265 research outputs found
Triple trouble for XZ Tau : deep imaging with the Jansky Very Large Array
DF gratefully acknowledges support from STFC grant ST/J001422/1. RJI acknowledges support in the form of ERC Advanced Investigator programme, cosmicism. EI acknowledges funding from CONICYT/FONDECYT postdoctoral project no.: 3130504.We present new observations of the XZ Tau system made at high angular resolution (55 mas) with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) at a wavelength of 7 mm. Observations of XZ Tau made with the VLA in 2004 appeared to show a triple-star system, with XZ Tau A resolved into two sources, XZ Tau A and XZ Tau C. The angular separation of XZ Tau A and C (0.09 arcsec) suggested a projected orbital separation of around 13 au with a possible orbital period of around 40 yr. Our follow-up observations were obtained approximately 8 yr later, a fifth of this putative orbital period, and should therefore allow us to constrain the orbital parameters of XZ Tau C, and evaluate the possibility that a recent periastron passage of C coincided with the launch of extended optical outflows from XZ Tau A. Despite improved sensitivity and resolution, as compared with the 2004 observations, we find no evidence of XZ Tau C in our data. Components A and B are detected with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 10; their orbital motions are consistent with previous studies of the system, although the emission from XZ Tau A appears to be weaker. Three possible interpretations are offered: either XZ Tau C is transiting XZ Tau A, which is broadly consistent with the periastron passage hypothesis, or the emission seen in 2004 was that of a transient, or XZ Tau C does not exist. A fourth interpretation, that XZ Tau C was ejected from the system, is dismissed due to the lack of angular momentum redistribution in the orbits of XZ Tau A and XZ Tau B that would result from such an event. Transients are rare but cannot be ruled out in a T Tauri system known to exhibit variable behaviour. Our observations are insufficient to distinguish between the remaining possibilities, at least not until we obtain further VLA observations at a sufficiently later time. A further non-detection would allow us to reject the transit hypothesis, and the periastron passage of XZ Tau C as agent of XZ Tau A's outflows.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Glass phases of flux lattices in layered superconductors
We study a flux lattice which is parallel to superconducting layers, allowing
for dislocations and for disorder of both short wavelength and long wavelength.
We find that the long wavelength disorder has a significant effect on the phase
diagram -- it produces a first order transition within the Bragg glass phase
and leads to melting at strong disorder. This then allows a Friedel scenario of
2D superconductivity.Comment: 5 pages, 1 eps figure, Revte
Turbulent Linewidths as a Diagnostic of Self-Gravity in Protostellar Discs
We use smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations of massive protostellar
discs to investigate the predicted broadening of molecular lines from discs in
which self-gravity is the dominant source of angular momentum transport. The
simulations include radiative transfer, and span a range of disc-to-star mass
ratios between 0.25 and 1.5. Subtracting off the mean azimuthal flow velocity,
we compute the distribution of the in-plane and perpendicular peculiar velocity
due to large scale structure and turbulence induced by self-gravity. For the
lower mass discs, we show that the characteristic peculiar velocities scale
with the square root of the effective turbulent viscosity parameter, as
expected from local turbulent-disc theory. The derived velocities are
anisotropic, with substantially larger in-plane than perpendicular values. As
the disc mass is increased, the validity of the locally determined turbulence
approximation breaks down, and this is accompanied by anomalously large
in-plane broadening. There is also a high variance due to the importance of
low-m spiral modes. For low-mass discs, the magnitude of in-plane broadening
is, to leading order, equal to the predictions from local disc theory and
cannot constrain the source of turbulence. However, combining our results with
prior evaluations of turbulent broadening expected in discs where the
magnetorotational instability (MRI) is active, we argue that self-gravity may
be distinguishable from the MRI in these systems if it is possible to measure
the anisotropy of the peculiar velocity field with disc inclination.
Furthermore, for large mass discs, the dominant contribution of large-scale
modes is a distinguishing characteristic of self-gravitating turbulence versus
MRI driven turbulence.Comment: 8 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Polarized Neutron Laue Diffraction on a Crystal Containing Dynamically Polarized Proton Spins
We report on a polarized-neutron Laue diffraction experiment on a single
crystal of neodynium doped lanthanum magnesium nitrate hydrate containing
polarized proton spins. By using dynamic nuclear polarization to polarize the
proton spins, we demonstrate that the intensities of the Bragg peaks can be
enhanced or diminished significantly, whilst the incoherent background, due to
proton spin disorder, is reduced. It follows that the method offers unique
possibilities to tune continuously the contrast of the Bragg reflections and
thereby represents a new tool for increasing substantially the signal-to-noise
ratio in neutron diffraction patterns of hydrogenous matter.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Skyrmion Lattice in a Chiral Magnet
Skyrmions represent topologically stable field configurations with
particle-like properties. We used neutron scattering to observe the spontaneous
formation of a two-dimensional lattice of skyrmion lines, a type of magnetic
vortices, in the chiral itinerant-electron magnet MnSi. The skyrmion lattice
stabilizes at the border between paramagnetism and long-range helimagnetic
order perpendicular to a small applied magnetic field regardless of the
direction of the magnetic field relative to the atomic lattice. Our study
experimentally establishes magnetic materials lacking inversion symmetry as an
arena for new forms of crystalline order composed of topologically stable spin
states
Fermi surface and order parameter driven vortex lattice structure transitions in twin-free YBa2Cu3O7
We report on small-angle neutron scattering studies of the intrinsic vortex
lattice (VL) structure in detwinned YBa2Cu3O7 at 2 K, and in fields up to 10.8
T. Because of the suppressed pinning to twin-domain boundaries, a new distorted
hexagonal VL structure phase is stabilized at intermediate fields. It is
separated from a low-field hexagonal phase of different orientation and
distortion by a first-order transition at 2.0(2) T that is probably driven by
Fermi surface effects. We argue that another first-order transition at 6.7(2)
T, into a rhombic structure with a distortion of opposite sign, marks a
crossover from a regime where Fermi surface anisotropy is dominant, to one
where the VL structure and distortion is controlled by the order-parameter
anisotropy.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures (2 color), minor change
Competing charge, spin, and superconducting orders in underdoped YBa2Cu3Oy
To explore the doping dependence of the recently discovered charge density
wave (CDW) order in YBa2Cu3Oy, we present a bulk-sensitive high-energy x-ray
study for several oxygen concentrations, including strongly underdoped
YBa2Cu3O6.44. Combined with previous data around the so-called 1/8 doping, we
show that bulk CDW order exists at least for hole concentrations (p) in the
CuO2 planes of 0.078 <~ p <~ 0.132. This implies that CDW order exists in close
vicinity to the quantum critical point for spin density wave (SDW) order. In
contrast to the pseudogap temperature T*, the onset temperature of CDW order
decreases with underdoping to T_CDW ~ 90K in YBa2Cu3O6.44. Together with a
weakened order parameter this suggests a competition between CDW and SDW
orders. In addition, the CDW order in YBa2Cu3O6.44 shows the same type of
competition with superconductivity as a function of temperature and magnetic
field as samples closer to p = 1/8. At low p the CDW incommensurability
continues the previously reported linear increasing trend with underdoping. In
the entire doping range the in-plane correlation length of the CDW order in
b-axis direction depends only very weakly on the hole concentration, and
appears independent of the type and correlation length of the oxygen-chain
order. The onset temperature of the CDW order is remarkably close to a
temperature T^\dagger that marks the maximum of 1/(T_1T) in planar 63^Cu
NQR/NMR experiments, potentially indicating a response of the spin dynamics to
the formation of the CDW. Our discussion of these findings includes a detailed
comparison to the charge stripe order in La2-xBaxCuO4.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure
Kinetic Control of Interpenetration in Fe-Biphenyl-4,4 '-dicarboxylate Metal-Organic Frameworks by Coordination and Oxidation Modulation
Phase control in the self-assembly of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is often a case of trial and error; judicious control over a number of synthetic variables is required to select the desired topology and control features such as interpenetration and defectivity. Herein, we present a comprehensive investigation of self-assembly in the Fe–biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylate system, demonstrating that coordination modulation can reliably tune between the kinetic product, noninterpenetrated MIL-88D(Fe), and the thermodynamic product, two-fold interpenetrated MIL-126(Fe). Density functional theory simulations reveal that correlated disorder of the terminal anions on the metal clusters results in hydrogen bonding between adjacent nets in the interpenetrated phase and this is the thermodynamic driving force for its formation. Coordination modulation slows self-assembly and therefore selects the thermodynamic product MIL-126(Fe), while offering fine control over defectivity, inducing mesoporosity, but electron microscopy shows MIL-88D(Fe) persists in many samples despite not being evident by diffraction. Interpenetration control is also demonstrated using the 2,2′-bipyridine-5,5′-dicarboxylate linker; it is energetically prohibitive for it to adopt the twisted conformation required to form the interpenetrated phase, although multiple alternative phases are identified due to additional coordination of Fe cations to its N donors. Finally, we introduce oxidation modulation—the use of metal precursors in different oxidation states from that found in the final MOF—to kinetically control self-assembly. Combining coordination and oxidation modulation allows the synthesis of pristine MIL-126(Fe) with BET surface areas close to the predicted maximum for the first time, suggesting that combining the two may be a powerful methodology for the controlled self-assembly of high-valent MOFs
The nature of the charge density waves in under-doped YBaCuO revealed by X-ray measurements of the ionic displacements
All underdoped high-temperature cuprate superconductors appear to exhibit
charge density wave (CDW) order, but both the underlying symmetry breaking and
the origin of the CDW remain unclear. We use X-ray diffraction to determine the
microscopic structure of the CDW in an archetypical cuprate
YBaCuO at its superconducting transition temperature Tc ~ 60
K. We find that the CDWs present in this material break the mirror symmetry of
the CuO2 bilayers. The ionic displacements in a CDW have two components: one
perpendicular to the CuO planes, and another parallel to these planes,
which is out of phase with the first. The largest displacements are those of
the planar oxygen atoms and are perpendicular to the CuO planes. Our
results allow many electronic properties of the underdoped cuprates to be
understood. For instance, the CDW will lead to local variations in the doping
(or electronic structure) giving an explicit explanation of the appearance of
density-wave states with broken symmetry in scanning tunnelling microscopy
(STM) and soft X-ray measurements
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