Relation between Kitaev magnetism and structure in α\alpha-RuCl3_3

Raman scattering has been employed to investigate lattice and magnetic excitations of the honeycomb Kitaev material $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ and its Heisenberg counterpart CrCl$_3$. Our phonon Raman spectra give evidence for a first-order structural transition from a monoclinic to a rhombohedral structure for both compounds. Significantly, only $\alpha$-RuCl$_3$ features a large thermal hysteresis, consistent with the formation of a wide phase of coexistence. In the related temperature interval of $70-170$ K, we observe a hysteretic behavior of magnetic excitations as well. The stronger magnetic response in the rhombohedral compared to the monoclinic phase evidences a coupling between the crystallographic structure and low-energy magnetic response. Our results demonstrate that the Kitaev magnetism concomitant with fractionalized excitations is susceptible to small variations of bonding geometry.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, To appear in PR

Understanding the Unique Electronic Properties of Nano Structures Using Photoemission Theory

Newly emerging experimental techniques such as nano-ARPES are expected to provide an opportunity to measure the electronic properties of nano-materials directly. However, the interpretation of the spectra is not simple because it must consider quantum mechanical effects related to the measurement process itself. Here, we demonstrate a novel approach that can overcome this problem by using an adequate simulation to corroborate the experimental results. Ab initio calculation on arbitrarily-shaped or chemically ornamented nano-structures is elaborately correlated to photoemission theory. This correlation can be directly exploited to interpret the experimental results. To test this method, a direct comparison was made between the calculation results and experimental results on highly-oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). As a general extension, the unique electronic structures of nano-sized graphene oxide and features from the experimental result of black phosphorous (BP) are disclosed for the first time as supportive evidence of the usefulness of this method. This work pioneers an approach to intuitive and practical understanding of the electronic properties of nano-materials.11Ysciescopu

Non-Classical Response from Quench-Cooled Solid Helium Confined in Porous Gold

We have investigated the non-classical response of solid 4He confined in porous gold set to torsional oscillation. When solid helium is grown rapidly, nearly 7% of the solid helium appears to be decoupled from the oscillation below about 200 mK. Dissipation appears at temperatures where the decoupling shows maximum variation. In contrast, the decoupling is substantially reduced in slowly grown solid helium. The dynamic response of solid helium was also studied by imposing a sudden increase in the amplitude of oscillation. Extended relaxation in the resonant period shift, suggesting the emergence of the pinning of low energy excitations, was observed below the onset temperature of the non-classical response. The motion of a dislocation or a glassy solid is restricted in the entangled narrow pores and is not likely responsible for the period shift and long relaxation

Stepwise phosphorylation of p65 promotes NF-kappa B activation and NK cell responses during target cell recognition

NF-κB is a key transcription factor that dictates the outcome of diverse immune responses. How NF-κB is regulated by multiple activating receptors that are engaged during natural killer (NK)-target cell contact remains undefined. Here we show that sole engagement of NKG2D, 2B4 or DNAM-1 is insufficient for NF-κB activation. Rather, cooperation between these receptors is required at the level of Vav1 for synergistic NF-κB activation. Vav1-dependent synergistic signalling requires a separate PI3K-Akt signal, primarily mediated by NKG2D or DNAM-1, for optimal p65 phosphorylation and NF-κB activation. Vav1 controls downstream p65 phosphorylation and NF-κB activation. Synergistic signalling is defective in X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP1) NK cells entailing 2B4 dysfunction and required for p65 phosphorylation by PI3K-Akt signal, suggesting stepwise signalling checkpoint for NF-κB activation. Thus, our study provides a framework explaining how signals from different activating receptors are coordinated to determine specificity and magnitude of NF-κB activation and NK cell responses

Environmental considerations of plastic behaviors for automobile applications

AbstractIt is well known fact that the thermo-mechanical behaviors of polymeric materials are strongly influenced by environmental factors, and, for automobiles, the mechanical properties of interior plastic structures are noticeably changed by being repeatedly exposed to environments such as sun light and rains. As the properties change, mechanical fits such as fasteners and clips in automobiles lose their tightness, creating unexpected noises. To consider Buzz, Squeak and Rattle (BSR) from initial stage of the interior design, it is very important to obtain, analyze and understand the structural behaviors of the materials under environmental changes as well as time. In this report, the mechanical property changes of the plastics for automobiles are measured to investigate the temperature and humidity effects. The samples are undergone different temperature and humidity conditions, and regularly taken out to measure the thermo-mechanical properties. The data are compared with the original samples, and analyzed for the properties change. Viscoelastic characteristics such as glass transition temperatures and storage/loss modulus were also investigate

Rotating a Bose-Einstein condensate by shaking an anharmonic axisymmetric magnetic potential

We present an experimental method for rotating a Bose-Einstein condensate trapped in an axisymmetric magnetic potential. This method is based on the anharmonicity of the trapping potential, which couples the center-of-mass motion of the condensate to its internal motion. By circularly shaking the trapping potential, we generate a circular center-of-mass motion of the condensate around the trap center. The circulating condensate undergoes rotating shape deformation and eventually relaxes into a rotating condensate with a vortex lattice. We discuss the vortex nucleation mechanism and in particular, the role of the thermal cloud in the relaxation process. Finally, we investigate the dependence of the vortex nucleation on the elliptical polarization of the trap shaking. The response of the condensate is asymmetric with respect to the sign of the shaking polarization, demonstrating the gauge field effect due to the spin texture of the condensate in the magnetic potential.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure