Real and Image Fields of a Relativistic Bunch

We derive analytical expressions for external fields of a charged relativistic bunch with a circular cross section. At distances far from the bunch, the field reduces to the relativistic modified Coulomb form and in the near region, reproduce the external fields of a continuous beam. If the bunch is surrounded by conducting surfaces, the bunch self-fields are modified. Image fields generated by a bunch between two parallel conducting planes are studied in detail. Exact summation of image fields by the direct method invented by Laslett allows the infinite series to be represented in terms of elementary trigonometric functions.Comment: 10 page

Nonequilibrium noise and current fluctuations at the superconducting phase transition

We study non-Gaussian out-of-equilibrium current fluctuations in a mesoscopic NSN circuit at the point of a superconducting phase transition. The setup consists of a voltage-biased thin film nanobridge superconductor (S) connected to two normal-metal (N) leads by tunnel junctions. We find that above a critical temperature fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter associated with the preformed Cooper pairs mediate inelastic electron scattering that promotes strong current fluctuations. Though the conductance is suppressed due to the depletion of the quasiparticle density of states, higher cumulants of current fluctuations are parametrically enhanced. We identify experimentally relevant transport regime where excess current noise may reach or even exceed the level of the thermal noise.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Coulomb drag

Coulomb drag is a transport phenomenon whereby long-range Coulomb interaction between charge carriers in two closely spaced but electrically isolated conductors induces a voltage (or, in a closed circuit, a current) in one of the conductors when an electrical current is passed through the other. The magnitude of the effect depends on the exact nature of the charge carriers and microscopic, many-body structure of the electronic systems in the two conductors. Drag measurements have become part of the standard toolbox in condensed matter physics that can be used to study fundamental properties of diverse physical systems including semiconductor heterostructures, graphene, quantum wires, quantum dots, and optical cavities.Comment: Review article, 59 pages, 35 figures, lots of references (pages 52-59); submitted to Reviews of Modern Physic