arXiv subjects

J. O. Indekeu

Publications and source records attributed to J. O. Indekeu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2016

Apparent first-order wetting and anomalous scaling in the two-dimensional Ising model

The global phase diagram of wetting in the two-dimensional (2d) Ising model is obtained through exact calculation of the surface excess free energy. Besides a surface field for inducing wetting, a surface-coupling enhancement is included. The wetting transition is critical (second order) for any finite ratio of surface coupling J_s to bulk coupling J, and turns first order in the limit J_s/J to infinity. However, for J_s/J much larger than 1 the critical region is exponentially small and practically invisible to numerical studies. A distinct pre-asymptotic regime exists in which the transition displays first-order character. Surprisingly, in this regime the surface susceptibility and surface specific heat develop a divergence and show anomalous scaling with an exponent equal to 3/2.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2013

Renormalization group calculations for wetting transitions of infinite order and continuously varying order. I. Local interface Hamiltonian approach

We study the effect of thermal fluctuations on the wetting phase transitions of infinite order and of continuously varying order, recently discovered within a mean-field density-functional model for three-phase equilibria in systems with short-range forces and a two-component order parameter. Using linear functional renormalization group (RG) calculations within a local interface Hamiltonian approach, we show that the infinite-order transitions are robust. The exponential singularity (implying $2-α_s = \infty$) of the surface free energy excess at infinite-order wetting as well as the precise algebraic divergence (with $β_s = -1$) of the wetting layer thickness are not modified as long as $ω< 2$, with $ω$ the dimensionless wetting parameter that measures the strength of thermal fluctuations. The interface width diverges algebraically and universally (with $ν_{\perp} = 1/2$). In contrast, the non-universal critical wetting transitions of finite but continuously varying order are modified when thermal fluctuations are taken into account, in line with predictions from earlier calculations on similar models displaying weak, intermediate and strong fluctuation regimes.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2012

Size and mass of Cooper pairs determined by low-energy $μ$SR and PNR

The Pippard coherence length $ξ_0$ (the size of a Cooper pair) in an extreme type-I superconductor was determined directly through high-resolution measurement of the nonlocal electrodynamic effect combining low-energy muon spin rotation spectroscopy and polarized neutron reflectometry. The renormalization factor $Z$=m_cp*/2m (m_cp* and m are the mass of the Cooper pair and the electron, respectively) resulting from the electron-phonon interaction, and the temperature dependent London penetration depth $λ_L(T)$ were determined as well. A general expression linking $ξ_0$, $Z$ and $λ_L(0)$ is introduced and experimentally verified. This expression allows one to determine experimentally the Pippard coherence length in \textit{any} superconductor, independent of whether the electrodynamics is local or nonlocal, conventional or unconventional.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2011

Ising model for distribution networks

An elementary Ising spin model is proposed for demonstrating cascading failures (break-downs, blackouts, collapses, avalanches, ...) that can occur in realistic networks for distribution and delivery by suppliers to consumers. A ferromagnetic Hamiltonian with quenched random fields results from policies that maximize the gap between demand and delivery. Such policies can arise in a competitive market where firms artificially create new demand, or in a solidary environment where too high a demand cannot reasonably be met. Network failure in the context of a policy of solidarity is possible when an initially active state becomes metastable and decays to a stable inactive state. We explore the characteristics of the demand and delivery, as well as the topological properties, which make the distribution network susceptible of failure. An effective temperature is defined, which governs the strength of the activity fluctuations which can induce a collapse. Numerical results, obtained by Monte Carlo simulations of the model on (mainly) scale-free networks, are supplemented with analytic mean-field approximations to the geometrical random field fluctuations and the thermal spin fluctuations. The role of hubs versus poorly connected nodes in initiating the breakdown of network activity is illustrated and related to model parameters.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2007

Evidence for nonmonotonic magnetic field penetration in a type-I superconductor

Polarized neutron reflectometry (PNR) provides evidence that nonlocal electrodynamics governs the magnetic field penetration in an extreme low-k superconductor. The sample is an indium film with a large elastic mean free path (11 mkm) deposited on a silicon oxide wafer. It is shown that PNR can resolve the difference between the reflected neutron spin asymmetries predicted by the local and nonlocal theories of superconductivity. The experimental data support the nonlocal theory, which predicts a nonmonotonic decay of the magnetic field.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Criticality on networks with topology-dependent interactions

Weighted scale-free networks with topology-dependent interactions are studied. It is shown that the possible universality classes of critical behaviour, which are known to depend on topology, can also be explored by tuning the form of the interactions at fixed topology. For a model of opinion formation, simple mean field and scaling arguments show that a mapping $γ'=(γ-μ)/(1-μ)$ describes how a shift of the standard exponent $γ$ of the degree distribution can absorb the effect of degree-dependent pair interactions $J_{ij} \propto (k_ik_j)^{-μ}$, where $k_i$ stands for the degree of vertex $i$. This prediction is verified by extensive numerical investigations using the cavity method and Monte Carlo simulations. The critical temperature of the model is obtained through the Bethe-Peierls approximation and with the replica technique. The mapping can be extended to nonequilibrium models such as those describing the spreading of a disease on a network.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2006

Superconductivity of overdoped cuprates: the modern face of the ancestral two-electron exchange

The single-site two-electron exchange amplitude J_sd between the Cu 4s and Cu 3d_{x^2-y^2} states is found to be the pairing mechanism of high-T_c overdoped cuprates. The noninteracting part of the Hamiltonian spans the copper Cu 4s, Cu 3d_{x^2-y^2} and oxygen O 2p_x and O 2p_y states. Within the standard BCS treatment an explicit expression for the momentum dependence of the gap Delta_p is derived and shown to fit the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) data. The basic thermodynamic and electrodynamic properties of the model (specific heat C(T), London penetration depth lambda(T)) are analytically derived. These are directly applicable to cuprates without complicating structural accessories (chains, double CuO_2 planes, etc.). We advocate that the pairing mechanism of overdoped and underdoped cuprates is the same, as T_c displays smooth doping dependence. Thus, a long-standing puzzle in physics is possibly solved.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2005

Trading interactions for topology in scale-free networks

Scale-free networks with topology-dependent interactions are studied. It is shown that the universality classes of critical behavior, which conventionally depend only on topology, can also be explored by tuning the interactions. A mapping, $γ' = (γ- μ)/(1-μ)$, describes how a shift of the standard exponent $γ$ of the degree distribution $P(q)$ can absorb the effect of degree-dependent pair interactions $J_{ij} \propto (q_iq_j)^{-μ}$. Replica technique, cavity method and Monte Carlo simulation support the physical picture suggested by Landau theory for the critical exponents and by the Bethe-Peierls approximation for the critical temperature. The equivalence of topology and interaction holds for equilibrium and non-equilibrium systems, and is illustrated with interdisciplinary applications.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2005

Surface Enhancement of Superconductivity in Tin

The possibility of surface enhancement of superconductivity is examined experimentally. It is shown that single crystal tin samples with cold-worked surfaces represent a superconductor with a surface-enhanced order parameter (or negative surface extrapolation length b), whose magnitude can be controlled.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Extraordinary wetting phase diagram for mixtures of Bose-Einstein condensates

The possibility of wetting phase transitions in Bose-Einstein condensed gases is predicted on the basis of Gross-Pitaevskii theory. The surface of a binary mixture of Bose-Einstein condensates can undergo a first-order wetting phase transition upon varying the interparticle interactions, using, e.g., Feshbach resonances. Interesting ultralow-temperature effects shape the wetting phase diagram. The prewetting transition is, contrary to general expectations, not of first order but critical, and the prewetting line does not meet the bulk phase coexistence line tangentially. Experimental verification of these extraordinary results is called for, especially now that it has become possible, using optical methods, to realize a planar "hard wall" boundary for the condensates.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2003

Cellular automaton for bacterial towers

A simulation approach to the stochastic growth of bacterial towers is presented, in which a non-uniform and finite nutrient supply essentially determines the emerging structure through elementary chemotaxis. The method is based on cellular automata and we use simple, microscopic, local rules for bacterial division in nutrient-rich surroundings. Stochastic nutrient diffusion, while not crucial to the dynamics of the total population, is influential in determining the porosity of the bacterial tower and the roughness of its surface. As the bacteria run out of food, we observe an exponentially rapid saturation to a carrying capacity distribution, similar in many respects to that found in a recently proposed phenomenological hierarchical population model, which uses heuristic parameters and macroscopic rules. Complementary to that phenomenological model, the simulation aims at giving more microscopic insight into the possible mechanisms for one of the recently much studied bacterial morphotypes, known as "towering biofilm", observed experimentally using confocal laser microscopy. A simulation suggesting a mechanism for biofilm resistance to antibiotics is also shown.

q-bio.PE↗

arXiv2003

Special Attention Network

In this Note a social network model for opinion formation is proposed in which a person connected to $q$ partners pays an {\em attention} $1/q$ to each partner. The mutual attention between two connected persons $i$ and $j$ is taken equal to the geometric mean $1/\sqrt{q_iq_j}$. Opinion is represented as usual by an Ising spin $s=\pm 1$ and mutual attention is given through a two-spin coupling $J_{ij} = J Q/\sqrt{q_iq_j}$, $Q$ being the average connectivity in the network. Connectivity diminishes attention and only persons with low connectivity can pay special attention to each other leading to a durable common (or opposing) opinion. The model is solved in "mean-field" approximation and a critical "temperature" $T_c$ proportional to $JQ$ is found, which is independent of the number of persons $N$, for large $N$.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2002

Hierarchical population model with a carrying capacity distribution

A time- and space-discrete model for the growth of a rapidly saturating local biological population $N(x,t)$ is derived from a hierarchical random deposition process previously studied in statistical physics. Two biologically relevant parameters, the probabilities of birth, $B$, and of death, $D$, determine the carrying capacity $K$. Due to the randomness the population depends strongly on position, $x$, and there is a distribution of carrying capacities, $Π(K)$. This distribution has self-similar character owing to the imposed hierarchy. The most probable carrying capacity and its probability are studied as a function of $B$ and $D$. The effective growth rate decreases with time, roughly as in a Verhulst process. The model is possibly applicable, for example, to bacteria forming a "towering pillar" biofilm. The bacteria divide on randomly distributed nutrient-rich regions and are exposed to random local bactericidal agent (antibiotic spray). A gradual overall temperature change away from optimal growth conditions, for instance, reduces bacterial reproduction, while biofilm development degrades antimicrobial susceptibility, causing stagnation into a stationary state.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2002

Cross-over between first-order and critical wetting at the liquid-vapour interface of n-alkane/methanol mixtures: tricritical wetting and critical prewetting

A mean-field theory is presented which describes the basic observations of recent experiments revealing rich wetting behaviour of n-alkane/methanol mixtures at the liquid-vapour interface. The theory, qualitative and in part heuristic, is based on a microscopic lattice-gas model from which a Cahn-Landau approach is distilled. Besides the physics associated with the short-range components of the intermolecular interactions, effects of the long-range tails of the net van der Waals forces between interfaces are also taken into account. Including weak long-range forces which favour wetting in the theory does not visibly alter the critical wetting transition for the nonane/methanol mixture, in contrast with the generic expectation of first-order wetting for such systems, but in good agreement with experiment. For decane/methanol weak long-range forces bring the transition very close to the prewetting critical point, leading to an adsorption behaviour closely reminiscent of short-range tricritical wetting, observed experimentally for alkane chain length between 9.6 and 10. Finally, for undecane/methanol the transition is clearly of first order. First-order wetting is also seen in the experiment.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2002

The 3d-to-4s-by-2p highway to superconductivity in cuprates

High-temperature superconductors are nowadays found in great variety and hold technological promise. It is still an unsolved mystery that the critical temperature T_c of the basic cuprates is so high. The answer might well be hidden in a conventional corner of theoretical physics, overlooked in the recent hunt for exotic explanations of new effects in these materials. A forgotten intra-atomic s-d two-electron exchange in the Cu atom is found to provide a strong (~eV) electron pairing interaction. A Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer approach can explain the main experimental observations and predict the correct d_{x^2-y^2} symmetry of the gap.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Reduced pairing hamiltonian for interatomic two-electron exchange in layered cuprates

A detailed Linear Combination of Atomic Orbitals (LCAO) tight-binding model is developed for the layered High-Temperature Superconductor cuprates. The band structure of these materials is described using a sigma-band Hamiltonian employing Cu4s, Cu3d_x^2-y^2, O2p_x and O2p_y atomic orbitals. The Fermi level and the shape of the resulting Fermi surface are fitted to recent Angle Resolved Photon Emission Spectroscopy (ARPES) data to realistically determine the dispersion in the conduction band. Electron-electron interactions and, ultimately, Cooper pairing is obtained by introducing a Heitler-London, two-electron exchange between adjacent orbitals within the CuO_2 plane. Finally, using the LCAO wavefunctions determined by the band structure fit, the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer type kernel is derived for interatomic exchange.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Comment on ``Anisotropic s-wave superconductivity: comparison with experiments on MgB_2 [A. I. Posazhennikova, T. Dahm and K. Maki, cond-mat/0204272; submitted to Europhys. Lett.]

An analytical result for the renormalization of the jump of the heat capacity Delta C/C_N by the anisotropy of the order parameter is derived within the framework of the very recent model proposed by Posazhennikova, Dahm and Maki [cond-mat/0204272, submitted to Europhys. Lett.], for both oblate and prolate anisotropy. The graph of Delta C/C_N versus the ratio of the gaps on the equator and the pole of the Fermi surface, Delta_e/Δ_p, allows a direct determination of the gap anisotropy parameter Delta_e/Δ_p by fitting data from specific heat measurements Delta C/C_N. Using the experimental value Delta C/C_N=0.82 +/- 10% by Wang, Plackowski, and Junod [Physica C 355 (2001) 179] we find Delta_e/Δ_p = 4.0.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Superconducting properties of mesoscopic cylinders with enhanced surface superconductivity

The superconducting state of an infinitely long superconducting cylinder surrounded by a medium which enhances its superconductivity near the boundary is studied within the nonlinear Ginzburg-Landau theory. This enhancement can be due to the proximity of another superconductor or due to surface treatment. Quantities like the free energy, the magnetization and the Cooper-pair density are calculated. Phase diagrams are obtained to investigate how the critical field and the critical temperature depend on this surface enhancement for different values of the Ginzburg-Landau parameter κ. Increasing the superconductivity near the surface leads to higher critical fields and critical temperatures. For small cylinder diameters only giant vortex states nucleate, while for larger cylinders multivortices can nucleate. The stability of these multivortex states also depends on the surface enhancement. For type-I superconductors we found the remarkable result that for a range of values of the surface extrapolation length the superconductor can transit from the Meissner state into superconducting states with vorticity L > 1. Such a behaviour is not found for the case of large κ, i.e. type-II superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗