87 research outputs found
Coherent Charge Transport in Metallic Proximity Structures
We develop a detailed microscopic analysis of electron transport in normal
diffusive conductors in the presence of proximity induced superconducting
correlation. We calculated the linear conductance of the system, the profile of
the electric field and the densities of states. In the case of transparent
metallic boundaries the temperature dependent conductance has a non-monotoneous
``reentrant'' structure. We argue that this behavior is due to nonequilibrium
effects occuring in the normal metal in the presence of both superconducting
correlations and the electric field there. Low transparent tunnel barriers
suppress the nonequilibrium effects and destroy the reentrant behavior of the
conductance. If the wire contains a loop, the conductance shows Aharonov-Bohm
oscillations with the period as a function of the magnetic flux
inside the loop. The amplitude of these oscillations also demonstrates
the reentrant behavior vanishing at and decaying as at relatively
large temperatures. The latter behavior is due to low energy correlated
electrons which penetrate deep into the normal metal and ``feel'' the effect of
the magnetic flux . We point out that the density of states and thus the
``strengh'' of the proximity effect can be tuned by the value of the flux
inside the loop. Our results are fully consistent with recent experimental
findings.Comment: 16 pages RevTeX, 23 Postscript figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Overscreening Diamagnetism in Cylindrical Superconductor-Normal Metal-Heterostructures
We study the linear diamagnetic response of a superconducting cylinder coated
by a normal-metal layer due to the proximity effect using the clean limit
quasiclassical Eilenberger equations. We compare the results for the
susceptibility with those for a planar geometry. Interestingly, for
the cylinder exhibits a stronger overscreening of the magnetic field, i.e., at
the interface to the superconductor it can be less than (-1/2) of the applied
field. Even for , the diamagnetism can be increased as compared to the
planar case, viz. the magnetic susceptibility becomes smaller than
-3/4. This behaviour can be explained by an intriguing spatial oscillation of
the magnetic field in the normal layer
Transition to an Insulating Phase Induced by Attractive Interactions in the Disordered Three-Dimensional Hubbard Model
We study numerically the interplay of disorder and attractive interactions
for spin-1/2 fermions in the three-dimensional Hubbard model. The results
obtained by projector quantum Monte Carlo simulations show that at moderate
disorder, increasing the attractive interaction leads to a transition from
delocalized superconducting states to the insulating phase of localized pairs.
This transition takes place well within the metallic phase of the
single-particle Anderson model.Comment: revtex, 4 pages, 3 figure
The excitation spectrum of mesoscopic proximity structures
We investigate one aspect of the proximity effect, viz., the local density of
states of a superconductor-normal metal sandwich. In contrast to earlier work,
we allow for the presence of an arbitrary concentration of impurities in the
structure. The superconductor induces a gap in the normal metal spectrum that
is proportional to the inverse of the elastic mean free path l_N for rather
clean systems. For a mean free path much shorter than the thickness of the
normal metal, we find a gap size proportional to l_N that approaches the
behavior predicted by the Usadel equation (diffusive limit). We also discuss
the influence of interface and surface roughness, the consequences of a
non-ideal transmittivity of the interface, and the dependence of our results on
the choice of the model of impurity scattering.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures (included), submitted to PR
Inelastic Scattering Time for Conductance Fluctuations
We revisit the problem of inelastic times governing the temperature behavior
of the weak localization correction and mesoscopic fluctuations in one- and
two-dimensional systems. It is shown that, for dephasing by the electron
electron interaction, not only are those times identical but the scaling
functions are also the same.Comment: 10 pages Revtex; 5 eps files include
Magnetic field - temperature phase diagram of quasi-two-dimensional organic superconductor lambda-(BETS)_2 GaCl_4 studied via thermal conductivity
The thermal conductivity kappa of the quasi-two-dimensional (Q2D) organic
superconductor lambda-(BETS)_2 GaCl_4 was studied in the magnetic field H
applied parallel to the Q2D plane. The phase diagram determined from this bulk
measurement shows notable dependence on the sample quality. In dirty samples
the upper critical field H_{c2} is consistent with the Pauli paramagnetic
limiting, and a sharp change is observed in kappa(H) at H_{c2 parallel}. In
contrast in clean samples H_{c2}(T) shows no saturation towards low
temperatures and the feature in kappa(H) is replaced by two slope changes
reminiscent of second-order transitions. The peculiarity was observed below ~
0.33T_c and disappeared on field inclination to the plane when the orbital
suppression of superconductivity became dominant. This behavior is consistent
with the formation of a superconducting state with spatially modulated order
parameter in clean samples.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, new figure (Fig.5) and references added, title
change
Phase Behavior of Type-II Superconductors with Quenched Point Pinning Disorder: A Phenomenological Proposal
A general phenomenology for phase behaviour in the mixed phase of type-II
superconductors with weak point pinning disorder is outlined. We propose that
the ``Bragg glass'' phase generically transforms via two separate thermodynamic
phase transitions into a disordered liquid on increasing the temperature. The
first transition is into a glassy phase, topologically disordered at the
largest length scales; current evidence suggests that it lacks the long-ranged
phase correlations expected of a ``vortex glass''. This phase has a significant
degree of short-ranged translational order, unlike the disordered liquid, but
no quasi-long range order, in contrast to the Bragg glass. This glassy phase,
which we call a ``multi-domain glass'', is confined to a narrow sliver at
intermediate fields, but broadens out both for much larger and much smaller
field values. The multi-domain glass may be a ``hexatic glass''; alternatively,
its glassy properties may originate in the replica symmetry breaking envisaged
in recent theories of the structural glass transition. Estimates for
translational correlation lengths in the multi-domain glass indicate that they
can be far larger than the interline spacing for weak disorder, suggesting a
plausible mechanism by which signals of a two-step transition can be obscured.
Calculations of the Bragg glass-multi-domain glass and the multi-domain
glass-disordered liquid phase boundaries are presented and compared to
experimental data. We argue that these proposals provide a unified picture of
the available experimental data on both high-T and low-T materials,
simulations and current theoretical understanding.Comment: 70 pages, 9 postscript figures, modified title and minor changes in
published versio
Learning from multimedia and hypermedia
Computer-based multimedia and hypermedia resources (e.g., the world wide web) have become one of the primary sources of academic information for a majority of pupils and students. In line with this expansion in the field of education, the scientific study of learning from multimedia and hypermedia has become a very active field of research. In this chapter we provide a short overview with regard to research on learning with multimedia and hypermedia. In two review sections, we describe the educational benefits of multiple representations and of learner control, as these are the two defining characteristics of hypermedia. In a third review section we describe recent scientific trends in the field of multimedia/hypermedia learning. In all three review sections we will point to relevant European work on multimedia/hypermedia carried out within the last 5 years, and often carried out within the Kaleidoscope Network of Excellence. According to the interdisciplinary nature of the field this work might come not only from psychology, but also from technology or pedagogy. Comparing the different research activities on multimedia and hypermedia that have dominated the international scientific discourse in the last decade reveals some important differences. Most important, a gap seems to exist between researchers mainly interested in a âseriousâ educational use of multimedia/ hypermedia and researchers mainly interested in âseriousâ experimental research on learning with multimedia/hypermedia. Recent discussions about the pros and cons of âdesign-based researchâ or âuse-inspired basic researchâ can be seen as a direct consequence of an increasing awareness of the tensions within these two different cultures of research on education
Search for Lorentz and CPT violation using sidereal time dependence of neutrino flavor transitions over a short baseline
A class of extensions of the Standard Model allows Lorentz and CPT violations, which can be identified
by the observation of sidereal modulations in the neutrino interaction rate. A search for such modulations
was performed using the T2K on-axis near detector. Two complementary methods were used in this study,
both of which resulted in no evidence of a signal. Limits on associated Lorentz and CPT-violating terms
from the Standard Model extension have been derived by taking into account their correlations in this
model for the first time. These results imply such symmetry violations are suppressed by a factor of more
than 10 20 at the GeV scale
TRY plant trait database â enhanced coverage and open access
Plant traitsâthe morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plantsâdetermine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of traitâbased plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traitsâalmost complete coverage for âplant growth formâ. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and traitâenvironmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives
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