Creep motion of a domain wall in the two-dimensional random-field Ising model with a driving field

With Monte Carlo simulations, we study the creep motion of a domain wall in the two-dimensional random-field Ising model with a driving field. We observe the nonlinear fieldvelocity relation, and determine the creep exponent {\mu}. To further investigate the universality class of the creep motion, we also measure the roughness exponent {\zeta} and energy barrier exponent {\psi} from the zero-field relaxation process. We find that all the exponents depend on the strength of disorder.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

High-topological-number magnetic skyrmions and topologically protected dissipative structure

The magnetic skyrmion with the topological number of unity ($Q=1$) is a well-known nanometric swirling spin structure in the nonlinear $\sigma$ model with the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Here, we show that magnetic skyrmion with the topological number of two ($Q=2$) can be created and stabilized by applying vertical spin-polarized current though it cannot exist as a static stable excitation. Magnetic skyrmion with $Q=2$ is a nonequilibrium dynamic object, subsisting on a balance between the energy injection from the current and the energy dissipation by the Gilbert damping. Once it is created, it becomes a topologically protected object against fluctuations of various variables including the injected current itself. Hence, we may call it a topologically protected dissipative structure. We also elucidate the nucleation and destruction mechanisms of the magnetic skyrmion with $Q=2$ by studying the evolutions of the magnetization distribution, the topological charge density as well as the energy density. Our results will be useful for the study of the nontrivial topology of magnetic skyrmions with higher topological numbers.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures. To be published in Phys. Rev.

Transmission eigenvalues and the bare conductance in the crossover to Anderson localization

We measure the field transmission matrix t for microwave radiation propagating through random waveguides in the crossover to Anderson localization. From these measurements, we determine the dimensionless conductance, g, and the individual eigenvalues $\tau_n$ of the transmission matrix $tt^\dagger$ whose sum equals g. In diffusive samples, the highest eigenvalue, $\tau_1$, is close to unity corresponding to a transmission of nearly 100%, while for localized waves, the average of $\tau_1$, is nearly equal to g. We find that the spacing between average values of $\ln\tau_n$ is constant and demonstrate that when surface interactions are taken into account it is equal to the inverse of the bare conductance.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Kohn anomaly and interplay of electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions in epitaxial graphene

The interplay of electron-phonon (el-ph) and electron-electron (el-el) interactions in epitaxial graphene is studied by directly probing its electronic structure. We found a strong coupling of electrons to the soft part of the A1g phonon evident by a kink at 150+/-15 meV, while the coupling of electrons to another expected phonon E2g at 195 meV can only be barely detected. The possible role of the el-el interaction to account for the enhanced coupling of electrons to the A1g phonon, and the contribution of el-ph interaction to the linear imaginary part of the self energy at high binding energy are also discussed. Our results reveal the dominant role of the A1g phonon in the el-ph interaction in graphene, and highlight the important interplay of el-el and el-ph interactions in the self energy of graphene.Comment: accepted to Phys. Rev.

Multifractal detrended cross-correlation analysis for two nonstationary signals

It is ubiquitous in natural and social sciences that two variables, recorded temporally or spatially in a complex system, are cross-correlated and possess multifractal features. We propose a new method called multifractal detrended cross-correlation analysis (MF-DXA) to investigate the multifractal behaviors in the power-law cross-correlations between two records in one or higher dimensions. The method is validated with cross-correlated 1D and 2D binomial measures and multifractal random walks. Application to two financial time series is also illustrated.Comment: 4 RevTex pages including 6 eps figure

Further solutions of critical ABF RSOS models

The restricted SOS model of Andrews, Baxter and Forrester has been studied. The finite size corrections to the eigenvalue spectra of the transfer matrix of the model with a more general crossing parameter have been calculated. Therefore the conformal weights and the central charges of the non-unitary or unitary minimal conformal field have been extracted from the finite size corrections.Comment: Pages 11; revised versio

Comparative experimental study of local mixing of active and passive scalars in turbulent thermal convection

We investigate experimentally the statistical properties of active and passive scalar fields in turbulent Rayleigh-B\'{e}nard convection in water, at $Ra\sim10^{10}$. Both the local concentration of fluorescence dye and the local temperature are measured near the sidewall of a rectangular cell. It is found that, although they are advected by the same turbulent flow, the two scalars distribute differently. This difference is twofold, i.e. both the quantities themselves and their small-scale increments have different distributions. Our results show that there is a certain buoyant scale based on time domain, i.e. the Bolgiano time scale $t_B$, above which buoyancy effects are significant. Above $t_B$, temperature is active and is found to be more intermittent than concentration, which is passive. This suggests that the active scalar possesses a higher level of intermittency in turbulent thermal convection. It is further found that the mixing of both scalar fields are isotropic for scales larger than $t_B$ even though buoyancy acts on the fluid in the vertical direction. Below $t_B$, temperature is passive and is found to be more anisotropic than concentration. But this higher degree of anisotropy is attributed to the higher diffusivity of temperature over that of concentration. From the simultaneous measurements of temperature and concentration, it is shown that two scalars have similar autocorrelation functions and there is a strong and positive correlation between them.Comment: 13 pages and 12 figure

Continuum Electromechanical Modeling of Protein-Membrane Interaction

A continuum electromechanical model is proposed to describe the membrane curvature induced by electrostatic interactions in a solvated protein-membrane system. The model couples the macroscopic strain energy of membrane and the electrostatic solvation energy of the system, and equilibrium membrane deformation is obtained by minimizing the electro-elastic energy functional with respect to the dielectric interface. The model is illustrated with the systems with increasing geometry complexity and captures the sensitivity of membrane curvature to the permanent and mobile charge distributions.Comment: 5 pages, 12 figure