1,055 research outputs found
Probing the Fermi surface by positron annihilation and Compton scattering
Positron annihilation and Compton scattering are important probes of the Fermi surface. Relying on conservation
of energy and momentum, being bulk sensitive and not limited by short electronic mean-free-paths, they can
provide unique information in circumstances when other methods fail. Using a variety of examples, their contribution
to knowledge about the electronic structure of a wide range of materials is demonstrated
Fermi surface of an important nano-sized metastable phase: AlLi
Nanoscale particles embedded in a metallic matrix are of considerable
interest as a route towards identifying and tailoring material properties. We
present a detailed investigation of the electronic structure, and in particular
the Fermi surface, of a nanoscale phase ( AlLi) that has so far been
inaccessible with conventional techniques, despite playing a key role in
determining the favorable material properties of the alloy (Al\nobreakdash-9
at. %\nobreakdash-Li). The ordered precipitates only form within the
stabilizing Al matrix and do not exist in the bulk; here, we take advantage of
the strong positron affinity of Li to directly probe the Fermi surface of
AlLi. Through comparison with band structure calculations, we demonstrate
that the positron uniquely probes these precipitates, and present a 'tuned'
Fermi surface for this elusive phase
Experimental determination of the state-dependent enhancement of the electron-positron momentum density in solids
The state-dependence of the enhancement of the electron-positron momentum
density is investigated for some transition and simple metals (Cr, V, Ag and
Al). Quantitative comparison with linearized muffin-tin orbital calculations of
the corresponding quantity in the first Brillouin zone is shown to yield a
measurement of the enhancement of the s, p and d states, independent of any
parameterizations in terms of the electron density local to the positron. An
empirical correction that can be applied to a first-principles state-dependent
model is proposed that reproduces the measured state-dependence very well,
yielding a general, predictive model for the enhancement of the momentum
distribution of positron annihilation measurements, including those of angular
correlation and coincidence Doppler broadening techniques
Fermi surface of the colossal magnetoresistance perovskite La_{0.7}Sr_{0.3}MnO_{3}
Materials that exhibit colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) are currently the
focus of an intense research effort, driven by the technological applications
that their sensitivity lends them to. Using the angular correlation of photons
from electron-positron annihilation, we present a first glimpse of the Fermi
surface of a material that exhibits CMR, supported by ``virtual crystal''
electronic structure calculations. The Fermi surface is shown to be
sufficiently cubic in nature that it is likely to support nesting.Comment: 5 pages, 5 PS figure
A qualitative exploration of UK prisoners’ experiences of substance misuse and mental health difficulties, and the Breaking Free Health and Justice interventions
This qualitative study explored prisoners’ lived experiences of substance use and mental health difficulties and aimed to examine perceived links between these two areas and how they might be associated with recovery during engagement with the Breaking Free Health and Justice (BFHJ) treatment programs. Interviews were conducted with 32 prisoners receiving treatment for substance use in North-West England. Emerging from prisoners’ interviews were themes relating to difficult life experiences from childhood into adulthood, how these experiences played a role in the emergence of their multiple and complex difficulties, their treatment experiences, and how their current involvement with the criminal justice system acted as a catalyst for positive change, including engagement with the BFHJ programs. This study identified the roles of substance use and mental health difficulties in the lives of participants, identified how their multiple and complex difficulties might be addressed, and provided insights into prisoners’ interpretations of their life experiences
Using the ‘recovery’ and ‘rehabilitation’ paradigms to support desistence of substance-involved offenders: Exploration of dual and multi-focus interventions (Invited Paper)
Purpose
The links between substance use and offending are well evidenced in the literature, and increasingly, substance misuse recovery is being seen as a central component of the process of rehabilitation from offending, with substance use identified as a key criminogenic risk factor. In recent years, research has demonstrated the commonalities between recovery and rehabilitation, and the possible merits of providing interventions to substance-involved offenders that address both problematic sets of behaviours. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the links between substance use and offending, and the burgeoning literature around the parallel processes of recovery and rehabilitation.
Design/methodology/approach
This is provided as a rationale for a new treatment approach for substance-involved offenders, Breaking Free Online (BFO), which has recently been provided as part of the “Gateways” throughcare pathfinder in a number of prisons in North-West England. The BFO programme contains specific behaviour change techniques that are generic enough to be applied to change a wide range of behaviours, and so is able to support substance-involved offenders to address their substance use and offending simultaneously.
Findings
This dual and multi-target intervention approach has the potential to address multiple, associated areas of need simultaneously, streamlining services and providing more holistic support for individuals, such as substance-involved offenders, who may have multiple and complex needs.
Practical implications
Given the links between substance use and offending, it may be beneficial to provide multi-focussed interventions that address both these behaviours simultaneously, in addition to other areas of multiple and complex needs. Specifically, digital technologies may provide an opportunity to widen access to such multi-focussed interventions, through computer-assisted therapy delivery modalities. Additionally, using digital technologies to deliver such interventions can provide opportunities for joined-up care by making interventions available across both prison and community settings, following offenders on their journey through the criminal justice system.
Originality/value
Recommendations are provided to other intervention developers who may wish to further contribute to widening access to such dual- and multi-focus programmes for substance-involved offenders, based on the experiences developing and evidencing the BFO programme
Fermi Surface as the Driving Mechanism for Helical Antiferromagnetic Ordering in Gd-Y Alloys
The first direct experimental evidence for the Fermi surface (FS) driving the
helical antiferromagnetic ordering in a gadolinium-yttrium alloy is reported.
The presence of a FS sheet capable of nesting is revealed, and the nesting
vector associated with the sheet is found to be in excellent agreement with the
periodicity of the helical ordering.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
The electronic structure of {\em R}NiC intermetallic compounds
First-principles calculations of the electronic structure of members of the
NiC series are presented, and their Fermi surfaces investigated for
nesting propensities which might be linked to the charge-density waves
exhibited by certain members of the series ( = Sm, Gd and Nd). Calculations
of the generalized susceptibility, , show strong
peaks at the same -vector in both the real and imaginary parts for
these compounds. Moreover, this peak occurs at a wavevector which is very close
to that experimentally observed in SmNiC. In contrast, for LaNiC (which
is a superconductor below 2.7K) as well as for ferromagnetic SmNiC, there
is no such sharp peak. This could explain the absence of a charge-density wave
transition in the former, and the destruction of the charge-density wave that
has been observed to accompany the onset of ferromagnetic order in the latter.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
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