47 research outputs found
Interaction Between Superconducting and Ferromagnetic Order Parameters in Graphite-Sulfur Composites
The superconductivity of graphite-sulfur composites is highly anisotropic and
associated with the graphite planes. The superconducting state coexists with
the ferromagnetism of pure graphite, and a continuous crossover from
superconducting to ferromagnetic-like behavior could be achieved by increasing
the magnetic field or the temperature. The angular dependence of the magnetic
moment m(alpha) provides evidence for an interaction between the ferromagnetic
and the superconducting order parameters.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Magnetic field-induced insulating behavior in highly oriented pyrolitic graphite
We propose an explanation for the apparent semimetal-insulator transition
observed in highly oriented pyrolitic graphite in the presence of magnetic
field perpendicular to the layers. We show that the magnetic field opens an
excitonic gap in the linear spectrum of the Coulomb interacting quasiparticles,
in a close analogy with the phenomenon of dynamical chiral symmetry breaking in
the relativistic theories of the 2+1-dimensional Dirac fermions. Our
strong-coupling appoach allows for a non-perturbative description of the
corresponding critical behavior
Magnetic field driven metal-insulator phase transition in planar systems
A theory of the magnetic field driven (semi-)metal-insulator phase transition
is developed for planar systems with a low density of carriers and a linear
(i.e., relativistic like) dispersion relation for low energy quasiparticles.
The general structure of the phase diagram of the theory with respect to the
coupling constant, the chemical potential and temperature is derived in two
cases, with and without an external magnetic field. The conductivity and
resistivity as functions of temperature and magnetic field are studied in
detail. An exact relation for the value of the "offset" magnetic field ,
determining the threshold for the realization of the phase transition at zero
temperature, is established. The theory is applied to the description of a
recently observed phase transition induced by a magnetic field in highly
oriented pyrolytic graphite.Comment: 22 pages, REVTeX, 16 figures. The version corresponding to that
published in Phys.Rev.
Experiments in vortex avalanches
Avalanche dynamics is found in many phenomena spanning from earthquakes to
the evolution of species. It can be also found in vortex matter when a type II
superconductor is externally driven, for example, by increasing the magnetic
field. Vortex avalanches associated with thermal instabilities can be an
undesirable effect for applications, but "dynamically driven" avalanches
emerging from the competition between intervortex interactions and quenched
disorder constitute an interesting scenario to test theoretical ideas related
with non-equilibrium dynamics. However, differently from the equilibrium phases
of vortex matter in type II superconductors, the study of the corresponding
dynamical phases - in which avalanches can play a role - is still in its
infancy. In this paper we critically review relevant experiments performed in
the last decade or so, emphasizing the ability of different experimental
techniques to establish the nature and statistical properties of the observed
avalanche behavior.Comment: To be published in Reviews of Modern Physics April 2004. 17 page
The Flux-Line Lattice in Superconductors
Magnetic flux can penetrate a type-II superconductor in form of Abrikosov
vortices. These tend to arrange in a triangular flux-line lattice (FLL) which
is more or less perturbed by material inhomogeneities that pin the flux lines,
and in high- supercon- ductors (HTSC's) also by thermal fluctuations. Many
properties of the FLL are well described by the phenomenological
Ginzburg-Landau theory or by the electromagnetic London theory, which treats
the vortex core as a singularity. In Nb alloys and HTSC's the FLL is very soft
mainly because of the large magnetic penetration depth: The shear modulus of
the FLL is thus small and the tilt modulus is dispersive and becomes very small
for short distortion wavelength. This softness of the FLL is enhanced further
by the pronounced anisotropy and layered structure of HTSC's, which strongly
increases the penetration depth for currents along the c-axis of these uniaxial
crystals and may even cause a decoupling of two-dimensional vortex lattices in
the Cu-O layers. Thermal fluctuations and softening may melt the FLL and cause
thermally activated depinning of the flux lines or of the 2D pancake vortices
in the layers. Various phase transitions are predicted for the FLL in layered
HTSC's. The linear and nonlinear magnetic response of HTSC's gives rise to
interesting effects which strongly depend on the geometry of the experiment.Comment: Review paper for Rep.Prog.Phys., 124 narrow pages. The 30 figures do
not exist as postscript file