Effect of the sample geometry on the second magnetization peak in single crystalline Ba0.63_{0.63}K0.37_{0.37}BiO3_3 thick film

Magnetization hysteresis loop $M(H)$ measurements performed on a single crystalline Ba$_{0.63}$K$_{0.37}$BiO$_3$ superconducting thick film reveal pronounced sample geometry dependence of the "second magnetization peak" (SMP), i.e. a maximum in the width of $M(H)$ occurring at the field $H_{\rm SMP}(T)$. In particular, it is found that the SMP vanishes decreasing the film dimension. We argue that the observed sample geometry dependence of the SMP cannot be accounted for by models which assume a vortex pinning enhancement as the origin of the SMP. Our results can be understood considering the thermomagnetic instability effect and/or non-uniform current distribution at $H < H_{\rm SMP}$ in large enough samples.Comment: 8 pages 3 figure

Running with Triplets: How Slepton Masses Change With Doubly-Charged Higgses

We examine the slepton masses of SUSYLR models and how they change due the presence of light-doubly charged higgs bosons. We discover that the measurement of the slepton masses could bound and even predict the value of the third generation Yukawa coupling of leptons to the SU(2)_R Triplets. We also consider the unification prospects for this model with the addition of left-handed, B - L = 0 triplets--a model we call the Triplet Extended Supersymmetric Standard Model (TESSM). Finally, we discuss the changes in the slepton masses due to the presence of the SU(2)_L triplets.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, 4 table

The role of hydrogen in room-temperature ferromagnetism at graphite surfaces

We present a x-ray dichroism study of graphite surfaces that addresses the origin and magnitude of ferromagnetism in metal-free carbon. We find that, in addition to carbon $\pi$ states, also hydrogen-mediated electronic states exhibit a net spin polarization with significant magnetic remanence at room temperature. The observed magnetism is restricted to the top $\approx$10 nm of the irradiated sample where the actual magnetization reaches $\simeq 15$ emu/g at room temperature. We prove that the ferromagnetism found in metal-free untreated graphite is intrinsic and has a similar origin as the one found in proton bombarded graphite.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, submitted to New Journal of Physic

Proton-induced magnetic order in carbon: SQUID measurements

In this work we have studied systematically the changes in the magnetic behavior of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) samples after proton irradiation in the MeV energy range. Superconducting quantum interferometer device (SQUID) results obtained from samples with thousands of localized spots of micrometer size as well on samples irradiated with a broad beam confirm previously reported results. Both, the para- and ferromagnetic contributions depend strongly on the irradiation details. The results indicate that the magnetic moment at saturation of spots of micrometer size is of the order of $10^{-10}$ emu.Comment: Invited contribution at ICACS2006 to be published in Nucl. Instr. and Meth. B. 8 pages and 6 figure

Seesaw Extended MSSM and Anomaly Mediation without Tachyonic Sleptons

Superconformal anomalies provide an elegant and economical way to understand the soft breaking parameters in SUSY models; however, implementing them leads to the several undesirable features including: tachyonic sleptons and electroweak symmetry breaking problems in both the MSSM and the NMSSM. Since these two theories also have the additonal problem of massless neutrinos, we have reconsidered the AMSB problems in a class of models that extends the NMSSM to explain small neutrino masses via the seesaw mechanism. In a recent paper, we showed that for a class of minimal left-right extensions, a built-in mechanism exists which naturally solves the tachyonic slepton problem and provides new alternatives to the MSSM that also have automatic R-parity conservation. In this paper, we discuss how electroweak symmetry breaking arises in this model through an NMSSM-like low energy theory with a singlet VEV, induced by the structure of the left-right extension and of the right magnitude. We then study the phenomenological issues and find: the LSP is an Higgsino-wino mix, new phenomenology for chargino decays to the LSP, degenerate same generation sleptons and a potential for a mild squark-slepton degeneracy. We also discuss possible collider signatures and the feasibility of dark matter in this model.Comment: 40 pages, 10 figures, 5 tables; v3: Added addendum and three new references; v4: Added reference that was inadvertently omitte

A combined first and second order variational approach for image reconstruction

In this paper we study a variational problem in the space of functions of bounded Hessian. Our model constitutes a straightforward higher-order extension of the well known ROF functional (total variation minimisation) to which we add a non-smooth second order regulariser. It combines convex functions of the total variation and the total variation of the first derivatives. In what follows, we prove existence and uniqueness of minimisers of the combined model and present the numerical solution of the corresponding discretised problem by employing the split Bregman method. The paper is furnished with applications of our model to image denoising, deblurring as well as image inpainting. The obtained numerical results are compared with results obtained from total generalised variation (TGV), infimal convolution and Euler's elastica, three other state of the art higher-order models. The numerical discussion confirms that the proposed higher-order model competes with models of its kind in avoiding the creation of undesirable artifacts and blocky-like structures in the reconstructed images -- a known disadvantage of the ROF model -- while being simple and efficiently numerically solvable.Comment: 34 pages, 89 figure