Concurrent transition of ferroelectric and magnetic ordering near room temperature

Strong spin-lattice coupling in condensed matter gives rise to intriguing physical phenomena such as colossal magnetoresistance and giant magnetoelectric effects. The phenomenological hallmark of such a strong spin-lattice coupling is the manifestation of a large anomaly in the crystal structure at the magnetic transition temperature. Here we report that the magnetic Néel temperature of the multiferroic compound BiFeO3 is suppressed to around room temperature by heteroepitaxial misfit strain. Remarkably, the ferroelectric state undergoes a first-order transition to another ferroelectric state simultaneously with the magnetic transition temperature. Our findings provide a unique example of a concurrent magnetic and ferroelectric transition at the same temperature among proper ferroelectrics, taking a step toward room temperature magnetoelectric applications. © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.open435

Tools for Immersive Music in Binaural Format

reserved3Using Spatial Audio in Domotics and Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) applications can help creating proper immersive experiences, which can foster more natural interaction mechanisms or, simply, improve the quality of life through a pleasant listening experience. Unfortunately, due to the lack of standardization of spatial audio formats, current speaker-based home automation devices do not support such innovative acoustic models, still remaining tied to traditional mono and stereo models. To the aim of trying to overcome this situation, we present a survey on the current state of the art in the field of immersive music research, illustrating currently available tools, useful to carry out audio post-production in Binaural format. Consequently, today’s context of sound experiences will be analyzed, which are shifting the listener’s preferences towards immersive experiences such as the use of content in spatial audio.mixedDe Sotgiu, Andrea; Coccoli, Mauro; Vercelli, GianniDe Sotgiu, Andrea; Coccoli, Mauro; Vercelli, Giann