On the Origin of the Checkerboard Pattern in Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Maps of Underdoped Cuprate Superconductors

The checkerboard pattern in the differential conductance maps on underdoped cuprates appears when the STM is placed above the O-sites in the outermost CuO$_{\text{2}}$-plane. In this position the interference between tunneling paths through the apical ions above the neighboring Cu-sites leads to an asymmetric weighting of final states in the two antinodal regions of ${\boldsymbol{k}}$-space. The form of the asymmetry in the differential conductance spectra in the checkerboard pattern favors asymmetry in the localization length rather than a nematic displacement as the underlying origin.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, final versio

Charged lepton flavor violating Higgs decays at future e+e−e^+e^- colliders

After the discovery of the Higgs boson, several future experiments have been proposed to study the Higgs boson properties, including two circular lepton colliders, the CEPC and the FCC-ee, and one linear lepton collider, the ILC. We evaluate the precision reach of these colliders in measuring the branching ratios of the charged lepton flavor violating Higgs decays $H\to e^\pm\mu^\mp$, $e^\pm\tau^\mp$ and $\mu^\pm\tau^\mp$. The expected upper bounds on the branching ratios given by the circular (linear) colliders are found to be $\mathcal{B}(H\to e^\pm\mu^\mp) < 1.2\ (2.1) \times 10^{-5}$, $\mathcal{B}(H\to e^\pm\tau^\mp) < 1.6\ (2.4) \times 10^{-4}$ and $\mathcal{B}(H\to \mu^\pm\tau^\mp) < 1.4\ (2.3) \times 10^{-4}$ at 95\% CL, which are improved by one to two orders compared to the current experimental bounds. We also discuss the constraints that these upper bounds set on certain theory parameters, including the charged lepton flavor violating Higgs couplings, the corresponding parameters in the type-III 2HDM, and the new physics cut-off scales in the SMEFT, in RS models and in models with heavy neutrinos.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figures (extend the CEPC study to the FCC-ee and the ILC, and to match the published version

Andreev and Single Particle Tunneling Spectroscopies in Underdoped Cuprates

We study tunneling spectroscopy between a normal metal and underdoped cuprate superconductor modeled by a phenomenological theory in which the pseudogap is a precursor to the undoped Mott insulator. In the transparent tunneling limit, the spectra show a small energy gap associated with Andreev reflection. In the Giaever limit, the spectra show a large energy gap associated with single particle tunneling. Our theory semi-quantitatively describes the two gap behavior observed in tunneling experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. minor changes of reference

Facile fabrication of HDPE-g-MA/nanodiamond nanocomposites via one-step reactive blending

In this letter, nanocomposites based on maleic anhydride grafted high density polyethylene (HDPE-g-MA) and amine-functionalized nanodiamond (ND) were fabricated via one-step reactive melt-blending, generating a homogeneous dispersion of ND, as evidenced by transmission electron microscope observations. Thermal analysis results suggest that addition of ND does not affect significantly thermal stability of polymer matrix in nitrogen. However, it was interestingly found that incorporating pure ND decreases the thermal oxidation degradation stability temperature, but blending amino-functionalized ND via reactive processing significantly enhances it of HDPE in air condition. Most importantly, cone tests revealed that both ND additives and reactive blending greatly reduce the heat release rate of HDPE. The results suggest that ND has a potential application as flame retardant alternative for polymers. Tensile results show that adding ND considerably enhances Young's modulus, and reactive blending leads to further improvement in Young's modulus while hardly reducing the elongation at break of HDPE

Why a local moment induces an antiferromagnetic ordering: An RVB picture

Based on a Gutzwiller projected BCS wavefunction, it is shown that a local S=1/2 moment is present around a vacancy site (zinc impurity) in a form of staggered magnetic moments, which is a direct consequence of the short-ranged resonating-valence-bond (RVB) pairing in the spin background.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Ethnobiological notes and volatile profiles of two rare Chinese desert truffles

The production of a distinct profile of volatile organic compounds plays a crucial role in the ecology of hypogeous Ascomycetes, and is also key to their gastronomic relevance. In this study, we explored the aroma components of two rarely investigated Chinese desert truffles, namely Mattirolomyces terfezioides and Choiromyces cerebriformis, using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Our investigation revealed the significant presence of sulphur-containing volatiles in the aroma of M. terfezioides but not in C. cerebriformis. We discussed available information on the distribution of these interesting truffles in China and their use as choice food by local people

2-Ethyl­imidazolium terephthalate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C5H9N2 +·C8H5O4 −, consists of one protonated 2-ethyl­imidazolium cation and two half terephthalate anions. The anions and cations are linked through N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds while the anions are associated via O—H⋯O inter­actions, resulting in a layered structure. The ethyl group of the cation is disordered over twosites of occupancies 0.812 (14) and 0.188 (14). The hydroxy H atoms of the anions are equally disordered over two symmetry-related sites

Tissue distribution of emulsified γ-tocotrienol and its long-term biological effects after subcutaneous administration

BACKGROUND: γ-tocotrienol (GT3), an analogue of vitamin E, has gained increasing scientific interest recently as it provides significant health benefits. It has been shown that emulsified GT3, after subcutaneous administration, has long-term biological effects. However, whether the effects are due to the increase of GT3 level in the early phase following administration or the persistent functions after accumulation in tissues is unknown. This study was conducted to determine the levels of GT3 in different tissues by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a fluorescence detector after a single-dose of GT3 with polyethylene glycol (PEG-400) emulsion via subcutaneous injection. Previous studies have explored that GT3 has favorable effects on bone and can inhibit osteoclast formation. To confirm the persistent biological activity of accumulated GT3 in tissues, receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) gene expressions, which have an important role in regulating osteoclast formation, were also evaluated in bone tissue on day 1, 3, 7 and 14 after a signal subcutaneous injection of GT3. METHODS: C57BL/6 female mice were administrated GT3 (100 mg/kg body weight) with PEG-400 emulsion by subcutaneous injection. GT3 levels in different tissues were determined by HPLC with a fluorescence detector. Gene expressions were measured by real-time PCR. RESULTS: GT3 predominantly accumulated in adipose and heart tissue, and was maintained at a relatively stable level in bone tissues after a single-dose administration. Accumulated GT3 in bone tissues significantly inhibited the increase in RANKL expression and the decrease in OPG expression induced by db-cAMP. CONCLUSIONS: We investigated the tissue distribution of GT3 with PEG emulsion by subcutaneous administration, which has never been reported so far. Our results suggest that GT3 with PEG emulsion accumulated in tissues is able to carry out a long-term biological effect and has therapeutic value for treating and preventing osteoporosis