On the limits of consistency of Eliashberg theory and the density of states of high-T c superconductors

We make a detailed study of the Eliashberg theory in the coupling region where some fundamental qualitative deviations from the conventional BCS-like behavior begin to appear. These deviations are identified as the onset of a cross-over from BCS superconductivity to Bose condensation. We point out that the beginning of this cross-over occurs when the gap δ _g becomes comparable to the boson energies Ω_ph. This condition traduces the physical constraint that the distance the paired electron covers during the absorption of the virtual boson, cannot be larger than the coherence length. The frontier region of couplings is of the order of λ ≈ 3, and high-T _c, materials are concerned. A clear qualitative indication of the occurrence of a crossover regime should be a dip structure above the gap in the density of states of excitations, and this is one of the most robust characteristics of the high-T _c, superconducting state. Comparing our results with tunneling and photoemission experiments we conclude that high-T _c materials (cuprates and fullerides) are indeed at the beginning of a cross-over from BCS superconductivity to Bose condensation, even though the fermionic nature still prevails. If the Uemura plot is relevant, then the dip should also be present in the other materials that are close to the cross-over regime like heavy Fermion and organic superconductors. In all these materials Ginzburg Landau equations are irrelevant.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance study of the heavy-fermion system URu2Si2

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and relaxation studies on ²⁹Si have been carried out on the heavy Fermion system URu₂Si₂. Above the Kondo temperature of about 60 K, the nuclear relaxation time T₁ is nearly temperature independent, which is consistent with the occurrence of fluctuations of localized U moments. Below about 60 K T₁ is inversely proportional to temperature suggesting that the system behaves like a Fermi liquid. A sharp increase in T₁ occurs below 17 K which is probably associated with the opening of an energy gap at the Fermi surface due to the formation of a spin density wave state. Below about 10 K, T₁ reacquires the inverse temperature dependence observed in the 17 K ∼ 60 K temperature range.     

A simplified model for the rearrangement of single-particle degrees of freedom near the point of antiferromagnetic phase transition in strongly correlated Fermi systems

It is shown that the antiferromagnetic transition is preceded by the fermion condensation with rearrangement of single-particle degrees of freedom and appearance of plateaus in the spectrum of single-particle excitations. The results obtained are used to explain the gap structure in the spectrum of two-dimensional high-T _c superconductors at T=0.     

Thermal desorption of Ag from oxidized W

Thermal desorption spectra (TDS) of Ag condensates deposited at two substrate temperatures T_s = 300 K and T_s = 779 K have been obtained. A shift of the temperature T_m of the maximum of the desorption flux R_e was observed. It was established that the shift of the maximum depends on the value of the initial coverage σ₀. A significant difference was found to exist between TDS of silver condensates deposited on oxidized and clean W substrates due to differences in the mechanism of condensation. Silver condensates were deposited on oxidized W at different initial conditions (T_s, impingement rates R_i, etc.) but equal σ₀. The corresponding TDS were compared and a conclusion has been drawn that the shift of T_m is due to the different structure of Ag condensates. TDS of Ag condensates deposited at room temperature (T_s = 300 K) were interpreted using the method of Bauer et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 45 (1974) 5164: Surface Sci. 53 (1975) 87]. The dependence of the desorption flux R_e on the substrate temperature T_s and coverage σ was treated on the basis of the Polanyi-Wigner equation and some parameters of the condensation process were evaluated.     

Superconductivity in the presence of fermion condensation

Fermion condensation (FC) is studied within the density functional theory. FC can fulfill the role of a boundary, separating the region of strongly interacting electron liquid from the region of strongly correlated electron liquid. Consideration of the superconductivity in the presence of FC shows that, under certain circumstances, at temperatures above T _c the superconductivity vanishes and the superconducting gap smoothly transforms into a pseudogap. The pseudogap occupies only a part of the Fermi surface, and one that shrinks with increasing temperature and vanishes at T=T*, and the single-particle excitations of the gapped area of the Fermi surface have a width γ ∼(T-T _c ). Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 68, No. 6, 491–496 (25 September 1998) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

Spin-gauge symmetry and the supercurrents of the alkali atomic gas in a magnetic trap

We show that the local spin-gauge symmetry and the off-diagonal long-range order of the system of alkali atoms in a magnetic trap at the temperature T < T_BEC (the temperature for the Bose-Einstein condensation transition) leads to a superflow of the atomic gas. The supercurrents are present in the interior of the systems even in the ground state. This effect does not exist at the temperature T > T_BEC.     

An effect of the uniaxial strain on the temperature of Bose–Einstein condensation of the intersite bipolarons

We have studied an effect of uniaxial strain to the temperature of Bose–Einstein condensation of intersite bipolarons within the framework of extended Holstein–Hubbard model. Uniaxial lattice strains are taken into an account by introducing a generalized density–displacement type force for electron–lattice interaction. Associating the superconducting critical temperature T_c with the temperature of Bose–Einstein condensation T_BEC of intersite bipolarons we have calculated strain derivatives of T_BEC and satisfactorily explained the results of the experiments on La-based high-T_c films.     

Separation of normal and anomalous Hall-effect in amorphous ferromagnetic NiAu-alloys

Amorphous Ni_0.65Au_0.35-alloys are prepared by quenched condensation. They are ferromagnetic. The Hall-resistivity is measured in the temperature range between 4 K and 2T_c. In contrast to the liquid alloy one can separate the normal and anomalous Hall-effect at He-temperature and above the Curie temperature. For T > T_c, the anomalous Hall-constant obeys a Curie-Weiss-law. The normal Hall-constant is electron-like and corresponds to 0.6 conduction electrons. The anomalous Hall-constant is negative in contrast to the value found in amorphous Fe- and Co-alloys.     

Interaction effects on atomic laboratory trapped Bose-Einstein condensates

We discuss the effect of inter-atoms interactions on the condensation temperature T _c of an atomic laboratory trapped Bose-Einstein condensate. We show that, in the mean-field Hartree-Fock and semiclassical approximations, interactions produce a shift Δ T _c /T _c ⁰ ≈ b ₁(a/λ _{T c} ) + b ₂(a/λ _{T c} )² + ψ[a / λ _{T c} ] with a the s-wave scattering length, λ _T the thermal wavelength and ψ[a / λ _{T c} ] a non-analytic function such that ψ[0] = ψ′[0] = ψ′′[0] = 0 and |ψ′′′[0]| = ∞. Therefore, with no more assumptions than Hartree-Fock and semiclassical approximations, interaction effecs are perturbative to second order in a / λ _{T c} and the expected non-perturbativity of physical quantities at critical temperature appears only to third order. We compare this finding with different results by other authors, which are based on more than the Hartree-Fock and semiclassical approximations. Moreover, we obtain an analytical estimation for b ₂ ? 18.8 which improves a previous numerical result. We also discuss how the discrepancy between b ₂ and the empirical value of b ₂ = 46 ± 5 may be explained with no need to resort to beyond-mean field effects.     

On the 1920 Å continuous spectrum of the supersonic argon jet excited by an electron beam

The T₀/?(T₀) dependences (T₀ is the intensity of the 1920 Å continuum at its maximum, ? is the concentration of argon atoms at the intersection of an electron beam and a jet, T₀ is the temperature of argon at the nozzle) for the 1920 Å continuum radiated by a supersonic argon jet excited by an electron beam were investigated at various pressures of argon at the entry to a nozzle. The experiments performed suggested a possible generation mechanism of the 1920 Å continuum emitted by an argon jet.     

Growth, microstructure and electrical properties of sputter-deposited hafnium oxide (HfO2) thin films grown using a HfO2 ceramic target

Hafnium oxide (HfO₂) thin films have been made by radio-frequency (rf) magnetron-sputtering onto Si(1 0 0) substrates under varying growth temperature (T_s). HfO₂ ceramic target has been employed for sputtering while varying the T_s from room temperature to 500 °C during deposition. The effect of T_s on the growth and microstructure of deposited HfO₂ films has been studied using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). The results indicate that the effect of T_s is significant on the growth, surface and interface structure, morphology and chemical composition of the HfO₂ films. Structural characterization indicates that the HfO₂ films grown at T_s < 200 °C are amorphous while films grown at T_s > 200 °C are nanocrystalline. An amorphous-to-crystalline transition occurs at T_s = 200 °C. Nanocrystalline HfO₂ films crystallized in a monoclinic structure with a (−1 1 1) orientation. An interface layer (IL) formation occurs due to reaction at the HfO₂-Si interface for HfO₂ films deposited at T_s > 200 °C. The thickness of IL increases with increasing T_s. EDS at the HfO₂-Si cross-section indicate that the IL is a (Hf, Si)-O compound. The electrical characterization using capacitance-voltage measurements indicate that the dielectric constant decreases from 25 to 16 with increasing T_s. The current-voltage characteristics indicate that the leakage current increases significantly with increasing T_s due to increased ILs.     

Large negative magnetoresistance in thiospinel CuCrZrS4

We report on large negative magnetoresistance observed in ferromagnetic thiospinel compound CuCrZrS₄. The electrical resistivity increased with decreasing temperature according to the exp(T₀/T)^1/2, an expression derived from variable range hopping with strong electron-electron interaction. The resistivity under a magnetic field was expressed by the same form with the characteristic temperature T₀ decreasing with increasing magnetic field. Magnetoresistance ratio ρ(T,0)/ρ(T,H) is 1.5 for H=90 kOe at 100 K and increases divergently with decreasing temperature reaching 80 at 16 K. Results of magnetization measurements are also presented. A possible mechanism of the large magnetoresistance is discussed.     

Effect of annealing on the properties of N-doped ZnO films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering

N-doped ZnO films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering in N₂/Ar gas mixture and were post-annealed at different temperatures (T_a) ranging from 400 to 800 °C in O₂ gas at atmospheric pressure. The as-deposited and post-annealed films were characterized by their structural (XRD), compositional (SIMS, XPS), optical (UV-vis-NIR spectrometry), electrical (Hall measurements), and optoelectronic properties (PL spectra). The XRD results authenticate the improvement of crystallinity following post-annealing. The weak intensity of the (0 0 2) reflection obtained for the as-deposited N-doped ZnO films was increased with the increasing T_a to become the preferred orientation at higher T_a (800 °C). The amount of N-concentration and the chemical states of N element in ZnO films were changed with the T_a, especially above 400 °C. The average visible transmittance (400-800 nm) of the as-deposited films (26%) was increased with the increasing T_a to reach a maximum of 75% at 600 °C but then decreased. In the PL spectra, A⁰X emission at 3.321 eV was observed for T_a = 400 °C besides the main D⁰X emission. The intensity of the A⁰X emission was decreased with the increasing T_a whereas D⁰X emission became sharper and more optical emission centers were observed when T_a is increased above 400 °C.     

Correlations in inhomogeneous Ising models

Using general methods developed in a previous treatment we study correlations in inhomogeneous Ising models on a square lattice. The nearest neighbour couplings can vary both in strength and sign such that the coupling distribution is translationally invariant in diagonal direction. We calculate correlations parallel to the layering in the diagonally layered model with periodv=2, the so-called “general square lattice” model (GS). If the model has a finite critical temperature,T _c>0, we have a spontaneous magnetization belowT _c vanishing atT _c with the Ising exponent β=1/8. AtT _c correlations decay algebraically with critical exponnet η=1/4 and exponentially forT>T _c. In the frustrated case we have oscillatory behaviour superposed on the exponential decay where the wavevector of the oscillations changes at some “disorder temperature”T _D(>T _c) from commensurate to temperature-dependent in commensurate periods. If the critical temperature vanishes,T _c=0 we always have exponential decay at finite temperatures, while atT=T _c=0 we encounter either long-range order or algebraic decay with critical index η=1/2, i.e.T=0 is thus a critical point.     

The role of the local magnetic mode in the optical absorption spectra of antiferromagnets

The anomaly in the temperature dependence of the magnetic linear dichroism in a weak ferromagnet FeBO₃ has been revealed at T<T_N. It is explained by the condensation of the local magnetic ,ode associated with the absorption of a light quantum by the pair of neighboring ions from the different sublattices of the antiferromagnet. It is shown that the same phenomenon leads to the appearance of the additional lines in the optical absorption spectra of antiferromagnets.     

Early-stage ordering in in-situ annealed Fe51Pt49 films

We evidenced an early-stage ordering (ESO) in Fe₅₁Pt₄₉ film before the appearance of superlattice diffraction (long-range-order, LRO) using 40-nm-thick films prepared by magnetron sputtering onto quartz substrate. The appearance of L1₀ phase for samples deposited at substrate temperatures (T_s) 400 °C and higher was verified by X-ray diffraction. Surface roughness of Fe₅₁Pt₄₉ films, obtained via X-ray specular reflectivity with computational fitting, increases from 3.8 to 11 Å as T_s is increased from 25 to 275 °C. As further increase of T_s to 375 °C, the roughness drops to 3.2 Å and then increases again to 38 Å with T_s up to 700 °C. Measurement on residual strain demonstrates that it is initially compressive at T_s<400 °C. Thereafter the strain transfers to a tensile one and increases in magnitude as increasing T_s up to 700 °C corresponding to LRO transformation. Local atomic rearrangement is observed for samples deposited at T_s>250 °C by using extended X-ray absorption fine structure. Coercivity of films increases from 10 to 460 Oe as T_s increase from 25 to 375 °C (ESO) and then from 460 to 10,700 Oe with T_s 375-700 °C (normal LRO). The worked out quantitative estimation of ESO engages with that of LRO before T_s 400 °C.     

Theory of spin-resolved photoemission from Fe at finite temperature: The disordered local moment picture

We present first principles calculations of the spin and angle-resolved photoemission spectra for Fe(100) at T = 0 and T = T_c, based on the KKRCPA treatment of the disordered local moment model. At T = 0 the calculations are in generally good agreement with experiment, and are shown to be quite sensitive to the surface potential and magnetisation. The high T calculations are also consistent with existing data, and a strong photon polarisation dependence is predicted as a consequence of the different exchange splitting of the T_2g and E_g states.