850 research outputs found
Measurement of the Current-Phase Relation in Josephson Junctions Rhombi Chains
We present low temperature transport measurements in one dimensional
Josephson junctions rhombi chains. We have measured the current phase relation
of a chain of 8 rhombi. The junctions are either in the classical phase regime
with the Josephson energy much larger than the charging energy, , or in the quantum phase regime where . In the
strong Josephson coupling regime () we observe a
sawtooth-like supercurrent as a function of the phase difference over the
chain. The period of the supercurrent oscillations changes abruptly from one
flux quantum to half the flux quantum as the rhombi are
tuned in the vicinity of full frustration. The main observed features can be
understood from the complex energy ground state of the chain. For
we do observe a dramatic suppression and rounding of the
switching current dependence which we found to be consistent with the model
developed by Matveev et al.(Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 89}, 096802(2002)) for long
Josephson junctions chains.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev.
General relativistic corrections to the Sagnac effect
The difference in travel time of corotating and counter-rotating light waves
in the field of a central massive and spinning body is studied. The corrections
to the special relativistic formula are worked out in a Kerr field. Estimation
of numeric values for the Earth and satellites in orbit around it show that a
direct measurement is in the order of concrete possibilities.Comment: REVTex, accepted for publication on Phys. Rev.
Decoherence of electron beams by electromagnetic field fluctuations
Electromagnetic field fluctuations are responsible for the destruction of
electron coherence (dephasing) in solids and in vacuum electron beam
interference. The vacuum fluctuations are modified by conductors and
dielectrics, as in the Casimir effect, and hence, bodies in the vicinity of the
beams can influence the beam coherence. We calculate the quenching of
interference of two beams moving in vacuum parallel to a thick plate with
permittivity . In case of an
ideal conductor or dielectric the dephasing is suppressed
when the beams are close to the surface of the plate, because the random
tangential electric field , responsible for dephasing, is zero at the
surface. The situation is changed dramatically when
or are finite. In this case there exists a layer near
the surface, where the fluctuations of are strong due to evanescent
near fields. The thickness of this near - field layer is of the order of the
wavelength in the dielectric or the skin depth in the conductor, corresponding
to a frequency which is the inverse electron time of flight from the emitter to
the detector. When the beams are within this layer their dephasing is enhanced
and for slow enough electrons can be even stronger than far from the surface
Quantitative magneto-optical investigation of superconductor/ferromagnet hybrid structures
We present a detailed quantitative magneto-optical imaging study of several
superconductor/ferromagnet hybrid structures, including Nb deposited on top of
thermomagnetically patterned NdFeB, and permalloy/niobium with erasable and
tailored magnetic landscapes imprinted in the permalloy layer. The
magneto-optical imaging data is complemented with and compared to scanning Hall
probe microscopy measurements. Comprehensive protocols have been developed for
calibrating, testing, and converting Faraday rotation data to magnetic field
maps. Applied to the acquired data, they reveal the comparatively weaker
magnetic response of the superconductor from the background of larger fields
and field gradients generated by the magnetic layer.Comment: 21 pages, including 2 pages of supplementary materia
Nonlocality, Bell's Ansatz and Probability
Quantum Mechanics lacks an intuitive interpretation, which is the cause of a
generally formalistic approach to its use. This in turn has led to a certain
insensitivity to the actual meaning of many words used in its description and
interpretation. Herein, we analyze carefully the possible mathematical meanings
of those terms used in analysis of EPR's contention, that Quantum Mechanics is
incomplete, as well as Bell's work descendant therefrom. As a result, many
inconsistencies and errors in contemporary discussions of nonlocality, as well
as in Bell's Ansatz with respect to the laws of probability, are identified.
Evading these errors precludes serious conflicts between Quantum Mechanics and
both Special Relativity and Philosophy.Comment: 8&1/2 pages revtex; v2: many corrections, clairifications &
extentions, all small; v3: editorial scru
Self-aligned nanoscale SQUID on a tip
A nanometer-sized superconducting quantum interference device (nanoSQUID) is
fabricated on the apex of a sharp quartz tip and integrated into a scanning
SQUID microscope. A simple self-aligned fabrication method results in
nanoSQUIDs with diameters down to 100 nm with no lithographic processing. An
aluminum nanoSQUID with an effective area of 0.034 m displays flux
sensitivity of 1.8 \mu_B/\mathrm{Hz}^{1/2}$ and high bandwidth, the SQUID on a tip is a highly
promising probe for nanoscale magnetic imaging and spectroscopy.Comment: 14 manuscript pages, 5 figure
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