178 research outputs found
Tuning a Schottky barrier in a photoexcited topological insulator with transient Dirac cone electron-hole asymmetry
The advent of Dirac materials has made it possible to realize two dimensional
gases of relativistic fermions with unprecedented transport properties in
condensed matter. Their photoconductive control with ultrafast light pulses is
opening new perspectives for the transmission of current and information. Here
we show that the interplay of surface and bulk transient carrier dynamics in a
photoexcited topological insulator can control an essential parameter for
photoconductivity - the balance between excess electrons and holes in the Dirac
cone. This can result in a strongly out of equilibrium gas of hot relativistic
fermions, characterized by a surprisingly long lifetime of more than 50 ps, and
a simultaneous transient shift of chemical potential by as much as 100 meV. The
unique properties of this transient Dirac cone make it possible to tune with
ultrafast light pulses a relativistic nanoscale Schottky barrier, in a way that
is impossible with conventional optoelectronic materials.Comment: Nature Communications, in press (12 pages, 6 figures
A new critical curve for the Lane-Emden system
We study stable positive radially symmetric solutions for the Lane-Emden
system in , in , where .
We obtain a new critical curve that optimally describes the existence of such
solutions.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figur
Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils from the medicinal plant Mentha cervina L. grown in Portugal
Mentha cervina is a medicinal plant traditionally
used in Portugal in folk medicine, in different gastric
disorders and inflammations of the respiratory tract. In
order to validate those traditional uses, M. cervina essential
oils (EOs) were characterized by GC and GCâMS and their
antimicrobial activity was tested against 23 bacterial strains
(including multiresistant strains). The EOs were dominated
by the monoterpenes pulegone (52â75%), isomenthone
(8â24%), limonene (4â6%), and menthone (1â2%). The
antibacterial activity of these EOs was compared to that of
the main components standards. The most effective antibacterial
activity was expressed by the EOs against the
Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter
baumanni, with MIC values of 1 mg/ml. The EOs complex mixtures were more active than the individual
aromatic components supporting the hypothesis that the
EOs antibacterial activity is a function of the synergistic
effect of their different aromatic components. These results
show the potential role of M. cervina EOs as antibacterial
agents and validate the traditional use of this plant
Altermagnetic lifting of Kramers spin degeneracy
Lifted Kramers spin-degeneracy has been among the central topics of
condensed-matter physics since the dawn of the band theory of solids. It
underpins established practical applications as well as current frontier
research, ranging from magnetic-memory technology to topological quantum
matter. Traditionally, lifted Kramers spin-degeneracy has been considered to
originate from two possible internal symmetry-breaking mechanisms. The first
one refers to time-reversal symmetry breaking by magnetization of ferromagnets,
and tends to be strong due to the non-relativistic exchange-coupling origin.
The second mechanism applies to crystals with broken inversion symmetry, and
tends to be comparatively weaker as it originates from the relativistic
spin-orbit coupling. A recent theory work based on spin-symmetry classification
has identified an unconventional magnetic phase, dubbed altermagnetic, that
allows for lifting the Kramers spin degeneracy without net magnetization and
inversion-symmetry breaking. Here we provide the confirmation using
photoemission spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. We identify two distinct
unconventional mechanisms of lifted Kramers spin degeneracy generated by the
altermagnetic phase of centrosymmetric MnTe with vanishing net magnetization.
Our observation of the altermagnetic lifting of the Kramers spin degeneracy can
have broad consequences in magnetism. It motivates exploration and exploitation
of the unconventional nature of this magnetic phase in an extended family of
materials, ranging from insulators and semiconductors to metals and
superconductors, that have been either identified recently or perceived for
many decades as conventional antiferromagnets
Crystallization of Ti33Cu67 metallic glass under high-current density electrical pulses
We have studied the phase and structure evolution of the Ti33Cu67 amorphous alloy subjected to electrical pulses of high current density. By varying the pulse parameters, different stages of crystallization could be observed in the samples. Partial polymorphic nanocrystallization resulting in the formation of 5- to 8-nm crystallites of the TiCu2 intermetallic in the residual amorphous matrix occurred when the maximum current density reached 9.7·108 A m-2 and the pulse duration was 140 Όs, though the calculated temperature increase due to Joule heating was not enough to reach the crystallization temperature of the alloy. Samples subjected to higher current densities and higher values of the evolved Joule heat per unit mass fully crystallized and contained the Ti2Cu3 and TiCu3 phases. A common feature of the crystallized ribbons was their non-uniform microstructure with regions that experienced local melting and rapid solidification
Comparison of Ion Balance and Nitrogen Metabolism in Old and Young Leaves of Alkali-Stressed Rice Plants
BACKGROUND: Alkali stress is an important agricultural contaminant and has complex effects on plant metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the alkali stress has different effects on the growth, ion balance, and nitrogen metabolism in old and young leaves of rice plants, and to compare functions of both organs in alkali tolerance. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The results showed that alkali stress only produced a small effect on the growth of young leaves, whereas strongly damaged old leaves. Rice protected young leaves from ion harm via the large accumulation of Na(+) and Cl(-) in old leaves. The up-regulation of OsHKT1;1, OsAKT1, OsHAK1, OsHAK7, OsHAK10 and OsHAK16 may contribute to the larger accumulation of Na(+) in old leaves under alkali stress. Alkali stress mightily reduced the NO(3)(-) contents in both organs. As old leaf cells have larger vacuole, under alkali stress these scarce NO(3)(-) was principally stored in old leaves. Accordingly, the expression of OsNRT1;1 and OsNRT1;2 in old leaves was up-regulated by alkali stress, revealing that the two genes might contribute to the accumulation of NO(3)(-) in old leaves. NO(3)(-) deficiency in young leaves under alkali stress might induce the reduction in OsNR1 expression and the subsequent lacking of NH(4)(+), which might be main reason for the larger down-regulation of OsFd-GOGAT and OsGS2 in young leaves. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results strongly indicated that, during adaptation of rice to alkali stress, young and old leaves have distinct mechanisms of ion balance and nitrogen metabolism regulation. We propose that the comparative studies of young and old tissues may be important for abiotic stress tolerance research
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