2,916 research outputs found
In-situ growth of superconducting NdFeAs(O,F) thin films by Molecular Beam Epitaxy
The recently discovered high temperature superconductor F-doped LaFeAsO and
related compounds represent a new class of superconductors with the highest
transition temperature (Tc) apart from the cuprates. The studies ongoing
worldwide are revealing that these Fe-based superconductors are forming a
unique class of materials that are interesting from the viewpoint of
applications. To exploit the high potential of the Fe-based superconductors for
device applications, it is indispensable to establish a process that enables
the growth of high quality thin films. Efforts of thin film preparation started
soon after the discovery of Fe-based superconductors, but none of the earlier
attempts had succeeded in an in-situ growth of a superconducting film of
LnFeAs(O,F) (Ln=lanthanide), which exhibits the highest Tc to date among the
Fe-based superconductors. Here, we report on the successful growth of
NdFeAs(O,F) thin films on GaAs substrates, which showed well-defined
superconducting transitions up to 48 K without the need of an ex-situ heat
treatment
Electron Correlation Driven Heavy-Fermion Formation in LiV2O4
Optical reflectivity measurements were performed on a single crystal of the
d-electron heavy-fermion (HF) metal LiV2O4. The results evidence the highly
incoherent character of the charge dynamics for all temperatures above T^*
\approx 20 K. The spectral weight of the optical conductivity is redistributed
over extremely broad energy scales (~ 5 eV) as the quantum coherence of the
charge carriers is recovered. This wide redistribution is, in sharp contrast to
f-electron Kondo lattice HF systems, characteristic of a metallic system close
to a correlation driven insulating state. Our results thus reveal that strong
electronic correlation effects dominate the low-energy charge dynamics and
heavy quasiparticle formation in LiV2O4. We propose the geometrical
frustration, which limits the extension of charge and spin ordering, as an
additional key ingredient of the low-temperature heavy-fermion formation in
this system.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Prevalence of Anderson-Fabry disease in male patients with late onset hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Background-Although studies have suggested that "late-onset" hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) may be caused by sarcomeric protein gene mutations, the cause of HCM in the majority of patients is unknown. This study determined the prevalence of a potentially treatable cause of hypertrophy, Anderson-Fabry disease, in a HCM referral population.Methods and Results-Plasma alpha-galactosidase A (alpha-Gal) was measured in 79 men with HCM who were diagnosed at greater than or equal to40 years of age (52.9 +/- 7.7 years; range, 40-71 years) and in 74 men who were diagnosed at <40 years (25.9 +/- 9.2 years; range, 8-39 years). Five patients (6.3%) with late-onset disease and 1 patient (1.4%) diagnosed at <40 years had low alpha-Gal activity. Of these 6 patients, 3 had angina, 4 were in New York Heart Association class 2, 5 had palpitations, and 2 had a history of syncope. Hypertrophy was concentric in 5 patients and asymmetric in 1 patient. One patient had left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. All patients with low alpha-Gal activity had alpha-Gal gene mutations.Conclusion-Anderson-Fabry disease should be considered in all cases of unexplained hypertrophy. Its recognition is important given the advent of specific replacement enzyme therapy
Post density functional theoretical studies of highly polar semiconductive Pb(TiNi)O solid solutions: The effects of cation arrangement on band gap
We use a combination of conventional density functional theory (DFT) and
post-DFT methods, including the local density approximation plus Hubbard
(LDA+), PBE0, and self-consistent to study the electronic properties of
Ni-substituted PbTiO (Ni-PTO) solid solutions. We find that LDA
calculations yield unreasonable band structures, especially for Ni-PTO solid
solutions that contain an uninterrupted NiO layer. Accurate treatment of
localized states in transition-metal oxides like Ni-PTO requires post-DFT
methods. -site Ni/Ti cation ordering is also investigated. The -site
cation arrangement alters the bonding between Ni and O, and therefore strongly
affects the band gap () of Ni-PTO. We predict that Ni-PTO solid
solutions should have a direct band gap in the visible light energy range, with
polarization similar to the parent PbTiO. This combination of properties
make Ni-PTO solid solutions promising candidate materials for solar energy
conversion devices.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure
Positron potential and wavefunction in LaFeAsO
We report calculations of the positron potential and wavefunction in LaFeAsO.
These calculations show that the positron wavefunction does sample the entire
unit cell although it is largest in the interstices of the La layer adjacent to
As atoms. The implication is that angular correlation of annihilation radiation
(ACAR) is a viable probe of the Fermi surfaces in this material. The results
also apply to positive muons, and indicate that these will be localized in the
La layer adjacent to As
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