Internal tension in a collapsed polymer under shear flow and the connection to enzymatic cleavage of von Willebrand factor

By means of Brownian hydrodynamics simulations we show that the tension distribution along the contour of a single collapsed polymer in shear flow is inhomogeneous and above a threshold shear rate exhibits a double-peak structure when hydrodynamic interactions are taken into account. We argue that the tension maxima close to the termini of the polymer chain reflect the presence of polymeric protrusions. We establish the connection to shear- induced globule unfolding and determine the scaling behavior of the maximal tensile forces and the average protrusion length as a function of shear rate, globule size, and cohesive strength. A quasi-equilibrium theory is employed in order to describe the simulation results. Our results are used to explain experimental data for the shear-sensitive enzymatic degradation of von Willebrand factor

Spontaneous spin polarization in doped semiconductor quantum wells

We calculate the critical density of the zero-temperature, first-order ferromagnetic phase transition in n-doped GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells. We find that the existence of the ferromagnetic transition is dependent upon the choice of well width. We demonstrate rigorously that this dependence is governed by the interplay between different components of the exchange interaction and that there exists an upper limit for the well width beyond which there is no transition. We predict that some narrow quantum wells could exhibit this transition at electron densities lower than the ones that have been considered experimentally thus far. We use a screened Hartree-Fock approximation with a polarization-dependent effective mass, which is adjusted to match the critical density predicted by Monte Carlo calculations for the two-dimensional electron gas.Comment: Submitted to Eur. Phys. Journal

ICONGETM v1.0 – flexible NUOPC-driven two-way coupling via ESMF exchange grids between the unstructured-grid atmosphere model ICON and the structured-grid coastal ocean model GETM

Two-way model coupling is important for representing the mutual interactions and feedbacks between atmosphere and ocean dynamics. This work presents the development of the two-way coupled model system ICONGETM, consisting of the atmosphere model ICON and the ocean model GETM. ICONGETM is built on the latest NUOPC coupling software with flexible data exchange and conservative interpolation via ESMF exchange grids. With ICON providing a state-of-the-art kernel for numerical weather prediction on an unstructured mesh and GETM being an established coastal ocean model, ICONGETM is especially suited for high-resolution studies. For demonstration purposes the newly developed model system has been applied to a coastal upwelling scenario in the central Baltic Sea

On the c-axis optical reflectivity of layered cuprate superconductors

Using a conventional BCS -- Fermi liquid model we calculate the c-axis optical reflectivity of the layered high temperature cuprate superconductors by obtaining the finite temperature dynamical dielectric function in a microscopic self-consistent gauge invariant formalism. We get good semi-quantitative agreement with all the existing experimental data by using the measured normal state $dc$ resistivities as the input parameters in obtaining the c-axis hopping amplitude and the normal state level broadening in our microscopic calculation.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, 1 table gzipped tar fil

Disorder and chain superconductivity in YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-\delta}

The effects of chain disorder on superconductivity in YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-\delta} are discussed within the context of a proximity model. Chain disorder causes both pair-breaking and localization. The hybridization of chain and plane wavefunctions reduces the importance of localization, so that the transport anisotropy remains large in the presence of a finite fraction $\delta$ of oxygen vacancies. Penetration depth and specific heat measurements probe the pair-breaking effects of chain disorder, and are discussed in detail at the level of the self-consistent T-matrix approximation. Quantitative agreement with these experiments is found when chain disorder is present.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, submitted to PRB rapid communication

Combined potential and spin impurity scattering in cuprates

We present a theory of combined nonmagnetic and magnetic impurity scattering in anisotropic superconductors accounting for the momentum-dependent impurity potential. Applying the model to the d-wave superconducting state, we obtain a quantitative agreement with the initial suppression of the critical temperature due to Zn and Ni substitutions as well as electron irradiation defects in the cuprates. We suggest, that the unequal pair-breaking effect of Zn and Ni may be related to a different nature of the magnetic moments induced by these impurities.Comment: 5 pages, 3 tables, RevTex, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Antiferromagnetic Interactions and the Superconducting Gap Function

Spin-fluctuation-mediated superconductivity is conventionally associated with d_{x^2-y^2} pairing. We show that a generalized model of antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations in three dimensions may also yield a state with formal ``s-wave'' (A_{1g}) symmetry but with line nodes at k_z \approx \pm \pi / 2c. We study this new state within both BCS and Eliashberg theories using a realistic band structure and find that it is more stable than the d_{x^2-y^2} (B_{1g}) state over a wide range of parameters. Thus, models of spin-fluctuation-mediated superconductivity must consider both possibilities on an equal footing.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX with psfig, 2 PostScript figures included in compressed form, one color PostScript figure available by request to [email protected] or [email protected]. Minor changes and updated references from original postin

Theory for Dynamical Short Range Order and Fermi Surface Volume in Strongly Correlated Systems

Using the fluctuation exchange approximation of the one band Hubbard model, we discuss the origin of the changing Fermi surface volume in underdoped cuprate systems due to the transfer of occupied states from the Fermi surface to its shadow, resulting from the strong dynamical antiferromagnetic short range correlations. The momentum and temperature dependence of the quasi particle scattering rate shows unusual deviations from the conventional Fermi liquid like behavior. Their consequences for the changing Fermi surface volume are discussed. Here, we investigate in detail which scattering processes might be responsible for a violation of the Luttinger theorem. Finally, we discuss the formation of hole pockets near half filling.Comment: 5 pages, Revtex, 4 postscript figure