122 research outputs found
17O NMR study of the intrinsic magnetic susceptibility and spin dynamics of the quantum kagome antiferromagnet ZnCu3(OH)6Cl2
We report through 17O NMR, an unambiguous local determination of the
intrinsic kagome lattice spin susceptibility as well as that created around
non-magnetic defects issued from natural Zn/ Cu exchange in the S=1/2 (Cu2+)
herbertsmithite ZnCu3(OH)6Cl2 compound. The issue of a singlet-triplet gap is
addressed. The magnetic response around a defect is found to markedly differ
from that observed in non-frustrated antiferromagnetic materials. Finally, we
discuss our relaxation measurements in the light of Cu and Cl NMR data
[cond-mat 070314] and suggest a flat q-dependence of the excitations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett., 3 jan. 2008 Figure 1
has been modified to include a two-components fit of the 17O NMR spectru
Ground state of the Kagome-like S=1/2 antiferromagnet, Volborthite Cu3V2O7(OH)2.2H2O
Volborthite compound is one of the very few realizations of S=1/2 quantum
spins on a highly frustrated kagome-like lattice. Low-T SQUID measurements
reveal a broad magnetic transition below 2K which is further confirmed by a
peak in the 51V nuclear spin relaxation rate (1/T1) at 1.4K0.2K. Through
51V NMR, the ground state (GS) appears to be a mixture of different spin
configurations, among which 20% correspond to a well defined short range order,
possibly of the type. While the freezing involve all
the Cu spins, only 40% of the copper moment is actually frozen which
suggests that quantum fluctuations strongly renormalize the GS.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in PR
Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya Anisotropy in the Spin-1/2 Kagom\'e Compound ZnCu(OH)Cl
We report the determination of the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction, the
dominant magnetic anisotropy term in the \kagome spin-1/2 compound {\herbert}.
Based on the analysis of the high-temperature electron spin resonance (ESR)
spectra, we find its main component K to be perpendicular to the
\kagome planes. Through the temperature dependent ESR line-width we observe a
building up of nearest-neighbor spin-spin correlations below 150 K.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, minor modification
Field-Induced Freezing of a Quantum Spin Liquid on the Kagome Lattice
We report 17O NMR measurements in the S=1/2 Cu2+ kagome antiferromagnet
Herbertsmithite ZnCu3(OH)6Cl2 down to 45mK in magnetic fields ranging from 2T
to 12T. While Herbertsmithite displays a gapless spin-liquid behavior in zero
field, we uncover an instability toward a spin-solid phase at sub-kelvin
temperature induced by an applied magnetic field. The latter phase shows
largely suppressed moments \lesssim 0.1\muB and gapped excitations. The H-T
phase diagram suggests the existence of a quantum critical point at the small
but finite magnetic field mu0 Hc=1.55(25)T. We discuss this finding in light of
the perturbative Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction which was theoretically
proposed to sustain a quantum critical regime for the quantum kagome Heisenberg
antiferromagnet model.Comment: One link added for supplemental materials. Published in : Phys. Rev.
Lett. 107, 237201 (2011
Ion exchanges in apatites. Effects on composition and properties
The modification of the composition of apatites materials can be made by several processes corresponding to ion exchange reactions which can conveniently be adapted to current coatings and ceramics and are an alternative to the set up of new synthesis methods. In addition to high temperature thermal treatments, which allow to virtually replace partly or totally monovalent OH- anion of stoichiometric hydroxyapatite by any halogen ion or carbonate, aqueous processes corresponding to dissolution-reprecipitation reactions have also been proposed and used. The most interesting possibilities are however provided by aqueous ion exchange reactions involving nanocrystalline apatites. These apatites are characterised by the existence on the crystal surface of a hydrated layer of loosely bound mineral ions which can be easily exchanged in solution. This layer offers a possibility to trap mineral ions and possibly active molecules which can modify the apatite properties. Such processes are involved in mineralised tissues and could be used in biomaterials for the release of active mineral species
Apoptosis-Like Death in Bacteria Induced by HAMLET, a Human Milk Lipid-Protein Complex
Background: Apoptosis is the primary means for eliminating unwanted cells in multicellular organisms in order to preserve tissue homeostasis and function. It is characterized by distinct changes in the morphology of the dying cell that are orchestrated by a series of discrete biochemical events. Although there is evidence of primitive forms of programmed cell death also in prokaryotes, no information is available to suggest that prokaryotic death displays mechanistic similarities to the highly regulated programmed death of eukaryotic cells. In this study we compared the characteristics of tumor and bacterial cell death induced by HAMLET, a human milk complex of alpha-lactalbumin and oleic acid. Methodology/Principal Findings: We show that HAMLET-treated bacteria undergo cell death with mechanistic and morphologic similarities to apoptotic death of tumor cells. In Jurkat cells and Streptococcus pneumoniae death was accompanied by apoptosis-like morphology such as cell shrinkage, DNA condensation, and DNA degradation into high molecular weight fragments of similar sizes, detected by field inverse gel electrophoresis. HAMLET was internalized into tumor cells and associated with mitochondria, causing a rapid depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane and bound to and induced depolarization of the pneumococcal membrane with similar kinetic and magnitude as in mitochondria. Membrane depolarization in both systems required calcium transport, and both tumor cells and bacteria were found to require serine protease activity (but not caspase activity) to execute cell death. Conclusions/Significance: Our results suggest that many of the morphological changes and biochemical responses associated with apoptosis are present in prokaryotes. Identifying the mechanisms of bacterial cell death has the potential to reveal novel targets for future antimicrobial therapy and to further our understanding of core activation mechanisms of cell death in eukaryote cells
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