Photoconductivity in β-AgI

Excitation spectra and transient and steady-state photoconductivity have been studied in undoped and 0.8-mole% Cu-doped single-crystal β-AgI between 150 and 260°K. A single peak in the spectral response was found to occur in each case, at 2.88 eV for undoped and at 2.81 eV for copper-doped specimens at 260 K, the difference being due to a decrease in band gap. The anisotropy due to polarization of incident radiation parallel or perpendicular to the c direction, which is a measure of the energy difference between the Γ9 and Γ7 levels in the valence band, was found to be 0.010 eV. Transient-photoconductivity experiments showed that the hole lifetime was 6 μ sec at 300°K, an order of magnitude larger than the electron lifetime. The hole drift mobility was found to be 12±2 cm2/ V sec at 300°K and limited by traps at a depth of 0.51±0.01 eV with concentration (3-5)×109/cm3 and capture cross section 10-11 cm2. The study of photoconductivity decay versus temperature revealed the presence of shallow hole traps at 0.14±0.02 eV with concentration greater than 1016/cm3 and capture cross section 10-19 cm2. The steady-state photoconductivity was determined by the deep hole traps at 0.51 eV, and showed the presence of shallow electron traps at a depth of 0.28 eV. The trap distribution was found to be substantially the same in pure and copper-doped specimens, indicating the monovalent substitutional role of copper. The effects of iodine annealing, cadmium doping, and heating above the transition temperature were also studied. The possible nature of the traps is discussed.

Hysteresis in model spin system

The aim of this paper is to construct a nonequilibrium statistical‐mechanics theory to study hysteresis in ferromagnetic systems. We study the hysteretic response of model spin systems to periodic magnetic fields H(t) as a function of the amplitude H0 and frequency Ω. At fixed H0, we find conventional, squarelike hysteresis loops at low Ω, and rounded, roughly elliptical loops at high Ω, in agreement with experiments. For the O(N→∞), d=3, (Φ2)2 model with Langevin dynamics, we find a novel scaling behavior for the area A of the hysteresis loop, of the form A∝H0.660Ω0.33. We carry out a Monte Carlo simulation of the hysteretic response of the two‐dimensional, nearest‐neighbor, ferromagnetic Ising model. These results agree qualitatively with the results obtained for the O(N) model.

Effects of molecular size in solvation dynamics

The effects of molecular size on the dynamics of polar solvation are studied by using a microscopic theory which includes the translational relaxation modes of the solvent consistently. It is shown that while in the absence of the translational contribution the solvation rate increases with the size of the solute (in agreement with the conclusions of the nonequilibrium MSA theory),a complete reversal of the solute size dependence occurs when translational modes make a significant contribution to the solvent polarization relaxation.

Specific-heat measurements during cooling through the glass-transition region

In this paper we report the measurements of specific heats of five glass formers as they are cooled through the glass-transition region. The measurements are compared with other specific-heat measurements such as adiabatic-calorimetry and ac-calorimetry measurements. The data are then analyzed using a model of enthalpy relaxation and nonequilibrium cooling, which can track the nonequilibrium relaxation time tau(S). The relevant parameters that describe tau(S) are obtained, allowing us to compare the enthalpy-relaxation times obtained from this method with other methods. We display the clear connection of the unrelaxed enthalpy with the nonequilibrium relaxation time and also show the role played by the delayed heat release from the unrelaxed enthalpy in the glass-transition region. We have also made certain definite observations regarding the equilibrium configurational specific heat and the Vogel-Fulcher law, which describes tau(S).

Extended gravitational action and novel consequences

It is found that the inclusion of higher derivative terms in the gravitational action along with concepts of phase transition and spontaneous symmetry breaking leads to some novel consequence. The Ricci scalar plays the dual role, like a physical field as well as a geometrical field. One gets Klein-Gordon equation for the emerging field and the corresponding quanta of geometry are called Riccions. For the early universe the model removes singularity along with inflation. In higher dimensional gravity the Riccions can break into spin half particle and antiparticle along with breaking of left-right symmetry. Most tantalizing consequences is the emergence of the physical universe from the geometry in the extreme past. Riccions can Bose condense and may account for the dark matter.

Hydrodynamics of R-charged D1-branes

We study the hydrodynamic properties of strongly coupled SU(N) Yang-Mills theory of the D1-brane at finite temperature and at a non-zero density of R-charge in the framework of gauge/gravity duality. The gravity dual description involves a charged black hole solution of an Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton system in 3 dimensions which is obtained by a consistent truncation of the spinning D1-brane in 10 dimensions. We evaluate thermal and electrical conductivity as well as the bulk viscosity as a function of the chemical potential conjugate to the R-charges of the D1-brane. We show that the ratio of bulk viscosity to entropy density is independent of the chemical potential and is equal to 1/4 pi. The thermal conductivity and bulk viscosity obey a relationship similar to the Wiedemann-Franz law. We show that at the boundary of thermodynamic stability, the charge diffusion mode becomes unstable and the transport coefficients exhibit critical behaviour. Our method for evaluating the transport coefficients relies on expressing the second order differential equations in terms of a first order equation which dictates the radial evolution of the transport coefficient. The radial evolution equations can be solved exactly for the transport coefficients of our interest. We observe that transport coefficients of the D1-brane theory are related to that of the M2-brane by an overall proportionality constant which sets the dimensions.

Holographic c-theorems in arbitrary dimensions

We re-examine holographic versions of the c-theorem and entanglement entropy in the context of higher curvature gravity and the AdS/CFT correspondence. We select the gravity theories by tuning the gravitational couplings to eliminate non-unitary operators in the boundary theory and demonstrate that all of these theories obey a holographic c-theorem. In cases where the dual CFT is even-dimensional, we show that the quantity that flow is the central charge associated with the A-type trace anomaly. Here, unlike in conventional holographic constructions with Einstein gravity, we are able to distinguish this quantity from other central charges or the leading coefficient in the entropy density of a thermal bath. In general, we are also able to identify this quantity with the coefficient of a universal contribution to the entanglement entropy in a particular construction. Our results suggest that these coefficients appearing in entanglement entropy play the role of central charges in odd-dimensional CFT's. We conjecture a new c-theorem on the space of odd-dimensional field theories, which extends Cardy's proposal for even dimensions. Beyond holography, we were able to show that for any even-dimensional CFT, the universal coefficient appearing the entanglement entropy which we calculate is precisely the A-type central charge.

Symmetry-breaking transition in a two-level system coupled to an Ohmic bath: A squeezed-state approach

Displaced squeezed states are proposed as variational ground states for phonons (Bose fields) coupled to two-level systems (spin systems). We have investigated the zero-temperature phase diagram for the localization-delocalization transition of a tunneling particle interacting with an Ohmic heat bath. Our results are compared with known existing approximate treatments. A modified phase diagram using the displaced squeezed state is presented.

Study of corrugations in motor bearings

Corrugation formation is investigated in bearing components in squirrelcage induction motors. The study, conducted on site, measured shaft voltage and analysed motor bearing vibrations from 48 motors on nine sites. The on-site frequency data was compared with the measured natural frequency of the motors. Detailed profilometric, optical and SEM studies were carried out on the surface of failed bearings to aid discussion on the formation of corrugations in bearings used in squirrelcage induction motors.

Shear-induced enhancement of self-diffusion in interacting colloidal suspensions

We set up the generalized Langevin equations describing coupled single-particle and collective motion in a suspension of interacting colloidal particles in a shear how and use these to show that the measured self-diffusion coefficients in these systems should be strongly dependent on shear rate epsilon. Three regimes are found: (i) an initial const+epsilon(.2), followed by (ii) a large regime of epsilon(.1/2) behavior, crossing over to an asymptotic power-law approach (iii) D-o - const x epsilon(.-1/2) to the Stokes-Einstein value D-o. The shear dependence is isotropic up to very large shear rates and increases with the interparticle interaction strength. Our results provide a straightforward explanation of recent experiments and simulations on sheared colloids.

Mott insulator high T-c bipolaronic superconductor transition in cuprates - Discussion

All ‘undoped’ cuprates are antiferromagnetic Mott insulators. We argue that with doping they remain to be insulators including the ‘overdoped’ samples. Hence, there is no clear dividing line between non–metallic cuprates and high–temperature superconductors. Based on the generic Hamiltonian including the electron–phonon interaction and the direct Coulomb repulsion the ground state of doped cuprates is shown to be a charged 2e Bose liquid of small bipolarons. A theory of the normal state transport of copper oxides is developed. The temperature dependence of the resistivity and of the Hall effect agrees remarkably well with the experimental data in La2–xSrxCuO4 for the entire temperature regime including unusual ‘logarithmic’ low–temperature region. The violation of Kohler's rule in magnetoresistivity is explained. The resistive and thermodynamic superconducting transitions in a magnetic field are quantitatively described.

Dynamics of crystal size distributions with size-dependent rates

The growth and dissolution dynamics of nonequilibrium crystal size distributions (CSDs) can be determined by solving the governing population balance equations (PBEs) representing reversible addition or dissociation. New PBEs are considered that intrinsically incorporate growth dispersion and yield complete CSDs. We present two approaches to solving the PBEs, a moment method and a numerical scheme. The results of the numerical scheme agree with the moment technique, which can be solved exactly when powers on mass-dependent growth and dissolution rate coefficients are either zero or one. The numerical scheme is more general and can be applied when the powers of the rate coefficients are non-integers or greater than unity. The influence of the size dependent rates on the time variation of the CSDs indicates that as equilibrium is approached, the CSDs become narrow when the exponent on the growth rate is less than the exponent on the dissolution rate. If the exponent on the growth rate is greater than the exponent on the dissolution rate, then the polydispersity continues to broaden. The computation method applies for crystals large enough that interfacial stability issues, such as ripening, can be neglected. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Melting-freezing cycles in a relatively sheared pair of crystalline monolayers

The nonequilibrium dynamical behaviour that arises when two ordered two-dimensional monolayers of particles are sheared over each other is studied in Brownian dynamics simulations. A curious sequence of nonequilibrium states is observed as the driving rate is increased, the most striking of which is a sliding state with irregular alternation between disordered and ordered states. We comment on possible mechanisms underlying these cycles, and experiments that could observe them.

The physics of active membranes

We review recent work on the physical properties of model fluid membranes in nonequilibrium situations resembling those encountered in the living cell and contrast their properties with those of the more familiar membranes at thermal equilibrium. We survey models for the effect of (i) active pumps and (ii) active fission–fusion processes encountered in intracellular trafficking on the stability and fluctuations of fluid membranes. Our purpose is twofold: to highlight the exciting nonequilibrium phenomena that arise in biological systems, and to show how some crucial features of living systems, namely dissipative energy uptake and directed motion, can fruitfully be incorporated into physical models of biological interest.