Magnetic anisotropies and magnetization reversal of the Co2_2Cr0.6_{0.6}Fe0.4_{0.4}Al Heusler compound

Magnetic anisotropies and magnetization reversal properties of the epitaxial Heusler compound Co$_2$Cr$_{0.6}$Fe$_{0.4}$Al (CCFA) deposited on Fe and Cr buffer layers are studied. Both samples exhibit a growth-induced fourfold anisotropy, and magnetization reversal occurs through the formation of stripy domains or 90 degree domains. During rotational magnetometric scans the sample deposited on Cr exhibits about 2 degree sharp peaks in the angular dependence of the coercive field, which are oriented along the hard axis directions. These peaks are a consequence of the specific domain structure appearing in this particular measurement geometry. A corresponding feature in the sample deposited on Fe is not observed.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure

A variational approach for retrieving ice cloud properties from infrared measurements: application in the context of two IIR validation campaigns

Cirrus are cloud types that are recognized to have a strong impact on the Earth-atmosphere radiation balance. This impact is however still poorly understood, due to the difficulties in describing the large variability of their properties in global climate models. Consequently, numerous airborne and space borne missions have been dedicated to their study in the last decades. The satellite constellation A-Train has proven to be particularly helpful to study cirrus on global scale due to such instruments as the Infrared Imaging Radiometer (IIR), which shows great sensitivity to the radiative and microphysical properties of these clouds. This study presents an algorithm that uses thermal infrared measurements to retrieve the optical thickness of cirrus and the effective size of their ice crystals. This algorithm is based on an optimal estimation scheme, which possesses the advantage of attributing precise uncertainties to the retrieved parameters. Two IIR airborne validation campaigns have been chosen as case studies. It is observed that optical thicknesses could be accurately retrieved but that large uncertainties may occur on the effective diameters. Strong agreements have been found between the products of our algorithm when separately applied to the measurements of IIR and of the airborne radiometer CLIMAT-AV, which comforts the results of previous validations of IIR level-1 measurements. Comparisons with in situ observations and with operational products of IIR also show confidence in our results. However, we have found that the quality of our retrievals can be strongly impacted by uncertainties related to the choice of a pristine crystal model and by poor constraints on the properties of possible liquid cloud layers underneath cirrus. Simultaneous retrievals of liquid clouds radiative and microphysical properties or the use of different ice crystal models should therefore be considered to improve the quality of the results

Discovery-dominance trade-off among widespread invasive ant species.

Ants are among the most problematic invasive species. They displace numerous native species, alter ecosystem processes, and can have negative impacts on agriculture and human health. In part, their success might stem from a departure from the discovery-dominance trade-off that can promote co-existence in native ant communities, that is, invasive ants are thought to be at the same time behaviorally dominant and faster discoverers of resources, compared to native species. However, it has not yet been tested whether similar asymmetries in behavioral dominance, exploration, and recruitment abilities also exist among invasive species. Here, we establish a dominance hierarchy among four of the most problematic invasive ants (Linepithema humile, Lasius neglectus, Wasmannia auropunctata, Pheidole megacephala) that may be able to arrive and establish in the same areas in the future. To assess behavioral dominance, we used confrontation experiments, testing the aggressiveness in individual and group interactions between all species pairs. In addition, to compare discovery efficiency, we tested the species' capacity to locate a food resource in a maze, and the capacity to recruit nestmates to exploit a food resource. The four species differed greatly in their capacity to discover resources and to recruit nestmates and to dominate the other species. Our results are consistent with a discovery-dominance trade-off. The species that showed the highest level of interspecific aggressiveness and dominance during dyadic interactions

Stabilization and control system power sensitivity study

Stabilization and control system sensitivity to power-off failure rate studied by simulated missions using block power switchin

Some effects of ice crystals on the FSSP measurements in mixed phase clouds

In this paper, we show that in mixed phase clouds, the presence of ice crystals may induce wrong FSSP 100 measurements interpretation especially in terms of particle size and subsequent bulk parameters. The presence of ice crystals is generally revealed by a bimodal feature of the particle size distribution (PSD). The combined measurements of the FSSP-100 and the Polar Nephelometer give a coherent description of the effect of the ice crystals on the FSSP-100 response. The FSSP-100 particle size distributions are characterized by a bimodal shape with a second mode peaked between 25 and 35 μm related to ice crystals. This feature is observed with the FSSP-100 at airspeed up to 200 m s<sup>−1</sup> and with the FSSP-300 series. In order to assess the size calibration for clouds of ice crystals the response of the FSSP-100 probe has been numerically simulated using a light scattering model of randomly oriented hexagonal ice particles and assuming both smooth and rough crystal surfaces. The results suggest that the second mode, measured between 25 μm and 35 μm, does not necessarily represent true size responses but corresponds to bigger aspherical ice particles. According to simulation results, the sizing understatement would be neglected in the rough case but would be significant with the smooth case. Qualitatively, the Polar Nephelometer phase function suggests that the rough case is the more suitable to describe real crystals. Quantitatively, however, it is difficult to conclude. A review is made to explore different hypotheses explaining the occurrence of the second mode. However, previous cloud in situ measurements suggest that the FSSP-100 secondary mode, peaked in the range 25–35 μm, is likely to be due to the shattering of large ice crystals on the probe inlet. This finding is supported by the rather good relationship between the concentration of particles larger than 20 μm (hypothesized to be ice shattered-fragments measured by the FSSP) and the concentration of (natural) ice particles (CPI data). In mixed cloud, a simple estimation of the number of ice crystals impacting the FSSP inlet shows that the ice crystal shattering effect is the main factor in observed ice production

Writing and Reading antiferromagnetic Mn2_2Au: N\'eel spin-orbit torques and large anisotropic magnetoresistance

Antiferromagnets are magnetically ordered materials which exhibit no net moment and thus are insensitive to magnetic fields. Antiferromagnetic spintronics aims to take advantage of this insensitivity for enhanced stability, while at the same time active manipulation up to the natural THz dynamic speeds of antiferromagnets is possible, thus combining exceptional storage density and ultra-fast switching. However, the active manipulation and read-out of the N\'eel vector (staggered moment) orientation is challenging. Recent predictions have opened up a path based on a new spin-orbit torque, which couples directly to the N\'eel order parameter. This N\'eel spin-orbit torque was first experimentally demonstrated in a pioneering work using semimetallic CuMnAs. Here we demonstrate for Mn$_2$Au, a good conductor with a high ordering temperature suitable for applications, reliable and reproducible switching using current pulses and readout by magnetoresistance measurements. The symmetry of the torques agrees with theoretical predictions and a large read-out magnetoresistance effect of more than $\simeq 6$~$\%$ is reproduced by ab initio transport calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Josephson effect in a CeCoIn5CeCoIn_5 microbridge

We report DC Josephson effects observed in a microbridge prepared from an individual crystalline growth domain of $CeCoIn_5$ thin film. Josephson effects were observed by periodic voltage modulations under external magnetic field $\Delta V(B)$ with the expected periodicity and by the temperature dependence of the Josephson critical current $I_c(T)$. The shape of $\Delta V(B)$ was found to be asymmetric, as it is expected for microbridges. The dependence $I_c(T)$ follows the Ambegaokar-Baratoff relation, which is unexpected for microbridges. Features in the dynamical resistance curves were attributed to the periodic motion of Abricosov vortices within the microbridge.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Physica

Gazelle seasonal mobility in the Jordanian steppe: The use of dental isotopes and microwear as environmental markers, applied to Epipalaeolithic Kharaneh IV

The Early/Middle Epipalaeolithic aggregation site of Kharaneh IV in the east Jordan steppe is one of the largest of the period, showing repeated use, high degrees of site investment, and relatively prolonged periods of occupation. Hunters relied heavily on the single prey species, Gazella subgutturosa. This paper reports on isotopic analyses of gazelle teeth, drawn from the Kharaneh IV assemblage, to explore the seasonal and spatial distribution of gazelle in life and examine models of long-distance seasonal gazelle migrations. Dental microwear analysis is also employed to assess hunting seasons. Results from sequential isotope analyses of 11 Epipalaeolithic gazelle molars show that, with one exception, gazelle did not move seasonally from the limestone steppe onto other geologies, nor did they seasonally relocate to areas with different climate regimes. Rather, seasonal herd mobility seems to have been local, meaning animals would have been available in the vicinity of Kharaneh IV year-round. Results from 19 microwear analyses show some gazelle to have died in spring when grass graze was available, whilst others had been browsing around their time of death, indicating non-spring hunting. Microwear evidence thus suggests gazelle were hunted in more than one restricted season. The implications of these new datasets for hunter-gatherer use of the steppe, and potential hunting methods, is highlighted