arXiv subjects

Sergio Caprara

Publications and source records attributed to Sergio Caprara.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Intrinsic spin Hall effect in systems with striped spin-orbit coupling

The Rashba spin-orbit coupling arising from structure inversion asymmetry couples spin and momentum degrees of freedom providing a suitable (and very intensively investigated) environment for spintronic effects and devices. Here we show that in the presence of strong disorder, non-homogeneity in the spin-orbit coupling gives rise to a finite spin Hall conductivity in contrast with the corresponding case of a homogeneous linear spin-orbit coupling. In particular, we examine the inhomogeneity arising from a striped structure for a two-dimensional electron gas, affecting both density and Rashba spin-orbit coupling. We suggest that this situation can be realized at oxide interfaces with periodic top gating.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Shape resonance for the anisotropic superconducting gaps near a Lifshitz transition: the effect of electron hopping between layers

The multigap superconductivity modulated by quantum confinement effects in a superlattice of quantum wells is presented. Our theoretical BCS approach captures the low-energy physics of a shape resonance in the superconducting gaps when the chemical potential is tuned near a Lifshitz transition. We focus on the case of weak Cooper-pairing coupling channels and strong pair exchange interaction driven by repulsive Coulomb interaction that allows to use the BCS theory in the weak-coupling regime neglecting retardation effects like in quantum condensates of ultracold gases. The calculated matrix element effects in the pairing interaction are shown to yield a complex physics near the particular quantum critical points due to Lifshitz transitions in multigap superconductivity. Strong deviations of the ratio $2Δ/T_c$ from the standard BCS value as a function of the position of the chemical potential relative to the Lifshitz transition point measured by the Lifshitz parameter are found. The response of the condensate phase to the tuning of the Lifshitz parameter is compared with the response of ultracold gases in the BCS-BEC crossover tuned by an external magnetic field. The results provide the description of the condensates in this regime where matrix element effects play a key role.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Resonant and crossover phenomena in a multiband superconductor tuning the chemical potential near a band edge

Resonances in the superconducting properties, in a regime of crossover from BCS to mixed Bose-Fermi superconductivity, are investigated in a two-band superconductor where the chemical potential is tuned near the band edge of the second mini-band generated by quantum confinement effects. The shape resonances at T=0 in the superconducting gaps (belonging to the class of Feshbach-like resonances) is manifested by interference effects in the superconducting gap at the first large Fermi surface when the chemical potential is in the proximity of the band edge of the second mini-band. The case of a superlattice of quantum wells is considered and the amplification of the superperconducting gaps at the 3D-2D Fermi surface topological transition is clearly shown. The results are found to be in good agreement with available experimental data on a superlattice of honeycomb boron layers intercalated by Al and Mg spacer layers.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2007

Disordered loops in the two-dimensional antiferromagnetic spin-fermion model

The spin-fermion model has long been used to describe the quantum-critical behavior of 2d electron systems near an antiferromagnetic (AFM) instability. Recently, the standard procedure to integrate out the fermions to obtain an effective action for spin waves has been questioned in the clean case. We show that in the presence of disorder, the single fermion loops display two crossover scales: upon lowering the energy, the singularities of the clean fermionic loops are first cut off, but below a second scale new singularities arise that lead again to marginal scaling. In addition, impurity lines between different fermion loops generate new relevant couplings which dominate at low energies. We outline a non-linear sigma model formulation of the single-loop problem, which allows to control the higher singularities and provides an effective model in terms of low-energy diffusive as well as spin modes.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2000

The Mott Metal-Insulator transition in the half-filled Hubbard model on the Triangular Lattice

We investigate the metal-insulator transition in the half-filled Hubbard model on a two-dimensional triangular lattice using both the Kotliar-Ruckenstein slave-boson technique, and exact numerical diagonalization of finite clusters. Contrary to the case of the square lattice, where the perfect nesting of the Fermi surface leads to a metal-insulator transition at arbitrarily small values of U, always accompanied by antiferromagnetic ordering, on the triangular lattice, due to the lack of perfect nesting, the transition takes place at a finite value of U, and frustration induces a non-trivial competition among different magnetic phases. Indeed, within the mean-field approximation in the slave-boson approach, as the interaction grows the paramagnetic metal turns into a metallic phase with incommensurate spiral ordering. Increasing further the interaction, a linear spin-density-wave is stabilized, and finally for strong coupling the latter phase undergoes a first-order transition towards an antiferromagnetic insulator. No trace of the intermediate phases is instead seen in the exact diagonalization results, indicating a transition between a paramagnetic metal and an antiferromagnetic insulator.

cond-mat.str-el↗