Philippe-Emmanuel Roche

Thickness and low-temperature conductivity of DNA molecules

We argue that interaction between molecules and substrate is a key parameter which determines the conducting or insulating behavior of DNA molecules. In this letter, we show that strongly deformed DNA molecules deposited on a substrate, whose thickness is less than half the native thickness of the molecule, are insulating, whereas molecules keeping their native thickness are conducting down to very low temperature with a non-ohmic behavior characteristic of a 1D conductor with repulsive electron–electron interactions.

Vortex density spectrum of quantum turbulence

The fluctuations of the vortex density in a turbulent quantum fluid are deduced from local second-sound attenuation measurements. These measurements are performed with a micromachined open-cavity resonator inserted across a flow of turbulent He-II near 1.6 K. The frequency power spectrum of the measured vortex line density is compatible with a (−5/3) power law. The physical interpretation is discussed.

CURRENT FLUCTUATIONS IN THE ONE DIMENSIONAL SYMMETRIC EXCLUSION PROCESS WITH OPEN BOUNDARIES

We calculate the first four cumulants of the integrated current of the one-dimensional symmetric simple exclusion process of N sites with open boundary conditions. For large system size N, the generating function of the integrated current depends on the densities ρa and ρb of the two reservoirs and on the fugacity z, the parameter conjugated to the integrated current, through a single parameter. Based on our expressions for these first four cumulants, we make a conjecture which leads to a prediction for all the higher cumulants. In the case ρa=1 and ρb=0, our conjecture gives the same universal distribution as the one obtained by Lee, Levitov, and Yakovets for one-dimensional quantum conductors in the metallic regime.

Quantum turbulence at finite temperature: The two-fluids cascade

To model isotropic homogeneous quantum turbulence in superfluid helium, we have performed Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of two fluids (the normal fluid and the superfluid) coupled by mutual friction. We have found evidence of strong locking of superfluid and normal fluid along the turbulent cascade, from the large scale structures where only one fluid is forced down to the vorticity structures at small scales. We have determined the residual slip velocity between the two fluids, and, for each fluid, the relative balance of inertial, viscous and friction forces along the scales. Our calculations show that the classical relation between energy injection and dissipation scale is not valid in quantum turbulence, but we have been able to derive a temperature-dependent superfluid analogous relation. Finally, we discuss our DNS results in terms of the current understanding of quantum turbulence, including the value of the effective kinematic viscosity.

Energy cascade and the four-fifths law in superfluid turbulence

The 4/5-law of turbulence, which characterizes the energy cascade from large to small-sized eddies at high Reynolds numbers in classical fluids, is verified experimentally in a superfluid 4He wind tunnel, operated down to 1.56 K and up to R_lambda ~ 1640. The result is corroborated by high-resolution simulations of Landau-Tiszas two-fluid model down to 1.15 K, corresponding to a residual normal fluid concentration below 3 % but with a lower Reynolds number of order R_lambda ~ 100. Although the Karman-Howarth equation (including a viscous term) is not valid \emph{a priori} in a superfluid, it is found that it provides an empirical description of the deviation from the ideal 4/5-law at small scales and allows us to identify an effective viscosity for the superfluid, whose value matches the kinematic viscosity of the normal fluid regardless of its concentration.

Very low shot noise in carbon nanotubes

Abstract:We have performed noise measurements on suspended ropes of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) between 1 and 300 K for different values of dc current through the ropes. We find that the shot noise is suppressed by more than a factor 100 compared to the full shot noise 2eI. We have also measured an individual SWNT and found a level of noise which is smaller than the minimum expected. Another finding is the very low level of 1/f noise, which is significantly lower than previous observations. We propose two possible interpretations for the strong shot noise reduction: i) Transport within a rope takes place through few nearly ballistic tubes within a rope and possibly involves non integer effective charges with e*∼ 0.3e. ii) A substantial fraction of the tubes conduct with a strong reduction of effective charge (by more than a factor 50).

Experimental, numerical, and analytical velocity spectra in turbulent quantum fluid

Turbulence in superfluid helium is unusual and presents a challenge to fluid dynamicists because it consists of two coupled, interpenetrating turbulent fluids: the first is inviscid with quantized vorticity, and the second is viscous with continuous vorticity. Despite this double nature, the observed spectra of the superfluid turbulent velocity at sufficiently large length scales are similar to those of ordinary turbulence. We present experimental, numerical, and theoretical results that explain these similarities, and illustrate the limits of our present understanding of superfluid turbulence at smaller scales.

Ultimate regime of convection : Robustness to poor thermal reservoirs

A transition to Kraichnan ultimate regime of convection has been reported in very high Rayleigh numbers experiments, but not in all of them. These apparently contradictory results can be explained by a recent phenomenological model that accounts for the nonideality of the plate thermal properties [Chilla et al., Phys. Fluids 16, 2452 (2004)]. In this paper, we present a direct test of this model, using a low conductivity plate. We found an unaltered transition, not compatible with the model’s predictions.

Vortex spectrum in superfluid turbulence : Interpretation of a recent experiment

We discuss a recent experiment in which the spectrum of the vortex line density fluctuations has been measured in superfluid turbulence. The observed frequency dependence of the spectrum, f− 5/3, disagrees with classical vorticity spectra if, following the literature, the vortex line density is interpreted as a measure of the vorticity or enstrophy. We argue that the disagrement is solved if the vortex line density field is decomposed into a polarised field (which carries most of the energy) and an isotropic field (which is responsible for the spectrum).

Superconducting instrumentation for high Reynolds turbulence experiments with low temperature gaseous helium

Turbulence is of common experience and of high interest for industrial applications, despite its physical grounds is still not understood. Cryogenic gaseous helium gives access to extremely high Reynolds numbers (Re). We describe an instrumentation hosted in CERN, which provides a 6 kW @ 4.5 K helium refrigerator directly connected to the experiment. The flow is a round jet; the flow rates range from 20 g/s up to 260 g/s at 4.8 K and about 1.2 bar, giving access to the highest controlled Re flow ever developed. The experimental challenge lies in the range of scales which have to be investigated: from the smallest viscous scale η, typically 1 μm at Re=107 to the largest L∼10 cm. The corresponding frequencies: f=v/η can be as large as 1 MHz. The development of an original micrometric superconducting anemometer using a hot spot and its characteristics will be discussed together with its operation and the perspectives associated with superconducting anemometry.