1,445 research outputs found
Zero temperature optical conductivity of ultra-clean Fermi liquids and superconductors
We calculate the low-frequency optical conductivity sigma(w) of clean metals
and superconductors at zero temperature neglecting the effects of impurities
and phonons. In general, the frequency and temperature dependences of sigma
have very little in common. For small Fermi surfaces in three dimensions (but
not in 2D) we find for example that Re sigma(w>0)=const. for low w which
corresponds to a scattering rate Gamma proportional to w^2 even in the absence
of Umklapp scattering when there is no T^2 contribution to Gamma. In the main
part of the paper we discuss in detail the optical conductivity of d-wave
superconductors in 2D where Re sigma(w>0) \propto w^4 for the smallest
frequencies and the Umklapp processes typically set in smoothly above a finite
threshold w_0 smaller than twice the maximal gap Delta. In cases where the
nodes are located at (pi/2, pi/2), such that direct Umklapp scattering among
them is possible, one obtains Re sigma(w) \propto w^2.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
Cooperating Agents for 3D Scientific Data Interpretation
Many organizations collect vast quantities of three-dimensional (3-D) scientific data in volumetric form for a range of purposes, including resource exploration, market forecasting, and process modelling. Traditionally, these data have been interpreted by human experts with only minimal software assistance. However, such manual interpretation is a painstakingly slow and tedious process. Moreover, since interpretation involves subjective judgements and each interpreter has different scientific knowledge and experience, formulation of an effective interpretation often requires the cooperation of numerous such experts. Hence, there is a pressing need for a software system in which individual interpretations can be generated automatically and then refined through the use of cooperative reasoning and information sharing. To this end, a prototype system, SurfaceMapper, has been developed in which a community of cooperating software agents automatically locate and display interpretations in a volume of 3-D scientific data. The challenges and experiences in designing and building such a system are discussed. Particular emphasis is given to the agents' interactions and an empirical evaluation of the effectiveness of different cooperation strategies is presented
Observation of ferromagnetic resonance in strontium ruthenate (SrRuO3)
We report the observation of ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) in SrRuO3 using
the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect. The FMR oscillations in the
time-domain appear in response to a sudden, optically induced change in the
direction of easy-axis anistropy. The high FMR frequency, 250 GHz, and large
Gilbert damping parameter, alpha ~ 1, are consistent with strong spin-orbit
coupling. We find that the parameters associated with the magnetization
dynamics, including alpha, have a non-monotonic temperature dependence,
suggestive of a link to the anomalous Hall effect.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
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Human immunodeficiency virus infection of the human thymus and disruption of the thymic microenvironment in the SCID-hu mouse.
Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) results in immunosuppression and depletion of circulating CD4+ T cells. Since the thymus is the primary organ in which T cells mature it is of interest to examine the effects of HIV infection in this tissue. HIV infection has been demonstrated in the thymuses of infected individuals and thymocytes have been previously demonstrated to be susceptible to HIV infection both in vivo, using the SCID-hu mouse, and in vitro. The present study sought to determine which subsets of thymocytes were infected in the SCID-hu mouse model and to evaluate HIV-related alterations in the thymic microenvironment. Using two different primary HIV isolates, infection was found in CD4+/CD8+ double positive thymocytes as well as in both the CD4+ and CD8+ single positive subsets of thymocytes. The kinetics of infection and resulting viral burden differed among the three thymocyte subsets and depended on which HIV isolate was used for infection. Thymic epithelial (TE) cells were also shown to endocytose virus and to often contain copious amounts of viral RNA in the cytoplasm by in situ hybridization, although productive infection of these cells could not be definitively shown. Furthermore, degenerating TE cells were observed even without detection of HIV in the degenerating cells. Two striking morphologic patterns of infection were seen, involving either predominantly thymocyte infection and depletion, or TE cell involvement with detectable cytoplasmic viral RNA and/or TE cell toxicity. Thus, a variety of cells in the human thymus is susceptible to HIV infection, and infection with HIV results in a marked disruption of the thymic microenvironment leading to depletion of thymocytes and degeneration of TE cells
Determination of the spin-flip time in ferromagnetic SrRuO3 from time-resolved Kerr measurements
We report time-resolved Kerr effect measurements of magnetization dynamics in
ferromagnetic SrRuO3. We observe that the demagnetization time slows
substantially at temperatures within 15K of the Curie temperature, which is ~
150K. We analyze the data with a phenomenological model that relates the
demagnetization time to the spin flip time. In agreement with our observations
the model yields a demagnetization time that is inversely proportional to T-Tc.
We also make a direct comparison of the spin flip rate and the Gilbert damping
coefficient showing that their ratio very close to kBTc, indicating a common
origin for these phenomena
Ion Beam Machining Of Optoelectronic Components
We produce very smooth vertical sidewalls with high anisotropy in III-V semiconductors by ion beam etching. These qualities are used to fabricate mirrors and deflect light in InGaAs and GaAs waveguide structures. Either a maskless technique, using a focussed ion beam (FIB), or a lithographically deposited mask followed by broad-beam etching (CAIBE) are employed to produce such facets. Here, we describe the two examples of application of
high-resolution ion beam etching techniques towards miniaturizing optoelectronic devices. We show the conversion of an edge-emitting laser structure into a surface-emitting structure, by cutting 45° reflection mirrors, and the fabrication of a monolithic InP-based wavelength demultiplexer by etching a diffraction grating
Measurement of electron-hole friction in an n-doped GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well using optical transient grating spectroscopy
We use phase-resolved transient grating spectroscopy to measure the drift and
diffusion of electron-hole density waves in a semiconductor quantum well. The
unique aspects of this optical probe allow us to determine the frictional force
between a two-dimensional Fermi liquid of electrons and a dilute gas of holes.
Knowledge of electron-hole friction enables prediction of ambipolar dynamics in
high-mobility electron systems.Comment: to appear in PR
Quantum Spin Excitations through the metal-to-insulator crossover in
We use inelastic neutron scattering to study the temperature dependence of
the spin excitations of a detwinned superconducting YBaCuO
( K). In contrast to earlier work on YBaCuO (
K), where the prominent features in the magnetic spectra consist of a sharp
collective magnetic excitation termed ``resonance'' and a large
( meV) superconducting spin gap, we find that the spin
excitations in YBaCuO are gapless and have a much broader
resonance. Our detailed mapping of magnetic scattering along the
/-axis directions at different energies reveals that spin
excitations are unisotropic and consistent with the ``hourglass''-like
dispersion along the -axis direction near the resonance, but they are
isotropic at lower energies. Since a fundamental change in the low-temperature
normal state of YBaCuO when superconductivity is suppressed
takes place at with a metal-to-insulator crossover (MIC), where the
ground state transforms from a metallic to an insulating-like phase, our
results suggest a clear connection between the large change in spin excitations
and the MIC. The resonance therefore is a fundamental feature of metallic
ground state superconductors and a consequence of high- superconductivity.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted by Phys. Rev.
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