Out-of-plane magnetic domain structure in a thin film of La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 on SrTiO3 (001) observed by magnetic force microscopy

The room temperature out-of-plane magnetization of epitaxial thin films of La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 on SrTiO3 (001) has been investigated with magnetic force microscopy, using magnetic tips with very small coercivity, relative to the film. A clear magnetic pattern in the form of a checkerboard, with domain dimensions of a few hundred nanometers, was found for the thin, coherently strained films, which is approximately aligned along the maximum strain [110] and [1[overline 1]0] directions in the film. With increasing in-plane applied magnetic field, the magnetic contrast reduces, reflecting the rotation of the magnetization vector into the plane of the film. This process is reversible with the field. The out-of-plane magnetic pattern is not sensitive to rotation of the in-plane field. We attribute the observed out-of-plane magnetization component to an out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy, which is a remainder of the [111] magnetic easy axis in bulk La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 single crystal

Orbital reconstruction and two-dimensional electron gas at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface

Conventional two-dimensional electron gases are realized by engineering the interfaces between semiconducting compounds. In 2004, Ohtomo and Hwang discovered that an electron gas can be also realized at the interface between large gap insulators made of transition metal oxides [1]. This finding has generated considerable efforts to clarify the underlying microscopic mechanism. Of particular interest is the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 system, because it features especially striking properties. High carrier mobility [1], electric field tuneable superconductivity [2] and magnetic effects [3], have been found. Here we show that an orbital reconstruction is underlying the generation of the electron gas at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 n-type interface. Our results are based on extensive investigations of the electronic properties and of the orbital structure of the interface using X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy. In particular we find that the degeneracy of the Ti 3d states is fully removed, and that the Ti 3dxy levels become the first available states for conducting electrons.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Photodoping and in-gap interface states across the metal-insulator transition in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures

By using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy we show that the interface between LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 band insulators is characterized by in-gap interface states. These features were observed in insulating as well as conducting LaAlO3/SrTiO3 bilayers. The data show how the interface density of states evolves across the insulating to metal transition, demonstrating that nanoscale electronic inhomogeneities in the system are induced by spatially localized electrons

A novel system to map protein interactions reveals evolutionarily conserved immune evasion pathways on transmissible cancers

Around 40% of humans and Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) develop cancer in their lifetime, compared to less than 10% for most species. In addition, devils are affected by two of the three known transmissible cancers in mammals. Immune checkpoint immunotherapy has transformed human medicine, but a lack of species-specific reagents has limited checkpoint immunology in most species. We developed a cut-and-paste reagent development system and used the fluorescent fusion protein system to show that immune checkpoint interactions are conserved across 160,000,000 years of evolution, CD200 is highly expressed on transmissible tumor cells, and coexpression of CD200R1 can block CD200 surface expression. The system’s versatility across species was demonstrated by fusing a fluorescent reporter to a camelid-derived nanobody that binds human programmed death ligand 1. The evolutionarily conserved pathways suggest that naturally occurring cancers in devils and other species can be used to advance our understanding of cancer and immunological tolerance.</p

Energy and symmetry of dd excitations in undoped layered cuprates measured By Cu L3 resonant inelastic x-ray scattering

We measured the high-resolution Cu L3 edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) of undoped cuprates La2CuO4, Sr2CuO2Cl2, CaCuO2 and NdBa 2Cu3O6. The dominant spectral features were assigned to dd excitations and we extensively studied their polarization and scattering geometry dependence. In a pure ionic picture, we calculated the theoretical cross sections for those excitations and used these to fit the experimental data with excellent agreement. By doing so, we were able to determine the energy and symmetry of Cu-3d states for the four systems with unprecedented accuracy and confidence. The values of the effective parameters could be obtained for the singleion crystal field model but not for a simple two-dimensional cluster model. The firm experimental assessment of dd excitation energies carries important consequences for the physics of high-Tc superconductors. On the one hand, we found that the minimum energy of orbital excitation is always ≥ 1.4 eV, i.e. well above the mid-infrared spectral range, which leaves to magnetic excitations (up to 300 meV) a major role in Cooper pairing in cuprates. On the other hand, it has become possible to study quantitatively the effective influence of dd excitations on the superconducting gap in cuprates

Phenomenology of the Lense-Thirring effect in the Solar System

Recent years have seen increasing efforts to directly measure some aspects of the general relativistic gravitomagnetic interaction in several astronomical scenarios in the solar system. After briefly overviewing the concept of gravitomagnetism from a theoretical point of view, we review the performed or proposed attempts to detect the Lense-Thirring effect affecting the orbital motions of natural and artificial bodies in the gravitational fields of the Sun, Earth, Mars and Jupiter. In particular, we will focus on the evaluation of the impact of several sources of systematic uncertainties of dynamical origin to realistically elucidate the present and future perspectives in directly measuring such an elusive relativistic effect.Comment: LaTex, 51 pages, 14 figures, 22 tables. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and Space Science (ApSS). Some uncited references in the text now correctly quoted. One reference added. A footnote adde

Role of chaos for the validity of statistical mechanics laws: diffusion and conduction

Several years after the pioneering work by Fermi Pasta and Ulam, fundamental questions about the link between dynamical and statistical properties remain still open in modern statistical mechanics. Particularly controversial is the role of deterministic chaos for the validity and consistency of statistical approaches. This contribution reexamines such a debated issue taking inspiration from the problem of diffusion and heat conduction in deterministic systems. Is microscopic chaos a necessary ingredient to observe such macroscopic phenomena?Comment: Latex, 27 pages, 10 eps-figures. Proceedings of the Conference "FPU 50 years since" Rome 7-8 May 200