32,834 research outputs found
Comment on "Nonlinear current-voltage curves of gold quantum point contacts" [Appl. Phys. Lett. 87, 103104 (2005)]
In a recent Letter [Appl. Phys. Lett. 87, 103104 (2005)], Yoshida et al.
report that nonlinearities in current-voltage curves of gold quantum point
contacts occur as a result of a shortening of the distance between electrodes
at finite bias, presumably due to thermal expansion. For short wires, the
electrode displacement induces a thickening of the wire, as well as
nonlinearities of the IV curve, while the radius of long wires is left
unchanged, thus resulting in a linear IV curve. We argue here that electron
shell effects, which favor wires with certain "magic radii," prevent the
thickening of long wires under compression, but have little effect on wires
below a critical length.Comment: Version accepted for publication in Applied Physics Letter
Percolation in the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick Spin Glass
We present extended versions and give detailed proofs of results concerning
percolation (using various sets of two-replica bond occupation variables) in
Sherrington-Kirkpatrick spin glasses (with zero external field) that were first
given in an earlier paper by the same authors. We also explain how
ultrametricity is manifested by the densities of large percolating clusters.
Our main theorems concern the connection between these densities and the usual
spin overlap distribution. Their corollaries are that the ordered spin glass
phase is characterized by a unique percolating cluster of maximal density
(normally coexisting with a second cluster of nonzero but lower density). The
proofs involve comparison inequalities between SK multireplica bond occupation
variables and the independent variables of standard Erdos-Renyi random graphs.Comment: 18 page
Fluctuational Instabilities of Alkali and Noble Metal Nanowires
We introduce a continuum approach to studying the lifetimes of monovalent
metal nanowires. By modelling the thermal fluctuations of cylindrical nanowires
through the use of stochastic Ginzburg-Landau classical field theories, we
construct a self-consistent approach to the fluctuation-induced `necking' of
nanowires. Our theory provides quantitative estimates of the lifetimes for
alkali metal nanowires in the conductance range 10 < G/G_0 < 100 (where
G_0=2e^2/h is the conductance quantum), and allows us to account for
qualitative differences in the conductance histograms of alkali vs. noble metal
nanowires
Nature vs. Nurture: Predictability in Low-Temperature Ising Dynamics
Consider a dynamical many-body system with a random initial state
subsequently evolving through stochastic dynamics. What is the relative
importance of the initial state ("nature") vs. the realization of the
stochastic dynamics ("nurture") in predicting the final state? We examined this
question for the two-dimensional Ising ferromagnet following an initial deep
quench from to . We performed Monte Carlo studies on the
overlap between "identical twins" raised in independent dynamical environments,
up to size . Our results suggest an overlap decaying with time as
with ; the same exponent holds for a
quench to low but nonzero temperature. This "heritability exponent" may equal
the persistence exponent for the 2D Ising ferromagnet, but the two differ more
generally.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; new version includes results for nonzero
temperatur
Theory of metastability in simple metal nanowires
Thermally induced conductance jumps of metal nanowires are modeled using
stochastic Ginzburg-Landau field theories. Changes in radius are predicted to
occur via the nucleation of surface kinks at the wire ends, consistent with
recent electron microscopy studies. The activation rate displays nontrivial
dependence on nanowire length, and undergoes first- or second-order-like
transitions as a function of length. The activation barriers of the most stable
structures are predicted to be universal, i.e., independent of the radius of
the wire, and proportional to the square root of the surface tension. The
reduction of the activation barrier under strain is also determined.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Longwall shearer tracking system
A tracking system for measuring and recording the movements of a longwall shearer vehicle includes an optical tracking assembly carried at one end of a desired vehicle path and a retroreflector assembly carried by the vehicle. Continuous horizontal and vertical light beams are alternately transmitted by means of a rotating Dove prism to the reflector assembly. A vertically reciprocating reflector interrupts the continuous light beams and converts these to discrete horizontal and vertical light beam images transmitted at spaced intervals along the path. A second rotating Dove prism rotates the vertical images to convert them to a second series of horizontal images while the first mentioned horizontal images are left unrotated and horizontal. The images are recorded on a film
Geometric relationships for homogenization in single-phase binary alloy systems
A semiempirical relationship is presented which describes the extent of interaction between constituents in single-phase binary alloy systems having planar, cylindrical, or spherical interfaces. This relationship makes possible a quick estimate of the extent of interaction without lengthy numerical calculations. It includes two parameters which are functions of mean concentration and interface geometry. Experimental data for the copper-nickel system are included to demonstrate the usefulness of this relationship
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