Phase diagram of YBa2_2Cu3_3O7−y_{7-y} at T<<Tc_c based on Cu(2) transverse nuclear relaxation

Two maxima in transverse relaxation rate of Cu(2) nuclei in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-y}$ are observed, at T = 35 K and T = 47 K. Comparison of the $^{63}$Cu(2) and $^{65}$Cu(2) rates at T = 47 K indicates the magnetic character of relaxation. The enhancement at T = 47 K of fluctuating local magnetic fields perpendicular to the CuO$_2$ planes is connected with the critical fluctuations of orbital currents. Maximum at T = 35 K is connected with the appearance of inhomogeneous supeconducting phase. Together with data published to date, our experimental results allow to suggest a qualitatively new phase diagram of the superconducting phase.Comment: 4 LaTEX pages + 3 figures in *.ps forma

Onset of dielectric modes at 110K and 60K due to local lattice distortions in non-superconducting YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{6.0} crystals

We report the observation of two dielectric transitions at 110K and 60K in the microwave response of non-superconducting YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{6.0} crystals. The transitions are characterized by a change in polarizability and presence of loss peaks, associated with overdamped dielectric modes. An explanation is presented in terms of changes in polarizability of the apical O atoms in the Ba-O layer, affected by lattice softening at 110K, due to change in buckling of the Cu-O layer. The onset of another mode at 60K strongly suggests an additional local lattice change at this temperature. Thus microwave dielectric measurements are sensitive indicators of lattice softening which may be relevant to superconductivity.Comment: 5 pages, 3 ps format figure

Charged Vortices in High Temperature Superconductors Probed by NMR

We report a first experimental evidence that a vortex in the high temperature superconductors (HTSC) traps a finite electric charge from the high resolution measurements of the nuclear quadrupole frequencies. In slightly overdoped YBa_2Cu_3O_7 the vortex is negatively charged by trapping electrons, while in underdoped YBa_2Cu_4O_8 it is positively charged by expelling electrons. The sign of the trapped charge is opposite to the sign predicted by the conventional BCS theory. Moreover, in both materials, the deviation of the magnitude of the charge from the theory is also significant. These unexpected features can be attributed to the novel electronic structure of the vortex in HTSC.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, to be published in Phys Rev.

In-plane polarized collective modes in detwinned YBa2_{2}Cu3_{3}O6.95_{6.95} observed by spectral ellipsometry

The in-plane dielectric response of detwinned YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6.95}$ has been studied by far-infared ellipsometry. A surprisingly lare number of in-plane polarized modes are observed. Some of them correspond to pure phonon modes. Others posses a large electronic contribution which strongly increases in the superconducting state. The free carrier response and the collective modes exhibit a pronounced a-b anisotropy. We discuss our results in terms of a CDW state in the 1-d CuO chains and induced charge density fluctuations within the 2-d CuO$_{2}$ planes

Photoemission in the system of linear chains : application to PrBa2_2Cu3_3O7_7 and La2−x−y_{\rm 2-x-y}Ndy_{\rm y}Srx_{\rm x}CuO4_4

Photoemission in the system of linear charged chains has been studied with the dipole matrix incorporated, from which its dependencies on the photoelectron momentum (${\bf k}$), photon polarization ($\hat{\bf E}$), and photon energy ($\omega$) can be explored. The used model is the three-dimensional array of noninteracting chains, which is so simple as to allow an analytic approach. Motivations of the study are for the doped CuO$_3$ chain in PrBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_7$ and the doped static stripe phase in La$_{\rm 2-x-y}$Nd$_{\rm y}$Sr$_{\rm x}$CuO$_4$. The one-dimensional dispersion exhibiting spin-charge separation and its dependence on the momentum perpendicular to the chain and its $\hat{\bf E}$-dependency as well are discussed in PrBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_7$. For La$_{\rm 2-x-y}$Nd$_{\rm y}$Sr$_{\rm x}$CuO$_4$, the anomalous spectral distribution formed by two sets of stripes perpendicular to each other is investigated. The geometric effects led to by the dipole transition matrix including the interference of photocurrents from different chains are found to change the simple one-dimensional feature drastically. We find these changes are consistent with experiment for the chain system PrBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_7$, but less satisfactory for the stripe phase in La$_{\rm 2-x-y}$Nd$_{\rm y}$Sr$_{\rm x}$CuO$_4$. This means that in the stripe phase much two-dimensional characters still exist unlike the chain system.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure

Theoretical study on the electronic, structural, properties and reactivity of a series of mono-, di-, tri- and tetrachlorothiophenes as well as corresponding radical cation forms as monomers for conducting polymers

In this paper, electrical and structural properties of mono-, di-, tri- and tetrachlorothiophenes and their radical cations have been studied using the density functional theory and B3LYP method with 6-311++G** basis set. The effects of the number and position of the substituent of chlorine atoms on the properties of the thiophene ring for all chlorothiophenes and their radical cations have been studied. Vibrational frequencies, nuclear chemical shielding constants, spin-density distribution, size and direction of dipole moment vector, ionization potential, electric polarizabilities and NICS values of these compounds have been calculated as well. The analysis of these data showed that double bonds in 3-chlorothiophene are more delocalized and it is the best possible candidate monomer among all chlorothiophenes for the synthesis of corresponding conducting polymers with modified characteristics

Health status in the ambulance services: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Researchers have become increasingly aware that ambulance personnel may be at risk of developing work-related health problems. This article systematically explores the literature on health problems and work-related and individual health predictors in the ambulance services. METHODS: We identified the relevant empirical literature by searching several electronic databases including Medline, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, and ISI Web of Science. Other relevant sources were identified through reference lists and other relevant studies known by the research group. RESULTS: Forty-nine studies are included in this review. Our analysis shows that ambulance workers have a higher standardized mortality rate, higher level of fatal accidents, higher level of accident injuries and a higher standardized early retirement on medical grounds than the general working population and workers in other health occupations. Ambulance workers also seem to have more musculoskeletal problems than the general population. These conclusions are preliminary at present because each is based on a single study. More studies have addressed mental health problems. The prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptom caseness was > 20% in five of seven studies, and similarly high prevalence rates were reported for anxiety and general psychopathology in four of five studies. However, it is unclear whether ambulance personnel suffer from more mental health problems than the general working population. CONCLUSION: Several indicators suggest that workers in the ambulance services experience more health problems than the general working population and workers in other health occupations. Several methodological challenges, such as small sample sizes, non-representative samples, and lack of comparisons with normative data limit the interpretation of many studies. More coordinated research and replication are needed to compare data across studies. We discuss some strategies for future research

Imaging the Carrier Photogeneration in Nanoscale Phase Segregated Organic Heterojunctions by Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy

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Two-Dimensional Self-Assemblies of Thiophene-Fluorenone Conjugated Oligomers on Graphite: A Joint STM and Molecular Modeling Study

peer reviewedThe formation of self-assembled monolayers of bithiophene-fluorenone conjugated oligomers, 2,7-bis-(4-octyl-thien-2-yl)-fluoren-9-one (B4OTF) and 2,7-bis-(5-octyl-thien-2-yl)-fluoren-9-one (B5OTF), has been studied on highly oriented pyrolitic graphite (HOPG) by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), with the aim of determining the influence of the molecular structure and conformation on the supramolecular organization. The experimental data are discussed in light of a modeling study of the molecular conformation and the adsorption on graphite using molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics simulations. It is shown that molecules with alkyl groups grafted in the C4 position (B4OTF) self-assemble into an anti-anti chiral lattice which is favored both by dipole-dipole and Van der Waals interactions. The short-range organization appears more complex for molecules with alkyl groups grafted in the C5 position (B5OTF). Due to a competition between dipole-dipole and Van der Waals interactions, the modeled assemblies based on syn-syn, syn-anti, and anti-anti B5OTF conformers are all stable and very close in energy, but do not explain the feature of a long-range periodicity evidenced from large-scale STM images. On the basis of the comparative analysis between the experimental data and the modeling, it is then suggested that the supramolecular self-assembly of B5OTF on HOPG implies the presence of several conformers in the monolayer

Charge transfers and charged defects in WSe 2 /graphene-SiC interfaces

International audienceWe report on Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) and Density Functional Theory (DFT) investigations of charge transfers in vertical heterojunctions between tungsten diselenide (WSe2) layers and graphene on silicon carbide substrates. The experimental data reveal the existence of an interface dipole, which is shown by DFT to originate from the neutralization of the graphene n-doping by an electron transfer towards the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) layer. The relative vacuum level shift probed by KPFM between the TMD and the substrate stays constant when passing from monolayer to bilayer graphene, which confirms that the Schottky-Mott model can be rigorously applied to these interfaces by taking into account the charge transfer from the substrate to the TMD. DFT calculations show that the first TMD layer absorbs almost all the excess charges contained in the graphene, and that the second TMD layer shall not play a significant role in the electrostatics of the system. Negatively charged defect at the TMD edges contribute however to the electrostatic landscape probed by KPFM on both TMD layers