2,242 research outputs found
The interlayer cohesive energy of graphite from thermal desorption of polyaromatic hydrocarbons
We have studied the interaction of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with the
basal plane of graphite using thermal desorption spectroscopy. Desorption
kinetics of benzene, naphthalene, coronene and ovalene at sub-monolayer
coverages yield activation energies of 0.50 eV, 0.85 eV, 1.40 eV and 2.1 eV,
respectively. Benzene and naphthalene follow simple first order desorption
kinetics while coronene and ovalene exhibit fractional order kinetics owing to
the stability of 2-D adsorbate islands up to the desorption temperature.
Pre-exponential frequency factors are found to be in the range
- as obtained from both Falconer--Madix (isothermal
desorption) analysis and Antoine's fit to vapour pressure data. The resulting
binding energy per carbon atom of the PAH is 5 meV and can be identified
with the interlayer cohesive energy of graphite. The resulting cleavage energy
of graphite is ~meV/atom which is considerably larger than previously
reported experimental values.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 2 table
Performance of a 229 Thorium solid-state nuclear clock
The 7.8 eV nuclear isomer transition in 229 Thorium has been suggested as an
etalon transition in a new type of optical frequency standard. Here we discuss
the construction of a "solid-state nuclear clock" from Thorium nuclei implanted
into single crystals transparent in the vacuum ultraviolet range. We
investigate crystal-induced line shifts and broadening effects for the specific
system of Calcium fluoride. At liquid Nitrogen temperatures, the clock
performance will be limited by decoherence due to magnetic coupling of the
Thorium nucleus to neighboring nuclear moments, ruling out the commonly used
Rabi or Ramsey interrogation schemes. We propose a clock stabilization based on
counting of flourescence photons and present optimized operation parameters.
Taking advantage of the high number of quantum oscillators under continuous
interrogation, a fractional instability level of 10^{-19} might be reached
within the solid-state approach.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figure
Resonant x-ray diffraction study of the magnetoresistant perovskite Pr0.6Ca0.4MnO3
We report a x-ray resonant diffraction study of the perovskite
Pr0.6Ca0.4MnO3. At the Mn K-edge, this technique is sensitive to details of the
electronic structure of the Mn atoms. We discuss the resonant x-ray spectra
measured above and below the charge and orbital ordering phase transition
temperature (TCOO = 232 K), and present a detailed analysis of the energy and
polarization dependence of the resonant scattering. The analysis confirms that
the structural transition is a transition to an orbitally ordered phase in
which inequivalent Mn atoms are ordered in a CE-type pattern. The Mn atoms
differ mostly by their 3d orbital occupation. We find that the charge
disproportionation is incomplete, 3d^{3.5-\delta} and 3d^{3.5+\delta} with
\delta\ll0.5 . A revised CE-type model is considered in which there are two Mn
sublattices, each with partial e_{g} occupancy. One sublattice consists of Mn
atoms with the 3x^{2}-r^{2} or 3y^{2}-r^{2} orbitals partially occupied, the
other sublattice with the x^{2}-y^{2} orbital partially occupied.Comment: 15 pages, 15 figure
An optically stimulated superconducting-like phase in K3C60 far above equilibrium Tc
The control of non-equilibrium phenomena in complex solids is an important
research frontier, encompassing new effects like light induced
superconductivity. Here, we show that coherent optical excitation of molecular
vibrations in the organic conductor K3C60 can induce a non-equilibrium state
with the optical properties of a superconductor. A transient gap in the real
part of the optical conductivity and a low-frequency divergence of the
imaginary part are measured for base temperatures far above equilibrium Tc=20
K. These findings underscore the role of coherent light fields in inducing
emergent order.Comment: 40 pages, 23 figure
Systematic Cu-63 NQR studies of the stripe phase in La(1.6-x)Nd(0.4)Sr(x)CuO(4) for 0.07 <= x <= 0.25
We demonstrate that the integrated intensity of Cu-63 nuclear quadrupole
resonance (NQR) in La(1.6-x)Nd(0.4)Sr(x)CuO(4) decreases dramatically below the
charge-stripe ordering temperature T(charge). Comparison with neutron and X-ray
scattering indicates that the wipeout fraction F(T) (i.e. the missing fraction
of the integrated intensity of the NQR signal) represents the charge-stripe
order parameter. The systematic study reveals bulk charge-stripe order
throughout the superconducting region 0.07 <= x <= 0.25. As a function of the
reduced temperature t = T/T(charge), the temperature dependence of F(t) is
sharpest for the hole concentration x=1/8, indicating that x=1/8 is the optimum
concentration for stripe formation.Comment: 10 pages of text and captions, 11 figures in postscript. Final
version, with new data in Fig.
Influence of through-flow on linear pattern formation properties in binary mixture convection
We investigate how a horizontal plane Poiseuille shear flow changes linear
convection properties in binary fluid layers heated from below. The full linear
field equations are solved with a shooting method for realistic top and bottom
boundary conditions. Through-flow induced changes of the bifurcation thresholds
(stability boundaries) for different types of convective solutions are deter-
mined in the control parameter space spanned by Rayleigh number, Soret coupling
(positive as well as negative), and through-flow Reynolds number. We elucidate
the through-flow induced lifting of the Hopf symmetry degeneracy of left and
right traveling waves in mixtures with negative Soret coupling. Finally we
determine with a saddle point analysis of the complex dispersion relation of
the field equations over the complex wave number plane the borders between
absolute and convective instabilities for different types of perturbations in
comparison with the appropriate Ginzburg-Landau amplitude equation
approximation. PACS:47.20.-k,47.20.Bp, 47.15.-x,47.54.+rComment: 19 pages, 15 Postscript figure
Celecoxib exerts protective effects in the vascular endothelium via COX-2-independent activation of AMPK-CREB-Nrf2 signalling
Although concern remains about the athero-thrombotic risk posed by cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2-selective inhibitors, recent data implicates rofecoxib, while celecoxib appears equivalent to NSAIDs naproxen and ibuprofen. We investigated the hypothesis that celecoxib activates AMP kinase (AMPK) signalling to enhance vascular endothelial protection. In human arterial and venous endothelial cells (EC), and in contrast to ibuprofen and naproxen, celecoxib induced the protective protein heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). Celecoxib derivative 2,5-dimethyl-celecoxib (DMC) which lacks COX-2 inhibition also upregulated HO-1, implicating a COX-2-independent mechanism. Celecoxib activated AMPKα(Thr172) and CREB-1(Ser133) phosphorylation leading to Nrf2 nuclear translocation. Importantly, these responses were not reproduced by ibuprofen or naproxen, while AMPKα silencing abrogated celecoxib-mediated CREB and Nrf2 activation. Moreover, celecoxib induced H-ferritin via the same pathway, and increased HO-1 and H-ferritin in the aortic endothelium of mice fed celecoxib (1000 ppm) or control chow. Functionally, celecoxib inhibited TNF-α-induced NF-κB p65(Ser536) phosphorylation by activating AMPK. This attenuated VCAM-1 upregulation via induction of HO-1, a response reproduced by DMC but not ibuprofen or naproxen. Similarly, celecoxib prevented IL-1β-mediated induction of IL-6. Celecoxib enhances vascular protection via AMPK-CREB-Nrf2 signalling, a mechanism which may mitigate cardiovascular risk in patients prescribed celecoxib. Understanding NSAID heterogeneity and COX-2-independent signalling will ultimately lead to safer anti-inflammatory drugs
Field-induced electronic phase separation in a cuprate high temperature superconductor
We present a combined neutron diffraction (ND) and high-field muon spin
rotation (SR) study of the magnetic and superconducting phases of the
high-temperature superconductor LaSrCuO (~K). We observe a linear dependence of the ND signal from the modulated
antiferromagnetic order (m-AFM) on the applied field. The magnetic volume
fraction measured with SR increases linearly from 0\% to 40\% with
applied magnetic field up to 8~T. This allows us to conclude, in contrast to
earlier field-dependent neutron diffraction studies, that the long-range m-AFM
regions are induced by an applied field, and that their ordered magnetic moment
remains constant
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