Magnetic-interference patterns in Josephson junctions with d+is symmetry

The magnetic interference pattern and the spontaneous flux in unconventional Josephson junctions of superconductors with d+is symmetry are calculated for different reduced junction lengths and the relative factor of the d and s wave components. This is a time reversal broken symmetry state. We study the stability of the fractional vortex and antivortex which are spontaneously formed and examine their evolution as we change the length and the relative factor of d and s wave components. The asymmetry in the field modulated diffraction pattern exists for lengths as long as L=10\lambda_J.Comment: 8 pages, 6 eps files, submitted to PR

Mechanisms of Spontaneous Current Generation in an Inhomogeneous d-Wave Superconductor

A boundary between two d-wave superconductors or an s-wave and a d-wave superconductor generally breaks time-reversal symmetry and can generate spontaneous currents due to proximity effect. On the other hand, surfaces and interfaces in d-wave superconductors can produce localized current-carrying states by supporting the T-breaking combination of dominant and subdominant order parameters. We investigate spontaneous currents in the presence of both mechanisms and show that at low temperature, counter-intuitively, the subdominant coupling decreases the amplitude of the spontaneous current due to proximity effect. Superscreening of spontaneous currents is demonstrated to be present in any d-d (but not s-d) junction and surface with d+id' order parameter symmetry. We show that this supercreening is the result of contributions from the local magnetic moment of the condensate to the spontaneous current.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, RevTe

Critical currents in Josephson junctions, with unconventional pairing symmetry: dx2−y2+isd_{x^2-y^2}+is versus dx2−y2+idxyd_{x^2-y^2}+id_{xy}

Phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau theory is used to calculate the possible spontaneous vortex states that may exist at corner junctions of $d_{x^2-y^2}+ix$-wave, (where $x=s$ or $x=d_{xy}$) and s-wave superconductors. We study the magnetic flux and the critical current modulation with the junction orientation angle $\theta$, the magnitude of the order parameter, and the magnetic field $H$. It is seen that the critical current $I_c$ versus the magnetic flux $\Phi$ relation is symmetric / asymmetric for $x=d_{xy}/s$ when the orientation is exactly such that the lobes of the dominant $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave order parameter points towards the two junctions, which are at right angles for the corner junction. The conclusion is that a measurement of the $I_c(\Phi)$ relation may distinguish which symmetry ($d_{x^2-y^2}+is$ or $d_{x^2-y^2}+id_{xy}$) the order parameter has.Comment: 11 pages with 11 figures, Changed conten

Integrated Microfluidic Platform for Oral Diagnostics

While many point-of-care (POC) diagnostic methods have been developed for blood-borne analytes, development of saliva-based POC diagnostics is in its infancy. We have developed a portable microfluidic device for detection of potential biomarkers of periodontal disease in saliva. The device performs rapid microfluidic chip-based immunoassays (<3–10 min) with low sample volume requirements (10 ΜL) and appreciable sensitivity (nM–pM). Our microfluidic method facilitates hands-free saliva analysis by integrating sample pretreatment (filtering, enrichment, mixing) with electrophoretic immunoassays to quickly measure analyte concentrations in minimally pretreated saliva samples. The microfluidic chip has been integrated with miniaturized electronics, optical elements, such as diode lasers, fluid-handling components, and data acquisition software to develop a portable, self-contained device. The device and methods are being tested by detecting potential biomarkers in saliva samples from patients diagnosed with periodontal disease. Our microchip-based analysis can readily be extended to detection of biomarkers of other diseases, both oral and systemic, in saliva and other oral fluids.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73594/1/annals.1384.004.pd

Spatial prediction of the concentration of selenium (Se) in grain across part of Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Grain and soil were sampled across a large part of Amhara, Ethiopia in a study motivated by prior evidence of selenium (Se) deficiency in the Region's population. The grain samples (teff, Eragrostis tef, and wheat, Triticum aestivum) were analysed for concentration of Se and the soils were analysed for various properties, including Se concentration measured in different extractants. Predictive models for concentration of Se in the respective grains were developed, and the predicted values, along with observed concentrations in the two grains were represented by a multivariate linear mixed model in which selected covariates, derived from remote sensor observations and a digital elevation model, were included as fixed effects. In all modelling steps the selection of predictors was done using false discovery rate control, to avoid over-fitting, and using an α-investment procedure to maximize the statistical power to detect significant relationships by ordering the tests in a sequence based on scientific understanding of the underlying processes likely to control Se concentration in grain. Cross-validation indicated that uncertainties in the empirical best linear unbiased predictions of the Se concentration in both grains were well-characterized by the prediction error variances obtained from the model. The predictions were displayed as maps, and their uncertainty was characterized by computing the probability that the true concentration of Se in grain would be such that a standard serving would not provide the recommended daily allowance of Se. The spatial variation of grain Se was substantial, concentrations in wheat and teff differed but showed the same broad spatial pattern. Such information could be used to target effective interventions to address Se deficiency, and the general procedure used for mapping could be applied to other micronutrients and crops in similar settings

A Connection between Twistors and Superstring Sigma Models on Coset Superspaces

We consider superstring sigma models that are based on coset superspaces G/H in which H arises as the fixed point set of an order-4 automorphism of G. We show by means of twistor theory that the corresponding first-order system, consisting of the Maurer-Cartan equations and the equations of motion, arises from a dimensional reduction of some generalised self-dual Yang-Mills equations in eight dimensions. Such a relationship might help shed light on the explicit construction of solutions to the superstring equations including their hidden symmetry structures and thus on the properties of their gauge theory duals.Comment: v3: 16 pages, typos fixed and minor clarifications adde

A Study of the S=1/2 Alternating Chain using Multiprecision Methods

In this paper we present results for the ground state and low-lying excitations of the $S=1/2$ alternating Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain. Our more conventional techniques include perturbation theory about the dimer limit and numerical diagonalization of systems of up to 28 spins. A novel application of multiple precision numerical diagonalization allows us to determine analytical perturbation series to high order; the results found using this approach include ninth-order perturbation series for the ground state energy and one magnon gap, which were previously known only to third order. We also give the fifth-order dispersion relation and third-order exclusive neutron scattering structure factor for one-magnon modes and numerical and analytical binding energies of S=0 and S=1 two-magnon bound states.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures. for submission to Phys.Rev.B. PICT files of figs available at http://csep2.phy.ornl.gov/theory_group/people/barnes/barnes.htm

Parallel computing in information retrieval - An updated review

The progress of parallel computing in Information Retrieval (IR) is reviewed. In particular we stress the importance of the motivation in using parallel computing for Text Retrieval. We analyse parallel IR systems using a classification due to Rasmussen [1] and describe some parallel IR systems. We give a description of the retrieval models used in parallel Information Processing.. We describe areas of research which we believe are needed

The Science of Sungrazers, Sunskirters, and Other Near-Sun Comets

This review addresses our current understanding of comets that venture close to the Sun, and are hence exposed to much more extreme conditions than comets that are typically studied from Earth. The extreme solar heating and plasma environments that these objects encounter change many aspects of their behaviour, thus yielding valuable information on both the comets themselves that complements other data we have on primitive solar system bodies, as well as on the near-solar environment which they traverse. We propose clear definitions for these comets: We use the term near-Sun comets to encompass all objects that pass sunward of the perihelion distance of planet Mercury (0.307 AU). Sunskirters are defined as objects that pass within 33 solar radii of the Sun’s centre, equal to half of Mercury’s perihelion distance, and the commonly-used phrase sungrazers to be objects that reach perihelion within 3.45 solar radii, i.e. the fluid Roche limit. Finally, comets with orbits that intersect the solar photosphere are termed sundivers. We summarize past studies of these objects, as well as the instruments and facilities used to study them, including space-based platforms that have led to a recent revolution in the quantity and quality of relevant observations. Relevant comet populations are described, including the Kreutz, Marsden, Kracht, and Meyer groups, near-Sun asteroids, and a brief discussion of their origins. The importance of light curves and the clues they provide on cometary composition are emphasized, together with what information has been gleaned about nucleus parameters, including the sizes and masses of objects and their families, and their tensile strengths. The physical processes occurring at these objects are considered in some detail, including the disruption of nuclei, sublimation, and ionisation, and we consider the mass, momentum, and energy loss of comets in the corona and those that venture to lower altitudes. The different components of comae and tails are described, including dust, neutral and ionised gases, their chemical reactions, and their contributions to the near-Sun environment. Comet-solar wind interactions are discussed, including the use of comets as probes of solar wind and coronal conditions in their vicinities. We address the relevance of work on comets near the Sun to similar objects orbiting other stars, and conclude with a discussion of future directions for the field and the planned ground- and space-based facilities that will allow us to address those science topics