Proton configurations in the hydrogen bonds of KH2PO4 as seen by resonant x-ray diffraction

KH2PO4 (KDP) belongs to the class of hydrogen-bonded ferroelectrics, whose paraelectric to ferroelectric phase transition is driven by the ordering of the protons in the hydrogen bonds. We demonstrate that forbidden reflections of KDP, when measured at an x-ray absorption edge, are highly sensitive to the asymmetry of proton configurations. The change of average symmetry caused by the "freezing" of the protons during the phase transition is clearly evidenced. In the paraelectric phase, we identify in the resonant spectra of the forbidden reflections a contribution related to the transient proton configurations in the hydrogen bonds, which violates the high average symmetry of the sites of the resonant atoms. The analysis of the temperature dependence reveals a change of relative probabilities of the different proton configurations. They follow the Arrhenius law, and the activation energies of polar and Slater configurations are 18.6 and 7.3 meV, respectively

An X-ray study of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in the weak ferromagnet FeBO3

International audienceWe report on the axis, magnitude and direction of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction in the weak ferromagnet FeBO3. The latter relies on the determination of the phase of the magnetic x-ray scattering amplitude. We outline a new technique based on interference with forbidden quadrupole resonant scattering to obtain this phase information

Phase transition of KDP observed by Resonant X-ray Diffraction at forbidden reflections

International audienceWe report observations of space-group-forbidden Bragg reflections in Potassium (KH2PO4), at the potassium K edge. We find clear evidence for a transition from one class of space-group-forbidden reflections, where scattering is ruled out by the electric dipole approximation, to a second class, in the ferroelectric phase, where scattering can proceed due to resonant anisotropy within the dipole approximation. The change of symmetry is clearly evidenced by the sudden change of intensity and energy spectrum of the forbidden reflections

The formation of strategies for effective management of business environment of the region

This study is aimed to explore the opportunities of creating conditions which is necessary for successful development of small and medium enterprises of Russia and the Belgorod region in particular in the chemical industry of leather and footwear sector. The system of criteria for the assessment of the entrepreneurial activity of small and medium enterprises is proposed. The directions of development of small and medium enterprises in the chemical industry of leather and footwear sector are designedyesБелгородский государственный университе

Influence of spin structures and nesting on Fermi surface and a pseudogap anisotropy in t-t'-U Hubbard model

Influence of two type of spin structures on the form of the Fermi surface (FS) and a photoemission intensity map is studied for t-t'-U Hubbard model. Mean field calculations are done for the stripe phase and for the spiral spin structure. It is shown, that unlike a case of electron doping, the hole-doped models are unstable with respect to formation of such structures. The pseudogap anisotropies are different for h- and e- doping. In accordance with ARPES data for La2SrxCuO4 the stripe phase is characterized by quasi-one-dimensional segments of FS at k=(\pi,0) and by suppression of spectral weight in diagonal direction. It is shown that spiral structures display the polarisation anisotropy: different segments of FS correspond to electros with different spin polarisations.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Inhibition of mutagenic activation of orthoaminoazotoluene increases its carcinogenicity for mouse liver

Various mutationally impaired genes are often found in malignant tumors of animals and humans. At the same time, a large number of carcinogens demonstrate positive activity in different in vitro tests for mutagenicity. These findings are indicative of a geno- toxic mechanism of carcinogen action. It is considered that chemically active carcinogens induce mutations (and tumors) directly interacting with DNA, while inactive substances are mutagenically activated in the processes of cellular metabolism in target tissues. The aminoazo dyes was found to be activated by N-hydroxilation and subsequent conjugation with sulfuric acid catalyzed by the enzyme sulfotransferase. Previously we found that it is activated metabolites of ortho-aminoazotoluene that are responsible for its inhibitory effect on hormonal induction of tyrosinaminotransferase activity in the liver of sensitive mice. Inhibition of sulfoconjugation of 4-aminoazobenzene, another hepatocarcinogen for mice, by pentaclorophenol was reported to reduce its both mutagenic and carcinogenic activity. In this paper, we confirmed this observation. But we found that, when used ortho-aminoazotoluene, pentaclorophenol inhibited its mutagenic activity, but significantly stimulated the hepatocarcinogenic potency. It seems that carcinogenic action is provoked by unmetabolysed ortho-aminoazotoluene per se or some of its nonsulfated derivatives. The results of our comparative study with ortho-aminoazotoluene and 3.4-benzopyrene are in contradiction with the genotoxic theory of carcinogenesis: both are similarly activated by mouse liver enzymes, but induce tumors in different tissues: the former, hepatocellular carcinomas and the latter, splenic lymphoma. The conclusion was made that the accepted notion about the mechanism of carcinogenesis has to be revised

Formation of ultracold RbCs molecules by photoassociation

The formation of ultracold metastable RbCs molecules is observed in a double species magneto-optical trap through photoassociation below the ^85Rb(5S_1/2)+^133Cs(6P_3/2) dissociation limit followed by spontaneous emission. The molecules are detected by resonance enhanced two-photon ionization. Using accurate quantum chemistry calculations of the potential energy curves and transition dipole moment, we interpret the observed photoassociation process as occurring at short internuclear distance, in contrast with most previous cold atom photoassociation studies. The vibrational levels excited by photoassociation belong to the 5th 0^+ or the 4th 0^- electronic states correlated to the Rb(5P_1/2,3/2)+Cs(6S_1/2) dissociation limit. The computed vibrational distribution of the produced molecules shows that they are stabilized in deeply bound vibrational states of the lowest triplet state. We also predict that a noticeable fraction of molecules is produced in the lowest level of the electronic ground state

Satellite holmium M-edge spectra from the magnetic phase via resonant x-ray scattering

Developing an expression of resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) amplitude which is convenient for investigating the contributions from the higher rank tensor on the basis of a localized electron picture, we analyze the RXS spectra from the magnetic phases of Ho near the $M_{4,5}$ absorption edges. At the $M_5$ edge in the uniform helical phase, the calculated spectra of the absorption coefficient, the RXS intensities at the first and second satellite spots capture the properties the experimental data possess, such as the spectral shapes and the peak positions. This demonstrates the plausibility of the adoption of the localized picture in this material and the effectiveness of the spectral shape analysis. The latter point is markedly valuable since the azimuthal angle dependence, which is one of the most useful informations RXS can provides, is lacking in the experimental conditions. Then, by focusing on the temperature dependence of the spectral shape at the second satellite spot, we expect that the spectrum is the contribution of the pure rank two profile in the uniform helical and the conical phases while that is dominated by the rank one profile in the intermediate temperature phase, so-called spin slip phase. The change of the spectral shape as a function of temperature indicates a direct evidence of the change of magnetic structures undergoing. Furthermore, we predict that the intensity, which is the same order observed at the second satellite spot, is expected at the fourth satellite spot from the conical phase in the electric dipolar transition.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figure

Dzyaloshinskii--Moriya interaction: How to measure its sign in weak ferromagnetics?

Three experimental techniques sensitive to the sign of the Dzyaloshinskii--Moriya interaction are discussed: neutron diffraction, Moessbauer gamma-ray diffraction, and resonant x-ray scattering. Classical examples of hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) and MnCO3 crystals are considered in detailComment: 5 pages, 1 figure; to be published in JETP Letter