Photoemission and Free Electron Laser Spectromicroscopy: Photoemission at High Lateral Resolution

The move of photoemission analysis from the macroscopic to the microscopic domain has been accelerated by the advent of new ultrabright synchrotron sources of soft-X-rays. This makes an overview of photoemission spectromicroscopy, photoemission at high lateral resolution, quite timely. The overview begins with the basic concepts and problems, both technical and of data-taking strategy. Then, it presents a small number of examples of results in physics and biology, such as local chemical fluctuations in superconductors, semiconductor interfaces and the microchemistry of biological systems. The presentation includes the first experimental results from two new ultrabright synchrotron facilities: ELETTRA (in Italy) and SRRC (in Taiwan)

Synchrotron radiation in radiology: novel X-ray sources

X-rays, the key ingredient of radiology, are still primarily produced with the mechanism discovered by Röntgen over one century ago. A different approach, however, is becoming increasingly important: the use of synchrotron sources based on fast-moving electrons and on their relativistic properties. We discuss the elements of this new strategy, its practical implementation, and some new types of synchrotron sources under development. The present and potential impact on radiology of different classes of synchrotron sources is briefly and realistically analyze

Synchrotron light: A success story over six decades

Synchrotron radiation research continues to be a major factor in the progress of science and technology, as it has been for more than half a century. We present different aspects of its history, starting with an unconventional approach: a fictional version, which should bring to light the reasons that make this field so broadly important. Then, we narrate the real history from three different points of view: the progress of electron accelerators, the evolution of synchrotron-based experiments, and the human factors. Finally, we discuss the present situation, characterized by the arrival of a new generation of sources with exceptional performances: the x-ray free electron lasers (x-FEL’s)

Temperature dependence of the superconducting gap anisotropy in Bi2_{2}Sr2_{2}Ca1_{1}Cu2_{2}O8+x_{8+x}

We present the first detailed data of the momentum-resolved, temperature dependence of the superconducting gap of $Bi_{2}Sr_{2}Ca_{1}Cu_{2}O_{8+x}$, complemented by similar data on the intensity of the photoemission superconducting condensate spectral area. The gap anisotropy between the $\Gamma-\bar{M}$ and $\Gamma-X$ directions increases markedly with increasing temperature, contrary to what happens for conventional anisotropic-gap superconductors such as lead. Specifically, the size of the superconducting gap along the $\Gamma-X$ direction decreases to values indistinguishable from zero at temperatures for which the gap retains virtually full value along the $\Gamma-\bar{M}$ direction.Comment: APS_REVTEX. 19 pages, including 8 figures, available upon request. UW-Madison preprin

Localization Effects in Bi2Sr2Ca(Cu,Co)2O8+y High Temperature Superconductors

Doping Bi2Sr2Ca1Cu2O8+y with Co causes a superconductor-insulator transition. We study correlations between changes in the electrical resistivity RHOab(T) and the electronic bandstructure using identical single crystalline samples. For undoped samples the resistivity is linear in temperature and has a vanishing residual resistivity. In angle resolved photoemission these samples show dispersing band-like states. Co-doping decreases TC and causes and increase in the residual resistivity. Above a threshold Co-concentration the resistivity is metallic (drab/dT >0) at room temperature, turns insulating below a characteristic temperature Tmin and becomes super- conducting at even lower temperature. These changes in the resistivity correlate with the disappearance of the dispersing band-like states in angle resolved photoemission. We show that Anderson localization caused by the impurity potential of the doped Co-atoms provides a consistent explanation of all experimental features. Therefore the TC reduction in 3d-metal doped high- temperature superconductors is not caused by Abrikosov Gor'kov pair- breaking but by spatial localization of the carriers. The observed suppression of TC indicates that the system is in the homogenous limit of the superconductor-insulator transition. The coexistance of insulating (dRHOab/dT <0) normal state behavior and super- conductivity indicates that the superconducting ground state is formed out of spatially almost localized carriers.Comment: Postscript file 11 pages plus 4 figures available on reques

Observation of a van Hove Singularity in Bi2Sr2Ca1Cu2O8+xBi_{2}Sr_{2}Ca_{1}Cu_{2}O_{8+x} with Angle Resolved Photoemission

We have performed high energy resolution angle-resolved photoemission studies of the normal state band structure of oxygen overdoped $Bi_{2}Sr_{2}Ca_{1}Cu_{2}O_{8+x}$. We find that there is an extended saddle point singularity in the density of states along $\Gamma-\bar{M}-Z$ direction. The data also indicate that there is an asymmetry in the Fermi surface for both the $\Gamma-\bar{M}-Z$ and perpendicular directions.Comment: APS_Revtex. 28 pages, including 16 figures, available upon request. UW-Madison preprint#

Phonon anomaly at the charge ordering transition in 1T-TaS2

The infrared reflectance of the transition metal chalcogenide 1T-TaS2 has been measured at temperatures from 30K to 360K over 30-45,000cm^-1 (4meV-5.5eV). The optical conductivity was obtained by Kramers-Kronig analysis. At 360K only modest traces of the phonon lines are noticeable. The phonon modes are followed by a pseudogap-like increase of the optical conductivity, with direct optical transitions observed at frequencies above 1eV. As the temperature decreases, the low frequency conductivity also decreases, phonon modes become more pronounced and pseudogap develops into a gap at 800cm^-1 (100meV). We observe an anomalous frequency dependence of the 208cm^-1 infrared-active phonon mode. This mode demonstrates softening as the temperature decreases below the 180K metal-to-insulator transition. The same mode demonstrates strong hysteresis of the frequency and linewidth changes, similar in its temperature behavior to the hysteresis in the dc-resistivity. We discuss a possible relation of the observed softening of the mode to the structural changes associated with the metal-to-insulator transition.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 table; corrected typo

Understanding the tsunami with a simple model

In this paper, we use the approximation of shallow water waves (Margaritondo G 2005 Eur. J. Phys. 26 401) to understand the behaviour of a tsunami in a variable depth. We deduce the shallow water wave equation and the continuity equation that must be satisfied when a wave encounters a discontinuity in the sea depth. A short explanation about how the tsunami hit the west coast of India is given based on the refraction phenomenon. Our procedure also includes a simple numerical calculation suitable for undergraduate students in physics and engineering