12,020 research outputs found
Size-independent Young's modulus of inverted conical GaAs nanowire resonators
We explore mechanical properties of top down fabricated, singly clamped
inverted conical GaAs nanowires. Combining nanowire lengths of 2-9 m with
foot diameters of 36-935 nm yields fundamental flexural eigenmodes spanning two
orders of magnitude from 200 kHz to 42 MHz. We extract a size-independent value
of Young's modulus of (453) GPa. With foot diameters down to a few tens of
nanometers, the investigated nanowires are promising candidates for
ultra-flexible and ultra-sensitive nanomechanical devices
Mott metal-insulator transition on compressible lattices
The critical properties of the finite temperature Mott endpoint are
drastically altered by a coupling to crystal elasticity, i.e., whenever it is
amenable to pressure tuning. Similar as for critical piezoelectric
ferroelectrics, the Ising criticality of the electronic system is preempted by
an isostructural instability, and long-range shear forces suppress microscopic
fluctuations. As a result, the endpoint is governed by Landau criticality. Its
hallmark is thus a breakdown of Hooke's law of elasticity with a non-linear
strain-stress relation characterized by a mean-field exponent. Based on a
quantitative estimate, we predict critical elasticity to dominate the
temperature range DeltaT/Tc ~ 8% close to the Mott endpoint of
kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2X.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
A Field-Induced Re-Entrant Novel Phase and A Ferroelectric-Magnetic Order Coupling in HoMnO3
A re-entrant novel phase has been observed in the hexagonal ferroelectric
HoMnO3 in the presence of magnetic fields, in the temperature ranges defined by
the plateau of the dielectric constant anomaly. The dielectric plateau evolves
with fields from a narrow sharp dielectric peak at the Mn-spin rotation
transition at 32.8 K in zero magnetic field. Such a field-induced dielectric
plateau anomaly appears both in the temperature sweep at a constant field and
in the field sweep at a constant temperature without detectable hysteresis.
This is attributed to the indirect coupling between the ferroelectric and
antiferromagnetic orders, arising from an antiferromagnetic domain wall effect,
where the magnetic order parameter of the Mn subsystem has to change sign
across the ferroelectric domain wall in the compound, that influences the
ferroelectric domains via a local magnetostrictive effect
Optical doping and damage formation in AIN by Eu implantation
AlN films grown on sapphire were implanted with 300 keV Eu ions to fluences from 3×1014 to 1.4×1017 atoms/cm2 in two different geometries: “channeled” along the c-axis and “random” with a 10° angle between the ion beam and the surface normal. A detailed study of implantation damage accumulation is presented. Strong ion channeling effects are observed leading to significantly decreased damage levels for the channeled implantation within the entire fluence range. For random implantation, a buried amorphous layer is formed at the highest fluences. Red Eu-related photoluminescence at room temperature is observed in all samples with highest intensities for low damage samples (low fluence and channeled implantation) after annealing. Implantation damage, once formed, is shown to be stable up to very high temperatures.FCT - POCI/FIS/57550/2004FCT - PTDC/FIS/66262/2006FCT - PTDC/CTM/100756/200
Runtime Distributions and Criteria for Restarts
Randomized algorithms sometimes employ a restart strategy. After a certain
number of steps, the current computation is aborted and restarted with a new,
independent random seed. In some cases, this results in an improved overall
expected runtime. This work introduces properties of the underlying runtime
distribution which determine whether restarts are advantageous. The most
commonly used probability distributions admit the use of a scale and a location
parameter. Location parameters shift the density function to the right, while
scale parameters affect the spread of the distribution. It is shown that for
all distributions scale parameters do not influence the usefulness of restarts
and that location parameters only have a limited influence. This result
simplifies the analysis of the usefulness of restarts. The most important
runtime probability distributions are the log-normal, the Weibull, and the
Pareto distribution. In this work, these distributions are analyzed for the
usefulness of restarts. Secondly, a condition for the optimal restart time (if
it exists) is provided. The log-normal, the Weibull, and the generalized Pareto
distribution are analyzed in this respect. Moreover, it is shown that the
optimal restart time is also not influenced by scale parameters and that the
influence of location parameters is only linear
Renormalization of the BCS-BEC crossover by order parameter fluctuations
We use the functional renormalization group approach with partial
bosonization in the particle-particle channel to study the effect of order
parameter fluctuations on the BCS-BEC crossover of superfluid fermions in three
dimensions. Our approach is based on a new truncation of the vertex expansion
where the renormalization group flow of bosonic two-point functions is closed
by means of Dyson-Schwinger equations and the superfluid order parameter is
related to the single particle gap via a Ward identity. We explicitly calculate
the chemical potential, the single-particle gap, and the superfluid order
parameter at the unitary point and compare our results with experiments and
previous calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Some exact non-vacuum Bianchi VI0 and VII0 instantons
We report some new exact instantons in general relativity. These solutions
are K\"ahler and fall into the symmetry classes of Bianchi types VI0 and VII0,
with matter content of a stiff fluid. The qualitative behaviour of the
solutions is presented, and we compare it to the known results of the
corresponding self-dual Bianchi solutions. We also give axisymmetric Bianchi
VII0 solutions with an electromagnetic field.Comment: latex, 15 pages with 3 eps figure
The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. I. Sample Selection, Photometric Calibration, and the Hubble Constant
We describe a program of surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) measurements
for determining galaxy distances. This paper presents the photometric
calibration of our sample and of SBF in general. Basing our zero point on
observations of Cepheid variable stars, we find that the absolute SBF magnitude
in the Kron-Cousins I band correlates well with the mean (V-I)o color of a
galaxy according to
M_Ibar = (-1.74 +/- 0.07) + (4.5 +/- 0.25) [ (V-I)o - 1.15 ]
for 1.0 < (V-I) < 1.3. This agrees well with theoretical estimates from
stellar population models. Comparisons between SBF distances and a variety of
other estimators, including Cepheid variable stars, the Planetary Nebula
Luminosity Function (PNLF), Tully-Fisher (TF), Dn-sigma, SNII, and SNIa,
demonstrate that the calibration of SBF is universally valid and that SBF error
estimates are accurate. The zero point given by Cepheids, PNLF, TF (both
calibrated using Cepheids), and SNII is in units of Mpc; the zero point given
by TF (referenced to a distant frame), Dn-sigma and SNIa is in terms of a
Hubble expansion velocity expressed in km/s. Tying together these two zero
points yields a Hubble constant of H_0 = 81 +/- 6 km/s/Mpc. As part of this
analysis, we present SBF distances to 12 nearby groups of galaxies where
Cepheids, SNII, and SNIa have been observed.Comment: 29 pages plus 8 figures; LaTeX (AASTeX) uses aaspp4.sty (included);
To appear in The Astrophysical Journal, 1997 February 1 issue; Compressed
PostScript available from ftp://mars.tuc.noao.edu/sbf
An Agent-Based Model of Collective Emotions in Online Communities
We develop a agent-based framework to model the emergence of collective
emotions, which is applied to online communities. Agents individual emotions
are described by their valence and arousal. Using the concept of Brownian
agents, these variables change according to a stochastic dynamics, which also
considers the feedback from online communication. Agents generate emotional
information, which is stored and distributed in a field modeling the online
medium. This field affects the emotional states of agents in a non-linear
manner. We derive conditions for the emergence of collective emotions,
observable in a bimodal valence distribution. Dependent on a saturated or a
superlinear feedback between the information field and the agent's arousal, we
further identify scenarios where collective emotions only appear once or in a
repeated manner. The analytical results are illustrated by agent-based computer
simulations. Our framework provides testable hypotheses about the emergence of
collective emotions, which can be verified by data from online communities.Comment: European Physical Journal B (in press), version 2 with extended
introduction, clarification
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