214 research outputs found
Visualizing the Formation of the Kondo Lattice and the Hidden Order in URu2Si2
Heavy electronic states originating from the f atomic orbitals underlie a
rich variety of quantum phases of matter. We use atomic scale imaging and
spectroscopy with the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to examine the novel
electronic states that emerge from the uranium f states in URu2Si2. We find
that as the temperature is lowered, partial screening of the f electrons' spins
gives rise to a spatially modulated Kondo-Fano resonance that is maximal
between the surface U atoms. At T=17.5 K, URu2Si2 is known to undergo a 2nd
order phase transition from the Kondo lattice state into a phase with a hidden
order parameter. From tunneling spectroscopy, we identify a spatially
modulated, bias-asymmetric energy gap with a mean-field temperature dependence
that develops in the hidden order state. Spectroscopic imaging further reveals
a spatial correlation between the hidden order gap and the Kondo resonance,
suggesting that the two phenomena involve the same electronic states
The symmetry of charge order in cuprates
Charge-ordered ground states permeate the phenomenology of 3d-based
transition metal oxides, and more generally represent a distinctive hallmark of
strongly-correlated states of matter. The recent discovery of charge order in
various cuprate families fueled new interest into the role played by this
incipient broken symmetry within the complex phase diagram of high-Tc
superconductors. Here we use resonant X-ray scattering to resolve the main
characteristics of the charge-modulated state in two cuprate families: Bi2201
and YBCO. We detect no signatures of spatial modulations along the nodal
direction in Bi2201, thus clarifying the inter-unit-cell momentum-structure of
charge order. We also resolve the intra-unit-cell symmetry of the charge
ordered state, which is revealed to be best represented by a bond-order with
modulated charges on the O-2p orbitals and a prominent d-wave character. These
results provide insights on the microscopic description of charge order in
cuprates, and on its origin and interplay with superconductivity.Comment: A high-resolution version with supplementary material can be found
at:
http://www.phas.ubc.ca/~quantmat/ARPES/PUBLICATIONS/Articles/CDW_symmetry.pd
A study of the static yield stress in a binary Lennard-Jones glass
The stress-strain relations and the yield behavior of model glass (a 80:20
binary Lennard-Jones mixture) is studied by means of MD simulations. First, a
thorough analysis of the static yield stress is presented via simulations under
imposed stress. Furthermore, using steady shear simulations, the effect of
physical aging, shear rate and temperature on the stress-strain relation is
investigated. In particular, we find that the stress at the yield point (the
``peak''-value of the stress-strain curve) exhibits a logarithmic dependence
both on the imposed shear rate and on the ``age'' of the system in qualitative
agreement with experiments on amorphous polymers and on metallic glasses. In
addition to the very observation of the yield stress which is an important
feature seen in experiments on complex systems like pastes, dense colloidal
suspensions and foams, further links between our model and soft glassy
materials are found. An example are hysteresis loops in the system response to
a varying imposed stress. Finally, we measure the static yield stress for our
model and study its dependence on temperature. We find that for temperatures
far below the mode coupling critical temperature of the model (),
\sigmay decreases slowly upon heating followed by a stronger decrease as
\Tc is approached. We discuss the reliability of results on the static yield
stress and give a criterion for its validity in terms of the time scales
relevant to the problem.Comment: 14 pages, 18 figure
Chemical potential oscillations from a single nodal pocket in the underdoped high-Tc superconductor YBa2Cu3O6+x
The mystery of the normal state in the underdoped cuprates has deepened with
the use of newer and complementary experimental probes. While photoemission
studies have revealed solely `Fermi arcs' centered on nodal points in the
Brillouin zone at which holes aggregate upon doping, more recent quantum
oscillation experiments have been interpreted in terms of an ambipolar Fermi
surface, that includes sections containing electron carriers located at the
antinodal region. To address the question of whether an ambipolar Fermi surface
truly exists, here we utilize measurements of the second harmonic quantum
oscillations, which reveal that the amplitude of these oscillations arises
mainly from oscillations in the chemical potential, providing crucial
information on the nature of the Fermi surface in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x. In
particular, the detailed relationship between the second harmonic amplitude and
the fundamental amplitude of the quantum oscillations leads us to the
conclusion that there exists only a single underlying quasi-two dimensional
Fermi surface pocket giving rise to the multiple frequency components observed
via the effects of warping, bilayer splitting and magnetic breakdown. A range
of studies suggest that the pocket is most likely associated with states near
the nodal region of the Brillouin zone of underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x at high
magnetic fields.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Algebraic charge liquids
High temperature superconductivity emerges in the cuprate compounds upon
changing the electron density of an insulator in which the electron spins are
antiferromagnetically ordered. A key characteristic of the superconductor is
that electrons can be extracted from them at zero energy only if their momenta
take one of four specific values (the `nodal points'). A central enigma has
been the evolution of the zero energy electrons in the metallic state between
the antiferromagnet and the superconductor, and recent experiments yield
apparently contradictory results. The oscillation of the resistance in this
metal as a function of magnetic field indicate that the zero energy electrons
carry momenta which lie on elliptical `Fermi pockets', while ejection of
electrons by high intensity light indicates that the zero energy electrons have
momenta only along arc-like regions. We present a theory of new states of
matter, which we call `algebraic charge liquids', which arise naturally between
the antiferromagnet and the superconductor, and reconcile these observations.
Our theory also explains a puzzling dependence of the density of
superconducting electrons on the total electron density, and makes a number of
unique predictions for future experiments.Comment: 6+8 pages, 2 figures; (v2) Rewritten for broader accessibility; (v3)
corrected numerical error in Eq. (5
The pseudogap: friend or foe of high Tc?
Although nineteen years have passed since the discovery of high temperature
superconductivity, there is still no consensus on its physical origin. This is
in large part because of a lack of understanding of the state of matter out of
which the superconductivity arises. In optimally and underdoped materials, this
state exhibits a pseudogap at temperatures large compared to the
superconducting transition temperature. Although discovered only three years
after the pioneering work of Bednorz and Muller, the physical origin of this
pseudogap behavior and whether it constitutes a distinct phase of matter is
still shrouded in mystery. In the summer of 2004, a band of physicists gathered
for five weeks at the Aspen Center for Physics to discuss the pseudogap. In
this perspective, we would like to summarize some of the results presented
there and discuss its importance in the context of strongly correlated electron
systems.Comment: expanded version, 20 pages, 11 figures, to be published, Advances in
Physic
MRI investigation of granular interface rheology using a new cylinder shear apparatus
The rheology of granular materials near an interface is investigated through
proton magnetic resonance imaging. A new cylinder shear apparatus has been
inserted in the MRI device, which allows the control of the radial confining
pressure exerted by the outer wall on the grains and the measurement of the
torque on the inner shearing cylinder. A multi-layer velocimetry sequence has
been developed for the simultaneous measurement of velocity profiles in
different sample zones, while the measurement of the solid fraction profile is
based on static imaging of the sample. This study describes the influence of
the roughness of the shearing interface and of the transverse confining walls
on the granular interface rheology
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