Polar type density of states in non-unitary odd-parity superconducting states of gap with point nodes

It is shown that the density of states (DOS) proportional to the excitation energy, the so-called polar like DOS, can arise in the odd-parity states with the superconducting gap vanishing at points even if the spin-orbit interaction for Cooper pairing is strong enough. Such gap stuructures are realized in the non-unitary states, F_{1u}(1,i,0), F_{1u}(1,varepsilon,varepsilon^{2}), and F_{2u}(1,i,0), classified by Volovik and Gorkov, Sov. Phys.-JETP Vol.61 (1985) 843. This is due to the fact that the gap vanishes in quadratic manner around the point on the Fermi surface. It is also shown that the region of quadratic energy dependence of DOS, in the state F_{2u}(1,varepsilon,varepsilon^{2}), is restricted in very small energy region making it difficult to distinguish from the polar-like DOS.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to J. Phys.: Condens. Matter Lette

A theory of new type of heavy-electron superconductivity in PrOs_4Sb_12: quadrupolar-fluctuation mediated odd-parity pairings

It is shown that unconventional nature of superconducting state of PrOs_4Sb_12, a Pr-based heavy electron compound with the filled-Skutterudite structure, can be explained in a unified way by taking into account the structure of the crystalline-electric-field (CEF) level, the shape of the Fermi surface determined by the band structure calculation, and a picture of the quasiparticles in f$^{2}$-configuration with magnetically singlet CEF ground state. Possible types of pairing are narrowed down by consulting recent experimental results. In particular, the chiral "p"-wave states such as p_x+ip_y is favoured under the magnetic field due to the orbital Zeeman effect, while the "p"-wave states with two-fold symmetery such as p_x can be stabilized by a feedback effect without the magnetic field. It is also discussed that the double superconducting transition without the magnetic field is possible due to the spin-orbit coupling of the "triplet" Cooper pairs in the chiral state.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, submitted to J. Phys.: Condens. Matter Lette

The Dominant Role of Critical Valence Fluctuations on High TcT_{\rm c} Superconductivity in Heavy Fermions

Despite almost 40 years of research, the origin of heavy-fermion superconductivity is still strongly debated. Especially, the pressure-induced enhancement of superconductivity in CeCu$_2$Si$_2$ away from the magnetic breakdown is not sufficiently taken into consideration. As recently reported in CeCu$_2$Si$_2$ and several related compounds, optimal superconductivity occurs at the pressure of a valence crossover, which arises from a virtual critical end point at negative temperature $T_{\rm cr}$. In this context, we did a meticulous analysis of a vast set of top-quality high-pressure electrical resistivity data of several Ce-based heavy fermion compounds. The key novelty is the salient correlation between the superconducting transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ and the valence instability parameter $T_{\rm cr}$, which is in line with theory of enhanced valence fluctuations. Moreover, it is found that, in the pressure region of superconductivity, electrical resistivity is governed by the valence crossover, which most often manifests in scaling behavior. We develop the new idea that the optimum superconducting $T_{\rm c}$ of a given sample is mainly controlled by the compound's $T_{\rm cr}$ and limited by non-magnetic disorder. In this regard, the present study provides compelling evidence for the crucial role of critical valence fluctuations in the formation of Cooper pairs in Ce-based heavy fermion superconductors besides the contribution of spin fluctuations near magnetic quantum critical points, and corroborates a plausible superconducting mechanism in strongly correlated electron systems in general.Comment: Supplementary Material follows after the bibliograph

Relationship of upflowing ion beams and conics around the dayside cusp/cleft region to the interplanetary conditions

International audienceThe dayside cusp/cleft region is known as a major source of upflowing ionospheric ions to the magnetosphere. Since the ions are supposed to be energized by an input of energy from the dayside magnetospheric boundary region, we examined the possible influence of the interplanetary conditions on dayside ion beams and conics observed by the polar-orbiting Exos-D (Akebono) satellite. We found that both the solar wind velocity and density, as well as IMF By and Bz , affect the occurrence frequency of ion conics. The energy of ion conics also depends on the solar wind velocity, IMF By and Bz . The ion beams around the local noon are not significantly controlled by the interplanetary conditions. The results reveal that ion convection, as well as the energy source, is important to understand the production of dayside ion conics while that of ion beams basically reflects the intensity of local field-aligned currents

Modeling of occurrence frequencies of ion conics as a function of altitude and conic angle

International audienceThe occurrence frequencies of dayside ion conics with various conic angles are obtained as a function of altitude from Exos-D (Akebono) observations. We made a model calculation of ion conic evolution to match the observation results. The observed occurrence frequencies of ion conics with 80° to 90° conic angle are used as an input to the model and the occurrence frequencies of ion conics with smaller conic angles are numerically calculated at higher altitudes. The calculated occurrence frequencies are compared with the observed ones of ion conics with smaller conic angles. We take into account conic angle variation with altitude in both adiabatic and non-adiabatic cases, horizontal extension of ion conics due to E×B drift, and evolution to elevated conics and ion beams in the model. In the adiabatic case, the conic angle decreases with increasing altitude much faster than was observed. The occurrence frequency of small-angle conics is much larger than the observed value without E×B drift and evolution to the other UFIs. An agreement is obtained by assuming non-adiabatic variation of conic angles with altitude and an ion E×B drift to gyro velocity ratio of 0.08 to 0.6, depending on geomagnetic activities

Relationship between low-frequency electric-field fluctuations and ion conics around the cusp/cleft region

We investigated the relationship between low-frequency (0.2-4.0 Hz) electric-field fluctuations (LEFs) and ion conics around the dayside cusp/cleft region in the altitude range from 5000 to 10000km from observations made by the Akebono satellite. Ion conics were generally associated with intense LEFs. We found a significant correlation between the power spectral density of LEFs at any frequency and the energy of simultaneously observed ion conics. Ion conics with a conic angle near 90 deg and those more aligned with magnetic field lines both had an equivalent correlation with the local intensity of the LEFs. The LEFs associated with near-perpendicular ion conics were, however, generally more intense than those associated with folded conics. The difference was clearer for low-energy conics. These results are in agreement with a scenario of height-integrated heating of ions and energization of ions by electromagnetic energy supplied by local LEFs. Ions generally stay in the energization region during their upward motion along the field line, so that more folded ion conics with weak energization reach the same energy level as near-perpendicular conics with strong energization, due to the difference in integration time. The limit on residence time in the intense heating region causes the clearer difference for low-energy conics. We set up a simple model to examine the relationship between the energization rate and the evolution of ion conics along the field lines, and obtained good agreement with the observation results

Multipartite entanglement in 2 x 2 x n quantum systems

We classify multipartite entangled states in the 2 x 2 x n (n >= 4) quantum system, for example the 4-qubit system distributed over 3 parties, under local filtering operations. We show that there exist nine essentially different classes of states, and they give rise to a five-graded partially ordered structure, including the celebrated Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) and W classes of 3 qubits. In particular, all 2 x 2 x n-states can be deterministically prepared from one maximally entangled state, and some applications like entanglement swapping are discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 3 eps figure