2,315 research outputs found
Tunneling study of cavity grade Nb: possible magnetic scattering at the surface
Tunneling spectroscopy was performed on Nb pieces prepared by the same
processes used to etch and clean superconducting radio frequency (SRF)
cavities. Air exposed, electropolished Nb exhibited a surface superconducting
gap delta=1.55 meV, characteristic of clean, bulk Nb. However the tunneling
density of states (DOS) was broadened significantly. The Nb pieces treated with
the same mild baking used to improve the Q-slope in SRF cavities, reveal a
sharper DOS. Good fits to the DOS were obtained using Shiba theory, suggesting
that magnetic scattering of quasiparticles is the origin of the gapless surface
superconductivity and a heretofore unrecognized contributor to the Q-slope
problem of Nb SRF cavities.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure
One-to-one full scale simulations of laser wakefield acceleration using QuickPIC
We use the quasi-static particle-in-cell code QuickPIC to perform full-scale,
one-to-one LWFA numerical experiments, with parameters that closely follow
current experimental conditions. The propagation of state-of-the-art laser
pulses in both preformed and uniform plasma channels is examined. We show that
the presence of the channel is important whenever the laser self-modulations do
not dominate the propagation. We examine the acceleration of an externally
injected electron beam in the wake generated by 10 J laser pulses, showing that
by using ten-centimeter-scale plasma channels it is possible to accelerate
electrons to more than 4 GeV. A comparison between QuickPIC and 2D OSIRIS is
provided. Good qualitative agreement between the two codes is found, but the 2D
full PIC simulations fail to predict the correct laser and wakefield
amplitudes.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication IEEE TPS, Special Issue
- Laser & Plasma Accelerators - 8/200
Magnetic field induced lattice anomaly inside the superconducting state of CeCoIn: evidence of the proposed Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state
We report high magnetic field linear magnetostriction experiments on
CeCoIn single crystals. Two features are remarkable: (i) a sharp
discontinuity in all the crystallographic axes associated with the upper
superconducting critical field that becomes less pronounced as the
temperature increases; (ii) a distinctive second order-like feature observed
only along the c-axis in the high field (10 T ) low
temperature ( 0.35 K) region. This second order transition is
observed only when the magnetic field lies within 20 of the ab-planes and
there is no signature of it above , which raises questions regarding
its interpretation as a field induced magnetically ordered phase. Good
agreement with previous results suggests that this anomaly is related to the
transition to the Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov superconducting state.Comment: 3 figures, 5 page
Property Taxation in Virginia
The Virginia Constitution mandates that all property within the state, except exempt property, must be taxed. In light of the constitution\u27s directive, this note examines the present Virginia property taxation structure in order to provide the practitioner with a guide to its application and operation
A versatile and compact capacitive dilatometer
We describe the design, construction, calibration, and operation of a
relatively simple differential capacitive dilatometer suitable for measurements
of thermal expansion and magnetostriction from 300 K to below 1 K with a
low-temperature resolution of about 0.05 angstroms. The design is characterized
by an open architecture permitting measurements on small samples with a variety
of shapes. Dilatometers of this design have operated successfully with a
commercial physical property measurement system, with several types of
cryogenic refrigeration systems, in vacuum, in helium exchange gas, and while
immersed in liquid helium (magnetostriction only) to temperatures of 30 mK and
in magnetic fields to 45 T.Comment: 8 pages, incorporating 6 figures, submitted to Rev. Sci. Instru
The energy gap of intermediate-valent SmB6 studied by point-contact spectroscopy
We have investigated the intermediate valence narrow-gap semiconductor SmB6
at low temperatures using both conventional spear-anvil type point contacts as
well as mechanically controllable break junctions. The zero-bias conductance
varied between less than 0.01 mikrosiemens and up to 1 mS. The position of the
spectral anomalies, which are related to the different activation energies and
band gaps of SmB6, did not depend on the the contact size. Two different
regimes of charge transport could be distinguished: Contacts with large zero -
bias conductance are in the diffusive Maxwell regime. They had spectra with
only small non-linearities. Contacts with small zero - bias conductance are in
the tunnelling regime. They had larger anomalies, but still indicating a finite
45 % residual quasiparticle density of states at the Fermi level at low
temperatures of T = 0.1 K. The density of states derived from the tunelling
spectra can be decomposed into two energy-dependent parts with Eg = 21 meV and
Ed = 4.5 meV wide gaps, respectively.Comment: 9 pages incl. 13 figure
Giant two-phonon Raman scattering from nanoscale NbC precipitates in Nb
High purity niobium (Nb), subjected to the processing methods used in the
fabrication of superconducting RF cavities, displays micron-sized surface
patches containing excess carbon. High-resolution transmission electron
microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy measurements are presented
which reveal the presence of nanoscale NbC coherent precipitates in such
regions. Raman backscatter spectroscopy on similar surface regions exhibit
spectra consistent with the literature results on bulk NbC but with
significantly enhanced two-phonon scattering. The unprecedented strength and
sharpness of the two-phonon signal has prompted a theoretical analysis, using
density functional theory (DFT), of phonon modes in NbC for two different
interface models of the coherent precipitate. One model leads to overall
compressive strain and a comparison to ab-initio calculations of phonon
dispersion curves under uniform compression of the NbC shows that the measured
two-phonon peaks are linked directly to phonon anomalies arising from strong
electron-phonon interaction. Another model of the extended interface between Nb
and NbC, studied by DFT, gives insight into the frequency shifts of the
acoustic and optical mode density of states measured by first order Raman. The
exact origin of the stronger two-phonon response is not known at present but it
suggests the possibility of enhanced electron-phonon coupling in transition
metal carbides under strain found either in the bulk NbC inclusions or at their
interfaces with Nb metal. Preliminary tunneling studies using a point contact
method show some energy gaps larger than expected for bulk NbC.Comment: Phys. Rev. B, accepte
On two problems in graph Ramsey theory
We study two classical problems in graph Ramsey theory, that of determining
the Ramsey number of bounded-degree graphs and that of estimating the induced
Ramsey number for a graph with a given number of vertices.
The Ramsey number r(H) of a graph H is the least positive integer N such that
every two-coloring of the edges of the complete graph contains a
monochromatic copy of H. A famous result of Chv\'atal, R\"{o}dl, Szemer\'edi
and Trotter states that there exists a constant c(\Delta) such that r(H) \leq
c(\Delta) n for every graph H with n vertices and maximum degree \Delta. The
important open question is to determine the constant c(\Delta). The best
results, both due to Graham, R\"{o}dl and Ruci\'nski, state that there are
constants c and c' such that 2^{c' \Delta} \leq c(\Delta) \leq 2^{c \Delta
\log^2 \Delta}. We improve this upper bound, showing that there is a constant c
for which c(\Delta) \leq 2^{c \Delta \log \Delta}.
The induced Ramsey number r_{ind}(H) of a graph H is the least positive
integer N for which there exists a graph G on N vertices such that every
two-coloring of the edges of G contains an induced monochromatic copy of H.
Erd\H{o}s conjectured the existence of a constant c such that, for any graph H
on n vertices, r_{ind}(H) \leq 2^{c n}. We move a step closer to proving this
conjecture, showing that r_{ind} (H) \leq 2^{c n \log n}. This improves upon an
earlier result of Kohayakawa, Pr\"{o}mel and R\"{o}dl by a factor of \log n in
the exponent.Comment: 18 page
Periodic Anderson model with degenerate orbitals: linearized dynamical mean field theory approach
We investigate a multi-orbital extension of the periodic Anderson model with
particular emphasis on electron correlations including orbital fluctuations. By
means of a linearized version of the dynamical mean-field theory, we compute
the renormalization factor, the density of states, the spectral gap and the
local correlation functions for a given set of the intra- and inter-orbital
Coulomb interactions as well as the Hund coupling. It is found that when a
certain condition is met for the intra- and inter-orbital interactions for
electrons, orbital fluctuations are enhanced, thereby enlarging the Kondo
insulating gap. This effect is suppressed in the presence of the Hund coupling.
We also clarify how the Kondo insulator is continuously changed to the Mott
insulator when electron correlations among conduction electrons are increased.Comment: 7 pages, 10 figure
Snowmass CF1 Summary: WIMP Dark Matter Direct Detection
As part of the Snowmass process, the Cosmic Frontier WIMP Direct Detection
subgroup (CF1) has drawn on input from the Cosmic Frontier and the broader
Particle Physics community to produce this document. The charge to CF1 was (a)
to summarize the current status and projected sensitivity of WIMP direct
detection experiments worldwide, (b) motivate WIMP dark matter searches over a
broad parameter space by examining a spectrum of WIMP models, (c) establish a
community consensus on the type of experimental program required to explore
that parameter space, and (d) identify the common infrastructure required to
practically meet those goals.Comment: Snowmass CF1 Final Summary Report: 47 pages and 28 figures with a 5
page appendix on instrumentation R&
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