49 research outputs found
Nuclear Spin Relaxation for Higher Spin
We study the relaxation of a spin I that is weakly coupled to a quantum
mechanical environment. Starting from the microscopic description, we derive a
system of coupled relaxation equations within the adiabatic approximation.
These are valid for arbitrary I and also for a general stationary
non--equilibrium state of the environment. In the case of equilibrium, the
stationary solution of the equations becomes the correct Boltzmannian
equilibrium distribution for given spin I. The relaxation towards the
stationary solution is characterized by a set of relaxation times, the longest
of which can be shorter, by a factor of up to 2I, than the relaxation time in
the corresponding Bloch equations calculated in the standard perturbative way.Comment: 4 pages, Latex, 2 figure
Thermodynamic Signature of a Two-Dimensional Metal-Insulator Transition
We present a study of the compressibility, K, of a two-dimensional hole
system which exhibits a metal-insulator phase transition at zero magnetic
field. It has been observed that dK/dp changes sign at the critical density for
the metal-insulator transition. Measurements also indicate that the insulating
phase is incompressible for all values of B. Finally, we show how the phase
transition evolves as the magnetic field is varied and construct a phase
diagram in the density-magnetic field plane for this system.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letters; version 1
is identical to version 2 but didn't compile properl
NMR and NQR Fluctuation Effects in Layered Superconductors
We study the effect of thermal fluctuations of the s-wave order parameter of
a quasi two dimensional superconductor on the nuclear spin relaxation rate near
the transition temperature Tc. We consider both the effects of the amplitude
fluctuations and the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase fluctuations
in weakly coupled layered superconductors. In the treatment of the amplitude
fluctuations we employ the Gaussian approximation and evaluate the longitudinal
relaxation rate 1/T1 for a clean s-wave superconductor, with and without pair
breaking effects, using the static pair fluctuation propagator D. The increase
in 1/T1 due to pair breaking in D is overcompensated by the decrease arising
from the single particle Green's functions. The result is a strong effect on
1/T1 for even a small amount of pair breaking. The phase fluctuations are
described in terms of dynamical BKT excitations in the form of pancake
vortex-antivortex (VA) pairs. We calculate the effect of the magnetic field
fluctuations caused by the translational motion of VA excitations on 1/T1 and
on the transverse relaxation rate 1/T2 on both sides of the BKT transitation
temperature T(BKT)<Tc. The results for the NQR relaxation rates depend strongly
on the diffusion constant that governs the motion of free and bound vortices as
well as the annihilation of VA pairs. We discuss the relaxation rates for real
multilayer systems where the diffusion constant can be small and thus increase
the lifetime of a VA pair, leading to an enhancement of the rates. We also
discuss in some detail the experimental feasibility of observing the effects of
amplitude fluctuations in layered s-wave superconductors such as the
dichalcogenides and the effects of phase fluctuations in s- or d-wave
superconductors such as the layered cuprates.Comment: 38 pages, 12 figure
Spintronics: Fundamentals and applications
Spintronics, or spin electronics, involves the study of active control and
manipulation of spin degrees of freedom in solid-state systems. This article
reviews the current status of this subject, including both recent advances and
well-established results. The primary focus is on the basic physical principles
underlying the generation of carrier spin polarization, spin dynamics, and
spin-polarized transport in semiconductors and metals. Spin transport differs
from charge transport in that spin is a nonconserved quantity in solids due to
spin-orbit and hyperfine coupling. The authors discuss in detail spin
decoherence mechanisms in metals and semiconductors. Various theories of spin
injection and spin-polarized transport are applied to hybrid structures
relevant to spin-based devices and fundamental studies of materials properties.
Experimental work is reviewed with the emphasis on projected applications, in
which external electric and magnetic fields and illumination by light will be
used to control spin and charge dynamics to create new functionalities not
feasible or ineffective with conventional electronics.Comment: invited review, 36 figures, 900+ references; minor stylistic changes
from the published versio
The atomic origin of the reflection law
It will be demonstrated how the reflection law may be derived on an atomic basis using the plane wave approximation together with Huygens' principle. The model utilized is based on the electric dipole character of matter originating from its molecular constituents. This approach is not new but has, since it was first introduced by Ewald and Oseen in 1915, been applied and analyzed many times before. Here we develop the Ewald-Oseen model of reflection adapted for high school and early undergraduate students with a basic knowledge of microscopic material structure