Out of plane optical conductivity in d-wave superconductors

We study theoretically the out of plane optical conductivity of d-wave superconductors in the presence of impurities at T=0K. Unlike the usual approach, we assume that the interlayer quasi-particle transport is due to coherent tunneling. The present model describes the T^2 dependence of the out of plane superfluid density observed in YBCO and Tl2201 for example. In the optical conductivity there is no Drude peak in agreement with experiment, and the interlayer Josephson tunneling is also assured in this model. In the unitary limit we predict a step like behaviour around omega=Delta in both the real and imaginary part of the optical conductivity.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Anomalous Lattice Response at the Mott Transition in a Quasi-2D Organic Conductor

Discontinuous changes of the lattice parameters at the Mott metal-insulator transition are detected by high-resolution dilatometry on deuterated crystals of the layered organic conductor $\kappa$-(BEDT-TTF)$_{2}$Cu[N(CN)$_{2}$]Br. The uniaxial expansivities uncover a striking and unexpected anisotropy, notably a zero-effect along the in-plane c-axis along which the electronic interactions are relatively strong. A huge thermal expansion anomaly is observed near the end-point of the first-order transition line enabling to explore the critical behavior with very high sensitivity. The analysis yields critical fluctuations with an exponent $\tilde{\alpha} \simeq$ 0.8 $\pm$ 0.15 at odds with the novel criticality recently proposed for these materials [Kagawa \textit{et al.}, Nature \textbf{436}, 534 (2005)]. Our data suggest an intricate role of the lattice degrees of freedom in the Mott transition for the present materials.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Are there Local Minima in the Magnetic Monopole Potential in Compact QED?

We investigate the influence of the granularity of the lattice on the potential between monopoles. Using the flux definition of monopoles we introduce their centers of mass and are able to realize continuous shifts of the monopole positions. We find periodic deviations from the $1/r$-behavior of the monopole-antimonopole potential leading to local extrema. We suppose that these meta-stabilities may influence the order of the phase transition in compact QED.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Searching for tetraquarks on the lattice

We address the question whether the lightest scalar mesons sigma and kappa are tetraquarks. We present a search for possible light tetraquark states with J^PC=0^++ and I=0, 1/2, 3/2, 2 in the dynamical and the quenched lattice simulations using tetraquark interpolators. In all the channels, we unavoidably find lowest scattering states pi(k)pi(-k) or K(k)pi(-k) with back-to-back momentum k=0,2*pi/L,.. . However, we find an additional light state in the I=0 and I=1/2 channels, which may be related to the observed resonances sigma and kappa with a strong tetraquark component. In the exotic repulsive channels I=2 and I=3/2, where no resonance is observed, we find no light state in addition to the scattering states.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, proceedings of Lepton-Photon 2009, Hambur

Surveying the solar system by measuring angles and times: from the solar density to the gravitational constant

A surprisingly large amount of information on our solar system can be gained from simple measurements of the apparent angular diameters of the sun and the moon. This information includes the average density of the sun, the distance between earth and moon, the radius of the moon, and the gravitational constant. In this note it is described how these and other quantities can be obtained by simple earthbound measurements of angles and times only, without using any explicit information on distances between celestial bodies. The pedagogical and historical aspects of these results are also discussed briefly.Comment: 12 pges, one figur

Resonant Impurity States in the D-Density-Wave Phase

We study the electronic structure near impurities in the d-density-wave (DDW) state, a possible candidate phase for the pseudo-gap region of the high-temperature superconductors. We show that the local DOS near a non-magnetic impurity in the DDW state is {\it qualitatively} different from that in a superconductor with $d_{x^2-y^2}$-symmetry. Since this result is a robust feature of the DDW phase, it can help to identify the nature of the two different phases recently observed by scanning tunneling microscopy experiments in the superconducting state of underdoped Bi-2212 compounds

The magnetic environment in the central region of nearby galaxies

The central regions of galaxies harbor some of the most extreme physical phenomena, including dense stellar clusters, non-circular motions of molecular clouds and strong and pervasive magnetic field structures. In particular, radio observations have shown that the central few hundred parsecs of our Galaxy has a striking magnetic field configuration. It is not yet clear whether these magnetic structures are unique to our Milky Way or a common feature of all similar galaxies. Therefore, we report on (a) a new radio polarimetric survey of the central 200 pc of the Galaxy to better characterize the magnetic field structure and (b) a search for large-scale and organized magnetized structure in the nuclear regions of nearby galaxies using data from the Very Large Array (VLA) archive. The high angular resolution of the VLA allows us to study the central 1 kpc of the nearest galaxies to search for magnetized nuclear features similar to what is detected in our own Galactic center. Such magnetic features play a important role in the nuclear regions of galaxies in terms of gas transport and the physical conditions of the interstellar medium in this unusual region of galaxies.Comment: 8 pages; Proceedings for "The Universe under the Microscope" (AHAR 2008), held in Bad Honnef (Germany) in April 2008, to be published in Journal of Physics: Conference Series by Institute of Physics Publishing, R. Schoedel, A. Eckart, S. Pfalzner, and E. Ros (eds.

Observation of discrete energy levels in a quantum confined system

Low temperature scanning tunneling microscope images and spectroscopic data have been obtained on subnanometer size Pb clusters fabricated using the technique of buffer layer assisted growth. Discrete energy levels were resolved in current-voltage characteristics as current peaks rather than current steps. Distributions of peak voltage spacings and peak current heights were consistent with Wigner-Dyson and Porter-Thomas distributions respectively, suggesting the relevance of random matrix theory to the description of the electronic eigenstates of the clusters. The observation of peaks rather than steps in the current-voltage characteristics is attributed to a resonant tunneling process involving the discrete energy levels of the cluster, the tip, and the states at the interface between the cluster and the substrate surface.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure