12,791 research outputs found
Optimization of soliton ratchets in inhomogeneous sine-Gordon systems
Unidirectional motion of solitons can take place, although the applied force
has zero average in time, when the spatial symmetry is broken by introducing a
potential , which consists of periodically repeated cells with each cell
containing an asymmetric array of strongly localized inhomogeneities at
positions . A collective coordinate approach shows that the positions,
heights and widths of the inhomogeneities (in that order) are the crucial
parameters so as to obtain an optimal effective potential that yields
a maximal average soliton velocity. essentially exhibits two
features: double peaks consisting of a positive and a negative peak, and long
flat regions between the double peaks. Such a potential can be obtained by
choosing inhomogeneities with opposite signs (e.g., microresistors and
microshorts in the case of long Josephson junctions) that are positioned close
to each other, while the distance between each peak pair is rather large. These
results of the collective variables theory are confirmed by full simulations
for the inhomogeneous sine-Gordon system
Specific heat studies of pure Nb3Sn single crystals at low temperature
Specific heat measurements performed on high purity vapor-grown NbSn
crystals show clear features related to both the martensitic and
superconducting transitions. Our measurements indicate that the martensitic
anomaly does not display hysteresis, meaning that the martensitic transition
could be a weak first or a second order thermodynamic transition. Careful
measurements of the two transition temperatures display an inverse correlation
between both temperatures. At low temperature specific heat measurements show
the existence of a single superconducting energy gap feature.Comment: Accepted in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte
Wannier-Stark ladders in one-dimensional elastic systems
The optical analogues of Bloch oscillations and their associated
Wannier-Stark ladders have been recently analyzed. In this paper we propose an
elastic realization of these ladders, employing for this purpose the torsional
vibrations of specially designed one-dimensional elastic systems. We have
measured, for the first time, the ladder wave amplitudes, which are not
directly accessible either in the quantum mechanical or optical cases. The wave
amplitudes are spatially localized and coincide rather well with theoretically
predicted amplitudes. The rods we analyze can be used to localize different
frequencies in different parts of the elastic systems and viceversa.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev. Let
PG 1018−047 : the longest period subdwarf B binary
About 50 per cent of all known hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) reside in close (short-period) binaries, for which common-envelope ejection is the most likely formation mechanism. However, Han et al. predict that the majority of sdBs should form through stable mass transfer leading to long-period binaries. Determining orbital periods for these systems is challenging and while the orbital periods of ∼100 short-period systems have been measured, there are no periods measured above 30 d. As part of a large programme to characterize the orbital periods of sdB binaries and their formation history, we have found that PG 1018−047 has an orbital period of 759.8 ± 5.8 d, easily making it the longest period ever detected for a sdB binary. Exploiting the Balmer lines of the subdwarf primary and the narrow absorption lines of the companion present in the spectra, we derive the radial velocity amplitudes of both stars, and estimate the mass ratio MMS/MsdB= 1.6 ± 0.2. From the combination of visual and infrared photometry, the spectral type of the companion star is determined to be mid-K
Quantifying structural damage from self-irradiation in a plutonium superconductor
The 18.5 K superconductor PuCoGa5 has many unusual properties, including
those due to damage induced by self-irradiation. The superconducting transition
temperature decreases sharply with time, suggesting a radiation-induced Frenkel
defect concentration much larger than predicted by current radiation damage
theories. Extended x-ray absorption fine-structure measurements demonstrate
that while the local crystal structure in fresh material is well ordered, aged
material is disordered much more strongly than expected from simple defects,
consistent with strong disorder throughout the damage cascade region. These
data highlight the potential impact of local lattice distortions relative to
defects on the properties of irradiated materials and underscore the need for
more atomic-resolution structural comparisons between radiation damage
experiments and theory.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, to be published in PR
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