Topological changes of two-dimensional magnetic textures

We investigate the interaction of magnetic vortices and skyrmions with a spin-polarized current. In a square lattice, fixed classical spins and quantum itinerant electrons, evolve according to the coupled Landau-Lifshitz and Schr\"odinger equations. Changes in the topology occur at microscopic time and length scales, and are shown to be triggered by the nucleation of a nontrivial electron-spin structure at the vortex core.Comment: See supplementary material (high resolution figures and movies) https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0By4j_RJ9SKLpQ2R5UklXLURvbEE&usp=sharing --- v2: Extended versio

The Cube Recurrence

We construct a combinatorial model that is described by the cube recurrence, a nonlinear recurrence relation introduced by Propp, which generates families of Laurent polynomials indexed by points in $\mathbb{Z}^3$. In the process, we prove several conjectures of Propp and of Fomin and Zelevinsky, and we obtain a combinatorial interpretation for the terms of Gale-Robinson sequences. We also indicate how the model might be used to obtain some interesting results about perfect matchings of certain bipartite planar graphs

RURAL CREDIT RATIONING AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

A common problem in agricultural credit markets in developing countries is the coexistence of a competitive market equilibrium interest rate and credit rationing. The literature typically explains the existence of credit rationing in competitive credit markets using adverse selection and moral hazard. Unfortunately these analyses are not consistent with the empirical reality that developing countries deal with in terms of subsidized credit, especially in the agricultural sector. This paper presents an alternative explanation for credit rationing in the agricultural sector in developing countries based on the fact that the requested loans are usually for small amounts, with many farmers making applications. As a result, the costs of operation increase with the number of loans given, so that inefficiencies in credit allocation occur when national development banks are present. It is shown that credit rationing can be reduced if shutting-down the national development bank is a feasible policy. Two other cases show that a national development bank is welfare-improving if an incentive compatible contract is used.Financial Economics,

Airborne Fraunhofer Line Discriminator

Airborne Fraunhofer Line Discriminator enables prospecting for fluorescent materials, hydrography with fluorescent dyes, and plant studies based on fluorescence of chlorophyll. Optical unit design is the coincidence of Fraunhofer lines in the solar spectrum occurring at the characteristic wavelengths of some fluorescent materials

Electrodynamics under a Possible Alternative to the Lorentz Transformation

A generalization of the classical electrodynamics for systems in absolute motion is presented using a possible alternative to the Lorentz transformation. The main hypothesis assumed in this work are: a) The inertial transformations relate two inertial frames: the privileged frame S and the moving frame S' with velocity v with respect to S. b) The transformation of the fields from S to the moving frame S' is given by H'=a(H - v D) and E'=a(E + v B) where a is a matrix whose elements depend of the absolute velocity of the system. c) The constitutive relations in the moving frame S' are given by D'= \epsilon E', B'= \mu H' and J'=\eta E'. It is found that Maxwell's equations, which are transformed to the moving frame, take a new form depending on the absolute velocity of the system. Moreover, differing from classical electrodynamics, it is proved that the electrodynamics proposed explains satisfactorily the Wilson effect.Comment: LaTeX, 15page

Micromagnetic Simulations of Ferromagnetic Rings

Thin nanomagnetic rings have generated interest for fundamental studies of magnetization reversal and also for their potential in various applications, particularly as magnetic memories. They are a rare example of a geometry in which an analytical solution for the rate of thermally induced magnetic reversal has been determined, in an approximation whose errors can be estimated and bounded. In this work, numerical simulations of soft ferromagnetic rings are used to explore aspects of the analytical solution. The evolution of the energy near the transition states confirms that, consistent with analytical predictions, thermally induced magnetization reversal can have one of two intermediate states: either constant or soliton-like saddle configurations, depending on ring size and externally applied magnetic field. The results confirm analytical predictions of a transition in thermally activated reversal behavior as magnetic field is varied at constant ring size. Simulations also show that the analytic one dimensional model continues to hold even for wide rings

Fermi arcs and the hidden zeros of the Green's function in the pseudogap state

We investigate the low energy properties of a correlated metal in the proximity of a Mott insulator within the Hubbard model in two dimensions. We introduce a new version of the Cellular Dynamical Mean Field Theory using cumulants as the basic irreducible objects. These are used for re-constructing the lattice quantities from their cluster counterparts. The zero temperature one particle Green's function is characterized by the appearance of lines of zeros, in addition to a Fermi surface which changes topology as a function of doping. We show that these features are intimately connected to the opening of a pseudogap in the one particle spectrum and provide a simple picture for the appearance of Fermi arcs.Comment: revised version; 5 pages, 3 figure

The mutational meltdown in asexual populations

Loss of fitness due to the accumulation of deleterious mutations appears to be inevitable in small, obligately asexual populations, as these are incapable of reconstituting highly fit genotypes by recombination or back mutation. The cumulative buildup of such mutations is expected to lead to an eventual reduction in population size, and this facilitates the chance accumulation of future mutations. This synergistic interaction between population size reduction and mutation accumulation leads to an extinction process known as the mutational meltdown, and provides a powerful explanation for the rarity of obligate asexuality. We give an overview of the theory of the mutational meltdown, showing how the process depends on the demographic properties of a population, the properties of mutations, and the relationship between fitness and number of mutations incurred