Total cross-sections for positron scattering by a series of molecules

The additivity rule is employed to obtain the total (elastic+inelastic) cross-sections for positron scattering from molecules including a number of diatomic, polyatomic molecules (H₂, N₂, HCl, CO₂, NH₃, SF₆, CH₄, C₂H₄ and C₃H₈) over an incident energy range of 10-1000 eV. The total cross-sections (TCS) of the constituent atoms of molecules are obtained by employing a complex optical model potential (composed of static, polarization and absorption potential). The present results are compared with experimental data and other theoretical calculations, good agreement is obtained in intermediate- and high-energy region. Received: 11 November 1997 / Revised: 23 March 1998 / Accepted: 16 June 1998     

Magnetization dynamics below of EuO and EuS

Between 4.2 K and the Curie temperatures of the cubic Heisenberg ferromagnets EuS and EuO, their homogeneous dynamic susceptibilities have been investigated by means of a broad-band reflectometer operating from 0.1 GHz to 40 GHz. For internal magnetic fields larger than the anisotropy fields H A ( T ) of both materials, their static susceptibilities exhibit a -divergence, which reveals quantitatively the dominance of dipolar-anisotropic spin-wave fluctuations. displays a Lorentzian shape the damping frequency of which obeys scaling in terms of .The scaling function agrees quantitatively with work by Frey and Schwabl [#!FS88!#] for dipolar Heisenberg ferromagnets at temperatures above T_c. Building upon their approach, the resonance frequency of the Lorentzian can be related to a memory effect in the damping determined by the large value of the relaxation rate of the longitudinal magnetization fluctuations . For EuS, this relation is substantiated directly by inelastic neutron scattering. All these features reveal the hitherto uncovered importance of the dipolar anisotropic fluctuations below T_c of ferromagnets. Received: 4 March 1998 / Accepted: 12 May 1998     

Noise-assisted mound coarsening in epitaxial growth

Two types of mechanisms are proposed for mound coarsening during unstable epitaxial growth: stochastic, due to deposition noise, and deterministic, due to mass currents driven by surface energy differences. Both yield the relation H=(RWL)² between the typical mound height W, mound size L, and the film thickness H. An analysis of simulations and experimental data shows that the parameter R saturates to a value which discriminates sharply between stochastic () and deterministic () coarsening. We derive a scaling relation between the coarsening exponent 1/z and the mound-height exponent which, for a saturated mound slope, yields . Received: 11 November 1997 / Revised in final form: 28 November 1997 / Accepted: 28 November 1997     

High-spin nuclear states and persistent currents in mesoscopic rings

An analogy is presented between periodic persistent currents in mesoscopic rings and staggerings of gamma energy transitions from some nuclear high-spin states. Various sources of damping of the expected periodic structures in both physical systems are compared. This discussion provides, in the nuclear case, a tentative explanation of the scarcity of such staggerings, their appearance near ¹⁵⁰Gd and the existence of a spin-window for their observation. Received: 21 July 1997 / Revised version: 13 October 1997     

Ferromagnetic ground state in the Kondo lattice model

We present a series of rigorous examples of the Kondo lattice model that exhibit full ferromagnetism in the ground state. The models are defined in one-, two- and three-dimensional lattices, and are characterized by a range of hopping terms, specific electron filling, and large ferromagnetic coupling. Our examples show that a sufficient strong but finite exchange coupling between conduction electrons and localized spins could overcome the competition from mobility of a finite density of electrons and drive the system from a paramagnetic phase to a ferromagnetic phase. We also establish a relation of ferromagnetism between the Hubbard model and Kondo lattice model. Meanwhile some rigorous results on ferromagnetism in the corresponding Hubbard model are presented. Received: 10 September 1997 / Revised: 15 October 1997 / Accepted: 17 October 1997     

Relativistic and many-body effects in K, L, and M shell ionization energy for elements with and the determination of the 1s Lamb shift for heavy elements

We report on a calculation of K, L and M inner-shell ionization energy in atoms with atomic numbers in the range . Many-body effects are evaluated for all n =1, 2, and 3 hole states. Those include correlation and effects due to the auto-ionizing nature of the hole states (Auger shift). For high Z we add recent corrected nuclear polarization, and several second-order vacuum polarization corrections. K and L ionization energies are compared with experimental X-ray absorption edges measurements. Excellent agreement with rare gazes and metal vapor measurements is found. We also compare our calculations with X-ray transition energies for all K and L lines that involve K, L and M holes. Finally we use K X-ray lines to deduce an hydrogenlike 1 s Lamb shift for several heavy elements, with far better accuracy than has been obtained by direct measurements of hydrogenlike ions. Received: 25 February 1998 / Accepted: 31 March 1998     

A new stable organic metal: -(BETS)C(CN). The first -type radical cation salt with a planar-triangular discrete organic anion

The -(BETS)₂C(CN)₃ radical cation salt was prepared by electrocrystallization, and its crystal structure was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The electronic structure of -(BETS)₂C(CN)₃ was studied by means of the extended Hückel tight binding method. The electrical conductivity of this salt as a function of temperature shows a metallic behaviour down to 1.3 K. Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations reveal both the classical and magnetic breakdown orbits on the Fermi surface typical of the -type organic conductors. In addition, a low frequency oscillation (250 T) which is not predicted by the band structure calculations has been found in the oscillation spectrum. Received: 11 March 1998 / Revised: 9 June 1998 / Accepted: 11 June 1998     

Anomalies of attenuation and phase velocity of surface acoustic waves in YBa2Cu3O7‒δ thin films in the vicinity of Tc

We present measurements of the attenuation and phase velocity of surface acoustic waves in thin YBa₂Cu₃O films as a function of temperature, in magnetic fields up to 3.6 T applied parallel to the c-axis of the films. We have observed anomalies in both, the attenuation and the phase velocity in the vicinity of the superconducting critical temperature which do not depend on the magnetic field. Possible origins of these anomalies, observed, to our knowledge, for the first time in YBa₂Cu₃O thin films, are discussed and compared to bulk acoustic wave experiments. We present a kind of feedback technique for surface acoustic waves which improves the sensitivity of this type of measurement. The actual sensitivity limits are mentioned. Received: 7 August 1997 / Revised: 7 November 1997 / Accepted: 17 November 1997     

Effect of surface electric field on the anchoring of nematic liquid crystals

We analyse the influence of adsorbed ions and the resulting surface electric field and its gradient on the anchoring properties of nematics with ionic conductivity. We take into account two physical mechanisms for the coupling of the nematic director with the surface electric field: (i) the dielectric anisotropy and (ii) the coupling of the quadrupolar component of the flexoelectric coefficient with the field gradient. It is shown that for sufficiently large fields near saturated coverage of the adsorbed ions, there can be a spontaneous curvature distortion in the cell even when the anchoring energy is infinitely strong. We also discuss the director distortion when the anchoring energy of the surface is finite. Received: 29 September 1997 / Received in final from: 10 November 1997 / Accepted: 18 November 1997     

Beyond the standard model: Working group report

This report summarises the activities of the working group on ‘Physics beyond the Standard Model’. The results of investigations in incorporatingR-parity in grand unification, the possibility of a light charged Higgs boson in extension of MSSM and radiative generation of neutral vector boson self-couplings within the MSSM are described. Also given is an account of activities in neutrino physics, namely a proposal for a study of the atmospheric muon anomaly in deep underground mines, a field theoretic study of neutrino oscillations and a mechanism to generate appropriate masses of three active plus one sterile neutrino species.