438 research outputs found
Dynamics of Excited Electrons in Copper: Role of Auger Electrons
Within a theoretical model based on the Boltzmann equation, we analyze in
detail the structure of the unusual peak recently observed in the relaxation
time in Cu. In particular, we discuss the role of Auger electrons in the
electron dynamics and its dependence on the d-hole lifetime, the optical
transition matrix elements and the laser pulse duration. We find that the Auger
contribution to the distribution is very sensitive to both the d-hole lifetime
tau_h and the laser pulse duration tau_l and can be expressed as a monotonic
function of tau_l/tau_h. We have found that for a given tau_h, the Auger
contribution is significantly smaller for a short pulse duration than for a
longer one. We show that the relaxation time at the peak depends linearly on
the d-hole lifetime, but interestingly not on the amount of Auger electrons
generated. We provide a simple expression for the relaxation time of excited
electrons which shows that its shape can be understood by a phase space
argument and its amplitude is governed by the d-hole lifetime. We also find
that the height of the peak depends on both the ratio of the optical transition
matrix elements R=|M_{d \to sp}|^2/|M_{sp \to sp}|^2 and the laser pulse
duration. Assuming a reasonable value for the ratio, namely R = 2, and a d-hole
lifetime of tau_h=35 fs, we obtain for the calculated height of the peak Delta
tau_{th}=14 fs, in fair agreement with Delta tau_{exp} \approx 17 fs measured
for polycrystalline Cu.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Lifetime of d-holes at Cu surfaces: Theory and experiment
We have investigated the hole dynamics at copper surfaces by high-resolution
angle-resolved photoemission experiments and many-body quasiparticle GW
calculations. Large deviations from a free-electron-like picture are observed
both in the magnitude and the energy dependence of the lifetimes, with a clear
indication that holes exhibit longer lifetimes than electrons with the same
excitation energy. Our calculations show that the small overlap of d- and
sp-states below the Fermi level is responsible for the observed enhancement.
Although there is qualitative good agreement of our theoretical predictions and
the measured lifetimes, there still exist some discrepancies pointing to the
need of a better description of the actual band structure of the solid.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Dynamics of Excited Electrons in Copper and Ferromagnetic Transition Metals: Theory and Experiment
Both theoretical and experimental results for the dynamics of photoexcited
electrons at surfaces of Cu and the ferromagnetic transition metals Fe, Co, and
Ni are presented. A model for the dynamics of excited electrons is developed,
which is based on the Boltzmann equation and includes effects of
photoexcitation, electron-electron scattering, secondary electrons (cascade and
Auger electrons), and transport of excited carriers out of the detection
region. From this we determine the time-resolved two-photon photoemission
(TR-2PPE). Thus a direct comparison of calculated relaxation times with
experimental results by means of TR-2PPE becomes possible. The comparison
indicates that the magnitudes of the spin-averaged relaxation time \tau and of
the ratio \tau_\uparrow/\tau_\downarrow of majority and minority relaxation
times for the different ferromagnetic transition metals result not only from
density-of-states effects, but also from different Coulomb matrix elements M.
Taking M_Fe > M_Cu > M_Ni = M_Co we get reasonable agreement with experiments.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figures, added a figure and an appendix, updated
reference
Hole dynamics in noble metals
We present a detailed analysis of hole dynamics in noble metals (Cu and Au),
by means of first-principles many-body calculations. While holes in a
free-electron gas are known to live shorter than electrons with the same
excitation energy, our results indicate that d-holes in noble metals exhibit
longer inelastic lifetimes than excited sp-electrons, in agreement with
experiment. The density of states available for d-hole decay is larger than
that for the decay of excited electrons; however, the small overlap between d-
and sp-states below the Fermi level increases the d-hole lifetime. The impact
of d-hole dynamics on electron-hole correlation effects, which are of relevance
in the analysis of time-resolved two-photon photoemission experiments, is also
addressed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Radiation Hardness of Thin Low Gain Avalanche Detectors
Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGAD) are based on a n++-p+-p-p++ structure
where an appropriate doping of the multiplication layer (p+) leads to high
enough electric fields for impact ionization. Gain factors of few tens in
charge significantly improve the resolution of timing measurements,
particularly for thin detectors, where the timing performance was shown to be
limited by Landau fluctuations. The main obstacle for their operation is the
decrease of gain with irradiation, attributed to effective acceptor removal in
the gain layer. Sets of thin sensors were produced by two different producers
on different substrates, with different gain layer doping profiles and
thicknesses (45, 50 and 80 um). Their performance in terms of gain/collected
charge and leakage current was compared before and after irradiation with
neutrons and pions up to the equivalent fluences of 5e15 cm-2. Transient
Current Technique and charge collection measurements with LHC speed electronics
were employed to characterize the detectors. The thin LGAD sensors were shown
to perform much better than sensors of standard thickness (~300 um) and offer
larger charge collection with respect to detectors without gain layer for
fluences <2e15 cm-2. Larger initial gain prolongs the beneficial performance of
LGADs. Pions were found to be more damaging than neutrons at the same
equivalent fluence, while no significant difference was found between different
producers. At very high fluences and bias voltages the gain appears due to deep
acceptors in the bulk, hence also in thin standard detectors
Ultrafast Spin Dynamics in Nickel
The spin dynamics in Ni is studied by an exact diagonalization method on the
ultrafast time scale. It is shown that the femtosecond relaxation of the
magneto-optical response results from exchange interaction and spin-orbit
coupling. Each of the two mechanisms affects the relaxation process
differently. We find that the intrinsic spin dynamics occurs during about 10 fs
while extrinsic effects such as laser-pulse duration and spectral width can
slow down the observed dynamics considerably. Thus, our theory indicates that
there is still room to accelerate the spin dynamics in experiments.Comment: 4 pages, Latex, 4 postscript figure
Kvalitativna procjena eliminacije TCP-a i TAMORF-a iz organizma štakora metodom GC-MS
Nerve agents are highly toxic organophosphorus (OP) compounds. They inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme that hydrolyses acetycholine (ACh) in the nervous system. Pathophysiological changes caused by OP poisonings are primarily the consequence of surplus ACh on cholinergic receptors and in the central nervous system. Standard treatment of OP poisoning includes combined administration of carbamates, atropine, oximes and anticonvulsants. In order to improve therapy, new compounds have been synthesised and tested. Tenocyclidine (TCP) and its adamantane derivative 1-[2-(2-thienyl)-2-adamantyl] morpholine (TAMORF) have shown interesting properties against soman poisoning. In this study, we
developed a qualitative GC-MS method to measure elimination of TCP and TAMORF through rat urine in order to learn more about the mechanisms through which TCP protects an organism from OP poisoning and to determine the duration of this protective effect. GC-MS showed that six hours after treatment with TCP, rat urine contained only its metabolite 1-thienylcyclohexene, while urine of rats treated with TAMORF contained both TAMORF and its metabolites.Živčani bojni otrovi po strukturi su organofosforni (OP) spojevi, čija je zajednička značajka ireverzibilna inhibicija acetilkolinesteraze (AChE), enzima koji hidrolizira acetilkolin (ACh) u živčanom sustavu.
Patofi ziološka zbivanja koja nastaju pri otrovanju OP-spojevima primarno su posljedica akumuliranog ACh na kolinergičkim receptorima i u središnjem živčanom sustavu. Još uvijek nesavršen, standardni tretman liječenja otrovanja OP-spojevima uključuje kombiniranu primjenu estera karbamata, atropina, oksima i
antikonvulziva. Kako bi se unaprijedila uobičajena terapija, osobito kod otrovanja somanom, ispituju se antidotski učinci mnogih spojeva. Tenociklidin (TCP) i njegov adamantanski derivat TAMORF pokazali su zanimljiva svojstva pomoćne terapije pri otrovanju somanom. Kako bi se proširile dosadašnje spoznaje o načinu na koji tenociklidini štite organizam od trovanja OP-spojevima te također o trajanju njihova antidotskog učinka, u ovom radu razvijena je GC-MS-metoda za praćenje eliminacije TCP-a i TAMORF-a iz organizma. Rezultati GC-MS-analize pokazali su da šest sati nakon tretiranja štakora TCP-om mokraće sadržavaju metabolit TCP-a 1-tienilcikloheksen, dok šest sati nakon tretiranja štakora TAMORF-om
mokraće sadržavaju i TAMORF i njegove metabolite. Drugim riječima, šest sati nakon tretmana TCP se potpuno metabolizira, dok se TAMORF metabolizira djelomično, a djelomično ostaje nepromijenjen
Oat Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) remain the top disease and mortality burdens worldwide. Oats have been shown to benefit cardiovascular health and improve insulin resistance. However, the evidence linking oat consumption with CVD, T2D and all-cause mortality remains inconclusive. We conducted a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies to evaluate the associations between oat consumption and risks of T2D, CVD and all-cause mortality in the general population. Five electronic databases were searched until September, 2020. Study specific relative risks (RR) were meta-analyzed using random effect models. Of 4686 relevant references, we included 9 articles, based on 8 unique studies and 471,157 participants. Comparing oat consumers versus non-consumers, RRs were 0.86 (95% CI 0.72–1.03) for T2D incidence and 0.73 (95% CI 0.5–1.07) for combined CVD incidence. Comparing participants with highest versus lowest oat intake, RRs were 0.78 (95% CI 0.74–0.82) for T2D incidence, 0.81 (95% CI 0.61–1.08) for CHD incidence and 0.79 (95% CI 0.59–1.07) for stroke. For all-cause mortality one study based on three cohorts found RR for men and women were 0.76 (95% CI 0.69–0.85) and 0.78 (95% CI 0.70–0.87), respectively. Most studies (n = 6) were of fair to good quality. This meta-analysis suggests that consumption of oat could reduce the risk for T2D and all-cause mortality, while no significant association was found for CVD. Future studies should address a lack of standardized methods in assessing overall oat intake and type of oat products, and investigate a dose-dependent response of oat products on cardiometabolic outcomes in order to introduce oat as preventive and treatment options for the public
Gate control of sensory neurotransmission in peripheral ganglia by proprioceptive sensory neurons
Melzak and Wall's gate control theory proposed that innocuous input into the dorsal horn of the spinal cord represses pain-inducing nociceptive input. Here we show that input from proprioceptive parvalbumin-expressing sensory neurons tonically represses nociceptor activation within dorsal root ganglia. Deletion of parvalbumin-positive sensory neurons leads to enhanced nociceptor activity measured with GCaMP3, increased input into wide dynamic range neurons of the spinal cord and increased acute and spontaneous pain behaviour, as well as potentiated innocuous sensation. Parvalbumin-positive sensory neurons express the enzymes and transporters necessary to produce vesicular GABA that is known to be released from depolarized somata. These observations support the view that gate control mechanisms occur peripherally within dorsal root ganglia
The role of occupied d states in the relaxation of hot electrons in Au
We present first-principles calculations of electron-electron scattering
rates of low-energy electrons in Au. Our full band-structure calculations
indicate that a major contribution from occupied d states participating in the
screening of electron-electron interactions yields lifetimes of electrons in Au
with energies of above the Fermi level that are larger than
those of electrons in a free-electron gas by a factor of . This
prediction is in agreement with a recent experimental study of ultrafast
electron dynamics in Au(111) films (J. Cao {\it et al}, Phys. Rev. B {\bf 58},
10948 (1998)), where electron transport has been shown to play a minor role in
the measured lifetimes of hot electrons in this material.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
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