New superconduting cuprates with no effective doping: T'-(La3+)2-x(RE3+)xCuO4

We report the synthesis of new superconducting cuprates T'-La2-xRExCuO4 (RE = Sm, Eu, Tb, Lu, and Y) using molecular beam epitaxy. The new superconductors have no effective dopant, at least nominally. The substitution of isovalent RE for La was essentially performed to stabilize the T' phase of La2CuO4 instead of the T phase. The maximum Tconset is ~ 25 K and Tczero is ~ 21 K. The keys to our discovery are (1) the preparation of high-crystalline-quality La-based T' films by low-temperature (~ 650C) thin film processes, and (2) more thorough removal of impurity oxygen at the apical site, which is achieved by the larger in-plane lattice constant (a0) of T'-La2-xRExCuO4 than other T'-Ln2CuO4 (Ln = Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd) with the aid of large surface-to-volume ratio of thin films.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures (Proceedings of the 16th international symposium on superconductivity (ISS 2003), to be published in Physica C

Superconducting NdCeCuO Bicrystal Grain Boundary Josephson Junctions

We have studied the electric transport properties of symmetrical [001] tilt NdCeCuO bicrystal grain boundary Josephson junctions (GBJs) fabricated on SrTiO bicrystal substrates with misorientation angles of 24 and 36.8 degree. The superconducting properties of the NdCeCuO-GBJs are similar to those of GBJs fabricated from the hole doped high temperature superconductors (HTS). The critical current density Jc decreases strongly with increasing misorientation angle. The products of the critical current Ic and the normal resistance Rn (about 0.1 mV at 4.2 K) are small compared to the gap voltage and fit well to the universal scaling law (IcRn is proportional to the square root of Jc) found for GBJs fabricated from the hole doped HTS. This suggests that the symmetry of the order parameter, which most likely is different for the electron and the hole doped HTS has little influence on the characteristic properties of symmetrical [001] tilt GBJs.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Applied Physics Letter

Far-infrared and submillimeter-wave conductivity in electron-doped cuprate La_{2-x}Ce_xCuO_4

We performed far-infrared and submillimeter-wave conductivity experiments in the electron-doped cuprate La_{2-x}Ce_xCuO_4 with x = 0.081 (underdoped regime, T_c = 25 K). The onset of the absorption in the superconducting state is gradual in frequency and is inconsistent with the isotropic s-wave gap. Instead, a narrow quasiparticle peak is observed at zero frequency and a second peak at finite frequencies, clear fingerprints of the conductivity in a d-wave superconductor. A far-infrared conductivity peak can be attributed to 4Delta_0, or to 2Delta_0 + Delta_spin, where Delta_spin is the resonance frequency of the spin-fluctuations. The infrared conductivity as well as the suppression of the quasiparticle scattering rate below T_c are qualitatively similar to the results in the hole-doped cuprates.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures include

Instability and Periodic Deformation in Bilayer Membranes Induced by Freezing

The instability and periodic deformation of bilayer membranes during freezing processes are studied as a function of the difference of the shape energy between the high and the low temperature membrane states. It is shown that there exists a threshold stability condition, bellow which a planar configuration will be deformed. Among the deformed shapes, the periodic curved square textures are shown being one kind of the solutions of the associated shape equation. In consistency with recent expe rimental observations, the optimal ratio of period and amplitude for such a texture is found to be approximately equal to (2)^{1/2}\pi.Comment: 8 pages in Latex form, 1 Postscript figure. To be appear in Mod. Phys. Lett. B. 199

Non-Thermal Emission from Relativistic Electrons in Clusters of Galaxies: A Merger Shock Acceleration Model

We have investigated evolution of non-thermal emission from relativistic electrons accelerated at around the shock fronts during merger of clusters of galaxies. We estimate synchrotron radio emission and inverse Compton scattering of cosmic microwave background photons from extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to hard X-ray range. The hard X-ray emission is most luminous in the later stage of merger. Both hard X-ray and radio emissions are luminous only while signatures of merging events are clearly seen in thermal intracluster medium (ICM). On the other hand, EUV radiation is still luminous after the system has relaxed. Propagation of shock waves and bulk-flow motion of ICM play crucial roles to extend radio halos. In the contracting phase, radio halos are located at the hot region of ICM, or between two substructures. In the expanding phase, on the other hand, radio halos are located between two ICM hot regions and shows rather diffuse distribution.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Fermi acceleration at fast shock in a solar flare and impulsive loop-top hard X-ray source

We propose that non-thermal electrons are efficiently accelerated by first-order Fermi process at the fast shock, as a natural consequence of the new magnetohydrodynamic picture of the flaring region revealed with Yohkoh. An oblique fast shock is naturally formed below the reconnection site, and boosts the acceleration to significantly decrease the injection energy. The slow shocks attached to the reconnection X-point heat the plasma up to 10--20 MK, exceeding the injection energy. The combination of the oblique shock configuration and the pre-heating by the slow shock allows bulk electron acceleration from the thermal pool. The accelerated electrons are trapped between the two slow shocks due to the magnetic mirror downstream of the fast shock, thus explaining the impulsive loop-top hard X-ray source discovered with Yohkoh. Acceleration time scale is ~ 0.3--0.6 s, which is consistent with the time scale of impulsive bursts. When these electrons stream away from the region enclosed by the fast shock and the slow shocks, they are released toward the footpoints and may form the simultaneous double-source hard X-ray structure at the footpoints of the reconnected field lines.Comment: 13 pages, 3 postscript figures, used AASTeX macros; accepted in Astrophysical Journal Letter