A Mott Glass to Superfluid Transition for Random Bosons in Two Dimensions

We study the zero temperature superfluid-insulator transition for a two-dimensional model of interacting, lattice bosons in the presence of quenched disorder and particle-hole symmetry. We follow the approach of a recent series of papers by Altman, Kafri, Polkovnikov, and Refael, in which the strong disorder renormalization group is used to study disordered bosons in one dimension. Adapting this method to two dimensions, we study several different species of disorder and uncover universal features of the superfluid-insulator transition. In particular, we locate an unstable finite disorder fixed point that governs the transition between the superfluid and a gapless, glassy insulator. We present numerical evidence that this glassy phase is the incompressible Mott glass and that the transition from this phase to the superfluid is driven by percolation-type process. Finally, we provide estimates of the critical exponents governing this transition.Comment: (24 pages + 7 page appendix, 28 figures) This version has been accepted to PRB. We have acquired new data that resolves the contradiction between two estimates of the critical exponents in the earlier version of the pape

Local superfluid densities probed via current-induced superconducting phase gradients

We have developed a superconducting phase gradiometer consisting of two parallel DNA-templated nanowires connecting two thin-film leads. We have ramped the cross current flowing perpendicular to the nanowires, and observed oscillations in the lead-to-lead resistance due to cross-current-induced phase differences. By using this gradiometer we have measured the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the superfluid density and observed an amplification of phase gradients caused by elastic vortex displacements. We examine our data in light of Miller-Bardeen theory of dirty superconductors and a microscale version of Campbell's model of field penetration.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Suppression of 2\pi\ phase-slip due to hidden zero modes in one dimensional topological superconductors

We study phase slips in one-dimensional topological superconducting wires. These wires have been proposed as building blocks for topologically protected qubits in which the quantum information is distributed over the length of the device and thus is immune to local sources of decoherence. However, phase-slips are non-local events that can result in decoherence. Phase slips in topological superconductors are peculiar for the reason that they occur in multiples of 4\pi\ (instead of 2\pi\ in conventional superconductors). We re-establish this fact via a beautiful analogy to the particle physics concept of dynamic symmetry breaking by explicitly finding a "hidden" zero mode in the fermion spectrum computed in the background of a 2\pi\ phase-slip. Armed with the understanding of phase-slips in topological superconductors, we propose a simple experimental setup with which the predictions can be tested by monitoring tunneling rate of a superconducting flux quantum through a topological superconducting wire.Comment: 18 pages,14 figures, Updated referenc

Three-dimensional electronic instabilities in polymerized solid A1C60

The low-temperature structure of A1C60 (A=K, Rb) is an ordered array of polymerized C60 chains, with magnetic properties that suggest a non-metallic ground state. We study the paramagnetic state of this phase using first-principles electronic-structure methods, and examine the magnetic fluctuations around this state using a model Hamiltonian. The electronic and magnetic properties of even this polymerized phase remain strongly three dimensional, and the magnetic fluctuations favor an unusual three-dimensional antiferromagnetically ordered structure with a semi-metallic electronic spectrum.Comment: REVTeX 3.0, 10 pages, 4 figures available on request from [email protected]

Alfvén Eigenmodes in shear reversed plasmas

Experiments on JT-60U and JET have shown that plasma configurations with shear reversal are prone to the excitation of unusual Alfvén eigenmodes by energetic particles. These modes emerge outside the TAE frequency gap, where one might expect them to be strongly damped. The modes often appear in bunches and they exhibit a quasi-periodic pattern of predominantly upward frequency sweeping (Alfvén Cascades) as the safety factor q changes in time. This work presents a theory that explains the key features of the observed unusual modes including their connection to TAE’s as well as the modifications of TAE’s themselves near the shear reversal point. The developed theory has been incorporated into a reduced numerical model and verified with full geometry codes. JET experimental data on Alfvén spectroscopy have been simulated to infer the mode numbers and the evolution of qmin in the discharge. This analysis confirms the values of q that characterize the internal transport barrier triggering in reversed shear plasmas

Structure and properties of the stable two-dimensional conducting polymer Mg5C60

We present a study on the structural, spectroscopic, conducting, and magnetic properties of Mg5C60, which is a two-dimensional (2D) fulleride polymer. The polymer phase is stable up to the exceptionally high temperature of 823 K. The infrared and Raman studies suggest the formation of single bonds between the fulleride ions and possibly Mg-C-60 covalent bonds. Mg5C60 is a metal at ambient temperature, as shown by electron spin resonance and microwave conductivity measurements. The smooth transition from a metallic to a paramagnetic insulator state below 200 K is attributed to Anderson localization driven by structural disorder