Five-Torsion in the Homology of the Matching Complex on 14 Vertices

J. L. Andersen proved that there is 5-torsion in the bottom nonvanishing homology group of the simplicial complex of graphs of degree at most two on seven vertices. We use this result to demonstrate that there is 5-torsion also in the bottom nonvanishing homology group of the matching complex $M_{14}$ on 14 vertices. Combining our observation with results due to Bouc and to Shareshian and Wachs, we conclude that the case $n=14$ is exceptional; for all other $n$, the torsion subgroup of the bottom nonvanishing homology group has exponent three or is zero. The possibility remains that there is other torsion than 3-torsion in higher-degree homology groups of $M_n$ when $n \ge 13$ and $n \neq 14$.Comment: 11 page

Finite-Size and surface effects in maghemite nanoparticles: Monte Carlo simulations

Finite-size and surface effects in fine particle systems are investigated by Monte Carlo simulation of a model of a $\gamma$-Fe$_2$O$_3$ (maghemite) single particle. Periodic boundary conditions have been used to simulate the bulk properties and the results compared with those for a spherical shaped particle with free boundaries to evidence the role played by the surface on the anomalous magnetic properties displayed by these systems at low temperatures. Several outcomes of the model are in qualitative agreement with the experimental findings. A reduction of the magnetic ordering temperature, spontaneous magnetization, and coercive field is observed as the particle size is decreased. Moreover, the hysteresis loops become elongated with high values of the differential susceptibility, resembling those from frustrated or disordered systems. These facts are consequence of the formation of a surface layer with higher degree of magnetic disorder than the core, which, for small sizes, dominates the magnetization processes of the particle. However, in contradiction with the assumptions of some authors, our model does not predict the freezing of the surface layer into a spin-glass-like state. The results indicate that magnetic disorder at the surface simply facilitates the thermal demagnetization of the particle at zero field, while the magnetization is increased at moderate fields, since surface disorder diminishes ferrimagnetic correlations within the particle. The change in shape of the hysteresis loops with the particle size demonstrates that the reversal mode is strongly influenced by the reduced atomic coordination and disorder at the surface.Comment: Twocolumn RevTex format. 19 pages, 15 Figures included. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Searches for Physics Beyond the Standard Model at Colliders

All experimental measurements of particle physics today are beautifully described by the Standard Model. However, there are good reasons to believe that new physics may be just around the corner at the TeV energy scale. This energy range is currently probed by the Tevatron and HERA accelerators and selected results of searches for physics beyond the Standard Model are presented here. No signals for new physics have been found and limits are placed on the allowed parameter space for a variety of different particles.Comment: Proceedings for 2007 Europhysics Conference on High Energy Physics, Manchester, July 200

A staggered fermion chain with supersymmetry on open intervals

A strongly-interacting fermion chain with supersymmetry on the lattice and open boundary conditions is analysed. The local coupling constants of the model are staggered, and the properties of the ground states as a function of the staggering parameter are examined. In particular, a connection between certain ground-state components and solutions of non-linear recursion relations associated with the Painlev\'e VI equation is conjectured. Moreover, various local occupation probabilities in the ground state have the so-called scale-free property, and allow for an exact resummation in the limit of infinite system size.Comment: 21 pages, no figures; v2: typos correcte

Search for Chargino and Neutralino Production at sqrt(s) = 192-209 GeV at LEP

Approximately 438 pb-1 of e+e- data from the OPAL detector, taken with the LEP collider running at centre-of-mass energies of 192-209 Gev, are analyzed to search for evidence of chargino pair production, e+e- -> tilde chi^+_1 tilde chi^-_1, or neutralino associated production, e+e- -> tilde chi^0_2 tilde chi^0_1. Limits are set at the 95% confidence level on the product of the cross-section for the process e+e- -> tilde chi^+_1 tilde chi^-_1 and its branching ratios to topologies containing jets and missing energy, of jest with a lepton and missing energy, and on the product of the cross-section for e+e- -> tilde chi^0_2 tilde chi^0_1 and its branching ratio to jets. R-parity conservation is assumed throughout this paper. When these results are interpreted in the context of the Constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, limits are also set on the masses of the tilde chi^+-_1, tilde chi^0_1 and tilde chi^0_2, and regions of the parameter space of the model are ruled out. Nearly model-independent limits are also set at the 95% confidence level on sigma(e+e- -> tilde chi^+_1 tilde chi^-_1) with the assumption that each chargino decays via a W boson, and on sigma(e+e- -> tilde chi^0_2 tilde chi^0_1) with the tilde chi^0_2 assumed to decay via a Z^0.Comment: 33 pages, 13 figures, Submitted to Eur Phys J.

Topological Photonics

Topology is revolutionizing photonics, bringing with it new theoretical discoveries and a wealth of potential applications. This field was inspired by the discovery of topological insulators, in which interfacial electrons transport without dissipation even in the presence of impurities. Similarly, new optical mirrors of different wave-vector space topologies have been constructed to support new states of light propagating at their interfaces. These novel waveguides allow light to flow around large imperfections without back-reflection. The present review explains the underlying principles and highlights the major findings in photonic crystals, coupled resonators, metamaterials and quasicrystals.Comment: progress and review of an emerging field, 12 pages, 6 figures and 1 tabl

Normalization factors for magnetic relaxation of small particle systems in non-zero magnetic field

We critically discuss relaxation experiments in magnetic systems that can be characterized in terms of an energy barrier distribution, showing that proper normalization of the relaxation data is needed whenever curves corresponding to different temperatures are to be compared. We show how these normalization factors can be obtained from experimental data by using the $T \ln(t/\tau_0)$ scaling method without making any assumptions about the nature of the energy barrier distribution. The validity of the procedure is tested using a ferrofluid of Fe_3O_4 particles.Comment: 5 pages, 6 eps figures added in April 22, to be published in Phys. Rev. B 55 (1 April 1997

Embedding real-time in stochastic process algebras

We present a stochastic process algebra including immediate actions, deadlock and termination, and explicit stochastic delays, in the setting of weak choice between immediate actions and passage of time. The operational semantics is a spent time semantics, avoiding explicit clocks. We discuss the embedding of weak-choice real-time process theories and analyze the behavior of parallel composition in the weak choice framework