4,604 research outputs found
Conductance Fluctuations in a Metallic Wire Interrupted by a Tunnel Junction
The conductance fluctuations of a metallic wire which is interrupted by a
small tunnel junction has been explored experimentally. In this system, the
bias voltage V, which drops almost completely inside the tunnel barrier, is
used to probe the energy dependence of conductance fluctuations due to disorder
in the wire. We find that the variance of the fluctuations is directly
proportional to V. The experimental data are consistently described by a
theoretical model with two phenomenological parameters: the phase breaking time
at low temperatures and the diffusion coefficient.Comment: 9 pages RevTeX and 4 PS figures (accepted for publication in Physical
Review Letters
Phase diagrams of the 2D t-t'-U Hubbard model from an extended mean field method
It is well-known from unrestricted Hartree-Fock computations that the 2D
Hubbard model does not have homogeneous mean field states in significant
regions of parameter space away from half filling. This is incompatible with
standard mean field theory. We present a simple extension of the mean field
method that avoids this problem. As in standard mean field theory, we restrict
Hartree-Fock theory to simple translation invariant states describing
antiferromagnetism (AF), ferromagnetism (F) and paramagnetism (P), but we use
an improved method to implement the doping constraint allowing us to detect
when a phase separated state is energetically preferred, e.g. AF and F
coexisting at the same time. We find that such mixed phases occur in
significant parts of the phase diagrams, making them much richer than the ones
from standard mean field theory. Our results for the 2D t-t'-U Hubbard model
demonstrate the importance of band structure effects.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
On the derivation of the t-J model: electron spectrum and exchange interactions in narrow energy bands
A derivation of the t-J model of a highly-correlated solid is given starting
from the general many-electron Hamiltonian with account of the
non-orthogonality of atomic wave functions. Asymmetry of the Hubbard subbands
(i.e. of ``electron'' and ``hole''cases) for a nearly half-filled bare band is
demonstrated. The non-orthogonality corrections are shown to lead to occurrence
of indirect antiferromagnetic exchange interaction even in the limit of the
infinite on-site Coulomb repulsion. Consequences of this treatment for the
magnetism formation in narrow energy bands are discussed. Peculiarities of the
case of ``frustrated'' lattices, which contain triangles of nearest neighbors,
are considered.Comment: 4 pages, RevTe
Switching Distributions for Perpendicular Spin-Torque Devices within the Macrospin Approximation
We model "soft" error rates for writing (WSER) and for reading (RSER) for
perpendicular spin-torque memory devices by solving the Fokker-Planck equation
for the probability distribution of the angle that the free layer magnetization
makes with the normal to the plane of the film. We obtain: (1) an exact, closed
form, analytical expression for the zero-temperature switching time as a
function of initial angle; (2) an approximate analytical expression for the
exponential decay of the WSER as a function of the time the current is applied;
(3) comparison of the approximate analytical expression for the WSER to
numerical solutions of the Fokker-Planck equation; (4) an approximate
analytical expression for the linear increase in RSER with current applied for
reading; (5) comparison of the approximate analytical formula for the RSER to
the numerical solution of the Fokker-Planck equation; and (6) confirmation of
the accuracy of the Fokker-Planck solutions by comparison with results of
direct simulation using the single-macrospin Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG)
equations with a random fluctuating field in the short-time regime for which
the latter is practical
Identification of Magnetite in Lunar Regolith Breccia 60016: Evidence for Oxidized Conditions at the Lunar Surface
Lunar regolith breccias are temporal archives of magmatic and impact bombardment processes on the Moon. Apollo 16 sample 60016 is an ‘ancient’ feldspathic regolith breccia that was converted from a soil to a rock at ~3.8 Ga. The breccia contains a small (70 × 50 μm) rock fragment composed dominantly of an Fe-oxide phase with disseminated domains of troilite. Fragments of plagioclase (An95-97), pyroxene (En74-75, Fs21-22,Wo3-4) and olivine (Fo66-67) are distributed in and adjacent to the Fe-oxide. The silicate minerals have lunar compositions that are similar to anorthosites. Mineral chemistry, synchrotron X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) studies demonstrate that the oxide phase is magnetite with an estimated Fe3+/ΣFe ratio of ~0.45. The presence of magnetite in 60016 indicates that oxygen fugacity during formation was equilibrated at, or above, the Fe-magnetite or wűstite-magnetite oxygen buffer. This discovery provides direct evidence for oxidised conditions on the Moon. Thermodynamic modelling shows that magnetite could have been formed from oxidisation-driven mineral replacement of Fe-metal or desulphurisation from Fe-sulphides (troilite) at low temperatures (°C) in equilibrium with H2O steam/liquid or CO2 gas. Oxidising conditions may have arisen from vapour transport during degassing of a magmatic source region, or from a hybrid endogenic-exogenic process when gases were released during an impacting asteroid or comet impact
Current measurement by real-time counting of single electrons
The fact that electrical current is carried by individual charges has been
known for over 100 years, yet this discreteness has not been directly observed
so far. Almost all current measurements involve measuring the voltage drop
across a resistor, using Ohm's law, in which the discrete nature of charge does
not come into play. However, by sending a direct current through a
microelectronic circuit with a chain of islands connected by small tunnel
junctions, the individual electrons can be observed one by one. The quantum
mechanical tunnelling of single charges in this one-dimensional array is time
correlated, and consequently the detected signal has the average frequency
f=I/e, where I is the current and e is the electron charge. Here we report a
direct observation of these time-correlated single-electron tunnelling
oscillations, and show electron counting in the range 5 fA-1 pA. This
represents a fundamentally new way to measure extremely small currents, without
offset or drift. Moreover, our current measurement, which is based on electron
counting, is self-calibrated, as the measured frequency is related to the
current only by a natural constant.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures; v2: minor revisions, 2 refs added, words added to
title, typos correcte
Elements of care that matter:Perspectives of families with multiple problems
The severe and often persistent problems of families with multiple problems (FMP) call for better understanding of how interventions can improve outcomes in these families. Perspectives of FMP on the crucial elements of interventions may strongly support improvement by providing cues on how to realize positive change. We therefore explored the views of parents and children in FMP regarding helpful and less helpful elements of various interventions. We interviewed 24 parents and 4 children about their perspectives, using a semi-structured interview guide comprising themes that were chosen by the target group. Participants reported 11 elements that contribute to the effectiveness of care, categorized under three main themes: the characteristics of the practitioner, the content of interventions, and the structure of interventions. The perspectives of FMP show the following activities to be promising: routine reflection on the non-judgmental and positive approach of practitioners, more direct focus on children, focus on the underlying cause of behavior, activation of families’ social network, the school and other professionals around the family, and creation of more possibilities for long-term and flexible support. Perspectives of FMP on the content and provision of care should be better embedded in interventions. This may help to tailor interventions to their wishes and needs, which in turn can contribute to more positive outcomes of care
Longitudinal development of 5m sprint performance in young female tennis players
Sprint performance over short distances is a central component in young tennis players' development. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal development of sprint performance in young female tennis players, and to investigate differences between performance levels. Also potentially explanatory variables were investigated. Female tennis players aged 10-15 (N= 167) participated in a, mixed-longitudinal study (n= 48 elite;n= 119 sub-elite). Players were measured annually on the 5 m sprint as well as for possible explaining variables for 5 m sprint performance development (age, height, body mass, maturity status, lower limb explosive strength). Multilevel analysis was used to obtain a developmental model. Moreover, it was possible to predict sprint performance (5 m) based on chronological age, body size given by height, and lower limb strength performance (p . 05). Sprint performance is an important characteristic of young female tennis players and seemed to depend on growth and maturation in parallel to physical fitness
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