85 research outputs found
Perpendicular transport properties of YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-\delta}/PrBa_2Cu_3O_{7-\delta} superlattices
The coupling between the superconducting planes of YBa2Cu3O{7-\delta}/
PrBa2Cu3O{7-\delta} superlattices has been measured by c-axis transport. We
show that only by changing the thickness of the superconducting
YBa2Cu3O{7-\delta} layers, it is possible to switch between quasi-particle and
Josephson tunneling. From our data we deduce a low temperature c-axis coherence
length of 0.27 nm.Comment: Presented at LT22, contains 2 pages and 2 figures. to appear in
Physica
Electron scattering states at solid surfaces calculated with realistic potentials
Scattering states with LEED asymptotics are calculated for a general
non-muffin tin potential, as e.g. for a pseudopotential with a suitable barrier
and image potential part. The latter applies especially to the case of low
lying conduction bands. The wave function is described with a reciprocal
lattice representation parallel to the surface and a discretization of the real
space perpendicular to the surface. The Schroedinger equation leads to a system
of linear one-dimensional equations. The asymptotic boundary value problem is
confined via the quantum transmitting boundary method to a finite interval. The
solutions are obtained basing on a multigrid technique which yields a fast and
reliable algorithm. The influence of the boundary conditions, the accuracy and
the rate of convergence with several solvers are discussed. The resulting
charge densities are investigated.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, copyright and acknowledgment added, typos etc.
correcte
Early right ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients with systemic sclerosis without pulmonary hypertension: a Doppler Tissue and Speckle Tracking echocardiography study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Isovolumetric acceleration (IVA) is a novel tissue Doppler parameter for the assessment of systolic function. The aim of this study was to evaluate IVA as an early parameter for the detection of right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) without pulmonary hypertension.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>22 patients and 22 gender- and age-matched healthy subjects underwent standard echocardiography with tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and speckle tracking strain to assess RV function.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) (23.2 ± 4.1 mm vs. 26.5 ± 2.9 mm, p < 0.006), peak myocardial systolic velocity (Sm) (11.6 ± 2.3 cm/s vs. 13.9 ± 2.7 cm/s, p = 0.005), isovolumetric contraction velocity (IVV) (10.3 ± 3 cm/s vs. 14.8 ± 3 cm/s, p < 0.001) and IVA (2.3 ± 0.4 m/s<sup>2 </sup>vs. 4.1 ± 0.8 m/s<sup>2</sup>, p < 0.001) were significant lower in the patient group. IVA was the best parameter to predict early systolic dysfunction with an area under the curve of 0.988.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>IVA is a useful tool with high-predictive power to detect early right ventricular systolic impairment in patients with SSc and without pulmonary hypertension.</p
Implementation of seven echocardiographic parameters of myocardial asynchrony to improve the long-term response rate of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cardiac resynchronization Therapy (CRT) is an effective therapy for chronic heart failure with beneficial hemodynamic effects leading to a reduction of morbidity and mortality. The responder rates, however, are low. There are various and contentious echocardiographic parameters of myocardial asynchrony. Patient selection by echocardiographic assessment of asynchrony is thought to improve responder rates.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this small single-center pilot-study, seven established parameters of myocardial asynchrony were used to select patients for CRT: (1) interventricular electromechanical delay (IMD, cut-off ≥ 40 ms), (2) Septal-to-posterior wall motion delay (SPWMD, ≥ 130 ms), (3) maximal difference in time-to-peak velocities between any two of twelve LV segments (Ts-12 ≥ 104 ms), (4) standard deviation of time to peak myocardial velocities (Ts-12-SD, ≥ 34.4 ms), (5) difference between the septal and basal time-to-peak velocity (TDId, ≥ 60 ms), (6) left ventricular electromechanical delay (LVEMD, > 140 ms) and (7) delayed longitudinal contraction (DLC, > 2 segments).</p> <p>16 chronic heart failure patients (NYHA III–IV, LVEF < 0.35, QRS ≥ 120 ms) at least two out of seven parameters of myocardial asynchrony received cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT-ICD). Follow-up echo examination was after 6 months. The control group was a historic group of CRT patients (n = 38) who had not been screened for echocardiographic signs of myocardial asynchrony prior to device implantation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Based on reverse remodeling (relative reduction of LVESV > 15%, relative increase of LVEF > 25%), the responder rate to CRT was 81.2% in patients selected for CRT according to our protocol as compared to 47.4% in the control group (p = 0.04). At baseline, there were on average 4.1 ± 1.6 positive parameters of asynchrony (follow-up: 3.7 [± 1.6] parameters positive, p = 0.52). Only the LVEMD decreased significantly after CRT (p = 0.027). The remaining parameters showed a non-significant trend towards reduction of myocardial asynchrony.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The implementation of different markers of asynchrony in the selection process for CRT improves the hemodynamic response rate to CRT.</p
Valence band photoemission from the GaN(0001) surface
A detailed investigation by one-step photoemission calculations of the
GaN(0001)-(1x1) surface in comparison with recent experiments is presented in
order to clarify its structural properties and electronic structure. The
discussion of normal and off-normal spectra reveals through the identified
surface states clear fingerprints for the applicability of a surface model
proposed by Smith et al. Especially the predicted metallic bonds are confirmed.
In the context of direct transitions the calculated spectra allow to determine
the valence band width and to argue in favor of one of two theoretical bulk
band structures. Furthermore a commonly used experimental method to fix the
valence band maximum is critically tested.Comment: 8 pages, 11 eps files, submitted to PR
Photoemission Beyond the Sudden Approximation
The many-body theory of photoemission in solids is reviewed with emphasis on
methods based on response theory. The classification of diagrams into loss and
no-loss diagrams is discussed and related to Keldysh path-ordering
book-keeping. Some new results on energy losses in valence-electron
photoemission from free-electron-like metal surfaces are presented. A way to
group diagrams is presented in which spectral intensities acquire a
Golden-Rule-like form which guarantees positiveness. This way of regrouping
should be useful also in other problems involving spectral intensities, such as
the problem of improving the one-electron spectral function away from the
quasiparticle peak.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figure
Variational quantum Monte Carlo calculations for solid surfaces
Quantum Monte Carlo methods have proven to predict atomic and bulk properties
of light and non-light elements with high accuracy. Here we report on the first
variational quantum Monte Carlo (VMC) calculations for solid surfaces. Taking
the boundary condition for the simulation from a finite layer geometry, the
Hamiltonian, including a nonlocal pseudopotential, is cast in a layer resolved
form and evaluated with a two-dimensional Ewald summation technique. The exact
cancellation of all Jellium contributions to the Hamiltonian is ensured. The
many-body trial wave function consists of a Slater determinant with
parameterized localized orbitals and a Jastrow factor with a common two-body
term plus a new confinement term representing further variational freedom to
take into account the existence of the surface. We present results for the
ideal (110) surface of Galliumarsenide for different system sizes. With the
optimized trial wave function, we determine some properties related to a solid
surface to illustrate that VMC techniques provide standard results under full
inclusion of many-body effects at solid surfaces.Comment: 9 pages with 2 figures (eps) included, Latex 2.09, uses REVTEX style,
submitted to Phys. Rev.
c-Axis tunneling in YBa2Cu3O7-\delta/PrBa2Cu3O7-\delta superlattices
In this work we report c-axis conductance measurements done on a superlattice
based on a stack of 2 layers YBa2Cu3O{7-\delta} and 7 layers
PrBa2Cu3O{7-\delta} (2:7). We find that these quasi-2D structures show no clear
superconducting coupling along the c-axis. Instead, we observe tunneling with a
gap of \Delta_c=5.0\pm 0.5 meV for the direction perpendicular to the
superconducting planes. The conductance spectrum show well defined
quasi-periodic structures which are attributed to the superlattice structure.
From this data we deduce a low temperature c-axis coherence length of
\xi_c=0.24\pm 0.03 nm.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures. To appear in Phys.Rev.
Energetic and spatial bonding properties from angular distributions of ultraviolet photoelectrons: application to the GaAs(110) surface
Angle-resolved ultraviolet photoemission spectra are interpreted by combining
the energetics and spatial properties of the contributing states. One-step
calculations are in excellent agreement with new azimuthal experimental data
for GaAs(110). Strong variations caused by the dispersion of the surface bands
permit an accurate mapping of the electronic structure. The delocalization of
the valence states is discussed analogous to photoelectron diffraction. The
spatial origin of the electrons is determined, and found to be strongly energy
dependent, with uv excitation probing the bonding region.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted for publicatio
Role of Interfaces in the Proximity Effect in Anisotropic Superconductors
We report measurements of the critical temperature of YBCO-Co doped YBCO
Superconductor-Normal bilayer films. Depending on the morphology of the S-N
interface, the coupling between S and N layers can be turned on to depress the
critical temperature of S by tens of degrees, or turned down so the layers
appear almost totally decoupled. This novel effect can be explained by the
mechanism of quasiparticle transmission into an anisotropic superconductor.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figure
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