Nonequilibrium Fluctuation Relation for Sheared Micellar Gel in a Jammed State

We show that the shear rate at a fixed shear stress in a micellar gel in a jammed state exhibits large fluctuations, showing positive and negative values, with the mean shear rate being positive. The resulting probability distribution functions (PDF's) of the global power flux to the system vary from Gaussian to non-Gaussian, depending on the driving stress and in all cases show similar symmetry properties as predicted by Gallavotti-Cohen steady state fluctuation relation. The fluctuation relation allows us to determine an effective temperature related to the structural constraints of the jammed state. We have measured the stress dependence of the effective temperature. Further, experiments reveal that the effective temperature and the standard deviation of the shear rate fluctuations increase with the decrease of the system size.Comment: 5 pages 3 figure

Black Hole Accretion: From Quasars to Nano-Quasars

In this review we shall comment on a few recent findings which strengthen the view that the black hole accretion has substantial amount of sub-Keplerian component. The manifestation of this component is many fold. We discuss some of them. A general outline of the complex structure that emerges from the multitude of observations is presented. A detailed outline of what might be going on in outburst sources is also discussed. The relationship amount the spectral and timing properties can be best understood by this picture. We claim that the sub-Keplerian advective disk paradigm is a complete package. Since signatures of sub-Keplerian motion is already increasing in the literature, the whole package must be correct.Comment: 7 Pages, 2 Figures, Proceeding of the 2nd Kolkata Conference on "Observational Evidence for the Black Holes in the Universe", Published in AIP, 200

Ground state of an S=1/2S=1/2 distorted diamond chain - model of Cu3Cl6(H2O)2⋅2H8C4SO2\rm Cu_3 Cl_6 (H_2 O)_2 \cdot 2H_8 C_4 SO_2

We study the ground state of the model Hamiltonian of the trimerized $S=1/2$ quantum Heisenberg chain $\rm Cu_3 Cl_6 (H_2 O)_2 \cdot 2H_8 C_4 SO_2$ in which the non-magnetic ground state is observed recently. This model consists of stacked trimers and has three kinds of coupling constants between spins; the intra-trimer coupling constant $J_1$ and the inter-trimer coupling constants $J_2$ and $J_3$. All of these constants are assumed to be antiferromagnetic. By use of the analytical method and physical considerations, we show that there are three phases on the $\tilde J_2 - \tilde J_3$ plane ($\tilde J_2 \equiv J_2/J_1$, $\tilde J_3 \equiv J_3/J_1$), the dimer phase, the spin fluid phase and the ferrimagnetic phase. The dimer phase is caused by the frustration effect. In the dimer phase, there exists the excitation gap between the two-fold degenerate ground state and the first excited state, which explains the non-magnetic ground state observed in $\rm Cu_3 Cl_6 (H_2 O)_2 \cdot 2H_8 C_4 SO_2$. We also obtain the phase diagram on the $\tilde J_2 - \tilde J_3$ plane from the numerical diagonalization data for finite systems by use of the Lanczos algorithm.Comment: LaTeX2e, 15 pages, 21 eps figures, typos corrected, slightly detailed explanation adde