5,481 research outputs found
Probing superconductivity in MgB2 confined to magnetic field tuned cylinders by means of critical fluctuations
We report and analyze reversible magnetization measurements on a high quality
MgB2 single crystal in the vicinity of the zero field transition temperature,
T_c=38.83 K, at several magnetic fields up to 300 Oe, applied along the c-axis.
Though MgB2 is a two gap superconductor our scaling analysis uncovers
remarkable consistency with 3D-xy critical behavior, revealing that close to
criticality the order parameter is a single complex scalar as in 4He. This
opens up the window onto the exploration of the magnetic field induced finite
size effect, whereupon the correlation length transverse to the applied
magnetic field H_i applied along the i-axis cannot grow beyond the limiting
magnetic length L_Hi, related to the average distance between vortex lines. We
find unambiguous evidence for this finite size effect. It implies that in type
II superconductors, such as MgB2, there is the 3D to 1D crossover line H_pi and
xi denotes the critical amplitudes of the correlation lengths above and below
T_c along the respective axis. Consequently, above H_pi(T) and T<T_c
superconductivity is confined to cylinders with diameter L_Hi (1D). In
contrast, above T_c the uncondensed pairs are confined to cylinders.
Accordingly, there is no continuous phase transition in the (H,T)-plane along
the H_c2-lines as predicted by the mean-field treatment
Torque magnetometry on single-crystal high temperature superconductors near the critical temperature: a scaling approach
Angular-dependent magnetic torque measurements performed near the critical
temperature on single crystals of HgBa_{2}CuO_{4+y}, La_{2-x}Sr{x}CuO_{4}, and
YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{6.93} are scaled, following the 3D XY model, in order to
determine the scaling function dG^{\pm}(z)/dz which describes the universal
critical properties near T_{c}. A systematic shift of the scaling function with
increasing effective mass anisotropy \gamma = (m_{ab}*/m_{c}*)^{1/2} is
observed, which may be understood in terms of a 3D-2D crossover. Further
evidence for a 3D-2D crossover is found from temperature-dependent torque
measurements carried out in different magnetic fields at different field
orientations \delta, which show a quasi 2D "crossing region'' (M*,T*). The
occurrence of this "crossing phenomenon'' is explained in a phenomenological
way from the weak z dependence of the scaling function around a value z = z*.
The "crossing'' temperature T* is found to be angular-dependent. Torque
measurements above T_{c} reveal that fluctuations are strongly enhanced in the
underdoped regime where the anisotropy is large, whereas they are less
important in the overdoped regime.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, submitted to PR
Isotope effects in underdoped cuprate superconductors: a quantum phenomenon
We show that the unusual doping dependence of the isotope effects on
transition temperature and zero temperature in - plane penetration depth
naturally follows from the doping driven 3D-2D crossover, the 2D quantum
superconductor to insulator transition (QSI) in the underdoped limit and the
change of the relative doping concentration upon isotope substitution. Close to
the QSI transition both, the isotope coefficient of transition temperature and
penetration depth approach the coefficient of the relative dopant
concentration, and its divergence sets the scale. These predictions are fully
consistent with the experimental data and imply that close to the underdoped
limit the unusual isotope effect on transition temperature and penetration
depth uncovers critical phenomena associated with the quantum superconductor to
insulator transition in two dimensions.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Solving the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen puzzle: the origin of non-locality in Aspect-type experiments
So far no mechanism is known, which could connect the two measurements in an
Aspect-type experiment. Here, we suggest such a mechanism, based on the phase
of a photon's field during propagation. We show that two polarization
measurements are correlated, even if no signal passes from one point of
measurement to the other. The non-local connection of a photon pair is the
result of its origin at a common source, where the two fields acquire a well
defined phase difference. Therefore, it is not actually a non-local effect in
any conventional sense. We expect that the model and the detailed analysis it
allows will have a major impact on quantum cryptography and quantum
computation.Comment: 5 pages 1 figure. Added an analysis of quantum steering. The result
is that under certain conditions the experimental result at B can be
predicted if the polarization angle and the result at A are known. The paper
has been accepted for publication in Frontiers of Physics. arXiv admin note:
substantial text overlap with arXiv:1108.435
Strongly Non-Equilibrium Bose-Einstein Condensation in a Trapped Gas
We present a qualitative (and quantitative, at the level of estimates)
analysis of the ordering kinetics in a strongly non-equilibrium state of a
weakly interacting Bose gas, trapped with an external potential. At certain
conditions, the ordering process is predicted to be even more rich than in the
homogeneous case. Like in the homogeneous case, the most characteristic feature
of the full-scale non-equilibrium process is the formation of superfluid
turbulence.Comment: 4 pages, revtex, no figures. Submitted to PR
Ion Collection in Hall Thruster Plumes
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/77342/1/AIAA-11953-462.pd
Oxygen isotope effect on the in-plane penetration depth in underdoped La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4} single crystals
We report measurements of the oxygen isotope effect (OIE) on the in-plane
penetration depth \lambda_{ab}(0) in underdoped La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4} single
crystals. A highly sensitive magnetic torque sensor with a resolution of \Delta
\tau ~ 10^{-12} Nm was used for the magnetic measurements on microcrystals with
a mass of ~ 10 microg. The OIE on \lambda_{ab}^{-2}(0) is found to be -10(2)%
for x = 0.080 and -8(1)% for x = 0.086. It arises mainly from the oxygen mass
dependence of the in-plane effective mass m_{ab}*. The present results suggest
that lattice vibrations are important for the occurrence of high temperature
superconductivity.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PR
Parasite infections in a social carnivore: Evidence of their fitness consequences and factors modulating infection load
There are substantial individual differences in parasite composition and infection load in wildlife populations. Few studies have investigated the factors shaping this heterogeneity in large wild mammals or the impact of parasite infections on Darwinian fitness, particularly in juveniles. A host's parasite composition and infection load can be shaped by factors that determine contact with infective parasite stages and those that determine the host's resistance to infection, such as abiotic and social environmental factors, and age. Host–parasite interactions and synergies between coinfecting parasites may also be important. We test predictions derived from these different processes to investigate factors shaping infection loads (fecal egg/oocyte load) of two energetically costly gastrointestinal parasites: the hookworm Ancylostoma and the intracellular Cystoisospora, in juvenile spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in the Serengeti National Park, in Tanzania. We also assess whether parasite infections curtail survival to adulthood and longevity. Ancylostoma and Cystoisospora infection loads declined as the number of adult clan members increased, a result consistent with an encounter‐reduction effect whereby adults reduced encounters between juveniles and infective larvae, but were not affected by the number of juveniles in a clan. Infection loads decreased with age, possibly because active immune responses to infection improved with age. Differences in parasite load between clans possibly indicate variation in abiotic environmental factors between clan den sites. The survival of juveniles (<365 days old) to adulthood decreased with Ancylostoma load, increased with age, and was modulated by maternal social status. High‐ranking individuals with low Ancylostoma loads had a higher survivorship during the first 4 years of life than high‐ranking individuals with high Ancylostoma loads. These findings suggest that high infection loads with energetically costly parasites such as hookworms during early life can have negative fitness consequences
Magnetic circuit for hall effect plasma accelerator
A Hall effect plasma accelerator includes inner and outer electromagnets, circumferentially surrounding the inner electromagnet along a thruster centerline axis and separated therefrom, inner and outer magnetic conductors, in physical connection with their respective inner and outer electromagnets, with the inner magnetic conductor having a mostly circular shape and the outer magnetic conductor having a mostly annular shape, a discharge chamber, located between the inner and outer magnetic conductors, a magnetically conducting back plate, in magnetic contact with the inner and outer magnetic conductors, and a combined anode electrode/gaseous propellant distributor, located at a bottom portion of the discharge chamber. The inner and outer electromagnets, the inner and outer magnetic conductors and the magnetically conducting back plate form a magnetic circuit that produces a magnetic field that is largely axial and radially symmetric with respect to the thruster centerline
Bound-to-bound and bound-to-continuum optical transitions in combined quantum dot - superlattice systems
By combining band gap engineering with the self-organized growth of quantum
dots, we present a scheme of adjusting the mid-infrared absorption properties
to desired energy transitions in quantum dot based photodetectors. Embedding
the self organized InAs quantum dots into an AlAs/GaAs superlattice enables us
to tune the optical transition energy by changing the superlattice period as
well as by changing the growth conditions of the dots. Using a one band
envelope function framework we are able, in a fully three dimensional
calculation, to predict the photocurrent spectra of these devices as well as
their polarization properties. The calculations further predict a strong impact
of the dots on the superlattices minibands. The impact of vertical dot
alignment or misalignment on the absorption properties of this dot/superlattice
structure is investigated. The observed photocurrent spectra of vertically
coupled quantum dot stacks show very good agreement with the calculations.In
these experiments, vertically coupled quantum dot stacks show the best
performance in the desired photodetector application.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, submitted to PR
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