2,033 research outputs found
Macroscopic evidence for quantum criticality and field-induced quantum fluctuations in cuprate superconductors
We present macroscopic experimental evidence for field-induced microscopic
quantum fluctuations in different hole- and electron-type cuprate
superconductors with varying doping levels and numbers of CuO layers per
unit cell. The significant suppression of the zero-temperature in-plane
magnetic irreversibility field relative to the paramagnetic field in all
cuprate superconductors suggests strong quantum fluctuations due to the
proximity of the cuprates to quantum criticality.Comment: 3 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev. B, Rapid Communications (2007).
For correspondence, contact: Nai-Chang Yeh (e-mail: [email protected]
Experimental investigation of the competing orders and quantum criticality in hole- and electron-doped cuprate superconductors
We investigate the issues of competing orders and quantum criticality in cuprate superconductors via experimental studies of the high-field thermodynamic phase diagrams and the quasiparticle tunneling spectroscopy. Substantial field-induced quantum fluctuations are found in all cuprates investigated, and the corresponding correlation with quasiparticle spectra suggest that both electron- (n-type) and hole-doped (p-type) cuprate superconductors are in close proximity to a quantum critical point that separates a pure superconducting (SC) phase from a phase consisting of coexisting SC and a competing order. We further suggests that the relevant competing order is likely a spin-density wave (SDW) or a charge density wave (CDW), which can couple efficiently to an in-plane Cu-O bond stretching longitudinal optical (LO) phonon mode in the p-type cuprates but not in the n-type cuprates. This cooperative interaction may account for the pseudogap phenomenon above T, only in the p-type cuprate superconductors
Quasiparticle spectroscopy and high-field phase diagrams of cuprate superconductors -- An investigation of competing orders and quantum criticality
We present scanning tunneling spectroscopic and high-field thermodynamic
studies of hole- and electron-doped (p- and n-type) cuprate superconductors.
Our experimental results are consistent with the notion that the ground state
of cuprates is in proximity to a quantum critical point (QCP) that separates a
pure superconducting (SC) phase from a phase comprised of coexisting SC and a
competing order, and the competing order is likely a spin-density wave (SDW).
The effect of applied magnetic field, tunneling current, and disorder on the
revelation of competing orders and on the low-energy excitations of the
cuprates is discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in the International
Journal of Modern Physics B. (Correspondence author: Nai-Chang Yeh, e-mail:
[email protected]
Dimensionality of superconductivity in the infinite-layer high-temperature cuprate Sr0.9M0.1CuO2 (M = La, Gd)
The high magnetic field phase diagram of the electron-doped infinite layer
high-temperature superconducting (high-T_c) compound Sr_{0.9}La_{0.1}CuO_2 was
probed by means of penetration depth and magnetization measurements in pulsed
fields to 60 T. An anisotropy ratio of 8 was detected for the upper critical
fields with H parallel (H_{c2}^{ab}) and perpendicular (H_{c2}^c) to the CuO_2
planes, with H_{c2}^{ab} extrapolating to near the Pauli paramagnetic limit of
160 T. The longer superconducting coherence length than the lattice constant
along the c-axis indicates that the orbital degrees of freedom of the pairing
wavefunction are three dimensional. By contrast, low-field magnetization and
specific heat measurements of Sr_{0.9}Gd_{0.1}CuO_2 indicate a coexistence of
bulk s-wave superconductivity with large moment Gd paramagnetism close to the
CuO_2 planes, suggesting a strong confinement of the spin degrees of freedom of
the Cooper pair to the CuO_2 planes. The region between H_{c2}^{ab} and the
irreversibility line in the magnetization, H_{irr}^{ab}, is anomalously large
for an electron-doped high-T_c cuprate, suggesting the existence of additional
quantum fluctuations perhaps due to a competing spin-density wave order.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. B, Rapid Communications
(2004). Corresponding author: Nai-Chang Yeh (E-mail: [email protected]
First Results from the AMoRE-Pilot neutrinoless double beta decay experiment
The Advanced Molybdenum-based Rare process Experiment (AMoRE) aims to search
for neutrinoless double beta decay (0) of Mo with
100 kg of Mo-enriched molybdenum embedded in cryogenic detectors
with a dual heat and light readout. At the current, pilot stage of the AMoRE
project we employ six calcium molybdate crystals with a total mass of 1.9 kg,
produced from Ca-depleted calcium and Mo-enriched molybdenum
(CaMoO). The simultaneous detection of
heat(phonon) and scintillation (photon) signals is realized with high
resolution metallic magnetic calorimeter sensors that operate at milli-Kelvin
temperatures. This stage of the project is carried out in the Yangyang
underground laboratory at a depth of 700 m. We report first results from the
AMoRE-Pilot search with a 111 kgd live exposure of
CaMoO crystals. No evidence for
decay of Mo is found, and a upper limit is set for the
half-life of 0 of Mo of y at 90% C.L.. This limit corresponds to an effective
Majorana neutrino mass limit in the range eV
Quantum Smoluchowski equation: Escape from a metastable state
We develop a quantum Smoluchowski equation in terms of a true probability
distribution function to describe quantum Brownian motion in configuration
space in large friction limit at arbitrary temperature and derive the rate of
barrier crossing and tunneling within an unified scheme. The present treatment
is independent of path integral formalism and is based on canonical
quantization procedure.Comment: 10 pages, To appear in the Proceedings of Statphys - Kolkata I
PPAR? Downregulation by TGF in Fibroblast and Impaired Expression and Function in Systemic Sclerosis: A Novel Mechanism for Progressive Fibrogenesis
The nuclear orphan receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) is expressed in multiple cell types in addition to adipocytes. Upon its activation by natural ligands such as fatty acids and eicosanoids, or by synthetic agonists such as rosiglitazone, PPAR-γ regulates adipogenesis, glucose uptake and inflammatory responses. Recent studies establish a novel role for PPAR-γ signaling as an endogenous mechanism for regulating transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß)- dependent fibrogenesis. Here, we sought to characterize PPAR-γ function in the prototypic fibrosing disorder systemic sclerosis (SSc), and delineate the factors governing PPAR-γ expression. We report that PPAR-γ levels were markedly diminished in skin and lung biopsies from patients with SSc, and in fibroblasts explanted from the lesional skin. In normal fibroblasts, treatment with TGF-ß resulted in a time- and dose-dependent down-regulation of PPAR-γ expression. Inhibition occurred at the transcriptional level and was mediated via canonical Smad signal transduction. Genome-wide expression profiling of SSc skin biopsies revealed a marked attenuation of PPAR-γ levels and transcriptional activity in a subset of patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc, which was correlated with the presence of a ''TGF-ß responsive gene signature'' in these biopsies. Together, these results demonstrate that the expression and function of PPAR-γ are impaired in SSc, and reveal the existence of a reciprocal inhibitory cross-talk between TGF-ß activation and PPAR-γ signaling in the context of fibrogenesis. In light of the potent anti-fibrotic effects attributed to PPAR-γ, these observations lead us to propose that excessive TGF-ß activity in SSc accounts for impaired PPAR-γ function, which in turn contributes to unchecked fibroblast activation and progressive fibrosis. © 2010 Wei et al
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