Proximity effect in the presence of Coulomb interaction and magnetic field

We consider a small metallic grain coupled to a superconductor by a tunnel contact. We study the interplay between proximity and charging effects in the presence of the external magnetic field. Employing the adiabatic approximation we develop a self-consistent theory valid for an arbitrary ratio of proximity and Coulomb strength. The magnetic field suppresses the proximity-induced minigap in an unusual way. We find the phase diagram of the grain in the charging energy - magnetic field plane. Two distinct states exist with different values and magnetic field dependences of the minigap. The first-order phase transition occurs between these two minigapped states. The transition to the gapless state may occur by the first- or second-order mechanism depending on the charging energy. We also calculate the tunneling density of states in the grain. The energy dependence of this quantity demonstrates two different gaps corresponding to the Coulomb and proximity effects. These gaps may be separated in sufficiently high magnetic field.Comment: 11 pages (including 8 EPS figures). Version 3: extended. Final version as published in PR

Quantum Theory of High Harmonic Generation via Above Threshold Ionization and Stimulated Recombination

Fully quantum treatment explicitly presents the high harmonic generation as a three-stage process: above threshold ionization (ATI) is followed by the continuum electron propagation in a laser field and subsequent stimulated recombination back into the initial state. The contributions of all ATI channels add up coherently. All three stages of the process are described by simple, mostly analytical expressions. A very good quantitative agreement with the previous calculations on the harmonic generation by H$^-$ ion is demonstrated, thus supplementing the conceptual significance of the theory with its practical efficiency.Comment: Latex IOP stile, plus 1 figure in a PostScript fil

Microstructure induced nonlinearity of unconsolidated rocks as related to seismic diagnostic problems

International audienceManifestations of the so-called structure induced nonlinearity are considered for the case of a granular medium, the latter being a generally accepted model of nonconsolidated rocks in seismics. The consideration is carried out using the medium model in the form of the "ideal" random packing of spherical elastic granules in which the interparticle space can be filled with a fluid. A physical equation of such a medium is derived; the dependencies of nonlinear parameters on the grain material elastic moduli, the fluid compressibility and the initial medium strain are analyzed. The influence of defects in nonideal grain packings (that is, the presence of a fraction of unloaded intergranular contacts) upon the nonlinear properties of the medium is investigated. It is shown that the packing nonideality has the stronger effect on higher-order nonlinear properties. It is demonstrated that the nonlinear parameters may be used in exploration seismology as a much more sensitive and informative characteristic compared with conventionally used linear moduli

Counterintuitive transitions in the multistate Landau-Zener problem with linear level crossings

We generalize the Brundobler-Elser hypothesis in the multistate Landau-Zener problem to the case when instead of a state with the highest slope of the diabatic energy level there is a band of states with an arbitrary number of parallel levels having the same slope. We argue that the probabilities of counterintuitive transitions among such states are exactly zero.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure