Robson R. da Silva

Local and global superconductivity in bismuth

We performed magnetization M(H, T) and magnetoresistance R(T, H) measurements on powdered (grain size ∼149 μm) as well as highly oriented rhombohedral (A7) bismuth (Bi) samples consisting of single crystalline blocks of size ∼1 × 1 mm in the plane perpendicular to the trigonal c axis. The obtained results revealed the occurrence of (1) local superconductivity in powdered samples with Tc(0) = (8.75 ± 0.05) K, and (2) global superconductivity at Tc(0) = (7.3 ± 0.1) K in polycrystalline Bi triggered by low-resistance ohmic contacts with silver (Ag) normal metal. The results provide evidence that the superconductivity in Bi is localized in a tiny volume fraction, probably at intergrain or Ag/Bi interfaces. On the other hand, the occurrence of global superconductivity observed for polycrystalline Bi can be accounted for by enhancement of the superconducting order parameter phase stiffness induced by the normal metal contacts, the scenario proposed in the context of “pseudogap regime” in cuprates [E. Berg et al...

MarkoLAB: A simulator to study ionic channel's stochastic behavior

Mathematical models of the cardiac cell have started to include markovian representations of the ionic channels instead of the traditional Hodgkin & Huxley formulations. There are many reasons for this: Markov models are not restricted to the idea of independent gates defining the channel, they allow more complex description with specific transitions between open, closed or inactivated states, and more importantly those states can be closely related to the underlying channel structure and conformational changes. METHODS We used the LabVIEW® and MATLAB® programs to implement the simulator MarkoLAB that allow a dynamical 3D representation of the markovian model of the channel. The Monte Carlo simulation was used to implement the stochastic transitions among states. The user can specify the voltage protocol by setting the holding potential, the step-to voltage and the duration of the stimuli. RESULTS The most studied feature of a channel is the current flowing through it. This happens when the channel stays in the open state, but most of the time, as revealed by the low open probability values, the channel remains on the inactive or closed states. By focusing only when the channel enters or leaves the open state we are missing most of its activity. MarkoLAB proved to be quite useful to visualize the whole behavior of the channel and not only when the channel produces a current. Such dynamic representation provides more complete information about channel kinetics and will be a powerful tool to demonstrate the effect of gene mutations or drugs on the channel function. CONCLUSIONS MarkoLAB provides an original way of visualizing the stochastic behavior of a channel. It clarifies concepts, such as recovery from inactivation, calcium- versus voltage-dependent inactivation, and tail currents. It is not restricted to ionic channels only but it can be extended to other transporters, such as exchangers and pumps. This program is intended as a didactical tool to illustrate the dynamical behavior of a channel. It has been implemented in two platforms MATLAB® and LabVIEW® to enhance the target users of this new didactical tool. The computational cost of implementing a stochastic simulation is within the range of a personal computer performance; making MarkoLAB suitable to be run during a lecture or presentation.

SIGNATURES OF INHOMOGENEOUS ELECTRONIC STATE IN QUANTUM LIMIT IN GRAPHITE

In-plane magnetoresistance (MR) measurements performed on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) in Corbino-disk geometry revealed signatures of the electronic inhomogeneous state. In particular, the obtained results showed that besides of the Shubnikov-de-Haas (SdH) effect, the magnetic field B > 4 T triggers MR oscillations of a different origin that are spatially asymmetric. The possible coexistence of different electronic states in quantized magnetic field is discussed.