52,717 research outputs found

    Magnetotransport in a model of a disordered strange metal

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    Despite much theoretical effort, there is no complete theory of the 'strange' metal state of the high temperature superconductors, and its linear-in-temperature, TT, resistivity. Recent experiments showing an unexpected linear-in-field, BB, magnetoresistivity have deepened the puzzle. We propose a simple model of itinerant electrons, interacting via random couplings with electrons localized on a lattice of quantum 'dots' or 'islands'. This model is solvable in a large-NN limit, and can reproduce observed behavior. The key feature of our model is that the electrons in each quantum dot are described by a Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model describing electrons without quasiparticle excitations. For a particular choice of the interaction between the itinerant and localized electrons, this model realizes a controlled description of a diffusive marginal-Fermi liquid (MFL) without momentum conservation, which has a linear-in-TT resistivity and a TlnTT \ln T specific heat as T0T\rightarrow 0. By tuning the strength of this interaction relative to the bandwidth of the itinerant electrons, we can additionally obtain a finite-TT crossover to a fully incoherent regime that also has a linear-in-TT resistivity. We show that the MFL regime has conductivities which scale as a function of B/TB/T; however, its magnetoresistance saturates at large BB. We then consider a macroscopically disordered sample with domains of MFLs with varying densities of electrons. Using an effective-medium approximation, we obtain a macroscopic electrical resistance that scales linearly in the magnetic field BB applied perpendicular to the plane of the sample, at large BB. The resistance also scales linearly in TT at small BB, and as Tf(B/T)T f(B/T) at intermediate BB. We consider implications for recent experiments reporting linear transverse magnetoresistance in the strange metal phases of the pnictides and cuprates.Comment: 21 pages + Appendices + References, 4 figure

    Flux Tube Model Signals for Baryon Correlations in Heavy Ion Collisions

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    The flux tube model offers a pictorial description of what happens during the deconfinement phase transition in QCD. The 3-point vertices of a flux tube network lead to formation of baryons upon hadronisation. Therefore, correlations in the baryon number distribution at the last scattering surface are related to the preceding pattern of the flux tube vertices, and provide a signature of the nearby deconfinement phase transition. I discuss the nature of the expected signal, which should be observable in heavy ion collisions at RHIC and LHC.Comment: LaTeX, 9 pages, 5 figures, (v2) Several arguments expanded for clarity, (v3) Minor typesetting changes, published versio
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