44 research outputs found
Angle-resolved photoemission study of the role of nesting and orbital orderings in the antiferromagnetic phase of BaFe2As2
We present a detailed comparison of the electronic structure of BaFe2As2 in
its paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic (AFM) phases, through angle-resolved
photoemission studies. Using different experimental geometries, we resolve the
full elliptic shape of the electron pockets, including parts of dxy symmetry
along its major axis that are usually missing. This allows us to define
precisely how the hole and electron pockets are nested and how the different
orbitals evolve at the transition. We conclude that the imperfect nesting
between hole and electron pockets explains rather well the formation of gaps
and residual metallic droplets in the AFM phase, provided the relative parity
of the different bands is taken into account. Beyond this nesting picture, we
observe shifts and splittings of numerous bands at the transition. We show that
the splittings are surface sensitive and probably not a reliable signature of
the magnetic order. On the other hand, the shifts indicate a significant
redistribution of the orbital occupations at the transition, especially within
the dxz/dyz system, which we discuss
Tuning a Schottky barrier in a photoexcited topological insulator with transient Dirac cone electron-hole asymmetry
The advent of Dirac materials has made it possible to realize two dimensional
gases of relativistic fermions with unprecedented transport properties in
condensed matter. Their photoconductive control with ultrafast light pulses is
opening new perspectives for the transmission of current and information. Here
we show that the interplay of surface and bulk transient carrier dynamics in a
photoexcited topological insulator can control an essential parameter for
photoconductivity - the balance between excess electrons and holes in the Dirac
cone. This can result in a strongly out of equilibrium gas of hot relativistic
fermions, characterized by a surprisingly long lifetime of more than 50 ps, and
a simultaneous transient shift of chemical potential by as much as 100 meV. The
unique properties of this transient Dirac cone make it possible to tune with
ultrafast light pulses a relativistic nanoscale Schottky barrier, in a way that
is impossible with conventional optoelectronic materials.Comment: Nature Communications, in press (12 pages, 6 figures
Orbitally resolved lifetimes in Ba(Fe0.92Co0.08)2As2 measured by ARPES
Despite many ARPES investigations of iron pnictides, the structure of the
electron pockets is still poorly understood. By combining ARPES measurements in
different experimental configurations, we clearly resolve their elliptic shape.
Comparison with band calculation identify a deep electron band with the dxy
orbital and a shallow electron band along the perpendicular ellipse axis with
the dxz/dyz orbitals. We find that, for both electron and hole bands, the
lifetimes associated with dxy are longer than for dxz/dyz. This suggests that
the two types of orbitals play different roles in the electronic properties and
that their relative weight is a key parameter to determine the ground state
Ultrafast surface carrier dynamics in the topological insulator Bi2Te3
We discuss the ultrafast evolution of the surface electronic structure of the
topological insulator BiTe following a femtosecond laser excitation.
Using time and angle resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, we provide a direct
real-time visualisation of the transient carrier population of both the surface
states and the bulk conduction band. We find that the thermalization of the
surface states is initially determined by interband scattering from the bulk
conduction band, lasting for about 0.5 ps; subsequently, few ps are necessary
for the Dirac cone non-equilibrium electrons to recover a Fermi-Dirac
distribution, while their relaxation extends over more than 10 ps. The surface
sensitivity of our measurements makes it possible to estimate the range of the
bulk-surface interband scattering channel, indicating that the process is
effective over a distance of 5 nm or less. This establishes a correlation
between the nanoscale thickness of the bulk charge reservoir and the evolution
of the ultrafast carrier dynamics in the surface Dirac cone
Stacking, correlations and electronic dispersion in the photoexcited state of 1T-TaS<sub>2</sub>
Here we perform angle and time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy on the commensurate Charge Density Wave phase of 1T-TaS2. Data with different probe pulse polarization are employed to map the dispersion of electronic states below or above the chemical potential. The experimental results are compared to Density-Functional Theory calculations with a self-consistent evaluation of the coulomb repulsion. Both out-of-plane dimerization and electronic correlations must be included in order to obtain good agreement with the experimental data. Upon Photoexcitation, the fluctuations of CDW order erase the band dispersion near to the chemical potential and halve the charge gap size. This transient phase sets within half a period of the coherent lattice motion and is likely favored by strong electronic correlations
Reply to: Ultrafast evolution and transient phases of a prototype out-of-equilibrium Mott-Hubbard material
International audienceReplying to D. Moreno-Mencía et al. Nature Communicationshttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11743-3 (2019)
Phenotypic profiling of solute carriers characterises serine transport in cancer
Serine is a vital amino acid in tumorigenesis. While cells can perform de novo serine synthesis, most transformed cells rely on serine uptake to meet their increased biosynthetic requirements. Solute carriers (SLCs), a family of transmembrane nutrient transport proteins, are the gatekeepers of amino acid acquisition and exchange in mammalian cells and are emerging as anticancer therapeutic targets; however, the SLCs that mediate serine transport in cancer cells remain unknown. Here we perform an arrayed RNAi screen of SLC-encoding genes while monitoring amino acid consumption and cell proliferation in colorectal cancer cells using metabolomics and high-throughput imaging. We identify SLC6A14 and SLC25A15 as major cytoplasmic and mitochondrial serine transporters, respectively. We also observe that SLC12A4 facilitates serine uptake. Dual targeting of SLC6A14 and either SLC25A15 or SLC12A4 diminishes serine uptake and growth of colorectal cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, particularly in cells with compromised de novo serine biosynthesis. Our results provide insight into the mechanisms that contribute to serine uptake and intracellular handling
Tumor matrix stiffness promotes metastatic cancer cell interaction with the endothelium
YesTumor progression alters the composition and physical properties of the extracellular matrix. Particularly, increased matrix stiffness has profound effects on tumor growth and metastasis. While endothelial cells are key players in cancer progression, the influence of tumor stiffness on the endothelium and the impact on metastasis is unknown. Through quantitative mass spectrometry, we find that the matricellular protein CCN1/CYR61 is highly regulated by stiffness in endothelial cells. We show that stiffness-induced CCN1 activates β-catenin nuclear translocation and signaling and that this contributes to upregulate N-cadherin levels on the surface of the endothelium, in vitro This facilitates N-cadherin-dependent cancer cell-endothelium interaction. Using intravital imaging, we show that knockout of Ccn1 in endothelial cells inhibits melanoma cancer cell binding to the blood vessels, a critical step in cancer cell transit through the vasculature to metastasize. Targeting stiffness-induced changes in the vasculature, such as CCN1, is therefore a potential yet unappreciated mechanism to impair metastasis.Cancer Research UK (CRUK Beatson Institute C596/A17196, CRUK Glasgow Centre C596/A18076 and S.Z. C596/A12935