1,530 research outputs found
Pressure dependence of the Verwey transition in magnetite: an infrared spectroscopic point of view
We investigated the electronic and vibrational properties of magnetite at
temperatures from 300 K down to 10 K and for pressures up to 10 GPa by
far-infrared reflectivity measurements. The Verwey transition is manifested by
a drastic decrease of the overall reflectance and the splitting of the phonon
modes as well as the activation of additional phonon modes. In the whole
studied pressure range the down-shift of the overall reflectance spectrum
saturates and the maximum number of phonon modes is reached at a critical
temperature, which sets a lower bound for the Verwey transition temperature
T. Based on these optical results a pressure-temperature phase
diagram for magnetite is proposed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; accepted for publication in J. Appl. Phy
Chiral spin currents and spectroscopically accessible single merons in quantum dots
We provide unambiguous theoretical evidence for the formation of
correlation-induced isolated merons in rotationally-symmetric quantum dots. Our
calculations rely on neither the lowest-Landau-level approximation, nor on the
maximum-density-droplet approximation, nor on the existence of a spin-polarized
state. For experimentally accessible system parameters, unbound merons condense
in the ground state at magnetic fields as low as T and for as few
as N = 3 confined fermions. The four-fold degenerate ground-state at
corresponds to four orthogonal merons characterized by their
topological chirality and charge . This degeneracy is lifted by the
Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction, which we include perturbatively,
yielding spectroscopic accessibility to individual merons. We further derive a
closed-form expression for the topological chirality in the form of a chiral
spin current and use it to both characterize our states and predict the
existence of other topological textures in other regions of phase space, for
example, at N=5. Finally, we compare the spin textures of our numerically exact
meron states to ansatz wave-functions of merons in quantum Hall droplets and
find that the ansatz qualitatively describes the meron states.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures; minor title change, typos fixe
Far infrared properties of the rare-earth scandate DyScO3
We present reflectance measurements in the infrared region on a single
crystal the rare earth scandate DyScO3. Measurements performed between room
temperature and 10 K allow to determine the frequency of the infrared-active
phonons, never investigated experimentally, and to get information on their
temperature dependence. A comparison with the phonon peak frequency resulting
from ab-initio computations is also provided. We finally report detailed data
on the frequency dependence of the complex refractive index of DyScO3 in the
terahertz region, which is important in the analysis of terahertz measurements
on thin films deposited on DyScO3
Evidence of a pressure-induced metallization process in monoclinic VO
Raman and combined trasmission and reflectivity mid infrared measurements
have been carried out on monoclinic VO at room temperature over the 0-19
GPa and 0-14 GPa pressure ranges, respectively. The pressure dependence
obtained for both lattice dynamics and optical gap shows a remarkable stability
of the system up to P*10 GPa. Evidence of subtle modifications of V ion
arrangements within the monoclinic lattice together with the onset of a
metallization process via band gap filling are observed for PP*. Differently
from ambient pressure, where the VO metal phase is found only in
conjunction with the rutile structure above 340 K, a new room temperature
metallic phase coupled to a monoclinic structure appears accessible in the high
pressure regime, thus opening to new important queries on the physics of
VO.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
A combined experimental and computational study of the pressure dependence of the vibrational spectrum of solid picene C_22H_14
We present high-quality optical data and density functional perturbation
theory calculations for the vibrational spectrum of solid picene
(CH) under pressure up to 8 GPa. First-principles calculations
reproduce with a remarkable accuracy the pressure effects on both frequency and
intensities of the phonon peaks experimentally observed . Through a detailed
analysis of the phonon eigenvectors, We use the projection on molecular
eigenmodes to unambiguously fit the experimental spectra, resolving complicated
spectral structures, in a system with hundreds of phonon modes. With these
projections, we can also quantify the loss of molecular character under
pressure. Our results indicate that picene, despite a \sim 20 % compression of
the unit cell, remains substantially a molecular solid up to 8 GPa, with phonon
modes displaying a smooth and uniform hardening with pressure. The Grueneisen
parameter of the 1380 cm^{-1} a_1 Raman peak () is much lower
than the effective value () due to K doping. This is an
indication that the phonon softening in K doped samples is mainly due to charge
transfer and electron-phonon coupling.Comment: Replaced with final version (PRB
Quasiparticle evolution and pseudogap formation in V2O3: An infrared spectroscopy study
The infrared conductivity of V2O3 is measured in the whole phase diagram.
Quasiparticles appear above the Neel temperature TN and eventually disappear
further enhancing the temperature, leading to a pseudogap in the optical
spectrum above 425 K. Our calculations demonstrate that this loss of coherence
can be explained only if the temperature dependence of lattice parameters is
considered. V2O3 is therefore effectively driven from the metallic to the
insulating side of the Mott transition as the temperature is increased.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Electrodynamics near the Metal-to-Insulator Transition in V3O5
The electrodynamics near the metal-to-insulator transitions (MIT) induced, in
V3O5 single crystals, by both temperature (T) and pressure (P) has been studied
by infrared spectroscopy. The T- and P-dependence of the optical conductivity
may be explained within a polaronic scenario. The insulating phase at ambient T
and P corresponds to strongly localized small polarons. Meanwhile the T-induced
metallic phase at ambient pressure is related to a liquid of polarons showing
incoherent dc transport, in the P-induced metallic phase at room T strongly
localized polarons coexist with partially delocalized ones. The electronic
spectral weight is almost recovered, in both the T and P induced metallization
processes, on an energy scale of 1 eV, thus supporting the key-role of
electron-lattice interaction in the V3O5 metal-to-insulator transition.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Optical properties of V2O3 in its whole phase diagram
Vanadium sesquioxide V2O3 is considered a textbook example of Mott-Hubbard
physics. In this paper we present an extended optical study of its whole
temperature/doping phase diagram as obtained by doping the pure material with
M=Cr or Ti atoms (V1-xMx)2O3. We reveal that its thermodynamically stable
metallic and insulating phases, although macroscopically equivalent, show very
different low-energy electrodynamics. The Cr and Ti doping drastically change
both the antiferromagnetic gap and the paramagnetic metallic properties. A
slight chromium content induces a mesoscopic electronic phase separation, while
the pure compound is characterized by short-lived quasiparticles at high
temperature. This study thus provides a new comprehensive scenario of the
Mott-Hubbard physics in the prototype compound V2O3
Exploring the role of fallopian ciliated cells in the pathogenesis of high-grade serous ovarian cancer
High-grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women and the first among gynecological malignancies. Despite an initial response to standard chemotherapy, most HGSOC patients relapse. To improve treatment options, we must continue investigating tumor biology. Tumor characteristics (e.g., risk factors and epidemiology) are valuable clues to accomplish this task. The two most frequent risk factors for HGSOC are the lifetime number of ovulations, which is associated with increased oxidative stress in the pelvic area caused by ovulation fluid, and a positive family history due to genetic factors. In the attempt to identify novel genetic factors (i.e., genes) associated with HGSOC, we observed that several genes in linkage with HGSOC are expressed in the ciliated cells of the fallopian tube. This finding made us hypothesize that ciliated cells, despite not being the cell of origin for HGSOC, may take part in HGSOC tumor initiation. Specifically, malfunction of the ciliary beat impairs the laminar fluid flow above the fallopian tube epithelia, thus likely reducing the clearance of oxidative stress caused by follicular fluid. Herein, we review the up-to-date findings dealing with HGSOC predisposition with the hypothesis that fallopian ciliated cells take part in HGSOC onset. Finally, we review the up-to-date literature concerning genes that are located in genomic loci associated with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) predisposition that are expressed by the fallopian ciliated cells
Primary prostatic adenocarcinoma in a domestic short-haired cat
An 8-years-old, domestic short-haired cat was presented for constipation and symptoms referable to the lower urinary tract. A solid mass located in the caudal area of the abdomen was palpated. Abdominal ultrasonography, positive-contrast retrograde urethrocystography and total body computed tomography showed the presence of a prostatic neoformation occupying almost completely the pelvic cavity. The neoformation displaced dorsolaterally the descending colon and completely englobed the prostatic urethra, without apparent involvement of the urethral lumen. Histopathologic examination revealed a prostatic carcinoma. Neoplastic cells showed a moderate to intense cytoplasmatic expression of AE1/AE3, while no expression of cytokeratin 7 and Uroplakin III was observed. Topographical, histological and immunohistochemical findings were consistent with a diagnosis of primary adenocarcinoma of the prostate body
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