Surface magnetism in ZnO/Co3O4 mixtures

We recently reported the observation of room temperature ferromagnetism in mixtures of ZnO and Co3O4 despite the diamagnetic and antiferromagnetic character of these oxides respectively. Here we present a detailed study on the electronic structure of this material in order to account for this unexpected ferromagnetism. Electrostatic interactions between both oxides lead to a dispersion of Co3O4 particles over the surface of ZnO larger ones. As a consequence, the reduction of Co+3 to Co2+ at the particle surface takes place as evidenced by XAS measurements and optical spectrocopy. This reduction allows to xplain the observed ferromagnetic signal within the well established theories of magnetism.Comment: Accepted in Journal of Applied Physic

The El Guijo Pluton: petrology, geochemistry, age and relation to others rocks of Los Pedroches batholith

[Resumen] El plutón de El Guijo es uno de los plutones ácidos circunscritos, intrusivos en las granodioritas que constituyen los tercios central y occidental del batolito de Los Pedroches. Con forma subelíptica, presenta una zonación centrípeta que va desde facies marginales graníticas biotíticas (localmente con microadamellitas porfídicas), marcadamente porfídicas, hasta facies centrales de leucogranitos cordieríticos (± moscovita). Geoquímicamente, las rocas de este plutón definen una asociación peraluminosa, con evolución netamente calcoalcalina. Se presentan los resultados de una datación (Rb-SR, roca total) que definen una isocrona de 300 ± 6 Ma, con (87 Sr/86 Sr) o de 0.704. Finalmente, se discuten sus relaciones y significado en el contexto general del batolito de Los Pedroches.[Abstract] The El Guijo pluton belongs to a group of centred, acidic plutons which intrude the ranodiorites making the most part of the Pedroches Batholith central and western thirds. It has a sub-elliptical shape and shows a centripetal zonation which ranges between marginal, biotite-bearing porphyritic granitic facÍes (locally intruding porphyritic micro-adamellites) and central cordierite -bearing leucogranites (± muscovite). They collectively define a peraluminous association with a neat calcalkaline evolution. The results of a Rb-Sr whole-rock study are presented. These define a 300 ±6 Ma age isochron with (87 Sr/86 Sr) o = 0.704. Finally, its relationships with, and its significance in the context of the overall Pedroches Batholith are discused

Maude: specification and programming in rewriting logic

Maude is a high-level language and a high-performance system supporting executable specification and declarative programming in rewriting logic. Since rewriting logic contains equational logic, Maude also supports equational specification and programming in its sublanguage of functional modules and theories. The underlying equational logic chosen for Maude is membership equational logic, that has sorts, subsorts, operator overloading, and partiality definable by membership and equality conditions. Rewriting logic is reflective, in the sense of being able to express its own metalevel at the object level. Reflection is systematically exploited in Maude endowing the language with powerful metaprogramming capabilities, including both user-definable module operations and declarative strategies to guide the deduction process. This paper explains and illustrates with examples the main concepts of Maude's language design, including its underlying logic, functional, system and object-oriented modules, as well as parameterized modules, theories, and views. We also explain how Maude supports reflection, metaprogramming and internal strategies. The paper outlines the principles underlying the Maude system implementation, including its semicompilation techniques. We conclude with some remarks about applications, work on a formal environment for Maude, and a mobile language extension of Maude

The neutron time-of-flight facility n-TOF at CERN: Phase II

Neutron-induced reactions are studied at the neutron time-of-flight facility n-TOF at CERN. The facility uses 6∼ns wide pulses of 20 GeV/c protons impinging on a lead spallation target. The large neutron energy range and the high instantaneous neutron flux combined with high resolution are among the key characteristics of the facility. After a first phase of data taking during the period 2001-2004, the facility has been refurbished with an upgraded spallation target and cooling system for a second phase of data taking which started in 2009. Since 2010, the experimental area at 185 m where the neutron beam arrives, has been modified into a worksector of type A, allowing the extension of the physics program to include neutron-induced reactions on radioactive isotopes

Insights into the room temperature magnetism of ZnO/Co3O4 mixtures

The origin of room temperature (RT) ferromagneticlike behavior in ZnO-based diluted magnetic semiconductors is still an unclear topic. The present work concentrates on the appearance of RT magnetic moments in just mixed ZnO/Co3O4 mixtures without thermal treatment. In this study, it is shown that the magnetism seems to be related to surface reduction of the Co3O4 nanoparticles, in which, an antiferromagnetic Co3O4 nanoparticle (core) is surrounded by a CoO-like shell. This singular superficial magnetism has also been found in other mixtures with semiconductors such as TiO2 and insulators such as Al2O3

Hydrogen-induced reversible spin-reorientation transition and magnetic stripe domain phase in bilayer Co on Ru(0001)

Imaging the change in the magnetization vector in real time by spin-polarized low-energy electron microscopy, we observed a hydrogen-induced, reversible spin-reorientation transition in a cobalt bilayer on Ru(0001). Initially, hydrogen sorption reduces the size of out-of-plane magnetic domains and leads to the formation of a magnetic stripe domain pattern, which can be understood as a consequence of reducing the out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy. Further hydrogen sorption induces a transition to an in-plane easy-axis. Desorbing the hydrogen by heating the film to 400 K recovers the original out-of-plane magnetization. By means of ab-initio calculations we determine that the origin of the transition is the local effect of the hybridization of the hydrogen orbital and the orbitals of the Co atoms bonded to the absorbed hydrogen.Comment: 5 figure