Doping - dependent superconducting gap anisotropy in the two-dimensional 10-3-8 pnictide Ca10_{10}(Pt3_3As8_8)[(Fe1−x_{1-x}Ptx_{x})2_2As2_2]5_5

The characteristic features of Ca$_{10}$(Pt$_3$As$_8$)[(Fe$_{1-x}$Pt$_x$)$_2$As$_2$]$_5$ ("10-3-8") superconductor are relatively high anisotropy and a clear separation of superconductivity and structural/magnetic transitions, which allows studying the superconducting gap without complications due to the coexisting order parameters. The London penetration depth, measured in underdoped single crystals of 10-3-8 ($x =$ 0.028, 0.041, 0.042, and 0.097), shows behavior remarkably similar to other Fe-based superconductors, exhibiting robust power-law, $\Delta \lambda(T) = A T^n$. The exponent $n$ decreases from 2.36 ($x =$ 0.097, close to optimal doping) to 1.7 ($x =$ 0.028, a heavily underdoped composition), suggesting that the superconducting gap becomes more anisotropic at the dome edge. A similar trend is found in low-anisotropy superconductors based on BaFe$_2$As$_2$ ("122"), implying that it is an intrinsic property of superconductivity in iron pnictides, unrelated to the coexistence of magnetic order and superconductivity or the anisotropy of the normal state. Overall this doping dependence is consistent with $s_{\pm}$ pairing competing with intra-band repulsion

Evidence for nodeless superconducting gap in NaFe1−x_{1-x}Cox_xAs from low-temperature thermal conductivity measurements

The thermal conductivity of optimally doped NaFe$_{0.972}$Co$_{0.028}$As ($T_c \sim$ 20 K) and overdoped NaFe$_{0.925}$Co$_{0.075}$As ($T_c \sim$ 11 K) single crystals were measured down to 50 mK. No residual linear term $\kappa_0/T$ is found in zero magnetic field for both compounds, which is an evidence for nodeless superconducting gap. Applying field up to $H$ = 9 T ($\approx H_{c2}/4$) does not noticeably increase $\kappa_0/T$ in NaFe$_{1.972}$Co$_{0.028}$As, which is consistent with multiple isotropic gaps with similar magnitudes. The $\kappa_0/T$ of overdoped NaFe$_{1.925}$Co$_{0.075}$As shows a relatively faster field dependence, indicating the increase of the ratio between the magnitudes of different gaps, or the enhancement of gap anisotropy upon increasing doping.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Analysis of signalling pathways using continuous time Markov chains

We describe a quantitative modelling and analysis approach for signal transduction networks. We illustrate the approach with an example, the RKIP inhibited ERK pathway [CSK+03]. Our models are high level descriptions of continuous time Markov chains: proteins are modelled by synchronous processes and reactions by transitions. Concentrations are modelled by discrete, abstract quantities. The main advantage of our approach is that using a (continuous time) stochastic logic and the PRISM model checker, we can perform quantitative analysis such as what is the probability that if a concentration reaches a certain level, it will remain at that level thereafter? or how does varying a given reaction rate affect that probability? We also perform standard simulations and compare our results with a traditional ordinary differential equation model. An interesting result is that for the example pathway, only a small number of discrete data values is required to render the simulations practically indistinguishable

Color Reflection Invariance and Monopole Condensation in QCD

We review the quantum instability of the Savvidy-Nielsen-Olesen (SNO) vacuum of the one-loop effective action of SU(2) QCD, and point out a critical defect in the calculation of the functional determinant of the gluon loop in the SNO effective action. We prove that the gauge invariance, in particular the color reflection invariance, exclude the unstable tachyonic modes from the gluon loop integral. This guarantees the stability of the magnetic condensation in QCD.Comment: 28 pages, 3 figures, JHEP styl

Hadronic production of light color-triplet Higgs bosons: an alternative signature for GUT

The conventional signature for grand unified theories (GUT) is the proton decay. Recently, some models in extra dimensions or with specific discrete symmetries, which aim at solving the doublet-triplet problem, allow the color-triplet in the TeV mass region by suppressing the Yukawa couplings of the triplets to matter fermions. We study the hadronic production and detection of these TeV colored Higgs bosons as an alternative signature for GUT, which would behave like massive stable charged particles in particle detectors producing a striking signature of a charged track in the central tracking system and being ionized in the outer muon chamber. We found that the LHC is sensitive to a colored Higgs boson up to about 1.5 TeV. If the color-triplets are stable in cosmological time scale, they may constitute an interesting fraction of the dark matter.Comment: We added the description of a model by Goldberger et al.-- a 5D SU(5) SUSY model in a slice of AdS space with special boundary conditions to suppress proton decay. The color-triplet also has a TeV mas

Gravitational Waves in Bianchi Type-I Universes I: The Classical Theory

The propagation of classical gravitational waves in Bianchi Type-I universes is studied. We find that gravitational waves in Bianchi Type-I universes are not equivalent to two minimally coupled massless scalar fields as it is for the Robertson-Walker universe. Due to its tensorial nature, the gravitational wave is much more sensitive to the anisotropy of the spacetime than the scalar field is and it gains an effective mass term. Moreover, we find a coupling between the two polarization states of the gravitational wave which is also not present in the Robertson-Walker universe.Comment: 34 papers, written in ReVTeX, submitted to Physical Review

Hysteresis and Spikes in the Quantum Hall Effect

We observe sharp peaks and strong hysteresis in the electronic transport of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in the region of the integral quantum Hall effect. The peaks decay on time scales ranging from several minutes to more than an hour. Momentary grounding of some of the contacts can vastly modify the strength of the peaks. All these features disappear under application of a negative bias voltage to the backside of the specimen. We conclude, that a conduction channel parallel to the high mobility 2DEG is the origin for the peaks and their hysteretic behavior.Comment: 7 pages, 3 eps figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett, minor typos correcte

Weyl group, CP and the kink-like field configurations in the effective SU(3) gauge theory

Effective Lagrangian for pure Yang-Mills gauge fields invariant under the standard space-time and local gauge SU(3) transformations is considered. It is demonstrated that a set of twelve degenerated minima exists as soon as a nonzero gluon condensate is postulated. The minima are connected to each other by the parity transformations and Weyl group transformations associated with the color su(3) algebra. The presence of degenerated discrete minima in the effective potential leads to the solutions of the effective Euclidean equations of motion in the form of the kink-like gauge field configurations interpolating between different minima. Spectrum of charged scalar field in the kink background is discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, added references for sections 1 and