4D STEM: high efficiency phase contrast imaging using a fast pixelated detector

Phase contrast imaging is widely used for imaging beam sensitive and weak phase objects in electron microscopy. In this work we demonstrate the achievement of high efficient phase contrast imaging in STEM using the pnCCD, a fast direct electron pixelated detector, which records the diffraction patterns at every probe position with a speed of 1000 to 4000 frames per second, forming a 4D STEM dataset simultaneously with the incoherent Z-contrast imaging. Ptychographic phase reconstruction has been applied and the obtained complex transmission function reveals the phase of the specimen. The results using GaN and Ti, Nd- doped BiFeO3 show that this imaging mode is especially powerful for imaging light elements in the presence of much heavier elements

Luttinger-Liquid Behavior in the Alternating Spin-Chain System Copper Nitrate

We determine the phase diagram of copper nitrate Cu(NO$_3$)$_2\cdot$2.5D$_2$O in the context of quantum phase transitions and novel states of matter. We establish this compound as an ideal candidate to study quasi-1D Luttinger liquids, 3D Bose-Einstein-Condensation of triplons, and the crossover between 1D and 3D physics. Magnetocaloric effect, magnetization, and neutron scattering data provide clear evidence for transitions into a Luttinger liquid regime and a 3D long-range ordered phase as function of field and temperature. Theoretical simulations of this model material allow us to fully establish the phase diagram and to discuss it in the context of dimerized spin systems.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Magnetic Hamiltonian and phase diagram of the quantum spin liquid Ca10Cr7O28

A spin liquid is a new state of matter with topological order where the spin moments continue to fluctuate coherently down to the lowest temperatures rather than develop static long range magnetic order as found in conventional magnets. For spin liquid behavior to arise in a material the magnetic Hamiltonian must be frustrated , where the combination of lattice geometry, interactions, and anisotropies gives rise to competing spin arrangements in the ground state. Theoretical Hamiltonians which produce spin liquids are spin ice, the Kitaev honeycomb model, and the kagome antiferromagnet. Spin liquid behavior, however, in real materials is rare because they can only approximate these Hamiltonians and often have weak higher order terms that destroy the spin liquid state. Ca10Cr7O28 is a new quantum spin liquid candidate with magnetic Cr5 ions that possess quantum spin number S . The spins are entirely dynamic in the ground state and the excitation spectrum is broad and diffuse, as is typical of spinons which are the excitations of a spin liquid. In this paper we determine the Hamiltonian of Ca10Cr7O28 using inelastic neutron scattering under high magnetic field to induce a field polarized paramagnetic ground state and spin wave excitations that can be fitted to extract the interactions. We further explore the phase diagram by using inelastic neutron scattering and heat capacity measurements and establish the boundaries of the spin liquid phase as a function of magnetic field and temperature. Our results show that Ca10Cr7O28 consists of distorted kagome bilayers with several isotropic ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions where, unexpectedly, the ferromagnetic interactions are stronger than the antiferromagnetic ones. This complex Hamiltonian does not correspond to any known spin liquid model and points to new directions in the search for quantum spin liquid behavio

Implementation and testing of the first prompt search for gravitational wave transients with electromagnetic counterparts

Aims. A transient astrophysical event observed in both gravitational wave (GW) and electromagnetic (EM) channels would yield rich scientific rewards. A first program initiating EM follow-ups to possible transient GW events has been developed and exercised by the LIGO and Virgo community in association with several partners. In this paper, we describe and evaluate the methods used to promptly identify and localize GW event candidates and to request images of targeted sky locations. Methods. During two observing periods (Dec 17 2009 to Jan 8 2010 and Sep 2 to Oct 20 2010), a low-latency analysis pipeline was used to identify GW event candidates and to reconstruct maps of possible sky locations. A catalog of nearby galaxies and Milky Way globular clusters was used to select the most promising sky positions to be imaged, and this directional information was delivered to EM observatories with time lags of about thirty minutes. A Monte Carlo simulation has been used to evaluate the low-latency GW pipeline's ability to reconstruct source positions correctly. Results. For signals near the detection threshold, our low-latency algorithms often localized simulated GW burst signals to tens of square degrees, while neutron star/neutron star inspirals and neutron star/black hole inspirals were localized to a few hundred square degrees. Localization precision improves for moderately stronger signals. The correct sky location of signals well above threshold and originating from nearby galaxies may be observed with ~50% or better probability with a few pointings of wide-field telescopes.Comment: 17 pages. This version (v2) includes two tables and 1 section not included in v1. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

X-ray magnetic linear dichroism as a probe for non-collinear magnetic state in ferrimagnetic single layer exchange bias systems

Ferrimagnetic alloys are extensively studied for their unique magnetic properties leading to possible applications in perpendicular magnetic recording, due to their deterministic ultrafast switching and heat assisted magnetic recording capabilities. On a prototype ferrimagnetic alloy we demonstrate fascinating properties that occur close to a critical temperature where the magnetization is vanishing, just as in an antiferromagnet. From the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements, an anomalous 'wing shape' hysteresis loop is observed slightly above the compensation temperature. This bears the characteristics of an intrinsic exchange bias effect, referred to as atomic exchange bias. We further exploit the X-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD) contrast for probing non-collinear states which allows us to discriminate between two main reversal mechanisms, namely perpendicular domain wall formation versus spin-flop transition. Ultimately, we analyze the elemental magnetic moments for the surface and the bulk parts, separately, which allows to identify in the phase diagram the temperature window where this effect takes place. Moreover, we suggests that this effect is a general phenomenon in ferrimagnetic thin films which may also contribue to the understanding of the mechanism behind the all optical switching effect.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figure

Modeling and control of UAV bearing formations with bilateral high-level steering

In this paper we address the problem of controlling the motion of a group of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) bound to keep a formation defined in terms of only relative angles (i.e. a bearing formation). This problem can naturally arise within the context of several multi-robot applications such as, e.g. exploration, coverage, and surveillance. First, we introduce and thoroughly analyze the concept and properties of bearing formations, and provide a class of minimally linear sets of bearings sufficient to uniquely define such formations. We then propose a bearing-only formation controller requiring only bearing measurements, converging almost globally, and maintaining bounded inter-agent distances despite the lack of direct metric information.The controller still leaves the possibility of imposing group motions tangent to the current bearing formation. These can be either autonomously chosen by the robots because of any additional task (e.g. exploration), or exploited by an assisting human co-operator. For this latter 'human-in-the-loop' case, we propose a multi-master/multi-slave bilateral shared control system providing the co-operator with some suitable force cues informative of the UAV performance. The proposed theoretical framework is extensively validated by means of simulations and experiments with quadrotor UAVs equipped with onboard cameras. Practical limitations, e.g. limited field-of-view, are also considered. © The Author(s) 2012

Active fixturing: literature review and future research directions

Fixtures are used to fixate, position and support workpieces and represent a crucial tool in manufacturing. Their performance determines the result of the whole manufacturing process of a product. There is a vast amount of research done on automatic fixture layout synthesis and optimisation and fixture design verification. Most of this work considers fixture mechanics to be static and the fixture elements to be passive. However, a new generation of fixtures has emerged that has actuated fixture elements for active control of the part–fixture system during manufacturing operations to increase the end product quality. This paper analyses the latest studies in the field of active fixture design and its relationship with flexible and reconfigurable fixturing systems. First, a brief introduction is given on the importance of research of fixturing systems. Secondly, the basics of workholding and fixture design are visited, after which the state-of-the-art in active fixturing and related concepts is presented. Fourthly, part–fixture dynamics and design strategies which take these into account are discussed. Fifthly, the control strategies used in active fixturing systems are examined. Finally, some final conclusions and prospective future research directions are presented

Experimental determination of exchange constants in antiferromagnetic Mn2Au

Mn2Au is an important antiferromagnetic (AF) material for spintronics applications. Due to its very high Néel temperature of about 1500 K, some of the basic properties are difficult to explore, such as the AF susceptibility and the exchange constants. Experimental determination of these parameters is further hampered in thin films by the unavoidable presence of uncompensated and quasiloose spins on antisites and at interfaces. Using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), we measured induced perpendicular spin and orbital moments for a Mn2Au(001) film in fields up to ±8 T. By performing these measurements at a low temperature of 7 K and at room temperature (RT), we were able to separate the loose spin contribution from the susceptibility of AF coupled spins. The value of the AF exchange constant obtained with this method for a 10-nm-thick Mn2Au(001) film is (22±5)meV