Competition between Superconductivity and Charge Density Wave Ordering in the Lu5_5Ir4_4(Si1−x_{1-x}Gex_x)10_{10} Alloy System

We have performed bulk measurements such as dc magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity and heat capacity on the pseudo-ternary alloys Lu$_5$Ir$_4$(Si$_{1-x}$Ge$_x$)$_{10}$ to study the interplay and competition between superconductivity and the charge density wave (CDW) ordering transition. We track the evolution of the superconducting transition temperature T$_{SC}$ and the CDW ordering temperature T$_{CDW}$ as a function of x (concentration of Ge) ($0.0 \leq x\leq~1.0$). We find that increasing x (increasing disorder) suppresses the T$_{CDW}$ rapidly with the concomitant increase in T$_{SC}$. We present a temperature-concentration (or volume) phase diagram for this system and compare our results with earlier work on substitution at the Lu or Ir site to show how dilution at the Si site presents a different situation from these other works. The heat capacity data in the vicinity of the CDW transition has been analyzed using a model of critical fluctuations in addition to a mean-field contribution and a smooth lattice background. We find that the critical exponents change appreciably with increasing disorder. This analysis suggests that the strong-coupling and non mean-field like CDW transition in the parent compound Lu$_5$Ir$_4$Si$_{10}$ changes to a mean-field like transition with increasing Ge concentration.Comment: 14 pages and 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Entanglement degradation of a two-mode squeezed vacuum in absorbing and amplifying optical fibers

Applying the recently developed formalism of quantum-state transformation at absorbing dielectric four-port devices [L.~Kn\"oll, S.~Scheel, E.~Schmidt, D.-G.~Welsch, and A.V.~Chizhov, Phys. Rev. A {\bf 59}, 4716 (1999)], we calculate the quantum state of the outgoing modes of a two-mode squeezed vacuum transmitted through optical fibers of given extinction coefficients. Using the Peres--Horodecki separability criterion for continuous variable systems [R.~Simon, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 84}, 2726 (2000)], we compute the maximal length of transmission of a two-mode squeezed vacuum through an absorbing system for which the transmitted state is still inseparable. Further, we calculate the maximal gain for which inseparability can be observed in an amplifying setup. Finally, we estimate an upper bound of the entanglement preserved after transmission through an absorbing system. The results show that the characteristic length of entanglement degradation drastically decreases with increasing strength of squeezing.Comment: Paper presented at the International Conference on Quantum Optics and VIII Seminar on Quantum Optics, Raubichi, Belarus, May 28-31, 2000, 11 pages, LaTeX2e, 4 eps figure

Pressure Induced Hydration Dynamics of Membranes

Pressure-jump initiated time-resolved x-ray diffraction studies of dynamics of the hydration of the hexagonal phase in biological membranes show that (i) the relaxation of the unit cell spacing is non-exponential in time; (ii) the Bragg peaks shift smoothly to their final positions without significant broadening or loss in crystalline order. This suggests that the hydration is not diffusion limited but occurs via a rather homogeneous swelling of the whole lattice, described by power law kinetics with an exponent $\beta = 1.3 \pm 0.2$.Comment: REVTEX 3, 10 pages,3 figures(available on request),#

The Power of Distant Rewards: Driving International Innovation Through United States Patent Incentives

Technological innovation outside the United States is increasing. The United States remains the largest single source of new inventions, but the rest of the world produces most technological advances. Yet, even as innovation capacity outside the United States grows, the production of advances remains underincentivized in many developed and developing countries. Weak incentives apply to the outlier advances that are the province of patent laws. These outlier advances—typically reflecting material departures from prior technical knowledge and potentially establishing fundamentally new lines of technological development and consumer products—are particularly important components of technological development. By shortchanging incentives for outlier advances, society hinders the pace and scope of technological advancement. Talented innovators located outside the United States too often look to home country patent laws for invention rewards and incentives. This results in weak incentives and undesirably low levels of technological innovation regarding the types of outlier advances addressed by patents. This article explains the inadequacy of many home country patent laws to incentivize innovation by inventors working outside the United States. It argues that inventors across the world should look to United States patent laws for their primary invention rewards. Such a strategy will not only spur additional funding and institutional backing for research worldwide, but will increase the likelihood that more outlier technologies will be created to the benefit of parties in the United States and throughout the world

Beyond Fines: Innovative Corporate Sentences Under Federal Sentencing Guidelines

This Article examines innovative corporate sentences beyond fines. It emphasizes types of corporate sentences recommended under the United States Sentencing Commission\u27s Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations. The Article has four goals. First, it seeks to inform judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and others in the criminal justice community about these as yet unfamiliar corporate sentencing options. Second, it explores the policy rationales supporting innovative corporate sentences. Third, it considers ambiguities in the Guidelines authorizing innovative corporate sentences and suggests means to resolve these ambiguities. Fourth, the Article articulates principles for sentencing courts to use in crafting specific corporate sentences within the broad authorizing language of the Sentencing Guidelines. Finally, the Article identifies circumstances warranting innovative sanctions under the Guidelines, some limitations on their use, and sentencing and prosecutorial strategies that will maximize public benefits from these sanctions

Constructed and Enhanced Equities Under eBay: Whose Right is it Anyway?

This article treats the injunction issuance standards announced in eBay Inc. v. MercExchange, LLC, as the starting point for patent enforcement planning by sophisticated clients and their patent and corporate attorneys. The eBay standards imply a set of circumstances in which a patent holder will be well-positioned to obtain a patent enforcement injunction, circumstances that patent holders may be able to reach through well-crafted strategic moves. This article explores the actions that a pure licensee patent holder can take to improve its position and establish constructed equities that will enhance its chances of obtaining a patent enforcement injunction

The Power of Distant Rewards: Driving International Innovation Through United States Patent Incentives

Technological innovation outside the United States is increasing. The United States remains the largest single source of new inventions, but the rest of the world produces most technological advances. Yet, even as innovation capacity outside the United States grows, the production of advances remains underincentivized in many developed and developing countries. Weak incentives apply to the outlier advances that are the province of patent laws. These outlier advances—typically reflecting material departures from prior technical knowledge and potentially establishing fundamentally new lines of technological development and consumer products—are particularly important components of technological development. By shortchanging incentives for outlier advances, society hinders the pace and scope of technological advancement. Talented innovators located outside the United States too often look to home country patent laws for invention rewards and incentives. This results in weak incentives and undesirably low levels of technological innovation regarding the types of outlier advances addressed by patents. This article explains the inadequacy of many home country patent laws to incentivize innovation by inventors working outside the United States. It argues that inventors across the world should look to United States patent laws for their primary invention rewards. Such a strategy will not only spur additional funding and institutional backing for research worldwide, but will increase the likelihood that more outlier technologies will be created to the benefit of parties in the United States and throughout the world