Merged beam study of the associative ionisation ( C + , N + ? and ? O + )+ O -

Total cross-sections have been measured for the associative ionisation of C ⁺ + O ^- , N ⁺ + O ^- and O ⁺ + O ^- by means of a merged-beam set-up operating with keV beams. These original measurements might be relevant to the understanding of some astrophysical objects or laboratory-made plasmas (flames and etching plasmas). The magnitude of these cross-sections is particularly large whatever the associating system, as these are in the range of 1×10 ^-14 cm² at thermal energies. Their behaviour as a function of energy significantly differs from one system to another, and is characterised by the Wigner law at low energy, and a rapid fall-off at higher energy due to competition with non-associative ionisation processes. Received 10 December 2001 and Received in final form 12 March 2002     

On the evolution of the ground state in the system U x La 1 - x S: Polarized neutron diffraction and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism study

In the U_xLa_1-xS system there is an abrupt loss of the long-range ferromagnetic ordering found in pure US at a critical concentration x _c ∼ 0.57, which is far above the percolation limit. As the magnetic ground state in such a system can be strongly affected by small variations of the 5f localization, we have investigated a set of samples with different x by polarized neutron diffraction and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). The neutron results are consistent with early measurements performed on pure US. Even at the lowest U content (x = 0.15, below x _c ) the shape of the induced form factor (f ( Q )) is comparable with that found for x = 1 and is well reproduced by either a U⁴⁺ or a U³⁺ state. The ratio between the orbital and the effective spin moments in the XMCD measurements confirms this result, but the evolution of the shape at the M₅ edge suggests an abrupt change in the distribution of the electrons (holes) in the 5 f density of states around x _c . Received 31 January 2001     

DFT studies of the molecular nanomagnet Fe 8 and the V 15 spin system

Based on first-principles all-electron density-functional calculations we report the electronic structure and magnetic ordering of the molecular magnet Fe₈ and the V₁₅ spin system. The ferrimagnetic ordering with total spin S = 10 of the eight iron atoms in the Fe₈ cluster agrees well with experimental results from polarized neutron data. In comparison the low spin system V₁₅ shows a spin S = 1/2 ground state which is also found from our calculations. Received 30 October 2000     

Calculating coefficients for a system of moment equations used to describe the magnetization kinetics of a superparamagnetic particle in a fluctuating field

A system of equations is derived for moments [averages of spherical harmonics 〈Y _l,m 〉(t)] that determine the dynamics of the magnetization M of a superparamagnetic particle in a fluctuating field. The system is derived by representing the Gilbert equation in a fluctuating field, and the corresponding Fokker-Planck equation for the distribution function of M, in terms of angular momentum operators, which in turn makes it possible to express the coefficients of the system of moment equations in terms of Clebsch-Gordan coefficients. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 2020–2027 (November 1999)     

Some geometric aspects of maps

In this talk we introduce a Weierstrass-like system of equations corresponding to CP N -1 fields in two dimensions. Then using this representation we introduce a vector in R N 2-1 and treating this vector as the radius vector of a surface immersed in R N 2-1 we discuss to what extent the associated metric describes the geometry of the CP N -1 maps. We show that for the holomorphic maps - the correspondence is exact; while for the more general fields we have to go beyond the Weierstrass system and add extra terms. Received 1st August 2001 / Received in final form 18 October 2001 Published online 2 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"Work done in collaboration with M. Grundland e-mail: w.j.zakrzewski@durham.ac.uk     

Relationship between resistivity and specific heat in a canonical non-magnetic heavy fermion alloy system: UPt5-xAu x

A comprehensive study of the relationship between the electronic specific heat coefficient () and the temperature square coefficient (A) of the electrical resistivity for a single, cubic, heavy fermion alloy system, UPt_5-xAu_x is presented. In this alloy system, whose low temperature properties are consistent with the Fermi-liquid behavior, varies by more than a factor of 10 while the corresponding A coefficient changes by a factor larger than 200. A tracks changes in fairly well, but , postulated to have a universal value for heavy fermions, is not constant and varies from about 10^-6 (x = 0, 0.5) to 10^-5 cm (mol K/mJ)² (x > 1.1), thus from a value typical of transition metals to that characteristic of other heavy fermion compounds. We have found a correlation between and magnetic characteristics such as the paramagnetic Curie-Weiss temperature and the low temperature magnetic susceptibility divided by . Received 29 January 1999     

Charge correlations in the weakly doped t-J model calculated by projection technique

We study frequency- and wave-vector dependent charge correlations in weakly doped antiferromagnets using Mori-Zwanzig projection technique. The system is described by the two-dimensional t-J model. The ground state is expressed within a cumulant formalism which has been successfully applied to study magnetic properties of the weakly doped system. Within this approach the ground state contains independent spin-bag quasiparticles (magnetic polarons). We present results for the charge-density response function and for the optical conductivity at zero temperature for different values of t / J. They agree well with numerical results calculated by exact diagonalization techniques. The density response function for intermediate and large momenta shows a broad continuum on energy scales of order of several t whereas the optical conductivity for is dominated by low energy excitations (at 1.5-2J). We show that these weak-doping properties can be well understood by transitions between excited states of spin-bag quasiparticles. Received: 10 July 1997 / Revised: 19 March 1998 / Accepted: 3 April 1998     

Study of phase behavior in a system of linear hydrogen-bonded carboxylic acid homologues

The system of hydrogen-bonded liquid crystals formed from binary mixtures p-n-heptyloxybenzoic (I) acid and p-n-undecloxybenzoic (II) acid has been investigated by polarizing optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and scattering and dielectric measurements. The T–X phase diagram was obtained for this system. All mixtures show enantiotropic smectic and nematic phases. The crystalline phase represents a (α, β) solid solution. At the 2:1 ratio of I to II, an intermediate phase – co-crystal γ – is formed. The co-crystal γ possesses a much wider mesophase range than the corresponding initial components. In contrast to mixtures based on the solid solutions having a positive anisotropy, the co-crystal shows a negative dielectric anisotropy in the mesophase.     

Quadrupolar order in the Heisenberg ferromagnet with the single-ion cubic anisotropy

The ground state properties of S =2 ferromagnets with isotropic Heisenberg exchange (J) and single-ion cubic anisotropy (D) are studied. The perturbation theory for is used to find an effective Hamiltonian up to the fourth order for 1, 2 and 3 dimensions. It is shown that in opposition to the MFA prediction there is the quadrupolar long range order at T = 0 in the non-magnetic state of the system without a quadrupolar type of interaction. The effect is a consequence of the quantum nature of the model. Received: 19 February 1998 / Accepted: 17 March 1998     

Quantum relativistic theory of an electron in terms of local observables

Dirac equation is reformulated in terms of real local observables, which are mean values of the wave function . The quadrivector current is shown to be a function of the potential vector and of other local observables. The equations describe the evolution of a four dimensional system T, X, Y, Z, and of two scalars, in the coordinate system ct, x, y, z. The current is proportional to the T vector. The Z vector is associated with the spin of the electron. Energy and gauge transformations correspond to rotations in the plane (X, Y). In the presence of a static field, the (real) solutions of the equations appear as eigenfunctions associated with energy eigenvalues. Received 7 September 1998     

Magnetic properties of undoped YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6 + x system

In the present paper, we study the magnetic properties of bilayer cuprate antiferromagnets. In order to evaluate the expressions for spin-wave dispersion, sublattice magnetization, Néel temperature and the magnetic contribution to the specific heat, the double time Green's function technique has been employed in the random phase approximation (RPA). The spin wave dispersion curve for a bilayer antiferromagnetic system is found to consist of one acoustic and one optic branch. The “optical magnon gap” has been attributed solely to the intra-bilayer exchange coupling (J _⊥ ) as its magnitude does not change significantly with the inter-bilayer exchange coupling (J_z). However J_z is essential to obtain the acoustic mode contribution to the magnetization. The numerical calculations show that the Néel temperature (T _N ) of the bilayer antiferromagnetic system increases with the J_z and a small change in J_z gives rise to a large change in the Néel temperature of the system. The magnetic specific heat of the system follows a T² behaviour but in the presence of J_z it varies faster than T². Received 13 July 2000 and Received in final form 14 May 2001     

Monte Carlo simulations of the classical two-dimensional discrete frustrated model

The classical two-dimensional discrete frustrated φ ⁴ model is studied by Monte Carlo simulations. The correlation function is obtained for two values of a parameter d that determines the frustration in the model. The ground state is a ferro-phase for d = - 0.35 and a commensurate phase with period N = 6 for d = - 0.45. Mean field predicts that at higher temperature the system enters a para-phase via an incommensurate state, in both cases. Monte Carlo data for d = - 0.45 show two phase transitions with a floating-incommensurate phase between them. The phase transition at higher temperature is of the Kosterlitz-Thouless type. Analysis of the data for d = - 0.35 shows only a single phase transition between the floating-fluid phase and the ferro-phase within the numerical error. Received 16 December 2002 / Received in final form 17 January 2003 Published online 6 March 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: vladimir@shg.ru     

Charged cores in ionized He clusters

Experimental and theoretical studies in large ionic helium clusters have suggested the presence of a diatomic (and occasionally triatomic) charged molecular core surrounded by the other atoms which are bound to it by weaker interactions [1-3]. The understanding of the interactions between the system He ₂ ⁺ and an additional He atom of the cluster is therefore important in order to start modelling the full cluster interaction potential. In the present work we carry out a new set of calculations on the full potential and on the bound states supported by the He ₂ ⁺ isolated ion and further extend them to generate a Rigid Rotor (RR) potential energy surface (PES) for the triatomic system with He ₂ ⁺ kept at its equilibrium geometry (2.0 a.u.). The 13 bound states which were found and the overall angular anisotropy that exists for this Potential Energy Surface (PES) are discussed in detail. We additionally show results of calculations on the surface vibrational extension to nine different values of the He ₂ ⁺ interatomic distance, thereby generating a fuller, three-dimensional interaction potential. A simpler modelling of the latter via “Pseudo Rigid Rotor” calculations for the bound states with a vibrationally excited core is also presented and discussed.     

Universality of a dynamical percolative approach to 1/f γ noise

A dynamical percolative model explaining the universality of 1/ f ^γ noise is reported. Exponents γ ranging from 0 to 2 are obtained under the hypothesis that noise originates from random switching events between two ON-OFF states in elemental parts (switchers) of a physical system. The usual noise behaviour with γ very close to 1 in an arbitrarily wide frequency range is obtained assuming a statistical distribution of switcher relaxation time τ proportional to τ ^-1 , as in McWhorter's model. The impact of these results with respect to recent self-organised criticality models is discussed. Received 6 November 2000 and Received in final form 22 May 2001     

Insulator-metal transition shift related to magnetic polarons in La<Subscript>0.67-x</Subscript>Y<Subscript>x</Subscript>Ca<Subscript>0.33</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

The magnetic transport properties have been measured for La_0.67-xY_xCa_0.33MnO₃ ( 0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.14) system. It was found that the transition temperature T _p almost linearly moves to higher temperature as H increases. Electron spin resonance confirms that above T _p , there exist ferromagnetic clusters. From the magnetic polaron point of view, the shift of T _p vs. H was understood, and it was estimated that the size of the magnetic polaron is of 9.7 ∼ 15.4 ? which is consistent with the magnetic correlation length revealed by the small-angle neutron-scattering technique. The transport properties at temperatures higher than T _p conform to the variable-range hopping mechanism. Received 27 August 2002 / Received in final form 2 December 2002 Published online 14 March 2003     

The <Emphasis Type="Bold">±</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Bold">J</Emphasis> spin glass in Migdal-Kadanoff approximation

We study the low-temperature phase of the three-dimensional ± J Ising spin glass in Migdal-Kadanoff approximation. At zero temperature, T = 0, the properties of the spin glass result from the ground-state degeneracy and can be elucidated using scaling arguments based on entropy. The approach to the asymptotic scaling regime is very slow, and the correct exponents are only visible beyond system sizes around 64. At T > 0, a crossover from the zero-temperature behaviour to the behaviour expected from the droplet picture occurs at length scales proportional to T ^-2/ds where d_s is the fractal dimension of a domain wall. Canonical droplet behaviour is not visible at any temperature for systems whose linear dimension is smaller than 16 lattice spacings, because the data are either affected by the zero-temperature behaviour or the critical point behaviour. Received 18 February 2001     

Fermi-Bose Systems, Macroscopic Quantum Superposition States and Entanglement

We study the entanglement of states of a simple Fermi-Bose system. The Hilbert space is C ² l₂ (N). An explicit expression is given for the entanglement. We consider number states, coherent states and macroscopic quantum superposition states in the product system. Explicit formulas for the entanglement are also given in each of these cases.     

On the logical foundations of the Jauch-Piron approach to quantum physics

We make a critical analysis of the basic concepts of the Jauch-Piron (JP) approach to quantum physics. Then, we exhibit a formalized presentation of the mathematical structure of the JP theory by introducing it as a completely formalized syntactic system, i.e., we construct a formalized languageL _e and formally state the logical-deductive structure of the JP theory by means ofL _e . Finally, we show that the JP syntactic system can be endowed with an intended interpretation, which yields a physical model of the system. A mathematical model endowed with a physical interpretation is given which establishes (in the usual sense of the model theory) the coherence of the JP syntactic system.     

Polarization anisotropy of single crystal opal films

Single-crystal opal films have been prepared by the moving-meniscus and gravitational sedimentation methods. It has been found using conoscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry that these photonic crystal opal films possess birefringence so that the optical indicatrix is a three-axial ellipsoid. The indicatrix axis N _g is directed along the crystal growth axis, the axis N _m lies in the film plane and is orthogonal to the axis N _g , and the axis N _p coincides with the normal to the (111) crystallographic plane, which corresponds to the triclinic system of the crystal.