Pd/Cu Site Interchange and Non-Fermi-Liquid Behavior in UCu_4Pd

X-ray-absorption fine-structure measurements of the local structure in UCu_4Pd are described which indicate a probable lattice-disorder origin for non-Fermi-liquid behavior in this material. Short Pd-Cu distances are observed, consistent with 24 +/- 3% of the Pd atoms occupying nominally Cu sites. A "Kondo disorder" model, based on the effect on the local Kondo temperature T_K of this interchange and some additional bond-length disorder, agrees quantitatively with previous experimental susceptibility data, and therefore also with specific heat and magnetic resonance experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 3 PostScript figures, to be published in PR

Dynamics of disordered heavy Fermion systems

Dynamics of the disordered heavy Fermion model of Dobrosavljevic et al. are calculated using an expression for the spectral function of the Anderson model which is consistent with quantum Monte Carlo results. We compute the self-energy for three distributions of Kondo scales including the distribution of Bernal et al. for UCu{5-x}Pd{x}. The corresponding low temperature optical conductivity shows a low-frequency pseudogap, a negative optical mass enhancement, and a linear in frequency transport scattering rate, consistent with results in Y{1-x}U{x}Pd{3} and UCu{5-x}Pd{x}.Comment: 5 pages, LaTeX and 4 PS figure

Microwave conductivity of laser ablated YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) superconducting films and its relation to microstrip transmission line performance

The discovery of high temperature superconductor oxides has raised the possibility of a new class of millimeter and microwave devices operating at temperatures considerably higher than liquid helium temperatures. Therefore, materials properties such as conductivity, current density, and sheet resistance as a function of temperature and frequency, possible anisotropies, moisture absorption, thermal expansion, and others, have to be well characterized and understood. The millimeter wave response of laser ablated YBa2Cu3O(7-delta)/LaAlO3 thin films was studied as a function of temperature and frequency. In particular, the evaluation of their microwave conductivity was emphasized, since knowledge of this parameter provides a basis for the derivation of other relevant properties of these superconducting oxides, and for using them in the fabrication of actual passive circuits. The microwave conductivity for these films was measured at frequencies from 26.5 to 40.0 GHz, in the temperature range from 20 to 300 K. The values of the conductivity are obtained from the millimeter wave power transmitted through the films, using a two fluid model

Generalized Totalizer Encoding for Pseudo-Boolean Constraints

Pseudo-Boolean constraints, also known as 0-1 Integer Linear Constraints, are used to model many real-world problems. A common approach to solve these constraints is to encode them into a SAT formula. The runtime of the SAT solver on such formula is sensitive to the manner in which the given pseudo-Boolean constraints are encoded. In this paper, we propose generalized Totalizer encoding (GTE), which is an arc-consistency preserving extension of the Totalizer encoding to pseudo-Boolean constraints. Unlike some other encodings, the number of auxiliary variables required for GTE does not depend on the magnitudes of the coefficients. Instead, it depends on the number of distinct combinations of these coefficients. We show the superiority of GTE with respect to other encodings when large pseudo-Boolean constraints have low number of distinct coefficients. Our experimental results also show that GTE remains competitive even when the pseudo-Boolean constraints do not have this characteristic.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables. To be published in 21st International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming 201

Multivariate analyses of genotype x environment interaction of popcorn.

The objectives of this work were to evaluate the genotype x environment (GxE) interaction for popcorn and to compare two multivariate analyses methods. Nine popcorn cultivars were sown on four dates one month apart during each of the agricultural years 1998/1999 and 1999/2000. The experiments were carried out using randomized block designs, with four replicates. The cv. Zélia contributed the least to the GxE interaction. The cv. Viçosa performed similarly to cv. Rosa-claro. Optimization of GxE was obtained for cv. CMS 42 for a favorable mega-environment, and for cv. CMS 43 for an unfavorable environment. Multivariate analysis supported the results from the method of Eberhart & Russell. The graphic analysis of the Additive Main effects and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) model was simple, allowing conclusions to be made about stability, genotypic performance, genetic divergence between cultivars, and the environments that optimize cultivar performance. The graphic analysis of the Genotype main effects and Genotype x Environment interaction (GGE) method added to AMMI information on environmental stratification, defining mega-environments and the cultivars that optimized performance in those mega-environments. Both methods are adequate to explain the genotype x environment interactions. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar a interação genótipo x ambiente (GxA) em milho-pipoca e comparar dois métodos de análise multivariada (AMMI e GGE). Os tratamentos foram nove cultivares de milho-pipoca, plantadas em quatro épocas de semeadura em cada ano de cultivo em 1998/1999 e 1999/2000. O delineamento foi em blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições. A cultivar Zélia foi a que menos contribuiu para a interação GxA. As cultivares Viçosa e Rosa-claro mostraram desempenhos similares. A otimização da interação GxA foi obtida com a cv. CMS 42 para mega-ambientes favoráveis e com a cv. CMS 43 para ambientes desfavoráveis. Os resultados das análises multivariadas corroboraram os resultados do método de Eberhart & Russell. A análise gráfica do método Additive Main effects and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) é simples e permite tirar conclusões sobre estabilidade, desempenho genotípico, divergência genética das cultivares, e sobre os ambientes que otimizam o desempenho das cultivares. A análise gráfica do método Genotype main effects and Genotype x Environment interaction (GGE) acrescentou informações de estratificação ambiental ao AMMI e definiu mega-ambientes e as cultivares que tiveram suas performances otimizadas nesses ambientes. Ambos os métodos são adequados para explicar a interação genótipo x ambiente

Localized charged states and phase separation near second order phase transition

Localized charged states and phase segregation are described in the framework of the phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau theory of phase transitions. The Coulomb interactions determines the charge distribution and the characteristic length of the phase separated states. The phase separation with charge segregation becomes possible because of the large dielectric constant and the small density of extra charge in the range of charge localization. The phase diagram is calculated and the energy gain of the phase separated state is estimated. The role of the Coulomb interaction is elucidated

Periodically modulated geometric and electronic structure of graphene on Ru(0001)

We report here on a method to fabricate and characterize highly perfect, periodically rippled graphene monolayers and islands, epitaxially grown on single crystal metallic substrates under controlled UHV conditions. The periodicity of the ripples is dictated by the difference in lattice parameters of graphene and substrate, and, thus, it is adjustable. We characterize its perfection at the atomic scale by means of STM and determine its electronic structure in the real space by local tunnelling spectroscopy. There are periodic variations in the geometric and electronic structure of the graphene monolayer. We observe inhomogeneities in the charge distribution, i.e a larger occupied Density Of States at the higher parts of the ripples. Periodically rippled graphene might represent the physical realization of an ordered array of coupled graphene quantum dots. The data show, however, that for rippled graphene on Ru(0001) both the low and the high parts of the ripples are metallic. The fabrication of periodically rippled graphene layers with controllable characteristic length and different bonding interactions with the substrate will allow a systematic experimental test of this fundamental problem.Comment: 12 pages. Contribution to the topical issue on graphene of Semiconductor Science and Technolog

Rotating Hele-Shaw cells with ferrofluids

We investigate the flow of two immiscible, viscous fluids in a rotating Hele-Shaw cell, when one of the fluids is a ferrofluid and an external magnetic field is applied. The interplay between centrifugal and magnetic forces in determining the instability of the fluid-fluid interface is analyzed. The linear stability analysis of the problem shows that a non-uniform, azimuthal magnetic field, applied tangential to the cell, tends to stabilize the interface. We verify that maximum growth rate selection of initial patterns is influenced by the applied field, which tends to decrease the number of interface ripples. We contrast these results with the situation in which a uniform magnetic field is applied normally to the plane defined by the rotating Hele-Shaw cell.Comment: 12 pages, 3 ps figures, RevTe