GENERAL INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS
(Revised January 1997)
Information about this journal and other APS journals is available electronically via ftp to aps.org in the subdirectories /jrnls, /pacs, /revtex, etc., of the /pub directory. Most filenames include as an extension a suffix (beginning with a period), which indicates the nature of the file: .asc (plain ASCII), .pdf (portable document file, usable with Acrobat), .ps (PostScript), or .tex (TeX). Most files exist in two or three versions, distinguished by the suffix. Some specific files are cited where pertinent below. On the World Wide Web the APS research-journals server (whose URL is http://publish.aps.org/) also provides access to this material, and other information.
Manuscripts may be submitted by a variety of electronic
modes (including via e-print servers, direct Web upload, and e-mail), or
by conventional
mail, but not by fax.
Interactive submission forms, available on our Web server, are an
integral part of the submission process for the e-print and Web modes, and are
strongly recommended for e-mail and conventional-mail submission. These
forms aid authors in supplying all the information needed in a structured
format which furthers efficient processing; they also provide a location
for additional ``free form'' information. [For authors without Web browsers
which support forms, noninteractive versions of the submission forms are
available via ftp to aps.org in the /pub/jrnls directory as the sub_pra files
(include filename suffix .asc, .tex, or .ps), or by request to the Editorial
Office.]
Please specify the author to whom correspondence should be addressed, and
give all available communications information for this individual (postal
and e-mail addresses, phone and fax numbers), since in various circumstances
they may all be useful. Please specify journal and section to which the
paper is submitted, and give
PACS (Physics and Astronomy Classification Scheme)
index categories if possible. (The scheme is available via ftp to
aps.org as the file pacs_96.asc in the /pub/pacs directory; the
alphabetical index to PACS is available as the file index_96.asc
in the /pub/pacs directory. Printed copies of PACS are available
on request from the Editorial Office.) If an important subject of
your paper cannot be appropriately classified in the PACS
scheme, please give an appropriate keyword or phrase, and
indicate approximately where in the scheme this topic would be
best placed.
A signed APS copyright-transfer form
(available in plain text, PostScript or
TeX format here)
should be included with
the submission, and will be required before publication. While
the transfer of copyright takes effect only upon acceptance of the
paper for publication in an APS journal, supplying the form
initially can prevent unnecessary delays. The form appears at the
end of the 18 November 1996 issue of Physical Review Letters
and is available
from the Editorial Office,
on the World Wide Web via the URL http://publish.aps.org/
or via ftp to aps.org in the /pub/jrnls
directory as the copy_trnsfr files (include filename suffix .asc, .ps,
or .tex). Be sure to use the latest (3/94 or later) version of the form.
Manuscripts and figures are not routinely returned to authors.
Authors should indicate (preferably on initial submittal) if they
want the manuscript and/or figures returned when correspondence
is sent during the editorial process, and/or after a final decision has
been made.
Manuscripts sent by conventional mail should be submitted in
quadruplicate to the Editors, Physical Review, 1 Research Road,
Box 9000, Ridge, NY 11961-9000. The manuscript, including the
abstract, references, and captions, should be printed in
English, on good letter size (e.g., in. or A4) white paper with
ample margins. (The first copy, used for production purposes if
the paper is accepted for publication, must be printed on one side
of the paper only; additional copies, used for review purposes, may
be printed on both sides of the paper.) The type size and line spacing
should be sufficient to accommodate editorial markings and
should be legible to our keyboarders (no more than three lines per
inch and no more than 88 characters per 6 inches). It should be
carefully proofread by the author. Poor reproductions are
unacceptable, as are unclear or excessive handwritten insertions.
For general format and style consult recent issues of this journal
and the Physical Review Style and Notation Guide, available via
ftp to aps.org in the /pub/jrnls directory as the style_guidefiles
(include filename suffix .pdf, .ps, or .tex). Additional style guidelines
can be found in the Fourth Edition of the AIP Style Manual,
which may be obtained for $10.00 (prepaid) from the American
Institute of Physics, c/o AIDC, 64 Depot Road, Colchester, VT
05546, telephone: 800-488-2665.
Electronic submissions may be formatted in REVTeX (preferred),
LaTeX, Harvmac, or Plain TeX. The file must be in ASCII containing no
control codes, with line lengths of 80 characters or less. All textual
material of the paper (including tables, captions, etc.) should be in
electronic form, as a single file. The file should produce double-spaced
output.
For information about submission via e-print servers or direct
Web upload, see our Web server.
Electronic-mail submissions (and inquiries about them) should be
sent to the Internet address prXtex@aps.org (where X=a, b,
c, d, e, or l designates the intended journal).
For the initial submission, use as the subject ``submit'' followed by
the three-letter abbreviation for the
name of the journal (pra, prb, prc, prd, pre, or prl) and the last name
of the first author; for example, ``submit pra jones'' or ``submit PRA
Jones.'' Include the filled-out submission form (or the equivalent
information, including journal, section, postal address, etc.) in the
first part of the electronic-mail message. Receipt of an electronic-mail
submission will be acknowledged within 24 hours. Copies of the manuscript
should not be sent by regular mail (only original figures) unless the
electronic transmission has not been successful.
Editorial processing of an electronic mail submission cannot begin until
at least review-quality copies of the figures are received. Electronic-mail
transmission (one figure per file) of PostScript-formatted figures will
normally meet this need. Use as the subject ``submit'' followed by the
three-letter abbreviation for the name of the journal (pra, prb, prc,
prd, pre, or prl), the last name of the first author, and the figure
number; for example, ``submit pra jones fig 1'' or ``submit PRA Jones Fig 1.''
Alternatively, you could send scanner-reproducible journal-quality ``originals''
immediately by overnight mail to the Editorial Office). A third possibility
is to send review-quality figures by fax (516-591-4141), while the ``originals''
are sent by conventional or overnight mail as soon as possible; please
mark the fax transmission as being part of an electronic-mail submission.
Compuscripts are author-supplied computer files that can be
used for production essentially as supplied. (Some minor
style modifications may be made if needed.) If the paper is accepted
for publication, the file is converted to SGML format and coding,
from which base the journal pages are composed. Authors should indicate
with their initial submission that they are interested in
publishing in this mode. Appropriate REVTeX files
are eligible. Questions about file eligibility should be directed
to prXtex@aps.org (X=a, b, c, d, e, or l).
Papers intended for the compuscript production
program should be submitted and resubmitted by
electronic mail or by DOS-formatted floppy disk.
REVTeX is APS's LaTeX macro package used to produce
compuscript files with the standard structure and coding needed for
our journals. The REVTeX software (macros, examples, and documentation)
is available via ftp to aps.org in the /pub/revtex directory. For
further information on REVTeX, inquire by electronic mail to mis@aps.org.
An information and instruction booklet regarding electronic submissions
and compuscripts is available via ftp to aps.org in the /pub/jrnls/
directory as the compu_inform_pr files (include filename suffix .asc,
.ps, or .tex).
When a manuscript is resubmitted, please include a summary
of changes made and a brief response to all recommendations
and criticisms.
(Submission forms are not yet available for resubmissions; nor are the
e-print and Web upload submission methods.)
If the resubmission is by conventional mail,
please send four copies of a complete modified manuscript; if
changes are few, you may alternatively send four copies of
those pages on which changes have been made (no more than
three or four pages), but make sure that the page breaks are the
same as in the initial manuscript. If the resubmission is by
electronic mail, please send the complete file for the text if there
have been any changes. (The response to the referee should be
included as the first part of the electronic-mail message which
contains the modified manuscript.
Use as the subject of the message ``resub'' followed by the manuscript
code number and the last name of the first author; for example,
``resub AB1234 Smith'' or ``resub ab1234 smith''.) For any resubmission,
please state whether or not the figures have been modified, and
supply new scanner-reproducible figures if there have been such
changes.
The title should be concise but informative enough to facilitate
information retrieval. The abstract should be self-contained
(contain no footnotes). It should be adequate as an index
(giving all subjects, major and minor, about which new information
is given) and as a summary (giving the conclusions and
all results of general interest in the article). It should be about
5% of the length of the article, but less than 500 words.
Notation should be clear, compact, and consistent with standard
usage. Each symbol must be individually legible. Equations
should be neatly typed or written in ink, punctuated and
aligned to bring out their structure, and numbered on the right.
(a) Diacritical marks (tildes, etc.) can be put over any symbol,
including indices, but not over groups of symbols. (b) Three-vectors
will be set in roman boldface type and should be marked
in the manuscript with either a black wiggly underline or an
arrow over the character. More general vectors, matrices, etc.,
are usually set in lightface italic type, although boldface may
alternatively be used. (c) Any numerical fraction can be put on one
line, e.g., . Use that form rather than , and never use ,
unless you mean . The solidus should be used instead of
built-up fractions in running text.
Marking of mathematical material: All unusual and handwritten
symbols whose identity is not obvious should be
identified in the margin the first time they appear, and thereafter
only if any ambiguity is still possible. For example, when
necessary,
identify Greek letters (not including sum and
product signs) and script letters; underline italic in black;
underline in black
three times for capital. Identify nonalphabetic symbols by
their number in the AIP Style Manual. Superscripts are
normally set directly over subscripts; authors should note where
readability or the meaning requires a special order by specifically
marking such cases (enclose superscripts in a black-penciled
inverted caret; subscripts, in a black-penciled caret).
Excessive marking should be avoided.
References and footnotes to text material must be combined in
a single list, numbered consecutively in their order of first appearance
in the paper, and placed in a double-spaced list at the end of
the text material. They should be designated and cited in text by
on-line Arabic numerals in square brackets. As an option, footnotes
may appear separately from references and be placed at
the bottom of the page on which they are cited. They should be
designated by superscript numbers and numbered consecutively
throughout the paper. Footnotes within tables should be
designated by lower-case letter superscripts and given at the
end of the table. For the proper form for references, see the
Physical Review Style and Notation Guide and recent issues of
this journal. The names of all authors of works cited should be
given in the references, unless the number of authors is greater than
three; in this case, the first author's name followed by et al.
is allowed. When reference is made to internal reports or other
items not available in the open literature, it is the responsibility of
the author to provide sufficient information to enable the reader
to obtain a copy of the referenced material. References to classified
reports or other documents with restricted circulation should
be avoided.
It is important to confirm the accuracy of bibliographic information
in references. This becomes more important when the journal is online;
establishing
hyperlinks from reference lists to bibliographic and document databases
depends on the accuracy of the data contained in the anchor references.
Footnotes to an author's name or address should be
limited to those necessary for location of the author. Electronic
addresses (e.g., Internet, FAX) can be listed as footnotes. All
information concerning research support should appear in the
acknowledgments.