A law of the iterated logarithm sublinear expectations

In this paper, motivated by the notion of independent identically distributed (IID) random variables under sub-linear expectations initiated by Peng, we investigate a law of the iterated logarithm for capacities. It turns out that our theorem is a natural extension of the Kolmogorov and the Hartman-Wintner laws of the iterated logarithm

Growth mechanisms and near-interface structure in relation to orientation of MoS2 sputtered thin films

The growth of sputter-deposited MoS2 thin films is investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Pure high-temperature grown films are compared with H2O-contaminated films and amorphous annealed films. In the first case, the films are oriented. They have a first interface layer with crystallites having their (002) planes parallel with the substrate. The subsequent growth leads to the already described lamellar structure, with flakes perpendicular to the substrate. This structure can be explained in terms of a local branching process during crystal growth. The orientation relations between the crystallites in the parallel layer and the lamellae are determined. The local structure at the root of the lamellae, as well as at the interface, is investigated by image calculation. Water contamination in the plasma is shown to result in an amorphization of the interfacial region, followed by lamellar growth. Amorphous films annealed under vacuum do not show a lamellar structure, but have isotropic crystallization. In each of these cases, the mechanism determining the film structure is differen

High-Field Superconductivity at an Electronic Topological Transition in URhGe

The emergence of superconductivity at high magnetic fields in URhGe is regarded as a paradigm for new state formation approaching a quantum critical point. Until now, a divergence of the quasiparticle mass at the metamagnetic transition was considered essential for superconductivity to survive at magnetic fields above 30 tesla. Here we report the observation of quantum oscillations in URhGe revealing a tiny pocket of heavy quasiparticles that shrinks continuously with increasing magnetic field, and finally disappears at a topological Fermi surface transition close to or at the metamagnetic field. The quasiparticle mass decreases and remains finite, implying that the Fermi velocity vanishes due to the collapse of the Fermi wavevector. This offers a novel explanation for the re-emergence of superconductivity at extreme magnetic fields and makes URhGe the first proven example of a material where magnetic field-tuning of the Fermi surface, rather than quantum criticality alone, governs quantum phase formation.Comment: A revised version has been accepted for publication in Nature Physic

From laser cooling to aging: a unified Levy flight description

Intriguing phenomena such as subrecoil laser cooling of atoms, or aging phenomenon in glasses, have in common that the systems considered do not reach a steady-state during the experiments, although the experimental time scales are very large compared to the microscopic ones. We revisit some standard models describing these phenomena, and reformulate them in a unified framework in terms of lifetimes of the microscopic states of the system. A universal dynamical mechanism emerges, leading to a generic time-dependent distribution of lifetimes, independently of the physical situation considered.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures; accepted for publication in American Journal of Physic

Influence of deposition parameters on mechanical properties of sputter-deposited Cr2O3 thin films

Among the oxides, Cr2O3 exhibits the highest hardness value and a low coefficient of friction. These properties make chromium oxide an excellent coating material for tribological applications. Cr2O3 thin films were deposited by radio-frequency reactive magnetron sputtering at substrate temperature in the range 363-593 K. The hardness and elastic modulus of the films were measured by two complementary nanoindentation techniques to investigate the influences of the substrate temperature and the oxygen content in the sputtering gas. While the continuous stiffness data method provides information throughout the whole film thickness, nanoindentation combined with scanning force microscopy of the residual imprints allows visualization of pileup, cracking, and delamination from the substrate. Hardness values up to 32 GPa were obtained for substrate temperatures exceeding 500 K and oxygen contents between 15% and 25% of the total gas pressure. The films, obtained with these deposition conditions, showed good adhesion to silicon substrate

Hybridization gap and anisotropic far-infrared optical conductivity of URu2Si2

We performed far-infrared optical spectroscopy measurements on the heavy fermion compound URu 2 Si 2 as a function of temperature. The light's electric-field was applied along the a-axis or the c-axis of the tetragonal structure. We show that in addition to a pronounced anisotropy, the optical conductivity exhibits for both axis a partial suppression of spectral weight around 12 meV and below 30 K. We attribute these observations to a change in the bandstructure below 30 K. However, since these changes have no noticeable impact on the entropy nor on the DC transport properties, we suggest that this is a crossover phenomenon rather than a thermodynamic phase transition.Comment: To be published in Physical Review