Comment on ``Spin Dependent Hopping and Colossal Negative Magnetoresistance in Epitaxial Nd0.52Sr0.48MnO3Nd_{0.52}Sr_{0.48}MnO_{3} Films in Fields up to 50 T''

Recently Wagner et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. Vol. 81, P. 3980 (1998)] proposed that Mott's original model be modified to incorporate a hopping barrier which depends on the misorientation between the spins of electrons at the initial and the final states in an elementary process. They further claimed that using the model they can explain the observed scaling behavior-- negative-magnetoresistivity scaling proportional to the Brillouin function $\cal{B}$ in the ferromagnetic state and to ${\cal{B}}^2$ in the paramagnetic state. In this comment we argue that the modification needed for Mott's original model is different from that proposed by Wagner et al. and further show that our picture will successfully explain the observed scaling in the two regimes.Comment: 1 pag

Wedges, Cones, Cosmic Strings, and the Reality of Vacuum Energy

One of J. Stuart Dowker's most significant achievements has been to observe that the theory of diffraction by wedges developed a century ago by Sommerfeld and others provided the key to solving two problems of great interest in general-relativistic quantum field theory during the last quarter of the twentieth century: the vacuum energy associated with an infinitely thin, straight cosmic string, and (after an interchange of time with a space coordinate) the apparent vacuum energy of empty space as viewed by an accelerating observer. In a sense the string problem is more elementary than the wedge, since Sommerfeld's technique was to relate the wedge problem to that of a conical manifold by the method of images. Indeed, Minkowski space, as well as all cone and wedge problems, are related by images to an infinitely sheeted master manifold, which we call Dowker space. We review the research in this area and exhibit in detail the vacuum expectation values of the energy density and pressure of a scalar field in Dowker space and the cone and wedge spaces that result from it. We point out that the (vanishing) vacuum energy of Minkowski space results, from the point of view of Dowker space, from the quantization of angular modes, in precisely the way that the Casimir energy of a toroidal closed universe results from the quantization of Fourier modes; we hope that this understanding dispels any lingering doubts about the reality of cosmological vacuum energy.Comment: 28 pages, 16 figures. Special volume in honor of J. S. Dowke

Detection of SUSY Signals in Stau Neutralino Co-annihilation Region at the LHC

We study the prospects of detecting the signal in the stau neutralino co-annihilation region at the LHC using tau leptons. The co-annihilation signal is characterized by the stau and neutralino mass difference (dM) to be 5-15 GeV to be consistent with the WMAP measurement of the cold dark matter relic density as well as all other experimental bounds within the minimal supergravity model. Focusing on tau's from neutralino_2 --> tau stau --> tau tau neutralino_1 decays in gluino and squark production, we consider inclusive MET+jet+3tau production, with two tau's above a high E_T threshold and a third tau above a lower threshold. Two observables, the number of opposite-signed tau pairs minus the number of like-signed tau pairs and the peak position of the di-tau invariant mass distribution, allow for the simultaneous determination of dM and M_gluino. For dM = 9 GeV and M_gluino = 850 GeV with 30 fb^-1 of data, we can measure dM to 15% and M_gluino to 6%.Comment: 4 pages LaTex, 3 figures. To appear in Proceedings of SUSY06, the 14th International Conference on Supersymmetry and the Unification of Fundamental Interactions, UC Irvine, California, 12-17 June 2006. A typo in a reference is correcte

Symplectic and orthogonal Lie algebra technology for bosonic and fermionic oscillator models of integrable systems

To provide tools, especially L-operators, for use in studies of rational Yang-Baxter algebras and quantum integrable models when the Lie algebras so(N) (b_n, d_n) or sp(2n) (c_n) are the invariance algebras of their R matrices, this paper develops a presentation of these Lie algebras convenient for the context, and derives many properties of the matrices of their defining representations and of the ad-invariant tensors that enter their multiplication laws. Metaplectic-type representations of sp(2n) and so(N) on bosonic and on fermionic Fock spaces respectively are constructed. Concise general expressions (see (5.2) and (5.5) below) for their L-operators are obtained, and used to derive simple formulas for the T operators of the rational RTT algebra of the associated integral systems, thereby enabling their efficient treatment by means of the algebraic Bethe ansatz.Comment: 24 pages, LaTe

Effects of drinking-water filtration on Cryptosporidium Seroepidemiology, Scotland

Continuous exposure to low levels of Cryptosporidium oocysts is associated with production of protective antibodies. We investigated prevalence of antibodies against the 27-kDa Cryptosporidium oocyst antigen among blood donors in 2 areas of Scotland supplied by drinking water from different sources with different filtration standards: Glasgow (not filtered) and Dundee (filtered). During 2006–2009, seroprevalence and risk factor data were collected; this period includes 2007, when enhanced filtration was introduced to the Glasgow supply. A serologic response to the 27-kDa antigen was found for ≈75% of donors in the 2 cohorts combined. Mixed regression modeling indicated a 32% step-change reduction in seroprevalence of antibodies against Cryptosporidium among persons in the Glasgow area, which was associated with introduction of enhanced filtration treatment. Removal of Cryptosporidium oocysts from water reduces the risk for waterborne exposure, sporadic infections, and outbreaks. Paradoxically, however, oocyst removal might lower immunity and increase the risk for infection from other sources

Antechamber facilitates loading and unloading of vacuum furnace

Antechamber facilitates the use of a furnace in which materials are heat treated in a high vacuum or a gas atmosphere. It has a high vacuum pumping system, a means for backfilling with a selected gas, an access door, glove ports, and a motor driven platform

Comment on ''the controlled charge ordering and evidence of the metallic state in Pr0.65_{0.65}Ca0.35_{0.35}MnO3_{3} films''

In a recent paper (2000 \QTR{it}{J. Phys.: Condens. Matter} \QTR{bf}{12} L133) Lee \QTR{it}{et al.} have studied the transport properties of Pr$_{0.65}$Ca$_{0.35}$MnO$_{3}$ thin films. They claimed that they are able to controlled the charge-ordered (CO) state by the lattice strains. We propose herein another alternative since another indexation of the orientation of the film can be found leading to almost no distortion of the cell, as compared to the bulk compound.Comment: 2 page

Identifying "communities" within energy landscapes

Potential energy landscapes can be represented as a network of minima linked by transition states. The community structure of such networks has been obtained for a series of small Lennard-Jones clusters. This community structure is compared to the concept of funnels in the potential energy landscape. Two existing algorithms have been used to find community structure, one involving removing edges with high betweenness, the other involving optimization of the modularity. The definition of the modularity has been refined, making it more appropriate for networks such as these where multiple edges and self-connections are not included. The optimization algorithm has also been improved, using Monte Carlo methods with simulated annealing and basin hopping, both often used successfully in other optimization problems. In addition to the small clusters, two examples with known heterogeneous landscapes, LJ_13 with one labelled atom and LJ_38, were studied with this approach. The network methods found communities that are comparable to those expected from landscape analyses. This is particularly interesting since the network model does not take any barrier heights or energies of minima into account. For comparison, the network associated with a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice is also studied and is found to have high modularity, thus raising some questions about the interpretation of the community structure associated with such partitions.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figure