43 research outputs found
Ground State Vortex Lattice Structures in d-wave Superconductors
We show in a realistic symmetry gap model for a cuprate
superconductor that the clean vortex lattice has discontinuous structural
transitions (at and near T=0), as a function of the magnetic field along
the c-axis. The transitions arise from the singular nonlocal and anisotropic
susceptibility of the superconductor to the perturbation
caused by supercurrents associated with vortices. The susceptibility, due to
virtual Dirac quasiparticle-hole excitation, is calculated carefully, and leads
to a ground state transition for the triangular lattice from an orientation
along one of the crystal axis to one at 45 to them, i.e, along the gap zero
direction. The field scale is seen to be 5 Tesla , where is the gap maximum, is the
nearest neighbour hopping, is the lattice constant, and is the
flux quantum. At much higher fields () there is a discontinuous
transition to a centred square structure. The source of the differences from
existing calculations, and experimental observability are discussed, the latter
especially in view of the very small (a few degrees per vortex) differences
in the ground state energy.Comment: To be published in Phys. Rev.
Odd Frequency Pairing in the Kondo Lattice
We discuss the possibility that heavy fermion superconductors involve
odd-frequency pairing of the kind first considered by Berezinskii. Using a toy
model for odd frequency triplet pairing in the Kondo lattice we are able to
examine key properties of this new type of paired state. To make progress
treating the strong constraint in the Kondo lattice model we use the
technical trick of a Majorana representation of the local moments, which
permits variational treatments of the model without a Gutzwiller approximation.
The simplest mean field theory involves the development of bound states between
the local moments and conduction electrons, characterized by a spinor order
parameter. We show that this state is a stable realization of odd frequency
triplet superconductivity with surfaces of gapless excitations whose spin and
charge coherence factors vanish linearly in the quasiparticle energy. A
NMR relaxation rate coexists with a linear specific heat. We discuss possible
extensions of our toy model to describe heavy fermion superconductivity.Comment: 67 page
Antiferromagnetic Domains and Superconductivity in UPt3
We explore the response of an unconventional superconductor to spatially
inhomogeneous antiferromagnetism (SIAFM). Symmetry allows the superconducting
order parameter in the E-representation models for UPt3 to couple directly to
the AFM order parameter. The Ginzburg-Landau equations for coupled
superconductivity and SIAFM are solved numerically for two possible SIAFM
configurations: (I) abutting antiferromagnetic domains of uniform size, and
(II) quenched random disorder of `nanodomains' in a uniform AFM background. We
discuss the contributions to the free energy, specific heat, and order
parameter for these models. Neither model provides a satisfactory account of
experiment, but results from the two models differ significantly. Our results
demonstrate that the response of an E_{2u} superconductor to SIAFM is strongly
dependent on the spatial dependence of AFM order; no conclusion can be drawn
regarding the compatibility of E_{2u} superconductivity with UPt3 that is
independent of assumptions on the spatial dependence of AFMComment: 12 pages, 13 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Discourses on Violence in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Nicaragua: Laws and the Construction of Drug- and Gender-Related Violence
The site of action of the depilated locus (dep) in the mouse, as determined by dermal-epidermal recombination.
Depilated (dep), a Mutant Gene That Affects the Coat of the Mouse and Acts in the Epidermis
Depilated is a recessive mutation on Chromosome 4 in the position b(-)1.93±0.51(-) dep(-)3.45±0.68.(-)Pt. It causes severe abnormalities of hair structure. The site of action of dep was investigated by the method of dermal-epidermal recombination. Skins from 14-day mutant and normal mouse embryos were separated into dermal and epidermal components, recombined, and grown in histocompatible mouse testes for 20 days. The recombinations made were +/+ epidermis with +/+ dermis, +/+ epidermis with dep/dep dermis, dep/dep epidermis with +/+ dermis and dep/dep epidermis with dep/dep dermis. Grafts that contained mutant epidermis as one of the components produced hairs that were similar to those found in depilated mice. There was no observable effect of the dermis on hair types produced in this experiment
Potential reduction of contralateral second breast-cancer risks by prophylactic mammary irradiation: validation in a breast-cancer-prone mouse model.
Long-term breast-cancer survivors have a highly elevated risk (1 in 6 at 20 years) of contralateral second breast cancer. This high risk is associated with the presence of multiple pre-malignant cell clones in the contralateral breast at the time of primary breast cancer diagnosis. Mechanistic analyses suggest that a moderate dose of X-rays to the contralateral breast can kill these pre-malignant clones such that, at an appropriate Prophylactic Mammary Irradiation (PMI) dose, the long-term contralateral breast cancer risk in breast cancer survivors would be considerably decreased.To test the predicted relationship between PMI dose and cancer risk in mammary glands that have a high risk of developing malignancies.We tested the PMI concept using MMTV-PyVT mammary-tumor-prone mice. Mammary glands on one side of each mouse were irradiated with X-rays, while those on the other side were shielded from radiation. The unshielded mammary glands received doses of 0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 Gy in 4-Gy fractions.In high-risk mammary glands exposed to radiation doses designed for PMI (12 and 16 Gy), tumor incidence rates were respectively decreased by a factor of 2.2 (95% CI, 1.1-5.0) at 12 Gy, and a factor of 3.1 (95% CI, 1.3-8.3) at 16 Gy, compared to those in the shielded glands that were exposed to very low radiation doses. The same pattern was seen for PMI-exposed mammary glands relative to zero-dose controls.The pattern of cancer risk reduction by PMI was consistent with mechanistic predictions. Contralateral breast PMI may thus have promise as a spatially targeted breast-conserving option for reducing the current high risk of contralateral second breast cancers. For estrogen-receptor positive primary tumors, PMI might optimally be used concomitantly with systemically delivered chemopreventive drugs such as tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors, while for estrogen-receptor negative tumors, PMI might be used alone
Radiation and Cataract
When this paper was about to go to press, the International Commission on Radiological Protection released a statement recommending a change in the threshold dose for the eye lens and dose limits for eye for occupationally exposed persons. It is clear that the earlier published threshold for radiation cataract is no longer valid. Epidemiological studies among Chernobyl clean-up workers, A bomb survivors, astronauts, residents of contaminated buildings, radiological technicians and recent surveys of staff in interventional rooms indicate that there is an increased incidence of lens opacities at doses below 1 Gy. Nevertheless, eye lens dosimetry is at a primitive stage and needs to be developed further. Despite uncertainties concerning dose threshold and dosimetry, it is possible to significantly reduce the risk of radiation cataract through the use of appropriate eye protection. By increasing awareness among those at risk and better adoption and increased usage of protective measures, radiation cataract can become preventable despite lowering of dose limits