Unusual metal–insulator transition in disordered ferromagnetic films

We present a theoretical interpretation of recent data on the conductance near and farther away from the metal–insulator transition in thin ferromagnetic Gd films of thickness b≈2$b\approx 2$–10 nm. For increasing sheet resistances a dimensional crossover takes place from d=2 to d  =3 dimensions, since the large phase relaxation rate caused by scattering of quasiparticles off spin wave excitations renders the dephasing length L_??b$L_{?}?b$ at strong disorder. The conductivity data in the various regimes obey fractional power-law or logarithmic temperature dependence. One observes weak localization and interaction induced corrections at weaker disorder. At strong disorder, near the metal–insulator transition, the data show scaling and collapse onto two scaling curves for the metallic and insulating regimes. We interpret this unusual behavior as proof of two distinctly different correlation length exponents on both sides of the transition.     

Observation of spin reorientation in layered manganites La1.2Sr1.8(Mn1−yRuy)2O7 (0.0⩽y⩽0.2) by Lorentz transmission electron microscopy

The effect of Ru substitution for Mn in bilayered oxides La_1.2Sr_1.8(Mn_1−yRu_y)₂O₇ (0?y?0.2$0?y?0.2$) was investigated by magnetization measurements and low-temperature Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the magnetic anisotropy is controlled by the Ru content y and temperature T. The easy axis changes from 〈1 1 0〉 for the y=0$y=0$ crystal to the c  -axis for y=0.2$y=0.2$, and it rotates away from the c-  axis for the y=0.05$y=0.05$ and y=0.07$y=0.07$ crystals with decreasing temperature. Furthermore, maze-shaped magnetic domain structures were observed in the (0 0 1) thin crystals with 0.05?y?0.2$0.05?y?0.2$. Changes in domain size and structure indicate that the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy becomes stronger as Ru content y increases.     

Singular unitarity in “quantization commutes with reduction”

Let M$M$ be a connected compact quantizable Kähler manifold equipped with a Hamiltonian action of a connected compact Lie group G$G$. Let M//G=?⁻¹(0)/G=_M0$M//G={?}^{-1}\left(0\right)/G=M_0$ be the symplectic quotient at value 0 of the moment map ?$?$. The space _M0$M_0$ may in general not be smooth. It is known that, as vector spaces, there is a natural isomorphism between the quantum Hilbert space over _M0$M_0$ and the G$G$-invariant subspace of the quantum Hilbert space over M$M$. In this paper, without any regularity assumption on the quotient _M0$M_0$, we discuss the relation between the inner products of these two quantum Hilbert spaces under the above natural isomorphism; we establish asymptotic unitarity to leading order in Planck’s constant of a modified map of the above isomorphism under a “metaplectic correction” of the two quantum Hilbert spaces.     

Effect of carbon content on structure and magnetic properties for (Fe,Ni)1−xCx by mechanical alloying

FCC (Fe₅₅Ni₄₅)_1−xC_x   supersaturated solid solution was prepared in a wide concentration range (0?x?0.9)$(0?x?0.9)$ by mechanical alloying of nanocrystalline Fe₅₅Ni₄₅ with graphite. The lattice constant of Fe₅₅Ni₄₅ increases linearly with increasing carbon content up to x=0.25$x=0.25$. At the same time, it is found that the magnetic moment per metal atom (Fe, Ni) decreases linearly with increasing carbon content for 0?x?0.25$0?x?0.25$ with a slope of 1.2 μ_B/at. For high carbon content, x?0.5$x?0.5$, it is observed that the decrease of lattice constant and increase of moment per metal atom (Fe, Ni) with increasing C content, indicates that the dissolution of carbon is hindered by the high-volume fraction of graphite in the initial powder mixture. The complete amorphization of x=0.5$x=0.5$ does not occur after the extended ball milling. The alloying effect of carbon on the magnetization is compared with other metalloid B, P, and Si in Fe- and Ni-based binary system.     

Pseudo-topological transitions in 2D gravity models coupled to massless scalar fields

We study the geometries generated by two-dimensional causal dynamical triangulations (CDT) coupled to d   massless scalar fields. Using methods similar to those used to study four-dimensional CDT we show that there exists a c=1$c=1$ “barrier”, analogous to the c=1$c=1$ barrier encountered in non-critical string theory, only the CDT transition is easier to be detected numerically. For d?1$d?1$ we observe time-translation invariance and geometries entirely governed by quantum fluctuations around the uniform toroidal topology put in by hand. For d>1$d>1$ the effective average geometry is no longer toroidal but “semiclassical” and spherical with Hausdorff dimension _dH=3$d_H=3$. In the d>1$d>1$ sector we study the time dependence of the semiclassical spatial volume distribution and show that the observed behavior is described by an effective mini-superspace action analogous to the actions found in the de Sitter phase of three- and four-dimensional pure CDT simulations and in the three-dimensional CDT-like Ho?ava–Lifshitz models.     

A new formulation of the initial value problem for nonlocal theories

There are a number of reasons to entertain the possibility that locality is violated on microscopic scales, for example through the presence of an infinite series of higher derivatives in the fundamental equations of motion. This type of nonlocality leads to improved UV behavior, novel cosmological dynamics and is a generic prediction of string theory. On the other hand, fundamentally nonlocal models are fraught with complications, including instabilities and complications in setting up the initial value problem. We study the structure of the initial value problem in an interesting class of nonlocal models. We advocate a novel new formulation wherein the Cauchy surface is “smeared out” over the underlying scale of nonlocality, so that the usual notion of initial data at t=0$t=0$ is replaced with an “initial function” defined over −M−1?t?0$-M^{-1}?t?0$ where M is the underlying scale of nonlocality. Focusing on some specific examples from string theory and cosmology, we show that this mathematical re-formulation has surprising implications for the well-known stability problem. For D-brane decay in a linear dilaton background, we are able to show that the unstable directions in phase space cannot be accessed starting from a physically sensible initial function. Previous examples of unstable solutions in this model therefore correspond to unphysical initial conditions, an observation which is obfuscated in the old formulation of the initial value problem. We also discuss implication of this approach for nonlocal cosmological models.     

Non-axisymmetric flexural vibrations of free-edge circular silicon wafers

Non-axisymmetric flexural vibrations of circular silicon (111) wafers are investigated. The modes with azimuthal index 2?k?30$2?k?30$ are electrostatically excited and monitored by a capacitive sensor. The splitting of the mode frequencies associated with imperfection of the wafer is observed. The measured loss factors for the modes with 6?k?26$6?k?26$ are close to those calculated according to the thermoelastic damping theory, while clamping losses likely dominate for k?6$k?6$, and surface losses at the level of inverse Q  -factor Q⁻¹≈4×10⁻⁶$Q^{-1}\approx 4\times {10}^{-6}$ prevail for the modes with large k. The modes demonstrate nonlinear behavior of mainly geometrical origin at large amplitudes.     

Exclusive central diffractive production of scalar and pseudoscalar mesons; tensorial vs. vectorial pomeron

We discuss consequences of the models of “tensorial pomeron” and “vectorial pomeron” for exclusive diffractive production of scalar and pseudoscalar mesons in proton–proton collisions. Diffractive production of f₀(980)$f_0\left(980\right)$, f₀(1370)$f_0\left(1370\right)$, f₀(1500)$f_0\left(1500\right)$, η$\eta$, and η^′(958)${\eta }^{\prime }\left(958\right)$ mesons is discussed. Different pomeron–pomeron–meson tensorial coupling structures are possible in general. In most cases two lowest orbital angular momentum–spin couplings are necessary to describe experimental differential distributions. For f₀(980)$f_0\left(980\right)$ and η$\eta$ production reggeon–pomeron, pomeron–reggeon, and reggeon–reggeon exchanges are included in addition, which seems to be necessary at relatively low energies. The theoretical results are compared with the WA102 experimental data. Correlations in azimuthal angle between outgoing protons, distributions in rapidities and transverse momenta of outgoing protons and mesons, in a special “glueball filter variable”, as well as some two-dimensional distributions are presented. We discuss differences between results of the vectorial and tensorial pomeron models. We show that high-energy central production, in particular of pseudoscalar mesons, could provide crucial information on the spin structure of the soft pomeron.     

Computational approaches to aspect-ratio-dependent upper bounds and heat flux in porous medium convection

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) has shown that Rayleigh–Bénard convection in a fluid-saturated porous medium self-organizes into narrowly spaced plumes at (ostensibly) asymptotically high values of the Rayleigh number Ra. In this Letter a combination of DNS and upper bound theory is used to investigate the dependence of the Nusselt number Nu on the domain aspect ratio L at large Ra  . A novel algorithm is introduced to solve the optimization problems arising from the upper bound analysis, allowing for the best available bounds to be extended up to Ra≈2.65×10⁴$\mathit{Ra}\approx 2.65\times {10}^4$. The dependence of the bounds on L(Ra)$L(\mathit{Ra})$ is explored and a “minimal flow unit” is identified.     

Topologically massive AdS gravity

We analyze (2+1)$(2+1)$-dimensional gravity with a Chern–Simons term and a negative cosmological constant, primarily at the weak field level. The full theory is expressible as the sum of two higher derivative SL(2,R)$\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{R})$ “vector” Chern–Simons terms, while the physical bulk degrees of freedom correspond to a single massive scalar field, just as for Λ=0$\Lambda =0$. The interplay of Λ and the mass parameter μ can be studied, and any physical mass—including the conformal value with null propagation—is accessible by tuning μ. The single bulk mode yields a complete set of normalizable positive energy wave packets, as long as one chooses the usual, “wrong” sign of G   necessary to connect smoothly with the known Λ=0$\Lambda =0$ limit. The chiral Chern–Simons coupling leads to gauge invariant linearized curvatures propagating with chirality-dependent masses. Linearized metric fluctuations have a finite asymptotic Fefferman–Graham expansion about the Poincaré metric for any mass value greater or equal to a “critical” one, where various amusing effects appear, such as vanishing of one of the two “vector” Chern–Simons terms and an equivalence between tensor and vector excitations. We also find a set of chiral, pp-wave metrics that exactly solve the full nonlinear equations.     

Long-range memory elementary 1D cellular automata: Dynamics and nonextensivity

We numerically study the dynamics of elementary 1D cellular automata (CA), where the binary state _σi(t)∈{0,1}${\sigma }_i(t)\in \{0,1\}$ of a cell i   does not only depend on the states in its local neighborhood at time t-1$t-1$, but also on the memory of its own past states _σi(t-2),_σi(t-3),…,_σi(t-τ),…${\sigma }_i(t-2),{\sigma }_i(t-3),\dots ,{\sigma }_i(t-\tau ),\dots$ . We assume that the weight of this memory decays proportionally to τ^-α${\tau }^{-\alpha }$, with α?0$\alpha ?0$ (the limit α→∞$\alpha \to \infty$ corresponds to the usual CA). Since the memory function is summable for α>1$\alpha >1$ and nonsummable for 0?α?1$0?\alpha ?1$, we expect pronounced changes of the dynamical behavior near α=1$\alpha =1$. This is precisely what our simulations exhibit, particularly for the time evolution of the Hamming distance H   of initially close trajectories. We typically expect the asymptotic behavior H(t)∝t^1/(1-q)$H(t)\propto t^{1/(1-q)}$, where q   is the entropic index associated with nonextensive statistical mechanics. In all cases, the function q(α)$q(\alpha )$ exhibits a sensible change at α?1$\alpha ?1$. We focus on the class II rules 61, 99 and 111. For rule 61, q=0$q=0$ for 0?α?_αc?1.3$0?\alpha ?{\alpha }_c?1.3$, and q<0$q<0$ for α>_αc$\alpha >{\alpha }_c$, whereas the opposite behavior is found for rule 111. For rule 99, the effect of the long-range memory on the spread of damage is quite dramatic. These facts point at a rich dynamics intimately linked to the interplay of local lookup rules and the range of the memory. Finite size scaling studies varying system size N   indicate that the range of the power-law regime for H(t)$H(t)$ typically diverges ∝N^z$\propto N^z$ with 0?z?1$0?z?1$.     

Growth and magnetism in amorphous Si1−xMnx thin films grown by thermal deposition

Si_1−xMn_x   (x?0.22$x?0.22$) thin films were grown by using a thermal evaporator, and their magnetic and electrical properties were investigated. The Si_1−xMn_x semiconductors are amorphous when Mn concentration is 9.0 at% and less. The electrical resistivities of amorphous Si_1−xMn_x   (x?0.09$x?0.09$) semiconductor thin films are in the range of 9.86–6.59×10⁻⁴ Ω cm at room temperature and decrease with increasing Mn concentration. The amorphous Si_1−xMn_x   (x?0.09$x?0.09$) semiconductor thin films are p-type and hole densities are 3.73×10¹⁸–1.33×10²² cm⁻³ at room temperature. Low temperature magnetization characteristics reveal that amorphous Si_1−xMn_x   (x?0.09$x?0.09$) semiconductor thin films are paramagnetic.     

Three ways to solve the Poisson equation on a sphere with Gaussian forcing

Motivated by the needs of vortex methods, we describe three different exact or approximate solutions to the Poisson equation on the surface of a sphere when the forcing is a Gaussian of the three-dimensional distance, ∇²ψ=exp(-2?²(1-cos(θ))-C^Gauss(?)${\nabla }^2\psi =\exp (-2{?}^2(1-\cos (\theta ))-C^{\mathit{Gauss}}(?)$. (More precisely, the forcing is a Gaussian minus the “Gauss constraint constant”, C^Gauss$C^{\mathit{Gauss}}$; this subtraction is necessary because ψ$\psi$ is bounded, for any type of forcing, only if the integral of the forcing over the sphere is zero [Y. Kimura, H. Okamoto, Vortex on a sphere, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 56 (1987) 4203–4206; D.G. Dritschel, Contour dynamics/surgery on the sphere, J. Comput. Phys. 79 (1988) 477–483]. The Legendre polynomial series is simple and yields the exact value of the Gauss constraint constant, but converges slowly for large ?$?$. The analytic solution involves nothing more exotic than the exponential integral, but all four terms are singular at one or the other pole, cancelling in pairs so that ψ$\psi$ is everywhere nice. The method of matched asymptotic expansions yields simpler, uniformly valid approximations as series of inverse even powers of ?$?$ that converge very rapidly for the large values of ?  (?>40)$(?>40)$ appropriate for geophysical vortex computations. The series converges to a nonzero O(exp(-4?²))$O(\exp (-4{?}^2))$ error everywhere except at the south pole where it diverges linearly with order instead of the usual factorial order.     

Characterization of magnetic phases in the FexMn0.65−xAl0.35 disordered alloys

Melted alloys of the Fe_xMn_0.65−xAl_0.35 disordered system, 0.25?x?0.65, were experimentally studied by Mössbauer spectrometry, vibrating sample magnetometry and AC magnetic susceptibility. All the alloys exhibit the BCC structure with a nearly constant lattice parameter (2.92 Å). Mössbauer studies at room temperature (RT) show that in the 0.25 ?x?0.45 range the alloys are paramagnetic (P) while in the 0.50?x?0.65 range, they are ferromagnetic. At 77 K, Mössbauer studies show that the alloy with x=0.25$x=0.25$ presents weak magnetic character that is consistent with an antiferromagnetic (AF) behavior due to the high Mn content, while those with 0.30?x?0.40 are paramagnetic, and those in the 0.45?x  ?0.65 range are ferromagnetic (F) with a mean field increasing with the Fe content. Hysteresis cycles at RT prove the paramagnetic character of the alloys between x=0.25$x=0.25$ and 0.40 and the ferromagnetic character for x?0.45$x?0.45$. Complementary measurements using AC magnetic susceptibility permit a magnetic phase diagram to be proposed, with the P phase for high temperature and all the compositions, the AF phase for low Fe content and at low temperature, the F phase for high Fe content above RT and the spin glass phase for all the compositions and at temperatures lower than 46 K. In addition, the mean field renormalization group (MFRG) method, applied to a random competitive and site dilute Ising model with nearest-neighbor, gives rise to magnetic phase diagram, which fairly agrees with previous experimental one.     

Correlation widths in quantum-chaotic scattering

An important parameter to characterize the scattering matrix S   for quantum-chaotic scattering is the width Γcorr${\Gamma }_{\mathrm{corr}}$ of the S  -matrix autocorrelation function. We show that the “Weisskopf estimate” d/(2π)c_∑Tc$d/(2\pi ){\sum }_c{T}_c$ (where d   is the mean resonance spacing, Tc$T_c$ with 0?Tc?1$0?T_c?1$ the “transmission coefficient” in channel c   and where the sum runs over all channels) provides a good approximation to Γcorr${\Gamma }_{\mathrm{corr}}$ even when the number of channels is small. That same conclusion applies also to the cross-section correlation function.     

Localized fields on scalar global defects

We investigate the localization of modes on the worldvolume of a p  -brane embedded in (p+d+1$p+d+1$)-dimensional spacetime. The p  -brane here is such that its profile is regarded as a scalar global defect and the localized modes are scalar modes that come from the fluctuations around such defect. The effective action on the brane is computed and the induced potentials are typically ?⁴${?}^4$-type potentials that are flatter for lower d-dimensions. We also make a connection of such scalar global defects with black p-branes in certain limits.     

Structural,magnetic, and transport properties in La(2+4x)/3Sr(1−4x)/3Mn1−xCuxO3 (0⩽x⩽0.20) system

A series of the double-doping samples La_(2+4x)/3Sr_(1−4x)/3Mn_1−xCu_xO₃(0?x?0.2)$(0?x?0.2)$ with the Mn³⁺/Mn⁴⁺ ratio fixed at 2:1 have been prepared. The structural, magnetic, transport properties and magnetoresistance of the series samples have been investigated. It is found that no apparent crystal structure change is introduced by Cu doping up to x=0.20$x=0.20$. But the Curie temperature _TC$T_{\mathrm{C}}$ and magnetization M   are strongly affected by Cu substitution. A remarkable magnetotransport behavior, characterized by double bumps, is observed, and an obvious low-temperature upturn is found in the range of 0.07?x?0.12$0.07?x?0.12$. As a result, the temperature range of colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) is greatly broadened. Moreover, it is found that the room temperature magnetoresistance (MR) of double-doping samples is obviously larger that the undoped La_2/3Sr_1/3Mn_1−xCu_xO₃ at 300 K, which can give a guide for the adequate selection of the room temperature CMR materials.