arXiv subjects

Victor M. Yakovenko

Publications and source records attributed to Victor M. Yakovenko.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Proposed Chiral Texture of the Magnetic Moments of Unit-Cell Loop Currents in the Pseudogap Phase of Cuprate Superconductors

We propose a novel chiral order parameter to explain the unusual polar Kerr effect in underdoped cuprates. It is based on the loop-current model by Varma, which is characterized by the in-plane anapole moment N and exhibits the magnetoelectric effect. We propose a helical structure where the vector N^(n) in the layer n is twisted by the angle pi/2 relative to N^(n-1), thus breaking inversion symmetry. We show that coupling between magnetoelectric terms in the neighboring layers for this structure produces optical gyrotropy, which results in circular dichroism and the polar Kerr effect.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Interlayer tunneling spectroscopy of graphite at high magnetic field oriented parallel to the layers

Interlayer tunneling in graphite mesa-type structures is studied at a strong in-plane magnetic field $H$ up to 55 T and low temperature $T=1.4$ K. The tunneling spectrum $dI/dV$ vs. $V$ has a pronounced peak at a finite voltage $V_0$. The peak position $V_0$ increases linearly with $H$. To explain the experiment, we develop a theoretical model of graphite in the crossed electric $E$ and magnetic $H$ fields. When the fields satisfy the resonant condition $E=vH$, where $v$ is the velocity of the two-dimensional Dirac electrons in graphene, the wave functions delocalize and give rise to the peak in the tunneling spectrum observed in the experiment.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Spin-polarized tunneling current through a thin film of topological insulator in a parallel magnetic field

We calculate the tunneling conductance σbetween the surface states on the opposite sides of the ultra-thin film of a topological insulator in a parallel magnetic field B_y. The parallel magnetic produces a relative shift of the in-plane momenta of the two surfaces states. An overlap between the shifted Fermi circles and their spin structure define an unusual dependence of the tunneling conductance σ(B_y) on the magnetic field. Because the spin of the electronic surface states in topological insulators is locked with momentum, the spin-polarization of the tunneling current can be controlled by magnetic field B_y.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Shockley model description of surface states in topological insulators

We show that the surface states in topological insulators can be understood based on a well-known Shockley model, a one-dimensional tight-binding model with two atoms per elementary cell, connected via alternating tunneling amplitudes. We generalize the one-dimensional model to the three-dimensional case corresponding to the sequence of layers connected via the amplitudes, which depend on the in-plane momentum p = (p_x,p_y). The Hamiltonian of the model is described a (2 x 2) Hamiltonian with the off-diagonal element t(k,p) depending also on the out-of-plane momentum k. We show that the complex function t(k,p) defines the properties of the surface states. The surface states exist for the in-plane momenta p, where the winding number of the function t(k,p) is non-zero as k is changed from 0 to 2pi. The sign of the winding number defines the sublattice on which the surface states are localized. The equation t(k,p)=0 defines a vortex line in the three-dimensional momentum space. The projection of the vortex line on the two-dimensional momentum p space encircles the domain where the surface states exist. We illustrate how our approach works for a well-known TI model on a diamond lattice. We find that different configurations of the vortex lines are responsible for the "weak" and "strong" topological insulator phases. The phase transition occurs when the vortex lines reconnect from spiral to circular form. We discuss the Shockley model description of Bi_2Se_3 and the applicability of the continuous approximation for the description of the topological edge states. We conclude that the tight-binding model gives a better description of the surface states.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Applications of statistical mechanics to economics: Entropic origin of the probability distributions of money, income, and energy consumption

This Chapter is written for the Festschrift celebrating the 70th birthday of the distinguished economist Duncan Foley from the New School for Social Research in New York. This Chapter reviews applications of statistical physics methods, such as the principle of entropy maximization, to the probability distributions of money, income, and global energy consumption per capita. The exponential probability distribution of wages, predicted by the statistical equilibrium theory of a labor market developed by Foley in 1996, is supported by empirical data on income distribution in the USA for the majority (about 97%) of population. In addition, the upper tail of income distribution (about 3% of population) follows a power law and expands dramatically during financial bubbles, which results in a significant increase of the overall income inequality. A mathematical analysis of the empirical data clearly demonstrates the two-class structure of a society, as pointed out Karl Marx and recently highlighted by the Occupy Movement. Empirical data for the energy consumption per capita around the world are close to an exponential distribution, which can be also explained by the entropy maximization principle.

q-fin.ST↗

arXiv2011

Novel method for photovoltaic energy conversion using surface acoustic waves in piezoelectric semiconductors

This paper presents a novel principle for photovoltaic (PV) energy conversion using surface acoustic waves (SAWs) in piezoelectric semiconductors. A SAW produces a periodically modulated electric potential, which spatially segregates photoexcited electrons and holes to the maxima and minima of the SAW potential. The moving SAW collectively transports the carriers with the speed of sound to the electrodes made of different materials, which extract electrons and holes separately and generate dc output. The proposed active design is expected to have higher efficiency than passive designs of the existing PV devices and to produce enough energy to sustain the SAW.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2011

Spectroscopy of the soliton lattice formation in quasi-one-dimensional fermionic superfluids with population imbalance

Motivated by recent experiments in low-dimensional trapped fermionic superfluids, we study a quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) superfluid with a population imbalance between two hyperfine states using an exact mean-field solution for the order parameter. When an effective "magnetic field" exceeds a critical value, the superfluid order parameter develops spatial inhomogeneity in the form of a soliton lattice. The soliton lattice generates a band of quasiparticle states inside the energy gap, which originate from the Andreev bound states localized at the solitons. Emergence of the soliton lattice is accompanied by formation of a spin-density wave, with the majority fermions residing at the points in space where the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) order parameter vanishes. We discuss possibilities for experimental detection of the quasi-1D FFLO state using elastic and inelastic optical Bragg scattering and radio-frequency spectroscopy. We show that these measurements can provide necessary information for unambiguous identification of the spatially-inhomogeneous quasi-1D FFLO state and the soliton lattice formation.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Energy spectrum of graphene multilayers in a parallel magnetic field

We study the orbital effect of a strong magnetic field parallel to the layers on the energy spectrum of the Bernal-stacked graphene bilayer and multilayers, including graphite. We consider the minimal model with the electron tunneling between the nearest sites in the plane and out of the plane. Using the semiclassical analytical approximation and exact numerical diagonalization, we find that the energy spectrum consists of two domains. In the low- and high-energy domains, the semiclassical electron orbits are closed and open, so the spectra are discrete and continuous, correspondingly. The discrete energy levels are the analogs of the Landau levels for the parallel magnetic field. They can be detected experimentally using electron tunneling and optical spectroscopy. In both domains, the electron wave functions are localized on a finite number of graphene layers, so the results can be applied to graphene multilayers of a finite thickness.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Statistical mechanics of money, debt, and energy consumption

We briefly review statistical models for the probability distribution of money developed in the econophysics literature since the late 1990s. In these models, economic transactions are modeled as random transfers of money between the agents in payment for goods and services. We focus on conceptual foundations for this approach, on the issues of money conservation and debt, and present new results for the energy consumption distribution around the world.

q-fin.ST↗

arXiv2010

Statistical mechanics approach to the probability distribution of money

This Chapter reviews statistical models for the probability distribution of money developed in the econophysics literature since the late 1990s. In these models, economic transactions are modeled as random transfers of money between the agents in payment for goods and services. Starting from the initially equal distribution of money, the system spontaneously develops a highly unequal distribution of money analogous to the Boltzmann-Gibbs distribution of energy in physics. Boundary conditions are crucial for achieving a stationary distribution. When debt is permitted, it destabilizes the system, unless some sort of limit is imposed on maximal debt.

q-fin.ST↗

arXiv2010

Universal patterns of inequality

Probability distributions of money, income, and energy consumption per capita are studied for ensembles of economic agents. The principle of entropy maximization for partitioning of a limited resource gives exponential distributions for the investigated variables. A non-equilibrium difference of money temperatures between different systems generates net fluxes of money and population. To describe income distribution, a stochastic process with additive and multiplicative components is introduced. The resultant distribution interpolates between exponential at the low end and power law at the high end, in agreement with the empirical data for USA. We show that the increase of income inequality in USA originates primarily from the increase of the income fraction going to the upper tail, which now exceeds 20% of the total income. Analyzing the data from the World Resources Institute, we find that the distribution of energy consumption per capita around the world can be approximately described by the exponential function. Comparing the data for 1990, 2000, and 2005, we discuss the effect of globalization on the inequality of energy consumption.

q-fin.ST↗

arXiv2009

Colloquium: Statistical mechanics of money, wealth, and income

This Colloquium reviews statistical models for money, wealth, and income distributions developed in the econophysics literature since the late 1990s. By analogy with the Boltzmann-Gibbs distribution of energy in physics, it is shown that the probability distribution of money is exponential for certain classes of models with interacting economic agents. Alternative scenarios are also reviewed. Data analysis of the empirical distributions of wealth and income reveals a two-class distribution. The majority of the population belongs to the lower class, characterized by the exponential ("thermal") distribution, whereas a small fraction of the population in the upper class is characterized by the power-law ("superthermal") distribution. The lower part is very stable, stationary in time, whereas the upper part is highly dynamical and out of equilibrium.

q-fin.ST↗

arXiv2009

Frequency and temperature dependence of the anomalous Hall conductivity in a chiral px+ipy superconductor with impurities

We calculate frequency and temperature dependence of the anomalous ac Hall conductivity induced by impurity scattering in a chiral px+ipy superconductor, such as Sr2RuO4, with spontaneous time-reversal-symmetry breaking in the absence of an external magnetic field. We consider two models of disorder, Gaussian and non-Gaussian, characterized by the second and third moments of the random impurity potential, respectively. Within both models, we find that the anomalous Hall conductivity has a finite real value at zero frequency, exhibits singularities at the threshold of photon absorption across the superconducting gap, and decays as some power of the high frequency Ω. The Hall conductivity increases linearly with the decrease of temperature below the superconducting transition and saturates at zero temperature. Using our results for the high-frequency Hall conductivity, we estimate the polar Kerr angle for light reflection from the material and compare it with the experimental measurements in Sr2RuO4 by Xia et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 167002 (2006).

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Spontaneous spin accumulation in singlet-triplet Josephson junctions

We study the Andreev bound states in a Josephson junction between a singlet and a triplet superconductors. Because of the mismatch in the spin symmetries of pairing, the energies of the spin up and down quasiparticles are generally different. This results in imbalance of spin populations and net spin accumulation at the junction in equilibrium. This effect can be detected using probes of local magnetic field, such as the scanning SQUID, Hall, and Kerr probes. It may help to identify potential triplet pairing in $\rm(TMTSF)_2X$, $\rm Sr_2RuO_4$, and oxypnictides.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Anomalous Nernst effect from a chiral d-density wave state in underdoped cuprate superconductors

We show that the breakdown of time-reversal invariance, confirmed by the recent polar Kerr effect measurements in the cuprates, implies the existence of an anomalous Nernst effect in the pseudogap phase of underdoped cuprate superconductors. Modeling the time-reversal-breaking ordered state by the chiral d-density-wave state, we find that the magnitude of the Nernst effect can be sizable even at temperatures much higher than the superconducting transition temperature. These results imply that the experimentally found Nernst effect at the pseudogap temperatures may be due to the chiral d-density wave ordered state with broken time-reversal invariance.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Angular magnetoresistance oscillations in quasi-one-dimensional organic conductors in the presence of a crystal superstructure

We study the effect of crystal superstructures, produced by orientational ordering of the ReO4 and ClO4 anions in the quasi-one-dimensional organic conductors (TMTSF)2ReO4 and (TMTSF)2ClO4, on the angular magnetoresistance oscillations (AMRO) observed in these materials. Folding of the Brillouin zone due to anion ordering generates effective tunneling amplitudes between distant chains. These amplitudes cause multiple peaks in interlayer conductivity for the magnetic field orientations along the rational crystallographic directions (the Lebed magic angles). Different wave vectors of the anion ordering in (TMTSF)2ReO4 and (TMTSF)2ClO4 result in the odd and even Lebed angles, as observed experimentally. When a strong magnetic field is applied parallel to the layers and perpendicular to the chains and exceeds a certain threshold, the interlayer tunneling between different branches of the folded electron spectrum becomes possible, and interlayer conductivity should increase sharply. This effect can be utilized to probe the anion ordering gaps in (TMTSF)2ClO4 and (TMTSF)2ReO4. An application of this effect to kappa-(ET)2Cu(NCS)2 is also briefly discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Econophysics, Statistical Mechanics Approach to

This is a review article for Encyclopedia of Complexity and System Science, to be published by Springer http://refworks.springer.com/complexity/. The paper reviews statistical models for money, wealth, and income distributions developed in the econophysics literature since late 1990s.

q-fin.ST↗

arXiv2008

Time-reversal symmetry breaking by a $(d+id)$ density-wave state in underdoped cuprate superconductors

It was proposed that the $id_{x^2-y^2}$ density-wave state (DDW) may be responsible for the pseudogap behavior in the underdoped cuprates. Here we show that the admixture of a small $d_{xy}$ component to the DDW state breaks the symmetry between the counter-propagating orbital currents of the DDW state and, thus, violates the macroscopic time-reversal symmetry. This symmetry breaking results in a non-zero polar Kerr effect, which has recently been observed in the pseudogap phase.

cond-mat.str-el↗