12,963 research outputs found
A phenomenological model of the superconducting state of the Bechgaard salts
We present a group theoretical analysis of the superconducting state of the
Bechgaard salts, e.g., (TMTSF)_2PF_6 or (TMTSF)_2ClO_6. We show that there are
eight symmetry distinct superconducting states. Of these only the (fully
gapped, even frequency, p-wave, triplet) 'polar state' is consistent with the
full range of the experiments on the Bechgaard salts. The gap of the polar
state is d(k) (psi_uk,0,0), where psi_uk may be any odd parity function that is
translationally invariant.Comment: 4 pages, no figure
Advanced turboprop testbed systems study. Volume 1: Testbed program objectives and priorities, drive system and aircraft design studies, evaluation and recommendations and wind tunnel test plans
The establishment of propfan technology readiness was determined and candidate drive systems for propfan application were identified. Candidate testbed aircraft were investigated for testbed aircraft suitability and four aircraft selected as possible propfan testbed vehicles. An evaluation of the four candidates was performed and the Boeing KC-135A and the Gulfstream American Gulfstream II recommended as the most suitable aircraft for test application. Conceptual designs of the two recommended aircraft were performed and cost and schedule data for the entire testbed program were generated. The program total cost was estimated and a wind tunnel program cost and schedule is generated in support of the testbed program
Magnetic excitations of the Cu quantum spin chain in SrCuPtO
We report the magnetic excitation spectrum as measured by inelastic neutron
scattering for a polycrystalline sample of SrCuPtO. Modeling the data
by the 2+4 spinon contributions to the dynamical susceptibility within the
chains, and with interchain coupling treated in the random phase approximation,
accounts for the major features of the powder-averaged structure factor. The
magnetic excitations broaden considerably as temperature is raised, persisting
up to above 100 K and displaying a broad transition as previously seen in the
susceptibility data. No spin gap is observed in the dispersive spin excitations
at low momentum transfer, which is consistent with the gapless spinon continuum
expected from the coordinate Bethe ansatz. However, the temperature dependence
of the excitation spectrum gives evidence of some very weak interchain
coupling.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
The declining representativeness of the British party system, and why it matters
In a recent article, Michael Laver has explained âWhy Vote-Seeking Parties May Make Voters Miserableâ. His model shows that, while ideological convergence may boost congruence between governments and the median voter, it can reduce congruence between the party system and the electorate as a whole. Specifically, convergence can increase the mean distance between voters and their nearest party. In this article we show that this captures the reality of todayâs British party system. Policy scale placements in British Election Studies from 1987 to 2010 confirm that the pronounced convergence during the past decade has left the Conservatives and Labour closer together than would be optimal in terms of minimising the policy distance between the average voter and the nearest major party. We go on to demonstrate that this comes at a cost. Respondents who perceive themselves as further away from one of the major parties in the system tend to score lower on satisfaction with democracy. In short, vote-seeking parties have left the British party system less representative of the ideological diversity in the electorate, and thus made at least some British voters miserable
Late Miocene to early Pliocene biofacies of Wanganui and Taranaki Basins, New Zealand: Applications to paleoenvironmental and sequence stratigraphic analysis
The Matemateaonga Formation is late Miocene to early Pliocene (upper Tongaporutuan to lower Opoitian New Zealand Stages) in age. The formation comprises chiefly shellbeds, siliciclastic sandstone, and siltstone units and to a lesser extent non-marine and shallow marine conglomerate and rare paralic facies. The Matemateaonga Formation accumulated chiefly in shelf paleoenvironments during basement onlap and progradation of a late Miocene to early Pliocene continental margin wedge in the Wanganui and Taranaki Basins. The formation is strongly cyclothemic, being characterised by recurrent vertically stacked facies successions, bounded by sequence boundaries. These facies accumulated in a range of shoreface to mid-outer shelf paleoenvironments during conditions of successively oscillating sea level. This sequential repetition of facies and the biofacies they enclose are the result of sixth-order glacio-eustatic cyclicity. Macrofaunal associations have been identified from statistical analysis of macrofossil occurrences collected from multiple sequences. Each association is restricted to particular lithofacies and stratal positions and shows a consistent order and/or position within the sequences. This pattern of temporal paleoecologic change appears to be the result of lateral, facies-related shifting of broad biofacies belts, or habitat-tracking, in response to fluctuations of relative sea level, sediment flux, and other associated paleoenvironmental variables. The associations also show strong similarity in terms of their generic composition to biofacies identified in younger sedimentary strata and the modern marine benthic environment in New Zealand
Strong electronic correlations in superconducting organic charge transfer salts
We review the role of strong electronic correlations in
quasi--two-dimensional organic charge transfer salts such as (BEDT-TTF),
(BETS) and -[Pd(dmit)]. We begin by defining minimal
models for these materials. It is necessary to identify two classes of
material: the first class is strongly dimerised and is described by a
half-filled Hubbard model; the second class is not strongly dimerised and is
described by a quarter filled extended Hubbard model. We argue that these
models capture the essential physics of these materials. We explore the phase
diagram of the half-filled quasi--two-dimensional organic charge transfer
salts, focusing on the metallic and superconducting phases. We review work
showing that the metallic phase, which has both Fermi liquid and `bad metal'
regimes, is described both quantitatively and qualitatively by dynamical mean
field theory (DMFT). The phenomenology of the superconducting state is still a
matter of contention. We critically review the experimental situation, focusing
on the key experimental results that may distinguish between rival theories of
superconductivity, particularly probes of the pairing symmetry and measurements
of the superfluid stiffness. We then discuss some strongly correlated theories
of superconductivity, in particular, the resonating valence bond (RVB) theory
of superconductivity. We conclude by discussing some of the major challenges
currently facing the field.Comment: A review: 52 pages; 10 fig
What lies beneath? The role of informal and hidden networks in the management of crises
Crisis management research traditionally focuses on the role of formal communication networks in the escalation and management of organisational crises. Here, we consider instead informal and unobservable networks. The paper explores how hidden informal exchanges can impact upon organisational decision-making and performance, particularly around inter-agency working, as knowledge distributed across organisations and shared between organisations is often shared through informal means and not captured effectively through the formal decision-making processes. Early warnings and weak signals about potential risks and crises are therefore often missed. We consider the implications of these dynamics in terms of crisis avoidance and crisis management
Field transformations and simple models illustrating the impossibility of measuring off-shell effects
In the context of simple models illustrating field transformations in
Lagrangian field theories we discuss the impossibility of measuring off-shell
effects in nucleon-nucleon bremsstrahlung, Compton scattering, and related
processes. To that end we introduce a simple phenomenological Lagrangian
describing nucleon-nucleon bremsstrahlung and perform an appropriate change of
variables leading to different off-shell behavior in the nucleon-nucleon
amplitude as well as the photon-nucleon vertex. As a result we obtain a class
of equivalent Lagrangians, generating identical S-matrix elements, of which the
original Lagrangian is but one representative. We make use of this property in
order to show that what appears as an off-shell effect in an S-matrix element
for one Lagrangian may originate in a contact term from an equivalent
Lagrangian. By explicit calculation we demonstrate for the case of
nucleon-nucleon bremsstrahlung as well as nucleon Compton scattering the
equivalence of observables from which we conclude that off-shell effects cannot
in any unambiguous way be extracted from an S-matrix element. Finally, we also
discuss some implications of introducing off-shell effects on a
phenomenological basis, resulting from the requirement that the description of
one process be consistent with that of other processes described by the same
Lagrangian.Comment: 19 pages, Latex, using RevTe
Financial diversification strategies before World War I: Buy-and-hold versus naĂŻve portfolio selection
This study contributes to a growing volume of scholarship that highlights the importance of financial diversification in business history. It shows that, pre-WWI, financial advice for equal portfolio weighting, the so-called naĂŻve diversification, then called scientific investment or geographical distribution of risk, was a sophisticated strategy for Victorian investors and not suboptimal to Markowitz optimization. Drawing upon a unique dataset of 507 individual portfolios at death, this study shows that, although Victorian investors, in particular wealthy investors, did diversify investment risk across a number of securities, they did not hold equally weighted portfolios. It explores possible reasons for the unbalanced nature of investor portfolios and dismisses socio economic factors, illiquidity, passive âbuy the marketâ and market timing strategies as possible explanatory factors. The results rather point to a strategy of naĂŻve diversification spread over time, a âbuy as you go and hold strategyâ, buying new securities as savings allowed and holding them until death
- âŠ