1,123 research outputs found
Macroscopic nucleation phenomena in continuum media with long-range interactions
Nucleation, commonly associated with discontinuous transformations between
metastable and stable phases, is crucial in fields as diverse as atmospheric
science and nanoscale electronics. Traditionally, it is considered a
microscopic process (at most nano-meter), implying the formation of a
microscopic nucleus of the stable phase. Here we show for the first time, that
considering long-range interactions mediated by elastic distortions, nucleation
can be a macroscopic process, with the size of the critical nucleus
proportional to the total system size. This provides a new concept of
"macroscopic barrier-crossing nucleation". We demonstrate the effect in
molecular dynamics simulations of a model spin-crossover system with two
molecular states of different sizes, causing elastic distortions.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures. Supplementary information accompanies this paper
at http://www.nature.com/scientificreport
Spin and valley quantum Hall ferromagnetism in graphene
In a graphene Landau level (LL), strong Coulomb interactions and the fourfold
spin/valley degeneracy lead to an approximate SU(4) isospin symmetry. At
partial filling, exchange interactions can spontaneously break this symmetry,
manifesting as additional integer quantum Hall plateaus outside the normal
sequence. Here we report the observation of a large number of these quantum
Hall isospin ferromagnetic (QHIFM) states, which we classify according to their
real spin structure using temperature-dependent tilted field magnetotransport.
The large measured activation gaps confirm the Coulomb origin of the broken
symmetry states, but the order is strongly dependent on LL index. In the high
energy LLs, the Zeeman effect is the dominant aligning field, leading to real
spin ferromagnets with Skyrmionic excitations at half filling, whereas in the
`relativistic' zero energy LL, lattice scale anisotropies drive the system to a
spin unpolarized state, likely a charge- or spin-density wave.Comment: Supplementary information available at http://pico.phys.columbia.ed
Ab initio alpha-alpha scattering
Processes involving alpha particles and alpha-like nuclei comprise a major
part of stellar nucleosynthesis and hypothesized mechanisms for thermonuclear
supernovae. In an effort towards understanding alpha processes from first
principles, we describe in this letter the first ab initio calculation of
alpha-alpha scattering. We use lattice effective field theory to describe the
low-energy interactions of nucleons and apply a technique called the adiabatic
projection method to reduce the eight-body system to an effective two-cluster
system. We find good agreement between lattice results and experimental phase
shifts for S-wave and D-wave scattering. The computational scaling with
particle number suggests that alpha processes involving heavier nuclei are also
within reach in the near future.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Tunable symmetry breaking and helical edge transport in a graphene quantum spin Hall state
Low-dimensional electronic systems have traditionally been obtained by electrostatically confining electrons, either in heterostructures or in intrinsically nanoscale materials such as single molecules, nanowires and graphene. Recently, a new method has emerged with the recognition that symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases1, 2, which occur in systems with an energy gap to quasiparticle excitations (such as insulators or superconductors), can host robust surface states that remain gapless as long as the relevant global symmetry remains unbroken. The nature of the charge carriers in SPT surface states is intimately tied to the symmetry of the bulk, resulting in one- and two-dimensional electronic systems with novel properties. For example, time reversal symmetry endows the massless charge carriers on the surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator with helicity, fixing the orientation of their spin relative to their momentum3, 4. Weakly breaking this symmetry generates a gap on the surface5, resulting in charge carriers with finite effective mass and exotic spin textures6. Analogous manipulations have yet to be demonstrated in two-dimensional topological insulators, where the primary example of a SPT phase is the quantum spin Hall state7, 8. Here we demonstrate experimentally that charge-neutral monolayer graphene has a quantum spin Hall state9, 10 when it is subjected to a very large magnetic field angled with respect to the graphene plane. In contrast to time-reversal-symmetric systems7, this state is protected by a symmetry of planar spin rotations that emerges as electron spins in a half-filled Landau level are polarized by the large magnetic field. The properties of the resulting helical edge states can be modulated by balancing the applied field against an intrinsic antiferromagnetic instability11, 12, 13, which tends to spontaneously break the spin-rotation symmetry. In the resulting canted antiferromagnetic state, we observe transport signatures of gapped edge states, which constitute a new kind of one-dimensional electronic system with a tunable bandgap and an associated spin texture.United States. Dept. of Energy (Office of Science, BES Program, contract no. FG02-08ER46514)Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationGordon and Betty Moore Foundation (grant GBMF2931)United States. Dept. of Energy (Office of Science, BES Office, BES Office, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, under award DE-SC0001819)Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Pappalardo Fellowship in Physics
Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in âsNN=5.02ââTeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector
Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (ÎÏ) and pseudorapidity (Îη) are measured in âsNN=5.02ââTeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1ââÎŒb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ÎŁETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Îη|<5) ânear-sideâ (ÎÏâŒ0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ÎŁETPb. A long-range âaway-sideâ (ÎÏâŒÏ) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ÎŁETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Îη and ÎÏ) and ÎŁETPb dependence. The resultant ÎÏ correlation is approximately symmetric about Ï/2, and is consistent with a dominant cosâĄ2ÎÏ modulation for all ÎŁETPb ranges and particle pT
Interface engineering of quantum Hall effects in digital transition metal oxide heterostructures
Topological insulators are characterized by a nontrivial band topology driven
by the spin-orbit coupling. To fully explore the fundamental science and
application of topological insulators, material realization is indispensable.
Here we predict, based on tight-binding modeling and first-principles
calculations, that bilayers of perovskite-type transition-metal oxides grown
along the [111] crystallographic axis are potential candidates for
two-dimensional topological insulators. The topological band structure of these
materials can be fine-tuned by changing dopant ions, substrates, and external
gate voltages. We predict that LaAuO bilayers have a
topologically-nontrivial energy gap of about 0.15 eV, which is sufficiently
large to realize the quantum spin-Hall effect at room temperature. Intriguing
phenomena, such as fractional quantum Hall effect, associated with the
nearly-flat topologically-nontrivial bands found in systems are also
discussed.Comment: Main text 11 pages with 4 figures and 1 table. Supplementary
materials 4 pages with 2 figure
VortrÀge zum 4. DarmstÀdter Geotechnik-Kolloquium am 13. MÀrz 1997
Mit dem Mitteilungsheft Nr. 37 publizieren das Institut und die Versuchsanstalt fĂŒr
Geotechnik der Technischen Hochschule Darmstadt die BeitrÀge zum 4. DarmstÀdter Geo-
technik-Kolloquium mit den folgenden Themenschwerpunkten:
- Internationale Projekte/Projekterfahrungen
- Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Kombinierten Pfahl-PlattengrĂŒndung (KPP)
- Rechtsfragen in der Geotechni
Insights into the post-transcriptional regulation of the mitochondrial electron transport chain
The regulation of the mitochondrial electron transport chain is central to the control of cellular homeostasis. There are significant gaps in our understanding of how the expression of the mitochondrial and nuclear genome-encoded components of the electron transport chain are co-ordinated, and how the assembly of the protein complexes that constitute the electron transport chain are regulated. Furthermore, the role post-transcriptional gene regulation may play in modulating these processes needs to be clarified. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the post-transcriptional gene regulation of the electron transport chain and highlights how noncoding RNAs may contribute significantly both to complex electron transport chain regulatory networks and to mitochondrial dysfunction
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