Criticality and Superfluidity in liquid He-4 under Nonequilibrium Conditions

We review a striking array of recent experiments, and their theoretical interpretations, on the superfluid transition in $^4$He in the presence of a heat flux, $Q$. We define and evaluate a new set of critical point exponents. The statics and dynamics of the superfluid-normal interface are discussed, with special attention to the role of gravity. If $Q$ is in the same direction as gravity, a self-organized state can arise, in which the entire sample has a uniform reduced temperature, on either the normal or superfluid side of the transition. Finally, we review recent theory and experiment regarding the heat capacity at constant $Q$. The excitement that surrounds this field arises from the fact that advanced thermometry and the future availability of a microgravity experimental platform aboard the International Space Station will soon open to experimental exploration decades of reduced temperature that were previously inaccessible.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, plus harvard.sty style file for references Accepted for publication in Colloquia section of Reviews of Modern Physic

Liquid 4He near the superfluid transition in the presence of a heat current and gravity

The effects of a heat current and gravity in liquid 4He near the superfluid transition are investigated for temperatures above and below T_lambda. We present a renormalization-group calculation based on model F for the Green's function in a self-consistent approximation which in quantum many-particle theory is known as the Hartree approximation. The approach can handle a zero average order parameter above and below T_lambda and includes effects of vortices. We calculate the thermal conductivity and the specific heat for all temperatures T and heat currents Q in the critical regime. Furthermore, we calculate the temperature profile. Below T_lambda we find a second correlation length which describes the dephasing of the order parameter field due to vortices. We find dissipation and mutual friction of the superfluid-normal fluid counterflow and calculate the Gorter-Mellink coefficient A. We compare our theoretical results with recent experiments.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figure

BCS-BEC crossover at finite temperature in the broken-symmetry phase

The BCS-BEC crossover is studied in a systematic way in the broken-symmetry phase between zero temperature and the critical temperature. This study bridges two regimes where quantum and thermal fluctuations are, respectively, important. The theory is implemented on physical grounds, by adopting a fermionic self-energy in the broken-symmetry phase that represents fermions coupled to superconducting fluctuations in weak coupling and to bosons described by the Bogoliubov theory in strong coupling. This extension of the theory beyond mean field proves important at finite temperature, to connect with the results in the normal phase. The order parameter, the chemical potential, and the single-particle spectral function are calculated numerically for a wide range of coupling and temperature. This enables us to assess the quantitative importance of superconducting fluctuations in the broken-symmetry phase over the whole BCS-BEC crossover. Our results are relevant to the possible realizations of this crossover with high-temperature cuprate superconductors and with ultracold fermionic atoms in a trap.Comment: 21 pages, 15 figure

A First-Landau-Level Laughlin/Jain Wave Function for the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect

We show that the introduction of a more general closed-shell operator allows one to extend Laughlin's wave function to account for the richer hierarchies (1/3, 2/5, 3/7 ...; 1/5, 2/9, 3/13, ..., etc.) found experimentally. The construction identifies the special hierarchy states with condensates of correlated electron clusters. This clustering implies a single-particle (ls)j algebra within the first Landau level (LL) identical to that of multiply filled LLs in the integer quantum Hall effect. The end result is a simple generalized wave function that reproduces the results of both Laughlin and Jain, without reference to higher LLs or projection.Comment: Revtex. In this replacement we show how to generate the Jain wave function explicitly, by acting with the generalized ls closed-shell operator discussed in the original version. We also walk the reader through a classical 1d caricature of this problem so that he/she can better understand why 2s+1, where s is the spin, should be associated with the number of electrons associated with the underlying clusters or composites. 11 page

Dobrushin states in the \phi^4_1 model

We consider the van der Waals free energy functional in a bounded interval with inhomogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions imposing the two stable phases at the endpoints. We compute the asymptotic free energy cost, as the length of the interval diverges, of shifting the interface from the midpoint. We then discuss the effect of thermal fluctuations by analyzing the \phi^4_1-measure with Dobrushin boundary conditions. In particular, we obtain a nontrivial limit in a suitable scaling in which the length of the interval diverges and the temperature vanishes. The limiting state is not translation invariant and describes a localized interface. This result can be seen as the probabilistic counterpart of the variational convergence of the associated excess free energy.Comment: 34 page

Stability of condensate in superconductors

According to the BCS theory the superconducting condensate develops in a single quantum mode and no Cooper pairs out of the condensate are assumed. Here we discuss a mechanism by which the successful mode inhibits condensation in neighboring modes and suppresses a creation of noncondensed Cooper pairs. It is shown that condensed and noncondensed Cooper pairs are separated by an energy gap which is smaller than the superconducting gap but large enough to prevent nucleation in all other modes and to eliminate effects of noncondensed Cooper pairs on properties of superconductors. Our result thus justifies basic assumptions of the BCS theory and confirms that the BCS condensate is stable with respect to two-particle excitations

Surprising flowering response to photoperiod: Preliminary characterization of West and Central African pearl millet germplasm

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) is considered to be a short-day species that flowers, or flowers earlier, when day lengths are short. A few studies with two to six planting dates and few selected entries have been conducted in USA (Burton 1965), Senegal (Ramond 1968), and India (Patil et al. 1978, Das 1991). However, there is no known research on the flowering response of pearl millet to photoperiod changes over the entire year. Likewise, knowledge about the photoperiod-sensitivity in West and Central African pearl millets is insufficient

The association between age and telomere length is age‐dependent: Evidence for a threshold model of telomere length maintenance

This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this record. Data availability statement: The data that supports the findings of this study are available in the Supporting Information material of this articleTelomere length and dynamics are commonly used biomarkers of somatic state, yet the role of telomeres underlying the aging process is still debated. Indeed, to date, empirical evidence for an association between age and telomere length is mixed. Here, we test if the age‐dependency of the association between age and telomere length can provide a potential explanation for the reported inconsistencies across studies. To this end, we quantified telomere length by telomere restriction fragment analysis in two groups of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) that differed in their age distribution. One group consisted of young adults only, whereas the second group consisted of adults across a wide range of ages. In the young adults group, there was a highly significant negative association between telomere length and age, whereas no association between age and telomere length was found in the all‐ages adults group. This difference between groups was not due to telomere length‐dependent selective disappearance. Our results shows that the association between telomere length and age is age‐dependent and suggest that the costs and benefits associated with telomere maintenance are dynamic across an individual's life course.European Union Horizon 2020Swiss National Science FoundationUniversity of Castilla‐ La ManchaThe Company of Biologists limite