1,844 research outputs found
Mott Transition, Compressibility Divergence and P-T Phase Diagram of Layered Organic Superconductors: An Ultrasonic Investigation
The phase diagram of the organic superconductor
-(BEDT-TTF)Cu[N(CN)Cl has been investigated by ultrasonic
velocity measurements under helium gas pressure. Different phase transitions
were identified trough several elastic anomalies characterized from isobaric
and isothermal sweeps. Our data reveal two crossover lines that end on the
critical point terminating the first-order Mott transition line. When the
critical point is approached along these lines, we observe a dramatic softening
of the velocity which is consistent with a diverging compressibility of the
electronic degrees of freedom.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Reconciling Semiclassical and Bohmian Mechanics: II. Scattering states for discontinuous potentials
In a previous paper [J. Chem. Phys. 121 4501 (2004)] a unique bipolar
decomposition, Psi = Psi1 + Psi2 was presented for stationary bound states Psi
of the one-dimensional Schroedinger equation, such that the components Psi1 and
Psi2 approach their semiclassical WKB analogs in the large action limit.
Moreover, by applying the Madelung-Bohm ansatz to the components rather than to
Psi itself, the resultant bipolar Bohmian mechanical formulation satisfies the
correspondence principle. As a result, the bipolar quantum trajectories are
classical-like and well-behaved, even when Psi has many nodes, or is wildly
oscillatory. In this paper, the previous decomposition scheme is modified in
order to achieve the same desirable properties for stationary scattering
states. Discontinuous potential systems are considered (hard wall, step, square
barrier/well), for which the bipolar quantum potential is found to be zero
everywhere, except at the discontinuities. This approach leads to an exact
numerical method for computing stationary scattering states of any desired
boundary conditions, and reflection and transmission probabilities. The
continuous potential case will be considered in a future publication.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figure
Reconciling Semiclassical and Bohmian Mechanics: III. Scattering states for continuous potentials
In a previous paper [J. Chem. Phys. 121 4501 (2004)] a unique bipolar
decomposition, Psi = Psi1 + Psi2 was presented for stationary bound states Psi
of the one-dimensional Schroedinger equation, such that the components Psi1 and
Psi2 approach their semiclassical WKB analogs in the large action limit. The
corresponding bipolar quantum trajectories, as defined in the usual Bohmian
mechanical formulation, are classical-like and well-behaved, even when Psi has
many nodes, or is wildly oscillatory. A modification for discontinuous
potential stationary stattering states was presented in a second paper [J.
Chem. Phys. 124 034115 (2006)], whose generalization for continuous potentials
is given here. The result is an exact quantum scattering methodology using
classical trajectories. For additional convenience in handling the tunneling
case, a constant velocity trajectory version is also developed.Comment: 16 pages and 14 figure
Effects of pressure on diffusion and vacancy formation in MgO from non-empirical free-energy integrations
The free energies of vacancy pair formation and migration in MgO were
computed via molecular dynamics using free-energy integrations and a
non-empirical ionic model with no adjustable parameters. The intrinsic
diffusion constant for MgO was obtained at pressures from 0 to 140 GPa and
temperatures from 1000 to 5000 K. Excellent agreement was found with the zero
pressure diffusion data within experimental error. The homologous temperature
model which relates diffusion to the melting curve describes well our high
pressure results within our theoretical framework.Comment: 4 pages, latex, 1 figure, revtex, submitted to PR
Colloquium: The transport properties of graphene: An introduction
An introduction to the transport properties of graphene combining
experimental results and theoretical analysis is presented. In the theoretical
description simple intuitive models are used to illustrate important points on
the transport properties of graphene. The concept of chirality, stemming from
the massless Dirac nature of the low energy physics of the material, is shown
to be instrumental in understanding its transport properties: the conductivity
minimum, the electronic mobility, the effect of strain, the weak
(anti-)localization, and the optical conductivity.Comment: As publishe
Anomalous thermal conductivity of NaV2O5 as compared to conventional spin-Peierls system CuGeO3
A huge increase of thermal conductivity k is observed at the phase transition
in stoichiometric NaV2O5. This anomaly decreases and gradually disappears with
deviation from stoichiometry in Na(1-x}V2O5 (x = 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, and 0.04).
This behavior is compared with that of pure and Zn-doped CuGeO3 where only
modest kinks in the k(T) curves are observed at the spin-Peierls transition.
The change of k at critical temperature Tc could be partially attributed to the
opening of an energy gap in the magnetic excitation spectrum excluding the
scattering of thermal phonons on spin fluctuations. However, the reason for
such a strong anomaly in the k(T) may lie not only in the different energy
scales of CuGeO3 and NaV2O5, but also in the different character of the phase
transition in NaV2O5 which can have largely a structural origin, e.g. connected
with the charge ordering.Comment: PostScript 4 pages, 4 PostScript pictures. Submitted to Physical
Review Letter
Recommended from our members
A Benefit of Context Reinstatement to Recognition Memory in Aging: The Role of Familiarity Processes
Reinstatement of encoding context facilitates memory for targets in young and older individuals (e.g., a word studied on a particular background scene is more likely to be remembered later if it is presented on the same rather than a different scene or no scene), yet older adults are typically inferior at recalling and recognizing target–context pairings. This study examined the mechanisms of the context effect in normal aging. Age differences in word recognition by context condition (original, switched, none, new), and the ability to explicitly remember target–context pairings were investigated using word–scene pairs (Experiment 1) and word–word pairs (Experiment 2). Both age groups benefited from context reinstatement in item recognition, although older adults were significantly worse than young adults at identifying original pairings and at discriminating between original and switched pairings. In Experiment 3, participants were given a three-alternative forced-choice recognition task that allowed older individuals to draw upon intact familiarity processes in selecting original pairings. Performance was age equivalent. Findings suggest that heightened familiarity associated with context reinstatement is useful for boosting recognition memory in aging
Zonal shear and super-rotation in a magnetized spherical Couette flow experiment
We present measurements performed in a spherical shell filled with liquid
sodium, where a 74 mm-radius inner sphere is rotated while a 210 mm-radius
outer sphere is at rest. The inner sphere holds a dipolar magnetic field and
acts as a magnetic propeller when rotated. In this experimental set-up called
DTS, direct measurements of the velocity are performed by ultrasonic Doppler
velocimetry. Differences in electric potential and the induced magnetic field
are also measured to characterize the magnetohydrodynamic flow. Rotation
frequencies of the inner sphere are varied between -30 Hz and +30 Hz, the
magnetic Reynolds number based on measured sodium velocities and on the shell
radius reaching to about 33. We have investigated the mean axisymmetric part of
the flow, which consists of differential rotation. Strong super-rotation of the
fluid with respect to the rotating inner sphere is directly measured. It is
found that the organization of the mean flow does not change much throughout
the entire range of parameters covered by our experiment. The direct
measurements of zonal velocity give a nice illustration of Ferraro's law of
isorotation in the vicinity of the inner sphere where magnetic forces dominate
inertial ones. The transition from a Ferraro regime in the interior to a
geostrophic regime, where inertial forces predominate, in the outer regions has
been well documented. It takes place where the local Elsasser number is about
1. A quantitative agreement with non-linear numerical simulations is obtained
when keeping the same Elsasser number. The experiments also reveal a region
that violates Ferraro's law just above the inner sphere.Comment: Phys Rev E, in pres
Thermodynamic Properties of the Incommensurate Phase of CuGeO_3
We present high resolution measurements of the specific heat and the thermal
expansion of the inorganic spin--Peierls cuprate CuGeO_3 in a magnetic field of
16 Tesla. At the transition from the incommensurate to the uniform phase both
quantities show pronounced anomalies, which allow to derive the uniaxial
pressure dependencies of the transition temperature. In high magnetic fields
the specific heat is dominated by magnetic excitations and follows a T^3 law at
low temperatures. The thermal expansion measurements show the occurrence of
spontaneous strains along all three lattice constants and yield high resolution
measurements of the temperature dependence of the incommensurate structural
distortion. The sizes of the spontaneous strains in the incommensurate phase
are significantly reduced, but both their anisotropy as well as their
temperature dependencies are very similar to those in zero field.Comment: 12 pages (Latex), 4 Figs. (PS), to appear in Phys. Rev. B54 (Vol.21
- …