1,060 research outputs found
Dielectric and polarization experiments in high loss dielectrics: a word of caution
The recent quest for improved functional materials like high permittivity
dielectrics and/or multiferroics has triggered an intense wave of research.
Many materials have been checked for their dielectric permittivity or their
polarization state. In this report, we call for caution when samples are
simultaneously displaying insulating behavior and defect-related conductivity.
Many oxides containing mixed valent cations or oxygen vacancies fall in this
category. In such cases, most of standard experiments may result in effective
high dielectric permittivity which cannot be related to ferroelectric
polarization. Here we list few examples of possible discrepancies between
measured parameters and their expected microscopic origin
Polaron relaxation in ferroelectric thin films
We report a dielectric relaxation in ferroelectric thin films of the ABO3
family. We have compared films of different compositions with several growth
modes: sputtering (with and without magnetron) and sol-gel. The relaxation was
observed at cryogenic temperature (T<100K) for frequencies from 100Hz up to
10MHz. This relaxation activation energy is always lower than 200meV. It is
very similar to the polaron relaxation that we reported in the parent bulk
perovskites. Being independent of the materials size, morphology and texture,
this relaxation can be a useful probe of defects in actual integrated
capacitors with no need for specific shapin
Revised structural phase diagram of (Ba0.7Ca0.3TiO3)-(BaZr0.2Ti0.8O3)
The temperature-composition phase diagram of barium calcium titanate zirconate (x(Ba0.7Ca0.3TiO3)(1-x)(BaZr0.2Ti0.8O3); BCTZ) has been reinvestigated using high-resolution synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction. Contrary to previous reports of an unusual rhombohedral-tetragonal phase transition in this system, we have observed an intermediate orthorhombic phase, isostructural to that present in the parent phase, BaTiO3, and we identify the previously assigned T-R transition as a T-O transition. We also observe the O-R transition coalescing with the previously observed triple point, forming a phase convergence region. The implication of the orthorhombic phase in reconciling the exceptional piezoelectric properties with the surrounding phase diagram is discussed
Frontal brain asymmetries as effective parameters to assess the quality of audiovisual stimuli perception in adult and young cochlear implant users
How is music perceived by cochlear implant (CI) users? This question arises as "the next step" given the impressive performance obtained by these patients in language perception. Furthermore, how can music perception be evaluated beyond self-report rating, in order to obtain measurable data? To address this question, estimation of the frontal electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha activity imbalance, acquired through a 19-channel EEG cap, appears to be a suitable instrument to measure the approach/withdrawal (AW index) reaction to external stimuli. Specifically, a greater value of AW indicates an increased propensity to stimulus approach, and vice versa a lower one a tendency to withdraw from the stimulus. Additionally, due to prelingually and postlingually deafened pathology acquisition, children and adults, respectively, would probably differ in music perception. The aim of the present study was to investigate children and adult CI users, in unilateral (UCI) and bilateral (BCI) implantation conditions, during three experimental situations of music exposure (normal, distorted and mute). Additionally, a study of functional connectivity patterns within cerebral networks was performed to investigate functioning patterns in different experimental populations. As a general result, congruency among patterns between BCI patients and control (CTRL) subjects was seen, characterised by lowest values for the distorted condition (vs. normal and mute conditions) in the AW index and in the connectivity analysis. Additionally, the normal and distorted conditions were significantly different in CI and CTRL adults, and in CTRL children, but not in CI children. These results suggest a higher capacity of discrimination and approach motivation towards normal music in CTRL and BCI subjects, but not for UCI patients. Therefore, for perception of music CTRL and BCI participants appear more similar than UCI subjects, as estimated by measurable and not self-reported parameters
Numerical simulation of dark lanes in post-flare supra-arcade
We integrate the MHD ideal equations to simulate dark void sunwardly moving
structures in post--flare supra--arcades. We study the onset and evolution of
the internal plasma instability to compare with observations and to gain
insight into physical processes and characteristic parameters of these
phenomena. The numerical approach uses a finite-volume Harten-Yee TVD scheme to
integrate the 1D1/2 MHD equations specially designed to capture supersonic flow
discontinuities. The integration is performed in both directions, the sunward
radial one and the transverse to the magnetic field. For the first time, we
numerically reproduce observational dark voids described in Verwichte et al.
(2005). We show that the dark tracks are plasma vacuums generated by the
bouncing and interfering of shocks and expansion waves, upstream an initial
slow magnetoacoustic shock produced by a localized deposition of energy modeled
with a pressure perturbation. The same pressure perturbation produces a
transverse to the field or perpendicular magnetic shock giving rise to
nonlinear waves that compose the kink--like plasma void structures, with the
same functional sunward decreasing phase speed and constancy with height of the
period, as those determined by the observations.Comment: Accepted MNRAS, 6 pages, 7 figure
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