LOFF Pairing vs. Breached Pairing in Asymmetric Fermion Superfluids

A general analysis for the competition between breached pairing (BP) and LOFF pairing mechanisms in asymmetric fermion superfluids is presented in the frame of a four fermion interaction model. Two physical conditions which can induce mismatched Fermi surfaces are considered: (1) fixed chemical potential asymmetry $\delta\mu$ and (2) fixed fermion number asymmetry $\alpha$. In case (1), the BP state is ruled out because of Sarma instability and LOFF state is thermodynamically stable in a narrow window of $\delta\mu$. In case (2), while the Sarma instability can be avoided and both the BP and LOFF states can survive provided $\alpha$ is less than the corresponding critical value, the BP state suffers magnetic instability and the LOFF state is always thermodynamically stable. While the LOFF window in case (2) is much larger than the one in the conventional case (1), for small $\alpha$ the longitudinal superfluid density of the LOFF state is negative and it suffers also magnetic instability.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures, published in Physical Review B. Notice: an algebra error in Equation (39) correcte

Investigation of Partial Discharge in Solid Dielectric under DC Voltage

A partial discharge, or PD, is defined as an electrical discharge that is localized within only a part of the insulation between two separated conductors. Recent research on PD mainly focuses on the study of PD characteristics under AC voltage. Compared with DC, PD under AC is more serious and can be easily detected in terms of PD number. As the results of these concentrated research, the understanding of PD under AC condition has been significantly improved and features extracted from PD measurements have been used to diagnose the insulation condition of many power apparatus. Recently, rapid development in HVDC transmission and power grids connection, and widely applied DC cable and gas-insulated switchgear because of their benefit in long distance usage lead to an increasing concern about PD under DC. However, available study for the condition is little and related research is therefore necessary and essential for understanding the lifetime and reliability of apparatus. <br/

Improved Battery Models of an Aggregation of Thermostatically Controlled Loads for Frequency Regulation

Recently it has been shown that an aggregation of Thermostatically Controlled Loads (TCLs) can be utilized to provide fast regulating reserve service for power grids and the behavior of the aggregation can be captured by a stochastic battery with dissipation. In this paper, we address two practical issues associated with the proposed battery model. First, we address clustering of a heterogeneous collection and show that by finding the optimal dissipation parameter for a given collection, one can divide these units into few clusters and improve the overall battery model. Second, we analytically characterize the impact of imposing a no-short-cycling requirement on TCLs as constraints on the ramping rate of the regulation signal. We support our theorems by providing simulation results.Comment: to appear in the 2014 American Control Conference - AC

Electronic phase diagrams of carriers in self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots: violation of Hund's rule and the Aufbau principle for holes

We study the orbital and spin configurations of up to six electrons or holes charged into self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots via single-particle pseudopotential and many-particle configuration interaction method. We find that while the charging of {\it electrons} follows both Hund's rule and the Aufbau principle, the charging of {\it holes} follows a non-trivial charging pattern which violates both the Aufbau principle and Hund's rule, and is robust against the details of the quantum dot size. The predicted hole charging sequence offers a new interpretation of recent charging experiments

Observation of Fermi-energy dependent unitary impurity resonances in a strong topological insulator Bi_2Se_3 with scanning tunneling spectroscopy

Scanning tunneling spectroscopic studies of Bi_2Se_3 epitaxial films on Si (111) substrates reveal highly localized unitary impurity resonances associated with non-magnetic quantum impurities. The strength of the resonances depends on the energy difference between the Fermi level (E_F) and the Dirac point (E_D) and diverges as E_F approaches E_D. The Dirac-cone surface state of the host recovers within ~ 2Å spatial distance from impurities, suggesting robust topological protection of the surface state of topological insulators against high-density impurities that preserve time reversal symmetry

Whole-brain patterns of 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging in Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies

Acknowledgements We thank Craig Lambert for his help in processing the MRS data. The study was funded by the Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust (grant ref: 05/JTA) and was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre and the Biomedical Research Unit in Lewy Body Dementia based at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust and Newcastle University and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre and Biomedical Research Unit in Dementia based at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Cambridge.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Effect of temperature-dependent shape anisotropy on coercivity with aligned Stoner-Wohlfarth soft ferromagnets

The temperature variation effect of shape anisotropy on the coercivity, HC(T), for the aligned Stoner-Wohlfarth (SW) soft ferromagnets, such as fcc Ni, fcc Co and bcc Fe, are investigated within the framework of Neel-Brown (N-B) analysis. An extended N-B equation is thus proposed,by introducing a single dimensionless correction function, the reduced magnetization, m(\tao) = MS(T)/MS(0), in which \tao = T/TC is the reduced temperature, MS(T) is the saturation magnetization, and TC is the Curie temperature. The factor, m(\tao), accounts for the temperature-dependent effect of the shape anisotropy. The constants, H0 and E0, are for the switching field at zero temperature and the potential barrier at zero field, respectively. According to this newly derived equation, the blocking temperature above which the properties of superparamagnetism show up is described by the expression, TB = E0m^2(\tao)/[kBln(t/t0)], with the extra correction factor m^2(\tao). The possible effect on HC(T) and the blocking temperature, TB, attributed to the downshift of TC resulting from the finite size effect has been discussed also.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, Accepted by Phys. Rev.

Energy-Conserving Lattice Boltzmann Thermal Model in Two Dimensions

A discrete velocity model is presented for lattice Boltzmann thermal fluid dynamics. This model is implemented and tested in two dimensions with a finite difference scheme. Comparison with analytical solutions shows an excellent agreement even for wide temperature differences. An alternative approximate approach is then presented for traditional lattice transport schemes