Constraints on the total coupling strength to bosons in iron based superconductors

At present, there is still no consistent interpretation of the normal and superconducting properties of Fe-based superconductors (FeSCs). The strength of the el-el interaction and the role of correlation effects are under debate. Here, we examine several common materials and illustrate various problems and concepts that are generic for all FeSCs. Based on empirical observations and qualitative insight from density functional theory, we show that the superconducting and low-energy thermodynamic properties of the FeSCs can be described semi-quantitively within multiband Eliashberg theory. We account for an important high-energy mass renormalization phenomenologically,and in agreement with constraints provided by thermodynamic, optical, and angle-resolved photoemission data. When seen in this way, all FeSCs with $T_\mathrm{c} <$ 40~K studied so far are found to belong to an {\it intermediate} coupling regime. This finding is in contrast to the strong coupling scenarios proposed in the early period of the FeSC history.We also discuss several related issues, including the role of band shifts as measured by the positions of van Hove singularities, and the nature of a recently suggested quantum critical point in the strongly hole-doped systems AFe$_2$As$_2$ (A = K, Rb, Cs). Using high-precision full relativistic GGA-band structure calculations, we arrive at a somewhat milder mass renormalization in comparison with previous studies. From the calculated mass anisotropies of all Fermi surface sheets, only the $\varepsilon$-pocket near the corner of the BZ is compatible with the experimentally observed anisotropy of the upper critical field. pointing to its dominant role in the superconductivity of these three compounds.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figure

Hydrodynamics of interaction of pulsar and stellar winds and its impact on the high energy radiation of binary pulsar systems

The hydrodynamics of the interaction of pulsar and stellar winds in binary systems harboring a pulsar and its impact on the nonthermal radiation of the binary pulsar PSR B1259-63/SS2883 is discussed. The collision of an ultrarelativistic pulsar wind with a nonrelativistic stellar outflow results in significant bulk acceleration of the shocked material from the pulsar wind. Already at distances comparable to the size of the binary system, the Lorentz factor of the shocked flow can be as large as $\gamma$~4. This results in significant anisotropy of the inverse Compton radiation of accelerated electrons. Because of the Doppler boosting of the produced radiation, one should expect a variable gamma-ray signal from the system. In particular, this effect may naturally explain the reported tendency of a decrease of TeV gamma-ray flux close to the periastron. The modeling of the interaction of pulsar and stellar winds allows self-consistent calculations of adiabatic losses. Our results show that adiabatic losses dominate over the radiative losses. These results have direct impact on the orbital variability of radio, X-ray and gamma-ray signals detected from the binary pulsar PSR 1259-63/SS2883.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; based on poster presentation at "High Energy Phenomena in Relativistic Outflows", Dublin, Sept. 2007; accepted for publication in International Journal of Modern Physics

The Dominance of Metal-Rich Streams in Stellar Halos: A Comparison Between Substructure in M31 and Lambda-CDM Models

Extensive photometric and spectroscopic surveys of the Andromeda galaxy (M31) have discovered tidal debris features throughout M31's stellar halo. We present stellar kinematics and metallicities in fields with identified substructure from our on-going SPLASH survey of M31 red giant branch stars with the DEIMOS spectrograph on the Keck II 10-m telescope. Radial velocity criteria are used to isolate members of the kinematically-cold substructures. The substructures are shown to be metal-rich relative to the rest of the dynamically hot stellar population in the fields in which they are found. We calculate the mean metallicity and average surface brightness of the various kinematical components in each field, and show that, on average, higher surface brightness features tend to be more metal-rich than lower surface brightness features. Simulations of stellar halo formation via accretion in a cosmological context are used to illustrate that the observed trend can be explained as a natural consequence of the observed dwarf galaxy mass-metallicity relation. A significant spread in metallicity at a given surface brightness is seen in the data; we show that this is due to time effects, namely the variation in the time since accretion of the tidal streams' progenitor onto the host halo. We show that in this theoretical framework a relationship between the alpha-enhancement and surface brightness of tidal streams is expected, which arises from the varying times of accretion of the progenitor satellites onto the host halo. Thus, measurements of the alpha-enrichment, metallicity, and surface brightness of tidal debris can be used to reconstruct the luminosity and time of accretion onto the host halo of the progenitors of tidal streams.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, published in Ap

Giant Pulses -- the Main Component of the Radio Emission of the Crab Pulsar

The paper presents an analysis of dual-polarization observations of the Crab pulsar obtained on the 64-m Kalyazin radio telescope at 600 MHz with a time resolution of 250 ns. A lower limit for the intensities of giant pulses is estimated by assuming that the pulsar radio emission in the main pulse and interpulse consists entirely of giant radio pulses; this yields estimates of 100 Jy and 35 Jy for the peak flux densities of giant pulses arising in the main pulse and interpulse, respectively. This assumes that the normal radio emission of the pulse occurs in the precursor pulse. In this case, the longitudes of the giant radio pulses relative to the profile of the normal radio emission turn out to be the same for the Crab pulsar and the millisecond pulsar B1937+21, namely, the giant pulses arise at the trailing edge of the profile of the normal radio emission. Analysis of the distribution of the degree of circular polarization for the giant pulses suggests that they can consist of a random mixture of nanopulses with 100% circular polarization of either sign, with, on average, hundreds of such nanopulses within a single giant pulse.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures (originally published in Russian in Astronomicheskii Zhurnal, 2006, vol. 83, No. 1, pp. 62-69) translated by Denise Gabuzd

Second-line antiretroviral therapy in a workplace and community-based treatment programme in South Africa: determinants of virological outcome.

: Background: As antiretroviral treatment (ART) programmes in resource-limited settings mature, more patients are experiencing virological failure. Without resistance testing, deciding who should switch to second-line ART can be difficult. The consequences for second-line outcomes are unclear. In a workplace- and community-based multi-site programme, with 6-monthly virological monitoring, we describe outcomes and predictors of viral suppression on second-line, protease inhibitor-based ART.Methods: We used prospectively collected clinic data from patients commencing first-line ART between 1/1/03 and 31/12/08 to construct a study cohort of patients switched to second-line ART in the presence of a viral load (VL) ?400 copies/ml. Predictors of VL&lt;400 copies/ml within 15 months of switch were assessed using modified Poisson regression to estimate risk ratios.Results: 205 workplace patients (91.7% male; median age 43 yrs) and 212 community patients (38.7% male; median age 36 yrs) switched regimens. At switch compared to community patients, workplace patients had a longer duration of viraemia, higher VL, lower CD4 count, and higher reported non-adherence on first-line ART. Non-adherence was the reported reason for switching in a higher proportion of workplace patients. Following switch, 48.3% (workplace) and 72.0% (community) achieved VL&lt;400, with non-adherence (17.9% vs. 1.4%) and virological rebound (35.6% vs. 13.2% with available measures) reported more commonly in the workplace programme. In adjusted analysis of the workplace programme, lower switch VL and younger age were associated with VL&lt;400. In the community programme, shorter duration of viraemia, higher CD4 count and transfers into programme on ART were associated with VL&lt;400.Conclusion: High levels of viral suppression on second-line ART can be, but are not always, achieved in multi-site treatment programmes with both individual- and programme-level factors influencing outcomes. Strategies to support both healthcare workers and patients during this switch period need to be evaluated; sub-optimal adherence, particularly in the workplace programme must be addressed

Large Miscibility Gap in the Ba(Mn_xFe_{1-x})2As2 System

The compounds BaMn2As2 and BaFe2As2 both crystallize in the body-centered-tetragonal ThCr2Si2-type (122-type) structure at room temperature but exhibit quite different unit cell volumes and very different magnetic and electronic transport properties. Evidently reflecting these disparities, we have discovered a large miscibility gap in the system Ba(Mn_xFe_{1-x})2As2. Rietveld refinements of powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements on samples slow-cooled from 1000 C to room temperature (RT) reveal a two-phase mixture of BaMn2As2 and Ba(Mn_{0.12}Fe_{0.88})2As2 phases together with impurity phases for x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 and 0.8. We infer that there exists a miscibility gap in this system at 300 K with composition limits 0.12 < x < 1. For samples quenched from 1000 C to 77 K, the refinements of RT XRD data indicate that the miscibility gap at RT narrows at 1000 C to 0.2 < x < 0.8. Samples with x=0.4, 0.5 and 0.6 quenched from 1100-1400 C to 77 K contain a single 122-type phase together with significant amounts of Fe_{1-x}Mn_xAs and FeAs2 impurity phases. These results indicate that the system is not a pseudo-binary system over the whole composition range and that the 122-type phase has a significant homogeneity range at these temperatures. Magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity and heat capacity measurements versus temperature of the single-phase quenched polycrystalline samples with x = 0.2 and 0.8 and for lightly doped BaMn2As2 crystals are reported.Comment: 14 pages, 16 figures, 3 tables; published versio

Detection of Giant Pulses from the Pulsar PSR B0031-07

Giant pulses have been detected from the pulsar PSR B0031-07. A pulse with an intensity higher than the intensity of the average pulse by a factor of 50 or more is encountered approximately once per 300 observed periods. The peak flux density of the strongest pulse is 530 Jy, which is a factor of 120 higher than the peak flux density of the average pulse. The giant pulses are a factor of 20 narrower than the integrated profile and are clustered about its center.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, to appear in: Pis'ma v Astronomicheskii Zhurnal, 2004, v.30, No.4, and will be translated as: Astronomy Letters, v.30, No.