Probing the role of Nd3+ ions in the weak multiferroic character of NdMn2O5 by optical spectroscopies

Raman and infrared spectroscopies are used as local probes to study the dynamics of the Nd-O bonds in the weakly multiferroic NdMn2O5 system. The temperature dependence of selected Raman excitations reveals the splitting of the Nd-O bonds in NdMn2O5. The Nd3+ ion crystal field (CF) excitations in NdMn2O5 single crystals are studied by infrared transmission as a function of temperature, in the 1800-8000 cm-1 range, and under an applied magnetic field up to 11 T. The frequencies of all 4Ij crystal-field levels of Nd3+ are determined. We find that the degeneracy of the ground-state Kramers doublet is lifted ({\Delta}0 ~7.5 cm-1) due to the Nd3+-Mn3+ interaction in the ferroelectric phase, below TC ~ 28 K. The Nd3+ magnetic moment mNd(T) and its contribution to the magnetic susceptibility and the specific heat are evaluated from {\Delta}0(T) indicating that the Nd3+ ions are involved in the magnetic and the ferroelectric ordering observed below ~ 28 K. The Zeeman splitting of the excited crystal field levels of the Nd3+ ions at low temperature is also analyzed.Comment: This paper is accepted for publication as a Regular Article in Physical Review

Magnetic Ground State of Pr0.89_{0.89}LaCe0.11_{0.11}CuO4+α−δ_{4+\alpha-\delta} with Varied Oxygen Depletion Probed by Muon Spin Relaxation

The magnetic ground state of an electron-doped cuprate superconductor Pr$_{1-x}$LaCe$_x$CuO$_{4+\alpha-\delta}$ ($x=0.11, \alpha\simeq0.04$) has been studied by means of muon spin rotation/relaxation (\msr) over a wide variety of oxygen depletion, $0.03\le\delta\le0.12$. Appearance of weak random magnetism over entire crystal volume has been revealed by a slow exponential relaxation. The absence of $\delta$-dependence for the random magnetism and the multiplet pattern of muon Knight shift at higher fields strongly suggest that the random moments are associated with excited Pr$^{3+}$ ions under crystal electric field.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Erratum to: Comparative Studies of the Growth and Characterization of Germanium Epitaxial Film on Silicon (001) with 0° and 6° Offcut

In the original article we presented results that show that the strain in germanium (Ge) epitaxial films grown directly on a silicon (Si) (001) with 6° offcut has a tensile strain of 0.6%. This strain value is much higher than the typical tensile strain value of 0.2% reported for Ge/Si. This discrepancy is due unintentional omission of the Si offcut angle and azimuth angle (φ) of the sample during high-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) measurement, and it has unfortunately resulted in a misleading result

Infrared optical properties of Pr2CuO4

The ab-plane reflectance of a Pr2CuO4 single crystal has been measured over a wide frequency range at a variety of temperatures, and the optical properties determined from a Kramers-Kronig analysis. Above ~ 250 K, the low frequency conductivity increases quickly with temperature; the resistivity follows the form e^(E_a/k_BT), where E_a ~ 0.17 eV is much less than the inferred optical gap of ~ 1.2 eV. Transport measurements show that at low temperature the resistivity deviates from activated behavior and follows the form e^[(T_0/T)^1/4], indicating that the dc transport in this material is due to variable-range hopping between localized states in the gap. The four infrared-active Eu modes dominate the infrared optical properties. Below ~ 200 K, a striking new feature appears near the low-frequency Eu mode, and there is additional new fine structure at high frequency. A normal coordinate analysis has been performed and the detailed nature of the zone-center vibrations determined. Only the low-frequency Eu mode has a significant Pr-Cu interaction. Several possible mechanisms related to the antiferromagnetism in this material are proposed to explain the sudden appearance of this and other new spectral features at low temperature.Comment: 11 pages, 7 embedded EPS figures, REVTeX

Characterization of fecal nitrogen forms produced by a sheep fed with 15N labeled ryegrass

Little is known about nitrogen (N) forms in ruminant feces, although this information is important to understand N dynamics in agro-ecosystems. We fed 15N labeled ryegrass hay to a sheep and collected 15N labeled feces. Nitrogen forms in the feces were characterized by chemical extractions, solid-state cross polarization 15N nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (SS CP/MAS 15N NMR) and Curie-point pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Cp Py-GC/MS). A 4months incubation experiment was conducted to assess N release from the feces. Half of the fecal N could be ascribed to bacterial and endogenous debris and a third to undigested dietary N. About a tenth of the fecal N was mineralized during the incubation experiment. The 15N abundance of nitrate released during the incubation remained constant and close to the 15N abundance of the total feces N. The NMR analysis of the feces showed that most of the N was present in proteins, while some was present as heterocyclic N, amino acids and ammonium. The Cp Py-GC/MS analysis confirmed the presence of proteins, amino acids and heterocyclic N in the feces. Comparing these results to those obtained from the 15N labeled hay suggests that some N compounds present in the plant were not digested by the animal, and that the animal excreted de novo synthesized N compounds. The low content in ammonium and amino acids, the low rate of N release from these feces during the incubation and the relatively high fecal protein content, particularly the hard to mineralize undigested and microbially bound forms, can explain the low transfer of N from these feces to crops observed in a previous wor

SnBrP-A SnIP-type representative in the Sn-Br-P system

One-dimensional semiconductors are interesting materials due to their unique structural features and anisotropy, which grant them intriguing optical, dielectric and mechanical properties. In this work, we report on SnBrP, a lighter homologue of the first inorganic double helix compound SnIP. This class of compounds is characterized by intriguing mechanical and electronic properties, featuring a high flexibility without modulation of physical properties. Semiconducting SnBrP can be synthesized from red phosphorus, tin and tin(II)bromide at elevated temperatures and crystallizes as red-orange, cleavable needles. Raman measurements pointed towards a double helical building unit in SnBrP, showing similarities to the SnIP structure. After taking PL measurements, HR-TEM, and quantum chemical calculations into account, we were able to propose a sense full structure model for SnBrP

Exploring the theme: Synthesis and biological properties of tridentate cyclometalated gold(III) complexes

A family of cyclometalated Au(III) complexes featuring a tridentate C^N^C scaffold has been synthesized and characterized. Microwave assisted synthesis of the ligands has also been exploited and optimized. The biological properties of the thus formed compounds have been studied in cancer cells and demonstrate generally moderate antiproliferative effects. Initial mechanistic insights have also been gained on the gold complex [Au(C^N^C)(GluS)] (3), and support the idea that the thioredoxin system may be a target for this family of compounds together with other relevant intracellular thiol-containing molecules

Lifetime of sub-THz coherent acoustic phonons in a GaAs-AlAs superlattice

We measure the lifetime of the zone-center 340 GHz longitudinal phonon mode in a GaAs-AlAs superlattice excited and probed with femtosecond laser pulses. By comparing measurements conducted at room temperature and liquid nitrogen temperature, we separate the intrinsic (phonon-phonon scattering) and extrinsic contributions to phonon relaxation. The estimated room temperature intrinsic lifetime of 0.95 ns is compared to available calculations and experimental data for bulk GaAs. We conclude that ∼0.3 THz phonons are in the transition zone between Akhiezer and Landau-Rumer regimes of phonon-phonon relaxation at room temperature.United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Basic Energy Sciences (Award DE-SC0001299)United States. Dept. of Energy (Grant DE-FG02-00ER15087