Microstructure, magneto-transport and magnetic properties of Gd-doped magnetron-sputtered amorphous carbon

The magnetic rare earth element gadolinium (Gd) was doped into thin films of amorphous carbon (hydrogenated \textit{a}-C:H, or hydrogen-free \textit{a}-C) using magnetron co-sputtering. The Gd acted as a magnetic as well as an electrical dopant, resulting in an enormous negative magnetoresistance below a temperature ($T'$). Hydrogen was introduced to control the amorphous carbon bonding structure. High-resolution electron microscopy, ion-beam analysis and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the influence of Gd doping on the \textit{a-}Gd$_x$C$_{1-x}$(:H$_y$) film morphology, composition, density and bonding. The films were largely amorphous and homogeneous up to $x$=22.0 at.%. As the Gd doping increased, the $sp^{2}$-bonded carbon atoms evolved from carbon chains to 6-member graphitic rings. Incorporation of H opened up the graphitic rings and stabilized a $sp^{2}$-rich carbon-chain random network. The transport properties not only depended on Gd doping, but were also very sensitive to the $sp^{2}$ ordering. Magnetic properties, such as the spin-glass freezing temperature and susceptibility, scaled with the Gd concentration.Comment: 9 figure

Study on the insecticidal activity compounds of the essential oil from Syzygium aromaticum against stored grain insect pests

Insect pests are a major cause of damage in stored grain around the world. To control the stored grain insects, synthetic insecticides have been used extensively for many years, resulting in insect populations that are resistant to insecticides. Consequently there is an interest to find alternatives to chemical pesticides. The essential oil from Syzygium aromaticum (clove oil) has a number of bioactive compounds. The chemical constituents of the clove oil were analyzed by GC-MS, and 9 of 18 compounds were identified. The main compound (83%) was 2-methoxy-4-(2-propenyl)-phenol the second most common compound (12%) was trans-caryophyllene. These two pure compounds and clove oil were tested for toxicity and repellency against Rhyzopertha dominica, Sitophilus oryzae and Tribolium castaneum. The pure compounds were tested at the dosages found in clove oil. The mortality from 2-methoxy-4-(2-propenyl)-phenol was not significantly different from clove oil, suggesting that the activity of clove oil was solely due to this major compound. The repellency results were more complex. 2-methoxy-4-(2-propenyl)-phenol was more repellant than clove oil. Trans-caryophyllene was less toxic and less repellant than both clove oil and 2-methoxy-4-(2-propenyl)- phenol. The potential for these compounds to be used to control stored product insects is discussed. Keywords: Essential oils, Syzygium aromaticum, Clove oil, Insecticidal activity compounds, Stored grain insect

Measuring the parity of an NN-qubit state

We present a scheme for a projective measurement of the parity operator $P_z=\prod_{i=1}^N \sigma_z^{(i)}$ of $N$-qubits. Our protocol uses a single ancillary qubit, or a probe qubit, and involves manipulations of the total spin of the $N$ qubits without requiring individual addressing. We illustrate our protocol in terms of an experimental implementation with atomic ions in a two-zone linear Paul trap, and further discuss its extensions to several more general cases.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Spin photocurrent, its spectra dependence, and current-induced spin polarization in an InGaAs/InAlAs two-dimensional electron gas

Converse effect of spin photocurrent and current induced spin polarization are experimentally demonstrated in the same two-dimensional electron gas system with Rashba spin splitting. Their consistency with the strength of the Rashba coupling as measured from beating of the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations reveals a unified picture for the spin photocurrent, current-induced spin polarization and spin orbit coupling. In addition, the observed spectral inversion of the spin photocurrent indicates the system with dominating structure inversion asymmetry.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure