406 research outputs found
Properties of the ferrimagnetic double-perovskite A_{2}FeReO_{6} (A=Ba and Ca)
Ceramics of A_{2}FeReO_{6} double-perovskite have been prepared and studied
for A=Ba and Ca. Ba_{2}FeReO_{6} has a cubic structure (Fm3m) with 8.0854(1) \AA whereas Ca_{2}FeReO_{6} has a distorted monoclinic symmetry with
and
. The barium compound is metallic from 5 K to 385
K, i.e. no metal-insulator transition has been seen up to 385 K, and the
calcium compound is semiconducting from 5 K to 385 K. Magnetization
measurements show a ferrimagnetic behavior for both materials, with T_{c}=315 K
for Ba_{2}FeReO_{6} and above 385 K for Ca_{2}FeReO_{6}. A specific heat
measurement on the barium compound gave an electron density of states at the
Fermi level, N(E_{F}) equal to 6.1. At 5 K, we
observed a negative magnetoresistance of 10 % in a magnetic field of 5 T, but
only for Ba_{2}FeReO_{6}. Electrical, thermal and magnetic properties are
discussed and compared to the analogous compounds Sr_{2}Fe(Mo,Re)O_{6}.Comment: 5 pages REVTeX, 7 figures included, submitted to PR
Relaxations in Ba2BiSbO6 Double Complex Perovskite Ceramics
The electric properties of the complex double perovskite Ba2BiSbO6 have been investigated using impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range from 1 Hz up to 1 MHz and in the temperature range from room temperature up to 560 K. There are two contributions to the electrical properties due to the grain and grain boundary. The oxygen vacancies play an important role in the conductivity and strongly increase the dielectric constant at high temperatures. The analysis of the frequency dependence of the conductivity clearly shows the structural phase transition of this compound near 515 K
Non-cubic layered structure of Ba(1-x)K(x)BiO3 superconductor
Bismuthate superconductor Ba(1-x)K(x)BiO3 (x=0.27-0.49, Tc=25-32K) grown by
an electrolysis technique was studied by electron diffraction and
high-resolution electron microscopy. The crystalline structure thereof has been
found to be non-cubic, of the layered nature, and non-centrosymmetric, with the
lattice parameters a ~ ap, c ~ 2ap (ap is a simple cubic perovskite cell
parameter) containing an ordered arrangement of barium and potassium. The
evidence for the layered nature of the bismuthate superconductor removes the
principal crystallographic contradiction between bismuthate and cuprate high-Tc
superconductors.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Physical Review B as a Rapid
Communicatio
Correlation-function spectroscopy of inelastic lifetime in heavily doped GaAs heterostructures
Measurements of resonant tunneling through a localized impurity state are
used to probe fluctuations in the local density of states of heavily doped
GaAs. The measured differential conductance is analyzed in terms of correlation
functions with respect to voltage. A qualitative picture based on the scaling
theory of Thouless is developed to relate the observed fluctuations to the
statistics of single particle wavefunctions. In a quantitative theory
correlation functions are calculated. By comparing the experimental and
theoretical correlation functions the effective dimensionality of the emitter
is analyzed and the dependence of the inelastic lifetime on energy is
extracted.Comment: 41 pages, 14 figure
Phase diagram and influence of defects in the double perovskites
The phase diagram of the double perovskites of the type Sr_{2-x} La_x Fe Mo
O_6 is analyzed, with and without disorder due to antisites. In addition to an
homogeneous half metallic ferrimagnetic phase in the absence of doping and
disorder, we find antiferromagnetic phases at large dopings, and other
ferrimagnetic phases with lower saturation magnetization, in the presence of
disorder.Comment: 4 pages, 3 postscript figures, some errata correcte
Electron-phonon coupling induced pseudogap and the superconducting transition in Ba0.67K0.33BiO3
We study the single particle density of states (DOS) across the
superconducting transition (Tc = 31 K) in single-crystal Ba0.67K0.33BiO3 using
ultrahigh resolution angle-integrated photoemission spectroscopy. The
superconducting gap opens with a pile-up in the DOS, Delta(5.3 K) = 5.2 meV and
2Delta(0)/kBTc = 3.9. In addition, we observe a pseudogap below and above Tc,
occurring as a suppression in intensity over an energy scale up to the
breathing mode phonon(~ 70 meV). The results indicate electron-phonon coupling
induces a pseudogap in Ba0.67K0.33BiO3.Comment: 5 pages with 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
The deep sea is a major sink for microplastic debris
Marine debris, mostly consisting of plastic, is a global problem, negatively impacting wildlife, tourism and shipping. However, despite the durability of plastic, and the exponential increase in its production, monitoring data show limited evidence of concomitant increasing concentrations in marine habitats. There appears to be a considerable proportion of the manufactured plastic that is unaccounted for in surveys tracking the fate of environmental plastics. Even the discovery of widespread accumulation of microscopic fragments (microplastics) in oceanic gyres and shallow water sediments is unable to explain the missing fraction. Here, we show that deep-sea sediments are a likely sink for microplastics. Microplastic, in the form of fibres, was up to four orders of magnitude more abundant (per unit volume) in deep-sea sediments from the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean than in contaminated sea-surface waters. Our results show evidence for a large and hitherto unknown repository of microplastics. The dominance of microfibres points to a previously underreported and unsampled plastic fraction. Given the vastness of the deep sea and the prevalence of microplastics at all sites we investigated, the deep-sea floor appears to provide an answer to the question— where is all the plastic? </jats:p
First principles electronic structure of spinel LiCr2O4: A possible half-metal?
We have employed first-principles electronic structure calculations to
examine the hypothetical (but plausible) oxide spinel, LiCr2O4 with the d^{2.5}
electronic configuration. The cell (cubic) and internal (oxygen position)
structural parameters have been obtained for this compound through structural
relaxation in the first-principles framework. Within the one-electron band
picture, we find that LiCr2O4 is magnetic, and a candidate half-metal. The
electronic structure is substantially different from the closely related and
well known rutile half-metal CrO2. In particular, we find a smaller conduction
band width in the spinel compound, perhaps as a result of the distinct topology
of the spinel crystal structure, and the reduced oxidation state. The magnetism
and half-metallicity of LiCr2O4 has been mapped in the parameter space of its
cubic crystal structure. Comparisons with superconducting LiTi2O4 (d^{0.5}),
heavy-fermion LiV2O4 (d^{1.5}) and charge-ordering LiMn2O4 (d^{3.5}) suggest
the effectiveness of a nearly-rigid band picture involving simple shifts of the
position of E_F in these very different materials. Comparisons are also made
with the electronic structure of ZnV2O4 (d^{2}), a correlated insulator that
undergoes a structural and antiferromagnetic phase transition.Comment: 9 pages, 7 Figures, version as published in PR
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