1,624 research outputs found
A generalized model of mutation-selection balance with applications to aging
A probability model is presented for the dynamics of mutation-selection
balance in a haploid infinite-population infinite-sites setting sufficiently
general to cover mutation-driven changes in full age-specific demographic
schedules. The model accommodates epistatic as well as additive selective
costs. Closed form characterizations are obtained for solutions in finite time,
along with proofs of convergence to stationary distributions and a proof of the
uniqueness of solutions in a restricted case. Examples are given of
applications to the biodemography of aging, including instabilities in current
formulations of mutation accumulation.Comment: 20 pages Updated to include more historical comment and references to
the literature, as well as to make clear how our non-linear, non-Markovian
model differs from previous linear, Markovian particle system and
measure-valued diffusion models. Further updated to take into account
referee's comment
The Age-Specific Force of Natural Selection and Walls of Death
W. D. Hamilton's celebrated formula for the age-specific force of natural
selection furnishes predictions for senescent mortality due to mutation
accumulation, at the price of reliance on a linear approximation. Applying to
Hamilton's setting the full non-linear demographic model for mutation
accumulation of Evans et al. (2007), we find surprising differences. Non-linear
interactions cause the collapse of Hamilton-style predictions in the most
commonly studied case, refine predictions in other cases, and allow Walls of
Death at ages before the end of reproduction. Haldane's Principle for genetic
load has an exact but unfamiliar generalization.Comment: 27 page
Carrier induced ferromagnetism in concentrated and diluted local-moment systems
For modeling the magnetic properties of concentrated and diluted magnetic
semiconductors, we use the Kondo-lattice model. The magnetic phase diagram is
derived by inspecting the static susceptibility of itinerant band electrons,
which are exchange coupled to localized magnetic moments. It turns out that
rather low band occupations favour a ferromagnetic ordering of the local moment
systems due to an indirect coupling mediated by a spin polarization of the
itinerant charge carriers. The disorder in diluted systems is treated by adding
a CPA-type concept to the theory. For almost all moment concentrations x,
ferromagnetism is possible, however, only for carrier concentrations n
distinctly smaller than x. The charge carrier compensation in real magnetic
semiconductors (in Ga_{1-x}Mn_{x}As by e.g. antisites) seems to be a necessary
condition for getting carrier induced ferromagnetism.Comment: 9 pages (REVTeX), 6 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Sharp lines in the absorption edge of EuTe and PbEuTe in high magnetic fields
The optical absorption spectra in the region of the \fd transition energies
of epitaxial layers of of EuTe and \PbEuTe, grown by molecular beam epitaxy,
were studied using circularly polarized light, in the Faraday configuration.
Under \sigmam polarization a sharp symmetric absorption line (full width at
half-maximum 0.041 eV) emerges at the low energy side of the band-edge
absorption, for magnetic fields intensities greater than 6 T. The absorption
line shows a huge red shift (35 meV/T) with increasing magnetic fields. The
peak position of the absorption line as a function of magnetic field is
dominated by the {\em d-f} exchange interaction of the excited electron and the
\Euion spins in the lattice. The {\em d-f} exchange interaction energy was
estimated to be eV. In \PbEuTe the same absorption line
is detected, but it is broader, due to alloy disorder, indicating that the
excitation is localized within a finite radius. From a comparison of the
absorption spectra in EuTe and \PbEuTe the characteristic radius of the
excitation is estimated to be \AA.Comment: Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter (2004, at press
Quasiparticle dynamics and in-plane anisotropy in system near onset of superconductivity
We report on an infrared study of carrier dynamics within the CuO
planes in heavily underdoped detwinned single crystals of YBaCuO. In an effort to reveal the electronic structure near the onset of
superconductivity, we investigate the strong anisotropy of the electromagnetic
response due to an enhancement of the scattering rate along the a-axis. We
propose that the origin of this anisotropy is related to a modulation of the
electron density within the CuO planes.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Reentrant valence transition in EuO at high pressures: beyond the bond-valence model
The pressure-dependent relation between Eu valence and lattice structure in
model compound EuO is studied with synchrotron-based x-ray spectroscopic and
diffraction techniques. Contrary to expectation, a 7% volume collapse at
45 GPa is accompanied by a reentrant Eu valence transition into a
\emph{lower} valence state. In addition to highlighting the need for probing
both structure and electronic states directly when valence information is
sought in mixed-valent systems, the results also show that widely used
bond-valence methods fail to quantitatively describe the complex electronic
valence behavior of EuO under pressure.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Reaktivität der Metall-Metall-Mehrfachbindung in Übergangsmetall-Komplexen: XIV. Reaktion von Cp*2CoRh(μ-CO)2 (Cp* = η5-C5Me5) mit Schwefel oder Selen und Molkülstruktur von Cp*2CoRh(CO)2(μ-Se)2
Spin-polarized tunneling currents through a ferromagnetic insulator between two metallic or superconducting leads
Using the Keldysh formalism the tunneling current through a hybrid structure
where a confined magnetic insulator (I) is sandwiched between two non-magnetic
leads is calculated. The leads can be either normal metals (M) or
superconductors (S). Each region is modelled as a single band in tight-binding
approximation in order to understand the formation of the tunneling current as
clearly as possible. The tunneling process itself is simulated by a
hybridization between the lead and insulator conduction bands. The insulator is
assumed to have localized moments which can interact with the tunneling
electrons. This is described by the Kondo Lattice Model (KLM) and treated
within an interpolating self-energy approach. For the superconductor the
mean-field BCS theory is used. The spin polarization of the current shows a
strong dependence both on the applied voltage and the properties of the
materials. Even for this idealized three band model there is a qualitative
agreement with experiment.Comment: 15 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication in PR
Reconstructing the solar integrated radial velocity using MDI/SOHO
Searches for exoplanets with radial velocity techniques are increasingly
sensitive to stellar activity. It is therefore crucial to characterize how this
activity influences radial velocity measurements in their study of the
detectability of planets in these conditions. In a previous work we simulated
the impact of spots and plages on the radial velocity of the Sun. Our objective
is to compare this simulation with the observed radial velocity of the Sun for
the same period. We use Dopplergrams and magnetograms obtained by MDI/SOHO over
one solar cycle to reconstruct the solar integrated radial velocity in the Ni
line 6768 \AA. We also characterize the relation between the velocity and the
local magnetic field to interpret our results. We obtain a stronger redshift in
places where the local magnetic field is larger (and as a consequence for
larger magnetic structures): hence we find a higher attenuation of the
convective blueshift in plages than in the network. Our results are compatible
with an attenuation of this blueshift by about 50% when averaged over plages
and network. We obtain an integrated radial velocity with an amplitude over the
solar cycle of about 8 m/s, with small-scale variations similar to the results
of the simulation, once they are scaled to the Ni line. The observed solar
integrated radial velocity agrees with the result of the simulation made in our
previous work within 30%, which validates this simulation. The observed
amplitude confirms that the impact of the convective blueshift attenuation in
magnetic regions will be critical to detect Earth-mass planets in the habitable
zone around solar-like stars.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysic
- …