462 research outputs found
Quantum Monte Carlo study of a magnetic-field-driven 2D superconductor-insulator transition
We numerically study the superconductor-insulator phase transition in a model
disordered 2D superconductor as a function of applied magnetic field. The
calculation involves quantum Monte Carlo calculations of the (2+1)D XY model in
the presence of both disorder and magnetic field. The XY coupling is assumed to
have the form -J\cos(\theta_i-\theta_j-A_{ij}), where A_{ij} has a mean of zero
and a standard deviation \Delta A_{ij}. In a real system, such a model would be
approximately realized by a 2D array of small Josephson-coupled grains with
slight spatial disorder and a uniform applied magnetic field. The different
values \Delta A_{ij} then corresponds to an applied field such that the average
number of flux quanta per plaquette has various integer values N: larger N
corresponds to larger \Delta A_{ij}. For any value of \Delta A_{ij}, there
appears to be a critical coupling constant K_c(\Delta
A_{ij})=\sqrt{[J/(2U)]_c}, where U is the charging energy, above which the
system is a Mott insulator; there is also a corresponding critical conductivity
\sigma^*(\Delta A_{ij}) at the transition. For \Delta A_{ij}=\infty, the order
parameter of the transition is a renormalized coupling constant g. Using a
numerical technique appropriate for disordered systems, we show that the
transition at this value of \Delta A_{ij} takes place from an insulating (I)
phase to a Bose glass (BG) phase, and that the dynamical critical exponent
characterizing this transition is z \sim 1.3. By contrast, z=1 for this model
at \Delta A_{ij}=0. We suggest that the superconductor to insulator transition
is actually of this I to BG class at all nonzero \Delta A_{ij}'s, and we
support this interpretation by both numerical evidence and an analytical
argument based on the Harris criterion.Comment: 17 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Two phase transitions in the fully frustrated model
The fully frustrated model on a square lattice is studied by means of
Monte Carlo simulations. A Kosterlitz-Thouless transition is found at , followed by an ordinary Ising transition at a slightly
higher temperature, . The non-Ising exponents reported by
others, are explained as a failure of finite size scaling due to the screening
length associated with the nearby Kosterlitz-Thouless transition.Comment: REVTEX file, 8 pages, 5 figures in uuencoded postscrip
Single-Particle Density of States of a Superconductor with a Spatially Varying Gap and Phase Fluctuations
Recent experiments have shown that the superconducting energy gap in some
cuprates is spatially inhomogeneous. Motivated by these experiments, and using
exact diagonalization of a model d-wave Hamiltonian, combined with Monte Carlo
simulations of a Ginzburg-Landau free energy functional, we have calculated the
single-particle density of states LDOS of a model high-T
superconductor as a function of temperature. Our calculations include both
quenched disorder in the pairing potential and thermal fluctuations in both
phase and amplitude of the superconducting gap. Most of our calculations assume
two types of superconducting regions: , with a small gap and large
superfluid density, and , with the opposite. If the regions are
randomly embedded in an host, the LDOS on the sites still has
a sharp coherence peak at , but the component does not, in
agreement with experiment. An ordered arrangement of regions leads to
oscillations in the LDOS as a function of energy. The model leads to a
superconducting transition temperature well below the pseudogap
temperature , and has a spatially varying gap at very low , both
consistent with experiments in underdoped Bi2212. Our calculated
LDOS shows coherence peaks for , in agreement with previous work considering phase but not amplitude
fluctuations in a homogeneous superconductor. Well above , the gap in the
LDOS disappears.Comment: 37 pages, 12 figures. Accepted by Phys. Rev. B. Scheduled Issue: 01
Nov 200
Phase transition in ultrathin magnetic films with long-range interactions: Monte Carlo simulation of the anisotropic Heisenberg model
Ultrathin magnetic films can be modeled as an anisotropic Heisenberg model
with long-range dipolar interactions. It is believed that the phase diagram
presents three phases: An ordered ferromagnetic phase I, a phase characterized
by a change from out-of-plane to in-plane in the magnetization II, and a
high-temperature paramagnetic phase III. It is claimed that the border lines
from phase I to III and II to III are of second order and from I to II is first
order. In the present work we have performed a very careful Monte Carlo
simulation of the model. Our results strongly support that the line separating
phases II and III is of the BKT type.Comment: 7 page
Conformal Anomaly and Critical Exponents of the XY-Ising Model
We use extensive Monte Carlo transfer matrix calculations on infinite strips
of widths up to 30 lattice spacing and a finite-size scaling analysis to
obtain critical exponents and conformal anomaly number for the
two-dimensional -Ising model. This model is expected to describe the
critical behavior of a class of systems with simultaneous and
symmetries of which the fully frustrated model is a special case. The
effective values obtained for show a significant decrease with at
different points along the line where the transition to the ordered phase takes
place in a single transition. Extrapolations based on power-law corrections
give values consistent with although larger values can not be ruled
out. Critical exponents are obtained more accurately and are consistent with
previous Monte Carlo simulations suggesting new critical behavior and with
recent calculations for the frustrated model.Comment: 33 pages, 13 latex figures, uses RevTeX 3.
Towards Better Integrators for Dissipative Particle Dynamics Simulations
Coarse-grained models that preserve hydrodynamics provide a natural approach
to study collective properties of soft-matter systems. Here, we demonstrate
that commonly used integration schemes in dissipative particle dynamics give
rise to pronounced artifacts in physical quantities such as the compressibility
and the diffusion coefficient. We assess the quality of these integration
schemes, including variants based on a recently suggested self-consistent
approach, and examine their relative performance. Implications of
integrator-induced effects are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
E (Rapid Communication), tentative publication issue: 01 Dec 200
Heart failure patients demonstrate impaired changes in brachial artery blood flow and shear rate pattern during moderate-intensity cycle exercise
New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
We explored whether heart failure (HF) patients demonstrate different exercise-induced brachial artery shear rate patterns compared with control subjects.
What is the main finding and its importance?
Moderate-intensity cycle exercise in HF patients is associated with an attenuated increase in brachial artery anterograde and mean shear rate and skin temperature. Differences between HF patients and control subjects cannot be explained fully by differences in workload. HF patients demonstrate a less favourable shear rate pattern during cycle exercise compared with control subjects.
Repeated elevations in shear rate (SR) in conduit arteries, which occur during exercise, represent a key stimulus to improve vascular function. We explored whether heart failure (HF) patients demonstrate distinct changes in SR in response to moderate-intensity cycle exercise compared with healthy control subjects. We examined brachial artery SR during 40 min of cycle exercise at a work rate equivalent to 65% peak oxygen uptake in 14 HF patients (65 ± 7 years old, 13 men and one woman) and 14 control subjects (61 ± 5 years old, 12 men and two women). Brachial artery diameter, SR and oscillatory shear index (OSI) were assessed using ultrasound at baseline and during exercise. The HF patients demonstrated an attenuated increase in mean and anterograde brachial artery SR during exercise compared with control subjects (time × group interaction, P = 0.003 and P 0.05). In conclusion, HF patients demonstrate a less favourable SR pattern during cycle exercise than control subjects, characterized by an attenuated mean and anterograde SR and by increased OSI
Phase diagram of the restricted solid-on-solid model coupled to the Ising model
We study the phase transitions of a restricted solid-on-solid model coupled
to an Ising model, which can be derived from the coupled XY-Ising model. There
are two kinds of phase transition lines. One is a Ising transition line and the
other is surface roughening transition line. The latter is a KT transition line
from the viewpoint of the XY model. Using a microcanonical Monte Carlo
technique, we obtain a very accurate two dimensional phase diagram. The two
transition lines are separate in all the parameter space we study. This result
is strong evidence that the fully frustrated XY model orders by two separate
transitions and that roughening and reconstruction transitions of crystal
surfaces occur separately.Comment: 17 pages, source RevTeX file and 8 PS figures are tarred and
compressed via uufile
Phase transitions in a frustrated XY model with zig-zag couplings
We study a new generalized version of the square-lattice frustrated XY model
where unequal ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic couplings are arranged in a
zig-zag pattern. The ratio between the couplings can be used to tune the
system, continuously, from the isotropic square-lattice to the
triangular-lattice frustrated XY model. The model can be physically realized as
a Josephson-junction array with two different couplings, in a magnetic field
corresponding to half-flux quanta per plaquette. Mean-field approximation,
Ginzburg-Landau expansion and finite-size scaling of Monte Carlo simulations
are used to study the phase diagram and critical behavior. Depending on the
value of , two separate transitions or a transition line in the
universality class of the XY-Ising model, with combined and U(1)
symmetries, takes place. In particular, the phase transitions of the standard
square-lattice and triangular-lattice frustrated XY models correspond to two
different cuts through the same transition line. Estimates of the chiral
() critical exponents on this transition line deviate significantly from
the pure Ising values, consistent with that along the critical line of the
XY-Ising model. This suggests that a frustrated XY model or Josephson-junction
array with a zig-zag coupling modulation can provide a physical realization of
the XY-Ising model critical line.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, RevTex, to appear in Phys. Rev.
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