Pressure-induced enhancement of superconductivity and superconducting-superconducting transition in CaC_6\_6

We measured the electrical resistivity, $\varrho(T)$, of superconducting CaC$\_6$ at ambient and high pressure up to 16 GPa. For $P \leq$8 GPa, we found a large increase of $T\_c$ with pressure from 11.5 up to 15.1 K. At 8 GPa, $T\_c$ drops and levels off at 5 K above 10 GPa. Correspondingly, the residual $\varrho$ increases by $\approx$ 200 times and the $\varrho(T)$ behavior becomes flat. The recovery of the pristine behavior after depressurization is suggestive of a phase transition at 8 GPa between two superconducting phases with good and bad metallic properties, the latter with a lower $T\_c$ and more static disorder

Effects of Umklapp Scattering on Electronic States in One Dimension

The effects of Umklapp scattering on electronic states are studied in one spatial dimension at absolute zero. The model is basically the Hubbard model, where parameters characterizing the normal ($U$) and Umklapp ($V$) scattering are treated independently. The density of states is calculated in the t-matrix approximation by taking only the forward and Umklapp scattering into account. It is found that the Umklapp scattering causes the global splitting of the density of states. In the presence of sufficiently strong Umklapp scattering, a pole in the t-matrix appears in the upper half plane, signalling an instability towards the '$G/2-$pairing' ordered state ($G$ is the reciprocal lattice vector), whose consequences are studied in the mean field approximation. It turns out that this ordered state coexists with spin-density-wave state and also brings about Cooper-pairs. A phase diagram is determined in the plane of $V$ and electron filling $n$.Comment: 22 pages, LaTeX, 17 figures included, uses jpsj.st

Rotationally resolved spectroscopy of (20000) Varuna in the near-infrared

Models of the escape and retention of volatiles by minor icy objects exclude any presence of volatile ices on the surface of TNOs smaller than ~1000km in diameter at the typical temperature in this region of the solar system, whereas the same models show that water ice is stable on the surface of objects over a wide range of diameters. Collisions and cometary activity have been used to explain the process of surface refreshing of TNOs and Centaurs. These processes can produce surface heterogeneity that can be studied by collecting information at different rotational phases. The aims of this work are to study the surface composition of (20000)Varuna, a TNO with a diameter ~650km and to search for indications of rotational variability. We observed Varuna during two consecutive nights in January 2011 with NICS@TNG obtaining a set of spectra covering the whole rotation period of Varuna. After studying the spectra corresponding to different rotational phases, we did not find any indication of surface variability. In all the spectra, we detect an absorption at 2{\mu}m, suggesting the presence of water ice on the surface. We do not detect any other volatiles on the surface, although the S/N is not high enough to discard their presence. Based on scattering models, we present two possible compositions compatible with our set of data and discuss their implications in the frame of the collisional history of the Kuiper Belt. We find that the most probable composition for the surface of Varuna is a mixture of amorphous silicates, complex organics, and water ice. This composition is compatible with all the materials being primordial. However, our data can also be fitted by models containing up to a 10% of methane ice. For an object with the characteristics of Varuna, this volatile could not be primordial, so an event, such as an energetic impact, would be needed to explain its presence on the surface.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, to be published in A&

Anisotropy in the helicity modulus of a 3D XY-model: application to YBCO

We present a Monte Carlo study of the helicity moduli of an anisotropic classical three-dimensional (3D) XY-model of YBCO in superconducting state. It is found that both the ab-plane and the c-axis helicity moduli, which are proportional to the inverse square of the corresponding magnetic field penetration depth, vary linearly with temperature at low temperatures. The result for the c-axis helicity modulus is in disagreement with the experiments on high quality samples of YBCO. Thus we conclude that purely classical phase fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter cannot account for the observed c-axis electrodynamics of YBCO.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur

Fibrillar templates and soft phases in systems with short-range dipolar and long-range interactions

We analyze the thermal fluctuations of particles that have a short-range dipolar attraction and a long-range repulsion. In an inhomogeneous particle density region, or "soft phase," filamentary patterns appear which are destroyed only at very high temperatures. The filaments act as a fluctuating template for correlated percolation in which low-energy excitations can move through the stable pattern by local rearrangements. At intermediate temperatures, dynamically averaged checkerboard states appear. We discuss possible implications for cuprate superconducting and related materials.Comment: 4 pages, 4 postscript figures. Discussion of implications for experiment and theory has been expande

Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy on the novel superconductor CaC6

We present scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy of the newly discovered superconductor CaC$_6$. The tunneling conductance spectra, measured between 3 K and 15 K, show a clear superconducting gap in the quasiparticle density of states. The gap function extracted from the spectra is in good agreement with the conventional BCS theory with $\Delta(0)$ = 1.6 $\pm$ 0.2 meV. The possibility of gap anisotropy and two-gap superconductivity is also discussed. In a magnetic field, direct imaging of the vortices allows to deduce a coherence length in the ab plane $\xi_{ab}\simeq$ 33 nm

Colossal Magnetoresistance in the Mn2+ Oxypnictides NdMnAsO1-xFx

Colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) is a rare phenomenon in which the electronic resistivity of a material can be decreased by orders of magnitude upon application of a magnetic field. Such an effect could be the basis of the next generation of magnetic memory devices. Here we report CMR in the antiferromagnetic oxypnictide NdMnAsO1-xFx as a result of competition between an antiferromagnetic insulating phase with strong electron correlations and a paramagnetic semiconductor upon application of a magnetic field. The discovery of CMR in antiferromagnetic Mn2+ oxypnictide materials could open up an array of materials for further investigation and optimisation for technological applications