Exponential Increase in the Resistivity upon Cooling and Superconductivity in Indium-Doped Pb<Subscript>0.45</Subscript>Sn<Subscript>0.55</Subscript>Te

We have analyzed the temperature and magnetic-field dependences of resistivity ρ(T, H) of semiconducting compound Pb_0.45Sn_0.55Te doped with 5 at % In under a hydrostatic compression at P < 12 kbar. It is found that the temperature dependence ρ(T) at all pressures at T < 100 K is exponential with the activation energy decreasing upon an increase in pressure; this is accompanied with a superconducting transition on the ρ(T) and ρ(H) dependences at P > 4.8 kbar at T > 1 K (T _c = 1.72 K at a level of 0.5ρ _N at P = 6.8 kbar). We consider the model describing the low-temperature “dielectrization” of the semiconducting solid solution and the formation of the superconducting state upon an increase in the hydrostatic compression P > 4 kbar.     

Galvanomagnetic properties of atomically disordered Sr<Subscript>2</Subscript>RuO<Subscript>4</Subscript> single crystals

The effect of neutron-bombardment-induced atomic disorder on the galvanomagnetic properties of Sr₂RuO₄ single crystals has been experimentally studied in a broad range of temperatures (1.7–380 K) and magnetic fields (up to 13.6 T). The disorder leads to the appearance of negative temperature coefficients for both the in-plane electric resistivity (ρ_a) and that along the c axis (ρ_c), as well as the negative magnetoresistance Δρ, which is strongly anisotropic to the magnetic field orientation (H ∥ a and H ∥ c), with the easy magnetization direction along the c axis and a weak dependence on the probing current direction in the low-temperature region. The experimental ρ_a(T) and ρ_c(T) curves obtained for the initial and radiation-disordered samples can be described within the framework of a theoretical model with two conductivity channels. The first channel corresponds to the charge carriers with increased effective masses (～10m _e , where m _e is the electron mass) and predominantly electron-electron scattering, which leads to the quadratic temperature dependences of ρ_a and ρ_c. The second channel corresponds to the charge carriers with lower effective masses exhibiting magnetic scattering at low temperatures, which leads to the temperature dependence of the ρ_{a, c}(T) ∝ 1/T type.     

Electrical properties of zinc oxide under uniform pressure up to 25 GPa

The dependences of the Hall coefficient R _H (P) and resistivity ρ(P) of bulk n-ZnO crystals on hydrostatic pressure up to 8 GPa and quasi-hydrostatic pressure up to 25 GPa at T = 300 K have been measured. With an increase in pressure up to the polymorphic transition P _pt ? 9 GPa, an exponential increase in R(P) and ρ(P) is observed, which is caused by the increase in the ionization energy of the shallow-energy donor center. At P > P _pt, the resistivity decreases by several orders of magnitude.     

Variable-range hopping conduction in LaMnO<Subscript>3 + δ</Subscript>

The temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity ρ(T) for ceramic samples of LaMnO_{3 + δ} (δ = 0.100–0.154) are studied in the temperature range T = 15–350 K, in magnetic fields of 0–10 T, and under hydrostatic pressures P of up to 11 kbar. It is shown that, above the ferromagnet-paramagnet transition temperature of LaMnO_{3 + δ}, the dependence ρ(T) of this compound obeys the Shklovskii-Efros variable-range hopping conduction: ρ(T) = ρ₀(T)exp[(T ₀/T)^1/2], where ρ₀(T) = AT ^9/2 (A is a constant). The density of localized states g(?) near the Fermi level is found to have a Coulomb gap Δ and a rigid gap γ(T). The Coulomb gap Δ assumes values of 0.43, 0.46, and 0.48 eV, and the rigid gap satisfies the relationship γ(T) ≈ γ(T _v)(T/T _v)^1/2, where T _v is the temperature of the onset of variable-range hopping conduction and γ(T _v) = 0.13, 0.16, and 0.17 eV for δ = 0.100, 0.125, and 0.154, respectively. The carrier localization lengths a = 1.7, 1.4, and 1.2 Å are determined for the same values of δ. The effect of hydrostatic pressure on the variable-range hopping conduction in LaMnO_{3 + δ} with δ = 0.154 is analyzed, and the dependences Δ(P) and γ_v(P) are obtained.     

Nonmonotonic temperature dependence of the Hall resistance of a 2D electron system in silicon

For a 2D electron system in silicon, the temperature dependence of the Hall resistance ρ_xy(T) is measured in a weak magnetic field in the range of temperatures (1–35 K) and carrier concentrations n where the diagonal resistance component exhibits a metallic-type behavior. The temperature dependences ρ_xy(T) obtained for different n values are nonmonotonic and have a maximum at T_max ～ 0.16T_F. At lower temperatures T < T_max, the change δρ_xy(T) in the Hall resistance noticeably exceeds the interaction quantum correction and qualitatively agrees with the semiclassical model, where only the broadening of the Fermi distribution is taken into account. At higher temperatures T > T_max, the dependence ρ_xy(T) can be qualitatively explained by both the temperature dependence of the scattering time and the thermal activation of carriers from the band of localized states.     

Low-Temperature Transport Properties of Lanthanum Hexaboride La<Subscript>1–<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ce<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>B<Subscript>6</Subscript> Single Crystals

Resistivity (ρ), thermal conductivity (k) and Seebeck coefficient (S) of La_1–xCe_xB₆ single crystals with various concentrations of cerium Ce ions was measured in a wide temperature range 3?300 K. The obtained data were analyzed in the framework of the Coqblin–Shrieffer model. The contributions of scattering of carriers on magnetic ions Ce for all transport parameters ρ(T), k(T), S(T) are revealed. Strong dependence of the magnetic scattering on concentration of the cerium ions are identified. The anomalous behavior of the transport parameters ρ(T), k(T), S(T) in the region near 30 K is attributed to the Δ ~ 30 K splitting of Г₈ level.     

The role of specific features of the electronic structure in electrical resistivity of band ferromagnets Co<Subscript>2</Subscript>Fe<Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis> = Al,Si, Ga,Ge, In,Sn, Sb)

The electrical resistivity ρ(T) of the band ferromagnets Co₂FeZ (where Z = Al, Si, Ga, Ge, In, Sn, and Sb are s- and p-elements of Mendeleev’s Periodic Table) has been investigated in the temperature range 4.2 K < T < 1100 K. It has been shown that the dependences ρ(T) of these alloys in a magnetically ordered state at temperatures T < T _C are predominantly determined by the specific features of the electronic spectrum in the vicinity of the Fermi level. The processes of charge carrier scattering affect the behavior of the electrical resistivity ρ(T) only in the vicinity of the Curie temperature T _C and above, as well as in the low-temperature range (at T ? T _C).     

Some Features in the behavior of the density of superconducting condensate in superconductors

The correlation between the density ρ_s(T→0) of superconducting condensate and the superconducting transition temperature T _c in underdoped HTSC systems is considered. It is shown that the linear relation between ρ_s(0) and T _c observed in some experiments can easily be interpreted in the framework of the conventional Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) model without invoking any exotic superconductivity models.     

On electron transport in ZrB<Subscript>12</Subscript>, ZrB<Subscript>2</Subscript>, and MgB<Subscript>2</Subscript> in normal state

We report on measurements of the temperature dependence of resistivity, ρ(T), for single-crystal samples of ZrB₁₂, ZrB₂, and polycrystalline samples of MgB₂. It is shown that the cluster compound ZrB₁₂ behaves as a simple metal in the normal state, with a typical Bloch-Grüneisen ρ(T) dependence. However, the resistive Debye temperature, T_R=300 K, is three times smaller than T_D obtained from specific heat data. We observe the T² term in ρ(T) of all these borides, which could be interpreted as an indication of strong electron-electron interaction.     

Electron transport,penetration depth,and the upper critical magnetic field in ZrB<Subscript>12</Subscript> and MgB<Subscript>2</Subscript>

We report on the synthesis and measurements of the temperature dependences of the resistivity ρ, the penetration depth λ, and the upper critical magnetic field H_c2, for polycrystalline samples of dodecaboride ZrB₁₂ and diboride MgB₂. We conclude that ZrB₁₂ behaves as a simple metal in the normal state with the usual Bloch-Grüneisen temperature dependence of ρ(T) and with a rather low resistive Debye temperature T_R = 280 K (to be compared to T_R = 900 K for MgB₂). The ρ(T) and λ(T) dependences for these samples reveal a superconducting transition in ZrB₁₂ at T_c = 6.0 K. Although a clear exponential λ(T) dependence in MgB₂ thin films and ceramic pellets was observed at low temperatures, this dependence was almost linear for ZrB₁₂ below T_c/2. These features indicate an s-wave pairing state in MgB₂, whereas a d-wave pairing state is possible in ZrB₁₂. In disagreement with conventional theories, we found a linear temperature dependence, of H_c2(T) for ZrB₁₂ (H_c2(0) = 0.15 T).     

Constraints on the central density and chemical composition of the white dwarf RX J0648.0-4418 with a record period of rotation in a model with the equation of state of an ideal degenerate electron gas

A system of equations and inequalities that allows one to determine the constraints on central density ρ _c and the chemical composition, which is governed by parameter μ _e , of the white dwarf RX J0648.0- 4418 with a record short period of rotation T = 13.18s and mass m = (1.28 ± 0.05)m⊙, has been derived. The analysis of numerical solutions of this system reveal a complex dependence of μ _e on ρ _c . The intervals of variation of μ _e and ρ _c are as follows: 1.09 ≤ μ _e ≤ 1.21 and 9.04 ≤ μ _e /ρ₀ ≤ 10³ (ρ₀ = 0.98 × 10⁶ g/cm³). This range of μ _e values suggests that the white dwarf RX J0648.0-4418 is not made of pure hydrogen and should contain 9–21% of heavy elements. Calculations have been performed with the equation of state of an ideal degenerate electron gas. Approximate analytic expressions (with an accuracy of 10^-3) for the minimum period T _min and mass m of the white dwarf are obtained. It is demonstrated that the white-dwarf mass is almost doubled (compared to the case of no rotation at a fixed central density) as period T approaches T _min.     

Effect of the Composition and the Crystal Structure on the Electrophysical Properties of the Ni<Subscript>1–<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>W<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> System at Low Temperatures

The problem of establishing the correlation between, on the one hand, the chemical and phase compositions of Ni_1–xW_x alloys (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) and, on the other hand, the character of the temperature dependences of the electrical resistivity, is considered. Based on the experimental ρ(T) curves, the concentration dependences of are reconstructed in the wide temperature range (50 K ≤ T ≤ 273 K). The ρ(x) curves have features related to a change in the crystal structures of the alloys (concentration fcc–bcc phase transition), their magnetic structures and percolation processes occurring in the two-phase fcc + bcc medium.     

Dependence of the upper critical field on the defect concentration in MgB<Subscript>2</Subscript> and the electronic structure parameters

The upper critical field H _c 2 (H ‖ c) of the two-band superconductor MgB₂ is studied as a function of the residual resistivity ρ_n. It is found that the superconductor follows the standard trend: the slope-dH_c2/dT of the temperature dependence of H_c2(T) increases with the number of defects. The upper critical field in the clean limit is found, and direct estimations of the parameters of carriers in the 2D σ band (including the Fermi velocity and the coherence length) are made. The contribution of the electron scattering to the magnitude of H_c2 is determined, and the mean free path of electrons in samples with various defect concentrations is estimated. The density of states of σ electrons at the Fermi level is calculated using the dependence of the slope-dH_c2/dT on ρ_n and a band structure model. It is impossible to estimate this density of states directly, because the upper critical field is determined by the carriers of one band, whereas the resistivity depends on the carriers in both bands.     

Experimental investigation of ρ<Superscript>0</Superscript> photoproduction on the pion in the H1 experiment

Experimental results on quasielastic photoproduction of the ρ⁰ meson in association with a neutron, obtained at the HERA collider, are presented. The total and differential cross sections of the γp → ρ⁰ nπ⁺ reaction at the positron–proton center-of-mass energy of √s =319 GeV are measured. The data collected with the H1 detector in 2006 and 2007 correspond to an integrated luminosity of 1.16 pb^?1. The kinematic region of the photon–proton cms energy of 20 < W _γp <100 GeV, photon virtuality of Q ² < 2 GeV², and the ρ⁰ transverse momentum below 1 GeV/c is analyzed. Secondary neutrons with energies x _L > 0.35 (in proton-energy units) and emission angles below 0.75 mrad are selected. The model of double peripheral exchange, in which the ρ⁰ is elastically produced via the photon interaction with the virtual pion from the proton–neutron vertex, is employed for interpreting the results. The cross section for the ρ⁰ elastic photoproduction on the pion, γπ⁺→ ρ⁰π⁺, is extracted in the one-pion-exchange approximation. The magnitude of the cross section suggests that the γp → ρ⁰ nπ⁺ reaction is significantly affected by absorption.     

Spin-polaron transport and magnetic phase diagram of iron monosilicide

The study of galvanomagnetic, magnetic, and magnetooptical characteristics of iron monosilicide in a wide range of temperatures (1.8–40 K) and magnetic fields (up to 120 kOe) has revealed the origin of the low-temperature sign reversal of the Hall coefficient in FeSi. It is shown that this effect is associated with an increase in the amplitude of the anomalous component of the Hall resistance ρ_H (the amplitude increases by more than five orders of magnitude with decreasing temperature in the range 1.8–20 K). The emergence of the anomalous contribution to ρ_H is attributed to the transition from the spin-polaron to coherent regime of electron density fluctuations in the vicinity of Fe centers and to the formation of nanosize ferromagnetic regions, i.e., ferrons (about 10 Å in diameter), in the FeSi matrix at T<T_C=15 K. An additional contribution to the Hall effect, which is observed near the temperature of sign reversal of ρ_H and is manifested as the second harmonic in the angular dependences ρ_H(?), cannot be explained in the framework of traditional phenomenological models. Analysis of magnetoresistance of FeSi in the spin-polaron and coherent spin fluctuation modes shows that the sign reversal of the ratio Δρ(H)/ρ accompanied by a transition from a positive (Δρ /ρ>0, T>T_m) to a negative (Δρ/ρ<0, T<T_m) magnetoresistance is observed in the immediate vicinity of the mictomagnetic phase boundary at T_m=7 K. The linear asymptotic form of the negative magnetoresistance Δρ/ρ ∝?H in weak magnetic fields up to 10 kOe is explained by the formation of magnetic nanoclusters from interacting ferrons in the mictomagnetic phase of FeSi at T<T_m. The results are used for constructing for the first time the low-temperature magnetic phase diagram of FeSi. The effects of exchange enhancement are estimated quantitatively and the effective parameters characterizing the electron subsystem in the paramagnetic (T>T_C), ferromagnetic (T_m<T< T_C), and mictomagnetic (T<T_m) phases are determined. Analysis of anomalies in the aggregate of transport, magnetic, and magnetooptical characteristics observed in the vicinity of H_m≈35 kOe at T<T_m leads to the conclusion that a new collinear magnetic phase with M∥H exists on the low-temperature phase diagram of iron monosilicide.     

Topological Scenario for High-Temperature Superconductivity in Cuprates

The structure of the joint phase diagram of high-temperature superconducting cuprates has been studied within the theory of fermion condensation. Prerequisites of the topological rearrangement of the Landau state with the formation of a flat band adjacent to the nominal Fermi surface have been established. The related non-Fermi-liquid behavior of cuprates in the normal phase has been studied with focus on the non-Fermi-liquid behavior of the resistivity ρ(T), including the observed crossover from the linear temperature behavior ρ(T, x) = A₁(x)T at doping levels x below the critical value x _c ^h corresponding to the boundary of the superconducting region to the quadratic temperature behavior at x > x _c ^h , which is incompatible with predictions of the conventional quantum-critical-point scenario. It has been demonstrated that the slope of the coefficient A₁(x) is universal and is the same on both boundaries of the joint phase diagram of cuprates in agreement with available experimental data. It has also been shown that the fermion condensate is responsible for pairing in the D-wave state in cuprates. The effective Coulomb repulsion in the Cooper channel, which prevents the existence of superconductivity in normal metals in the S channel, leads to high-temperature superconductivity in the D channel.     

Resistivity of two-dimensional systems in a magnetic field at the filling factor ν = 1/2

Experimental data on the diagonal resistivity ρ _xx of GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures in a magnetic field at the filling factor ν = 1/2 have been compared with the existing theoretical predictions [B. I. Halperin et al., Phys. Rev. B 47, 7312 (1993) and F. Evers et al., Phys. Rev. B 60, 8951 (1999)]. The experimental results have been found to follow the relation ρ _xx (1/2) ∝ n ^?2 d ^?1.64, which disagrees with the predictions.     

The influence of magnetic and structural heterogeneity on thermopower,magnetothermopower, electrical resistivity,and magnetoresistivity of Nd<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> manganite

The thermopower, S, magnetothermopower, ΔS/S, resistivity, ρ, and magnetoresistivity, Δρ/ρ, depending on the temperature T and magnetic field H, have been studied in an Nd_0.5Sr_0.5MnO₃ single crystal consisting of three types of clusters: an antiferromagnetic CE-type with charge-orbital ordering (below the Neel temperature T_NCE ~ 145 K) and an A-type with T_NA ~ 220 K; a ferromagnetic at 234 ≤ T ≤ 252 K, and a ferromagnetic metal phase below the Curie temperature T_C = 248 K. The thermopower was found to be negative, indicating the dominance of the electronic type of conductivity. In the S(T) curves, a sharp minimum is observed in the temperature range of 100 K ≤ T ≤ 133 K, close to T_NCE, where the absolute S value attains 53 μV/K. With a further increase in temperature, the absolute S value decreases rapidly; at 200 K it is equal to 7 μV/K. It then slightly increases, reaching its maximum value of 15 μV/K at a temperature of 254 K, which is close to T_C. The absolute thermopower decreased under the influence of the magnetic field; i.e., a negative magnetothermopower occurs. In {ΔS/S}(T) curves, a sharp minimum is observed at T = 130 K close to T_NCE, where the magnetothermopower reaches a huge value of ~45% at H = 13.23 kOe. A broad minimum in the {ΔS/S}(T) curves is observed near the Curie temperature and its value is also high, viz., ~15% in the maximum measuring magnetic field of 13.23 kOe. The extremely high magnetothermopower values mean that the charge-orbital ordered nanoclusters or ferron type make the main contribution to the thermopower of the entire sample. The behavior of the ρ(T) and {Δρ/ρ}(T) curves is similar to that of the S(T) and {ΔS/S}(T) dependencies, which is in agreement with this conclusion.     

Magnetoresistance of La<Subscript>0.67</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.33</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> epitaxial films grown on a substrate with low lattice mismatch

The structure, electrical resistivity, and magnetoresistance of La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ heteroepitaxial films (120-nm thick) practically unstrained by lattice mismatch with the substrate were studied. A strong maximum of negative magnetoresistance of ≈27% (for μ₀H = 4 T) was observed at T ≈360 K. While the magnetoresistance decreased monotonically in magnitude with decreasing temperature, it was still in excess of 2% at 150 K. For T < 250 K, the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity ρ of La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ films is fitted well by the relation ρ = ρ₀ + ρ ₁(H)T^2.3, where ρ₀ = 1.1×10^?4 Ω cm, ρ₁(H = 0) = 1.8×10^?9 Ω cm/K^2.3, and ρ₁(μ₀H = 4 T)/ρ₁(H = 0) ≈0.96. The temperature dependence of a parameter γ characterizing the extent to which the electrical resistivity of the ferromagnetic phase of La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ films is suppressed by a magnetic field (μ ₀H = 5 T) was determined.     

Nonperturbative effects of vacuum polarization for a quasi-one-dimensional Dirac–Coulomb system with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis> &gt; <Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">cr</Emphasis></Subscript>

Major nonperturbative properties of the vacuum charge density ρ _VP (x) and vacuum-polarization energy ξ _VP are considered for an overcritical Coulomb source with Z > Z _cr in 1 + 1 D. We demonstrate that, for a broad range of external-field parameters, vacuum energy may significantly deviate from the perturbative quadratic increase and even decrease towards deeply negative values due to vacuum polarization in the overcritical region.