887 research outputs found
Reduced dimensionality in layered quantum dimer magnets: Frustration vs. inhomogeneous condensates
Motivated by recent experiments on BaCuSi2O6, we investigate magnetic
excitations and quantum phase transitions of layered dimer magnets with
inter-layer frustration. We consider two scenarios, (A) a lattice with one
dimer per unit cell and perfect inter-layer frustration, and (B) an enlarged
unit cell with inequivalent layers, with and without perfect frustration. In
all situations, the critical behavior at asymptotically low temperatures is
three-dimensional, but the corresponding crossover scale may be tiny. Magnetic
ordering in case (B) can be discussed in terms of two condensates; remarkably,
perfect frustration renders the proximity effect ineffective. Then, the
ordering transition will be generically split, with clear signatures in
measurable properties. Using a generalized bond-operator method, we calculate
the low-temperature magnetic properties in the paramagnetic and
antiferromagnetic phases. Based on the available experimental data on
BaCuSi2O6, we propose that scenario (B) with inequivalent layers and imperfect
frustration is realized in this material, likely with an additional modulation
of the inter-layer couling along the c axis.Comment: 23 pages, 18 figs, (v2) new fig for bandwidths, (v3) triplon binding
energy discussed, (v4) small changes for clarification, accepted (PRB
When resources collide: Towards a theory of coincidence in information spaces
This paper is an attempt to lay out foundations for a general theory of coincidence in information spaces such as the World Wide Web, expanding on existing work on bursty structures in document streams and information cascades. We elaborate on the hypothesis that every resource that is published in an information space, enters a temporary interaction with another resource once a unique explicit or implicit reference between the two is found. This thought is motivated by Erwin Shroedingers notion of entanglement between quantum systems. We present a generic information cascade model that exploits only the temporal order of information sharing activities, combined with inherent properties of the shared information resources. The approach was applied to data from the world's largest online citizen science platform Zooniverse and we report about findings of this case study
Polaronic behavior of undoped high-Tc cuprates
We present angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) data on undoped
La2CuO4, indicating polaronic coupling between bosons and charge carriers.
Using a shell model, we calculate the electron-phonon coupling and find that it
is strong enough to give polarons. We develop an efficient method for
calculating ARPES spectra in undoped systems. Using the calculated couplings,
we find the width of the phonon side band in good agreement with experiment. We
analyze reasons for the observed dependence of the width on the binding energy.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX, 5 eps figures, more material available at
http://www.fkf.mpg.de/andersen/phonons
Is Neolithic land use correlated with demography? An evaluation of pollen-derived land cover and radiocarbon-inferred demographic change from Central Europe
The transformation of natural landscapes in Middle Europe began in the Neolithic as a result of the introduction of food-producing economies. This paper examines the relation between land-cover and demographic change in a regionally restricted case study. The study area is the Western Lake Constance area which has very detailed palynological as well as archaeological records. We compare land-cover change derived from nine pollen records using a pseudo-biomisation approach with 14C date probability density functions from archaeological sites which serve as a demographic proxy. We chose the Lake Constance area as a regional example where the pollen signal integrates a larger spatial pattern. The land-cover reconstructions for this region show first notable impacts at the Middle to Young Neolithic transition. The beginning of the Bronze Age is characterised by increases of arable land and pasture/meadow, whereas the deciduous woodland decreases dramatically. Changes in the land-cover classes show a correlation with the 14C density curve: the correlation is best with secondary woodland in the Young Neolithic which reflects the lake shore settlement dynamics. In the Early Bronze Age, the radiocarbon density correlates with open land-cover classes, such as pasture, meadow and arable land, reflecting a change in the land-use strategy. The close overall correspondence between the two archives implies that population dynamics and land-cover change were intrinsically linked. We therefore see human impact as a key driver for vegetation change in the Neolithic. Climate might have an influence on vegetation development, but the changes caused by human land use are clearly detectable from Neolithic times, at least in these densely settled, mid-altitude landscapes
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Discrimination between pathogenic and non-pathogenic E. coli strains by means of Raman microspectroscopy
Bacteria can be harmless commensals, beneficial probiotics, or harmful pathogens. Therefore, mankind is challenged to detect and identify bacteria in order to prevent or treat bacterial infections. Examples are identification of species for treatment of infection in clinics and E. coli cell counting for water quality monitoring. Finally, in some instances, the pathogenicity of a species is of interest. The main strategies to investigate pathogenicity are detection of target genes which encode virulence factors. Another strategy could be based on phenotypic identification. Raman spectroscopy is a promising phenotypic method, which offers high sensitivities and specificities for the identification of bacteria species. In this study, we evaluated whether Raman microspectroscopy could be used to determine the pathogenicity of E. coli strains. We used Raman spectra of seven non-pathogenic and seven pathogenic E. coli strains to train a PCA-SVM model. Then, the obtained model was tested by identifying the pathogenicity of three additional E. coli strains. The pathogenicity of these three strains could be correctly identified with a mean sensitivity of 77%, which is suitable for a fast screening of pathogenicity of single bacterial cells. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. © 2020, The Author(s)
Finite-Temperature Transition in the Spin-Dimer Antiferromagnet BaCuSi2O6
We consider a classical XY-like Hamiltonian on a body-centered tetragonal
lattice, focusing on the role of interlayer frustration. A three-dimensional
(3D) ordered phase is realized via thermal fluctuations, breaking the
mirror-image reflection symmetry in addition to the XY symmetry. A heuristic
field-theoretical model of the transition has a decoupled fixed point in the 3D
XY universality, and our Monte Carlo simulation suggests that there is such a
temperature region where long-wavelength fluctuations can be described by this
fixed point. However, it is shown using scaling arguments that the decoupled
fixed point is unstable against a fluctuation-induced biquadratic interaction,
indicating that a crossover to nontrivial critical phenomena with different
exponents appears as one approaches the critical point beyond the transient
temperature region. This new scenario clearly contradicts the previous notion
of the 3D XY universality.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure
Photoemission kinks and phonons in cuprates
One of the possible mechanisms of high Tc superconductivity is Cooper pairing
with the help of bosons, which change the slope of the electronic dispersion as
observed by photoemission. Giustino et al. calculated that in the high
temperature superconductor La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 crystal lattice vibrations
(phonons) should have a negligible effect on photoemission spectra and
concluded that phonons do not play an important role. We show that the
calculations employed by Giustino et al. fail to reproduce huge influence of
electron-phonon coupling on important phonons observed in experiments. Thus one
would expect these calculations to similarly fail in explaining the role of
electron-phonon coupling for the electronic dispersion.Comment: To appear in Nature as a Brief Communiction Arisin
Raman spectroscopy - A powerful tool for in situ planetary science
This paper introduces Raman spectroscopy and discusses various scenarios where it might be applied to in situ planetary missions. We demonstrate the extensive capabilities of Raman spectroscopy for planetary investigations and argue that this technique is essential for future planetary missions
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