Signatures of quantum criticality in hole-doped and chemically pressurized EuFe_2As_2 single crystals

We study the effect of hole-doping and chemical pressure (isovalent doping) in single crystals of K$_x$Eu$_{1-x}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ and EuFe$_2$(As$_{1-y}$P$_y$)$_2$, respectively, by measurements of the thermopower, $S(T)$, and electrical resistivity, $\rho(T)$. The evolution of $S(T)$ upon doping indicates drastic changes of the electronic configuration at critical values $x_{\mathrm{cr}}=0.3$ and $y_{\mathrm{cr}}=0.21$, respectively, as the spin-density-wave transition is completely suppressed and superconductivity (SC) emerges. For the case of chemical pressure, the comparison with published ARPES measurements indicates a Lifshitz transition at $y_{cr}$. The temperature dependences $S(T)/T\propto \log T$ and $\Delta\rho\propto T$ observed in the normal state above the SC transition suggest quantum criticality in both systems.Comment: PRB accepte

Environmental occurrence of the Whipple's disease bacterium (Tropheryma whippelii).

Whipple's disease is a systemic disorder in which a gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium is constantly present in infected tissues. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to culture this bacterium, it was eventually characterized by 16S rRNA gene analysis to be a member of the actinomycetes. The name Tropheryma whippelii was proposed. Until now, the bacterium has only been found in infected human tissues, but there is no evidence for human-to-human transmission. Here we report the detection of DNA specific for the Whipple's disease bacterium in 25 of 38 wastewater samples from five different sewage treatment plants in the area of Heidelberg, Germany. These findings provide the first evidence that T. whippelii occurs in the environment, within a polymicrobial community. This is in accordance with the phylogenetic relationship of this bacterium as well as with known epidemiological aspects of Whipple's disease. Our data argue for an environmental source for infection with the Whipple's disease bacterium

Persistent detwinning of iron pnictides by small magnetic fields

Our comprehensive study on EuFe$_2$As$_2$ reveals a dramatic reduction of magnetic detwinning fields compared to other AFe$_2$As$_2$ (A = Ba, Sr, Ca) iron pnictides by indirect magneto-elastic coupling of the Eu$^{2+}$ ions. We find that only 0.1T are sufficient for persistent detwinning below the local Eu$^{2+}$ ordering; above $T_\text{Eu}$ = 19K, higher fields are necessary. Even after the field is switched off, a significant imbalance of twin domains remains constant up to the structural and electronic phase transition (190K). This persistent detwinning provides the unique possibility to study the low temperature electronic in-plane anisotropy of iron pnictides without applying any symmetrybreaking external force.Comment: accepted by Physical Review Letter

Upper critical magnetic field in K0.83Fe1.83Se2 and Eu0.5K0.5Fe2As2 single crystals

The H-T phase diagrams of single crystalline electron-doped K0.83Fe1.83Se2 (KFS1), K0.8Fe2Se2 (KFS2) and hole-doped Eu0.5K0.5Fe2As2 (EKFA) have been deduced from tunnel diode oscillator-based contactless measurements in pulsed magnetic fields up to 57 T for the inter-plane (H//c) and in-plane (H//ab) directions. The temperature dependence of the upper critical magnetic field Hc2(T) relevant to EFKA is accounted for by the Pauli model including an anisotropic Pauli paramagnetic contribution (\mu_BHp=114 T for H//ab and 86 T for H//c). This is also the case of KFS1 and KFS2 for H//ab whereas a significant upward curvature, accounted for by a two-gap model, is observed for H//c. Despite the presence of antiferromagnetic lattice order within the superconducting state of the studied compounds, no influence of magnetic ordering on the temperature dependence of Hc2(T) is observed.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1104.561