1,241 research outputs found
Molecular Beam Epitaxy Growth of Superconducting LiFeAs Film on SrTiO3(001) Substrate
The stoichiometric "111" iron-based superconductor, LiFeAs, has attacted
great research interest in recent years. For the first time, we have
successfully grown LiFeAs thin film by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on
SrTiO3(001) substrate, and studied the interfacial growth behavior by
reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and low-temperature
scanning tunneling microscope (LT-STM). The effects of substrate temperature
and Li/Fe flux ratio were investigated. Uniform LiFeAs film as thin as 3
quintuple-layer (QL) is formed. Superconducting gap appears in LiFeAs films
thicker than 4 QL at 4.7 K. When the film is thicker than 13 QL, the
superconducting gap determined by the distance between coherence peaks is about
7 meV, close to the value of bulk material. The ex situ transport measurement
of thick LiFeAs film shows a sharp superconducting transition around 16 K. The
upper critical field, Hc2(0)=13.0 T, is estimated from the temperature
dependent magnetoresistance. The precise thickness and quality control of
LiFeAs film paves the road of growing similar ultrathin iron arsenide films.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Magnetic Borophenes from an Evolutionary Search
A computational methodology based on ab initio evolutionary algorithms and spin-polarized density functional theory was developed to predict two-dimensional magnetic materials. Its application to a model system borophene reveals an unexpected rich magnetism and polymorphism. A metastable borophene with nonzero thickness is an antiferromagnetic semiconductor from first-principles calculations, and can be further tuned into a half-metal by finite electron doping. In this borophene, the buckling and coupling among three atomic layers are not only responsible for magnetism, but also result in an out-of-plane negative Poisson\u27s ratio under uniaxial tension, making it the first elemental material possessing auxetic and magnetic properties simultaneously
Visualizing the elongated vortices in -Ga nanostrips
We study the magnetic response of superconducting -Ga via low
temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. The magnetic vortex
cores rely substantially on the Ga geometry, and exhibit an unexpectedly-large
axial elongation with aspect ratio up to 40 in rectangular Ga nano-strips
(width 100 nm). This is in stark contrast with the isotropic circular
vortex core in a larger round-shaped Ga island. We suggest that the unusual
elongated vortices in Ga nanostrips originate from geometric confinement effect
probably via the strong repulsive interaction between the vortices and Meissner
screening currents at the sample edge. Our finding provides novel conceptual
insights into the geometrical confinement effect on magnetic vortices and forms
the basis for the technological applications of superconductors.Comment: published in Phys. Rev. B as a Rapid Communicatio
A Determining Factor for Insect Feeding Preference in the Silkworm, \u3cem\u3eBombyx mori\u3c/em\u3e
Feeding preference is critical for insect adaptation and survival. However, little is known regarding the determination of insect feeding preference, and the genetic basis is poorly understood. As a model lepidopteran insect with economic importance, the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori, is a well-known monophagous insect that predominantly feeds on fresh mulberry leaves. This species-specific feeding preference provides an excellent model for investigation of host-plant selection of insects, although the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unknown. Here, we describe the gene GR66, which encodes a putative bitter gustatory receptor (GR) that is responsible for the mulberry-specific feeding preference of B. mori. With the aid of a transposon-based, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein-9 nuclease (Cas9) system, the GR66 locus was genetically mutated, and homozygous mutant silkworm strains with truncated gustatory receptor 66 (GR66) proteins were established. GR66 mutant larvae acquired new feeding activity, exhibiting the ability to feed on a number of plant species in addition to mulberry leaves, including fresh fruits and grain seeds that are not normally consumed by wild-type (WT) silkworms. Furthermore, a feeding choice assay revealed that the mutant larvae lost their specificity for mulberry. Overall, our findings provide the first genetic and phenotypic evidences that a single bitter GR is a major factor affecting the insect feeding preference
A Determining Factor for Insect Feeding Preference in the Silkworm, \u3cem\u3eBombyx mori\u3c/em\u3e
Feeding preference is critical for insect adaptation and survival. However, little is known regarding the determination of insect feeding preference, and the genetic basis is poorly understood. As a model lepidopteran insect with economic importance, the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori, is a well-known monophagous insect that predominantly feeds on fresh mulberry leaves. This species-specific feeding preference provides an excellent model for investigation of host-plant selection of insects, although the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unknown. Here, we describe the gene GR66, which encodes a putative bitter gustatory receptor (GR) that is responsible for the mulberry-specific feeding preference of B. mori. With the aid of a transposon-based, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein-9 nuclease (Cas9) system, the GR66 locus was genetically mutated, and homozygous mutant silkworm strains with truncated gustatory receptor 66 (GR66) proteins were established. GR66 mutant larvae acquired new feeding activity, exhibiting the ability to feed on a number of plant species in addition to mulberry leaves, including fresh fruits and grain seeds that are not normally consumed by wild-type (WT) silkworms. Furthermore, a feeding choice assay revealed that the mutant larvae lost their specificity for mulberry. Overall, our findings provide the first genetic and phenotypic evidences that a single bitter GR is a major factor affecting the insect feeding preference
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