Spin gap behavior in Cu2_2Sc2_2Ge4_4O13_{13} by 45^{45}Sc nuclear magnetic resonance

We report the results of a $^{45}$Sc nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study on the quasi-one-dimensional compound Cu$_2$Sc$_2$Ge$_4$O$_{13}$ at temperatures between 4 and 300 K. This material has been a subject of current interest due to indications of spin gap behavior. The temperature-dependent NMR shift exhibits a character of low-dimensional magnetism with a negative broad maximum at $T_{max}$ $\simeq$ 170 K. Below $$, the NMR shifts and spin lattice relaxation rates clearly indicate activated responses, confirming the existence of a spin gap in Cu$_2$Sc$_2$Ge% $_4$O$_{13}$. The experimental NMR data can be well fitted to the spin dimer model, yielding a spin gap value of about 275 K which is close to the 25 meV peak found in the inelastic neutron scattering measurement. A detailed analysis further points out that the nearly isolated dimer picture is proper for the understanding of spin gap nature in Cu$_2$Sc$_2$Ge$_4$O$_{13}$.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Gravitational Properties of Monopole Spacetimes Near the Black Hole Threshold

Although nonsingular spacetimes and those containing black holes are qualitatively quite different, there are continuous families of configurations that connect the two. In this paper we use self-gravitating monopole solutions as tools for investigating the transition between these two types of spacetimes. We show how causally distinct regions emerge as the black hole limit is achieved, even though the measurements made by an external observer vary continuously. We find that near-critical solutions have a naturally defined entropy, despite the absence of a true horizon, and that this has a clear connection with the Hawking-Bekenstein entropy. We find that certain classes of near-critical solutions display naked black hole behavior, although they are not truly black holes at all. Finally, we present a numerical simulation illustrating how an incident pulse of matter can induce the dynamical collapse of a monopole into an extremal black hole. We discuss the implications of this process for the third law of black hole thermodynamics.Comment: 23 pages, 4 figures RevTe

Phase and group velocity tracing analysis of projected wave packet motion along oblique radar beams ? qualitative analysis of QP echoes

International audienceThe wave packets of atmospheric gravity waves were numerically generated, with a given characteristic wave period, horizontal wave length and projection mean wind along the horizontal wave vector. Their projection phase and group velocities along the oblique radar beam (vpr and vgr), with different zenith angle ? and azimuth angle ?, were analyzed by the method of phase- and group-velocity tracing. The results were consistent with the theoretical calculations derived by the dispersion relation, reconfirming the accuracy of the method of analysis. The RTI plot of the numerical wave packets were similar to the striation patterns of the QP echoes from the FAI irregularity region. We propose that the striation range rate of the QP echo is equal to the radial phase velocity vpr, and the slope of the energy line across the neighboring striations is equal to the radial group velocity vgr of the wave packet; the horizontal distance between two neighboring striations is equal to the characteristic wave period ?. Then, one can inversely calculate all the properties of the gravity wave responsible for the appearance of the QP echoes. We found that the possibility of some QP echoes being generated by the gravity waves originated from lower altitudes cannot be ruled out

Nonvolatile memory with molecule-engineered tunneling barriers

We report a novel field-sensitive tunneling barrier by embedding C60 in SiO2 for nonvolatile memory applications. C60 is a better choice than ultra-small nanocrystals due to its monodispersion. Moreover, C60 provides accessible energy levels to prompt resonant tunneling through SiO2 at high fields. However, this process is quenched at low fields due to HOMO-LUMO gap and large charging energy of C60. Furthermore, we demonstrate an improvement of more than an order of magnitude in retention to program/erase time ratio for a metal nanocrystal memory. This shows promise of engineering tunnel dielectrics by integrating molecules in the future hybrid molecular-silicon electronics.Comment: to appear in Applied Physics Letter