5,270 research outputs found
Nodeless superconductivity in the noncentrosymmetric MoRhN superconductor: a SR study
The noncentrosymmetric superconductor MoRhN, with K,
adopts a -Mn-type structure (space group 432), similar to that of
MoAlC. Its bulk superconductivity was characterized by magnetization
and heat-capacity measurements, while its microscopic electronic properties
were investigated by means of muon-spin rotation and relaxation (SR). The
low-temperature superfluid density, measured via transverse-field (TF)-SR,
evidences a fully-gapped superconducting state with , very close to 1.76 - the BCS gap value for
the weak coupling case, and a magnetic penetration depth nm.
The absence of spontaneous magnetic fields below the onset of
superconductivity, as determined by zero-field (ZF)-SR measurements, hints
at a preserved time-reversal symmetry in the superconducting state. Both TF-and
ZF-SR results evidence a spin-singlet pairing in MoRhN.Comment: 5 figures and 5 pages. Accepted for publication as a Rapid
Communication in Phys. Rev.
Magnetic order in the quasi-one-dimensional spin 1/2 chain, copper pyrazine dinitrate
We present the first evidence of magnetic order in the quasi-one-dimensional
spin 1/2 molecular chain compound, copper pyrazine dinitrate Cu(C4H4N2)(NO3)2}.
Zero field muon-spin relaxation measurements made at dilution refrigerator
temperatures show oscillations in the measured asymmetry, characteristic of a
quasistatic magnetic field at the muon sites. Our measurements provide
convincing evidence for long range magnetic order below a temperature
T_N=107(1) mK. This leads to an estimate of the interchain coupling constant of
|J'|/k_B=0.046 K and to a ratio |J'/J| = 4.4 x 10^-3.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Physical Review Letter
Magnetic quantum critical point and superconductivity in UPt3 doped with Pd
Transverse-field muon spin relaxation measurements have been carried out on
the heavy-fermion superconductor UPt3 doped with small amounts of Pd. We find
that the critical Pd concentration for the emergence of the large-moment
antiferromagnetic phase is ~0.6 at.%Pd. At the same Pd content,
superconductivity is completely suppressed. The existence of a magnetic quantum
critical point in the phase diagram, which coincides with the critical point
for superconductivity, provides evidence for ferromagnetic spin-fluctuation
mediated odd-parity superconductivity, which competes with antiferromagnetic
order.Comment: 4 pages (includes 3 figures); postscript fil
Magnetic quantum critical point and superconductivity in UPt3 doped with Pd
Transverse-field muon spin relaxation measurements have been carried out on
the heavy-fermion superconductor UPt3 doped with small amounts of Pd. We find
that the critical Pd concentration for the emergence of the large-moment
antiferromagnetic phase is ~0.6 at.%Pd. At the same Pd content,
superconductivity is completely suppressed. The existence of a magnetic quantum
critical point in the phase diagram, which coincides with the critical point
for superconductivity, provides evidence for ferromagnetic spin-fluctuation
mediated odd-parity superconductivity, which competes with antiferromagnetic
order.Comment: 4 pages (includes 3 figures); postscript fil
A tail-like assembly at the portal vertex in intact herpes simplex type-1 virions
Herpes viruses are prevalent and well characterized human pathogens. Despite extensive study, much remains to be learned about the structure of the genome packaging and release machinery in the capsids of these large and complex double-stranded DNA viruses. However, such machinery is well characterized in tailed bacteriophage, which share a common evolutionary origin with herpesvirus. In tailed bacteriophage, the genome exits from the virus particle through a portal and is transferred into the host cell by a complex apparatus (i.e. the tail) located at the portal vertex. Here we use electron cryo-tomography of human herpes simplex type-1 (HSV-1) virions to reveal a previously unsuspected feature at the portal vertex, which extends across the HSV-1 tegument layer to form a connection between the capsid and the viral membrane. The location of this assembly suggests that it plays a role in genome release into the nucleus and is also important for virion architecture
Muon-spin-rotation measurements of the penetration depth in Li_2Pd_3B
Measurements of the magnetic field penetration depth in the ternary
boride superconductor LiPdB ( K) have been carried out by
means of muon-spin rotation (SR). The absolute values of , the
Ginzburg-Landau parameter , and the first and the second
critical fields at T=0 obtained from SR were found to be
nm, , mT, and
T, respectively. The zero-temperature value of the
superconducting gap 1.31(3) meV was found, corresponding to the
ratio . At low temperatures saturates and
becomes constant below , in agreement with what is expected for
s-wave BCS superconductors. Our results suggest that LiPdB is a s-wave
BCS superconductor with the only one isotropic energy gap.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure
Avoided ferromagnetic quantum critical point: Unusual short-range ordered state in CeFePO
Cerium 4f electronic spin dynamics in single crystals of the heavy-fermion
system CeFePO is studied by means of ac-susceptibility, specific heat and
muon-spin relaxation (SR). Short-range static magnetism occurs below the
freezing temperature Tg ~ 0.7 K, which prevents the system from accessing the
putative ferromagnetic quantum critical point. In the SR, the
sample-averaged muon asymmetry function is dominated by strongly inhomogeneous
spin fluctuations below 10 K and exhibits a characteristic time-field scaling
relation expected from glassy spin dynamics, strongly evidencing cooperative
and critical spin fluctuations. The overall behavior can be ascribed neither to
canonical spin glasses nor other disorder-driven mechanisms.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Letters, Link:
http://prl.aps.org/accepted/6207bYdaGef1483c419928305372ce2d4419eb96
Quenched crystal field disorder and magnetic liquid ground states in Tb2Sn2-xTixO7
Solid-solutions of the "soft" quantum spin ice pyrochlore magnets Tb2B2O7
with B=Ti and Sn display a novel magnetic ground state in the presence of
strong B-site disorder, characterized by a low susceptibility and strong spin
fluctuations to temperatures below 0.1 K. These materials have been studied
using ac-susceptibility and muSR techniques to very low temperatures, and
time-of-flight inelastic neutron scattering techniques to 1.5 K. Remarkably,
neutron spectroscopy of the Tb3+ crystal field levels appropriate to at high
B-site mixing (0.5 < x < 1.5 in Tb2Sn2-xTixO7) reveal that the doublet ground
and first excited states present as continua in energy, while transitions to
singlet excited states at higher energies simply interpolate between those of
the end members of the solid solution. The resulting ground state suggests an
extreme version of a random-anisotropy magnet, with many local moments and
anisotropies, depending on the precise local configuration of the six B sites
neighboring each magnetic Tb3+ ion.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
On the H emission from the Cephei system
Be stars, which are characterised by intermittent emission in their hydrogen
lines, are known to be fast rotators. This fast rotation is a requirement for
the formation of a Keplerian disk, which in turn gives rise to the emission.
However, the pulsating, magnetic B1IV star Cephei is a very slow
rotator that still shows H emission episodes like in other Be stars,
contradicting current theories. We investigate the hypothesis that the
H emission stems from the spectroscopically unresolved companion of
Cep. Spectra of the two unresolved components have been separated in
the 6350-6850\AA range with spectro-astrometric techniques, using 11 longslit
spectra obtained with ALFOSC at the Nordic Optical Telescope, La Palma. We find
that the H emission is not related to the primary in Cep, but
is due to its 3.4 magnitudes fainter companion. This companion has been
resolved by speckle techniques, but it remains unresolved by traditional
spectroscopy. The emission extends from about 400 to +400 km s. The
companion star in its 90-year orbit is likely to be a classical Be star with a
spectral type around B6-8. By identifying its Be-star companion as the origin
of the H emission behaviour, the enigma behind the Be status of the
slow rotator Cep has been resolved.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Accepted by A&A Letter
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