Power spectrum of density fluctuations in a finite reactive-diffusive system: resistance fluctuation spectroscopy

The measurement in thermal equilibrium of the vacancy contribution to the residual resistivity of metals has posed certain difficulties. The recent experiment of Celasco and co-workers represents a new, powerful approach to this problem, via the measurement of the power spectrum of the voltage noise generated by resistivity fluctuations. The latter originate in vacancy number fluctuations. We develop a theory for the power spectrum, incorporating three basic features. Vacancies can be annihilated in the material and they diffuse. Grain boundaries act as sources and sinks for vacancies. Both annihilation (a form of reaction) and diffusion are noisy processes. We therefore set up and solve a reactive-diffusive stochastic equation for the instantaneous density, with appropriatefinite boundary conditions. Assuming for simplicity that the grains are spherical, the power spectrum is evaluated exactly, in closed form. A detailed comparison with experiment is made. The physical origins of different time scales in the problem and the consequent frequency regimes in the power spectrum are analysed. Recognising the very general applicability of our theory, we also mention possible applications to other problems.     

Heat transport as a probe of electron scattering by spin fluctuations: the case of antiferromagnetic CeRhIn(5)

Heat and charge conduction were measured in the heavy-fermion metal CeRhIn(5), an antiferromagnet with T(N)=3.8 K. The thermal resistivity is found to be proportional to the magnetic entropy, revealing that spin fluctuations are as effective in scattering electrons as they are in disordering local moments. The electrical resistivity, governed by a q(2) weighting of fluctuations, increases monotonically with temperature. In contrast, the difference between thermal and electrical resistivities, characterized by a omega(2) weighting, peaks sharply at T(N) and eventually goes to zero at a temperature T(*) approximately = 8 K. T(*) thus emerges as a measure of the characteristic energy of magnetic fluctuations.     

La2CuO4掺锌样品的低温电阻率与热导率研究

对La2CuO4掺锌样品在不同降温速率下(330K保温30min后,分别以6Kh和02Ks的速率冷却至42K)电阻率(42—330K)和热导率(80—300K)随温度的变化关系进行了研究.实验结果表明,在不同降温速率下,热导率和电阻率都受到很大影响.快速降温过程使得130K以上的热导率减小,而热导率最小值出现在130K,且与降温速率无关.而低温下的热导率不受降温速率变化的影响.样品在高温区(T高于125K)电阻率随降温速率的增大而增大,低温区电阻率的非线性行为可用变程跳跃行为来描述.所有样品的热导率和电阻率在反铁磁相变温度都没有出现反常,这与能带理论框架下预期的结果和Anderson电荷自旋分离理论发生了矛盾,对此进行了讨论,并用极化子理论进行了自洽解释. 关键词： La2CuO4 热导率 电阻率     

Thermal noise as a spectroscopic tool to determine transport properties

The utilization of thermal fluctuations or Johnson/Nyquist noise as a spectroscopic method to determine transport properties in conductors or semiconductors is developed. The autocorrelation function is obtained from power spectral density measurements thus enabling electronic transport property calculation through the Green–Kubo formalism. This experimental approach is distinct from traditional numerical methods such as molecular dynamics simulations, which have been used to extract the autocorrelation function and directly related physics only. This work reports multi-transport property measurements consisting of the electronic relaxation time, resistivity, mobility, diffusion coefficient, electronic contribution to thermal conductivity and Lorenz number from experimental data. Double validation of the experiment was accomplished through the use of a standard reference material and a standard measurement method, i.e. four-probe collinear resistivity technique. Thermal noise measurements resulted in a 1.1 and 5% agreement with the reference material and four-probe values, respectively. Additional measurements were also taken on nanoscale Au and Cu thin films. Specifically, the validated spectroscopic methodology was applied to 30 nm Au and Cu thin films to obtain transport property data that was again compared to four-probe resistivity measurements. Comparative analysis of the resistivity data showed agreement within 13.6 and 4.8% for the Au and Cu samples, respectively, thus lending further credibility to the experimental method and theory.     

Spontaneous excitation of a circularly accelerated atom coupled with vacuum Dirac field fluctuations

We study the spontaneous excitation of a circularly accelerated atom coupled with vacuum Dirac field fluctuations by separately calculating the contribution to the excitation rate of vacuum fluctuations and a cross term which involves both vacuum fluctuations and radiation reaction, and demonstrate that although the spontaneous excitation for the atom in its ground state would occur in vacuum, such atoms in circular motion do not perceive a pure thermal radiation as their counterparts in linear acceleration do since the transition rates of the atom do not contain the Planckian factor characterizing a thermal bath. We also find that the contribution of the cross term that plays the same role as that of radiation reaction in the scalar and electromagnetic fields cases differs for atoms in circular motion from those in linear acceleration. This suggests that the conclusion drawn for atoms coupled with the scalar and electromagnetic fields that the contribution of radiation reaction to the mean rate of change of atomic energy does not vary as the trajectory of the atom changes from linear acceleration to circular motion is not a general trait that applies to the Dirac field where the role of radiation reaction is played by the cross term.     

Curie point singularity in the temperature derivative of resistivity in (Ga,Mn)As

We observe a singularity in the temperature derivative drho/dT of resistivity at the Curie point of high-quality (Ga,Mn)As ferromagnetic semiconductors with Tc's ranging from approximately 80 to 185 K. The character of the anomaly is sharply distinct from the critical contribution to transport in conventional dense-moment magnetic semiconductors and is reminiscent of the drho/dT singularity in transition metal ferromagnets. Within the critical region accessible in our experiments, the temperature dependence on the ferromagnetic side can be explained by dominant scattering from uncorrelated spin fluctuations. The singular behavior of drho/dT on the paramagnetic side points to the important role of short-range correlated spin fluctuations.     

Interplay between disorder and quantum and thermal fluctuations in ferromagnetic alloys: the case of UCu2Si2-xGex

We consider, theoretically and experimentally, the effects of structural disorder, quantum fluctuations, and thermal fluctuations in the magnetic and transport properties of certain ferromagnetic alloys. We study the particular case of UCu2Si2-xGex. The low temperature resistivity, rho(T,x), exhibits Fermi liquid behavior as a function of temperature T for all values of x, which can be interpreted as a result of the magnetic scattering of the conduction electrons from the localized U spins. The residual resistivity, rho(0,x), follows the behavior of a disordered binary alloy. The observed nonmonotonic dependence of the Curie temperature, T(c)(x), with x can be explained within a model of localized spins interacting with an electronic bath. Our results clearly show that the Curie temperature of certain alloys can be enhanced due to the interplay between quantum and thermal fluctuations with disorder.     

Thermal resistivity,heat capacity and phase diagram of CBr4 under pressure

We have measured simultaneously the thermal resistivity and the heat capacity per unit volume for phases I, II, III and IV of CBr₄. We have used the transient hot-wire method, and have made measurements over the ranges 170 K to 425 K, and up to 2 GPa. Our results, and other evidence, indicate that I and III are plastic crystal phases, and that there is a significant degree of structural disorder in phase II. Three-phonon interactions probably provide the dominant contribution to the thermal resistivity of phase IV. Using structural analogies with the phases of CCl₄, we find that the relative values of the thermal resistivities are roughly as predicted by simple theory.     

Spin fluctuations in metals: Application to the actinides

We present here a review of the spin fluctuation theory and of its applications to transition and actinide systems, with a particular emphasis to the latter where some very anomalous properties find an explanation in terms of spin fluctuation effects. Firstly, we summarize the development of the spin fluctuation model which had been initially applied to transition metals and alloys such as palladium or Pd–Ni alloys. Then, we present the extension of the paramagnon model to nearly magnetic actinide systems by taking into account explicitly the temperature dependence of the Stoner susceptibility, because the 5f-band of actinides is much narrower than the d-band of transition metals. As a result the paramagnon contribution to the resistivity departs from the usual T ² and T power laws at temperatures higher than the spin fluctuation one and saturates at high temperatures, with eventually the presence of a maximum at intermediate temperatures. We present also the calculation of the other properties of actinide systems, namely the thermal resistivity, the thermoelectric power, the magnetic susceptibility, the specific heat capacity and the NMR relaxation rate, which are generally enhanced by the presence of paramagnons. Finally, we have introduced the concept of ‘antiferromagnetic-like’ spin fluctuations which have a maximum of the q-dependent susceptibility _χ(q) at a q value different from q =0, in contrast to the regular ferromagnetic spin fluctuations; both types of spin fluctuation give the same resistivity behaviour, while they yield a markedly different behaviour of the magnetic susceptibility, in agreement with experiment. The spin fluctuation theory is applied successfully to the different properties of neptunium and plutonium metals and of many nearly magnetic compounds such as UAl₂.     

Magnetothermal resistivity of antiferromagnetic insulator

Magnetothermal resistivity of an antiferromagnetic insulator is calculated by assuming that the thermal energy is carried mainly by phonons which are scattered by spin fluctuations. The spin system is treated by the Green function method.     

The magnetotransport properties of the intermetallic compound GdCu6

We have studied the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the electrical resistivity of GdCu(6) and have co-related the results with the temperature dependence of heat capacity and magnetization. The magnetoresistance of GdCu(6) is found to be positive both in the paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic regimes. Within the antiferromagnetic regime, the magnetoresistance is very high and increases to still higher values both with increasing field and decreasing temperature. In the paramagnetic regime the magnetoresistance continues to exhibit a finite positive value up to temperatures much higher than that corresponding to the antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic phase transition. We have shown through quantitative analysis that both the temperature dependences of resistivity and heat capacity indicate the presence of spin fluctuations within the paramagnetic regime of GdCu(6). The field dependence of electrical resistivity indicates that the positive magnetoresistance in the paramagnetic phase is not related to the orbital motion of the conduction electrons in a magnetic field (the Kohler rule). In contrast, our analysis indicates that these spin fluctuations are responsible for the positive magnetoresistance observed within this paramagnetic regime. The nature of the field dependence of electrical resistivity is found to be qualitatively similar both in the antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic regimes, which probably indicates that spin fluctuations in the paramagnetic regime are of the antiferromagnetic type.     

Decreasing electrical resistivity of silver along the melting boundary up to 5 GPa

The electrical resistivity of Ag was experimentally measured at high pressures up to 5?GPa and at temperatures up to ～300?K above melting. The resistivity decreased as a function of pressure and increased as a function of temperature as expected and is in very good agreement with 1 atm data. Observed melting temperatures at high pressures also agree well with previous experimental and theoretical studies. The main finding of this study is that resistivity of Ag decreases along the pressure- and temperature-dependent melting boundary, in conflict with prediction of resistivity invariance. This result is discussed in terms of the dominant contribution of the increasing energy separation between the Fermi level and 4d-band as a function of pressure. Calculated from the resistivity using the Wiedemann–Franz law, the electronic thermal conductivity increased as a function of pressure and decreased as a function of temperature as expected. The decrease in the high pressure thermal conductivity in the liquid phase as a function of temperature contrasts with the behavior of the 1 atm data.     

Fluctuating Thermal Boundary Layers and Heat Transfer in Turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard Convection

We investigate the effect of fluctuations in thermal boundary layer on heat transfer in turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection for Prandtl number greater than one in the regime where the thermal dissipation rate is dominated by boundary layer contribution and in the presence of a large-scale circulating flow.     

Vacancy noise measurements in metals: Calculation of the power spectrum

Fluctuations in the number of vacancies in metals in thermal equilibrium lead to resistivity fluctuations. Analysis of these fluctuations permits measurement of both formation and migration enthalpy of the vacancies. The power spectrum of the fluctuations is calculated using a series of statistically independent pulses. It can be derived from the diffusion equation for any geometry of the vacancy sinks. Vacancy diffusion to the surface of a thin plate or of a sphere are treated as examples. The measurability of vacancy noise is assessed. It should also be possible to measure vacancy noise during irradiation. It is predicted that correlated vacancy creation, which may occur during irradiation, will cause an increase in the power spectrum.     

Suppression of thermally excited capillary waves by shear flow

We investigate the thermal fluctuations of the colloidal gas-liquid interface subjected to a shear flow parallel to the interface. Strikingly, we find that the shear strongly suppresses capillary waves, making the interface smoother. This phenomenon can be described by introducing an effective interfacial tension that increases with the shear rate. The increase of sigma(eff) is a direct consequence of the loss of interfacial entropy caused by the flow, which affects especially the slow fluctuations. This demonstrates that the interfacial tension of fluids results from an intrinsic as well as a fluctuation contribution.     

Strong magnetic fluctuations in a superconducting state of CeCoIn5

We show results on the vortex core dissipation through current-voltage measurements under applied pressure and magnetic field in the superconducting phase of CeCoIn{5}. We find that as soon as the system becomes superconducting, the vortex core resistivity increases sharply as the temperature and magnetic field decrease. The sharp increase in flux-flow resistivity is due to quasiparticle scattering on critical antiferromagnetic fluctuations. The strength of magnetic fluctuations below the superconducting transition suggests that magnetism is complementary to superconductivity and therefore must be considered in order to fully account for the low-temperature properties of CeCoIn{5}.     

High temperature crossover in paraconductivity of granular Y1Ba2Cu3O7-y

We have examined the deviation from linearity of the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity of a YBaCuO ceramics. We have observed at high temprature a crossover behavior toward a logarithmic temperature dependence at lower temperature. It seems relevant to attribute the origin of such a term to a pair breaking mechanism contribution, thus to give a lower bound to the existence of superconductivity fluctuations onset temperature. Our findings also implies that carriers are bosons aboveT _c .     

AC losses in high-temperature superconductors: revisiting the fundamentals of the loss modelling

The fundamentals of the electromagnetic modelling of high-temperature superconductors are discussed. Special attention is paid to intrinsic features of high-temperature superconductors different to those of low-temperature superconductors. Examples of those features are strong thermal fluctuations, which results in enhanced flux creep and slanted E(J)-characteristics, anisotropy of critical current density and material resistivity, and the granularity of the material. Having established the fundamental principles for the loss modelling, the influence of thermal fluctuations, anisotropy and granularity on the AC losses are considered.     

Observation of a quantized hall resistivity in the presence of mesoscopic fluctuations

We present an experimental study of mesoscopic, two-dimensional electronic systems at high magnetic fields. Our samples, prepared from a low-mobility InGaAs/InAlAs wafer, exhibit reproducible, sample specific, resistance fluctuations. Focusing on the lowest Landau level, we find that, while the diagonal resistivity displays strong fluctuations, the Hall resistivity is free of fluctuations and remains quantized at its nu=1 value, h/e(2). This is true also in the insulating phase that terminates the quantum Hall series. These results extend the validity of the semicircle law of conductivity in the quantum Hall effect to the mesoscopic regime.     

Brillouin scattering from thermal fluctuations in superionic conductors

We present a theory of light scattering from long-wavelength thermal fluctuations in superionic conductors using a model of a crystalline cage immersed in a viscous liquid. The local or internal degrees of freedom of the liquid are taken into account by the addition of a frequency dependent contribution to the viscosity. The differences between our theory and that of Huberman and Martin are discussed.