Lithium abundance and 6Li/7Li ratio in the active giant HD123351 I. A comparative analysis of 3D and 1D NLTE line-profile fits

Current three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamical model atmospheres together with NLTE spectrum synthesis, permit to derive reliable atomic and isotopic chemical abundances from high-resolution stellar spectra. Not much is known about the presence of the fragile 6Li isotope in evolved solar-metallicity RGB stars, not to mention its production in magnetically active targets like HD123351. From fits of the observed CFHT spectrum with synthetic line profiles based on 1D and 3D model atmospheres, we seek to estimate the abundance of the 6Li isotope and to place constraints on its origin. We derive A(Li) and the 6Li/7Li isotopic ratio by fitting different synthetic spectra to the Li-line region of a high-resolution CFHT spectrum (R=120 000, S/R=400). The synthetic spectra are computed with four different line lists, using in parallel 3D hydrodynamical CO5BOLD and 1D LHD model atmospheres and treating the line formation of the lithium components in non-LTE (NLTE). We find A(Li)=1.69+/-0.11 dex and 6Li/7Li=8.0+/-4.4 % in 3D-NLTE, using the line list of Mel\'endez et al. (2012), updated with new atomic data for V I, which results in the best fit of the lithium line profile of HD123351. Two other line lists lead to similar results but with inferior fit qualities. Our 2-sigma detection of the 6Li isotope is the result of a careful statistical analysis and the visual inspection of each achieved fit. Since the presence of a significant amount of 6Li in the atmosphere of a cool evolved star is not expected in the framework of standard stellar evolution theory, non-standard, external lithium production mechanisms, possibly related to stellar activity or a recent accretion of rocky material, need to be invoked to explain the detection of 6Li in HD123351.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in A&

Comparing pertinent effects of antiferromagnetic fluctuations in the two and three dimensional Hubbard model

We use the dynamical vertex approximation (D$\Gamma$A) with a Moriyaesque $\lambda$ correction for studying the impact of antiferromagnetic fluctuations on the spectral function of the Hubbard model in two and three dimensions. Our results show the suppression of the quasiparticle weight in three dimensions and dramatically stronger impact of spin fluctuations in two dimensions where the pseudogap is formed at low enough temperatures. Even in the presence of the Hubbard subbands, the origin of the pseudogap at weak-to-intermediate coupling is in the splitting of the quasiparticle peak. At stronger coupling (closer to the insulating phase) the splitting of Hubbard subbands is expected instead. The $\mathbf{k}$-dependence of the self energy appears to be also much more pronounced in two dimensions as can be observed in the $\mathbf{k}$-resolved D$\Gamma$A spectra, experimentally accessible by angular resolved photoemission spectroscopy in layered correlated systems.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figure

Metal-nonmetal transition in LixCoO2 thin film and thermopower enhancement at high Li concentration

We investigate the transport properties of LixCoO2 thin films whose resistivities are nearly an order of magnitude lower than those of the bulk polycrystals. A metal-nonmetal transition occurs at ~0.8 in a biphasic domain, and the Seebeck coefficient (S) is drastically increased at ~140 K (= T*) with increasing the Li concentration to show a peak of magnitude ~120 \muV/K in the S-T curve of x = 0.87. We show that T* corresponds to a crossover temperature in the conduction, most likely reflecting the correlation-induced temperature dependence in the low-energy excitations

Colossal electroresistance in ferromagnetic insulating state of single crystal Nd0.7_0.7Pb0.3_0.3MnO3_3

Colossal electroresistance (CER) has been observed in the ferromagnetic insulating (FMI) state of a manganite. Notably, the CER in the FMI state occurs in the absence of magnetoresistance (MR). Measurements of electroresistance (ER) and current induced resistivity switching have been performed in the ferromagnetic insulating state of a single crystal manganite of composition Nd$_0.7$Pb$_0.3$MnO$_3$ (NPMO30). The sample has a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic (Curie) transition temperature, Tc = 150 K and the ferromagnetic insulating state is realized for temperatures, T <~ 130 K. The colossal electroresistance, arising from a strongly nonlinear dependence of resistivity ($\rho$) on current density (j), attains a large value ($\approx 100$) in the ferromagnetic insulating state. The severity of this nonlinear behavior of resistivity at high current densities is progressively enhanced with decreasing temperature, resulting ultimately, in a regime of negative differential resistivity (NDR, d$\rho$/dj < 0) for temperatures <~ 25 K. Concomitant with the build-up of the ER however, is a collapse of the MR to a small value (< 20%) even in magnetic field, H = 7 T. This demonstrates that the mechanisms that give rise to ER and MR are effectively decoupled in the ferromagnetic insulating phase of manganites. We establish that, the behavior of ferromagnetic insulating phase is distinct from the ferromagnetic metallic (FMM) phase as well as the charge ordered insulating (COI) phase, which are the two commonly realized ground state phases of manganites.Comment: 24 pages (RevTeX4 preprint), 8 figures, submitted to PR

Magnetic Anisotropy in Single Crystalline CeAu2_{2}In4_{4}

We have grown the single crystals of LaAu$_{2}$In$_{4}$ and CeAu$_{2}$In$_{4}$ by high temperature solution method and report on the anisotropic magnetic behavior of CeAu$_{2}$In$_{4}$ . The compounds crystallize in an orthorhombic structure with space group \textit {Pnma}. LaAu$_{2}$In$_{4}$ shows a Pauli-paramagnetic behavior. CeAu$_{2}$In$_{4}$ do not order down to 1.8 K. The easy axis of magnetization for CeAu$_{2}$In$_{4}$ is along [010] direction. The magnetization data is analyzed on the basis of crystalline electric field (CEF) model.Comment: 7 figures 4 page

Chemical composition of a sample of bright solar-metallicity stars

We present a detailed analysis of seven young stars observed with the spectrograph SOPHIE at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence for which the chemical composition was incomplete or absent in the literature. For five stars, we derived the stellar parameters and chemical compositions using our automatic pipeline optimized for F, G, and K stars, while for the other two stars with high rotational velocity, we derived the stellar parameters by using other information (parallax), and performed a line-by-line analysis. Chromospheric emission-line fluxes from CaII are obtained for all targets. The stellar parameters we derive are generally in good agreement with what is available in the literature. We provide a chemical analysis of two of the stars for the first time. The star HIP 80124 shows a strong Li feature at 670.8 nm implying a high lithium abundance. Its chemical pattern is not consistent with it being a solar sibling, as has been suggested.Comment: To be published on A

Dielectric behavior of Copper Tantalum Oxide

A thorough investigation of the dielectric properties of Cu2Ta4O12, a material crystallizing in a pseudo-cubic, perovskite-derived structure is presented. We measured the dielectric constant and conductivity of single crystals in an exceptionally broad frequency range up to GHz frequencies and at temperatures from 25 - 500 K. The detected dielectric constant is unusually high (reaching values up to 105) and almost constant in a broad frequency and temperature range. Cu2Ta4O12 possesses a crystal structure similar to CaCu3Ti4O12, the compound for which such an unusually high dielectric constant was first observed. An analysis of the results using a simple equivalent circuit and measurements with different types of contact revealed that extrinsic interfacial polarization effects, derived from surface barrier capacitors are the origin of the observed giant dielectric constants. The intrinsic properties of Cu2Ta4O12 are characterized by a (still relatively high) dielectric constant in the order of 100 and by charge transport via hopping conduction of Anderson-localized charge carriers.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Jouranl of Physical Chemestr

Size-dependent electronic-transport mechanism and sign reversal of magnetoresistance in Nd0.5Sr0.5CoO3

A detailed investigation of electronic-transport properties of Nd0.5Sr0.5CoO3 has been carried out as a function of grain size ranging from micrometer order down to an average size of 28 nm. Interestingly, we observe a size induced metal-insulator transition in the lowest grain size sample while the bulk-like sample is metallic in the whole measured temperature regime. An analysis of the temperature dependent resistivity in the metallic regime reveals that the electron-electron interaction is the dominating mechanism while other processes like electron-magnon and electron-phonon scatterings are also likely to be present. The fascinating observation of enhanced low temperature upturn and minimum in resistivity on reduction of grain size is found due to electron-electron interaction (quantum interference effect). This effect is attributed to enhanced disorder on reduction of grain size. Interestingly, we observed a cross over from positive to negative magnetoresistance in the low temperature regime as the grain size is reduced. This observed sign reversal is attributed to enhanced phase separation on decreasing the grain size of the cobaltite

Minimal Model for Disorder-induced Missing Moment of Inertia in Solid 4^4He

The absence of a missing moment inertia in clean solid $^4$He suggests that the minimal experimentally relevant model is one in which disorder induces superfluidity in a bosonic lattice. To this end, we explore the relevance of the disordered Bose-Hubbard model in this context. We posit that a clean array $^4$He atoms is a self-generated Mott insulator, that is, the $^4$He atoms constitute the lattice as well as the `charge carriers'. With this assumption, we are able to interpret the textbook defect-driven supersolids as excitations of either the lower or upper Hubbard bands. In the experiments at hand, disorder induces a closing of the Mott gap through the generation of mid-gap localized states at the chemical potential. Depending on the magnitude of the disorder, we find that the destruction of the Mott state takes place for $d+z>4$ either through a Bose glass phase (strong disorder) or through a direct transition to a superfluid (weak disorder). For $d+z<4$, disorder is always relevant. The critical value of the disorder that separates these two regimes is shown to be a function of the boson filling, interaction and the momentum cut off. We apply our work to the experimentally observed enhancement $^3$He impurities has on the onset temperature for the missing moment of inertia. We find quantitative agreement with experimental trends.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures: Extended version of previous paper in which the pase diagram for the disordered Bose-Hubbard model is computed using mean-field theory and one-loop RG. The criterion for the Bose glass is derived explicitly. (a few typos are corrected

Optical conductivity of a metal-insulator transition for the Anderson-Hubbard model in 3 dimensions away from 1/2 filling

We have completed a numerical investigation of the Anderson-Hubbard model for three-dimensional simple cubic lattices using a real-space self-consistent Hartree-Fock decoupling approximation for the Hubbard interaction. In this formulation we treat the spatial disorder exactly, and therefore we account for effects arising from localization physics. We have examined the model for electronic densities well away 1/2 filling, thereby avoiding the physics of a Mott insulator. Several recent studies have made clear that the combined effects of electronic interactions and spatial disorder can give rise to a suppression of the electronic density of states, and a subsequent metal-insulator transition can occur. We augment such studies by calculating the ac conductivity for such systems. Our numerical results show that weak interactions enhance the density of states at the Fermi level and the low-frequency conductivity, there are no local magnetic moments, and the ac conductivity is Drude-like. However, with a large enough disorder strength and larger interactions the density of states at the Fermi level and the low-frequency conductivity are both suppressed, the conductivity becomes non-Drude-like, and these phenomena are accompanied by the presence of local magnetic moments. The low-frequency conductivity changes from a sigma-sigma_dc omega^{1/2} behaviour in the metallic phase, to a sigma omega^2 behaviour in the nonmetallic regime. Our numerical results show that the formation of magnetic moments is essential to the suppression of the density of states at the Fermi level, and therefore essential to the metal-insulator transition