356 research outputs found
Shadow on the wall cast by an Abrikosov vortex
At the surface of a d-wave superconductor, a zero-energy peak in the
quasiparticle spectrum can be observed. This peak appears due to Andreev bound
states and is maximal if the nodal direction of the d-wave pairing potential is
perpendicular to the boundary. We examine the effect of a single Abrikosov
vortex in front of a reflecting boundary on the zero-energy density of states.
We can clearly see a splitting of the low-energy peak and therefore a
suppression of the zero-energy density of states in a shadow-like region
extending from the vortex to the boundary. This effect is stable for different
models of the single Abrikosov vortex, for different mean free paths and also
for different distances between the vortex center and the boundary. This
observation promises to have also a substantial influence on the differential
conductance and the tunneling characteristics for low excitation energies.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Hands-On TAROT: Intercontinental use of the TAROT for Education and Public Outreach
The TAROT telescope has for primary goal the search for the prompt optical
counterpart of Cosmic Gamma-Ray Bursts. It is a completely autonomous 25cm
telescope installed near Nice (France), able to point any location of the sky
within 1-2 seconds. The control, scheduling, and data processing activities are
completely automated, so the instrument is completely autonomous. In addition
to its un-manned modes, we added recently the possibility to remotely control
the telescope, as a request of the "Hands-On Universe" (HOU) program for
exchange of time within automatic telescopes for the education and public
outreach. To this purpose we developed a simple control interface. A webcam was
installed to visualize the telescope. Access to the data is possible through a
web interface. The images can be processed by the HOU software, a program
specially suited for use within the classroom. We experienced these feature
during the open days of the University of California Berkeley and the Astronomy
Festival of Fleurance (France). We plan a regular use for an astronomy course
of the Museum of Tokyo, as well as for French schools. Not only does Hands-On
TAROT gives the general public an access to professional astronomy, but it is
also a more general tool to demonstrate the use of a complex automated system,
the techniques of data processing and automation. Last but not least, through
the use of telescopes located in many countries over the globe, a form of
powerful and genuine cooperation between teachers and children from various
countries is promoted, with a clear educational goal.Comment: 4 pages, Based on a demonstration presented at the ADASS X
Conference, Boston, MA, USA, October 2000, to appear in ASP Conf. Serie
Exact microscopic analysis of a thermal Brownian motor
We study a genuine Brownian motor by hard disk molecular dynamics and
calculate analytically its properties, including its drift speed and thermal
conductivity, from microscopic theory.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Low-energy quasiparticle states near extended scatterers in d-wave superconductors and their connection with SUSY quantum mechanics
Low-energy quasiparticle states, arising from scattering by single-particle
potentials in d-wave superconductors, are addressed. Via a natural extension of
the Andreev approximation, the idea that sign-variations in the superconducting
pair-potential lead to such states is extended beyond its original setting of
boundary scattering to the broader context of scattering by general
single-particle potentials, such as those due to impurities. The
index-theoretic origin of these states is exhibited via a simple connection
with Witten's supersymmetric quantum-mechanical model.Comment: 5 page
Thermodynamic properties of thin films of superfluid 3He-A
The pairing correlations in superfluid He-3 are strongly modified by
quasiparticle scattering off a surface or an interface. We present theoretical
results and predictions for the order parameter, the quasiparticle excitation
spectrum and the free energy for thin films of superfluid He-3. Both specular
and diffuse scattering by a substrate are considered, while the free surface is
assumed to be a perfectly reflecting specular boundary. The results are based
on self-consistent calculations of the order parameter and quasiparticle
excitation spectrum at zero pressure. We obtain new results for the phase
diagram, free energy, entropy and specific heat of thin films of superfluid
He-3.Comment: Replaced with an updated versio
Two phase transitions in (s+id)-wave Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superconductivity
We establish universal behavior in temperature dependencies of some
observables in -wave BCS superconductivity in the presence of a weak
wave. There also could appear a second second-order phase transition. As
temperature is lowered past the usual critical temperature , a less
ordered superconducting phase is created in wave, which changes to a more
ordered phase in wave at (). The presence of two phase
transitions manifest in two jumps in specific heat at and . The
temperature dependencies of susceptibility, penetration depth, and thermal
conductivity also confirm the new phase transition.Comment: 6 pages, 5 post-script figures
The influence of chiral surface states on the London penetration depth in SrRuO
The London penetration depth for the unconventional superconductor
SrRuO is analyzed assuming an order parameter which breaks time
reversal symmetry and parity simultaneously. Such a superconducting state
possesses chiral quasiparticle states with subgap energies at the surface. We
show that these subgap states can give a significant contribution to the
low-temperature behavior of the London penetration depth yielding a
power-law even though bulk quasiparticle spectrum is gapped. The presence of
several electron bands gives rise to interband transition among the subgap
surface states and influences the properties of the surface impedance.
Furthermore, the surface states lead also to a non-linear Meissner effect.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, the definition of the Nambu field operator
introduced, and some typos correcte
Tunneling into Current-Carrying Surface States of High T Superconductors
Theoretical results for the ab-plane tunneling conductance in the d-wave
model for high Tc superconductors are presented. The d-wave model predicts
surface bound states below the maximum gap. A sub-dominant order parameter,
stabilized by the surface, leads to a splitting of the zero-bias conductance
peak (ZBCP) in zero external field and to spontaneous surface currents. In a
magnetic field screening currents shift the quasiparticle bound state spectrum
and lead to a voltage splitting of the ZBCP that is linear in H at low fields,
and saturates at a pairbreaking critical field of order 3 Tesla. Comparisons
with recent experimental results on Cu/YBCO junctions are presented.Comment: 4 pages in a RevTex (3.0) file plus 3 Figures in PostScript. To
appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate in the D+iD superconducting state: implications for CoO superconductor
We calculated the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate for the D+iD
superconducting state with impurities. We found that small amount of unitary
impurities quickly produces the residual density of states inside the gap. As a
result, the T-linear behavior in 1/T is observed at low temperatures. Our
results show that the D+iD pairing symmetry of the superconducting state of
NaCoOH O is compatible with recent Co 1/T
experiments of several groups.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, minor change
Thermodynamic Potential for Superfluid 3He in Aerogel
We present a free energy functional for superfluid 3He in the presence of
homogeneously distributed impurity disorder which extends the Ginzburg-Landau
free energy functional to all temperatures. We use the new free energy
functional to calculate the thermodynamic potential, entropy, heat capacity and
density of states for the B-phase of superfluid 3He in homogeneous, isotropic
aerogel.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
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