767 research outputs found
Anharmonicity of flux lattices and thermal fluctuations in layered superconductors
We study elasticity of a perpendicular flux lattice in a layered
superconductor with Josephson coupling between layers. We find that the energy
contains ln(flux displacement) terms, so that elastic constants cannot be
strictly defined. Instead we define effective elastic constants by a thermal
average. The tilt modulus has terms with ln(T) which for weak fields, i.e.
Josephson length smaller than the flux line spacing, lead to displacement
square average proportional to T/ln(T). The expansion parameter indicates that
the dominant low temperature phase transition is either layer decoupling at
high fields or melting at low fields.Comment: 15 pages, 2 eps figures, Revtex, submitted to Phys. Rev. B.
Sunj-class: superconductivit
Dynamics of allosteric transitions in GroEL
The chaperonin GroEL-GroES, a machine which helps some proteins to fold,
cycles through a number of allosteric states, the state, with high affinity
for substrate proteins (SPs), the ATP-bound state, and the
() complex. Structures are known for each
of these states. Here, we use a self-organized polymer (SOP) model for the
GroEL allosteric states and a general structure-based technique to simulate the
dynamics of allosteric transitions in two subunits of GroEL and the heptamer.
The transition, in which the apical domains undergo counter-clockwise
motion, is mediated by a multiple salt-bridge switch mechanism, in which a
series of salt-bridges break and form. The initial event in the transition, during which GroEL rotates clockwise, involves a
spectacular outside-in movement of helices K and L that results in K80-D359
salt-bridge formation. In both the transitions there is considerable
heterogeneity in the transition pathways. The transition state ensembles (TSEs)
connecting the , , and states are broad with the the
TSE for the transition being more plastic than the TSE. The results suggest that GroEL functions as a
force-transmitting device in which forces of about (5-30) pN may act on the SP
during the reaction cycle.Comment: 32 pages, 10 figures (Longer version than the one published
Glass phases of flux lattices in layered superconductors
We study a flux lattice which is parallel to superconducting layers, allowing
for dislocations and for disorder of both short wavelength and long wavelength.
We find that the long wavelength disorder has a significant effect on the phase
diagram -- it produces a first order transition within the Bragg glass phase
and leads to melting at strong disorder. This then allows a Friedel scenario of
2D superconductivity.Comment: 5 pages, 1 eps figure, Revte
Disorder Induced Transitions in Layered Coulomb Gases and Superconductors
A 3D layered system of charges with logarithmic interaction parallel to the
layers and random dipoles is studied via a novel variational method and an
energy rationale which reproduce the known phase diagram for a single layer.
Increasing interlayer coupling leads to successive transitions in which charge
rods correlated in N>1 neighboring layers are nucleated by weaker disorder. For
layered superconductors in the limit of only magnetic interlayer coupling, the
method predicts and locates a disorder-induced defect-unbinding transition in
the flux lattice. While N=1 charges dominate there, N>1 disorder induced defect
rods are predicted for multi-layer superconductors.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, RevTe
Antiferromagnetic domain walls in lightly doped layered cuprates
Recent ESR data shows rotation of the antiferromagnetic (AF) easy axis in
lightly doped layered cuprates upon lowering the temperature. We account for
the ESR data and show that it has significant implications on spin and charge
ordering according to the following scenario: In the high temperature phase AF
domain walls coincide with (110) twin boundaries of an orthorhombic phase. A
magnetic field leads to annihilation of neighboring domain walls resulting in
antiphase boundaries. The latter are spin carriers, form ferromagnetic lines
and may become charged in the doped system. However, hole ordering at low
temperatures favors the (100) orientation, inducing a pi/4 rotation in the AF
easy axis. The latter phase has twin boundaries and AF domain walls in (100)
planes.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures (1 eps). v2: no change in content, Tex shadow
problem cleare
Zero temperature geometric spin dephasing on a ring in presence of an Ohmic environment
We study zero temperature spin dynamics of a particle confined to a ring in
presence of spin orbit coupling and Ohmic electromagnetic fluctuations. We show
that the dynamics of the angular position are decoupled from the
spin dynamics and that the latter is mapped to certain correlations of a
spinless particle. We find that the spin correlations in the direction
(perpendicular to the ring) are finite at long times, i.e. do not dephase. The
parallel (in plane) components for spin \half do not dephase at weak
dissipation but they probably decay as a power law with time at strong
dissipation.Comment: 5 pages, submitted to EP
Decoherence of a particle in a ring
We consider a particle coupled to a dissipative environment and derive a
perturbative formula for the dephasing rate based on the purity of the reduced
probability matrix. We apply this formula to the problem of a particle on a
ring, that interacts with a dirty metal environment. At low but finite
temperatures we find a dephasing rate , and identify dephasing
lengths for large and for small rings. These findings shed light on recent
Monte Carlo data regarding the effective mass of the particle. At zero
temperature we find that spatial fluctuations suppress the possibility of
having a power law decay of coherence.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, proofed version to be published in EP
Dephasing of a particle in a dissipative environment
The motion of a particle in a ring of length L is influenced by a dirty metal
environment whose fluctuations are characterized by a short correlation
distance . We analyze the induced decoherence process, and compare
the results with those obtained in the opposing Caldeira-Leggett limit (). A proper definition of the dephasing factor that does not depend on a
vague semiclassical picture is employed. Some recent Monte-Carlo results about
the effect of finite temperatures on "mass renormalization" in this system are
illuminated.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures, some textual improvements, to be published in
JP
Critical Behavior of the Flux-line Tension in Extreme Type-II Superconductors
The entropic corrections to the flux-line energy of extreme type-II
superconductors are computed using a schematic dual Villain model description
of the flux quanta. We find that the temperature profile of the lower-critical
field vanishes polynomially at the transition with an exponent
in the isotropic case, while it exhibits an inflection point for the case of
weakly coupled layers in parallel magnetic field. It is argued that vestiges of
these effects have already been observed in high-temperature superconductors.Comment: 12 pages of plain TeX, 2 postscipt figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Second magnetization peak in flux lattices: the decoupling scenario
The second peak phenomena of flux lattices in layered superconductors is
described in terms of a disorder induced layer decoupling transition. For weak
disorder the tilt mudulus undergoes an apparent discontinuity which leads to an
enhanced critical current and reduced domain size in the decoupled phase. The
Josephson plasma frequency is reduced by decoupling and by Josephson glass
pinning; in the liquid phase it varies as 1/[BT(T+T_0)] where T is temperature,
B is field and T_0 is the disorder dependent temperature of the multicritical
point.Comment: 5 pages, 1 eps figure, Revtex. Minor changes, new reference
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