759 research outputs found
Segregation during directional melting and its implications on seeded crystal growth: A theoretical analysis
Directional melting of binary systems, as encountered during seeding in melt growth, is analyzed for concurrent compositional changes at the crystal-melt interface. It is shown that steady state conditions cannot normally be reached during seeding and that the growth interface temperature at the initial stages of seeded growth is a function of backmelt conditions. The theoretical treatment is numerically applied to Hg1-xCdXTe and Ga-doped Ge
Neutron-Diffraction Measurements of an Antiferromagnetic Semiconducting Phase in the Vicinity of the High-Temperature Superconducting State of KFeSe
The recently discovered K-Fe-Se high temperature superconductor has caused
heated debate regarding the nature of its parent compound. Transport,
angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, and STM measurements have suggested
that its parent compound could be insulating, semiconducting or even metallic
[M. H. Fang, H.-D. Wang, C.-H. Dong, Z.-J. Li, C.-M. Feng, J. Chen, and H. Q.
Yuan, Europhys. Lett. 94, 27009 (2011); F. Chen et al. Phys. Rev. X 1, 021020
(2011); and W. Li et al.,Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 057003 (2012)]. Because the
magnetic ground states associated with these different phases have not yet been
identified and the relationship between magnetism and superconductivity is not
fully understood, the real parent compound of this system remains elusive.
Here, we report neutron-diffraction experiments that reveal a semiconducting
antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase with rhombus iron vacancy order. The magnetic
order of the semiconducting phase is the same as the stripe AFM order of the
iron pnictide parent compounds. Moreover, while the root5*root5 block AFM phase
coexists with superconductivity, the stripe AFM order is suppressed by it. This
leads us to conjecture that the new semiconducting magnetic ordered phase is
the true parent phase of this superconductor.Comment: 1 table, 4 figures,5 page
Two spatially separated phases in semiconducting RbFeS
We report neutron scattering and transport measurements on semiconducting
RbFeS, a compound isostructural and isoelectronic to the
well-studied FeSe K, Rb, Cs, Tl/K) superconducting
systems. Both resistivity and DC susceptibility measurements reveal a magnetic
phase transition at K. Neutron diffraction studies show that the 275 K
transition originates from a phase with rhombic iron vacancy order which
exhibits an in-plane stripe antiferromagnetic ordering below 275 K. In
addition, interdigitated mesoscopically with the rhombic phase is an ubiquitous
phase with iron vacancy order. This phase has a
magnetic transition at K and an iron vacancy order-disorder
transition at K. These two different structural phases are closely
similar to those observed in the isomorphous Se materials. Based on the close
similarities of the in-plane antiferromagnetic structures, moments sizes, and
ordering temperatures in semiconducting RbFeS and
KFeSe, we argue that the in-plane antiferromagnetic order
arises from strong coupling between local moments. Superconductivity,
previously observed in the FeSeS system, is absent
in RbFeS, which has a semiconducting ground state. The
implied relationship between stripe/block antiferromagnetism and
superconductivity in these materials as well as a strategy for further
investigation is discussed in this paper.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Universal magnetic and structural behaviors in the iron arsenides
Commonalities among the order parameters of the ubiquitous antiferromagnetism
present in the parent compounds of the iron arsenide high temperature
superconductors are explored. Additionally, comparison is made between the well
established two-dimensional Heisenberg-Ising magnet, KNiF and iron
arsenide systems residing at a critical point whose structural and magnetic
phase transitions coincide. In particular, analysis is presented regarding two
distinct classes of phase transition behavior reflected in the development of
antiferromagnetic and structural order in the three main classes of iron
arsenide superconductors. Two distinct universality classes are mirrored in
their magnetic phase transitions which empirically are determined by the
proximity of the coupled structural and magnetic phase transitions in these
materials.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
A Variable Active Site Residue Influences the Kinetics of Response Regulator Phosphorylation and Dephosphorylation
Two-component regulatory systems, minimally composed of a sensor kinase and a response regulator protein, are common mediators of signal transduction in microorganisms. All response regulators contain a receiver domain with conserved active site residues that catalyze the signal activating and deactivating phosphorylation and dephosphorylation reactions. We explored the impact of variable active site position T+1 (one residue C-terminal to the conserved Thr/Ser) on reaction kinetics and signaling fidelity, using wild type and mutant Escherichia coli CheY, CheB, and NarL to represent the three major sequence classes observed across response regulators: Ala/Gly, Ser/Thr, and Val/Ile/Met, respectively, at T+1. Biochemical and structural data together suggested that different amino acids at T+1 impacted reaction kinetics by altering access to the active site while not perturbing overall protein structure. A given amino acid at position T+1 had similar effects on autodephosphorylation in each protein backgroun..
Cryogenic scintillation properties of n-type GaAs for the direct detection of MeV/c2 dark matter
This paper is the first report of n-type GaAs as a cryogenic scintillation radiation detector for the detection of electron recoils from interacting dark matter (DM) particles in the poorly explored MeV/c2 mass range. Seven GaAs samples from two commercial suppliers and with different silicon and boron concentrations were studied for their low temperature optical and scintillation properties. All samples are n-type even at low temperatures and exhibit emission between silicon donors and boron acceptors that peaks at 1.33 eV (930 nm). The lowest excitation band peaks at 1.44 eV (860 nm), and the overlap between the emission and excitation bands is small. The X-ray excited luminosities range from 7 to 43 photons/keV. Thermally stimulated luminescence measurements show that n-type GaAs does not accumulate metastable radiative states that could cause afterglow. Further development and use with cryogenic photodetectors promises a remarkable combination of large target size, ultra-low backgrounds, and a sensitivity to electron recoils of a few eV that would be produced by DM particles as light as a few MeV/c2
Electronic bulk and domain wall properties in B-site doped hexagonal ErMnO
Acceptor and donor doping is a standard for tailoring semiconductors. More
recently, doping was adapted to optimize the behavior at ferroelectric domain
walls. In contrast to more than a century of research on semiconductors, the
impact of chemical substitutions on the local electronic response at domain
walls is largely unexplored. Here, the hexagonal manganite ErMnO is donor
doped with Ti. Density functional theory calculations show that
Ti goes to the B-site, replacing Mn. Scanning probe microscopy
measurements confirm the robustness of the ferroelectric domain template. The
electronic transport at both macro- and nanoscopic length scales is
characterized. The measurements demonstrate the intrinsic nature of emergent
domain wall currents and point towards Poole-Frenkel conductance as the
dominant transport mechanism. Aside from the new insight into the electronic
properties of hexagonal manganites, B-site doping adds an additional degree of
freedom for tuning the domain wall functionality
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