Momentum dependence of the energy gap in the superconducting state of optimally doped Bi2(Sr,R)2CuOy (R=La and Eu)

The energy gap of optimally doped Bi2(Sr,R)2CuOy (R=La and Eu) was probed by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) using a vacuum ultraviolet laser (photon energy 6.994 eV) or He I resonance line (21.218 eV) as photon source. The results show that the gap around the node at sufficiently low temperatures can be well described by a monotonic d-wave gap function for both samples and the gap of the R=La sample is larger reflecting the higher Tc. However, an abrupt deviation from the d-wave gap function and an opposite R dependence for the gap size were observed around the antinode, which represent a clear disentanglement between the antinodal pseudogap and the nodal superconducting gap.Comment: Submitted as the proceedings of LT2

Estimating insured residential losses from large flood scenarios on the Tone River, Japan – a data integration approach

Flooding on the Tone River, which drains the largest catchment area in Japan and is now home to 12 million people, poses significant risk to the Greater Tokyo Area. In April 2010, an expert panel in Japan, the Central Disaster Prevention Council, examined the potential for large-scale flooding and outlined possible mitigation measures in the Greater Tokyo Area. One of the scenarios considered closely mimics the pattern of flooding that occurred with the passage of Typhoon Kathleen in 1947 and would potentially flood some 680 000 households above floor level. Building upon that report, this study presents a Geographical Information System (GIS)-based data integration approach to estimate the insurance losses for residential buildings and contents as just one component of the potential financial cost. Using a range of publicly available data – census information, location reference data, insurance market information and flood water elevation data – this analysis finds that insurance losses for residential property alone could reach approximately 1 trillion JPY (US$ 12.5 billion). Total insurance losses, including commercial and industrial lines of business, are likely to be at least double this figure with total economic costs being much greater again. The results are sensitive to the flood scenario assumed, position of levee failures, local flood depths and extents, population and building heights. The Average Recurrence Interval (ARI) of the rainfall following Typhoon Kathleen has been estimated to be on the order of 200 yr; however, at this juncture it is not possible to put an ARI on the modelled loss since we cannot know the relative or joint probability of the different flooding scenarios. It is possible that more than one of these scenarios could occur simultaneously or that levee failure at one point might lower water levels downstream and avoid a failure at all other points. In addition to insurance applications, spatial analyses like that presented here have implications for emergency management, the cost-benefit of mitigation efforts and land-use planning

Angular Distribution of γ\gamma-rays from Neutron-Induced Compound States of 140^{140}La

Angular distribution of individual $\gamma$-rays, emitted from a neutron-induced compound nuclear state via radiative capture reaction of ${}^{139}$La(n,$\gamma$) has been studied as a function of incident neutron energy in the epithermal region by using germanium detectors. An asymmetry $A_{\mathrm{LH}}$ was defined as $(N_{\mathrm L}-N_{\mathrm H})/(N_{\mathrm L}+N_{\mathrm H})$, where $N_{\mathrm L}$ and $N_{\mathrm H}$ are integrals of low and high energy region of a neutron resonance respectively, and we found that $A_{\mathrm{LH}}$ has the angular dependence of $(A\cos\theta_\gamma+B)$, where $\theta_\gamma$ is emitted angle of $\gamma$-rays, with $A= -0.3881\pm0.0236$ and $B=-0.0747\pm0.0105$ in 0.74 eV p-wave resonance. This angular distribution was analyzed within the framework of interference between s- and p-wave amplitudes in the entrance channel to the compound nuclear state, and it is interpreted as the value of the partial p-wave neutron width corresponding to the total angular momentum of the incident neutron combined with the weak matrix element, in the context of the mechanism of enhanced parity-violating effects. Additionally we used the result to quantify the possible enhancement of the breaking of the time-reversal invariance in the vicinity of the p-wave resonance.Comment: 14pages, 25 figure

Symmetry-resolved elastic anomalies in spin-crossover cobaltite LaCoO3_3

Ultrasound velocity measurements of the pseudo-cubic spin-crossover cobaltite LaCoO$_3$ and the lightly Ni-substituted La(Co$_{0.99}$Ni$_{0.01}$)O$_3$ reveal two types of symmetry-resolved elastic anomaly in the insulating paramagnetic state that are commonly observed in these compounds. The temperature dependence of the bulk modulus exhibits Curie-type softening upon cooling below 300 K down to $\sim$70 K, indicating the presence of isostructural lattice instability arising from orbital fluctuations. The temperature dependence of the tetragonal and trigonal shear moduli exhibits unusual hardening upon cooling below 300 K, indicating the occurrence of elasticity crossover arising from the spin crossover. The present study also reveals that the isostructural lattice instability in LaCoO$_3$ is sensitively suppressed with the Ni substitution, indicating the suppression of orbital fluctuations with the light Ni substitution. This Ni substitution effect in LaCoO$_3$ can be explained on the basis that the isostructural lattice instability arises from the coupling of the lattice to the Co spin state fluctuating between the high-spin state and intermediate-spin state.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Robustness evaluation of seismic pile response considering uncertainty mechanism of soil properties

Robustness analysis of the seismic pile response of a structure–pile–soil system with uncertain soil properties and concrete Young’s modulus is presented in this paper. The bounds of the bending moment of a pile are investigated by means of the previously proposed uncertainty analysis method (Updated Reference-Point method) and the newly developed revised method (NURP method). An efficient finite-element model of a structure–pile–soil system with smart displacement functions for connecting elements is adopted and a response spectrum method is applied in the evaluation of the seismic pile responses of the system. Two cases of soil uncertainties resulting from different uncertainty mechanisms are considered. It is shown that the worst combination of uncertain soil parameters can be determined by the NURP method in an accurate manner

CHARACTERISTICS OF JOINT MECHANICAL WORK IN MALE AND FEMALE ELDERLY DURING WALKING IN CONSIDERATION OF VELOCITY

Previous studies about how the elderly walk have reported their kinematical and kinetic characteristics by comparing their motions with those of young walkers (Murray et al., 1969; Hageman and Blanke, 1986; Blanke and Hageman, 1989; Winter et al., 1990; Kaneko et al., 1991; Judge et al., 1996). The results from these studies contain both the effects of aging and walking velocity because walking velocities of the elderly and the young differed from each other and the velocity strongly affects most biomechanical variables. In addition, the change in walking motion with aging after sixty has rarely been reported, and the differences between elderly male and female walkers were also not clear. This study seeks to clarify the differences in the characteristics of joint mechanical output and contribution during walking between different age groups and sexes for the elderly in consideration of walking velocity

A simple SO(10) GUT in five dimensions

A simple supersymmetric SO(10) GUT in five dimensions is considered. The fifth dimension is compactified on the $S^1/(Z_2\times Z_2^\prime)$ orbifold possessing two inequivalent fixed points. In our setup, all matter and Higgs multiplets reside on one brane (PS brane) where the original SO(10) gauge group is broken down to the Pati-Salam (PS) gauge group, SU(4)_c \timesSU(2)_L \times SU(2)$_R$, by the orbifold boundary condition, while only the SO(10) gauge multiplet resides in the bulk. The further breaking of the PS symmetry to the Standard Model gauge group is realized by Higgs multiplets on the PS brane as usual in four dimensional models. Proton decay is fully suppressed. In our simple setup, the gauge coupling unification is realized after incorporating threshold corrections of Kaluza-Klein modes. When supersymmetry is assumed to be broken on the other brane, supersymmetry breaking is transmitted to the PS brane through the gaugino mediation with the bulk gauge multiplet.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, some errors have been corrected (no change in conclusions

A Solution for Little Hierarchy Problem and b --> s gamma

We show that all the parameters which destabilize the weak scale can be taken around the weak scale in the MSSM without conflicting with the SM Higgs mass bound set by LEP experiment. The essential point is that if the lightest CP-even Higgs h in the MSSM has only a small coupling to Z boson, g_{ZZh}, LEP cannot generate the Higgs sufficiently. In the scenario, the SM Higgs mass bound constrains the mass of the heaviest CP-even Higgs H which has the SM like g_{ZZH} coupling. However, it is easier to make the heaviest Higgs heavy by the effect of off-diagonal elements of the mass matrix of the CP-even Higgs because the larger eigenvalue of 2 times 2 matrix becomes larger by introducing off-diagonal elements. Thus, the smaller stop masses can be consistent with the LEP constraints. Moreover, the two excesses observed at LEP Higgs search can naturally be explained as the signals of the MSSM Higgs h and H in this scenario. One of the most interesting results in the scenario is that all the Higgs in the MSSM have the weak scale masses. For example, the charged Higgs mass should be around 130 GeV. This looks inconsistent with the lower bound obtained by the b --> s gamma process as m_{H^\pm}>350GeV. However, we show that the amplitude induced by the charged Higgs can naturally be compensated by that of the chargino if we take the mass parameters by which the little hierarchy problem can be solved. The point is that the both amplitudes have the same order of magnitudes when all the fields in the both loops have the same order of masses.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, input parameter slightly changed, figures replaced, references correcte