A Variational Approach to Nonlocal Exciton-Phonon Coupling

In this paper we apply variational energy band theory to a form of the Holstein Hamiltonian in which the influence of lattice vibrations (optical phonons) on both local site energies (local coupling) and transfers of electronic excitations between neighboring sites (nonlocal coupling) is taken into account. A flexible spanning set of orthonormal eigenfunctions of the joint exciton-phonon crystal momentum is used to arrive at a variational estimate (bound) of the ground state energy for every value of the joint crystal momentum, yielding a variational estimate of the lowest polaron energy band across the entire Brillouin zone, as well as the complete set of polaron Bloch functions associated with this band. The variation is implemented numerically, avoiding restrictive assumptions that have limited the scope of previous assaults on the same and similar problems. Polaron energy bands and the structure of the associated Bloch states are studied at general points in the three-dimensional parameter space of the model Hamiltonian (electronic tunneling, local coupling, nonlocal coupling), though our principal emphasis lay in under-studied area of nonlocal coupling and its interplay with electronic tunneling; a phase diagram summarizing the latter is presented. The common notion of a "self-trapping transition" is addressed and generalized.Comment: 33 pages, 11 figure

Comment on `Dynamical properties of small polarons'

We show that the conclusion on the breakdown of the standard small polaron theory made recently by E.V. deMello and J. Ranninger (Phys. Rev. B 55, 14872 (1997)) is a result of an incorrect interpretation of the electronic and vibronic energy levels of the two-site Holstein model. The small polaron theory, when properly applied, agrees well with the numerical results of these authors. Also we show that their attempt to connect the properties of the calculated correlation functions with the features of the intersite electron hopping is unsuccessful.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev.

Disorder-driven superconductor-normal metal phase transition in quasi-one-dimensional organic conductors

Effects of non-magnetic disorder on the critical temperature T_c and on diamagnetism of quasi-one-dimensional superconductors are reported. The energy of Josephson-coupling between wires is considered to be random, which is typical for dirty organic superconductors. We show that this randomness destroys phase coherence between wires and that T_c vanishes discontinuously at a critical disorder-strength. The parallel and transverse components of the penetration-depth are evaluated. They diverge at different critical temperatures T_c^{(1)} and T_c, which correspond to pair-breaking and phase-coherence breaking respectively. The interplay between disorder and quantum phase fluctuations is shown to result in quantum critical behavior at T=0, which manifests itself as a superconducting-normal metal phase transition of first-order at a critical disorder strength.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Multiple Current States of Two Phase-Coupled Superconducting Rings

The states of two phase-coupled superconducting rings have been investigated. Multiple current states have been revealed in the dependence of the critical current on the magnetic field. The performed calculations of the critical currents and energy states in a magnetic field have made it possible to interpret the experiment as the measurement of energy states into which the system comes with different probabilities because of the equilibrium and non-equilibrium noises upon the transition from the resistive state to the superconducting state during the measurement of the critical currentComment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Luttinger-liquid-like transport in long InSb nanowires

Long nanowires of degenerate semiconductor InSb in asbestos matrix (wire diameter is around 50 \AA, length 0.1 - 1 mm) were prepared. Electrical conduction of these nanowires is studied over a temperature range 1.5 - 350 K. It is found that a zero-field electrical conduction is a power function of the temperature $G\propto T^\alpha$ with the typical exponent $\alpha \approx 4$. Current-voltage characteristics of such nanowires are found to be nonlinear and at sufficiently low temperatures follows the power law $I\propto V^\beta$. It is shown that the electrical conduction of these nanowires cannot be accounted for in terms of ordinary single-electron theories and exhibits features expected for impure Luttinger liquid. For a simple approximation of impure LL as a pure one broken into drops by weak links, the estimated weak-link density is around $10^3-10^4$ per cm.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Unconventional magnetoresistance in long InSb nanowires

Magnetoresistance in long correlated nanowires of degenerate semiconductor InSb in asbestos matrix (wire diameter of around 5 nm, length 0.1 - 1 mm) is studied over temperature range 2.3 - 300 K. At zero magnetic field the electric conduction $G$ and the current-voltage characteristics of such wires obey the power laws $G\propto T^\alpha$, $I\propto V^\beta$, expected for one-dimensional electron systems. The effect of magnetic field corresponds to a 20% growth of the exponents $\alpha$, $\beta$ at H=10 T. The observed magnetoresistance is caused by the magnetic-field-induced breaking of the spin-charge separation and represents a novel mechanism of magnetoresistance.Comment: To be published in JETP Letters, vol. 77 (2003

Polaron and bipolaron dispersion curves in one dimension for intermediate coupling

Bipolaron energies are calculated as a function of wave vector by a variational method of Gurari appropriate for weak or intermediate coupling strengths, for a model with electron-phonon interactions independent of phonon wave vectors and a short-ranged Coulomb repulsion. It is assumed that the bare electrons have a constant effective mass. A two-parameter trial function is taken for the relative motion of the two electrons in the bipolaron. Energies of bipolarons are compared with those of two single polarons as a function of wave vector for various parameter values. Results for effective masses at the zone center are also obtained. Comparison is made with data of other authors for bipolarons in the Hubbard-Holstein model, which differs mainly from the present model in that it has a tight-binding band structure for the bare electrons.Comment: 11 pages including six figures. Physical Review B, to be publishe

pH and rate of ‘dark’ events in toad retinal rods : test of a hypothesis on the molecular origin of photoreceptor noise

Thermal activation of the visual pigment constitutes a fundamental constraint on visual sensitivity. Its electrical correlate in the membrane current of dark-adapted rods are randomly occurring discrete ‘dark events’ indistinguishable from responses to single photons. It has been proposed that thermal activation occurs in a small subpopulation of rhodopsin molecules where the Schiff base linking the chromophore to the protein part is unprotonated. On this hypothesis, rates of thermal activation should increase strongly with rising pH. The hypothesis has been tested by measuring the effect of pH changes on the frequency of discrete dark events in red rods of the common toad Bufo bufo. Dark noise was recorded from isolated rods using the suction pipette technique. Changes in cytoplasmic pH upon manipulations of extracellular pH were quantified by measuring, using fast single-cell microspectrophotometry, the pH-dependent metarhodopsin I–metarhodopsin II equilibrium and subsequent metarhodopsin III formation. These measurements show that, in the conditions of the electrophysiological experiments, changing perfusion pH from 6.5 to 9.3 resulted in a cytoplasmic pH shift from 7.6 to 8.5 that was readily sensed by the rhodopsin. This shift, which implies an 8-fold decrease in cytoplasmic [H+], did not increase the rate of dark events. The results contradict the hypothesis that thermal pigment activation depends on prior deprotonation of the Schiff base

Comparison of perturbative expansions using different phonon bases for two-site Holstein model

The two-site single-polaron problem is studied within the perturbative expansions using different standard phonon basis obtained through the Lang Firsov (LF), modified LF (MLF) and modified LF transformation with squeezed phonon states (MLFS). The role of these convergent expansions using the above prescriptions in lowering the energy and in determining the correlation functions are compared for different values of coupling strength. The single-electron energy, oscillator wave functions and correlation functions are calculated for the same system. The applicability of different phonon basis in different regimes of the coupling strength as well as in different regimes of hopping are also discussed.Comment: 24 pages (RevTEX), 12 postscript figures, final version accepted in PRB(2000) Jornal Ref: Phys. Rev. B, 61, 4592-4602 (2000

Positive Magneto-Resistance in Quasi-1D Conductors

We present here a simple qualitative model that interpolates between the high and low temperature properties of quasi-1D conductors. At high temperatures we argue that transport is governed by inelastic scattering whereas at low temperatures the conductance decays exponentially with the electron dephasing length. The crossover between these regimes occurs at the temperature at which the elastic and inelastic scattering times become equal. This model is shown to be in quantitative agreement with the organic conductor $TTT_2I_{3-\delta}$. Within this model, we also show that on the insulating side, the positive magnetoresistance of the form $(H/T)^2$ observed in $TTT_2I_{3-\delta}$ and other quasi-1D conductors can be explained by the role spin-flip scattering plays in the electron dephasing rate.Comment: 4 pages, Latex, no figure