Inhomogeneous superconductivity in the presence of time-reversal symmetry

We propose a new type of non-uniform condensate state in the presence of time-reversal symmetry. The underlying platform of this state is a corrugated honeycomb lattice which exhibits an inhomogeneous pseudo magnetic field. Using the self-consistent tight-binding Bogoliubov-de Gennes formalism, we show that an s-wave pairing of chiral carriers in the presence of an inhomogeneous pseudo magnetic field results in a spatially modulated order parameter with the half wavelength of the corrugation. The manner of modulation depends on the fundamental directions of the honeycomb lattice, the zigzag and armchair directions. The stability of this inhomogeneous superconductivity is also analyzed and possible experimental realization is discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Beyond ‘Islam’ vs ‘Feminism’

Islamic feminism has gained currency since the 1990s and has become the label for a new brand of feminist scholarship and activism that is associated with Islam. But this article argues that the composite term ‘Islamic feminism’ has become so loaded with disputed meanings and implications, so enmeshed in local and global political struggles, that it is no longer useful in any kind of descriptive or analytical sense. I reflect on the term in the light of developments since the 1990s, and argue that the ‘war on terror’ has further complicated the situation. Alternative approaches to the study of women's activism are put forward, including the examination of the personal, sociopolitical trajectories of so?called Islamic feminists, in their own specific contexts. Such an approach to women's agency must be understood in an unfolding reality, in which both political Islam and international and secular feminism have manifestly failed in practice to secure justice for women and have lost credibility and legitimacy

How the Door of Ijtihad Was Opened and Closed: A Comparative Analysis of Recent Family Law Reforms in Iran and Morocco

This Comment compares the politics and dynamics of recent family law reforms in Iran and Morocco. In both countries, reforms have in effect crippled men\u27s privileges in marriage under Islamic law by restricting their unilateral and extra-judicial rights to divorce and polygyny. In Morocco, the 2004 reforms are radical in that they admit the principle of equality in marriage and cast classical Maliki School of Sunni law in a new light; the result of prolonged efforts by the women\u27s movement, these reforms were finally achieved by the intervention of the King who claimed the right of ijtihad as the Commander of the Faithful. The Iranian reforms, on the other hand, have been incremental, they retain the patriarchal provisions of Shi \u27a law, yet they are neither justified nor achieved through the exercise of ijtihad. This is ironic given that, since the 1979 revolution, political power has been in the hands of Shi \u27a jurists who claim that the gate of ijtihad is open in Shi \u27a law. This Comment explores the different configurations of internal and external political circumstances and their impact on women\u27s movements that led to opening the gate of \u27ijtihad in Morocco and closure in Iran.

The Limitations of Equivalent Linear Site Response Analysis Considering Soil Nonlinearity Properties

Seismic site effect has been a major issue in the field of earthquake engineering due to the large local amplification of the seismic motion. This paper presents the importance of an appropriate soil behavior model to simulate earthquake site response and gives a critical overview of the field of site response analysis. Some of the well known site response analysis methods are summarized and discussed. The objective of this paper is to investigate the influences of nonlinearity on the site response analysis by means of a more precise numerical model. In this respect, site responses of four different types of one layered soil deposit, based on various shear wave velocities, with the assumption of linear and rigid base bedrock, were analyzed by using the equivalent linear and fully nonlinear approaches. Nonlinear analyses’ results were compared with those of the linear method and the similarities and differences are discussed. As a result, it is concluded that, in the case of nonlinearity of soil under strong ground motions, 1-D equivalent linear modeling overestimates the amplification patterns in terms of absolute amplification level, and cannot correctly account for resonant frequencies and hysteric soil behavior. Hence more practical and appropriate numerical techniques for ground response analysis should be surveyed