228 research outputs found
Limits on Superconductivity-Related Magnetization in SrRuO and PrOsSb from Scanning SQUID Microscopy
We present scanning SQUID microscopy data on the superconductors Sr2RuO4 (Tc
= 1.5 K) and PrOsSb (Tc = 1.8 K). In both of these materials,
superconductivity-related time-reversal symmetry-breaking fields have been
observed by muon spin rotation; our aim was to visualize the structure of these
fields. However in neither SrRuO nor PrOsSb do we observe
spontaneous superconductivity-related magnetization. In SrRuO, many
experimental results have been interpreted on the basis of a
superconducting order parameter. This order parameter is expected to give
spontaneous magnetic induction at sample edges and order parameter domain
walls. Supposing large domains, our data restrict domain wall and edge fields
to no more than ~0.1% and ~0.2% of the expected magnitude, respectively.
Alternatively, if the magnetization is of the expected order, the typical
domain size is limited to ~30 nm for random domains, or ~500 nm for periodic
domains.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Calculation of the effect of random superfluid density on the temperature dependence of the penetration depth
Microscopic variations in composition or structure can lead to nanoscale
inhomogeneity in superconducting properties such as the magnetic penetration
depth, but measurements of these properties are usually made on longer length
scales. We solve a generalized London equation with a non-uniform penetration
depth, lambda(r), obtaining an approximate solution for the disorder-averaged
Meissner effect. We find that the effective penetration depth is different from
the average penetration depth and is sensitive to the details of the disorder.
These results indicate the need for caution when interpreting measurements of
the penetration depth and its temperature dependence in systems which may be
inhomogeneous
Evidence for Nodal Superconductivity in LaFePO from Scanning SQUID Susceptometry
We measure changes in the penetration depth of the
K superconductor LaFePO. In the process scanning SQUID susceptometry is
demonstrated as a technique for accurately measuring {\it local}
temperature-dependent changes in , making it ideal for studying early
or difficult-to-grow materials. of LaFePO is found to vary linearly
with temperature from 0.36 to 2 K, with a slope of 14315 \AA/K,
suggesting line nodes in the superconducting order parameter. The linear
dependence up to is similar to the cuprate superconductors,
indicating well-developed nodes.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
The dynamics of gene expression changes in a mouse model of oral tumorigenesis may help refine prevention and treatment strategies in patients with oral cancer.
A better understanding of the dynamics of molecular changes occurring during the early stages of oral tumorigenesis may help refine prevention and treatment strategies. We generated genome-wide expression profiles of microdissected normal mucosa, hyperplasia, dysplasia and tumors derived from the 4-NQO mouse model of oral tumorigenesis. Genes differentially expressed between tumor and normal mucosa defined the "tumor gene set" (TGS), including 4 non-overlapping gene subsets that characterize the dynamics of gene expression changes through different stages of disease progression. The majority of gene expression changes occurred early or progressively. The relevance of these mouse gene sets to human disease was tested in multiple datasets including the TCGA and the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer project. The TGS was able to discriminate oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) from normal oral mucosa in 3 independent datasets. The OSCC samples enriched in the mouse TGS displayed high frequency of CASP8 mutations, 11q13.3 amplifications and low frequency of PIK3CA mutations. Early changes observed in the 4-NQO model were associated with a trend toward a shorter oral cancer-free survival in patients with oral preneoplasia that was not seen in multivariate analysis. Progressive changes observed in the 4-NQO model were associated with an increased sensitivity to 4 different MEK inhibitors in a panel of 51 squamous cell carcinoma cell lines of the areodigestive tract. In conclusion, the dynamics of molecular changes in the 4-NQO model reveal that MEK inhibition may be relevant to prevention and treatment of a specific molecularly-defined subgroup of OSCC
The non-coding landscape of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive disease marked by frequent recurrence and metastasis and stagnant survival rates. To enhance molecular knowledge of HNSCC and define a non-coding RNA (ncRNA) landscape of the disease, we profiled the transcriptome-wide dysregulation of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) using RNA-sequencing data from 422 HNSCC patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). 307 non-coding transcripts differentially expressed in HNSCC were significantly correlated with patient survival, and associated with mutations in TP53, CDKN2A, CASP8, PRDM9, and FBXW7 and copy number variations in chromosomes 3, 5, 7, and 18. We also observed widespread ncRNA correlation to concurrent TP53 and chromosome 3p loss, a compelling predictor of poor prognosis in HNSCCs. Three selected ncRNAs were additionally associated with tumor stage, HPV status, and other clinical characteristics, and modulation of their expression in vitro reveals differential regulation of genes involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition and apoptotic response. This comprehensive characterization of the HNSCC non-coding transcriptome introduces new layers of understanding for the disease, and nominates a novel panel of transcripts with potential utility as prognostic markers or therapeutic targets
Local measurement of the superfluid density in the pnictide superconductor Ba(FeCo)As across the superconducting dome
We measure the penetration depth in
Ba(FeCo)As using local techniques that do not average
over the sample. The superfluid density
has three main features. First, falls sharply on the underdoped
side of the dome. Second, is flat at low at optimal
doping, indicating fully gapped superconductivity, but varies more strongly in
underdoped and overdoped samples, consistent with either a power law or a small
second gap. Third, varies steeply near for optimal and
underdoping. These observations are consistent with an interplay between
magnetic and superconducting phases
Local measurement of the penetration depth in the pnictide superconductor Ba(FeCo)As
We use magnetic force microscopy (MFM) and scanning SQUID susceptometry to
measure the local superfluid density in
Ba(FeCo)As single crystals from 0.4 K to the critical
temperature K. We observe that the penetration depth
varies about ten times more slowly with temperature than previously published,
with a dependence that can be well described by a clean two-band fully gapped
model. We demonstrate that MFM can measure the important and hard-to-determine
absolute value of , as well as obtain its temperature dependence and
spatial homogeneity. We find to be uniform despite the highly
disordered vortex pinning
Agreement between local and global measurements of the London penetration depth
Recent measurements of the superconducting penetration depth in Ba(Fe_1-x
Co_x)2As2 appeared to disagree on the magnitude and curvature of
{\Delta}{\lambda}_{ab}(T), even near optimal doping. These measurements were
carried out on different samples grown by different groups. To understand the
discrepancy, we use scanning SQUID susceptometry and a tunnel diode resonator
to measure the penetration depth in a single sample. The penetration depth
observed by the two techniques is identical with no adjustments. We conclude
that any discrepancies arise from differences between samples, either in growth
or crystal preparation
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Scanning SQUID microscopy on polycrystalline SmFeAsO_{0.85} and NdFeAsO_{0.94}F_{0.06}
The order parameter of the recently-discovered ferric arsenide family of superconductors remains uncertain. Some early experiments on polycrystalline samples suggested line nodes in the order parameter, however later experiments on single crystals have strongly supported fully-gapped superconductivity. An absence of nodes does not rule out unconventional order: {pi} phase shifts between the separate Fermi sheets and time-reversal symmetry-breaking components in the order parameter remain possibilities. One test for unconventional order is scanning magnetic microscopy on well-coupled polycrystalline samples: d- or p-wave order would result in orbital frustration, leading to spontaneous currents and magnetization in the superconducting state. We have performed scanning SQUID microscopy on SmFeAsO{sub 0.85} and NdFeAsO{sub 0.94}F{sub 0.06}, and in neither material do we find spontaneous orbital currents, ruling out p- or d-wave order
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