The iridium double perovskite Sr2YIrO6 revisited: A combined structural and specific heat study

Recently, the iridate double perovskite Sr$_2$YIrO$_6$ has attracted considerable attention due to the report of unexpected magnetism in this Ir$^{5+}$ (5d$^4$) material, in which according to the J$_{eff}$ model, a non-magnetic ground state is expected. However, in recent works on polycrystalline samples of the series Ba$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$YIrO$_6$ no indication of magnetic transitions have been found. We present a structural, magnetic and thermodynamic characterization of Sr$_2$YIrO$_6$ single crystals, with emphasis on the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the specific heat. Here, we demonstrate the clue role of single crystal X-ray diffraction on the structural characterization of the Sr$_2$YIrO$_6$ double perovskite crystals by reporting the detection of a $\sqrt{2}a \times \sqrt{2}a \times 1c$ supercell, where $a$, $b$ and $c$ are the unit cell dimensions of the reported monoclinic subcell. In agreement with the expected non-magnetic ground state of Ir$^{5+}$ (5d$^4$) in Sr$_2$YIrO$_6$, no magnetic transition is observed down to 430~mK. Moreover, our results suggest that the low temperature anomaly observed in the specific heat is not related to the onset of long-range magnetic order. Instead, it is identified as a Schottky anomaly caused by paramagnetic impurities present in the sample, of the order of $n \sim 0.5(2)$ \%. These impurities lead to non-negligible spin correlations, which nonetheless, are not associated with long-range magnetic ordering.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figure

Lactation-associated macrophages exist in murine mammary tissue and human milk

Macrophages are involved in immune defense, organogenesis and tissue homeostasis. Macrophages contribute to the different phases of mammary gland remodeling during development, pregnancy and involution postlactation. Less is known about the dynamics of mammary gland macrophages in the lactation stage. Here, we describe a macrophage population present during lactation in mice. By multiparameter flow cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing, we identified a lactation-induced CD11c$^{+}$CX3CR1$^{+}$Dectin-1$^{+}$ macrophage population (liMac) that was distinct from the two resident F4/80$^{hi}$ and F4/80$^{lo}$ macrophage subsets present pregestationally. LiMacs were predominantly monocyte-derived and expanded by proliferation in situ concomitant with nursing. LiMacs developed independently of IL-34, but required CSF-1 signaling and were partly microbiota-dependent. Locally, they resided adjacent to the basal cells of the alveoli and extravasated into the milk. We found several macrophage subsets in human milk that resembled liMacs. Collectively, these findings reveal the emergence of unique macrophages in the mammary gland and milk during lactation

Iridium double perovskite Sr2YIrO6: A combined structural and specific heat study

© 2017 American Physical Society.Recently, the iridate double perovskite Sr2YIrO6 has attracted considerable attention due to the report of unexpected magnetism in this Ir5+ (5d4) material, in which according to the Jeff model, a nonmagnetic ground state is expected. However, in recent works on polycrystalline samples of the series Ba2-xSrxYIrO6 no indication of magnetic transitions have been found. We present a structural, magnetic, and thermodynamic characterization of Sr2YIrO6 single crystals, with emphasis on the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the specific heat. As determined by x-ray diffraction, the Sr2YIrO6 single crystals have a cubic structure, with space group Fm3m. In agreement with the expected nonmagnetic ground state of Ir5+ (5d4) in Sr2YIrO6, no magnetic transition is observed down to 430 mK. Moreover, our results suggest that the low-temperature anomaly observed in the specific heat is not related to the onset of long-range magnetic order. Instead, it is identified as a Schottky anomaly caused by paramagnetic impurities present in the sample, of the order of n∼0.5(2)%. These impurities lead to non-negligible spin correlations, which nonetheless, are not associated with long-range magnetic ordering

Observation of heavy spin-orbit excitons propagating in a nonmagnetic background: The case of (Ba,Sr)2YIrO6

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the elementary magnetic excitations in Ba2YIrO6 and Sr2YIrO6 - the two most intensively discussed candidates for a new type of magnetic instability caused by exciton condensation. For both materials, high-resolution resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) at the Ir L3 edge reveals sharp excitations around 370 and 650 meV energy loss, which we identify as triplet and quintet spin-orbit excitons. While the momentum-dependent RIXS spectra reveal that both the triplet and the quintet propagate coherently within the nonmagnetic background of the singlet sites, these modes remain fully gapped. The Ir-Ir exchange interactions in both double perovskites are therefore not strong enough to overcome the magnetic gap and, hence, our results exclude an intrinsic magnetic instability due to a condensation of magnetic excitations for both Ba2YIrO6 and Sr2YIrO6