Electromagnetic waves in a Josephson junction in a thin film

We consider a one-dimensional Josephson junction in a superconducting film with the thickness that is much less than the London penetration depth. We treat an electromagnetic wave propagating along this tunnel contact. We show that the electrodynamics of a Josephson junction in a thin film is nonlocal if the wave length is less than the Pearl penetration depth. We find the integro-differential equation determining the phase difference between the two superconductors forming the tunnel contact. We use this equation to calculate the dispersion relation for an electromagnetic wave propagating along the Josephson junction. We find that the frequency of this wave is proportional to the square root of the wave vector if the wave length is less than the Pearl penetration depth.Comment: 12 pages, a figure is included as a uuencodeded postscript file, ReVTe

How important is the name in predicting false recognition for lookalike brands?

An underexploited role for psychology in trademark law is the testing of explicit or implicit judicial assumptions about consumer behavior. In this article we examine an assumption that is common across Commonwealth countries, namely, that similar packaging is unlikely to cause consumer confusion provided the brand names are dissimilar. We began by selecting branded products commonly found in supermarkets. For each existing brand we created 2 novel (fictitious) brands with highly similar packaging to the existing brand. One of these "lookalike" products had a similar name, the other a dissimilar name. Across 2 yes/no and 1 forced-choice experiments using photographs of the real and fictitious products we looked at false recognition rates. Contrary to the judicial assumption participants largely ignored the brand names when making their decisions based on memory. It was only when the pictures of the products were placed side-by-side (in the forced-choice task) that they paid the brand name any significant attention

How important is the name in predicting false recognition for lookalike brands?

An underexploited role for psychology in trademark law is the testing of explicit or implicit judicial assumptions about consumer behavior. In this article we examine an assumption that is common across Commonwealth countries, namely, that similar packaging is unlikely to cause consumer confusion provided the brand names are dissimilar. We began by selecting branded products commonly found in supermarkets. For each existing brand we created 2 novel (fictitious) brands with highly similar packaging to the existing brand. One of these "lookalike" products had a similar name, the other a dissimilar name. Across 2 yes/no and 1 forced-choice experiments using photographs of the real and fictitious products we looked at false recognition rates. Contrary to the judicial assumption participants largely ignored the brand names when making their decisions based on memory. It was only when the pictures of the products were placed side-by-side (in the forced-choice task) that they paid the brand name any significant attention

Brandname confusion: Subjective and objective measures of orthographic similarity

Determining brand name similarity is vital in areas of trademark registration and brand confusion. Students rated the orthographic (spelling) similarity of word pairs (Experiments 1, 2, and 4) and brand name pairs (Experiment 5). Similarity ratings were consistently higher when words shared beginnings rather than endings, whereas shared pronunciation of the stressed vowel had small and less consistent effects on ratings. In Experiment 3 a behavioral task confirmed the similarity of shared beginnings in lexical processing. Specifically, in a task requiring participants to decide whether 2 words presented in the clear (a probe and a later target) were the same or different, a masked prime word preceding the target shortened response latencies if it shared its initial 3 letters with the target. The ratings of students for word and brand name pairs were strongly predicted by metrics of orthographic similarity from the visual word identification literature based on the number of shared letters and their relative positions. The results indicate a potential use for orthographic metrics in brand name registration and trademark law

Self-generated magnetic flux in YBa2_2Cu3_3O7−x_{7-x} grain boundaries

Grain boundaries in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-x}$ superconducting films are considered as Josephson junctions with a critical current density $j_c(x)$ alternating along the junction. A self-generated magnetic flux is treated both analytically and numerically for an almost periodic distribution of $j_c(x)$. We obtained a magnetic flux-pattern similar to the one which was recently observed experimentally.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Is manganese-doped diamond a ferromagnetic semiconductor?

We use density-functional theoretical methods to examine the recent prediction, based on a mean-field solution of the Zener model, that diamond doped by Mn (with spin S=5/2) would be a dilute magnetic semiconductor that remains ferromagnetic well above room temperature. Our findings suggest this to be unlikely, for four reasons: (1) substitutional Mn in diamond has a low-spin S=1/2 ground state; (2) the substitutional site is energetically unfavorable relative to the much larger "divacancy" site; 3) Mn in the divacancy site is an acceptor, but with only hyperdeep levels, and hence the holes are likely to remain localized; (4) the calculated Heisenberg couplings between Mn in nearby divacancy sites are two orders of magnitude smaller than for substitutional Mn in germanium.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Recent developments in the characterization of superconducting films by microwaves

We describe and analyze selected surface impedance data recently obtained by different groups on cuprate, ruthenate and diboride superconducting films on metallic and dielectric substrates for fundamental studies and microwave applications. The discussion includes a first review of microwave data on MgB2, the weak-link behaviour of RABiTS-type YBa2Cu3O7-d tapes, and the observation of a strong anomalous power-dependence of the microwave losses in MgO at low temperatures. We demonstrate how microwave measurements can be used to investigate electronic, magnetic, and dielectric dissipation and relaxation in the films and substrates. The impact of such studies reaches from the extraction of microscopic information to the engineering of materials and further on to applications in power systems and communication technology.Comment: Invited contribution to EUCAS2001, accepted for publication in Physica C in its present for

Isolated oxygen defects in 3C- and 4H-SiC: A theoretical study

Ab initio calculations in the local-density approximation have been carried out in SiC to determine the possible configurations of the isolated oxygen impurity. Equilibrium geometry and occupation levels were calculated. Substitutional oxygen in 3C-SiC is a relatively shallow effective mass like double donor on the carbon site (O-C) and a hyperdeep double donor on the Si site (O-Si). In 4H-SiC O-C is still a double donor but with a more localized electron state. In 3C-SiC O-C is substantially more stable under any condition than O-Si or interstitial oxygen (O-i). In 4H-SiC O-C is also the most stable one except for heavy n-type doping. We propose that O-C is at the core of the electrically active oxygen-related defect family found by deep level transient spectroscopy in 4H-SiC. The consequences of the site preference of oxygen on the SiC/SiO2 interface are discussed

Permafrost landscape history shapes fluvial chemistry, ecosystem carbon balance, and potential trajectories of future change

Intensifying permafrost thaw alters carbon cycling by mobilizing large amounts of terrestrial substrate into aquatic ecosystems. Yet, few studies have measured aquatic carbon fluxes and constrained drivers of ecosystem carbon balance across heterogeneous Arctic landscapes. Here, we characterized hydrochemical and landscape controls on fluvial carbon cycling, quantified fluvial carbon fluxes, and estimated fluvial contributions to ecosystem carbon balance across 33 watersheds in four ecoregions in the continuous permafrost zone of the western Canadian Arctic: unglaciated uplands, ice-rich moraine, and organic-rich lowlands and till plains. Major ions, stable isotopes, and carbon speciation and fluxes revealed patterns in carbon cycling across ecoregions defined by terrain relief and accumulation of organics. In previously unglaciated mountainous watersheds, bicarbonate dominated carbon export (70% of total) due to chemical weathering of bedrock. In lowland watersheds, where soil organic carbon stores were largest, lateral transport of dissolved organic carbon (50%) and efflux of biotic CO2 (25%) dominated. In watersheds affected by thaw-induced mass wasting, erosion of ice-rich tills enhanced chemical weathering and increased particulate carbon fluxes by two orders of magnitude. From an ecosystem carbon balance perspective, fluvial carbon export in watersheds not affected by thaw-induced wasting was, on average, equivalent to 6%–16% of estimated net ecosystem exchange (NEE). In watersheds affected by thaw-induced wasting, fluvial carbon export approached 60% of NEE. Because future intensification of thermokarst activity will amplify fluvial carbon export, determining the fate of carbon across diverse northern landscapes is a priority for constraining trajectories of permafrost region ecosystem carbon balance