Structural and magnetic properties of E-Fe_{1-x}Co_xSi thin films deposited via pulsed laser deposition

We report pulsed laser deposition synthesis and characterization of polycrystalline Fe1-xCox Si thin films on Si (111). X-ray diffraction, transmission electron, and atomic force microscopies reveal films to be dense, very smooth, and single phase with a cubic B20 crystal structure. Ferromagnetism with significant magnetic hysteresis is found for all films including nominally pure FeSi films in contrast to the very weak paramagnetism of bulk FeSi. For Fe1-xCoxSi this signifies a change from helimagnetism in bulk, to ferromagnetism in thin films. These ferromagnetic thin films are promising as a magnetic-silicide/silicon system for polarized current production, manipulation, and detection.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures accepted in the Applied Physics Letter

‘Musiconomy’: A Framework for the Socio-Economic Development of a Rural South African Context

Published ArticleLocal or regional socio-economic development is a buzzword that has gained prominence in recent times. The primary aim of adoption of the concept is to stimulate economic activity in a region or locality by creating new jobs and improving living standards. There are several theoretical lenses through which the concept can be viewed. The thesis statement for the current study is that in accordance with endogenous theory of development, effective economic growth hence socio economic development of a region or locality is possible through the use of its local resource. In this study, the focus is on musiconomy, where music is seen as the local resource (fulcrum) of local or regional socio-economic development. The study was aimed at developing an integrated framework that makes music a tool for socio-economic development in the South African rural context, focussing specifically on the Northern Cape Province. The study was exploratory descriptive, using qualitative methods for data collection and analysis. The major finding was that although literature supports the notion that local music talent can enhance the socio-economic emancipation of regions and musical talent abounds in the study area, this potential is not optimally exploited to the economic benefit of the area. It is, therefore, possible to enhance the musiconomy of the region through the proposed framework. The paper provides a novel framework that makes local musical talent a tool for the socio-economic development in the rural South African context. Critics can point to the apparent shortcomings inherent in case studies and qualitative studies. However, the study lays a solid foundation for wider scale studies that incorporate quantitative approaches as well

Anisotropic optical conductivity of the putative Kondo insulator CeRu4_4Sn6_6

Kondo insulators and in particular their non-cubic representatives have remained poorly understood. Here we report on the development of an anisotropic energy pseudogap in the tetragonal compound CeRu$_4$Sn$_6$ employing optical reflectivity measurements in broad frequency and temperature ranges, and local density approximation plus dynamical mean field theory calculations. The calculations provide evidence for a Kondo insulator-like response within the $a-a$ plane and a more metallic response along the c axis and qualitatively reproduce the experimental observations, helping to identify their origin

‘Musiconomy’: a framework for the socio-economic development of a rural South African context.

Local or regional socio-economic development is a buzzword that has gained prominence in recent times. The primary aim of adoption of the concept is to stimulate economic activity in a region or locality by creating new jobs and improving living standards. There are several theoretical lenses through which the concept can be viewed. The thesis statement for the current study is that in accordance with endogenous theory of development, effective economic growth hence socio economic development of a region or locality is possible through the use of its local resource. In this study, the focus is on musiconomy, where music is seen as the local resource (fulcrum) of local or regional socio-economic development. The study was aimed at developing an integrated framework that makes music a tool for socio-economic development in the South African rural context, focussing specifically on the Northern Cape Province. The study was exploratory descriptive, using qualitative methods for data collection and analysis. The major finding was that although literature supports the notion that local music talent can enhance the socio-economic emancipation of regions and musical talent abounds in the study area, this potential is not optimally exploited to the economic benefit of the area. It is, therefore, possible to enhance the musiconomy of the region through the proposed framework. The paper provides a novel framework that makes local musical talent a tool for the socio-economic development in the rural South African context. Critics can point to the apparent shortcomings inherent in case studies and qualitative studies. However, the study lays a solid foundation for wider scale studies that incorporate quantitative approaches as well

Evidence for strong f -d hybridization in intermetallic ferromagnet CePdIn2

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Structural and magnetic properties of ε -Fe1-x Cox Si thin films deposited via pulsed laser deposition

We report pulsed laser deposition synthesis and characterization of polycrystalline Fe1-x Cox Si thin films on Si (111). X-ray diffraction, transmission electron, and atomic force microscopies reveal films to be dense, very smooth, and single phase with a cubic B20 crystal structure. Ferromagnetism with significant magnetic hysteresis is found for all films including nominally pure FeSi films in contrast to the very weak paramagnetism of bulk FeSi. For Fe1-x Cox Si this signifies a change from helimagnetism in bulk, to ferromagnetism in thin films. These ferromagnetic thin films are promising as a magnetic-silicide/silicon system for polarized current production, manipulation, and detection. © 2009 American Institute of Physics

Improved high-temperature expansion and critical equation of state of three-dimensional Ising-like systems

High-temperature series are computed for a generalized $3d$ Ising model with arbitrary potential. Two specific ``improved'' potentials (suppressing leading scaling corrections) are selected by Monte Carlo computation. Critical exponents are extracted from high-temperature series specialized to improved potentials, achieving high accuracy; our best estimates are: $\gamma=1.2371(4)$, $\nu=0.63002(23)$, $\alpha=0.1099(7)$, $\eta=0.0364(4)$, $\beta=0.32648(18)$. By the same technique, the coefficients of the small-field expansion for the effective potential (Helmholtz free energy) are computed. These results are applied to the construction of parametric representations of the critical equation of state. A systematic approximation scheme, based on a global stationarity condition, is introduced (the lowest-order approximation reproduces the linear parametric model). This scheme is used for an accurate determination of universal ratios of amplitudes. A comparison with other theoretical and experimental determinations of universal quantities is presented.Comment: 65 pages, 1 figure, revtex. New Monte Carlo data by Hasenbusch enabled us to improve the determination of the critical exponents and of the equation of state. The discussion of several topics was improved and the bibliography was update