150 research outputs found
Elastic Theory of pinned flux lattices
The pinning of flux lattices by weak impurity disorder is studied in the
absence of free dislocations using both the gaussian variational method and, to
, the functional renormalization group. We find universal
logarithmic growth of displacements for : and persistence of algebraic quasi-long range
translational order. When the two methods can be compared they agree within
on the value of . We compute the function describing the crossover
between the ``random manifold'' regime and the logarithmic regime. This
crossover should be observable in present decoration experiments.Comment: 12 pages, Revtex 3.
Tunneling from a correlated 2D electron system transverse to a magnetic field
We show that, in a magnetic field parallel to the 2D electron layer, strong
electron correlations change the rate of tunneling from the layer
exponentially. It results in a specific density dependence of the escape rate.
The mechanism is a dynamical Mossbauer-type recoil, in which the Hall momentum
of the tunneling electron is partly transferred to the whole electron system,
depending on the interrelation between the rate of interelectron momentum
exchange and the tunneling duration. We also show that, in a certain
temperature range, magnetic field can enhance rather than suppress the
tunneling rate. The effect is due to the magnetic field induced energy exchange
between the in-plane and out-of-plane motion. Magnetic field can also induce
switching between intra-well states from which the system tunnels, and a
transition from tunneling to thermal activation. Explicit results are obtained
for a Wigner crystal. They are in qualitative and quantitative agreement with
the relevant experimental data, with no adjustable parameters.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure
Dislocations and the critical endpoint of the melting line of vortex line lattices
We develop a theory for dislocation-mediated structural transitions in the
vortex lattice which allows for a unified description of phase transitions
between the three phases, the elastic vortex glass, the amorphous vortex glass,
and the vortex liquid, in terms of a free energy functional for the dislocation
density. The origin of a critical endpoint of the melting line at high magnetic
fields, which has been recently observed experimentally, is explained.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Critical fluctuation conductivity in layered superconductors in strong electric field
The paraconductivity, originating from critical superconducting
order-parameter fluctuations in the vicinity of the critical temperature in a
layered superconductor is calculated in the frame of the self-consistent
Hartree approximation, for an arbitrarily strong electric field and zero
magnetic field. The paraconductivity diverges less steep towards the critical
temperature in the Hartree approximation than in the Gaussian one and it shows
a distinctly enhanced variation with the electric field. Our results indicate
that high electric fields can be effectively used to suppress order-parameter
fluctuations in high-temperature superconductors.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Current noise in long diffusive SNS junctions in the incoherent MAR regime
Spectral density of current fluctuations at zero frequency is calculated for
a long diffusive SNS junction with low-resistive interfaces. At low
temperature, T << Delta, the subgap shot noise approaches linear voltage
dependence, S=(2/ 3R)(eV + 2Delta), which is the sum of the shot noise of the
normal conductor and voltage independent excess noise. This result can also be
interpreted as the 1/3-suppressed Poisson noise for the effective charge q =
e(1+2Delta/eV) transferred by incoherent multiple Andreev reflections (MAR). At
higher temperatures, anomalies of the current noise develop at the gap
subharmonics, eV = 2Delta/n. The crossover to the hot electron regime from the
MAR regime is analyzed in the limit of small applied voltages.Comment: improved version, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Shot noise in normal metal-d-wave superconducting junctions
We present theoretical calculations and predictions for the shot noise in
voltage biased junctions of superconductors and normal metal
counter-electrodes. In the clean limit for the d-wave superconductor the shot
noise vanishes at zero voltage because of resonant Andreev reflection by
zero-energy surface bound states. We examine the sensitivity of this resonance
to impurity scattering. We report theoretical results for the magnetic field
dependence of the shot noise, as well the fingerprints of subdominant - and
pairing channels.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures and 3 tables embedde
BCS and BEC p-wave pairing in Bose-Fermi gases
The pairing of fermionic atoms in a mixture of atomic fermion and boson gases
at zero temperature is investigated. The attractive interaction between
fermions, that can be induced by density fluctuations of the bosonic
background, can give rise to a superfluid phase in the Fermi component of the
mixture. The atoms of both species are assumed to be in only one internal
state, so that the pairing of fermions is effective only in odd-l channels. No
assumption about the value of the ratio between the Fermi velocity and the
sound velocity in the Bose gas is made in the derivation of the energy gap
equation. The gap equation is solved without any particular "ansatz" for the
pairing field or the effective interaction. The p-wave superfluidity is studied
in detail. By increasing the strength and/or decreasing the range of the
effective interaction a transition of the fermion pairing regime, from the
Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer state to a system of tightly bound couples can be
realized. These composite bosons behave as a weakly-interacting Bose-Einstein
condensate.Comment: 14 pages, 6 eps-figures. To be published in European Physical Journal
Choice in the context of informal care-giving
Extending choice and control for social care service users is a central feature of current English policies. However, these have comparatively little to say about choice in relation to the informal carers of relatives, friends or older people who are disabled or sick. To explore the realities of choice as experienced by carers, the present paper reviews research published in English since 1985 about three situations in which carers are likely to face choices: receiving social services; the entry of an older person to long-term care; and combining paid work and care. Thirteen electronic databases were searched, covering both the health and social care fields. Databases included: ASSIA; IBSS; Social Care Online; ISI Web of Knowledge; Medline; HMIC Sociological Abstracts; INGENTA; ZETOC; and the National Research Register. The search strategy combined terms that: (1) identified individuals with care-giving responsibilities; (2) identified people receiving help and support; and (3) described the process of interest (e.g. choice, decision-making and self-determination). The search identified comparatively few relevant studies, and so was supplemented by the findings from another recent review of empirical research on carers' choices about combining work and care. The research evidence suggests that carers' choices are shaped by two sets of factors: one relates to the nature of the care-giving relationship; and the second consists of wider organisational factors. A number of reasons may explain the invisibility of choice for carers in current policy proposals for increasing choice. In particular, it is suggested that underpinning conceptual models of the relationship between carers and formal service providers shape the extent to which carers can be offered choice and control on similar terms to service users. In particular, the exercise of choice by carers is likely to be highly problematic if it involves relinquishing some unpaid care-giving activities
Sustainable change: long-term efforts toward developing a learning organization
Globalization and intensified competition require organizations to change and adapt to dynamic environments in order to stay competitive. This article describes a longitudinal action research study supporting the strategic change of a trading company. The strategic change was accompanied by planned changes in organizational structures and processes, management systems, emerging changes in leadership, and organization members’ attitudes and behaviors, and it was supported by management development activities. Longitudinal data over a 4-year period including participant observation and interviews reveal that a systemic approach, a learning and becoming perspective toward change, trust, an appropriate role perception, and the specific use of management instruments contribute to sustained change that resulted in performance improvements and a move toward a learning organization. We conclude with implications for strategic change and suggestions for further research in this area
Nonequilibrium electron cooling by NIS tunnel junctions
We discuss the theoretical framework to describe quasiparticle electric and
heat currents in NIS tunnel junctions in the dirty limit. The approach is based
on quasiclassical Keldysh-Usadel equations. We apply this theory to diffusive
NIS'S tunnel junctions. Here N and S are respectively normal metal and
superconductor reservoirs, I is an insulator layer and S' is a nonequilibrium
superconducting lead. We calculate the quasiparticle electric and heat currents
in such structures and consider the effect of inelastic relaxation in the S'
lead. We find that in the absence of strong relaxation the electric current and
the cooling power for voltages are suppressed. The value of this
suppression scales with the diffusive transparency parameter. We ascribe this
suppression to the effect of backtunneling of nonequilibrium quasiparticles
into the normal metal.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, proceedings, to be published in JLT
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