3,346 research outputs found
Two-step phase changes in cubic relaxor ferroelectrics
The field-driven conversion between the zero-field-cooled frozen relaxor
state and a ferroelectric state of several cubic relaxors is found to occur in
at least two distinct steps, after a period of creep, as a function of time.
The relaxation of this state back to a relaxor state under warming in zero
field also occurs via two or more sharp steps, in contrast to a one-step
relaxation of the ferroelectric state formed by field-cooling. An intermediate
state can be trapped by interrupting the polarization. Giant pyroelectric noise
appears in some of the non-equilibrium regimes. It is suggested that two
coupled types of order, one ferroelectric and the other glassy, may be required
to account for these data.Comment: 27 pages with 8 figures to appear in Phys. Rev.
Aging in the Relaxor Ferroelectric PMN/PT
The relaxor ferroelectric
(PbMnNbO)(PbTiO), ,
(PMN/PT(90/10)) is found to exhibit several regimes of complicated aging
behavior. Just below the susceptibility peak there is a regime exhibiting
rejuvenation but little memory. At lower temperature, there is a regime with
mainly cumulative aging, expected for simple domain-growth. At still lower
temperature, there is a regime with both rejuvenation and memory, reminiscent
of spin glasses. PMN/PT (88/12) is also found to exhibit some of these aging
regimes. This qualitative aging behavior is reminiscent of that seen in
reentrant ferromagnets, which exhibit a crossover from a domain-growth
ferromagnetic regime into a reentrant spin glass regime at lower temperatures.
These striking parallels suggest a picture of competition in PMN/PT (90/10)
between ferroelectric correlations formed in the domain-growth regime with
glassy correlations formed in the spin glass regime. PMN/PT (90/10) is also
found to exhibit frequency-aging time scaling of the time-dependent part of the
out-of-phase susceptibility for temperatures 260 K and below. The stability of
aging effects to thermal cycles and field perturbations is also reported.Comment: 8 pages RevTeX4, 11 figures; submitted to Phys. Rev.
Barkhausen Noise in a Relaxor Ferroelectric
Barkhausen noise, including both periodic and aperiodic components, is found
in and near the relaxor regime of a familiar relaxor ferroelectric,
PbMgNbO, driven by a periodic electric field. The
temperature dependences of both the amplitude and spectral form show that the
size of the coherent dipole moment changes shrink as the relaxor regime is
entered, contrary to expectations based on some simple models.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX4, 5 figures; submitted to Phys Rev Let
A Titan exploration study: Science, technology, and mission planning options, volume 2
For abstract, see Vol.
A Titan exploration study: Science, technology and mission planning options, volume 1
Mission concepts and technology advancements that can be used in the exploration of the outer planet satellites were examined. Titan, the seventh satellite of Saturn was selected as the target of interest. Science objectives for Titan exploration were identified, and recommended science payloads for four basic mission modes were developed (orbiter, atmospheric probe, surface penetrator and lander). Trial spacecraft and mission designs were produced for the various mission modes. Using these trial designs as a base, technology excursions were then made to find solutions to the problems resulting from these conventional approaches and to uncover new science, technology and mission planning options. Several mission modes were developed that take advantage of the unique conditions expected at Titan. They include a combined orbiter, atmosphere probe and lander vehicle, a combined probe and surface penetrator configuration and concepts for advanced remote sensing orbiters
Edwards-Wilkinson surface over a spherical substrate: noise in the height fluctuations
We study the steady state fluctuations of an Edwards-Wilkinson type surface
with the substrate taken to be a sphere. We show that the height fluctuations
on circles at a given latitude has the effective action of a perfect Gaussian
noise, just as in the case of fixed radius circles on an infinite planar
substrate. The effective surface tension, which is the overall coefficient of
the action, does not depend on the latitude angle of the circles.Comment: 6 page
Anomalous Noise in the Pseudogap Regime of YBaCuO
An unusual noise component is found near and below about 250 K in the normal
state of underdoped YBCO and Ca-YBCO films. This noise regime, unlike the more
typical noise above 250 K, has features expected for a symmetry-breaking
collective electronic state. These include large individual fluctuators, a
magnetic sensitivity, and aging effects. A possible interpretation in terms of
fluctuating charge nematic order is presented.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
RING-type E3 ligases: Master manipulators of E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes and ubiquitination
AbstractRING finger domain and RING finger-like ubiquitin ligases (E3s), such as U-box proteins, constitute the vast majority of known E3s. RING-type E3s function together with ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s) to mediate ubiquitination and are implicated in numerous cellular processes. In part because of their importance in human physiology and disease, these proteins and their cellular functions represent an intense area of study. Here we review recent advances in RING-type E3 recognition of substrates, their cellular regulation, and their varied architecture. Additionally, recent structural insights into RING-type E3 function, with a focus on important interactions with E2s and ubiquitin, are reviewed. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Ubiquitin–Proteasome System. Guest Editors: Thomas Sommer and Dieter H. Wolf
Semiclassical dynamics of a spin-1/2 in an arbitrary magnetic field
The spin coherent state path integral describing the dynamics of a
spin-1/2-system in a magnetic field of arbitrary time-dependence is considered.
Defining the path integral as the limit of a Wiener regularized expression, the
semiclassical approximation leads to a continuous minimal action path with
jumps at the endpoints. The resulting semiclassical propagator is shown to
coincide with the exact quantum mechanical propagator. A non-linear
transformation of the angle variables allows for a determination of the
semiclassical path and the jumps without solving a boundary-value problem. The
semiclassical spin dynamics is thus readily amenable to numerical methods.Comment: 16 pages, submitted to Journal of Physics
Quantum Poincare Recurrences for Hydrogen Atom in a Microwave Field
We study the time dependence of the ionization probability of Rydberg atoms
driven by a microwave field, both in classical and in quantum mechanics. The
quantum survival probability follows the classical one up to the Heisenberg
time and then decays algebraically as P(t) ~ 1/t. This decay law derives from
the exponentially long times required to escape from some region of the phase
space, due to tunneling and localization effects. We also provide parameter
values which should allow to observe such decay in laboratory experiments.Comment: revtex, 4 pages, 4 figure
- …