Possible indicators for low dimensional superconductivity in the quasi-1D carbide Sc3CoC4

The transition metal carbide Sc3CoC4 consists of a quasi-one-dimensional (1D) structure with [CoC4]_{\inft} polyanionic chains embedded in a scandium matrix. At ambient temperatures Sc3CoC4 displays metallic behavior. At lower temperatures, however, charge density wave formation has been observed around 143K which is followed by a structural phase transition at 72K. Below T^onset_c = 4.5K the polycrystalline sample becomes superconductive. From Hc1(0) and Hc2(0) values we could estimate the London penetration depth ({\lambda}_L ~= 9750 Angstroem) and the Ginsburg-Landau (GL) coherence length ({\xi}_GL ~= 187 Angstroem). The resulting GL-parameter ({\kappa} ~= 52) classifies Sc3CoC4 as a type II superconductor. Here we compare the puzzling superconducting features of Sc3CoC4, such as the unusual temperature dependence i) of the specific heat anomaly and ii) of the upper critical field H_c2(T) at T_c, and iii) the magnetic hysteresis curve, with various related low dimensional superconductors: e.g., the quasi-1D superconductor (SN)_x or the 2D transition-metal dichalcogenides. Our results identify Sc3CoC4 as a new candidate for a quasi-1D superconductor.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Renormalization Group Study of Magnetic Catalysis in the 3d Gross-Neveu Model

Magnetic catalysis describes the enhancement of symmetry breaking quantum fluctuations in chirally symmetric quantum field theories by the coupling of fermionic degrees of freedom to a magnetic background configuration. We use the functional renormalization group to investigate this phenomenon for interacting Dirac fermions propagating in (2+1)-dimensional spacetime, described by the Gross-Neveu model. We identify pointlike operators up to quartic fermionic terms that can be generated in the renormalization group flow by the presence of an external magnetic field. We employ the beta function for the fermionic coupling to quantitatively analyze the field dependence of the induced spectral gap. Within our pointlike truncation, the renormalization group flow provides a simple picture for magnetic catalysis.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, typos correcte

Remedies Brief of Amici Curiae

None.

Consolidation of sugaring marble by hydroxyapatite: some recent developments on producing and treating decayed samples

Consolidation of sugaring marble (i.e., marble affected by granular disaggregation) still lacks fully effective solutions. Consequently, the use of an innovative phosphate-based treatment, aimed at bonding calcite grains by formation of hydroxyapatite at grain boundaries, has recently been proposed. In this paper, firstly a novel method for producing artificially decayed marble samples, by contact with a heating plate, is proposed. Then, some results are presented about the effectiveness and the compatibility of two different formulations of the phosphate treatment, differing in terms of concentration of the phosphate precursor (3.0 M or 0.1 M aqueous solutions of diammonium hydrogen phosphate, DAP), possible ethanol addition to the DAP solution and number of DAP solution applications (1 or 2). The results of the study point out that the new weathering method allows to obtain specimens with a gradient in microstructural and mechanical properties with thickness, just like naturally weathered samples. Both phosphate treatments were able to significantly improve marble cohesion, without causing significant changes in thermal behaviour and aesthetic appearance after treatment. The addition of small quantities of ethanol to the DAP solution seems to be a very promising method for favouring HAP formation and improving the treatment performance

Gauge symmetric delta(1232) couplings and the radiative muon capture in hydrogen

Using the difference between the gauge symmetric and standard pi-N-delta couplings, a contact pi-pi-N-N term, quadratic in the pi-N-delta coupling, is explicitly constructed. Besides, a contribution from the delta excitation mechanism to the photon spectrum for the radiative muon capture in hydrogen is derived from the gauge symmetric pi-N-delta and gamma-N-delta couplings. It is shown for the photon spectrum, studied recently experimentally, that the new spectrum is for the photon momentums k > 60 MeV by 4-10 % smaller than the one obtained from standardly used couplings with the on-shell deltas.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Ultranarrow conducting channels defined in GaAs-AlGaAs by low-energy ion damage

We have laterally patterned the narrowest conducting wires of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) material reported to date. The depletion induced by low-energy ion etching of GaAs-AlGaAs 2DEG structures was used to define narrow conducting channels. We employed high voltage electron beam lithography to create a range of channel geometries with widths as small as 75 nm. Using ion beam assisted etching by Cl2 gas and Ar ions with energies as low as 150 eV, conducting channels were defined by etching only through the thin GaAs cap layer. This slight etching is sufficient to entirely deplete the underlying material without necessitating exposure of the sidewalls that results in long lateral depletion lengths. At 4.2 K, without illumination, our narrowest wires retain a carrier density and mobility at least as high as that of the bulk 2DEG and exhibit quantized Hall effects. Aharonov–Bohm oscillations are seen in rings defined by this controlled etch-damage patterning. This patterning technique holds promise for creating one-dimensional conducting wires of even smaller sizes

Thermoelectric properties of Zn_5Sb_4In_(2-δ)(δ=0.15)

The polymorphic intermetallic compound Zn_5Sb_4In_(2−δ) (δ = 0.15(3)) shows promising thermoelectric properties at low temperatures, approaching a figure of merit ZT of 0.3 at 300 K. However, thermopower and electrical resistivity changes discontinuously at around 220 K. Measurement of the specific heat locates the previously unknown temperature of the order-disorder phase transition at around 180 K. Investigation of the charge carrier concentration and mobility by Hall measurements and infrared reflection spectroscopy indicate a mixed conduction behavior and the activation of charge carriers at temperatures above 220 K. Zn_5Sb_4In_(2−δ) has a low thermal stability, and at temperatures above 470 K samples decompose into a mixture of Zn, InSb, and Zn_4Sb_3

Kovacs effects in an aging molecular liquid

We study by means of molecular dynamics simulations the aging behavior of a molecular model of ortho-terphenyl. We find evidence of a a non-monotonic evolution of the volume during an isothermal-isobaric equilibration process, a phenomenon known in polymeric systems as Kovacs effect. We characterize this phenomenology in terms of landscape properties, providing evidence that, far from equilibrium, the system explores region of the potential energy landscape distinct from the one explored in thermal equilibrium. We discuss the relevance of our findings for the present understanding of the thermodynamics of the glass state.Comment: RevTeX 4, 4 pages, 5 eps figure