Andreev experiments on superconductor/ferromagnet point contacts

Andreev reflection is a smart tool to investigate the spin polarisation P of the current through point contacts between a superconductor and a ferromagnet. We compare different models to extract P from experimental data and investigate the dependence of P on different contact parameters.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Fizika Nizkikh Temperatu

Motion by Stopping: Rectifying Brownian Motion of Non-spherical Particles

We show that Brownian motion is spatially not symmetric for mesoscopic particles embedded in a fluid if the particle is not in thermal equilibrium and its shape is not spherical. In view of applications on molecular motors in biological cells, we sustain non-equilibrium by stopping a non-spherical particle at periodic sites along a filament. Molecular dynamics simulations in a Lennard-Jones fluid demonstrate that directed motion is possible without a ratchet potential or temperature gradients if the asymmetric non-equilibrium relaxation process is hindered by external stopping. Analytic calculations in the ideal gas limit show that motion even against a fluid drift is possible and that the direction of motion can be controlled by the shape of the particle, which is completely characterized by tensorial Minkowski functionals.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Climate-driven changes in chemical weathering and associated phosphorus release since 1850: Implications for the land carbon balance

Chemical weathering and associated nutrient release act as a control on atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration. To globally quantify the contribution of chemical weathering and associated phosphorus (P) release on the historical trend in terrestrial carbon uptake, we applied a weathering model under climate reconstructions from four Earth System Models. In these simulations, CO2 consumption and P release increased from 1850 to 2005 by 11 ± 3% and 12 ± 4%, respectively. Thereby the intensification of weathering due to climate change could have contributed to a small extent to the trend in terrestrial carbon uptake since the pre–Industrial Period. Using a back of the envelope calculation, we found a feedback strength of CO2 consumption and P release of −0.02 ± 0.01Wm−2K−1 and −0.02 ± 0.01Wm−2K−1, respectively. Although being one magnitude smaller than the carbon cycle feedback, the weathering feedbacks are comparable in strength to small second-order feedbacks such as methane, fire, or ozone

Large Broadening of the Superconducting Transition by Fluctuations in a 3D Metal at High Magnetic Fields: The MgB2_{2} case

It is shown that the transition to the low temperature superconducting state in a 3D metal at high magnetic field is smeared dramatically by thermal fluctuation of the superconducting order parameter. The resulting superconducting-to-normal crossover occurs in a vortex liquid state which is extended well below the mean-field $H_{c2}$. Application to MgB$_{2}$ yields good quantitative agreement with recently reported data of dHvA oscillation in the superconducting state

Nonmonotonic Decay of Nonequilibrium Polariton Condensate in Direct-Gap Semiconductors

Time evolution of a nonequilibrium polariton condensate has been studied in the framework of a microscopic approach. It has been shown that due to polariton-polariton scattering a significant condensate depletion takes place in a comparatively short time interval. The condensate decay occurs in the form of multiple echo signals. Distribution-function dynamics of noncondensate polaritons have been investigated. It has been shown that at the initial stage of evolution the distribution function has the form of a bell. Then oscillations arise in the contour of the distribution function, which further transform into small chaotic ripples. The appearance of a short-wavelength wing of the distribution function has been demonstrated. We have pointed out the enhancement and then partial extinction of the sharp extra peak arising within the time interval characterized by small values of polariton condensate density and its relatively slow changes.Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX 2.09; in press in PR

Nutrient limitation reduces land carbon uptake in simulations with a model of combined carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling

Terrestrial carbon (C) cycle models applied for climate projections simulate a strong increase in net primary productivity (NPP) due to elevated atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentration during the 21st century. These models usually neglect the limited availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), nutrients that commonly limit plant growth and soil carbon turnover. To investigate how the projected C sequestration is altered when stoichiometric constraints on C cycling are considered, we incorporated a P cycle into the land surface model JSBACH (Jena Scheme for Biosphere–Atmosphere Coupling in Hamburg), which already includes representations of coupled C and N cycles. <br><br> The model reveals a distinct geographic pattern of P and N limitation. Under the SRES (Special Report on Emissions Scenarios) A1B scenario, the accumulated land C uptake between 1860 and 2100 is 13% (particularly at high latitudes) and 16% (particularly at low latitudes) lower in simulations with N and P cycling, respectively, than in simulations without nutrient cycles. The combined effect of both nutrients reduces land C uptake by 25% compared to simulations without N or P cycling. Nutrient limitation in general may be biased by the model simplicity, but the ranking of limitations is robust against the parameterization and the inflexibility of stoichiometry. After 2100, increased temperature and high CO<sub>2</sub> concentration cause a shift from N to P limitation at high latitudes, while nutrient limitation in the tropics declines. The increase in P limitation at high-latitudes is induced by a strong increase in NPP and the low P sorption capacity of soils, while a decline in tropical NPP due to high autotrophic respiration rates alleviates N and P limitations. The quantification of P limitation remains challenging. The poorly constrained processes of soil P sorption and biochemical mineralization are identified as the main uncertainties in the strength of P limitation. Even so, our findings indicate that global land C uptake in the 21st century is likely overestimated in models that neglect P and N limitations. In the long term, insufficient P availability might become an important constraint on C cycling at high latitudes. Accordingly, we argue that the P cycle must be included in global models used for C cycle projections