Thermally induced 0-pi phase transition in Josephson junctions through a ferromagnetic oxide film

We investigate the Josephson transport through a ferromagnetic oxide film, e.g., La$_2$BaCuO$_5$, theoretically. Using the recursive Green's function technique, we found the formation of a pi-junction in such systems. Moreover the 0-pi phase transition is induced by increasing the temperature. Such ferromagnetic-oxide based Josephson junctions may become an element in the architecture of future quantum computers.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Atomic scale 0-pi transition in a high-Tc superconductor/ferromagnetic-insulator/high-T superconductor Josephson junction

We study the Josephson transport in a high-Tc superconductor/ferromagnetic-insulator(FI)/high-Tc superconductor numerically. We found the formation of a pi-junction in such systems. More remarkably the ground state of such junction alternates between 0- and pi-states when thickness of FI is increasing by a single atomic layer. We propose an experimental setup for observing the atomic-scale 0-pi transition. Such FI-based pi-junctions can be used to implement highly-coherent quantum bits.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Critical Temperature T_c versus Charging Energy E_c in MgB2 and C60/CHBr3

The boride compounds MB_x related to the magnesium-boron stacking layered material MgB2 are discussed in terms of the B-B layers in the borides analogous to the Cu-O ones in the cuprates. We propose a possibility of superconducting materials which exhibit higher critical temperature T_c than 39 K of MgB2. We point out a role of interstitial ionic atoms M (e.g., Mg in MgB2) as capacitors, which reduce the condensation-energy loss due to the charging energy E_c between the B-B layers. In the viewpoint of the present model, the recently discovered 117-Kelvin superconductor C60/CHBr3 is also discussed in terms of the intercalation molecules CHBr3 as possible capacitors among the superconducting grains of C60 molecules.Comment: 9 pages, 1 fugure included; prepared for Proceedings of the symposium ISS2001, Kobe, Sep. 200

Effect of d-f hybridization on the Josephson current through Eu-chalcogenides

A superconducting ring with a pi junction made from superconductor/ferromagnetic-metal/superconductor (S-FM-S) exhibits a spontaneous current without an external magnetic field in the ground state. Such pi ring provides so-called quiet qubit that can be efficiently decoupled from the fluctuation of the external field. However, the usage of the FM gives rise to strong Ohmic dissipation. Therefore, the realization of pi junctions without FM is expected for qubit applications. We theoretically consider the possibility of the pi coupling for S/Eu-chalcogenides/S junctions based on the d-f Hamiltonian. By use of the Green's function method we found that pi junction can be formed in the case of the finite d-f hybridization between the conduction d and the localized f electrons.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

New method for precise determination of top quark mass at LHC

A new method to measure the mass of the top quark at the LHC is presented. This method uses lepton energy distribution and ideally does not depend on the velocity distribution of the top quark. We perform a simulation analysis of the top quark mass reconstruction using this method at the leading order, taking account of experimental circumstances. We estimate the sensitivity of the mass determination. The results show that this method is viable in realistic experimental conditions and has a possibility to achieve a good accuracy in determining a theoretically well-defined top quark mass by including higher-order corrections.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, Proceedings of the 37th International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP 2014

Statistical methods for estimating tephra source and dispersal : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Tephra refers to any pyroclastic fragments ejected from a volcanic vent and its dispersal is one of the major hazards with explosive eruptions. The attenuation of tephra fall thickness is most commonly estimated after contouring field measurements into smooth isopachs. I explicitly describe the variability in thickness by using a semiempirical tephra attenuation relation as a link function. This opens the way to fitting models to actual tephra observations through maximum likelihood estimation (MLE). The method is illustrated using data published from the 1973 Heimaey eruption in Iceland. Complex eruptions commonly produce several phases of tephra fall from multiple vents. When attempting to precisely reconstruct past eruptions from the geological record alone, separate phases are often indistinguishable. Augmented by a mixture framework, the MLE attenuation model was able to identify the sources and directions of tephra deposition for the 1977 Ukinrek Maars eruption in Alaska, US, from only the tephra thickness data. It was then applied to the unobserved 1256 AD Al-Madinah eruption in Saudi Arabia. The estimation of the spatio-temporal hazard from a monogenetic volcanic field is criti- cally dependent on a reconstruction of past events. The Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF) has produced about 50 volcanoes in the last 250,000 years. Although inconsistent, age data for many of these volcanoes exist from various dating methods with various re- liabilities. The age order of some pairs is also known due to the overlaying of lavas (stratigraphy). A discussion is provided on how informative priors are obtained via ex- pert elicitation, on both the individual volcano ages, and the reliabilities of the dating methods. A possible Bayesian model for reconciling the available inconsistent volcano age data to estimate the true eruption ages is also discussed. To improve these eruption age estimates, some of the volcanoes can be correlated with the better dated tephra layers recovered from five maars in the field. The likelihood of any combination of volcano and tephra, incorporating the spatial variability based on the attenuation model and temporal components, is evaluated and is maximised numer- ically using linear programming. This statistical matching provides an improvement in the volcano age-order model and age estimates of the volcanoes in the AVF

Quantum Information Processing and Entanglement in Solid State Devices

Control over electron-spin states, such as coherent manipulation, filtering and measurement promises access to new technologies in conventional as well as in quantum computation and quantum communication. In this paper, we review recent theoretical proposal of using electron spins in quantum confined structures as qubits. We also present a theoretical proposal for testing Bell's inequality in nano-electronics devices. We show that the entanglement of two electron spins can be detected in the spin filter effect in the nanostructure semiconductor / ferromagnetic semiconductor / semiconductor junction. In particular, we show how to test Bell's inequality via the measurement of the current-current correlation function in this setup.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure