148 research outputs found
Nature of the spin dynamics and 1/3 magnetization plateau in azurite
We present a specific heat and inelastic neutron scattering study in magnetic
fields up into the 1/3 magnetization plateau phase of the diamond chain
compound azurite Cu(CO)(OH). We establish that the
magnetization plateau is a dimer-monomer state, {\it i.e.}, consisting of a
chain of monomers, which are separated by dimers on the
diamond chain backbone. The effective spin couplings K
and K are derived from the monomer and dimer
dispersions. They are associated to microscopic couplings K,
K and a ferromagnetic K, possibly as
result of orbitals in the Cu-O bonds providing the superexchange
pathways.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Resistivity studies under hydrostatic pressure on a low-resistance variant of the quasi-2D organic superconductor kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br: quest for intrinsic scattering contributions
Resistivity measurements have been performed on a low (LR)- and high
(HR)-resistance variant of the kappa-(BEDT-TTF)_2Cu[N(CN)_2]Br superconductor.
While the HR sample was synthesized following the standard procedure, the LR
crystal is a result of a somewhat modified synthesis route. According to their
residual resistivities and residual resistivity ratios, the LR crystal is of
distinctly superior quality. He-gas pressure was used to study the effect of
hydrostatic pressure on the different transport regimes for both variants. The
main results of these comparative investigations are (i) a significant part of
the inelastic-scattering contribution, which causes the anomalous rho(T)
maximum in standard HR crystals around 90 K, is sample dependent, i.e.
extrinsic in nature, (ii) the abrupt change in rho(T) at T* approx. 40 K from a
strongly temperature-dependent behavior at T > T* to an only weakly T-dependent
rho(T) at T < T* is unaffected by this scattering contribution and thus marks
an independent property, most likely a second-order phase transition, (iii)
both variants reveal a rho(T) proportional to AT^2 dependence at low
temperatures, i.e. for T_c < T < T_0, although with strongly sample-dependent
coefficients A and upper bounds for the T^2 behavior measured by T_0. The
latter result is inconsistent with the T^2 dependence originating from coherent
Fermi-liquid excitations.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
Magnetoelastic and structural properties of azurite Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 from neutron scattering and muon spin rotation
Azurite, Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2, has been considered an ideal example of a
one-dimensional (1D) diamond chain antiferromagnet. Early studies of this
material imply the presence of an ordered antiferromagnetic phase below K while magnetization measurements have revealed a 1/3 magnetization
plateau. Until now, no corroborating neutron scattering results have been
published to confirm the ordered magnetic moment structure. We present recent
neutron diffraction results which reveal the presence of commensurate magnetic
order in azurite which coexists with significant magnetoelastic strain. The
latter of these effects may indicate the presence of spin frustration in zero
applied magnetic field. Muon spin rotation, SR, reveals an onset of
short-range order below 3K and confirms long-range order below .Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, PHYSICAL REVIEW B 81, 140406(R) (2010
Effects of Cr/Ni ratio on physical properties of Cr–Mn–Fe–Co–Ni high-entropy alloys
Physical properties of ten single-phase FCC CrxMn20Fe20Co20Ni40-x high-entropy alloys (HEAs) were investigated for 0 ≤ x ≤ 26 at%. The lattice parameters of these alloys were nearly independent of composition while solidus temperatures increased linearly by ∼30 K as x increased from 0 to 26 at.%. For x ≥ 10 at.%, the alloys are not ferromagnetic between 100 and 673 K and the temperature dependencies of their coefficients of thermal expansion and elastic moduli are independent of composition. Magnetic transitions and associated magnetostriction were detected below ∼200 K and ∼440 K in Cr5Mn20Fe20Co20Ni35 and Mn20Fe20Co20Ni40, respectively. These composition and temperature dependencies could be qualitatively reproduced by ab initio simulations that took into account a ferrimagnetic ↔ paramagnetic transition. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that plastic deformation occurs initially by the glide of perfect dislocations dissociated into Shockley partials on {111} planes. From their separations, the stacking fault energy (SFE) was determined, which decreases linearly from 69 to 23 mJ·m−2 as x increases from 14 to 26 at.%. Ab initio simulations were performed to calculate stable and unstable SFEs and estimate the partial separation distances using the Peierls-Nabarro model. While the compositional trends were reasonably well reproduced, the calculated intrinsic SFEs were systematically lower than the experimental ones. Our ab initio simulations show that, individually, atomic relaxations, finite temperatures, and magnetism strongly increase the intrinsic SFE. If these factors can be simultaneously included in future computations, calculated SFEs will likely better match experimentally determined SFEs
The Future of International Investment Regulation: Towards a World Investment Organisation?
With growth in foreign investment and in the number of companies investing in foreign countries, the application of general principles of public international law has not been deemed adequate to regulate foreign investment and there is, as yet, no comprehensive international treaty on the regulation of foreign investment. Consequently, states have resorted to bilateral investment treaties (BITs), regional trade and international investment agreements (IIAs) and free trade agreements (FTAs) to supplement and complement the regime of protection for foreign investors. In the absence of an international investment court, states hosting foreign investment or investor states have opted for investor-state dispute settlement mechanism (ISDS). This mechanism has brought about its own challenges to the international law of foreign investment due to inconsistency in the application and interpretation of the key principles of international investment law by such arbitration tribunals, and further, there is no appellate mechanism to bring about some cohesion and consistency in jurisprudence. Therefore, there are various proposals mooted by scholars to address these challenges and they range from tweaks to BITs and IIAs, the creation of an appellate mechanism and the negotiation of a multilateral treaty to proposals for reform of ISDS only. After assessing the merits and demerits of such proposals, this study goes further, arguing for the creation of a World Investment Organisation (WIO) with a standing mechanism for settlement of investment disputes in order to ensure legal certainty, predictability and the promotion of the flow of foreign investment in a sustainable and responsible manner
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