Isotope effects and possible pairing mechanism in optimally doped cuprate superconductors

We have studied the oxygen-isotope effects on T_{c} and in-plane penetration depth \lambda_{ab}(0) in an optimally doped 3-layer cuprate Bi_{1.6}Pb_{0.4}Sr_{2}Ca_{2}Cu_{3}O_{10+y} (T_{c} \sim 107 K). We find a small oxygen-isotope effect on T_{c} (\alpha_{O} = 0.019), and a substantial effect on \lambda_{ab} (0) (\Delta \lambda_{ab} (0)/\lambda_{ab} (0) = 2.5\pm0.5%). The present results along with the previously observed isotope effects in single-layer and double-layer cuprates indicate that the isotope exponent \alpha_{O} in optimally doped cuprates is small while the isotope effect on the in-plane effective supercarrier mass is substantial and nearly independent of the number of the CuO_{2} layers. A plausible pairing mechanism is proposed to explain the isotope effects, high-T_{c} superconductivity and tunneling spectra in a consistent way.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Chlorine and Bromine Isotope Fractionation of Halogenated Organic Pollutants on Gas Chromatography Columns

Compound-specific chlorine/bromine isotope analysis (CSIA-Cl/Br) has become a useful approach for degradation pathway investigation and source appointment of halogenated organic pollutants (HOPs). CSIA-Cl/Br is usually conducted by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which could be negatively impacted by chlorine and bromine isotope fractionation of HOPs on GC columns. In this study, 31 organochlorines and 4 organobromines were systematically investigated in terms of Cl/Br isotope fractionation on GC columns using GC-double focus magnetic-sector high resolution MS (GC-DFS-HRMS). On-column chlorine/bromine isotope fractionation behaviors of the HOPs were explored, presenting various isotope fractionation modes and extents. Twenty-nine HOPs exhibited inverse isotope fractionation, and only polychlorinated biphenyl-138 (PCB-138) and PCB-153 presented normal isotope fractionation. And no observable isotope fractionation was found for the rest four HOPs, i.e., PCB-101, 1,2,3,7,8-pentachlorodibenzofuran, PCB-180 and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran. The isotope fractionation extents of different HOPs varied from below the observable threshold (0.50%) to 7.31% (PCB-18). The mechanisms of the on-column chlorine/bromine isotope fractionation were tentatively interpreted with the Craig-Gordon model and a modified two-film model. Inverse isotope effects and normal isotope effects might contribute to the total isotope effects together and thus determine the isotope fractionation directions and extents. Proposals derived from the main results of this study for CSIA-Cl/Br research were provided for improving the precision and accuracy of CSIA-Cl/Br results. The findings of this study will shed light on the development of CSIA-Cl/Br methods using GC-MS techniques, and help to implement the research using CSIA-Cl/Br to investigate the environmental behaviors and pollution sources of HOPs.Comment: 30 pages, 5 figure

Solubility isotope effects in aqueous solutions of methane

The isotope effect on the Henry's law coefficients of methane in aqueous solution (H/D and C-12/C-13 substitution) are interpreted using the statistical mechanical theory of condensed phase isotope effects. The missing spectroscopic data needed for the implementation of the theory were obtained either experimentally (infrared measurements), by computer simulation (molecular dynamics technique), or estimated using the Wilson's GF matrix method. The order of magnitude and sign of both solute isotope effects can be predicted by the theory. Even a crude estimation based on data from previous vapor pressure isotope effect studies of pure methane at low temperature can explain the inverse effect found for the solubility of deuterated methane in water. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics

Laser-induced isotopic selectivity in the resonance ionization of Os

Isotope selective effects in resonance ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS) pose a potentially serious limitation to the application of this technique to the precise and reproducible measurement of isotope ratios. In order to identify some of the underlying causes of isotope selectivity in RIMS and to establish procedures for minimizing these effects, we investigated laser-induced isotope selectivity in the resonance ionization of Os. A single-color, one-photon resonant ionization scheme was used for several different transitions to produce Os photoions from a thermal atomization source. Variations in Os isotope ratios were studied as a function of laser parameters such as wavelength, bandwidth, power and polarization state. Isotope selectivity is strongly dependent on laser power and wavelength, even when the bandwidth of the laser radiation is much larger than the optical isotope shift. Variations in the ^(190)Os/^(188)Os ratio of ≈20% for a detuning of 0.8 cm^(−1) were observed on a transition with a small oscillator strength. Large even—odd isotope selectivity with a 13% depletion of ^(189)Os was observed on a ΔJ = +1 transition at low laser intensity; the odd mass Os isotopes are systematically depleted. For ΔJ = −1 and 0 transitions the isotope selectivity was reduced by polarization scrambling and for strongly saturating conditions. A technique employing the wavelength dependence of even—even isotope selectivity as an internal wavelength standard was developed to permit accurate and reproducible wavelength adjustment of the laser radiation. This technique provides control over laser-induced isotope selectivity for single-color ionization and enabled us to obtain reproducible measurements of ^(192)Os/^(188)Os and ^(189)Os/^(190)Os ratios in the saturation regime for a ΔJ = +1 transition with a precision of better than 0.5%. The application of this wavelength-tuning procedure should significantly improve the quality of RIMS isotope ratio data for many elements

Several Levels of Theory for Description of Isotope Effects in Ozone: Symmetry Effect and Mass Effect

The essential components of theory for the description of isotope effects in recombination reaction that forms ozone are presented, including the introduction of three reaction pathways for symmetric and asymmetric isotopomers, a brief review of relevant experimental data for singly- and doubly substituted isotopologues, the definitions of ζ-effect and η-effect, and the introduction of isotopic enrichment δ. Two levels of theory are developed to elucidate the role of molecular symmetry, atomic masses, vibrational zero-point energies, and rotational excitations in the recombination process. The issue of symmetry is not trivial, since the important factors, such as 1/2 and 2, appear in seven different places in the formalism. It is demonstrated that if all these effects are taken into account properly, then no anomalous isotope effects emerge. At the next level of theory, a model is considered in which one scattering resonance (sitting right at the top of centrifugal barrier) is introduced per ro-vibrational channel. It is found that this approach is equivalent to statistical treatment with partition functions at the transition state. Accurate calculations using hyper-spherical coordinates show that no isotope effects come from difference in the number of states. In contrast, differences in vibrational and rotational energies lead to significant isotope effects. However, those effects appear to be local, found for the rather extreme values of rotational quantum numbers. They largely cancel when rate coefficients are computed for the thermal distribution of rotational excitations. Although large isotope effects (observed in experiments) are not reproduced here, this level of theory can be used as a foundation for more detailed computational treatment, with accurate information about resonance energies and lifetimes computed and included

Isotope effect in superconductors with coexisting interactions of phonon and nonphonon mechanisms

We examine the isotope effect of superconductivity in systems with coexisting interactions of phonon and nonphonon mechanisms in addition to the direct Coulomb interaction. The interaction mediated by the spin fluctuations is discussed as an example of the nonphonon interaction. Extended formulas for the transition temperature Tc and the isotope-effect coefficient alpha are derived for cases (a) omega_np omega_D, where omega_np is an effective cutoff frequency of the nonphonon interaction that corresponds to the Debye frequency omega_D in the phonon interaction. In case (a), it is found that the nonphonon interaction does not change the condition for the inverse isotope effect, i.e., mu^* > lambda_ph/2, but it modifies the magnitude of alpha markedly. In particular, it is found that a giant isotope shift occurs when the phonon and nonphonon interactions cancel each other largely. For instance, strong critical spin fluctuations may give rise to the giant isotope effect. In case (b), it is found that the inverse isotope effect occurs only when the nonphonon interaction and the repulsive Coulomb interaction, in total effect, work as repulsive interactions against the superconductivity. We discuss the relevance of the present result to some organic superconductors, such as kappa-(ET)2Cu(NCS)2 and Sr2RuO4 superconductors, in which inverse isotope effects have been observed, and briefly to high-Tc cuprates, in which giant isotope effects have been observed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, (with jpsj2.cls, ver.1.2), v2:linguistic correction

Isotope effects in the Hubbard-Holstein model within dynamical mean-field theory

We study the isotope effects arising from the coupling of correlated electrons with dispersionless phonons by considering the Hubbard-Holstein model at half-filling within the dynamical mean-field theory. In particular we calculate the isotope effects on the quasi-particle spectral weight $Z$, the renormalized phonon frequency, and the static charge and spin susceptibilities. In the weakly correlated regime $U/t \lesssim 1.5$, where $U$ is the Hubbard repulsion and $t$ is the bare electron half-bandwidth, the physical properties are qualitatively similar to those characterizing the Holstein model in the absence of Coulomb repulsion, where the bipolaronic binding takes place at large electron-phonon coupling, and it reflects in divergent isotope responses. On the contrary in the strongly correlated regime $U/t \gtrsim 1.5$, where the bipolaronic metal-insulator transition becomes of first order, the isotope effects are bounded, suggesting that the first order transition is likely driven by an electronic mechanism, rather then by a lattice instability. These results point out how the isotope responses are extremely sensitive to phase boundaries and they may be used to characterize the competition between the electron-phonon coupling and the Hubbard repulsion.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures. The paper has been already accepted on Phys. Rev.

Isotope effects and the charge gap formation in the charge ordered phase of colossal magnetoresistance manganites

Giant oxygen isotope effects observed in colossal magnetoresistance manganites are investigated by employing the combined model of the double exchange and interacting lattice polaron mechanism. We have shown that the isotope effects on $T_C$ in the metallic phase and $T_{CO}$ in the charge ordered phase of manganites can be explained well in terms of the double exchange and polaron narrowing factors with reasonable physical parameters.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure