144 research outputs found
Fabrication and electrical transport properties of embedded graphite microwires in a diamond matrix
Micrometer width and nanometer thick wires with different shapes were
produced \approx 3~\upmum below the surface of a diamond crystal using a
microbeam of He ions with 1.8~MeV energy. Initial samples are amorphous and
after annealing at ~K, the wires crystallized into a
graphite-like structures, according to confocal Raman spectroscopy
measurements. The electrical resistivity at room temperature is only one order
of magnitude larger than the in-plane resistivity of highly oriented pyrolytic
bulk graphite and shows a small resistivity ratio(). A small negative magnetoresistance below ~K was
measured and can be well understood taking spin-dependent scattering processes
into account. The used method provides the means to design and produce
millimeter to micrometer sized conducting circuits with arbitrary shape
embedded in a diamond matrix.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, to be published in Journal of Physics D: Applied
Physics (Feb. 2017
Intrinsic Pinning in the High Field C-Phase of UPt_3
We report on the a.c. magnetic response of superconducting UPt_3 in a d.c.
magnetic field. At low fields (H < H^*), the in-phase susceptibility shows a
sharp drop at followed by a gradual decrease with decreasing temperature,
while the out-of-phase component shows a large peak at T_c followed by an
unusual broad peak. As the B-C phase line is crossed (H>H^*), however, both the
in-phase and out-of-phase susceptibilities resemble the zero-field Meissner
curves. We interpret these results in terms of a vortex pinning force which,
while comparatively small in the A/B-phases, becomes large enough to
effectively prevent vortex motion in the C-phase.Comment: Modified discussion, slight changes to figures, accepted in PRB Rapid
Communications. RevTex file, 5 figure
Bose-Einstein Condensation of Magnons in Cs2CuCl4
We report on results of specific heat measurements on single crystals of the
frustrated quasi-2D spin-1/2 antiferromagnet Cs_2CuCl_4 (T_N=0.595 K) in
external magnetic fields B30 mK. Decreasing B from
high fields leads to the closure of the field-induced gap in the magnon
spectrum at a critical field B_c = 8.51 T and a magnetic phase transition is
clearly seen below B_c. In the vicinity to B_c, the phase transition boundary
is well described by the power-law T_c(B)\propto (B_c-B)^{1/\phi} with the
measured critical exponent \phi\simeq 1.5. These findings are interpreted as a
Bose-Einstein condensation of magnons.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, experiment and theor
Quantum phase transition to unconventional multi-orbital superfluidity in optical lattices
Orbital physics plays a significant role for a vast number of important
phenomena in complex condensed matter systems such as high-T
superconductivity and unconventional magnetism. In contrast, phenomena in
superfluids -- especially in ultracold quantum gases -- are commonly well
described by the lowest orbital and a real order parameter. Here, we report on
the observation of a novel multi-orbital superfluid phase with a {\it complex}
order parameter in binary spin mixtures. In this unconventional superfluid, the
local phase angle of the complex order parameter is continuously twisted
between neighboring lattice sites. The nature of this twisted superfluid
quantum phase is an interaction-induced admixture of the p-orbital favored by
the graphene-like band structure of the hexagonal optical lattice used in the
experiment. We observe a second-order quantum phase transition between the
normal superfluid (NSF) and the twisted superfluid phase (TSF) which is
accompanied by a symmetry breaking in momentum space. The experimental results
are consistent with calculated phase diagrams and reveal fundamentally new
aspects of orbital superfluidity in quantum gas mixtures. Our studies might
bridge the gap between conventional superfluidity and complex phenomena of
orbital physics.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Low-energy M1 and E3 excitations in the proton-rich Kr-Zr region
Low-energy intrinsic =1, , , , and states in
the even-even proton-rich Sr, Kr, and Zr nuclei are investigated using the
quasiparticle random phase approximation. In the ZN nuclei the
lowest-lying 1 states are found to carry unusually large strength.
It is demonstrated that, unlike in the heavier nuclei, the octupole
collectivity in the light zirconium region is small and, thus, is not directly
correlated with the systematics of the lowest negative parity states.Comment: 15pages, REVTEX 3.0, JIHIR(ORNL) Document no.93-17, Postscript files
for 14 figures are available on request from T.Nakatsusaka at
[email protected]
Hall-effect evolution across a heavy-fermion quantum critical point
A quantum critical point (QCP) develops in a material at absolute zero when a
new form of order smoothly emerges in its ground state. QCPs are of great
current interest because of their singular ability to influence the finite
temperature properties of materials. Recently, heavy-fermion metals have played
a key role in the study of antiferromagnetic QCPs. To accommodate the heavy
electrons, the Fermi surface of the heavy-fermion paramagnet is larger than
that of an antiferromagnet. An important unsolved question concerns whether the
Fermi surface transformation at the QCP develops gradually, as expected if the
magnetism is of spin density wave (SDW) type, or suddenly as expected if the
heavy electrons are abruptly localized by magnetism. Here we report
measurements of the low-temperature Hall coefficient () - a measure of the
Fermi surface volume - in the heavy-fermion metal YbRh2Si2 upon field-tuning it
from an antiferromagnetic to a paramagnetic state. undergoes an
increasingly rapid change near the QCP as the temperature is lowered,
extrapolating to a sudden jump in the zero temperature limit. We interpret
these results in terms of a collapse of the large Fermi surface and of the
heavy-fermion state itself precisely at the QCP.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures; to appear in Natur
Conventional type-II superconductivity in locally non-centrosymmetric LaRhAs single crystals
We report on the observation of superconductivity in LaRhAs, which is
the analogue without -electrons of the heavy-fermion system with two
superconducting phases CeRhAs. A zero-resistivity transition, a
specific-heat jump and a drop in magnetic ac susceptibility consistently point
to a superconducting transition at a transition temperature of \,K.
The magnetic field-temperature superconducting phase diagrams determined from
field-dependent ac-susceptibility measurements reveal small upper critical
fields \,mT for and
\,mT for . The observed
is larger than the estimated thermodynamic critical field
derived from the heat-capacity data, suggesting that LaRhA is a
type-II superconductor with Ginzburg-Landau parameters and . The microscopic Eliashberg
theory indicates superconductivity to be in the weak-coupling regime with an
electron-phonon coupling constant . Despite a
similar and the same crystal structure as the Ce compound, LaRhAs
displays conventional superconductivity, corroborating the substantial role of
the 4 electrons for the extraordinary superconducting state in
CeRhAs.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
Interaction and filling induced quantum phases of dual Mott insulators of bosons and fermions
Many-body effects are at the very heart of diverse phenomena found in
condensed-matter physics. One striking example is the Mott insulator phase
where conductivity is suppressed as a result of a strong repulsive interaction.
Advances in cold atom physics have led to the realization of the Mott
insulating phases of atoms in an optical lattice, mimicking the corresponding
condensed matter systems. Here, we explore an exotic strongly-correlated system
of Interacting Dual Mott Insulators of bosons and fermions. We reveal that an
inter-species interaction between bosons and fermions drastically modifies each
Mott insulator, causing effects that include melting, generation of composite
particles, an anti-correlated phase, and complete phase-separation. Comparisons
between the experimental results and numerical simulations indicate intrinsic
adiabatic heating and cooling for the attractively and repulsively interacting
dual Mott Insulators, respectively
Coherent multi-flavour spin dynamics in a fermionic quantum gas
Microscopic spin interaction processes are fundamental for global static and
dynamical magnetic properties of many-body systems. Quantum gases as pure and
well isolated systems offer intriguing possibilities to study basic magnetic
processes including non-equilibrium dynamics. Here, we report on the
realization of a well-controlled fermionic spinor gas in an optical lattice
with tunable effective spin ranging from 1/2 to 9/2. We observe long-lived
intrinsic spin oscillations and investigate the transition from two-body to
many-body dynamics. The latter results in a spin-interaction driven melting of
a band insulator. Via an external magnetic field we control the system's
dimensionality and tune the spin oscillations in and out of resonance. Our
results open new routes to study quantum magnetism of fermionic particles
beyond conventional spin 1/2 systems.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
Pathogen- and Host-Directed Antileishmanial Effects Mediated by Polyhexanide (PHMB)
BACKGROUND:Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected tropical disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. CL causes enormous suffering in many countries worldwide. There is no licensed vaccine against CL, and the chemotherapy options show limited efficacy and high toxicity. Localization of the parasites inside host cells is a barrier to most standard chemo- and immune-based interventions. Hence, novel drugs, which are safe, effective and readily accessible to third-world countries and/or drug delivery technologies for effective CL treatments are desperately needed. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Here we evaluated the antileishmanial properties and delivery potential of polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB; polyhexanide), a widely used antimicrobial and wound antiseptic, in the Leishmania model. PHMB showed an inherent antileishmanial activity at submicromolar concentrations. Our data revealed that PHMB kills Leishmania major (L. major) via a dual mechanism involving disruption of membrane integrity and selective chromosome condensation and damage. PHMB's DNA binding and host cell entry properties were further exploited to improve the delivery and immunomodulatory activities of unmethylated cytosine-phosphate-guanine oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODN). PHMB spontaneously bound CpG ODN, forming stable nanopolyplexes that enhanced uptake of CpG ODN, potentiated antimicrobial killing and reduced host cell toxicity of PHMB. CONCLUSIONS:Given its low cost and long history of safe topical use, PHMB holds promise as a drug for CL therapy and delivery vehicle for nucleic acid immunomodulators
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