330 research outputs found
Chaos and plasticity in superconductor vortices: a low-dimensional dynamics
We present new results of numerical simulations for driven vortex lattices in
presence of random disorder at zero temperature. We show that the plastic
dynamics of vortices display dissipative chaos. Intermittency "routes to chaos"
have been clearly identified below the differential resistance peak. The peak
region is characterized by positive Lyapunov exponents characteristic of chaos,
and low frequency broad-band noise. Furthermore we find a low fractal dimension
of the strange attractor, which suggests that only a few dynamical variables
are sufficient to model the complex plastic dynamics of vortices.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in The Physical Review
Nanostructures originales obtenues par décomposition catalytique d'hydrocarbure
National audienceL'arc électrique et la décomposition catalytique d'hydrocarbures peuvent produire diverses nanostructures de carbone, telles que fullerènes, nanotubes, nanofibres et autres particules nanométriques de carbone. Une publication récente1 décrit la préparation et la séparation de nanobâtonnets de carbone dans la suie produite par arc électrique. Ici nous présentons la fabrication de nanobâtonnets de carbone par décomposition catalytique d'hydrocarbures, ainsi que des fibrilles de quelques nanomètres de diamètre et de quelques dizaines de nanomètres de longueur poussant perpendiculairement à la particule de catalyseur
Reliability of metal/glass-ceramic junctions made by solid state bonding
The solid state diffusion bonding leads to helium-tight ceramic-metal junctions. However this technique induces residual stresses due to expansion mismatches which may cause ceramic flaws to propagate hence junction delayed failure. This phenomenon is evidenced on glass-ceramic/Al/Invar junctions from which a better reliability is ensured by a reduction of surface flaws
Why pinning by surface irregularities can explain the peak effect in transport properties and neutron diffraction results in NbSe2 and Bi-2212 crystals?
The existence of a peak effect in transport properties (a maximum of the
critical current as function of magnetic field) is a well-known but still
intriguing feature of type II superconductors such as NbSe2 and Bi-2212. Using
a model of pinning by surface irregularities in anisotropic superconductors, we
have developed a calculation of the critical current which allows estimating
quantitatively the critical current in both the high critical current phase and
in the low critical current phase. The only adjustable parameter of this model
is the angle of the vortices at the surface. The agreement between the
measurements and the model is really very impressive. In this framework, the
anomalous dynamical properties close to the peak effect is due to co-existence
of two different vortex states with different critical currents. Recent neutron
diffraction data in NbSe2 crystals in presence of transport current support
this point of view
Structure of the flux lines lattice in NbSe2: Equilibrium state and influence of the magnetic history
We have performed small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) of the flux line
lattice (FLL) in a Fe doped NbSe_2 sample which presents a large peak effect in
the critical current. The scattered intensity and the width of the Bragg peaks
of the equilibrium FLL indicate an ordered structure in the peak effect zone.
The history dependence in the FLL structure has been studied using field cooled
and zero field cooled procedures, and each state shows the same intensity of
Bragg scattering and good orientational order. These results strongly suggest
that the peak effect is unrelated to a bulk disordering transition, and confirm
the role of a heterogeneous distribution of screening current.Comment: accepted in Phys. Rev.
A Variant of GJD2, Encoding for Connexin 36, Alters the Function of Insulin Producing β-Cells.
Signalling through gap junctions contributes to control insulin secretion and, thus, blood glucose levels. Gap junctions of the insulin-producing β-cells are made of connexin 36 (Cx36), which is encoded by the GJD2 gene. Cx36-null mice feature alterations mimicking those observed in type 2 diabetes (T2D). GJD2 is also expressed in neurons, which share a number of common features with pancreatic β-cells. Given that a synonymous exonic single nucleotide polymorphism of human Cx36 (SNP rs3743123) associates with altered function of central neurons in a subset of epileptic patients, we investigated whether this SNP also caused alterations of β-cell function. Transfection of rs3743123 cDNA in connexin-lacking HeLa cells resulted in altered formation of gap junction plaques and cell coupling, as compared to those induced by wild type (WT) GJD2 cDNA. Transgenic mice expressing the very same cDNAs under an insulin promoter revealed that SNP rs3743123 expression consistently lead to a post-natal reduction of islet Cx36 levels and β-cell survival, resulting in hyperglycemia in selected lines. These changes were not observed in sex- and age-matched controls expressing WT hCx36. The variant GJD2 only marginally associated to heterogeneous populations of diabetic patients. The data document that a silent polymorphism of GJD2 is associated with altered β-cell function, presumably contributing to T2D pathogenesis
Moving glass phase of driven lattices
We study periodic lattices, such as vortex lattices, driven by an external
force in a random pinning potential. We show that effects of static disorder
persist even at large velocity. It results in a novel moving glass state with
topological order analogous to the static Bragg glass. The lattice flows
through well-defined, elastically coupled, {\it % static} channels. We predict
barriers to transverse motion resulting in finite transverse critical current.
Experimental tests of the theory are proposed.Comment: Revised version, shortened, 8 pages, REVTeX, no figure
Driven vortices in 3D layered superconductors: Dynamical ordering along the c-axis
We study a 3D model of driven vortices in weakly coupled layered
superconductors with strong pinning. Above the critical force , we find a
plastic flow regime in which pancakes in different layers are uncoupled,
corresponding to a pancake gas. At a higher , there is an ``smectic flow''
regime with short-range interlayer order, corresponding to an entangled line
liquid. Later, the transverse displacements freeze and vortices become
correlated along the c-axis, resulting in a transverse solid. Finally, at a
force the longitudinal displacements freeze and we find a coherent solid
of rigid lines.Comment: 4 pages, 3 postscript figure
Temperature dependence and mechanisms for vortex pinning by periodic arrays of Ni dots in Nb films
Pinning interactions between superconducting vortices in Nb and magnetic Ni
dots were studied as a function of current and temperature to clarify the
nature of pinning mechanisms. A strong current dependence is found for a square
array of dots, with a temperature dependent optimum current for the observation
of periodic pinning, that decreases with temperature as (1-T/Tc)3/2. This same
temperature dependence is found for the critical current at the first matching
field with a rectangular array of dots. The analysis of these results allows to
narrow the possible pinning mechanisms to a combination of two: the interaction
between the vortex and the magnetic moment of the dot and the proximity effect.
Moreover, for the rectangular dot array, the temperature dependence of the
crossover between the low field regime with a rectangular vortex lattice to the
high field regime with a square configuration has been studied. It is found
that the crossover field increases with decreasing temperature. This dependence
indicates a change in the balance between elastic and pinning energies,
associated with dynamical effects of the vortex lattice in the high field
range.Comment: 12 text pages (revtex), 6 figures (1st jpeg, 2nd-6th postscript)
accepted in Physical Review
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