1,588 research outputs found
Interference of a first-order transition with the formation of a spin-Peierls state in alpha'-NaV2O5?
We present results of high-resolution thermal-expansion and specific-heat
measurements on single crystalline alpha'-NaV2O5. We find clear evidence for
two almost degenerate phase transitions associated with the formation of the
dimerized state around 33K: A sharp first-order transition at T1=(33+-0.1)K
slightly below the onset of a second-order transition at T2onset around
(34+-0.1)K. The latter is accompanied by pronounced spontaneous strains. Our
results are consistent with a structural transformation at T1 induced by the
incipient spin-Peierls (SP) order parameter above T2=TSP.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figure
Infrared study of spin-Peierls compound alpha'-NaV2O5
Infrared reflectance of alpha'-NaV2O5 single crystals in the frequency range
from 50 cm-1 to 10000 cm-1 was studied for a, b and c-polarisations. In
addition to phonon modes identification, for the a-polarised spectrum a broad
continuum absorption in the range of 1D magnetic excitation energies was found.
The strong near-IR absorption band at 0.8 eV shows a strong anisotropy with
vanishing intensity in c-polarisation. Activation of new phonons due to the
lattice dimerisation were detected below 35K as well as pretransitional
structural fluctuations up to 65K.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, 1 table. Contributed paper for the SCES'98 (15-18
July 1998, Paris). To be published in Physica
Coexistence of charge density wave and spin-Peierls orders in quarter-filled quasi-one dimensional correlated electron systems
Charge and spin-Peierls instabilities in quarter-filled (n=1/2) compounds
consisting of coupled ladders and/or zig-zag chains are investigated. Hubbard
and t-J models including local Holstein and/or Peierls couplings to the lattice
are studied by numerical techniques. Next nearest neighbor hopping and magnetic
exchange, and short-range Coulomb interactions are also considered. We show
that, generically, these systems undergo instabilities towards the formation of
Charge Density Waves, Bond Order Waves and (generalized) spin-Peierls modulated
structures. Moderate electron-electron and electron-lattice couplings can lead
to a coexistence of these three types of orders. In the ladder, a zig-zag
pattern is stabilized by the Holstein coupling and the nearest-neighbor Coulomb
repulsion. In the case of an isolated chain, bond-centered and site-centered
2k_F and 4k_F modulations are induced by the local Holstein coupling. In
addition, we show that, in contrast to the ladders, a small charge ordering in
the chains, strongly enhances the spin-Peierls instability. Our results are
applied to the NaV_2O_5 compound (trellis lattice) and various phases with
coexisting charge disproportionation and spin-Peierls order are proposed and
discussed in the context of recent experiments. The role of the long-range
Coulomb potential is also outlined.Comment: 10 pages, Revtex, 10 encapsulated figure
Magnetic bound states in the quarter-filled ladder system }
Raman scattering in the quarter-filled spin ladder system alpha'-NaV_2O_5
shows in the dimerized singlet ground state () an unexpected
sequence of three magnetic bound states. Our results suggest that the recently
proposed mapping onto an effective spin chain for has to be given
up in favor of the full topology and exchange paths of a ladder in the
dimerized phase for . As the new ground state we propose a dynamic
superposition of energetically nearly degenerate dimer configurations on the
ladder.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in PRB, brief reports, Dec. 199
Exogenous Interferon-α and Interferon-γ Increase Lethality of Murine Inhalational Anthrax
Bacillus anthracis, the etiologic agent of inhalational anthrax, is a facultative intracellular pathogen. Despite appropriate antimicrobial therapy, the mortality from inhalational anthrax approaches 45%, underscoring the need for better adjuvant therapies. The variable latency between exposure and development of disease suggests an important role for the host's innate immune response. Type I and Type II Interferons (IFN) are prominent members of the host innate immune response and are required for control of intracellular pathogens. We have previously described a protective role for exogenous Type I and Type II IFNs in attenuating intracellular B.anthracis germination and macrophage cell death in vitro.We sought to extend these findings in an in vivo model of inhalational anthrax, utilizing the Sterne strain (34F2) of B.anthracis. Mice devoid of STAT1, a component of IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma signaling, had a trend towards increased mortality, bacterial germination and extrapulmonary spread of B.anthracis at 24 hrs. This was associated with impaired IL-6, IL-10 and IL-12 production. However, administration of exogenous IFN-gamma, and to a lesser extent IFN-alpha, at the time of infection, markedly increased lethality. While IFNs were able to reduce the fraction of germinated spores within the lung, they increased both the local and systemic inflammatory response manifest by increases in IL-12 and reductions in IL-10. This was associated with an increase in extrapulmonary dissemination. The mechanism of IFN mediated inflammation appears to be in part due to STAT1 independent signaling.In conclusion, while endogenous IFNs are essential for control of B.anthracis germination and lethality, administration of exogenous IFNs appear to increase the local inflammatory response, thereby increasing mortality
Host defense responses to infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Induction of IRF-1 and a serine protease inhibitor.
Alveolar macrophages and newly recruited monocytes are targets of infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Therefore, we examined the expression of interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1), which plays an important role in host defense against M. tuberculosis, in undifferentiated and differentiated cells. Infection induced IRF-1 in both. IRF-1 from undifferentiated, uninfected monocytic cell lines was modified during extraction to produce specific species that were apparently smaller than intact IRF-1. After infection by M. tuberculosis or differentiation, intact IRF-1 was recovered. Subcellular fractions were assayed for the ability to modify IRF-1 or inhibit its modification. A serine protease on the cytoplasmic surface of an organelle or vesicle in the "lysosomal/mitochondrial" fraction from undifferentiated cells was responsible for the modification of IRF-1. Thus, the simplest explanation of the modification is cleavage of IRF-1 by the serine protease. Recovery of intact IRF-1 correlated with induction of a serine protease inhibitor that was able to significantly reduce the modification of IRF-1. The inhibitor was present in the cytoplasm of M. tuberculosis-infected or -differentiated cells. It is likely that induction of both IRF-1 and the serine protease inhibitor in response to infection by M. tuberculosis represent host defense mechanisms
Thermodynamic properties of a tetramer ferro-ferro-antiferro-antiferromagnetic Ising-Heisenberg bond alternating chain as a model system for Cu(3-Clpy)(N)
Thermodynamic properties of a tetramer
ferro-ferro-antiferro-antiferromagnetic Ising-Heisenberg bond alternating chain
are investigated by the use of an exact mapping transformation technique. Exact
results for the magnetization, susceptibility and specific heat in the zero as
well as nonzero magnetic field are presented and discussed in detail. The
results obtained from the mapping are compared with the relevant experimental
data of Cu(3-Clpy)(N) (3-Clpy=3-Chloropyridine).Comment: 10 pages, 1 table, 14 figures, to be presented at CSMAG04 conferenc
Thermodynamical Properties of a Spin 1/2 Heisenberg Chain Coupled to Phonons
We performed a finite-temperature quantum Monte Carlo simulation of the
one-dimensional spin-1/2 Heisenberg model with nearest-neighbor interaction
coupled to Einstein phonons. Our method allows to treat easily up to 100
phonons per site and the results presented are practically free from truncation
errors. We studied in detail the magnetic susceptibility, the specific heat,
the phonon occupation, the dimerization, and the spin-correlation function for
various spin-phonon couplings and phonon frequencies. In particular we give
evidence for the transition from a gapless to a massive phase by studying the
finite-size behavior of the susceptibility. We also show that the dimerization
is proportional to for .Comment: 10 pages, 17 Postscript Figure
High-field Electron Spin Resonance of Cu_{1-x}Zn_{x}GeO_{3}
High-Field Electron Spin Resonance measurements were made on powder samples
of Cu_{1-x}Zn_{x}GeO_{3} (x=0.00, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03 and 0.05) at different
frequencies (95, 110, 190, 220, 330 and 440 GHz) at low temperatures. The
spectra of the doped samples show resonances whose positions are dependent on
Zn concentration, frequency and temperature. The analysis of intensity
variation of these lines with temperature allows us to identify them as
originating in transitions within states situated inside the Spin Peierls gap.
A qualitative explanation of the details of the spectra is possible if we
assume that these states in the gap are associated with "loose" spins created
near the Zn impurities, as recently theoreticaly predicted. A new phenomenon of
quenching of the ESR signal across the Dimerized to Incommensurate
phase-boundary is observed.Comment: 4 pages, 5 ps figures in the text, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
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