Quantized conductance in a one-dimensional ballistic oxide nanodevice

Electric-field effect control of two-dimensional electron gases (2-DEG) has enabled the exploration of nanoscale electron quantum transport in semiconductors. Beyond these classical materials, transition metal-oxide-based structures have d-electronic states favoring the emergence of novel quantum orders absent in conventional semiconductors. In this context, the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface that combines gate-tunable superconductivity and sizeable spin-orbit coupling is emerging as a promising platform to realize topological superconductivity. However, the fabrication of nanodevices in which the electronic properties of this oxide interface can be controlled at the nanoscale by field-effect remains a scientific and technological challenge. Here, we demonstrate the quantization of conductance in a ballistic quantum point contact (QPC), formed by electrostatic confinement of the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 2-DEG with a split-gate. Through finite source-drain voltage, we perform a comprehensive spectroscopic investigation of the 3d energy levels inside the QPC, which can be regarded as a spectrometer able to probe Majorana states in an oxide 2-DEG

Competition between electron pairing and phase coherence in superconducting interfaces

In LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures, a gate tunable superconducting electron gas is confined in a quantum well at the interface between two insulating oxides. Remarkably, the gas coexists with both magnetism and strong Rashba spin–orbit coupling. However, both the origin of superconductivity and the nature of the transition to the normal state over the whole doping range remain elusive. Here we use resonant microwave transport to extract the superfluid stiffness and the superconducting gap energy of the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface as a function of carrier density. We show that the superconducting phase diagram of this system is controlled by the competition between electron pairing and phase coherence. The analysis of the superfluid density reveals that only a very small fraction of the electrons condenses into the superconducting state. We propose that this corresponds to the weak filling of high- energy dxz/dyz bands in the quantum well, more apt to host superconductivity

Effect of the deposition conditions of NiO anode buffer layers inorganic solar cells, on the properties of these cells

tNiO thin films deposited by DC reactive sputtering were used as anode buffer layer in organic photovoltaiccells (OPVs) based on CuPc/C60planar heterojunctions. Firstly we show that the properties of the NiOfilms depend on the O2 partial pressure during deposition. The films are first conductive between 0 and2% partial oxygen pressure, then they are semiconductor and p-type between 2 and 6% partial oxygenpressure, between 6 and 9% partial oxygen pressure the conduction is very low and the films seem to be n-type and finally, for a partial oxygen pressure higher than 9%, the conduction is p-type. The morphology ofthese films depends also on the O2 partial pressure. When the NiO films is thick of 4 nm, its peak to valleyroughness is 6 nm, when it is sputtered with a gas containing 7.4% of oxygen, while it is more than double,13.5 nm, when the partial pressure of oxygen is 16.67%. This roughness implies that a forming process,i.e. a decrease of the leakage current, is necessary for the OPVs. The forming process is not necessary ifthe NiO ABL is thick of 20 nm. In that case it is shown that optimum conversion efficiency is achievedwith NiO ABL annealed 10 min at 400◦C

Field-effect control of superconductivity and Rashba spin-orbit coupling in top-gated LaAlO3/SrTiO3 devices

The recent development in the fabrication of artificial oxide heterostructures opens new avenues in the field of quantum materials by enabling the manipulation of the charge, spin and orbital degrees of freedom. In this context, the discovery of two-dimensional electron gases (2-DEGs) at LAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces, which exhibit both superconductivity and strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC), represents a major breakthrough. Here, we report on the realisation of a field-effect LaAlO3/SrTiO3 device, whose physical properties, including superconductivity and SOC, can be tuned over a wide range by a top-gate voltage. We derive a phase diagram, which emphasises a field-effect-induced superconductor-to-insulator quantum phase transition. Magneto-transport measurements indicate that the Rashba coupling constant increases linearly with electrostatic doping. Our results pave the way for the realisation of mesoscopic devices, where these two properties can be manipulated on a local scale by means of top-gates

B005 Dietary-induced insulin resistance associated with dyslipidemia induces progressive cardiac dysfunction in rats as evidenced by echocardiography

BackgroundA major complication of diabetes is the development of cardiac dysfunction in absence of vascular disease. Metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance (IR) and dyslipidemia (DL) might contribute to the induction of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). However, few relevant animal models are currently available for studying the time-course of DCM and evaluating experimental therapeutics. We developed a rodent model of dietary-induced IR combined or not with DL in order to investigate the impact of chronic IR and DL on in vivo myocardial function.Methods & ResultsMale Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a western-type diet (65 % fat ; 15 % fructose ; WD: n=12). DL was induced by combining the western diet with i.p. injections of a nonionic surface-active agent (P-407 ; 0.2mg/kg, 3 times/wk ; WD-P407 n=9). A chow diet was used as control (Chow: n=9). At 6, 11 and 14 wks, cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography. After 6 wks, plasma insulin was significantly increased in both WD and WD-P407 groups (P<0.05 vs. Chow). Fasting blood glucose increased in WD group while plasma lipids markedly accumulated in WD-P407-treated rats (P<0.05 and P<0.01 vs. Chow, respectively). Pulse-wave Doppler indicated impaired diastolic function at 14 wks (E/A wave ratio: WD-P407: 1.42±0.06 vs. Chow: 1.65±0.11). M-mode imaging showed no significant differences in cardiac function and geometry under basal conditions. However, fractional shortening (FS) was significantly depressed under dobutamine stress in WD group at 14 wks (FS in % of baseline: 151±9 % vs 196±7 % ; P<0.05) whereas systolic dysfunction appeared as early as 11 wks and worsened at 14 wks in WD-P407 animals (P<0.05 and P<0.01 vs. Chow, respectively). Finally, compared to Chow, myocardial lipid tissue content were significantly higher in WD and WD-P407 groups, the cardiac lipid accumulation being more pronounced in the later.ConclusionsDL exacerbated cardiac lipotoxicity and functional complications associated with IR. This experimental model of combined IR and DL closely mimics the main clinical manifestations of DCM and might therefore constitute a useful tool for the evaluation of pharmacological treatments

Recent results from Pb-Au collisions at 158 GeV/c per nucleon obtained with the CERES spectrometer

During the 1996 lead run time, CERES has accumulated 42 million events, corresponding to a factor of 5 more statistics than in 1995 and 2.5 million events of a special photon-run. We report on the results of the low-mass e$^+$e$^-$-pair analysis. Since the most critical item is the poor signal-to-background ratio we also discuss the understanding of this background, in absolute terms, with the help of a detailed Monte Carlo simulation. We show preliminary results of the photon analysis and summarize the results of the hadron analysis preliminarily reported on already at QM'97Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, Proceedings of the XIV Int. Conf. on Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions,Quark Matter 99, Torino, Italy, May 10 - 15, 199

J/psi azimuthal anisotropy relative to the reaction plane in Pb-Pb collisions at 158 GeV per nucleon

The J/$\psi$ azimuthal distribution relative to the reaction plane has been measured by the NA50 experiment in Pb-Pb collisions at 158 GeV/nucleon. Various physical mechanisms related to charmonium dissociation in the medium created in the heavy ion collision are expected to introduce an anisotropy in the azimuthal distribution of the observed J/$\psi$ mesons at SPS energies. Hence, the measurement of J/$\psi$ elliptic anisotropy, quantified by the Fourier coefficient v$_2$ of the J/$\psi$ azimuthal distribution relative to the reaction plane, is an important tool to constrain theoretical models aimed at explaining the anomalous J/$\psi$ suppression observed in Pb-Pb collisions. We present the measured J/$\psi$ yields in different bins of azimuthal angle relative to the reaction plane, as well as the resulting values of the Fourier coefficient v$_{2}$ as a function of the collision centrality and of the J/$\psi$ transverse momentum. The reaction plane has been estimated from the azimuthal distribution of the neutral transverse energy detected in an electromagnetic calorimeter. The analysis has been performed on a data sample of about 100 000 events, distributed in five centrality or p$_{\rm T}$ sub-samples. The extracted v$_{2}$ values are significantly larger than zero for non-central collisions and are seen to increase with p$_{\rm T}$.Comment: proceedings of HP08 conference corrected a typo in one equatio