Parity (and time-reversal) anomaly in a semiconductor

The physics of a parity anomaly, potentially observable in a narrow-gap semiconductor, is revisited. Fradkin, Dagotto, and Boyanovsky have suggested that a Hall current of anomalous parity can be induced by a Peierls distortion on a domain wall. I argue that a perturbation inducing the parity anomaly must break the time reversal symmetry, which rules out the Peierls distortion as a potential cause. I list all possible perturbations that can generate the anomaly.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure. Sign errors fixe

Spin and orbital ordering in double-layered manganites

We study theoretically the phase diagram of the double-layered perovskite manganites taking into account the orbital degeneracy, the strong Coulombic repulsion, and the coupling with the lattice deformation. Observed spin structural changes as the increased doping are explained in terms of the orbital ordering and the bond-length dependence of the hopping integral along $c$-axis. Temperature dependence of the neutron diffraction peak corresponding to the canting structure is also explained. Comparison with the 3D cubic system is made.Comment: 7 figure

The effect of the annealing temperature on the local distortion of La0.67_{0.67}Ca0.33_{0.33}MnO3_3 thin films

Mn $K$-edge fluorescence data are presented for thin film samples (3000~\AA) of Colossal Magnetoresistive (CMR) La$_{0.67}$Ca$_{0.33}$MnO$_3$: as-deposited, and post-annealed at 1000 K and 1200 K. The local distortion is analyzed in terms of three contributions: static, phonon, and an extra, temperature-dependent, polaron term. The polaron distortion is very small for the as-deposited sample and increases with the annealing temperature. In contrast, the static distortion in the samples decreases with the annealing temperature. Although the local structure of the as-deposited sample shows very little temperature dependence, the change in resistivity with temperature is the largest of these three thin film samples. The as-deposited sample also has the highest magnetoresistance (MR), which indicates some other mechanism may also contribute to the transport properties of CMR samples. We also discuss the relationship between local distortion and the magnetization of the sample.Comment: 11 pages of Preprint format, 8 figures in one tar fil

NaIrO3 - A pentavalent post-perovskite

Sodium iridium(V) oxide, NaIrO3, was synthesized by a high pressure solid state method and recovered to ambient conditions. It is found to be isostructural with CaIrO3, the much-studied structural analogue of the high-pressure post-perovskite phase of MgSiO3. Among the oxide post-perovskites, NaIrO3 is the first example with a pentavalent cation. The structure consists of layers of corner- and edge-sharing IrO6 octahedra separated by layers of NaO8 bicapped trigonal prisms. NaIrO3 shows no magnetic ordering and resistivity measurements show non-metallic behavior. The crystal structure, electrical and magnetic properties are discussed and compared to known post-perovskites and pentavalent perovskite metal oxides.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to Journal of Solid State Chemistr

Design and conduct of 'Xtreme Alps' : a double-blind, randomised controlled study of the effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on acclimatisation to high altitude

The study of healthy human volunteers ascending to high altitude provides a robust model of the complex physiological interplay that emulates human adaptation to hypoxaemia in clinical conditions. Nitric oxide (NO) metabolism may play an important role in both adaptation to high altitude and response to hypoxaemia during critical illness at sea level. Circulating nitrate and nitrite concentrations can be augmented by dietary supplementation and this is associated with improved exercise performance and mitochondrial efficiency. We hypothesised that the administration of a dietary substance (beetroot juice) rich in nitrate would improve oxygen efficiency during exercise at high altitude by enhancing tissue microcirculatory blood flow and oxygenation. Furthermore, nitrate supplementation would lead to measurable increases in NO bioactivity throughout the body. This methodological manuscript describes the design and conduct of the ‘Xtreme Alps’ expedition, a double-blind randomised controlled trial investigating the effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on acclimatisation to hypobaric hypoxia at high altitude in healthy human volunteers. The primary outcome measure was the change in oxygen efficiency during exercise at high altitude between participants allocated to receive nitrate supplementation and those receiving a placebo. A number of secondary measures were recorded, including exercise capacity, peripheral and microcirculatory blood flow and tissue oxygenation. Results from this study will further elucidate the role of NO in adaption to hypoxaemia and guide clinical trials in critically ill patients. Improved understanding of hypoxaemia in critical illness may provide new therapeutic avenues for interventions that will improve survival in critically ill patients

Diagnosed prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in Medicare Advantage plans

IntroductionOne- third of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA). Yet, little is known about MA beneficiaries diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD- related dementias (AD/ADRD).MethodsWe calculated the prevalence of AD/ADRD diagnoses in 2014 and 2016 in three MA plans. We determined the demographic characteristics of beneficiaries diagnosed with AD/ADRD, and whether they disenrolled from the MA plan for any reason within 364 days from the index date.ResultsIn 2014 and 2016, the overall prevalence of AD/ADRD diagnoses was 5.6% and 6.5%, respectively. In 2016, AD/ADRD beneficiaries were on average 82.4 (SD = 7.4) years of age, 61.8% female, and had multiple comorbidities. By 364 days post- index date, 32% of beneficiaries with AD/ADRD had disenrolled from their plan. The demographic characteristics of 2014 beneficiaries with diagnosed AD/ADRD were similar to their 2016 counterparts.DiscussionThe prevalence of AD/ADRD diagnosis in MA is lower than rates reported in Medicare fee- for- service.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156169/2/dad212048.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156169/1/dad212048_am.pd

Ground State Quantum Computation

We formulate a novel ground state quantum computation approach that requires no unitary evolution of qubits in time: the qubits are fixed in stationary states of the Hamiltonian. This formulation supplies a completely time-independent approach to realizing quantum computers. We give a concrete suggestion for a ground state quantum computer involving linked quantum dots.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Damping of spin waves and singularity of the longitudinal modes in the dipolar critical regime of the Heisenberg-ferromagnet EuS

By inelastic scattering of polarized neutrons near the (200)-Bragg reflection, the susceptibilities and linewidths of the spin waves and the longitudinal spin fluctuations were determined separately. By aligning the momentum transfers q perpendicular to both \delta S_sw and the spontaneous magnetization M_s, we explored the statics and dynamics of these modes with transverse polarizations with respect to q. In the dipolar critical regime, where the inverse correlation length kappa_z(T) and q are smaller than the dipolar wavenumber q_d, we observe:(i) the static susceptibility of \delta S_sw^T(q) displays the Goldstone divergence while for \delta S_z^T(q) the Ornstein-Zernicke shape fits the data with a possible indication of a thermal(mass-)renormalization at the smallest q-values, i.e. we find indications for the predicted 1/q divergence of the longitudinal susceptibility; (ii) the spin wave dispersion as predicted by the Holstein-Primakoff theory revealing q_d=0.23(1)\AA^{-1}in good agreement with previous work in the paramagnetic and ferromagnetic regime of EuS; (iii) within experimental error, the (Lorentzian) linewidths of both modes turn out to be identical with respect to the q^2-variation, the temperature independence and the absolute magnitude. Due to the linear dispersion of the spin waves they remain underdamped for q<q_d. These central results differ significantly from the well known exchange dominated critical dynamics, but are quantitatively explained in terms of dynamical scaling and existing data for T>=T_C. The available mode-mode coupling theory, which takes the dipolar interactions fully into account, describes the gross features of the linewidths but not all details of the T- and q-dependencies. PACS: 68.35.Rh, 75.40.GbComment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Work function changes in the double layered manganite La1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7

We have investigated the behaviour of the work function of La1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7 as a function of temperature by means of photoemission. We found a decrease of 55 +/- 10 meV in going from 60 K to just above the Curie temperature (125 K) of the sample. Above T_C the work function appears to be roughly constant. Our results are exactly opposite to the work function changes calculated from the double-exchange model by Furukawa, but are consistent with other measurements. The disagreement with double-exchange can be explained using a general thermodynamic relation valid for second order transitions and including the extra processes involved in the manganites besides double-exchange interaction.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures included in tex