Chemical Abundance Study of One Red Giant Star in NGC 5694 : A Globular Cluster with Dwarf Spheroidals' Chemical Signature?

We report the abundance analysis of one red giant branch star in the metal-poor outer halo globular cluster NGC 5694. We obtain [Fe/H] = -1.93, based on the ionized lines, and our metallicity measurement is in good agreement with previous estimates. We find that [Ca+Ti/2Fe] and [Cu/Fe] of NGC 5694 are about 0.3 -- 0.4 dex lower than other globular clusters with similar metallicities, but similar to some LMC clusters and stars in some dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Differences persist, however, in the abundances of neutron capture elements. The unique chemical abundance pattern and the large Galactocentric distance (30 kpc) and radial velocity (-138.6 +/- 1.0 km/sec) indicate that NGC 5694 had an extragalactic origin.Comment: ApJL accepte

Spin relaxation in mesoscopic superconducting Al wires

We studied the diffusion and the relaxation of the polarized quasiparticle spins in superconductors. To that end, quasiparticles of polarized spins were injected through an interface of a mesoscopic superconducting Al wire in proximity contact with an overlaid ferromagnetic Co wire in the single-domain state. The superconductivity was observed to be suppressed near the spin-injecting interface, as evidenced by the occurrence of a finite voltage for a bias current below the onset of the superconducting transition. The spin diffusion length, estimated from finite voltages over a certain length of Al wire near the interface, was almost temperature independent in the temperature range sufficiently below the superconducting transition but grew as the transition temperature was approached. This temperature dependence suggests that the relaxation of the spin polarization in the superconducting state is governed by the condensation of quasiparticles to the paired state. The spin relaxation in the superconducting state turned out to be more effective than in the normal state.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Influence of FK 506 (tacrolimus) on circulating CD4 ⁺ t cells expressing cd25 and cd45ra antigens in 19 patients with chronic progressive multiple sclerosis participating in an open label drug safety trial

We have taken the opportunity of a clinical trial of the potential efficacy and safety of FK 506 (tacrolimus) in chronic progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) to examine the influence of this potent new immunosuppressant on circulating T-lymphocytes in an otherwise healthy non-transplant population. Peripheral blood levels of subsets of CD4+ T lymphocytes expressing the activation molecule interleukin-2 receptor (p55 α chain; CD25) or the CD45RA isoform were determined sequentially in 19 patients that were treated continuously with oral FK 506 (starting dose 0.15 mg/kg/day) for 12 months. No significant change in the proportion of circulating CD25 + CD4+ cells was observed over the study period in which the mean trough plasma FK 506 level rose from 0.3 ±0.2 to 0.5 ±0.4 ng/ml. There was also no significant effect of FK 506 on the percentage of CD45RA + CD4 + cells in the peripheral blood at 12 months compared with pretreatment values. Analysis of a subgroup of 7 patients, who showed a sustained reduction in CD25 + CD4+ cells and a reciprocal increase in CD45RA* CD4 * cells for at least 6 months after start of treatment, did not reveal any difference in disability at one year compared with the treatment group as a whole. The side effects of FK 506 were mild and the overall degree of disability estimated by the mean Kurtzke expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score or the ambulation index did not deteriorate significantly in the 19 patients studied over the 12 months of FK 506 administration. © 1994 Informa UK Ltd All rights reserved: reproduction in whole or part not permitted

Identification of the Beutler-Fano formula in eigenphase shifts and eigentime delays near a resonance

Eigenphase shifts and eigentime delays near a resonance for a system of one discrete state and two continua are shown to be functionals of the Beutler- Fano formulas using appropriate dimensionless energy units and line profile indices. Parameters responsible for the avoided crossing of eigenphase shifts and eigentime delays are identified. Similarly, parameters responsible for the eigentime delays due to a frame change are identified. With the help of new parameters, an analogy with the spin model is pursued for the S matrix and time delay matrix. The time delay matrix is shown to comprise three terms, one due to resonance, one due to a avoided crossing interaction, and one due to a frame change. It is found that the squared sum of time delays due to the avoided crossing interaction and frame change is unity.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures, RevTe

Thermodynamic instability and first-order phase transition in an ideal Bose gas

We conduct a rigorous investigation into the thermodynamic instability of ideal Bose gas confined in a cubic box, without assuming thermodynamic limit nor continuous approximation. Based on the exact expression of canonical partition function, we perform numerical computations up to the number of particles one million. We report that if the number of particles is equal to or greater than a certain critical value, which turns out to be 7616, the ideal Bose gas subject to Dirichlet boundary condition reveals a thermodynamic instability. Accordingly we demonstrate - for the first time - that, a system consisting of finite number of particles can exhibit a discontinuous phase transition featuring a genuine mathematical singularity, provided we keep not volume but pressure constant. The specific number, 7616 can be regarded as a characteristic number of 'cube' that is the geometric shape of the box.Comment: 1+21 pages; 3 figures (2 color and 1 B/W); Final version to appear in Physical Review A. Title changed from the previous one, "7616: Critical number of ideal Bose gas confined in a cubic box

Self-Attracting Walk on Lattices

We have studied a model of self-attracting walk proposed by Sapozhnikov using Monte Carlo method. The mean square displacement $\sim t^{2\nu}$ and the mean number of visited sites $\sim t^{k}$ are calculated for one-, two- and three-dimensional lattice. In one dimension, the walk shows diffusive behaviour with $\nu=k=1/2$. However, in two and three dimension, we observed a non-universal behaviour, i.e., the exponent $\nu$ varies continuously with the strength of the attracting interaction.Comment: 6 pages, latex, 6 postscript figures, Submitted J.Phys.

Phase diagram of a Disordered Boson Hubbard Model in Two Dimensions

We study the zero-temperature phase transition of a two-dimensional disordered boson Hubbard model. The phase diagram of this model is constructed in terms of the disorder strength and the chemical potential. Via quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we find a multicritical line separating the weak-disorder regime, where a random potential is irrelevant, from the strong-disorder regime. In the weak-disorder regime, the Mott-insulator-to-superfluid transition occurs, while, in the strong-disorder regime, the Bose-glass-to-superfluid transition occurs. On the multicritical line, the insulator-to-superfluid transition has the dynamical critical exponent $z=1.35 \pm 0.05$ and the correlation length critical exponent $\nu=0.67 \pm 0.03$, that are different from the values for the transitions off the line. We suggest that the proliferation of the particle-hole pairs screens out the weak disorder effects.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published in PR

Spectral properties of the X-ray binary pulsar LMC X-4 during different intensity states

We present spectral variations of the binary X-ray pulsar LMC X-4 observed with the RXTE/PCA during different phases of its 30.5 day long third period. Only out of eclipse data were used for this study. The 3-25 keV spectrum, modeled with high energy cut-off power-law and iron line emission is found to show strong dependence on the intensity state. Correlations between the Fe line emission flux and different parameters of the continuum are presented here.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Field-free deterministic ultra fast creation of skyrmions by spin orbit torques

Magnetic skyrmions are currently the most promising option to realize current-driven magnetic shift registers. A variety of concepts to create skyrmions were proposed and demonstrated. However, none of the reported experiments show controlled creation of single skyrmions using integrated designs. Here, we demonstrate that skyrmions can be generated deterministically on subnanosecond timescales in magnetic racetracks at artificial or natural defects using spin orbit torque (SOT) pulses. The mechanism is largely similar to SOT-induced switching of uniformly magnetized elements, but due to the effect of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI), external fields are not required. Our observations provide a simple and reliable means for skyrmion writing that can be readily integrated into racetrack devices

A Comparison of Polarization Observables in Electron Scattering from the Proton and Deuteron

Recoil proton polarization observables were measured for both the p($\vec {\rm e}$,e$^\prime\vec{\rm p}\,$) and d($\vec {\rm e}$,e$^\prime\vec{\rm p}\,)$n reactions at two values of Q$^2$ using a newly commissioned proton Focal Plane Polarimeter at the M.I.T.-Bates Linear Accelerator Center. The hydrogen and deuterium spin-dependent observables $D_{\ell\ell}$ and $D_{{\ell}t}$, the induced polarization $P_n$ and the form factor ratio $G^p_E/G^p_M$ were measured under identical kinematics. The deuterium and hydrogen results are in good agreement with each other and with the plane-wave impulse approximation (PWIA).Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure; accepted by Phys. Rev. Let