Calculation of coercivity of magnetic nanostructures at finite temperatures

We report a finite temperature micromagnetic method (FTM) that allows for the calculation of the coercive field of arbitrary shaped magnetic nanostructures at time scales of nanoseconds to years. Instead of directly solving the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation, the coercive field is obtained without any free parameter by solving a non linear equation, which arises from the transition state theory. The method is applicable to magnetic structures where coercivity is determined by one thermally activated reversal or nucleation process. The method shows excellent agreement with experimentally obtained coercive fields of magnetic nanostructures and provides a deeper understanding of the mechanism of coercivity.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.

Study on the clinical application of pulsed DC magnetic technology for tracking of intraoperative head motion during frameless stereotaxy

BACKGROUND: Tracking of post-registration head motion is one of the major problems in frameless stereotaxy. Various attempts in detecting and compensating for this phenomenon rely on a fixed reference device rigidly attached to the patient's head. However, most of such reference tools are either based on an invasive fixation technique or have physical limitations which allow mobility of the head only in a restricted range of motion after completion of the registration procedure. METHODS: A new sensor-based reference tool, the so-called Dynamic Reference Frame (DRF) which is designed to allow an unrestricted, 360° range of motion for the intraoperative use in pulsed DC magnetic navigation was tested in 40 patients. Different methods of non-invasive attachment dependent on the clinical need and type of procedure, as well as the resulting accuracies in the clinical application have been analyzed. RESULTS: Apart from conventional, completely rigid immobilization of the head (type A), four additional modes of head fixation and attachment of the DRF were distinguished on clinical grounds: type B1 = pin fixation plus oral DRF attachment; type B2 = pin fixation plus retroauricular DRF attachment; type C1 = free head positioning with oral DRF; and type C2 = free head positioning with retroauricular DRF. Mean fiducial registration errors (FRE) were as follows: type A interventions = 1.51 mm, B1 = 1.56 mm, B2 = 1.54 mm, C1 = 1.73 mm, and C2 = 1.75 mm. The mean position errors determined at the end of the intervention as a measure of application accuracy were: 1.45 mm in type A interventions, 1.26 mm in type B1, 1.44 mm in type B2, 1.86 mm in type C1, and 1.68 mm in type C2. CONCLUSION: Rigid head immobilization guarantees most reliable accuracy in various types of frameless stereotaxy. The use of an additional DRF, however, increases the application scope of frameless stereotaxy to include e.g. procedures in which rigid pin fixation of the cranium is not required or desired. Thus, continuous tracking of head motion allows highly flexible variation of the surgical strategy including intraoperative repositioning of the patient without impairment of navigational accuracy as it ensures automatic correction of spatial distortion. With a dental cast for oral attachment and the alternative option of non-invasive retroauricular attachment, flexibility in the clinical use of the DRF is ensured

Interacting coronae of two T Tauri stars: first observational evidence for solar-like helmet streamers

Context {The young binary system V773 Tau A exhibits a persistent radio flaring activity that gradually increases from a level of a few mJy at apoastron to more than 100 mJy at periastron. Interbinary collisions between very large (> 15 R) magnetic structures anchored on the two rotating stars of the system have been proposed to be the origin of these periodic radio flares. Magnetic structures extended over tens of stellar radii, that can also account for the observed fast decay of the radio flares, seem to correspond to the typical solar semi-open quite extended magnetic configurations called helmet streamers.} Aims {We aim to find direct observational evidence for the postulated, solar-like, coronal topologies.} Methods {We performed seven-consecutive-day VLBI observations at 8.4 GHz using an array consisting of the VLBA and the 100-m Effelsberg telescope.} Results {Two distintive structures appear in the radio images here presented. They happen to be associated with the primary and secondary stars of the V773 Tau A system. In one image (Fig.2-B) the two features are extended up to 18 R each and are nearly parallel revealing the presence of two interacting helmet streamers. One image (Fig.2-E) taken a few hours after a flare monitored by the 100-m Effelsberg telescope shows one elongated fading structure substantially rotated with respect to those seen in the B run. The same decay scenario is seen in Fig.2-G for the helmet streamer associated with the other star.} Conclusions {This is the very first direct evidence revealing that even if the flare origin is magnetic reconnection due to interbinary collision, both stars independently emit in the radio range with structures of their own. These structures are helmet streamers, observed for the first time in stars other than the Sun.}Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, A&A in pres

Mechanical oscillations of magnetic strips under the influence of external field

This is the final version of the article. Available from EDP Sciences via the DOI in this record.JEMS 2012 – Joint European Magnetic SymposiaBy application of a magnetic field on an amorphous metallic strip, the orientation of magnetization of Weiss domains can be changed. When the strip changes its length, this effect is called magnetostriction. We simulate this effect using a finite element method. In particular we calculate the change of the mechanical resonance frequency of a magnetic platelet as a function of the applied field. This gives a quantitative model of the influence of the applied magnetic field on the effective Young's Modulus of the material. © 2013 Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences

Lack of trust in maternal support is associated with negative interpretations of ambiguous maternal behavior

Attachment theory assumes that children who lack trust in maternal availability for support are more inclined to interpret maternal behavior in congruence with their expectation that mother will remain unavailable for support. To provide the first test of this assumption, early adolescents (9-13 years old) were asked to assess whether ambiguous interactions with mother should be interpreted in a positive or a negative way. In our sample (n = 322), results showed that early adolescents' lack of trust in their mother's availability for support was related to more negative interpretations of maternal behavior. The associations remained significant after controlling for depressive mood. The importance of these findings for our understanding of attachment theory, attachment stability, and clinical practice are discussed