5,287 research outputs found
Measurement of the topological surface state optical conductance in bulk-insulating Sn-doped BiSbTeS single crystals
Topological surface states have been extensively observed via optics in thin
films of topological insulators. However, in typical thick single crystals of
these materials, bulk states are dominant and it is difficult for optics to
verify the existence of topological surface states definitively. In this work,
we studied the charge dynamics of the newly formulated bulk-insulating Sn-doped
BiSbTeS crystal by using time-domain terahertz
spectroscopy. This compound shows much better insulating behavior than any
other bulk-insulating topological insulators reported previously. The
transmission can be enhanced an amount which is 5 of the zero-field
transmission by applying magnetic field to 7 T, an effect which we believe is
due to the suppression of topological surface states. This suppression is
essentially independent of the thicknesses of the samples, showing the
two-dimensional nature of the transport. The suppression of surface states in
field allows us to use the crystal slab itself as a reference sample to extract
the surface conductance, mobility, charge density and scattering rate. Our
measurements set the stage for the investigation of phenomena out of the
semi-classical regime, such as the topological magneto-electric effect.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted in Augus
Anomalous Meissner effect in pnictide superconductors
The Meissner effect has been studied in Ba(Fe0.926Co0.074)2As2 and
Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2 single crystals and compared to well known, type-II
superconductors LuNi2B2C and V3Si. Whereas flux penetration is mostly
determined by the bulk pinning (and, perhaps, surface barrier) resulting in a
large negative magnetization, the flux expulsion upon cooling in a magnetic
field is very small, which could also be due to pinning and/or surface barrier
effects. However, in stark contrast with the expected behavior, the amount of
the expelled flux increases almost linearly with the applied magnetic field, at
least up to our maximum field of 5.5 T, which far exceeds the upper limit for
the surface barrier. One interpretation of the observed behavior is that there
is a field-driven suppression of magnetic pair-breaking
Chandra View of DA 530: A Sub-Energetic Supernova Remnant with a Pulsar Wind Nebula?
Based on a Chandra ACIS observation, we report the detection of an extended
X-ray feature close to the center of the remnant DA 530 with 5.3 sigma above
the background within a circle of 20'' radius. This feature, characterized by a
power-law with the photon index gamma=1.6+-0.8 and spatially coinciding with a
nonthermal radiosource, most likely represents a pulsar wind nebula. We have
further examined the spectrum of the diffuse X-ray emission from the remnant
interior with a background-subtracted count rate of ~0.06 counts s^-1 in
0.3-3.5 keV. The spectrum of the emission can be described by a thermal plasma
with a temperature of ~0.3-0.6 keV and a Si over-abundance of >~7 solar. These
spectral characteristics, together with the extremely low X-ray luminosity,
suggest that the remnant arises from a supernova with an anomalously low
mechanical energy (<10^50 ergs). The centrally-filled thermal X-ray emission of
the remnant may indicate an early thermalization of the SN ejecta by the
circum-stellar medium. Our results suggest that the remnant is likely the
product of a core-collapsed SN with a progenitor mass of 8-12 Msun. Similar
remnants are probably common in the Galaxy, but have rarely been studied.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ; complete the
abstract on astro-ph and correct some typo
Linearly polarized X-ray flares following short gamma-ray bursts
Soft X-ray flares were detected to follow the short-duration gamma-ray burst
GRB 050724. The temporal properties of the flares suggest that they are likely
due to the late time activity of the central engine. We argue that if short
GRBs are generated through compact star mergers, as is supported by the recent
observations, the jet powering the late X-ray flares must be launched via
magnetic processes rather than via neutrino-antineutrino annihilations. As a
result, the X-ray flares following short GRBs are expected to be linearly
polarized. The argument may also apply to the X-ray flares following long GRBs.
Future observations with the upcoming X-ray polarimeters will test this
prediction.Comment: 4 pages (no figure), accepted for publication in ApJL, typos
correcte
Modeling the Broadband Spectral Energy Distribution of the Microquasars XTE J1550-564 and H 1743-322
We report results from a systematic study of the spectral energy distribution
(SED) and spectral evolution of XTE J1550--564 and H 1743--322 in outburst. The
jets of both sources have been directly imaged at both radio and X-ray
frequencies, which makes it possible to constrain the spectrum of the radiating
electrons in the jets. We modelled the observed SEDs of the jet `blobs' with
synchrotron emission alone and with synchrotron emission plus inverse Compton
scattering. The results favor a pure synchrotron origin of the observed jet
emission. Moreover, we found evidence that the shape of the electron spectral
distribution is similar for all jet `blobs' seen. Assuming that this is the
case for the jet as a whole, we then applied the synchrotron model to the radio
spectrum of the total emission and extrapolated the results to higher
frequencies. In spite of significant degeneracy in the fits, it seems clear
that, while the synchrotron radiation from the jets can account for nearly 100%
of the measured radio fluxes, it contributes little to the observed X-ray
emission, when the source is relatively bright. In this case, the X-ray
emission is most likely dominated by emission from the accretion flows. When
the source becomes fainter, however, the jet emission becomes more important,
even dominant, at X-ray energies. We also examined the spectral properties of
the sources during outbursts and the correlation between the observed radio and
X-ray variabilities. The implication of the results is discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, MNRAS, accepted; the paper has been much
expanded (e.g., arguments strengthened, another source H 1743-322 added) and
rewritten (e.g., title changed, abstract revised); the main conclusions
remain unchange
Spatial Distribution of Metal Emissions in SNR 3C 397 Viewed with Chandra and XMM
We present X-ray equivalent width imaging of the supernova remnant (SNR) 3C
397 for Mg He\alpha, Si He\alpha, S He\alpha, and Fe K\alpha complex lines with
the Chandra and XMM-Newton observations. The images reveal that the heavier the
element is, the smaller the extent of the element distribution is. The Mg
emission is evidently enhanced in the southeastern blow-out region, well along
the radio boundary there, and appears to partially envelope the eastern Fe
knot. Two bilateral hat-like Si line-emitting structures are along the northern
and southern borders, roughly symmetric with respect to the southeast-northwest
elongation axis. An S line-emitting shell is located just inner to the northern
radio and IR shell, indicating of a layer of reversely shocked sulphur in the
ejecta. A few enhanced Fe features are basically aligned along the diagonal of
the rectangular shape of the SNR, which implicates an early asymmetric SN
explosion.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, appears in Science China Physics, Mechanics &
Astronomy, 2010, 53 (Suppl.1), 267-27
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