5,048 research outputs found
Resonant x-ray scattering study on multiferroic BiMnO3
Resonant x-ray scattering is performed near the Mn K-absorption edge for an
epitaxial thin film of BiMnO3. The azimuthal angle dependence of the resonant
(003) peak (in monoclinic indices) is measured with different photon
polarizations; for the channel a 3-fold symmetric oscillation
is observed in the intensity variation, while the scattering
intensity remains constant. These features are accounted for in terms of the
peculiar ordering of the manganese 3d orbitals in BiMnO3. It is demonstrated
that the resonant peak persists up to 770 K with an anomaly around 440 K; these
high and low temperatures coincide with the structural transition temperatures,
seen in bulk, with and without a symmetry change, respectively. A possible
relationship of the orbital order with the ferroelectricity of the system is
discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Superclustering at Redshift Z=0.54
We present strong evidence for the existence of a supercluster at a redshift
of z=0.54 in the direction of Selected Area 68. From the distribution of
galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts we find that there is a large
over-density of galaxies (a factor of four over the number expected in an
unclustered universe) within the redshift range 0.530 < z < 0.555. By
considering the spatial distribution of galaxies within this redshift range
(using spectroscopic and photometric redshifts) we show that the galaxies in
SA68 form a linear structure passing from the South-West of the survey field
through to the North-East (with a position angle of approximately 35 deg East
of North). This position angle is coincident with the positions of the X-ray
clusters CL0016+16, RX J0018.3+1618 and a new X-ray cluster, RX J0018.8+1602,
centered near the radio source 54W084. All three of these sources are at a
redshift of approximately z=0.54 and have position angles, derived from their
X-ray photon distributions, consistent with that measured for the supercluster.
Assuming a redshift of 0.54 for the distribution of galaxies and a FWHM
dispersion in redshift of 0.020 this represents a coherent structure with a
radial extent of 31 Mpc, transverse dimension of 12 Mpc, and a thickness of
approximately 4 Mpc. The detection of this possible supercluster demonstrates
the power of using X-ray observations, combined with multicolor observations,
to map the large scale distribution of galaxies at intermediate redshifts.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, Latex, aaspp4.sty, accepted for publication in
Ap J Letters. Figure 3 and followup observations can be found at
http://tarkus.pha.jhu.edu/~ajc/papers/supercluster
Faint HI 21-cm Emission Line Wings at Forbidden-Velocities
We present the results of a search for faint HI 21-cm emission line wings at
velocities forbidden by Galactic rotation in the Galactic plane using the
Leiden/Dwingeloo HI Survey data and the HI Southern Galactic Plane Survey data.
These ``forbidden-velocity wings (FVWs)'' appear as protruding excessive
emission in comparison with their surroundings in limited (< 2 deg) spatial
regions over velocity extent more than ~20 km/s in large-scale (l-v) diagrams.
Their high-velocities imply that there should be some dynamical phenomena
associated. We have identified 87 FVWs. We present their catalog, and discuss
their distribution and statistical properties. We found that 85% of FVWs are
not coincident with known supernova remnants (SNRs), galaxies, or high-velocity
clouds. Their natures are currently unknown. We suspect that many of them are
fast-moving HI shells and filaments associated with the oldest SNRs that are
essentially invisible except via their HI line emission. We discuss other
possible origins.Comment: 41 pages, 14 figures, to be published in apj
Anisotropic strains and magnetoresistance of La_{0.7}Ca_{0.3}MnO_{3}
Thin films of perovskite manganite La_{0.7}Ca_{0.3}MnO_{3} were grown
epitaxially on SrTiO_3(100), MgO(100) and LaAlO_3(100) substrates by the pulsed
laser deposition method. Microscopic structures of these thin film samples as
well as a bulk sample were fully determined by x-ray diffraction measurements.
The unit cells of the three films have different shapes, i.e., contracted
tetragonal, cubic, and elongated tetragonal for SrTiO_3, MgO, and LaAlO_3
cases, respectively, while the unit cell of the bulk is cubic. It is found that
the samples with cubic unit cell show smaller peak magnetoresistance than the
noncubic ones do. The present result demonstrates that the magnetoresistance of
La_{0.7}Ca_{0.3}MnO_{3} can be controlled by lattice distortion via externally
imposed strains.Comment: Revtex, 10 pages, 2 figure
Singlet ground state in the alternating spin- chain compound NaVOAsO
We present the synthesis and a detailed investigation of structural and
magnetic properties of polycrystalline NaVOAsO by means of x-ray
diffraction, magnetization, electron spin resonance (ESR), and As
nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements as well as density-functional
band structure calculations. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility, ESR
intensity, and NMR line shift could be described well using an alternating
spin- chain model with the exchange coupling K and
an alternation parameter . From the high-field magnetic
isotherm measured at K, the critical field of the gap closing is found
to be T, which corresponds to the zero-field spin gap of
K. Both NMR shift and spin-lattice relaxation
rate show an activated behavior at low temperatures, further confirming the
singlet ground state. The spin chains do not coincide with the structural
chains, whereas the couplings between the spin chains are frustrated. Because
of a relatively small spin gap, NaVOAsO is a promising compound for further
experimental studies under high magnetic fields.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, 2 table
The Luminosity Function for L>L* Galaxies at z > 3
Through use of multiband (U, B, R, I) photometry we have isolated high
redshift (3.0<z<3.5) galaxy candidates in a survey of 1.27 deg^2 to R = 21.25
and a survey of 0.02 deg^2 to R = 23.5. Our pool of candidates constrains the
nature of the 3.0 < z < 3.5 luminosity function over the range L* < L < 100 L*,
if we grant a similar level of completeness to these data as for very faint
samples (to R = 25.5) selected in a similar fashion. Our constraints agree with
the high redshift sky density at R = 20.5 estimated from Yee et al.'s (1996)
serendipitous discovery of a bright, z = 2.7 galaxy, as well as the density at
R ~ 23 by Steidel et al. (1996b). We strongly rule out -- by more than two
orders of magnitude at M(R) = -25 -- the L > L* luminosity function for z = 3-5
galaxies obtained by a photometric redshift analysis of the Hubble Deep Field
(HDF) by Gwyn & Hartwick (1996). Our results at R ~ 23 are more consistent with
the photometric redshift analysis of the faint HDF galaxies by Sawicki & Yee
(1996), but our present upper limits at the brightest magnitudes (R < 21.5,
M(R) < -24) allow more generous volume densities of these super-L* galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters; 14 pages Latex, including 3
figure
Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies up to z~1 in the HST Ultra Deep Field: I. Small galaxies, or blue centers of massive disks?
We analyze 26 Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies (LCBGs) in the HST/ACS Ultra
Deep Field (UDF) at z ~ 0.2-1.3, to determine whether these are truly small
galaxies, or rather bright central starbursts within existing or forming large
disk galaxies. Surface brightness profiles from UDF images reach fainter than
rest-frame 26.5 B mag/arcsec^2 even for compact objects at z~1. Most LCBGs show
a smaller, brighter component that is likely star-forming, and an extended,
roughly exponential component with colors suggesting stellar ages >~ 100 Myr to
few Gyr. Scale lengths of the extended components are mostly >~ 2 kpc, >1.5-2
times smaller than those of nearby large disk galaxies like the Milky Way.
Larger, very low surface brightness disks can be excluded down to faint
rest-frame surface brightnesses (>~ 26 B mag/arcsec^2). However, 1 or 2 of the
LCBGs are large, disk-like galaxies that meet LCBG selection criteria due to a
bright central nucleus, possibly a forming bulge. These results indicate that
>~ 90% of high-z LCBGs are small galaxies that will evolve into small disk
galaxies, and low mass spheroidal or irregular galaxies in the local Universe,
assuming passive evolution and no significant disk growth. The data do not
reveal signs of disk formation around small, HII-galaxy-like LCBGs, and do not
suggest a simple inside-out growth scenario for larger LCBGs with a disk-like
morphology. Irregular blue emission in distant LCBGs is relatively extended,
suggesting that nebular emission lines from star-forming regions sample a major
fraction of an LCBG's velocity field.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, AASTeX; accepted for publication in
Astrophysical Journal Letter
Pressure-induced phase transitions and superconductivity in magnesium carbides
Crystal structure prediction and in silico physical property observations guide experimental synthesis in high-pressure research. Here, we used magnesium carbides as a representative example of computational high-pressure studies. We predicted various compositions of Mg-C compounds up to 150 GPa and successfully reproduced previous experimental results. Interestingly, our proposed MgC2 at high pressure >7 GPa consists of extended carbon bonds, one-dimensional graphene layers, and Mg atomic layers, which provides a good platform to study superconductivity of metal intercalated graphene nano-ribbons. We found that this new phase of MgC2 could be recovered to ambient pressure and exhibited a strong electron-phonon coupling (EPC) strength of 0.6 whose corresponding superconductivity transition temperature reached 15 K. The EPC originated from the cooperation of the out-of-plane and the in-plane phonon modes. The geometry confinement and the hybridization between the Mg s and C p(z) orbitals significantly affect the coupling of phonon modes and electrons. These results show the importance of the high-pressure route to the synthesis of novel functional materials, which can promote the search for new phases of carbon-based superconductors.11Ysciescopu
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