295 research outputs found
Quantum Oscillations in the Underdoped Cuprate YBa2Cu4O8
We report the observation of quantum oscillations in the underdoped cuprate
superconductor YBa2Cu4O8 using a tunnel-diode oscillator technique in pulsed
magnetic fields up to 85T. There is a clear signal, periodic in inverse field,
with frequency 660+/-15T and possible evidence for the presence of two
components of slightly different frequency. The quasiparticle mass is
m*=3.0+/-0.3m_e. In conjunction with the results of Doiron-Leyraud et al. for
YBa2Cu3O6.5, the present measurements suggest that Fermi surface pockets are a
general feature of underdoped copper oxide planes and provide information about
the doping dependence of the Fermi surface.Comment: Contains revisions addressing referees' comments including a
different Fig 1b. 4 pages, 4 figure
Plasma oxylipins and unesterified precursor fatty acids are altered by DHA supplementation in pregnancy: Can they help predict risk of preterm birth?
Oxidized lipids derived from omega-6 (n-6) and omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids, collectively known as oxylipins, are bioactive signaling molecules that play diverse roles in human health and disease. Supplementation with n-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) during pregnancy has been reported to decrease the risk of preterm birth in singleton pregnancies, which may be due to effects of DHA supplementation on oxylipins or their precursor n-6 and n-3 fatty acids. There is only limited understanding of the levels and trajectory of changes in plasma oxylipins during pregnancy, effects of DHA supplementation on oxylipins and unesterified fatty acids, and whether and how oxylipins and their unesterified precursor fatty acids influence preterm birth. In the present study we used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to profile oxylipins and their precursor fatty acids in the unesterified pool using plasma samples collected from a subset of pregnant Australian women who participated in the ORIP (Omega-3 fats to Reduce the Incidence of Prematurity) study. ORIP is a large randomized controlled trial testing whether daily supplementation with n-3 DHA can reduce the incidence of early preterm birth compared to control. Plasma was collected at study entry (≈pregnancy week 14) and again at ≈week 24, in a subgroup of 48 ORIP participants-12 cases with spontaneous preterm (<37 weeks) birth and 36 matched controls with spontaneous term (≥40 weeks) birth. In the combined preterm and term pregnancies, we observed that in the control group without DHA supplementation unesterified AA and AA-derived oxylipins 12-HETE, 15-HETE and TXB2 declined between weeks 14-24 of pregnancy. Compared to control, DHA supplementation increased unesterified DHA, EPA, and AA, DHA-derived 4-HDHA, 10-HDHA and 19,20-EpDPA, and AA-derived 12-HETE at 24 weeks. In exploratory analysis independent of DHA supplementation, participants with concentrations above the median for 5-lipoxygenase derivatives of AA (5-HETE, Odds Ratio (OR) 8.2; p = 0.014) or DHA (4-HDHA, OR 8.0; p = 0.015) at 14 weeks, or unesterified AA (OR 5.1; p = 0.038) at 24 weeks had higher risk of spontaneous preterm birth. The hypothesis that 5-lipoxygenase-derived oxylipins and unesterified AA could serve as mechanism-based biomarkers predicting spontaneous preterm birth should be evaluated in larger, adequately powered studies
Superconductivity induced by spark erosion in ZrZn2
We show that the superconductivity observed recently in the weak itinerant
ferromagnet ZrZn2 [C. Pfleiderer et al., Nature (London) 412, 58 (2001)] is due
to remnants of a superconducting layer induced by spark erosion. Results of
resistivity, susceptibility, specific heat and surface analysis measurements on
high-quality ZrZn2 crystals show that cutting by spark erosion leaves a
superconducting surface layer. The resistive superconducting transition is
destroyed by chemically etching a layer of 5 microns from the sample. No
signature of superconductivity is observed in rho(T) of etched samples at the
lowest current density measured, J=675 Am-2, and at T < 45 mK. EDX analysis
shows that spark-eroded surfaces are strongly Zn depleted. The simplest
explanation of our results is that the superconductivity results from an alloy
with higher Zr content than ZrZn2.Comment: Final published versio
Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in YBa_2Cu_4O_8
We report the observation of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in the underdoped
cuprate superconductor YBaCuO (Y124). For field aligned along the
c-axis, the frequency of the oscillations is T, which corresponds
to % of the total area of the first Brillouin zone. The effective
mass of the quasiparticles on this orbit is measured to be times
the free electron mass. Both the frequency and mass are comparable to those
recently observed for ortho-II YBaCuO (Y123-II). We show that
although small Fermi surface pockets may be expected from band structure
calculations in Y123-II, no such pockets are predicted for Y124. Our results
therefore imply that these small pockets are a generic feature of the copper
oxide plane in underdoped cuprates.Comment: v2: Version of paper accepted for publication in Physical Review
Letters. Only minor changes to the text and reference
Surface states and their possible role in the superconductivity of MgB2
We report layer-Korringa-Kohn-Rostocker calculations for bulk and surface
states as well as the corresponding angle resolved photoemission (ARPES)
intensities of MgB2. Our theoretical results reproduce very well the recent
ARPES data by Uchiyama et al., cond-mat/0111152. At least two surface states
are assigned. Consequences of SFS on the anisotropy of the upper critical
fields and other properties in the superconducting state of small grains in
micropowder samples are briefly discussed.Comment: 4pages, 6figures, corrected typos, references adde
Ferromagnetic Properties of ZrZn
The low Curie temperature (T_C approx 28K) and small ordered moment (M_0
approx 0.17 mu_B f.u.^-1) of ZrZn2 make it one of the few examples of a weak
itinerant ferromagnet. We report results of susceptibility, magnetization,
resistivity and specific heat measurements made on high-quality single crystals
of ZrZn2. From magnetization scaling in the vicinity of T_C
(0.001<|T-T_C|/T_C<0.08), we obtain the critical exponents beta=0.52+/-0.05 and
delta=3.20+/-0.08, and T_C=27.50+/-0.05K. Low-temperature magnetization
measurements show that the easy axis is [111]. Resistivity measurements reveal
an anomaly at T_C and a non-Fermi liquid temperature dependence
rho(T)=rho_0+AT^n, where n=1.67+/-0.02, for 1<T<14K. The specific heat
measurements show a mean-field-like anomaly at T_C. We compare our results to
various theoretical models.Comment: submitted to PR
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MP3 - A meteorology and physical properties package to explore air-sea interaction on Titan
The exchange of mass, heat and momentum at the air:sea interface are profound influences on the terrestrial environment, affecting the intensity of hurricanes, the size of waves and lake-effect precipitation. Titan presents us with an opportunity to study these processes in a novel physical context, with a different sea, atmosphere and gravity. The MP3 instrument, under development for the proposed Discovery mission TiME (Titan Mare Explorer [1,2]) is an integrated suite of small, simple sensors that combines the function of traditional meteorology packages with liquid physical properties and depth-sounding : these latter functions follow the concept of - and indeed use spare elements from - the Huygens Surface Science Package (SSP,[3]). However, unlike Huygens’ brief and dynamic 3 hours of measurement, in TiME’s 6-Titan-day (96 Earth day) nominal mission enabled by radioisotope power, MP3 will have an unprecedented long-term measurement opportunity in one of the most evocative environments in the solar system, Titan’s sea Ligeia Mare
Phenomenology of the normal state in-plane transport properties of high- cuprates
In this article, I review progress towards an understanding of the normal
state (in-plane) transport properties of high- cuprates in the light of
recent developments in both spectroscopic and transport measurement techniques.
Against a backdrop of mounting evidence for anisotropic single-particle
lifetimes in cuprate superconductors, new results have emerged that advocate
similar momentum dependence in the transport decay rate ({\bf k}). In
addition, enhancement of the energy scale (up to the bare bandwidth) over which
spectroscopic information on the quasiparticle response can be obtained has led
to the discovery of new, unforeseen features that surprisingly, may have a
significant bearing on the transport properties at the dc limit. With these two
key developments in mind, I consider here whether all the ingredients necessary
for a complete phenomenological description of the anomalous normal state
transport properties of high- cuprates are now in place.Comment: 31 pages, 10 figure
From high temperature supercondutivity to quantum spin liquid: progress in strong correlation physics
This review gives a rather general discussion of high temperature
superconductors as an example of a strongly correlated material. The argument
is made that in view of the many examples of unconventional superconductors
discovered in the past twenty years, we should no longer be surprised that
superconductivity emerges as a highly competitive ground state in systems where
Coulomb repulsion plays a dominant role. The physics of the cuprates is
discussed, emphasizing the unusual pseudogap phase in the underdoped region. It
is argued that the resonating valence bond (RVB) picture, as formulated using
gauge theory with fermionic and bosonic matter fields, gives an adequate
physical understanding, even though many details are beyond the powers of
current calculational tools. The recent discovery of quantum oscillations in a
high magnetic field is discussed in this context. Meanwhile, the problem of the
quantum spin liquid (a spin system with antiferromagnetic coupling which
refuses to order even at zero temperature) is a somewhat simpler version of the
high problem where significant progress has been made recently. It is
understood that the existence of matter fields can lead to de-confinement of
the U(1) gauge theory in 2+1 dimensions, and novel new particles (called
fractionalized particles), such as fermionic spinons which carry spin and no charge, and gapless gauge bosons can emerge to create a new critical
state at low energies. We even have a couple of real materials where such a
scenario may be realized experimentally. The article ends with answers to
questions such as: what limits if pairing is driven by an electronic
energy scale? why is the high problem hard? why is there no consensus?
and why is the high problem important?Comment: Submitted as "Key Issue" essay for Report of Progress in Physics; v2:
References are added and typos correcte
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