560 research outputs found
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
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
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
Acetylation at Lys-92 enhances signaling by the chemotaxis response regulator protein CheY
When Escherichia coli cells lacking all chemotaxis proteins except the response regulator CheY are exposed to acetate, clockwise flagellar rotation results, indicating the acetate stimulus has activated signaling by CheY. Acetate can be converted to acetyl-CoA by either of two different metabolic pathways, which proceed through acetyl phosphate or acetyl-AMP intermediates. In turn, CheY can be covalently modified by either intermediate in vitro, leading to phosphorylation or acetylation, respectively. Either pathway is sufficient to support the CheY-mediated response to acetate in vivo. Whereas phosphorylation of Asp-57 is a recognized mechanism for activation of CheY to stimulate clockwise flagellar rotation, acetylation of CheY is less well characterized. We found evidence for multiple CheY acetylation sites by mass spectrometry and directly identified Lys-92 and Lys-109 as acetylation sites by Edman degradation of peptides from [14C]acetate-labeled CheY. Replacement of CheY Lys-92, the preferred acetylation site, with Arg has little effect on chemotaxis but completely prevents the response to acetate via the acetyl-AMP pathway. Thus acetylation of Lys-92 activates clockwise signaling by CheY in vivo. The mechanism by which acetylation activates CheY apparently is not simple charge neutralization, nor does it involve enhanced binding to the FliM flagellar switch protein. Thus acetylation probably affects signal generation by CheY at a step after switch binding
Gradient and Amplitude Scattering in Surface-Corrugated Waveguides
We investigate the interplay between amplitude and square-gradient scattering
from the rough surfaces in multi-mode waveguides (conducting quantum wires).
The main result is that for any (even small in height) roughness the
square-gradient terms in the expression for the wave scattering length
(electron mean free path) are dominant, provided the correlation length of the
surface disorder is small enough. This important effect is missed in existing
studies of the surface scattering.Comment: 4 pages, one figur
Manifestation of the Roughness-Square-Gradient Scattering in Surface-Corrugated Waveguides
We study a new mechanism of wave/electron scattering in multi-mode
surface-corrugated waveguides/wires. This mechanism is due to specific
square-gradient terms in an effective Hamiltonian describing the surface
scattering, that were neglected in all previous studies. With a careful
analysis of the role of roughness slopes in a surface profile, we show that
these terms strongly contribute to the expression for the inverse attenuation
length (mean free path), provided the correlation length of corrugations is
relatively small. The analytical results are illustrated by numerical data.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figure
Antiferromagnetic Critical Fluctuations in BaFeAs
Magnetic correlations near the magneto-structural phase transition in the
bilayer iron pnictide parent compound, BaFeAs, are measured. In close
proximity to the antiferromagnetic phase transition in BaFeAs, a
crossover to three dimensional critical behavior is anticipated and has been
preliminarily observed. Here we report complementary measurements of
two-dimensional magnetic fluctuations over a broad temperature range about
T. The potential role of two-dimensional critical fluctuations in the
magnetic phase behavior of BaFeAs and their evolution near the
anticipated crossover to three dimensional critical behavior and long-range
order are discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures; Accepted for publication in Physical Review
Heat capacity study of BaFeAs: effects of annealing
Heat-capacity, X-ray diffraction, and resistivity measurements on a
high-quality BaFeAs sample show an evolution of the
magneto-structural transition with successive annealing periods. After a 30-day
anneal the resistivity in the (ab) plane decreases by more than an order of
magnitude, to 12 cm, with a residual resistance ratio 36; the
heat-capacity anomaly at the transition sharpens, to an overall width of less
than K, and shifts from 135.4 to 140.2 K. The heat-capacity anomaly in both the
as-grown sample and after the 30-day anneal shows a hysteresis of 0.15 K,
and is unchanged in a magnetic field H = 14 T. The X-ray and
heat-capacity data combined suggest that there is a first order jump in the
structural order parameter. The entropy of the transition is reported
The nature of the magnetic and structural phase transitions in BaFeAs
We present the results of an investigation of both the magnetic and
structural phase transitions in a high quality single crystalline sample of the
undoped, iron pnictide compound BaFeAs. Both phase transitions are
characterized via neutron diffraction measurements which reveal simultaneous,
continuous magnetic and structural orderings with no evidence of hysteresis,
consistent with a single second order phase transition. The onset of long-range
antiferromagnetic order can be described by a simple power law dependence
with ; a
value near the expected for a two-dimensional Ising system.
Biquadratic coupling between the structural and magnetic order parameters is
also inferred along with evidence of three-dimensional critical scattering in
this system.Comment: New figure and discussion added. Length: 11 pages, 7 figure
Adaptive response and enlargement of dynamic range
Many membrane channels and receptors exhibit adaptive, or desensitized,
response to a strong sustained input stimulus, often supported by protein
activity-dependent inactivation. Adaptive response is thought to be related to
various cellular functions such as homeostasis and enlargement of dynamic range
by background compensation. Here we study the quantitative relation between
adaptive response and background compensation within a modeling framework. We
show that any particular type of adaptive response is neither sufficient nor
necessary for adaptive enlargement of dynamic range. In particular a precise
adaptive response, where system activity is maintained at a constant level at
steady state, does not ensure a large dynamic range neither in input signal nor
in system output. A general mechanism for input dynamic range enlargement can
come about from the activity-dependent modulation of protein responsiveness by
multiple biochemical modification, regardless of the type of adaptive response
it induces. Therefore hierarchical biochemical processes such as methylation
and phosphorylation are natural candidates to induce this property in signaling
systems.Comment: Corrected typos, minor text revision
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