65 research outputs found
Bi(111) thin film with insulating interior but metallic surfaces
The electrical conductance of molecular beam epitaxial Bi on BaF2(111) was
measured as a function of both film thickness (4-540 nm) and temperature (5-300
K). Unlike bulk Bi as a prototype semimetal, the Bi thin films up to 90 nm are
found to be insulating in the interiors but metallic on the surfaces. This
result has not only resolved unambiguously the long controversy about the
existence of semimetal-semiconductor transition in Bi thin film but also
provided a straightforward interpretation for the long-puzzled temperature
dependence of the resistivity of Bi thin films, which in turn might suggest
some potential applications in spintronics
Phase transition between the quantum spin Hall and insulator phases in 3D: emergence of a topological gapless phase
Phase transitions between the quantum spin Hall and the insulator phases in
three dimensions are studied. We find that in inversion-asymmetric systems
there appears a gapless phase between the quantum spin Hall and insulator
phases in three dimensions, which is in contrast with the two-dimensional case.
Existence of this gapless phase stems from a topological nature of gapless
points (diabolical points) in three dimensions, but not in two dimensions.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure
Conductance of a STM contact on the surface of a thin film
The conductance of a contact, having a radius smaller than the Fermi wave
length, on the surface of a thin metal film is investigated theoretically. It
is shown that quantization of the electron energy spectrum in the film leads to
a step-like dependence of differential conductance G(V) as a function of
applied bias eV. The distance between neighboring steps in eV equals the energy
level spacing due to size quantization. We demonstrate that a study of G(V) for
both signs of the voltage maps the spectrum of energy levels above and below
Fermi surface in scanning tunneling experiments.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure
Size-dependent properties of dithallium selenide
We report on size-dependent properties of dithallium selenide, Tl2Se. We have
carried out a comparative nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study of Tl2Se
nanorods and bulk samples, measuring NMR spectra and spin-lattice relaxation
rate of 203Tl and 205Tl isotopes. Though bulk Tl2Se was reported to be a metal,
the Korringa-like spin-lattice relaxation behavior is observed only at low
temperatures and is transformed to an activation regime above ~200 K. This
finding is interpreted assuming a two-band model in the semimetallic compound.
Our measurements show significant difference in the Knight shift and indirect
nuclear exchange coupling for the bulk and nanorod Tl2Se samples, reflecting
noticeable distinction in their electronic structure. At that, Tl2Se nanorods
are semiconductors and exhibit a characteristic activation behavior in the
spin-lattice relaxation rate due to the thermal excitation of carriers to the
conduction band. The obtained size dependence of the Tl2Se properties is
interpreted in terms of the semimetal-semiconductor transformation due to the
quantum confinement.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure
Magnetic-field-dependent zero-bias diffusive anomaly in Pb oxide-n-InAs structures: Coexistence of two- and three-dimensional states
The results of experimental and theoretical studies of zero-bias anomaly
(ZBA) in the Pb-oxide-n-InAs tunnel structures in magnetic field up to 6T are
presented. A specific feature of the structures is a coexistence of the 2D and
3D states at the Fermi energy near the semiconductor surface. The dependence of
the measured ZBA amplitude on the strength and orientation of the applied
magnetic field is in agreement with the proposed theoretical model. According
to this model, electrons tunnel into 2D states, and move diffusively in the 2D
layer, whereas the main contribution to the screening comes from 3D electrons.Comment: 8 double-column pages, REVTeX, 9 eps figures embedded with epsf,
published versio
Reference Correlation of the Viscosity of Cyclohexane from the Triple Point to 700 K and up to 110 MPa
Virus-Induced Gene Silencing as a Tool for Comparative Functional Studies in Thalictrum
Perennial woodland herbs in the genus Thalictrum exhibit high diversity of floral morphology, including four breeding and two pollination systems. Their phylogenetic position, in the early-diverging eudicots, makes them especially suitable for exploring the evolution of floral traits and the fate of gene paralogs that may have shaped the radiation of the eudicots. A current limitation in evolution of plant development studies is the lack of genetic tools for conducting functional assays in key taxa spanning the angiosperm phylogeny. We first show that virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of a PHYTOENE DESATURASE ortholog (TdPDS) can be achieved in Thalictrum dioicum with an efficiency of 42% and a survival rate of 97%, using tobacco rattle virus (TRV) vectors. The photobleached leaf phenotype of silenced plants significantly correlates with the down-regulation of endogenous TdPDS (P<0.05), as compared to controls. Floral silencing of PDS was achieved in the faster flowering spring ephemeral T. thalictroides. In its close relative, T. clavatum, silencing of the floral MADS box gene AGAMOUS (AG) resulted in strong homeotic conversions of floral organs. In conclusion, we set forth our optimized protocol for VIGS by vacuum-infiltration of Thalictrum seedlings or dormant tubers as a reference for the research community. The three species reported here span the range of floral morphologies and pollination syndromes present in Thalictrum. The evidence presented on floral silencing of orthologs of the marker gene PDS and the floral homeotic gene AG will enable a comparative approach to the study of the evolution of flower development in this group
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