126 research outputs found
Soft X-ray resonant scattering study of single-crystal LaSrMnO
Soft X-ray resonant scattering studies at the Mn - and
the La - edges of single-crystal LaSrMnO are
reported. At low temperatures, below K, energy scans
with a fixed momentum transfer at the \emph{A}-type antiferromagnetic (0 0 1)
reflection around the Mn -edges with incident linear
and polarizations show strong resonant enhancements. The
splitting of the energy spectra around the Mn -edges may
indicate the presence of a mixed valence state, e.g., Mn/Mn. The
relative intensities of the resonance and the clear shoulder-feature as well as
the strong incident and polarization dependences strongly
indicate its complex electronic origin. Unexpected enhancement of the charge
Bragg (0 0 2) reflection at the La -edges with
polarization has been observed up to 300 K, with an anomaly appearing around
the orbital-ordering transition temperature, K,
suggesting a strong coupling (competition) between them.Comment: Accepted by European Physical Journal
Charge ordering and structural distortions at low temperature in La<SUB>2-2x</SUB>Sr<SUB>1+2x</SUB>Mn₂O₇ (x=0.475 and 0.5)
In this paper we present x-ray scattering results of charge and orbital ordering in the bilayer manganite La222xSr112xMn2O7 with doping levels x50.5 and x50.475. Using high-energy x-ray scattering, the structural modulation due to the Jahn-Teller ordering and the charge ordering due to the Mn31/Mn41 pattern have been measured. Both the x50.5 and x50.475 samples are found to display charge and Jahn-Teller order. We have confirmed that the wave vectors of the Jahn-Teller order, charge order, and orbital order are QW 5(0.25,0.25,0), QW 5(0.5,0.5,0) and QW 5(0.25,0.25,0). The origin of these has been confirmed by resonant x-ray scattering in the vicinity of the Mn K edge using polarization analysis. Contrary to previous studies, the Jahn-Teller order is found to be not reentrant, but is found to reduce in intensity at temperatures below 140 K for both samples. Charge ordering was also detected in the x50.5 sample below this temperature
Nernst effect of iron pnictide and cuprate superconductors: signatures of spin density wave and stripe order
The Nernst effect has recently proven a sensitive probe for detecting unusual
normal state properties of unconventional superconductors. In particular, it
may sensitively detect Fermi surface reconstructions which are connected to a
charge or spin density wave (SDW) ordered state, and even fluctuating forms of
such a state. Here we summarize recent results for the Nernst effect of the
iron pnictide superconductor , whose ground state evolves
upon doping from an itinerant SDW to a superconducting state, and the cuprate
superconductor which exhibits static stripe
order as a ground state competing with the superconductivity. In , the SDW order leads to a huge Nernst response, which allows
to detect even fluctuating SDW precursors at superconducting doping levels
where long range SDW order is suppressed. This is in contrast to the impact of
stripe order on the normal state Nernst effect in . Here, though signatures of the stripe order are
detectable in the temperature dependence of the Nernst coefficient, its overall
temperature dependence is very similar to that of ,
where stripe order is absent. The anomalies which are induced by the stripe
order are very subtle and the enhancement of the Nernst response due to static
stripe order in as compared to that of the
pseudogap phase in , if any, is very small.Comment: To appear in: 'Properties and applications of thermoelectric
materials - II', V. Zlatic and A. Hewson, editors, Proceedings of NATO
Advanced Research Workshop, Hvar, Croatia, September 19 -25, 2011, NATO
Science for Peace and Security Series B: Physics and Biophysics, (Springer
Science+Business Media B.V. 2012
Manganites at Quarter Filling: Role of Jahn-Teller Interactions
We have analyzed different correlation functions in a realistic spin-orbital
model for half-doped manganites. Using a finite-temperature diagonalization
technique the CE phase was found in the charge-ordered phase in the case of
small antiferromagnetic interactions between electrons. It is shown
that a key ingredient responsible for stabilization of the CE-type spin and
orbital-ordered state is the cooperative Jahn-Teller (JT) interaction between
next-nearest Mn neighbors mediated by the breathing mode distortion of
Mn octahedra and displacements of Mn ions. The topological phase
factor in the Mn-Mn hopping leading to gap formation in one-dimensional models
for the CE phase as well as the nearest neighbor JT coupling are not able to
produce the zigzag chains typical for the CE phase in our model.Comment: 16 pages with 16 figures, contains a more detailed parameter estimate
based on the structural data by Radaelli et al. (accepted for publication in
Phys. Rev. B
Electronic structure of overstretched DNA
Minuscule molecular forces can transform DNA into a structure that is
elongated by more than half its original length. We demonstrate that this
pronounced conformational transition is of relevance to ongoing experimental
and theoretical efforts to characterize the conducting properties of DNA wires.
We present quantum mechanical calculations for acidic, dry, poly(CG).poly(CG)
DNA which has undergone elongation of up to 90 % relative to its natural
length, along with a method for visualizing the effects of stretching on the
electronic eigenstates. We find that overstretching leads to a drastic drop of
the hopping matrix elements between localized occupied electronic states
suggesting a dramatic decrease in the conductivity through holes.Comment: 4 page
Size Doesn't Matter: Towards a More Inclusive Philosophy of Biology
notes: As the primary author, O’Malley drafted the paper, and gathered and analysed data (scientific papers and talks). Conceptual analysis was conducted by both authors.publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticlePhilosophers of biology, along with everyone else, generally perceive life to fall into two broad categories, the microbes and macrobes, and then pay most of their attention to the latter. ‘Macrobe’ is the word we propose for larger life forms, and we use it as part of an argument for microbial equality. We suggest that taking more notice of microbes – the dominant life form on the planet, both now and throughout evolutionary history – will transform some of the philosophy of biology’s standard ideas on ontology, evolution, taxonomy and biodiversity. We set out a number of recent developments in microbiology – including biofilm formation, chemotaxis, quorum sensing and gene transfer – that highlight microbial capacities for cooperation and communication and break down conventional thinking that microbes are solely or primarily single-celled organisms. These insights also bring new perspectives to the levels of selection debate, as well as to discussions of the evolution and nature of multicellularity, and to neo-Darwinian understandings of evolutionary mechanisms. We show how these revisions lead to further complications for microbial classification and the philosophies of systematics and biodiversity. Incorporating microbial insights into the philosophy of biology will challenge many of its assumptions, but also give greater scope and depth to its investigations
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