32 research outputs found
Manifestations of fine features of the density of states in the transport properties of KOs2O6
We performed high-pressure transport measurements on high-quality single
crystals of KOs2O6, a beta-pyrochlore superconductor. While the resistivity at
high temperatures might approach saturation, there is no sign of saturation at
low temperatures, down to the superconducting phase. The anomalous resistivity
is accompanied by a nonmetallic behavior in the thermoelectric power (TEP) up
to temperatures of at least 700 K, which also exhibits a broad hump with a
maximum at 60 K. The pressure influences mostly the low-energy electronic
excitations. A simple band model based on enhanced density of states in a
narrow window around the Fermi energy (EF) explains the main features of this
unconventional behavior in the transport coefficients and its evolution under
pressure
Optical conductivity of cuprates in a new light
Understanding the physical properties of unconventional superconductors as
well as of other correlated materials presents a formidable challenge. Their
unusual evolution with doping, frequency, and temperature, has frequently led
to non-Fermi-liquid (non-FL) interpretations. Optical conductivity is a major
challenge in this context. Here, the optical spectra of two archetypal
cuprates, underdoped HgBaCuO and optimally-doped
BiSrCaCuO, are interpreted based on the standard Fermi
liquid (FL) paradigm. At both dopings, perfect frequency-temperature FL scaling
is found to be modified by the presence of a second, gapped electronic
subsystem. This non-FL component emerges as a well-defined mid-infrared
spectral feature after the FL contribution -- determined independently by
transport -- is subtracted. Temperature, frequency and doping evolution of the
MIR feature identifies a gapped rather than dissipative response. In contrast,
the dissipative response is found to be relevant for pnictides and ruthenates.
Such an unbiased FL/non-FL separation is extended across the cuprate phase
diagram, providing a natural explanation why the superfluid density is
attenuated on the overdoped side. Thus, we obtain a unified interpretation of
optical responses and transport measurements in all analyzed physical regimes
and all analyzed compounds.Comment: 43 pages, 13 figure
Magneto-optical signature of massless Kane electrons in Cd3As2
We report on optical reflectivity experiments performed on Cd3As2 over a
broad range of photon energies and magnetic fields. The observed response
clearly indicates the presence of 3D massless charge carriers. The specific
cyclotron resonance absorption in the quantum limit implies that we are probing
massless Kane electrons rather than symmetry-protected 3D Dirac particles. The
latter may appear at a smaller energy scale and are not directly observed in
our infrared experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures + supplementary materials (17 pages), to be
published in Phys. Rev. Let
EuCdAs: a magnetic semiconductor
EuCdAs is now widely accepted as a topological semimetal in which a
Weyl phase is induced by an external magnetic field. We challenge this view
through firm experimental evidence using a combination of electronic transport,
optical spectroscopy and excited-state photoemission spectroscopy. We show that
the EuCdAs is in fact a semiconductor with a gap of 0.77 eV. We show
that the externally applied magnetic field has a profound impact on the
electronic band structure of this system. This is manifested by a huge decrease
of the observed band gap, as large as 125~meV at 2~T, and consequently, by a
giant redshift of the interband absorption edge. However, the semiconductor
nature of the material remains preserved. EuCdAs is therefore a
magnetic semiconductor rather than a Dirac or Weyl semimetal, as suggested by
{\em ab initio} computations carried out within the local spin-density
approximation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter
BaVS probed by V L edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy
Polarization dependent vanadium L edge X-ray absorption spectra of BaVS
single crystals are measured in the four phases of the compound. The difference
between signals with the polarization \textbf{E}\textbf{c} and
\textbf{E}\textbf{c} (linear dichroism) changes with temperature.
Besides increasing intensity of one of the maxima, a new structure appears in
the pre-edge region below the metal-insulator transition. More careful
examination brings to light that the changes start already with pretransitional
charge density wave fluctuations. Simple symmetry analysis suggests that the
effect is related to rearrangements in and states, and is
compatible with the formation of four inequivalent V sites along the V-S chain.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Spin-Density-Wave Gap with Dirac Nodes and Two-Magnon Raman Scattering in BaFe2As2
Raman selection rules for electronic and magnetic excitations in BaFe2As2
were theoretically investigated and applied them to the separate detection of
the nodal and anti-nodal gap excitations at the spin density wave (SDW)
transition and the separate detection of the nearest and the next nearest
neighbor exchange interaction energies. The SDW gap has Dirac nodes, because
many orbitals participate in the electronic states near the Fermi energy. Using
a two-orbital band model the electronic excitations near the Dirac node and the
anti-node are found to have different symmetries. Applying the symmetry
difference to Raman scattering the nodal and anti-nodal electronic excitations
are separately obtained. The low-energy spectra from the anti-nodal region have
critical fluctuation just above TSDW and change into the gap structure by the
first order transition at TSDW, while those from the nodal region gradually
change into the SDW state. The selection rule for two-magnon scattering from
the stripe spin structure was obtained. Applying it to the two-magnon Raman
spectra it is found that the magnetic exchange interaction energies are not
presented by the short-range superexchange model, but the second derivative of
the total energy of the stripe spin structure with respect to the moment
directions. The selection rule and the peak energy are expressed by the
two-magnon scattering process in an insulator, but the large spectral weight
above twice the maximum spin wave energy is difficult to explain by the decayed
spin wave. It may be explained by the electronic scattering of itinerant
carriers with the magnetic self-energy in the localized spin picture or the
particle-hole excitation model in the itinerant spin picture. The magnetic
scattering spectra are compared to the insulating and metallic cuprate
superconductors whose spins are believed to be localized.Comment: 38 pages, 11 figure
Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease
Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.