Longitudinal spin relaxation in simple stochastic models for disordered systems

The relaxation of single probe spins was investigated for simple models of systems with quenched disorder. The spin relaxation was calculated for a two-site model with arbitrarily oriented magnetic fields and the result was averaged over various distributions of the fields, and of the hopping rates of the spin. On an intermediate time scale, a modified Kubo-Toyabe behavior is obtained for large hopping rates, in agreement with recent SR experiments. A stretched-exponential decay of the spin polarization is obtained at longer times. The Kohlrausch exponent is found to be field and hopping-rate dependent, in qualitative agreement with recent NMR and -NMR experiments. The resulting longitudinal relaxation rate still does not show the significant deviations from the Bloembergen-Purcell-Pound (BPP) behavior that are typical for glassy systems. Therefore, the random two-frequency model was extended to include time-dependent renewals of the environment. This modification may yield asymmetric peaks for the longitudinal relaxation rate in the BPP plot for very large renewal rates. © 1995 The American Physical Society

Relaxation at late stages in an entropy barrier model for glassy systems

The ground state dynamics of an entropy barrier model proposed recently for describing relaxation of glassy systems is considered. At stages of evolution the dynamics can be described by a simple variant of the Ehrenfest urn model. Analytical expression for the relaxation times from an arbitrary state to the ground state is derived. Upper and lower bounds for the relaxation times as a function of system size are obtained.Comment: 9 pages no figures. to appear in J.Phys. A: Math. and Ge

Sod-Seeding Alfalfa into Cool-season Grasses and Grass-Alfalfa Mixtures Using Glyphosate or Paraquat

Sod-seeding alfalfa into swards of smooth and meadow bromegrass, tail and intermediate wheatgrass, and orchardgrass and mixtures of these grasses with alfalfa using glyphosate or paraquat to suppress the existing vegetation was evabrated. Glyphosate (1.7 kg/ha) or paraquat (0.6 kg/ha) was applied 12 days prior to sod-seeding alfalfa (645 PLS/mz). Glyphosate completely suppressed or killed ail the grasses and as a result, excellent stands of aifaifa were obtained producing 5.8 to 6.4 Mg/ha the establishment year at Mead, Neb., without irrigation. The grass-alfalfa mixtures were also converted into pure stands of alfalfa by using glyphosate. Glyphosate suppressed but did not kill the existing alfalfa. Sodseeding in pure stands of grasses following paraquat application produced stands that were approximately 50% grass and 50% alfalfa. Paraquat bad a limited suppressive effect on alfalfa and sod-seeded alfalfa did not become established in plots containing old alfalfa

Characteristics of ferroelectric-ferroelastic domains in N{\'e}el-type skyrmion host GaV4_4S8_8

GaV$_4$S$_8$ is a multiferroic semiconductor hosting N{\'e}el-type magnetic skyrmions dressed with electric polarization. At T$_s$ = 42K, the compound undergoes a structural phase transition of weakly first-order, from a non-centrosymmetric cubic phase at high temperatures to a polar rhombohedral structure at low temperatures. Below T$_s$, ferroelectric domains are formed with the electric polarization pointing along any of the four $\left< 111 \right>$ axes. Although in this material the size and the shape of the ferroelectric-ferroelastic domains may act as important limiting factors in the formation of the N{\'e}el-type skyrmion lattice emerging below T$_C$=13\:K, the characteristics of polar domains in GaV$_4$S$_8$ have not been studied yet. Here, we report on the inspection of the local-scale ferroelectric domain distribution in rhombohedral GaV$_4$S$_8$ using low-temperature piezoresponse force microscopy. We observed mechanically and electrically compatible lamellar domain patterns, where the lamellae are aligned parallel to the (100)-type planes with a typical spacing between 100 nm-1.2 $\mu$m. We expect that the control of ferroelectric domain size in polar skyrmion hosts can be exploited for the spatial confinement and manupulation of N{\'e}el-type skyrmions

Mean-Field Treatment of the Many-Body Fokker-Planck Equation

We review some properties of the stationary states of the Fokker - Planck equation for N interacting particles within a mean field approximation, which yields a non-linear integrodifferential equation for the particle density. Analytical results show that for attractive long range potentials the steady state is always a precipitate containing one cluster of small size. For arbitrary potential, linear stability analysis allows to state the conditions under which the uniform equilibrium state is unstable against small perturbations and, via the Einstein relation, to define a critical temperature Tc separating two phases, uniform and precipitate. The corresponding phase diagram turns out to be strongly dependent on the pair-potential. In addition, numerical calculations reveal that the transition is hysteretic. We finally discuss the dynamics of relaxation for the uniform state suddenly cooled below Tc.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Continuum theory of vacancy-mediated diffusion

We present and solve a continuum theory of vacancy-mediated diffusion (as evidenced, for example, in the vacancy driven motion of tracers in crystals). Results are obtained for all spatial dimensions, and reveal the strongly non-gaussian nature of the tracer fluctuations. In integer dimensions, our results are in complete agreement with those from previous exact lattice calculations. We also extend our model to describe the vacancy-driven fluctuations of a slaved flux line.Comment: 25 Latex pages, subm. to Physical Review

Alfalfa Insect Management Studies 1971-77

Three tests in southwestern Nebraska during 1971 and 1972 evaluated insecticides against the army cutworm. Adult alfalfa weevils did not damage new second growth alfalfa in a small plot study during a 3-year period (1973-1975) at Gothenburg, NE. However, excellent control of larval alfalfa weevils was obtained. These results indicated a need to establish economic threshold levels for the alfalfa weevil in Nebraska to prevent unnecessary use of insecticides. Four tests to control the alfalfa weevil with registered insecticides verified the efficacy of these materials under Nebraska conditions. A series of tests conducted during 1975 at the Mead Field Laboratory were designed to evaluate plant resistance, cultural practices and insecticides. The use of alfalfa varieties with resistance to various insect pests of alfalfa appeared to be an ideal control method. During 1975-1977, a test was conducted each year at the Mead Field Laboratory to evaluate new experimental insecticides against the alfalfa weevil and other pest insects of alfalfa grown for forage. A number of the new insecticides showed promise against the alfalfa weevil and the pea aphid

Alfalfa Insect Management Studies 1971-77

Three tests in southwestern Nebraska during 1971 and 1972 evaluated insecticides against the army cutworm. Adult alfalfa weevils did not damage new second growth alfalfa in a small plot study during a 3-year period (1973-1975) at Gothenburg, NE. However, excellent control of larval alfalfa weevils was obtained. These results indicated a need to establish economic threshold levels for the alfalfa weevil in Nebraska to prevent unnecessary use of insecticides. Four tests to control the alfalfa weevil with registered insecticides verified the efficacy of these materials under Nebraska conditions. A series of tests conducted during 1975 at the Mead Field Laboratory were designed to evaluate plant resistance, cultural practices and insecticides. The use of alfalfa varieties with resistance to various insect pests of alfalfa appeared to be an ideal control method. During 1975-1977, a test was conducted each year at the Mead Field Laboratory to evaluate new experimental insecticides against the alfalfa weevil and other pest insects of alfalfa grown for forage. A number of the new insecticides showed promise against the alfalfa weevil and the pea aphid

Critical dimensions for random walks on random-walk chains

The probability distribution of random walks on linear structures generated by random walks in $d$-dimensional space, $P_d(r,t)$, is analytically studied for the case $\xi\equiv r/t^{1/4}\ll1$. It is shown to obey the scaling form $P_d(r,t)=\rho(r) t^{-1/2} \xi^{-2} f_d(\xi)$, where $\rho(r)\sim r^{2-d}$ is the density of the chain. Expanding $f_d(\xi)$ in powers of $\xi$, we find that there exists an infinite hierarchy of critical dimensions, $d_c=2,6,10,\ldots$, each one characterized by a logarithmic correction in $f_d(\xi)$. Namely, for $d=2$, $f_2(\xi)\simeq a_2\xi^2\ln\xi+b_2\xi^2$; for $3\le d\le 5$, $f_d(\xi)\simeq a_d\xi^2+b_d\xi^d$; for $d=6$, $f_6(\xi)\simeq a_6\xi^2+b_6\xi^6\ln\xi$; for $7\le d\le 9$, $f_d(\xi)\simeq a_d\xi^2+b_d\xi^6+c_d\xi^d$; for $d=10$, $f_{10}(\xi)\simeq a_{10}\xi^2+b_{10}\xi^6+c_{10}\xi^{10}\ln\xi$, {\it etc.\/} In particular, for $d=2$, this implies that the temporal dependence of the probability density of being close to the origin $Q_2(r,t)\equiv P_2(r,t)/\rho(r)\simeq t^{-1/2}\ln t$.Comment: LATeX, 10 pages, no figures submitted for publication in PR