1,263 research outputs found
X-ray induced electronic structure change in CuIrS
The electronic structure of CuIrS has been investigated using various
bulk-sensitive x-ray spectroscopic methods near the Ir -edge: resonant
inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS), x-ray absorption spectroscopy in the partial
fluorescence yield (PFY-XAS) mode, and resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy
(RXES). A strong RIXS signal (0.75 eV) resulting from a charge-density-wave gap
opening is observed below the metal-insulator transition temperature of 230 K.
The resultant modification of electronic structure is consistent with the
density functional theory prediction. In the spin- and charge- dimer disordered
phase induced by x-ray irradiation below 50 K, we find that a broad peak around
0.4 eV appears in the RIXS spectrum.Comment: 4 pages and 4 figure
Angular dependence of the magnetization of isotropic superconductors: which is the vortex direction?
We present studies of the dc magnetization of thin platelike samples of the
isotropic type II superconductor PbTl(10%), as a function of the angle between
the normal to the sample and the applied magnetic field . We determine
the magnetization vector by measuring the components both parallel
and normal to in a SQUID magnetometer, and we further decompose it in
its reversible and irreversible contributions. The behavior of the reversible
magnetization is well understood in terms of minimization of the free energy
taking into account geometrical effects. In the mixed state at low fields, the
dominant effect is the line energy gained by shortening the vortices, thus the
flux lines are almost normal to the sample surface. Due to the geometrical
constrain, the irreversible magnetization remains locked to the
sample normal over a wide range of fields and orientations, as already known.
We show that in order to undestand the angle and field dependence of the
modulus of , which is a measure of the vortex pinning, and to
correctly extract the field dependent critical current density, the knowledge
of the modulus and orientation of the induction field is required.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Charge-transfer exciton in La2CuO4 probed with resonant inelastic x-ray scattering
We report a high-resolution resonant inelastic x-ray scattering study of
La2CuO4. A number of spectral features are identified that were not clearly
visible in earlier lower-resolution data. The momentum dependence of the
spectral weight and the dispersion of the lowest energy excitation across the
insulating gap have been measured in detail. The temperature dependence of the
spectral features was also examined. The observed charge transfer edge shift,
along with the low dispersion of the first charge transfer excitation are
attributed to the lattice motion being coupled to the electronic system. In
addition, we observe a dispersionless feature at 1.8 eV, which is associated
with a d-d crystal field excitation.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Primary gas thermometry by means of laser-absorption spectroscopy: Determination of the Boltzmann constant
We report on a new optical implementation of primary gas thermometry based on
laser absorption spectrometry in the near infrared. The method consists in
retrieving the Doppler broadening from highly accurate observations of the line
shape of the R(12) transition in
CO gas at thermodynamic equilibrium. Doppler width measurements as a
function of gas temperature, ranging between the triple point of water and the
gallium melting point, allowed for a spectroscopic determination of the
Boltzmann constant with a relative accuracy of .Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letter
Doping dependence of charge-transfer excitations in La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4
We report a resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) study of the doping
dependence of charge-transfer excitations in . The mome
ntum dependence of these charge excitations are studied over the whole
Brillouin zone in underdoped (x=0.05) and optimally doped (x=0.17) samples, and
compared with that of the undoped (x=0) sample. We observe a large change in
the RIXS spectra between the x=0 and x=0.17 sample, while the RIXS spectra of
the x=0.05 sample are similar to that of the x=0 sample. The most prominent
effect of doped-holes on the charge excitation spectra is the appearance of a
continuum of intensity, which exhibits a strong momentum-dependence below 2 eV.
For the x=0.17 sample, some of the spectral weight from the lowest-lying
charge-transfer excitation of the undoped compound is transferred to the
continuum intensity below the gap, in agreement with earlier optical studies.
However, the higher energy charge-transfer excitation carries significant
spectral weight even for the x=0.17 sample. The doping dependence of the
dispersion of this charge-transfer excitation is also discussed and compared
with recent theoretical calculations.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Observation of a 500meV Collective Mode in LaSrCuO and NdCuO
Utilizing resonant inelastic x-ray scattering, we report a previously
unobserved mode in the excitation spectrum of LaSrCuO at 500
meV. The mode is peaked around the (,0) point in reciprocal space and is
observed to soften, and broaden, away from this point. Samples with x=0, 0.01,
0.05, and 0.17 were studied. The new mode is found to be rapidly suppressed
with increasing Sr content and is absent at =0.17, where it is replaced by a
continuum of excitations. The peak is only observed when the incident x-ray
polarization is normal to the CuO planes and is also present in NdCuO.
We suggest possible explanations for this excitation.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Alginate nanohydrogels as a biocompatible platform for the controlled release of a hydrophilic herbicide
The large-scale application of volatile and highly water-soluble pesticides to guarantee crop production can often have negative impacts on the environment. The main loss pathways are vapor drift, direct volatilization, or leaching of the active substances. Consequently, the pesticide can either accumulate and/or undergo physicochemical transformations in the soil. In this scenario, we synthesized alginate nanoparticles using an inverse miniemulsion template in sunflower oil and successfully used them to encapsulate a hydrophilic herbicide, i.e., dicamba. The formulation and process conditions were adjusted to obtain a unimodal size distribution of nanohydrogels of about 20 nm. The loading of the nanoparticles with dicamba did not affect the nanohydrogel size nor the particle stability. The release of dicamba from the nanohydrogels was also tested: the alginate nanoparticles promoted the sustained and prolonged release of dicamba over ten days, demonstrating the potential of our preparation method to be employed for field application. The encapsulation of hydrophilic compounds inside our alginate nanoparticles could enable a more efficient use of pesticides, minimizing losses and thus environmental spreading. The use of biocompatible materials (alginate, sunflower oil) also guarantees the absence of toxic additives in the formulation
An Enhanced Yield Potential Spatial Clustering Method, accounting for Seasonality, Heterogeneous Morphology and Climate Variability. An application in the Umbria Region (Central Italy) for the SMARTAGRI PROJECT
- …