Type-I superconductivity in noncentrosymmetric superconductor AuBe

The noncentrosymmetric superconductor AuBe have been investigated using the magnetization, resistivity, specific heat, and muon-spin relaxation/rotation measurements. AuBe crystallizes in the cubic FeSi-type B20 structure with superconducting transition temperature observed at $T_{c}$ = 3.2 $\pm$ 0.1 K. The low-temperature specific heat data, $C_{el}$(T), indicate a weakly-coupled fully gapped BCS superconductivity with an isotropic energy gap 2$\Delta(0)/k_{B}T_{c}$ = 3.76, which is close to the BCS value of 3.52. Interestingly, type-I superconductivity is inferred from the $\mu$SR measurements, which is in contrast with the earlier reports of type-II superconductivity in AuBe. The Ginzburg-Landau parameter is $\kappa_{GL}$ = 0.4 $<$ 1/$\sqrt{2}$. The transverse-field $\mu$SR data transformed in the maximum entropy spectra depicting the internal magnetic field probability distribution, P(H), also confirms the absence of the mixed state in AuBe. The thermodynamic critical field, $H_{c}$, calculated to be around 259 Oe. The zero-field $\mu$SR results indicate that time-reversal symmetry is preserved and supports a spin-singlet pairing in the superconducting ground state.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure

Noncommutative gravity, a `no strings attached' quantum-classical duality, and the cosmological constant puzzle

There ought to exist a reformulation of quantum mechanics which does not refer to an external classical spacetime manifold. Such a reformulation can be achieved using the language of noncommutative differential geometry. A consequence which follows is that the `weakly quantum, strongly gravitational' dynamics of a relativistic particle whose mass is much greater than Planck mass is dual to the `strongly quantum, weakly gravitational' dynamics of another particle whose mass is much less than Planck mass. The masses of the two particles are inversely related to each other, and the product of their masses is equal to the square of Planck mass. This duality explains the observed value of the cosmological constant, and also why this value is nonzero but extremely small in Planck units.Comment: 7 pages. Second Prize in Gravity Research Foundation Essay Competition, 2008. Two paragraphs added to original essay to enhance clarity. To appear in Gen. Rel. Gra

Checking T and CPT violation with sterile neutrino

Post LSND results, sterile neutrinos have drawn attention and motivated the high energy physics, astronomy and cosmology to probe physics beyond the standard model considering minimal 3+1 (3 active and 1 sterile) to 3+N neutrino schemes. The analytical equations for neutrino conversion probabilities are developed in this work for 3+1 neutrino scheme. Here, we have tried to explore the possible signals of T and CPT violations with four flavor neutrino scheme at neutrino factory. Values of sterile parameters considered in this analysis are taken from two different types of neutrino experiments viz. long baseline experiments and reactor+atmospheric experiments. In this work golden and discovery channels are selected for the investigation of T violation. While observing T violation we stipulate that neutrino factory working at 50 GeV energy have the potential to observe the T violation signatures for the considered range of baselines(3000 km-7500 km). The ability of neutrino factory for constraining CPT violation is enhanced with increase in energy for normal neutrino mass hierarchy(NH). Neutrino factory with the exposure time of 500 kt-yr will be able to capture CPT violation with $\delta c_{31}\geq 3.6\times10^{-23}$ GeV at 3$\sigma$ level for NH and for IH with $\delta c_{31}\geq 4\times10^{-23}$ GeV at 3$\sigma$ level