Remote sensing in hybridized arrays of nanostrings.

We study high-Q nanostrings that are joined end-to-end to form coupled linear arrays. Whereas isolated individual resonators exhibit sinusoidal vibrational modes with an almost perfectly harmonic spectrum, the modes of the interacting strings are substantially hybridized. Even far-separated strings can show significantly correlated displacement. This remote coupling property is exploited to quantify the deposition of femtogram-scale masses with string-by-string positional discrimination based on measurements of one string only.

Valence bond solid phases in a cubic antiferromagnet.

We report on a valence bond projector Monte Carlo simulation of the cubic lattice quantum Heisenberg model with additional higher-order exchange interactions in each unit cell. The model supports two different valence bond solid (VBS) ground states. In one of these states, the dimer pattern is a three-dimensional analogue of the columnar pattern familiar from two dimensions. In the other, the dimers are regularly arranged along the four main diagonals in 1/8 of the unit cells. The phases are separated from one another and from a Néel phase by strongly first-order boundaries. Our results strengthen the case for exotic transitions in two dimensions, where no discontinuities have been detected at the Heisenberg Néel-VBS transition driven by four-spin plaquette interactions.

Heavy fermion fluid in high magnetic fields: an infrared study of CeRu4Sb12.

We report a comprehensive infrared magnetospectroscopy study of a CeRu4Sb12 compound revealing quasiparticles with a heavy effective mass m*, with a detailed analysis of optical constants in fields up to 17 T. We find that the applied magnetic field strongly affects the low-energy excitations in the system. In particular, the magnitude of m* approximately = 70 m(b) (m(b) is the quasiparticle band mass) at 10 K is suppressed by as much as 25% at 17 T. This effect is in quantitative agreement with the mean-field solution of the periodic Anderson model augmented with a Zeeman term.

Field-induced antiferromagnetism in the Kondo insulator.

The Kondo lattice model, augmented by a Zeeman term, serves as a useful model of a Kondo insulator in an applied magnetic field. A variational mean field analysis of this system on a square lattice, backed up by quantum Monte Carlo calculations, reveals an interesting separation of magnetic field scales. For Zeeman energy comparable to the Kondo energy, the spin gap closes and the system develops transverse staggered magnetic order. The charge gap, however, remains robust up to a higher hybridization energy scale, at which point the canted antiferromagnetism is exponentially suppressed and the system crosses over to a nearly metallic regime. Quantum Monte Carlo simulations support this mean field scenario. An interesting rearrangement of spectral weight with magnetic field is found.