1,751 research outputs found
Atom-molecule coherence in a one-dimensional system
We study a model of one-dimensional fermionic atoms that can bind in pairs to
form bosonic molecules. We show that at low energy, a coherence develops
between the molecule and fermion Luttinger liquids. At the same time, a gap
opens in the spin excitation spectrum. The coherence implies that the order
parameters for the molecular Bose-Einstein Condensation and the atomic BCS
pairing become identical. Moreover, both bosonic and fermionic charge density
wave correlations decay exponentially, in contrast with a usual Luttinger
liquid. We exhibit a Luther-Emery point where the systems can be described in
terms of noninteracting pseudofermions. At this point, we provide closed form
expressions for the density-density response functions.Comment: 5 pages, no figures, Revtex 4; (v2) added a reference to
cond-mat/0505681 where related results are reported; (v3) Expression of
correlation functions given in terms of generalized hypergeometric function
Examining the content validity of the Birthing Unit Design Spatial Evaluation Tool (BUDSET) within a woman-centred framework.
Introduction: The environment for birth influences women in labor. Optimal birthing environments have the potential to facilitate normal labor and birth. The measurement of optimal birth units is currently not possible because there are no tools. An audit tool, the Birth Unit Design Spatial Evaluation Tool (BUDSET), was developed to assess the optimality of birthing environments. The BUDSET is based on 4 domains (fear cascade, facility, aesthetics, support), each comprising design principles that are further differentiated into specific assessable design items. In the process of developing measurement tools, content validity must be established. The aim of this study was to establish the content validity of the BUDSET from the perspective of women and midwives. Methods: This was a mixed-methods study with a survey assessing agreement with BUDSET items and in-depth interviews. Survey results were analyzed using an item-level content validity index and a survey-level validity index. Interview data were analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. The study was conducted in 2 locationsÂża major maternity hospital and a midwifery research center, both in Australia. Study participants were 10 women and 2 midwifery academics. Results: The survey revealed that content-related validity varied according to the BUDSET domain, with the domains of facility and support established as content valid by most participants. The domains of the fear cascade and aesthetic were less strong, particularly among pregnant women. Interview data analysis provided content validity evidence of both the fear cascade and aesthetic domains. A further 4 subthemes of fear cascade also were identified: foreign space, medical-hospital-emergency, being sterile/clinical, and protecting the woman from the environment. Content validity evidence for facility and support domains also was established. Discussion: This study has established that the BUDSET is content valid for assessing the optima ity of birthing environments. Some further refinement of the tool is now possible
Asymmetric Fermi superfluid with different atomic species in a harmonic trap
We study the dilute fermion gas with pairing between two species and unequal
concentrations in a harmonic trap using the mean field theory and the local
density approximation. We found that the system can exhibit a superfluid shell
structure sandwiched by the normal fermions. This superfluid shell structure
occurs if the mass ratio is larger then certain critical value which increases
from the weak-coupling BCS region to the strong-coupling BEC side. In the
strong coupling BEC regime, the radii of superfluid phase are less sensitive to
the mass ratios and are similar to the case of pairing with equal masses.
However, the lighter leftover fermions are easier to mix with the superfluid
core than the heavier ones. A partially polarized superfluid can be found if
the majority fermions are lighter, whereas phase separation is still found if
they are heavier.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure
Survival of the d-wave superconducting state near the edge of antiferromagnetism in the cuprate phase diagram
In the cuprate superconductor , hole doping in the
layers is controlled by both oxygen content and the degree of oxygen-ordering.
At the composition , the ordering can occur at room
temperature, thereby tuning the hole doping so that the superconducting
critical temperature gradually rises from zero to 20 K. Here we exploit this to
study the c-axis penetration depth as a function of temperature and doping. The
temperature dependence shows the d-wave superconductor surviving to very low
doping, with no sign of another ordered phase interfering with the nodal
quasiparticles. The only apparent doping dependence is a smooth decline of
superfluid density as Tc decreases.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Probing d-wave pairing correlations in the pseudogap regime of the cuprate superconductors via low-energy states near impurities
The issue of probing the pseudogap regime of the cuprate superconductors, specifically with regard to the existence and nature of superconducting pairing correlations of d-wave symmetry, is explored theoretically. It is shown that if the d-wave correlations believed to describe the superconducting state persist into the pseudogap regime, but with pair-potential phase fluctuations that destroy their long-range nature, then the low-energy quasiparticle states observed near extended impurities in the truly superconducting state should also persist as resonances in the pseudogap regime. The scattering of quasiparticles by these phase-fluctuations broadens what was (in the superconducting state) a sharp peak in the single-particle spectral function at low energy, as we demonstrate within the context of a simple model. This peak and its broadening are, in principle, accessible via scanning tunneling spectroscopy near extended impurities in the pseudogap regime. If so, such experiments would provide a probe of the extent to which d-wave superconducting correlations persist upon entering the pseudogap regime, thus providing a stringent diagnostic of the phase-fluctuation scenario
Teaching word recognition to children with severe learning difficulties: an exploratory comparison of teaching methods
Background: Some children with severe learning difficulties fail to begin word recognition. For these children there is a need for an effective and appropriate pedagogy. However, conflicting advice can be found regarding this derived from teaching approaches that are not based on a shared understanding of how reading develops or the skills that the non-reader needs to master.
Purpose: In this research, three techniques for teaching word recognition in this context are described and compared: (1) the handle technique, (2) morphing method and (3) word alone. It also discusses whether it is appropriate for such small-scale research to influence pedagogy.
Programme description: The handle technique uses an abstract mnemonic cue used to teach word recognition, and previous research indicates it is more successful than the presentation of words alone. The morphing method transforms a word into a photographic picture and a previous study suggested that it might also be more effective that presenting words alone.
Sample: Six children between 11 and 13 years of age were selected. The criterion for selection was being unable to recognise any words from the British Ability Scales Reading Test. All the children attended a school for children with severe learning difficulties.
Design and methods: A three-condition related design was used. The order in which the conditions were presented was counterbalanced and each child was taught 12 words, four words in each experimental condition. The children encountered each of the three methods and overall each word was taught via each method. Within conditions (teaching methods), the presentation of words was randomised. The number of words that the children could read (without cues) before each session was recorded, following the presentation of the uncued words in a random order. The difference in the number of words recognised between the three conditions was considered using a non-parametric statistical analysis.
Results: The results suggest that the handle approach might be a more effective method of teaching word recognition.
Conclusion: Research in this area is necessarily small in scale. However, it is ongoing and cumulative, and can give insights into potentially beneficial changes in classroom practice
Universality of conductivity in interacting graphene
The Hubbard model on the honeycomb lattice describes charge carriers in
graphene with short range interactions. While the interaction modifies several
physical quantities, like the value of the Fermi velocity or the wave function
renormalization, the a.c. conductivity has a universal value independent of the
microscopic details of the model: there are no interaction corrections,
provided that the interaction is weak enough and that the system is at half
filling. We give a rigorous proof of this fact, based on exact Ward Identities
and on constructive Renormalization Group methods
Theory of anomalous magnetic interference pattern in mesoscopic SNS Josephson junctions
The magnetic interference pattern in mesoscopic SNS Josephson junctions is
sensitive to the scattering in the normal part of the system. In this paper we
investigate it, generalizing Ishii's formula for current-phase dependence to
the case of normal scattering at NS boundaries in an SNS junction of finite
width. The resulting flattening of the first diffraction peak is consistent
with experimental data for S-2DEG-S mesoscopic junctions.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. Phys. Rev. B 68, 144514 (2003
Density of states in d-wave superconductors disordered by extended impurities
The low-energy quasiparticle states of a disordered d-wave superconductor are
investigated theoretically. A class of such states, formed via tunneling
between the Andreev bound states that are localized around extended impurities
(and result from scattering between pair-potential lobes that differ in sign)
is identified. Its (divergent) contribution to the total density of states is
determined by taking advantage of connections with certain one-dimensional
random tight-binding models. The states under discussion should be
distinguished from those associated with nodes in the pair potential.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur
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