Spin polarized states in neutron matter at a strong magnetic field

Spin polarized states in neutron matter at a strong magnetic field are considered in the model with the Skyrme effective interaction (SLy4, SLy7 parametrizations). Analyzing the self-consistent equations at zero temperature, it is shown that a thermodynamically stable branch of solutions for the spin polarization parameter as a function of density corresponds to the negative spin polarization when the majority of neutron spins are oriented oppositely to the direction of the magnetic field. Besides, beginning from some threshold density being dependent on the magnetic field strength the self-consistent equations have also two other branches (upper and lower) of solutions for the spin polarization parameter with the positive spin polarization. The free energy corresponding to the upper branch turns out to be very close to the free energy corresponding to the thermodynamically preferable branch with the negative spin polarization. As a consequence, at a strong magnetic field, the state with the positive spin polarization can be realized as a metastable state at the high density region in neutron matter which under decreasing density at some threshold density changes into a thermodynamically stable state with the negative spin polarization. The calculations of the neutron spin polarization parameter and energy per neutron as functions of the magnetic field strength show that the influence of the magnetic field remains small at the field strengths up to $10^{17}$ G.Comment: Prepared with RevTeX4, 8pp., 5 figs; v.2: matches published versio

Why is the nuclear symmetry energy so uncertain at supra-saturation densities?

Within the interacting Fermi gas model for isospin asymmetric nuclear matter, effects of the in-medium three-body interaction and the two-body short-range tensor force due to the $\rho$ meson exchange as well as the short-range nucleon correlation on the high-density behavior of the nuclear symmetry energy are demonstrated respectively in a transparent way. Possible physics origins of the extremely uncertain nuclear symmetry energy at supra-saturation densities are discussed.Comment: Added discussions and revised format. Version to appear in Phys. Rev. C (2010

Tuning of magnetic and electronic states by control of oxygen content in lanthanum strontium cobaltites

We report on the magnetic, resistive, and structural studies of perovskite La$_{1/3}$Sr$_{2/3}$CoO$_{3-\delta}$. By using the relation of synthesis temperature and oxygen partial pressure to oxygen stoichiometry obtained from thermogravimetric analysis, we have synthesized a series of samples with precisely controlled $\delta=0.00-0.49$. These samples show three structural phases at $\delta=0.00-0.15$, $\approx0.25$, $\approx0.5$, and two-phase behavior for other oxygen contents. The stoichiometric material with $\delta=0.00$ is a cubic ferromagnetic metal with the Curie temperature $T_{\rm C}=274$ K. The increase of $\delta$ to 0.15 is followed by a linear decrease of $T_{\rm C}$ to $\approx$ 160 K and a metal-insulator transition near the boundary of the cubic structure range. Further increase of $\delta$ results in formation of a tetragonal $2a_p\times 2a_p \times 4a_p$ phase for $\delta\approx 0.25$ and a brownmillerite phase for $\delta\approx0.5$. At low temperatures, these are weak ferromagnetic insulators (canted antiferromagnets) with magnetic transitions at $T_{\rm m}\approx230$ and 120 K, respectively. At higher temperatures, the $2a_p\times 2a_p \times 4a_p$ phase is $G$-type antiferromagnetic between 230 K and $\approx$360 K. Low temperature magnetic properties of this system for $\delta<1/3$ can be described in terms of a mixture of Co$^{3+}$ ions in the low-spin state and Co$^{4+}$ ions in the intermediate-spin state and a possible spin transition of Co$^{3+}$ to the intermediate-spin state above $T_{\rm C}$. For $\delta>1/3$, there appears to be a combination of Co$^{2+}$ and Co$^{3+}$ ions, both in the high-spin state with dominating antiferromagnetic interactions.Comment: RevTeX, 9 pages, 7 figures, to be published in Physical Review

Quantum Oscillations in the Underdoped Cuprate YBa2Cu4O8

We report the observation of quantum oscillations in the underdoped cuprate superconductor YBa2Cu4O8 using a tunnel-diode oscillator technique in pulsed magnetic fields up to 85T. There is a clear signal, periodic in inverse field, with frequency 660+/-15T and possible evidence for the presence of two components of slightly different frequency. The quasiparticle mass is m*=3.0+/-0.3m_e. In conjunction with the results of Doiron-Leyraud et al. for YBa2Cu3O6.5, the present measurements suggest that Fermi surface pockets are a general feature of underdoped copper oxide planes and provide information about the doping dependence of the Fermi surface.Comment: Contains revisions addressing referees' comments including a different Fig 1b. 4 pages, 4 figure

Noncommutative Spheres and Instantons

We report on some recent work on deformation of spaces, notably deformation of spheres, describing two classes of examples. The first class of examples consists of noncommutative manifolds associated with the so called $\theta$-deformations which were introduced out of a simple analysis in terms of cycles in the $(b,B)$-complex of cyclic homology. These examples have non-trivial global features and can be endowed with a structure of noncommutative manifolds, in terms of a spectral triple (\ca, \ch, D). In particular, noncommutative spheres $S^{N}_{\theta}$ are isospectral deformations of usual spherical geometries. For the corresponding spectral triple (\cinf(S^{N}_\theta), \ch, D), both the Hilbert space of spinors \ch= L^2(S^{N},\cs) and the Dirac operator $D$ are the usual ones on the commutative $N$-dimensional sphere $S^{N}$ and only the algebra and its action on $\ch$ are deformed. The second class of examples is made of the so called quantum spheres $S^{N}_q$ which are homogeneous spaces of quantum orthogonal and quantum unitary groups. For these spheres, there is a complete description of $K$-theory, in terms of nontrivial self-adjoint idempotents (projections) and unitaries, and of the $K$-homology, in term of nontrivial Fredholm modules, as well as of the corresponding Chern characters in cyclic homology and cohomology.Comment: Minor changes, list of references expanded and updated. These notes are based on invited lectures given at the ``International Workshop on Quantum Field Theory and Noncommutative Geometry'', November 26-30 2002, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. To be published in the workshop proceedings by Springer-Verlag as Lecture Notes in Physic

Structural analysis, magnetic and transport properties of the (Ru1-xCox)Sr2GdCu2O8 system

The effects of Co substitution on structural and superconducting properties of RuSr2GdCu2O8 compound have been studied. Rietveld refinements of the X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the cobalt ion progressively replaces ruthenium sites. This replacement induces significant changes on the crystal structure and on the magnetic and superconducting properties. The effects Co substitution on the superconducting behaviour, and more particulary on the changes induce by the hole doping mechanism, were investigated in (Ru1-xCox)Sr2GdCu2O8 by a "bond valence sum" analysis with Co content from x= 0.0 to x = 0.2. The weak ferromagnetic transition at Tm= 138.2 K is shifted to lower temperature, and suppressed at higher Co content. From the crystallographic point of view the Ru-O(1)-Cu bond angle, associated to the rotation of the RuO6 octahedra, around the c-axis remain essetially constant when Ru is substituted by Co. Furthermore, increasing Co content has the effect to increase the weak ferromagnetic moment, which may be interpreted as the main responsible for breaking the delicate balance between magnetic and superconducting ordering.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figure

Towards a physical interpretation for the Stephani Universes

A physicaly reasonable interpretation is provided for the perfect fluid, sphericaly symmetric, conformally flat ``Stephani Universes''. The free parameters of this class of exact solutions are determined so that the ideal gas relation $p=n k T$ is identicaly fulfiled, while the full equation of state of a classical monatomic ideal gas and a matter-radiation mixture holds up to a good approximation in a near dust, matter dominated regime. Only the models having spacelike slices with positive curvature admit a regular evolution domain that avoids an unphysical singularity. In the matter dominated regime these models are dynamicaly and observationaly indistinguishable from ``standard'' FLRW cosmology with a dust source.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX with revtex style, submitted to General Relativity and Gravitatio

h-deformation of GL(1|1)

h-deformation of (graded) Hopf algebra of functions on supergroup GL(1|1) is introduced via a contration of GL_q (1|1). The deformation parameter h is odd (grassmann). Related differential calculus on h-superplane is presented.Comment: latex file, 8 pages, minor change