1,709 research outputs found
Magnetic Order and Dynamics in Stripe-Ordered La2-xSrxNiO4
We have studied magnetic correlations in several compositions of
stripe-ordered La2-xSrxNiO4. In this paper we show how polarized-neutron
scattering has helped uncover important features of the magnetic ordering and
spin dynamics. In particular, polarization analysis has enabled us (1) to
characterize a spin reorientation transition, (2) to identify anisotropy gaps
in the spin excitation spectrum, and (3) to investigate an anomalous dip in the
spin-wave intensity suggestive of coupling between collective spin and charge
excitations.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figs. Presented at PNSXM, Venice. To appear in Physica
Field-Induced Magnetic and Structural Domain Alignment in PrO2
We present a neutron diffraction study of the magnetic structure of single
crystal PrO2 under applied fields of 0-6 T. As the field is increased, changes
are observed in the magnetic Bragg intensities. These changes are found to be
irreversible when the field is reduced, but the original intensities can be
recovered by heating to T > 122 K, then re-cooling in zero field. The
antiferromagnetic ordering temperature TN = 13.5 K and the magnetic periodicity
are unaffected by the applied field. We also report measurements of the
magnetic susceptibility of single crystal PrO2 under applied fields of 0-7 T.
These show strong anisotropy, as well as an anomaly at T = 122 +/- 2 K which
coincides with the temperature TD = 120 +/- 2 K at which a structural
distortion occurs. For fields applied along the [100] direction the
susceptibility increases irreversibly with field in the temperature range TN <
T < TD. However, for fields along [110] the susceptibility is independent of
field in this range. We propose structural domain alignment, which strongly
influences the formation of magnetic domains below TN, as the mechanism behind
these changes.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, 5 tables. Minor typographical changes in v
The Temperature Evolution of the Out-of-Plane Correlation Lengths of Charge-Stripe Ordered La(1.725)Sr(0.275)NiO(4)
The temperature dependence of the magnetic order of stripe-ordered
La(1.725)Sr(0.275)NiO(4) is investigated by neutron diffraction. Upon cooling,
the widths if the magnetic Bragg peaks are observed to broaden. The degree of
broadening is found to be very different for l = odd-integer and l =
even-integer magnetic peaks. We argue that the observed behaviour is a result
of competition between magnetic and charge order.Comment: 3 figure
Phonon Dispersion Relations in PrBa2Cu3O6+x (x ~ 0.2)
We report measurements of the phonon dispersion relations in
non-superconducting, oxygen-deficient PrBa2Cu3O6+x (x ~ 0.2) by inelastic
neutron scattering. The data are compared with a model of the lattice dynamics
based on a common interaction potential. Good agreement is achieved for all but
two phonon branches, which are significantly softer than predicted. These modes
are found to arise predominantly from motion of the oxygen ions in the CuO2
planes. Analogous modes in YBa2Cu3O6 are well described by the common
interaction potential model.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Minor changes following referees' comment
Cooperative Jahn-Teller Distortion in PrO2
We report neutron diffraction data on single crystal PrO2 which reveal a
cooperative Jahn-Teller distortion at TD = 120 +/- 2 K. Below this temperature
an internal distortion of the oxygen sublattice causes the unit cell of the
crystallographic structure to become doubled along one crystal axis. We discuss
several possible models for this structure. The antiferromagnetic structure
below TN = 13.5 K is found to consist of two components, one of which shares
the same doubled unit cell as the distorted crystallographic structure. We also
present measurements of the magnetic susceptibility, the specific heat capacity
and the electrical conductivity of PrO2. The susceptibility data show an
anomaly at a temperature close to TD. From the specific heat capacity data we
deduce that the ground state is doubly degenerate, consistent with a distortion
of the cubic local symmetry. We discuss possible mechanisms for this. The
conductivity shows an activated behaviour with an activation energy Ea = 0.262
+/- 0.003 eV.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables. Additional suggested structure in v
Status of the standard vector—axial-vector model for nuclear beta decay
The complete set of experimental results on correlations in nuclear beta decay is analyzed in terms of the general Hamiltonian including scalar, vector, axial vector, and tensor interactions with an arbitrary degree of parity violation. It is concluded that the standard vector minus axial-vector model with maximal parity violation (left-handed lepton current) is compatible with the data and rigorous limits are obtained for the values of possible additional coupling constants. In the scalar and tensor case the new constraints are considerably tighter than those published before: |CS / CV| and |CS′ / CV|≤0.2, |(CS+CS′) / CV|≤0.06; |CT / CA| and |CT′ / CA|≤0.09, |(CT+CT′) / CA|≤0.01, all at the 95% confidence level. On the other hand, rather large admixtures of the right-handed lepton currents (CV′ / CV≠1 or CA′ / CA≠1) are allowed by the data. An analysis of the correlations between various coupling constants implied by the data is also performed
Spin gaps and magnetic structure of NaxCoO2
We present two experiments that provide information on spin anisotropy and
the magnetic structure of NaxCoO2. First, we report low-energy neutron
inelastic scattering measurements of the zone-center magnetic excitations in
the magnetically ordered phase of Na0.75CoO2. The energy spectra suggest the
existence of two gaps, and are very well fitted by a spin-wave model with both
in-plane and out-of-plane anisotropy terms. The gap energies decrease with
increasing temperature and both gaps are found to have closed when the
temperature exceeds the magnetic ordering temperature T_m~22 K. Secondly, we
present neutron diffraction studies of Na0.85CoO2 with a magnetic field applied
approximately parallel to the c axis. For fields in excess of ~8T a magnetic
Bragg peak was observed at the (0,0,3) position in reciprocal space. We
interpret this as a spin-flop transition of the A-type antiferromagnetic
structure, and we show that the spin-flop field is consistent with the size of
the anisotropy gap.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
Absence of strong magnetic fluctuations in the iron phosphide superconductors LaFePO and Sr2ScO3FeP
We report neutron inelastic scattering measurements on polycrystalline LaFePO
and Sr2ScO3FeP, two members of the iron phosphide families of superconductors.
No evidence is found for any magnetic fluctuations in the spectrum of either
material in the energy and wavevector ranges probed. Special attention is paid
to the wavevector at which spin-density-wave-like fluctuations are seen in
other iron-based superconductors. We estimate that the magnetic signal, if
present, is at least a factor of four (Sr2ScO3FeP) or seven (LaFePO) smaller
than in the related iron arsenide and chalcogenide superconductors. These
results suggest that magnetic fluctuations are not as influential on the
electronic properties of the iron phosphide systems as they are in other
iron-based superconductors.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Deriving Planform Morphology and Vegetation Coverage From Remote Sensing to Support River Management Applications
With the increasing availability of big geospatial data (e.g., multi-spectral satellite imagery) and access to platforms that support multi-temporal analyses (e.g., cloud-based computing, Geographical Information Systems, GIS), the use of remotely sensed information for monitoring riverine hydro-morpho-biodynamics is growing. Opportunities to map, quantify and detect changes in the wider riverscape (i.e., water, sediment and vegetation) at an unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution can support flood risk and river management applications. Focusing on a reach of the Po River (Italy), satellite imagery from Landsat 5, 7, and 8 for the period 1988–2018 were analyzed in Google Earth Engine (GEE) to investigate changes in river planform morphology and vegetation dynamics associated with transient hydrology. An improved understanding of these correlations can help in managing sediment transport and riparian vegetation to reduce flood risk, where biogeomorphic processes are commonly overlooked in flood risk mapping. In the study, two established indices were analyzed: the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) for monitoring changes in the wetted river planform morphology, inferring information about sediment dynamics, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for evaluating changes in vegetation coverage. Results suggest that planform changes are highly localized with most parts of the reach remaining stable. Using the wetted channel occurrence as a measure of planform stability, almost two-thirds of the wetted channel extent (total area = 86.4 km2) had an occurrence frequency >90% (indicating stability). A loss of planform complexity coincided with the position of former secondary channels, or zones where the active river channel had narrowed. Time series analysis of vegetation dynamics showed that NDVI maxima were recorded in May/June and coincided with the first peak in the hydrological regime (occurring in late spring and associated with snowmelt). Seasonal variation in vegetation coverage is potentially important for local hydrodynamics, influencing flood risk. We suggest that remotely sensed information can provide river scientists with new insights to support the management of highly anthropized watercourses
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