468 research outputs found
Localization dynamics of fluids in random confinement
The dynamics of two-dimensional fluids confined within a random matrix of
obstacles is investigated using both colloidal model experiments and molecular
dynamics simulations. By varying fluid and matrix area fractions in the
experiment, we find delocalized tracer particle dynamics at small matrix area
fractions and localized motion of the tracers at high matrix area fractions. In
the delocalized region, the dynamics is subdiffusive at intermediate times, and
diffusive at long times, while in the localized regime, trapping in finite
pockets of the matrix is observed. These observations are found to agree with
the simulation of an ideal gas confined in a weakly correlated matrix. Our
results show that Lorentz gas systems with soft interactions are exhibiting a
smoothening of the critical dynamics and consequently a rounded
delocalization-to-localization transition.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Magnetic-field-induced spin excitations and renormalized spin gap of the underdoped superconductor LaSrCuO
High-resolution neutron inelastic scattering experiments in applied magnetic
fields have been performed on LaSrCuO (LSCO). In zero
field, the temperature dependence of the low-energy peak intensity at the
incommensurate momentum-transfer $\mathbf{Q}^{\
}_{\mathrm{IC}}=(0.5,0.5\pm\delta,0),(0.5\pm\delta,0.5,0)T^{\}_{c}$ which broadens and shifts to lower
temperature upon the application of a magnetic field along the c-axis. A
field-induced enhancement of the spectral weight is observed, but only at
finite energy transfers and in an intermediate temperature range. These
observations establish the opening of a strongly downward renormalized spin gap
in the underdoped regime of LSCO. This behavior contrasts with the observed
doping dependence of most electronic energy features.Comment: accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let
High-field Phase Diagram and Spin Structure of Volborthite Cu3V2O7(OH)2/2H2O
We report results of 51V NMR experiments on a high-quality powder sample of
volborthite Cu3V2O7(OH)2/2H2O, a spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a
distorted kagome lattice. Following the previous experiments in magnetic fields
below 12 T, the NMR measurements have been extended to higher fields up to
31 T. In addition to the two already known ordered phases (phases I and II), we
found a new high-field phase (phase III) above 25 T, at which a second
magnetization step has been observed. The transition from the paramagnetic
phase to the antiferromagnetic phase III occurs at 26 K, which is much higher
than the transition temperatures from the paramagnetic to the lower field
phases I (B < 4.5 T) and II (4.5 < B < 25 T). At low temperatures, two types of
the V sites are observed with different relaxation rates and line shapes in
phase III as well as in phase II. Our results indicate that both phases II and
III exhibit a heterogeneous spin state consisting of two spatially alternating
Cu spin systems, one of which exhibits anomalous spin fluctuations contrasting
with the other showing a conventional static order. The magnetization of the
latter system exhibits a sudden increase upon entering into phase III,
resulting in the second magnetization step at 26 T.We discuss the possible spin
structure in phase III.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figure
The pH of the skin surface and its impact on the barrier function
The `acid mantle' of the stratum corneum seems to be important for both permeability barrier formation and cutaneous antimicrobial defense. However, the origin of the acidic pH, measurable on the skin surface, remains conjectural. Passive and active influencing factors have been proposed, e. g. eccrine and sebaceous secretions as well as proton pumps. In recent years, numerous investigations have been published focusing on the changes in the pH of the deeper layers of the stratum corneum, as well as on the influence of physiological and pathological factors. The pH of the skin follows a sharp gradient across the stratum corneum, which is suspected to be important in controlling enzymatic activities and skin renewal. The skin pH is affected by a great number of endogenous factors, e. g. skin moisture, sweat, sebum, anatomic site, genetic predisposition and age. In addition, exogenous factors like detergents, application of cosmetic products, occlusive dressings as well as topical antibiotics may influence the skin pH. Changes in the pH are reported to play a role in the pathogenesis of skin diseases like irritant contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, ichthyosis, acne vulgaris and Candida albicans infections. Therefore, the use of skin cleansing agents, especially synthetic detergents with a pH of about 5.5, may be of relevance in the prevention and treatment of those skin diseases. Copyright (c) 2006 S. Karger AG, Base
Small grid embeddings of 3-polytopes
We introduce an algorithm that embeds a given 3-connected planar graph as a
convex 3-polytope with integer coordinates. The size of the coordinates is
bounded by . If the graph contains a triangle we can
bound the integer coordinates by . If the graph contains a
quadrilateral we can bound the integer coordinates by . The
crucial part of the algorithm is to find a convex plane embedding whose edges
can be weighted such that the sum of the weighted edges, seen as vectors,
cancel at every point. It is well known that this can be guaranteed for the
interior vertices by applying a technique of Tutte. We show how to extend
Tutte's ideas to construct a plane embedding where the weighted vector sums
cancel also on the vertices of the boundary face
When low- and high-energy electronic responses meet in cuprate superconductors
The existence of coherent quasiparticles near the Fermi energy in the low
temperature state of high-temperature superconductors has been well established
by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). This technique directly
probes the momentum-resolved electronic excitation spectrum of the CuO
planes. We present a study of close to optimally doped
LaSrCuO in the superconducting state and report an abrupt
change in the quasiparticle spectral function, as we follow the dispersion of
the ARPES signal from the Fermi energy up to 0.6 eV. The interruption in the
quasiparticle dispersion separates coherent quasiparticle peaks at low energies
from broad incoherent excitations at high energies. We find that the boundary
between these low-energy and high-energy features exhibits a cosine-shaped
momentum dependence, reminiscent of the superconducting d-wave gap. Further
intriguing similarities between characteristics of the incoherent excitations
and quasiparticle properties (lifetime, Fermi arcs) suggest a close relation
between the electronic response at high and low energies in cuprate
superconductors
Flat bands in topological media
Topological media are systems whose properties are protected by topology and
thus are robust to deformations of the system. In topological insulators and
superconductors the bulk-surface and bulk-vortex correspondence gives rise to
the gapless Weyl, Dirac or Majorana fermions on the surface of the system and
inside vortex cores. Here we show that in gapless topological media, the
bulk-surface and bulk-vortex correspondence is more effective: it produces
topologically protected gapless fermions without dispersion -- the flat band.
Fermion zero modes forming the flat band are localized on the surface of
topological media with protected nodal lines and in the vortex core in systems
with topologically protected Fermi points (Weyl points). Flat band has an
extremely singular density of states, and we show that this property may give
rise in particular to surface superconductivity which could exist even at room
temperature.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, version to appear in JETP Letter
Topological Photonics
Topology is revolutionizing photonics, bringing with it new theoretical
discoveries and a wealth of potential applications. This field was inspired by
the discovery of topological insulators, in which interfacial electrons
transport without dissipation even in the presence of impurities. Similarly,
new optical mirrors of different wave-vector space topologies have been
constructed to support new states of light propagating at their interfaces.
These novel waveguides allow light to flow around large imperfections without
back-reflection. The present review explains the underlying principles and
highlights the major findings in photonic crystals, coupled resonators,
metamaterials and quasicrystals.Comment: progress and review of an emerging field, 12 pages, 6 figures and 1
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