57 research outputs found
Intrinsic Decoherence in Mesoscopic Systems
We present measurements of the phase coherence time in six
quasi-1D Au wires and clearly show that is temperature independent
at low temperatures. We suggest that zero-point fluctuations of the intrinsic
electromagnetic environment are responsible for the observed saturation of
. We introduce a new functional form for the temperature dependence
and present the results of a calculation for the saturation value of
. This explains the observed temperature dependence of our samples
as well as many 1D and 2D systems reported to date.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures & 1 tabl
Low Temperature Anomaly in Mesoscopic Kondo Wires
We report the observation of an anomalous magnetoresistance in extremely
dilute quasi-one-dimensional AuFe wires at low temperatures, along with a
hysteretic background at low fields. The Kondo resistivity does not show the
unitarity limit down to the lowest temperature, implying uncompensated spin
states. We suggest that the anomalous magnetoresistance may be understood as
the interference correction from the accumulation of geometric phase in the
conduction electron wave function around the localized impurity spin.Comment: Four pages, five figure
Long-range Kondo signature of a single magnetic impurity
The Kondo effect, one of the oldest correlation phenomena known in condensed
matter physics, has regained attention due to scanning tunneling spectroscopy
(STS) experiments performed on single magnetic impurities. Despite the
sub-nanometer resolution capability of local probe techniques one of the
fundamental aspects of Kondo physics, its spatial extension, is still subject
to discussion. Up to now all STS studies on single adsorbed atoms have shown
that observable Kondo features rapidly vanish with increasing distance from the
impurity. Here we report on a hitherto unobserved long range Kondo signature
for single magnetic atoms of Fe and Co buried under a Cu(100) surface. We
present a theoretical interpretation of the measured signatures using a
combined approach of band structure and many-body numerical renormalization
group (NRG) calculations. These are in excellent agreement with the rich
spatially and spectroscopically resolved experimental data.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures + 8 pages supplementary material; Nature Physics
(Jan 2011 - advanced online publication
Magnetotransport of CeRhIn5
We report measurements of the temperature-dependent anisotropic resistivity
and in-plane magnetoresistance on single crystals of the tetragonal
heavy-fermion antiferromagnet (TN = 3.8 K) CeRhIn5. The measurements are
reported in the temperature range 1.4 K to 300 K and in magnetic fields to 18
tesla. The resistivity is moderately anisotropic, with a room-temperature
c-axis to in-plane resistivity ratio rho_c/rho_a(300 K) = 1.7. rho(T)
measurements on the non-magnetic analog LaRhIn5 indicate that the anisotropy in
the CeRhIn5 resistivity stems predominately from anisotropy in Kondo-derived
magnetic scattering. In the magnetically ordered regime an applied field H
reduces TN only slightly due to the small ordered moment (0.37mu_B) and
magnetic anisotropy. The magnetoresistance (MR) below TN is positive and varies
linearly with H. In the paramagnetic state a positive MR is present below 7.5
K, while a high-field negative contribution is evident at higher temperatures.
The positive contribution decreases in magnitude with increasing temperature.
Above 40 K the positive contribution is no longer observable, and the MR is
negative. The low-T positive MR results from interactions with the
Kondo-coherent state, while the high-T negative MR stems from single-impurity
effects. The H and T-dependent magnetotransport reflects the magnetic
anisotropy and Kondo interactions at play in CeRhIn5.Comment: submitted to Physical Review
Large wind ripples on Mars: A record of atmospheric evolution
Wind blowing over sand on Earth produces decimeter-wavelength ripples and hundred-meter– to kilometer-wavelength dunes: bedforms of two distinct size modes. Observations from the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reveal that Mars hosts a third stable wind-driven bedform, with meter-scale wavelengths. These bedforms are spatially uniform in size and typically have asymmetric profiles with angle-of-repose lee slopes and sinuous crest lines, making them unlike terrestrial wind ripples. Rather, these structures resemble fluid-drag ripples, which on Earth include water-worked current ripples, but on Mars instead form by wind because of the higher kinematic viscosity of the low-density atmosphere. A reevaluation of the wind-deposited strata in the Burns formation (about 3.7 billion years old or younger) identifies potential wind-drag ripple stratification formed under a thin atmosphere
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