Pressure dependence of the magnetization in the ferromagnetic superconductor UGe_2

The recent discovery that superconductivity occurs in several clean itinerant ferromagnets close to low temperature magnetic instabilities naturally invites an interpretation based on a proximity to quantum criticality. Here we report measurements of the pressure dependence of the low temperature magnetisation in one of these materials, UGe_2. Our results show that both of the magnetic transitions observed in this material as a function of pressure are first order transitions and do not therefore correspond to quantum critical points. Further we find that the known pressure dependence of the superconducting transition is not reflected in the pressure dependence of the static susceptibility. This demonstrates that the spectrum of excitations giving superconductivity is not that normally associated with a proximity to quantum criticality in weak itinerant ferromagnets. In contrast our data suggest that instead the pairing spectrum might be related to a sharp spike in the electronic density of states that also drives one of the magnetic transitions.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Force Dependence of the Michaelis Constant in a Two-State Ratchet Model for Molecular Motors

We present a quantitative analysis of recent data on the kinetics of ATP hydrolysis, which has presented a puzzle regarding the load dependence of the Michaelis constant. Within the framework of coarse grained two-state ratchet models, our analysis not only explains the puzzling data, but provides a modified Michaelis law, which could be useful as a guide for future experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 3 eps figures, accepted for publication on Physical Review Letter

Theoretical Study on Coexistence of Ferromagnetism and Superconductivity

On the basis of a two-dimensional t-t' Hubbard model in ferromagnetic and paramagnetic states, the triplet superconducting mechanism is investigated by the third-order perturbation theory with respect to the on-site Coulomb interaction U. In general, the superconducting state is more stable in the paramagnetic state than in the ferromagnetic state. As a special case, the dominant ferromagnetic superconductivity is obtained by the electron-electron correlation between the electronlike majority and holelike minority bands. Furthermore, it is pointed out that in some cases the two bands play an essential role for the coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism.Comment: 5 pages, 10 figure

Solvable Examples of Drift and Diffusion of Ions in Non-uniform Electric Fields

The drift and diffusion of a cloud of ions in a fluid are distorted by an inhomogeneous electric field. If the electric field carries the center of the distribution in a straight line and the field configuration is suitably symmetric, the distortion can be calculated analytically. We examine the specific examples of fields with cylindrical and spherical symmetry in detail assuming the ion distributions to be of a generally Gaussian form. The effects of differing diffusion coefficients in the transverse and longitudinal directions are included

Microscopic theories for cubic and tetrahedral superconductors: application to PrOs_4Sb_{12}

We examine weak-coupling theory for unconventional superconducting states of cubic or tetrahedral symmetry for arbitrary order parameters and Fermi surfaces and identify the stable states in zero applied field. We further examine the possibility of having multiple superconducting transitions arising from the weak breaking of a higher symmetry group to cubic or tetrahedral symmetry. Specifically, we consider two higher symmetry groups. The first is a weak crystal field theory in which the spin-singlet Cooper pairs have an approximate spherical symmetry. The second is a weak spin orbit coupling theory for which spin-triplet Cooper pairs have a cubic orbital symmetry and an approximate spherical spin rotational symmetry. In hexagonal UPt_3, these theories easily give rise to multiple transitions. However, we find that for cubic materials, there is only one case in which two superconducting transitions occur within weak coupling theory. This sequence of transitions does not agree with the observed properties of PrOs_4Sb_{12}. Consequently, we find that to explain two transitions in PrOs_4Sb_{12} using approximate higher symmetry groups requires a strong coupling theory. In view of this, we finally consider a weak coupling theory for which two singlet representations have accidentally nearly degenerate transition temperatures (not due to any approximate symmetries). We provide an example of such a theory that agrees with the observed properties of PrOs_4Sb_{12}.Comment: 11 pages,1 figur

Pressure-temperature phase diagram of ferromagnetic superconductors

The symmetry approach to the description of the (P,T) phase diagram of ferromagnet superconductors with triplet pairing is developed. Taking into account the recent experimental observations made on UCoGe it is considered the case of a crystal with orthorhombic structure and strong spin-orbital coupling. It is shown that formation of ferromagnet superconducting state from a superconducting state is inevitably accompanied by the first order type transition.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Brownian molecular motors driven by rotation-translation coupling

We investigated three models of Brownian motors which convert rotational diffusion into directed translational motion by switching on and off a potential. In the first model a spatially asymmetric potential generates directed translational motion by rectifying rotational diffusion. It behaves much like a conventional flashing ratchet. The second model utilizes both rotational diffusion and drift to generate translational motion without spatial asymmetry in the potential. This second model can be driven by a combination of a Brownian motor mechanism (diffusion driven) or by powerstroke (drift driven) depending on the chosen parameters. In the third model, elements of both the Brownian motor and powerstroke mechanisms are combined by switching between three distinct states. Relevance of the model to biological motor proteins is discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure

Drying and cracking mechanisms in a starch slurry

Starch-water slurries are commonly used to study fracture dynamics. Drying starch-cakes benefit from being simple, economical, and reproducible systems, and have been used to model desiccation fracture in soils, thin film fracture in paint, and columnar joints in lava. In this paper, the physical properties of starch-water mixtures are studied, and used to interpret and develop a multiphase transport model of drying. Starch-cakes are observed to have a nonlinear elastic modulus, and a desiccation strain that is comparable to that generated by their maximum achievable capillary pressure. It is shown that a large material porosity is divided between pore spaces between starch grains, and pores within starch grains. This division of pore space leads to two distinct drying regimes, controlled by liquid and vapor transport of water, respectively. The relatively unique ability for drying starch to generate columnar fracture patterns is shown to be linked to the unusually strong separation of these two transport mechanisms.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures [revised in response to reviewer comments