The thermal Hall effect of spin excitations in a Kagome magnet

At low temperatures, the thermal conductivity of spin excitations in a magnetic insulator can exceed that of phonons. However, because they are charge neutral, the spin waves are not expected to display a thermal Hall effect in a magnetic field. Recently, this semiclassical notion has been upended in quantum magnets in which the spin texture has a finite chirality. In the Kagome lattice, the chiral term generates a Berry curvature. This results in a thermal Hall conductivity $\kappa_{xy}$ that is topological in origin. Here we report observation of a large $\kappa_{xy}$ in the Kagome magnet Cu(1-3, bdc) which orders magnetically at 1.8 K. The observed $\kappa_{xy}$ undergoes a remarkable sign-reversal with changes in temperature or magnetic field, associated with sign alternation of the Chern flux between magnon bands. We show that thermal Hall experiments probe incisively the effect of Berry curvature on heat transport.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Bulk Band Gap and Surface State Conduction Observed in Voltage-Tuned Crystals of the Topological Insulator Bi2_2Se3_3

We report a transport study of exfoliated few monolayer crystals of topological insulator Bi$_2$Se$_3$ in an electric field effect (EFE) geometry. By doping the bulk crystals with Ca, we are able to fabricate devices with sufficiently low bulk carrier density to change the sign of the Hall density with the gate voltage $V_g$. We find that the temperature $T$ and magnetic field dependent transport properties in the vicinity of this $V_g$ can be explained by a bulk channel with activation gap of approximately 50 meV and a relatively high mobility metallic channel that dominates at low $T$. The conductance (approximately 2 $\times$ 7$e^2/h$), weak anti-localization, and metallic resistance-temperature profile of the latter lead us to identify it with the protected surface state. The relative smallness of the observed gap implies limitations for EFE topological insulator devices at room temperature.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. In new version, panels have been removed from Figures 1, 2, and 4 to improve clarity. Additional data included in Figure 4. Introduction and discussion revised and expande

Complex regulation of neutrophil-derived MMP-9 secretion in central nervous system tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS-TB) may be fatal even with treatment. Neutrophils are the key mediators of TB immunopathology, and raised CSF matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) which correlates to neutrophil count in CNS-TB is associated with neurological deficit and death. The mechanisms by which neutrophils drive TB-associated CNS matrix destruction are not clearly defined. METHODS: Human brain biopsies with histologically proven CNS-TB were stained for neutrophils, neutrophil elastase, and MMP-9. Neutrophil MMP-9 secretion and gene expression were analyzed using Luminex and real-time PCR. Type IV collagen degradation was evaluated using confocal microscopy and quantitative fluorescent assays. Intracellular signaling pathways were investigated by immunoblotting and chemical inhibitors. RESULTS: MMP-9-expressing neutrophils were present in tuberculous granulomas in CNS-TB and neutrophil-derived MMP-9 secretion was upregulated by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb). Concurrent direct stimulation by M.tb and activation via monocyte-dependent networks had an additive effect on neutrophil MMP-9 secretion. Destruction of type IV collagen, a key component of the blood-brain barrier, was inhibited by neutralizing neutrophil MMP-9. Monocyte-neutrophil networks driving MMP-9 secretion in TB were regulated by MAP-kinase and Akt-PI3 kinase pathways and the transcription factor NF-kB. TNFα neutralization suppressed MMP-9 secretion to baseline while dexamethasone did not. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple signaling paths regulate neutrophil-derived MMP-9 secretion, which is increased in CNS-TB. These paths may be better targets for host-directed therapies than steroids currently used in CNS-TB

Anomalous microwave response of high-temperature superconducting thin-film microstrip resonator in weak dc magnetic fields

We have studied an anomalous microwave (mw) response of superconducting YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{7-delta} (YBCO) microstrip resonators in the presence of a weak dc magnetic field, H_{dc}. The surface resistance (R_{s}) and reactance (X_{s}) show a correlated non-monotonic behaviour as a function of H_{dc}. R_{s} and X_{s} were found to initially decrease with elevated H_{dc} and then increase after H_{dc} reaches a crossover field, H_{c}, which is independent of the amplitude and frequency of the input mw signal within the measurements. The frequency dependence of R_{s} is almost linear at fixed H_{dc} with different magnitudes (H_{c}). The impedance plane analysis demonstrates that r_{H}, which is defined as the ratio of the change in R_{s}(H_{dc}) and that in X_{s}(H_{dc}), is about 0.6 at H_{dc}<H_{c} and 0.1 at H_{dc}>H_{c}. The H_{dc} dependence of the surface impedance is qualitatively independent of the orientation of H_{dc}.Comment: REVTex 3.1, 5 pages, 6 EPS figures, submitted to Physica

Heat capacity anomaly at the quantum critical point of the Transverse Ising Magnet CoNb_2O_6

The transverse Ising magnet Hamiltonian describing the Ising chain in a transverse magnetic field is the archetypal example of a system that undergoes a transition at a quantum critical point (QCP). The columbite CoNb$_2$O$_6$ is the closest realization of the transverse Ising magnet found to date. At low temperatures, neutron diffraction has observed a set of discrete collective spin modes near the QCP. We ask if there are low-lying spin excitations distinct from these relatively high energy modes. Using the heat capacity, we show that a significant band of gapless spin excitations exists. At the QCP, their spin entropy rises to a prominent peak that accounts for 30$\%$ of the total spin degrees of freedom. In a narrow field interval below the QCP, the gapless excitations display a fermion-like, temperature-linear heat capacity below 1 K. These novel gapless modes are the main spin excitations participating in, and affected, by the quantum transition.Comment: 14 pages total, 8 figure

Magnetic-Field-Induced Localization of Quasiparticles in Underdoped La2−x_{2-x}Srx_xCuO4_4 Single Crystals

Magnetic-field-induced ordering of electrons around vortices is a striking phenomenon recently found in high-$T_c$ cuprates. To identify its consequence in the quasiparticle dynamics, the magnetic-field ($H$) dependence of the low-temperature thermal conductivity $\kappa$ of La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$ crystals is studied for a wide doping range. It is found that the behavior of $\kappa(H)$ in the sub-Kelvin region changes drastically across optimum doping, and the data for underdoped samples are indicative of unusual magnetic-field-induced localization of quasiparticles; this localization phenomenon is probably responsible for the unusual "insulating normal state" under high magnetic fields.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, final version published in PR

Anisotropic effect of field on the orthorhombic-to-tetragonal transition in the striped cuprate (La,Nd)_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4

The Nd-doped cuprate La_{2-y-x}Nd_ySr_xCuO_4 displays a first-order phase transition at T_d (= 74 K for x=0.10, y = 0.60) to a low-temperature tetragonal (LTT) phase. A magnetic field H applied || the a-axis leads to an increase in T_d, whereas T_d is decreased when H || c. These effects show that magnetic ordering involving both Nd and Cu spins plays a key role in driving the LTO-LTT transition. Related anisotropic effects are observed in the uniform susceptibility and the in-plane magnetoresistance.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure