Compact storage ring to search for the muon electric dipole moment

We present the concept of a compact storage ring of less than 0.5 m orbit radius to search for the electric dipole moment of the muon ($d_\mu$) by adapting the "frozen spin" method. At existing muon facilities a statistics limited sensitivity of d_\mu \sim 5 \times 10^{-23} \ecm can be achieved within one year of data taking. Reaching this precision would demonstrate the viability of this novel technique to directly search for charged particle EDMs and already test a number of Standard Model extensions. At a future, high-power muon facility a statistical reach of d_\mu \sim 5 \times 10^{-25} \ecm seems realistic with this setup.Comment: improved for submission; minor modification

Nucleation and Growth of GaN/AlN Quantum Dots

We study the nucleation of GaN islands grown by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy on AlN(0001) in a Stranski-Krastanov mode. In particular, we assess the variation of their height and density as a function of GaN coverage. We show that the GaN growth passes four stages: initially, the growth is layer-by-layer; subsequently, two-dimensional precursor islands form, which transform into genuine three-dimensional islands. During the latter stage, island height and density increase with GaN coverage until the density saturates. During further GaN growth, the density remains constant and a bimodal height distribution appears. The variation of island height and density as a function of substrate temperature is discussed in the framework of an equilibrium model for Stranski-Krastanov growth.Comment: Submitted to PRB, 10 pages, 15 figure

Calorimetric Evidence of Multiband Superconductivity in Ba(Fe0.925Co0.075)2As2

We report on the determination of the electronic heat capacity of a slightly overdoped (x = 0.075) Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 single crystal with a Tc of 21.4 K. Our analysis of the temperature dependence of the superconducting-state specific heat provides strong evidence for a two-band s-wave order parameter with gap amplitudes 2D1(0)/kBTc=1.9 and 2D2(0)/kBTc=4.4. Our result is consistent with the recently predicted s+- order parameter [I. I. Mazin et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 057003 (2008)].Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Hippocampal corticotropin releasing hormone: pre- and postsynaptic location and release by stress.

Neuropeptides modulate neuronal function in hippocampus, but the organization of hippocampal sites of peptide release and actions is not fully understood. The stress-associated neuropeptide corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) is expressed in inhibitory interneurons of rodent hippocampus, yet physiological and pharmacological data indicate that it excites pyramidal cells. Here we aimed to delineate the structural elements underlying the actions of CRH, and determine whether stress influenced hippocampal principal cells also via actions of this endogenous peptide. In hippocampal pyramidal cell layers, CRH was located exclusively in a subset of GABAergic somata, axons and boutons, whereas the principal receptor mediating the peptide's actions, CRH receptor 1 (CRF1), resided mainly on dendritic spines of pyramidal cells. Acute 'psychological' stress led to activation of principal neurons that expressed CRH receptors, as measured by rapid phosphorylation of the transcription factor cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein. This neuronal activation was abolished by selectively blocking the CRF1 receptor, suggesting that stress-evoked endogenous CRH release was involved in the activation of hippocampal principal cells

Magnetic properties of single-crystalline CeCuGa3

The magnetic behavior of single-crystalline CeCuGa3 has been investigated. The compound forms in a tetragonal BaAl4-type structure consisting of rare-earth planes separated by Cu-Ga layers. If the Cu-Ga site disorder is reduced, CeCuGa3 adopts the related, likewise tetragonal BaNiSn3-type structure, in which the Ce ion are surrounded by different Cu and Ga layers and the inversion symmetry is lost. In the literature conflicting reports about the magnetic order of CeCuGa3 have been published. Single crystals with the centrosymmetric structure variant exhibit ferromagnetic order below approx. 4 K with a strong planar anisotropy. The magnetic behavior above the transition temperature can be well understood by the crystal-field splitting of the 4f Hund's rule ground-state multiplet of the Ce ions