251 research outputs found
Direct probing of band-structure Berry phase in diluted magnetic semiconductors
We report on experimental evidence of the Berry phase accumulated by the
charge carrier wave function in single-domain nanowires made from a
(Ga,Mn)(As,P) diluted ferromagnetic semiconductor layer. Its signature on the
mesoscopic transport measurements is revealed as unusual patterns in the
magnetoconductance, that are clearly distinguished from the universal
conductance fluctuations. We show that these patterns appear in a magnetic
field region where the magnetization rotates coherently and are related to a
change in the band-structure Berry phase as the magnetization direction
changes. They should be thus considered as a band structure Berry phase
fingerprint of the effective magnetic monopoles in the momentum space. We argue
that this is an efficient method to vary the band structure in a controlled way
and to probe it directly. Hence, (Ga,Mn)As appears to be a very interesting
test bench for new concepts based on this geometrical phase.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Effects of electron-phonon interactions on the electron tunneling spectrum of PbS quantum dots
We present a tunnel spectroscopy study of single PbS Quantum Dots (QDs) as
function of temperature and gate voltage. Three distinct signatures of strong
electron-phonon coupling are observed in the Electron Tunneling Spectrum (ETS)
of these QDs. In the shell-filling regime, the degeneracy of the
electronic levels is lifted by the Coulomb interactions and allows the
observation of phonon sub-bands that result from the emission of optical
phonons. At low bias, a gap is observed in the ETS that cannot be closed with
the gate voltage, which is a distinguishing feature of the Franck-Condon (FC)
blockade. From the data, a Huang-Rhys factor in the range is
obtained. Finally, in the shell tunneling regime, the optical phonons appear in
the inelastic ETS .Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Josephson oscillation linewidth of ion-irradiated YBaCuO junctions
We report on the noise properties of ion-irradiated YBaCuO
Josephson junctions. This work aims at investigating the linewidth of the
Josephson oscillation with a detector response experiment at 132 GHz.
Experimental results are compared with a simple analytical model based on the
Likharev-Semenov equation and the de Gennes dirty limit approximation. We show
that the main source of low-frequency fluctuations in these junctions is the
broadband Johnson noise and that the excess () noise contribution
does not prevail in the temperature range of interest, as reported in some
other types of high-T superconducting Josephson junctions. Finally, we
discuss the interest of ion-irradiated junctions to implement frequency-tunable
oscillators consisting of synchronized arrays of Josephson junctions
Quantitative MRFM characterization of the autonomous and forced dynamics in a spin transfer nano-oscillator
Using a magnetic resonance force microscope (MRFM), the power emitted by a
spin transfer nano-oscillator consisting of a normally magnetized PyCuPy
circular nanopillar is measured both in the autonomous and forced regimes. From
the power behavior in the subcritical region of the autonomous dynamics, one
obtains a quantitative measurement of the threshold current and of the noise
level. Their field dependence directly yields both the spin torque efficiency
acting on the thin layer and the nature of the mode which first
auto-oscillates: the lowest energy, spatially most uniform spin-wave mode. From
the MRFM behavior in the forced dynamics, it is then demonstrated that in order
to phase-lock this auto-oscillating mode, the external source must have the
same spatial symmetry as the mode profile, i.e., a uniform microwave field must
be used rather than a microwave current flowing through the nanopillar
Unusual magneto-transport of YBa2Cu3O7-d films due to the interplay of anisotropy, random disorder and nanoscale periodic pinning
We study the general problem of a manifold of interacting elastic lines whose
spatial correlations are strongly affected by the competition between random
and ordered pinning. This is done through magneto-transport experiments with
YBa2Cu3O7-d thin films that contain a periodic vortex pinning array created via
masked ion irradiation, in addition to the native random pinning. The strong
field-matching effects we observe suggest the prevalence of periodic pinning,
and indicate that at the matching field each vortex line is bound to an
artificial pinning site. However, the vortex-glass transition dimensionality,
quasi-2D instead of the usual 3D, evidences reduced vortex-glass correlations
along the vortex line. This is also supported by an unusual angular dependence
of the magneto-resistance, which greatly differs from that of Bose-glass
systems. A quantitative analysis of the angular magnetoresistance allows us to
link this behaviour to the enhancement of the system anisotropy, a collateral
effect of the ion irradiation
Wigner and Kondo physics in quantum point contacts revealed by scanning gate microscopy
Quantum point contacts exhibit mysterious conductance anomalies in addition
to well known conductance plateaus at multiples of 2e^2/h. These 0.7 and
zero-bias anomalies have been intensively studied, but their microscopic origin
in terms of many-body effects is still highly debated. Here we use the charged
tip of a scanning gate microscope to tune in situ the electrostatic potential
of the point contact. While sweeping the tip distance, we observe repetitive
splittings of the zero-bias anomaly, correlated with simultaneous appearances
of the 0.7 anomaly. We interpret this behaviour in terms of alternating
equilibrium and non-equilibrium Kondo screenings of different spin states
localized in the channel. These alternating Kondo effects point towards the
presence of a Wigner crystal containing several charges with different
parities. Indeed, simulations show that the electron density in the channel is
low enough to reach one-dimensional Wigner crystallization over a size
controlled by the tip position
Dynamics of two coupled vortices in a spin valve nanopillar excited by spin transfer torque
We investigate the dynamics of two coupled vortices driven by spin transfer.
We are able to independently control with current and perpendicular field, and
to detect, the respective chiralities and polarities of the two vortices. For
current densities above , a highly coherent signal
(linewidth down to 46 kHz) can be observed, with a strong dependence on the
relative polarities of the vortices. It demonstrates the interest of using
coupled dynamics in order to increase the coherence of the microwave signal.
Emissions exhibit a linear frequency evolution with perpendicular field, with
coherence conserved even at zero magnetic field
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