552 research outputs found
A universal relationship between magnetization and local structure changes below the ferromagnetic transition in La_{1-x}Ca_xMnO_3; evidence for magnetic dimers
We present extensive X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) measurements on
La_{1-x}Ca_xMnO_3 as a function of B-field (to 11T) and Ca concentration, x
(21-45%). These results reveal local structure changes (associated with polaron
formation) that depend only on the magnetization for a given sample,
irrespective of whether the magnetization is achieved through a decrease in
temperature or an applied magnetic field. Furthermore, the relationship between
local structure and magnetization depends on the hole doping. A model is
proposed in which a filamentary magnetization initially develops via the
aggregation of pairs of Mn atoms involving a hole and an electron site. These
pairs have little distortion and it is likely that they pre-form at
temperatures above T_c.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures (1 with 2 parts) -- v2. new data added (updated
figures); discussion expande
Observation of ferromagnetism above 900 K in Cr-GaN and Cr-AlN
We report the observation of ferromagnetism at over 900K in Cr-GaN and Cr-AlN
thin films. The saturation magnetization moments in our best films of Cr-GaN
and Cr-AlN at low temperatures are 0.42 and 0.6 u_B/Cr atom, respectively,
indicating that 14% and 20%, of the Cr atoms, respectively, are magnetically
active. While Cr-AlN is highly resistive, Cr-GaN exhibits thermally activated
conduction that follows the exponential law expected for variable range hopping
between localized states. Hall measurements on a Cr-GaN sample indicate a
mobility of 0.06 cm^2/V.s, which falls in the range characteristic of hopping
conduction, and a free carrier density (1.4E20/cm^3), which is similar in
magnitude to the measured magnetically-active Cr concentration (4.9E19/cm^3). A
large negative magnetoresistance is attributed to scattering from loose spins
associated with non-ferromagnetic impurities. The results indicate that
ferromagnetism in Cr-GaN and Cr-AlN can be attributed to the double exchange
mechanism as a result of hopping between near-midgap substitutional Cr impurity
bands.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, submitted to AP
Optical Properties of MFe_4P_12 filled skutterudites
Infrared reflectance spectroscopy measurements were made on four members of
the MFe_4P_12 family of filled skutterudites, with M=La, Th, Ce and U. In
progressing from M=La to U the system undergoes a metal-insulator transition.
It is shown that, although the filling atom induces such dramatic changes in
the transport properties of the system, it has only a small effect on lattice
dynamics. We discuss this property of the compounds in the context of their
possible thermoelectric applications.Comment: Manuscript in ReVTeX format, 7 figures in PostScirpt forma
Varenicline Reduces Alcohol Intake During Repeated Cycles of Alcohol Reaccess Following Deprivation in Alcohol-Preferring (P) Rats
Background
Most alcoholics experience periods of voluntary alcohol abstinence or imposed alcohol deprivation followed by a return to alcohol drinking. This study examined whether varenicline (VAR) reduces alcohol intake during a return to drinking after periods of alcohol deprivation in rats selectively bred for high alcohol drinking (the alcohol preferring or “P” rats).
Methods
Alcohol-experienced P rats were given 24-hour access to food and water and scheduled access to alcohol (15% and 30% v/v) for 2 h/d. After 4 weeks, rats were deprived of alcohol for 2 weeks, followed by reaccess to alcohol for 2 weeks, and this pattern was repeated for a total of 3 cycles. Rats were fed either vehicle (VEH) or VAR, in doses of 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 mg/kg BW, at 1 hour prior to onset of the daily alcohol reaccess period for the first 5 days of each of the 3 alcohol reaccess cycles.
Results
Low-dose VAR (0.5 mg/kg BW) reduced alcohol intake during the 5 days of drug treatment in alcohol reaccess cycles 1 and 2. Higher doses of VAR (1.0 mg/kg BW and 2.0 mg/kg BW) reduced alcohol intake during the 5 days of treatment in all 3 alcohol reaccess cycles. The decrease in alcohol intake disappeared with termination of VAR treatment in all alcohol reaccess cycles.
Conclusions
The results demonstrate that VAR decreases alcohol intake during multiple cycles of alcohol reaccess following alcohol deprivation in rats and suggests that it may prevent a return to heavy alcohol drinking during a lapse from alcohol abstinence in humans with alcohol use disorder
Unusual behaviors in the transport properties of REFeP (RE: La, Ce, Pr, and Nd)
We have investigated the resistivity (), thermoelectric power (TEP) and
Hall coefficient () on high quality single crystals of
REFeP. TEP in CeFeP is extremely large (
0.5mV/K at 290K) with a peak of 0.75mV/K at around 65K. The Hall
mobility also shows a peak at 65K, suggesting carriers with heavy masses
developed at lower temperatures related with the f-hybridized band. Both Pr-
and Nd- systems exhibit an apparent increase of with decreasing
temperature far above their magnetic transition temperatures. In the same
temperature ranges, TEP exhibits unusually large absolute values of -50V/K
for PrFeP and -15V/K for NdFeP, respectively.
For PrFeP, such anomalous transport properties suggest an unusual
ground state, possibly related with the Quadrupolar Kondo effect.Comment: 5 pages, 8 figure
Coefficient of restitution for elastic disks
We calculate the coefficient of restitution, , starting from a
microscopic model of elastic disks. The theory is shown to agree with the
approach of Hertz in the quasistatic limit, but predicts inelastic collisions
for finite relative velocities of two approaching disks. The velocity
dependence of is calculated numerically for a wide range of
velocities. The coefficient of restitution furthermore depends on the elastic
constants of the material via Poisson's number. The elastic vibrations absorb
kinetic energy more effectively for materials with low values of the shear
modulus.Comment: 25 pages, 12 Postscript figures, LaTex2
Evidence for a common physical description of non-Fermi-liquid behavior in f-electron systems
The non-Fermi-liquid (NFL) behavior observed in the low temperature specific
heat and magnetic susceptibility of f-electron systems is
analyzed within the context of a recently developed theory based on Griffiths
singularities. Measurements of and in the systems
, , and (M = Pd,
Pt) are found to be consistent with predicted by this model with in the NFL regime.
These results suggest that the NFL properties observed in a wide variety of
f-electron systems can be described within the context of a common physical
picture.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Plasticity and memory effects in the vortex solid phase of twinned YBa2Cu3O7 single crystals
We report on marked memory effects in the vortex system of twinned YBa2Cu3O7
single crystals observed in ac susceptibility measurements. We show that the
vortex system can be trapped in different metastable states with variable
degree of order arising in response to different system histories. The pressure
exerted by the oscillating ac field assists the vortex system in ordering,
locally reducing the critical current density in the penetrated outer zone of
the sample. The robustness of the ordered and disordered states together with
the spatial profile of the critical current density lead to the observed memory
effects
- …