524 research outputs found
Thermodynamic evidence for valley-dependent density of states in bulk bismuth
Electron-like carriers in bismuth are described by the Dirac Hamiltonian,
with a band mass becoming a thousandth of the bare electron mass along one
crystalline axis. The existence of three anisotropic valleys offers electrons
an additional degree of freedom, a subject of recent attention. Here, we map
the Landau spectrum by angle-resolved magnetostriction, and quantify the
carrier number in each valley: while the electron valleys keep identical
spectra, they substantially differ in their density of states at the Fermi
level. Thus, the electron fluid does not keep the rotational symmetry of the
lattice at low temperature and high magnetic field, even in the absence of
internal strain. This effect, reminiscent of the Coulomb pseudo-gap in
localized electronic states, affects only electrons in the immediate vicinity
of the Fermi level. It presents the most striking departure from the
non-interacting picture of electrons in bulk bismuth.Comment: 6 pages, 3 Figure
Wiedemann-Franz law and non-vanishing temperature scale across the field-tuned quantum critical point of YbRh2Si2
The in-plane thermal conductivity kappa(T) and electrical resistivity rho(T)
of the heavy-fermion metal YbRh2Si2 were measured down to 50 mK for magnetic
fields H parallel and perpendicular to the tetragonal c axis, through the
field-tuned quantum critical point, Hc, at which antiferromagnetic order ends.
The thermal and electrical resistivities, w(T) and rho(T), show a linear
temperature dependence below 1 K, typical of the non-Fermi liquid behavior
found near antiferromagnetic quantum critical points, but this dependence does
not persist down to T = 0. Below a characteristic temperature T* ~ 0.35 K,
which depends weakly on H, w(T) and rho(T) both deviate downward and converge
in the T = 0 limit. We propose that T* marks the onset of short-range magnetic
correlations, persisting beyond Hc. By comparing samples of different purity,
we conclude that the Wiedemann-Franz law holds in YbRh2Si2, even at Hc,
implying that no fundamental breakdown of quasiparticle behavior occurs in this
material. The overall phenomenology of heat and charge transport in YbRh2Si2 is
similar to that observed in the heavy-fermion metal CeCoIn5, near its own
field-tuned quantum critical point.Comment: 8 figures, 8 page
Divergent nematic susceptibility in an iron arsenide superconductor
Within the Landau paradigm of continuous phase transitions, ordered states of
matter are characterized by a broken symmetry. Although the broken symmetry is
usually evident, determining the driving force behind the phase transition is
often a more subtle matter due to coupling between otherwise distinct order
parameters. In this paper we show how measurement of the divergent nematic
susceptibility of an iron pnictide superconductor unambiguously distinguishes
an electronic nematic phase transition from a simple ferroelastic distortion.
These measurements also reveal an electronic nematic quantum phase transition
at the composition with optimal superconducting transition temperature.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
Interplay between Kondo suppression and Lifshitz transitions in YbRhSi at high magnetic fields
We investigate the magnetic field dependent thermopower, thermal
conductivity, resistivity and Hall effect in the heavy fermion metal YbRh2Si2.
In contrast to reports on thermodynamic measurements, we find in total three
transitions at high fields, rather than a single one at 10 T. Using the Mott
formula together with renormalized band calculations, we identify Lifshitz
transitions as their origin. The predictions of the calculations show that all
experimental results rely on an interplay of a smooth suppression of the Kondo
effect and the spin splitting of the flat hybridized bands.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Cascade of magnetic field induced Lifshitz transitions in the ferromagnetic Kondo lattice material YbNi4P2
A ferromagnetic quantum critical point is thought not to exist in two and
three-dimensional metallic systems yet is realized in the Kondo lattice
compound YbNi4(P,As)2, possibly due to its one-dimensionality. It is crucial to
investigate the dimensionality of the Fermi surface of YbNi4P2 experimentally
but common probes such as ARPES and quantum oscillation measurements are
lacking. Here, we studied the magnetic field dependence of transport and
thermodynamic properties of YbNi4P2. The Kondo effect is continuously
suppressed and additionally we identify nine Lifshitz transitions between 0.4
and 18 T. We analyze the transport coefficients in detail and identify the type
of Lifshitz transitions as neck or void type to gain information on the Fermi
surface of YbNi4P2. The large number of Lifshitz transitions observed within
this small energy window is unprecedented and results from the particular flat
renormalized band structure with strong 4f-electron character shaped by the
Kondo lattice effect.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Enhancement of the Nernst effect by stripe order in a high-Tc superconductor
The Nernst effect in metals is highly sensitive to two kinds of phase
transition: superconductivity and density-wave order. The large positive Nernst
signal observed in hole-doped high-Tc superconductors above their transition
temperature Tc has so far been attributed to fluctuating superconductivity.
Here we show that in some of these materials the large Nernst signal is in fact
caused by stripe order, a form of spin / charge modulation which causes a
reconstruction of the Fermi surface. In LSCO doped with Nd or Eu, the onset of
stripe order causes the Nernst signal to go from small and negative to large
and positive, as revealed either by lowering the hole concentration across the
quantum critical point in Nd-LSCO, or lowering the temperature across the
ordering temperature in Eu-LSCO. In the latter case, two separate peaks are
resolved, respectively associated with the onset of stripe order at high
temperature and superconductivity near Tc. This sensitivity to Fermi-surface
reconstruction makes the Nernst effect a promising probe of broken symmetry in
high-Tc superconductors
Understanding the needs of Mena public transport customers: culture of service and gender responsive recommendations
Fast population growth, urban sprawl and the raise in households’ motorization observed in all major cities of the Middle-East and North-Africa (MENA) region, are constantly challenging public transport providers who seek to handle efficiently the continuously rising travel demand. Most of the MENA cities suffer from traffic congestion that not only impacts the quality of life of MENA citizens, but also their access to job opportunities, health services, and social and political participation. Alongside the development of public transport network, it is crucial to encourage urban dwellers to reduce their dependence on personal cars, use public transport, and develop soft mobility skills. Therefore,
operators and service providers need to define customer-centric strategy and build a culture of service excellence in line with their customers’expectations. In cooperation with academic partners, the UITP MENA Centre for Transport Excellence launched the User-Oriented Public Transport research project with the aim to understand the perceptions of female and male users and non-users about public transport services in five MENA cities: Algiers, Amman, Beirut, Casablanca and Muscat. The methodological framework was built around the five dimensions of the user’s needs pyramid: safety, security, ease-to-use, comfort and experience. Based on the quantitative analysis of data
collected from 984 respondents and the qualitative analysis of 49 women’s testimonies collected during the focus groups, recommendations were made to encourage culture of service and gender mainstreaming in public transport development in the region
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