3,369 research outputs found
Sodium vacancy ordering and the co-existence of localized spins and itinerant charges in NaxCoO2
The sodium cobaltate family (NaxCoO2) is unique among transition metal oxides
because the Co sits on a triangular lattice and its valence can be tuned over a
wide range by varying the Na concentration x. Up to now detailed modeling of
the rich phenomenology (which ranges from unconventional superconductivity to
enhanced thermopower) has been hampered by the difficulty of controlling pure
phases. We discovered that certain Na concentrations are specially stable and
are associated with superlattice ordering of the Na clusters. This leads
naturally to a picture of co-existence of localized spins and itinerant charge
carriers. For x = 0.84 we found a remarkably small Fermi energy of 87 K. Our
picture brings coherence to a variety of measurements ranging from NMR to
optical to thermal transport. Our results also allow us to take the first step
towards modeling the mysterious ``Curie-Weiss'' metal state at x = 0.71. We
suggest the local moments may form a quantum spin liquid state and we propose
experimental test of our hypothesis.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure
The Casimir force on a surface with shallow nanoscale corrugations: Geometry and finite conductivity effects
We measure the Casimir force between a gold sphere and a silicon plate with
nanoscale, rectangular corrugations with depth comparable to the separation
between the surfaces. In the proximity force approximation (PFA), both the top
and bottom surfaces of the corrugations contribute to the force, leading to a
distance dependence that is distinct from a flat surface. The measured Casimir
force is found to deviate from the PFA by up to 15%, in good agreement with
calculations based on scattering theory that includes both geometry effects and
the optical properties of the material
RNA polymerase III subunit architecture and implications for open promoter complex formation
Transcription initiation by eukaryotic RNA polymerase (Pol) III relies on the TFIIE-related subcomplex C82/34/31. Here we combine crosslinking and hydroxyl radical probing to position the C82/34/31 subcomplex around the Pol III active center cleft. The extended winged helix (WH) domains 1 and 4 of C82 localize to the polymerase domains clamp head and clamp core, respectively, and the two WH domains of C34 span the polymerase cleft from the coiled-coil region of the clamp to the protrusion. The WH domains of C82 and C34 apparently cooperate with other mobile regions flanking the cleft during promoter DNA binding, opening, and loading. Together with published data, our results complete the subunit architecture of Pol III and indicate that all TFIIE-related components of eukaryotic and archaeal transcription systems adopt an evolutionarily conserved location in the upper part of the cleft that supports their functions in open promoter complex formation and stabilization
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