452 research outputs found
Thermodynamic evidence for valley-dependent density of states in bulk bismuth
Electron-like carriers in bismuth are described by the Dirac Hamiltonian,
with a band mass becoming a thousandth of the bare electron mass along one
crystalline axis. The existence of three anisotropic valleys offers electrons
an additional degree of freedom, a subject of recent attention. Here, we map
the Landau spectrum by angle-resolved magnetostriction, and quantify the
carrier number in each valley: while the electron valleys keep identical
spectra, they substantially differ in their density of states at the Fermi
level. Thus, the electron fluid does not keep the rotational symmetry of the
lattice at low temperature and high magnetic field, even in the absence of
internal strain. This effect, reminiscent of the Coulomb pseudo-gap in
localized electronic states, affects only electrons in the immediate vicinity
of the Fermi level. It presents the most striking departure from the
non-interacting picture of electrons in bulk bismuth.Comment: 6 pages, 3 Figure
Modulatory Role of Nitric Oxide/cGMP System in Endothelin-1-Induced Signaling Responses in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells
Nitric oxide (NO) is an important vasoprotective molecule that serves not only as a vasodilator but also exerts antihypertrophic and antiproliferative effects in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). The precise mechanism by which the antihypertrophic and antiproliferative responses of NO are mediated remains obscure. However, recent studies have suggested that one of the mechanisms by which this may be achieved includes the attenuation of signal transduction pathways responsible for inducing the hypertrophic and proliferative program in VSMC. Endothelin-1 is a powerful vasoconstrictor peptide with mitogenic and growth stimulatory properties and exerts its effects by activating multiple signaling pathways which include ERK 1/2, PKB and Rho-ROCK. Both cGMP-dependent and independent events have been reported to mediate the effect of NO on these pathways leading to its vasoprotective response. This review briefly summarizes some key studies on the modulatory effect of NO on these signaling pathways and discusses the possible role of cGMP system in this process
Cascade of magnetic field induced Lifshitz transitions in the ferromagnetic Kondo lattice material YbNi4P2
A ferromagnetic quantum critical point is thought not to exist in two and
three-dimensional metallic systems yet is realized in the Kondo lattice
compound YbNi4(P,As)2, possibly due to its one-dimensionality. It is crucial to
investigate the dimensionality of the Fermi surface of YbNi4P2 experimentally
but common probes such as ARPES and quantum oscillation measurements are
lacking. Here, we studied the magnetic field dependence of transport and
thermodynamic properties of YbNi4P2. The Kondo effect is continuously
suppressed and additionally we identify nine Lifshitz transitions between 0.4
and 18 T. We analyze the transport coefficients in detail and identify the type
of Lifshitz transitions as neck or void type to gain information on the Fermi
surface of YbNi4P2. The large number of Lifshitz transitions observed within
this small energy window is unprecedented and results from the particular flat
renormalized band structure with strong 4f-electron character shaped by the
Kondo lattice effect.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Enhancement of the Nernst effect by stripe order in a high-Tc superconductor
The Nernst effect in metals is highly sensitive to two kinds of phase
transition: superconductivity and density-wave order. The large positive Nernst
signal observed in hole-doped high-Tc superconductors above their transition
temperature Tc has so far been attributed to fluctuating superconductivity.
Here we show that in some of these materials the large Nernst signal is in fact
caused by stripe order, a form of spin / charge modulation which causes a
reconstruction of the Fermi surface. In LSCO doped with Nd or Eu, the onset of
stripe order causes the Nernst signal to go from small and negative to large
and positive, as revealed either by lowering the hole concentration across the
quantum critical point in Nd-LSCO, or lowering the temperature across the
ordering temperature in Eu-LSCO. In the latter case, two separate peaks are
resolved, respectively associated with the onset of stripe order at high
temperature and superconductivity near Tc. This sensitivity to Fermi-surface
reconstruction makes the Nernst effect a promising probe of broken symmetry in
high-Tc superconductors
Towards a consistent picture for quasi-1D organic superconductors
The electrical resistivity of the quasi-1D organic superconductor (TMTSF)2PF6
was recently measured at low temperature from the critical pressure needed to
suppress the spin-density-wave state up to a pressure where superconductivity
has almost disappeared. This data revealed a direct correlation between the
onset of superconductivity at Tc and the strength of a non-Fermi-liquid linear
term in the normal-state resistivity, going as r(T) = r0 + AT + BT2 at low
temperature, so that A goes to 0 as Tc goes to 0. Here we show that the
contribution of low-frequency antiferromagnetic fluctuations to the
spin-lattice relaxation rate is also correlated with this non-Fermi-liquid term
AT in the resistivity. These correlations suggest that anomalous scattering and
pairing have a common origin, both rooted in the low-frequency
antiferromagnetic fluctuations measured by NMR. A similar situation may also
prevail in the recently-discovered iron-pnictide superconductors.Comment: ISCOM'09 proceedings to be published in Physica
Nernst and Seebeck Coefficients of the Cuprate SuperconductorYBaCuO: A Study of Fermi Surface Reconstruction
The Seebeck and Nernst coefficients and of the cuprate
superconductor YBaCuO (YBCO) were measured in a single crystal with
doping in magnetic fields up to H = 28 T. Down to T=9 K,
becomes independent of field by T, showing that superconducting
fluctuations have become negligible. In this field-induced normal state,
and are both large and negative in the limit, with the
magnitude and sign of consistent with the small electron-like Fermi
surface pocket detected previously by quantum oscillations and the Hall effect.
The change of sign in at K is remarkably similar to that
observed in LaBaCuO, LaNdSrCuO and
LaEuSrCuO, where it is clearly associated with the onset
of stripe order. We propose that a similar density-wave mechanism causes the
Fermi surface reconstruction in YBCO.Comment: Final version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett. New title,
shorter abstract, minor revision of text and added reference
Origin of Drastic Change of Fermi Surface and Transport Anomalies in CeRhIn5 under Pressure
The mechanism of drastic change of Fermi surfaces as well as transport
anomalies near P=Pc=2.35 GPa in CeRhIn5 is explained theoretically. The key
mechanism is pointed out to be the interplay of magnetic order and Ce-valence
fluctuations. We show that the antiferromagnetic state with "small" Fermi
surfaces changes to the paramagnetic state with "large" Fermi surfaces with
huge enhancement of effective mass of electrons with keeping finite c-f
hybridization. This explains the drastic change of the de Haas-van Alphen
signals. Furthermore, it is also consistent with the emergence of T-linear
resistivity simultaneous with the residual resistivity peak at P=Pc in CeRhIn5.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Journal of Physical Society of Japa
Broken rotational symmetry in the pseudogap phase of a high-Tc superconductor
The nature of the pseudogap phase is a central problem in the quest to
understand high-Tc cuprate superconductors. A fundamental question is what
symmetries are broken when that phase sets in below a temperature T*. There is
evidence from both polarized neutron diffraction and polar Kerr effect
measurements that time- reversal symmetry is broken, but at temperatures that
differ significantly. Broken rotational symmetry was detected by both
resistivity and inelastic neutron scattering at low doping and by scanning
tunnelling spectroscopy at low temperature, but with no clear connection to T*.
Here we report the observation of a large in-plane anisotropy of the Nernst
effect in YBa2Cu3Oy that sets in precisely at T*, throughout the doping phase
diagram. We show that the CuO chains of the orthorhombic lattice are not
responsible for this anisotropy, which is therefore an intrinsic property of
the CuO2 planes. We conclude that the pseudogap phase is an electronic state
which strongly breaks four-fold rotational symmetry. This narrows the range of
possible states considerably, pointing to stripe or nematic orders.Comment: Published version. Journal reference and DOI adde
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