1,270 research outputs found
Proximity effect thermometer for local temperature measurements on mesoscopic samples
Using the strong temperature dependent resistance of a normal metal wire in
proximity to a superconductor, we have been able to measure the local
temperature of electrons heated by flowing a dc current in a metallic wire to
within a few tens of millikelvin at low temperatures. By placing two such
thermometers at different parts of a sample, we have been able to measure the
temperature difference induced by a dc current flowing in the sample. This
technique may provide a flexible means of making quantitative thermal and
thermoelectric measurements on mesoscopic metallic samples
Theoretical studies of the kinetics of mechanical unfolding of cross-linked polymer chains and their implications for single molecule pulling experiments
We have used kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to study the kinetics of
unfolding of cross-linked polymer chains under mechanical loading. As the ends
of a chain are pulled apart, the force transmitted by each crosslink increases
until it ruptures. The stochastic crosslink rupture process is assumed to be
governed by first order kinetics with a rate that depends exponentially on the
transmitted force. We have performed random searches to identify optimal
crosslink configurations whose unfolding requires a large applied force
(measure of strength) and/or large dissipated energy (measure of toughness). We
found that such optimal chains always involve cross-links arranged to form
parallel strands. The location of those optimal strands generally depends on
the loading rate. Optimal chains with a small number of cross-links were found
to be almost as strong and tough as optimal chains with a large number of
cross-links. Furthermore, optimality of chains with a small number of
cross-links can be easily destroyed by adding cross-links at random. The
present findings are relevant for the interpretation of single molecule force
probe spectroscopy studies of the mechanical unfolding of load-bearing
proteins, whose native topology often involves parallel strand arrangements
similar to the optimal configurations identified in the study
Electrodynamics of superconducting pnictide superlattices
It has been recently reported (S. Lee et al., Nature Materials 12, 392, 2013)
that superlattices where layers of the 8% Co-doped BaFe2As2 superconducting
pnictide are intercalated with non superconducting ultrathin layers of either
SrTiO3 or of oxygen-rich BaFe2As2, can be used to control flux pinning, thereby
increasing critical fields and currents, without significantly affecting the
critical temperature of the pristine superconducting material. However, little
is known about the electron properties of these systems. Here we investigate
the electrodynamics of these superconducting pnictide superlattices in the
normal and superconducting state by using infrared reflectivity, from THz to
visible range. We find that multi-gap structure of these superlattices is
preserved, whereas some significant changes are observed in their electronic
structure with respect to those of the original pnictide. Our results suggest
that possible attempts to further increase the flux pinning may lead to a
breakdown of the pnictide superconducting properties.Comment: 4 pages, two figure
Conductance asymmetry in point-contacts on epitaxial thin films of Ba(FeCo)As
Point-contact spectroscopy is a powerful tool for probing superconductors.
One of the most common observations in the point-contact spectra on the
recently discovered ferropnictide superconductors is a large conductance
asymmetry with respect to voltage across the point-contact. In this paper we
show that the antisymmetric part of the point-contact spectrum between a silver
tip and an epitaxial thin film of Ba(FeCo)As shows
certain unique features. These features have an interesting evolution with
increasing temperature up to a temperature that is 30% larger than the critical
temperature of the superconductor. We argue that this evolution can be
associated with the rich normal state properties of these materials.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Improved Hc2 in Bulk-Form Magnesium Diboride by Mechanical Alloying With Carbon
High energy milling of MgB2 pre-reacted powder renders the material largely
amorphous through extreme mechanical deformation and is suitable for
mechanically alloying MgB2 with dopants including carbon. Bulk samples of
milled C and MgB2 powders subjected to hot isostatic pressing and Mg vapor
annealing have achieved critical fields in excess of 32T and critical current
density approaching 10^6 A/cm^2.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures references updated, typos corrected, numerical
error correcte
Layer charge instability in unbalanced bilayer systems in the quantum Hall regime
Measurements in GaAs hole bilayers with unequal layer densities reveal a
pronounced magneto-resistance hysteresis at the magnetic field positions where
either the majority or minority layer is at Landau level filling factor one. At
a fixed field in the hysteretic regions, the resistance exhibits an unusual
time dependence, consisting of random, bidirectional jumps followed by slow
relaxations. These anomalies are apparently caused by instabilities in the
charge distribution of the two layers.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Oxide two-dimensional electron gas with high mobility at room-temperature
The prospect of 2‐dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) possessing high mobility at room temperature in wide‐bandgap perovskite stannates is enticing for oxide electronics, particularly to realize transparent and high‐electron mobility transistors. Nonetheless only a small number of studies to date report 2DEGs in BaSnO(3)‐based heterostructures. Here, 2DEG formation at the LaScO(3)/BaSnO(3) (LSO/BSO) interface with a room‐temperature mobility of 60 cm(2) V(−1) s(−1) at a carrier concentration of 1.7 × 10(13) cm(–2) is reported. This is an order of magnitude higher mobility at room temperature than achieved in SrTiO(3)‐based 2DEGs. This is achieved by combining a thick BSO buffer layer with an ex situ high‐temperature treatment, which not only reduces the dislocation density but also produces a SnO(2)‐terminated atomically flat surface, followed by the growth of an overlying BSO/LSO interface. Using weak beam dark‐field transmission electron microscopy imaging and in‐line electron holography technique, a reduction of the threading dislocation density is revealed, and direct evidence for the spatial confinement of a 2DEG at the BSO/LSO interface is provided. This work opens a new pathway to explore the exciting physics of stannate‐based 2DEGs at application‐relevant temperatures for oxide nanoelectronics
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