Surface spin flip probability of mesoscopic Ag wires

Spin relaxation in mesoscopic Ag wires in the diffusive transport regime is studied via nonlocal spin valve and Hanle effect measurements performed on permalloy/Ag lateral spin valves. The ratio between momentum and spin relaxation times is not constant at low temperatures. This can be explained with the Elliott-Yafet spin relaxation mechanism by considering the momentum surface relaxation time as being temperature dependent. We present a model to separately determine spin flip probabilities for phonon, impurity and surface scattering and find that the spin flip probability is highest for surface scattering.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Pressure Induced Changes in the Antiferromagnetic Superconductor YbPd2Sn

Low temperature ac magnetic susceptibility measurements of the coexistent antiferromagnetic superconductor YbPd2Sn have been made in hydrostatic pressures < 74 kbar in moissanite anvil cells. The superconducting transition temperature is forced to T(SC) = 0 K at a pressure of 58 kbar. The initial suppression of the superconducting transition temperature is corroborated by lower hydrostatic pressure (p < 16 kbar) four point resisitivity measurements, made in a piston cylinder pressure cell. At ambient pressure, in a modest magnetic field of ~ 500 G, this compound displays reentrant superconducting behaviour. This reentrant superconductivity is suppressed to lower temperature and lower magnetic field as pressure is increased. The antiferromagnetic ordering temperature, which was measured at T(N) = 0.12 K at ambient pressure is enhanced, to reach T(N) = 0.58 K at p = 74 kbar. The reasons for the coexistence of superconductivity and antiferromagnetism is discussed in the light of these and previous findings. Also considered is why superconductivity on the border of long range magnetic order is so much rarer in Yb compounds than in Ce compounds. The presence of a new transition visible by ac magnetic susceptibility under pressure and in magnetic fields greater than 1.5 kG is suggested.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Effects of jamming on non-equilibrium transport times in nano-channels

Many biological channels perform highly selective transport without direct input of metabolic energy and without transitions from a 'closed' to an 'open' state during transport. Mechanisms of selectivity of such channels serve as an inspiration for creation of artificial nano-molecular sorting devices and bio-sensors. To elucidate the transport mechanisms, it is important to understand the transport on the single molecule level in the experimentally relevant regime when multiple particles are crowded in the channel. In this paper we analyze the effects of inter-particle crowding on the non-equilibrium transport times through a finite-length channel by means of analytical theory and computer simulations