Onset of Vortices in Thin Superconducting Strips and Wires

Spontaneous nucleation and the consequent penetration of vortices into thin superconducting films and wires, subjected to a magnetic field, can be considered as a nonlinear stage of primary instability of the current-carrying superconducting state. The development of the instability leads to the formation of a chain of vortices in strips and helicoidal vortex lines in wires. The boundary of instability was obtained analytically. The nonlinear stage was investigated by simulations of the time-dependent generalized Ginzburg-Landau equation.Comment: REVTeX 3.0, 12 pages, 5Postscript figures (uuencoded). Accepted for Phys. Rev.

Properties of the Ideal Ginzburg-Landau Vortex Lattice

The magnetization curves M(H) for ideal type-II superconductors and the maximum, minimum, and saddle point magnetic fields of the vortex lattice are calculated from Ginzburg-Landau theory for the entire ranges of applied magnetic fields Hc1 <= H < Hc2 or inductions 0 <= B < Hc2 and Ginzburg-Landau parameters sqrt(1/2) <= kappa <= 1000. Results for the triangular and square flux-line lattices are compared with the results of the circular cell approximation. The exact magnetic field B(x,y) and magnetization M(H, kappa) are compared with often used approximate expressions, some of which deviate considerably or have limited validity. Useful limiting expressions and analytical interpolation formulas are presented.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure

Mesoscopic fluctuations of Coulomb drag between quasi-ballistic 1D-wires

Quasiballistic 1D quantum wires are known to have a conductance of the order of 2e^2/h, with small sample-to-sample fluctuations. We present a study of the transconductance G_12 of two Coulomb-coupled quasiballistic wires, i.e., we consider the Coulomb drag geometry. We show that the fluctuations in G_12 differ dramatically from those of the diagonal conductance G_ii: the fluctuations are large, and can even exceed the mean value, thus implying a possible reversal of the induced drag current. We report extensive numerical simulations elucidating the fluctuations, both for correlated and uncorrelated disorder. We also present analytic arguments, which fully account for the trends observed numerically.Comment: 10 pages including 7 figures. Minor changes according to referee report. Accepted for PR

Unitary limit and quantum interference effect in disordered two-dimensional crystals with nearly half-filled bands

Based on the self-consistent $T$-matrix approximation, the quantum interference (QI) effect is studied with the diagrammatic technique in weakly-disordered two-dimensional crystals with nearly half-filled bands. In addition to the usual 0-mode cooperon and diffuson, there exist $\pi$-mode cooperon and diffuson in the unitary limit due to the particle-hole symmetry. The diffusive $\pi$-modes are gapped by the deviation from the exactly-nested Fermi surface. The conductivity diagrams with the gapped $\pi$-mode cooperon or diffuson are found to give rise to unconventional features of the QI effect. Besides the inelastic scattering, the thermal fluctuation is shown to be also an important dephasing mechanism in the QI processes related with the diffusive $\pi$-modes. In the proximity of the nesting case, a power-law anti-localization effect appears due to the $\pi$-mode diffuson. For large deviation from the nested Fermi surface, this anti-localization effect is suppressed, and the conductivity remains to have the usual logarithmic weak-localization correction contributed by the 0-mode cooperon. As a result, the dc conductivity in the unitary limit becomes a non-monotonic function of the temperature or the sample size, which is quite different from the prediction of the usual weak-localization theory.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figure

Phenomenology of the Lense-Thirring effect in the Solar System

Recent years have seen increasing efforts to directly measure some aspects of the general relativistic gravitomagnetic interaction in several astronomical scenarios in the solar system. After briefly overviewing the concept of gravitomagnetism from a theoretical point of view, we review the performed or proposed attempts to detect the Lense-Thirring effect affecting the orbital motions of natural and artificial bodies in the gravitational fields of the Sun, Earth, Mars and Jupiter. In particular, we will focus on the evaluation of the impact of several sources of systematic uncertainties of dynamical origin to realistically elucidate the present and future perspectives in directly measuring such an elusive relativistic effect.Comment: LaTex, 51 pages, 14 figures, 22 tables. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and Space Science (ApSS). Some uncited references in the text now correctly quoted. One reference added. A footnote adde

Search for scalar bottom quarks and third-generation leptoquarks in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV

We report the results of a search for pair production of scalar bottom quarks (sbottom) and scalar third-generation leptoquarks in 5.2 fb-1 of ppbar collisions at the D0 experiment of the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. Scalar bottom quarks are assumed to decay to a neutralino and a $b$ quark, and we set 95% C.L. lower limits on their production in the (m_sbottom, m_neutralino) mass plane such as m_sbottom>247 GeV for m_neutralino=0 and m_neutralino>110 GeV for 160<m_sbottom<200 GeV. The leptoquarks are assumed to decay to a tau neutrino and a $b$ quark, and we set a 95% C.L. lower limit of 247 GeV on the mass of a charge-1/3 third-generation scalar leptoquark.Comment: Published by Phys. Lett.

Heavy quarkonium: progress, puzzles, and opportunities

A golden age for heavy quarkonium physics dawned a decade ago, initiated by the confluence of exciting advances in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and an explosion of related experimental activity. The early years of this period were chronicled in the Quarkonium Working Group (QWG) CERN Yellow Report (YR) in 2004, which presented a comprehensive review of the status of the field at that time and provided specific recommendations for further progress. However, the broad spectrum of subsequent breakthroughs, surprises, and continuing puzzles could only be partially anticipated. Since the release of the YR, the BESII program concluded only to give birth to BESIII; the $B$-factories and CLEO-c flourished; quarkonium production and polarization measurements at HERA and the Tevatron matured; and heavy-ion collisions at RHIC have opened a window on the deconfinement regime. All these experiments leave legacies of quality, precision, and unsolved mysteries for quarkonium physics, and therefore beg for continuing investigations. The plethora of newly-found quarkonium-like states unleashed a flood of theoretical investigations into new forms of matter such as quark-gluon hybrids, mesonic molecules, and tetraquarks. Measurements of the spectroscopy, decays, production, and in-medium behavior of c\bar{c}, b\bar{b}, and b\bar{c} bound states have been shown to validate some theoretical approaches to QCD and highlight lack of quantitative success for others. The intriguing details of quarkonium suppression in heavy-ion collisions that have emerged from RHIC have elevated the importance of separating hot- and cold-nuclear-matter effects in quark-gluon plasma studies. This review systematically addresses all these matters and concludes by prioritizing directions for ongoing and future efforts.Comment: 182 pages, 112 figures. Editors: N. Brambilla, S. Eidelman, B. K. Heltsley, R. Vogt. Section Coordinators: G. T. Bodwin, E. Eichten, A. D. Frawley, A. B. Meyer, R. E. Mitchell, V. Papadimitriou, P. Petreczky, A. A. Petrov, P. Robbe, A. Vair

First M87 Event Horizon Telescope results. IX.: detection of near-horizon circular polarization

Galaxie

The polarized image of a synchrotron-emitting ring of gas orbiting a black hole

High Energy Astrophysic

Constraints on black-hole charges with the 2017 EHT observations of M87*

InstrumentationHigh Energy Astrophysic