3,913 research outputs found
Stellar wobble caused by a nearby binary system: eccentric and inclined orbits
Most extrasolar planets currently known were discovered by means of an
indirect method that measures the stellar wobble caused by the planet. We
previously studied a triple system composed of a star and a nearby binary on
circular coplanar orbits. We showed that although the effect of the binary on
the star can be differentiated from the stellar wobble caused by a planet,
because of observational limitations the two effects may often remain
indistinguishable. Here, we develop a model that applies to eccentric and
inclined orbits. We show that the binary's effect is more likely to be mistaken
by planet(s) in the case of coplanar motion observed equator-on. Moreover, when
the orbits are eccentric, the magnitude of the binary's effect may be larger
than in the circular case. Additionally, an eccentric binary can mimic two
planets with orbital periods in the ratio 2/1. However, when the star's orbit
around the binary's center of mass has a high eccentricity and a reasonably
well-constrained period, it should be easier to distinguish the binary's effect
from a planet.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, 2 table
A semi-empirical stability criterion for real planetary systems
We test a crossing orbit stability criterion for eccentric planetary systems,
based on Wisdom's criterion of first order mean motion resonance overlap
(Wisdom, 1980).
We show that this criterion fits the stability regions in real exoplanet
systems quite well. In addition, we show that elliptical orbits can remain
stable even for regions where the apocenter distance of the inner orbit is
larger than the pericenter distance of the outer orbit, as long as the initial
orbits are aligned.
The analytical expressions provided here can be used to put rapid constraints
on the stability zones of multi-planetary systems. As a byproduct of this
research, we further show that the amplitude variations of the eccentricity can
be used as a fast-computing stability indicator.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures. MNRAS accepte
Correlated versus Uncorrelated Stripe Pinning: the Roles of Nd and Zn Co-Doping
We investigate the stripe pinning produced by Nd and Zn co-dopants in
cuprates via a renormalization group approach. The two dopants play
fundamentally different roles in the pinning process. While Nd induces a
correlated pinning potential that traps the stripes in a flat phase and
suppresses fluctuations, Zn pins the stripes in a disordered manner and
promotes line meandering. We obtain the zero temperature phase diagram and
compare our results with neutron scattering data. A good agreement is found
between theory and experiment.Comment: To appear at the proceedings of the LLD2K Conference Tsukuba, July
2000, Japan. 4 pages, 2 figure
Genesis of the Floquet Hofstadter butterfly
We investigate theoretically the spectrum of a graphene-like sample
(honeycomb lattice) subjected to a perpendicular magnetic field and irradiated
by circularly polarized light. This system is studied using the Floquet
formalism, and the resulting Hofstadter spectrum is analyzed for different
regimes of the driving frequency. For lower frequencies, resonances of various
copies of the spectrum lead to intricate formations of topological gaps. In the
Landau-level regime, new wing-like gaps emerge upon reducing the driving
frequency, thus revealing the possibility of dynamically tuning the formation
of the Hofstadter butterfly. In this regime, an effective model may be
analytically derived, which allows us to retrace the energy levels that exhibit
avoided crossings and ultimately lead to gap structures with a wing-like shape.
At high frequencies, we find that gaps open for various fluxes at , and
upon increasing the amplitude of the driving, gaps also close and reopen at
other energies. The topological invariants of these gaps are calculated and the
resulting spectrum is elucidated. We suggest opportunities for experimental
realization and discuss similarities with Landau-level structures in non-driven
systems.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
Proposed Spontaneous Generation of Magnetic Fields by Curved Layers of a Chiral Superconductor
We demonstrate that two-dimensional chiral superconductors on curved surfaces
spontaneously develop magnetic flux. This geometric Meissner effect provides an
unequivocal signature of chiral super- conductivity, which could be observed in
layered materials under stress. We also employ the effect to explain some
puzzling questions related to the location of zero-energy Majorana modes
Tuning edge state localization in graphene nanoribbons by in-plane bending
The electronic properties of graphene are influenced by both geometric
confinement and strain. We study the electronic structure of in-plane bent
graphene nanoribbons, systems where confinement and strain are combined. To
understand its electronic properties, we develop a tight-binding model that has
a small computational cost and is based on exponentially decaying hopping and
overlap parameters. Using this model, we show that the edge states in zigzag
graphene nanoribbons are sensitive to bending and develop an effective
dispersion that can be described by a one-dimensional atomic chain model.
Because the velocity of the electrons at the edge is proportional to the slope
of the dispersion, the edge states become gradually delocalized upon increasing
the strength of bending.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
Creep of current-driven domain-wall lines: intrinsic versus extrinsic pinning
We present a model for current-driven motion of a magnetic domain-wall line,
in which the dynamics of the domain wall is equivalent to that of an overdamped
vortex line in an anisotropic pinning potential. This potential has both
extrinsic contributions due to, e.g., sample inhomogeneities, and an intrinsic
contribution due to magnetic anisotropy. We obtain results for the domain-wall
velocity as a function of current for various regimes of pinning. In
particular, we find that the exponent characterizing the creep regime depends
strongly on the presence of a dissipative spin transfer torque. We discuss our
results in the light of recent experiments on current-driven domain-wall creep
in ferromagnetic semiconductors, and suggest further experiments to corroborate
our model.Comment: For figure in GIF format, see
http://www.phys.uu.nl/~duine/mapping.gif v2: (hopefully) visible EPS figure
added. v2: expanded new versio
Stripe dynamics in presence of disorder and lattice potentials
We study the influence of disorder and lattice pinning on the dynamics of a
charged stripe. Starting from a phenomenological model of a discrete quantum
string, we determine the phase diagram for this system. Three regimes are
identified, the free phase, the flat phase pinned by the lattice, and the
disorder pinned phase. In the absence of impurities, the system can be mapped
onto a 1D array of Josephson junctions. The results are compared with
measurements on nickelates and cuprates and a good qualitative agreement is
found between our results and the experimental data.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
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