1,958 research outputs found
A Cu2+ (S = 1/2) Kagom\'e Antiferromagnet: MgxCu4-x(OH)6Cl2
Spin-frustrated systems are one avenue for inducing macroscopic quantum
states in materials. However, experimental realization of this goal has been
difficult because of the lack of simple materials and, if available, the
separation of the unusual magnetic properties arising from exotic magnetic
states from behavior associated with chemical disorder, such as site mixing.
Here we report the synthesis and magnetic properties of a new series of
magnetically frustrated materials, MgxCu4-x(OH)6Cl2. Because of the
substantially different ligand-field chemistry of Mg2+ and Cu2+, site disorder
within the kagom\'e layers is minimized, as directly measured by X-ray
diffraction. Our results reveal that many of the properties of these materials
and related systems are not due to disorder of the magnetic lattice but rather
reflect an unusual ground state.Comment: Accepted for publication in J. Am. Chem. Soc
Breathe Easy EDA: a MATLAB toolbox for psychophysiology data management, cleaning, and analysis
Electrodermal activity (EDA) recordings are widely used in experimental psychology to measure skin conductance responses (SCRs) that reflect sympathetic nervous system arousal. However, irregular respiration patterns and deep breaths can cause EDA fluctuations that are difficult to distinguish from genuine arousal-related SCRs, presenting a methodological challenge that increases the likelihood of false positives in SCR analyses. Thus, it is crucial to identify respiration-related artifacts in EDA data. Here we developed a novel and freely distributed MATLAB toolbox, Breathe Easy EDA (BEEDA). BEEDA is a flexible toolbox that facilitates EDA visual inspection, allowing users to identify and eliminate respiration artifacts. BEEDA further includes functionality for EDA data analyses (measuring tonic and phasic EDA components) and reliability analyses for artifact identification. The toolbox is suitable for any experiment recording both EDA and respiration data, and flexibly adjusts to experiment-specific parameters (e.g., trial structure and analysis parameters)
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A Modeling Approach for Predicting the Effect of Corrosion on Electrical-Circuit Reliability
An analytical capability is being developed that can be used to predict the effect of corrosion on the performance of electrical circuits and systems. The availability of this ''toolset'' will dramatically improve our ability to influence device and circuit design, address and remediate field occurrences, and determine real limits for circuit service life. In pursuit of this objective, we have defined and adopted an iterative, statistical-based, top-down approach that will permit very formidable and real obstacles related to both the development and use of the toolset to be resolved as effectively as possible. An important component of this approach is the direct incorporation of expert opinion. Some of the complicating factors to be addressed involve the code/model complexity, the existence of large number of possible degradation processes, and an incompatibility between the length scales associated with device dimensions and the corrosion processes. Two of the key aspects of the desired predictive toolset are (1) a direct linkage of an electrical-system performance model with mechanistic-based, deterministic corrosion models, and (2) the explicit incorporation of a computational framework to quantify the effects of non-deterministic parameters (uncertainty). The selected approach and key elements of the toolset are first described in this paper. These descriptions are followed by some examples of how this toolset development process is being implemented
Turning Points in the Evolution of Isolated Neutron Stars' Magnetic Fields
During the life of isolated neutron stars (NSs) their magnetic field passes
through a variety of evolutionary phases. Depending on its strength and
structure and on the physical state of the NS (e.g. cooling, rotation), the
field looks qualitatively and quantitatively different after each of these
phases. Three of them, the phase of MHD instabilities immediately after NS's
birth, the phase of fallback which may take place hours to months after NS's
birth, and the phase when strong temperature gradients may drive thermoelectric
instabilities, are concentrated in a period lasting from the end of the
proto--NS phase until 100, perhaps 1000 years, when the NS has become almost
isothermal. The further evolution of the magnetic field proceeds in general
inconspicuous since the star is in isolation. However, as soon as the product
of Larmor frequency and electron relaxation time, the so-called magnetization
parameter, locally and/or temporally considerably exceeds unity, phases, also
unstable ones, of dramatic changes of the field structure and magnitude can
appear. An overview is given about that field evolution phases, the outcome of
which makes a qualitative decision regarding the further evolution of the
magnetic field and its host NS.Comment: References updated, typos correcte
Phonon anomalies at the valence transition of SmS : An inelasticX-ray scattering study under pressure
The phonon dispersion curve of SmS under pressure was studied by inelastic
x-ray scattering around the pressure-induced valence transition. A significant
softening of the longitudinal acoustic modes propagating along the [111]
direction was observed spanning a wide region from
() up to the zone boundary as
SmS becomes metallic. The largest softening occurs at the zone boundary and
stays stable up to the highest measured pressure of 80 kbar while a gradual
hardening of the low modes simultaneously appears. This phonon spectrum
indicates favorable conditions for the emergence of pressure-induced
superconductivity in SmS.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Statistics of Magnetic Fields for OB Stars
Based on an analysis of the catalog of magnetic fields, we have investigated
the statistical properties of the mean magnetic fields for OB stars. We show
that the mean effective magnetic field of a star can be used as a
statistically significant characteristic of its magnetic field. No correlation
has been found between the mean magnetic field strength and
projected rotational velocity of OB stars, which is consistent with the
hypothesis about a fossil origin of the magnetic field. We have constructed the
magnetic field distribution function for B stars, , that has a
power-law dependence on with an exponent of . We have
found a sharp decrease in the function F for {\cal B}\lem 400 G
that may be related to rapid dissipation of weak stellar surface magnetic
fields.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, accepted Astronomy Letters, 2010, vol.36, No.5,
pp.370-379, contact E-mail: [email protected]
Hidden magnetic frustration by quantum relaxation in anisotropic Nd-langasite
The static and dynamic magnetic properties of the NdGaSiO
compound, which appears as the first materialization of a rare-earth
kagome-type lattice, were re-examined, owing to contradictory results in the
previous studies. Neutron scattering, magnetization and specific heat
measurements were performed and analyzed, in particular by fully taking account
of the crystal electric field effects on the Nd ions. One of the novel
findings is that the peculiar temperature independent spin dynamics observed
below 10 K expresses single-ion quantum processes. This would short-circuit the
frustration induced cooperative dynamics, which would emerge only at very low
temperature
High pressure phase diagrams of CeRhIn and CeCoIn studied by ac calorimetry
The pressure-temperature phase diagrams of the heavy fermion antiferromagnet
CeRhIn and the heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn have been studied
under hydrostatic pressure by ac calorimetry and ac susceptibility measurements
using diamond anvil cells with argon as pressure medium. In CeRhIn, the use
of a highly hydrostatic pressure transmitting medium allows for a clean
simultaneous determination by a bulk probe of the antiferromagnetic and
superconducting transitions. We compare our new phase diagram with the previous
ones, discuss the nature (first or second order) of the various lines, and the
coexistence of antiferromagnetic order and superconductivity. The link between
the collaps of the superconducting heat anomaly and the broadening of the
antiferromagnetic transition points to an inhomogeneous appearence of
superconductivity below GPa. Homogeneous bulk
superconductivity is only observed above this critical pressure. We present a
detailed analysis of the influence of pressure inomogeneities on the specific
heat anomalies which emphasizes that the observed broadening of the transitions
near is connected with the first order transition. For CeCoIn we show
that the large specific heat anomaly observed at at ambient pressure is
suppressed linearly at least up to 3 GPa
Specific Heat Discontinuity, deltaC, at Tc in BaFe2(As0.7P0.3)2 - Consistent with Unconventional Superconductivity
We report the specific heat discontinuity, deltaC/Tc, at Tc = 28.2 K of a
collage of single crystals of BaFe2(As0.7P0.3)2 and compare the measured value
of 38.5 mJ/molK**2 with other iron pnictide and iron chalcogenide (FePn/Ch)
superconductors. This value agrees well with the trend established by Bud'ko,
Ni and Canfield who found that deltaC/Tc ~ a*Tc**2 for 14 examples of doped
Ba1-xKxFe2As2 and BaFe2-xTMxAs2, where the transition metal TM=Co and Ni. We
extend their analysis to include all the FePn/Ch superconductors for which
deltaC/Tc is currently known and find deltaC/Tc ~ a*Tc**1.9 and a=0.083
mJ/molK**4. A comparison with the elemental superconductors with Tc>1 K and
with A-15 superconductors shows that, contrary to the FePn/Ch superconductors,
electron-phonon-coupled conventional superconductors exhibit a significantly
different dependence of deltaC on Tc, namely deltaC/Tc ~ Tc**0.9. However
deltaC/gamma*Tc appears to be comparable in all three classes (FePn/Ch,
elemental and A-15) of superconductors with, e. g., deltaC/gamma*Tc=2.4 for
BaFe2(As0.7P0.3)2. A discussion of the possible implications of these
phenomenological comparisons for the unconventional superconductivity believed
to exist in the FePn/Ch is given.Comment: some disagreement in reference and footnote numbering with the
published versio
Superconductivity on the threshold of magnetism in CePd2Si2 and CeIn3
The magnetic ordering temperature of some rare earth based heavy fermion
compounds is strongly pressure-dependent and can be completely suppressed at a
critical pressure, p, making way for novel correlated electron states close
to this quantum critical point. We have studied the clean heavy fermion
antiferromagnets CePdSi and CeIn in a series of resistivity
measurements at high pressures up to 3.2 GPa and down to temperatures in the mK
region. In both materials, superconductivity appears in a small window of a few
tenths of a GPa on either side of p. We present detailed measurements of
the superconducting and magnetic temperature-pressure phase diagram, which
indicate that superconductivity in these materials is enhanced, rather than
suppressed, by the closeness to magnetic order.Comment: 11 pages, including 9 figure
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