255 research outputs found
High-Order Coupled Cluster Method (CCM) Calculations for Quantum Magnets with Valence-Bond Ground States
In this article, we prove that exact representations of dimer and plaquette
valence-bond ket ground states for quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnets may be
formed via the usual coupled cluster method (CCM) from independent-spin product
(e.g. N\'eel) model states. We show that we are able to provide good results
for both the ground-state energy and the sublattice magnetization for dimer and
plaquette valence-bond phases within the CCM. As a first example, we
investigate the spin-half -- model for the linear chain, and we show
that we are able to reproduce exactly the dimerized ground (ket) state at
. The dimerized phase is stable over a range of values for
around 0.5. We present evidence of symmetry breaking by considering
the ket- and bra-state correlation coefficients as a function of . We
then consider the Shastry-Sutherland model and demonstrate that the CCM can
span the correct ground states in both the N\'eel and the dimerized phases.
Finally, we consider a spin-half system with nearest-neighbor bonds for an
underlying lattice corresponding to the magnetic material CaVO (CAVO).
We show that we are able to provide excellent results for the ground-state
energy in each of the plaquette-ordered, N\'eel-ordered, and dimerized regimes
of this model. The exact plaquette and dimer ground states are reproduced by
the CCM ket state in their relevant limits.Comment: 34 pages, 13 figures, 2 table
Contrasting species and functional beta diversity in montane ant assemblages
Aim Beta diversity describes the variation in species composition between sites and can be used to infer why different species occupy different parts of the globe. It can be viewed in a number of ways. First, it can be partitioned into two distinct patterns: turnover and nestedness. Second, it can be investigated from either a species identity or a functional-trait point of view. We aim to document for the first time how these two aspects of beta diversity vary in response to a large environmental gradient. Location Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains, southern Africa. Methods We sampled ant assemblages along an extensive elevational gradient
(900–3000 m a.s.l.) twice yearly for 7 years, and collected functional-trait information related to the species’ dietary and habitat-structure preferences. We used recently developed methods to partition species and functional beta diversity into their turnover and nestedness components. A series of null models were used to test whether the observed beta diversity patterns differed from random expectations. Results Species beta diversity was driven by turnover, but functional beta diversity was composed of both turnover and nestedness patterns at different parts of the gradient. Null models revealed that deterministic processes were likely to be responsible for the species patterns but that the functional changes were indistinguishable from stochasticity. Main conclusions Different ant species are found with increasing elevation, but they tend to represent an increasingly nested subset of the available functional strategies. This finding is unique and narrows down the list of possible
factors that control ant existence across elevation. We conclude that diet and
habitat preferences have little role in structuring ant assemblages in montane
environments and that some other factor must be driving the non-random patterns of species turnover. This finding also highlights the importance of distinguishing
between different kinds of beta diversity
Dynamical study on polaron formation in a metal/polymer/metal structure
By considering a metal/polymer/metal structure within a tight-binding
one-dimensional model, we have investigated the polaron formation in the
presence of an electric field. When a sufficient voltage bias is applied to one
of the metal electrodes, an electron is injected into the polymer chain, then a
self-trapped polaron is formed at a few hundreds of femtoseconds while it moves
slowly under a weak electric field (not larger than V/cm).
At an electric field between V/cm and V/cm,
the polaron is still formed, since the injected electron is bounded between the
interface barriers for quite a long time. It is shown that the electric field
applied at the polymer chain reduces effectively the potential barrier in the
metal/polymer interface
Differential Geometry applied to Acoustics : Non Linear Propagation in Reissner Beams
Although acoustics is one of the disciplines of mechanics, its
"geometrization" is still limited to a few areas. As shown in the work on
nonlinear propagation in Reissner beams, it seems that an interpretation of the
theories of acoustics through the concepts of differential geometry can help to
address the non-linear phenomena in their intrinsic qualities. This results in
a field of research aimed at establishing and solving dynamic models purged of
any artificial nonlinearity by taking advantage of symmetry properties
underlying the use of Lie groups. The geometric constructions needed for
reduction are presented in the context of the "covariant" approach.Comment: Submitted to GSI2013 - Geometric Science of Informatio
Infinitesimal and local convexity of a hypersurface in a semi-Riemannian manifold
Given a Riemannian manifold M and a hypersurface H in M, it is well known
that infinitesimal convexity on a neighborhood of a point in H implies local
convexity. We show in this note that the same result holds in a semi-Riemannian
manifold. We make some remarks for the case when only timelike, null or
spacelike geodesics are involved. The notion of geometric convexity is also
reviewed and some applications to geodesic connectedness of an open subset of a
Lorentzian manifold are given.Comment: 14 pages, AMSLaTex, 2 figures. v2: typos fixed, added one reference
and several comments, statement of last proposition correcte
Foreground removal from CMB temperature maps using an MLP neural network
One of the main obstacles in extracting the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)
signal from observations in the mm-submm range is the foreground contamination
by emission from galactic components: mainly synchrotron, free-free and thermal
dust emission. Due to the statistical nature of the intrinsic CMB signal it is
essential to minimize the systematic errors in the CMB temperature
determinations. Following the available knowledge of the spectral behavior of
the galactic foregrounds simple, power law-like spectra have been assumed. The
feasibility of using a simple neural network for extracting the CMB temperature
signal from the combined CMB and foreground signals has been investigated. As a
specific example, we have analysed simulated data, like that expected from the
ESA Planck Surveyor mission. A simple multilayer perceptron neural network with
2 hidden layers can provide temperature estimates, over more than 80 percent of
the sky, that are to a high degree uncorrelated with the foreground signals. A
single network will be able to cover the dynamic range of the Planck noise
level over the entire sky.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics and Space Scienc
Convex domains of Finsler and Riemannian manifolds
A detailed study of the notions of convexity for a hypersurface in a Finsler
manifold is carried out. In particular, the infinitesimal and local notions of
convexity are shown to be equivalent. Our approach differs from Bishop's one in
his classical result (Bishop, Indiana Univ Math J 24:169-172, 1974) for the
Riemannian case. Ours not only can be extended to the Finsler setting but it
also reduces the typical requirements of differentiability for the metric and
it yields consequences on the multiplicity of connecting geodesics in the
convex domain defined by the hypersurface.Comment: 22 pages, AMSLaTex. Typos corrected, references update
Quantum magnetism in two dimensions: From semi-classical N\'eel order to magnetic disorder
This is a review of ground-state features of the s=1/2 Heisenberg
antiferromagnet on two-dimensional lattices. A central issue is the interplay
of lattice topology (e.g. coordination number, non-equivalent nearest-neighbor
bonds, geometric frustration) and quantum fluctuations and their impact on
possible long-range order. This article presents a unified summary of all 11
two-dimensional uniform Archimedean lattices which include e.g. the square,
triangular and kagome lattice. We find that the ground state of the spin-1/2
Heisenberg antiferromagnet is likely to be semi-classically ordered in most
cases. However, the interplay of geometric frustration and quantum fluctuations
gives rise to a quantum paramagnetic ground state without semi-classical
long-range order on two lattices which are precisely those among the 11 uniform
Archimedean lattices with a highly degenerate ground state in the classical
limit. The first one is the famous kagome lattice where many low-lying singlet
excitations are known to arise in the spin gap. The second lattice is called
star lattice and has a clear gap to all excitations.
Modification of certain bonds leads to quantum phase transitions which are
also discussed briefly. Furthermore, we discuss the magnetization process of
the Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the 11 Archimedean lattices, focusing on
anomalies like plateaus and a magnetization jump just below the saturation
field. As an illustration we discuss the two-dimensional Shastry-Sutherland
model which is used to describe SrCu2(BO3)2.Comment: This is now the complete 72-page preprint version of the 2004 review
article. This version corrects two further typographic errors (three total
with respect to the published version), see page 2 for detail
Cytokine Expression by Inflammatory Cells Obtained from the Spinal Cords of Lewis Rats with Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Induced by Inoculation with Myelin Basic Protein and Adjuvants
Inflammatory cells were obtained from the spinal cords of rats with acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis EAE induced by inoculation with myelin basic protein MBP and adjuvants. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction RT-PCR was used to investigate the expression of mRNA for interleukin-2 IL-2 , IL-4, IL-10 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) by cells from groups of rats studied 10-21 days after inoculation. On all days of study, the inflammatory cells, which were predominantly lymphocytes, expressed mRNA for IL-2, IL-4, IL-10 and IFN-gamma. In the mRNA from normal rat spinal cord tissue, there was little expression of cytokine mRNA. Cells from a short-term MBP-reactive T cell line expressed all the cytokines. Densitometry was used to measure the products of PCR, to assess the expression of each cytokine relative to that of beta-actin. IL-2 mRNA was expressed throughout the course of disease and reached a peak on day 18, during late clinical recovery. IFN-gamma was expressed throughout the course of the disease and was also high during late recovery. IL-4 mRNA was present in the spinal cord throughout the course of the disease, with a slight rise during late recovery. Relative expression of IL-10 rose to a peak on days 17-19, during late recovery from clinical disease. This study indicates that IL-2, IL-4, IL-10 and IFN-gamma are expressed by inflammatory cells in the spinal cord in EAE, with the relative expression of all cytokines being high during late clinical recovery
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