Ferromagnetic coupling and magnetic anisotropy in molecular Ni(II) squares

We investigated the magnetic properties of two isostructural Ni(II) metal complexes [Ni4Lb8] and [Ni4Lc8]. In each molecule the four Ni(II) centers form almost perfect regular squares. Magnetic coupling and anisotropy of single crystals were examined by magnetization measurements and in particular by high-field torque magnetometry at low temperatures. The data were analyzed in terms of an effective spin Hamiltonian appropriate for Ni(II) centers. For both compounds, we found a weak intramolecular ferromagnetic coupling of the four Ni(II) spins and sizable single-ion anisotropies of the easy-axis type. The coupling strengths are roughly identical for both compounds, whereas the zero-field-splitting parameters are significantly different. Possible reasons for this observation are discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Exchange-coupling constants, spin density map, and Q dependence of the inelastic neutron scattering intensity in single-molecule magnets

The Q dependence of the inelastic neutron scattering (INS) intensity of transitions within the ground-state spin multiplet of single-molecule magnets (SMMs) is considered. For these transitions, the Q dependence is related to the spin density map in the ground state, which in turn is governed by the Heisenberg exchange interactions in the cluster. This provides the possibility to infer the exchange-coupling constants from the Q dependence of the INS transitions within the spin ground state. The potential of this strategy is explored for the M = +-10 -> +- 9 transition within the S = 10 multiplet of the molecule Mn12 as an example. The Q dependence is calculated for powder as well as single-crystal Mn12 samples for various exchange-coupling situations discussed in the literature. The results are compared to literature data on a powder sample of Mn12 and to measurements on an oriented array of about 500 single-crystals of Mn12. The calculated Q dependence exhibits significant variation with the exchange-coupling constants, in particular for a single-crystal sample, but the experimental findings did not permit an unambiguous determination. However, although challenging, suitable experiments are within the reach of today's instruments.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, REVTEX4, to appear in PR

Collective resonance modes of Josephson vortices in sandwiched stack of Bi2_{2}Sr2_{2}CaCu2_{2}O8+x_{8+x} intrinsic Josephson junctions

We observed splitting of the low-bias vortex-flow branch in a dense-Josephson-vortex state into multiple sub-branches in current-voltage characteristics of intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) of Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+x}$ single crystals in the long-junction limit. Each sub-branch corresponds to a plasma mode in serially coupled Josephson junctions. Splitting into low-bias linear sub-branches with a spread in the slopes and the inter-sub-branch mode-switching character are in good quantitative agreement with the prediction of the weak but finite inter-junction capacitive-coupling model incorporated with the inductive coupling. This suggests the importance of the role of the capacitive coupling in accurately describing the vortex dynamics in serially stacked IJJs.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Huge Transverse Magnetization in the Field-Induced Phase of the Antiferromagnetic Molecular Wheel CsFe8

The 1H-NMR spectrum and nuclear relaxation rate 1/T_1 in the antiferromagnetic wheel CsFe8 were measured to characterize the previously observed magnetic field-induced low-temperature phase around the level crossing at 8 T. The data show that the phase is characterized by a huge staggered transverse polarization of the electronic Fe spins, and the opening of a gap, providing microscopic evidence for the interpretation of the phase as a field-induced magneto-elastic instability.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, REVTEX4, to appear in PR

Rapidly induced changes in neuromagnetic fields following repetitive hand movements

Sensory feedback plays a major role in movement execution and motor learning, particularly in motor rehabilitation. Whilst elaborating therapeutic strategies, it is of interest to visualize the effect of a therapeutic intervention at the moment of its application. We analyzed the effect of repeated execution of a simple extension and flexion movement of the wrist on the sensorimotor cortex of seven healthy subjects using magnetoencephalography. Spatial filtering based on current dipoles was used to quantify the strength of cortical activation. Our results showed an increase of cortical activation reflecting activity of efferent neurons, whereas the activity of proprioceptive afferent neurons was not affected. Since only efferent activity increased, it is suggested that this reflects phenomena of long-term potentiation

Mechanical behaviour of standardized, endoskeleton-including hip spacers implanted into composite femurs

Two-stage reconstruction using an antibiotic loaded cement spacer is the preferred treatment method of late hip joint infections. Hip spacers maintain stability of the joint and length of the limb during treatment period. However, as the material strength of bone cement (PMMA) is limited, spacer fractures led to serious complications in the past. This study investigated the load capacity of custom made hip spacers, developed at the 'Klinik für Orthopädie und Orthopädische Chirurgie' (Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Homburg / Saar, Germany), and implanted into composite femurs. In a quasi-static test, non-reinforced spacers tolerated hip joint loads of about 3000 N, whereas reinforced spacers with titanium-grade-two endoskeletons doubled this load up to 6000 N. Even for cyclic loading, endoskeleton-including hip spacers tolerated loads of >4500 N with 500,000 load cycles. Thus, an endoskeleton-including spacer should provide a mobile and functional joint through the treatment course. A generated FE-model was used to determine the fracture stresses and allows for further sensitivity analysis

A population study of gaseous exoplanets

We present here the analysis of 30 gaseous extrasolar planets, with temperatures between 600 and 2400 K and radii between 0.35 and 1.9 $R_\mathrm{Jup}$. The quality of the HST/WFC3 spatially scanned data combined with our specialized analysis tools allow us to study the largest and most self-consistent sample of exoplanetary transmission spectra to date and examine the collective behavior of warm and hot gaseous planets rather than isolated case-studies. We define a new metric, the Atmospheric Detectability Index (ADI) to evaluate the statistical significance of an atmospheric detection and find statistically significant atmospheres around 16 planets out of the 30 analysed. For most of the Jupiters in our sample, we find the detectability of their atmospheres to be dependent on the planetary radius but not on the planetary mass. This indicates that planetary gravity plays a secondary role in the state of gaseous planetary atmospheres. We detect the presence of water vapour in all of the statistically detectable atmospheres, and we cannot rule out its presence in the atmospheres of the others. In addition, TiO and/or VO signatures are detected with 4$\sigma$ confidence in WASP-76 b, and they are most likely present in WASP-121 b. We find no correlation between expected signal-to-noise and atmospheric detectability for most targets. This has important implications for future large-scale surveys.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables, published in A