286 research outputs found
Field-induced segregation of ferromagnetic nano-domains in PrSrMnO, detected by Mn NMR
The antiferromagnetic manganite PrSrMnO was investigated
at low temperature by means of magnetometry and Mn NMR. A field-induced
transition to a ferromagnetic state is detected by magnetization measurements
at a threshold field of a few tesla. NMR shows that the ferromagnetic phase
develops from zero field by the nucleation of microscopic ferromagnetic
domains, consisting of an inhomogeneous mixture of tilted and fully aligned
parts. At the threshold the NMR spectrum changes discontinuously into that of a
homogeneous, fully aligned, ferromagnetic state, suggesting a percolative
origin for the ferromagnetic transition.Comment: Latex 2.09 language. 4 pages, 3 figures, 23 references. Submitted to
physical Review
From Coulomb blockade to the Kondo regime in a Rashba dot
6 pages.-- PACS numbers: 73.23.-b, 71.70.Ej, 72.15.Qm, 75.20.Hr.-- Final full-text version of the paper available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.76.035307.We investigate the electronic transport in a quantum wire with localized Rashba interaction. The Rashba field forms quasibound states that couple to the continuum states with an opposite spin direction. The presence of this Rashba dot causes Fano-like antiresonances and dips in the wire's linear conductance. The Fano line shape arises from the interference between the direct transmission channel along the wire and the hopping through the Rashba dot. Due to the confinement, we predict the observation of large charging energies in the local Rashba region, which lead to Coulomb-blockade effects in the transport properties of the wire. Importantly, the Kondo regime can be achieved with a proper tuning of the Rashba interaction, giving rise to an oscillating linear conductance for a fixed occupation of the Rashba dot.This work was supported by Grant No. FIS2005-02796 (MEC) and the Spanish "Ramón y Cajal" program.http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.76.03530
Mapping the ultrafast flow of harvested solar energy in living photosynthetic cells
Photosynthesis transfers energy efficiently through a series of antenna complexes to the
reaction center where charge separation occurs. Energy transfer in vivo is primarily monitored
by measuring fluorescence signals from the small fraction of excitations that fail to
result in charge separation. Here, we use two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy to follow
the entire energy transfer process in a thriving culture of the purple bacteria, Rhodobacter
sphaeroides. By removing contributions from scattered light, we extract the dynamics of
energy transfer through the dense network of antenna complexes and into the reaction
center. Simulations demonstrate that these dynamics constrain the membrane organization
into small pools of core antenna complexes that rapidly trap energy absorbed by surrounding
peripheral antenna complexes. The rapid trapping and limited back transfer of these excitations
lead to transfer efficiencies of 83% and a small functional light-harvesting unit
Magnetic order in double-layer manganites (La(1-z)Pr(z))1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7: intrinsic properties and role of the intergrowths
We report on an investigation of the double-layer manganite series
(La(1-z)Pr(z))1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7 (0 <= z <= 1), carried out on single crystals by
means of both macroscopic magnetometry and local probes of magnetism (muSR,
55Mn NMR). Muons and NMR demonstrate an antiferromagnetically ordered ground
state at non-ferromagnetic compositions (z >= 0.6), while more moderate Pr
substitutions (0.2 <= z <= 0.4) induce a spin reorientation transition within
the ferromagnetic phase.
A large magnetic susceptibility is detected at {Tc,TN} < T < 250K at all
compositions. From 55Mn NMR spectroscopy, such a response is unambiguously
assigned to the intergrowth of a ferromagnetic pseudocubic phase
(La(1-z)Pr(z))(1-x)Sr(x)MnO3, with an overall volume fraction estimated as
0.5-0.7% from magnetometry. Evidence is provided for the coupling of the
magnetic moments of these inclusions with the magnetic moments of the
surrounding (La(1-z)Pr(z))1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7 phase, as in the case of finely
dispersed impurities. We argue that the ubiquitous intergrowth phase may play a
role in the marked first-order character of the magnetic transition and the
metamagnetic properties above Tc reported for double-layer manganites.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Real Estate Asset Management Companies’ Economies of Scale: Is It a Dream or Reality? The Italian Case
The research focuses on a sample of 26 Italian real estate asset management companies (Società di Gestione del Risparmio “SGR”)—whose asset management is totally linked to real estate funds—that considers a period of six years (2013–2018). Using some variables extrapolated from the internal accountability of each SGR, the analysis investigates possible relationships between them to verify the presence or absence of economies of scale of Italian real estate management companies by multivariate regressions. The results show that there is no single model for profit maximization and cost minimization, but all depends on the business model that each SGR decides to adopt
Optical resonance imaging: An optical analog to MRI with sub-diffraction-limited capabilities
We propose here optical resonance imaging (ORI), a direct optical analog to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The proposed pulse sequence for ORI maps space to time and recovers an image from a heterodyne-detected third-order nonlinear photon echo measurement. As opposed to traditional photon echo measurements, the third pulse in the ORI pulse sequence has significant pulse-front tilt that acts as a temporal gradient. This gradient couples space to time by stimulating the emission of a photon echo signal from different lateral spatial locations of a sample at different times, providing a widefield ultrafast microscopy. We circumvent the diffraction limit of the optics by mapping the lateral spatial coordinate of the sample with the emission time of the signal, which can be measured to high precision using interferometric heterodyne detection. This technique is thus an optical analog of MRI, where magnetic-field gradients are used to localize the spin-echo emission to a point below the diffraction limit of the radio-frequency wave used. We calculate the expected ORI signal using 15 fs pulses and 87° of pulse-front tilt, collected using f/2 optics and find a two-point resolution 275 nm using 800 nm light that satisfies the Rayleigh criterion. We also derive a general equation for resolution in optical resonance imaging that indicates that there is a possibility of superresolution imaging using this technique. The photon echo sequence also enables spectroscopic determination of the input and output energy. The technique thus correlates the input energy with the final position and energy of the exciton
Selective stimulatory action of olfactory ensheathing glia-conditioned medium on oligodendroglial differentiation, with additional reference to signaling mechanisms
AbstractWe examined the effects of conditioned medium from olfactory ensheathing glia (OEGCM) on the differentiation of oligodendrocytes in mixed cultures of early postnatal hippocampi. Differentiation was judged from the numerical density (ND) of cells immunoreactive to 2′3′ cyclic nucleotide 3′phosphodiesterase (CNPase) and O4 antibodies. NDs increased according to inverted-U dose–response curves, particularly for CNPase+ cells (9-fold at optimal dilution) and these changes were blocked by inhibitors of ERK1, p38-MAPK, and PI3K. Our results raise the possibility that OEG secreted factor(s) may counteract demyelination induced by trauma, neurodegenerative diseases, and advanced age, and should stimulate novel methods to deliver these factors and/or potentiating chemicals
High-field AFMR in single-crystalline La_{0.95}Sr_{0.05}MnO_3: Experimental evidence for the existence of a canted magnetic structure
High-field antiferromagnetic-resonance (AFMR) spectra were obtained in the
frequency range 60 GHz < \nu < 700 GHz and for magnetic fields up to 8 T in
twin-free single crystals of La_{0.95}Sr_{0.05}MnO_3. At low temperatures two
antiferromagnetic modes were detected, which reveal different excitation
conditions and magnetic field dependencies. No splitting of these modes was
observed for any orientation of the static magnetic field excluding the
phase-separation scenario for this composition. Instead, the full data set
including the anisotropic magnetization can be well described using a
two-sublattice model of a canted antiferromagnetic structure.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Strain induced phase separation in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin films.
La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin films having different thicknesses were grown by pulsed laser deposition with in situ
reflection high energy electron diffraction diagnostics on LaAlO3 substrates. The mismatch between film and
substrate gives rise to an in-plane compressive biaxial strain, which partially relaxes in films thicker than
30 unit cells. Accordingly, the ratio between the out-of-plane and the in-plane lattice parameter c/a varies
between 1.06 fully strained and 1.03 partially relaxed. In-plane compressive strain favors the stabilization of
the 3z2−r2 orbitals chain-type antiferromagnetic phase, thus giving rise to a sizeable x-ray absorption linear
dichroism signal. The shape of the linear dichroism depends weakly on the c/a ratio, while its intensity
strongly increases with c/a. At the same time, the metal-insulator transition temperature shifts from about
360 K towards lower temperatures with decreasing thickness, eventually reaching an insulating state for the
30 unit cells film. Low-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance spectra show a decrease of the MnDE doubleexchange
metallic contribution with decreasing the thickness, which becomes negligible in the 30 unit cells
thick film. The experimental results demonstrate a strain driven competition between two stable phases: the
orbital ordered chain-type insulating antiferromagnetic and the orbital disordered metallic ferromagnetic. For
intermediate values of the epitaxial strain the local minimum state of the system lies in a gap region between
the two stable phases. Such a region has glassy characteristics with coexisting clusters of the two phases. The
strain is used as a driving force to span the glassy region
- …