Role of topological defects in the phase transition of modified XY model : A Monte Carlo study

Monte Carlo simulation has been performed on a classical two dimensional XY- model with a modified form of interaction potential to investigate the role of topological defects on the phase transition exhibited by the model. In simulations in a restricted ensemble without defects, the system appears to remain ordered at all temperatures. Suppression of topological defects on the square plaquettes in the modified XY- model leads to complete elimination of the phase transition observed in this model.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures, Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Phase Diagram of the Half-Filled Ionic Hubbard Model

We study the phase diagram of the ionic Hubbard model (IHM) at half-filling using dynamical mean field theory (DMFT), with two impurity solvers, namely, iterated perturbation theory (IPT) and continuous time quantum Monte Carlo (CTQMC). The physics of the IHM is governed by the competition between the staggered potential $\Delta$ and the on-site Hubbard U. In both the methods we find that for a finite $\Delta$ and at zero temperature, anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) order sets in beyond a threshold $U=U_{AF}$ via a first order phase transition below which the system is a paramagnetic band insulator. Both the methods show a clear evidence for a transition to a half-metal phase just after the AFM order is turned on, followed by the formation of an AFM insulator on further increasing U. We show that the results obtained within both the methods have good qualitative and quantitative consistency in the intermediate to strong coupling regime. On increasing the temperature, the AFM order is lost via a first order phase transition at a transition temperature $T_{AF}(U, \Delta)$ within both the methods, for weak to intermediate values of U/t. But in the strongly correlated regime, where the effective low energy Hamiltonian is the Heisenberg model, IPT is unable to capture the thermal (Neel) transition from the AFM phase to the paramagnetic phase, but the CTQMC does. As a result, at any finite temperature T, DMFT+CTQMC shows a second phase transition (not seen within DMFT+IPT) on increasing U beyond $U_{AF}$. At $U_N > U_{AF}$, when the Neel temperature $T_N$ for the effective Heisenberg model becomes lower than T, the AFM order is lost via a second order transition. In the 3-dimensonal parameter space of $(U/t,T/t,\Delta/t)$, there is a line of tricritical points that separates the surfaces of first and second order phase transitions.Comment: Revised versio

Correlation between incoherent phase fluctuations and disorder in Y1−x_{1-x}Prx_xBa2_2Cu3_3O7−δ_{7-\delta} epitaxial films from Nernst effect measurements

Measurements of Nernst effect, resistivity and Hall angle on epitaxial films of Y$_{1-x}$Pr$_x$Ba$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$(Pr-YBCO, 0$\leq x\leq$0.4) are reported over a broad range of temperature and magnetic field. While the Hall and resistivity data suggest a broad pseudogap regime in accordance with earlier results, these first measurements of the Nernst effect on Pr-YBCO show a large signal above the superconducting transition temperature(T$_c$). This effect is attributed to vortex-like excitations in the phase incoherent condensate existing above T$_c$. A correlation between disorder and the width of the phase fluctuation regime has been established for the YBCO family of cuprates, which suggests a T$_c\approx$110K for disorder-free YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Growth of [110] La2/3_{2 / 3}Sr1/3_{1 / 3}MnO3_{3} - YBa2_{2}Cu3_{3}O7_{7} heterostructures

YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7}$ - La$_{2 / 3}$Sr$_{1 / 3}$MnO$_{3}$ heterostructures of [110] orientation are grown to allow direct injection of spin polarized holes from the La$_{2 / 3}$Sr$_{1 / 3}$MnO$_{3}$ into the CuO$_2$ superconducting planes. The magnetic response of the structure at T $<$ T$_{sc}$ shows both diamagnetic and ferromagnetic moments with [001] direction as magnetic easy axis. While the superconducting transition temperature (T$_{sc}$) of these structures is sharp ($\Delta$T$_{sc} \simeq$ 2.5 K), the critical current density (J$_c$) follows a dependence of the type $J_c = J{_o}(1-\frac{T}{T_{sc}})^{3/2}$ with highly suppressed J$_o$ ($\simeq 2 \times 10^4$ A/cm$^2$) indicating strong pair breaking effects of the ferromagnetic boundary.Comment: 12 pages five figure

Reflection coefficient for superresonant scattering

We investigate superresonant scattering of acoustic disturbances from a rotating acoustic black hole in the low frequency range. We derive an expression for the reflection coefficient, exhibiting its frequency dependence in this regime.Comment: 7 page

Giant coherence in driven systems

We study the noise-induced currents and reliability or coherence of transport in two different classes of rocking ratchets. For this, we consider the motion of Brownian particles in the over damped limit in both adiabatic and non-adiabatic regimes subjected to unbiased temporally symmetric and asymmetric periodic driving force. In the case of a time symmetric driving, we find that even in the presence of a spatially symmetric simple sinusoidal potential, highly coherent transport occurs. These ratchet systems exhibit giant coherence of transport in the regime of parameter space where unidirectional currents in the deterministic case are observed. Outside this parameter range, i.e., when current vanishes in the deterministic regime, coherence in transport is very low. The transport coherence decreases as a function of temperature and is a non-monotonic function of the amplitude of driving. The transport becomes unreliable as we go from the adiabatic to the non-adiabatic domain of operation.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, replaced by the version to appear in JSTA

Tools and Techniques of Quality Management: An Empirical Investigation of Their Impact on Performance

An investigation of quality management at an operational rather than a strategic level is described. Using a survey of senior quality personnel, data were collected on four aspects of quality: management; quality tools; documentation; and the dimensions of quality that companies measure. Regression analysis confirms suggestions in the literature that company performance is positively affected by a culture in which quality is ingrained. Moreover, it identifies positive relationships between several widely used operational practices and company performance