Structural, magnetic and hyperfine characterization of zinc-substituted magnetites

Nanosized Fe_3???x Zn _x O₄ powders were synthesized by co-precipitation and characterized by total chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The results showed that, for x?≤?0.15, the as-prepared samples are mostly zinc-substituted magnetites but have maghemite as a minor phase. For x?≥?0.30, only the Fe_3???x Zn _x O₄ solid solution is found. Increasing the zinc content from the end concentration x?=?0, increases the lattice parameter but smaller become the mean crystalline diameter and the magnetic susceptibility. In addition, the magnetic hyperfine fields of the iron sites in the spinel structure, A and B, decrease up to collapse at x?≤?0.90.     

The evolution of the universe from non-compact Kaluza-Klein theory

We develop a 5D mechanism, inspired by Campbells theorem, to explain the (neutral scalar field governed) evolution of the universe from an initially inflationary expansion that has a change of phase towards a decelerated expansion and thereafter evolves towards the present day observed accelerated (quintessential) expansion.Received: 4 October 2004, Published online: 23 November 2004PACS: 04.20.Jb, 11.10.Kk, 98.80.Cq     

Nonlocal pulse shaping with entangled photon pairs

Nonlocal shaping effects in the time or spectral profiles of an entangled photon pair emerging from a pulsed parametric down-converter are observed by spectrally or temporally filtering one of the twin beams. In particular, we demonstrate the appearance of fourth-order ("ghost") interference fringes in the spectrum of one beam conditioned by photodetection at the output of an unbalanced Michelson interferometer placed in the path of the other beam. The coherence time of the pump is the limiting factor for the sharpness of the details in the shaped biphoton spectrum.     

Nematics with quenched disorder: what is left when long range order Is disrupted?

It is now generally accepted that even low amounts of quenched disorder disrupt long-range order in anisotropic systems with continuous symmetry. However, very little is known on the key item of the nature of the residual order, if any, and particularly if this has quasi-long-range or truly-short-range character. Here we address this problem both experimentally for the nematic 6CB in dilute aerosils and with computer simulations. We find that the residual order is short ranged and scales with disorder density in agreement with the Imry-Ma argument.     

Multiplicity of charged particles π− interactions on nuclei at 40 GeV/c

Multiparticle production in π^?-nucleus interactions at 40 GeV/c (Fifth Joint CERN-Serpukhov Experiment) has been studied using a spark-chamber technique at the Serpukhov accelerator. The mean multiplicities, the pseudorapidity distributions and the dispersion of the multiplicity distributions of charged particles produced on C, Al, Cu and Pb targets are presented. The data have been analysed, both subtracting and including secondary protons with p < 1 GeV/c. In the region of pseudorapidity η > 3.4 the average multiplicity is nearly independent of the size ($\text{ν}$) of the target nucleus, while it increases for η < 3.4. In the forward direction (η > 4) the mean multiplicity on nuclei is smaller than the mean multiplicity on hydrogen. The dependence upon $\text{ν}$ in the target fragmentation region is stronger when the emitted protons are included in the pseudorapidity distributions of the secondary particles. The dispersion of the multiplicity distributions for the different nuclear targets versus the mean multiplicity shows the same slope as found by the world statistics on hydrogen and by other experiments on nuclei at different energies. The results are compared with the predictions of the coherent tube model and with the soft hadron-nucleus collision model.     

A heuristic derivation of the time dependent properties of a free electron laser

We analyze the behaviour of the laser pulse in a Free Electron Laser during a single pass in the small signal limit. A spacetime picture yields in a simple way the correct boundary conditions to solve the equations. The meaning of lethargy is also heuristically analyzed.     

Fresh Inflation with Nonminimally Coupled Inflaton Field

I study a fresh inflationary model with a scalar field nonminimally coupled to gravity. An example is examined. I find that, as larger is the value of p (a t ^p ), as smaller (but larger in its absolute value) is the necessary value of the coupling to the inflaton field fluctuations can satisfy a scale invariant power spectrum.     

Nematics with quenched disorder: how long will it take to heal?

Nematics with quenched disorder have been repeatedly predicted to form glass phases. Here we present turbidity experiments and computer simulations aimed at studying glass key features such as dynamics and history dependence in randomly perturbed nematics. Electric field-cooling alignment has been employed to prepare samples in suitably oriented starting states. Remarkable remnant order and slow dynamics are found both by experiment and simulations, indicating that random disorder can, by itself, induce a nematic glass state even without perturber restructuring.     

Warm Inflation and Scalar Perturbations of the Metric

A second-order expansion for the quantum fluctuations of the matter field was considered in the framework of the warm inflation scenario. The friction and Hubble parameters were expanded by means of a semiclassical approach. The fluctuations of the Hubble parameter generates fluctuations of the metric. These metric fluctuations produce an effective term of curvature. The power spectrum for the metric fluctuations can be calculated on the infrared sector.