Chiral spin currents and spectroscopically accessible single merons in quantum dots

We provide unambiguous theoretical evidence for the formation of correlation-induced isolated merons in rotationally-symmetric quantum dots. Our calculations rely on neither the lowest-Landau-level approximation, nor on the maximum-density-droplet approximation, nor on the existence of a spin-polarized state. For experimentally accessible system parameters, unbound merons condense in the ground state at magnetic fields as low as $B^* = 0.2$ T and for as few as N = 3 confined fermions. The four-fold degenerate ground-state at $B^*$ corresponds to four orthogonal merons $\ket{QC}$ characterized by their topological chirality $C$ and charge $Q$. This degeneracy is lifted by the Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction, which we include perturbatively, yielding spectroscopic accessibility to individual merons. We further derive a closed-form expression for the topological chirality in the form of a chiral spin current and use it to both characterize our states and predict the existence of other topological textures in other regions of phase space, for example, at N=5. Finally, we compare the spin textures of our numerically exact meron states to ansatz wave-functions of merons in quantum Hall droplets and find that the ansatz qualitatively describes the meron states.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures; minor title change, typos fixe

Multiple superconducting transitions in the Sr3Ru2O7 region of Sr3Ru2O7-Sr2RuO4 eutectic crystals

We report superconducting properties of Sr3Ru2O7-Sr2RuO4 eutectic crystals, consisting of the spin-triplet superconductor Sr2RuO4 with a monolayer stacking of RuO2 planes and the metamagnetic normal metal Sr3Ru2O7 with a bilayer stacking. Although Sr3Ru2O7 has not been reported to exhibit superconductivity so far, our AC susceptibility measurements revealed multiple superconducting transitions occurring in the Sr3Ru2O7 region of the eutectic crystals. The diamagnetic shielding essentially reached the full fraction at low AC fields parallel to the c axis. However, both the shielding fraction and the onset temperature are easily suppressed by AC fields of larger than 0.1 mT-rms and no anomaly was observed in the specific heat. Moreover, the critical field curves of these transitions have a positive curvature near zero fields, which is different from the upper critical field curve of the bulk Sr2RuO4. These facts suggest that the superconductivity observed in the Sr3Ru2O7 region is not a bulk property. To explain these experimental results, we propose the scenario that stacking RuO2 planes, the building block of superconducting Sr2RuO4, are contained in the Sr3Ru2O7 region as stacking faults.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Superconductivity in Sr2RuO4-Sr3Ru2O7 eutectic crystals

Superconducting behavior has been observed in the Sr2RuO4-Sr3Ru2O7 eutectic system as grown by the flux-feeding floating zone technique. A supercurrent flows across a single interface between Sr2RuO4 and Sr3Ru2O7 areas at distances that are far beyond those expected in a conventional proximity scenario. The current-voltage characteristics within the Sr3Ru2O7 macrodomain, as extracted from the eutectic, exhibit signatures of superconductivity in the bilayered ruthenate. Detailed microstructural, morphological and compositional analyses address issues on the concentration and the size of Sr2RuO4 inclusions within the Sr3Ru2O7 matrix. We speculate on the possibility of inhomogeneous superconductivity in the eutectic Sr3Ru2O7 and exotic pairing induced by the Sr2RuO4 inclusions.Comment: Pages 4, figures 3, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

The influence of doping with Ca and Mg in YBa2Cu3O7-δ ceramic

We have investigated the effect of partial substitution of Ca for Y and/or Mg for Cu on structural, compositional and magnetic properties in γBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ polycrystalline compounds. All prepared samples were found to be single phase with small fraction of Ba-secondary phases. Substitution by more than 2% of magnesium causes an increase of spurious phases. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) revealed that the distribution of Ca in the sample is quite homogenous. DC susceptibility measurements show that superconducting transition temperature Tc is reduced much more by Ca than Mg. Hysteresis loops reveal that magnetic irreversibility is decreased by Ca and Mg content. The deduced critical current density Jc does not follow the same variation. Ca alone reduces Jc for x=0.1 and x=0.2. Together with Ca, Mg compensates the reduction of Jc and increasing its content near the solubility limit gives higher Jc than in the undoped sample

Tadalafil modulates aromatase activity and androgen receptor expression in a human osteoblastic cell in vitro model

Purpose Phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitor (PDE5i) tadalafil administration in men with erectile dysfunction is associated with increased testosterone/estradiol ratio, leading to hypothesize a potential increased effect of androgen action on target tissues. We aimed to characterize, in a cellular model system in vitro, the potential modulation of aromatase and sex steroid hormone receptors upon exposure to tadalafil (TAD). Methods Human osteoblast-like cells SAOS-2 were chosen as an in vitro model system since osteoblasts are target of steroid hormones. Cells were tested for viability upon TAD exposure, which increased cell proliferation. Then, cells were treated with/without TAD for several times to evaluate potential modulation in PDE5, aromatase (ARO), androgen (AR) and estrogen (ER) receptor expression. Results Osteoblasts express significant levels of both PDE5 mRNA and protein. Exposure of cells to increasing concentrations of TAD (10−8–10−7 M) decreased PDE5 mRNA and protein expression. Also, TAD inhibited ARO mRNA and protein expression leading to an increase in testosterone levels in the supernatants. Interestingly, TAD increased total AR mRNA and protein expression and decreased ERα, with an increased ratio of AR/ER, suggesting preferential androgenic vs estrogenic pathway activation. Conclusions Our results demonstrate for the first time that TAD decreases ARO expression and increases AR protein expression in human SAOS-2, strongly suggesting a new control of steroid hormones pathway by PDE5i. These findings might represent the first evidence of translational actions of PDE5i on AR, which leads to hypothesize a growing relevance of this molecule in men with prostate cancer long-term treated with TAD for sexual rehabilitation. Keywords Tadalafil · Osteoblasts · Aromatase · Androgen receptor · Estrogen recepto

Evidence for the Sr2RuO4 intercalations in the Sr3Ru2O7 region of the Sr3Ru2O7-Sr2RuO4 eutectic system

Although Sr3Ru2O7 has not been reported to exhibit superconductivity so far, ac susceptibility measurements revealed multiple superconducting transitions occurring in the Sr3Ru2O7 region cut from Sr3Ru2O7-Sr2RuO4 eutectic crystals. Based on various experimental results, some of us proposed the scenario in which Sr2RuO4 thin slabs with a few layers of the RuO2 plane are embedded in the Sr3Ru2O7 region as stacking faults and multiple superconducting transitions arise from the distribution of the slab thickness. To examine this scenario, we measured the resistivity along the ab plane (rho_ab) using a Sr3Ru2O7-region sample cut from the eutectic crystal, as well as along the c axis (rho_c) using the same crystal. As a result, we detected resistance drops associated with superconductivity only in rho_ab, but not in rho_c. These results support the Sr2RuO4 thin-slab scenario. In addition, we measured the resistivity of a single crystal of pure Sr3Ru2O7 with very high quality and found that pure Sr3Ru2O7 does not exhibit superconductivity down to 15 mK.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Int. Conf. on Low Temperature Physics (LT25