Pseudogap Formation in Models for Manganites

The density-of-states (DOS) and one-particle spectral function $\rm A({\bf k}, \omega)$ of the one- and two-orbital models for manganites, the latter with Jahn-Teller phonons, are evaluated using Monte Carlo techniques. Unexpectedly robust pseudogap (PG) features were found at low- and intermediate-temperatures, particularly at or near regimes where phase-separation occurs as $\rm T$$\to$0. The PG follows the chemical potential and it is caused by the formation of ferromagnetic metallic clusters in an insulating background. It is argued that PG formation should be generic of mixed-phase regimes. The results are in good agreement with recent photoemission experiments for $\rm La_{1.2} Sr_{1.8} Mn_2 O_7$.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett., 4 pages, Revtex, with 4 figures embedde

Pulmonary infiltrates during community acquired Gram-negative bacteremia:a retrospective single centre study

BACKGROUND: The primary aim of this study was to describe the frequency of pulmonary infiltrates on chest X-ray (CXR) during community acquired Gram-negative bacteremia at a single centre in Denmark. METHODS: The patients were retrospectively identified from the laboratory information system and clinical and radiological data were retrieved from the electronic health records. Overall 114 patients with E.coli or K.pneumoniae bacteremia fulfilled the inclusion criteria during the period 2009–2010. RESULTS: CXR was performed in 77% of cases (80% of E.coli and 56% of K.pneumoniae) among which infiltrates were identified in 34%. The two most frequent localizations of infiltrates during E.coli bacteremia were lower lobe/basal (56%) and diffuse (22%). Furthermore, 30% of infiltrates were bilateral while 40% were present on the right lung and 30% on the left lung. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the presence of infiltrates during community acquired Gram-negative bacteremia was very frequent in our population

Temperature-Dependent Pseudogaps in Colossal Magnetoresistive Oxides

Direct electronic structure measurements of a variety of the colossal magnetoresistive oxides show the presence of a pseudogap at the Fermi energy E_F which drastically suppresses the electron spectral function at E_F. The pseudogap is a strong function of the layer number of the samples (sample dimensionality) and is strongly temperature dependent, with the changes beginning at the ferromagnetic transition temperature T_c. These trends are consistent with the major transport trends of the CMR oxides, implying a direct relationship between the pseudogap and transport, including the "colossal" conductivity changes which occur across T_c. The k-dependence of the temperature-dependent effects indicate that the pseudogap observed in these compounds is not due to the extrinsic effects proposed by Joynt.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Optimized fabrication of high quality La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 thin films considering all essential characteristics

In this article, an overview of the fabrication and properties of high quality La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) thin films is given. A high quality LSMO film combines a smooth surface morphology with a large magnetization and a small residual resistivity, while avoiding precipitates and surface segregation. In literature, typically only a few of these issues are adressed. We therefore present a thorough characterization of our films, which were grown by pulsed laser deposition. The films were characterized with reflection high energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy, x-ray diffraction, magnetization and transport measurements, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy. The films have a saturation magnetization of 4.0 {\mu}B/Mn, a Curie temperature of 350 K and a residual resistivity of 60 {\mu}{\Omega}cm. These results indicate that high quality films, combining both large magnetization and small residual resistivity, were realized. A comparison between different samples presented in literature shows that focussing on a single property is insufficient for the optimization of the deposition process. For high quality films, all properties have to be adressed. For LSMO devices, the thin film quality is crucial for the device performance. Therefore, this research is important for the application of LSMO in devices.Comment: Accepted for publication in Journal of Physics D - Applied Physic