Ferroelectric polarization switching in nylon-11

Cold-drawn Nylon-11 films, which were prepared by stretching the melt-quenched films to a draw ratio of 2.8: 1 at room temperature, were found to exhibit an electric displacement versus electric field hysteresis loop. The results confirmed that the Nylon-11 film exhibited ferroelectric behavior at or below room temperature. The coercive fields were 65, 98, 125, 160, and 215 MV/m at 20, 0, ?20, ?40, and ?60°C and the remanent polarization at ?20°C (where there was considerably less dc conduction) was 56 mC/m². Switching of the polarization was almost completed within 20 ms.     

Critical point dominance in one dimension

The renormalized, dimensionless 4-point coupling constant of scalar one dimensional field theories is maximized uniquely by the critical point theories (obtainable as the scaling limit of ⁴ models). The renormalized coupling constant of certain scalar one dimensional lattice field theories is maximized uniquely (for fixed correlation length) by the corresponding spin-1/2 model.Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, on leave from Indiana University. Research supported in part by NSF Grant MCS 77-20683 and by the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation     

Threshold effects for two pathogens spreading on a network

Diseases spread through host populations over the networks of contacts between individuals and a number of results about this process have been derived in recent years by exploiting connections between epidemic processes and bond percolation on networks. Here we investigate the case of two pathogens in a single population, which has been the subject of recent interest among epidemiologists. We demonstrate that two pathogens competing for the same hosts can both spread through a population only for intermediate values of the bond occupation probability that lie above the classic epidemic threshold and below a second higher value, which we call the coexistence threshold, corresponding to a distinct topological phase transition in networked systems.     

The GHS and other correlation inequalities for a class of even ferromagnets

We prove the GHS inequality for families of random variables which arise in certain ferromagnetic models of statistical mechanics and quantum field theory. These include spin –1/2 Ising models, ⁴ field theories, and other continuous spin models. The proofs are based on the properties of a classG ^– of probability measures which contains all measures of the form const exp(–V(x))dx, whereV is even and continuously differentiable anddV/dx is convex on [0, ). A new proof of the GKS inequalities using similar ideas is also given.Supported in part by National Science Foundation Grant MPS 71-02838 A 04.Supported by National Science Foundation Grant MPS 74-24696.Supported in part by National Science Foundation Grant MPS 74-04870.