Changes of Yield Stress of Sand During Undrained Cyclic Loading

In this study, the yield locus of sand being subjected to several cycles of undrained loading was investigated by using the triaxial testing device capable of measuring the acoustic emission, AE, of soil. The AE measurement indicates that the undrained shear on isotropically consolidated sand changes the shape of yield locus so as to have more kinematic hardening type of yield locus. More importantly, a change occurred in the size of yield locus, and the undrained loading has reduced the size of yield locus. Subsequent undrained cyclic loadings further reduced the size of yield locus so that there were some additional yielding during the cyclic loadings which accompanied gradual accumulations of pore water pressures

Nonquasiparticle states in the half-metallic ferromagnet simulated by the two-band Hubbard model

The density-matrix renormalization group method is used to study the three-band zigzag ladder model that simulates the electronic state of the t 2g-orbital system of the double string of the edge-shared CrO 6 octahedra in the half-metallic ferromagnet K2Cr 8O16. The saturated ferromagnetism caused by the double-exchange mechanism is thereby demonstrated. We also use the Lanczos exact-diagonalization technique on small clusters to study the two Hubbard chains coupled with the ferromagnetic exchange interaction, whereby we consider the nonquasiparticle states in the half-metallic ferromagnet that appear in the single-particle spectral function.Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japa

Theoretical study of the electronic states of hollandite vanadate K 2V8O16

Electronic states of hollandite vanadate K2V8O 16, a one-dimensional zigzag-chain system of t2g orbitals in a mixed valent state, are considered. We calculate the Madelung energies to determine the most stable charge-ordering pattern that is consistent with the observed superlattice structure. We then develop the strong-coupling perturbation theory to derive the effective spin-orbit Hamiltonian, starting from the triply-degenerate t2g orbitals in the VO6 octahedral structure. An exact-diagonalization technique is used on small clusters of this Hamiltonian to determine the orbital-ordering pattern and spin structures in the ground state. We thereby discuss the electronic and magnetic properties of K2 V8O16. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan/18028008Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan/18043006Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan/185400338Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan/19014004JSPS Research Fellowship for Young Scientist

Spin and mass excitations in the doped multiple spin exchange model on a triangular lattice: 3He on graphite

Using an exact-diagonalization technique on small clusters, we calculate the spin and density excitation spectra as well as the temperature dependence of the specific heat for the triangular-lattice t-J model with the multiple-spin exchange interactions, whereby we consider the low-energy excitations of the two-dimensional liquid 3He adsorbed on graphite. We find that, for a relevant set of the parameter values, the spectral weight for the spin excitations is concentrated on a very low-energy region, while that of the density excitations extends over a wide energy range, indicating the clear separation of their energy scales. The double-peak structure in the temperature dependence of the specific heat is also obtained. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan/18028008Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan/18043006Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan/18540338Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan/19014004JSPS Research Fellowship for Young Scientist

Rock-salt SnS and SnSe: Native Topological Crystalline Insulators

Unlike time-reversal topological insulators, surface metallic states with Dirac cone dispersion in the recently discovered topological crystalline insulators (TCIs) are protected by crystal symmetry. To date, TCI behaviors have been observed in SnTe and the related alloys Pb$_{1-x}$Sn$_{x}$Se/Te, which incorporate heavy elements with large spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Here, by combining first-principles and {\it ab initio} tight-binding calculations, we report the formation of a TCI in the relatively lighter rock-salt SnS and SnSe. This TCI is characterized by an even number of Dirac cones at the high-symmetry (001), (110) and (111) surfaces, which are protected by the reflection symmetry with respect to the ($\bar{1}$10) mirror plane. We find that both SnS and SnSe have an intrinsically inverted band structure and the SOC is necessary only to open the bulk band gap. The bulk band gap evolution upon volume expansion reveals a topological transition from an ambient pressure TCI to a topologically trivial insulator. Our results indicate that the SOC alone is not sufficient to drive the topological transition.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

DETERMINING AN EFFECTIVE STRETCHING TIME FOR ACHILLES TENDON EXTENSION

Stretching exercises are commonly undertaken for sports and rehabilitation. However, it is unknown how an in vivo muscle-tendon unit responds to added stretching stimulation. The purpose of this study was to determine an effective stretching time for Achilles tendon extension. The human medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle was stretched and ultrasonography was used to determine and then compare the length of the Achilles tendon between before and after stretching. Achilles tendon extension for one minute of stretching was 3.4±2.5mm, two 6.8±2.1mm, three 6.9±1.0mm, five 7.2±0.7mm, and ten 7.4±0.8mm. Achilles tendon length was significantly increased for up to two minutes of stretching (