119 research outputs found
Polarization-analyzed resonant inelastic x-ray scattering of the orbital excitations in KCuF3
We report a Cu K-edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) study of
orbital excitations in KCuF3 . By performing the polarization analysis of the
scattered photons, we disclose that the excitation between the eg orbitals and
the excitations from t2g to eg exhibit distinct polarization dependence. The
polarization dependence of the respective excitations is interpreted based on a
phenomenological consideration of the symmetry of the RIXS process that yields
a necessary condition for observing the excitations. In addition, we show that
the orbital excitations are dispersionless within our experimental resolution.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering in single-crystal superconducting PrFeAsO0.7
Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectra at the Fe K-edge were
measured for a single crystal of the iron oxypnictide superconductor PrFeAsO0.7
(Tc=42 K). They disclose a weak, broad feature centered around 4.5 eV energy
loss, which is slightly resonantly enhanced when the incident energy is tuned
in the vicinity of the 4p white line. We tentatively ascribe it to the
charge-transfer excitation between As 4p and Fe 3d.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figure
Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering in electronically quasi-zero-dimensional CuB2O4
We explore the general phenomenology of resonant inelastic scattering (RIXS)
using CuB2O4, a network of CuO4 plaquettes electronically isolated by B+3 ions.
Spectra show a small number of well-separated features, and we exploit the
simple electronic structure to explore RIXS phenomenology by developing a
calculation which allows for intermediate-state effects ignored in standard
approaches. These effects are found to be non-negligible and good
correspondence between our model and experiment leads to a simple picture of
such phenomenology as the genesis of d-d excitations at the K edge and
intermediate-state interference effects.Comment: Phys. Rev. B 80, 092509 (2009
Preclinical Evaluation of a Lentiviral Vector for Huntingtin Silencing.
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder resulting from a polyglutamine expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) protein. There is currently no cure for this disease, but recent studies suggest that RNAi to downregulate the expression of both normal and mutant HTT is a promising therapeutic approach. We previously developed a small hairpin RNA (shRNA), vectorized in an HIV-1-derived lentiviral vector (LV), that reduced pathology in an HD rodent model. Here, we modified this vector for preclinical development by using a tat-independent third-generation LV (pCCL) backbone and removing the original reporter genes. We demonstrate that this novel vector efficiently downregulated HTT expression in vitro in striatal neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of HD patients. It reduced two major pathological HD hallmarks while triggering a minimal inflammatory response, up to 6 weeks after injection, when administered by stereotaxic surgery in the striatum of an in vivo rodent HD model. Further assessment of this shRNA vector in vitro showed proper processing by the endogenous silencing machinery, and we analyzed gene expression changes to identify potential off-targets. These preclinical data suggest that this new shRNA vector fulfills primary biosafety and efficiency requirements for further development in the clinic as a cure for HD
Pressure-induced valence anomaly in TmTe probed by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering
The pressure-induced valence transition in TmTe was investigated by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the Tm L(3) edge, a powerful probe of the rare-earth valent state. The data are analyzed within the Anderson impurity model which yields key parameters such as the Tm 4f-5d hybridization. In addition to the general tendency of the f electrons towards delocalization, we find a plateau in both the Tm valence and hybridization pressure dependences between 4.3 and 6.5 GPa which is interpreted in terms of an n-channel Kondo (NCK) screening process. This behavior is at odds with the usually continuous, single-channel Kondo-like f delocalization while being supported by the seminal calculations of the NCK temperature in Tm ion by Saso et al. Our study raises the interesting possibility that an NCK effect realized in a compressed mixed-valent f system could impede the concomitant electron delocalization
Investigation of the thermal stability of Mg/Co periodic multilayers for EUV applications
We present the results of the characterization of Mg/Co periodic multilayers
and their thermal stability for the EUV range. The annealing study is performed
up to a temperature of 400\degree C. Images obtained by scanning transmission
electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy clearly show the good
quality of the multilayer structure. The measurements of the EUV reflectivity
around 25 nm (~49 eV) indicate that the reflectivity decreases when the
annealing temperature increases above 300\degreeC. X-ray emission spectroscopy
is performed to determine the chemical state of the Mg atoms within the Mg/Co
multilayer. Nuclear magnetic resonance used to determine the chemical state of
the Co atoms and scanning electron microscopy images of cross sections of the
Mg/Co multilayers reveal changes in the morphology of the stack from an
annealing temperature of 305\degreee;C. This explains the observed reflectivity
loss.Comment: Published in Applied Physics A: Materials Science \& Processing
Published at
http://www.springerlink.com.chimie.gate.inist.fr/content/6v396j6m56771r61/ 21
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