Structural and thermal characterization of dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide dispersions by spin labels

Dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB) dispersions obtained by simply mixing the amphiphile in water, and by bath-sonication, were investigated by electron spin resonance (ESR) of stearic acids and their methyl ester derivatives, labeled at the 5th and 16th carbons of the acyl chain. The ESR spectra indicate that the non-sonicated dispersions are formed mainly by one population of DODAB vesicles, either in the gel (T < T-m) or in the liquid-crystalline (T > T-m) state. Around T-m there is a co-existence of the two phases, with a thermal hysteresis of about 3.2 degreesC. In sonicated DODAB dispersions, spin labels indicate two different environments even for temperatures far below T-m: one similar to that obtained with non-sonicated samples, a gel phase, and another one in the liquid-crystalline state. The fluid phase domain present below T-m could correspond to either the periphery of bilayer fragments, reported to be present in sonicated DODAB dispersions, or to high curvature vesicles. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teleparallel spin connection

A new expression for the spin connection of teleparallel gravity is proposed, given by minus the contorsion tensor plus a zero connection. The corresponding minimal coupling is covariant under local Lorentz transformation, and equivalent to the minimal coupling prescription of general relativity. With this coupling prescription, therefore, teleparallel gravity turns out to be fully equivalent to general relativity, even in the presence of spinor fields.

Dissipationless shock waves in Bose-Einstein condensates with repulsive interaction between atoms

We consider formation of dissipationless shock waves in Bose-Einstein condensates with repulsive interaction between atoms. It is shown that for big enough initial inhomogeneity of density, interplay of nonlinear and dispersion effects leads to wave breaking phenomenon followed by generation of a train of dark solitons. Analytical theory is confirmed by numerical simulations.

Theory of small aspect ratio waves in deep water

In the limit of small values of the aspect ratio parameter (or wave steepness) which measures the amplitude of a surface wave in units of its wave-length, a model equation is derived from the Euler system in infinite depth (deep water) without potential flow assumption. The resulting equation is shown to sustain periodic waves which on the one side tend to the proper linear limit at small amplitudes, on the other side possess a threshold amplitude where wave crest peaking is achieved. An explicit expression of the crest angle at wave breaking is found in terms of the wave velocity. By numerical simulations, stable soliton-like solutions (experiencing elastic interactions) propagate in a given velocities range on the edge of which they tend to the peakon solution. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantum description of spin tunneling in magnetic molecules

Starting from a phenomenological Hamiltonian originally written in terms of angular momentum operators we derive a new quantum angle-based Hamiltonian that allows for a discussion on the quantum spin tunneling. The study of the applicability of the present approach, carried out in calculations with a soluble quasi-spin model, shows that we are allowed to use our method in the description of physical systems such as the Mn12-acetate molecule, as well as the octanuclear iron cluster, Fe8, in a reliable way. With the present description the interpretation of the spin tunneling is seen to be direct, the spectra and energy barriers of those systems are obtained, and it is shown that they agree with the experimental ones. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Absorption cross section of electromagnetic waves for Schwarzschild black holes

The absorption cross section of black holes has been investigated for various fields. Nevertheless, the absorption cross section of Schwarzschild black holes for the electromagnetic field has been only calculated in the low- and high-frequency approximations until now. Here we compute it numerically for arbitrary frequencies.

Exact Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation for real spin-0 particle in curved space

Up to now, the only known exact Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation (FWT) in curved space is that concerning Dirac particles coupled to static spacetime metrics. Here we construct the exact FWT related to a real spin-0 particle for the aforementioned spacetimes. This exact transformation exists independently of the value of the coupling between the scalar field and gravity. Moreover, the gravitational Darwin term written for the conformal coupling is one-third of the corresponding term in the fermionic case. There are some arguments in the literature that seem to favor the choice lambda=1/6. We rehearse a number of claims of these works.

Pair term in the electromagnetic current within the Front-Form dynamics: spin-0 case

The frame and scale dependence of the pair-term contribution to the electromagnetic form factor of a spin-zero composite system of two-fermions is studied within the Light Front. The form factor is evaluated from the plus-component of the current in the Breit frame, using for the first time a nonconstant, symmetric ansatz for the Bethe-Salpeter amplitude. The frame dependence is analyzed by allowing a nonvanishing plus component of the momentum transfer, while the dynamical scale is set by the masses of the constituents and by mass and size of the composite system. A transverse momentum distribution, associated with the Bethe-Salpeter amplitude, is introduced which allows to define strongly and weakly relativistic systems. In particular, for strongly relativistic systems, the pair term vanishes for the Drell-Yan condition, while is dominant for momentum transfer along the light-front direction. For a weakly relativistic system, fitted to the deuteron scale, the pair term is negligible up to momentum transfers of 1 (GeV/c)(2). A comparison with results obtained within the Front-Form Hamiltonian dynamics with a fixed number of constituents is also presented. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Spin 1 fields in Riemann-Cartan space-times via Duffin-Kemmer-Petiau theory

We consider massive spin 1 fields, in Riemann-Cartan space-times, described by Duffin-Kemmer-Petiau theory. We show that this approach induces a coupling between the spin 1 field and the space-time torsion which breaks the usual equivalence with the Proca theory, but that such equivalence is preserved in the context of the Teleparallel Equivalent of General Relativity.

Teleparallel origin of the Fierz picture for spin-2 particle

A new approach to the description of a spin-2 particle in flat and curved spacetime is developed on the basis of the teleparallel gravity theory. We show that such an approach is in fact a true and natural framework for the Fierz representation proposed recently by Novello and Neves. More specifically, we demonstrate how the teleparallel theory fixes uniquely the structure of the Fierz tensor, discover the transparent origin of the gauge symmetry of the spin-2 model, and derive the linearized Einstein operator from the fundamental identity of the teleparallel gravity. In order to cope with the consistency problem on the curved spacetime, similarly to the usual Riemannian approach, one needs to include the nonminimal (torsion dependent) coupling terms.

Lessons of spin and torsion: Reply to Consistent coupling to Dirac fields in teleparallelism

In reply to the criticism made by Mielke in the preceding Comment on our recent paper, we once again explicitly demonstrate the inconsistency of the coupling of a Dirac field to gravitation in the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity. Moreover, we stress that the mentioned inconsistency is generic for all sources with spin and is by no means restricted to the Dirac field. In this sense the SL(4,R)-covariant generalization of the spinor fields in the teleparallel gravity theory is irrelevant to the inconsistency problem.

A mathematical model for wave propagation in elastic tubes with inhomogeneities: Application to blood waves propagation

We study the propagation of waves in an elastic tube filled with an inviscid fluid. We consider the case of inhomogeneity whose mechanical and geometrical properties vary in space. We deduce a system of equations of the Boussinesq type as describing the wave propagation in the tube. Numerical simulations of these equations show that inhomogeneities prevent separation of right-going from left-going waves. Then reflected and transmitted coefficients are obtained in the case of localized constriction and localized rigidity. Next we focus on wavetrains incident on various types of anomalous regions. We show that the existence of anomalous regions modifies the wavetrain patterns. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Time evolution of the Wigner function in discrete quantum phase space for a soluble quasi-spin model

The discrete phase space approach to quantum mechanics of degrees of freedom without classical counterparts is applied to the many-fermions/quasi-spin Lipkin model. The Wi:ner function is written for some chosen states associated to discrete angle and angular momentum variables, and the rime evolution is numerically calculated using the discrete von Neumnnn-Liouville equation. Direct evidences in the lime evolution of the Wigner function are extracted that identify a tunnelling effect. A connection with a SU(2)-based semiclassical continuous approach to the Lipkin model is also presented.

Mean-field model for the interference of matter-waves from a three-dimensional optical trap

Using the mean-field time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation we study the formation of a repulsive Bose-Einstein condensate on a combined optical and harmonic traps in two and three dimensions and subsequent generation of the interference pattern upon the removal of the combined traps as in the experiment by, Greiner et al. [Nature (London 415 (2002) 39]. For optical traps of moderate strength, interference pattern of 27 (9) prominent bright spots is found to be formed in three. (two) dimensions on a cubic (square) lattice in agreement with experiment. Similar interference pattern can also be formed upon removal of the optical lattice trap only. The pattern so formed can oscillate for a long time in the harmonic trap which can be observed experimentally. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Periodic waves and solitons in a nonlinear fibre with resonant impurities

We shall consider a coupled nonlinear Schrodinger equation- Bloch system of equations describing the propagation of a single pulse through a nonlinear dispersive waveguide in the presence of resonances; this could be, for example, a doped optical fibre. By making use of the integrability of the dynamic equations, we shall apply the finite-gap integration method to obtain periodic solutions for this system. Next, we consider the problem of the formation of solitons at a sharp front pulse and, by means of the Whitham modulational theory, we derive the amplitude and velocity of the largest soliton.