A TFETI Domain Decomposition Solver for Elastoplastic Problems

We propose an algorithm for the efficient parallel implementation of elastoplastic problems with hardening based on the so-called TFETI (Total Finite Element Tearing and Interconnecting) domain decomposition method. We consider an associated elastoplastic model with the von Mises plastic criterion and the linear isotropic hardening law. Such a model is discretized by the implicit Euler method in time and the consequent one time step elastoplastic problem by the finite element method in space. The latter results in a system of nonlinear equations with a strongly semismooth and strongly monotone operator. The semismooth Newton method is applied to solve this nonlinear system. Corresponding linearized problems arising in the Newton iterations are solved in parallel by the above mentioned TFETI domain decomposition method. The proposed TFETI based algorithm was implemented in Matlab parallel environment and its performance was illustrated on a 3D elastoplastic benchmark. Numerical results for different time discretizations and mesh levels are presented and discussed and a local quadratic convergence of the semismooth Newton method is observed

Magnetic and structural transitions in La0.4_{0.4}Na0.6_{0.6}Fe2_2As2_2 single crystals

La$_{0.4}$Na$_{0.6}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ single crystals have been grown out of an NaAs flux in an alumina crucible and characterized by measuring magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, specific heat, as well as single crystal x-ray and neutron diffraction. La$_{0.4}$Na$_{0.6}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ single crystals show a structural phase transition from a high temperature tetragonal phase to a low-temperature orthorhombic phase at T$_s$\,=\,125\,K. This structural transition is accompanied by an anomaly in the temperature dependence of electrical resistivity, anisotropic magnetic susceptibility, and specific heat. Concomitant with the structural phase transition, the Fe moments order along the \emph{a} direction with an ordered moment of 0.7(1)\,$\mu_{\textup{B}}$ at \emph{T}\,=\,5 K. The low temperature stripe antiferromagnetic structure is the same as that in other \emph{A}Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ (\emph{A}\,=\,Ca, Sr, Ba) compounds. La$_{0.5-x}$Na$_{0.5+x}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ provides a new material platform for the study of iron-based superconductors where the electron-hole asymmetry could be studied by simply varying La/Na ratio.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Physical Review

Thin static charged dust Majumdar-Papapetrou shells with high symmetry in D >= 4

We present a systematical study of static D >= 4 space-times of high symmetry with the matter source being a thin charged dust hypersurface shell. The shell manifold is assumed to have the following structure S_(beta) X R^(D-2-beta), beta (in the interval ) is dimension of a sphere S_(beta). In case of (beta) = 0, we assume that there are two parallel hyper-plane shells instead of only one. The space-time has Majumdar-Papapetrou form and it inherits the symmetries of the shell manifold - it is invariant under both rotations of the S_(beta) and translations along R^(D-2-beta). We find a general solution to the Einstein-Maxwell equations with a given shell. Then, we examine some flat interior solutions with special attention paid to D = 4. A connection to D = 4 non-relativistic theory is pointed out. We also comment on a straightforward generalisation to the case of Kastor-Traschen space-time, i.e. adding a non-negative cosmological constant to the charged dust matter source.Comment: Accepted in Int. J. Theor. Phy

Spin-glass ground state in a triangular-lattice compound YbZnGaO4_4

We report on comprehensive results identifying the ground state of a triangular-lattice structured YbZnGaO$_4$ to be spin glass, including no long-range magnetic order, prominent broad excitation continua, and absence of magnetic thermal conductivity. More crucially, from the ultralow-temperature a.c. susceptibility measurements, we unambiguously observe frequency-dependent peaks around 0.1 K, indicating the spin-glass ground state. We suggest this conclusion to hold also for its sister compound YbMgGaO$_4$, which is confirmed by the observation of spin freezing at low temperatures. We consider disorder and frustration to be the main driving force for the spin-glass phase.Comment: Version as accepted to PR

Synthesis, structure, and opto-electronic properties of organic-based nanoscale heterojunctions

Enormous research effort has been put into optimizing organic-based opto-electronic systems for efficient generation of free charge carriers. This optimization is mainly due to typically high dissociation energy (0.1-1 eV) and short diffusion length (10 nm) of excitons in organic materials. Inherently, interplay of microscopic structural, chemical, and opto-electronic properties plays crucial role. We show that employing and combining advanced scanning probe techniques can provide us significant insight into the correlation of these properties. By adjusting parameters of contact- and tapping-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM), we perform morphologic and mechanical characterizations (nanoshaving) of organic layers, measure their electrical conductivity by current-sensing AFM, and deduce work functions and surface photovoltage (SPV) effects by Kelvin force microscopy using high spatial resolution. These data are further correlated with local material composition detected using micro-Raman spectroscopy and with other electronic transport data. We demonstrate benefits of this multi-dimensional characterizations on (i) bulk heterojunction of fully organic composite films, indicating differences in blend quality and component segregation leading to local shunts of photovoltaic cell, and (ii) thin-film heterojunction of polypyrrole (PPy) electropolymerized on hydrogen-terminated diamond, indicating covalent bonding and transfer of charge carriers from PPy to diamond

Magnonic Weyl states in Cu2OSeO3

The multiferroic ferrimagnet Cu$_2$OSeO$_3$ with a chiral crystal structure attracted a lot of recent attention due to the emergence of magnetic skyrmion order in this material. Here, the topological properties of its magnon excitations are systematically investigated by linear spin-wave theory and inelastic neutron scattering. When considering Heisenberg exchange interactions only, two degenerate Weyl magnon nodes with topological charges $\pm$2 are observed at high-symmetry points. Each Weyl point splits into two as the symmetry of the system is further reduced by including into consideration the nearest-neighbor Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction, crucial for obtaining an accurate fit to the experimental spin-wave spectrum. The predicted topological properties are verified by surface state and Chern number analysis. Additionally, we predict that a measurable thermal Hall conductivity can be associated with the emergence of the Weyl points, the position of which can be tuned by changing the crystal symmetry of the material