957 research outputs found
Quantum spin correlations in an organometallic alternating sign chain
High resolution inelastic neutron scattering is used to study excitations in
the organometallic magnet DMACuCl. The correct magnetic Hamiltonian
describing this material has been debated for many years. Combined with high
field bulk magnetization and susceptibility studies, the new results imply that
DMACuCl is a realization of the alternating
antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic (AFM-FM) chain. Coupled-cluster calculations
are used to derive exchange parameters, showing that the AFM and FM
interactions have nearly the same strength. Analysis of the scattering
intensities shows clear evidence for inter-dimer spin correlations, in contrast
to existing results for conventional alternating chains. The results are
discussed in the context of recent ideas concerning quantum entanglement.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures included in text. Submitted to APS Journal
Regional differences in nutrient-induced secretion of gut serotonin
Enterochromaffin (EC) cells located in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract provide the vast majority of serotonin (5-HT) in the body and constitute half of all enteroendocrine cells. EC cells respond to an array of stimuli, including various ingested nutrients. Ensuing 5-HT release from these cells plays a diverse role in regulating gut motility as well as other important responses to nutrient ingestion such as glucose absorption and fluid balance. Recent data also highlight the role of peripheral 5-HT in various pathways related to metabolic control. Details related to the manner by which EC cells respond to ingested nutrients are scarce and as that the nutrient environment changes along the length of the gut, it is unknown whether the response of EC cells to nutrients is dependent on their GI location. The aim of the present study was to identify whether regional differences in nutrient sensing capability exist in mouse EC cells. We isolated mouse EC cells from duodenum and colon to demonstrate differential responses to sugars depending on location. Measurements of intracellular calcium concentration and 5-HT secretion demonstrated that colonic EC cells are more sensitive to glucose, while duodenal EC cells are more sensitive to fructose and sucrose. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are predominantly synthesized by intestinal bacteria, have been previously associated with an increase in circulating 5-HT; however, we find that SCFAs do not acutely stimulate EC cell 5-HT release. Thus, we highlight that EC cell physiology is dictated by regional location within the GI tract, and identify differences in the regional responsiveness of EC cells to dietary sugars.Alyce M. Martin, Amanda L. Lumsden, Richard L. Young, Claire F. Jessup, Nick J. Spencer, Damien J. Keatin
Dispersive magnetic excitations in the S=1 antiferromagnet BaMnO
We present powder inelastic neutron scattering measurements of the S=1
dimerized antiferromagnet BaMnO. The K magnetic spectrum
exhibits a spin-gap of meV and a dispersive spectrum with
a bandwidth of approximately 1.5 meV. Comparison to coupled dimer models
describe the dispersion and scattering intensity accurately and determine the
exchange constants in BaMnO. The wave vector dependent scattering
intensity confirms the proposed S=1 dimer bond. Temperature dependent
measurements of the magnetic excitations indicate the presence of both
singlet-triplet and thermally activated triplet-quintet excitations.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, Submitted to Physical Review B, Resubmited
versio
Antiferromagnetic Order in MnO Spherical Nanoparticles
We have performed unpolarized and polarized neutron diffraction experiments
on monodisperse 8 nm and 13 nm antiferromagnetic MnO nanoparticles. For the 8
nm sample, the antiferromagnetic transition temperature (114 K) is
suppressed compared to the bulk material (119 K) while for the 13 nm sample
(120 K) is comparable to the bulk. The neutron diffraction data of the
nanoparticles is well described using the bulk MnO magnetic structure but with
a substantially reduced average magnetic moment of 4.20.3 /Mn for
the 8 nm sample and 3.90.2 /Mn for the 13 nm sample. An analysis of
the polarized neutron data on both samples shows that in an individual MnO
nanoparticle about 80 of Mn ions order. These results can be explained by a
structure in which the monodisperse nanoparticles studied here have a core that
behaves similar to the bulk with a surface layer which does not contribute
significantly to the magnetic order.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Discriminating cool-water from warm-water carbonates and their diagenetic environments using element geochemistry: the Oligocene Tikorangi Formation (Taranaki Basin) and the dolomite effect
Fields portrayed within bivariate element plots have been used to distinguish between carbonates formed in warm- (tropical) water and cool- (temperate) water depositional settings. Here, element concentrations (Ca, Mg, Sr, Na, Fe, and Mn) have been determined for the carbonate fraction of bulk samples from the late Oligocene Tikorangi Formation, a subsurface, mixed dolomite-calcite, cool-water limestone sequence in Taranaki Basin, New Zealand. While the occurrence of dolomite is rare in New Zealand Cenozoic carbonates, and in cool-water carbonates more generally, the dolomite in the Tikorangi carbonates is shown to have a dramatic effect on the "traditional" positioning of cool-water limestone fields within bivariate element plots. Rare undolomitised, wholly calcitic carbonate samples in the Tikorangi Formation have the following average composition: Mg 2800 ppm; Ca 319 100 ppm; Na 800 ppm; Fe 6300 ppm; Sr 2400 ppm; and Mn 300 ppm. Tikorangi Formation dolomite-rich samples (>15% dolomite) have average values of: Mg 53 400 ppm; Ca 290 400 ppm; Na 4700 ppm; Fe 28 100 ppm; Sr 5400 ppm; and Mn 500 ppm. Element-element plots for dolomite-bearing samples show elevated Mg, Na, and Sr values compared with most other low-Mg calcite New Zealand Cenozoic limestones. The increased trace element contents are directly attributable to the trace element-enriched nature of the burial-derived dolomites, termed here the "dolomite effect". Fe levels in the Tikorangi Formation carbonates far exceed both modern and ancient cool-water and warm-water analogues, while Sr values are also higher than those in modern Tasmanian cool-water carbonates, and approach modern Bahaman warm-water carbonate values. Trace element data used in conjunction with more traditional petrographic data have aided in the diagenetic interpretation of the carbonate-dominated Tikorangi sequence. The geochemical results have been particularly useful for providing more definitive evidence for deep burial dolomitisation of the deposits under the influence of marine-modified pore fluids
Magnetic order tuned by Cu substitution in Fe1.1-zCuzTe
We study the effects of Cu substitution in Fe1.1Te, the non-superconducting
parent compound of the iron-based superconductor, Fe1+yTe1-xSex, utilizing
neutron scattering techniques. It is found that the structural and magnetic
transitions, which occur at \sim 60 K without Cu, are monotonically depressed
with increasing Cu content. By 10% Cu for Fe, the structural transition is
hardly detectable, and the system becomes a spin glass below 22 K, with a
slightly incommensurate ordering wave vector of (0.5-d, 0, 0.5) with d being
the incommensurability of 0.02, and correlation length of 12 angstrom along the
a axis and 9 angstrom along the c axis. With 4% Cu, both transition
temperatures are at 41 K, though short-range incommensurate order at (0.42, 0,
0.5) is present at 60 K. With further cooling, the incommensurability decreases
linearly with temperature down to 37 K, below which there is a first order
transition to a long-range almost-commensurate antiferromagnetic structure. A
spin anisotropy gap of 4.5 meV is also observed in this compound. Our results
show that the weakly magnetic Cu has large effects on the magnetic
correlations; it is suggested that this is caused by the frustration of the
exchange interactions between the coupled Fe spins.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, version as appeared on PR
Neutron scattering and scaling behavior in URu2Zn20 and YbFe2Zn20
The dynamic susceptibility chi"(deltaE), measured by inelastic neutron
scattering measurements, shows a broad peak centered at Emax = 16.5 meV for the
cubic actinide compound URu2Zn20 and 7 meV at the (1/2, 1/2, 1/2) zone boundary
for the rare earth counterpart compound YbFe2Zn20. For URu2Zn20, the low
temperature susceptibility and magnetic specific heat coefficient gamma =
Cmag/T take the values chi = 0.011 emu/mole and gamma = 190 mJ/mole-K2 at T = 2
K. These values are roughly three times smaller, and Emax is three times
larger, than recently reported for the related compound UCo2Zn20, so that chi
and gamma scale inversely with the characteristic energy for spin fluctuations,
Tsf = Emax/kB. While chi(T), Cmag(T), and Emax of the 4f compound YbFe2Zn20 are
very well described by the Kondo impurity model, we show that the model works
poorly for URu2Zn20 and UCo2Zn20, suggesting that the scaling behavior of the
actinide compounds arises from spin fluctuations of itinerant 5f electrons.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
GRB 050911: a black hole - neutron star merger or a naked GRB
GRB 050911, discovered by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope, was not seen 4.6
hr later by the Swift X-ray Telescope, making it one of the very few X-ray
non-detections of a Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) afterglow at early times. The
gamma-ray light-curve shows at least three peaks, the first two of which (~T_0
- 0.8 and T_0 + 0.2 s, where T_0 is the trigger time) were short, each lasting
0.5 s. This was followed by later emission 10-20 s post-burst. The upper limit
on the unabsorbed X-ray flux was 1.7 x 10^-14 erg cm^-2 s^-1 (integrating 46 ks
of data taken between 11 and 18 September), indicating that the decay must have
been rapid. All but one of the long bursts detected by Swift were above this
limit at ~4.6 hr, whereas the afterglows of short bursts became undetectable
more rapidly. Deep observations with Gemini also revealed no optical afterglow
12 hr after the burst, down to r=24.0 (5-sigma limit). We speculate that GRB
050911 may have been formed through a compact object (black hole-neutron star)
merger, with the later outbursts due to a longer disc lifetime linked to a
large mass ratio between the merging objects. Alternatively, the burst may have
occured in a low density environment, leading to a weak, or non-existent,
forward shock - the so-called 'naked GRB' model.Comment: 4 pages using emulateapj; 2 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ
Letter
Magnetic hour-glass dispersion and its relation to high-temperature superconductivity in iron-tuned FeTeSe
High-temperature superconductivity remains arguably the largest outstanding
enigma of condensed matter physics. The discovery of iron-based
high-temperature superconductors has renewed the importance of understanding
superconductivity in materials susceptible to magnetic order and fluctuations.
Intriguingly they show magnetic fluctuations reminiscent of the superconducting
(SC) cuprates, including a 'resonance' and an 'hour-glass' shaped dispersion,
which provide an opportunity to new insight to the coupling between spin
fluctuations and superconductivity. Here we report inelastic neutron scattering
data on FeTeSe using excess iron concentration to tune
between a SC () and a non-SC () ground states. We find
incommensurate spectra in both samples but discover that in the one that
becomes SC, a constriction towards a commensurate hourglass shape develop well
above . Conversely a spin-gap and concomitant spectral weight shift happen
below . Our results imply that the hourglass shaped dispersion is most
likely a pre-requisite for superconductivity, whereas the spin-gap and shift of
spectral weight are consequences of superconductivity. We explain this
observation by pointing out that an inwards dispersion towards the commensurate
wave-vector is needed for the opening of a spin gap to lower the magnetic
exchange energy and hence provide the necessary condensation energy for the SC
state to emerge
- âŠ