^{63}Cu, ^{35}Cl, and ^{1}H NMR in the S=1/2 Kagom\'e Lattice ZnCu_{3}(OH)_{6}Cl_{2}

ZnCu$_{3}$(OH)$_{6}$Cl$_{2}$ ($S=1/2$) is a promising new candidate for an ideal Kagom\'e Heisenberg antiferromagnet, because there is no magnetic phase transition down to $\sim$50 mK. We investigated its local magnetic and lattice environments with NMR techniques. We demonstrate that the intrinsic local spin susceptibility {\it decreases} toward T=0, but that slow freezing of the lattice near $\sim$50 K, presumably associated with OH bonds, contributes to a large increase of local spin susceptibility and its distribution. Spin dynamics near T=0 obey a power-law behavior in high magnetic fields.Comment: Phys. Rev. Lett. (in press

The F220C and F45L rhodopsin mutations identified in retinitis pigmentosa patients do not cause pathology in mice.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a retinal degenerative disease that leads to blindness through photoreceptor loss. Rhodopsin is the most frequently mutated protein in this disease. While many rhodopsin mutations have well-understood consequences that lead to cell death, the disease association of several rhodopsin mutations identified in retinitis pigmentosa patients, including F220C and F45L, has been disputed. In this study, we generated two knockin mouse lines bearing each of these mutations. We did not observe any photoreceptor degeneration in either heterozygous or homozygous animals of either line. F220C mice exhibited minor disruptions of photoreceptor outer segment dimensions without any mislocalization of outer segment proteins, whereas photoreceptors of F45L mice were normal. Suction electrode recordings from individual photoreceptors of both mutant lines showed normal flash sensitivity and photoresponse kinetics. Taken together, these data suggest that neither the F220C nor F45L mutation has pathological consequences in mice and, therefore, may not be causative of retinitis pigmentosa in humans

Dynamic Scaling in the Susceptibility of the Spin-1\2 Kagome Lattice Antiferromagnet Herbertsmithite

The spin-1/2 kagome lattice antiferromagnet herbertsmithite, ZnCu$_{3}$(OH)$_{6}$Cl$_{2}$, is a candidate material for a quantum spin liquid ground state. We show that the magnetic response of this material displays an unusual scaling relation in both the bulk ac susceptibility and the low energy dynamic susceptibility as measured by inelastic neutron scattering. The quantity $\chi T^\alpha$ with $\alpha \simeq 0.66$ can be expressed as a universal function of $H/T$ or $\omega/T$. This scaling is discussed in relation to similar behavior seen in systems influenced by disorder or by the proximity to a quantum critical point.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures v2: updated to match published version

The distribution of mesopelagic fishes in the equatorial and western North Atlantic Ocean

Examination of about 290 midwater trawl hauls made to a depth of 1000 m in the equatorial and western North Atlantic Ocean from 1961 to 1968 suggests that at least 10 physical boundaries determine the ranges of mesopelagic fishes. The boundaries delimit six pelagic regions----the Slope Water Region, the Northern Sargasso Sea, the Southern Sargasso Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the Amazonian Region----and partly delimit four others----the Eastern Gyre and the Labrador, Lesser Antillean, and Guinean regions...

Spin Dynamics of the Spin-1/2 Kagome Lattice Antiferromagnet ZnCu_3(OH)_6Cl_2

We have performed thermodynamic and neutron scattering measurements on the S=1/2 kagome lattice antiferromagnet Zn Cu_3 (OH)_6 Cl_2. The susceptibility indicates a Curie-Weiss temperature of ~ -300 K; however, no magnetic order is observed down to 50 mK. Inelastic neutron scattering reveals a spectrum of low energy spin excitations with no observable gap down to 0.1 meV. The specific heat at low-T follows a power law with exponent less than or equal to 1. These results suggest that an unusual spin-liquid state with essentially gapless excitations is realized in this kagome lattice system.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; v2: Updates to authors list and references; v3: Updated version; v4: Published versio

The Herbertsmithite Hamiltonian: μ\muSR measurements on single crystals

We present transverse field muon spin rotation/relaxation measurements on single crystals of the spin-1/2 kagome antiferromagnet Herbertsmithite. We find that the spins are more easily polarized when the field is perpendicular to the kagome plane. We demonstrate that the difference in magnetization between the different directions cannot be accounted for by Dzyaloshinksii-Moriya type interactions alone, and that anisotropic axial interaction is present.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, accepted to JPCM special issue on geometrically frustrated magnetis