138 research outputs found
Asymmetric Thermal Lineshape Broadening in a Gapped 3-Dimensional Antiferromagnet - Evidence for Strong Correlations at Finite Temperature
It is widely believed that magnetic excitations become increasingly
incoherent as temperature is raised due to random collisions which limit their
lifetime. This picture is based on spin-wave calculations for gapless magnets
in 2 and 3 dimensions and is observed experimentally as a symmetric Lorentzian
broadening in energy. Here, we investigate a three-dimensional dimer
antiferromagnet and find unexpectedly that the broadening is asymmetric -
indicating that far from thermal decoherence, the excitations behave
collectively like a strongly correlated gas. This result suggests that a
temperature activated coherent state of quasi-particles is not confined to
special cases like the highly dimerized spin-1/2 chain but is found generally
in dimerized antiferromagnets of all dimensionalities and perhaps gapped
magnets in general
Three-Dimensional Fermi Surface of Overdoped La-Based Cuprates
We present a soft x-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study of
the overdoped high-temperature superconductors LaSrCuO and
LaEuSrCuO. In-plane and out-of-plane components of
the Fermi surface are mapped by varying the photoemission angle and the
incident photon energy. No dispersion is observed along the nodal
direction, whereas a significant antinodal dispersion is identified.
Based on a tight-binding parametrization, we discuss the implications for the
density of states near the van-Hove singularity. Our results suggest that the
large electronic specific heat found in overdoped LaSrCuO can
not be assigned to the van-Hove singularity alone. We therefore propose quantum
criticality induced by a collapsing pseudogap phase as a plausible explanation
for observed enhancement of electronic specific heat
Uniqueness of the asymptotic AdS3 geometry
We explicitly show that in (2+1) dimensions the general solution of the
Einstein equations with negative cosmological constant on a neigbourhood of
timelike spatial infinity can be obtained from BTZ metrics by coordinate
transformations corresponding geometrically to deformations of their spatial
infinity surface. Thus, whatever the topology and geometry of the bulk, the
metric on the timelike extremities is BTZ.Comment: LaTeX, 8 pages, no figures, version that will appear in Class. Quant.
Gra
Magnetism and Ion Diffusion in Honeycomb Layered Oxide KNiTeO: First Time Study by Muon Spin Rotation & Neutron Scattering
In the quest of finding novel and efficient batteries, a great interest has
raised in K-based honeycomb layer oxide materials both for their fundamental
properties and potential applications. A key issue in the realization of
efficient batteries based on such compounds, is to understand the K-ion
diffusion mechanism. However, investigation of potassium-ion (K) dynamics
in materials using magneto-spin properties has so far been challenging, due to
its inherently weak nuclear magnetic moment, in contrast to other alkali ions
such as lithium and sodium. Spin-polarised muons, having a high gyromagnetic
ratio, make the muon spin rotation and relaxation (+SR) technique ideal
for probing ions dynamics in weak magneto-spin moment materials. Here we report
the magnetic properties and K+ dynamics in honeycomb layered oxide material of
the KNiTeO using +SR measurements. Our low-temperature
+SR results together with, with complementary magnetic susceptibility,
find an antiferromagnetic transition at 26 K. Further +SR studies
performed at higher temperatures reveal that potassium ions (K) become
mobile above 250 K and the activation energy for the diffusion process is Ea =
121(13) meV. This is the first time that K+ dynamics in potassium-based battery
materials has been measured using +SR. Finally our results also indicate
an interesting possibility that K-ion self diffusion occurs predominantly at
the surface of the powder particles. This opens future possibilities for
improving ion diffusion and device performance using nano-structuring.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure
Quantum Symmetries and Marginal Deformations
We study the symmetries of the N=1 exactly marginal deformations of N=4 Super
Yang-Mills theory. For generic values of the parameters, these deformations are
known to break the SU(3) part of the R-symmetry group down to a discrete
subgroup. However, a closer look from the perspective of quantum groups reveals
that the Lagrangian is in fact invariant under a certain Hopf algebra which is
a non-standard quantum deformation of the algebra of functions on SU(3). Our
discussion is motivated by the desire to better understand why these theories
have significant differences from N=4 SYM regarding the planar integrability
(or rather lack thereof) of the spin chains encoding their spectrum. However,
our construction works at the level of the classical Lagrangian, without
relying on the language of spin chains. Our approach might eventually provide a
better understanding of the finiteness properties of these theories as well as
help in the construction of their AdS/CFT duals.Comment: 1+40 pages. v2: minor clarifications and references added. v3: Added
an appendix, fixed minor typo
The transcriptional architecture of early human hematopoiesis identifies multilevel control of lymphoid commitment.
Understanding how differentiation programs originate from the gene-expression 'landscape' of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is crucial for the development of new clinical therapies. We mapped the transcriptional dynamics underlying the first steps of commitment by tracking transcriptome changes in human HSCs and eight early progenitor populations. We found that transcriptional programs were extensively shared, extended across lineage-potential boundaries and were not strictly lineage affiliated. Elements of stem, lymphoid and myeloid programs were retained in multilymphoid progenitors (MLPs), which reflected a hybrid transcriptional state. By functional single cell analysis, we found that the transcription factors Bcl-11A, Sox4 and TEAD1 (TEF1) governed transcriptional networks in MLPs, which led to B cell specification. Overall, we found that integrated transcriptome approaches can be used to identify previously unknown regulators of multipotency and show additional complexity in lymphoid commitment
Direct observation of orbital hybridisation in a cuprate superconductor
The minimal ingredients to explain the essential physics of layered
copper-oxide (cuprates= materials remains heavily debated. Effective low energy
single-band models of the copper-oxygen orbitals are widely used because there
exists no strong experimental evidence supporting multiband structures. Here we
report angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy experiments on La-based
cuprates that provide direct observation of a two-band structure. This
electronic structure, qualitatively consistent with density functional theory,
is parametrised by a two-orbital ( and ) tight-binding
model. We quantify the orbital hybridisation which provides an explanation for
the Fermi surface topology and the proximity of the van-Hove singularity to the
Fermi level. Our analysis leads to a unification of electronic hopping
parameters for single-layer cuprates and we conclude that hybridisation,
restraining d-wave pairing, is an important optimisation element for
superconductivity.Comment: supplementary material available on reques
Dietary Lactoferrin Alleviates Age-Related Lacrimal Gland Dysfunction in Mice
BACKGROUND: Decrease in lacrimal gland secretory function is related to age-induced dry eye disease. Lactoferrin, the main glycoprotein component of tears, has multiple functions, including anti-inflammatory effects and the promotion of cell growth. We investigated how oral administration of lactoferrin affects age-related lacrimal dysfunction. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Twelve-month-old male C57BL/6Cr Slc mice were randomly divided into a control fed group and an oral lactoferrin treatment group. Tear function was measured at a 6-month time-point. After euthanasia, the lacrimal glands were subjected to histological examination with 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) antibodies, and serum concentrations of 8-OHdG and hexanoyl-lysine adduct (HEL) were evaluated. Additionally, monocyte chemotactic protein-1(MCP-1) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) gene expression levels were determined by real-time PCR. The volume of tear secretion was significantly larger in the treated group than in the control. Lactoferrin administration reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and the MCP-1 and TNF-α expression levels. Serum concentrations of 8-OHdG and HEL in the lactoferrin group were lower than those in the control group and were associated with attenuated 8-OHdG immunostaining of the lacrimal glands. CONCLUSION: Oral lactoferrin administration preserves lacrimal gland function in aged mice by attenuating oxidative damage and suppressing subsequent gland inflammation
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