6,044 research outputs found
Metal-insulator transition in YHx: scaling of the sub-THz conductivity
The established scaling laws of the conductivity with temperature and doping
are strong indications for the quantum nature of the metal-insulator transition
in YH. Here we report the first results on the frequency scaling of the
conductivity. Samples were brought from the insulating to the metallic phase by
carrier doping via illumination. In the metallic phase, the sub-terahertz
conductivity coincides with the dc data. These results do not agree with the
simplest picture of a quantum-phase transition.Comment: 4 pages, accepted to PR
Magnetic dipolar ordering and relaxation in the high-spin molecular cluster compound Mn6
Few examples of magnetic systems displaying a transition to pure dipolar
magnetic order are known to date, and single-molecule magnets can provide an
interesting example. The molecular cluster spins and thus their dipolar
interaction energy can be quite high, leading to reasonably accessible ordering
temperatures, provided the crystal field anisotropy is sufficiently small. This
condition can be met for molecular clusters of sufficiently high symmetry, as
for the Mn6 compound studied here. Magnetic specific heat and susceptibility
experiments show a transition to ferromagnetic dipolar order at T_{c} = 0.16 K.
Classical Monte-Carlo calculations indeed predict ferromagnetic ordering and
account for the correct value of T_{c}. In high magnetic fields we detected the
contribution of the ^{55}Mn nuclei to the specific heat, and the characteristic
timescale of nuclear relaxation. This was compared with results obtained
directly from pulse-NMR experiments. The data are in good mutual agreement and
can be well described by the theory for magnetic relaxation in highly polarized
paramagnetic crystals and for dynamic nuclear polarization, which we
extensively review. The experiments provide an interesting comparison with the
recently investigated nuclear spin dynamics in the anisotropic single molecule
magnet Mn12-ac.Comment: 19 pages, 11 eps figures. Contains extensive discussions on dipolar
ordering, specific heat and nuclear relaxation in molecular magnet
Experiences and needs of patients with incurable cancer regarding advance care planning:results from a national cross-sectional survey
Introduction: Patients faced with incurable cancer may experience a lack of support from their physician throughout and after treatment. Studies on the needs and experiences of these patients are scarce. In this study, we explored the needs and experiences of patients diagnosed with incurable cancer regarding the conversation, in which they were told that their cancer was incurable, the care received after this conversation, and their preferences regarding end-of-life conversations. Methods: Data were cross-sectionally collected through a national online survey in the Netherlands (September 2018). Descriptive statistics and correlation coefficients were reported and subgroups were compared. Results: Six hundred fifty-four patients (mean age 60 years; 58% women) completed the survey. Patients were primarily diagnosed with breast cancer (22%) or a hematological malignancy (21%). Patients reported a strong need for emotional support during the conversation, in which they were told their cancer was incurable (mean score 8.3; scale 1–10). Their experienced satisfaction with received emotional support was mediocre (mean score 6.4; scale 1–10). Of those patients who felt like they did not receive any additional care (37%) after the diagnosis, the majority expressed a clear need for this kind of care (59%). Mostly, support pertained to psychosocial issues. Regarding conversations about the end of life, most patients (62%) expressed a need to discuss this topic, and preferred their healthcare provider to initiate this conversation. Conclusion: Care for patients with incurable cancer can be further improved by tailoring conversations to specific needs and timely providing appropriate supportive care services
The metallic state in disordered quasi-one-dimensional conductors
The unusual metallic state in conjugated polymers and single-walled carbon
nanotubes is studied by dielectric spectroscopy (8--600 GHz). We have found an
intriguing correlation between scattering time and plasma frequency. This
relation excludes percolation models of the metallic state. Instead, the
carrier dynamics can be understood in terms of the low density of delocalized
states around the Fermi level, which arises from the competion between
disorder-induced localization and interchain-interactions-induced
delocalization.Comment: 4 pages including 4 figure
Mesoscopic phase separation in La2CuO4.02 - a 139La NQR study
In crystals of La2CuO4.02 oxygen diffusion can be limited to such small
length scales, that the resulting phase separation is invisible for neutrons.
Decomposition of the 139La NQR spectra shows the existence of three different
regions, of which one orders antiferromagnetically below 17K concomitantly with
the onset of a weak superconductivity in the crystal. These regions are
compared to the macroscopic phases seen previously in the title compound and
the cluster-glass and striped phases reported for the underdoped Sr-doped
cuprates.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX, 5 figures, to be published in PR
Observation of Supershell Structure in Alkali Metal Nanowires
Nanowires are formed by indenting and subsequently retracting two pieces of
sodium metal. Their cross-section gradually reduces upon retraction and the
diameters can be obtained from the conductance. In previous work we have
demonstrated that when one constructs a histogram of diameters from large
numbers of indentation-retraction cycles, such histograms show a periodic
pattern of stable nanowire diameters due to shell structure in the conductance
modes. Here, we report the observation of a modulation of this periodic
pattern, in agreement with predictions of a supershell structure.Comment: Phys. Rev. Lett., in prin
Dopant-induced crossover from 1D to 3D charge transport in conjugated polymers
The interplay between inter- and intra-chain charge transport in bulk
polythiophene in the hopping regime has been clarified by studying the
conductivity as a function of frequency (up to 3 THz), temperature and doping
level. We present a model which quantitatively explains the observed crossover
from quasi-one-dimensional transport to three-dimensional hopping conduction
with increasing doping level. At high frequencies the conductivity is dominated
by charge transport on one-dimensional conducting chains.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Testbeam and Laboratory Characterization of CMS 3D Pixel Sensors
The pixel detector is the innermost tracking device in CMS, reconstructing
interaction vertices and charged particle trajectories. The sensors located in
the innermost layers of the pixel detector must be upgraded for the ten-fold
increase in luminosity expected with the High- Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) phase.
As a possible replacement for planar sensors, 3D silicon technology is under
consideration due to its good performance after high radiation fluence. In this
paper, we report on pre- and post- irradiation measurements for CMS 3D pixel
sensors with different electrode configurations. The effects of irradiation on
electrical properties, charge collection efficiency, and position resolution of
3D sensors are discussed. Measurements of various test structures for
monitoring the fabrication process and studying the bulk and surface
properties, such as MOS capacitors, planar and gate-controlled diodes are also
presented.Comment: 14 page
Shot noise suppression at room temperature in atomic-scale Au junctions
Shot noise encodes additional information not directly inferable from simple
electronic transport measurements. Previous measurements in atomic-scale metal
junctions at cryogenic temperatures have shown suppression of the shot noise at
particular conductance values. This suppression demonstrates that transport in
these structures proceeds via discrete quantum channels. Using a high frequency
technique, we simultaneously acquire noise data and conductance histograms in
Au junctions at room temperature and ambient conditions. We observe noise
suppression at up to three conductance quanta, with possible indications of
current-induced local heating and noise in the contact region at high
biases. These measurements demonstrate the quantum character of transport at
room temperature at the atomic scale. This technique provides an additional
tool for studying dissipation and correlations in nanodevices.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures + supporting information (6 pages, 6 figures
Similarity of slow stripe fluctations between Sr-doped cuprates and oxygen-doped nickelates
Stripe fluctuations in La2NiO4.17 have been studied by 139La NMR using the
field and temperature dependence of the linewidth and relaxation rates. In the
formation process of the stripes the NMR line intensity is maximal below 230K,
starts to diminish around 140K, disappears around 50K and recovers at 4K. These
results are shown to be consistent with, but completely complementary to
neutron measurements, and to be generic for oxygen doped nickelates and
underdoped cuprates.Comment: 4 pages including 4 figure
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