Fitting Skyrme functionals using linear response theory

Recently, it has been recently shown that the linear response theory in symmetric nuclear matter can be used as a tool to detect finite size instabilities for different Skyrme functionals. In particular it has been shown that there is a correlation between the density at which instabilities occur in infinite matter and the instabilities in finite nuclei. In this article we present a new fitting protocol that uses this correlation to add new additional constraint in Symmetric Infinite Nuclear Matter in order to ensure the stability of finite nuclei against matter fluctuation in all spin and isospin channels. As an application, we give the parameters set for a new Skyrme functional which includes central and spin-orbit parts and which is free from instabilities by construction.Comment: Proceeding of 19th Nuclear Physics Workshop "Marie & Pierre Curie" Kazimierz 201

Nuclear response for the Skyrme effective interaction with zero-range tensor terms. III. Neutron matter and neutrino propagation

The formalism of the linear response for the Skyrme energy density functional including tensor terms derived in articles [1,2] for nuclear matter is applied here to the case of pure neutron matter. As in article [2] we present analytical results for the response function in all channels, the Landau parameters and the odd-power sum rules. Special emphasis is given to the inverse energy weighted sum rule because it can be used to detect non physical instabilities. Typical examples are discussed and numerical results shown. Moreover, as a direct application, neutrino propagation in neutron matter is investigated through its neutrino mean free path at zero temperature. This quantity turns out to be very sensitive to the tensor terms of the Skyrme energy density functional

Control of defect-mediated tunneling barrier heights in ultrathin MgO films

The impact of oxygen vacancies on local tunneling properties across rf-sputtered MgO thin films was investigated by optical absorption spectroscopy and conducting atomic force microscopy. Adding O$_2$ to the Ar plasma during MgO growth alters the oxygen defect populations, leading to improved local tunneling characteristics such as a lower density of current hotspots and a lower tunnel current amplitude. We discuss a defect-based potential landscape across ultrathin MgO barriers.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

In-medium pi-pi Correlation Induced by Partial Restoration of Chiral Symmetry

We show that both the linear and the non-linear chiral models give an enhancement of the pi-pi cross section near the 2pi threshold in the scalar-iso-scalar (I=J=0) channel in nuclear matter. The reduction of the chiral condensate, i.e., the partial chiral restoration in nuclear matter, is responsible for the enhancement in both cases. We extract an effective 4pi-nucleon vertex which is responsible for the enhancement but has not been considered in the non-liear models for in-medium pi-pi interaction. Relation of this vertex and a next-to-leading order terms in the heavy-baryon chiral lagrangian, L_piN^(2), is also discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 5 eps figure, REVTe

Chiral Symmetry and light resonances in hot and dense matter

We present a study of the $\pi\pi$ scattering amplitude in the $\sigma$ and $\rho$ channels at finite temperature and nuclear density within a chiral unitary framework. Meson resonances are dynamically generated in our approach, which allows us to analyze the behavior of their associated scattering poles when the system is driven towards chiral symmetry restoration. Medium effects are incorporated in three ways: (a) by thermal corrections of the unitarized scattering amplitudes, (b) by finite nuclear density effects associated to a renormalization of the pion decay constant, and complementarily (c) by extending our calculation of the scalar-isoscalar channel to account for finite nuclear density and temperature effects in a microscopic many-body implementation of pion dynamics. Our results are discussed in connection with several phenomenological aspects relevant for nuclear matter and Heavy-Ion Collision experiments, such as $\rho$ mass scaling vs broadening from dilepton spectra and chiral restoration signals in the $\sigma$ channel. We also elaborate on the molecular nature of $\pi\pi$ resonances.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures. Contribution to Hard Probes 2008, Illa de A Toxa, Spain, June 8th-14th 200

The nuclear energy density functional formalism

The present document focuses on the theoretical foundations of the nuclear energy density functional (EDF) method. As such, it does not aim at reviewing the status of the field, at covering all possible ramifications of the approach or at presenting recent achievements and applications. The objective is to provide a modern account of the nuclear EDF formalism that is at variance with traditional presentations that rely, at one point or another, on a {\it Hamiltonian-based} picture. The latter is not general enough to encompass what the nuclear EDF method represents as of today. Specifically, the traditional Hamiltonian-based picture does not allow one to grasp the difficulties associated with the fact that currently available parametrizations of the energy kernel $E[g',g]$ at play in the method do not derive from a genuine Hamilton operator, would the latter be effective. The method is formulated from the outset through the most general multi-reference, i.e. beyond mean-field, implementation such that the single-reference, i.e. "mean-field", derives as a particular case. As such, a key point of the presentation provided here is to demonstrate that the multi-reference EDF method can indeed be formulated in a {\it mathematically} meaningful fashion even if $E[g',g]$ does {\it not} derive from a genuine Hamilton operator. In particular, the restoration of symmetries can be entirely formulated without making {\it any} reference to a projected state, i.e. within a genuine EDF framework. However, and as is illustrated in the present document, a mathematically meaningful formulation does not guarantee that the formalism is sound from a {\it physical} standpoint. The price at which the latter can be enforced as well in the future is eventually alluded to.Comment: 64 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Euroschool Lecture Notes in Physics Vol.IV, Christoph Scheidenberger and Marek Pfutzner editor

Robust spin crossover and memristance across a single molecule

A nanoscale molecular switch can be used to store information in a single molecule. Although the switching process can be detected electrically in the form of a change in the molecule's conductance, adding spin functionality to molecular switches is a key concept for realizing molecular spintronic devices. Here we show that iron-based spin-crossover molecules can be individually and reproducibly switched between a combined high-spin, high-conduction state and a low-spin, low-conduction state, provided the individual molecule is decoupled from a metallic substrate by a thin insulating layer. These results represent a step to achieving combined spin and conduction switching functionality on the level of individual molecules

First glimpse of the soft x-ray induced excited spin-state trapping effect dynamics on spin cross-over molecules

The dynamics of the soft x-ray induced excited spin state trapping (SOXIESST) effect of Fe(phen)(2)(NCS)(2) (Fe-phen) powder have been investigated by x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) using the total electron yield method, in a wide temperature range. The low-spin (LS) state is excited into the metastable high-spin (HS) state at a rate that depends on the intensity of the x-ray illumination it receives, and both the temperature and the intensity of the x-ray illumination will affect the maximum HS proportion that is reached. We find that the SOXIESST HS spin state transforms back to the LS state at a rate that is similar to that found for the light induced excited spin state trapping (LIESST) effect. We show that it is possible to use the SOXIESST effect in combination with the LIESST effect to investigate the influence of cooperative behavior on the dynamics of both effects. To investigate the impact of molecular cooperativity, we compare our results on Fe-phen with those obtained for Fe[Me(2)Pyrz](3)BH(2) (Fe-pyrz) powder, which exhibits a similar thermal transition temperature but with a hysteresis. We find that, while the time constant of the dynamic is identical for both molecules, the SOXIESST effect is less efficient at exciting the HS state in Fe-pyrz than in Fe-phen. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC

Hysteresis and change of transition temperature in thin films of Fe{[Me(2)Pyrz](3)BH}(2), a new sublimable spin-crossover molecule

Thin films of the spin-crossover (SCO) molecule Fe{[Me(2)Pyrz](3)BH}(2) (Fe-pyrz) were sublimed on Si/SiO2 and quartz substrates, and their properties investigated by X-ray absorption and photo-emission spectroscopies, optical absorption, atomic force microscopy, and superconducting quantum interference device. Contrary to the previously studied Fe(phen)(2)(NCS)(2), the films are not smooth but granular. The thin films qualitatively retain the typical SCO properties of the powder sample (SCO, thermal hysteresis, soft X-ray induced excited spin-state trapping, and light induced excited spin-state trapping) but present intriguing variations even in micrometer-thick films: the transition temperature decreases when the thickness is decreased, and the hysteresis is affected. We explain this behavior in the light of recent studies focusing on the role of surface energy in the thermodynamics of the spin transition in nano-structures. In the high-spin state at room temperature, the films have a large optical gap (similar to 5 eV), decreasing at thickness below 50 nm, possibly due to film morphology. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC

Three‐dimensional characterization of osteocyte volumes at multiple scales, and its relationship with bone biology and genome evolution in ray‐finned fishes

Osteocytes, cells embedded within the bone mineral matrix, inform on key aspects of vertebrate biology. In particular, a relationship between volumes of the osteocytes and bone growth and/or genome size has been proposed for several tetrapod lineages. However, the variation in osteocyte volume across different scales is poorly characterized and mostly relies on incomplete, two‐dimensional information. In this study, we characterize the variation of osteocyte volumes in ray‐finned fishes (Actinopterygii), a clade including more than half of modern vertebrate species in which osteocyte biology is poorly known. We use X‐ray synchrotron micro‐computed tomography (SRµCT) to achieve a three‐dimensional visualization of osteocyte lacunae and direct measurement of their size (volumes). Our specimen sample is designed to characterize variation in osteocyte lacuna morphology at three scales: within a bone, among the bones of one individual and among species. At the intra‐bone scale, we find that osteocyte lacunae vary noticeably in size between zones of organized and woven bone (being up to six times larger in woven bone), and across cyclical bone deposition. This is probably explained by differences in bone deposition rate, with larger osteocyte lacunae contained in bone that deposits faster. Osteocyte lacuna volumes vary 3.5‐fold among the bones of an individual, and this cannot readily be explained by variation in bone growth rate or other currently observable factors. Finally, we find that genome size provides the best explanation of variation in osteocyte lacuna volume among species: actinopterygian taxa with larger genomes (polyploid taxa in particular) have larger osteocyte lacunae (with a ninefold variation in median osteocyte volume being measured). Our findings corroborate previous two‐dimensional studies in tetrapods that also observed similar patterns of intra‐individual variation and found a correlation with genome size. This opens new perspectives for further studies on bone evolution, physiology and palaeogenomics in actinopterygians, and vertebrates as a whole