Effect of low-level Ge additions on the superconducting transition in PbTe:Tl

A study is reported of the effect of low-level germanium additions (∼0.01–0.1 at. %) on the parameters of the superconducting transition, viz. the critical temperature T _c, the second critical magnetic field H _c2, and in PbTe doped with 2 at. % Tl, which are derived from the dependence of the electrical resistivity of a sample on temperature (0.4–4.2 K) and magnetic field (0–1.3 T). The discontinuity revealed by experimental data is related to the onset of a Ge-induced structural phase transition. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1204–1205 (July 1998)     

The Ginzburg-Landau expansion and the slope of the upper critical field in disordered superconductors

It is shown that the slope of the upper critical field in superconductors with d pairing drops rapidly with increasing concentration of normal impurities, while in superconductors with anisotropic s pairing increases and reaches the well-known asymptotic level characteristic for the isotropic case. This difference makes it possible, in principle, to employ measurements of H _c 2 in disordered superconductors as an experimental method for determining the type of pairing in high-T _c superconductors and systems with heavy fermions. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 5, 347–352 (10 March 1996)     

Power law polydispersity and fractal structure of hyperbranched polymers

Using the complementary approaches of Flory theory and the overlap function, we study the molecular weight distribution and conformation of hyperbranched polymers formed by the melt polycondensation of A-R_N0-B_{f - 1} monomers in their reaction bath close to the mean field gel point p_A = 1, where p_A is the fraction of reacted A groups. Here , N₀ is the degree of polymerisation of the linear spacer linking the A group and the f-1 B groups and condensation occurs exclusively between the A and B groups. For , we assume that the number density of hyperbranched polymers with degree of polymerisation N generally obeys the scaling form and we explicitly show that this scaling assumption is correct in the mean field regime (here N_l is the largest characteristic degree of polymerisation and the function cuts off the power law sharply for ). We find the upper critical dimension for this system is d_c = 4, so that for the mean field values for the polydispersity exponent and fractal dimension apply: , d_f = 4. For d = 3, mean field theory is still correct for where is the Ginzburg point; for , mean field theory applies on small mass scales N<N_c but breaks down on larger mass scales N>N_c where is a cross-over mass. Within the Ginzburg zone (i.e., d<d_c, ), we show that the hyperbranched chains on mass scales N>N_c are non-Gaussian with fractal dimension given by d_f = d (for d = 2,3,4). Our results are qualitatively different from those of the percolation model and indicate that the polycondensation of AB_f-1, unlike polymer gelation, is not described by percolation theory. Instead many of our results are similar to those for a monodisperse melt of randomly branched polymers, a consequence of the fact that so that polydispersity is irrelevant for excluded volume screening in hyperbranched polymer melts.Received: 15 December 2003, Published online: 2 March 2004PACS: 82.35.-x Polymers: properties; reactions; polymerization - 05.70.Jk Critical point phenomena     

Causality criteria

By causality of matter one means its property not to admitsuperluminal excitations, i.e. excitations that propagate faster than the vacuum speed of lightc. In discussing the propagation of small excitations, one has to distinguish betweenphase velocities _j /k, (1jg=number of dispersion branches),group velocities d _j /dk, a front velocityv _f : = and the propagation speedv _q :=(dp/d)^1/2 of isotropic quasistatic (small) perturbations. We discuss some of their properties. In particular, the (maximal) speedv _s of small signals is not smaller thanv _f , and equalsv _f whenever the dispersion branches _j (k) behave reasonably at infinity of the complexk-plane. In essence stronger conditions guaranteev _q <v _f (in which casev _q c would imply superluminal behaviour).     

Harness Processes and Non-Homogeneous Crystals

We consider the Harmonic crystal, a measure on with Hamiltonian H(x)=∑ _i,j J _i,j (x(i)−x(j))²+h∑ _i (x(i)−d(i))², where x, d are configurations, x(i), d(i)∈ℝ, i,j∈ℤ ^d . The configuration d is given and considered as observations. The ‘couplings’ J _i,j are finite range. We use a version of the harness process to explicitly construct the unique infinite volume measure at finite temperature and to find the unique ground state configuration m corresponding to the Hamiltonian.     

The Andreev conductance in superconductor–insulator–normal metal structures

The Andreev subgap conductance at 0.08–0.2 K in thin-film superconductor (aluminum)–insulator–normal metal (copper, hafnium, or aluminum with iron-sublayer-suppressed superconductivity) structures is studied. The measurements are performed in a magnetic field oriented either along the normal or in the plane of the structure. The dc current–voltage (I–U) characteristics of samples are described using a sum of the Andreev subgap current dominating in the absence of the field at bias voltages U < (0.2–0.4)Δ_c/e (where Δ_c is the energy gap of the superconductor) and the single-carrier tunneling current that predominates at large voltages. To within the measurement accuracy of 1–2%, the Andreev current corresponds to the formula \({I_n} + {I_s} = {K_n}\tanh \left( {{{eU} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{eU} {2k{T_{eff}}}}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {2k{T_{eff}}}}} \right) + {K_s}{{\left( {{{eU} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{eU} {{\Delta _c}}}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {{\Delta _c}}}} \right)} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{\left( {{{eU} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{eU} {{\Delta _c}}}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {{\Delta _c}}}} \right)} {\sqrt {1 - {{eU} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{eU} {{\Delta _c}}}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {{\Delta _c}}}} }}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {\sqrt {1 - {{eU} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{eU} {{\Delta _c}}}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {{\Delta _c}}}} }}\) following from a theory that takes into account mesoscopic phenomena with properly selected effective temperature T _eff and the temperature- and fieldindependent parameters K _n and K _s (characterizing the diffusion of electrons in the normal metal and superconductor, respectively). The experimental value of K _n agrees in order of magnitude with the theoretical prediction, while K _s is several dozen times larger than the theoretical value. The values of T _eff in the absence of the field for the structures with copper and hafnium are close to the sample temperature, while the value for aluminum with an iron sublayer is several times greater than this temperature. For the structure with copper at T = 0.08–0.1 K in the magnetic field B_|| = 200–300 G oriented in the plane of the sample, the effective temperature T _eff increases to 0.4 K, while that in the perpendicular (normal) field B _⊥ ≈ 30 G increases to 0.17 K. In large fields, the Andreev conductance cannot be reliably recognized against the background of single- carrier tunneling current. In the structures with hafnium and in those with aluminum on an iron sublayer, the influence of the magnetic field is not observed.     

The crystal magnetic field in a proton-polarized lanthanum magnesium nitrate single crystal

Knowledge of the crystal magnetic fieldH _c is necessary for proton polarization measurements in polarized targets by the internal field method [1, 2]. Because of the importance of lanthanum magnesium nitrate (LMN) single crystals for low-energy polarized proton targets [3],H _c has been calculated for LMN on the basis of new x-ray diffraction data. We find thatH _c=ApP₂(cosθ), wherep is the proton polarization andP ₂ the second Legendre polynomial depending onθ, the angle between crystalc-axis and external magnetic field, andA is a constant characteristic for LMN. Our result \(A = - \left( {0.242 \pm \begin{array}{*{20}c} {0.028} \\ {0.090} \\ \end{array} } \right) Oe\) leads to a field only about half as large as expected according to previous assumptions. The difference is due to the markedly different proton positions, revealed by the x-ray structure analysis.     

Stability of Two Soliton Collision for Nonintegrable gKdV Equations

We continue our study of the collision of two solitons for the subcritical generalized KdV equations

Effect of a magnetic field on the yield point of NaCl crystals

A constant magnetic field is found to have a substantial effect on the macroplasticity of NaCl crystals when they are being actively strained at a constant rate during magnetic treatment. We have measured the dependence of the yield point σ _y on the magnetic induction B=0–0.48 T and the strain rate . It is shown that this magnetic effect has a threshold character and is observed only for B>B _c , where B _c grows with increasing as . The lower the strain rate , the larger the relative decrease in the yield point σ _y (B)/σ _y (0) at fixed field B>B _c . At small enough strain rates the threshold field B _c ceases to depend on and goes constant. A theoretical model is proposed which is in good agreement with the observed regularities. The model is based on the competition between thermally activated and magnetically stimulated depinning of dislocations from paramagnetic impurity centers. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 951–958 (March 1999)     

Classification of three-dimensional covariant differential calculi on Podles' quantum spheres and on related spaces

Covariant differential calculi on the quantum space for the quantum group SL _q (2) are classified. Our main assumptions are thatq is not a root of unity and that the differentials de _j of the generators of form a free right module basis for the first-order forms. Our result says, in particular, that apart from the two casesc =c(3), there exists a unique differential calculus with the above properties on the space which corresponds to Podles' quantum sphereS _qc ^/2 .     

Dielectric relaxation and ionic conductivity studies of Ag<Subscript>2</Subscript>ZnP<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript>

The complex impedance of the Ag₂ZnP₂O₇ compound has been investigated in the temperature range 419–557 K and in the frequency range 200 Hz–5 MHz. The Z′ and Z′ versus frequency plots are well fitted to an equivalent circuit model. Dielectric data were analyzed using complex electrical modulus M* for the sample at various temperatures. The modulus plot can be characterized by full width at half-height or in terms of a non-exponential decay function f( \textt ) = exp( - \textt/t )^b \phi \left( {\text{t}} \right) = \exp {\left( { - {\text{t}}/\tau } \right)^\beta } . The frequency dependence of the conductivity is interpreted in terms of Jonscher’s law: s( w) = s_\textdc + \textAwⁿ \sigma \left( \omega \right) = {\sigma_{\text{dc}}} + {\text{A}}{\omega^n} . The conductivity σ _dc follows the Arrhenius relation. The near value of activation energies obtained from the analysis of M″, conductivity data, and equivalent circuit confirms that the transport is through ion hopping mechanism dominated by the motion of the Ag⁺ ions in the structure of the investigated material.     

In-plane torque and gap symmetry of untwinned YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> crystals

The reversible magnetic torque of untwinned YBa₂Cu₃O₇ single crystals shows the four-fold symmetry in thea-b plane. The irreversible torque indicates evidence for a novel intrinsic pinning along thea andb axes. These facts mean that the free energy of the four-fold symmetry has a minimum when the field is applied along thea orb axis. The results are consistent with those expected from thed _x ²?y ² symmetry and rule out the possibility of thed _xy symmetry. The Fermi surface anisotropy is not responsible for the observed anisotropy. This is firstbulk evidence for thek-dependent gap anisotropy on the Fermi surface. The two-fold anisotropy parameter is found as\(\gamma _{ab} = \sqrt {{{m_a } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{m_a } {m_b }}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {m_b }}} = 1.18 \pm 0.14\).     

On resonant non linearly coupled oscillators with two equal frequencies

This paper contains a detailed study of the flow that the classical Hamiltonian

Low density flux fluids in high —T c superconductors: The influence of disorder

We analyze the influence of thermal and frozen-in disorder on the flux line (FL) density close to the lower critical fieldH _c1. Arguments which consider the steric repulsion of fluctuating FLs give with the roughness exponent of a single FL andd the space dimensionality. We show by a phenomenological scaling approach and a renormalization group treatment, that this is correct only fordd _c =2/–1, i.e. for . Ford>d _c the steric FL repulsion at scales more than some critical one is irrelevant and . For disordered superconductorsd _c =2 and ford=2, 3. We also found the melting line for a FL lattice in the presence of frozen-in impurities close toH _c1.     

Correlation length bounds for disordered Ising ferromagnets

Thed-dimensional, nearest-neighbor disordered Ising ferromagnet: $$H = - \sum {J_{ij} \sigma _i \sigma _j }$$ is studied as a function of both temperature,T, and a disorder parameter,λ, which measures the size of fluctuations of couplingsJ _ij ≧0. A finite-size scaling correlation length,ζ _f (T, λ), is defined in terms of the magnetic response of finite samples. This correlation length is shown to be equivalent, in the scaling sense, to the quenched average correlation lengthζ(T, λ), defined as the asymptotic decay rate of the quenched average two-point function. Furthermore, the magnetic response criterion which definesζ _f is shown to have a scale-invariant property at the critical point. The above results enable us to prove that the quenched correlation length satisfies: $$C\left| {\log \xi (T)} \right|\xi (T) \geqq \left| {T - T_c } \right|^{ - {2 \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {2 d}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} d}}$$ which implies the boundv≧2/d for the quenched correlation length exponent.     

Protecting the Conformal Symmetry via Bulk Renormalization on Anti deSitter Space

The problem of perturbative breakdown of conformal symmetry can be avoided, if a conformally covariant quantum field j{\varphi} on d-dimensional Minkowski spacetime is viewed as the boundary limit of a quantum field f{\phi} on d + 1-dimensional Anti-deSitter spacetime (AdS). We study the boundary limit in renormalized perturbation theory with polynomial interactions in AdS, and point out the differences as compared to renormalization directly on the boundary. In particular, provided the limit exists, there is no conformal anomaly. We compute explicitly the one-loop “fish diagram” on AdS₄ by differential renormalization, and calculate the anomalous dimension of the composite boundary field j²{\varphi^2} with bulk interaction kf⁴{\kappa \phi^4}.     

NMR dynamics in disordered magnets

The excitation dynamics of site diluted magnets can be described at low energies (long length scales) by magnons, and above a crossover frequency, ω_c, (short length scales) by fractons. The density of fracton states is given by , where is the fracton dimensionality. Dilution gives rise to a characteristic length ξ∝(p−p _c)^ν, wherep _c is the critical concentration for (magnetic) percolation. The crossover frequency ω_c is proportional to ξ^-1[1+(θ/2)], where θ is the rate at which the diffusion constant decays with distance for diffusion on an equivalent network. A fractal dimensionD describes the density of magnetic sites on the infinite network, and . For percolating networks, for all dimensions ≥2. Neutron scattering structure factor measurements by Uemura and Birgeneau compare well with calculations using fracton concepts. Magnons are extended at low energies, while the fracton states are geometrically localized, with a wave function envelope proportional to exp . Here, is the fracton length scale at frequency ω. The exponentd _ϕ lies between 1 andd _min, the chemical length index (of the order of 1.6 in three dimensions). The localization of the magnetic excitations causes a spread in the NMR relaxation rates. A given nuclear moment will experience only a limited set of fracton excitations, resulting in an overall non-exponential decay of the NMR relaxation signal. When strong cross-relaxation is present, the relaxation will be exponential, but the temperature dependence will be strongly altered from the concentrated result.     

Gleichzeitige Messung von Hyperfeinstruktur,Starkeffekt und Zeemaneffekt des133Cs19F mit einer Molekülstrahl-Resonanzapparatur

An electric molecular beam resonance spectrometer has been used to measure simultaneously the Zeeman- and Stark-effect splitting of the hyperfine structure of¹³³Cs¹⁹F. Electric four pole lenses served as focusing and refocusing fields of the spectrometer. A homogenous magnetic field (Zeeman field) was superimposed to the electric field (Stark field) in the transition region of the apparatus. Electrically induced (Δ m _J =±1)-transitions have been measured in theJ=1 rotational state, υ=0, 1 vibrational state. The obtained quantities are: The electric dipolmomentμ _el of the molecule for υ=0, 1; the rotational magnetic dipolmomentμ _J for υ=0, 1; the anisotropy of the magnetic shielding (σ _⊥-σ‖) by the electrons of both nuclei as well as the anisotropy of the molecular susceptibility (ξ _⊥-ξ‖), the spin rotational interaction constantsc _Cs andc _F, the scalar and the tensor part of the nuclear dipol-dipol interaction, the quadrupol interactioneqQ for υ=0, 1. The numerical values are:

$$\begin{gathered} \mu _{el} \left( {\upsilon = 0} \right) = 73878\left( 3 \right)deb \hfill \\ \mu _{el} \left( {\upsilon = 1} \right) - \mu _{el} \left( {\upsilon = 0} \right) = 0.07229\left( {12} \right)deb \hfill \\ \mu _J /J\left( {\upsilon = 0} \right) = - 34.966\left( {13} \right) \cdot 10^{ - 6} \mu _B \hfill \\ \mu _J /J\left( {\upsilon = 1} \right) = - 34.823\left( {26} \right) \cdot 10^{ - 6} \mu _B \hfill \\ \left( {\sigma _ \bot - \sigma _\parallel } \right)_{Cs} = - 1.71\left( {21} \right) \cdot 10^{ - 4} \hfill \\ \left( {\sigma _ \bot - \sigma _\parallel } \right)_F = - 5.016\left( {15} \right) \cdot 10^{ - 4} \hfill \\ \left( {\xi _ \bot - \xi _\parallel } \right) = 14.7\left( {60} \right) \cdot 10^{ - 30} erg/Gau\beta ^2 \hfill \\ c_{cs} /h = 0.638\left( {20} \right)kHz \hfill \\ c_F /h = 14.94\left( 6 \right)kHz \hfill \\ d_T /h = 0.94\left( 4 \right)kHz \hfill \\ \left| {d_s /h} \right|< 5kHz \hfill \\ eqQ/h\left( {\upsilon = 0} \right) = 1238.3\left( 6 \right) kHz \hfill \\ eqQ/h\left( {\upsilon = 1} \right) = 1224\left( 5 \right) kHz \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$     

Weakly Non-Ergodic Statistical Physics

For weakly non ergodic systems, the probability density function of a time average observable is where is the value of the observable when the system is in state j=1,…L. p _j ^eq is the probability that a member of an ensemble of systems occupies state j in equilibrium. For a particle undergoing a fractional diffusion process in a binding force field, with thermal detailed balance conditions, p _j ^eq is Boltzmann’s canonical probability. Within the unbiased sub-diffusive continuous time random walk model, the exponent 0<α<1 is the anomalous diffusion exponent 〈x ²〉∼t ^α found for free boundary conditions. When α→1 ergodic statistical mechanics is recovered . We briefly discuss possible physical applications in single particle experiments.