Universal Scaling of the Neel Temperature of Near-Quantum-Critical Quasi-Two-Dimensional Heisenberg Antiferromagnets

We use a quantum Monte Carlo method to calculate the Neel temperature T_N of weakly coupled S=1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic layers consisting of coupled ladders. This system can be tuned to different two-dimensional scaling regimes for T > T_N. In a single-layer mean-field theory, \chi_s^{2D}(T_N)=(z_2J')^{-1}, where \chi_s^{2D} is the exact staggered susceptibility of an isolated layer, J' the inter-layer coupling, and z_2=2 the layer coordination number. With a renormalized z_2, we find that this relationship applies not only in the renormalized-classical regime, as shown previously, but also in the quantum-critical regime and part of the quantum-disordered regime. The renormalization is nearly constant; k_2 ~ 0.65-0.70. We also study other universal scaling functions.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Magnetic Excitations of Stripes Near a Quantum Critical Point

We calculate the dynamical spin structure factor of spin waves for weakly coupled stripes. At low energy, the spin wave cone intensity is strongly peaked on the inner branches. As energy is increased, there is a saddlepoint followed by a square-shaped continuum rotated 45 degree from the low energy peaks. This is reminiscent of recent high energy neutron scattering data on the cuprates. The similarity at high energy between this semiclassical treatment and quantum fluctuations in spin ladders may be attributed to the proximity of a quantum critical point with a small critical exponent $\eta$.Comment: 4+ pages, 5 figures, published versio

Magnetic Excitations of Stripes and Checkerboards in the Cuprates

We discuss the magnetic excitations of well-ordered stripe and checkerboard phases, including the high energy magnetic excitations of recent interest and possible connections to the "resonance peak" in cuprate superconductors. Using a suitably parametrized Heisenberg model and spin wave theory, we study a variety of magnetically ordered configurations, including vertical and diagonal site- and bond-centered stripes and simple checkerboards. We calculate the expected neutron scattering intensities as a function of energy and momentum. At zero frequency, the satellite peaks of even square-wave stripes are suppressed by as much as a factor of 34 below the intensity of the main incommensurate peaks. We further find that at low energy, spin wave cones may not always be resolvable experimentally. Rather, the intensity as a function of position around the cone depends strongly on the coupling across the stripe domain walls. At intermediate energy, we find a saddlepoint at $(\pi,\pi)$ for a range of couplings, and discuss its possible connection to the "resonance peak" observed in neutron scattering experiments on cuprate superconductors. At high energy, various structures are possible as a function of coupling strength and configuration, including a high energy square-shaped continuum originally attributed to the quantum excitations of spin ladders. On the other hand, we find that simple checkerboard patterns are inconsistent with experimental results from neutron scattering.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, for high-res figs, see http://physics.bu.edu/~yaodx/spinwave2/spinw2.htm

Influence of low-level Pr substitution on the superconducting properties of YBa2Cu3O7-delta single crystals

We report on measurements on Y1-xPrxBa2Cu3O7-delta single crystals, with x varying from 0 to 2.4%. The upper and the lower critical fields, Hc2 and Hc1, the Ginzburg-Landau parameter and the critical current density, Jc(B), were determined from magnetization measurements and the effective media approach scaling method. We present the influence of Pr substitution on the pinning force density as well as on the trapped field profiles analyzed by Hall probe scanning.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Conf. Se

Neutrino emission from a GRB afterglow shock during an inner supernova shock breakout

The observations of a nearby low-luminosity gamma-ray burst (GRB) 060218 associated with supernova SN 2006aj may imply an interesting astronomical picture where a supernova shock breakout locates behind a relativistic GRB jet. Based on this picture, we study neutrino emission for early afterglows of GRB 060218-like GRBs, where neutrinos are expected to be produced from photopion interactions in a GRB blast wave that propagates into a dense wind. Relativistic protons for the interactions are accelerated by an external shock, while target photons are basically provided by the incoming thermal emission from the shock breakout and its inverse-Compton scattered component. Because of a high estimated event rate of low-luminosity GRBs, we would have more opportunities to detect afterglow neutrinos from a single nearby GRB event of this type by IceCube. Such a possible detection could provide evidence for the picture described above.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

A review of microgrid development in the United States – A decade of progress on policies, demonstrations, controls, and software tools

Microgrids have become increasingly popular in the United States. Supported by favorable federal and local policies, microgrid projects can provide greater energy stability and resilience within a project site or community. This paper reviews major federal, state, and utility-level policies driving microgrid development in the United States. Representative U.S. demonstration projects are selected and their technical characteristics and non-technical features are introduced. The paper discusses trends in the technology development of microgrid systems as well as microgrid control methods and interactions within the electricity market. Software tools for microgrid design, planning, and performance analysis are illustrated with each tool's core capability. Finally, the paper summarizes the successes and lessons learned during the recent expansion of the U.S. microgrid industry that may serve as a reference for other countries developing their own microgrid industries

Triaxially deformed relativistic point-coupling model for Λ\Lambda hypernuclei: a quantitative analysis of hyperon impurity effect on nuclear collective properties

The impurity effect of hyperon on atomic nuclei has received a renewed interest in nuclear physics since the first experimental observation of appreciable reduction of $E2$ transition strength in low-lying states of hypernucleus $^{7}_\Lambda$Li. Many more data on low-lying states of $\Lambda$ hypernuclei will be measured soon for $sd$-shell nuclei, providing good opportunities to study the $\Lambda$ impurity effect on nuclear low-energy excitations. We carry out a quantitative analysis of $\Lambda$ hyperon impurity effect on the low-lying states of $sd$-shell nuclei at the beyond-mean-field level based on a relativistic point-coupling energy density functional (EDF), considering that the $\Lambda$ hyperon is injected into the lowest positive-parity ($\Lambda_s$) and negative-parity ($\Lambda_p$) states. We adopt a triaxially deformed relativistic mean-field (RMF) approach for hypernuclei and calculate the $\Lambda$ binding energies of hypernuclei as well as the potential energy surfaces (PESs) in $(\beta, \gamma)$ deformation plane. We also calculate the PESs for the $\Lambda$ hypernuclei with good quantum numbers using a microscopic particle rotor model (PRM) with the same relativistic EDF. The triaxially deformed RMF approach is further applied in order to determine the parameters of a five-dimensional collective Hamiltonian (5DCH) for the collective excitations of triaxially deformed core nuclei. Taking $^{25,27}_{\Lambda}$Mg and $^{31}_{\Lambda}$Si as examples, we analyse the impurity effects of $\Lambda_s$ and $\Lambda_p$ on the low-lying states of the core nuclei...Comment: 15 pages with 18 figures and 1 table (version to be published in Physical Review C