62 research outputs found
Theory of concentration depolarization in the presence of orientational correlations
A theory is presented that incorporates the effect of orientational correlations between luminescent molecules on the fluorescence depolarization due to incoherent energy transfer. The luminescent molecules are embedded in a homogeneous two- or three-dimensional medium which is in an axially symmetric phase with the xy plane as a symmetry plane, and consists of axially symmetric molecules. For the general orientational singlet distribution and the general form of orientational correlations consistent with these symmetries, we derive analytical expressions for the anisotropy of fluorescence emission. In a no back transfer model, numerical results are evaluated for a simple choice of correlations that tend to align nearby molecules. In a pure donor system, the anisotropy of fluorescence is found to be strongly dependent on these correlations. By ignoring them, the critical transfer distance, as obtained from depolarization experiments, may be drastically underestimated. In a system where donors are surrounded by a huge majority of traps, the critical transfer distance can be determined from the intensity of trap fluorescence. Its anisotropy also strongly depends on correlations and may thus give an indication of the correlation length scale
Current-induced vortex dynamics in Josephson-junction arrays: Imaging experiments and model simulations
We study the dynamics of current-biased Josephson-junction arrays with a
magnetic penetration depth smaller than the lattice spacing. We compare the
dynamics imaged by low-temperature scanning electron microscopy to the vortex
dynamics obtained from model calculations based on the resistively-shunted
junction model, in combination with Maxwell's equations. We find three bias
current regions with fundamentally different array dynamics. The first region
is the subcritical region, i.e. below the array critical current I_c. The
second, for currents I above I_c, is a "vortex region", in which the response
is determined by the vortex degrees of freedom. In this region, the dynamics is
characterized by spatial domains where vortices and antivortices move across
the array in opposite directions in adjacent rows and by transverse voltage
fluctuations. In the third, for still higher currents, the dynamics is
dominated by coherent-phase motion, and the current-voltage characteristics are
linear.Comment: 10 pages, with eps figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.
Anisotropy in the helicity modulus of a 3D XY-model: application to YBCO
We present a Monte Carlo study of the helicity moduli of an anisotropic
classical three-dimensional (3D) XY-model of YBCO in superconducting state. It
is found that both the ab-plane and the c-axis helicity moduli, which are
proportional to the inverse square of the corresponding magnetic field
penetration depth, vary linearly with temperature at low temperatures. The
result for the c-axis helicity modulus is in disagreement with the experiments
on high quality samples of YBCO. Thus we conclude that purely classical phase
fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter cannot account for the
observed c-axis electrodynamics of YBCO.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur
Finite-Size Scaling in Two-Dimensional Superfluids
Using the model and a non-local updating scheme called cluster Monte
Carlo, we calculate the superfluid density of a two dimensional superfluid on
large-size square lattices up to . This technique
allows us to approach temperatures close to the critical point, and by studying
a wide range of values and applying finite-size scaling theory we are able
to extract the critical properties of the system. We calculate the superfluid
density and from that we extract the renormalization group beta function. We
derive finite-size scaling expressions using the Kosterlitz-Thouless-Nelson
Renormalization Group equations and show that they are in very good agreement
with our numerical results. This allows us to extrapolate our results to the
infinite-size limit. We also find that the universal discontinuity of the
superfluid density at the critical temperature is in very good agreement with
the Kosterlitz-Thouless-Nelson calculation and experiments.Comment: 13 pages, postscript fil
Single-vortex-induced voltage steps in Josephson-junction arrays
We have numerically and analytically studied ac+dc driven Josephson-junction
arrays with a single vortex or with a single vortex-antivortex pair present. We
find single-vortex steps in the voltage versus current characteristics (I-V) of
the array. They correspond microscopically to a single vortex phase-locked to
move a fixed number of plaquettes per period of the ac driving current. In
underdamped arrays we find vortex motion period doubling on the steps. We
observe subharmonic steps in both underdamped and overdamped arrays. We
successfully compare these results with a phenomenological model of vortex
motion with a nonlinear viscosity. The I-V of an array with a vortex-antivortex
pair displays fractional voltage steps. A possible connection of these results
to present day experiments is also discussed.Comment: 10 pages double sided with figures included in the text. To appear in
Journal of Physics, Condensed Matte
Phase Transitions Driven by Vortices in 2D Superfluids and Superconductors: From Kosterlitz-Thouless to 1st Order
The Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson hamiltonian is studied for different values of the
parameter which multiplies the quartic term (it turns out that this
is equivalent to consider different values of the coherence length in
units of the lattice spacing ). It is observed that amplitude fluctuations
can change dramatically the nature of the phase transition: for small values of
(), instead of the smooth Kosterlitz-Thouless transition
there is a {\em first order} transition with a discontinuous jump in the vortex
density and a larger non-universal drop in the helicity modulus. In
particular, for sufficiently small (), the density of
bound pairs of vortex-antivortex below is so low that, drops to zero
almost for all temperature .Comment: 8 pages, 5 .eps figure
Temperature Derivative of the Superfluid Density in the Attractive Hubbard model
Based on extensions of the grand-canonical Quantum Monte-Carlo algorithm to
incorporate magnetic fields, we provide numerical data confirming the existence
of a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in the attractive Hubbard model. Here, we
calculate the temperature derivative of the superfluid density, to pin down the
transition. Away from half-band filling, the above quantity, shows a response
which increases with lattice size at the transition temperature. In contrast,
such a signal is not observed for the case of a half-band filling.Comment: Latex 8 pages, 3 figures (in postscript format) appendded at the end
of the fil
Nonlinear Viscous Vortex Motion in Two-Dimensional Josephson-Junction Arrays
When a vortex in a two-dimensional Josephson junction array is driven by a
constant external current it may move as a particle in a viscous medium. Here
we study the nature of this viscous motion. We model the junctions in a square
array as resistively and capacitively shunted Josephson junctions and carry out
numerical calculations of the current-voltage characteristics. We find that the
current-voltage characteristics in the damped regime are well described by a
model with a {\bf nonlinear} viscous force of the form , where is the vortex velocity,
is the velocity dependent viscosity and and are
constants for a fixed value of the Stewart-McCumber parameter. This result is
found to apply also for triangular lattices in the overdamped regime. Further
qualitative understanding of the nature of the nonlinear friction on the vortex
motion is obtained from a graphic analysis of the microscopic vortex dynamics
in the array. The consequences of having this type of nonlinear friction law
are discussed and compared to previous theoretical and experimental studies.Comment: 14 pages RevTex, 9 Postscript figure
Two-dimensional Superfluidity and Localization in the Hard-Core Boson Model: a Quantum Monte Carlo Study
Quantum Monte Carlo simulations are used to investigate the two-dimensional
superfluid properties of the hard-core boson model, which show a strong
dependence on particle density and disorder. We obtain further evidence that a
half-filled clean system becomes superfluid via a finite temperature
Kosterlitz-Thouless transition. The relationship between low temperature
superfluid density and particle density is symmetric and appears parabolic
about the half filling point. Disorder appears to break the superfluid phase up
into two distinct localized states, depending on the particle density. We find
that these results strongly correlate with the results of several experiments
on high- superconductors.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures upon request, RevTeX version 3, (accepted for
Phys. Rev. B
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