4,455 research outputs found
Ground state of the Kagome-like S=1/2 antiferromagnet, Volborthite Cu3V2O7(OH)2.2H2O
Volborthite compound is one of the very few realizations of S=1/2 quantum
spins on a highly frustrated kagome-like lattice. Low-T SQUID measurements
reveal a broad magnetic transition below 2K which is further confirmed by a
peak in the 51V nuclear spin relaxation rate (1/T1) at 1.4K0.2K. Through
51V NMR, the ground state (GS) appears to be a mixture of different spin
configurations, among which 20% correspond to a well defined short range order,
possibly of the type. While the freezing involve all
the Cu spins, only 40% of the copper moment is actually frozen which
suggests that quantum fluctuations strongly renormalize the GS.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in PR
A Cryogenic Test Station for the Pre-series 2400 W @ 1.8 K Refrigeration Units for the LHC
The cooling capacity below 2 K for the superconducting magnets in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), at CERN, will be provided by eight refrigeration units at 1.8 K, each of them coupled to a 4.5 K refrigerator. The supply of the series units is linked to successful testing and acceptance of the pre-series delivered by the two selected vendors. To properly assess the performance of specific components such as cold compressors and some process specificities a dedicated test station is necessary. The test station is able to process up to 130 g/s between 4.5 & 20 K and aims at simulating the steady and transient operational modes foreseen for the LHC. After recalling the basic characteristics of the 1.8 K refrigeration units and the content of the acceptance tests of the pre-series, the principle of the test cryostat is detailed. The components of the test station and corresponding layout are described. The first testing experience is presented as well as preliminary results of the pre-series units
Low Energy Singlets in the Excitation Spectrum of the Spin Tetrahedra System Cu_2Te_2O_5Br_2
Low energy Raman scattering of the s=1/2 spin tetrahedra system
Cu_2Te_2O_5Br_2 is dominated by an excitation at 18 cm^{-1} corresponding to an
energy E_S=0.6\Delta, with \Delta the spin gap of the compound. For elevated
temperatures this mode shows a soft mode-like decrease in energy pointing to an
instability of the system. The isostructural reference system Cu_2Te_2O_5Cl_2
with a presumably larger inter-tetrahedra coupling does not show such a low
energy mode. Instead its excitation spectrum and thermodynamic properties are
compatible with long range Neel-ordering. We discuss the observed effects in
the context of quantum fluctuations and competing ground states.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, ISSP-Kashiwa 2001, Conference on Correlated
Electron
High Magnetic Field NMR Studies of LiVGeO, a quasi 1-D Spin System
We report Li pulsed NMR measurements in polycrystalline and single
crystal samples of the quasi one-dimensional S=1 antiferromagnet
LiVGeO, whose AF transition temperature is K.
The field () and temperature () ranges covered were 9-44.5 T and
1.7-300 K respectively. The measurements included NMR spectra, the spin-lattice
relaxation rate (), and the spin-phase relaxation rate (),
often as a function of the orientation of the field relative to the crystal
axes. The spectra indicate an AF magnetic structure consistent with that
obtained from neutron diffraction measurements, but with the moments aligned
parallel to the c-axis. The spectra also provide the -dependence of the AF
order parameter and show that the transition is either second order or weakly
first order. Both the spectra and the data show that has at
most a small effect on the alignment of the AF moment. There is no spin-flop
transition up to 44.5 T. These features indicate a very large magnetic
anisotropy energy in LiVGeO with orbital degrees of freedom playing an
important role. Below 8 K, varies substantially with the orientation
of in the plane perpendicular to the c-axis, suggesting a small energy
gap for magnetic fluctuations that is very anisotropic.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.
An Extreme Mountain Ultra-Marathon Decreases the Cost of Uphill Walking and Running
Purpose: To examine the effects of the world's most challenging mountain ultramarathon (MUM, 330 km, cumulative elevation gain of +24,000 m) on the energy cost and kinematics of different uphill gaits. Methods: Before (PRE) and immediately after (POST) the competition, 19 male athletes performed three submaximal 5-min treadmill exercise trials in a randomized order: walking at 5 km.h-1, +20%; running at 6 km.h-1, +15%; and running at 8 km.h-1, +10%. During the three trials, energy cost was assessed using an indirect calorimetry system and spatiotemporal gait parameters were acquired with a floor-level high-density photoelectric cells system. Results: The average time of the study participants to complete the MUM was 129 h 43 min 48 s (range: 107 h 29 min 24 s to 144 h 21 min 0 s). Energy costs in walking (-11.5 +/- 5.5%, P < 0.001), as well as in the first (-7.2 +/- 3.1%, P = 0.01) and second (-7.0 +/- 3.9%, P = 0.02) running condition decreased between PRE and POST, with a reduction both in the heart rate (-11.3, -10.0, and -9.3%, respectively) and oxygen uptake only for the walking condition (-6.5%). No consistent and significant changes in the kinematics variables were detected (P-values from 0.10 to 0.96). Conclusion: Though fatigued after completing the MUM, the subjects were still able to maintain their uphill locomotion patterns noted at PRE. The decrease (improvement) in the energy costs was likely due to the prolonged and repetitive walking/running, reflecting a generic improvement in the mechanical efficiency of locomotion after ~130 h of uphill locomotion rather than constraints imposed by the activity on the musculoskeletal structure and function
Extreme Mountain Ultra-Marathon Leads to Acute but Transient Increase in Cerebral Water Diffusivity and Plasma Biomarkers Levels Changes.
Background: Pioneer studies demonstrate the impact of extreme sport load on the human brain, leading to threatening conditions for athlete's health such as cerebral edema. The investigation of brain water diffusivity, allowing the measurement of the intercellular water and the assessment of cerebral edema, can give a great contribution to the investigation of the effects of extreme sports on the brain. We therefore assessed the effect of supra-physiological effort (extreme distance and elevation changes) in mountain ultra-marathons (MUMs) athletes combining for the first time brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and blood parameters. Methods:This longitudinal study included 19 volunteers (44.2 ± 9.5 years) finishing a MUM (330 km, elevation + 24000 m). Quantitative measurements of brain diffusion-weighted images (DWI) were performed at 3 time-points: Before the race, upon arrival and after 48 h. Multiple blood biomarkers were simultaneously investigated. Data analyses included brain apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and physiological data comparisons between three time-points. Results:The whole brain ADC significantly increased from baseline to arrival (p = 0.005) and then significantly decreased at recovery (p = 0.005) to lower values than at baseline (p = 0.005). While sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride as well as hematocrit (HCT) changed over time, the serum osmolality remained constant. Significant correlations were found between whole brain ADC changes and osmolality (p = 0.01), cholesterol (p = 0.009), c-reactive protein (p = 0.04), sodium (p = 0.01), and chloride (p = 0.002) plasma level variations. Conclusions:These results suggest the relative increase of the inter-cellular volume upon arrival, and subsequently its reduction to lower values than at baseline, indicating that even after 48 h the brain has not fully recovered to its equilibrium state. Even though serum electrolytes may only indirectly indicate modifications at the brain level due to the blood brain barrier, the results concerning osmolality suggest that body water might directly influence the change in cerebral ADC. These findings establish therefore a direct link between general brain inter-cellular water content and physiological biomarkers modifications produced by extreme sport
A low-dimensional spin S = 1/2 system at the quantum critical limit: Na2V2O7
We report the results of measurements of the dc-susceptibility and the
23Na-NMR response of Na2V2O7, a recently synthesized, non metallic low
dimensional spin system. Our results indicate that upon reducing the
temperature to below 100 K, the V^{4+} moments are gradually quenched, leaving
only one moment out of 9 active. The NMR data reveal a phase transition at very
low temperatures. With decreasing applied field H, the critical temperature
shifts towards T = 0 K, suggesting that Na2V2O7 may be regarded as an insulator
reaching a quantum critical point at H = 0.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Magnetic properties of (VO)_2P_2O_7: two-plane structure and spin-phonon interactions
Detailed experiments on single-crystal (VO)_2P_2O_7 continue to reveal new
and unexpected features. We show that a model composed of two, independent
planes of spin chains with frustrated magnetic coupling is consistent with
nuclear magnetic resonance and inelastic neutron scattering measurements. The
pivotal role of PO_4 groups in mediating intrachain exchange interactions
explains both the presence of two chain types and their extreme sensitivity to
certain lattice vibrations, which results in the strong magnetoelastic coupling
observed by light scattering. We compute the respective modifications of the
spin and phonon dynamics due to this coupling, and illustrate their observable
consequences on the phonon frequencies, magnon dispersions, static
susceptibility and specific heat.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
Loop algorithm for Heisenberg models with biquadratic interaction and phase transitions in two dimensions
We present a new algorithm for quantum Monte Carlo simulation based on global
updating with loops. While various theoretical predictions are confirmed in one
dimension, we find, for S=1 systems on a square lattice with an
antiferromagnetic biquadratic interaction, that the intermediate phase between
the antiferromagnetic and the ferromagnetic phases is disordered and that the
two phase transitions are both of the first order in contrast to the
one-dimensional case. It is strongly suggested that the transition points
coincide those at which the algorithm changes qualitatively.Comment: 4 pages including 4 figures, to appear in JPS
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