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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
471

Magneto-transporte no limite quântico em grafite e bismuto / Magnet transport in the quantum limit in graphite and bismuth

Medina Pantoja, Juan Carlos 11 August 2018 (has links)
Orientadores: Iakov Veniaminovitch Kopelevitch, George Gershon Kleiman / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Fisica Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T13:15:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MedinaPantoja_JuanCarlos_D.pdf: 3933664 bytes, checksum: 33f9dc730779c11f8c3d83b7ee0e56b4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Esta tese é o resultado da investigação das propriedades elétricas e magnéticas de dois semimetais: bismuto (Bi) policristalino romboédrico e grafite pirolítica altamente orientada (HOPG). Inicialmente nós discutimos o efeito Hall no limite quântico, que acontece em amostras de grafite HOPG com certo grau de desordem e onde a desordem é reduzida. Em particular, a resistência Hall R xy (B) exibe platôs em amostras HOPG menos desordenadas que possuem uma característica quase-bidimensional e uma forte anisotropia. Em amostras com maior desordem é observada a ocorrência de picos em lugar de platôs, evidenciando, experimentalmente, a predição de T. Ando. A condutância Hall reduzida Rxy (v) G0xy . fornece uma evidencia experimental para a coexistência de ambos os tipos de férmions de Dirac, normais e sem massa. Este resultado revela que o efeito Hall quântico inteiro e semi-inteiro tomam lugar simultaneamente na amostra HOPG. Nós encontramos as transições metal¿isolante (MIT) e isolante¿metal (IMT) induzidas por campo magnético em amostras de bismuto (Bi), quando o campo é aplicado paralelo ao eixo-c cristalográfico e observamos que estas transições têm enormes semelhanças com o MIT e IMT achados em HOPG e amostras monocristalinas Kish. As análises destes resultados experimentais sugerem que estas transições devem estar associadas à transição entre o estado metal de Bose (líquido não superfluido de pares de Cooper) e isolante excitônico. O aumento do momento diamagnético em bismuto e sua supressão próxima do campo crítico do MIT evidenciam a existência de correlações supercondutoras (metal de Bose) e excitônicas. Nós reportamos a observação experimental do efeito Hall anômalo Hall (AHE) em amostras de bismuto e de grafite HOPG. Os resultados indicam que este AHE pode ser compreendido, autoconsistentemente, através de modelos de pareamento excitônico induzido pelo campo magnético, possivelmente, devido ao surgimento de ferromagnetismo / Abstract: This thesis is the result of the investigation of the electric and magnetic properties of two semimetals: highly oriented pyrolitic graphite (HOPG) and polycrystalline bismuth (Bi), rhomboedral. Initially we discuss the Hall effect in the quantum limit that occurs in HOPG samples with a certain degree of disorder and with reduced disorder. In particular, the Hall resistance R xy (B) exhibits plateaus in less disordered HOPG samples, which present characteristic quasi-bidimensional and strongly anisotropic. In more disordered samples there occur peaks instead of plateaus, experimentally evidencing the T. Ando's prediction. The reduced Hall conductance G xy (v)/ G 0xy gives evidence experimental for the coexistence of both massless and massive Dirac fermions. This result reveals that the integer- and semi-integer QHE take place simultaneously in HOPG samples. We observed magnetic field induced metal-insulator (MIT) and insulator-metal (IMT) transitions, when this field is in the crystallographic c-axis direction, and observed that these transitions are very similar to the MIT and IMT observed in HOPG and monocrystalline samples (Kish). The analysis of the experimental results suggests that these transitions must be associated with the transition from the Bose metal state (a non superfluid liquid of Cooper pairs) to the excitonic insulator. The increase of the diamagnetic momentum in bismuth and its suppression in the vicinity of the critical field of the MIT evidences the existence of superconducting (Bose metal) and excitonic correlations. We report the experimental observation of the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in HOPG samples. This AHE may be autoconsistently understood by means of magnetic field induced excitonic pairing models, possibly, due to the onset of ferromagnetism / Doutorado / Física da Matéria Condensada / Doutor em Ciências
472

Sommes et extrêmes en physique statistique et traitement du signal : ruptures de convergences, effets de taille finie et représentation matricielle / Sums and extremes in statistical physics and signal processing : Convergence breakdowns, finite size effects and matrix representations

Angeletti, Florian 06 December 2012 (has links)
Cette thèse s'est développée à l'interface entre physique statistique et traitement statistique du signal, afin d'allier les perspectives de ces deux disciplines sur les problèmes de sommes et maxima de variables aléatoires. Nous avons exploré trois axes d'études qui mènent à s'éloigner des conditions classiques (i.i.d.) : l'importance des événements rares, le couplage avec la taille du système, et la corrélation. Combinés, ces trois axes mènent à des situations dans lesquelles les théorèmes de convergence classiques sont mis en défaut.Pour mieux comprendre l'effet du couplage avec la taille du système, nous avons étudié le comportement de la somme et du maximum de variables aléatoires indépendantes élevées à une puissance dépendante de la taille du signal. Dans le cas du maximum, nous avons mis en évidence l'apparition de lois limites non standards. Dans le cas de la somme, nous nous sommes intéressés au lien entre effet de linéarisation et transition vitreuse en physique statistique. Grâce à ce lien, nous avons pu définir une notion d'ordre critique des moments, montrant que, pour un processus multifractal, celui-ci ne dépend pas de la résolution du signal. Parallèlement, nous avons construit et étudié, théoriquement et numériquement, les performances d'un estimateur de cet ordre critique pour une classe de variables aléatoires indépendantes.Pour mieux cerner l'effet de la corrélation sur le maximum et la somme de variables aléatoires, nous nous sommes inspirés de la physique statistique pour construire une classe de variable aléatoires dont la probabilité jointe peut s'écrire comme un produit de matrices. Après une étude détaillée de ses propriétés statistiques, qui a montré la présence potentielle de corrélation à longue portée, nous avons proposé pour ces variables une méthode de synthèse en réussissant à reformuler le problème en termes de modèles à chaîne de Markov cachée. Enfin, nous concluons sur une analyse en profondeur du comportement limite de leur somme et de leur maximum. / This thesis has grown at the interface between statistical physics and signal processing, combining the perspectives of both disciplines to study the issues of sums and maxima of random variables. Three main axes, venturing beyond the classical (i.i.d) conditions, have been explored: The importance of rare events, the coupling between the behavior of individual random variable and the size of the system, and correlation. Together, these three axes have led us to situations where classical convergence theorems are no longer valid.To improve our understanding of the impact of the coupling with the system size, we have studied the behavior of the sum and the maximum of independent random variables raised to a power depending of the size of the signal. In the case of the maximum, we have brought to light non standard limit laws. In the case of the sum, we have studied the link between linearisation effect and glass transition in statistical physics. Following this link, we have defined a critical moment order such that for a multifractal process, this critical order does not depend on the signal resolution. Similarly, a critical moment estimator has been designed and studied theoretically and numerically for a class of independent random variables.To gain some intuition on the impact of correlation on the maximum or sum of random variables, following insights from statistical physics, we have constructed a class of random variables where the joint distribution probability can be expressed as a matrix product. After a detailed study of its statistical properties, showing that these variables can exhibit long range correlations, we have managed to recast this model into the framework of Hidden Markov Chain models, enabling us to design a synthesis procedure. Finally, we conclude by an in-depth study of the limit behavior of the sum and maximum of these random variables.
473

Étude expérimentale des forces de Casimir / Experimental study of Casimir forces

Le Cunuder, Anne 07 March 2017 (has links)
L'étude des fluctuations dans les milieux confinés constitue un domaine de recherche très récent, que ce soit du point de vue théorique ou expérimental. Afin d'analyser le rôle du confinement sur les propriétés des fluctuations de densité dans un mélange binaire, nous avons développé un système de mesure d'une grande sensibilité, où l'intensité des fluctuations et leur longueur de corrélation peuvent être amplifiées. L'idée consiste à travailler proche du point critique d'une transition de phase de démixion d'un mélange binaire. En effet, la longueur de corrélation augmente exponentiellement lorsqu'on s'approche de la température Tc du point critique de démixion.Nous avons développé un montage permettant de confiner le mélange entre un échantillon plan et une sphère colloïdale attachée à l'extrémité d'un levier de Microscope à Force Atomique (AFM). D'après les prédictions de Fisher et De Gennes, un effet intéressant émerge lorsque la longueur de corrélation est comparable avec la taille du confinement: les deux surfaces vont soit s'attirer, soit se repousser suivant les préférences d'adsorption des composants du mélange pour chacune des surfaces. On nomme cet effet l'effet Casimir critique, en référence à la force de Casimir électrodynamique qui résulte du confinement des fluctuations quantiques du champ électromagnétique.Durant cette thèse, nous avons mesuré la force de Casimir électrodynamique avec le système de mesure que nous avons développé, d'abord dans une atmosphère d'azote puis dans l'éthanol. Ces mesures prouvent que notre appareil de mesure est assez sensible pour mesurer des forces très faibles de l'ordre de la dizaine de pN. Les forces mesurées sont comparées à la théorie de Lifshitz, où les effets de conductivité finie des surfaces sont considérées. / The study of density fluctuations inside confined liquid systems has received the attention of recent theoretical and experimental papers. In order to analyze the role of confinement on the statistical properties of fluctuations, we developed a highly sensitive system where the intensity of fluctuations, as well as their spatial correlation length can be simply tuned. The idea will be to enhance the role of fluctuations working close to the critical temperature Tc of a second order phase transition in a binary mixture. Indeed, the correlation length dramatically increases when one approaches the critical demixion point.The confinement is obtained by using a sphere-plane geometry with a colloidal particle attached to the cantilever of an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). When the correlation length is comparable with the distance of confinement, Fisher and De Gennes predicted the existence of an interesting effect: the two surfaces will be submitted to either an attracting or a repelling force, depending on boundary conditions. This effect is called the critical Casimir force in reference to the quantum Casimir force resulting from the confinement of quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field.During this thesis, we measured the quantum Casimir force between the sphere and the plate, first in a nitrogen atmosphere and then in ethanol, showing that the developed instrument is sufficiently sensible to measure very weak force, of the same order of magnitude or even weaker than the critical Casimir force. Measurements are compared to Lifshitz theory, taking into account the finite conductivity of surfaces.
474

Corrélations quantiques : une approche de physique statistique / A quantum statistical approach to quantum correlations in many-body systems

Frerot, Irénée 09 October 2017 (has links)
La notion de cohérence, intimement liée à celle de dualité onde-corpuscule, joue un rôle central en mécanique quantique. Lorsque la cohérence quantique s'étend sur plusieurs particules au sein d'un système, la description en termes d'objets individuels devient impossible en raison des corrélations quantiques (ou intrication) qui se développent. Dans ce manuscrit, nous étudions les systèmes à l'équilibre, pour lesquels nous montrons que les fluctuations cohérentes viennent s'ajouter aux fluctuations prédites par des identités thermodynamiques valides pour les systèmes classiques. Au zéro absolu, les fluctuations cohérentes sont les seules à subsister, et nous étudions dans ce cas leur lien avec l'entropie d'intrication. Nous montrons en particulier qu'une hypothèse de température effective modulée spatialement rend compte de la structure de l'intrication au sein d'un système à N corps, et montrons comment cette température peut être extraite des corrélations usuelles. Nos résultats permettent par ailleurs une compréhension affinée des transitions de phase quantiques. Nous montrons par exemple que la transition entre un isolant de Mott bosonique et un superfluide donne lieu à une singularité de l'entropie d'intrication induite par les fluctuations d'amplitude de la phase du condensat. Nous identifions enfin une longueur de corrélation pilotant les lois d'échelles des fluctuations cohérentes au sein de l'éventail critique avoisinant une transition de phase quantique du second ordre, et proposons une ouverture vers les potentielles applications métrologiques de ces fluctuations cohérentes exceptionnellement fortes en nous appuyant sur l'exemple du modèle d'Ising. / The notion of coherence, intimately related to the notion of wave-particle duality, plays a central role in quantum mechanics. When quantum coherence extends over several particles inside a system, the description in terms of individual objects becomes impossible, due to the development of quantum correlations (or entanglement). In this manuscript, we focus on equilibrium systems, for which we show that coherent fluctuations add up to the fluctuations predicted by thermodynamic identities, valid for classical systems only. In the ground state, coherent fluctuations are the only ones to subsist, an in this case we study their relationship with entanglement entropy. We show in particular that an hypothesis of effective temperature, spatially modulated, captures the structure of entanglement in a many-body system, and we show how this temperature can be reconstructed from usual correlation functions. Our results also enable for a refined understanding of quantum phase transitions. We show in particular that the phase transition between a bosonic Mott insulator and a superfluid gives rise to a singularity of entanglement entropy induced by amplitude fluctuations of the phase of the condensate. We finally identify a coherence length governing the scaling behaviour of coherent fluctuations inside the quantum critical region in the finite-temperature vicinity of a quantum critical point, and open novel perspectives for the metrological advantage offered by the exceptional coherence which develops close to quantum critical points, based on the example of the quantum Ising model.
475

Photoemissivity near a chiral critical point within the quark-meson model

Wunderlich, Falk 13 March 2018 (has links) (PDF)
The interplay of thermodynamic properties of strongly interacting matter and its emission of photons is investigated. For this purpose the Lagrangian of the quark meson model (in the literature also dubbed "linear sigma model" or "linear sigma model with quarks") is extended by an electromagnetic sector. Based on this extended Lagrangian both the grand-canonical potential and the generating functional of correlation functions are calculated in a consistent manner. From the former, the phase structure and various thermodynamical properties are determined. Especially, the dependence of certain landmarks (critical point, intersections of the phase boundary with the coordinate axes, etc.) of the phase diagram with respect to the model parameters is investigated in detail. With the help of the generating functional in turn, the photon propagator can be computed whose imaginary part is connected to the emission rate of photons. The leading order of the result with respect to the number of participating particles and the power of the quark-meson coupling is expressed in terms of tree level diagrams, which are calculated likewise. On this basis, the photon emissivity with respect to temperature, chemical potential and photon frequency is calculated and analyzed addressing various questions. The dependence of the particle masses with respect to temperature and chemical potential leaves notable imprints on the emissivities of the individual production processes. Especially a first-order phase transition can easily be identified, since, there, the emissivity may jump - depending on the temperature - by a factor of about ten. Contrarily, within our analysis, we do not find signatures in the photon emissivities that specifically mark a critical end point. Moreover, it is investigated on which parameters the photon emission rate depends in the low- and high-frequency regions. With these results the behavior of the emissivity with respect to temperature and chemical potential can be understood and many peculiarities of the emissivities can be explained. / Das Zusammenspiel der thermodynamischen Eigenschaften von stark wechselwirkender Materie und deren Emission von Photonen wird untersucht. Dazu wird die Lagrangedichte des Quark-Meson-Modells (auch: Linear-Sigma-Modell oder Linear-Sigma-Modell mit Quarks) um einen elektromagnetischen Sektor erweitert. Aus der so erweiterten Lagrangedichte werden auf konsistente Weise sowohl das großkanonische Potential als auch das erzeugende Funktional der Korrelationsfunktionen ermittelt. Aus ersterem werden die Phasenstruktur des Modells sowie zahlreiche thermodynamische Eigenschaften berechnet. Insbesondere wird die Abhänigkeit einiger Orientierungspunkte (kritischer Punkt, Schnittpunkte der Phasengrenze mit den Koordinatenachsen usw.) des Phasendiagramms von den Modellparametern detailiert untersucht. Mit Hilfe des erzeugenden Funktionals wiederum kann der Photonenpropagator bestimmt werden, dessen Imaginärteil mit der Emissionsrate von Photonen zusammenhängt. Die führende Ordnung in einer Entwicklung nach der Anzahl der beteiligten Teilchen und der Potenz der Quark-Meson-Kopplung lässt sich durch Baumgraphen-Diagramme darstellen, die ebenfalls berechnet werden. Auf dieser Basis wird die Photon-Emissivität in Abhängigkeit von Temperatur, chemischem Potential und Photon-Frequenz berechnet und unter verschiedenen Gesichtspunkten analysiert. Die Abhängigkeit der Teilchenmassen von Temperatur und chemischem Potential hinterlässt teilweise ausgeprägte Signaturen in den Emissivitäten der einzelnen sub-Prozesse. Insbesondere ein Phasenübergang erster Ordnung zeigt sich deutlich, da an diesem die Emissivität - abhänging von der Temperatur - um einen Faktor der Größenordnung zehn springen kann. Jedoch finden wir im Rahmen dieser Analyse keine spezifischen Signaturen in den Photonen-Emissivitäten, die einen kritischen Punkt auszeichnen. Des weiteren wird untersucht von welchen Parametern die Photonen-Emissionsrate in den Bereichen niedriger oder hoher Photonen-Frequenzen abhängt. Mit diesen Ergebnissen kann das Verhalten der Emissivität in Abhängigkeit von Temperatur und chemischem Potential gut verstanden und zahlreiche Auffälligkeiten in den Emissivitäten erklärt werden.
476

Vers un modèle multiphases et multicomposants (MPMC) de type Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) pour la simulation dynamique d'un fluide cyogénique dans l'eau / Towards a LBM MPMC model for dynamic simulation of a cryogenic fluid in water

Maquignon, Nicolas 04 November 2015 (has links)
Au cours de cette thèse, un modèle LBM MPMC avec échanges thermiques est développé. Des tests d'assimilation de données et des mesures par flot optique sont réalisés en vue d'une validation. Le cadre d'application de cette thèse est celui du mélange d'un fluide cryogénique avec l'eau. Dans une première partie, un travail bibliographique rappelant l'équation de Boltzmann, ses diverses hypothèses et simplifications, ainsi que l'aspect algorithmique de la LBM sont exposés. Une comparaison entre opérateur de collision SRT et MRT est réalisée, et une simulation de phénomènes turbulents à différents nombres de Reynolds est étudiée, notamment avec le benchmark de l'instabilité de Von Karman. Dans une seconde partie, le modèle MPMC de Shan & Cehn est rappelé puis étendu au cas où les échanges thermiques entre composants sont présents. Des validations quantitatives sont faites, notamment avec le benchmark du fluide de Couette à deux phases ou à deux composants, du test de cohérence vis-à-vis de la loi de Laplace, ou encore par rapport à un benchmark faisant intervenir la conduction thermique. Des tests qualitatifs de condensation en milieu multicomposants sont proposés pour valider l'aspect des échanges thermiques entre composants en présence d'une transition de phase. Dans la troisième partie de cette thèse, une méthode de validation par assimilation de données est introduite, avec le filtrage de Kalman d'ensemble. Un test d'estimation d'état d'un fluide di-phasique est réalisé, et la compatibilité du filtrage de Kalman d'ensemble par rapport au modèle LBMMPMC est évaluée. Pour la validation du comportement du modèle d'un point de vue de la présence de deux composants, un fluide de substitution (non-cryogénique) au GNL, le butane, a été choisi pour permettre des observations dans des conditions expérimentales accessibles. Puis, une plateforme expérimentale d'injection de butane liquide dans une colonne d'eau sous pression est présentée. Des images d'ombroscopie issues d'expériences de remontée de butane liquide dans de l'eau sont exposées et un algorithme de calcul de flot optique est appliqué à ces images. Une évaluation qualitative des champs de vitesses obtenus par application de cet algorithme est réalisée. / In this thesis, a LBM MPMC model with heat exchange is developed. Data assimilation tests and optical flow measurements are made in order to validate the model. The application context of this thesis is the mixture of a cryogenic fluid with water. In the first part, a bibliographical work reminding the Boltzmann equation and its various assumptions and simplifications, as well as the algorithmic aspect of the LBM are exposed. A comparison between SRT and MRT collision operator is performed, and a simulation of turbulent phenomena at different Reynolds numbers is studied, especially with the benchmark of the instability from Von Karman. In the second part, the MPMC model from Shan & Chen is reminded and extended to the case of the inter-component heat exchanges. Quantitative validations are made, especially with the benchmark of a two-phase or two-component Couette fluid. Consistency is tested against Laplace's law rule, or against a benchmark involving heat conduction. Qualitative testing of condensations in a multi-component medium are proposed to validate the heat exchange between components in the presence of a phase transition. In the third part of this thesis, a validation method for data assimilation is introduced, with the ensemble Kalman filter. A state estimation test of a bi-phase fluid is realized, and compatibility of the ensemble Kalman filtering to the LBM MPMC model is assessed. For validation of the behavior of the model for a two-component case, a substitution fluid (non-cryogenic) for LNG, butane, was selected to permit observations in experimental conditions which are accessible. Then, an experimental platform of injection of liquid butane in a pressurised water column is presented. Shadowgraph images from liquid butane experiments in water are exposed and an optical flow calculation algorithm is applied to these images. A qualitative assessment of the velocity field obtaines by application of this algorithm is performed.
477

The two-dimensional Bose Gas in box potentials / Le Gaz de Bose à deux dimensions dans des potentiels en boîtes

Corman, Laura 02 June 2016 (has links)
Les gaz quantiques atomiques constituent un outil de choix pour étudier la physique à N corps grâce à leurs nombreux paramètres de contrôle. Ils offrent la possibilité d’explorer la physique en basse dimension, modifiée par rapport au cas à trois dimensions (3D) à cause du rôle accru des fluctuations. Dans ce travail, nous étudions le gaz de Bose à deux dimensions (2D) avec un confine-ment original dans le plan atomique, uniforme et de motif arbitraire. Ces gaz2D et uniformes, développés sur un montage existant, ont été installés sur un nouveau montage grâce à des potentiels optiques polyvalents.Nous présentons une série d’expériences exploitant cette géométrie flexible.D’abord, nous étudions le comportement statique et dynamique d’un gaz uni-forme lors de la transition d’un état 3D normal vers un état 2D superfluide.Nous observons l’établissement de la cohérence de phase dans un gaz à l’équilibre puis nous montrons l’apparition après une trempe de défauts topologiques dont le nombre est comparé à la prédiction de Kibble-Zurek. Ensuite, nous étudions grâce au nouveau montage les effets collectifs dans l’interaction lumière-matière, où les propriétés de résonance d’un nuage d’atomes dense sont fortement modifiées par rapport à celles d’un atome unique. Enfin, nous proposons deux protocoles pour le nouveau montage. Le premier permet d’évaporer de manière uniforme un gaz 2D grâce au réseau incliné du confinement à 2D. Le second propose de produire des supercourants de manière déterministe dans des pièges en anneaux, soit par condensation dans un champ de jauge, soit en réalisant une pompe à vortex topologique. / Degenerate atomic gases are a versatile tool to study many-body physics. They offer the possibility to explore low-dimension physics, which strongly differs from the three dimensional (3D) case due to the enhanced role of fluctuations. In this work, we study degenerate 2D Bose gases whose original in-plane confinement is uniform and of arbitrary shape. These 2D uniform traps, which we first developed on an existing set-up, were subsequently implemented on a newset-up using versatile optical potentials. We present a series of experiments that take advantage of this flexible geometry. First, we study the static and dynamic behaviours of a uniform gas at the transition between a 3D normal and a 2D superfluid state. We observe the establishement of extended phase coherence, followed, as the gas is quench cooled, by the apparition of topological defects whose scaling is compared to the Kibble-Zurek prediction. Second, we present the first results of the new set-up : we investigate collective effects in light-matter interactions, where the resonance properties of a dense ensemble of atoms are strongly modified with respect to the single atom ones. Last, we develop two experimental proposals for the new set-up. The first one studies how a 2D gas can be uniformly evaporated using the tilted lattice providing the 2D confinement. In the second one, we propose to produce su-percurrents in a deterministic way in ring-shaped traps either by condensing inan artificial gauge field or by implementing a topological vortex pump.
478

Study of Phase Transitions in Two Dimensions using Electrical Noise

Koushik, R January 2014 (has links) (PDF)
It is well known from Mermin-Wagner theorem that a two dimensional(2D) system with continuous symmetry can have no long-range order at finite temperature. However such systems can undergo a transition from a low temperature phase with quasi-long range order to a disordered phase at high temperatures. This is known as Berezinskii Kosterlitz Thouless (BKT) transition. The BKT transition is characterized by the presence of bound vortex pairs at low temperature which dissociate into free vortices above the critical temperature and has been observed in thin superconducting films, 2D superfluids, 2D liquid crystals etc. In this thesis work, we have used resistance/current fluctuations (low frequency/shotnoise) as a probe to investigate the BKT transition in different 2D systems. This work can be divided into three parts: In the first part, we probe the ground state of interacting electrons in 2D in the presence of disorder. We show that at low enough temperatures (~ 270mK),the conductivity tends to zero at a nonzero carrier density with a BKT-like transition. Our experiments with many two dimensional electron systems in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures suggest that the charge transport at low carrier densities is due to the melting of an underlying ordered ground state through proliferation of topological defects. Independent measurement of low-frequency conductivity noise supports this scenario. In the second part, we probe the presence of long-range correlations in phase fluctuations by analyzing the higher-order spectrum of resistance fluctuations in ultrathin NbN superconducting films. The non-Gaussian component of resistance fluctuations is found to be sensitive to film thickness close to the transition, which allows us to distinguish between mean field and BKT type superconducting transitions. The extent of non-Gaussianity was found to be bounded by the BKT and mean field transition temperatures and depends strongly on the roughness and structural inhomogeneity of the superconducting films. In the final part of the thesis, we explore the transport mechanism in disordered 2D superconductors using shot noise. The resistivity shows an activated transport in the patterned ultrathin films of NbN at low temperatures signifying the presence of large scale inhomogeneities in the sample. The measurement of current fluctuations yield a giant excess noise at low temperatures which eventually decreases below the measurement background at a temperature corresponding to the normal state of the original sample(before patterning). We attribute the enhancement in the shot noise to a possible occurrence of multiple Andreev reflections occurring in a network of SNS(superconductor-normal-superconductor) junctions formed due to the interplay of disorder and superconducting fluctuations.
479

Fluctuations et interactions en situation de nano-confinement anisotrope / Interactions and fluctuations under anisotropic nano-confinement conditions / Flutuações e interações em situação de nano-confinamento anisotrópico

Bougis, Kévin 28 November 2016 (has links)
La structure et les interactions qui stabilisent des empilements lamellaires lyotropes de bicouches lipidiques "poilues" (et dépourvues de charge électrique nette) dans leur état fluide sont principalement étudiées par diffusion de rayons X aux petits angles. Les empilements lamellaires sont utilisés comme matrices hôtes afin de confiner et d’encapsuler des nano-bâtonnets d’ADN qui s’auto-assemblent en différentes structures en fonction du confinement réalisé. L’objectif fixé est de comprendre l’origine des mécanismes qui sont responsables de la formation de tels assemblages supramoléculaires. Dans ce but,on s’intéresse aux mécanismes entropiques et interfaciaux, sensibles expérimentalement à la physico-chimie du système, cette dernière affectant notamment le caractère "lié"ou "non lié" des systèmes lamellaires à haute dilution. Un modèle thermodynamique est utilisé afin d’interpréter la décroissance exponentielle "classique" observée dans les profils de pression osmotique en fonction de l’hydratation, sans faire appel à la force"d’hydratation". Une transition structurale est mise en évidence, à faible hydratation,entre deux phases lamellaires "liées". Le changement structural de la bicouche est discuté en termes de couplage entre confinements vertical et latéral. La caractérisation de la matrice lamellaire hôte autorise finalement une description des organisations des bâtonnets d’ADN qui semblent directement corrélées aux propriétés physiques des bicouches, faisant ainsi apparaître quelques perspectives pour leur encapsulation au sein "d’ognons". / Structure and interactions stabilizing the lyotropic lamellar stack of (electrically-neutral)mixed "hairy" lipid bilayers in their fluid state are mainly investigated by means of small angleX-ray scattering. The lamellar stacks are used as hosts to confine and encapsulate DNA nanorods which organize themselves into different structures depending on the confinement.The challenge here is to understand the mechanisms responsible for the formation of these supramolecular assemblies. In this aim, we are interested in entropic and interfacial mechanisms which are both experimentally sensitive to the physical-chemistry of the system, changing in particular the “bound” or “unbound” character of the waters wollen systems. A thermodynamic model is then used for interpreting the “classical”exponential decay obtained in osmotic profiles as a function of hydration, without resorting to “hydration forces”. A structural transition between two different “bound” lamellar phases is brought out at low hydration. The bilayer structural changes are discussed as resulting from a coupling between lateral and vertical confinements. The lamellar host characterization finally allows a description of the DNA nanorods organizations which seem to be directly correlated to the physical properties of the bilayers, leaving some perspectives for the encapsulation inside “onions”. / A estrutura e as interações, que estabilizam os empilhamentos lamelares liotrópicos dasmembranas lipídicas em seu estado fluido, são estudadas principalmente por espalhamento de raios-x a baixos ângulos. As membranas “peludas” (eletricamente neutras) são compostas de uma mistura em diversas proporções de lecitina, um fosfolipídio zwiteriônico, ede simulsol, um cotensoativo etoxilado não iônico similar a um copolímero dibloco (curto). Esses empilhamentos lamelares são utilizados como matrizes hospedeiras, com o intuito deconfinar e de encapsular nanobastões de DNA que se auto organizam em diferentes estruturas,em função do confinamento aplicado. O objetivo fixado é de compreender aorigem dos mecanismos responsáveis pela formação dessas organizações supramoleculares,não regidas pelas interações eletrostáticas. Dessa forma, nos interessamos aos mecanismos entrópicos e interfaciais, que são ligados à elasticidade membranar e às interações mais específicas que intervêm nas interfaces membrana-membrana ou DNA-membrana. Aabordagem experimental consiste em modificar os diferentes parâmetros físico-químicosda matriz hospedeira, como a hidratação do sistema, a natureza química do cotensoativo (blocos hidrofóbicos e/ou hidrofílicos) e a proporção de cotensoativo no interior da membrana.O cotensoativo tem então uma função chave para modificar os dois mecanismos,perturbando o estado “ligado” ou “não-ligado” em sistemas lamelares altamente diluídos.Um modelo termodinâmico é utilizado para interpretar o decréscimo exponencial “clássico”observado para os perfis de pressão osmótica, quando se aumenta a hidratação, semutilizar a “força de hidratação”. Uma transição estrutural é evidenciada, à baixahidratação, entre duas fases lamelares “ligadas”. A mudança estrutural da membranaé discutida graças ao acoplamento entre confinamento lateral e vertical, em analogia àconhecida transição “escova-cogumelo” induzida pelo confinamento lateral, relevante paralongos polímeros lineares funcionalizados em superfícies rígidas [10]. A caracterizaçãoda matriz lamelar hospedeira permite, finalmente, uma descrição das organizações dosbastões de DNA que parecem diretamente correlacionados com as propriedades físicasdas membranas, deixando, então, algumas perspectivas para sua encapsulação no interiorde estruturas semelhantes a ”cebolas”.
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Electrocaloric materials and devices

Crossley, Samuel January 2013 (has links)
The temperature and/or entropy of electrically polarisable materials can be altered by changing electric field E. Research into this electrocaloric (EC) effect has focussed on increasing the size of the EC effects, with the long-term aim of building a cooler with an EC material at its heart. Materials and experimental methods are briefly reviewed. A ‘resetting’ indirect route to isothermal entropy change ∆S for hysteretic first-order transitions is described. An indirect route to adiabatic temperature change ∆T, without the need for field-resolved heat capacity data, is also described. Three temperature controllers were built: a cryogenic probe for 77-420 K with ∼5 mK resolution, a high-temperature stage with vacuum enclosure for 295-700 K with ∼15 mK resolution, and a low-temperature stage for 120-400 K with electrical access via micropositioners. Automation enables dense datasets to be compiled. Single crystals of inorganic salts (NH4)2SO4 , KNO3 and NaNO2 were obtained. Applying 380 kV cm−1 across (NH4)2SO4 , it was found that |∆S| ∼ 20 J K−1 kg−1 and |∆T | ∼ 4 K, using the indirect method near the Curie temperature TC = 223 K. Without the ‘resetting’ indirect method, |∆S| ∼ 45 J K−1 kg−1 would have been spuriously found. Preliminary indirect measurements on KNO3 and NaNO2 give |∆S| ∼ 75 J K−1 kg−1 for ∆E ∼ 31 kV cm−1 near TC = 400 K and |∆S| ∼ 14 J K−1 kg−1 for ∆E ∼ 15 kV cm−1 near TC = 435 K, respectively. A cation-ordered PbSc0.5Ta0.5O3 ceramic showing a nominally first-order transition at 295 K was obtained. The Clausius-Clapeyron phase diagram is revealed via indirect measurements where |∆S| ∼ 3.25 J K−1 kg−1 and |∆T | ∼ 2 K, and direct measurements where |∆T | ∼ 2 K. Clamped samples show broadening of the field-induced transition. Epitaxial, ∼64 nm-thick SrTiO3 films were grown by pulsed laser deposition on NdGaO3 (001) substrates with a La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 bottom electrode. The indirect method gives |∆S| ∼ 8 J K−1 kg−1 and |∆T | ∼ 3.5 K near 180 K with |∆E| = 780 kV cm−1. Finite element modelling (FEM) was used to optimise the geometry of multilayered capacitors (MLCs) for EC cooling. Intrinsic cooling powers of 25.9 kW kg−1 are predicted for an optimised MLC based on PVDF-TrFE with Ag electrodes.

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