguishing these mechanisms using angular distributions and flavor symmetry are proposed.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX, no figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev. D. One reference adde

Short-time dynamics and magnetic critical behavior of two-dimensional random-bond Potts model

The critical behavior in the short-time dynamics for the random-bond Potts ferromagnet in two-dimensions is investigated by short-time dynamic Monte Carlo simulations. The numerical calculations show that this dynamic approach can be applied efficiently to study the scaling characteristic, which is used to estimate the critical exponents theta, beta/nu and z for the quenched disorered systems from the power-law behavior of the kth moments of magnetizations.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures Soft Condensed Matte

Multi-nanolayered VO2/Sapphire Thin Film via Spinodal Decomposition

Abstract Coating of VO2-based thin film has been extensively studied for fabricating energy-saving smart windows. One of the most efficient ways for fabricating high performance films is to create multi-nanolayered structure. However, it has been highly challenge to make such layers in the VO2-based films using conventional methods. In this work, a facile two-step approach is established to fabricate multilayered VO2-TiO2 thin films. We first deposited the amorphous thin films upon sputtering, and then anneal them to transform the amorphous phase into alternating Ti- and V-rich multilayered nanostructure via a spinodal decomposition mechanism. In particular, we take advantage of different sapphire substrate planes (A-plane (11–20), R-plane (1–102), C-plane (0001), and M-plane (10-10)) to achieve different decomposition modes. The new approach has made it possible to tailoring the microstructure of the thin films for optimized performances by controlling the disorder-order transition in terms of both kinetic and thermodynamic aspects. The derived thin films exhibit superior optical modulation upon phase transition, significantly reduced transition temperature and hysteresis loop width, and high degradation resistance, these improvements indicate a high potential to be used for fabricating the next generation of energy saving smart windows

Statistical analysis of nitrous oxide emission factors from pastoral agriculture field trials conducted in New Zealand

AbstractBetween 11 May 2000 and 31 January 2013, 185 field trials were conducted across New Zealand to measure the direct nitrous oxide (N2O) emission factors (EF) from nitrogen (N) sources applied to pastoral soils. The log(EF) data were analysed statistically using a restricted maximum likelihood (REML) method. To estimate mean EF values for each N source, best linear unbiased predictors (BLUPs) were calculated. For lowland soils, mean EFs for dairy cattle urine and dung, sheep urine and dung and urea fertiliser were 1.16 ± 0.19% and 0.23 ± 0.05%, 0.55 ± 0.19% and 0.08 ± 0.02% and 0.48 ± 0.13%, respectively, each significantly different from one another (p < 0.05), except for sheep urine and urea fertiliser. For soils in terrain with slopes >12°, mean EFs were significantly lower. Thus, urine and dung EFs should be disaggregated for sheep and cattle as well as accounting for terrain

Two-Body Cabibbo-Suppressed Charmed Meson Decays

Singly-Cabibbo-suppressed decays of charmed particles governed by the quark subprocesses $c \to s u \bar s$ and $c \to d u \bar d$ are analyzed using a flavor-topology approach, based on a previous analysis of the Cabibbo-favored decays governed by $c \to s u \bar d$. Decays to $PP$ and $PV$, where $P$ is a pseudoscalar meson and $V$ is a vector meson, are considered. We include processes in which $\eta$ and $\eta '$ are produced.Comment: 18 pages, latex, 2 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev.

Oscillator strengths with pseudopotentials

The time-dependent local-density approximation (TDLDA) is shown to remain accurate in describing the atomic response of IB elements under the additional approximation of using pseudopotentials to treat the effects of core electrons. This extends the work of Zangwill and Soven who showed the utility of the all-electron TDLDA in the atomic response problem.Comment: 13 pages including 3 Postscript figure

Charmless B→PPB \to PP decays using flavor SU(3) symmetry

The decays of $B$ mesons to a pair of charmless pseudoscalar ($P$) mesons are analyzed within a framework of flavor SU(3). Symmetry breaking is taken into account in tree ($T$) amplitudes through ratios of decay constants; exact SU(3) is assumed elsewhere. Acceptable fits to $B \to \pi \pi$ and $B \to K \pi$ branching ratios and CP asymmetries are obtained with tree, color-suppressed ($C$), penguin ($P$), and electroweak penguin ($P_{EW}$) amplitudes. Crucial additional terms for describing processes involving $\eta$ and $\eta'$ include a large flavor-singlet penguin amplitude ($S$) as proposed earlier and a penguin amplitude $P_{tu}$ associated with intermediate $t$ and $u$ quarks. For the $B^+ \to \pi^+ \eta'$ mode a term $S_{tu}$ associated with intermediate $t$ and $u$ quarks also may be needed. Values of the weak phase $\gamma$ are obtained consistent with an earlier analysis of $B \to VP$ decays, where $V$ denotes a vector meson, and with other analyses of CKM parameters.Comment: 26 pages, 1 figure. To be submitted to Phys. Rev. D. Reference update

Spin-current modulation and square-wave transmission through periodically stubbed electron waveguides

Ballistic spin transport through waveguides, with symmetric or asymmetric double stubs attached to them periodically, is studied systematically in the presence of a weak spin-orbit coupling that makes the electrons precess. By an appropriate choice of the waveguide length and of the stub parameters injected spin-polarized electrons can be blocked completely and the transmission shows a periodic and nearly square-type behavior, with values 1 and 0, with wide gaps when only one mode is allowed to propagate in the waveguide. A similar behavior is possible for a certain range of the stub parameters even when two-modes can propagate in the waveguide and the conductance is doubled. Such a structure is a good candidate for establishing a realistic spin transistor. A further modulation of the spin current can be achieved by inserting defects in a finite-number stub superlattice. Finite-temperature effects on the spin conductance are also considered.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figure

Comparison of structural transformations and superconductivity in compressed Sulfur and Selenium

Density-functional calculations are presented for high-pressure structural phases of S and Se. The structural phase diagrams, phonon spectra, electron-phonon coupling, and superconducting properties of the isovalent elements are compared. We find that with increasing pressure, Se adopts a sequence of ever more closely packed structures (beta-Po, bcc, fcc), while S favors more open structures (beta-Po, simple cubic, bcc). These differences are shown to be attributable to differences in the S and Se core states. All the compressed phases of S and Se considered are calculated to have weak to moderate electron-phonon coupling strengths consistent with superconducting transition temperatures in the range of 1 to 20 K. Our results compare well with experimental data on the beta-Po --> bcc transition pressure in Se and on the superconducting transition temperature in beta-Po S. Further experiments are suggested to search for the other structural phases predicted at higher pressures and to test theoretical results on the electron-phonon interaction and superconducting properties