200 research outputs found
Phase-fluctuation induced reduction of the kinetic energy at the superconducting transition
Recent reflectivity measurements provide evidence for a "violation" of the
in-plane optical integral in the underdoped high-T_c compound
Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+\delta} up to frequencies much higher than expected by
standard BCS theory. The sum rule violation may be related to a loss of
in-plane kinetic energy at the superconducting transition. Here, we show that a
model based on phase fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter can
account for this change of in-plane kinetic energy at T_c. The change is due to
a transition from a phase-incoherent Cooper-pair motion in the pseudogap regime
above T_c to a phase-coherent motion at T_c.Comment: 5 pages, 3 eps-figure
Characterization and evolution of cell division and cell wall synthesis genes in the bacterial phyla Verrucomicrobia, Lentisphaerae, Chlamydiae and Planctomycetes and phylogenetic comparison with rRNA genes
In the past, studies on the relationships of the bacterial phyla Planctomycetes, Chlamydiae, Lentisphaerae, and
Verrucomicrobia using different phylogenetic markers have been controversial. Investigations based on 16S
rRNA sequence analyses suggested a relationship of the four phyla, showing the branching order Planctomycetes,
Chlamydiae, Verrucomicrobia/Lentisphaerae. Phylogenetic analyses of 23S rRNA genes in this study also
support a monophyletic grouping and their branching order—this grouping is significant for understanding
cell division, since the major bacterial cell division protein FtsZ is absent from members of two of the phyla
Chlamydiae and Planctomycetes. In Verrucomicrobia, knowledge about cell division is mainly restricted to the
recent report of ftsZ in the closely related genera Prosthecobacter and Verrucomicrobium. In this study, genes of
the conserved division and cell wall (dcw) cluster (ddl, ftsQ, ftsA, and ftsZ) were characterized in all verrucomicrobial
subdivisions (1 to 4) with cultivable representatives (1 to 4). Sequence analyses and transcriptional
analyses in Verrucomicrobia and genome data analyses in Lentisphaerae suggested that cell division is based on
FtsZ in all verrucomicrobial subdivisions and possibly also in the sister phylum Lentisphaerae. Comprehensive
sequence analyses of available genome data for representatives of Verrucomicrobia, Lentisphaerae, Chlamydiae,
and Planctomycetes strongly indicate that their last common ancestor possessed a conserved, ancestral type of
dcw gene cluster and an FtsZ-based cell division mechanism. This implies that Planctomycetes and Chlamydiae
may have shifted independently to a non-FtsZ-based cell division mechanism after their separate branchings
from their last common ancestor with Verrucomicrobia
Pair Phase Fluctuations and the Pseudogap
The single-particle density of states and the tunneling conductance are
studied for a two-dimensional BCS-like Hamiltonian with a d_{x^2-y^2}-gap and
phase fluctuations. The latter are treated by a classical Monte Carlo
simulation of an XY model. Comparison of our results with recent scanning
tunneling spectra of Bi-based high-T_c cuprates supports the idea that the
pseudogap behavior observed in these experiments can be understood as arising
from phase fluctuations of a d_{x^2-y^2} pairing gap whose amplitude forms on
an energy scale set by T_c^{MF} well above the actual superconducting
transition.Comment: 5 pages, 6 eps-figure
Pseudogap and Superconducting Fluctuation in High-Tc Cuprates: Theory beyond 1-loop Approximation
The pseudogap phenomena induced by the SC fluctuation are investigated in
details. We perform a calculation beyond the 1-loop approximation. The SC
fluctuation is microscopically derived on the basis of the repulsive Hubbard
model. The vertex corrections are collected in the infinite order with use of
the quasi-static approximation. The single-particle excitations, NMR 1/T_{1}T,
spin susceptibility and superconducting transition temperature are discussed.
The important role of the vertex correction is pointed out for the single
particle spectral function. On the other hand, the validity of the 1-loop order
theory is confirmed for other quantities. We shed light on the essential nature
of SC fluctuation leading to the pseudogap from the comparison with spin and
charge fluctuations
Electromotive forces and the Meissner effect puzzle
In a voltaic cell, positive (negative) ions flow from the low (high)
potential electrode to the high (low) potential electrode, driven by an
`electromotive force' which points in opposite direction and overcomes the
electric force. Similarly in a superconductor charge flows in direction
opposite to that dictated by the Faraday electric field as the magnetic field
is expelled in the Meissner effect. The puzzle is the same in both cases: what
drives electric charges against electromagnetic forces? I propose that the
answer is also the same in both cases: kinetic energy lowering, or `quantum
pressure'
Kinetic Energy, Condensation Energy, Optical Sum Rule and Pairing Mechanism in High-Tc Cuprates
The mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity is investigated with interests on
the microscopic aspects of the condensation energy. The theoretical analysis is
performed on the basis of the FLEX approximation which is a microscopic
description of the spin-fluctuation-induced-superconductivity. Most of phase
transitions in strongly correlated electron system arise from the correlation
energy which is copmetitive to the kinetic energy. However, we show that the
kinetic energy cooperatively induces the superconductivity in the underdoped
region. This unusual decrease of kinetic energy below T_c is induced by the
feedback effect. The feedback effect induces the magnetic resonance mode as
well as the kink in the electronic dispersion, and alters the properties of
quasi-particles, such as mass renormalization and lifetime. The crossover from
BCS behavior to this unusual behavior occurs for hole dopings. On the other
hand, the decrease of kinetic energy below T_c does not occur in the
electron-doped region. We discuss the relation to the recent obserbation of the
violation of optical sum rule
Superconducting Fluctuation and Pseudogap in Disordered Short Coherence Length Superconductor
We investigate the role of disorder on the superconducting (SC) fluctuation
in short coherence length d-wave superconductors. The particular intetest is
focused on the disorder-induced microscopic inhomogeneity of SC fluctuation and
its effect on the pseudogap phenomena. We formulate the self-consistent 1-loop
order theory for the SC fluctuation in inhomogeneous systems and analyze the
disordered -- model. The SC correlation function, electronic DOS and
the critical temperature are estimated. The SC fluctuation is localized like a
nanoscale granular structure when the coherence length is short, namely the
transition temperature is high. This is contrasted to the long coherence length
superconductors where the order parameter is almost uniform in the microscopic
scale. In the former case, the SC fluctuation is enhanced by the disorder in
contrast to the Abrikosov-Gorkov theory. These results are consistent with the
STM, NMR and transport measurements in high- cuprates and illuminate
the essential role of the microscopic inhomogeneity. We calculate the spacial
dependence of DOS around the single impurity and discuss the consistency with
the NMR measurements
Phonons and related properties of extended systems from density-functional perturbation theory
This article reviews the current status of lattice-dynamical calculations in
crystals, using density-functional perturbation theory, with emphasis on the
plane-wave pseudo-potential method. Several specialized topics are treated,
including the implementation for metals, the calculation of the response to
macroscopic electric fields and their relevance to long wave-length vibrations
in polar materials, the response to strain deformations, and higher-order
responses. The success of this methodology is demonstrated with a number of
applications existing in the literature.Comment: 52 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Review of Modern Physic
On Migdal's theorem and the pseudogap
We study a model of quasiparticles on a two-dimensional square lattice
coupled to Gaussian distributed dynamical molecular fields. The model describes
quasiparticles coupled to spin or charge fluctuations, and is solved by a Monte
Carlo sampling of the molecular field distributions. When the molecular field
correlations are sufficiently weak, the corrections to the self-consistent
Eliashberg theory do not bring about qualitative changes in the quasiparticle
spectrum. But for a range of model parameters near the magnetic boundary, we
find that Migdal's theorem does not apply and the quasiparticle spectrum is
qualitatively different from its mean-field approximation, in that a pseudogap
opens in the quasiparticle spectrum. An important feature of the magnetic
pseudogap found in the present calculations is that it is strongly anisotropic.
It vanishes anlong the diagonal of the Brillouin zone and is large near the
zone boundary. In the case of ferromagnetic fluctuations, we also find a range
of model parameters with qualitative changes in the quasiparticle spectral
function not captured by the one-loop approximation, in that the quasiparticle
peak splits into two. We provide intuitive arguments to explain the physical
origin of the breakdown of Midgal's theoremComment: revised versio
Source apportionment of methane emissions from the Upper Silesian Coal Basin using isotopic signatures
Anthropogenic emissions are the primary source of the increase in atmospheric methane (CH4) levels. However, estimates of anthropogenic CH4 emissions still show large uncertainties at global and regional scales. Differences in CH4 isotopic source signatures δ13C and δ2H can help to constrain different source contributions (e.g., fossil, waste, agriculture). The Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB) represents one of the largest European CH4 emission regions, with more than 500 Gg CH4 yr−1 released from more than 50 coal mine ventilation shafts, landfills, and wastewater treatment plants. During the CoMet (Carbon Dioxide and Methane Mission) campaign in June 2018 methane observations were conducted from a variety of platforms including aircraft and cars to quantify these emissions. Besides the continuous sampling of atmospheric methane concentration, numerous air samples were taken from inside and around the ventilation shafts (1–2 km distance) and aboard the High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft (HALO) and DLR Cessna Caravan aircraft, and they were analyzed in the laboratory for the isotopic composition of CH4.
The airborne samples downwind of the USCB contained methane from the entire region and thus enabled determining the mean signature of the USCB accurately. This mean isotopic signature of methane emissions was -50.9±0.7 ‰ for δ13C and -226±9 ‰ for δ2H. This is in the range of previous USCB studies based on samples taken within the mines for δ13C but more depleted in δ2H than reported before. Signatures of methane enhancements sampled upwind of the mines and in the free troposphere clearly showed the influence of biogenic sources. We determined the source signatures of individual coal mine ventilation shafts using ground-based samples. These signatures displayed a considerable range between different mines and also varied for individual shafts from day to day. Different layers of the USCB coal contain thermogenic methane, isotopically similar to natural gas, and methane formed through biogenic carbonate reduction. The signatures vary depending on what layer of coal is mined at the time of sampling. Mean shaft signatures range from −60 ‰ to −42 ‰ for δ13C and from −200 ‰ to −160 ‰ for δ2H. A gradient in the signatures of subregions of the USCB is reflected both in the aircraft data and in the ground samples, with emissions from the southwest being most depleted in δ2H and emissions from the south being most depleted in δ13C, which is probably associated with the structural and lithostratigraphic history of the USCB and generation and migration processes of methane in the coal. The average signature of -49.8±5.7 ‰ in δ13C and -184±32 ‰ in δ2H from the ventilation shafts clearly differs from the USCB regional signature in δ2H. This makes a source attribution using δ2H signatures possible, which would not be possible with only the δ13C isotopic signatures. We assume that the USCB plume mainly contains fossil coal mine methane and biogenic methane from waste treatment, because the USCB is a highly industrialized region with few other possible methane sources. Assuming a biogenic methane signature between and −320 ‰ and −280 ‰ for δ2H, the biogenic methane emissions from the USCB account for 15 %–50 % of total emissions. The uncertainty range shows the need of comprehensive and extensive sampling from all possible source sectors for source apportionment. The share of anthropogenic–biogenic emissions of 0.4 %–14 % from this densely populated industrial region is underestimated in commonly used emission inventories. Generally, this study demonstrates the importance of δ2H-CH4 observations for methane source apportionment in regions with a mix of thermogenic and biogenic sources and, especially in our case, where the δ13C signature of the coal mine gas has a large variability.</p
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