Magnetotransport properties of untwinned YBa2Cu3Oy single crystals: novel 60-K-phase anomalies in the charge transport

We present the result of our accurate measurements of the a- and b-axis resistivity (ρ_a and ρ_b), magnetoconductivity Δσ/σ, Hall coefficient R_H, and the a-axis thermopower S_a in untwinned YBa₂Cu₃O_y single crystals in a wide range of doping (6.45≤y≤7.0). The systematics of our data reveals a number of novel 60-K-phase anomalies in the charge transport: (i) temperature dependences of ρ_a show anomalous overlap below ∼130 K for 6.65≤y≤6.80, (ii) Hall mobility μ_H shows an enhancement near y?6.65, which is reflected in an anomalous y dependence of σ_xy, (iii) with decreasing temperature R_H shows a marked drop upon approaching T_c only in samples with 6.70≤y≤6.85, (iv) superconducting fluctuation magnetoconductivity is anomalously enhanced near y?6.7, and (v) H_c2 is anomalously reduced near y?6.70. We discuss that the fluctuating charge stripes might be responsible for these anomalies in the charge transport.     

Anisotropic thermopower of the organic metal, β-(BEDT-TTF)2I3

Thermopower of the ambient pressure organic superconductor β-(BEDT-TTF)₂I₃ has been studied. Measurements performed on, respectively, crystals of needle formed morphology and on flake-like crystals with hexagon shape showed equal thermopower results. S was measured along the a-axis as well as along the b′-axis. Marked anisotropy is observed in the entire temperature region studied. The temperature dependence, as represented by dS/dT, is, however, nearly isotropic. On the basis of an analysis of anisotropic thermopower we attribute the isotropic part of S to a term depending on the bond-properties and the anisotropic part of S to the scattering mechanism. The analysis yields transfer integrals of the order of 0.12 eV along both a- and b′-axes.     

Quantifying Correlations via the Wigner-Yanase-Dyson Skew Information

In this paper, based on a discussion about the Wigner-Yanase-Dyson (WYD) skew information, the measure F_a,α(ρ_ab) for correlations in terms of the WYD skew information is introduced and discussed. The following conclusions are obtained. For a classical-quantum state ρ_ab, F_a,α(ρ_ab)=0 if and only if ρ_ab is a product state; F_a,α(ρ_ab) is locally unitary invariant and convex on the set of states with the fixed marginal ρ_a; F_a,α(ρ_ab) decreases under local random unitary operation on H_b; For a quantum-classical state ρ_ab, F_a,α(ρ_ab) decreases under local operation on H_b; Lastly, F_a,α(ρ_ab) is computed for the pure states and the Bell-diagonal states, respectively.     

Probing the sign-changeable interaction between dark energy and dark matter with current observations

We consider the models of vacuum energy interacting with cold dark matter in this study, in which the coupling can change sigh during the cosmological evolution. We parameterize the running coupling b by the form b(a) = b_0 a + b_e(1-a), where at the earlytime the coupling is given by a constant b_e and today the coupling is described by another constant b_0. We explore six specific models with(i) Q = b(a)H_0ρ_0,(ii) Q = b(a)H_0ρ_(de),(iii) Q = b(a)H_0ρ_c,(iv) Q = b(a)Hρ_0,(v) Q = b(a)Hρ_(de), and(vi) Q = b(a)Hρ_c.The current observational data sets we use to constrain the models include the JLA compilation of type Ia supernova data, the Planck 2015 distance priors data of cosmic microwave background observation, the baryon acoustic oscillations measurements,and the Hubble constant direct measurement. We find that, for all the models, we have b_0 0 and b_e 0 at around the 1σ level,and b_0 and b_e are in extremely strong anti-correlation. Our results show that the coupling changes sign during the evolution at about the 1σ level, i.e., the energy transfer is from dark matter to dark energy when dark matter dominates the universe and the energy transfer is from dark energy to dark matter when dark energy dominates the universe.     

Thermopower of amorphous La0.82Ga0.18 and La0.78Ga0.22 alloys

Thermopower measurements are reported for two similar amorphous alloys, one with α= ρ^-1 dρ/dT<0, the other with α>0. The thermopower is negative and only approximately linear in temperature for both samples. The sign and relative magnitudes of the thermopower are in disagreement with the diffraction model neglecting the energy dependence of the t-matrix as has been widely done to explain the thermopower of amorphous metals with α<0.     

Anomalous dependence of the critical current of 45° grain boundaries in YBa2Cu3O7−x on an applied magnetic field

Grain boundaries grown by the biepitaxial technique do not show Fraunhofer-type critical current I _c vs. magnetic field H _a dependences, which are a hallmark of standard Josephson junctions. To clarify the reason for this unusual behavior, we have fabricated asymmetric 45° grain boundaries using the bicrystal technique and analyzed their I _c (H _a) characteristics. These characteristics crisply show a number of remarkable features, which suggest that due to the particular orientation of these junctions, their I _c (H _a) dependence is intrinsically non-Fraunhofer. Conventional models, relying on standard tunneling and a superconducting order parameter with s-wave symmetry, do not account for the I _c (H _a) characteristics observed.     

Space charge enhanced tunneling currents in manganites

Current-voltage characteristics I(V) with a tunneling character have been observed in selected (“electroresistive”) ceramic manganites R_1−xA_xMnO₃ (R=La, Y; A=Ca, Ba). In this contribution, an I(V) model calculation based on spin-dependent transfer and a bipolar serial array of grains containing deGennes magnetic states are presented. The basic elements of the characteristic are so recovered, including its magnetic field (H) dependence, which in turn allows one to identify this array with a series of spin-dependent tunneling diodes connected in opposition. Besides, we find that the tunneling currents are only significant under space charge bending of the bands near the boundaries, that the electrochemical potential becomes H-field sensitive because of the spin-dependent electron state bandwidth b cos(q(H)/2) and that any slight randomness in the magnetic system will lead to hysteresis effects in the tunneling characteristic.     

Anisotropic thermopower of (TMTSF)2PF6: 1D–2D cross over and SDW ordering

The thermopower of (TMTSF)₂PF₆ has been measured along the a-axis as well as along the b-axis. Marked anisotropy is seen in the whole temperature region studied. Close to 100 K, an anomaly is attributed to cross over from dominating one-dimensionality to dominating two-dimensionality. Precursor effects seen in S_a near T_c are attributed to SDW fluctuations. Well below T_c, both thermopower components exhibit typical semiconducting properties.     

Nonmonotonic magnetic-field dependence of transport coefficients for n-Bi-Sb semiconducting alloys

The transport coefficients of tellurium-doped n-Bi_{1 ? x} Sb _x semiconducting alloys (0.07 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) are studied for single-crystal samples in the temperature range 1.5 ≤ T ≤ 40 K and in magnetic fields 0 ≤ H < 20 kOe. The theory developed in this study attributes the specific features in the behavior of the transport coefficients observed in a magnetic field to a strong anisotropy of the electron spectrum and anisotropy in the electron relaxation time. It is found that the dependences of the transport coefficients on the magnetic field for H ∥ C ₃ can be theoretically expressed through one anisotropy parameter δ, and those for H ∥ C ₂, by means of several anisotropy parameters, namely, γ, η, ζ, and m ₃/m ₁. It is established that the anisotropy parameter δ in the n-Bi-Sb semiconducting alloys can be estimated from measurements of the electrical resistivity ρ₂₂(∞)/ρ₂₂(0) ? δ and the Hall coefficient R _12.3(∞)/R _12.3(H → 0) ? δ in a magnetic field H ∥ C ₃. It is shown that the observed increase in the thermoelectric efficiency by a factor of 1.5–2.0 in the transverse magnetic fields H ∥ C ₃ and H ∥ C ₂ originates from the nonmonotonic dependence of the diffusion component of the thermopower Δα₂₂(H)(?T ∥ C ₁) on the magnetic field. The nonmonotonic dependence of the diffusion thermopower in n-Bi-Sb semiconducting alloys is associated with the strong anisotropy of the electron spectrum, the anisotropy in the electron relaxation time, and the many-valley pattern of the spectrum.     

On the problem of a linear complex H4

The energy minimum of a linear chain of four hydrogen atomsH₄ was investigated in dependence on the inner atomic distancea and the ?surface” distanceb. An energy minimum was obtained for somea ≠b. Some comments of methodological character are added.     

The large anisotropy of the magnetic and transport properties in the Ba5Co5ClO13 single crystal

In this Letter, the single crystals of Ba₅Co₅ClO₁₃ were grown by the flux method successfully. Their structure, magnetic and transport properties were studied. A large anisotropy of the magnetic and transport properties has been detected in this compound. Below the TN∼108 K, the magnetic susceptibility exhibits an antiferromagnetic peak in χc and an upturn transition in χab. We suggest that this behavior is consistent with the competition of the ferromagnetic (FM) intra-blocks coupling and antiferromagnetic (AFM) inter-blocks coupling in this compound. The temperature dependence of the resistivity displays a hump in ρab and a kink in ρc around TN, suggesting the strong coupling between the transport and magnetic properties. Above and below the transition, the transport properties in ab plane follow the three-dimensional (3D) variable range hopping (VRH) mechanism.     

Spin-polarized transport and thermopower of organometallic nanocontacts

We present a theoretical study of the length dependence of both conductance and thermopower of organometallic vanadium-benzene molecules (V _nBz_n+1) sandwiched between magnetic Co(100) electrodes. We show that the molecules with n≥3 are efficient spin filters. Namely, we find that the zero bias conductance of the majority electrons is small and decays exponentially with increasing length of the molecule and is in the tunneling regime while the minority electrons show metallic conductance. We show furthermore that the thermopower strongly depends on the length of the molecules and can even change sign as a function of length and temperature.     

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.     

Thermopower of composites containing metallic cobalt nanoparticles embedded in the Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis></Subscript> dielectric matrix

The concentration and temperature dependences of the thermopower of composites containing Co nanoparticles embedded in the Al₂O _n dielectric matrix are investigated. Below the percolation threshold, i.e., in the tunneling conduction region, the absolute values of the thermopower of the composites under investigation are less than those above the percolation threshold. It is revealed that, in the tunneling conduction region, the slope of the temperature dependences of the thermopower changes at a temperature of ～205 K. This can indicate that the thermopower is sensitive to a change in the mechanism of conduction from the Mott law ln(σ) ∝ (1/T)^1/4 to a power relation that corresponds to the model of inelastic resonant tunneling through a chain of localized states in the dielectric matrix. The introduction of oxygen in the course of sputtering brings about a decrease in the absolute values of the thermopower; however, the character of variation in the concentration and temperature dependences of the thermopower remains unchanged.     

Peak in the magnetic-field dependence of diffusion-induced thermopower for n-Bi-Sb semiconducting alloys

A peak is detected on the dependence of the diffusion-induced thermopower on transverse magnetic field in degenerate semiconducting alloys n-Bi_1?x Sb_x (0.07≤x≤0.15) doped with tellurium donor impurity. The temperature gradient is directed along the bisector axis C ₁ of the monocrystalline sample and the magnetic field is along the triad axis C ₃. The electron spectrum of the Bi-Sb alloys under investigation consists of three equivalent ellipsoids with distinctly different effective masses along the axes of the ellipsoid (m _∥/m _⊥). A simple kinetic theory shows that the presence of the peak on the diffusion thermopower is a manifestation of this strong anisotropy in the electron spectrum and of the additive contribution of all three ellipsoids to electron transport. The nonmonotonic dependence of thermopower on the transverse magnetic field makes it possible to determine the electron relaxation time, while the temperature dependence of this relaxation time can be used to separate the relaxation time for electrons scattered from ionized impurities and from acoustic phonons.     

Current Fluctuations in the One-Dimensional Symmetric Exclusion Process with Open Boundaries

We calculate the first four cumulants of the integrated current of the one-dimensional symmetric simple exclusion process of N sites with open boundary conditions. For large system size N, the generating function of the integrated current depends on the densities ρ _a and ρ _b of the two reservoirs and on the fugacity z, the parameter conjugated to the integrated current, through a single parameter. Based on our expressions for these first four cumulants, we make a conjecture which leads to a prediction for all the higher cumulants. In the case ρ _a =1 and ρ _b =0, our conjecture gives the same universal distribution as the one obtained by Lee, Levitov, and Yakovets for one-dimensional quantum conductors in the metallic regime.     

Ab initio SCF-Cl studies on the large amplitude bending motion of the water molecule: Rigid,semirigid, and nonrigid bender models for the Hamiltonian

Self-Consistent Field (SCF) and Configuration Interaction (CI) studies are performed on the bending mode of the water molecule using a double zeta plus polarization basis set. The ab initio points are fitted to a three-parameter double minimum potential consisting of a quadratic plus Lorentzian terms. The vibration-rotation energies are then evaluated using the large amplitude Hamiltonian developed by P. R. Bunker and co-workers at various levels of approximations. It is found that the calculated frequencies improve significantly as one proceeds from approximate H_b⁰⁰(ρ) to rigid bender H_b⁰(ρ) [P. R. Bunker and J. M. R. Stone, J. Mol. Spectrosc.41, 310–332 (1972)] to semirigid bender H_b⁰(r, ρ) [P. R. Bunker and P. M. Landsberg, J. Mol. Spectrosc.67, 374–385 (1977)] Hamiltonian. With H_b⁰(r, ρ), the ab initio calculated bending frequency ν₂ differs from the observed value (1595 cm^?1) by 30 cm^?1 and the barrier height is 12 229 cm^?1. It is also shown that ν₂ and its first four overtones are better calculated by 45–98 cm^?1 when the ab initio potential is used directly instead of the three-parameter analytic potential fitted to ab initio data. Finally, rotation bending energy levels are calculated for v₂ ≤ 3 and J ≤ 10 on the basis of a nonrigid bender Hamiltonian of A. R. Hoy and P. R. Bunker [J. Mol. Spectrosc.74, 1–8 (1979)], using the ab initio quadratic force field of P. Hennig, W. P. Kraemer, G. H. F. Diercksen, and G. Strey, [Theor. Chim. Acta47, 233–248 (1978)]. These results show that the accuracy of calculated force constants and frequencies is critically dependent not only on the size of the basis set but also on the number and spacing of the ab initio points used to derive the force field.     

Studies in molecular structure,symmetry and conformation—Part XIV. Crystal and molecular structure of L-isoleucine hydrochloride monohydrate form II

The crystal structure of a new form of L-isoleucine hydrochloride monohydrate C₆H₁₃O₂NHClH₂O (termed form II) has been determined using three-dimensional photographic data. This differs conformationally from the hydrochloride derivative (termed form I, Trommel and Bijvoet 1954) reported earlier. The crystal belongs to the orthorhombic space group P2₁2₁2₁ with cell dimensions,a=5.87±0.01,b=24.77±0.02 andc=6.85±0.01 ? and four molecules per cell,ρ _obs=1.240 g/cm³,ρ _cal=1.238 g/cm³,μ for CuKa=32.6 cm⁻¹. Contribution No. 420 from the Department of Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, Madras 600025.     

Giant magnetoresistance in Co–Al2O3 granular films prepared by self-organized growth

Co–Al₂O₃ granular films with a narrow distribution in cluster size of Co clusters embedded in Al₂O₃ matrix were prepared by sequential deposition based on self-organized growth. Resistivity dependence of giant magnetoresistance (GMR) was studied. The GMR takes a maximum of 5.2% at room temperature and 9.4% at 13 K and 5700 Gs when the resistivity of the sample is 4×10⁵–7×10⁵ μΩ cm. The temperature dependence of resistivities and GMR were discussed especially. A temperature dependence of conductance ρ∼exp[T₁/(T+T₀)] was found, which indicates the dominant conduction mechanism is fluctuation-induced tunneling. A linear relationship of GMR versus T was observed, GMR=a–kT, in applied magnetic field 5700 Gs. The remarkable character of temperature dependence of GMR should be due to the special microstructure that the clusters are monodispersed in the films.     

Thermoelectric effects in normal metal/superconductor interface structures

The thermopower of Andreev interferometers, which are doubly connected loops in which one arm is a superconductor and one arm is a normal metal, oscillates as a function of magnetic field with a fundamental period corresponding to a flux quantum h / 2 e through the area of the loop. While the magnetoresistance of an Andreev interferometer is symmetric with respect to the magnetic field, the thermopower can be either symmetric or antisymmetric, depending on the topology of the sample. The temperature dependence of the thermopower oscillations is nonmonotonic. This nonmonotonic behavior does not appear to be related to the reentrance observed by many groups in the conductance of normal-metal/superconductor (NS) structures.