Anisotropic Exchange in LiCuVO4_4 probed by ESR

We investigated the paramagnetic resonance in single crystals of LiCuVO$_4$ with special attention to the angular variation of the absorption spectrum. To explain the large resonance linewidth of the order of 1 kOe, we analyzed the anisotropic exchange interaction in the chains of edge-sharing CuO$_6$ octahedra, taking into account the ring-exchange geometry of the nearest-neighbor coupling via two symmetric rectangular Cu-O bonds. The exchange parameters, which can be estimated from theoretical considerations, nicely agree with the parameters obtained from the angular dependence of the linewidth. The anisotropy of this magnetic ring exchange is found to be much larger than it is usually expected from conventional estimations which neglect the bonding geometry. Hence, the data yield the evidence that in copper oxides with edge-sharing structures the role of the orbital degrees of freedom is strongly enhanced. These findings establish LiCuVO$_4$ as one-dimensional compound at high temperatures. PACS: 76.30.-v, 76.30.Fc, 75.30.EtComment: 18 pages, 6 figure

Assessment of the tissue distribution of transplanted human endothelial progenitor cells by radioactive labeling

Background— Transplantation of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) improves vascularization and left ventricular function after experimental myocardial ischemia. However, tissue distribution of transplanted EPCs has not yet been monitored in living animals. Therefore, we tested whether radioactive labeling allows us to detect injected EPCs

Spin correlations and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in Cs2_2CuCl4_4

We report on electron spin resonance (ESR) studies of the spin relaxation in Cs$_2$CuCl$_4$. The main source of the ESR linewidth at temperatures $T \leq 150$ K is attributed to the uniform Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. The vector components of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction are determined from the angular dependence of the ESR spectra using a high-temperature approximation. Both the angular and temperature dependence of the ESR linewidth have been analyzed using a self-consistent quantum-mechanical approach. In addition analytical expressions based on a quasi-classical picture for spin fluctuations are derived, which show good agreement with the quantum-approach for temperatures $T \geq 2J/k_{\rm B} \approx 15$ K. A small modulation of the ESR linewidth observed in the $ac$-plane is attributed to the anisotropic Zeeman interaction, which reflects the two magnetically nonequivalent Cu positions

Effects of Two Energy Scales in Weakly Dimerized Antiferromagnetic Quantum Spin Chains

By means of thermal expansion and specific heat measurements on the high-pressure phase of (VO)$_2$P$_2$O$_7$, the effects of two energy scales of the weakly dimerized antiferromagnetic $S$ = 1/2 Heisenberg chain are explored. The low energy scale, given by the spin gap $\Delta$, is found to manifest itself in a pronounced thermal expansion anomaly. A quantitative analysis, employing T-DMRG calculations, shows that this feature originates from changes in the magnetic entropy with respect to $\Delta$, $\partial S^{m}/ \partial \Delta$. This term, inaccessible by specific heat, is visible only in the weak-dimerization limit where it reflects peculiarities of the excitation spectrum and its sensitivity to variations in $\Delta$.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures now identical with finally published versio

A generalized framework towards structural mechanics of three-layered composite structures

Three-layered composite structures find a broad application. Increasingly, composites are being used whose layer thicknesses and material properties diverge strongly. In the perspective of structural mechanics, classical approaches to analysis fail at such extraordinary composites. Therefore, emphasis of the present approach is on arbitrary transverse shear rigidities and structural thicknesses of the individual layers. Therewith we employ a layer-wise approach for multiple (quasi-) homogeneous layers. Every layer is considered separately whereby this disquisition is based on the direct approach for deformable directed surfaces. We limit our considerations to geometrical and physical linearity. In this simple and familiar setting we furnish a layer-wise theory by introducing constraints at interfaces to couple the layers. Hereby we restrict our concern to surfaces where all material points per surface are coplanar and all surfaces are plane parallel. Closed-form solutions of the governing equations enforce a narrow frame since they are strongly restrictive in the context of available boundary conditions. Thus a computational solution approach is introduced using the finite element method. In order to determine the required spatially approximated equation of motion, the principle of virtual work is exploited. The discretization is realized via quadrilateral elements with quadratic shape functions. Hereby we introduce an approach where nine degrees of freedom per node are used. In combination with the numerical solution approach, this layer-wise theory has emerged as a powerful tool to analyze composite structures. In present treatise, we would like to clarify the broad scope of this approach