1,695 research outputs found
Vector chiral order in frustrated spin chains
By means of a numerical analysis using a non-Abelian symmetry realization of
the density matrix renormalization group, we study the behavior of vector
chirality correlations in isotropic frustrated chains of spin S=1 and S=1/2,
subject to a strong external magnetic field. It is shown that the field induces
a phase with spontaneously broken chiral symmetry, in line with earlier
theoretical predictions. We present results on the field dependence of the
order parameter and the critical exponents.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure
A new shielding effectiveness measurement method based on a skin-effect transmission line coupler
We propose a new convenient material shielding effectiveness measurement method based on a skin-effect transmission line coupler. The method is somewhat similar to the arrangement with two coupled TEM cells known from literature. The transmission line coupler consists of a pair of identical transmission line 2-port devices. Each device contains a coaxial waveguide, with a circular inner conductor and an outer conductor having a square cross section. One side of the outer conductor is left completely open as a slot. The slot is surrounded by a large metal housing to contact the two halves. As a measure for the shielding effectiveness the coupling between the two devices is measured in terms of scattering parameters after the test material is brought between the two halves. The devices can be used in a range from low frequencies to a few GHz
Comparative study of CW, nanosecond- and femtosecond-pulsed laser microcutting of AZ31 magnesium alloy stents
Magnesium alloys constitute an interesting solution for cardiovascular stents due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability in human body. Laser microcutting is the industrially accepted method for stent manufacturing. However, the laser-material interaction should be well investigated to control the quality characteristics of the microcutting process that concern the surface roughness, chemical composition, and microstructure of the final device. Despite the recent developments in industrial laser systems, a universal laser source that can be manipulated flexibly in terms of process parameters is far from reality. Therefore, comparative studies are required to demonstrate processing capabilities. In particular, the laser pulse duration is a key factor determining the processing regime. This work approaches the laser microcutting of AZ31 Mg alloy from the perspective of a comparative study to evaluate the machining capabilities in continuous wave (CW), ns- and fs-pulsed regimes. Three industrial grade machining systems were compared to reach a benchmark in machining quality, productivity, and ease of postprocessing. The results confirmed that moving toward the ultrashort pulse domain the machining quality increases, but the need for postprocessing remains. The real advantage of ultrashort pulsed machining was the ease in postprocessing and maintaining geometrical integrity of the stent mesh after chemical etching. Resultantly, the overall production cycle time was shortest for fs-pulsed laser system, despite the fact that CW laser system provided highest cutting speed
Graphene on Si(111)7x7
We demonstrate that it is possible to mechanically exfoliate graphene under
ultra high vacuum conditions on the atomically well defined surface of single
crystalline silicon. The flakes are several hundred nanometers in lateral size
and their optical contrast is very faint in agreement with calculated data.
Single layer graphene is investigated by Raman mapping. The G and 2D peaks are
shifted and narrowed compared to undoped graphene. With spatially resolved
Kelvin probe measurements we show that this is due to p-type doping with hole
densities of n_h \simeq 6x10^{12} cm^{-2}. The in vacuo preparation technique
presented here should open up new possibilities to influence the properties of
graphene by introducing adsorbates in a controlled way.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure
Airborne field strength monitoring
In civil and military aviation, ground based navigation aids (NAVAIDS) are still crucial for flight guidance even though the acceptance of satellite based systems (GNSS) increases. Part of the calibration process for NAVAIDS (ILS, DME, VOR) is to perform a flight inspection according to specified methods as stated in a document (DOC8071, 2000) by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). One major task is to determine the coverage, or, in other words, the true signal-in-space field strength of a ground transmitter. This has always been a challenge to flight inspection up to now, since, especially in the L-band (DME, 1GHz), the antenna installed performance was known with an uncertainty of 10 dB or even more. In order to meet ICAO's required accuracy of ±3 dB it is necessary to have a precise 3-D antenna factor of the receiving antenna operating on the airborne platform including all losses and impedance mismatching. Introducing precise, effective antenna factors to flight inspection to achieve the required accuracy is new and not published in relevant papers yet. The authors try to establish a new balanced procedure between simulation and validation by airborne and ground measurements. This involves the interpretation of measured scattering parameters gained both on the ground and airborne in comparison with numerical results obtained by the multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA) accelerated method of moments (MoM) using a complex geometric model of the aircraft. First results will be presented in this paper
Pressure Induced Quantum Critical Point and Non-Fermi-Liquid Behavior in BaVS3
The phase diagram of BaVS3 is studied under pressure using resistivity
measurements. The temperature of the metal to nonmagnetic Mott insulator
transition decreases under pressure, and vanishes at the quantum critical point
p_cr=20kbar. We find two kinds of anomalous conducting states. The
high-pressure metallic phase is a non-Fermi liquid described by Delta rho = T^n
where n=1.2-1.3 at 1K < T < 60K. At p<p_cr, the transition is preceded by a
wide precursor region with critically increasing resistivity which we ascribe
to the opening of a soft Coulomb gap.Comment: 4 pages, 5 eps figures, problem with figure correcte
A perspective from extinct radionuclides on a Young Stellar Object: The Sun and its accretion disk
Meteorites, which are remnants of solar system formation, provide a direct
glimpse into the dynamics and evolution of a young stellar object (YSO), namely
our Sun. Much of our knowledge about the astrophysical context of the birth of
the Sun, the chronology of planetary growth from micrometer-sized dust to
terrestrial planets, and the activity of the young Sun comes from the study of
extinct radionuclides such as 26Al (t1/2 = 0.717 Myr). Here we review how the
signatures of extinct radionuclides (short-lived isotopes that were present
when the solar system formed and that have now decayed below detection level)
in planetary materials influence the current paradigm of solar system
formation. Particular attention is given to tying meteorite measurements to
remote astronomical observations of YSOs and modeling efforts. Some extinct
radionuclides were inherited from the long-term chemical evolution of the
Galaxy, others were injected into the solar system by a nearby supernova, and
some were produced by particle irradiation from the T-Tauri Sun. The chronology
inferred from extinct radionuclides reveals that dust agglomeration to form
centimeter-sized particles in the inner part of the disk was very rapid (<50
kyr), planetesimal formation started early and spanned several million years,
planetary embryos (possibly like Mars) were formed in a few million years, and
terrestrial planets (like Earth) completed their growths several tens of
million years after the birth of the Sun.Comment: 49 pages, 9 figures, 1 table. Uncorrected preprin
Research Project as Boundary Object: negotiating the conceptual design of a tool for International Development
This paper reflects on the relationship between who one designs for and what one designs in the unstructured space of designing for political change; in particular, for supporting âInternational Developmentâ with ICT. We look at an interdisciplinary research project with goals and funding, but no clearly defined beneficiary group at start, and how amorphousness contributed to impact. The reported project researched a bridging tool to connect producers with consumers across global contexts and show players in the
supply chain and their circumstances. We explore how both the nature of the research and the toolâs function became contested as work progressed. To tell this tale, we invoke
the idea of boundary objects and the value of tacking back and forth between elastic meanings of the projectâs artefacts and processes. We examine the projectâs role in India, Chile and other arenas to draw out ways that it functioned as a catalyst and how absence of committed design choices acted as an unexpected strength in reaching its goals
The role of pre-school quality in promoting resilience in the cognitive development of young children
The study reported here investigates the role of pre-school education as a protective factor in the development of children who are at risk due to environmental and individual factors. This investigation builds upon earlier research by examining different kinds of 'quality' in early education and tests the hypothesis that pre-schools of high quality can moderate the impacts of risks upon cognitive development. Cognitive development was measured in 2857 English pre-schoolers at 36 and 58 months of age, together with 22 individual risks to children's development, and assessments were made of the quality of their pre-school provision. Multilevel Structural Equation Modelling revealed that: the global quality of pre-school can moderate the effects of familial risk (such as poverty); the relationships between staff and children can moderate the effects of child level risk (such as low birth weight); and the specific quality of curricular provision can moderate the effects of both. Policy makers need to take quality into account in their efforts to promote resilience in young 'at risk' children through early childhood services
QRAT+: Generalizing QRAT by a More Powerful QBF Redundancy Property
The QRAT (quantified resolution asymmetric tautology) proof system simulates
virtually all inference rules applied in state of the art quantified Boolean
formula (QBF) reasoning tools. It consists of rules to rewrite a QBF by adding
and deleting clauses and universal literals that have a certain redundancy
property. To check for this redundancy property in QRAT, propositional unit
propagation (UP) is applied to the quantifier free, i.e., propositional part of
the QBF. We generalize the redundancy property in the QRAT system by QBF
specific UP (QUP). QUP extends UP by the universal reduction operation to
eliminate universal literals from clauses. We apply QUP to an abstraction of
the QBF where certain universal quantifiers are converted into existential
ones. This way, we obtain a generalization of QRAT we call QRAT+. The
redundancy property in QRAT+ based on QUP is more powerful than the one in QRAT
based on UP. We report on proof theoretical improvements and experimental
results to illustrate the benefits of QRAT+ for QBF preprocessing.Comment: preprint of a paper to be published at IJCAR 2018, LNCS, Springer,
including appendi
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