3,201 research outputs found
Observability of a projected new state of matter: a metallic superfluid
Dissipationless quantum states, such as superconductivity and superfluidity,
have attracted interest for almost a century. A variety of systems exhibit
these macroscopic quantum phenomena, ranging from superconducting electrons in
metals to superfluid liquids, atomic vapours, and even large nuclei. It was
recently suggested that liquid metallic hydrogen could form two new unusual
dissipationless quantum states, namely the metallic superfluid and the
superconducting superfluid. Liquid metallic hydrogen is projected to occur only
at an extremely high pressure of about 400 GPa, while pressures on hydrogen of
320 GPa having already been reported. The issue to be adressed is if this state
could be experimentally observable in principle. We propose four experimental
probes for detecting it.Comment: in print in Phys. Rev. Let
Diagrammatic quantum field formalism for localized electrons
We introduce a diagrammatic quantum field formalism for the evaluation of
normalized expectation values of operators, and suitable for systems with
localized electrons. It is used to develop a convergent series expansion for
the energy in powers of overlap integrals of single-particle orbitals. This
method gives intuitive and practical rules for writing down the expansion to
arbitrary order of overlap, and can be applied to any spin configuration and to
any dimension. Its applicability for systems with well localized electrons has
been illustrated with examples, including the two-dimensional Wigner crystal
and spin-singlets in the low-density electron gas.Comment: 13 pages, 0 figure
Confinement-induced Berry phase and helicity-dependent photocurrents
The photocurrent in an optically active metal is known to contain a component
that switches sign with the helicity of the incident radiation. At low
frequencies, this current depends on the orbital Berry phase of the Bloch
electrons via the "anomalous velocity" of Karplus and Luttinger. We consider
quantum wells in which the parent material, such as GaAs, is not optically
active and the relevant Berry phase only arises as a result of quantum
confinement. Using an envelope approximation that is supported by numerical
tight-binding results, it is shown that the Berry phase contribution is
determined for realistic wells by a cubic Berry phase intrinsic to the bulk
material, the well width, and the well direction. These results for the
magnitude of the Berry-phase effect suggest that it may already have been
observed in quantum well experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Observation of a metallic superfluid in a numerical experiment
We report the observation, in Monte Carlo simulations, of a novel type of
quantum ordered state: {\it the metallic superfluid}. The metallic superfluid
features ohmic resistance to counter-flows of protons and electrons, while
featuring dissipationless co-flows of electrons and protons. One of the
candidates for a physical realization of this remarkable state of matter is
hydrogen or its isotopes under high compression. This adds another potential
candidate to the presently known quantum dissipationless states, namely
superconductors, superfluid liquids and vapours, and supersolids.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let
Level density of a Fermi gas and integer partitions: a Gumbel-like finite-size correction
We investigate the many-body level density of gas of non-interacting
fermions. We determine its behavior as a function of the temperature and the
number of particles. As the temperature increases, and beyond the usual
Sommerfeld expansion that describes the degenerate gas behavior, corrections
due to a finite number of particles lead to Gumbel-like contributions. We
discuss connections with the partition problem in number theory, extreme value
statistics as well as differences with respect to the Bose gas.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, one figure added, accepted for publication in
Phys. Rev.
Temperature Dependence of Interlayer Magnetoresistance in Anisotropic Layered Metals
Studies of interlayer transport in layered metals have generally made use of
zero temperature conductivity expressions to analyze angle-dependent
magnetoresistance oscillations (AMRO). However, recent high temperature AMRO
experiments have been performed in a regime where the inclusion of finite
temperature effects may be required for a quantitative description of the
resistivity. We calculate the interlayer conductivity in a layered metal with
anisotropic Fermi surface properties allowing for finite temperature effects.
We find that resistance maxima are modified by thermal effects much more
strongly than resistance minima. We also use our expressions to calculate the
interlayer resistivity appropriate to recent AMRO experiments in an overdoped
cuprate which led to the conclusion that there is an anisotropic, linear in
temperature contribution to the scattering rate and find that this conclusion
is robust.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
A causal look into the quantum Talbot effect
A well-known phenomenon in both optics and quantum mechanics is the so-called
Talbot effect. This near field interference effect arises when infinitely
periodic diffracting structures or gratings are illuminated by highly coherent
light or particle beams. Typical diffraction patterns known as quantum carpets
are then observed. Here the authors provide an insightful picture of this
nonlocal phenomenon as well as its classical limit in terms of Bohmian
mechanics, also showing the causal reasons and conditions that explain its
appearance. As an illustration, theoretical results obtained from diffraction
of thermal He atoms by both N-slit arrays and weak corrugated surfaces are
analyzed and discussed. Moreover, the authors also explain in terms of what
they call the Talbot-Beeby effect how realistic interaction potentials induce
shifts and distortions in the corresponding quantum carpets.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure
Ag-coverage-dependent symmetry of the electronic states of the Pt(111)-Ag-Bi interface: The ARPES view of a structural transition
We studied by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy the strain-related
structural transition from a pseudomorphic monolayer (ML) to a striped
incommensurate phase in an Ag thin film grown on Pt(111). We exploited the
surfactant properties of Bi to grow ordered Pt(111)-xMLAg-Bi trilayers with 0 <
x < 5 ML, and monitored the dispersion of the Bi-derived interface states to
probe the structure of the underlying Ag film. We find that their symmetry
changes from threefold to sixfold and back to threefold in the Ag coverage
range studied. Together with previous scanning tunneling microscopy and
photoelectron diffraction data, these results provide a consistent microscopic
description of the coverage-dependent structural transition.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
Semiclassical Dynamics of Electrons in Magnetic Bloch Bands: a Hamiltonian Approach
y formally diagonalizing with accuracy the Hamiltonian of electrons
in a crystal subject to electromagnetic perturbations, we resolve the debate on
the Hamiltonian nature of semiclassical equations of motion with Berry-phase
corrections, and therefore confirm the validity of the Liouville theorem. We
show that both the position and momentum operators acquire a Berry-phase
dependence, leading to a non-canonical Hamiltonian dynamics. The equations of
motion turn out to be identical to the ones previously derived in the context
of electron wave-packets dynamics.Comment: 4 page
A topological charge selection rule for phase singularities
We present an study of the dynamics and decay pattern of phase singularities
due to the action of a system with a discrete rotational symmetry of finite
order. A topological charge conservation rule is identified. The role played by
the underlying symmetry is emphasized. An effective model describing the short
range dynamics of the vortex clusters has been designed. A method to engineer
any desired configuration of clusters of phase singularities is proposed. Its
flexibility to create and control clusters of vortices is discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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