3,417 research outputs found
Wither the Creative City? Art, Cities, and Justice
Maloney Library lecture series, Behind the Bookhttps://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/behindthebookposters/1004/thumbnail.jp
Temporal evolution of mesoscopic structure of some non-Euclidean systems using a Monte Carlo model
A Monte Carlo based computer model is presented to comprehend the contrasting
observations of Mazumder et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 255704 (2004) and Phys.
Rev. B 72, 224208 (2005)], based on neutron-scattering measurements, on
temporal evolution of effective fractal dimension and characteristic length for
hydration of cement with light and heavy water. In this context, a theoretical
model is also proposed to elucidate the same.Comment: 31 Pages, 13 Figure
Topological minigap in quasi-one-dimensional spin-orbit-coupled semiconductor Majorana wires
The excitation gap above the Majorana fermion (MF) modes at the ends of 1D
topological superconducting (TS) semiconductor wires scales with the bulk
quasiparticle gap E_{qp}. This gap, also called minigap, facilitates
experimental detection of the pristine TS state and MFs at experimentally
accessible temperatures T << E_{qp}. Here we show that the linear scaling of
minigap with E_{qp} can fail in quasi-1D wires with multiple confinement bands
when the applied Zeeman field is greater than or equal to about half of the
confinement-induced bandgap. TS states in such wires have an approximate chiral
symmetry supporting multiple near zero energy modes at each end leading to a
minigap which can effectively vanish. We show that the problem of small minigap
in such wires can be resolved by forcing the system to break the approximate
chirality symmetry externally with a second Zeeman field. Although experimental
signatures such as zero bias peak from the wire ends is suppressed by the
second Zeeman field above a critical value, such a field is required in some
important parameter regimes of quasi-1D wires to isolate the topological
physics of end state MFs. We also discuss the crucial difference of our minigap
calculations from the previously reported minigap results appropriate for
idealized spinless p-wave superconductors and explain why the clustering of
fermionic subgap states around the zero energy Majorana end state with
increasing chemical potential seen in the latter system does not apply to the
experimental TS states in spin-orbit coupled nanowires.Comment: Crucial difference of the present results with previously reported
results for idealized spinless p-wave wires discussed (see conclusion); new
references added; Title changed in response to Editor comment; new version as
accepted in PR
Probing a topological quantum critical point in semiconductor-superconductor heterostructures
Quantum ground states on the non-trivial side of a topological quantum
critical point (TQCP) have unique properties that make them attractive
candidates for quantum information applications. A recent example is provided
by s-wave superconductivity on a semiconductor platform, which is tuned through
a TQCP to a topological superconducting (TS) state by an external Zeeman field.
Despite many attractive features of TS states, TQCPs themselves do not break
any symmetries, making it impossible to distinguish the TS state from a regular
superconductor in conventional bulk measurements. Here we show that for the
semiconductor TQCP this problem can be overcome by tracking suitable bulk
transport properties across the topological quantum critical regime itself. The
universal low-energy effective theory and the scaling form of the relevant
susceptibilities also provide a useful theoretical framework in which to
understand the topological transitions in semiconductor heterostructures. Based
on our theory, specific bulk measurements are proposed here in order to
characterize the novel TQCP in semiconductor heterostructures.Comment: 8+ pages, 5 figures, Revised version as accepted in PR
Secondary arm coarsening and microsegregation in superalloy PWA-1480 single crystals: Effect of low gravity
Single crystal specimens of nickel base superalloy PWA-1480 were directionally solidified on ground and during low gravity (20 sec) and high gravity (90 sec) parabolic maneuver of KC-135 aircraft. Thermal profiles were measured during solidification by two in-situ thermocouples positioned along the sample length. The samples were quenched during either high or low gravity cycles so as to freeze the structures of the mushy zone developing under different gravity levels. Microsegregation was measured by examining the solutal profiles on several transverse cross-sections across primary dendrites along their length in the quenched mushy zone. Effect of gravity level on secondary arm coarsening kinetics and microsegregation have been investigated. The results indicate that there is no appreciable difference in the microsegregation and coarsening kinetics behavior in the specimens grown under high or low gravity. This suggests that short duration changes in gravity/levels (0.02 to 1.7 g) do not influence convection in the interdendritic region. Examination of the role of natural convection, in the melt near the primary dendrite tips, on secondary arm spacings requires low gravity periods longer than presently available on KC-135. Secondary arm coarsening kinetics show a reasonable fit with the predictions from a simple analytical model proposed by Kirkwood for a binary alloy
Dissipate locally, couple globally: a sharp transition from decoupling to infinite range coupling in Josephson arrays with on-site dissipation
We study the T=0 normal to superconducting transition of Josephson arrays
with {\it on-site} dissipation. A perturbative renormalization group solution
is given. Like the previously studied case of {\it bond} dissipation (BD), this
is a "floating" to coupled (FC) phase transition. {\it Unlike} the BD
transition, at which {\it only} nearest-neighbor couplings become relevant,
here {\it all} inter-grain couplings, out to {\it infinitely} large distances,
do so simultaneously. We predict, for the first time in an FC transition, a
diverging spatial correlation length. Our results show the robustness of
floating phases in dissipative quantum systems.Comment: 7+ pages, 3 eps figures, Europhysics Letters preprint format, as
publishe
Microstructures in rapidly solidified Ni-Mo alloys
Ni-Mo alloys of compositions ranging from pure Ni to Ni-40 at % Mo were rapidly solidified by Chill Block Melt Spinning in vacuum and were examined by optical metallography, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Rapid solidification resulted in an extension of molybdenum solubility in nickel from 28 to 37.5 at %. A number of different phases and microstructures were seen at different depths (solidification conditions) from the quenched surface of the melt spun ribbons
superfluid from s-wave interactions of fermionic cold atoms
Two-dimensional () superfluids/superconductors offer a
playground for studying intriguing physics such as quantum teleportation,
non-Abelian statistics, and topological quantum computation. Creating such a
superfluid in cold fermionic atom optical traps using p-wave Feshbach resonance
is turning out to be challenging. Here we propose a method to create a
superfluid directly from an s-wave interaction making use of a
topological Berry phase, which can be artificially generated. We discuss ways
to detect the spontaneous Hall mass current, which acts as a diagnostic for the
chiral p-wave superfluid.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
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