Superconductivity of SrTiO_{3-\delta}

Superconducting SrTiO_{3-\delta} was obtained by annealing single crystalline SrTiO_3 samples in ultra high vacuum. An analysis of the V(I) characteristics revealed very small critical currents I_c which can be traced back to a unavoidable doping inhomogeneity. R(T) curves were measured for a range of magnetic fields B at I<<I_c, thereby probing only the sample regions with the highest doping level. The resulting curves B_{c2}(T) show upward curvature, both at small and strong doping. These results are discussed in the context of bipolaronic and conventional superconductivity with Fermi surface anisotropy. We conclude that the special superconducting properties of SrTiO_{3-\delta} can be related to its Fermi surface and compare this finding with properties of the recently discovered superconductor MgB_2.Comment: EPJ style, 6 pages, 8 figures; minor changes, Fig. 5 replaced; use PDF version for printout

Electron spectra close to a metal-to-insulator transition

A high-resolution investigation of the electron spectra close to the metal-to-insulator transition in dynamic mean-field theory is presented. An all-numerical, consistent confirmation of a smooth transition at zero temperature is provided. In particular, the separation of energy scales is verified. Unexpectedly, sharp peaks at the inner Hubbard band edges occur in the metallic regime. They are signatures of the important interaction between single-particle excitations and collective modes.Comment: RevTeX 4, 4 pages, 4 eps figures; published versio

Measuring correlated electron dynamics with time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

Time-resolved photoemission experiments can reveal fascinating quantum dynamics of correlated electrons. However, the thermalization of the electronic system is typically so fast that very short probe pulses are necessary to resolve the time evolution of the quantum state, and this leads to poor energy resolution due to the energy-time uncertainty relation. Although the photoemission intensity can be calculated from the nonequilibrium electronic Green functions, the converse procedure is therefore difficult. We analyze a hypothetical time-resolved photoemission experiment on a correlated electronic system, described by the Falicov-Kimball model in dynamical mean-field theory, which relaxes between metallic and insulating phases. We find that the real-time Green function which describes the transient behavior during the buildup of the metallic state cannot be determined directly from the photoemission signal. On the other hand, the characteristic collapse-and-revival oscillations of an excited Mott insulator can be observed as oscillating weight in the center of the Mott gap in the time-dependent photoemission spectrum.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

New method for the time calibration of an interferometric radio antenna array

Digital radio antenna arrays, like LOPES (LOFAR PrototypE Station), detect high-energy cosmic rays via the radio emission from atmospheric extensive air showers. LOPES is an array of dipole antennas placed within and triggered by the KASCADE-Grande experiment on site of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany. The antennas are digitally combined to build a radio interferometer by forming a beam into the air shower arrival direction which allows measurements even at low signal-to-noise ratios in individual antennas. This technique requires a precise time calibration. A combination of several calibration steps is used to achieve the necessary timing accuracy of about 1 ns. The group delays of the setup are measured, the frequency dependence of these delays (dispersion) is corrected in the subsequent data analysis, and variations of the delays with time are monitored. We use a transmitting reference antenna, a beacon, which continuously emits sine waves at known frequencies. Variations of the relative delays between the antennas can be detected and corrected for at each recorded event by measuring the phases at the beacon frequencies.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, pre-print of article published in Nuclear Inst. and Methods in Physics Research, A, available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TJM-4Y9CF4B-4/2/37bfcb899a0f387d9875a5a0729593a

Brueckner-Goldstone perturbation theory for the half-filled Hubbard model in infinite dimensions

We use Brueckner-Goldstone perturbation theory to calculate the ground-state energy of the half-filled Hubbard model in infinite dimensions up to fourth order in the Hubbard interaction. We obtain the momentum distribution as a functional derivative of the ground-state energy with respect to the bare dispersion relation. The resulting expressions agree with those from Rayleigh-Schroedinger perturbation theory. Our results for the momentum distribution and the quasi-particle weight agree very well with those obtained earlier from Feynman-Dyson perturbation theory for the single-particle self-energy. We give the correct fourth-order coefficient in the ground-state energy which was not calculated accurately enough from Feynman-Dyson theory due to the insufficient accuracy of the data for the self-energy, and find a good agreement with recent estimates from Quantum Monte-Carlo calculations.Comment: 15 pages, 8 fugures, submitted to JSTA

Optical properties of small polarons from dynamical mean-field theory

The optical properties of polarons are studied in the framework of the Holstein model by applying the dynamical mean-field theory. This approach allows to enlighten important quantitative and qualitative deviations from the limiting treatments of small polaron theory, that should be considered when interpreting experimental data. In the antiadiabatic regime, accounting on the same footing for a finite phonon frequency and a finite electron bandwidth allows to address the evolution of the optical absorption away from the well-understood molecular limit. It is shown that the width of the multiphonon peaks in the optical spectra depends on the temperature and on the frequency in a way that contradicts the commonly accepted results, most notably in the strong coupling case. In the adiabatic regime, on the other hand, the present method allows to identify a wide range of parameters of experimental interest, where the electron bandwidth is comparable or larger than the broadening of the Franck-Condon line, leading to a strong modification of both the position and the shape of the polaronic absorption. An analytical expression is derived in the limit of vanishing broadening, which improves over the existing formulas and whose validity extends to any finite-dimensional lattice. In the same adiabatic regime, at intermediate values of the interaction strength, the optical absorption exhibits a characteristic reentrant behavior, with the emergence of sharp features upon increasing the temperature -- polaron interband transitions -- which are peculiar of the polaron crossover, and for which analytical expressions are provided.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure

Single-Particle Dynamics in the Vicinity of the Mott-Hubbard Metal-to-Insulator Transition

The single-particle dynamics close to a metal-to-insulator transition induced by strong repulsive interaction between the electrons is investigated. The system is described by a half-filled Hubbard model which is treated by dynamic mean-field theory evaluated by high-resolution dynamic density-matrix renormalization. We provide theoretical spectra with momentum resolution which facilitate the comparison to photoelectron spectroscopy.Comment: 22 pages, 24 figures, comprehensive high-resolution study of single electron dynamics around a Mott metal-insulator transition, with momentum resolved spectral densities; slight changes due to referees' suggestion

Simulation of Ultra-High Energy Photon Propagation in the Geomagnetic Field

The identification of primary photons or specifying stringent limits on the photon flux is of major importance for understanding the origin of ultra-high energy (UHE) cosmic rays. We present a new Monte Carlo program allowing detailed studies of conversion and cascading of UHE photons in the geomagnetic field. The program named PRESHOWER can be used both as an independent tool or together with a shower simulation code. With the stand-alone version of the code it is possible to investigate various properties of the particle cascade induced by UHE photons interacting in the Earth's magnetic field before entering the Earth's atmosphere. Combining this program with an extensive air shower simulation code such as CORSIKA offers the possibility of investigating signatures of photon-initiated showers. In particular, features can be studied that help to discern such showers from the ones induced by hadrons. As an illustration, calculations for the conditions of the southern part of the Pierre Auger Observatory are presented.Comment: 41 pages, 9 figures, added references in introduction, corrected energy in row 1 of Table 3, extended caption of Table

Determination of the branching ratios Γ(KL→3π0)/Γ(KL→π+π−π0)\Gamma (K_L \to 3 \pi^0) / \Gamma (K_L \to \pi^+ \pi^- \pi^0) and Γ(KL→3π0)/Γ(KL→πeν)\Gamma (K_L \to 3 \pi^0) / \Gamma (K_L \to \pi e \nu )

Improved branching ratios were measured for the $K_L \to 3 \pi^0$ decay in a neutral beam at the CERN SPS with the NA31 detector: $\Gamma (K_L \to 3 \pi^0) / \Gamma (K_L \to \pi^+ \pi^- \pi^0) = 1.611 \pm 0.037$ and $\Gamma (K_L \to 3 \pi^0) / \Gamma (K_L \to \pi e \nu ) = 0.545 \pm 0.010$. From the first number an upper limit for $\Delta I =5/2$ and $\Delta I = 7/2$ transitions in neutral kaon decay is derived. Using older results for the Ke3/K$\mu$3 fraction, the 3$\pi^0$ branching ratio is found to be $\Gamma (K_L \to 3 \pi^0 )/ \Gamma_{tot} = (0.211 \pm 0.003)$, about a factor three more precise than from previous experiments