506 research outputs found
BaFe_{1.8}Co_{0.2}As_2 thin film hybrid Josephson junctions
Josephson junctions with iron pnictides open the way for fundamental
experiments on superconductivity in these materials and their application in
superconducting devices. Here, we present hybrid Josephson junctions with a
BaFe_{1.8}Co_{0.2}As_2 thin film electrode, an Au barrier and a PbIn counter
electrode. The junctions show RSJ-like current-voltage characteristics up to
the critical temperature of the counter electrode of about 7.2K. The
temperature dependence of the critical current, IC, does not show an
Ambegaokar-Baratoff behavior. Well-pronounced Shapiro steps are observed at
microwave frequencies of 10-18GHz. Assuming an excess current, I_ex, of 200
{\mu}A at 4.2K we get an effective I_C R_N product of 6 {\mu}V.Comment: submitted to Appl. Phys. Let
Influence of the spreading resistance on the conductance spectrum of planar hybrid thin film SNS' junctions based on iron pnictides
To investigate the superconducting properties of iron pnictides we prepared
planar hybrid SNS' junctions in thin film technology with a pnictide base
electrode, a gold barrier layer and a lead counter electrode. Our design allows
characterization of the electrodes and the junction independently in a 4-probe
method. We show how both electrodes influence the measured spectra due to their
spreading resistance. While the Pb electrode has a constant resistance above
its , the contribution of the pnictide electrode is clearly
current-dependent and thus it needs a more advanced method to be corrected. We
present an empirical method, which is simple to apply and allows to deal with
the spreading resistance in our junctions to recalculate the actual conductance
and voltage of one junction at given temperature
Grain boundary engineering with gold nanoparticles
We investigated high-T C grain boundary Josephson junctions with and without incorporated gold nanoparticles. Pulsed laser deposition was used for the deposition of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−δ thin films on SrTiO 3 bicrystal substrates with different grain boundary angles. During the deposition process, single-crystalline nanoparticles self-assembled from a thin gold layer which was sputtered on the substrate before the YBCO deposition. The interaction between nanoparticles and thin film growth significantly influences the quality of the YBCO films [1]. The critical current density and the critical temperature of the superconducting films can be increased in a defined manner. Furthermore, the nanoparticles influence the growth conditions in the region of the grain boundary and thus the properties of the later patterned Josephson junctions. The comparison between Josephson junctions with and without nanoparticles on the same substrate shows a reduction of the critical current I C and an increase of the normal state resistance RN for all investigated types of grain boundaries in the areas with gold nanoparticles. In some cases we even found an increase of the resulting I C R N product. We present the influence of light irradiation on the properties of the Josephson junctions
Another short-burst host galaxy with an optically obscured high star formation rate: The case of GRB 071227
We report on radio continuum observations of the host galaxy of the short
gamma-ray burst 071227 (z=0.381) with the Australia Telescope Compact Array
(ATCA). We detect the galaxy in the 5.5 GHz band with an integrated flux
density of Fnu = 43 +/- 11 microJy, corresponding to an unobscured
star-formation rate (SFR) of about 24 Msun/yr, forty times higher than what was
found from optical emission lines. Among the ~30 well-identified and studied
host galaxies of short bursts this is the third case where the host is found to
undergo an episode of intense star formation. This suggests that a fraction of
all short-burst progenitors hosted in star-forming galaxies could be physically
related to recent star formation activity, implying a relatively short merger
time scale.Comment: 6 pages, ApJ, accepted for publicatio
Josephson and tunneling junctions with thin films of iron based superconductors
We produced planar hybrid Superconductor - Normal metal - Superconductor (SNS') junctions and interfaceengineered edge junctions (SN'S' or SIS' with normal metal (N') or insulating (I) barrier) with various areas using Co-doped Ba-122 as base electrode. Varying the thickness of the Normal metal (gold) barrier of the planar junctions, we can either observe Josephson behavior at thinner gold thicknesses or transport dominated by Andreev reflection. The edge junctions seem to form a SN'S'-contact
Afterglow rebrightenings as a signature of a long-lasting central engine activity? The emblematic case of GRB 100814A
In the past few years the number of well-sampled optical to NIR light curves
of long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) has greatly increased particularly due to
simultaneous multi-band imagers such as GROND. Combining these densely sampled
ground-based data sets with the Swift UVOT and XRT space observations unveils a
much more complex afterglow evolution than what was predicted by the most
commonly invoked theoretical models. GRB 100814A represents a remarkable
example of these interesting well-sampled events, showing a prominent late-time
rebrightening in the optical to NIR bands and a complex spectral evolution.
This represents a unique laboratory to test the different afterglow emission
models. Here we study the nature of the complex afterglow emission of GRB
100814A in the framework of different theoretical models. Moreover, we compare
the late-time chromatic rebrightening with those observed in other well-sampled
long GRBs. We analysed the optical and NIR observations obtained with the
seven-channel Gamma-Ray burst Optical and Near-infrared Detector at the 2.2 m
MPG/ESO telescope together with the X-ray and UV data detected by the
instruments onboard the Swift observatory. The broad-band afterglow evolution,
achieved by constructing multi-instrument light curves and spectral energy
distributions, will be discussed in the framework of different theoretical
models. We find that the standard models that describe the broad-band afterglow
emission within the external shock scenario fail to describe the complex
evolution of GRB 100814A, and therefore more complex scenarios must be invoked.
[abridged]Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables; Astronomy & Astrophysics, in pres
Multiwavelength analysis of three SNe associated with GRBs observed by GROND
After the discovery of the first connection between GRBs and SNe almost two
decades ago, tens of SN-like rebrightenings have been discovered and about
seven solid associations have been spectroscopically confirmed to date. Using
GROND optical/NIR data and Swift X-ray/UV data, we estimate the intrinsic
extinction, luminosity, and evolution of three SN rebrightenings in GRB
afterglow light curves at z~0.5. The SNe 2008hw, 2009nz, and 2010ma exhibit
0.80, 1.15, and 1.78 times the optical (r band) luminosity of SN 1998bw,
respectively. While SN 2009nz evolves similarly to SN 1998bw, SNe 2008hw and
2010ma show earlier peak times. The quasi-bolometric light curves were
corrected for the contribution of the NIR bands using data available in the
literature and blackbody fits. The large luminosity of SN 2010ma (1.4x10^43
erg/s) is confirmed, while SNe 2008hw and 2009nz reached a peak luminosity
closer to SN 1998bw. Physical parameters of the SN explosions, such as
synthesised nickel mass, ejecta mass, and kinetic energy, are estimated using
Arnett's analytic approach, which resulted in nickel masses of around 0.4-0.5
Msun. By means of the a very comprehensive data set, we found that the
luminosity and the nickel mass of SNe 2008hw, 2009nz, and 2010ma resembles
those of other known GRB-associated SNe. This findings strengthens previous
claims of GRB-SNe being brighter than type-Ic SNe unaccompanied by GRBs.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysics, abstract abridge
Super-solar metallicity at the position of the ultra-long GRB130925A
Over the last decade there has been immense progress in the follow-up of
short and long GRBs, resulting in a significant rise in the detection rate of
X-ray and optical afterglows, in the determination of GRB redshifts, and of the
identification of the underlying host galaxies. Nevertheless, our theoretical
understanding on the progenitors and central engines powering these vast
explosions is lagging behind, and a newly identified class of `ultra-long' GRBs
has fuelled speculation on the existence of a new channel of GRB formation. In
this paper we present high signal-to-noise X-shooter observations of the host
galaxy of GRB130925A, which is the fourth unambiguously identified ultra-long
GRB, with prompt gamma-ray emission detected for ~20ks. The GRB line of sight
was close to the host galaxy nucleus, and our spectroscopic observations cover
both this region along the bulge/disk of the galaxy, in addition to a bright
star-forming region within the outskirts of the galaxy. From our broad
wavelength coverage we obtain accurate metallicity and dust-extinction
measurements at both the galaxy nucleus, and an outer star-forming region, and
measure a super-solar metallicity at both locations, placing this galaxy within
the 10-20% most metal-rich GRB host galaxies. Such a high metal enrichment has
implications on the progenitor models of both long and ultra-long GRBs,
although the edge-on orientation of the host galaxy does not allow us to rule
out a large metallicity variation along our line of sight. The spatially
resolved spectroscopic data presented in this paper offer important insight
into variations in the metal and dust abundance within GRB host galaxies. They
also illustrate the need for IFU observations on a larger sample of GRB host
galaxies at varies metallicities to provide a more quantitative view on the
relation between the GRB circumburst and the galaxy-whole properties.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, A&A in press, matches published versio
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