251 research outputs found
Fractal fractal dimensions of deterministic transport coefficients
If a point particle moves chaotically through a periodic array of scatterers
the associated transport coefficients are typically irregular functions under
variation of control parameters. For a piecewise linear two-parameter map we
analyze the structure of the associated irregular diffusion coefficient and
current by numerically computing dimensions from box-counting and from the
autocorrelation function of these graphs. We find that both dimensions are
fractal for large parameter intervals and that both quantities are themselves
fractal functions if computed locally on a uniform grid of small but finite
subintervals. We furthermore show that there is a simple functional
relationship between the structure of fractal fractal dimensions and the
difference quotient defined on these subintervals.Comment: 16 pages (revtex) with 6 figures (postscript
Selective COX-2 inhibitors and risk of myocardial infarction
Selective inhibitors of cyclooxygenase- 2 ( COX- 2, ` coxibs') are highly effective anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs that exert their action by preventing the formation of prostanoids. Recently some coxibs, which were designed to exploit the advantageous effects of non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs while evading their side effects, have been reported to increase the risk of myocardial infarction and atherothrombotic events. This has led to the withdrawal of rofecoxib from global markets, and warnings have been issued by drug authorities about similar events during the use of celecoxib or valdecoxib/ parecoxib, bringing about questions of an inherent atherothrombotic risk of all coxibs and consequences that should be drawn by health care professionals. These questions need to be addressed in light of the known effects of selective inhibition of COX- 2 on the cardiovascular system. Although COX- 2, in contrast to the cyclooxygenase-1 ( COX- 1) isoform, is regarded as an inducible enzyme that only has a role in pathophysiological processes like pain and inflammation, experimental and clinical studies have shown that COX- 2 is constitutively expressed in tissues like the kidney or vascular endothelium, where it executes important physiological functions. COX- 2- dependent formation of prostanoids not only results in the mediation of pain or inflammatory signals but also in the maintenance of vascular integrity. Especially prostacyclin ( PGI(2)), which exerts vasodilatory and antiplatelet properties, is formed to a significant extent by COX- 2, and its levels are reduced to less than half of normal when COX- 2 is inhibited. This review outlines the rationale for the development of selective COX- 2 inhibitors and the pathophysiological consequences of selective inhibition of COX- 2 with special regard to vasoactive prostaglandins. It describes coxibs that are currently available, evaluates the current knowledge on the risk of atherothrombotic events associated with their intake and critically discusses the consequences that should be drawn from these insights. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel
Frustration of the interlayer coupling by mobile holes in La2-xSrxCuO4 (x<0.02)
We have studied the interlayer coupling in the antiferromagnetic (AF) phase
of Sr and Zn doped La2CuO4 by analyzing the spin flip transition in the
magnetization curves. We find that the interlayer coupling strongly depends on
the mobility of the hole charge carriers. Samples with the same hole content as
well as the same Neel temperature but a different hole mobility, which we
adjusted by Zn co-doping, can have a very different interlayer coupling. Our
results suggest that only mobile holes can cause a strong frustration of the
interlayer coupling.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Solitonic spin-liquid state due to the violation of the Lifshitz condition in FeTe
A combination of phenomenological analysis and M\"ossbauer spectroscopy
experiments on the tetragonal FeTe system indicates that the magnetic
ordering transition in compounds with higher Fe-excess, 0.11, is
unconventional. Experimentally, a liquid-like magnetic precursor with
quasi-static spin-order is found from significantly broadened M\"ossbauer
spectra at temperatures above the antiferromagnetic transition. The
incommensurate spin-density wave (SDW) order in FeTe is described by a
magnetic free energy that violates the weak Lifshitz condition in the Landau
theory of second-order transitions. The presence of multiple Lifshitz
invariants provides the mechanism to create multidimensional, twisted, and
modulated solitonic phases.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
Ferromagnetism and superconductivity in P-doped CeFeAsO
We report on superconductivity in CeFeAs1-xPxO and the possible coexistence
with Ce- ferromagnetism (FM) in a small homogeneity range around x = 30% with
ordering temperatures of T_SC = T_C = 4K. The antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering
temperature of Fe at this critical concentration is suppressed to T^N_Fe ~ 40K
and does not shift to lower temperatures with further increase of the P
concentration. Therefore, a quantum-critical-point scenario with T^N_Fe -> 0K
which is widely discussed for the iron based superconductors can be excluded
for this alloy series. Surprisingly, thermal expansion and X-ray powder
diffraction indicate the absence of an orthorhombic distortion despite clear
evidence for short range AFM Fe-ordering from muon-spin-rotation measurements.
Furthermore, we discovered the formation of a sharp electron spin resonance
signal unambiguously connected with the emergence of FM ordering.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, published in Phys. Rev. B (Rapid Communication,
Editors suggestion
Two-gap superconductivity in Ba_1-xK_xFe_2As_2: A complementary study of the magnetic penetration depth by \muSR and ARPES
We investigate the magnetic penetration depth \lambda in superconducting
Ba_1-xK_xFe_2As_2 (T_c\simeq32K) with muon-spin rotation (\muSR) and
angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES). Using \muSR, we find the
penetration-depth anisotropy \gamma_\lambda=\lambda_c/\lambda_{ab} and the
second-critical-field anisotropy \gamma_{H_c2} to show an opposite T-evolution
below T_c. This dichotomy resembles the situation in the two-gap superconductor
MgB_2. A two-gap scenario is also suggested by an inflection point in the
in-plane penetration depth \lambda_ab around 7K. The complementarity of \muSR
and ARPES allows us to pinpoint the values of the two gaps and to arrive to a
remarkable agreement between the two techniques concerning the full T-evolution
of \lambda_ab. This provides further support for the described scenario and
establishes ARPES as a tool to assess macroscopic properties of the
superconducting condensate.Comment: Accepted for publication by Phys. Rev. Let
Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya Spin Canting in the LTT Phase of La2-x-yEuySrxCuO4
The Cu spin magnetism in La2-x-yEuySrxCuO4 (x<=0.17; y<=0.2) has been studied
by means of magnetization measurements up to 14 T. Our results clearly show
that in the antiferromagnetic phase Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya (DM)superexchange
causes Cu spin canting not only in the LTO phase but also in the LTLO and LTT
phases. In La1.8Eu0.2CuO4 the canted DM-moment is about 50% larger than in pure
La2CuO4 which we attribute to the larger octahedral tilt angle. We also find
clear evidence that the size of the DM-moment does not change significantly at
the structural transition at T_LT from LTO to LTLO and LTT. The most important
change induced by the transition is a significant reduction of the magnetic
coupling between the CuO2 planes. As a consequence, the spin-flip transition of
the canted Cu spins which is observed in the LTO phase for magnetic field
perpendicular to the CuO2 planes disappears in the LTT phase. The shape of the
magnetization curves changes from the well known spin-flip type to a
weak-ferromagnet type. However, no spontaneous weak ferromagnetism is observed
even at very low temperatures, which seems to indicate that the interlayer
decoupling in our samples is not perfect. Nonetheless, a small fraction (<15%)
of the DM-moments can be remanently magnetized throughout the entire
antiferromagnetically ordered LTT/LTLO phase, i.e. for T<T_LT and x<0.02. It
appears that the remanent DM-moment is perpendicular to the CuO2 planes. For
magnetic field parallel to the CuO2 planes we find that the critical field of
the spin-flop transition decreases in the LTLO phase, which might indicate a
competition between different in-plane anisotropies. To study the Cu spin
magnetism in La2-x-yEuySrxCuO4, a careful analysis of the Van Vleck
paramagnetism of the Eu3+ ions was performed.Comment: 22 pages, 27 figure
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