4,495 research outputs found
Competing charge density waves and temperature-dependent nesting in 2H-TaSe2
Multiple charge density wave (CDW) phases in 2H-TaSe2 are investigated by
high-resolution synchrotron x-ray diffraction. In a narrow temperature range
immediately above the commensurate CDW transition, we observe a multi-q
superstructure with coexisting commensurate and incommensurate order
parameters, clearly distinct from the fully incommensurate state at higher
temperatures. This multi-q ordered phase, characterized by a temperature
hysteresis, is found both during warming and cooling, in contrast to previous
reports. In the normal state, the incommensurate superstructure reflection
gives way to a broad diffuse peak that persists nearly up to room temperature.
Its position provides a direct and accurate estimate of the Fermi surface
nesting vector, which evolves non-monotonically and approaches the commensurate
position as the temperature is increased. This behavior agrees with our recent
observations of the temperature-dependent Fermi surface in the same compound
[Phys. Rev. B 79, 125112 (2009)]
Ultrafast photodoping and effective Fermi-Dirac distribution of the Dirac particles in Bi2Se3
We exploit time- and angle- resolved photoemission spectroscopy to determine
the evolution of the out-of-equilibrium electronic structure of the topological
insulator Bi2Se. The response of the Fermi-Dirac distribution to ultrashort IR
laser pulses has been studied by modelling the dynamics of the hot electrons
after optical excitation. We disentangle a large increase of the effective
temperature T* from a shift of the chemical potential mu*, which is consequence
of the ultrafast photodoping of the conduction band. The relaxation dynamics of
T* and mu* are k-independent and these two quantities uniquely define the
evolution of the excited charge population. We observe that the energy
dependence of the non-equilibrium charge population is solely determined by the
analytical form of the effective Fermi-Dirac distribution.Comment: 5 Pages, 3 Figure
Atomic and Electronic Structure of a Rashba - Junction at the BiTeI Surface
The non-centrosymmetric semiconductor BiTeI exhibits two distinct surface
terminations that support spin-split Rashba surface states. Their ambipolarity
can be exploited for creating spin-polarized - junctions at the
boundaries between domains with different surface terminations. We use scanning
tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) to locate such junctions and
investigate their atomic and electronic properties. The Te- and I-terminated
surfaces are identified owing to their distinct chemical reactivity, and an
apparent height mismatch of electronic origin. The Rashba surface states are
revealed in the STS spectra by the onset of a van Hove singularity at the band
edge. Eventually, an electronic depletion is found on interfacial Te atoms,
consistent with the formation of a space charge area in typical -
junctions.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Establishing the fundamental magnetic interactions in the chiral skyrmionic Mott insulator Cu2OSeO3 by terahertz electron spin resonance
The recent discovery of skyrmions in CuOSeO has established a new
platform to create and manipulate skyrmionic spin textures. We use high-field
electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy combining a terahertz free electron
laser and pulsed magnetic fields up to 64 T to probe and quantify its
microscopic spin-spin interactions. Besides providing direct access to the
long-wavelength Goldstone mode, this technique probes also the high-energy part
of the excitation spectrum which is inaccessible by standard low-frequency ESR.
Fitting the behavior of the observed modes in magnetic field to a theoretical
framework establishes experimentally that the fundamental magnetic building
blocks of this skyrmionic magnet are rigid, highly entangled and weakly coupled
tetrahedra.Comment: 5 pages, 3 Figure
Ultrafast Optical Control of the Electronic Properties of
We report on the temperature dependence of the electronic
properties, studied at equilibrium and out of equilibrium, by means of time and
angle resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. Our results unveil the dependence of
the electronic band structure across the Fermi energy on the sample
temperature. This finding is regarded as the dominant mechanism responsible for
the anomalous resistivity observed at T* 160 K along with the change of
the charge carrier character from holelike to electronlike. Having addressed
these long-lasting questions, we prove the possibility to control, at the
ultrashort time scale, both the binding energy and the quasiparticle lifetime
of the valence band. These experimental evidences pave the way for optically
controlling the thermoelectric and magnetoelectric transport properties of
Short-term effects of an educational intervention on physical restraint use: a cluster randomized trial
BACKGROUND: Physical restraints are still frequently used in nursing home residents despite growing evidence for the ineffectiveness and negative consequences of these methods. Therefore, reduction in the use of physical restraints in psycho-geriatric nursing home residents is very important. The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term effects of an educational intervention on the use of physical restraints in psycho-geriatric nursing home residents. METHODS: A cluster randomized trial was applied to 5 psycho-geriatric nursing home wards (n = 167 residents with dementia). The wards were assigned at random to either educational intervention (3 wards) or control status (2 wards). The restraint status was observed and residents' characteristics, such as cognitive status, were determined by using the Minimum Data Set (MDS) at baseline and 1 month after intervention. RESULTS: Restraint use did not change significantly over time in the experimental group (55%–56%), compared to a significant increased use (P < 0.05) in the control group (56%–70%). The mean restraint intensity and mean multiple restraint use in residents increased in the control group but no changes were shown in the experimental group. Logistic regression analysis showed that residents in the control group were more likely to experience increased restraint use than residents in the experimental group. CONCLUSION: An educational programme for nurses combined with consultation with a nurse specialist did not decrease the use of physical restraints in psycho-geriatric nursing home residents in the short term. However, the residents in the control group experienced more restraint use during the study period compared to the residents in the experimental group. Whether the intervention will reduce restraint use in the long term could not be inferred from these results. Further research is necessary to gain insight into the long-term effects of this educational intervention
Evidence of reduced surface electron-phonon scattering in the conduction band of Bi_{2}Se_{3} by non-equilibrium ARPES
The nature of the Dirac quasiparticles in topological insulators calls for a
direct investigation of the electron-phonon scattering at the \emph{surface}.
By comparing time-resolved ARPES measurements of the TI Bi_{2}Se_{3} with
different probing depths we show that the relaxation dynamics of the electronic
temperature of the conduction band is much slower at the surface than in the
bulk. This observation suggests that surface phonons are less effective in
cooling the electron gas in the conduction band.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Microscopic Calculation of Spin Torques in Disordered Ferromagnets
Effects of conduction electrons on magnetization dynamics, represented by
spin torques, are calculated microscopically in the first order in spatial
gradient and time derivative of magnetization. Special attention is paid to the
so-called -term and the Gilbert damping, , in the presence of
electrons' spin-relaxation processes, which are modeled by quenched magnetic
(and spin-orbit) impurities. The obtained results such as
hold for localized as well as itinerant ferromagnetism.Comment: 4 page
Ballistic versus diffusive magnetoresistance of a magnetic point contact
The quasiclassical theory of a nanosize point contacts (PC) between two
ferromagnets is developed. The maximum available magnetoresistance values in PC
are calculated for ballistic versus diffusive transport through the area of a
contact. In the ballistic regime the magnetoresistance in excess of few
hundreds percents is obtained for the iron-group ferromagnets. The necessary
conditions for realization of so large magnetoresistance in PC, and the
experimental results by Garcia et al are discussedComment: 4 pages, TEX, 1 Figur
The momentum and photon energy dependence of the circular dichroic photoemission in the bulk Rashba semiconductors BiTeX (X = I, Br, Cl)
Bulk Rashba systems BiTeX (X = I, Br, Cl) are emerging as important
candidates for developing spintronics devices, because of the coexistence of
spin-split bulk and surface states, along with the ambipolar character of the
surface charge carriers. The need of studying the spin texture of strongly
spin-orbit coupled materials has recently promoted circular dichroic Angular
Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy (cd-ARPES) as an indirect tool to measure
the spin and the angular degrees of freedom. Here we report a detailed photon
energy dependent study of the cd-ARPES spectra in BiTeX (X = I, Br and Cl). Our
work reveals a large variation of the magnitude and sign of the dichroism.
Interestingly, we find that the dichroic signal modulates differently for the
three compounds and for the different spin-split states. These findings show a
momentum and photon energy dependence for the cd-ARPES signals in the bulk
Rashba semiconductor BiTeX (X = I, Br, Cl). Finally, the outcome of our
experiment indicates the important relation between the modulation of the
dichroism and the phase differences between the wave-functions involved in the
photoemission process. This phase difference can be due to initial or final
state effects. In the former case the phase difference results in possible
interference effects among the photo-electrons emitted from different atomic
layers and characterized by entangled spin-orbital polarized bands. In the
latter case the phase difference results from the relative phases of the
expansion of the final state in different outgoing partial waves.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
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