Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 2, 2026
05:45
Uncovering Hidden Dynamics of Natural Photonic Structures Using Holographic Imaging
Published on: March 31, 2022
3.0K
Universal Relaxation in a Holographic Metallic Density Wave Phase
Andrea Amoretti1, Daniel Areán2, Blaise Goutéraux3
1Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, I-16146 Genova, Italy and I.N.F.N.-Sezione di Genova and Physique Théorique et Mathématique and International Solvay Institutes Université Libre de Bruxelles, C.P. 231, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Physical Review Letters
|December 7, 2019
Summary
We discovered a universal mechanism for pinned density waves, revealing how broken translations lead to new collective modes. This work explains relaxation rates and transport properties relevant to high-temperature superconductors.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- High-Energy Physics
- Quantum Field Theory
Background:
- Spontaneous breaking of translations leads to gapless collective modes (Nambu-Goldstone bosons).
- Weak breaking of translations (e.g., by disorder) pins these modes, giving them mass and damping.
- Understanding pinned density wave dynamics is crucial for explaining transport in exotic materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To uncover a universal relaxation mechanism for pinned density waves.
- To compute the damping rate (Ω) and its dependence on pinning strength and material properties.
- To investigate the low-temperature transport properties, including resistivity and ac conductivity.
Main Methods:
- Combining gauge-gravity duality with effective field theory techniques.
- Explicitly computing the damping rate (Ω) for pinned phonons.
- Analyzing the low-temperature transport regime dominated by thermal diffusivity.
Main Results:
- A universal formula for the damping rate: Ω≃Gm²Ξ, where G is the shear modulus and Ξ is related to diffusivity.
- The computed damping rate is distinct from contributions of topological defects.
- Linear temperature dependence of resistivity and a significant shift in spectral weight for ac conductivity.
Conclusions:
- The derived relaxation mechanism provides a unified explanation for pinned density wave dynamics.
- The results offer insights into transport phenomena in cuprate high-temperature superconductors.
- The study highlights the interplay between translational order, quantum criticality, and transport properties.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
1.2K
In the absence of an external magnetic field, nuclear spin states are degenerate and randomly oriented. When a magnetic field is applied, the spins begin to precess and orient themselves along (lower energy) or against (higher energy) the direction of the field. At equilibrium, a slight excess population of spins exists in the lower energy state. Because the direction of the magnetic field is fixed as the z-axis, the precessing magnetic moments are randomly oriented around the z-axis.
1.2K
01:28Standing Waves in a Cavity
1.4K
A household microwave and lasers are examples of standing electromagnetic waves in a cavity. When two conducting metal plates are placed parallel at the nodal planes, it creates a cavity where standing waves are formed. The cavity between the two planes is analogous to a stretched string held at the points x = 0 and x = L. Here, the distance 'L' between the two planes must be an integer multiple of half of the wavelength. The wavelengths that satisfy this condition are given by:
1.4K
01:28Atomic Nuclei: Types of Nuclear Relaxation
849
Nuclear relaxation restores the equilibrium population imbalance and can occur via spin–lattice or spin–spin mechanisms, which are first-order exponential decay processes.
In spin–lattice or longitudinal relaxation, the excited spins exchange energy with the surrounding lattice as they return to the lower energy level. Among several mechanisms that contribute to spin–lattice relaxation, magnetic dipolar interactions are significant. Here, the excited nucleus transfers...
In spin–lattice or longitudinal relaxation, the excited spins exchange energy with the surrounding lattice as they return to the lower energy level. Among several mechanisms that contribute to spin–lattice relaxation, magnetic dipolar interactions are significant. Here, the excited nucleus transfers...
849
01:17The Principle of Superposition and the Gravitational Field
2.0K
The principle of superposition applies to gravitational forces of objects that are sufficiently far apart. It states that the net gravitational force on a point object is the vector sum of the gravitational forces on it due to various objects. The principle helps calculate the force by listing the individual forces and then vectorially summing them up. However, it should be noted that the principle of superposition is not always apparent. In the presence of a second force, the first force could...
2.0K
01:15Standing Electromagnetic Waves
2.1K
Electromagnetic waves can be reflected; the surface of a conductor or a dielectric can act as a reflector. As electric and magnetic fields obey the superposition principle, so do electromagnetic waves. The superposition of an incident wave and a reflected electromagnetic wave produces a standing wave analogous to the standing waves created on a stretched string.
Suppose a sheet of a perfect conductor is placed in the yz-plane, and a linearly polarized electromagnetic wave traveling in the...
Suppose a sheet of a perfect conductor is placed in the yz-plane, and a linearly polarized electromagnetic wave traveling in the...
2.1K
01:16Second Uniqueness Theorem
2.6K
Consider a region consisting of several individual conductors with a definite charge density in the region between these conductors. The second uniqueness theorem states that if the total charge on each conductor and the charge density in the in-between region are known, then the electric field can be uniquely determined.
In contrast, consider that the electric field is non-unique and apply Gauss's law in divergence form in the region between the conductors and the integral form to the surface...
In contrast, consider that the electric field is non-unique and apply Gauss's law in divergence form in the region between the conductors and the integral form to the surface...
2.6K