1,394 research outputs found
Person to Person in Norway
While still in the midst of their study abroad experiences, students at Linfield College write reflective essays. Their essays address issues of cultural similarity and difference, compare lifestyles, mores, norms, and habits between their host countries and home, and examine changes in perceptions about their host countries and the United States. In this essay, Amber Hay describes her observations during her study abroad program at Telemark University College in Bø, Norway
Storage of classical information in quantum spins
Digital magnetic recording is based on the storage of a bit of information in
the orientation of a magnetic system with two stable ground states. Here we
address two fundamental problems that arise when this is done on a quantized
spin: quantum spin tunneling and back-action of the readout process. We show
that fundamental differences exist between integer and semi-integer spins when
it comes to both, read and record classical information in a quantized spin.
Our findings imply fundamental limits to the miniaturization of magnetic bits
and are relevant to recent experiments where spin polarized scanning tunneling
microscope reads and records a classical bit in the spin orientation of a
single magnetic atom
Systematic computation of crystal field multiplets for X-ray core spectroscopies
We present a new approach to computing multiplets for core spectroscopies,
whereby the crystal field is constructed explicitly from the positions and
charges of surrounding atoms. The simplicity of the input allows the
consideration of crystal fields of any symmetry, and in particular facilitates
the study of spectroscopic effects arising from low symmetry environments. The
interplay between polarization directions and crystal field can also be
conveniently investigated. The determination of the multiplets proceeds from a
Dirac density functional atomic calculation, followed by the exact
diagonalization of the Coulomb, spin-orbit and crystal field interactions for
the electrons in the open shells. The eigenstates are then used to simulate
X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering spectra.
In examples ranging from high symmetry down to low symmetry environment,
comparisons with experiments are done with unadjusted model parameters as well
as with semi-empirically optimized ones. Furthermore, predictions for the RIXS
of low-temperature MnO and for Dy in a molecular complex are proposed.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Kramers-Kronig, Bode, and the meaning of zero
The implications of causality, as captured by the Kramers-Kronig relations
between the real and imaginary parts of a linear response function, are
familiar parts of the physics curriculum. In 1937, Bode derived a similar
relation between the magnitude (response gain) and phase. Although the
Kramers-Kronig relations are an equality, Bode's relation is effectively an
inequality. This perhaps-surprising difference is explained using elementary
examples and ultimately traces back to delays in the flow of information within
the system formed by the physical object and measurement apparatus.Comment: 8 pages; American Journal of Physics, to appea
Topological Modes in Dual Lattice Models
Lattice gauge theory with gauge group is reconsidered in four
dimensions on a simplicial complex . One finds that the dual theory,
formulated on the dual block complex , contains topological modes
which are in correspondence with the cohomology group ,
in addition to the usual dynamical link variables. This is a general phenomenon
in all models with single plaquette based actions; the action of the dual
theory becomes twisted with a field representing the above cohomology class. A
similar observation is made about the dual version of the three dimensional
Ising model. The importance of distinct topological sectors is confirmed
numerically in the two dimensional Ising model where they are parameterized by
.Comment: 10 pages, DIAS 94-3
Quantum phase interference and spin parity in Mn12 single-molecule magnets
Magnetization measurements of Mn12 molecular nanomagnets with spin ground
states of S = 10 and S = 19/2 showresonance tunneling at avoided energy level
crossings. The observed oscillations of the tunnel probability as a function of
the magnetic field applied along the hard anisotropy axis are due to
topological quantum phase interference of two tunnel paths of opposite
windings. Spin-parity dependent tunneling is established by comparing the
quantum phase interference of integer and half-integer spin systems.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Microscopic mechanisms of thermal and driven diffusion of non rigid molecules on surfaces
The motion of molecules on solid surfaces is of interest for technological
applications such as catalysis and lubrication, but it is also a theoretical
challenge at a more fundamental level. The concept of activation barriers is
very convenient for the interpretation of experiments and as input for Monte
Carlo simulations but may become inadequate when mismatch with the substrate
and molecular vibrations are considered. We study the simplest objects
diffusing on a substrate at finite temperature , namely an adatom and a
diatomic molecule (dimer), using the Langevin approach. In the driven case, we
analyse the characteristic curves, comparing the motion for different values of
the intramolecular spacing, both for T=0 and . The mobility of the
dimer is higher than that of the monomer when the drift velocity is less than
the natural stretching frequency. The role of intramolecular excitations is
crucial in this respect. In the undriven case, the diffusive dynamics is
considered as a function of temperature. Contrary to atomic diffusion, for the
dimer it is not possible to define a single, temperature independent,
activation barrier. Our results suggest that vibrations can account for drastic
variations of the activation barrier. This reveals a complex behaviour
determined by the interplay between vibrations and a temperature dependent
intramolecular equilibrium length.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Proceeding of the EMRS 2002 Conference, to be
published in Thin Solid Film
Toward a method for assessing the energy impacts of telecommuting based on time-use data
Most telecommuting (TC) studies focus on travel impacts and do not consider changes in time spent on non-travel activities (e.g. ‘leisure’) and the energy impacts of these changes. We demonstrate a time-use approach to assess interrelations between changes in commuting time and time spent on travel and non-travel activities and associated energy impacts. Time-use data analysis shows that spending less time on commuting is associated with more time spent on ‘sleep’, ‘leisure’, ‘personal, household and family care’, ‘private travel’ and ‘eating and drinking’. Substituting car commuting with ‘sleep’, ‘eating and drinking’, common ‘leisure’ and ‘personal, household and family care’ activities is likely to reduce energy requirements as these are associated with less energy requirements than car commuting. This is different for ‘private travel’, ‘meal preparation at home’, and energy-intensive or out-of-home ‘leisure’ activities, which are associated with relatively high energy requirements. The commute modal split is a key variable in energy impacts of TC, because transport modes differ in their energy requirements. While car commuters can realize high energy savings through TC, for people who usually bike or walk to work, direct energy savings through reduced commuting are zero. Thus, any additional energy impact due to substitute activities, increases net direct energy requirements. Future research should further investigate the relationship between TC and time spent on (non-)travel activities and the marginal energy requirements of these activities. If so, the time-use approach can become key for assessing energy impacts of TC and other applications which impact individual time allocation
Q^2 Evolution of Generalized Baldin Sum Rule for the Proton
The generalized Baldin sum rule for virtual photon scattering, the
unpolarized analogy of the generalized Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integral, provides
an important way to investigate the transition between perturbative QCD and
hadronic descriptions of nucleon structure. This sum rule requires integration
of the nucleon structure function F_1, which until recently had not been
measured at low Q^2 and large x, i.e. in the nucleon resonance region. This
work uses new data from inclusive electron-proton scattering in the resonance
region obtained at Jefferson Lab, in combination with SLAC deep inelastic
scattering data, to present first precision measurements of the generalized
Baldin integral for the proton in the Q^2 range of 0.3 to 4.0 GeV^2.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, one table; text added, one figure replace
Cornelius Lanczos's derivation of the usual action integral of classical electrodynamics
The usual action integral of classical electrodynamics is derived starting
from Lanczos's electrodynamics -- a pure field theory in which charged
particles are identified with singularities of the homogeneous Maxwell's
equations interpreted as a generalization of the Cauchy-Riemann regularity
conditions from complex to biquaternion functions of four complex variables. It
is shown that contrary to the usual theory based on the inhomogeneous Maxwell's
equations, in which charged particles are identified with the sources, there is
no divergence in the self-interaction so that the mass is finite, and that the
only approximation made in the derivation are the usual conditions required for
the internal consistency of classical electrodynamics. Moreover, it is found
that the radius of the boundary surface enclosing a singularity interpreted as
an electron is on the same order as that of the hypothetical "bag" confining
the quarks in a hadron, so that Lanczos's electrodynamics is engaging the
reconsideration of many fundamental concepts related to the nature of
elementary particles.Comment: 16 pages. Final version to be published in "Foundations of Physics
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