911 research outputs found
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
Gas Transport in Porous Media: Simulations and Experiments on Partially Densified Aerogels
The experimental density dependence of gas (argon and nitrogen) permeability
of partially densified silica aerogels in the Knudsen regime is quantitatively
accounted for by a computer model. The model simulates both the structure of
the sintered material and the random ballistic motion of a point particle
inside its voids. The same model is also able to account for the densit y
dependence of the specific pore surface as measured from nitrogen adsorption
experiments.Comment: RevTex, 11 pages + 5 postscript figures appended using "uufiles".
Published in Europhys. Lett. 29, p. 567 (1995
Linear systems with adiabatic fluctuations
We consider a dynamical system subjected to weak but adiabatically slow
fluctuations of external origin. Based on the ``adiabatic following''
approximation we carry out an expansion in \alpha/|\mu|, where \alpha is the
strength of fluctuations and 1/|\mu| refers to the time scale of evolution of
the unperturbed system to obtain a linear differential equation for the average
solution. The theory is applied to the problems of a damped harmonic oscillator
and diffusion in a turbulent fluid. The result is the realization of
`renormalized' diffusion constant or damping constant for the respective
problems. The applicability of the method has been critically analyzed.Comment: Plain Latex, no figure, 21 page
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
Probability Distributions of Random Electromagnetic Fields in the Presence of a Semi-Infinite Isotropic Medium
Using a TE/TM decomposition for an angular plane-wave spectrum of free random
electromagnetic waves and matched boundary conditions, we derive the
probability density function for the energy density of the vector electric
field in the presence of a semi-infinite isotropic medium. The theoretical
analysis is illustrated with calculations and results for good electric
conductors and for a lossless dielectric half-space. The influence of the
permittivity and conductivity on the intensity, random polarization,
statistical distribution and standard deviation of the field is investigated,
both for incident plus reflected fields and for refracted fields. External
refraction is found to result in compression of the fluctuations of the random
field.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Radio Scienc
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
Time Response of Water-based Liquid Scintillator from X-ray Excitation
Water-based liquid scintillators (WbLS) present an attractive target medium
for large-scale detectors with the ability to enhance the separation of
Cherenkov and scintillation signals from a single target. This work
characterizes the scintillation properties of WbLS samples based on LAB/PPO
liquid scintillator (LS). X-ray luminescence spectra, decay profiles, and
relative light yields are measured for WbLS of varying LS concentration as well
as for pure LS with a range of PPO concentrations up to 90 g/L. The
scintillation properties of the WbLS are related to the precursor LAB/PPO:
starting from 90 g/L PPO in LAB before synthesis, the resulting WbLS have
spectroscopic properties that instead match 10 g/L PPO in LAB. This could
indicate that the concentration of active PPO in the WbLS samples depends on
their processing.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables. Submitted to Materials Advances, a
journal of the Royal Society of Chemistr
The role of stoichiometric vacancy periodicity in pressure-induced amorphization of the Ga2SeTe2 semiconductor alloy
We observe that pressure-induced amorphization of Ga2SeTe2 (a III-VI
semiconductor) is directly influenced by the periodicity of its intrinsic
defect structures. Specimens with periodic and semi-periodic two-dimensional
vacancy structures become amorphous around 10-11 GPa in contrast to those with
aperiodic structures, which amorphize around 7-8 GPa. The result is a notable
instance of altering material phase-change properties via rearrangement of
stoichiometric vacancies as opposed to adjusting their concentrations. Based on
our experimental findings, we posit that periodic two-dimensional vacancy
structures in Ga2SeTe2 provide an energetically preferred crystal lattice that
is less prone to collapse under applied pressure. This is corroborated through
first-principles electronic structure calculations, which demonstrate that the
energy stability of III-VI structures under hydrostatic pressure is highly
dependent on the configuration of intrinsic vacancies
Hydration of magnesia cubes: a helium ion microscopy study
Physisorbed water originating from exposure to the ambient can have a strong impact on the structure and chemistry of oxide nanomaterials. The effect can be particularly pronounced when these oxides are in physical contact with a solid substrate such as the ones used for immobilization to perform electron or ion microscopy imaging. We used helium ion microscopy (HIM) and investigated morphological changes of vapor-phase-grown MgO cubes after vacuum annealing and pressing into foils of soft and high purity indium. The indium foils were either used as obtained or, for reference, subjected to vacuum drying. After four days of storage in the vacuum chamber of the microscope and at a base pressure of p < 10−7 mbar, we observed on these cubic particles the attack of residual physisorbed water molecules from the indium substrate. As a result, thin magnesium hydroxide layers spontaneously grew, giving rise to characteristic volume expansion effects, which depended on the size of the particles. Rounding of the originally sharp cube edges leads to a significant loss of the morphological definition specific to the MgO cubes. Comparison of different regions within one sample before and after exposure to liquid water reveals different transformation processes, such as the formation of Mg(OH)2 shells that act as diffusion barriers for MgO dissolution or the evolution of brucite nanosheets organized in characteristic flower-like microstructures. The findings underline the significant metastability of nanomaterials under both ambient and high-vacuum conditions and show the dramatic effect of ubiquitous water films during storage and characterization of oxide nanomaterials
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