Transition into a low temperature superconducting phase of unconventional pinning in Sr_2RuO_4

We have found a sharp transition in the vortex creep rates at a temperature T^\ast=0.05 T_c in a single crystal of Sr_2RuO_4 (T_{c}=1.03 K) by means of magnetic relaxation measurements. For T<T^\ast, the initial creep rates drop to undetectable low levels. One explanation for this transition into a phase with such extremely low vortex creep is that the low-temperature phase of Sr_2RuO_4 breaks time reversal symmetry. In that case, degenerate domain walls separating discreetly degenerate states of a superconductor can act as very strong pinning centers.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure

Momentum Space Regularizations and the Indeterminacy in the Schwinger Model

We revisited the problem of the presence of finite indeterminacies that appear in the calculations of a Quantum Field Theory. We investigate the occurrence of undetermined mathematical quantities in the evaluation of the Schwinger model in several regularization scenarios. We show that the undetermined character of the divergent part of the vacuum polarization tensor of the model, introduced as an {\it ansatz} in previous works, can be obtained mathematically if one introduces a set of two parameters in the evaluation of these quantities. The formal mathematical properties of this tensor and their violations are discussed. The analysis is carried out in both analytical and sharp cutoff regularization procedures. We also show how the Pauli Villars regularization scheme eliminates the indeterminacy, giving a gauge invariant result in the vector Schwinger model.Comment: 10 pages, no figure

Phase Transition and Monopoles Densities in a Nearest Neighbors Two-Dimensional Spin Ice Model

In this work, we show that, due to the alternating orientation of the spins in the ground state of the artificial square spin ice, the influence of a set of spins at a certain distance of a reference spin decreases faster than the expected result for the long range dipolar interaction, justifying the use of the nearest neighbor two dimensional square spin ice model as an effective model. Using an extension of the model presented in ref. [Scientific Reports 5, 15875 (2015)], considering the influence of the eight nearest neighbors of each spin on the lattice, we analyze the thermodynamics of the model and study the monopoles and string densities dependence as a function of the temperature.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure

Phase Transition in Asymmetrical Superfluids I: Equal Fermi Surfaces

In this paper, we study phase transitions in asymmetrical fermion superfluids. In this scenario, the candidates to form pair are particles with mismatched masses and chemical potentials. We derive an expression for the critical temperature in terms of the gap and masses (or chemical potentials) when the constraint of equal Fermi surfaces $m_a\mu_a = m_b\mu_b$ is imposed.Comment: RevTex, 11 pages, 2 figures, typos corrected and an appendix added, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Relativistic NJL Model with Light and Heavy Quarks

We study the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model with light and heavy quarks in a relativistic approach. We emphasize relevant regularization issues as well as the transition from light to heavy quarks. The approach of the electromagnetic meson form factor to the Isgur-Wise function in the heavy quark limit is also discussed