Disorder Effects in the Bipolaron System Ti4_{4}O7_{7} Studied by Photoemission Spectroscopy

We have performed a photoemission study of Ti$_{4}$O$_{7}$ around its two transition temperatures so as to cover the metallic, high-temperature insulating (bipolaron-liquid), and low-temperature insulating (bipolaron-crystal) phases. While the spectra of the low-temperature insulating phase show a finite gap at the Fermi level, the spectra of the high-temperature insulating phase are gapless, which is interpreted as a soft Coulomb gap due to dynamical disorder. We suggest that the spectra of the high-temperature disordered phase of Fe$_{3}$O$_{4}$, which exhibits a charge order-disorder transition (Verwey transition), can be interpreted in terms of a Coulomb gap.Comment: 4 pages, 3 epsf figures embedde

Theory for Magnetic Anisotropy of Field-Induced Insulator-to-Metal Transition in Cubic Kondo Insulator YbB_{12}

Magnetization and energy gap of Kondo insulator YbB_{12} are calculated theoretically based on the previously proposed tight-binding model composed of Yb 5d$\epsilon$ and 4f $\Gamma_8$ orbitals. It is found that magnetization curves are almost isotropic, naturally expected from the cubic symmetry, but that the gap-closing field has an anisotropy: the gap closes faster for the field in (100) direction than in (110) and (111) directions, in accord with the experiments. This is qualitatively understood by considering the maximal eigenvalues of the total angular momentum operators projected on each direction of the magnetic field. But the numerical calculation based on the band model yields better agreement with the experiment.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Optically tuned dimensionality crossover in photocarrier-doped SrTiO3_3: onset of weak localization

We report magnetotransport properties of photogenerated electrons in undoped SrTiO$_3$ single crystals under ultraviolet illumination down to 2 K. By tuning the light intensity, the steady state carrier density can be controlled, while tuning the wavelength controls the effective electronic thickness by modulating the optical penetration depth. At short wavelengths, when the sheet conductance is close to the two-dimensional Mott minimum conductivity we have observed critical behavior characteristic of weak localization. Negative magnetoresistance at low magnetic field is highly anisotropic, indicating quasi-two-dimensional electronic transport. The high mobility of photogenerated electrons in SrTiO$_3$ allows continuous tuning of the effective electronic dimensionality by photoexcitation.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

CHLOROPHYLL ESTIMATION OF LAKE WATER AND COASTAL WATER USING LANDSAT-8 AND SENTINEL-2A SATELLITE

Chlorophyll-a is an optically active compound (OAC) commonly used as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass in an aquatic environment. Retrieving the concentration of chlorophyll-a remains a challenge due to the presence of several OAC particularly in water bodies which are in proximity to the land-based activities. In this study, an effort has been made to estimate the chlorophyll-a concentration of both the freshwater Lake Biwa and the coastal water of Wakasa Bay in Japan. A spectral decomposition algorithm was used to determine the chlorophyll-a using the satellite images. The algorithm was applied to the satellite images from two different sensors namely Landsat-8/OLI and Sentinel-2A/MSI. The satellite-derived chlorophyll-a concentration for the lake and coastal water from two different sensors were compared to assess the performance of both the sensors. The accuracy of the chlorophyll-a results derived from the images was evaluated with the in-situ measurement data of the chlorophyll-a for the Lake Biwa and the coastal water of Wakasa Bay. Both satellite sensors appear to give the best results for the coastal water (R2 > 0.80) with an RMSE < 0.3 μg/L. However, slight underestimation of chlorophyll-a noted for the Landsat-8 image with an increase in chlorophyll-a concentration. For the lake water, Sentinel-2A results were relatively better (R2 > 0.70) than Landsat-8, with an RMSE of < 1.0 μg/L. The obtained results will be useful to evaluate the primary productivity of both freshwater and coastal water body

Formation Mechanism of Hybridization Gap in Kondo Insulators based on a Realistic Band Model and Application to YbB12_{12}

A new LDA+U band calculation is performed on the Kondo insulator material YbB$_{12}$ and an energy gap of about 0.001Ryd is obtained. Based on this, a simple tight-binding model with 5d$\epsilon$ and 4f $\Gamma_8$ orbitals on Yb atoms and the nearest neighbor $\sigma$-bonds between them is constructed with a good agreement to the above the LDA+U calculation near the gap. The density of states is also calculated and the shape is found to be very asymmetric with respect to the gap. A formation mechanism of the gap is clarified for the first time in a realistic situation with the orbital degeneracies in both conduction bands and the f states. This model can be a useful starting point for incorporating the strong correlation effect, and for understanding all the thermal, thermoelectric, transport and magnetic properties of YbB$_{12}$.Comment: 15 pages, 15 figures, to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. Vol. 72 No. 5 (2003

Unusual Pseudogap-like Features Observed in Iron Oxypnictide Superconductors

We have performed a temperature-dependent angle-integrated laser photoemission study of iron oxypnictide superconductors LaFeAsO:F and LaFePO:F exhibiting critical transition temperatures (Tc's) of 26 K and 5 K, respectively. We find that high-Tc LaFeAsO:F exhibits a temperature-dependent pseudogap-like feature extending over ~0.1 eV about the Fermi level at 250 K, whereas such a feature is absent in low-Tc LaFePO:F. We also find ~20-meV pseudogap-like features and signatures of superconducting gaps both in LaFeAsO:F and LaFePO:F. We discuss the possible origins of the unusual pseudogap-like features through comparison with the high-Tc cuprates

Evolution of the electronic structure from electron-doped to hole-doped states in the two-dimensional Mott-Hubbard system La1.17-xPbxVS3.17

The filling-controlled metal-insulator transition (MIT) in a two-dimensional Mott-Hubbard system La1.17-xPbxVS3.17 has been studied by photoemission spectroscopy. With Pb substitution x, chemical potential mu abruptly jumps by ~ 0.07 eV between x=0.15 and 0.17, indicating that a charge gap is opened at x ~= 0.16 in agreement with the Mott insulating state of the d2 configuration. When holes or electrons are doped into the Mott insulator of x ~= 0.16, the gap is filled and the photoemission spectral weight at mu, rho(mu), gradually increases in a similar way to the electronic specific heat coefficient, although the spectral weight remains depressed around mu compared to that expected for a normal metal, showing a pseudogap behavior in the metallic samples. The observed behavior of varrho(mu)->0 for x->0.16 is contrasted with the usual picture that the electron effective mass of the Fermi-liquid system is enhanced towards the metal-insulator boundary. With increasing temperature, the gap or the pseudogap is rapidly filled up, and the spectra at T=300 K appears to be almost those of a normal metal. Near the metal-insulator boundary, the spectra around mu are consistent with the formation of a Coulomb gap, suggesting the influence of long-range Coulomb interaction under the structural disorder intrinsic to this system.Comment: 8 pages, 12 figure

Voxel-wise comparisons of cellular microstructure and diffusion-MRI in mouse hippocampus using 3D Bridging of Optically-clear histology with Neuroimaging Data (3D-BOND)

A key challenge in medical imaging is determining a precise correspondence between image properties and tissue microstructure. This comparison is hindered by disparate scales and resolutions between medical imaging and histology. We present a new technique, 3D Bridging of Optically-clear histology with Neuroimaging Data (3D-BOND), for registering medical images with 3D histology to overcome these limitations. Ex vivo 120 × 120 × 200 μm resolution diffusion-MRI (dMRI) data was acquired at 7 T from adult C57Bl/6 mouse hippocampus. Tissue was then optically cleared using CLARITY and stained with cellular markers and confocal microscopy used to produce high-resolution images of the 3D-tissue microstructure. For each sample, a dense array of hippocampal landmarks was used to drive registration between upsampled dMRI data and the corresponding confocal images. The cell population in each MRI voxel was determined within hippocampal subregions and compared to MRI-derived metrics. 3D-BOND provided robust voxel-wise, cellular correlates of dMRI data. CA1 pyramidal and dentate gyrus granular layers had significantly different mean diffusivity (p > 0.001), which was related to microstructural features. Overall, mean and radial diffusivity correlated with cell and axon density and fractional anisotropy with astrocyte density, while apparent fibre density correlated negatively with axon density. Astrocytes, axons and blood vessels correlated to tensor orientation

Metal-insulator Crossover Behavior at the Surface of NiS_2

We have performed a detailed high-resolution electron spectroscopic investigation of NiS$_2$ and related Se-substituted compounds NiS$_{2-x}$Se$_x$, which are known to be gapped insulators in the bulk at all temperatures. A large spectral weight at the Fermi energy of the room temperature spectrum, in conjunction with the extreme surface sensitivity of the experimental probe, however, suggests that the surface layer is metallic at 300 K. Interestingly, the evolution of the spectral function with decreasing temperature is characterized by a continuous depletion of the single-particle spectral weight at the Fermi energy and the development of a gap-like structure below a characteristic temperature, providing evidence for a metal-insulator crossover behavior at the surfaces of NiS$_2$ and of related compounds. These results provide a consistent description of the unusual transport properties observed in these systems.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure