A method to find unstable periodic orbits for the diamagnetic Kepler Problem

A method to determine the admissibility of symbolic sequences and to find the unstable periodic orbits corresponding to allowed symbolic sequences for the diamagnetic Kepler problem is proposed by using the ordering of stable and unstable manifolds. By investigating the unstable periodic orbits up to length 6, a one to one correspondence between the unstable periodic orbits and their corresponding symbolic sequences is shown under the system symmetry decomposition

Giant isotope effect and spin state transition induced by oxygen isotope exchange in (Pr1−xSmx)0.7Ca0.3CoO3Pr_{1-x}Sm_x)_{0.7}Ca_{0.3}CoO_3

We systematically investigate effect of oxygen isotope in $(Pr_{1-x}Sm_x)_{0.7}Ca_{0.3}CoO_3$ which shows a crossover with x from ferromagnetic metal to the insulator with spin-state transition. A striking feature is that effect of oxygen isotope on the ferromagnetic transition is negligible in the metallic phase, while replacing $^{16}O$ with $^{18}O$ leads to a giant up-shift of the spin-state transition temperature ($T_s$) in the insulating phase, especially $T_s$ shifts from 36 to 54 K with isotope component $\alpha_S=-4.7$ for the sample with x=0.175. A metal-insulator transition is induced by oxygen isotope exchange in the sample x=0.172 being close to the insulating phase. The contrasting behaviors observed in the two phases can be well explained by occurrence of static Jahn-Teller distortions in the insulating phase, while absence of them in the metallic phase.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Direct diffusion through interpenetrating networks: Oxygen in titanium

How impurity atoms move through a crystal is a fundamental and recurrent question in materials. The previous understanding of oxygen diffusion in titanium relied on interstitial lattice sites that were recently found to be unstable, making the diffusion pathways for oxygen unknown. Using first-principles quantum-mechanical methods, we find three oxygen interstitial sites in titanium, and quantify the multiple interpenetrating networks for oxygen diffusion. Surprisingly, no single transition dominates, but all contribute to diffusion.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures; additional supporting materia

X-Ray Flares from Postmerger Millisecond Pulsars

Recent observations support the suggestion that short-duration gamma-ray bursts are produced by compact star mergers. The X-ray flares discovered in two short gamma-ray bursts last much longer than the previously proposed postmerger energy release time scales. Here we show that they can be produced by differentially rotating, millisecond pulsars after the mergers of binary neutron stars. The differential rotation leads to windup of interior poloidal magnetic fields and the resulting toroidal fields are strong enough to float up and break through the stellar surface. Magnetic reconnection--driven explosive events then occur, leading to multiple X-ray flares minutes after the original gamma-ray burst.Comment: 10 pages, published in Scienc

Accretion column eclipses in the X-ray pulsars GX 1+4 and RX J0812.4-3114

Sharp dips observed in the pulse profiles of three X-ray pulsars (GX 1+4, RX J0812.4-3114 and A 0535+26) have previously been suggested to arise from partial eclipses of the emission region by the accretion column occurring once each rotation period. We present pulse-phase spectroscopy from Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer satellite observations of GX 1+4 and RX J0812.4-3114 which for the first time confirms this interpretation. The dip phase corresponds to the closest approach of the column axis to the line of sight, and the additional optical depth for photons escaping from the column in this direction gives rise to both the decrease in flux and increase in the fitted optical depth measured at this phase. Analysis of the arrival time of individual dips in GX~1+4 provides the first measurement of azimuthal wandering of a neutron star accretion column. The column longitude varies stochastically with standard deviation 2-6 degrees depending on the source luminosity. Measurements of the phase width of the dip both from mean pulse profiles and individual eclipses demonstrates that the dip width is proportional to the flux. The variation is consistent with that expected if the azimuthal extent of the accretion column depends only upon the Keplerian velocity at the inner disc radius, which varies as a consequence of the accretion rate Mdot.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted by MNRAS. Included reference