499 research outputs found
Symmetry-dependent phonon renormalization in monolayer MoS2 transistor
Strong electron-phonon interaction which limits electronic mobility of
semiconductors can also have significant effects on phonon frequencies. The
latter is the key to the use of Raman spectroscopy for nondestructive
characterization of doping in graphene-based devices. Using in-situ Raman
scattering from single layer MoS electrochemically top-gated field effect
transistor (FET), we show softening and broadening of A phonon with
electron doping whereas the other Raman active E mode remains
essentially inert. Confirming these results with first-principles density
functional theory based calculations, we use group theoretical arguments to
explain why A mode specifically exhibits a strong sensitivity to
electron doping. Our work opens up the use of Raman spectroscopy in probing the
level of doping in single layer MoS-based FETs, which have a high on-off
ratio and are of enormous technological significance.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Sharp Raman Anomalies and Broken Adiabaticity at a Pressure Induced Transition from Band to Topological Insulator in Sb2Se3
The nontrivial electronic topology of a topological insulator is thus far
known to display signatures in a robust metallic state at the surface. Here, we
establish vibrational anomalies in Raman spectra of the bulk that signify
changes in electronic topology: an E2 g phonon softens unusually and its
linewidth exhibits an asymmetric peak at the pressure induced electronic
topological transition (ETT) in Sb2Se3 crystal. Our first-principles
calculations confirm the electronic transition from band to topological
insulating state with reversal of parity of electronic bands passing through a
metallic state at the ETT, but do not capture the phonon anomalies which
involve breakdown of adiabatic approximation due to strongly coupled dynamics
of phonons and electrons. Treating this within a four-band model of topological
insulators, we elucidate how nonadiabatic renormalization of phonons
constitutes readily measurable bulk signatures of an ETT, which will facilitate
efforts to develop topological insulators by modifying a band insulator
Spinon confinement in a quasi one dimensional anisotropic Heisenberg magnet
Confinement is a process by which particles with fractional quantum numbers
bind together to form quasiparticles with integer quantum numbers. The
constituent particles are confined by an attractive interaction whose strength
increases with increasing particle separation and as a consequence, individual
particles are not found in isolation. This phenomenon is well known in particle
physics where quarks are confined in baryons and mesons. An analogous
phenomenon occurs in certain magnetic insulators; weakly coupled chains of
spins S=1/2. The collective excitations in these systems is spinons (S=1/2). At
low temperatures weak coupling between chains can induce an attractive
interaction between pairs of spinons that increases with their separation and
thus leads to confinement. In this paper, we employ inelastic neutron
scattering to investigate the spinon confinement in the quasi-1D S=1/2 XXZ
antiferromagnet SrCo2V2O8. Spinon excitations are observed above TN in
quantitative agreement with established theory. Below TN the pairs of spinons
are confined and two sequences of meson-like bound states with longitudinal and
transverse polarizations are observed. Several theoretical approaches are used
to explain the data. A new theoretical technique based on Tangent-space Matrix
Product States gives a very complete description of the data and provides good
agreement not only with the energies of the bound modes but also with their
intensities. We also successfully explained the effect of temperature on the
excitations including the experimentally observed thermally induced resonance
between longitudinal modes below TN ,and the transitions between thermally
excited spinon states above TN. In summary, our work establishes SrCo2V2O8 as a
beautiful paradigm for spinon confinement in a quasi-1D quantum magnet and
provides a comprehensive picture of this process.Comment: 17 pages, 18 figures, submitted to PR
Coupled Phonons, Magnetic Excitations and Ferroelectricity in AlFeO3: Raman and First-principles Studies
We determine the nature of coupled phonons and magnetic excitations in AlFeO3
using inelastic light scattering from 5 K to 315 K covering a spectral range
from 100-2200 cm-1 and complementary first-principles density functional
theory-based calculations. A strong spin-phonon coupling and magnetic ordering
induced phonon renormalization are evident in (a) anomalous temperature
dependence of many modes with frequencies below 850 cm-1, particularly near the
magnetic transition temperature Tc ~ 250 K, (b) distinct changes in band
positions of high frequency Raman bands between 1100-1800 cm-1, in particular a
broad mode near 1250 cm-1 appears only below Tc attributed to the two-magnon
Raman scattering. We also observe weak anomalies in the mode frequencies at ~
100 K, due to a magnetically driven ferroelectric phase transition.
Understanding of these experimental observations has been possible on the basis
of first-principles calculations of phonons spectrum and their coupling with
spins
Raman Evidence for Superconducting Gap and Spin-Phonon Coupling in Superconductor Ca(Fe0.95Co0.05)2As2
Inelastic light scattering studies on single crystal of electron-doped
Ca(Fe0.95Co0.05)2As2 superconductor, covering the tetragonal to orthorhombic
structural transition as well as magnetic transition at TSM ~ 140 K and
superconducting transition temperature Tc ~ 23 K, reveal evidence for
superconductivity-induced phonon renormalization; in particular the phonon mode
near 260 cm-1 shows hardening below Tc, signaling its coupling with the
superconducting gap. All the three Raman active phonon modes show anomalous
temperature dependence between room temperature and Tc i.e phonon frequency
decreases with lowering temperature. Further, frequency of one of the modes
shows a sudden change in temperature dependence at TSM. Using first-principles
density functional theory-based calculations, we show that the low temperature
phase (Tc < T < TSM) exhibits short-ranged stripe anti-ferromagnetic ordering,
and estimate the spin-phonon couplings that are responsible for these phonon
anomalies
One-pot synthesis of multifunctional ZnO nanomaterials: study of superhydrophobicity and UV photosensing property
ZnO nanomaterials are synthesized using one-pot synthesis method. Equimolar solution of Zinc Nitrate hexahydrate (Zn(NO3)(2).6H(2)O) and Hexamethylenetetramine (C6H12N4) is used as a precursor for ZnO formation. Different nanostructures of ZnO are achieved by controlling the pH of the growth solution in the range 2-12 (acidic to alkali). ZnO nanostructures are evaluated for hydrophobic property using static contact angle measurement setup and UV photosensing activity. Surface morphology, structural properties and compositional analysis of ZnO nanostructures are examined by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (FEG-TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Existence of ZnO wurtzite structure is confirmed from XRD study and is analyzed by Rietveld refinement method. Nanomaterials are characterized using Raman spectroscopy which confirms highest oxygen deficiency in ZnO nanorods. The material shows remarkable superhydrophobic and UV photosensing property and hence the name multifunctional. Among all morphologies grown at different pH values, ZnO nanorods show superhydrophobic nature with contact angle more than 170 degrees. Total surface energy value of ZnO nanostructures is calculated using Wendt two-component theory. Different ZnO nanostructures (with variation of pH value) are used to study UV photosensing property. Responsivity and photocurrent show a strong dependence on the morphology of ZnO
The Interspersed Spin Boson Lattice Model
We describe a family of lattice models that support a new class of quantum
magnetism characterized by correlated spin and bosonic ordering [Phys. Rev.
Lett. 112, 180405 (2014)]. We explore the full phase diagram of the model using
Matrix-Product-State methods. Guided by these numerical results, we describe a
modified variational ansatz to improve our analytic description of the
groundstate at low boson frequencies. Additionally, we introduce an
experimental protocol capable of inferring the low-energy excitations of the
system by means of Fano scattering spectroscopy. Finally, we discuss the
implementation and characterization of this model with current circuit-QED
technology.Comment: Submitted to EPJ ST issue on "Novel Quantum Phases and Mesoscopic
Physics in Quantum Gases
Effects of maternal modafinil treatment on fetal development and neonatal growth parameters — a multicenter case series of the European Network of Teratology Information Services (ENITS)
\ua9 2023 The Authors. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Objective: In recent years, safety concerns about modafinil exposure during pregnancy have emerged. In particular, increased risks for major congenital anomalies (MCA) and impaired fetal growth were reported, although study results were conflicting. Our investigation aims to examine previously reported safety signals. Method: Multicenter case series based on data from 18 Teratology Information Services from 12 countries. Modafinil exposed pregnancies with an estimated date of birth before August 2019 were included in this study. For prospectively ascertained pregnancies, cumulative incidences of pregnancy outcomes, rate of nonchromosomal MCA in first trimester exposed pregnancies and percentiles of neonatal/infant weight and head circumference (HC) were calculated. Potential dose-dependent effects on fetal growth were explored by linear regression models. Retrospectively ascertained cases were screened for pattern of MCA and other adverse events. Results: One hundred and seventy-five prospectively ascertained cases were included, of which 173 were exposed at least during the first trimester. Cumulative incidences for live birth, spontaneous abortion and elective termination of pregnancy were 76.9% (95% CI, 68.0%–84.8%), 9.3% (95% CI, 5.0%–16.9%), and 13.9% (95% CI, 8.1%–23.1%), respectively. Nonchromosomal MCA was present in 3/150 live births, corresponding to an MCA rate of 2.0% (95%CI, 0.6%–6.1%), none were reported in pregnancy losses. Compared to reference standards, birth weight (BW) tended to be lower and neonatal HC to be smaller in exposed newborns (data available for 144 and 73 of 153 live births, respectively). In nonadjusted linear regression models, each 100 mg increase of average dosage per pregnancy day was associated with a decrease in standard deviation score (SDS) of −0.28 SDS (95% CI, −0.45 to −0.10) for BW and of −0.28 SDS (95% CI, −0.56 to 0.01) for HC. Screening of 22 retrospectively reported cases did not reveal any specific pattern of MCA or other adverse outcomes. Conclusion: The results do not indicate an increased risk of MCA after in utero exposure to modafinil, but a tendency toward lower BW and reduced neonatal HC. However, these findings should be regarded as preliminary. Until further studies allow for a definite conclusion, modafinil should not be used during pregnancy
Resistance to Mucosal Lysozyme Compensates for the Fitness Deficit of Peptidoglycan Modifications by Streptococcus pneumoniae
The abundance of lysozyme on mucosal surfaces suggests that successful colonizers must be able to evade its antimicrobial effects. Lysozyme has a muramidase activity that hydrolyzes bacterial peptidoglycan and a non-muramidase activity attributable to its function as a cationic antimicrobial peptide. Two enzymes (PgdA, a N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase, and Adr, an O-acetyl transferase) that modify different sites on the peptidoglycan of Streptococcus pneumoniae have been implicated in its resistance to lysozyme in vitro. Here we show that the antimicrobial effect of human lysozyme is due to its muramidase activity and that both peptidoglycan modifications are required for full resistance by pneumococci. To examine the contribution of lysozyme and peptidoglycan modifications during colonization of the upper respiratory tract, competition experiments were performed with wild-type and pgdAadr mutant pneumococci in lysozyme M-sufficient (LysM+/+) and -deficient (LysM−/−) mice. The wild-type strain out-competed the double mutant in LysM+/+, but not LysM−/− mice, indicating the importance of resistance to the muramidase activity of lysozyme during mucosal colonization. In contrast, strains containing single mutations in either pgdA or adr prevailed over the wild-type strain in both LysM+/+ and LysM−/− mice. Our findings demonstrate that individual peptidoglycan modifications diminish fitness during colonization. The competitive advantage of wild-type pneumococci in LysM+/+ but not LysM−/− mice suggests that the combination of peptidoglycan modifications reduces overall fitness, but that this is outweighed by the benefits of resistance to the peptidoglycan degrading activity of lysozyme
- …