72 research outputs found
Destruction of Neel order and appearance of superconductivity in electron-doped cuprates by oxygen annealing process
We use thermodynamic and neutron scattering measurements to study the effect
of oxygen annealing on the superconductivity and magnetism in
PrLaCeCuO. Although the transition temperature
measured by susceptibility and superconducting coherence length increase
smoothly with gradual oxygen removal from the annealing process, bulk
superconductivity, marked by a specific heat anomaly at and the presence
of a neutron magnetic resonance, only appears abruptly when is close to
the largest value. These results suggest that the effect of oxygen annealing
must be first determined in order to establish a Ce-doping dependence of
antiferromagnetism and superconductivity phase diagram for electron-doped
copper oxides.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Phys. Rev.
Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy of the Antiferromagnetic Superconductor Nd1.87Ce0.13CuO4: Anisotropic Spin-Correlation Gap, Pseudogap, and the Induced Quasiparticle Mass Enhancement
We performed high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on
Nd1.87Ce0.13CuO4, which is located at the boundary of the antiferromagnetic
(AF) and the superconducting phase. We observed that the quasiparticle (QP)
effective mass around (pi, 0) is strongly enhanced due to the opening of the AF
gap. The QP mass and the AF gap are found to be anisotropic, with the largest
value near the intersecting point of the Fermi surface and the AF zone
boundary. In addition, we observed that the QP peak disappears around the Neel
temperature (TN) while the AF pseudogap is gradually filled up at much higher
temperatures, possibly due to the short-range AF correlation.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Absence of magnetic field effect on static magnetic order in electron-doped superconductor Nd_{1.86}Ce_{0.14}CuO_4
Neutron-scattering experiments were performed to study the magnetic field
effect on the electron-doped cuprate superconductor Nd_{1.86}Ce_{0.14}CuO_4,
which shows the coexistence of magnetic order and superconductivity. The (1/2
3/2 0) magnetic Bragg intensity, which mainly originates from the order of both
the Cu and Nd moments at low temperatures, shows no magnetic field dependence
when the field is applied perpendicular to the CuO_{2} plane up to 10 T above
the upper critical field. This result is significantly different from that
reported for the hole-doped cuprate superconductors, in which the quasi-static
magnetic order is noticeably enhanced under a magnetic field.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Spin correlations in the electron-doped high-transition-temperature superconductor Nd{2-x}Ce{x}CuO{4+/-delta}
High-transition-temperature (high-Tc) superconductivity develops near
antiferromagnetic phases, and it is possible that magnetic excitations
contribute to the superconducting pairing mechanism. To assess the role of
antiferromagnetism, it is essential to understand the doping and temperature
dependence of the two-dimensional antiferromagnetic spin correlations. The
phase diagram is asymmetric with respect to electron and hole doping, and for
the comparatively less-studied electron-doped materials, the antiferromagnetic
phase extends much further with doping [1, 2] and appears to overlap with the
superconducting phase. The archetypical electron-doped compound
Nd{2-x}Ce{x}CuO{4\pm\delta} (NCCO) shows bulk superconductivity above x \approx
0.13 [3, 4], while evidence for antiferromagnetic order has been found up to x
\approx 0.17 [2, 5, 6]. Here we report inelastic magnetic neutron-scattering
measurements that point to the distinct possibility that genuine long-range
antiferromagnetism and superconductivity do not coexist. The data reveal a
magnetic quantum critical point where superconductivity first appears,
consistent with an exotic quantum phase transition between the two phases [7].
We also demonstrate that the pseudogap phenomenon in the electron-doped
materials, which is associated with pronounced charge anomalies [8-11], arises
from a build-up of spin correlations, in agreement with recent theoretical
proposals [12, 13].Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Effect of a magnetic field on the long-range magnetic order in insulating Nd2CuO4, nonsuperconducting and superconducting Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4
We have measured the effect of a c-axis aligned magnetic field on the
long-range magnetic order of insulating Nd2CuO4, as-grown nonsuperconducting
and superconducting Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4. On cooling from room temperature, Nd2CuO4
goes through a series of antiferromagnetic (AF) phase transitions with
different noncollinear spin structures. In all phases of Nd2CuO4, we find that
the applied c-axis field induces a canting of the AF order but does not alter
the basic zero-field noncollinear spin structures. Similar behavior is also
found in as-grown nonsuperconducting Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4. These results contrast
dramatically with those of superconducting Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4, where a c-axis
aligned magnetic field induces a static, anomalously conducting, long-range
ordered AF state. We confirm that the annealing process necessary to make
superconducting Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4 also induces epitaxial, three-dimensional
long-range ordered cubic (Nd,Ce)2O3 as an impurity phase. In addition, the
annealing process makes a series of quasi two-dimensional superlattice
reflections associated with lattice distortions of Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4 in the CuO2
plane. While the application of a magnetic field will induce a net moment in
the impurity phase, we determine its magnitude and eliminate this as a
possibility for the observed magnetic field-induced effect in superconducting
Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.
New class of T-prime-structure cuprate superconductors
High-temperature superconductivity has been discovered in La2-xBaxCuO4 [1], a
compound that derives from the undoped La2CuO4 crystallizing in the perovskite
T-structure. In this structure oxygen octahedra surround the copper ions. It is
common knowledge that charge carriers induced by doping in such an undoped
antiferromagnetic Mott-insulator lead to high-temperature superconductivity [2-
4]. The undoped material La2CuO4 is also the basis of the electron-doped
cuprate superconductors [5] of the form La2-xCexCuO4+y [6,7] which however
crystallize in the so called T-prime-structure, i.e. without apical oxygen
above or below the copper ions of the CuO2-plane. It is well known that for
La2-xCexCuO4+y the undoped T-prime-structure parent compound cannot be prepared
due to the structural phase transition back into the T-structure occuring
around x ~ 0.05. Here, we report that if La is substituted by RE = Y, Lu, Sm,
Eu, Gd, or Tb, which have smaller ionic radii but have the same valence as La,
nominally undoped La2-xRExCuO4 can be synthesized by molecular beam epitaxy in
the T-prime-structure. The second important result is that all these new
T-prime-compounds are superconductors with fairly high critical temperatures up
to 21 K. For this new class of cuprates La2-xRExCuO4, which forms the
T-prime-parent compounds of the La-based electron doped cuprates, we have not
been able to obtain the Mott-insulating ground state for small x before the
structural phase transition into the T-structure takes place.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figure
Advances in single crystal growth and annealing treatment of electron-doped HTSC
High quality electron-doped HTSC single crystals of and have been
successfully grown by the container-free traveling solvent floating zone
technique. The optimally doped and crystals have transition temperatures
of \,K and \,K, respectively, with a transition width of less than
\,K. We found a strong dependence of the optimal growth parameters on the Ce
content . We discuss the optimization of the post-growth annealing treatment
of the samples, the doping extension of the superconducting dome for both
compounds as well as the role of excess oxygen. The absolute oxygen content of
the as-grown crystals is determined from thermogravimetric experiments and is
found to be . This oxygen surplus is nearly completely removed by a
post-growth annealing treatment. The reduction process is reversible as
demonstrated by magnetization measurements. In as-grown samples the excess
oxygen resides on the apical site O(3). This apical oxygen has nearly no doping
effect, but rather influences the evolution of superconductivity by inducing
additional disorder in the CuO layers. The very high crystal quality of
is particularly manifest in magnetic quantum
oscillations observed on several samples at different doping levels. They
provide a unique opportunity of studying the Fermi surface and its dependence
on the carrier concentration in the bulk of the crystals.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Eur. Phys. J.
Electron Dynamics in NdCeCuO: Evidence for the Pseudogap State and Unconventional c-axis Response
Infrared reflectance measurements were made with light polarized along the a-
and c-axis of both superconducting and antiferromagnetic phases of electron
doped NdCeCuO. The results are compared to
characteristic features of the electromagnetic response in hole doped cuprates.
Within the CuO planes the frequency dependent scattering rate,
1/, is depressed below 650 cm; this behavior is a
hallmark of the pseudogap state. While in several hole doped compounds the
energy scales associated with the pseudogap and superconducting states are
quite close, we are able to show that in NdCeCuO
the two scales differ by more than one order of magnitude. Another feature of
the in-plane charge response is a peak in the real part of the conductivity,
, at 50-110 cm which is in sharp contrast with the
Drude-like response where is centered at . This
latter effect is similar to what is found in disordered hole doped cuprates and
is discussed in the context of carrier localization. Examination of the c-axis
conductivity gives evidence for an anomalously broad frequency range from which
the interlayer superfluid is accumulated. Compelling evidence for the pseudogap
state as well as other characteristics of the charge dynamics in
NdCeCuO signal global similarities of the cuprate
phase diagram with respect to electron and hole doping.Comment: Submitted to PR
Microscopic annealing process and its impact on superconductivity in T'-structure electron-doped copper oxides
High-transition-temperature superconductivity arises in copper oxides when
holes or electrons are doped into the CuO2 planes of their insulating parent
compounds. While hole-doping quickly induces metallic behavior and
superconductivity in many cuprates, electron-doping alone is insufficient in
materials such as R2CuO4 (R is Nd, Pr, La, Ce, etc.), where it is necessary to
anneal an as-grown sample in a low-oxygen environment to remove a tiny amount
of oxygen in order to induce superconductivity. Here we show that the
microscopic process of oxygen reduction repairs Cu deficiencies in the as-grown
materials and creates oxygen vacancies in the stoichiometric CuO2 planes,
effectively reducing disorder and providing itinerant carriers for
superconductivity. The resolution of this long-standing materials issue
suggests that the fundamental mechanism for superconductivity is the same for
electron- and hole-doped copper oxides.Comment: 23 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Nature Material
Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 decreases breast cancer cell motility, invasion and matrix metalloproteinase expression
BACKGROUND: Cyclooxygenase (COX) is the rate-limiting enzyme that catalyzes the formation of prostaglandins. The inducible isoform of COX (COX-2) is highly expressed in aggressive metastatic breast cancers and may play a critical role in cancer progression (i.e. growth and metastasis). However, the exact mechanism(s) for COX-2-enhanced metastasis has yet to be clearly defined. It is well established that one of the direct results of COX-2 action is increased prostaglandin production, especially prostaglandin E(2 )(PGE(2)). Here, we correlate the inhibition of COX-2 activity with decreased breast cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression. METHODS: Breast cancer cells (Hs578T, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) were treated with selective COX-2 inhibitors (NS-398 and Niflumic acid, NA). Cell proliferation was measured by staining with erythrosin B and counting the viable cells using a hemacytometer. Cell migration and invasion were measured using migration and invasion chamber systems. MMP expression was determined by enzyme immunoassay (secreted protein) and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (mRNA). RESULTS: Our results show that there is a decline in proliferation, migration and invasion by the Hs578T and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines in the presence of either low concentrations (1 μM or lower) NA or NS-398. We also report that MMP mRNA and protein expression by Hs578T cells is inhibited by NS-398; there was a 50% decrease by 100 μM NS-398. PGE(2 )completely reversed the inhibitory effect of NS-398 on MMP mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: Our data suggests that COX-2-dependent activity is a necessary component for cellular and molecular mechanisms of breast cancer cell motility and invasion. COX-2 activity also modulates the expression of MMPs, which may be a part of the molecular mechanism by which COX-2 promotes cell invasion and migration. The studies suggest that COX-2 assists in determining and defining the metastatic signaling pathways that promote the breast cancer progression to metastasis
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