Defect trapping by100Pd in fcc metals

Lattice defects in Al, Cu, Ag and Au were studied by the perturbed angular correlation technique (PAC) using the probe atom¹⁰⁰Pd/¹⁰⁰Rh. The comparison of data obtained on interstitial trapping in Cu and Au at different probe atoms (¹⁰⁰pd,¹¹¹In) allows defect characterisation less affected by the respective probe. The trapping efficiency of¹⁰⁰Pd for vacancy like defects is quite different to that of¹¹¹In atoms.     

Solutions of the spatially homogeneous Boltzmann equation with time-dependent Lorentz force term

We obtain a certain transformation relating the solutions of the space-uniform Boltzmann equation with the Lorentz force term to those of the Boltzmann equation without external force. This enables us, in the case of angular cut-off intermolecular potentials, to prove the global existence, uniqueness and positivity of strict solutions for the former equation by means of known results on the latter one.     

On switching paths polyhedra

A class of integer polyhedra with totally dual integral (tdi) systems is proposed, which generalizes and unifies the “Switching Paths Polyhedra” of Hoffman (introduced in his generalization of Max Flow-Min Cut) and such polyhedra as the convex hull of (the incidence vectors of) all “path-closed sets” of an acyclic digraph, or the convex hull of all sets partitionable intok path-closed sets. As an application, new min-max theorems concerning the mentioned sets are given. A general lemma on when a tdi system of inequalities is box tdi is also given and used.     

Concurrence and Quantum Discord in the Eigenstates of Chaotic and Integrable Spin Chains

There has been some substantial research about the connections between quantum chaos and quantum correlations in many-body systems. This paper discusses a specific aspect of correlations in chaotic spin models, through concurrence (CC) and quantum discord (QD). Numerical results obtained in the quantum chaos regime and in the integrable regime of spin-1/2 chains are compared. The CC and QD between nearest-neighbor pairs of spins are calculated for all energy eigenstates. The results show that, depending on whether the system is in a chaotic or integrable regime, the distribution of CC and QD are markedly different. On the other hand, in the integrable regime, states with the largest CC and QD are found in the middle of the spectrum, in the chaotic regime, the states with the strongest correlations are found at low and high energies at the edges of spectrum. Finite-size effects are analyzed, and some of the results are discussed in the light of the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis.     

First experimental evidence for quantum echoes in scattering systems

A self-pulsing effect termed quantum echoes has been observed in experiments with an open superconducting and a normal conducting microwave billiard whose geometry provides soft chaos, i.e., a mixed phase space portrait with a large stable island. For such systems a periodic response to an incoming pulse has been predicted. Its period has been associated with the degree of development of a horseshoe describing the topology of the classical dynamics. The experiments confirm this picture and reveal the topological information.     

Electronic predissociation: a model study

The combined electronic and nuclear motion during a predissociation process is studied in a model system. The latter consists of an electron and an ion which are allowed to move in one dimension and interact with each other and two fixed ions via screened Coulomb interactions. The fragmentation dynamics is illustrated in terms of the temporal changes of electronic and nuclear densities. In this way it is possible to reveal the influence of non-adiabatic coupling, not only on the nuclear wave-packet motion, but also on the transient electronic structure.Received: 10 June 2004, Published online: 24 August 2004PACS: 31.50.Gh Surface crossings, non-adiabatic couplings - 31.70.Hq Time-dependent phenomena: excitation and relaxation processes, and reaction rates     

Ultrasonic wave propagation across a thin nonlinear anisotropic layer between two half-spaces

Boundary conditions and perturbation theory are combined to create a set of equations which, when solved, yield the reflected and transmitted wave forms in the case of a thin layer of material that is perfectly bonded between two isotropic half-spaces. The set of perturbed boundary conditions is created by first using the fully bonded boundary conditions at each of the two interfaces between the thin layer and the half-spaces. Then, by restricting the layer's thickness to be much smaller than an acoustic wavelength, perturbation theory can be used on these two sets of boundary equations, producing a set of equations which effectively treat the thin layer as a single interface via a perturbation term. With this set of equations, the full range of incident and polar angles can be considered, with results general enough to use with a layer that is anisotropic, nonlinear, or both anisotropic and nonlinear. Finally the validity of these equations is discussed, comparing the computer simulation results of this theory to results from standard methods, and looking at cases where the results (or various properties of the results) are known or can be predicted.     

Study of 19Na at SPIRAL

The excitation function for the elastic-scattering reaction p( ¹⁸Ne, p) ¹⁸Ne was measured with the first radioactive beam from the SPIRAL facility at the GANIL laboratory and with a solid cryogenic hydrogen target. Several broad resonances have been observed, corresponding to new excited states in the unbound nucleus ¹⁹Na. In addition, two-proton emission events have been identified and are discussed.