Ultraviolet spectroscopy of old novae and symbiotic stars

The IUE spectra are presented for two old novae and for two of the symbiotic variables. Prominent emission line spectra are revealed as a continuum whose appearance is effected by the system inclination. These data provide evidence for hot companions in the symbiotic stars, making plausible the binary model for these peculiar stars. Recent IUE spectra of dwarf novae provide additional support for the existence of optically thick accretion disks in active binary systems. The ultraviolet data of the eclipsing dwarf novae EX Hya and BV Cen appear flatter than for the noneclipsing systems, an effect which could be ascribed to the system inclination

Quantum-limited mass flow of liquid 3^{3}He

We consider theoretically the possibility of observing unusual quantum fluid behavior in liquid $^{3}$He and solutions of $^{3}$He in $^{4}$He systems confined to nano-channels. In the case of pure ballistic flow at very low temperature conductance will be quantized in units of $2m^{2}/h$. We show that these steps should be sensitive to increases in temperature. We also use of a random scattering matrix simulation to study flow with diffusive wall scattering. Universal conductance fluctuations analogous to those seen in electron systems should then be observable. Finally we consider the possibility of the cross-over to a one-dimensional system at sufficiently low temperature where the system could form a Luttinger liquid

Lattice-dynamics of a Disordered solid-solid Interface

Generic properties of elastic phonon transport at a disordered interface are studied. The results show that phonon transmittance is a strong function of frequency and the disorder correlation length. At frequencies lower than the van Hove singularity the transmittance at a given frequency increases as the correlation length decreases. At low frequencies, this is reflected by different power-laws for phonon conductance across correlated and uncorrelated disordered interfaces which are in approximate agreement with perturbation theory of an elastic continuum. These results can be understood in terms of simple mosaic and two-colour models of the interface.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PR

Femtosecond x rays from laser-plasma accelerators

Relativistic interaction of short-pulse lasers with underdense plasmas has recently led to the emergence of a novel generation of femtosecond x-ray sources. Based on radiation from electrons accelerated in plasma, these sources have the common properties to be compact and to deliver collimated, incoherent and femtosecond radiation. In this article we review, within a unified formalism, the betatron radiation of trapped and accelerated electrons in the so-called bubble regime, the synchrotron radiation of laser-accelerated electrons in usual meter-scale undulators, the nonlinear Thomson scattering from relativistic electrons oscillating in an intense laser field, and the Thomson backscattered radiation of a laser beam by laser-accelerated electrons. The underlying physics is presented using ideal models, the relevant parameters are defined, and analytical expressions providing the features of the sources are given. Numerical simulations and a summary of recent experimental results on the different mechanisms are also presented. Each section ends with the foreseen development of each scheme. Finally, one of the most promising applications of laser-plasma accelerators is discussed: the realization of a compact free-electron laser in the x-ray range of the spectrum. In the conclusion, the relevant parameters characterizing each sources are summarized. Considering typical laser-plasma interaction parameters obtained with currently available lasers, examples of the source features are given. The sources are then compared to each other in order to define their field of applications.Comment: 58 pages, 41 figure

Suppression of Giant Magnetoresistance by a superconducting contact

We predict that current perpendicular to the plane (CPP) giant magnetoresistance (GMR) in a phase-coherent magnetic multilayer is suppressed when one of the contacts is superconducting. This is a consequence of a superconductivity-induced magneto-resistive (SMR) effect, whereby the conductance of the ferromagnetically aligned state is drastically reduced by superconductivity. To demonstrate this effect, we compute the GMR ratio of clean (Cu/Co)_nCu and (Cu/Co)_nPb multilayers, described by an ab-initio spd tight binding Hamiltonian. By analyzing a simpler model with two orbitals per site, we also show that the suppression survives in the presence of elastic scattering by impurities.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to PR

Giant Backscattering Peak in Angle-Resolved Andreev Reflection

It is shown analytically and by numerical simulation that the angular distribution of Andreev reflection by a disordered normal-metal -- superconductor junction has a narrow peak at the angle of incidence. The peak is higher than the well-known coherent backscattering peak in the normal state, by a large factor G/G_0 (where G is the conductance of the junction and G_0=2e^2/h). The enhanced backscattering can be detected by means of ballistic point contacts.Comment: Instituut-Lorentz, Leiden, The Netherlands, 4 pages, REVTeX-3.0, 3 figure

Functional Sequential Treatment Allocation

Consider a setting in which a policy maker assigns subjects to treatments, observing each outcome before the next subject arrives. Initially, it is unknown which treatment is best, but the sequential nature of the problem permits learning about the effectiveness of the treatments. While the multi-armed-bandit literature has shed much light on the situation when the policy maker compares the effectiveness of the treatments through their mean, much less is known about other targets. This is restrictive, because a cautious decision maker may prefer to target a robust location measure such as a quantile or a trimmed mean. Furthermore, socio-economic decision making often requires targeting purpose specific characteristics of the outcome distribution, such as its inherent degree of inequality, welfare or poverty. In the present paper we introduce and study sequential learning algorithms when the distributional characteristic of interest is a general functional of the outcome distribution. Minimax expected regret optimality results are obtained within the subclass of explore-then-commit policies, and for the unrestricted class of all policies