Anderson localization in a correlated fermionic mixture

A mixture of two fermionic species with different masses is studied in an optical lattice. The heavy fermions are subject only to thermal fluctuations, the light fermions also to quantum fluctuations. We derive the Ising-like distribution for the heavy atoms and study the localization properties of the light fermions numerically by a transfer-matrix method. In a two-dimensional system one-parameter scaling of the localization length is found with a transition from delocalized states at low temperatures to localized states at high temperature. The critical exponent of the localization length is $\nu\approx 0.88$.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Robust Transport Properties in Graphene

Two-dimensional Dirac fermions are used to discuss quasiparticles in graphene in the presence of impurity scattering. Transport properties are completely dominated by diffusion. This may explain why recent experiments did not find weak localization in graphene. The diffusion coefficient of the quasiparticles decreases strongly with increasing strength of disorder. Using the Kubo formalism, however, we find a robust minimal conductivity that is independent of disorder. This is a consequence of the fact that the change of the diffusion coefficient is fully compensated by a change of the number of delocalized quasiparticle states.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Modeling of the saturation current of a fission chamber taking into account the distorsion of electric field due to space charge effects

Fission chambers were first made fifty years ago for neutron detection. At the moment, the French Atomic Energy Commission \textsf{(CEA-Cadarache)} is developing a sub-miniature fission chamber technology with a diameter of 1.5 mm working in the current mode (Bign). To be able to measure intense fluxes, it is necessary to adjust the chamber geometry and the gas pressure before testing it under real neutron flux. In the present paper, we describe a theoretical method to foresee the current-voltage characteristics (sensitivity and saturation plateau) of a fission chamber whose geometrical features are given, taking into account the neutron flux to be measured (spectrum and intensity). The proposed theoretical model describes electric field distortion resulting from charge collection effect. A computer code has been developed on this model basis. Its application to 3 kinds of fission chambers indicates excellent agreement between theoretical model and measured characteristics

Evolution of field spiral galaxies up to redshifts z=1

We have gained VLT/FORS spectra and HST/ACS images of a sample of 220 distant field spiral galaxies. Spatially resolved rotation curves were extracted and fitted with synthetic velocity fields that take into account all geometric and observational effects, like blurring due to the slit width and seeing influence. The maximum rotation velocity Vmax could be determined for 124 galaxies that cover the redshift range 0.1<z<1.0. The luminosity-rotation velocity distribution of this sample is offset from the Tully-Fisher relation (TFR) of local low-mass spirals, whereas the distant high-mass spirals are compatible with the local TFR. We show that the slope of the local and the intermediate-z TFR would be in compliance if its scatter decreased by more than a factor of 3 between z~0.5 and z~0. On the other hand, the distant low-luminosity disks have much lower stellar M/L ratios than their local counterparts, while high-luminosity disks barely evolved in M/L over the covered redshift range. This could be the manifestation of the "downsizing" effect, i.e. the succesive shift of the peak of star formation from high-mass to low-mass galaxies towards lower redshifts. This trend might be canceled out in the TF diagram due to the simultaneous evolution of multiple parameters. We also estimate the ratios between stellar and total masses, finding that these remained constant since z=1, as would be expected in the context of hierarchically growing structure. (Abridged)Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, ApJ, accepte

SCRIPTKELL : a tool for measuring cognitive effort and time processing in writing and other complex cognitive activities

We present SCRIPTKELL, a computer-assisted experimental tool that makes it possible to measure the time and cognitive effort allocated to the subprocesses of writing and other cognitive activities, SCRIPTKELL was designed to easily use and modulate Kellogg's (1986) triple-task procedure,.which consists of a combination of three tasks: a writing task (or another task), a reaction time task (auditory signal detection), and a directed retrospection task (after each signal detection during writing). We demonstrate how this tool can be used to address several novel empirical and theoretical issues. In sum, SCRIPTKELL should facilitate the flexible realization of experimental designs and the investigation of critical issues concerning the functional characteristics of complex cognitive activities

Short note on the excitonic Mott phase

An exciton gas on a lattice is analyzed in terms of a convergent hopping expansion. For a given chemical potential our calculation provides a sufficient condition for the hopping rate to obtain an exponential decay of the exciton correlation function. This result indicates the existence of a Mott phase in which strong fluctuations destroy the long range correlations in the exciton gas at any temperature, either by thermal or by quantum fluctuations.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur

Quantized Transport in Two-Dimensional Spin-Ordered Structures

We study in detail the transport properties of a model of conducting electrons in the presence of double-exchange between localized spins arranged on a 2D Kagome lattice, as introduced by Ohgushi, Murakami, and Nagaosa (2000). The relationship between the canting angle of the spin texture $\theta$ and the Berry phase field flux per triangular plaquette $\phi$ is derived explicitly and we emphasize the similarities between this model and Haldane's honeycomb lattice version of the quantum Hall effect (Haldane, 1988). The quantization of the transverse (Hall) conductivity $\sigma_{xy}$ is derived explicitly from the Kubo formula and a direct calculation of the longitudinal conductivity $\sigma_{xx}$ shows the existence of a metal-insulator transition as a function of the canting angle $\theta$ (or flux density $\phi$). This transition might be linked to that observable in the manganite compounds or in the pyrochlore ones, as the spin ordering changes from ferromagnetic to canted.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figure

Sensitive linear response of an electron-hole superfluid in a periodic potential

We consider excitons in a two-dimensional periodic potential and study the linear response of the excitonic superfluid to an electromagnetic wave at low and high densities. It turns out that the static structure factor for small wavevectors is very sensitive to a change of density and temperature. It is a consequence of the fact that thermal fluctuations play a crucial role at small wavevectors, since exchanging the order of the two limits, zero temperature and vanishing wavevector, leads to different results for the structure factor. This effect could be used for high accuracy measurements in the superfluid exciton phase, which might be realized by a gated electron-hole gas. The transition of the exciton system from the superfluid state to a non-superfluid state and its manifestation by light scattering are discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Interacting bosons in an optical lattice: Bose-Einstein condensates and Mott insulator

A dense Bose gas with hard-core interaction is considered in an optical lattice. We study the phase diagram in terms of a special mean-field theory that describes a Bose-Einstein condensate and a Mott insulator with a single particle per lattice site for zero as well as for non-zero temperatures. We calculate the densities, the excitation spectrum and the static structure factor for each of these phases.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures; 1 figure added, typos remove