Pair-production opacity at high and very-high gamma-ray energies

The propagation of high energy (HE, $E_\gamma>100$ MeV) and very high-energy gamma-rays (VHE, $E_\gamma>100$ GeV) in the extra-galactic photon field leads to pair-production and consequently energy- and distance-dependent attenuation of the primary intensity. The spectroscopy of an increasing number of extra-galactic objects at HE and VHE energies has demonstrated indeed the presence of such an attenuation which in turn has been used to constrain the photon density in the medium. At large optical depth ($\tau\gtrsim 2$) potential modifications of pair-production due to competing but rare processes (as, e.g., the presence of sub-neV axion-like particle) may be found. Indications for a pair-production anomaly have previously been found with VHE-spectra. Here, we present further indications (at the level of $3.68 \sigma$) for a reduced optical depth at high energies from an analysis of Fermi-\textit{LAT} data.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to be published in the proceedings (DESY-PROC-2013-04) of the 9th patras worksho

Quasiclassical theory of disordered Rashba superconductors

We derive the quasiclassical equations that describe two-dimensional superconductors with a large Rashba spin-orbit coupling and in the presence of impurities. These equations account for the helical phase induced by an in-plane magnetic field, with a superconducting order parameter that is spatially modulated along a direction perpendicular to the field. We also derive the generalized Ginzburg-Landau functional, which includes a linear-in-gradient term corresponding to the helical phase. This theory paves the way for studies of the proximity effect in two-dimensional electron gases with large spin-orbit coupling.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur

On detecting oscillations of gamma rays into axion-like particles in turbulent and coherent magnetic fields

Background radiation fields pervade the Universe, and above a certain energy any $\gamma$-ray flux emitted by an extragalactic source should be attenuated due to $e^+e^-$ pair production. The opacity could be alleviated if photons oscillated into hypothetical axion-like particles (ALPs) in ambient magnetic fields, leading to a $\gamma$-ray excess especially at high optical depths that could be detected with imaging air Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs). Here, we introduce a method to search for such a signal in $\gamma$-ray data and to estimate sensitivities for future observations. Different magnetic fields close to the $\gamma$-ray source are taken into account in which photons can convert into ALPs that then propagate unimpeded over cosmological distances until they re-convert in the magnetic field of the Milky Way. Specifically, we consider the coherent field at parsec scales in a blazar jet as well as the turbulent field inside a galaxy cluster. For the latter, we explicitly derive the transversal components of a magnetic field with gaussian turbulence which are responsible for the photon-ALP mixing. To illustrate the method, we apply it to a mock IACT array with characteristics similar to the Cherenkov Telescope Array and investigate the dependence of the sensitivity to detect a $\gamma$-ray excess on the magnetic-field parameters.Comment: 31 pages, 9 figures. Published in JCA

Topological Josephson ϕ0{\phi}_0-junctions

We study the effect of a magnetic field on the current-phase relation of a topological Josephson junction formed by connecting two superconductors through the helical edge states of a quantum spin-Hall insulator. We predict that the Zeeman effect along the spin quantization axis of the helical edges results in an anomalous Josephson relation that allows for a supercurrent to flow in the absence of superconducting phase bias. We relate the associated field-tunable phase shift $\phi_0$ in the Josephson relation of such a $\phi_0$-junction to the existence of a so-called helical superconductivity, which may result from the interplay of the Zeeman effect and spin-orbit coupling. We analyze the dependence of the magneto-supercurrent on the junction length and discuss its observability in suitably designed hybrid structures subject to an in-plane magnetic field.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, Appendix and references adde