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At least 487 records · Page 27

Thickness-dependent metal-insulator transition in epitaxial SrRuO{sub 3} ultrathin films

Transport characteristics of ultrathin SrRuO{sub 3} films, deposited epitaxially on TiO{sub 2}-terminated SrTiO{sub 3} (001) single-crystal substrates, were studied as a function of film thickness. Evolution from a metallic to an insulating behavior is observed as the film thickness decreases from 20 to 4 unit cells. In films thicker than 4 unit cells, the transport behavior obeys the Drude low temperature conductivity with quantum corrections, which can be attributed to weak localization. Fitting the data with 2-dimensional localization model indicates that electron-phonon collisions are the main inelastic relaxation mechanism. In the film of 4 unit cells in thickness, the transport behavior follows variable range hopping model, indicating a strongly localized state. Magnetoresistance measurements reveal a likely magnetic anisotropy with the magnetic easy axis along the out-of-plane direction.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Size-dependent mechanical properties of Mg nanoparticles used for hydrogen storage

Magnesium (Mg) hydride is a promising hydrogen storage material, yet its application has been limited by the slow hydrogen sorption kinetics. Recently, Mg nanoparticles have shown significant improvement of hydrogen storage properties in terms of dimensional stability upon cycling with the trend that the smaller the particle, the better the sorption kinetics. Since the volume change during sorption generates stress, leading to plastic deformation, the fundamentals of the mechanical deformation of the Mg particles are a significant issue. By using in situ transmission electron microscope compression tests and atomistic simulations on Mg nanoparticles, it was observed that deformation in the larger particles was dominated by the nucleation of 〈a〉-type dislocations from stress concentrations at the contact surface, while the smaller particles deformed more homogeneously with greater distribution of multiple types of dislocation sources. Importantly, this improvement of plastic deformation with decrease in size is orientation-independent. First-principles calculations suggest that this improved plasticity can be explained by the nearly-isotropic ideal shear strength for Mg, which becomes more important in smaller nanoparticles. As a result, the smaller Mg nanoparticles demonstrated better plastic stability to accommodate volume change upon hydrogen storage cycling.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Cooling rate dependence of structural order in Al{sub 90}Sm{sub 10} metallic glass

The atomic structure of Al{sub 90}Sm{sub 10} metallic glass is studied using molecular dynamics simulations. By performing a long sub-T{sub g} annealing, we developed a glass model closer to the experiments than the models prepared by continuous cooling. Using the cluster alignment method, we found that “3661” cluster is the dominating short-range order in the glass samples. The connection and arrangement of “3661” clusters, which define the medium-range order in the system, are enhanced significantly in the sub-T{sub g} annealed sample as compared with the fast cooled glass samples. Unlike some strong binary glass formers such as Cu{sub 64.5}Zr{sub 35.5}, the clusters representing the short-range order do not form an interconnected interpenetrating network in Al{sub 90}Sm{sub 10,} which has only marginal glass formability.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Temperature dependence of dynamic deformation in FCC metals, aluminum and invar

Laser-driven shock experiments were performed on fcc metals, aluminum and invar, at a range of initial temperatures from approximately 120-800 K to explore the effect of initial temperature on dynamic strength properties at strain rates reaching up to 10 7 s -1 . In aluminum, velocimetry data demonstrated an increase of peak stress of the elastic wave, σ E , with initial temperature. Alternatively, for invar, σ E exhibits little-to-no decrease over the same initial temperature range. Aluminum’s unusual deformation behavior is found to primarily be due to anharmonic vibrational effects. Differences in the magnetic structure of aluminum and invar can account for discrepancies in high rate deformation behavior.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Thickness dependence of spin wave dynamics in three-fold nano-ellipse clusters

We present the results of an experimental and theoretical study of spin wave dynamics in three-fold vertices made of permalloy nano-ellipses, with thicknesses ranging from 7.5 nm to 40 nm. For the most symmetric modes, a non-trivial variation of their frequency and intensity with the ellipse thickness is found. Simulations involving the dynamical matrix approach are in good agreement with the experiments.

Bang, Wonbae↗

SATELLITES IN MILKY-WAY-LIKE HOSTS: ENVIRONMENT DEPENDENCE AND CLOSE PAIRS

Previous studies showed that an estimate of the likelihood distribution of the Milky Way (MW) halo mass can be derived using the properties of the satellites similar to the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC). However, it would be straightforward to interpret such an estimate only if the properties of the Magellanic Clouds (MCs) are fairly typical and are not biased by the environment. In this study, we explore whether the environment of the MW affects the properties of the SMC and LMC such as their velocities. To test for the effect of the environment, we compare velocity distributions for MC-sized subhalos around MW hosts in a sample selected simply by mass and in the second sample of such halos selected with additional restrictions on the distance to the nearest cluster and the local galaxy density, designed to mimic the environment of the Local Group (LG). We find that satellites in halos in the LG-like environments do have somewhat larger velocities, as compared to the halos of similar mass in the sample without environmental constraints. For example, the fraction of subhalos matching the velocity of the LMC is 23% {+-} 2% larger in the LG-like environments. We derive the host halo likelihood distribution for the samples in the LG-like environment and in the control sample and find that the environment does not significantly affect the derived likelihood. We use the updated properties of the SMC and LMC to derive the constraint on the MW halo mass of log(M{sub 200}/M{sub Sun }) = 12.06{sub -0.19}{sup +0.31} (90% confidence interval). We also explore the incidence of close pairs with relative velocities and separations similar to those of the LMC and SMC and find that such pairs are quite rare among {Lambda}CDM halos. Only 2% of halos in the MW mass range have a relatively close pair ({Delta}r < 40 kpc and {Delta}s < 160 km s{sup -1}) of subhalos with circular velocities v{sub circ} > 50 km s{sup -1}. Pairs with masses and separations similar to those of the LMC and SMC ({Delta}r{sub MC} = 23.4 {+-} 10 kpc and {Delta}s{sub MC} = 128 {+-} 32 km s{sup -1}) are found only in one out of Almost-Equal-To 30, 000 MW-sized halos. Interestingly, the halo mass likelihood distribution for host halos constrained to have MC-like close pairs of subhalos is quite different from the global likelihood from which the MW halo mass constraint discussed above was derived. Taking into account the close separation of the MCs in the Busha et al. method results in the shift of the MW halo mass estimate to smaller masses, with the peak shifting approximately by a factor of two.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Charged black holes in string-inspired gravity II. Mass inflation and dependence on parameters and potentials

We investigate the relation between the existence of mass inflation and model parameters of string-inspired gravity models. In order to cover various models, we investigate a Brans-Dicke theory that is coupled to a U(1) gauge field. By tuning a model parameter that decides the coupling between the Brans-Dicke field and the electromagnetic field, we can make both of models such that the Brans-Dicke field is biased toward strong or weak coupling directions after gravitational collapses. We observe that as long as the Brans-Dicke field is biased toward any (strong or weak) directions, there is no Cauchy horizon and no mass inflation. Therefore, we conclude that to induce a Cauchy horizon and mass inflation inside a charged black hole, either there is no bias of the Brans-Dicke field as well as no Brans-Dicke hair outside the horizon or such a biased Brans-Dicke field should be well trapped and controlled by a potential.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Temperature dependence of nitrate-reducing Fe(II) oxidation by Acidovorax strain BoFeN1 – evaluating the role of enzymatic vs. abiotic Fe(II) oxidation by nitrite

ABSTRACT Fe(II) oxidation coupled to nitrate reduction is a widely observed metabolism. However, to what extent the observed Fe(II) oxidation is driven enzymatically or abiotically by metabolically produced nitrite remains puzzling. To distinguish between biotic and abiotic reactions, we cultivated the mixotrophic nitrate-reducing Fe(II)-oxidizing Acidovorax strain BoFeN1 over a wide range of temperatures and compared it to abiotic Fe(II) oxidation by nitrite at temperatures up to 60°C. The collected experimental data were subsequently analyzed through biogeochemical modeling. At 5°C, BoFeN1 cultures consumed acetate and reduced nitrate but did not significantly oxidize Fe(II). Abiotic Fe(II) oxidation by nitrite at different temperatures showed an Arrhenius-type behavior with an activation energy of 80±7 kJ/mol. Above 40°C, the kinetics of Fe(II) oxidation were abiotically driven, whereas at 30°C, where BoFeN1 can actively metabolize, the model-based interpretation strongly suggested that an enzymatic pathway was responsible for a large fraction (ca. 62%) of the oxidation. This result was reproduced even when no additional carbon source was present. Our results show that at below 30°C, i.e. at temperatures representing most natural environments, biological Fe(II) oxidation was largely responsible for overall Fe(II) oxidation, while abiotic Fe(II) oxidation by nitrite played a less important role.

Microbiology↗