arXiv subjects

K. B. Efetov

Publications and source records attributed to K. B. Efetov.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2005

Magnetotransport in the presence of a longitudinal barrier: multiple quantum interference of edge states

Transport in a two-dimensional electron gas subject to an external magnetic field is analyzed in the presence of a \textit{longitudinal barrier.} We show that \textit{quantum interference of the edge states} bound by the longitudinal barrier results in a drastic change of the electron motion: the degenerate discrete Landau levels are transformed into an alternating sequence of energy bands and energy gaps. These features of the electron spectrum should result in a high sensitivity of thermodynamic and transport properties of the 2D electron gas to external fields. In particular, we predict giant oscillations of the ballistic conductance and discuss nonlinear current-voltage characteristics, coherent Bloch oscillations and effects of impurities

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2005

Supersymmetry for disordered systems with interaction

Considering disordered electron systems we suggest a scheme that allows us to include an electron-electron interaction into a supermatrix sigma-model. The method is based on replacing the initial model of interacting electons by a fully supersymmetric model. Although this replacement is not exact, it is a good approximation for a weak short range interaction and arbitrary disorder. The replacement makes the averaging over disorder and further manipulations straightforward and we come to a supermatrix sigma-model containing an interaction term. The structure of the model is rather similar to the replica one, although the interaction term has a different form. We study the model making perturbation theory and renormalization group calculations. We check the renormalizability of the model in the first loop approximation and in the first order in the interaction. In this limit we reproduce the renormalization group equations known from earlier works. We hope that the new supermatrix sigma-model may become a new tool for non-perturbative calculations for disordered systems with interaction.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2005

Random Matrices and Supersymmetry in Disordered Systems

It is described how one comes to the Wigner-Dyson random matrix theory (RMT) starting from a model of a disordered metal. The lectures start with a historical introduction where basic ideas of the RMT and theory of disordered metals are reviewed. This part is followed by an introduction into supermathematics (mathematics operating with both commuting and anticommuting variables). The main ideas of the supersymmetry method are given and basic formulae are derived. As an example, level-level correlations and fluctuations of amplitudes of wave functions are discussed. It is shown how one can both obtain known formulae of the RMT and go beyond. In the last part some recent progress in the further development of the method and possible perspectives are discussed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

Effects of fluctuations and Coulomb interaction on the transition temperature of granular superconductors

We investigate the suppression of superconducting transition temperature in granular metallic systems due to (i) fluctuations of the order parameter (bosonic mechanism) and (ii) Coulomb repulsion (fermionic mechanism) assuming large tunneling conductance between the grains $g_{T}\gg 1$. We find the correction to the superconducting transition temperature for 3$d$ granular samples and films. We demonstrate that if the critical temperature $T_c > g_T δ$, where $δ$ is the mean level spacing in a single grain the bosonic mechanism is the dominant mechanism of the superconductivity suppression, while for critical temperatures $T_c < g_T δ$ the suppression of superconductivity is due to the fermionic mechanism.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

Low temperature transport in granular metals

We investigate transport in a granular metallic system at large tunneling conductance between the grains. We show that at low temperatures, $T\leq g_Tδ$, where $δ$ is the single mean energy level spacing in a grain, the coherent electron motion at large distances dominates the physics, contrary to the high temperature ($T > g_T δ$) behavior where conductivity is controlled by the scales of the order of the grain size. The conductivity of one and two dimensional granular metals, in the low temperature regime, decays with decreasing temperature in the same manner as that in homogeneous disordered metals, indicating thus an insulating behavior. However, even in this temperature regime the granular structure remains important and there is an additional contribution to conductivity coming from short distances. Due to this contribution the metal-insulator transition in three dimensions occurs at the value of tunnel conductance $g_T^C=(1/6π)\ln (E_C/δ)$, where $E_C$ is the charging energy of an isolated grain, and not at the generally expected $g_T^C \propto 1$. Corrections to the density of states of granular metals due to the electron-electron interaction are calculated. Our results compare favorably with the logarithmic dependence of resistivity in the high-$T_c$ cuprate superconductors indicating that these materials may have a granular structure.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

Spin and orbital effects in a 2D electron gas in a random magnetic field

Using the method of superbosonization we consider a model of a random magnetic field (RMF) acting on both orbital motion and spin of electrons in two dimensions. The method is based on exact integration over one particle degrees of freedom and reduction of the problem to a functional integral over supermatrices $Q({\bf r},{\bf r^{\prime}})$. We consider a general case when both the direction of the RMF and the g-factor of the Zeeman splitting are arbitrary. Integrating out fast variations of $Q$ we come to a standard collisional unitary non-linear $σ$-model. The collision term consists of orbital, spin and effective spin-orbital parts. For a particular problem of a fixed direction of RMF, we show that additional soft excitations identified with spin modes should appear. Considering $δ$% -correlated weak RMF and putting g=2 we find the transport time $τ_{tr} $. This time is 2 times smaller than that for spinless particles.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2004

Induced Ferromagnetism due to Superconductivity in Superconductor-Ferromagnet structures

We consider a superconductor-ferromagnet (S/F) structure and assume that above the superconducting transition temperature $T_{c}$ the magnetic moment exists only in F. {In a simple model of the ferromagnet (the exchange field is of the ferromagnetic type for all energies)}we show by an explicit calculation that below $T_{c}$ the magnetic moment may penetrate the superconductor. {In this model} its direction in S is opposite {to the magnetization of free electrons} in the ferromagnet. The magnetization spreads over a large distance which is of the order of the superconducting coherence length $ξ_{S}$ and can much exceed the ferromagnet film thickness. At the same time the magnetic moment in the ferromagnet is reduced. This inverse proximity effect may explain the reduction in magnetization observed in recent experiments and may lead to a strong interaction between the ferromagnetic layers in F/S/F structures.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Spin screening of magnetic moments in superconductors

We consider ferromagnetic particles embedded into a superconductor and study the screening of their magnetic moments by the spins of the Cooper pairs in the superconductor. It is shown that a magnetic moment opposite to the one of the ferromagnetic particle is induced in the superconductor. In the case of a small itinerant ferromagnet grain and low temperatures the full screening of the magnetic moment takes place, \textit{% i.e} the absolute value of the total magnetic moment induced in the superconductor is equal to the one of the ferromagnetic particle. In type II superconductors the proposed screening by spins of the conduction electrons can be much stronger than the conventional screening by Meissner currents.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Non-linear sigma-model for odd triplet superconductivity in superconductor/ferromagnet structures

We consider some properties of odd frequency triplet superconducting condensates. In order to describe fluctuations we construct a supermatrix sigma-model for the superconductor/ferromagnet or superconductor/normal-metal structures. We show that an odd frequency triplet superconductor, when in isolation or coupled to a normal metal, generally displays behaviour comparable to a superconductor with the usual singlet pairings. However, for spin dependent systems such as the superconductor/ferromagnet the two types of superconductor have quite different behaviour. We discuss this difference by considering transformations under which the sigma-model is invariant. Finally, we calculate the low energy density of states in a ferromagnet coupled to a singlet superconductor. If odd frequency triplet components are induced in the ferromagnet the density of states will have a micro-gap similar to the micro-gap found in normal metals coupled to a superconductor.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Bosonization for disordered and chaotic systems

Using a supersymmetry formalism, we reduce exactly the problem of electron motion in an external potential to a new supermatrix model valid at all distances. All approximate nonlinear sigma models obtained previously for disordered systems can be derived from our exact model using a coarse-graining procedure. As an example, we consider a model for a smooth disorder and demonstrate that using our approach does not lead to a 'mode-locking' problem. As a new application, we consider scattering on strong impurities for which the Born approximation cannot be used. Our method provides a new calculational scheme for disordered and chaotic systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2003

Ballistic electron motion in a random magnetic field

Using a new scheme of the derivation of the non-linear $σ$-model we consider the electron motion in a random magnetic field (RMF) in two dimensions. The derivation is based on writing quasiclassical equations and representing their solutions in terms of a functional integral over supermatrices $Q$ with the constraint $Q^2=1$. Contrary to the standard scheme, neither singling out slow modes nor saddle-point approximation are used. The $σ$-model obtained is applicable at the length scale down to the electron wavelength. We show that this model differs from the model with a random potential (RP).However, after averaging over fluctuations in the Lyapunov region the standard $σ$-model is obtained leading to the conventional localization behavior.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2003

Weak Localization and Integer Quantum Hall Effect in a Periodic Potential

We consider magnetotransport in a disordered two-dimensional electron gas in the presence of a periodic modulation in one direction. Existing quasiclassical and quantum approaches to this problem account for Weiss oscillations in the resistivity tensor at moderate magnetic fields, as well as a strong modulation-induced modification of the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations at higher magnetic fields. They do not account, however, for the operation at even higher magnetic fields of the integer quantum Hall effect, for which quantum interference processes are responsible. We then introduce a field-theory approach, based on a nonlinear sigma model, which encompasses naturally both the quasiclassical and quantum-mechanical approaches, as well as providing a consistent means of extending them to include quantum interference corrections. A perturbative renormalization-group analysis of the field theory shows how weak localization corrections to the conductivity tensor may be described by a modification of the usual one-parameter scaling, such as to accommodate the anisotropy of the bare conductivity tensor. We also show how the two-parameter scaling, conjectured as a model for the quantum Hall effect in unmodulated systems, may be generalized similarly for the modulated system. Within this model we illustrate the operation of the quantum Hall effect in modulated systems for parameters that are realistic for current experiments.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2003

Manifestation of triplet superconductivity in superconductor-ferromagnet structures

We study proximity effects in a multilayered superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) structure with arbitrary relative directions of the magnetization ${\bf M}$. If the magnetizations of different layers are collinear the superconducting condensate function induced in the F layers has only a singlet component and a triplet one with a zero projection of the total magnetic moment of the Cooper pairs on the ${\bf M}$ direction. In this case the condensate penetrates the F layers over a short length $ξ_J$ determined by the exchange energy $J$. If the magnetizations ${\bf M}$ are not collinear the triplet component has, in addition to the zero projection, the projections $\pm1$. The latter component is even in the momentum, odd in the Matsubara frequency and penetrates the F layers over a long distance that increases with decreasing temperature and does not depend on $J$ (spin-orbit interaction limits this length). If the thickness of the F layers is much larger than $ξ_J$, the Josephson coupling between neighboring S layers is provided only by the triplet component, so that a new type of superconductivity arises in the transverse direction of the structure. The Josephson critical current is positive (negative) for the case of a positive (negative) chirality of the vector ${\bf M}$. We demonstrate that this type of the triplet condensate can be detected also by measuring the density of states in F/S/F structures.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Transport properties of granular metals at low temperatures

We investigate transport in a granular metallic system at large tunneling conductance between the grains, $g_T\gg 1$. We show that at low temperatures, $T\leq g_Tδ$, where $δ$ is the single mean energy level spacing in a grain, the coherent electron motion at large distances dominates the physics, contrary to the high temperature ($T>g_Tδ$) behavior where conductivity is controlled by the scales of the order of the grain size. The conductivity of one and two dimensional granular metals, in the low temperature regime, decays with decreasing temperature in the same manner as that in homogeneous disordered metals, indicating thus an insulating behavior. However, even in this temperature regime the granular structure remains important and there is an additional contribution to conductivity coming from short distances. Due to this contribution the metal-insulator transition in three dimensions occurs at the value of tunnel conductance $g_T^C=(1/6π)\ln (E_C/δ)$, where $E_C$ is the charging energy of an isolated grain, and not at the generally expected $g_T^C\propto 1$. Corrections to the density of states of granular metals due to the electron-electron interaction are calculated. Our results compare favorably with the logarithmic dependence of resistivity in the high-$T_c$ cuprate superconductors indicating that these materials may have a granular structure.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2003

Odd triplet superconductivity in superconductor/ferromagnet multilayered structures

We demonstrate that in multilayered superconductor-ferromagnet structures a non-collinear alignment of the magnetizations of different ferromagnetic layers generates a triplet superconducting condensate which is odd in frequency. This triplet condensate coexists in the superconductors with the conventional singlet one but decays very slowly in the ferromagnet, which should lead to a large Josephson effect between the superconductors separated by the ferromagnet. Depending on the mutual direction of the ferromagnetic moments the Josephson coupling can be both of 0 and $π$ type.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Coulomb effects in granular materials at not very low temperatures

We consider effects of Coulomb interaction in a granular normal metal at not very low temperatures suppressing weak localization effects. In this limit calculations with the initial electron Hamiltonian are reduced to integrations over a phase variable with an effective action, which can be considered as a bosonization for the granular metal. Conditions of the applicability of the effective action are considered in detail and importance of winding numbers for the phase variables is emphasized. Explicit calculations are carried out for the conductivity and the tunneling density of states in the limits of large $g\gg 1$ and small $g\ll 1$ tunnelling conductances. It is demonstrated for any dimension of the array of the grains that at small $g$ the conductivity and the tunnelling density of states decay with temperature exponentially. At large $g$ the conductivity also decays with decreasing the temparature and its temperature dependence is logarithmic independent of dimensionality and presence of a magnetic field. The tunnelling density of states for $g\gg 1$ is anomalous in any dimension but the anomaly is stronger than logarithmic in low dimensions and is similar to that for disordered systems. The formulae derived are compared with existing experiments. The logarithmic behavior of the conductivity at large $g$ obtained in our model can explain numerous experiments on systems with a granular structure including some high $T_{c}$ materials.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2002

Non-linear $σ$-model for long range disorder and quantum chaos

We suggest a new scheme of derivation of a non-linear ballistic $σ$-model for a long range disorder and quantum billiards. The derivation is based on writing equations for quasiclassical Green functions for a fixed long range potential and exact representation of their solutions in terms of functional integrals over supermatrices $Q$ with the constraint $Q^2=1$. Averaging over the long range disorder or energy we are able to write a ballistic $σ$-model for all distances exceeding the electron wavelength. Neither singling out slow modes nor a saddle-point approximation are used in the derivation. Carrying out a course graining procedure that allows us to get rid off scales in the Lapunov region we come to a reduced $σ$-model containing a conventional collision term. For quantum billiards, we demonstrate that, at not very low frequencies, one can reduce the $σ$-model to a one-dimensional $σ$-model on periodic orbits. Solving the latter model, first approximately and then exactly, we resolve the problem of repetitions.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2002

Resistance of a domain wall in the quasiclassical approach

Starting from a simple microscopic model, we have derived a kinetic equation for the matrix distribution function. We employed this equation to calculate the conductance $G$ in a mesoscopic F'/F/F' structure with a domain wall (DW). In the limit of a small exchange energy $J$ and an abrupt DW, the conductance of the structure is equal to $G_{2d}=4σ_{\uparrow}σ_{\downarrow }/(σ_{\uparrow}+σ_{\downarrow})L$. Assuming that the scattering times for electrons with up and down spins are close to each other we show that the account for a finite width of the DW leads to an increase in this conductance. We have also calculated the spatial distribution of the electric field in the F wire. In the opposite limit of large $J$ (adiabatic variation of the magnetization in the DW) the conductance coincides in the main approximation with the conductance of a single domain structure $% G_{1d}=(σ_{\uparrow}+σ_{\downarrow})/L$. The account for rotation of the magnetization in the DW leads to a negative correction to this conductance. Our results differ from the results in papers published earlier.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗