Enhanced suppression of superconductivity in amorphous films with nano-scale patterning

We have measured the thickness dependence of the superconducting critical temperature, T_c(d_Bi)$T_c(d_{\text{Bi}})$, in amorphous Bi/Sb films patterned with a regular array of holes as well as nanoscale thickness variations. We find that the mean field T_c$T_c$ is suppressed relative to simultaneously produced unstructured films of the same thickness. Surprisingly, however, the functional form for T_c(d_Bi)$T_c(d_{\text{Bi}})$, remains unaffected. The role of the thickness variations in suppressing T_c$T_c$ is compared to the role of the holes, through parameterization of the surface, as measured through AFM/SEM and a proximity effect calculation. These results suggest that these two nanoscale modifications suppress T_c$T_c$ about equally and are consistent with T_c$T_c$ being determined on a microscopic length scale.     

The Bethe lattice treatment of sound attenuation for a spin- 3/2 Ising model

The sound attenuation phenomena is investigated for a spin- 3/2 Ising model on the Bethe lattice in terms of the recursion relations by using the Onsager theory of irreversible thermodynamics. The dependencies of sound attenuation on the temperature (T$T$), frequency (w$w$), Onsager coefficient (γ$\gamma$) and external magnetic field (H$H$) near the second-order (_Tc)$\left(T_c\right)$ and first-order (_Tt)$\left(T_t\right)$ phase transition temperatures are examined for given coordination numbers q$q$ on the Bethe lattice. It is assumed that the sound wave couples to the order-parameter fluctuations which decay mainly via the order-parameter relaxation process, thus two relaxation times are obtained and which are used to obtain an expression for the sound attenuation coefficient (α)$\left(\alpha \right)$. Our investigations revealed that only one peak is obtained near _Tt$T_t$ and three peaks are found near _Tc$T_c$ when the Onsager coefficient is varied at a given constant frequency for q=3$q=3$. Fixing the Onsager coefficient and varying the frequency always leads to two peaks for q=3,4$q=3,4$ and 6 near _Tc$T_c$. The sound attenuation peaks are observed near _Tt$T_t$ at lower values of external magnetic field, but as it increases the sound attenuation peaks decrease and eventually disappear.     

d-Wave superconductivity from correlated-hopping interactions determined by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

Starting from a generalized Hubbard model with correlated-hopping interactions, we solve numerically two coupled integral equations within the Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer formalism, in order to study the doping effects on the critical temperature (_Tc$T_c$), d-wave superconducting gap, and the electronic specific heat. Within the mean-field approximation, we determine the single- and correlated-electron-hopping parameters for La_2 − xSr_xCuO₄ by using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy data. The resulting parametrized Hubbard model is able to explain the experimental _Tc$T_c$ variation with the doping level (x). Moreover, the observed power-law behavior of the superconducting specific heat is reproduced by this correlated-hopping Hubbard model without adjustable parameters.     

On the theory of the dynamical properties of nematics

The Leslie–Ericksen coefficients of a thermotropic nematic are determined by using an approximate solution of the Fokker–Planck equation for the one-particle distribution function over orientations of the nematic molecules. The results show that the well-known Doi–Edwards theory of the dynamical properties of nematics leads to a qualitatively wrong result for the Leslie angle. The “isotropic medium - nematic” (I–N$I–N$) transition induced by the shear flow is considered. When the temperature decreases, the I–N$I–N$ transition in the shear flowing system takes place at the temperature _T1$T_1$ higher than the temperature _Tc$T_c$ of the equilibrium transition in the motionless system. The interface boundary in this case is parallel to the plane formed by the flow velocity and its gradient. When the shear flowing nematic phase is heated, the N–I$N–I$ transition occurs at another temperature _T2$T_2$, and the following inequalities _T1>_T2>_Tc$T_1>T_2>T_c$ hold. In this case the boundary between the isotropic and nematic phases is perpendicular to the flow velocity. Thus, unlike the equilibrium phase transition, a temperature hysteresis of the phase transition is expected.     

Coercive field of a polycrystalline ferrimagnet with uni-axial anisotropy

Unlike the coercive field _Hc$H_{\mathrm{c}}$ of a bulk ferrimagnet, which diverges at the compensation temperature _Tcomp$T_{\mathrm{comp}}$, the coercive field of a polycrystalline ferrimagnet with uni-axial anisotropy is shown to have a minimum at _Tcomp$T_{\mathrm{comp}}$. Despite this behavior, the field required for domain-wall motion still diverges at the compensation temperature. These ideas are used to treat a ferrimagnetic class of molecule-based magnets, the bimetallic oxalates, that exhibit a minimum coercivity at _Tcomp$T_{\mathrm{comp}}$.     

Analogue surface gravity near the QCD chiral phase transition

Using the formalism of relativistic acoustic geometry we study the expanding chiral fluid in the regime of broken chiral symmetry near the QCD chiral phase transition temperature _Tc$T_{\mathrm{c}}$. The dynamics of pions below _Tc$T_{\mathrm{c}}$ is described by the equation of motion for a massless scalar field propagating in curved spacetime similar to an open FRW universe. The metric tensor depends locally on the soft pion dispersion relation and the four-velocity of the fluid. In the neighbourhood of the critical point an analogue trapped region forms with the analogue trapped horizon as its boundary. We show that the associated surface gravity diverges near the critical point as κ∼(_Tc−T)⁻¹$\kappa \sim {(T_{\mathrm{c}}-T)}^{-1}$. Hence, if the horizon forms close to the critical temperature the analogue Hawking temperature may be comparable with or even larger than the background fluid temperature.     

Monte Carlo study of the spin-1 Blume–Capel Ising film

Using Monte Carlo simulations with the Metropolis algorithm, we have studied the influence of crystal-field interaction on the critical behavior of magnetic spin-1 Ising film on a cubic lattice structure. The phase diagrams in the (_kBTc/J,R=_Js/J)$(k_{\mathrm{B}}{T}_{\mathrm{c}}/J,R=J_{\mathrm{s}}/J)$ plane are obtained for different values of the crystal-field interaction. We found that the special point _Rsp(_Rc)$R_{\mathrm{sp}}(R_{\mathrm{c}})$, at which the critical temperature is independent of the film thickness N, is independent of the crystal-field interaction and that the system may exhibit a tricritical behavior.     

Damage spreading in a driven lattice gas model

We studied damage spreading in a Driven Lattice Gas (DLG) model as a function of the temperature T$T$, the magnitude of the external driving field E$E$, and the lattice size. The DLG model undergoes an order–disorder second-order phase transition at the critical temperature _Tc(E)$T_c\left(E\right)$, such that the ordered phase is characterized by high-density strips running along the direction of the applied field; while in the disordered phase one has a lattice-gas-like behavior. It is found that the damage always spreads for all the investigated temperatures and reaches a saturation value _Dsat$D_{sat}$ that depends only on T$T$. _Dsat$D_{sat}$ increases for T<_Tc(E=∞)$T<T_c(E=\infty )$, decreases for T>_Tc(E=∞)$T>T_c(E=\infty )$ and is free of finite-size effects. This behavior can be explained as due to the existence of interfaces between the high-density strips and the lattice-gas-like phase whose roughness depends on T$T$. Also, we investigated damage spreading for a range of finite fields as a function of T$T$, finding a behavior similar to that of the case with E=∞$E=\infty$.     

Comparative study between a two-dimensional anisotropic Heisenberg antiferromagnet with easy-axis single-ion anisotropy and one with easy-axis exchange anisotropy

Generally, in literature, easy-axis single ion anisotropy and easy-axis exchange anisotropy was treated in indistinct way. In this work we propose to perform a comparative study of the effects of these two easy-axis anisotropies on the behavior of the magnetization and the critical temperature (_Tc)$(T_{\mathrm{c}})$ in the 2D classical Heisenberg antiferromagnetic model. In order to study the low-temperature thermodynamics of this model, we should consider the contribution of anisotropic spin waves, using a self-consistent harmonic approximation (SCHA) theory. We compare the predictions of SCHA with numerical simulations on L×L$L\times L$ square lattices using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, which include effects due to all thermodynamically allowed excitations. Our SCHA results are in good agreement with our MC simulations results and have shown that the strong K$K$ limit gives two different Ising-like behavior. In the exchange anisotropic case, the dependence of _Tc$T_{\mathrm{c}}$ on anisotropic parameter K$K$ becomes linear and in the single-ion anisotropic case, _Tc$T_{\mathrm{c}}$ becomes independent of K$K$. Also, using MC simulations and finite size scaling, we show that the critical exponents in the two anisotropic case are compatible with the 2D Ising values α=0.125$\alpha =0.125$ and γ=1.75$\gamma =1.75$.     

Magnetic linear dichroism studies of in situ grown NiO thin films

We report thickness dependence of magnetic linear dichroism (MLD) of in situ grown NiO(0 0 1) films on Ag(0 0 1) substrate at the Ni L₂ absorption edge. Antiferromagnetic domains at the surface of NiO(0 0 1) films are found to be preferentially aligned in-plane. For films thinner than a critical thickness _tc$t_{\mathrm{c}}$ (20–40ML), we observe a softening of the in-plane magnetic domain alignments with increasing film thickness, arising from the strain-relaxation effects. Films thicker than _tc$t_{\mathrm{c}}$ exhibits a residual in-plane anisotropy, possibly related to the finite-thickness effects.     

The anisotropic quantum spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet in the presence of a longitudinal field on a bcc lattice

In this work we study the critical behavior of the quantum spin-1/2 anisotropic Heisenberg antiferromagnet in the presence of a longitudinal field on a body centered cubic (bcc) lattice as a function of temperature, anisotropy parameter (Δ)$(\Delta )$ and magnetic field (H  ), where Δ=0$\Delta =0$ and 1 correspond the isotropic Heisenberg and Ising models, respectively. We use the framework of the differential operator technique in the effective-field theory with finite cluster of N  =4 spins (EFT-4). The staggered _ms=(_mA−_mB)/2$m_s=(m_A-m_B)/2$ and total m=(_mA+_mB)/2$m=(m_A+m_B)/2$ magnetizations are numerically calculated, where in the limit of _ms→0$m_s\to 0$ the critical line _TN(H,Δ)$T_N(H,\Delta )$ is obtained. The phase diagram in the T−H$T-H$ plane is discussed as a function of the parameter Δ$\Delta$ for all values of H∈[0,_Hc(Δ)]$H\in [0,H_c(\Delta )]$, where _Hc(Δ)$H_c(\Delta )$ correspond the critical field (_TN=0)$(T_N=0)$. Special focus is given in the low temperature region, where a reentrant behavior is observed around of H=_Hc(Δ)≥_Hc(Δ=1)=8J$H=H_c(\Delta )\ge H_c(\Delta =1)=8J$ in the Ising limit, results in accordance with Monte Carlo simulation, and also was observed for all values of Δ∈[0,1]$\Delta \in [\mathrm{0,1}]$. This reentrant behavior increases with increase of the anisotropy parameter Δ$\Delta$. In the limit of low field, our results for the Heisenberg limit are compared with series expansion values.     

Transitions to chaos in the wake of an axisymmetric bluff body

This Letter aims at understanding the dynamical process that leads to the onset of chaos in the flow past a blunt-based axisymmetric bluff body. On the basis of direct numerical simulations, conducted for Reynolds numbers ranging from 100 to 900, we show that the flow undergoes multiple transitions, successively giving rise to the SS, _RSPa${\mathrm{RSP}}_a$, _RSPb${\mathrm{RSP}}_b$, _RSPc${\mathrm{RSP}}_c$ and RSB wake states. In particular, the _RSPc${\mathrm{RSP}}_c$ state, revealed in this work via long-term computations, is characterized by intermittent vortex stretching denoting the onset of chaos before the symmetry breaking and the occurrence of the RSB state.     

Dynamics of the normal–superconductor phase transition and the puzzle of the Meissner effect

The analysis of Pippard (1950) for the growth of the normal phase into the superconducting phase in the presence of a magnetic field H>H_c$H>H_c$ is applied in reverse to the case H<H_c$H<H_c$ (H_c=$H_c=$ critical magnetic field). We carry out the analysis both for a planar and a cylindrical geometry. As the superconducting phase grows into the normal phase, a supercurrent is generated at the superconductor–normal phase boundary that flows in direction opposite to the Faraday electric field resulting from the moving phase boundary. This supercurrent motion is in direction opposite to what is dictated by the Lorentz force on the current carriers, and in addition requires that mechanical momentum of opposite sign be transferred to the system as a whole to ensure momentum conservation. In the cylindrical geometry case, a macroscopic torque of unknown origin acts on the body as a whole as the magnetic field is expelled. We argue that the conventional BCS-London theory of superconductivity cannot explain these facts, and that as a consequence the Meissner effect remains unexplained within the conventional theory of superconductivity. We propose that the Meissner effect can only be understood by assuming that there is motion of charge in direction perpendicular to the normal–superconductor phase boundary and point out that the unconventional theory of hole superconductivity describes this physics.