79 research outputs found
New Candidates for Topological Insulators : Pb-based chalcogenide series
Here, we theoretically predict that the series of Pb-based layered
chalcogenides, PbBiSe and PbSbTe, are possible
new candidates for topological insulators. As increases, the phase
transition from a topological insulator to a band insulator is found to occur
between and 3 for both series. Significantly, among the new topological
insulators, we found a bulk band gap of 0.40eV in PbBiSe which is one
of the largest gap topological insulators, and that PbSbTe is
located in the immediate vicinity of the topological phase boundary, making its
topological phase easily tunable by changing external parameters such as
lattice constants. Due to the three-dimensional Dirac cone at the phase
boundary, massless Dirac fermions also may be easily accessible in
PbSbTe
Atomistic origins of the phase transition mechanism in Ge2Sb2Te5
Combined static and molecular dynamics first-principles calculations are used
to identify a direct structural link between the metastable crystalline and
amorphous phases of Ge2Sb2Te5. We find that the phase transition is driven by
the displacement of Ge atoms along the rocksalt [111] direction from the
stable-octahedron to high-energy-unstable tetrahedron sites close to the
intrinsic vacancy regions, which give rise to the formation of local 4-fold
coordinated motifs. Our analyses suggest that the high figures of merit of
Ge2Sb2Te5 are achieved from the optimal combination of intrinsic vacancies
provided by Sb2Te3 and the instability of the tetrahedron sites provided by
GeTe
Topological Surface States and Dirac point tuning in ternary Bi2Te2Se class of topological insulators
Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we report electronic
structure for representative members of ternary topological insulators. We show
that several members of this family, such as Bi2Se2Te, Bi2Te2Se, and GeBi2Te4,
exhibit a singly degenerate Dirac-like surface state, while Bi2Se2S is a fully
gapped insulator with no measurable surface state. One of these compounds,
Bi2Se2Te, shows tunable surface state dispersion upon its electronic alloying
with Sb (SbxBi2-xSe2Te series). Other members of the ternary family such as
GeBi2Te4 and BiTe1.5S1.5 show an in-gap surface Dirac point, the former of
which has been predicted to show nonzero weak topological invariants such as
(1;111); thus belonging to a different topological class than BiTe1.5S1.5. The
measured band structure presented here will be a valuable guide for
interpreting transport, thermoelectric, and thermopower measurements on these
compounds. The unique surface band topology observed in these compounds
contributes towards identifying designer materials with desired flexibility
needed for thermoelectric and spintronic device fabrication.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures; Related results at
http://online.kitp.ucsb.edu/online/topomat11/hasan
Electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy of the high temperature crystal structures of GexSb2Te3+x (x=1,2,3) phase change material
The crystal structures of GeSb2Te4, Ge2Sb2Te5, and Ge3Sb2Te6 were determined using electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The structure determined for the former two crystals deviates from the ones proposed in the literature. These crystal structures were developed jointly upon cooling of liquid Ge2Sb2Te5. A stacking disorder parallel to the basal plane was observed that increases with increasing cooling rates. For the GexSb2Te3+x (x=1,2,3) crystals it is shown that an a,b,c stacking holds with an alternating stacking of x GeTe double layers identically present in binary GeTe and one Te-Sb-Te-Te-Sb- repeat unit also present in binary Sb2Te3. A stacking disorder is a logical consequence of building crystals with these two principal units. On the other hand, it is likely that all stable crystals of the Ge-Sb-Te systems are an ordered sequence of these two units. Some of the implications of these findings of the stable and metastable crystal structures that develop from amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 are presented so as to understand the crucial crystallization process in Ge2Sb2Te5 phase change material
Chromomagnetic Catalysis of Color Superconductivity in a (2+1)-dimensional NJL Model
The influence of a constant uniform external chromomagnetic field on the
formation of color superconductivity has been investigated. The consideration
was performed in the framework of a (2+1)-dimensional Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model
with two different four-fermionic structures responsible for condensates. In particular, it was shown that there exists a
critical value of the external chromomagnetic field such that at
a nonvanishing diquark condensate is dynamically created (the so-called
chromomagnetic catalysis effect of color superconductivity). Moreover, external
chromomagnetic fields may in some cases enhance the diquark condensate of color
superconductivity.Comment: 32 pages, 2 figures, revte
Determination of the and Mixing Angle from the Pseudoscalar Transition Form Factors
The possible range of mixing angle is determined from the
transition form factors and with
the help of the present experimental data. For such purpose, the quark-flavor
mixing scheme is adopted and the pseudoscalar transition form factors are
calculated under the light-cone pQCD framework, where the transverse momentum
corrections and the contributions beyond the leading Fock state have been
carefully taken into consideration. We construct a phenomenological expression
to estimate the contributions to the form factors beyond the leading Fock state
based on their asymptotic behavior at and . By taking
the quark-flavor mixing scheme, our results lead to , where the first error coming from experimental
uncertainty and the second error coming from the uncertainties of the
wavefunction parameters. The possible intrinsic charm component in and
is discussed and our present analysis also disfavors a large portion of
intrinsic charm component in and , e.g. .Comment: 18 Pages, 3 figures. Several references added. To be published in
EPJ
A measure of individual role in collective dynamics
Identifying key players in collective dynamics remains a challenge in several
research fields, from the efficient dissemination of ideas to drug target
discovery in biomedical problems. The difficulty lies at several levels: how to
single out the role of individual elements in such intermingled systems, or
which is the best way to quantify their importance. Centrality measures
describe a node's importance by its position in a network. The key issue
obviated is that the contribution of a node to the collective behavior is not
uniquely determined by the structure of the system but it is a result of the
interplay between dynamics and network structure. We show that dynamical
influence measures explicitly how strongly a node's dynamical state affects
collective behavior. For critical spreading, dynamical influence targets nodes
according to their spreading capabilities. For diffusive processes it
quantifies how efficiently real systems may be controlled by manipulating a
single node.Comment: accepted for publication in Scientific Report
Herd-level risk factors associated with Leptospira Hardjo seroprevalence in Beef/Suckler herds in the Republic of Ireland
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of the present study was to investigate risk factors for herd seropositivity to <it>Leptospira </it>Hardjo in Irish suckler herds. Herds were considered eligible for the study if they were unvaccinated and contained ≥ 9 breeding animals of beef breed which were ≥ 12 months of age. The country was divided into six regions using county boundaries. Herd and individual animal prevalence data were available from the results of a concurrent seroprevalence study. Herds were classified as either "Free from Infection" or "Infected" based on a minimum expected 40% within-herd prevalence.</p> <p>Questionnaires were posted to 320 farmers chosen randomly from 6 regions, encompassing 25 counties, of the Republic of Ireland. The questionnaire was designed to obtain information about vaccination; reproductive disease; breeding herd details; the presence of recognized risk factors from previous studies; and husbandry on each farm. Data collected from 128 eligible herds were subjected to statistical analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Following the use of Pearson's Chi-Square Test, those variables associated with a herd being "infected" with a significance level of P < 0.2 were considered as candidates for multivariable logistic regression modelling. Breeding herd size was found to be a statistically significant risk factor after multivariable logistic regression. The odds of a herd being positive for leptospiral infection were 5.47 times higher (P = 0.032) in herds with 14 to 23 breeding animals compared with herds with ≤ 13 breeding animals, adjusting for Region, and 7.08 times higher (P = 0.033) in herds with 32.6 to 142 breeding animals.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Breeding herd size was identified as a significant risk factor for leptospiral infection in Irish suckler herds, which was similar to findings of previous studies of leptospirosis in dairy herds.</p
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