11,079 research outputs found
On the universality of compact polymers
Fully packed loop models on the square and the honeycomb lattice constitute
new classes of critical behaviour, distinct from those of the low-temperature
O(n) model. A simple symmetry argument suggests that such compact phases are
only possible when the underlying lattice is bipartite. Motivated by the hope
of identifying further compact universality classes we therefore study the
fully packed loop model on the square-octagon lattice. Surprisingly, this model
is only critical for loop weights n < 1.88, and its scaling limit coincides
with the dense phase of the O(n) model. For n=2 it is exactly equivalent to the
selfdual 9-state Potts model. These analytical predictions are confirmed by
numerical transfer matrix results. Our conclusions extend to a large class of
bipartite decorated lattices.Comment: 13 pages including 4 figure
A development of logistics management models for the Space Transportation System
A new analytic queueing approach was described which relates stockage levels, repair level decisions, and the project network schedule of prelaunch operations directly to the probability distribution of the space transportation system launch delay. Finite source population and limited repair capability were additional factors included in this logistics management model developed specifically for STS maintenance requirements. Data presently available to support logistics decisions were based on a comparability study of heavy aircraft components. A two-phase program is recommended by which NASA would implement an integrated data collection system, assemble logistics data from previous STS flights, revise extant logistics planning and resource requirement parameters using Bayes-Lin techniques, and adjust for uncertainty surrounding logistics systems performance parameters. The implementation of these recommendations can be expected to deliver more cost-effective logistics support
Rate theory for correlated processes: Double-jumps in adatom diffusion
We study the rate of activated motion over multiple barriers, in particular
the correlated double-jump of an adatom diffusing on a missing-row
reconstructed Platinum (110) surface. We develop a Transition Path Theory,
showing that the activation energy is given by the minimum-energy trajectory
which succeeds in the double-jump. We explicitly calculate this trajectory
within an effective-medium molecular dynamics simulation. A cusp in the
acceptance region leads to a sqrt{T} prefactor for the activated rate of
double-jumps. Theory and numerical results agree
Partly Occupied Wannier Functions
We introduce a scheme for constructing partly occupied, maximally localized
Wannier functions (WFs) for both molecular and periodic systems. Compared to
the traditional occupied WFs the partly occupied WFs posses improved symmetry
and localization properties achieved through a bonding-antibonding closing
procedure. We demonstrate the equivalence between bonding-antibonding closure
and the minimization of the average spread of the WFs in the case of a benzene
molecule and a linear chain of Pt atoms. The general applicability of the
method is demonstrated through the calculation of WFs for a metallic system
with an impurity: a Pt wire with a hydrogen molecular bridge.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Quantification of wind erosion under four different types of vegetation cover in quinoa fields of the Southern Bolivian Highlands
A Discotic Disguised as a Smectic: A Hybrid Columnar Bragg Glass
We show that discotics, lying deep in the columnar phase, can exhibit an
x-ray scattering pattern which mimics that of a somewhat unusual smectic liquid
crystal. This exotic, new glassy phase of columnar liquid crystals, which we
call a ``hybrid columnar Bragg glass'', can be achieved by confining a columnar
liquid crystal in an anisotropic random environment of e.g., strained aerogel.
Long-ranged orientational order in this phase makes {\em single domain} x-ray
scattering possible, from which a wealth of information could be extracted. We
give detailed quantitative predictions for the scattering pattern in addition
to exponents characterizing anomalous elasticity of the system.Comment: 4 RevTeX pgs, 2 eps figures. To appear in PR
Sound velocity and absorption measurements under high pressure using picosecond ultrasonics in diamond anvil cell. Application to the stability study of AlPdMn
We report an innovative high pressure method combining the diamond anvil cell
device with the technique of picosecond ultrasonics. Such an approach allows to
accurately measure sound velocity and attenuation of solids and liquids under
pressure of tens of GPa, overcoming all the drawbacks of traditional
techniques. The power of this new experimental technique is demonstrated in
studies of lattice dynamics, stability domain and relaxation process in a
metallic sample, a perfect single-grain AlPdMn quasicrystal, and rare gas, neon
and argon. Application to the study of defect-induced lattice stability in
AlPdMn up to 30 GPa is proposed. The present work has potential for application
in areas ranging from fundamental problems in physics of solid and liquid
state, which in turn could be beneficial for various other scientific fields as
Earth and planetary science or material research
Constraints on the differentiation of the Earth from the coupled Sm-146,147-Nd-142,143 systematics
The coupled Sm-Nd systematics are a powerful (albeit analytically challenging) tool for investigating the geodynamic history of the Earth. We have previously reported evidence for a 33 ppm difference of an Isua sample relative to our terrestrial standard. Interpretation yields a formation age range for the depleted mantle (DM) source reservoir of 4.45-4.55 Ga. This is consistent with an epoch of LREE-enriched melt extraction from the mantle (proto-crust formation), soon after magma ocean freeze-up following the putative Moon forming giant impact
Nd-142/Nd-144 in bulk planetary reservoirs, the problem of incomplete mixing of interstellar components and significance of very high precision Nd-145/Nd-144 measurements
Apart from the challenge of very high precision Nd-142/Nd-144 ratio measurement, accurate applications of the coupled Sm-(146,147)-Nd-(142,143) systematics in planetary differentiation studies require very precise knowledge of the present-day (post-Sm-146 decay) Nd-142/Nd-144 ratios of bulk planetary objects (BP). The coupled systematics yield model ages for the time of formation of Sm/Nd-fractionated reservoirs by differentiation of Sm/Nd-unfractionated bulk planetary reservoirs. Estimates of (Nd-142/Nd-144)(sub BP) and (Nd-143/Nd-144)(sub BP) therefore provide the critical baseline relative to which these model ages are referenced. In the Sm-147-Nd-143 systematics, Nd-143/Nd-144 variations are mostly large; therefore, small variations in initial Nd-143/Nd-144 ratios generally can be ignored. However, in the case of Sm-146-Nd-142, the range of Nd-142/Nd-144 divergence for differentiated planetary reservoirs is much smaller. Consequently Sm-(146,147)-Nd-(142,143) model ages are sensitive to small variations in bulk planetary Nd-142/Nd-144 (both present-day and initial). One major unanswered question is whether or not Nd shelf standards (CIT Nd beta/Ames metal, La Jolla, NASA-JSC/Ames metal) have Nd-142/Nd-144 identical to the bulk Earth or otherwise might record some degree of radiogenic evolution in an early-fractionated reservoir. Our discussions of earth Earth differentiation based on Nd-142/Nd-144 in Isua and Acasta samples have employed a working assumption: (Nd-142/Nd-144)(sub Nd beta) = (Nd-142/Nd-144)(sub Bulk Earth). This requires experimental justification and is apparently contradicted by chondrite Nd-142/Nd-144 measurements, which have been interpreted to indicate: (Nd-142/Nd-144)(sub JSC/Ames metal) = ((Nd-142/Nd-144)(sub CHUR) = 35 plus or minus 8 ppm). At present, interpretations of the early Earth and Moon hinge largely on this issue. Because Ba in bulk chondrite samples exhibit similar magnitude nuclear anomalies, attributable to incomplete mixing of interstellar components, a critical question is whether or not nuclear effects are also present in Nd-142/Nd-144, both in bulk chondrites and between planetary objects
Simulations of energetic beam deposition: from picoseconds to seconds
We present a new method for simulating crystal growth by energetic beam
deposition. The method combines a Kinetic Monte-Carlo simulation for the
thermal surface diffusion with a small scale molecular dynamics simulation of
every single deposition event. We have implemented the method using the
effective medium theory as a model potential for the atomic interactions, and
present simulations for Ag/Ag(111) and Pt/Pt(111) for incoming energies up to
35 eV. The method is capable of following the growth of several monolayers at
realistic growth rates of 1 monolayer per second, correctly accounting for both
energy-induced atomic mobility and thermal surface diffusion. We find that the
energy influences island and step densities and can induce layer-by-layer
growth. We find an optimal energy for layer-by-layer growth (25 eV for Ag),
which correlates with where the net impact-induced downward interlayer
transport is at a maximum. A high step density is needed for energy induced
layer-by-layer growth, hence the effect dies away at increased temperatures,
where thermal surface diffusion reduces the step density. As part of the
development of the method, we present molecular dynamics simulations of single
atom-surface collisions on flat parts of the surface and near straight steps,
we identify microscopic mechanisms by which the energy influences the growth,
and we discuss the nature of the energy-induced atomic mobility
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