1,517 research outputs found
Contributions of the low-latitude boundary layer to the finite width magnetotail convection model
Convection of plasma within the terrestrial nightside plasma sheet contributes to the structure and, possibly, the dynamical evolution of the magnetotail. In order to characterize the steady state convection process, we have extended the finite tail width model of magnetotail plasma sheet convection. The model assumes uniform plasma sources and accounts for both the duskward gradient/curvature drift and the earthward E × B drift of ions in a two-dimensional magnetic geometry. During periods of slow convection (i.e., when the cross-tail electric potential energy is small relative to the source plasma\u27s thermal energy), there is a significant net duskward displacement of the pressure-bearing ions. The electrons are assumed to be cold, and we argue that this assumption is appropriate for plasma sheet parameters. We generalize solutions previously obtained along the midnight meridian to describe the variation of the plasma pressure and number density across the width of the tail. For a uniform deep-tail source of particles, the plasma pressure and number density are unrealistically low along the near-tail dawn flank. We therefore add a secondary source of plasma originating from the dawnside low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL). The dual plasma sources contribute to the plasma pressure and number density throughout the magnetic equatorial plane. Model results indicate that the LLBL may be a significant source of near-tail central plasma sheet plasma during periods of weak convection. The model predicts a cross-tail pressure gradient from dawn to dusk in the near magnetotail. We suggest that the plasma pressure gradient is balanced in part by an oppositely directed magnetic pressure gradient for which there is observational evidence. Finally, the pressure to number density ratio is used to define the plasma “temperature.” We stress that such quantities as temperature and polytropic index must be interpreted with care as they lose their nominal physical significance in regions where the two-source plasmas intermix appreciably and the distributions become non-Maxwellian
On inward motion of the magnetopause preceding a substorm
Magnetopause inward motion preceding magnetic storms observed by means of OGO-E magnetomete
Relative timing of substorm onset phenomena
[1] In this paper we examine the temporal ordering of midtail flow bursts, Pi2 pulsations, and auroral arc brightening at substorm onset. We present three substorm events for which the Geotail spacecraft was situated at local midnight, near the inner edge of the plasmasheet. We show that high-speed, convective Earthward directed plasma flows observed by Geotail occurred 1–3 min before auroral onset as observed by the Polar Visible Imaging System and Ultraviolet Imager auroral imagers on board the Polar spacecraft. We also show that the onsets of both nightside Pi2 pulsations and magnetic bay variations were simultaneous with auroral onset. We argue that these observations lend strong support to the flow burst-driven model of magnetotail dynamics. We also examine a high-latitude magnetic precursor to onset and show that it is likely due to the currents expected from the passage of a flow burst through the plasmasheet prior to substorm onset. Finally, we calculate an analytic expression for this current and show that it is unlikely to generate discrete auroral structures
Topological Aspect of high- Superconductivity, Fractional Quantum Hall Effect and Berry Phase
We have analysed here the equivalence of RVB states with FQH states
in terms of the Berry Phase which is associated with the chiral anomaly in 3+1
dimensions. It is observed that the 3-dimensional spinons and holons are
characterised by the non-Abelian Berry phase and these reduce to 1/2 fractional
statistics when the motion is confined to the equatorial planes. The
topological mechanism of superconductivity is analogous to the topological
aspects of fractional quantum Hall effect with .Comment: 12 pages latex fil
Nematic phase of the two-dimensional electron gas in a magnetic field
The two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in moderate magnetic fields in
ultra-clean AlAs-GaAs heterojunctions exhibits transport anomalies suggestive
of a compressible, anisotropic metallic state. Using scaling arguments and
Monte Carlo simulations, we develop an order parameter theory of an electron
nematic phase. The observed temperature dependence of the resistivity
anisotropy behaves like the orientational order parameter if the transition to
the nematic state occurs at a finite temperature, , and is
slightly rounded by a small background microscopic anisotropy. We propose a
light scattering experiment to measure the critical susceptibility.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Electron spin relaxation of N@C60 in CS2
We examine the temperature dependence of the relaxation times of the
molecules N@C60 and N@C70 (which comprise atomic nitrogen trapped within a
carbon cage) in liquid CS2 solution. The results are inconsistent with the
fluctuating zero field splitting (ZFS) mechanism, which is commonly invoked to
explain electron spin relaxation for S > 1/2 spins in liquid solution, and is
the mechanism postulated in the literature for these systems. Instead, we find
a clear Arrhenius temperature dependence for N@C60, indicating the spin
relaxation is driven primarily by an Orbach process. For the asymmetric N@C70
molecule, which has a permanent non-zero ZFS, we resolve an additional
relaxation mechanism caused by the rapid reorientation of its ZFS. We also
report the longest coherence time (T2) ever observed for a molecular electron
spin, being 0.25 ms at 170K.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures V2: Updated to published versio
Electronic inhomogeneity at magnetic domain walls in strongly-correlated systems
We show that nano-scale variations of the order parameter in
strongly-correlated systems can induce local spatial regions such as domain
walls that exhibit electronic properties representative of a different, but
nearby, part of the phase diagram. This is done by means of a Landau-Ginzburg
analysis of a metallic ferromagnetic system near an antiferromagnetic phase
boundary. The strong spin gradients at a wall between domains of different spin
orientation drive the formation of a new type of domain wall, where the central
core is an insulating antiferromagnet, and connects two metallic ferromagnetic
domains. We calculate the charge transport properties of this wall, and find
that its resistance is large enough to account for recent experimental results
in colossal magnetoresistance materials. The technological implications of this
finding for switchable magnetic media are discussed.Comment: Version submitted to Physical Review Letters, except for minor
revisions to reference
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