2,420 research outputs found
Spontaneous parity breaking of graphene in the quantum Hall regime
We propose that the inversion symmetry of the graphene honeycomb lattice is
spontaneously broken via a magnetic field dependent Peierls distortion. This
leads to valley splitting of the Landau level but not of the other Landau
levels. Compared to quantum Hall valley ferromagnetism recently discussed in
the literature, lattice distortion provides an alternative explanation to all
the currently observed quantum Hall plateaus in graphene.Comment: 4 pages, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Measurements and understanding of radon adsorption in nanoporous materials
International audienceFor many experiments working at low energy and very low counting rate in particle and astroparticle physics, the background from the Radon decay chain is one of the strongest constraints. Most of the time, activated charcoal filters are used to dynamically capture the radon from the air or from the gas of the detectors. In general case activated charcoal is a good adsorptive material. It has large effective surface and broad porosity, going from macro to nanopores. However, the big constraints from futures experiments need ad hoc radon capture filters. The optimal adsorption depends on various parameters such as the correct pore size and shape, the temperature, the microscopic structure of the adsorbent or the competition between radon and carrier gas. In this context, we have developed at Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille (CPPM), a test bench to study the radon capture in various porous materials1. Several very interesting results have been already obtained with non-standard, commercially and research adsorbents like some Carbon Molecular Sieves (CMS), organic molecular cage (CC3)2, or carbon aerogels.In this talk we present a global quantitative and qualitative study of radon adsorption in porous materials. This work is the results of the analysis of more than 30 porous materials in the framework of the collaboration between particle physicist and chemist from several universities
Superconductivity in domains with corners
We study the two-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau functional in a domain with
corners for exterior magnetic field strengths near the critical field where the
transition from the superconducting to the normal state occurs. We discuss and
clarify the definition of this field and obtain a complete asymptotic expansion
for it in the large regime. Furthermore, we discuss nucleation of
superconductivity at the boundary
Ionospheric storm effects in the nighttime E region caused by neutralized ring current particles
Propagation dynamics on networks featuring complex topologies
Analytical description of propagation phenomena on random networks has
flourished in recent years, yet more complex systems have mainly been studied
through numerical means. In this paper, a mean-field description is used to
coherently couple the dynamics of the network elements (nodes, vertices,
individuals...) on the one hand and their recurrent topological patterns
(subgraphs, groups...) on the other hand. In a SIS model of epidemic spread on
social networks with community structure, this approach yields a set of ODEs
for the time evolution of the system, as well as analytical solutions for the
epidemic threshold and equilibria. The results obtained are in good agreement
with numerical simulations and reproduce random networks behavior in the
appropriate limits which highlights the influence of topology on the processes.
Finally, it is demonstrated that our model predicts higher epidemic thresholds
for clustered structures than for equivalent random topologies in the case of
networks with zero degree correlation.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, 1 Appendix. Published in Phys. Rev. E (mistakes
in the PRE version are corrected here
Risks associated with endotoxins in feed additives produced by fermentation
Acknowledgements We thank Jordi Tarrés Call, who recorded the discussions and offered advice about procedures, and Nicole Reisinger and Gerd Schatzmayr, who provided valuable information about endotoxins in animal feeds. The Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health is funded by the Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) of the Scottish Government.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
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