385 research outputs found
Itinerant Ferromagnetism in the electronic localization limit
We present Hall effect, , and magnetoresistance, ,
measurements of ultrathin films of Ni, Co and Fe with thicknesses varying
between 0.2-8 nm and resistances between 1 M - 100 Both
measurements show that films having resistance above a critical value, ,
(thickness below a critical value, ) show no signs for ferromagnetism.
Ferromagnetism appears only for films with , where is material
dependent. We raise the possibility that the reason for the absence of
spontaneous magnetization is suppression of itinerant ferromagnetism by
electronic disorder in the strong localization regime.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Absence of weak antilocalization in ferromagnetic films
We present magnetoresistance measurements performed on ultrathin films of
amorphous Ni and Fe. In these films the Curie temperature drops to zero at
small thickness, making it possible to study the effect of ferromagnetism on
localization. We find that non-ferromagnetic films are characterized by
positive magnetoresistance. This is interpreted as resulting from weak
antilocalization due to strong Bychkov-Rashba spin orbit scattering. As the
films become ferromagnetic the magnetoresistance changes sign and becomes
negative. We analyze our data to identify the individual contributions of weak
localization, weak antilocalization and anisotropic magnetoresistance and
conclude that the magnetic order suppresses the influence of spin-orbit effects
on localization phenomena in agreement with theoretical predictions.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
What is the Discrete Gauge Symmetry of the MSSM?
We systematically study the extension of the Supersymmetric Standard Model
(SSM) by an anomaly-free discrete gauge symmetry Z_N. We extend the work of
Ibanez and Ross with N=2,3 to arbitrary values of N. As new fundamental
symmetries, we find four Z_6, nine Z_9 and nine Z_18. We then place three
phenomenological demands upon the low-energy effective SSM: (i) the presence of
the mu-term in the superpotential, (ii) baryon-number conservation upto
dimension-five operators, and (iii) the presence of the see-saw neutrino mass
term LHLH. We are then left with only two anomaly-free discrete gauge
symmetries: baryon-triality, B_3, and a new Z_6, which we call proton-hexality,
P_6. Unlike B_3, P_6 prohibits the dimension-four lepton-number violating
operators. This we propose as the discrete gauge symmetry of the Minimal SSM,
instead of R-parity.Comment: Typo in item 2 below Eq.(6.9) corrected (wrong factor of "3"); 27
pages, 5 table
Borel-Cantelli sequences
A sequence in is called Borel-Cantelli (BC) if
for all non-increasing sequences of positive real numbers with
the set
has full Lebesgue measure. (To put it informally, BC
sequences are sequences for which a natural converse to the Borel-Cantelli
Theorem holds).
The notion of BC sequences is motivated by the Monotone Shrinking Target
Property for dynamical systems, but our approach is from a geometric rather
than dynamical perspective. A sufficient condition, a necessary condition and a
necessary and sufficient condition for a sequence to be BC are established. A
number of examples of BC and not BC sequences are presented.
The property of a sequence to be BC is a delicate diophantine property. For
example, the orbits of a pseudo-Anosoff IET (interval exchange transformation)
are BC while the orbits of a "generic" IET are not.
The notion of BC sequences is extended to more general spaces.Comment: 20 pages. Some proofs clarifie
The art of being human : a project for general philosophy of science
Throughout the medieval and modern periods, in various sacred and secular guises, the unification of all forms of knowledge under the rubric of âscienceâ has been taken as the prerogative of humanity as a species. However, as our sense of species privilege has been called increasingly into question, so too has the very salience of âhumanityâ and âscienceâ as general categories, let alone ones that might bear some essential relationship to each other. After showing how the ascendant Stanford School in the philosophy of science has contributed to this joint demystification of âhumanityâ and âscienceâ, I proceed on a more positive note to a conceptual framework for making sense of science as the art of being human. My understanding of âscienceâ is indebted to the red thread that runs from Christian theology through the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment to the Humboldtian revival of the university as the site for the synthesis of knowledge as the culmination of self-development. Especially salient to this idea is scienceâs epistemic capacity to manage modality (i.e. to determine the conditions under which possibilities can be actualised) and its political capacity to organize humanity into projects of universal concern. However, the challenge facing such an ideal in the twentyfirst century is that the predicate âhumanâ may be projected in three quite distinct ways, governed by what I call âecologicalâ, âbiomedicalâ and âcyberneticâ interests. Which one of these future humanities would claim todayâs humans as proper ancestors and could these futures co-habit the same world thus become two important questions that general philosophy of science will need to address in the coming years
Measuring Progress in Robotics: Benchmarking and the âMeasure-Target Confusionâ
While it is often said that in order to qualify as a true science robotics should aspire to reproducible and measurable results that allow benchmarking, I argue that a focus on benchmarking will be a hindrance for progress. Several academic disciplines that have been led into pursuing only reproducible and measurable âscientificâ resultsârobotics should be careful not to fall into that trap. Results that can be benchmarked must be specific and context-dependent, but robotics targets whole complex systems independently of a specific contextâso working towards progress on the technical measure risks missing that target. It would constitute aiming for the measure rather than the target: what I call âmeasure-target confusionâ. The role of benchmarking in robotics shows that the more general problem to measure progress towards more intelligent machines will not be solved by technical benchmarks; we need a balanced approach with technical benchmarks, real-life testing and qualitative judgment
The generating rank of the unitary and symplectic Grassmannians
AbstractWe prove that the Grassmannian of totally isotropic k-spaces of the polar space associated to the unitary group SU2n(F) (nâN) has generating rank (2nk) when Fâ F4. We also reprove the main result of Blok (2007) [3], namely that the Grassmannian of totally isotropic k-spaces associated to the symplectic group Sp2n(F) has generating rank (2nk)â(2nkâ2), when Char(F)â 2
A better life through information technology? The techno-theological eschatology of posthuman speculative science
This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the article, published in Zygon 41(2) pp.267-288, which has been published in final form at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118588124/issueThe depiction of human identity in the pop-science futurology of engineer/inventor Ray Kurzweil, the speculative-robotics of Carnegie Mellon roboticist Hans Moravec and the physics of Tulane University mathematics professor Frank Tipler elevate technology, especially information technology, to a point of ultimate significance. For these three figures, information technology offers the potential means by which the problem of human and cosmic finitude can be rectified. Although Moravecâs vision of intelligent robots, Kurzweilâs hope for immanent human immorality, and Tiplerâs description of human-like von Neumann probe colonising the very material fabric of the universe, may all appear to be nothing more than science fictional musings, they raise genuine questions as to the relationship between science, technology, and religion as regards issues of personal and cosmic eschatology. In an attempt to correct what I see as the âcybernetic-totalismâ inherent in these âtechno-theologiesâ, I will argue for a theology of technology, which seeks to interpret technology hermeneutically and grounds human creativity in the broader context of divine creative activity
Confined water dynamics in a hydrated photosynthetic pigment-protein complex
© This journal is the Owner Societies. Water is of fundamental importance for life. It plays a critical role in all biological systems. In p hycocyanin, a pigment-protein complex, the hydration level influences its absorption spectrum. However, there is currently a gap in the understanding of how protein interfaces affect water's structure and properties. This work presents combined dielectric and calorimetric measurements of hydrated phycocyanin with different levels of hydration in a broad temperature interval. Based on the dielectric and calorimetric tests, it was shown that two types of water exist in the phycocyanin hydration shell. One is confined water localized inside the phycocyanin ring and the second is the water that is embedded in the protein structure and participates in the protein solvation. The water confined in the phycocyanin ring melts at the temperature 195 ± 3 K and plays a role in the solvation at higher temperatures. Moreover, the dynamics of all types of water was found to be effected by the presence of the ionic buffer
Knowledge politics and new converging technologies: a social epistemological perspective
The ânew converging technologiesâ refers to the prospect of advancing the human condition by the integrated study and application of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and the cognitive sciences - or âNBICâ. In recent years, it has loomed large, albeit with somewhat different emphases, in national science policy agendas throughout the world. This article considers the political and intellectual sources - both historical and contemporary - of the converging technologies agenda. Underlying it is a fluid conception of humanity that is captured by the ethically challenging notion of âenhancing evolutionâ
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