Energy conservation constraints on multiplicity correlations in QCD jets

We compute analytically the effects of energy conservation on the self-similar structure of parton correlations in QCD jets. The calculations are performed both in the constant and running coupling cases. It is shown that the corrections are phenomenologically sizeable. On a theoretical ground, energy conservation constraints preserve the scaling properties of correlations in QCD jets beyond the leading log approximation.     

Limitation of Auger electron spectroscopy in the determination of the metal-on-oxide growth mode: Pd on MgO(100)

A discussion on the use of Auger electron spectroscopy as a quantitative tool to determine the growth mode of metals on single crystal oxide surfaces is presented. In the case of Pd grown epitaxially on MgO(100), the three-dimensional character of the growth is easily seen at coverage above one monolayer. However, in the submonolayer regime, and mainly at low substrate temperatures, the AES results are ambiguous. The combination of AES with the more sensitive helium-atom diffraction method allows us to demonstrate that the growth is three-dimensional from the early stages, the particles becoming flatter when the substrate temperature decreases. We compare our results with other growth studies on different metal/oxide systems. At low temperature, the ideal growth modes are not always observed, the final morphology of the films being determined mainly by kinetic effects. Thus a pseudo-Stranski-Krastanov growth mode is often obtained with formation of 2D islands followed by 3D clustering from a critical submonolayer coverage.     

Transient dynamical behavior and phase transitions in magnetic systems

It was recently suggested that transient dynamical properties were of some use to predict equilibrium critical properties of 2D and 3D models of statistical mechanics on the lattice. We investigate such dynamical properties for three related models with competitive interactions, namely the ANNNI model, the brickwork model, and the BNNNI model. In spite of known differences in their equilibrium phase diagrams, our simulations display similar transient dynamical behaviors for all three models. The reliability of this method for probing equilibrium properties seems therefore questionable even for rather simple magnetic models without any structural disorder.On leave from Centre de Physique Théorique, Ecole Polytechnique, 91128, Palaiseau Cedex, France.     

Detection of multicomponent signals: effect of difference in level between components

The detection of multicomponent signals for which the components are not equidetectable is precisely investigated as a function of the level difference ΔL(i∕j) between components. The detection thresholds are determined for a seven-tone complex signal with random starting phases masked by white noise. Level differences between the components are examined. A model for non-equidetectable conditions based on the statistical summation model is described. The improvement in detection is calculated from the level difference between components that is related to the thresholds for single components. The model predictions are in accordance with the experimental results.     

Rod-climbing effect in Newtonian fluids

When a rotating rod is brought into a polymer melt or concentrated polymer solution, the meniscus climbs the rod. This spectacular rod climbing is due to the normal stresses present in the polymer fluid and is thus a purely non-Newtonian effect. A similar rod climbing of an interface between two fluids has therefore been taken as a signature that one of the fluids exhibits normal stress effects. We show here, however, that the effect can occur with simple Newtonian fluids: it occurs when a Taylor-Couette instability happens in the less viscous of the two liquids but not in the more viscous one.     

Long-range critical wetting: observation of a critical end point

Alkanes deposited on aqueous substrates exhibit two different types of wetting behavior: alternatively to the usual first-order wetting transition, a sequential-wetting scenario of a long-range critical wetting transition preceded by a first-order thin-thick transition may be observed. Here, we present the first successful experimental attempt to locate the transition point between the standard first-order wetting and the long-range critical wetting: a critical end point, observed in a mixture of pentane and hexane which is deposited on an aqueous solution of glucose. Furthermore, we present the first direct measurement of the contact angle in the intermediate wetting state (frustrated-complete wetting) in the sequential-wetting scenario of hexane on brine and compare to theoretical predictions.     

Direct measurement of the Wigner function of a one-photon Fock state in a cavity

We have measured the complete Wigner function W of the vacuum and of a single-photon state for a field stored in a high-Q cavity. This experiment implements the direct Lutterbach and Davidovich method [L. G. Lutterbach and L. Davidovich, Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 2547 (1997)]] and is based on the dispersive interaction of a single circular Rydberg atom with the cavity field. The nonclassical nature of the single-photon field is exhibited by a region of negative W values. Extensions to other nonclassical cavity field states are discussed.