309 research outputs found
Observation of strong electron dephasing in disordered CuGeAu thin films
We report the observation of strong electron dephasing in a series of
disordered CuGeAu thin films. A very short electron dephasing
time possessing very weak temperature dependence around 6 K, followed by an
upturn with further decrease in temperature below 4 K, is found. The upturn is
progressively more pronounced in more disordered samples. Moreover, a ln
dependent, but high-magnetic-field-insensitive, resistance rise persisting from
above 10 K down to 30 mK is observed in the films. These results suggest a
nonmagnetic dephasing process which is stronger than any known mechanism and
may originate from the coupling of conduction electrons to dynamic defects.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Local and Global Superconductivity in Bismuth
We performed magnetization M(H,T) and magnetoresistance R(T,H) measurements
on powdered (grain size ~ 149 micrometers) as well as highly oriented
rhombohedral (A7) bismuth (Bi) samples consisting of single crystalline blocks
of size ~ 1x1 mm2 in the plane perpendicular to the trigonal c-axis. The
obtained results revealed the occurrence of (1) local superconductivity in
powdered samples with Tc(0) = 8.75 \pm 0.05 K, and (2) global superconductivity
at Tc(0) = 7.3 \pm 0.1 K in polycrystalline Bi triggered by low-resistance
Ohmic contacts with silver (Ag) normal metal. The results provide evidence that
the superconductivity in Bi is localized in a tiny volume fraction, probably at
intergrain or Ag/Bi interfaces. On the other hand, the occurrence of global
superconductivity observed for polycrystalline Bi can be accounted for by
enhancement of the superconducting order parameter phase stiffness induced by
the normal metal contacts, the scenario proposed in the context of "pseudogap
regime" in cuprates [E. Berg et al., PRB 78, 094509 (2008)].Comment: 12 pages including 9 figures and 1 table, Special Issue to the 80th
birthday anniversary of V. G. Peschansky, Electronic Properties of Conducting
System
Topological Quantum Phase Transition in 5 Transition Metal Oxide NaIrO
We predict a quantum phase transition from normal to topological insulators
in the 5 transition metal oxide NaIrO, where the transition can be
driven by the change of the long-range hopping and trigonal crystal field
terms. From the first-principles-derived tight-binding Hamiltonian we determine
the phase boundary through the parity analysis. In addition, our
first-principles calculations for NaIrO model structures show that the
interlayer distance can be an important parameter for the existence of a
three-dimensional strong topological insulator phase. NaIrO is
suggested to be a candidate material which can have both a nontrivial topology
of bands and strong electron correlations
Rate of equilibration of a one-dimensional Wigner crystal
We consider a system of one-dimensional spinless particles interacting via
long-range repulsion. In the limit of strong interactions the system is a
Wigner crystal, with excitations analogous to phonons in solids. In a harmonic
crystal the phonons do not interact, and the system never reaches thermal
equilibrium. We account for the anharmonism of the Wigner crystal and find the
rate at which it approaches equilibrium. The full equilibration of the system
requires umklapp scattering of phonons, resulting in exponential suppression of
the equilibration rate at low temperatures.Comment: Prepared for the proceedings of the International School and Workshop
on Electronic Crystals, ECRYS-201
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