669 research outputs found
Metal-to-insulator transition and magnetic ordering in CaRu_{1-x}Cu_xO_3
CaRuO_3 is perovskite with an orthorhombic distortion and is believed to be
close to magnetic ordering. Magnetic studies of single crystal and
polycrystalline CaRu_{1-x}Cu_xO_3 (0\le x \le 15 at.%Cu) reveal that
spin-glass-like transition develops for x\le 7 at.%Cu and obtained value for
effective magnetic moment p_{eff}=3.55 mu_B for x=5 at.% Cu, single crystal,
indicates presence of Ru^{5+}. At higher Cu concentrations more complex
magnetic behaviors are observed. Electrical resistivity measured on
polycrystalline samples shows metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) at 51 K for
only 2 at.% Cu. Charge compensation, which is assumed to be present upon
Cu^{2+/3+} substitution, induces appearance of Ru^{5+} and/or creation of
oxygen vacancies in crystal structure. Since the observed changes in physical
properties are completely attributable to the charge compensation, they cannot
be related to behaviors of pure compound where no such mechanism is present.
This study provides the criterion for "good" chemical probes for studying
Ru-based perovskites.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure
Decoupling of superconducting layers in magnetic superconductor RuSr_{2}GdCu_{2}O_{8}
We propose the model for magnetic properties of the magnetic superconductor
RuSrGdCuO, which incorporates the theory of the
superconducting/ferromagnetic multilayers. The transition line , on
which the Josephson coupled superconducting planes are decoupled, i.e. , is calculated as a function of the exchange energy . As the
result of this decoupling a nonmonotonic behavior of magnetic properties, like
the lower critical field , Josephson plasma frequency, etc. is realized
near (or by crossing) the line. The obtained results are used in
analyzing the newly discovered antiferromagnetic ruthenocuprate
RuSrGdCuO with possible weak ferromagnetic order in the RuO
planes.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figs embede
A Transport and Microwave Study of Superconducting and Magnetic RuSr2EuCu2O8
We have performed susceptibility, thermopower, dc resistance and microwave
measurements on RuSr2EuCu2O8. This compound has recently been shown to display
the coexistence of both superconducting and magnetic order. We find clear
evidence of changes in the dc and microwave resistance near the magnetic
ordering temperature (132 K). The intergranular effects were separated from the
intragranular effects by performing microwave measurements on a sintered
ceramic sample as well as on a powder sample dispersed in an epoxy resin. We
show that the data can be interpreted in terms of the normal-state resistivity
being dominated by the CuO2 layers with exchange coupling to the Ru moments in
the RuO2 layers. Furthermore, most of the normal-state semiconductor-like
upturn in the microwave resistance is found to arise from intergranular
transport. The data in the superconducting state can be consistently
interpreted in terms of intergranular weak-links and an intragranular
spontaneous vortex phase due to the ferromagnetic component of the
magnetization arising from the RuO2 planes.Comment: 20 pages including 6 figures in pdf format. To be published in Phys.
Rev.
Direct determination of spin orbit interaction coefficients and realization of the persistent spin helix symmetry
The spin orbit interaction plays a crucial role in diverse fields of
condensed matter, including the investigation of Majorana fermions, topological
insulators, quantum information and spintronics. In III V zinc blende
semiconductor heterostructures, two types of spin orbit interaction, Rashba and
Dresselhaus act on the electron spin as effective magnetic fields with
different directions. They are characterized by coefficients alpha and beta,
respectively. When alpha is equal to beta, the so called persistent spin helix
symmetry is realized. In this condition, invariance with respect to spin
rotations is achieved even in the presence of the spin orbit interaction,
implying strongly enhanced spin lifetimes for spatially periodic spin modes.
Existing methods to evaluate alpha/beta require fitting analyses that often
include ambiguity in the parameters used. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a
simple and fitting parameter free technique to determine alpha/beta and to
deduce the absolute values of alpha and beta. The method is based on the
detection of the effective magnetic field direction and the strength induced by
the two spin orbit interactions. Moreover, we observe the persistent spin helix
symmetry by gate tuning.Comment: 34 pages with 7 figures including supplementary information. appears
in Nature Nanotechnology (2014) Published online 13 July 201
Crystal structure, superconductivity and magnetic properties of the superconducting ferromagnets Gd1.4-xDyxCe0.6Sr2RuCu2O10 (x=0 - 0.6)
The structural, electrical and magnetic properties of the superconducting
ferromagnets, Gd1.4-xDyxCe0.6Sr2RuCu2O10 (x=0-0.6) are systematically
investigated as a function of Dy doping and temperature. These compounds are
characterised by high temperature superconductivity (Tc ranging from 20-40 K
depending upon the Dy content) coexisting with weak ferromagnetism with two
magnetic transitions (TM2 ranging from 95-106 K and TM1 around 120 K). Doping
with Dy gives no significant structural changes except for a minor change in
the c/a ratio. However the superconducting transition temperature is
significantly suppressed and magnetic ordering temperature enhanced on Dy
doping. These effects are described and discussed.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl
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Decoupled CuO_2 and RuO_2 layers in superconducting and magnetically ordered RuSr_2GdCu_2O_8
Comprehensive measurements of dc and ac susceptibility, dc resistance,
magnetoresistance, Hall resistivity, and microwave absorption and dispersion in
fields up to 8 T have been carried out on RuSr_2GdCu_2O_8 with the aim to
establish the properties of RuO_2 and CuO_2 planes. At ~130 K, where the
magnetic order develops in the RuO_2 planes, one observes a change in the slope
of dc resistance, change in the sign of magnetoresistance, and the appearance
of an extraordinary Hall effect. These features indicate that the RuO_2 planes
are conducting. A detailed analysis of the ac susceptibility and microwave data
on both, ceramic and powder samples show that the penetration depth remains
frequency dependent and larger than the London penetration depth even at low
temperatures. We conclude that the conductivity in the RuO_2 planes remains
normal even when superconducting order is developed in the CuO_2 planes below
\~45 K. Thus, experimental evidence is provided in support of theoretical
models which base the coexistence of superconductivity and magnetic order on
decoupled CuO_2 and RuO_2 planes.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, submitted to PR
Superconducting properties of RuSr2GdCu2O8 studied by SQUID magnetometry
For polycrystalline RuSr2GdCu2O8 (Ru-1212), distinct peaks have been reported
in d.c. magnetization in the superconducting state of the sample. Sr2GdRuO6
(Sr-2116), the precursor for the preparation of Ru-1212, shows similar peaks in
the same temperature regime. Based on measurements performed on both bulk and
powdered samples of Ru-1212 and Sr-2116, we exclude the possibility, that the
observed behavior of the magnetization of Ru-1212 is due to Sr-2116 impurities.
The effect is related to the superconductivity of Ru-1212, but it is not an
intrinsic property of this compound. We provide evidence that the observation
of magnetization peaks in the superconducting state of Ru-1212 is due to flux
motion generated by the movement of the sample in an inhomogeneous field,
during the measurement in the SQUID magnetometer. We propose several tests,
that help to decide, whether the features observed in a SQUID magnetization
measurement of Ru-1212 represent a property of the compound or not.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figure
Elevation and cholera: an epidemiological spatial analysis of the cholera epidemic in Harare, Zimbabwe, 2008-2009
BACKGROUND: In highly populated African urban areas where access to clean water is a challenge, water source contamination is one of the most cited risk factors in a cholera epidemic. During the rainy season, where there is either no sewage disposal or working sewer system, runoff of rains follows the slopes and gets into the lower parts of towns where shallow wells could easily become contaminated by excretes. In cholera endemic areas, spatial information about topographical elevation could help to guide preventive interventions. This study aims to analyze the association between topographic elevation and the distribution of cholera cases in Harare during the cholera epidemic in 2008 and 2009. METHODS: We developed an ecological study using secondary data. First, we described attack rates by suburb and then calculated rate ratios using whole Harare as reference. We illustrated the average elevation and cholera cases by suburbs using geographical information. Finally, we estimated a generalized linear mixed model (under the assumption of a Poisson distribution) with an Empirical Bayesian approach to model the relation between the risk of cholera and the elevation in meters in Harare. We used a random intercept to allow for spatial correlation of neighboring suburbs. RESULTS: This study identifies a spatial pattern of the distribution of cholera cases in the Harare epidemic, characterized by a lower cholera risk in the highest elevation suburbs of Harare. The generalized linear mixed model showed that for each 100 meters of increase in the topographical elevation, the cholera risk was 30% lower with a rate ratio of 0.70 (95% confidence interval=0.66-0.76). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the risk reduction with an overall estimate of the rate ratio between 20% and 40%. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of considering topographical elevation as a geographical and environmental risk factor in order to plan cholera preventive activities linked with water and sanitation in endemic areas. Furthermore, elevation information, among other risk factors, could help to spatially orientate cholera control interventions during an epidemic
Study of the crystal structure, superconducting and magnetic properties of Ru1-xFexSr2GdCu2O8
Samples of the Ru1-xFexSr2GdCu2O8 system with x = 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.075, 0.1
and 0.2, were prepared and their structural, superconducting and magnetic
properties were studied. Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction patterns
show that the Fe substitution occurs in both Ru and Cu sites. An increase of Fe
concentration produces no significant changes in the bond angle Ru-O(3)-Ru,
which is a measure of the rotation of the RuO6 octahedra around the c-axis, and
also in the bond angle Ru-O(1)-Cu, which is a measure of the canting of the
RuO6 octahedra. On the other hand, the bond angle Cu-O(2)-Cu, which is a
measure of the buckling of the CuO2 layer, has a slight tendency to decrease
with the increase of the Fe content. We found thet both ferromagnetic and
superconducting transition temperatures are reduced with the increase of Fe
concentration. Analisys related to the decay of the superconducting and
ferromagnetic states is presented.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
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