Hedgehog production in spatially correlated noise

The production of topological defects during a quench in a φ⁴ model is investigated. The influence of a spatially correlated noise on defect production in two and three dimensions is demonstrated. Received 28 August 2001 / Received in final form 11 February 2002 Published online 2 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"Paper supported in part by ESF “COSLAB” Programme RID="b" ID="b"e-mail: sfdobrow@kinga.cyf-kr.edu.pl     

High-spin states in the <Superscript>97</Superscript>Tc nucleus

High-spin states in the ⁹⁷Tc nucleus have been studied by in-beam γ-ray spectroscopy with the reaction ⁸²Se(¹⁹F,4nγ) at 68 MeV incident energy. Excited states have been observed up to about 8 MeV excitation and spin 43/2. The observed level scheme is compared with results of shell model calculations. Received: 22 November 2002 / Accepted: 23 December 2002 / Published online: 18 March 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: bucurescu@tandem.nipne.ro RID="b" ID="b"Present address: INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Legnaro, Italy. RID="b" ID="b"Present address: INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Legnaro, Italy. RID="b" ID="b"Present address: INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Legnaro, Italy. RID="c" ID="c"Present address: Università di Padova, Padova, Italy. Communicated by C. Signorini     

In-beam spectroscopy of 253, 254No

In-beam conversion electron spectroscopy experiments have been performed on the transfermium nuclei ^{253, 254}No using the conversion electron spectrometer SACRED in nearly collinear geometry in conjunction with the gas-filled separator RITU at the University of Jyv?skyl?. The experimental setup is discussed and the spectra are compared to Monte Carlo simulations. The implications for the ground-state configuration of ²⁵³No are discussed. Received: 21 March 2002 / Accepted: 16 May 2002 / Published online: 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: rdh@ns.ph.liv.ac.uk RID="b" ID="b"Present address: GANIL, F-14021 Caen, France. RID="c" ID="c"Permanent address: IReS Strasbourg, IN2P3-CNRS, F-67037-Strasbourg, France. RID="d" ID="d"Present address: CEA/DIF DCRE/SDE/LDN F-91680 Bruyeres-le-Chatel. RID="e" ID="e"Present address: Daresbury Laboratory, Daresbury WA4 4AD, UK. RID="f" ID="f"Permanent address: IPN Lyon, IN2P3-CNRS, F-69037 Lyon, France.     

Magnetic oscillations in the 2D network of compensated coupled orbits of the organic metal (BEDT-TTF) 8 Hg 4 Cl 12 (C 6 H 5 Br) 2

Interlayer magnetoresistance and magnetisation of the quasi-two dimensional organic metal (BEDT-TTF)₈Hg₄Cl₁₂(C₆H₅Br)₂ have been investigated in pulsed magnetic fields extending up to 60 T and 33 T, respectively. About fifteen fundamental frequencies, composed of linear combinations of only three basic frequencies, are observed in the oscillatory spectra of the magnetoresistance. The dependencies of the oscillation amplitude on the temperature and on the magnitude and orientation of the magnetic field are analyzed in the framework of the conventional two-dimensional Lifshitz-Kosevitch (LK) model. This model is implemented by damping factors which accounts for the magnetic breakthrough occurring between electron and hole orbits yielding conventional Shubnikov-de Haas closed orbits (model of Falicov and Stachowiak) and quantum interferometers. In particular, a quantum interferometer enclosing an area equal to the first Brillouin zone area is evidenced. The LK model consistently accounts for the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the oscillation amplitude of this interferometer. On the contrary, although this model formally accounts for almost all of the observed oscillatory components, it fails to give consistent quantitative data in most other cases. Received 4 September 2002 / Received in final form 14 November 2002 Published online 27 January 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: audouard@insa-tlse.fr RID="b" ID="b"UMR 5830: Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS - Université Paul Sabatier - INSA de Toulouse RID="c" ID="c"UMS 5642: Unité Mixte de Service CNRS - Université Paul Sabatier - INSA de Toulouse     

Explicit model realizing parton-hadron duality

An explicit model realizing parton-hadron duality and fitting the data is suggested. Complex nonlinear Regge trajectories are important ingredients of the model. The inclusion of Δ and N^* trajectories should account for all resonances in the direct channel. The exotic trajectory is responsible for the smooth background. Received: 7 June 2002 / Accepted: 3 July 2002 / Published online: 10 December 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: fiore@cs.infn.it RID="b" ID="b"e-mail: flachi@ifae.es RID="c" ID="c"e-mail: jenk@gluk.org RID="d" ID="d"e-mail: sasha@len.uzhgorod.ua RID="e" ID="e"e-mail: vladimir@cfif.ist.utl.pt Communicated by V.V. Anisovich     

In situ measurement of high-temperature thermal diffusivity in a combustion-synthesized ceramic

A simple method to calculate thermal diffusivity in situ after a combustion synthesis reaction is presented. The combustion reaction was analyzed via time-resolved X-ray diffraction analysis and infrared thermography. Thermal diffusivity was estimated and used to calculate temperature profiles based on temperature profiles one second earlier. For a sample of TiC formed from Ti and C, a value of 2.00×10^-6±0.20×10^-6 m² s^-1 was calculated for temperatures between 1000 and 1900 K. This method is rapid and can avoid some problems associated with furnace-based measurements of thermal diffusivity, such as recrystallization and destruction of non-equilibrium phases. Received 29 November 2002 / Received in final form 19 March 2003 Published online 23 May 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: vrel@limhp.univ-paris13.fr RID="b" ID="b"UPR 1311 RID="c" ID="c"UMR 6630     

Electromagnetic form factors of bound nucleons revisited

We investigate the possible modifications of the nucleons' electromagnetic form factors in the framework of a modified Skyrme model allowing for nucleon deformation and using realistic nuclear mass distributions. We show that such effects are small in light nuclei Received: 19 November 2002 / Accepted: 3 December 2002 / Published online: 18 March 2003 RID="a" ID="a"Address after January 1st, 2003: Helmholtz Institut für Strahlen- und Kernphysik (Theorie), Universit?t Bonn, Nu?allee 14-16, D-53115 Bonn, Germany; e-mail: meissner@itkp.uni-bonn.de RID="b" ID="b"Present address: Helmholtz Institut für Strahlen- und Kernphysik (Theorie), Universit?t Bonn, D-53115 Bonn, Germany. Communicated by V. Vento     

Candidates for chiral doublet bands in 136Nd

The even-even nucleus ¹³⁶Nd was studied via in-beam γ-ray spectroscopy using the ¹⁶O + ¹²⁵Te reaction at 100 MeV and the EUROBALL array. One new dipole band was observed. Together with a previously identified dipole band, whose position in the level scheme is revised, the new band forms a doublet structure similar to the recently observed chiral bands in the odd-odd neighboring nuclei. This would be the first case of a chiral doublet in an even-even nucleus. Received: 23 May 2002 / Accepted: 30 September 2002 / Published online: 27 November 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: costel.petrache@unicam.it RID="b" ID="b"Present address: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. RID="c" ID="c"Present address: Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung D-64291 Darmstadt, Germany. Communicated by C. Signorini     

Genetic Algorithms as a tool in the study of aperiodic order,with application to the case of X-Ray diffraction spectra of GaAs-AlAs multilayer heterostructures

We present the first application of Genetic Algorithms to the analysis of data from an aperiodically ordered system, high resolution X-Ray diffraction spectra from multilayer heterostructures arranged according to a deterministic or random scheme. This method paves the way to the solution of the “inverse problem”, that is the retrieval of the generating disorder from the investigation of the spectra of an unknown sample having non crystallographic, non quasi-crystallographic order. Received 18 March 2002 / Received in final form 3 July 2002 Published online 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: Evelyne.Lutton@inria.fr RID="b" ID="b"CNRS UMR 8502     

Transfer reactions and sub-barrier fusion in 40Ca + 90, 96Zr

The two systems ⁴⁰Ca + ^90,96Zr have been studied by measuring nucleon transfer reactions at two energies near the Coulomb barrier, thus complementing the available sub-barrier fusion cross-sections. Angular distributions for various transfer channels have been determined. Significantly larger neutron transfer cross-sections are found for the target ⁹⁶Zr that exhibits the larger enhancement in the sub-barrier fusion cross-sections. All data have been analyzed with a new model for heavy-ion collisions that calculates simultaneously transfer cross-sections, fusion excitation functions and barrier distributions. The model gives a good account of both transfer and fusion data. Received: 2 May 2002 / Accepted: 4 June 2002 / Published online: 26 November 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: montagnoli@pd.infn.it, Fax +39049 8277102, Tel. +39049 8277117. RID="b" ID="b"On leave from the China Institute for Atomic Energy, 102413 Beijing, China. Communicated by C. Signorini     

Momentum transfer theory of ion transport under the influence of resonant charge transfer collisions: the case of argon and neon ions in parent gases

Transport properties of ion swarms in presence of Resonant Charge Transfer (RCT) collisions are studied using Momentum Transfer Theory (MTT). It was shown that, not surprisingly, RCT collisions may be represented as a special case of elastic scattering. Using the developed MTT we tested a previously available anisotropic set of cross-sections for Ar+Ar ⁺ collisions by making the comparisons with the available data for the transverse diffusion coefficient. We also developed an anisotropic set of Ne+Ne ⁺ integral cross-sections based on the available data for mobility, longitudinal and transverse diffusion. Anisotropic sets of cross-sections are needed for Monte Carlo simulations of ion transport and plasma models. Received 16 June 2002 / Received in final form 2nd August 2002 Published online 24 September 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: vrhovac@phy.bg.ac.yu RID="b" ID="b"e-mail: zoran@phy.bg.ac.yu     

NMR study of the dissolution of laser-polarized xenon

NMR of laser-polarized xenon is used to probe the dissolution behaviour of the noble gas in different liquids. The dissolution and self-relaxation rates are extracted via a macroscopic model, and comparison of the decay rate of the xenon magnetization in deuterated and non-deuterated solvent pairs allows the determination of the pure dipole-dipole contribution to relaxation. A transient convective effect, tentatively assigned to the xenon concentration gradient, is observed and characterized by diffusion encoding MRI experiments. The flow of xenon penetrates inside the solvent near the walls of the NMR tube, the longitudinal images showing a “” shape, the transverse ones a “O” shape. This convection effect has implications for delivery conditions of laser-polarized xenon in continuous flow experiments and magnetic resonance imaging. Received 29 April 2002 / Received in final form 26 July 2002 Published online 22 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: hdesvaux@cea.fr RID="b" ID="b"URA CNRS/CEA 331     

Atomic coherent states studied by virtue of the EPR entangled state and their Wigner functions

Based on the newly constructed Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen (EPR) entangled state representation we introduce macroscopic classical functions associated with atomic coherent state τ with angular momentum value j. These functions are proportional to the ordinary one-variable Hermite polynomials of order 2j. The corresponding Wigner quasiprobability function for τ in phase space is also derived which turns out to be a two-variable Hermite polynomial H _{2j, 2j}. In so doing, a new classical-quantum correspondence scheme for angular momentum system is established. Received 7 August 2002 / Received in final form 14 December 2002 Published online 24 April 2003 RID="a" ID="a"Work supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under grant 10175057. RID="b" ID="b"e-mail: fhym@sjtu.edu.en     

In-beam γ-ray spectroscopy of 42Ca

High-spin states of the ⁴²Ca nucleus, populated in the 68 MeV ¹⁸O + ³⁰Si reaction, have been studied in a γ-γ-recoil coincidence experiment. The level scheme of ⁴²Ca has been extended up to 13.7 MeV. An elaborate decay pattern with various paths, together with high-quality DCO and polarization information assigns spins and parities for almost all observed levels. The sequence of non-yrast positive-parity states is discussed and compared with highly deformed bands in ³⁶Ar and ⁴⁰Ca. Received: 26 November 2002 / Accepted: 11 December 2002 / Published online: 18 February 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: Malgorzata.Lach@ifj.edu.pl RID="b" ID="b"Present address: TRIUMF, Vancouver, Canada. RID="†" ID="†"Deceased. Communicated by D. Schwalm     

Cellular oscillator with a small number of particles

To illustrate complex spatio-temporal effects which are possible in cellular reactions with a small number of particles, we present Monte Carlo simulations of the formation of oscillatory spark-like patterns in a model completely stochastic Ca⁺² oscillator. Our analysis shows that in order to observe such patterns the minimum average number of Ca⁺² ions in the cytosol may be as low as about 50. Received 21 April 2002 / Received in final form 19 June 2002 Published online 14 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: zhdanov@catalysis.nsk.su     

The $-game

We propose a payoff function extending Minority Games (MG) that captures the competition between agents to make money. In contrast with previous MG, the best strategies are not always targeting the minority but are shifting opportunistically between the minority and the majority. The emergent properties of the price dynamics and of the wealth of agents are strikingly different from those found in MG. As the memory of agents is increased, we find a phase transition between a self-sustained speculative phase in which a “stubborn majority” of agents effectively collaborate to arbitrage a market-maker for their mutual benefit and a phase where the market-maker always arbitrages the agents. A subset of agents exhibit a sustained non-equilibrium risk-return profile. Received 5 June 2002 / Received in final form 21 November 2002 Published online 27 January 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: sornette@unice.fr RID="b" ID="b"CNRS UMR7536 RID="c" ID="c"CNRS UMR6622     

Chaotic dynamics in a storage-ring free electron laser

The temporal dynamics of a storage-ring Free Electron Laser is here investigated with particular attention to the case in which an external modulation is applied to the laser-electron beam detuning. The system is shown to produce bifurcations as well as chaotic regimes. The peculiarities of this phenomenon with respect to the analogous behaviour displayed by conventional laser sources are pointed out. Theoretical results, obtained by means of a phenomenological model reproducing the evolution of the main statistical parameters of the system, are shown to be in a good agreement with experiments carried out on the Super-ACO Free Electron Laser. Received 27 March 2002 / Received in final form 17 July 2002 Published online 21 January 2003 RID="a" ID="a"Present address: Sincrotone Trieste, 34012 Trieste, Italy. RID="b" ID="b"e-mail: fanelli@nada.kth.se     

Isomeric states in proton-unbound 187, 189Bi isotopes

Prompt and delayed gamma-ray spectroscopy of very neutron-deficient bismuth isotopes ^{187, 189}Bi has been performed using the Recoil Decay Tagging (RTD) method. The isomeric i _13/2 states have been identified and their lifetimes have been measured. The systematics of these long-lived M2 isomers has been extended to the proton-unbound isotopes. The general behaviour of single-proton states is discussed within the systematics and interpreted within the shell-model framework. Received: 2 May 2002 / Accepted: 3 June 2002 / Published online: 19 November 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: wkorten@cea.fr RID="b" ID="b"Present address: GANIL, Caen, France. RID="c" ID="c"Present address: Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, P.O. Box 14, FIN-00881 Helsinki. Communicated by D. Schwalm