Universal conductivity of two-dimensional films at the superconductor-insulator transition

Journal Article · Tue Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.44.6883· OSTI ID:5243142

Cha, M ^[1]; Fisher, M P.A. ^[2]; Girvin, S M ^[1]; Wallin, M ^[3]; Young, A P ^[4]

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1. Department of Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana (USA)
2. IBM Research Division, Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York (USA)
3. Department of Theoretical Physics, Umea University, S-90187 Umea (Sweden)
4. Service de Physique Theorique, Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique, Saclay 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

The zero-temperature universal conductivity of two-dimensional (2D) films at the supeconductor-insulator transition is studied. The existence of a finite conductivity at {ital T}=0 and the universality class for this transition is discussed. Neglecting disorder as a first approximation, so the transition is from a commensurate Mott-Hubbard insulator to a superconductor, we calculate analytically the universal conductivity for the 2D pure boson Hubbard model up to the first order in a large-{ital N} expansion and numerically by Monte Carlo simulation of the (2+1)-D {ital XY} model. From the Monte Carlo results we find the universal conductivity to be {sigma}{sup *}=(0.285{plus minus}0.02){sigma}{sub {ital Q}}, where {sigma}{sub {ital Q}}{sup {minus}1}=={ital R}{sub {ital Q}}=={ital h}/(2{ital e}){sup 2}{approx}6.45 k{Omega}. An analysis in 1D suggests that in the presence of disorder, the universal conductivity in films might be somewhat smaller than this value. The possible existence of universal dissipation in {sup 4}He films is also discussed briefly.

• DOE Contract Number: FG02-90ER45427
• OSTI ID: 5243142
• Journal Information: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States) Vol. 44:13; ISSN 0163-1829; ISSN PRBMD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

656100* -- Condensed Matter Physics-- Superconductivity
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ABSOLUTE ZERO TEMPERATURE
AMORPHOUS STATE
DIMENSIONS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRICAL INSULATORS
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
EQUIPMENT
FILM FLOW
FILMS
FLUCTUATIONS
FLUID FLOW
GRAIN REFINEMENT
MONTE CARLO METHOD
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SCALING LAWS
SUPERCONDUCTING FILMS
SUPERFLUIDITY
THICKNESS
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
VARIATIONS