The critical behavior of the Binder cumulant for Ising spin glasses in dimension four is studied through simulation measurements. Data for the bimodal interaction model are compared with those for the Laplacian interaction model. Special attention is paid to scaling corrections. The limiting infinite size value at criticality for this dimensionless variable is a parameter characteristic of a un...

The influence of the active gain medium on the spectral amplitude and phase of amplified, femtosecond pulses in a laser system is studied. Results from a case study of a 15-petawatt laser based on Nd-doped mixed glasses show that gain-induced atomic phase shifts will distort the pulses, reducing their peak power. It is also shown that a phase compensation solution is possible and the correspond...

Cricket is a popular but potentially dangerous sport. It is played with a hard ball that can travel at great speeds. Serious injuries, including fatalities, have occurred when balls have struck participants. The game is traditionally played during daylight with a dark red ball, but recent games have been played during the day and at night using a 'pink' ball. We have reported data that seemed t...

And a stylish duckegg plate I brought From one of my adventures— Free and full of guff and gravitas And mortgaged to the hilt Of her gritted, contending heart— The plate for hanging up She trussed with a ragged strip Of worn out sheet before consignment To a drawer bottomed with curtain hooks, medals, florins, a calendar page In a cursive, rushing hand, noting the birthdates Breed and sex of fo...

This is a short history of the Smithsonian Microbeam Standards; their sources, selection, preparation, and analyses. Fifty-eight minerals, natural glasses, and synthetic samples have been characterized in the past 25 years. During that time, over 750 requests were received for approximately 11 000 individual samples. These reference samples are referred to as the Smithsonian Microbeam Standards.