Wave propagation on a random lattice

Motivated by phenomenological questions in quantum gravity, we consider the propagation of a scalar field on a random lattice. We describe a procedure to calculate the dispersion relation for the field by taking a limit of a periodic lattice. We use this to calculate the lowest order coefficients of the dispersion relation for a specific one-dimensional model.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures. v3: Some minor changes and clarifications. Virtually identical with the version published in Physical Review

Functionalization of BN Honeycomb structure by Adsorption and Substitution of Foreign atoms

We carried out first-principles calculations within Density Functional Theory to investigate the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of boron-nitride (BN) honeycomb structure functionalized by adatom adsorption, as well as by the substitution of foreign atoms for B and N atoms. For periodic high density coverage, most of $3d$ transition metal atoms and some of group 3A, 4A, and 6A elements are adsorbed with significant binding energy and modify the electronic structure of bare BN monolayer. While bare BN monolayer is nonmagnetic, wide band gap semiconductor, at high coverage of specific adatoms it can achieve magnetic metallic, even half-metallic ground states. At low coverage, the bands associated with adsorbed atoms are flat and the band structure of parent BN is not affected significantly. Therefore, adatoms and substitution of foreign atoms at low coverage are taken to be the representative of impurity atoms yielding localized states in the band gap and resonance states in the band continua. Notably, the substitution of C for B and N yield donor and acceptor like magnetic states in the band gap. Localized impurity states occurring in the gap give rise to interesting properties for electronic and optical application of the single layer BN honeycomb structure.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, 4 table

Heavy Fermion Quantum Criticality

During the last few years, investigations of Rare-Earth materials have made clear that not only the heavy fermion phase in these systems provides interesting physics, but the quantum criticality where such a phase dies exhibits novel phase transition physics not fully understood. Moreover, attempts to study the critical point numerically face the infamous fermion sign problem, which limits their accuracy. Effective action techniques and Callan-Symanzik equations have been very popular in high energy physics, where they enjoy a good record of success. Yet, they have been little exploited for fermionic systems in condensed matter physics. In this work, we apply the RG effective action and Callan-Symanzik techiques to the heavy fermion problem. We write for the first time the effective action describing the low energy physics of the system. The f-fermions are replaced by a dynamical scalar field whose nonzero expected value corresponds to the heavy fermion phase. This removes the fermion sign problem, making the effective action amenable to numerical studies as the effective theory is bosonic. Renormalization group studies of the effective action can be performed to extract approximations to nonperturbative effects at the transition. By performing one-loop renormalizations, resummed via Callan-Symanzik methods, we describe the heavy fermion criticality and predict the heavy fermion critical dynamical susceptibility and critical specific heat. The specific heat coefficient exponent we obtain (0.39) is in excellent agreement with the experimental result at low temperatures (0.4).Comment: 5 pages. In the replacement, the numerical value for the specific heat coefficient exponent has been included explicitly in decimal form, and has been compared with the experimental result

Photoacoustic wave propagating from normal into superconductive phases in Pb single crystals

Photoacoustic (PA) wave has been examined in a superconductor of the first kind, Pb single crystal. The PA wave is induced by optical excitation of electronic state and propagates from normal into superconductive phases below T$_{\rm C}$. It is clearly shown by wavelet analysis that the measured PA wave includes two different components. The high-frequency component is MHz-ultrasonic and the relative low-frequency one is induced by thermal wave. The latter is observed in a similar manner irrespective of T$_{\rm C}$. On the other hand, the MHz-frequency component is obviously enhanced below T$_{\rm C}$. The behavior is reproduced by the change of attenuation of longitudinal ultrasonic wave and is consistent with BCS theory.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures (fig.3 is colored), RevTeX4; the text is modifie

Dynamical instability and loss of p-band bosons in optical lattices

We study how the bosonic atoms on the excited p-band of an optical lattice are coupled to the lowest s-band and the 2nd excited d-band. We find that in some parameter regimes the atom-atom interactions can cause a dynamical instability of the p-band atoms towards decay to the s- and d-bands. Furthermore, even when dynamical instability is not expected s- and d-bands can become substantially populated.Comment: 7 figures, minor changes to the earlier versio

Magnetoelectric Response of the Time-Reversal Invariant Helical Metal

We derive compact analytical expressions for the coupled spin-charge susceptibility of a clean helical metal at the surface of a three dimensional topological insulator (TI). These expressions lead to unconventional non-collinear RKKY interactions between two impurity magnetic moments placed on the surface of a TI, and predict the generation of electric currents by time-dependent magnetic moments. We determine the influence of gate and bias voltages on the interlayer exchange coupling between two single-domain ferromagnetic monolayers deposited on top of a TI.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; submitted to Phys. Rev. B R

Magnetic moment and magnetic anisotropy of linear and zigzag 4{\it d} and 5{\it d} transition metal nanowires: First-principles calculations

An extensive {\it ab initio} study of the physical properties of both linear and zigzag atomic chains of all 4$d$ and 5$d$ transition metals (TM) within the GGA by using the accurate PAW method, has been carried out. All the TM linear chains are found to be unstable against the corresponding zigzag structures. All the TM chains, except Nb, Ag and La, have a stable (or metastable) magnetic state in either the linear or zigzag or both structures. Magnetic states appear also in the sufficiently stretched Nb and La linear chains and in the largely compressed Y and La chains. The spin magnetic moments in the Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, W, Re chains could be large ($\geq$1.0 $\mu_B$/atom). Structural transformation from the linear to zigzag chains could suppress the magnetism already in the linear chain, induce the magnetism in the zigzag structure, and also cause a change of the magnetic state (ferromagnetic to antiferroamgetic or vice verse). The calculations including the spin-orbit coupling reveal that the orbital moments in the Zr, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir and Pt chains could be rather large ($\geq$0.1 $\mu_B$/atom). Importantly, large magnetic anisotropy energy ($\geq$1.0 meV/atom) is found in most of the magnetic TM chains, suggesting that these nanowires could have fascinating applications in ultrahigh density magnetic memories and hard disks. In particular, giant magnetic anisotropy energy ($\geq$10.0 meV/atom) could appear in the Ru, Re, Rh, and Ir chains. Furthermore, the magnetic anisotropy energy in several elongated linear chains could be as large as 40.0 meV/atom. A spin-reorientation transition occurs in the Ru, Ir, Ta, Zr, La and Zr, Ru, La, Ta and Ir linear chains when they are elongated. Remarkably, all the 5$d$ as well as Tc and Pd chains show the colossal magnetic anisotropy (i.e., it is impossible to rotate magnetization into certain directions). Finally, the electronic band structure and density of states of the nanowires have also been calculated in order to understand the electronic origin of the large magnetic anisotropy and orbital magnetic moment as well as to estimate the conduction electron spin polarization.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev.

Hopping and clustering of oxygen vacancies in SrTiO3 by anelastic relaxation

The complex elastic compliance s11(w,T) of SrTiO3-d has been measured as a function of the O deficiency d < 0.01. The two main relaxation peaks in the absorption are identified with hopping of isolated O vacancies over a barrier of 0.60 eV and reorientation of pairs of vacancies involving a barrier of 1 eV. The pair binding energy is ~0.2 eV and indications for additional clustering, possibly into chains, is found already at d ~0.004. The anistropic component of the elastic dipole of an O vacancy is Deltalambda = 0.026.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Fast mode of rotating atoms in one-dimensional lattice rings

We study the rotation of atoms in one-dimensional lattice rings. In particular, the "fast mode", where the ground state atoms rotate faster than the stirring rotating the atoms, is studied both analytically and numerically. The conditions for the transition to the fast mode are found to be very different from that in continuum rings. We argue that these transition frequencies remain unchanged for bosonic condensates described in a mean field. We show that Fermionic interaction and filling factor have a significant effect on the transition to the fast mode, and Pauli principle may suppress it altogether.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Supersolid phases of dipolar bosons in optical lattices with a staggered flux

We present the theoretical mean-field zero-temperature phase diagram of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) with dipolar interactions loaded into an optical lattice with a staggered flux. Apart from uniform superfluid, checkerboard supersolid and striped supersolid phases, we identify several supersolid phases with staggered vortices, which can be seen as combinations of supersolid phases found in earlier work on dipolar BECs and a staggered-vortex phase found for bosons in optical lattices with staggered flux. By allowing for different phases and densities on each of the four sites of the elementary plaquette, more complex phase patterns are found.Comment: 11 pages; added references, minor changes in tex