24,755 research outputs found
The enigmatic spin evolution of PSR J0537-6910: r-modes, gravitational waves and the case for continued timing
We discuss the unique spin evolution of the young X-ray pulsar PSR
J0537-6910, a system in which the regular spin down is interrupted by glitches
every few months. Drawing on the complete timing data from the Rossi X-ray
Timing Explorer (RXTE, from 1999-2011), we argue that a trend in the
inter-glitch behaviour points to an effective braking index close to ,
much larger than expected. This value is interesting because it would accord
with the neutron star spinning down due to gravitational waves from an unstable
r-mode. We discuss to what extent this, admittedly speculative, scenario may be
consistent and if the associated gravitational-wave signal would be within
reach of ground based detectors. Our estimates suggest that one may, indeed, be
able to use future observations to test the idea. Further precision timing
would help enhance the achievable sensitivity and we advocate a joint observing
campaign between the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) and the
LIGO-Virgo network.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, emulate ApJ forma
Stabilizing quantum metastable states in a time-periodic potential
Metastability of a particle trapped in a well with a time-periodically
oscillating barrier is studied in the Floquet formalism. It is shown that the
oscillating barrier causes the system to decay faster in general. However,
avoided crossings of metastable states can occur with the less stable states
crossing over to the more stable ones. If in the static well there exists a
bound state, then it is possible to stabilize a metastable state by
adiabatically increasing the oscillating frequency of the barrier so that the
unstable state eventually cross-over to the stable bound state. It is also
found that increasing the amplitude of the oscillating field may change a
direct crossing of states into an avoided one.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Fermion Superfluids of Non-Zero Orbital Angular Momentum near Resonance
We study the pairing of Fermi gases near the scattering resonance of the
partial wave. Using a model potential which reproduces the actual
two-body low energy scattering amplitude, we have obtained an analytic solution
of the gap equation. We show that the ground state of and
superfluid are orbital ferromagnets with pairing wavefunctions and
respectively. For , there is a degeneracy between and
a "cyclic state". Dipole energy will orient the angular momentum axis. The gap
function can be determined by the angular dependence of the momentum
distribution of the fermions.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
The role of electron-electron interactions in two-dimensional Dirac fermions
The role of electron-electron interactions on two-dimensional Dirac fermions
remains enigmatic. Using a combination of nonperturbative numerical and
analytical techniques that incorporate both the contact and long-range parts of
the Coulomb interaction, we identify the two previously discussed regimes: a
Gross-Neveu transition to a strongly correlated Mott insulator, and a
semi-metallic state with a logarithmically diverging Fermi velocity accurately
described by the random phase approximation. Most interestingly, experimental
realizations of Dirac fermions span the crossover between these two regimes
providing the physical mechanism that masks this velocity divergence. We
explain several long-standing mysteries including why the observed Fermi
velocity in graphene is consistently about 20 percent larger than the best
values calculated using ab initio and why graphene on different substrates show
different behavior.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
Crystalline electric field effects in the electrical resistivity of PrOsSb
The temperature and magnetic field dependencies of the electrical
resistivity of the recently discovered heavy fermion superconductor
\PrOsSb{} have features that are associated with the splitting of the Pr
Hund's rule multiplet by the crystalline electric field (CEF). These features
are apparently due to magnetic exchange and aspherical Coulomb scattering from
the thermally populated CEF-split Pr energy levels. The data
in zero magnetic field can be described well by calculations based on CEF
theory for various ratios of magnetic exchange and aspherical Coulomb
scattering, and yield CEF parameters that are qualitatively consistent with
those previously derived from magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and
inelastic neutron scattering measurements. Calculated isotherms for a
ground state qualitatively account for the `dome-shaped' feature
in the measured isotherms.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte
Interaction driven metal-insulator transition in strained graphene
The question of whether electron-electron interactions can drive a metal to
insulator transition in graphene under realistic experimental conditions is
addressed. Using three representative methods to calculate the effective
long-range Coulomb interaction between -electrons in graphene and solving
for the ground state using quantum Monte Carlo methods, we argue that without
strain, graphene remains metallic and changing the substrate from SiO to
suspended samples hardly makes any difference. In contrast, applying a rather
large -- but experimentally realistic -- uniform and isotropic strain of about
seems to be a promising route to making graphene an antiferromagnetic
Mott insulator.Comment: Updated version: 6 pages, 3 figure
Quantum Hall Ferromagnets
It is pointed out recently that the quantum Hall states in bilayer
systems behave like easy plane quantum ferromagnets. We study the
magnetotransport of these systems using their ``ferromagnetic" properties and a
novel spin-charge relation of their excitations. The general transport is a
combination of the ususal Hall transport and a time dependent transport with
time average. The latter is due to a phase slippage process in
and is characterized by two topological constants. (Figures will be
provided upon requests).Comment: 4 pages, Revtex, Ohio State Universit
Superconductivity and the high field ordered phase in the heavy fermion compound PrOsSb
Superconductivity is observed in the filled skutterudite compound \PrOsSb{}
below a critical temperature temperature K and appears to
develop out of a nonmagnetic heavy Fermi liquid with an effective mass , where is the free electron mass.
Features associated with a cubic crystalline electric field are present in
magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, electrical resistivity, and inelastic
neutron scattering measurements, yielding a Pr energy level scheme
consisting of a nonmagnetic doublet ground state, a low lying
triplet excitied state at K, and much higher temperature
triplet and singlet excited states. Measurements also
indicate that the superconducting state is unconventional and consists of two
distinct superconducting phases. At high fields and low temperatures, an
ordered phase of magnetic or quadrupolar origin is observed, suggesting that
the superconductivity may occur in the vicinity of a magnetic or quadrupolar
quantum critical point.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, presented at the 3rd international symposium on
Advance Science Research (ASR 2002), JAERI Tokai, Ibaraki, Japa
Free expansion of lowest Landau level states of trapped atoms: a wavefunction microscope
We show that for any lowest-Landau-level state of a trapped, rotating,
interacting Bose gas, the particle distribution in coordinate space in a free
expansion (time of flight) experiment is related to that in the trap at the
time it is turned off by a simple rescaling and rotation. When the
lowest-Landau-level approximation is valid, interactions can be neglected
during the expansion, even when they play an essential role in the ground state
when the trap is present. The correlations in the density in a single snapshot
can be used to obtain information about the fluid, such as whether a transition
to a quantum Hall state has occurred.Comment: 5 pages, no figures. v2: discussion of neglect of interactions during
expansion improved, refs adde
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