147 research outputs found
Unusual Ground State Properties of the Kondo-Lattice Compound Yb2Ir3Ge5
We report sample preparation, structure, electrical resistivity, magnetic
susceptibility and heat capacity studies of a new compound YbIrGe.
We find that this compound crystallizes in an orthorhombic structure with a
space group PMMN unlike the compound CeIrGe which crystallizes in
the tetragonal IBAM (UCoSi type) structure. Our resistivity
measurements indicate that the compound YbIrGe behaves like a
typical Kondo lattice system with no ordering down to 0.4 K. However, a
Curie-Weiss fit of the inverse magnetic susceptibility above 100 K gives an
effective moment of only 3.66 which is considerably less than the
theoretical value of 4.54 for magnetic Yb ions. The value of
= -15.19 K is also considerably higher indicating the presence of
strong hybridization. An upturn in the low temperature heat capacity gives an
indication that the system may order magnetically just below the lowest
temperature of our heat capacity measurements (0.4 K). The structure contains
two sites for Yb ions and the present investigation suggests that Yb may be
trivalent in one site while it may be significantly lower (close to divalent)
in the other.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures. submitted to Phys. Rev.
Break junctions of the heavy-fermion superconductors
Mechanical-controllable break junctions of the heavy-fermion superconductors
can show Josephson-like superconducting anomalies. But a systematic study on
the contact size demonstrates that these anomalies are mainly due to Maxwell's
resistance being suppressed in the superconducting heavy-fermion phase. Up to
day, we could not find any superconducting features by vacuum-tunnelling
spectroscopy, providing further evidence for the pair-breaking effect of the
heavy-fermion interfaces.Comment: 5 pages, EPS figures included, REVTeX, to be published in Physica B
9
Kondo effect in Ce(x)La(1-x)Cu(2.05)Si(2) intermetallics
The magnetic susceptibility and susceptibility anisotropy of the quasi-binary
alloy system Ce(x)La(1-x)Cu(2.05)Si(2) have been studied for low concentration
of Ce ions. The single-ion desc ription is found to be valid for x < 0.1. The
experimental results are discussed in terms of t he degenerate
Coqblin-Schrieffer model with a crystalline electric field splitting Delta =
330 K. The properties of the model, obtained by combining the lowest-order
scaling and the pertur bation theory, provide a satisfactory description of the
experimental data down to 30 K. The e xperimental results between 20 K and 2 K
are explained by the exact solution of the Kondo mode l for an effective
doublet.Comment: 11 pages, 13 Postscript figures, 1 tabl
Thermopower of the Correlated Narrow Gap Semiconductor FeSi and Comparison to RuSi
Iron based narrow gap semiconductors such as FeSi, FeSb2, or FeGa3 have
received a lot of attention because they exhibit a large thermopower, as well
as striking similarities to heavy fermion Kondo insulators. Many proposals have
been advanced, however, lacking quantitative methodologies applied to this
problem, a consensus remained elusive to date. Here, we employ realistic
many-body calculations to elucidate the impact of electronic correlation
effects on FeSi. Our methodology accounts for all substantial anomalies
observed in FeSi: the metallization, the lack of conservation of spectral
weight in optical spectroscopy, and the Curie susceptibility. In particular we
find a very good agreement for the anomalous thermoelectric power. Validated by
this congruence with experiment, we further discuss a new physical picture of
the microscopic nature of the insulator-to-metal crossover. Indeed, we find the
suppression of the Seebeck coefficient to be driven by correlation induced
incoherence. Finally, we compare FeSi to its iso-structural and iso-electronic
homologue RuSi, and predict that partially substituted Fe(1-x)Ru(x)Si will
exhibit an increased thermopower at intermediate temperatures.Comment: 14 pages. Proceedings of the Hvar 2011 Workshop on 'New materials for
thermoelectric applications: theory and experiment
Recruitment Strategies and Colony Size in Ants
Ants use a great variety of recruitment methods to forage for food or find new nests, including tandem running, group recruitment and scent trails. It has been known for some time that there is a loose correlation across many taxa between species-specific mature colony size and recruitment method. Very small colonies tend to use solitary foraging; small to medium sized colonies use tandem running or group recruitment whereas larger colonies use pheromone recruitment trails. Until now, explanations for this correlation have focused on the ants' ecology, such as food resource distribution. However, many species have colonies with a single queen and workforces that grow over several orders of magnitude, and little is known about how a colony's organization, including recruitment methods, may change during its growth. After all, recruitment involves interactions between ants, and hence the size of the colony itself may influence which recruitment method is used—even if the ants' behavioural repertoire remains unchanged. Here we show using mathematical models that the observed correlation can also be explained by recognizing that failure rates in recruitment depend differently on colony size in various recruitment strategies. Our models focus on the build up of recruiter numbers inside colonies and are not based on optimality arguments, such as maximizing food yield. We predict that ant colonies of a certain size should use only one recruitment method (and always the same one) rather than a mix of two or more. These results highlight the importance of the organization of recruitment and how it is affected by colony size. Hence these results should also expand our understanding of ant ecology
Strategies of a parasite of the ant–Acacia mutualism
Mutualisms can be exploited by parasites—species that obtain resources from a partner but provide no services. Though the stability of mutualisms in the presence of such parasites is under intensive investigation, we have little information on life history traits that allow a species to be a successful mutualist or rather a parasite, particularly in cases where both are closely related. We studied the exploitation of Acacia myrmecophytes by the ant, Pseudomyrmex gracilis, contrasting with the mutualistic ant Pseudomyrmex ferrugineus. P. gracilis showed no host-defending behavior and had a negative effect on plant growth. By preventing the mutualist from colonization, P. gracilis imposes opportunity costs on the host plant. P. gracilis produced smaller colonies with a higher proportion of alates than did the mutualist and thus showed an “r-like” strategy. This appears to be possible because P. gracilis relies less on host-derived food resources than does the mutualist, as shown by behavioral and stable isotope studies. We discuss how this system allows the identification of strategies that characterize parasites of mutualisms
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