Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and molecular hydrogen in oxygen-rich planetary nebulae: the case of NGC6720

Evolved stars are primary sources for the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dust grains. Their circumstellar chemistry is usually designated as either oxygen-rich or carbon-rich, although dual-dust chemistry objects, whose infrared spectra reveal both silicate- and carbon-dust features, are also known. The exact origin and nature of this dual-dust chemistry is not yet understood. Spitzer-IRS mid-infrared spectroscopic imaging of the nearby, oxygen-rich planetary nebula NGC6720 reveals the presence of the 11.3 micron aromatic (PAH) emission band. It is attributed to emission from neutral PAHs, since no band is observed in the 7 to 8 micron range. The spatial distribution of PAHs is found to closely follow that of the warm clumpy molecular hydrogen emission. Emission from both neutral PAHs and warm H2 is likely to arise from photo-dissociation regions associated with dense knots that are located within the main ring. The presence of PAHs together with the previously derived high abundance of free carbon (relative to CO) suggest that the local conditions in an oxygen-rich environment can also become conducive to in-situ formation of large carbonaceous molecules, such as PAHs, via a bottom-up chemical pathway. In this scenario, the same stellar source can enrich the interstellar medium with both oxygen-rich dust and large carbonaceous molecules.Comment: Accepted by MNRAS. 5 page

Very weak electron-phonon coupling and strong strain coupling in manganites

The coupling of the manganite stripe phase to the lattice and to strain has been investigated via transmission electron microscopy studies of polycrystalline and thin film manganites. In polycrystalline \PCMOfiftwo a lockin to $q/a^*=0.5$ in a sample with $x>0.5$ has been observed for the first time. Such a lockin has been predicted as a key part of the Landau CDW theory of the stripe phase. Thus it is possible to constrain the size of the electron-phonon coupling in the CDW Landau theory to between 0.04% and 0.05% of the electron-electron coupling term. In the thin film samples, films of the same thickness grown on two different substrates exhibited different wavevectors. The different strains present in the films on the two substrates can be related to the wavevector observed via Landau theory. It is demonstrated that the the elastic term which favours an incommensurate modulation has a similar size to the coupling between the strain and the wavevector, meaning that the coupling of strain to the superlattice is unexpectedly strong.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure

Reply to ``Comment on `Insulating Behavior of λ\lambda-DNA on the Micron Scale' "

In our experiment, we found that the resistance of vacuum-dried $\lambda$-DNA exceeds $10^{14} \Omega$ at 295 K. Bechhoefer and Sen have raised a number of objections to our conclusion. We provide counter arguments to support our original conclusion.Comment: 1 page reply to comment, 1 figur

Solution of the Two-Channel Anderson Impurity Model - Implications for the Heavy Fermion UBe13_{13} -

We solve the two-channel Anderson impurity model using the Bethe-Ansatz. We determine the ground state and derive the thermodynamics, obtaining the impurity entropy and specific heat over the full range of temperature. We show that the low temperature physics is given by a line of fixed points decribing a two-channel non Fermi liquid behavior in the integral valence regime associated with moment formation as well as in the mixed valence regime where no moment forms. We discuss relevance for the theory of UBe$_{13}$.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, (to be published in PRL

The structure of intercalated water in superconducting Na0.35_{0.35}CoO2⋅_{2}\cdot1.37D2_{2}O: Implications for the superconducting phase diagram

We have used electron and neutron powder diffraction to elucidate the structural properties of superconducting \NaD. Our measurements show that our superconducting sample exhbits a number of supercells ranging from ${1/3}a^{*}$ to ${1/15}a^{*}$, but the most predominant one, observed also in the neutron data, is a double hexagonal cell with dimensions \dhx. Rietveld analysis reveals that \deut\space is inserted between CoO$_{2}$ sheets as to form a layered network of NaO$_{6}$ triangular prisms. Our model removes the need to invoke a 5K superconducting point compound and suggests that a solid solution of Na is possible within a constant amount of water $y$.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Optical conductivity of a metal-insulator transition for the Anderson-Hubbard model in 3 dimensions away from 1/2 filling

We have completed a numerical investigation of the Anderson-Hubbard model for three-dimensional simple cubic lattices using a real-space self-consistent Hartree-Fock decoupling approximation for the Hubbard interaction. In this formulation we treat the spatial disorder exactly, and therefore we account for effects arising from localization physics. We have examined the model for electronic densities well away 1/2 filling, thereby avoiding the physics of a Mott insulator. Several recent studies have made clear that the combined effects of electronic interactions and spatial disorder can give rise to a suppression of the electronic density of states, and a subsequent metal-insulator transition can occur. We augment such studies by calculating the ac conductivity for such systems. Our numerical results show that weak interactions enhance the density of states at the Fermi level and the low-frequency conductivity, there are no local magnetic moments, and the ac conductivity is Drude-like. However, with a large enough disorder strength and larger interactions the density of states at the Fermi level and the low-frequency conductivity are both suppressed, the conductivity becomes non-Drude-like, and these phenomena are accompanied by the presence of local magnetic moments. The low-frequency conductivity changes from a sigma-sigma_dc omega^{1/2} behaviour in the metallic phase, to a sigma omega^2 behaviour in the nonmetallic regime. Our numerical results show that the formation of magnetic moments is essential to the suppression of the density of states at the Fermi level, and therefore essential to the metal-insulator transition

Theory of One-Channel vs. Multi-Channel Kondo Effects for Ce3+^{3+} Impurities

We introduce a model for Ce$^{3+}$ impurities in cubic metals which exhibits competition between the Fermi-liquid fixed point of the single channel Kondo model and the non-Fermi-liquid fixed point of the two- and three-channel Kondo models. Using the non-crossing approximation and scaling theory, we find: (i) A possible three-channel Kondo effect between the one- and two-channel regimes in parameter space. (ii) The sign of the thermopower is a fixed point diagnostic. (iii) Our results will likely survive the introduction of additional $f^2$ and conduction states. We apply this model to interpret the non-Fermi liquid alloy La$_{1-x}$Ce$_x$Cu$_{2.2}$Si$_2$.Comment: 13 pages, Revtex, To appear in Phys. Rev. Let

High Resolution CO and H2 Molecular Line Imaging of a Cometary Globule in the Helix Nebula

We report high resolution imaging of a prominent cometary globule in the Helix nebula in the CO J=1-0 (2.6 mm) and H2 v=1-0 S(1) (2.12 micron) lines. The observations confirm that globules consist of dense condensations of molecular gas embedded in the ionized nebula. The head of the globule is seen as a peak in the CO emission with an extremely narrow line width (0.5 km/s) and is outlined by a limb-brightened surface of H2 emission facing the central star and lying within the photo-ionized halo. The emission from both molecular species extends into the tail region. The presence of this extended molecular emission provides new constraints on the structure of the tails, and on the origin and evolution of the globules.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. To appear in The Astrophysical Journal Letter

Co-operative Kondo Effect in the two-channel Kondo Lattice

We discuss the possibility of a co-operative Kondo effect driven by channel interference in a Kondo lattice where local moments are coupled to a single Fermi sea via two orthogonal scattering channels. In this situation, the channel quantum number is not conserved. We argue that the absence of channel conservation causes the Kondo effect in the two channels to constructively interfere, giving rise to a superconducting condensate of composite pairs, formed between the local moments and the conduction electrons. Our arguments are based on the observation that a heavy Fermi surface gives rise to zero modes for Kondo singlets to fluctuate between screening channels of different symmetry, producing a divergent composite pair susceptibility. Secondary screening channels couple to these divergent fluctuations, promoting an instability into a state with long-range composite order. We present detailed a detailed mean-field theory for this superconducting phase, and discuss the possible implications for heavy fermion physics.Comment: 23 double column pages. 9 fig