172 research outputs found
Temperature-induced pair correlations in clusters and nuclei
The pair correlations in mesoscopic systems such as -size superconducting
clusters and nuclei are studied at finite temperature for the canonical
ensemble of fermions in model spaces with a fixed particle number: i) a
degenerate spherical shell (strong coupling limit), ii) an equidistantly spaced
deformed shell (weak coupling limit). It is shown that after the destruction of
the pair correlations at T=0 by a strong magnetic field or rapid rotation,
heating can bring them back. This phenomenon is a consequence of the fixed
number of fermions in the canonical ensemble
Effects of Spin-Orbit Interactions on Tunneling via Discrete Energy Levels in Metal Nanoparticles
The presence of spin-orbit scattering within an aluminum nanoparticle affects
measurements of the discrete energy levels within the particle by (1) reducing
the effective g-factor below the free-electron value of 2, (2) causing avoided
crossings as a function of magnetic field between predominantly-spin-up and
predominantly-spin-down levels, and (3) introducing magnetic-field-dependent
changes in the amount of current transported by the tunneling resonances. All
three effects can be understood in a unified fashion by considering a simple
Hamiltonian. Spin-orbit scattering from 4% gold impurities in superconducting
aluminum nanoparticles produces no dramatic effect on the superconducting gap
at zero magnetic field, but we argue that it does modify the nature of the
superconducting transition in a magnetic field.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Random Matrix Model for Superconductors in a Magnetic Field
We introduce a random matrix ensemble for bulk type-II superconductors in the
mixed state and determine the single-particle excitation spectrum using random
matrix theory. The results are compared with planar tunnel junction experiments
in PbBi thin films. More low energy states appear than in the
Abrikosov-Gor'kov-Maki or Ginzburg-Landau descriptions, consistent with
observations.Comment: 4 pages, 1 postscript figure, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Resonant Magnetization Tunneling in Mn12 Acetate: The Absence of Inhomogeneous Hyperfine Broadening
We present the results of a detailed study of the
thermally-assisted-resonant-tunneling relaxation rate of Mn12 acetate as a
function of an external, longitudinal magnetic field and find that the data can
be fit extremely well to a Lorentzian function. No hint of inhomogeneous
broadening is found, even though some is expected from the Mn nuclear hyperfine
interaction. This inconsistency implies that the tunneling mechanism cannot be
described simply in terms of a random hyperfine field.Comment: Some minor revisions, title changed, updated figures, two added
notes, one added reference. RevTeX, 4 pages, 3 postscript figures. Submitted
to Rapid Communication
Cold extremities in migraine: a marker for vascular dysfunction in women
Background and purpose: Migraine is recognized as a vascular risk factor, especially in women. Presumably, migraine, stroke and cardiovascular events share pathophysiological mechanisms. Self-reported cold extremities were investigated as a marker for vascular dysfunction in migraine. Secondly, it was hypothesized that suffering from cold extremities affects sleep quality, possibly exacerbating migraine attack frequency. Methods: In this caseâcontrol study, a random sample of 1084 migraine patients and 348 controls (aged 22â65Â years) from the LUMINA migraine cohort were asked to complete questionnaires concerning cold extremities, sleep quality and migraine. Results: A total of 594 migraine patients and 199 controls completed the questionnaires. In women, thermal discomfort and cold extremities (TDCE) were more often reported by migraineurs versus controls (odds ratio 2.3, 95% confidence interval 1.4â3.7; PÂ <Â 0.001), but not significantly so in men (odds ratio 2.5, 95% confidence interval 0.9â6.9; PÂ =Â 0.09). There was no difference in TDCE comparing migraine with or without aura. Female migraineurs who reported TDCE had higher attack frequencies compared to female migraineurs without TDCE (4 vs. 3 attacks per month; PÂ =Â 0.003). The association between TDCE and attack frequency was mediated by the presence of difficulty initiating sleep (PÂ =Â 0.02). Conclusion: Women with migraine more often reported cold extremities compared with controls, possibly indicating a sex-specific vascular vulnerability. Female migraineurs with cold extremities had higher attack frequencies, partly resulting from sleep disturbances. Future studies need to demonstrate whether cold extremities in female migraineurs are a predictor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events
Magnetization of Mn_12 Ac in a slowly varying magnetic field: an ab initio study
Beginning with a Heisenberg spin Hamiltonian for the manganese ions in the
Mn_12 Ac molecule, we find a number of low-energy states of the system. We use
these states to solve the time-dependent Schrodinger equation and find the
magnetization of the molecule in the presence of a slowly varying magnetic
field. We study the effects of the field sweep rate, fourth order anisotropic
spin interactions and a transverse field on the weights of the different states
as well as the magnetization steps which are known to occur in the hysteresis
plots in this system. We find that the fourth order term and a slow field sweep
rate are crucial for obtaining prominent steps in magnetization in the
hysteresis plots.Comment: LaTeX, 11 pages, 12 eps figure
High frequency resonant experiments in Fe molecular clusters
Precise resonant experiments on Fe magnetic clusters have been
conducted down to 1.2 K at various tranverse magnetic fields, using a
cylindrical resonator cavity with 40 different frequencies between 37 GHz and
110 GHz. All the observed resonances for both single crystal and oriented
powder, have been fitted by the eigenstates of the hamiltonian . We have identified the
resonances corresponding to the coherent quantum oscillations for different
orientations of spin S = 10.Comment: to appear in Phys.Rev. B (August 2000
Characterization of the S = 9 excited state in Fe8Br8 by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance
High Frequency electron paramagnetic resonance has been used to observe the
magnetic dipole, M = 1, transitions in the excited
state of the single molecule magnet FeBr. A Boltzmann analysis of the
measured intensities locates it at 24 2 K above the ground
state, while the line positions yield its magnetic parameters D = -0.27 K, E =
0.05 K, and B = -1.3 10 K. D is thus smaller by 8%
and E larger by 7% than for . The anisotropy barrier for is
estimated as 22 K,which is 25% smaller than that for (29 K). These
data also help assign the spin exchange constants(J's) and thus provide a basis
for improved electronic structure calculations of FeBr.Comment: 7 pages, Figs included in text, submitted to PR
Thermodynamic properties of a small superconducting grain
The reduced BCS Hamiltonian for a metallic grain with a finite number of
electrons is considered. The crossover between the ultrasmall regime, in which
the level spacing, , is larger than the bulk superconducting gap, ,
and the small regime, where , is investigated analytically
and numerically. The condensation energy, spin magnetization and tunneling peak
spectrum are calculated analytically in the ultrasmall regime, using an
approximation controlled by as small parameter, where is the
number of interacting electron pairs. The condensation energy in this regime is
perturbative in the coupling constant , and is proportional to . We find that also in a large regime with
, in which pairing correlations are already rather well developed,
the perturbative part of the condensation energy is larger than the singular,
BCS, part. The condition for the condensation energy to be well approximated by
the BCS result is found to be roughly . We show how
the condensation energy can, in principle, be extracted from a measurement of
the spin magnetization curve, and find a re-entrant susceptibility at zero
temperature as a function of magnetic field, which can serve as a sensitive
probe for the existence of superconducting correlations in ultrasmall grains.
Numerical results are presented which suggest that in the large limit the
1/N correction to the BCS result for the condensation energy is larger than
.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Rough droplet model for spherical metal clusters
We study the thermally activated oscillations, or capillary waves, of a
neutral metal cluster within the liquid drop model. These deformations
correspond to a surface roughness which we characterize by a single parameter
. We derive a simple analytic approximate expression determining
as a function of temperature and cluster size. We then estimate the
induced effects on shell structure by means of a periodic orbit analysis and
compare with recent data for shell energy of sodium clusters in the size range
. A small surface roughness \AA~ is seen to
give a reasonable account of the decrease of amplitude of the shell structure
observed in experiment. Moreover -- contrary to usual Jahn-Teller type of
deformations -- roughness correctly reproduces the shape of the shell energy in
the domain of sizes considered in experiment.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, important modifications of the presentation, to
appear in Phys. Rev.
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