Micromagnetic simulations of interacting dipoles on a fcc lattice: Application to nanoparticle assemblies

Micromagnetic simulations are used to examine the effects of cubic and axial anisotropy, magnetostatic interactions and temperature on M-H loops for a collection of magnetic dipoles on fcc and sc lattices. We employ a simple model of interacting dipoles that represent single-domain particles in an attempt to explain recent experimental data on ordered arrays of magnetoferritin nanoparticles that demonstrate the crucial role of interactions between particles in a fcc lattice. Significant agreement between the simulation and experimental results is achieved, and the impact of intra-particle degrees of freedom and surface effects on thermal fluctuations are investigated.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure

Damage spreading in two dimensional geometrically frustrated lattices: the triangular and kagome anistropic Heisenberg model

The technique of damage spreading is used to study the phase diagram of the easy axis anisotropic Heisenberg antiferromagnet on two geometrically frustrated lattices. The triangular and kagome systems are built up from triangular units that either share edges or corners respectively. The triangular lattice undergoes two sequential Kosterlitz-Thouless transitions while the kagome lattice undergoes a glassy transition. In both cases, the phase boundaries obtained using damage spreading are in good agreement with those obtained from equilibrium Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Low-Temperature Excitations of Dilute Lattice Spin Glasses

A new approach to exploring low-temperature excitations in finite-dimensional lattice spin glasses is proposed. By focusing on bond-diluted lattices just above the percolation threshold, large system sizes $L$ can be obtained which lead to enhanced scaling regimes and more accurate exponents. Furthermore, this method in principle remains practical for any dimension, yielding exponents that so far have been elusive. This approach is demonstrated by determining the stiffness exponent for dimensions $d=3$, $d=6$ (the upper critical dimension), and $d=7$. Key is the application of an exact reduction algorithm, which eliminates a large fraction of spins, so that the reduced lattices never exceed $\sim10^3$ variables for sizes as large as L=30 in $d=3$, L=9 in $d=6$, or L=8 in $d=7$. Finite size scaling analysis gives $y_3=0.24(1)$ for $d=3$, significantly improving on previous work. The results for $d=6$ and $d=7$, $y_6=1.1(1)$ and $y_7=1.24(5)$, are entirely new and are compared with mean-field predictions made for d>=6.Comment: 7 pages, LaTex, 7 ps-figures included, added result for stiffness in d=7, as to appear in Europhysics Letters (see http://www.physics.emory.edu/faculty/boettcher/ for related information

Multifractal Behaviour of n-Simplex Lattice

We study the asymptotic behaviour of resistance scaling and fluctuation of resistance that give rise to flicker noise in an {\em n}-simplex lattice. We propose a simple method to calculate the resistance scaling and give a closed-form formula to calculate the exponent, $\beta_L$, associated with resistance scaling, for any n. Using current cumulant method we calculate the exact noise exponent for n-simplex lattices.Comment: Latex, 9 pages including one figur

Occurrence of Eimeria species parasites on small-scale commercial chicken farms in Africa and indication of economic profitability.

Small-scale commercial poultry production is emerging as an important form of livestock production in Africa, providing sources of income and animal protein to many poor households, yet the occurrence and impact of coccidiosis on this relatively new production system remains unknown. The primary objective of this study was to examine Eimeria parasite occurrence on small-scale commercial poultry farms in Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia. Additionally, farm economic viability was measured by calculating the farm gross margin and enterprise budget. Using these economic measures as global assessments of farm productivity, encompassing the diversity present in regional husbandry systems with a measure of fundamental local relevance, we investigated the detection of specific Eimeria species as indicators of farm profitability. Faecal samples and data on production parameters were collected from small-scale (less than 2,000 birds per batch) intensive broiler and layer farms in peri-urban Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia. All seven Eimeria species recognised to infect the chicken were detected in each country. Furthermore, two of the three genetic variants (operational taxonomic units) identified previously in Australia have been described outside of Australia for the first time. Detection of the most pathogenic Eimeria species associated with decreased farm profitability and may be considered as an indicator of likely farm performance. While a causal link remains to be demonstrated, the presence of highly pathogenic enteric parasites may pose a threat to profitable, sustainable small-scale poultry enterprises in Africa

First-Order Transition to Incommensurate Phase with Broken Lattice Rotation Symmetry in Frustrated Heisenberg Model

We study a finite-temperature phase transition in the two-dimensional classical Heisenberg model on a triangular lattice with a ferromagnetic nearest-neighbor interaction $J_1$ and an antiferromagnetic third-nearest-neighbor interaction $J_3$ using a Monte Carlo method. Apart from a trivial degeneracy corresponding to O(3) spin rotations,the ground state for $J_3 \neq 0$ has a threefold degeneracy corresponding to 120 degree lattice rotations. We find that this model exhibits a first-order phase transition with the breaking of the threefold symmetry when the interaction ratio is $J_3/J_1=-3$.Comment: 4pages,5figure

The nature of the different zero-temperature phases in discrete two-dimensional spin glasses: Entropy, universality, chaos and cascades in the renormalization group flow

The properties of discrete two-dimensional spin glasses depend strongly on the way the zero-temperature limit is taken. We discuss this phenomenon in the context of the Migdal-Kadanoff renormalization group. We see, in particular, how these properties are connected with the presence of a cascade of fixed points in the renormalization group flow. Of particular interest are two unstable fixed points that correspond to two different spin-glass phases at zero temperature. We discuss how these phenomena are related with the presence of entropy fluctuations and temperature chaos, and universality in this model.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, 2 table

Heisenberg frustrated magnets: a nonperturbative approach

Frustrated magnets are a notorious example where the usual perturbative methods are in conflict. Using a nonperturbative Wilson-like approach, we get a coherent picture of the physics of Heisenberg frustrated magnets everywhere between $d=2$ and $d=4$. We recover all known perturbative results in a single framework and find the transition to be weakly first order in $d=3$. We compute effective exponents in good agreement with numerical and experimental data.Comment: 5 pages, Revtex, technical details available at http://www.lpthe.jussieu.fr/~tissie