765 research outputs found
Influence of strain on magnetization and magnetoelectric effect in La0.7A0.3MnO3 / PMN-PT(001) (A = Sr; Ca)
We investigate the influence of a well-defined reversible biaxial strain
<=0.12 % on the magnetization (M) of epitaxial ferromagnetic manganite films. M
has been recorded depending on temperature, strain and magnetic field in 20 -
50 nm thick films. This is accomplished by reversibly compressing the isotropic
in-plane lattice parameter of the rhombohedral piezoelectric 0.72PMN-0.28PT
(001) substrates by application of an electric field E <= 12 kV cm-1. The
magnitude of the total variable in-plane strain has been derived.
Strain-induced shifts of the ferromagnetic Curie temperature (Tc) of up to 19 K
were found in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) and La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 films and are
quantitatively analysed for LSMO within a cubic model. The observed large
magnetoelectric coupling coefficient alpha=mu0 dM/dE <= 6 10-8 s m-1 at ambient
temperature results from the strain-induced M change in the
magnetic-film-ferroelectric-substrate system. It corresponds to an enhancement
of mu0 DeltaM <= 19 mT upon biaxial compression of 0.1 %. The extraordinary
large alpha originates from the combination of three crucial properties: (i)
the strong strain dependence of M in the ferromagnetic manganites, (ii) large
piezo-strain of the PMN-PT substrates and (iii) effective elastic coupling at
the film-substrate interface.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl
Relations of low contrast visual acuity, quality of life and multiple sclerosis functional composite: a cross-sectional analysis
Background: Although common and often disabling in multiple sclerosis (MS), visual dysfunction is currently not adequately accounted for in both clinical routine and MS trials. Sloan low contrast letter acuity (SLCLA) is a standardised chart-based measure of visual function particular at low contrast and has been suggested as additional visual component to the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC). Here, we evaluate the relations between SLCLA, retinal integrity, MSFC, and quality of life (QoL) in MS patients. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness, MSFC, SLCLA (2.5% and 1.25% contrast levels), visual evoked potentials, and QoL (Short Form (SF) 36, National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEIVFQ)) using baseline data of 92 MS patients from an ongoing prospective longitudinal trial. Relations between RNFL thickness or P100 latency and SLCLA were analysed using generalised estimating equations (GEE) accounting for intra-individual inter-eye dependencies and corrected for age, gender, and history of optic neuritis. Pearson’s correlations were used to assess relations between SLCLA, MSFC, and QoL. Results: SLCLA reflected RNFL thickness (p = 0.021) and P100 latency (p = 0.004) and predicted vision-related QoL, reflected by the NEIVFQ39 subscores “general vision” and “near activities” (p < 0.008 for both). SLCLA did not predict general QoL reflected by SF36. Implementing SLCLA into MSFC, thus creating a four-dimensional MSFC4, captured aspects of disability reflected by the NEIVFQ39 subscores “general vision” (r = 0.42, p < 0.0001) and “near activity” (r = 0.3, p = 0.014) which were not captured by standard MSFC3. Conclusions: SLCLA at 2.5% and 1.25% contrast levels correlates with retinal morphology and P100 latency and predicts some aspects of vision-related QoL in MS. More importantly, using a prospective cross-sectional approach we provide evidence that extending the MSFC by SLCLA as an additional visual component increases the performance of MSFC to capture MS-related disability. Longitudinal data on the relation between SLCLA, MSFC, and QoL will be available in the near future
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Strain-controlled switching kinetics of epitaxial PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 films
We investigate the effect of biaxial strain on the switching of ferroelectric thin films. The strain state of epitaxial PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 films is controlled directly and reversibly by the use of piezoelectric Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)0.72Ti0.28O3 (001) substrates. At small external electric fields, the films show switching characteristics consistent with a creep-like domain wall motion. In this regime, we find a huge decrease of the switching time under compressive strain. For larger external electric fields, the domain wall motion is in a depinning regime. The effect of compressive strain is more moderate in this region and shows a reduction in the switching kinetics
R-matrix Floquet theory for laser-assisted electron-atom scattering
A new version of the R-matrix Floquet theory for laser-assisted electron-atom
scattering is presented. The theory is non-perturbative and applicable to a
non-relativistic many-electron atom or ion in a homogeneous linearly polarized
field. It is based on the use of channel functions built from field-dressed
target states, which greatly simplifies the general formalism.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX2e, submitted to J.Phys.
Temporal visual resolution and disease severity in MS
OBJECTIVE: To examine temporal visual resolution assessed as critical flicker frequency (CFF) in patients with MS and to investigate associations with visual system damage and general disability and cognitive function. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients with MS and 31 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study and underwent CFF testing, high- and low-contrast visual acuity, alertness and information processing speed using the paced auditory serial addition task (PASAT), and retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT). In patients with MS, visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores were assessed. RESULTS: CFF in patients with MS (mean ± SD: 40.9 ± 4.4 Hz) was lower than in HCs (44.8 ± 4.4 Hz, p < 0.001). There was no significant CFF difference between eyes with and without previous optic neuritis (ON). CFF was not associated with visual acuity, VEP latency, the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and the combined ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer volume. Instead, reduced CFF was associated with worse EDSS scores (r(2) = 0.26, p < 0.001) and alertness (r(2) = 0.42, p = 0.00042) but not with PASAT (p = 0.33). CONCLUSION: CFF reduction in MS occurs independently of ON and structural visual system damage. Its association with the EDSS score and alertness suggests that CFF reflects global disease processes and higher cortical processing rather than focal optic nerve or retinal damage
Electron correlation vs. stabilization: A two-electron model atom in an intense laser pulse
We study numerically stabilization against ionization of a fully correlated
two-electron model atom in an intense laser pulse. We concentrate on two
frequency regimes: very high frequency, where the photon energy exceeds both,
the ionization potential of the outer {\em and} the inner electron, and an
intermediate frequency where, from a ``single active electron''-point of view
the outer electron is expected to stabilize but the inner one is not. Our
results reveal that correlation reduces stabilization when compared to results
from single active electron-calculations. However, despite this destabilizing
effect of electron correlation we still observe a decreasing ionization
probability within a certain intensity domain in the high-frequency case. We
compare our results from the fully correlated simulations with those from
simpler, approximate models. This is useful for future work on ``real''
more-than-one electron atoms, not yet accessible to numerical {\em ab initio}
methods.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures in an extra ps-file, submitted to Phys. Rev. A,
updated references and shortened introductio
Ionization Probabilities through ultra-intense Fields in the extreme Limit
We continue our investigation concerning the question of whether atomic bound
states begin to stabilize in the ultra-intense field limit. The pulses
considered are essentially arbitrary, but we distinguish between three
situations. First the total classical momentum transfer is non-vanishing,
second not both the total classical momentum transfer and the total classical
displacement are vanishing together with the requirement that the potential has
a finite number of bound states and third both the total classical momentum
transfer and the total classical displacement are vanishing. For the first two
cases we rigorously prove, that the ionization probability tends to one when
the amplitude of the pulse tends to infinity and the pulse shape remains fixed.
In the third case the limit is strictly smaller than one. This case is also
related to the high frequency limit considered by Gavrila et al.Comment: 16 pages LateX, 2 figure
On the Influence of Pulse Shapes on Ionization Probability
We investigate analytical expressions for the upper and lower bounds for the
ionization probability through ultra-intense shortly pulsed laser radiation. We
take several different pulse shapes into account, including in particular those
with a smooth adiabatic turn-on and turn-off. For all situations for which our
bounds are applicable we do not find any evidence for bound-state
stabilization.Comment: 21 pages LateX, 10 figure
Nonlocal Effects of Partial Measurements and Quantum Erasure
Partial measurement turns the initial superposition not into a definite
outcome but into a greater probability for it. The probability can approach
100%, yet the measurement can undergo complete quantum erasure. In the EPR
setting, we prove that i) every partial measurement nonlocally creates the same
partial change in the distant particle; and ii) every erasure inflicts the same
erasure on the distant particle's state. This enables an EPR experiment where
the nonlocal effect does not vanish after a single measurement but keeps
"traveling" back and forth between particles. We study an experiment in which
two distant particles are subjected to interferometry with a partial "which
path" measurement. Such a measurement causes a variable amount of correlation
between the particles. A new inequality is formulated for same-angle
polarizations, extending Bell's inequality for different angles. The resulting
nonlocality proof is highly visualizable, as it rests entirely on the
interference effect. Partial measurement also gives rise to a new form of
entanglement, where the particles manifest correlations of multiple
polarization directions. Another novelty in that the measurement to be erased
is fully observable, in contrast to prevailing erasure techniques where it can
never be observed. Some profound conceptual implications of our experiment are
briefly pointed out.Comment: To be published in Phys. Rev. A 63 (2001). 19 pages, 12 figures,
RevTeX 3.
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