152 research outputs found
Magnetic moment of welded HTS samples: dependence on the current flowing through the welds
We present a method to calculate the magnetic moments of the high-temperature
superconducting (HTS) samples which consist of a few welded HTS parts. The
approach is generalized for the samples of various geometrical shapes and an
arbitrary number of welds. The obtained relations between the sample moment and
the density of critical current, which flows through the welds, allow to use
the magnetization loops for a quantitative characterization of the weld quality
in a wide range of temperatures and/or magnetic fields.Comment: RevTeX4, 4 pages, 2 figures. Submitted to Supercond. Sci. Techno
Studies of cracking behavior in melt-processed YBCO bulk superconductors
An important phenomenon in bulk superconductors fabricated by top-seeded-melt growth (TSMG) is the formation of cracks due to the inherent brittleness of the YBa2Cu3O7-δ (Y-123) phase matrix. These form during the fabrication of the superconducting monolith and play an important role in the limitation of current flow. However, cracks may also form during cooling cycles of the sample to liquid nitrogen temperatures. In this investigation, macrocracks along the c-direction, in particular were analyzed microscopically before and after cooling. In addition we attempt to resolve the c-axis macrocrack formation pattern using the magnetoscan technique
Growth-related profiles of remanent flux in bulk melt-textured YBaCuO crystal magnetized by pulsed fields
We have studied the remanent magnetic flux distribution in bulk melt-textured
YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) crystals after their magnetization in quasi-static and pulsed
magnetic fields up to 6T. It has been shown that, provided that the magnetic
pulse is sharp enough and its amplitude much exceeds the twice penetration
magnetic field, the pulse magnetization technique becomes extremely sensitive
to the sample inhomogeneities. Using this method with appropriate parameters of
the magnetic pulse, we have particularly demonstrated that the growth of YBCO
crystals in the growth sectors (GSs) responds for a macroscopic arrangement of
weaks links -- they mostly appear inside of GSs, but not along the GS
boundaries.Comment: 8 pages in LaTeX2e, 5 figures. Revised version, submitted to
Supercond. Sci. Techno
3D-nanoprinted antiresonant hollow-core microgap waveguide: an on-chip platform for integrated photonic devices and sensors.
Due to their unique capabilities, hollow-core waveguides are playing an increasingly important role, especially in meeting the growing demand for integrated and low-cost photonic devices and sensors. Here, we present the antiresonant hollow-core microgap waveguide as a platform for the on-chip investigation of light-gas interaction over centimeter-long distances. The design consists of hollow-core segments separated by gaps that allow external access to the core region, while samples with lengths up to 5 cm were realized on silicon chips through 3D-nanoprinting using two-photon absorption based direct laser writing. The agreement of mathematical models, numerical simulations and experiments illustrates the importance of the antiresonance effect in that context. Our study shows the modal loss, the effect of gap size and the spectral tuning potential, with highlights including extremely broadband transmission windows (>200 nm), very high contrast resonance (>60 dB), exceptionally high structural openness factor (18%) and spectral control by nanoprinting (control over dimensions with step sizes (i.e., increments) of 60 nm). The application potential was demonstrated in the context of laser scanning absorption spectroscopy of ammonia, showing diffusion speeds comparable to bulk diffusion and a low detection limit. Due to these unique properties, application of this platform can be anticipated in a variety of spectroscopy-related fields, including bioanalytics, environmental sciences, and life sciences
A Novel Magnetoscan Setup
Due to a modification in the original magnetoscan setup, a significant
improvement in resolution was obtained. The paper focuses on experimental
results which should support the idea of the new setup using two magnets with
opposite direction of magnetization. This contribution to the characterization
techniques of melt-grown bulk superconductors should promote the easy
installation of this technique in industry. The improved magnetoscan technique
may further help to investigate growth-induced inhomogeneities of the
top-seeded-melt-growth process in the submillimeter range, and it offers new
possibilities to the characterization of smaller structures such as
superconducting films or coated conductors.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Large specific absorption rates in the magnetic hyperthermia properties of metallic iron nanocubes
We report on the magnetic hyperthermia properties of chemically synthesized
ferromagnetic 11 and 16 nm Fe(0) nanoparticles of cubic shape displaying the
saturation magnetization of bulk iron. The specific absorption rate measured on
16 nm nanocubes is 1690+-160 W/g at 300 kHz and 66 mT. This corresponds to
specific losses-per-cycle of 5.6 mJ/g, largely exceeding the ones reported in
other systems. A way to quantify the degree of optimization of any system with
respect to hyperthermia applications is proposed. Applied here, this method
shows that our nanoparticles are not fully optimized, probably due to the
strong influence of magnetic interactions on their magnetic response. Once
protected from oxidation and further optimized, such nano-objects could
constitute efficient magnetic cores for biomedical applications requiring very
large heating power
Inter- and intragrain currents in bulk melt-grown YBaCuO rings
A simple contactless method suitable to discern between the intergrain
(circular) current, which flows in the thin superconducting ring, and the
intragrain current, which does not cross the weakest link, has been proposed.
At first, we show that the intergrain current may directly be estimated from
the magnetic flux density measured by the Hall sensor positioned
in the special points above/below the ring center. The experimental
and the numerical techniques to determine the value are discussed. Being
very promising for characterization of a current flowing across the joints in
welded YBaCuO rings (its dependencies on the temperature and the external
magnetic field as well as the time dissipation), the approach has been applied
to study corresponding properties of the intra- and intergrain currents flowing
across the -twisted grain boundaries which are frequent in bulk
melt-textured YBaCuO samples. We present experimental data related to the flux
penetration inside a bore of MT YBaCuO rings both in the non-magnetized, virgin
state and during the field reversal. The shielding properties and their
dependence on external magnetic fields are also studied. Besides, we consider
the flux creep effects and their influence on the current re-distribution
during a dwell.Comment: 13 pages, 16 figures (EPS), RevTeX4. In the revised version,
corrections to perturbing effects near the weak links are introduced, one
more figure is added. lin
Measurement of the magnetic field inside the holes of a drilled bulk high-Tc superconductor
We use macroscopic holes drilled in a bulk YBCO superconductor to probe its
magnetic properties in the volume of the sample. The sample is subjected to an
AC magnetic flux with a density ranging from 30mT to 130mT and the flux in the
superconductor is probed by miniature coils inserted in the holes. In a given
hole, three different penetration regimes can be observed: (i) the shielded
regime, where no magnetic flux threads the hole; (ii) the gradual penetration
regime, where the waveform of the magnetic field has a clipped sine shape whose
fundamental component scales with the applied field; and (iii) the flux
concentration regime, where the waveform of the magnetic field is nearly a sine
wave, with an amplitude exceeding that of the applied field by up to a factor
of two. The distribution of the penetration regimes in the holes is compared
with that of the magnetic flux density at the top and bottom surfaces of the
sample, and is interpreted with the help of optical polarized light micrographs
of these surfaces. We show that the measurement of the magnetic field inside
the holes can be used as a local characterization of the bulk magnetic
properties of the sample
Identification of DNA methylation changes at cis-regulatory elements during early steps of HSC differentiation using tagmentation-based whole genome bisulfite sequencing
Epigenetic alterations during cellular differentiation are a key molecular mechanism which both instructs and reinforces the process of lineage commitment. Within the haematopoietic system, progressive changes in the DNA methylome of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are essential for the effective production of mature blood cells. Inhibition or loss of function of the cellular DNA methylation machinery has been shown to lead to a severe perturbation in blood production and is also an important driver of malignant transformation. HSCs constitute a very rare cell population in the bone marrow, capable of life-long self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation. The low abundance of HSCs has been a major technological barrier to the global analysis of the CpG methylation status within both HSCs and their immediate progeny, the multipotent progenitors (MPPs). Within this Extra View article, we review the current understanding of how the DNA methylome regulates normal and malignant hematopoiesis. We also discuss the current methodologies that are available for interrogating the DNA methylation status of HSCs and MPPs and describe a new data set that was generated using tagmentation-based whole genome bisulfite sequencing (TWGBS) in order to comprehensively map methylated cytosines using the limited amount of genomic DNA that can be harvested from rare cell populations. Extended analysis of this data set clearly demonstrates the added value of genome-wide sequencing of methylated cytosines and identifies novel important cis-acting regulatory regions that are dynamically remodeled during the first steps of haematopoietic differentiation
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