Evidence for Jahn-Teller distortions at the antiferromagnetic transition in LaTiO3_3

LaTiO$_3$ is known as Mott-insulator which orders antiferromagnetically at $T_{\rm N}=146$ K. We report on results of thermal expansion and temperature dependent x-ray diffraction together with measurements of the heat capacity, electrical transport measurements, and optical spectroscopy in untwinned single crystals. At $T_{\rm N}$ significant structural changes appear, which are volume conserving. Concomitant anomalies are also observed in the dc-resistivity, in bulk modulus, and optical reflectivity spectra. We interpret these experimental observations as evidence of orbital order.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; published in Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 066403 (2003

Complex interplay of 3d and 4f magnetism in La:GdMnO3

We report on structural, magnetic, electrical, and thermodynamic properties of Gd-doped LaMnO3 single crystals for Gd doping levels 0 <= x <= 1. At room temperature, for all doping levels the orthorhombic O' phase is indicative for a strong Jahn-Teller distortion. All compositions are insulating. The magnetism of La$_{1-x}$Gd$_x$MnO$_3$ is dominated by the relatively strong Mn-Mn exchange. The weakening of the antiferromagnetic interactions due to the significant decrease f the Mn-O-Mn bond angles leads to the continuous suppression of the magnetic phase-transition temperatures into the antiferromagnetic low-temperature phase for increasing Gd doping. The magnetization can only be explained assuming canting of the manganese spins. The magnetic moments of Gd are weakly antiferromagnetically coupled within the sublattice and are antiferromagnetically coupled to the Mn moments. For intermediate concentrations compensation points are found, below which the spontaneous magnetization becomes negative. In pure GdMnO3 the Mn spins undergo a transition into a complex, probably incommensurate magnetic structure at 41.5 K, followed by a further ordering transition at 16-20 K revealing weak ferromagnetism due to canting and finally by the onset of magnetic order in the Gd sublattice at 6.5 K. At the lowest temperatures and low external fields both magnetic sublattices reveal a canted structure with antiparallel ferromagnetic components.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, submitted to PR

Remediable institutional alignment and water service reform: Beyond rational choice

A growing body of empirical evidence fails to support rational choice expectations of superior private sector efficiency in the urban water sector. Drawing on Oliver Williamson’s work on comparative institutional analysis, I suggest that institutional adaptability explains the efficiency and effectiveness of the public sector relative to the private sector. Under private sector participation, lowly remediable institutional adaptability favours the deployment of asymmetric power and the production of outcomes unaligned to reform objectives. Conversely, institutions supporting public operations are designed to facilitate the achievement of collective goals. This makes the alignment of individual attitudes, resources and institutions under in-house service provision less resilient to sustainability-oriented change. Remediable institutional alignment undergirds the comparative advantage of public water operations, as more ample opportunities are provided for compliance, allocative efficiency and adaptive performance. I thus call for a critical realist account of the outcomes of water service reform, free of rational choice dogma

Investigating the Mini and Giant Radio Flare Episodes of Cygnus X-3

The microquasar Cygnus X-3 underwent a giant radio flare in 2017 April, reaching a maximum flux of similar to 16.5 Jy at 8.5 GHz. We present results from a long monitoring campaign carried out with Medicina at 8.5, 18.6, and 24.1 GHz, parallel to the Metsahovi radio telescope at 37 GHz, from 2017 April 4 to 11. We observe a spectral steepening from alpha = 0.2 to 0.5 (with S-nu proportional to nu(-alpha)) within 6 hr of the epoch of the flare's peak maximum, and rapid changes in the spectral slope in the following days during brief enhanced emission episodes while the general trend of the radio flux density indicated the decay of the giant flare. We further study the radio orbital modulation of Cyg X-3 emission associated with the 2017 giant flare and with six mini-flares observed in 1983, 1985, 1994, 1995, 2002, and 2016. The enhanced emission episodes observed during the decline of the giant flare at 8.5 GHz coincide with the orbital phase phi similar to 0.5 (orbital inferior conjunction). On the other hand, the light curves of the mini-flares observed at 15-22 GHz peak at phi similar to 0, except for the 2016 light curve, which is shifted 0.5 w.r.t. the other ones. We attribute the apparent phase shift to the variable location of the emitting region along the bent jet. This might be explained by the different accretion states of the flaring episodes (the 2016 mini-flare occurred in the hypersoft X-ray state)