132 research outputs found
The Magic Angle "Mystery" in Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy: Relativistic and Dielectric Corrections
Recently it has been demonstrated that a careful treatment of both
longitudinal and transverse matrix elements in electron energy loss spectra can
explain the mystery of relativistic effects on the {\it magic angle}. Here we
show that there is an additional correction of order where is
the atomic number and the fine structure constant, which is not
necessarily small for heavy elements. Moreover, we suggest that macroscopic
electrodynamic effects can give further corrections which can break the
sample-independence of the magic angle.Comment: 10 pages (double column), 6 figure
Casimir forces on a silicon micromechanical chip
Quantum fluctuations give rise to van der Waals and Casimir forces that
dominate the interaction between electrically neutral objects at sub-micron
separations. Under the trend of miniaturization, such quantum electrodynamical
effects are expected to play an important role in micro- and nano-mechanical
devices. Nevertheless, utilization of Casimir forces on the chip level remains
a major challenge because all experiments so far require an external object to
be manually positioned close to the mechanical element. Here, by integrating a
force-sensing micromechanical beam and an electrostatic actuator on a single
chip, we demonstrate the Casimir effect between two micromachined silicon
components on the same substrate. A high degree of parallelism between the two
near-planar interacting surfaces can be achieved because they are defined in a
single lithographic step. Apart from providing a compact platform for Casimir
force measurements, this scheme also opens the possibility of tailoring the
Casimir force using lithographically defined components of non-conventional
shapes
Electrical detection of magnetic skyrmions by non-collinear magnetoresistance
Magnetic skyrmions are localised non-collinear spin textures with high
potential for future spintronic applications. Skyrmion phases have been
discovered in a number of materials and a focus of current research is the
preparation, detection, and manipulation of individual skyrmions for an
implementation in devices. Local experimental characterization of skyrmions has
been performed by, e.g., Lorentz microscopy or atomic-scale tunnel
magnetoresistance measurements using spin-polarised scanning tunneling
microscopy. Here, we report on a drastic change of the differential tunnel
conductance for magnetic skyrmions arising from their non-collinearity: mixing
between the spin channels locally alters the electronic structure, making a
skyrmion electronically distinct from its ferromagnetic environment. We propose
this non-collinear magnetoresistance (NCMR) as a reliable all-electrical
detection scheme for skyrmions with an easy implementation into device
architectures
Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction and Spiral Order in Spin-orbit Coupled Optical Lattices
We show that the recent experimental realization of spin-orbit coupling in
ultracold atomic gases can be used to study different types of spin spiral
order and resulting multiferroic effects. Spin-orbit coupling in optical
lattices can give rise to the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) spin interaction which
is essential for spin spiral order. By taking into account spin-orbit coupling
and an external Zeeman field, we derive an effective spin model in the Mott
insulator regime at half filling and demonstrate that the DM interaction in
optical lattices can be made extremely strong with realistic experimental
parameters. The rich finite temperature phase diagrams of the effective spin
models for fermions and bosons are obtained via classical Monte Carlo
simulations.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Average and extreme multi-atom Van der Waals interactions: Strong coupling of multi-atom Van der Waals interactions with covalent bonding
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The prediction of ligand binding or protein structure requires very accurate force field potentials – even small errors in force field potentials can make a 'wrong' structure (from the billions possible) more stable than the single, 'correct' one. However, despite huge efforts to optimize them, currently-used all-atom force fields are still not able, in a vast majority of cases, even to keep a protein molecule in its native conformation in the course of molecular dynamics simulations or to bring an approximate, homology-based model of protein structure closer to its native conformation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A strict analysis shows that a specific coupling of multi-atom Van der Waals interactions with covalent bonding can, in extreme cases, increase (or decrease) the interaction energy by about 20–40% at certain angles between the direction of interaction and the covalent bond. It is also shown that on average multi-body effects decrease the total Van der Waals energy in proportion to the square root of the electronic component of dielectric permittivity corresponding to dipole-dipole interactions at small distances, where Van der Waals interactions take place.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study shows that currently-ignored multi-atom Van der Waals interactions can, in certain instances, lead to significant energy effects, comparable to those caused by the replacement of atoms (for instance, C by N) in conventional pairwise Van der Waals interactions.</p
From Luttinger to Fermi liquids in organic conductors
This chapter reviews the effects of interactions in quasi-one dimensional
systems, such as the Bechgaard and Fabre salts, and in particular the Luttinger
liquid physics. It discusses in details how transport measurements both d.c.
and a.c. allow to probe such a physics. It also examine the dimensional
crossover and deconfinement transition occurring between the one dimensional
case and the higher dimensional one resulting from the hopping of electrons
between chains in the quasi-one dimensional structure.Comment: To be published In the book "The Physics of Organic Conductors and
Superconductors", Springer, 2007, ed. A. Lebe
Room temperature chiral magnetic skyrmion in ultrathin magnetic nanostructures
Magnetic skyrmions are chiral spin structures with a whirling configuration.
Their topological properties, nanometer size and the fact that they can be
moved by small current densities have opened a new paradigm for the
manipulation of magnetisation at the nanoscale. To date, chiral skyrmion
structures have been experimentally demonstrated only in bulk materials and in
epitaxial ultrathin films and under external magnetic field or at low
temperature. Here, we report on the observation of stable skyrmions in
sputtered ultrathin Pt/Co/MgO nanostructures, at room temperature and zero
applied magnetic field. We use high lateral resolution X-ray magnetic circular
dichroism microscopy to image their chiral N\'eel internal structure which we
explain as due to the large strength of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction
as revealed by spin wave spectroscopy measurements. Our results are
substantiated by micromagnetic simulations and numerical models, which allow
the identification of the physical mechanisms governing the size and stability
of the skyrmions.Comment: Submitted version. Extended version to appear in Nature
Nanotechnolog
Magnetic Modulation in Mechanical Alloyed Cr1.4fe0.6o3 Oxide
We have synthesized Cr1.4Fe0.6O3 compound through mechanical alloying of
Cr2O3 and Fe2O3 powders and subsequent thermal annealing. The XRD spectrum, SEM
picture and microanalysis of EDAX spectrum have been used to understand the
structural evolution in the alloyed compound. The alloyed samples are matching
to rhombohedral structure with R3C space group. The observation of a modulated
magnetic order confirmed a systematic diffusion of Fe atoms into the Cr sites
of lattice structure. A field induced magnetic behaviour is seen in the field
dependence of magnetization data of the annealed samples. The behaviour is
significantly different from the mechanical alloyed samples. The experimental
results provided the indications of considering the present material as a
potential candidate for opto-electronic applications.Comment: 8 figure
Chiral superconductivity from repulsive interactions in doped graphene
Author Manuscript 17 Sep 2011Chiral superconductivity, which breaks time-reversal symmetry, can exhibit a wealth of fascinating properties that are highly sought after for nanoscience applications. We identify doped graphene monolayer as a system where chiral superconductivity can be realized. In this material, a unique situation arises at a doping where the Fermi surface is nested and the density of states is singular. In this regime, d-wave superconductivity can emerge from repulsive electron–electron interactions. Using a renormalization group method, we argue that superconductivity dominates over all competing orders for generic weak repulsive interactions. Superconductivity develops simultaneously in two degenerate d-wave pairing channels. We argue that the resulting superconducting state is of chiral type, with the phase of the superconducting order parameter winding by 4π around the Fermi surface. Realization of this state in doped graphene will prove that superconductivity can emerge from electron–electron repulsion, and will open the door to applications of chiral superconductivity
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