Emergent magnetic degeneracy in iron pnictides due to the interplay between spin-orbit coupling and quantum fluctuations

Recent experiments in iron pnictide superconductors reveal that, as the putative magnetic quantum critical point is approached, different types of magnetic order coexist over a narrow region of the phase diagram. Although these magnetic configurations share the same wave-vectors, they break distinct symmetries of the lattice. Importantly, the highest superconducting transition temperature takes place close to this proliferation of near-degenerate magnetic states. In this paper, we employ a renormalization group calculation to show that such a behavior naturally arises due to the effects of spin-orbit coupling on the quantum magnetic fluctuations. Formally, the enhanced magnetic degeneracy near the quantum critical point is manifested as a stable Gaussian fixed point with a large basin of attraction. Implications of our findings to the superconductivity of the iron pnictides are also discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, published versio

Magnetic phase diagram of the iron pnictides in the presence of spin-orbit coupling: Frustration between C2C_2 and C4C_4 magnetic phases

We investigate the impact of spin anisotropic interactions, promoted by spin-orbit coupling, on the magnetic phase diagram of the iron-based superconductors. Three distinct magnetic phases with Bragg peaks at $(\pi,0)$ and $(0,\pi)$ are possible in these systems: one $C_2$ (i.e. orthorhombic) symmetric stripe magnetic phase and two $C_4$ (i.e. tetragonal) symmetric magnetic phases. While the spin anisotropic interactions allow the magnetic moments to point in any direction in the $C_2$ phase, they restrict the possible moment orientations in the $C_4$ phases. As a result, an interesting scenario arises in which the spin anisotropic interactions favor a $C_2$ phase, but the other spin isotropic interactions favor a $C_4$ phase. We study this frustration via both mean-field and renormalization-group approaches. We find that, to lift this frustration, a rich magnetic landscape emerges well below the magnetic transition temperature, with novel $C_2$, $C_4$, and mixed $C_2$-$C_4$ phases. Near the putative magnetic quantum critical point, spin anisotropies promote a stable Gaussian fixed point in the renormalization-group flow, which is absent in the spin isotropic case, and is associated with a near-degeneracy between $C_2$ and $C_4$ phases. We argue that this frustration is the reason why most $C_4$ phases in the iron pnictides only appear inside the $C_2$ phase, and discuss additional manifestations of this frustration in the phase diagrams of these materials.Comment: 21 pages, 19 figures, published versio

Role of multiorbital effects in the magnetic phase diagram of iron-pnictides

We elucidate the pivotal role of the bandstructure's orbital content in deciding the type of commensurate magnetic order stabilized within the itinerant scenario of iron-pnictides. Recent experimental findings in the tetragonal magnetic phase attest to the existence of the so-called charge and spin ordered density wave over the spin-vortex crystal phase, the latter of which tends to be favored in simplified band models of itinerant magnetism. Here we show that employing a multiorbital itinerant Landau approach based on realistic bandstructures can account for the experimentally observed magnetic phase, and thus shed light on the importance of the orbital content in deciding the magnetic order. In addition, we remark that the presence of a hole pocket centered at the Brillouin zone's ${\rm M}$-point favors a magnetic stripe rather than a tetragonal magnetic phase. For inferring the symmetry properties of the different magnetic phases, we formulate our theory in terms of magnetic order parameters transforming according to irreducible representations of the ensuing D$_{\rm 4h}$ point group. The latter method not only provides transparent understanding of the symmetry breaking schemes but also reveals that the leading instabilities always belong to the $\{A_{1g},B_{1g}\}$ subset of irreducible representations, independent of their C$_2$ or C$_4$ nature.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

Virtual environments for telerobotic shared control

The use of a virtual environment to bring about telerobotic shared control is discussed. A knowledge base, referred to as the World Model, is used to aid the system in its decision making. Information from the World Model is displayed visually in order to aid the human side of human-computer interface

Structure, function and nutritional potential of milk osteopontin

AbstractOsteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional protein present in most tissues and body fluids, with the highest concentrations found in milk. Processes for isolation of OPN from bovine milk for use in infant formula have been developed and studies have investigated the effects of oral administration of milk OPN. At the same time, plasma OPN levels have been shown to be elevated in some types of cancer, and OPN has been suggested as a potential diagnostic marker for cancer. OPN exists in several different isoforms in vivo, of which presumably only a minority is directly or indirectly implicated in cancer related events. In this article, we review the differences between milk-derived OPN and OPN derived from transformed cells and compare the structure of OPN from human and bovine milk. Furthermore, current knowledge about the function of OPN in milk and recent findings about the effect of orally presented OPN is discussed