Ferromagnetic coupling and magnetic anisotropy in molecular Ni(II) squares

We investigated the magnetic properties of two isostructural Ni(II) metal complexes [Ni4Lb8] and [Ni4Lc8]. In each molecule the four Ni(II) centers form almost perfect regular squares. Magnetic coupling and anisotropy of single crystals were examined by magnetization measurements and in particular by high-field torque magnetometry at low temperatures. The data were analyzed in terms of an effective spin Hamiltonian appropriate for Ni(II) centers. For both compounds, we found a weak intramolecular ferromagnetic coupling of the four Ni(II) spins and sizable single-ion anisotropies of the easy-axis type. The coupling strengths are roughly identical for both compounds, whereas the zero-field-splitting parameters are significantly different. Possible reasons for this observation are discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Collective resonance modes of Josephson vortices in sandwiched stack of Bi2_{2}Sr2_{2}CaCu2_{2}O8+x_{8+x} intrinsic Josephson junctions

We observed splitting of the low-bias vortex-flow branch in a dense-Josephson-vortex state into multiple sub-branches in current-voltage characteristics of intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) of Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+x}$ single crystals in the long-junction limit. Each sub-branch corresponds to a plasma mode in serially coupled Josephson junctions. Splitting into low-bias linear sub-branches with a spread in the slopes and the inter-sub-branch mode-switching character are in good quantitative agreement with the prediction of the weak but finite inter-junction capacitive-coupling model incorporated with the inductive coupling. This suggests the importance of the role of the capacitive coupling in accurately describing the vortex dynamics in serially stacked IJJs.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Algebraic approach to quantum field theory on a class of noncommutative curved spacetimes

In this article we study the quantization of a free real scalar field on a class of noncommutative manifolds, obtained via formal deformation quantization using triangular Drinfel'd twists. We construct deformed quadratic action functionals and compute the corresponding equation of motion operators. The Green's operators and the fundamental solution of the deformed equation of motion are obtained in terms of formal power series. It is shown that, using the deformed fundamental solution, we can define deformed *-algebras of field observables, which in general depend on the spacetime deformation parameter. This dependence is absent in the special case of Killing deformations, which include in particular the Moyal-Weyl deformation of the Minkowski spacetime.Comment: LaTeX 14 pages, no figures, svjour3.cls style; v2: clarifications and references added, compatible with published versio

Exchange-coupling constants, spin density map, and Q dependence of the inelastic neutron scattering intensity in single-molecule magnets

The Q dependence of the inelastic neutron scattering (INS) intensity of transitions within the ground-state spin multiplet of single-molecule magnets (SMMs) is considered. For these transitions, the Q dependence is related to the spin density map in the ground state, which in turn is governed by the Heisenberg exchange interactions in the cluster. This provides the possibility to infer the exchange-coupling constants from the Q dependence of the INS transitions within the spin ground state. The potential of this strategy is explored for the M = +-10 -> +- 9 transition within the S = 10 multiplet of the molecule Mn12 as an example. The Q dependence is calculated for powder as well as single-crystal Mn12 samples for various exchange-coupling situations discussed in the literature. The results are compared to literature data on a powder sample of Mn12 and to measurements on an oriented array of about 500 single-crystals of Mn12. The calculated Q dependence exhibits significant variation with the exchange-coupling constants, in particular for a single-crystal sample, but the experimental findings did not permit an unambiguous determination. However, although challenging, suitable experiments are within the reach of today's instruments.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, REVTEX4, to appear in PR

Quantum Phase Interference and Neel-Vector Tunneling in Antiferromagnetic Molecular Wheels

The antiferromagnetic molecular wheel Fe18 of eighteen exchange-coupled Fe(III) ions has been studied by measurements of the magnetic torque, the magnetization, and the inelastic neutron scattering spectra. The combined data show that the low-temperature magnetism of Fe18 is very accurately described by the Neel-vector tunneling (NVT) scenario, as unfolded by semiclassical theory. In addition, the magnetic torque as a function of applied field exhibits oscillations that reflect the oscillations in the NVT tunnel splitting with field due to quantum phase interference.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, REVTEX4, to appear in PR

Huge Transverse Magnetization in the Field-Induced Phase of the Antiferromagnetic Molecular Wheel CsFe8

The 1H-NMR spectrum and nuclear relaxation rate 1/T_1 in the antiferromagnetic wheel CsFe8 were measured to characterize the previously observed magnetic field-induced low-temperature phase around the level crossing at 8 T. The data show that the phase is characterized by a huge staggered transverse polarization of the electronic Fe spins, and the opening of a gap, providing microscopic evidence for the interpretation of the phase as a field-induced magneto-elastic instability.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, REVTEX4, to appear in PR

FastaValidator: an open-source Java library to parse and validate FASTA formatted sequences

Background: Advances in sequencing technologies challenge the efficient importing and validation of FASTA formatted sequence data which is still a prerequisite for most bioinformatic tools and pipelines. Comparative analysis of commonly used Bio*-frameworks (BioPerl, BioJava and Biopython) shows that their scalability and accuracy is hampered. Findings: FastaValidator represents a platform-independent, standardized, light-weight software library written in the Java programming language. It targets computer scientists and bioinformaticians writing software which needs to parse quickly and accurately large amounts of sequence data. For end-users FastaValidator includes an interactive out-of-the-box validation of FASTA formatted files, as well as a non-interactive mode designed for high-throughput validation in software pipelines. Conclusions: The accuracy and performance of the FastaValidator library qualifies it for large data sets such as those commonly produced by massive parallel (NGS) technologies. It offers scientists a fast, accurate and standardized method for parsing and validating FASTA formatted sequence data