The role of critical current on point contact Andreev Reflection spectrum between a normal metal and a superconductor

The point contact spectrum between a normal metal and a superconductor often shows unexpected sharp dips in the conductance at voltage values larger than the superconducting energy gap. These dips are not predicted in the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwizk (BTK) theory, commonly used to analyse these contacts. We present here a systematic study of these dips in a variety of contacts between different combinations of a superconductor and a normal metal. From the correlation between the characteristics of these dips with the contact area, we can surmise that such dips are caused by the contact not being in the ballistic limit. An analysis of the possible errors introduced while analysing such a spectrum with the standard BTK model is also presented.Comment: 16 pages, PS, figure include

GUTs with dim-5 interactions: Gauge Unification and Intermediate Scales

Dimension-5 corrections to the gauge kinetic term of Grand Unified Theories (GUTs) may capture effects of quantum gravity or string compactification. Such operators modify the usual gauge coupling unification prediction in a calculable manner. Here we examine SU(5), SO(10), and E(6) GUTs in the light of all such permitted operators and calculate the impact on the intermediate scales and the unification programme. We show that in many cases at least one intermediate scale can be lowered to even 1-10 TeV, where a neutral Z' and possibly other states are expected.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures, 10 tables, Treatment of U(1) mixing effects corrected. Published version

Remarks on flavour mixings from orbifold compactification

We consider 5d SU(5) GUT models based on the orbifold $S^1/(Z_2 \times Z_2')$, and study the different possibilities of placing the SU(5) matter multiplets in three possible locations, namely, the two branes at the two orbifold fixed points and SU(5) bulk. We demonstrate that if flavour hierarchies originate solely from geometrical suppressions due to wavefunction normalisation of fields propagating in the bulk, then it is not possible to satisfy even the gross qualitative behaviour of the CKM and MNS matrices regardless of where we place the matter multiplets.Comment: 4 pages, Late

Constraining the charged Higgs mass in the left-right symmetric model from b --> sγ\gamma

In the context of the left--right symmetric model, the decay b \rightarrow s \gamma receives contributions from the gauge interactions mediated mainly by the W_L, through W_L--W_R mixing and also from the Yukawa interactions of the charged and the neutral (flavour-changing) scalars (the latter type of Yukawa interaction has been overlooked in the previous literature). Following the recent CLEO measurement of the inclusive b \rightarrow s \gamma process and the measurement of the top-quark mass by the CDF and D0 collaborations, the parameter space of the left--right symmetric model are more squeezed than before

Boosted Top Quark Signals for Heavy Vector Boson Excitations in a Universal Extra Dimension Model

In view of the fact that the $n = 1$ Kaluza-Klein (KK) modes in a model with a Universal Extra Dimension (UED), could mimic supersymmetry signatures at the LHC, it is necessary to look for the $n = 2$ KK modes, which have no analogues in supersymmetry. We discuss the possibility of searching for heavy $n = 2$ vector boson resonances -- especially the $g_2$ -- through their decays to a highly-boosted top quark-antiquark pair using recently-developed top-jet tagging techniques in the hadronic channel. It is shown that $t\bar{t}$ signals from the $n = 2$ gluon resonance are as efficient a discovery mode at the LHC as dilepton channels from the $\gamma_2$ and $Z_2$ resonances.Comment: 22 pages, 8 embedded figure

A 'p-n' diode with hole and electron-doped lanthanum manganite

The hole-doped manganite La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 and the electron-doped manganite La0.7Ce0.3MnO3 undergo an insulator to metal transition at around 250 K, above which both behave as a polaronic semiconductor. We have successfully fabricated an epitaxial trilayer (La0.7Ca0.3MnO3/SrTiO3/La0.7Ce0.3MnO3), where SrTiO3 is an insulator. At room temperature, i.e. in the semiconducting regime, it exhibits asymmetric current-voltage (I-V) characteristics akin to a p-n diode. The observed asymmetry in the I-V characteristics disappears at low temperatures where both the manganite layers are metallic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of such a p-n diode, using the polaronic semiconducting regime of doped manganites.Comment: PostScript text and 2 figures, to be published in Appl. Phys. Lett

Possible observation of coulomb blockade at room temperature

We have studied the (I-V) characteristics of the tunnel junction formed between the tip and the substrate in an STM at room temperature. We find that in such an arrangement it may be possible to get a junction capacitance ⋍10−19 F and junction conductance < 1 μs. When the junction conductance is < 1 μs strong nonlinearity is observed in the (I-V) characteristics. We explain this nonlinearity as onset of coulomb blockade of tunneling electrons