Second harmonic light scattering induced by defects in the twist-bend nematic phase of liquid crystal dimers

The nematic twist-bend (NTB) phase, exhibited by certain thermotropic liquid crystalline (LC) dimers, represents a new orientationally ordered mesophase -- the first distinct nematic variant discovered in many years. The NTB phase is distinguished by a heliconical winding of the average molecular long axis (director) with a remarkably short (nanoscale) pitch and, in systems of achiral dimers, with an equal probability to form right- and left-handed domains. The NTB structure thus provides another fascinating example of spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in nature. The order parameter driving the formation of the heliconical state has been theoretically conjectured to be a polarization field, deriving from the bent conformation of the dimers, that rotates helically with the same nanoscale pitch as the director field. It therefore presents a significant challenge for experimental detection. Here we report a second harmonic light scattering (SHLS) study on two achiral, NTB-forming LCs, which is sensitive to the polarization field due to micron-scale distortion of the helical structure associated with naturally-occurring textural defects. These defects are parabolic focal conics of smectic-like ``pseudo-layers", defined by planes of equivalent phase in a coarse-grained description of the NTB state. Our SHLS data are explained by a coarse-grained free energy density that combines a Landau-deGennes expansion of the polarization field, the elastic energy of a nematic, and a linear coupling between the two

From classical to quantum glass

We study the effects of a transverse magnetic field on the dynamics of the randomly diluted, dipolar coupled, Ising magnet LiHo_(0.167)Y_(0.833)F_4. The transverse field mixes the eigenfunctions of the ground-state Ising doublet with the otherwise inaccessible excited-state levels. We observe a rapid decrease in the characteristic relaxation times, large changes in the spectral form of the relaxation, and a depression of the spin-glass transition temperature with the introduction of quantum fluctuations

Dipolar ferromagnets and glasses (invited)

What is the ground state and what are the dynamics of 10^23 randomly distributed Ising spins? We have attempted to answer these questions through magnetic susceptibility, calorimetric, and neutron scattering studies of the randomly diluted dipolar-coupled Ising magnet LiHo_xY_(1-x)F_4. The material is ferromagnetic for dipole concentrations at least as low as x = 0.46, with a Curie temperature obeying mean-field scaling relative to that of pure LiHoF_4. In the dilute spin limit, an x = 0.045 crystal shows very unusual glassy properties characterized by decreasing barriers to relaxation as T → 0. Its properties are consistent with a single low degeneracy ground state with a large gap for excitations. A slightly more concentrated x = 0.167 sample, however, supports a complex ground state with no appreciable gap, in accordance with prevailing theories of spin glasses. The underlying causes of such disparate behavior are discussed in terms of random clusters as probed by neutron studies of the x = 0.167 sample. In addition to tracing the evolution of the glassy and ferromagnetic states with dipole concentration, we investigate the effects of a transverse magnetic field on the Ising spin glass, LiHo_(0.167)Y_(0.833)F_4. The transverse field mixes the eigenfunctions of the ground-state Ising doublet with the otherwise inaccessible excited-state levels. We observe a rapid decrease in the characteristic relaxation times, large changes in the spectral form of the relaxation, and a depression of the spin-glass transition temperature with the addition of quantum fluctuations

Identification of Non-unitary triplet pairing in a heavy Fermion superconductor UPt_3

A NMR experiment recently done by Tou et al. on a heavy Fermion superconductor UPt$_3$ is interpreted in terms of a non-unitary spin-triplet pairing state which we have been advocating. The proposed state successfully explains various aspects of the seemingly complicated Knight shift behaviors probed for major orientations, including a remarkable d-vector rotation under weak fields. This entitles UPt$_3$ as the first example that a charged many body system forms a spin-triplet odd-par ity pairing at low temperatures and demonstrates unambiguously that the putative spin-orbit coupling in UPt$_3$ is weak.Comment: 4 pages, 2 eps figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 67 (1998) No.

Symmetry of the order parameter in superconducting ZrZn_2

We apply symmetry considerations to study the possible superconducting order parameters in ferromagnetic ZrZn_2. We predict that the presence and the location of the superconducting gap nodes depend on the direction of magnetization M. In particular, if M is directed along the z axis, then the order parameter should always have zeros. We also discuss how to determine the gap symmetry in ZrZn_2 using ultrasound attenuation measurements.Comment: 6 pages, submitted to PRB; some corrections and discussion adde

Transport studies of La_(2-x)Sr_xCuO_4 near the insulator-metal-superconductor transition

We have measured the temperature-dependent resistivities of a series of samples of La_(2-x)Sr_xCuO_4 with 0.02≤x≤0.1 over the temperature range 0.05 K≤T≤300 K. We find the onset of superconductivity as x is increased to be correlated with a substantial drop in the magnitude of the normal-state resistivity. We observe no change, however, in the qualitative shape of the resistivity as the superconducting threshold is crossed. We also find that the low-temperature (T≤8.0 K) resistivities of the least concentrated samples can be described by variable range hopping, with a crossover between Coulomb gap and single-particle behavior occurring as x is increased