Interaction corrections: temperature and parallel field dependencies of the Lorentz number in two-dimensional disordered metals

The electron-electron interaction corrections to the transport coefficients are calculated for a two-dimensional disordered metal in a parallel magnetic field via the quantum kinetic equation approach. For the thermal transport, three regimes (diffusive, quasiballistic and truly ballistic) can be identified as the temperature increases. For the diffusive and quasiballistic regimes, the Lorentz number dependence on the temperature and on the magnetic field is studied. The electron-electron interactions induce deviations from the Wiedemann-Franz law, whose sign depend on the temperature: at low temperatures the long-range part of the Coulomb interaction gives a positive correction, while at higher temperature the inelastic collisions dominate the negative correction. By applying a parallel field, the Lorentz number becomes a non-monotonic function of field and temperature for all values of the Fermi-liquid interaction parameter in the diffusive regime, while in the quasiballistic case this is true only sufficiently far from the Stoner instability.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures. Appendix A revised, notes adde

Quantum spin liquids and the metal-insulator transition in doped semiconductors

We describe a new possible route to the metal-insulator transition in doped semiconductors such as Si:P or Si:B. We explore the possibility that the loss of metallic transport occurs through Mott localization of electrons into a quantum spin liquid state with diffusive charge neutral "spinon" excitations. Such a quantum spin liquid state can appear as an intermediate phase between the metal and the Anderson-Mott insulator. An immediate testable consequence is the presence of metallic thermal conductivity at low temperature in the electrical insulator near the metal-insulator transition. Further we show that though the transition is second order the zero temperature residual electrical conductivity will jump as the transition is approached from the metallic side. However the electrical conductivity will have a non-monotonic temperature dependence that may complicate the extrapolation to zero temperature. Signatures in other experiments and some comparisons with existing data are made.Comment: 4 pages text + 3 pages Appendices, 3 Figures; v2 - References Adde

Coherent description of electrical and thermal impurity-and-phonon limited transport in simple metals

The electrical resistivity, thermoelectric power and electronic thermal conductivity of simple (isotropic) metals are studied in a uniform way. Starting from results of a variational solution of the Boltzmann equation, a generalized Matthiessen rule is used in order to superpose the inelastic (or not) electron-phonon and elastic electron-impurity scattering cross sections ("matrix elements"). The temperature dependence relative to these processes is given through simple functions and physical parameters over the usually investigated range of temperature for each transport coefficient. The coherence of such results is emphasized.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures; to appear in International Journal of Modern Physics

Thermal transport in granular metals

We study the electron thermal transport in granular metals at large tunnel conductance between the grains, $g_T \gg 1$ and not too low a temperature $T > g_T\delta$, where $\delta$ is the mean energy level spacing for a single grain. Taking into account the electron-electron interaction effects we calculate the thermal conductivity and show that the Wiedemann-Franz law is violated for granular metals. We find that interaction effects suppress the thermal conductivity less than the electrical conductivity.Comment: Replaced with published versio

Quantum kinetic approach for studying thermal transport in the presence of electron-electron interactions and disorder

A user friendly scheme based on the quantum kinetic equation is developed for studying thermal transport phenomena in the presence of interactions and disorder. We demonstrate that this scheme is suitable for both a systematic perturbative calculation as well as a general analysis. We believe that we present an adequate alternative to the Kubo formula, which for the thermal transport is rather cumbersome.Comment: 30 pages, 16 figure

Strong compensation of the quantum fluctuation corrections in clean superconductor

The theory of fluctuation conductivity for an arbitrary impurity concentration including ultra-clean limit is developed. It is demonstrated that the formal divergency of the fluctuation density of states contribution obtained previously for the clean case is removed by the correct treatment of the non-local ballistic electron scattering. We show that in the ultra-clean limit ($T\tau \gg \sqrt{\frac{T_c}{T-T_c}}$) the density-of-states quantum corrections are canceled by the Maki-Thompson term and only quasi-classical paraconductivity remains.Comment: 7 pages 2 figure

Paraconductivity in Carbon Nanotubes

We report the calculation of paraconductivity in carbon nanotubes above the superconducting transition temperature. The complex behavior of paraconductivity depending upon the tube radius, temperature and magnetic field strength is analyzed. The results are qualitatively compared with recent experimental observations in carbon nanotubes of an inherent transition to the superconducting state and pronounced thermodynamic fluctuations above $T_{c}$. The application of our results to single-wall and multi-wall carbon nanotubes as well as ropes of nanotubes is discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur

Quasiparticle contribution to heat carriers relaxation time in DyBa2_2Cu3_3O7−x_{7-x} from heat diffusivity measurements

It is shown that the controversy on phonons or electrons being the most influenced heat carriers below the critical temperature of high-T$_c$ superconductors can be resolved. Electrical and thermal properties of the same DyBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-x}$ monodomain have been measured for two highly different oxygenation levels. While the oxygenated sample DyBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7}$ has very good superconducting properties ($T_c=90$ K), the DyBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.3}$ sample exhibits an insulator behavior. A careful comparison between measurements of the {\bf thermal diffusivity} of both samples allows us to extract the electronic contribution. This contribution to the relaxation time of heat carriers is shown to be large below $T_c$ and more sensitive to the superconducting state than the phonon contribution.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure

ITO free OLEDs utilizing inkjet printed and low temperature plasma sintered Ag electrodes

We report an inkjet printed indium tin oxide ITO free electrode made from a particle free silver ink. After printing, an argon plasma is used to reduce the silver ions in the ink to metallic silver. This process does not require high temperatures and is therefore suitable for use with temperature sensitive substrates. Printed silver layers show good optical transmittance and electrical conductivity. To demonstrate the capabilities of the electrodes, inverted ITO free organic light emitting diodes OLEDs were produced via solution processing. In terms of luminance and efficacy, the devices containing the printed electrodes show improved luminance and current efficacy compared to ITO based reference devices. When fabricated with flexible substrates, the printed OLEDs show high bending stability, enabling flexible application

Influence of melt feeding scheme and casting parameters during direct-chill casting on microstructure of an AA7050 billet

© The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International 2012Direct-chill (DC) casting billets of an AA7050 alloy produced with different melt feeding schemes and casting speeds were examined in order to reveal the effect of these factors on the evolution of microstructure. Experimental results show that grain size is strongly influenced by the casting speed. In addition, the distribution of grain sizes across the billet diameter is mostly determined by melt feeding scheme. Grains tend to coarsen towards the center of a billet cast with the semi-horizontal melt feeding, while upon vertical melt feeding the minimum grain size was observed in the center of the billet. Computer simulations were preformed to reveal sump profiles and flow patterns during casting under different melt feeding schemes and casting speeds. The results show that solidification front and velocity distribution of the melt in the liquid and slurry zones are very different under different melt feeding scheme. The final grain structure and the grain size distribution in a DC casting billet is a result of a combination of fragmentation effects in the slurry zone and the cooling rate in the solidification range