Dirac fermions at the H point of graphite: Magneto-transmission studies

We report on far infrared magneto-transmission measurements on a thin graphite sample prepared by exfoliation of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. In magnetic field, absorption lines exhibiting a blue-shift proportional to sqrtB are observed. This is a fingerprint for massless Dirac holes at the H point in bulk graphite. The Fermi velocity is found to be c*=1.02x10^6 m/s and the pseudogap at the H point is estimated to be below 10 meV. Although the holes behave to a first approximation as a strictly 2D gas of Dirac fermions, the full 3D band structure has to be taken into account to explain all the observed spectral features.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Ferromagnetism and interlayer exchange coupling in short period (Ga,Mn)As/GaAs superlattices

Magnetic properties of (Ga,Mn)As/GaAs superlattices are investigated. The structures contain magnetic (Ga,Mn)As layers, separated by thin layers of non-magnetic GaAs spacer. The short period Ga$_{0.93}$Mn$_{0.07}$As/GaAs superlattices exhibit a paramagnetic-to-ferromagnetic phase transition close to 60K, for thicknesses of (Ga,Mn)As down to 23 \AA. For Ga$_{0.96}$Mn$_{0.04}$As/GaAs superlattices of similar dimensions, the Curie temperature associated with the ferromagnetic transition is found to oscillate with the thickness of non magnetic spacer. The observed oscillations are related to an interlayer exchange interaction mediated by the polarized holes of the (Ga,Mn)As layers.Comment: REVTeX 4 style; 4 pages, 2 figure

Ga Sublattice Defects in (Ga,Mn)As: Thermodynamical and Kinetic Trends

We have used positron annihilation spectroscopy and infrared absorption measurements to study the Ga sublattice defects in epitaxial Ga1−xMnxAs with Mn content varying from 0% to 5%. We show that the Ga vacancy concentration decreases and As antisite concentration increases with increasing Mn content. This is in agreement with thermodynamical considerations for the electronic part of the formation energy of the Ga sublattice point defects. However, the absolute defect concentrations imply that they are determined rather by the growth kinetics than by the thermodynamical equilibrium. The As antisite concentrations in the samples are large enough to be important for compensation and magnetic properites. In addition, the Ga vacancies are likely to be involved in the diffusion and clustering of Mn at low annealing temperatures.Peer reviewe

Mn induced modifications of Ga 3d photoemission from (Ga, Mn)As: evidence for long range effects

Using synchrotron based photoemission, we have investigated the Mn-induced changes in Ga 3d core level spectra from as-grown ${\rm Ga}_{1-x}{\rm Mn}_{x}{\rm As}$. Although Mn is located in Ga substitutional sites, and does therefore not have any Ga nearest neighbours, the impact of Mn on the Ga core level spectra is pronounced even at Mn concentrations in the range of 0.5%. The analysis shows that each Mn atom affects a volume corresponding to a sphere with around 1.4 nm diameter.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review B, Brief Repor

Mindfulness Training and Practice in Physician Assistant Education

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to integrate mindfulness, as a compassionate pedagogy, into a physician assistant (PA) program and assess its effects on student depression, anxiety, and stress at the conclusion of the first semester. Method: Fifty-five of 60 first-semester students provided consent. Mindfulness instruction and practice began with a six-hour intensive workshop spread over two days during the first week of the semester. This was followed by seven, brief, 10 to15 minute mindfulness practices integrated across one course. Students completed a demographic questionnaire at the beginning of the project and the DASS 21 survey which measures a range of symptoms common to depression, anxiety, and stress at weeks 1 and 16 of the semester. After the course concluded, 10 students were randomly selected from those who had identified as interested in participating in a focus group to discuss their experiences and offer suggestions for improvement. Results: DASS 21 subscale scores revealed no change in depression, anxiety, nor stress. In contrast, the focus group results revealed that student anxiety and stress levels diminished through learning about mindfulness and practicing mindful meditations. Conclusions: The incorporation of mindfulness training was generally well received by first-semester PA students. Students in the focus group reported decreased levels of anxiety and stress, while the DASS 21 revealed no change. The authors suggest that the experience could be strengthened by modifying the workshop material and extending the mindfulness practice across the didactic and clinical years to allow students more opportunities to develop their personal mindfulness practice and integrate it throughout their career

Weak localization in ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As nanostructures

We report on the observation of weak localization in arrays of (Ga,Mn)As nanowires at millikelvin temperatures. The corresponding phase coherence length is typically between 100 nm and 200 nm at 20 mK. Strong spin-orbit interaction in the material is manifested by a weak anti-localization correction around zero magnetic field.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Electron correlations in Mnx_xGa1−x_{1-x}As as seen by resonant electron spectroscopy and dynamical mean field theory

After two decades from the discovery of ferromagnetism in Mn-doped GaAs, its origin is still debated, and many doubts are related to the electronic structure. Here we report an experimental and theoretical study of the valence electron spectrum of Mn-doped GaAs. The experimental data are obtained through the differences between off- and on-resonance photo-emission data. The theoretical spectrum is calculated by means of a combination of density-functional theory in the local density approximation and dynamical mean-field theory (LDA+DMFT), using exact diagonalisation as impurity solver. Theory is found to accurately reproduce measured data, and illustrates the importance of correlation effects. Our results demonstrate that the Mn states extend over a broad range of energy, including the top of the valence band, and that no impurity band splits off from the valence band edge, while the induced holes seem located primarily around the Mn impurity.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Novel Quaternary Dilute Magnetic Semiconductor (Ga,Mn)(Bi,As): Magnetic and Magneto-Transport Investigations

Magnetic and magneto-transport properties of thin layers of the (Ga,Mn)(Bi,As) quaternary dilute magnetic semiconductor grown by the low-temperature molecular-beam epitaxy technique on GaAs substrates have been investigated. Ferromagnetic Curie temperature and magneto-crystalline anisotropy of the layers have been examined by using magneto-optical Kerr effect magnetometry and low-temperature magneto-transport measurements. Postgrowth annealing treatment has been shown to enhance the hole concentration and Curie temperature in the layers. Significant increase in the magnitude of magnetotransport effects caused by incorporation of a small amount of Bi into the (Ga,Mn)As layers revealed in the planar Hall effect (PHE) measurements, is interpreted as a result of enhanced spin-orbit coupling in the (Ga,Mn)(Bi,As) layers. Two-state behaviour of the planar Hall resistance at zero magnetic field provides its usefulness for applications in nonvolatile memory devices.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, to be published in the Proceedings of ICSM-2016 conferenc