Hot Spots on the Fermi Surface of Bi2212: Stripes versus Superstructure

In a recent paper Saini et al. have reported evidence for a pseudogap around (pi,0) at room temperature in the optimally doped superconductor Bi2212. This result is in contradiction with previous ARPES measurements. Furthermore they observed at certain points on the Fermi surface hot spots of high spectral intensity which they relate to the existence of stripes in the CuO planes. They also claim to have identified a new electronic band along Gamma-M1 whose one dimensional character provides further evidence for stripes. We demonstrate in this Comment that all the measured features can be simply understood by correctly considering the superstructure (umklapp) and shadow bands which occur in Bi2212.Comment: 1 page, revtex, 1 encapsulated postscript figure (color

On the \phi(1020)f_0(980) S-wave scattering and the Y(2175) resonance

We have studied the \phi(1020)f_0(980) S-wave scattering at energies around threshold employing chiral Lagrangians coupled to vector mesons through minimal coupling. The interaction kernel is obtained by considering the f_0(980) as a K\bar{K} bound state. The Y(2175) resonance is generated in this approach by the self-interactions between the \phi(1020) and the f_0(980) resonances. We are able to describe the e^+e^-\to \phi(1020)f_0(980) recent scattering data to test experimentally our scattering amplitudes, concluding that the Y(2175) resonance has a large \phi(1020)f_0(980) meson-meson component.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figure

Spin photocurrent, its spectra dependence, and current-induced spin polarization in an InGaAs/InAlAs two-dimensional electron gas

Converse effect of spin photocurrent and current induced spin polarization are experimentally demonstrated in the same two-dimensional electron gas system with Rashba spin splitting. Their consistency with the strength of the Rashba coupling as measured from beating of the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations reveals a unified picture for the spin photocurrent, current-induced spin polarization and spin orbit coupling. In addition, the observed spectral inversion of the spin photocurrent indicates the system with dominating structure inversion asymmetry.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Superconducting gap symmetry of Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2 studied by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

We have performed high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on the optimally-doped Ba$_{0.6}$K$_{0.4}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ compound and determined the accurate momentum dependence of the superconducting (SC) gap in four Fermi-surface sheets including a newly discovered outer electron pocket at the M point. The SC gap on this pocket is nearly isotropic and its magnitude is comparable ($\Delta$ $\sim$ 11 meV) to that of the inner electron and hole pockets ($\sim$12 meV), although it is substantially larger than that of the outer hole pocket ($\sim$6 meV). The Fermi-surface dependence of the SC gap value is basically consistent with $\Delta$($k$) = $\Delta$$_0$cos$k_x$cos$k_y$ formula expected for the extended s-wave symmetry. The observed finite deviation from the simple formula suggests the importance of multi-orbital effects.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Effects of the sintering atmosphere on the superconductivity of SmFeAsO1-xFx compounds

A series of SmFeAsO1-xFx samples were sintered in quartz tubes filled with air of different pressures. The effects of the sintering atmosphere on the superconductivity were systematically investigated. The SmFeAsO1-xFx system maintains a transition temperature (Tc) near 50 K until the concentration of oxygen in quartz tubes increases to a certain threshold, after which Tc decreases dramatically. Fluorine losses, whether due to vaporization, reactions with starting materials, and reactions with oxygen, proved to be detrimental to the superconductivity of this material. The deleterious effects of the oxygen in the sintering atmosphere were also discussed in detail.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Stochastic Cutoff Method for Long-Range Interacting Systems

A new Monte-Carlo method for long-range interacting systems is presented. This method consists of eliminating interactions stochastically with the detailed balance condition satisfied. When a pairwise interaction $V_{ij}$ of a $N$-particle system decreases with the distance as $r_{ij}^{-\alpha}$, computational time per one Monte Carlo step is ${\cal O}(N)$ for $\alpha \ge d$ and ${\cal O}(N^{2-\alpha/d})$ for $\alpha < d$, where $d$ is the spatial dimension. We apply the method to a two-dimensional magnetic dipolar system. The method enables us to treat a huge system of $256^2$ spins with reasonable computational time, and reproduces a circular order originated from long-range dipolar interactions.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, 1 figure and 1 reference are adde

Nesting Induced Precursor Effects: a Renormalization Group Approach

We develop a controlled weak coupling renormalization group (RG) approach to itinerant electrons. Within this formalism we rederive the phase diagram for two-dimensional (2D) non-nested systems. Then we study how nesting modifies this phase diagram. We show that competition between p-p and p-h channels, leads to the manifestation of unstable precursor fixed points in the RG flow. This effect should be experimentally measurable, and may be relevant for an explanation of pseudogaps in the high temperature superconductors (HTC), as a crossover phenomenon.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl