129 research outputs found
Nernst effect as a probe of superconducting fluctuations in disordered thin films
In amorphous superconducting thin films of and ,
a finite Nernst coefficient can be detected in a wide range of temperature and
magnetic field. Due to the negligible contribution of normal quasi-particles,
superconducting fluctuations easily dominate the Nernst response in the entire
range of study. In the vicinity of the critical temperature and in the
zero-field limit, the magnitude of the signal is in quantitative agreement with
what is theoretically expected for the Gaussian fluctuations of the
superconducting order parameter. Even at higher temperatures and finite
magnetic field, the Nernst coefficient is set by the size of superconducting
fluctuations. The Nernst coefficient emerges as a direct probe of the ghost
critical field, the normal-state mirror of the upper critical field. Moreover,
upon leaving the normal state with fluctuating Cooper pairs, we show that the
temperature evolution of the Nernst coefficient is different whether the system
enters a vortex solid, a vortex liquid or a phase-fluctuating superconducting
regime.Comment: Submitted to New. J. Phys. for a focus issue on "Superconductors with
Exotic Symmetries
Characterization and Weathering of the Building Materials of Sanctuaries in the Archaeological Site of Dion, Greece
The sanctuaries of Demeter and Asklepios are part of the Dion archaeological site that sits among the eastern foothills of Mount Olympus. The main building materials are limestones and conglomerates. Sandstones, marbles, and ceramic plinths were also used. The materials consist mainly of calcite and/or dolomite, whereas the deteriorated surfaces contain also secondary and recrystallized calcite and dolomite, gypsum, various inorganic compounds, fluoroapatite, microorganisms and other organic compounds. Cracks and holes were observed in various parts of the stones. The influence of specific weathering agents and factors to the behavior of the materials was examined. The particular environmental conditions in Dion combine increased moisture and rain fall, insolation and great temperature differences, abundance of intensive surface and underground water bodies in the surrounding area, an area full of plants and trees, therefore, they can cause extensive chemical, biological and mechanical decay of the monuments. The following physical characteristics of the building materials have been studied: bulk density, open porosity, pore size distribution, water absorption and desorption, capillary absorption and desorption. The chemical composition of bulk precipitation, surface and underground water was investigated. The salts presence and crystallization was examined. The influence of the water presence to the behavior of the materials was examined by in situ IR thermometer measurements. Temperature values increased from the lower to the upper parts of the building stones and they significantly depend on the orientation of the walls. The results indicate the existence of water in the bulk of the materials due to capillary penetration. The existence of water in the bulk of the materials due to capillary penetration, the cycles of wet-dry conditions, correlated with the intensive surface and underground water presence in the whole surrounding area, lead to partial dissolution-recrystallization of the carbonate material and loss of the structural cohesion and the surface stability
Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in transport through single molecule transistors
The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction is shown to result in a canting of
spins in a single molecule transistor. We predict non-linear transport
signatures of this effect induced by spin-orbit coupling for the generic case
of a molecular dimer. The conductance is calculated using a master equation and
is found to exhibit a non-trivial dependence on the magnitude and direction of
an external magnetic field. We show how three-terminal transport measurements
allow for a determination of the coupling-vector characterizing the
Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. In particular, we show how its orientation,
defining the intramolecular spin chirality, can be probed with ferromagnetic
electrodes
Characterizing organic particle impacts on inert metal surfaces: Foundations for capturing organic molecules during hypervelocity transits of Enceladus plumes
The presence and accessibility of a sub‐ice‐surface saline ocean at Enceladus, together with geothermal activity and a rocky core, make it a compelling location to conduct further, in‐depth, astrobiological investigations to probe for organic molecules indicative of extraterrestrial life. Cryovolcanic plumes in the south polar region of Enceladus enable the use of remote in situ sampling and analysis techniques. However, efficient plume sampling and the transportation of captured organic materials to an organic analyzer present unique challenges for an Enceladus mission. A systematic study, accelerating organic ice‐particle simulants into soft inert metal targets at velocities ranging 0.5–3.0 km s−1, was carried out using a light gas gun to explore the efficacy of a plume capture instrument. Capture efficiency varied for different metal targets as a function of impact velocity and particle size. Importantly, organic chemical compounds remained chemically intact in particles captured at speeds up to ~2 km s−1. Calibration plots relating the velocity, crater, and particle diameter were established to facilitate future ice‐particle impact experiments where the size of individual ice particles is unknown
The Nernst effect and the boundaries of the Fermi liquid picture
Following the observation of an anomalous Nernst signal in cuprates, the
Nernst effect was explored in a variety of metals and superconductors during
the past few years. This paper reviews the results obtained during this
exploration, focusing on the Nernst response of normal quasi-particles as
opposed to the one generated by superconducting vortices or by short-lived
Cooper pairs. Contrary to what has been often assumed, the so-called Sondheimer
cancelation does not imply a negligible Nernst response in a Fermi liquid. In
fact, the amplitude of the Nernst response measured in various metals in the
low-temperature limit is scattered over six orders of magnitude. According to
the data, this amplitude is roughly set by the ratio of electron mobility to
Fermi energy in agreement with the implications of the semi-classical transport
theory.Comment: Final version, Topical review for JPC
Direct observation of homogeneous cavitation in nanopores
We report on the evaporation of hexane from porous alumina and silicon
membranes. These membranes contain billions of independent nanopores tailored
to an ink-bottle shape, where a cavity several tens of nanometers in diameter
is separated from the bulk vapor by a constriction. For alumina membranes with
narrow enough constrictions, we demonstrate that cavity evaporation proceeds by
cavitation. Measurements of the pressure dependence of the cavitation rate
follow the predictions of the bulk, homogeneous, classical nucleation theory,
definitively establishing the relevance of homogeneous cavitation as an
evaporation mechanism in mesoporous materials. Our results imply that porous
alumina membranes are a promising new system to study liquids in a deeply
metastable state.Comment: 14 pages , 4 figures. Source files also contain Supplemental Material
(Doebele_HomogeneousCavitationMembranes_SM.pdf
Observation of spin-selective tunneling in SiGe nanocrystals
Spin-selective tunneling of holes in SiGe nanocrystals contacted by
normal-metal leads is reported. The spin selectivity arises from an interplay
of the orbital effect of the magnetic field with the strong spin-orbit
interaction present in the valence band of the semiconductor. We demonstrate
both experimentally and theoretically that spin-selective tunneling in
semiconductor nanostructures can be achieved without the use of ferromagnetic
contacts. The reported effect, which relies on mixing the light and heavy
holes, should be observable in a broad class of quantum-dot systems formed in
semiconductors with a degenerate valence band.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Multifunctional Devices and Logic Gates With Undoped Silicon Nanowires
We report on the electronic transport properties of multiple-gate devices
fabricated from undoped silicon nanowires. Understanding and control of the
relevant transport mechanisms was achieved by means of local electrostatic
gating and temperature dependent measurements. The roles of the source/drain
contacts and of the silicon channel could be independently evaluated and tuned.
Wrap gates surrounding the silicide-silicon contact interfaces were proved to
be effective in inducing a full suppression of the contact Schottky barriers,
thereby enabling carrier injection down to liquid-helium temperature. By
independently tuning the effective Schottky barrier heights, a variety of
reconfigurable device functionalities could be obtained. In particular, the
same nanowire device could be configured to work as a Schottky barrier
transistor, a Schottky diode or a p-n diode with tunable polarities. This
versatility was eventually exploited to realize a NAND logic gate with gain
well above one.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
A battery of strength tests for evidence-based classification in Para swimming
This study examined the validity of isometric strength tests for evidence-based classification in Para swimming. Thirty non-disabled participants and forty-two Para swimmers with physical impairment completed an isometric strength test battery designed to explain activity limitation in the freestyle discipline. Measures pertaining to dominant and non-dominant limb strength and symmetry were derived from four strength tests that were found to be reliable in a cohort of non-disabled participants (ICC = 0.85–0.97; CV = 6.4–9.1%). Para swimmers had lower scores in strength tests compared with non-disabled participants (d = 0.14–1.00) and the strength test battery successfully classified 95% of Para swimmers with physical impairment using random forest algorithm. Most of the strength measures had low to moderate correlations (r = 0.32 to 0.53; p ≤ 0.05) with maximal freestyle swim speed in Para swimmers. Although, fewer correlations were found when Para swimmers with hypertonia or impaired muscle power were analysed independently, highlighting the impairment-specific nature of activity limitation in Para swimming. Collectively, the strength test battery has utility in Para swimming classification to infer loss of strength in Para swimmers, guide minimum eligibility criteria, and to define the impact that strength impairment has on Para swimming performance
Brecciation at the grain scale within the lithologies of the Winchcombe Mighei‐like carbonaceous chondrite
The Mighei‐like carbonaceous (CM) chondrites have been altered to various extents by water–rock reactions on their parent asteroid(s). This aqueous processing has destroyed much of the primary mineralogy of these meteorites, and the degree of alteration is highly heterogeneous at both the macroscale and nanoscale. Many CM meteorites are also heavily brecciated juxtaposing clasts with different alteration histories. Here we present results from the fine‐grained team consortium study of the Winchcombe meteorite, a recent CM chondrite fall that is a breccia and contains eight discrete lithologies that span a range of petrologic subtypes (CM2.0–2.6) that are suspended in a cataclastic matrix. Coordinated multitechnique, multiscale analyses of this breccia reveal substantial heterogeneity in the extent of alteration, even in highly aqueously processed lithologies. Some lithologies exhibit the full range and can comprise nearly unaltered coarse‐grained primary components that are found directly alongside other coarse‐grained components that have experienced complete pseudomorphic replacement by secondary minerals. The preservation of the complete alteration sequence and pseudomorph textures showing tochilinite–cronstedtite intergrowths are replacing carbonates suggest that CMs may be initially more carbonate rich than previously thought. This heterogeneity in aqueous alteration extent is likely due to a combination of microscale variability in permeability and water/rock ratio generating local microenvironments as has been established previously. Nevertheless, some of the disequilibrium mineral assemblages observed, such as hydrous minerals juxtaposed with surviving phases that are typically more fluid susceptible, can only be reconciled by multiple generations of alteration, disruption, and reaccretion of the CM parent body at the grain scale
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