2,283 research outputs found
Quantum Effects and Broken Symmetries in Frustrated Antiferromagnets
We investigate the interplay between frustration and zero-point quantum
fluctuations in the ground state of the triangular and Heisenberg
antiferromagnets, using finite-size spin-wave theory, exact diagonalization,
and quantum Monte Carlo methods. In the triangular Heisenberg antiferromagnet,
by performing a systematic size-scaling analysis, we have obtained strong
evidences for a gapless spectrum and a finite value of the thermodynamic order
parameter, thus confirming the existence of long-range N\'eel order.The good
agreement between the finite-size spin-wave results and the exact and quantum
Monte Carlo data also supports the reliability of the spin-wave expansion to
describe both the ground state and the low-energy spin excitations of the
triangular Heisenberg antiferromagnet. In the Heisenberg model, our
results indicate the opening of a finite gap in the thermodynamic excitation
spectrum at , marking the melting of the antiferromagnetic
N\'eel order and the onset of a non-magnetic ground state. In order to
characterize the nature of the latter quantum-disordered phase we have computed
the susceptibilities for the most important crystal symmetry breaking
operators. In the ordered phase the effectiveness of the spin-wave theory in
reproducing the low-energy excitation spectrum suggests that the uniform spin
susceptibility of the model is very close to the linear spin-wave prediction.Comment: Review article, 44 pages, 18 figures. See also PRL 87, 097201 (2001
Field Induced Nodal Order Parameter in the Tunneling Spectrum of YBaCuO Superconductor
We report planar tunneling measurements on thin films of
YBaCuO at various doping levels under magnetic fields. By
choosing a special setup configuration, we have probed a field induced energy
scale that dominates in the vicinity of a node of the d-wave superconducting
order parameter. We found a high doping sensitivity for this energy scale. At
Optimum doping this energy scale is in agreement with an induced
order parameter. We found that it can be followed down to low fields at optimum
doping, but not away from it.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Coexistence of a triplet nodal order-parameter and a singlet order-parameter at the interfaces of ferromagnet-superconductor Co/CoO/In junctions
We present differential conductance measurements of Cobalt / Cobalt-Oxide /
Indium planar junctions, 500nm x 500nm in size. The junctions span a wide range
of barriers, from very low to a tunnel barrier. The characteristic conductance
of all the junctions show a V-shape structure at low bias instead of the
U-shape characteristic of a s-wave order parameter. The bias of the conductance
peaks is, for all junctions, larger than the gap of indium. Both properties
exclude pure s-wave pairing. The data is well fitted by a model that assumes
the coexistence of s-wave singlet and equal spin p-wave triplet fluids. We find
that the values of the s-wave and p-wave gaps follow the BCS temperature
dependance and that the amplitude of the s-wave fluid increases with the
barrier strength.Comment: 5 pages, Accepted to Phys. Rev.
Shaping a superconducting dome: Enhanced Cooper-pairing versus suppressed phase coherence in coupled aluminum nanograins
Deterministic enhancement of the superconducting (SC) critical temperature
is a long-standing goal in material science. One strategy is engineering
a material at the nanometer scale such that quantum confinement strengthens the
electron pairing, thus increasing the superconducting energy gap , as
was observed for individual nanoparticles. A true phase-coherent SC condensate,
however, can exist only on larger scales and requires a finite phase stiffness
. In the case of coupled aluminium (Al) nanograins, can exceed that of
bulk Al by a factor of three, but despite several proposals the relevant
mechanism at play is not yet understood. Here we use optical spectroscopy on
granular Al to disentangle the evolution of the fundamental SC energy scales,
and , as a function of grain coupling. Starting from well-coupled
arrays, grows with progressive grain decoupling, causing the
increasing of . As the grain-coupling is further suppressed,
saturates while decreases, concomitantly with a sharp decline of .
This crossover to a phase-driven SC transition is accompanied by an optical gap
persisting above . These findings identify granular Al as an ideal
playground to test the basic mechanisms that enhance superconductivity by
nano-inhomogeneity.Comment: 6 + 6 pages (manuscript + supplementary material
Spontaneous magnetization and Hall effect in superconductors with broken time-reversal symmetry
Broken time reversal symmetry (BTRS) in d wave superconductors is studied and
is shown to yield current carrying surface states. The corresponding
spontaneous magnetization is temperature independent near the critical
temperature Tc for weak BTRS, in accord with recent data. For strong BTRS and
thin films we expect a temperature dependent spontaneous magnetization with a
paramagnetic anomaly near Tc. The Hall conductance is found to vanish at zero
wavevector q and finite frequency w, however at finite q,w it has an unusual
structure.Comment: 7 pages, 1 eps figure, Europhysics Letters (in press
Quantum interference due to crossed Andreev reflection in a d-wave superconductor with two nano-contacts
The crossed Andreev reflection in a hybrid nanostructure consisting of a
d-wave superconductor and two quantum wires is theoretically studied. When the
(110) oriented surface of the superconductor is in contact with the wires
parallel and placed close to each other, the Andreev bound state is formed by
the crossed Andreev reflection. The conductance has two resonance peaks well
below the gap structure in the case of tunnel contacts. These peaks originate
from the bonding and antibonding Andreev bound states of hole wave functions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Towards understanding the variability in biospheric CO2 fluxes:Using FTIR spectrometry and a chemical transport model to investigate the sources and sinks of carbonyl sulfide and its link to CO2
Understanding carbon dioxide (CO2) biospheric processes is of great importance because the terrestrial exchange drives the seasonal and interannual variability of CO2 in the atmosphere. Atmospheric inversions based on CO2 concentration measurements alone can only determine net biosphere fluxes, but not differentiate between photosynthesis (uptake) and respiration (production). Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) could provide an important additional constraint: it is also taken up by plants during photosynthesis but not emitted during respiration, and therefore is a potential means to differentiate between these processes. Solar absorption Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectrometry allows for the retrievals of the atmospheric concentrations of both CO2 and OCS from measured solar absorption spectra. Here, we investigate co-located and quasi-simultaneous FTIR measurements of OCS and CO2 performed at five selected sites located in the Northern Hemisphere. These measurements are compared to simulations of OCS and CO2 using a chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem). The coupled biospheric fluxes of OCS and CO2 from the simple biosphere model (SiB) are used in the study. The CO2 simulation with SiB fluxes agrees with the measurements well, while the OCS simulation reproduced a weaker drawdown than FTIR measurements at selected sites, and a smaller latitudinal gradient in the Northern Hemisphere during growing season when comparing with HIPPO (HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations) data spanning both hemispheres. An offset in the timing of the seasonal cycle minimum between SiB simulation and measurements is also seen. Using OCS as a photosynthesis proxy can help to understand how the biospheric processes are reproduced in models and to further understand the carbon cycle in the real world
The Effect of Disclosure on Consumer Knowledge of Credit Terms: A Longitudinal Study
Early evaluations of Truth‐in‐Lending have observed impressive gains in consumer knowledge about interest rates. Contrary to original goals, consumers with more education, income, and debt experience have benefited far more than low‐income and minority consumers. How will these results change over time as consumers gain credit experience with the aid of disclosure? Has disclosure improved consumer understanding about finance charges, and what factors beyond socio‐economic status might have enhanced consumer knowledge of credit terms? These questions are addressed in this report of a large sample of California households surveyed at two points in time. The longitudinal analysis shows individual changes in knowledge, the effects of credit experience on learning, and a projection of future levels of credit knowledge
Optical signatures of the superconducting Goldstone mode in granular aluminum: experiments and theory
Recent advances in the experimental growth and control of disordered thin
films, heterostructures, and interfaces provide a fertile ground for the
observation and characterisation of the collective superconducting excitations
emerging below after breaking the gauge symmetry. Here we combine
THz experiments in a nano-structured granular Al thin film and theoretical
calculations to demonstrate the existence of optically-active phase modes,
which represent the Goldstone excitations of the broken gauge symmetry. By
measuring the complex transmission trough the sample we identify a sizeable and
temperature-dependent optical sub-gap absorption, which cannot be ascribed to
quasiparticle excitations. A quantitative modelling of this material as a
disordered Josephson array of nano-grains allows us to determine, with no free
parameters, the structure of the spatial inhomogeneities induced by shell
effects. Besides being responsible for the enhancement of the critical
temperature with respect to bulk Al, already observed in the past, this spatial
inhomogeneity provides a mechanism for the optical visibility of the Goldstone
mode. By computing explicitly the optical spectrum of the superconducting phase
fluctuations we obtain a good quantitative description of the experimental
data. Our results demonstrate that nanograins arrays are a promising setting to
study and control the collective superconducting excitations via optical means
Quantitative Simulation of the Superconducting Proximity Effect
A numerical method is developed to calculate the transition temperature of
double or multi-layers consisting of films of super- and normal conductors. The
approach is based on a dynamic interpretation of Gorkov's linear gap equation
and is very flexible. The mean free path of the different metals, transmission
through the interface, ratio of specular reflection to diffusive scattering at
the surfaces, and fraction of diffusive scattering at the interface can be
included. Furthermore it is possible to vary the mean free path and the BCS
interaction NV in the vicinity of the interface. The numerical results show
that the normalized initial slope of an SN double layer is independent of
almost all film parameters except the ratio of the density of states. There are
only very few experimental investigations of this initial slope and they
consist of Pb/Nn double layers (Nn stands for a normal metal). Surprisingly the
coefficient of the initial slope in these experiments is of the order or less
than 2 while the (weak coupling) theory predicts a value of about 4.5. This
discrepancy has not been recognized in the past. The autor suggests that it is
due to strong coupling behavior of Pb in the double layers. The strong coupling
gap equation is evaluated in the thin film limit and yields the value of 1.6
for the coefficient. This agrees much better with the few experimental results
that are available.
PACS: 74.45.+r, 74.62.-c, 74.20.F
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