220 research outputs found
Electromotive forces and the Meissner effect puzzle
In a voltaic cell, positive (negative) ions flow from the low (high)
potential electrode to the high (low) potential electrode, driven by an
`electromotive force' which points in opposite direction and overcomes the
electric force. Similarly in a superconductor charge flows in direction
opposite to that dictated by the Faraday electric field as the magnetic field
is expelled in the Meissner effect. The puzzle is the same in both cases: what
drives electric charges against electromagnetic forces? I propose that the
answer is also the same in both cases: kinetic energy lowering, or `quantum
pressure'
Self-induced and induced transparencies of two-dimensional and three- dimensional superlattices
The phenomenon of transparency in two-dimensional and three-dimensional
superlattices is analyzed on the basis of the Boltzmann equation with a
collision term encompassing three distinct scattering mechanisms (elastic,
inelastic and electron-electron) in terms of three corresponding distinct
relaxation times. On this basis, we show that electron heating in the plane
perpendicular to the current direction drastically changes the conditions for
the occurrence of self-induced transparency in the superlattice. In particular,
it leads to an additional modulation of the current amplitudes excited by an
applied biharmonic electric field with harmonic components polarized in
orthogonal directions. Furthermore, we show that self-induced transparency and
dynamic localization are different phenomena with different physical origins,
displaced in time from each other, and, in general, they arise at different
electric fields.Comment: to appear in Physical Review
Effective Actions and Phase Fluctuations in d-wave Superconductors
We study effective actions for order parameter fluctuations at low
temperature in layered d-wave superconductors such as the cuprates. The order
parameter lives on the bonds of a square lattice and has two amplitude and two
phase modes associated with it. The low frequency spectral weights for
amplitude and relative phase fluctuations is determined and found to be
subdominant to quasiparticle contributions. The Goldstone phase mode and its
coupling to density fluctuations in charged systems is treated in a
gauge-invariant manner. The Gaussian phase action is used to study both the
-axis Josephson plasmon and the more conventional in-plane plasmon in the
cuprates. We go beyond the Gaussian theory by deriving a coarse-grained quantum
XY model, which incorporates important cutoff effects overlooked in previous
studies. A variational analysis of this effective model shows that in the
cuprates, quantum effects of phase fluctuations are important in reducing the
zero temperature superfluid stiffness, but thermal effects are small for .Comment: Some numerical estimates corrected and figures changed. to appear in
PRB, Sept.1 (2000
Formation of stars and planets: the role of magnetic fields
Star formation is thought to be triggered by gravitational collapse of the
dense cores of molecular clouds. Angular momentum conservation during the
collapse results in the progressive increase of the centrifugal force, which
eventually halts the inflow of material and leads to the development of a
central mass surrounded by a disc. In the presence of an angular momentum
transport mechanism, mass accretion onto the central object proceeds through
this disc, and it is believed that this is how stars typically gain most of
their mass. However, the mechanisms responsible for this transport of angular
momentum are not well understood. Although the gravitational field of a
companion star or even gravitational instabilities (particularly in massive
discs) may play a role, the most general mechanisms are turbulence viscosity
driven by the magnetorotational instability (MRI), and outflows accelerated
centrifugally from the surfaces of the disc. Both processes are powered by the
action of magnetic fields and are, in turn, likely to strongly affect the
structure, dynamics, evolutionary path and planet-forming capabilities of their
host discs. The weak ionisation of protostellar discs, however, may prevent the
magnetic field from effectively coupling to the gas and shear and driving these
processes. Here I examine the viability and properties of these
magnetically-driven processes in protostellar discs. The results indicate that,
despite the weak ionisation, the magnetic field is able to couple to the gas
and shear for fluid conditions thought to be satisfied over a wide range of
radii in these discs.Comment: Invited Review. 11 figures and 1 table. Accepted for publication in
Astrophysics & Space Scienc
US hegemony and the origins of Japanese nuclear power : the politics of consent
This paper deploys the Gramscian concepts of hegemony and consent in order to explore the process whereby nuclear power was brought to Japan. The core argument is that nuclear power was brought to Japan as a consequence of US hegemony. Rather than a simple manifestation of one state exerting material âpower over' another, bringing nuclear power to Japan involved a series of compromises worked out within and between state and civil society in both Japan and the USA. Ideologies of nationalism, imperialism and modernity underpinned the process, coalescing in post-war debates about the future trajectory of Japanese society, Japan's Cold War alliance with the USA and the role of nuclear power in both. Consent to nuclear power was secured through the generation of a psychological state in the public mind combining the fear of nuclear attack and the hope of unlimited consumption in a nuclear-fuelled post-modern world
Elliptic flow of charged particles at midrapidity relative to the spectator plane in PbâPb and XeâXe collisions
Measurements of the elliptic flow coefficient relative to the collision plane defined by the spectator neutrons v2{ SP} in collisions of Pb ions at center-of-mass energy per nucleonânucleon pair â 2.76 TeV and Xe ions at â sNN = sNN =5.44 TeV are reported. The results are presented for charged particles produced at midrapidity as a function of centrality and transverse momentum for the 5â70% and 0.2â6 GeV/c ranges, respectively. The ratio between v2{ SP} and the elliptic flow coefficient relative to the participant plane v2{4}, estimated using four-particle correlations, deviates by up to 20% from unity depending on centrality. This observation differs strongly from the magnitude of the corresponding eccentricity ratios predicted by the TRENTo and the elliptic power models of initial state fluctuations that are tuned to describe the participant plane anisotropies. The differences can be interpreted as a decorrelation of the neutron spectator plane and the reaction plane because of fragmentation of the remnants from the colliding nuclei, which points to an incompleteness of current models describing the initial state fluctuations. A significant transverse momentum dependence of the ratio v2{ SP}/v2{4} is observed in all but the most central collisions, which may help to understand whether momentum anisotropies at low and intermediate transverse momentum have a common origin in initial state f luctuations. The ratios of v2{ SP} and v2{4} to the corresponding initial state eccentricities for XeâXe and PbâPb collisions at similar initial entropy density show a difference of (7.0 ±0.9)%with an additional variation of +1.8% when including RHIC data in the TRENTo parameter extraction. These observations provide new experimental constraints for viscous effects in the hydrodynamic modeling of the expanding quarkâgluon plasma produced in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC
First measurement of Ωc0 production in pp collisions at s=13 TeV
The inclusive production of the charmâstrange baryon 0 c is measured for the first time via its hadronic â decay into âÏ+ at midrapidity (|y| <0.5) in protonâproton (pp) collisions at the centre-of-mass energy s =13 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The transverse momentum (pT) differential cross section multiplied by the branching ratio is presented in the interval 2 < pT < 12 GeV/c. The pT dependence of the 0 c-baryon production relative to the prompt D0-meson and to the prompt 0 c-baryon production is compared to various models that take different hadronisation mechanisms into consideration. In the measured pT interval, the ratio of the pT-integrated cross sections of 0 c and prompt + c baryons multiplied by the âÏ+ branching ratio is found to be larger by a factor of about 20 with a significance of about 4Ï when compared to e+eâ collisions
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