Bi2Te_xSe_y series studied by resistivity and thermopower

We study the detailed temperature and composition dependence of the resistivity, $\rho(T)$, and thermopower, $S(T)$, for a series of layered bismuth chalcogenides Bi$_2$Te$_{3-x}$Se$_x$, and report the stoichiometry dependence of the optical band gap. In the resistivity of the most compensated member, Bi$_2$Te$_{2.1}$Se$_{0.9}$, we find a low-temperature plateau whose onset temperature correlates with the high-temperature activation energy. For the whole series $S(T)$ can be described by a simple model for an extrinsic semiconductor. By substituting Se for Te, the Fermi level is tuned from the valence band into the conduction band. The maximum values of $S(T)$, bulk band gap as well the activation energy in the resistivity are found for $x \approx 0.9$

Manifestation of the spin textures in the thermopower of MnSi

To identify possible spin texture contributions to thermoelectric transport, we present a detailed temperature and pressure dependence of thermopower $S$ in MnSi, as well as a low-temperature study of $S$ in a magnetic field. We find that $S/T$ reconstructs the $(p,T)$ phase diagram of MnSi encompassing the Fermi liquid, partially ordered, and non-Fermi liquid phases. Our results indicate that the latter two phases have essentially the same nature. In the partially ordered phase, $S(T)$ is strongly enhanced, which may be understood as a spiral-fluctuation-driven phase. A low temperature upturn in $S/T$ pertaining to the partial order phase persists up to the highest pressure, 24 kbar. Contrarily, a small suppression of $S(T)$ is observed in the ordered skyrmion lattice $A$ phase

Resistive switching in β-SrV6O15

Abstract.: We investigate the pressure and temperature behavior of current-dependent resistivity of β-SrV6O15. We observe a switching between states of different resistivities in the insulating state of β-SrV6O15. In the low pressure phase, the resistive switching appears at temperatures below the semiconductor-insulator transition. In the high pressure phase, under ~1.6GPa, the switching appears in the temperature range of the phase transition. The existence of switching may imply an important role of strontium off-stoichiometry for the electrical transport in β-SrV6O15. No electric-field-induced enhancement of the conductivity is observed. However, the conduction is significantly nonlinear under ~1.6GPa, indicating that the charge order pattern in the high pressure phase is considerably different from that of the low pressure phas

Epigenetic regulation of genes mediated by satellite DNA

Satellite DNA is a highly repetitive DNA, organized in long tandem arrays, located in the heterochromatic regions of chromosomes. Repeats of satellite DNAs can be excised from their heterochromatin loci and integrate into euchromatin. This scenario was proposed to describe euchromatic dispersion of TCAST1, the species-specific major satellite DNA of beetle Triboliumcastaneum, which is associated with numerous protein-coding genes. Dispersed repeats of TCAST1 (dTcast1) were present as monomeric or multimeric repeat units in intragenic (introns), as well as, intergenic regions. Our assumption was that dTcast1can influence the expression of associated genes. Our results show that dTcast1 affects the adjacent genes under physiological condition by inducing a slight downregulation of gene expression. The effect is more pronounced after heat stress when transient increase of satellite DNA transcripts processed into TCAST1-siRNAs is induced. We showed that a temporary formation of heterochromatic state characterized by increased level of H3K9met2/3 at dTcast insertion sites and their spreading to the proximal regions is responsible for downregulation of nearby genes. In conclusion, dTcast1 satellite elements influence the level of expression of their associated genes through RNA interference-based „heterochromatinization“and the level of suppression is positively correlated with the amount of transcripts of TCAST1 satellite DNA. Insertion of satellite DNA repeats within euchromatin provides genes with regulatory elements that modulate their activity in particular in response to environmental stress. Variation in satellite repeats insertion among individuals can in some cases provide phenotypic variation that could be acted upon by selection enabling satellite DNA to contribute to the evolution of gene regulatory networks

Collective Charge Excitations below the Metal-to-Insulator Transition in BaVS3

The charge response in the barium vanadium sulfide (BaVS3) single crystals is characterized by dc resistivity and low frequency dielectric spectroscopy. A broad relaxation mode in MHz range with huge dielectric constant ~= 10^6 emerges at the metal-to-insulator phase transition TMI ~= 67 K, weakens with lowering temperature and eventually levels off below the magnetic transition Tchi ~= 30 K. The mean relaxation time is thermally activated in a manner similar to the dc resistivity. These features are interpreted as signatures of the collective charge excitations characteristic for the orbital ordering that gradually develops below TMI and stabilizes at long-range scale below Tchi.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PR

Optical properties of Bi2Te2Se at ambient and high pressure

The temperature dependence of the complex optical properties of the three-dimensional topological insulator Bi2Te2Se is reported for light polarized in the a-b planes at ambient pressure, as well as the effects of pressure at room temperature. This material displays a semiconducting character with a bulk optical gap of 300 meV at 295 K. In addition to the two expected infrared-active vibrations observed in the planes, there is additional fine structure that is attributed to either the removal of degeneracy or the activation of Raman modes due to disorder. A strong impurity band located at 200 cm^{-1} is also observed. At and just above the optical gap, several interband absorptions are found to show a strong temperature and pressure dependence. As the temperature is lowered these features increase in strength and harden. The application of pressure leads to a very abrupt closing of the gap above 8 GPa, and strongly modifies the interband absorptions in the mid-infrared spectral range. While ab initio calculations fail to predict the collapse of the gap, they do successfully describe the size of the band gap at ambient pressure, and the magnitude and shape of the optical conductivity.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

3D Dirac semimetal Cd3As2: A review of material properties

Cadmium arsenide (Cd3As2) - a time-honored and widely explored material in solid-state physics - has recently attracted considerable attention. This was triggered by a theoretical prediction concerning the presence of 3D symmetry-protected massless Dirac electrons, which could turn Cd3As2 into a 3D analogue of graphene. Subsequent extended experimental studies have provided us with compelling experimental evidence of conical bands in this system, and revealed a number of interesting properties and phenomena. At the same time, some of the material properties remain the subject of vast discussions despite recent intensive experimental and theoretical efforts, which may hinder the progress in understanding and applications of this appealing material. In this review, we focus on the basic material parameters and properties of Cd3As2, in particular those which are directly related to the conical features in the electronic band structure of this material. The outcome of experimental investigations, performed on Cd3As2 using various spectroscopic and transport techniques within the past sixty years, is compared with theoretical studies. These theoretical works gave us not only simplified effective models, but more recently, also the electronic band structure calculated numerically using ab initio methods.Comment: 16 pages, 16 figure

Manifestations of fine features of the density of states in the transport properties of KOs2O6

We performed high-pressure transport measurements on high-quality single crystals of KOs2O6, a beta-pyrochlore superconductor. While the resistivity at high temperatures might approach saturation, there is no sign of saturation at low temperatures, down to the superconducting phase. The anomalous resistivity is accompanied by a nonmetallic behavior in the thermoelectric power (TEP) up to temperatures of at least 700 K, which also exhibits a broad hump with a maximum at 60 K. The pressure influences mostly the low-energy electronic excitations. A simple band model based on enhanced density of states in a narrow window around the Fermi energy (EF) explains the main features of this unconventional behavior in the transport coefficients and its evolution under pressure