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At least 505 records · Page 28

Quasiballistic Thermal Transport from Nanoscale Heaters and the Role of the Spatial Frequency

Quasiballistic heat conduction from nanoscale heat sources of size comparable to phonon mean free paths has recently become of intense interest both scientifically and for its applications. Prior work has established that, in the quasiballistic regime, the apparent thermal properties of materials depend both on intrinsic mechanisms and the characteristics of the applied thermal gradient. However, many aspects of this regime remain poorly understood. Here, we experimentally study the thermal response of crystals to large thermal gradients generated by optical heating of nanoline arrays. Our experiments reveal the key role of the spatial frequencies and Fourier series amplitudes of the heating profile for thermal transport in the quasiballistic regime, in contrast to the conventional picture that focuses on the geometric dimensions of the individual heaters. As a result, our work provides the insight needed to rationally mitigate local hot spots in modern applications by manipulating the spatial frequencies of the heater patterns.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Low-energy phonons in Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 + δ and their possible interaction with electrons measured by inelastic neutron scattering

Electron-phonon interaction in copper oxide superconductors is still enigmatic. Strong coupling for certain optic phonons is now well established experimentally, but theoretical understanding is challenging. Scattering of electrons near the Fermi surface by the longitudinal acoustic (LA) phonons is expected from basic theory because these phonons modulate electron density. We used inelastic neutron scattering on a large single crystal sample of optimally-doped Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ to show that low-energy LA phonons could couple to electronic density fluctuations only at small phonon wavevectors, which naturally limits any interaction to forward scattering. Such scattering should not be pairbreaking in the case of the d-wave gap. We also found that previously reported low energy phonon spectral weight half-way to the zone boundary is consistent with conventional lattice dynamics and does not reflect incipient charge density wave (CDW).

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Mn(Pt 1–x Pd x ) 5 P: Isovalent tuning of Mn-sublattice magnetic order

Here, e report the growth and characterization of MnPd 5 P, a rare-earth-free ferromagnet, with T C ≈ 295 K and planar anisotropy, and conduct a substitutional study with its antiferromagnetic analogue MnPt 5 P. We provide a solution route to grow large single crystals of MnPd 5 P and the series Mn(Pt 1–x Pd x ) 5 P by adding Mn into Pd-P and (Pt 1–x Pd x )-P based melts. All compounds in the family adopt the layered anti-CeCoIn5 type structure with the space group P4/mmm, and EDS and X-ray diffraction results indicate that MnPt 5 P and MnPd 5 P form a complete solid solution. Based on measurements of the temperature- and field-dependent magnetization and resistance, we construct a temperature-composition (T-x) phase diagram for Mn(Pt 1–x Pd x ) 5 P and demonstrate that the initial antiferromagnetic order found in MnPt 5 P is extraordinarily sensitive to Pd substitution. At low Pd fractions (x < 0.010), the single antiferromagnetic transition in pure MnPt 5 P splits into a higher temperature ferromagnetic transition followed first, upon cooling, by a lower temperature ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition and then by a re-entrant antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic transition at even lower temperatures. The antiferromagnetic region makes up a bubble phase that persists up to x ≈ 0.008-0.009 for T ≈ 150 K, with all samples x < 0.008 recovering their initial ferromagnetic state upon further cooling to base temperature. Over the same low substitution range we find a non-monotonic change in the room temperature value of the unit cell volume, further suggesting that pure MnPt 5 P is very close to an instability. Once x > 0.010, Mn(Pt 1–x Pd x ) 5 P undergoes a only single transition into the ferromagnetic phase. The Curie temperature initially increases rapidly with x, rising from T C ≈ 197 K at x = 0.013 to a maximum of T C ≈ 312 K for x ≈ 0.62, and then falling back to T C ≈ 295 K for pure MnPd 5 P (x = 1.00). Given that Pt and Pd are isoelectronic, this work raises questions as to the origin of the extreme sensitivity of the magnetic ground state in MnPt 5 P upon introducing Pd.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Electronic structure, magnetic correlations, and superconducting pairing in the reduced Ruddlesden-Popper bilayer La 3 Ni 2 O 6 under pressure: Different role of d 3 z 2 - r 2 orbital compared with La 3 Ni 2 O 7

The recent discovery of superconductivity in bilayer La 3 Ni 2 O 7 (327-LNO) under pressure stimulated much interest in layered nickelates. However, superconductivity was not found in another bilayer nickelate system, La 3 Ni 2 O 6 (326-LNO), even under pressure. To understand the similarities and differences between 326-LNO and 327-LNO, using density functional theory and the random phase approximation (RPA), we systematically investigate 326-LNO under pressure. The large crystal-field splitting between the e g orbitals caused by the missing apical oxygen moves the d 3z 2 -r 2 orbital farther away from the Fermi level, implying that the d 3z 2 -r 2 orbital plays a less important role in 326-LNO than in 327-LNO. This also results in a smaller bandwidth for the d x 2 -y 2 orbital and a reduced energy gap for the bonding-antibonding splitting of the d 3z 2 -r 2 orbital in 326-LNO, as compared to 327-LNO. Moreover, the in-plane hybridization between the d x 2 -y 2 and d 3z 2 -r 2 orbitals is found to be small in 326-LNO, while it is much stronger in 327-LNO. Furthermore, the low-spin ferromagnetic state is found to be the likely ground state in 326-LNO under high pressure. The weak interlayer coupling suggests that s ± -wave pairing is unlikely in 326-LNO. The robust in-plane ferromagnetic coupling also suggests that d-wave superconductivity, which is usually caused by antiferromagnetic fluctuations of the d x 2 -y 2 orbital, is also unlikely in 326-LNO. These conclusions are supported by our many-body RPA calculations of the pairing behavior. Additionally, contrasting with the cuprates, for the bilayer cuprate HgBa 2 CaCu 2 O 6 , we find a strong self-doping effect of the d x 2 -y 2 orbital under pressure, with the charge of Cu being reduced by approximately 0.13 electrons from 0 GPa to 25 GPa. In contrast, we do not observe such a change in the electronic density in 326-LNO under pressure, establishing another important difference between the nickelates and the cuprates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Jeff=1/2 Mott spin-orbit insulating state close to the cubic limit in Ca4IrO6

The J_eff=1/2 state is manifested in systems with large cubic crystal field splitting and spin-orbit coupling that are comparable to the on-site Coulomb interaction, U. 5d transition metal oxides host parameters in this regime and strong evidence for this state in Sr2IrO4, and additional iridates, has been presented. All the candidates, however, deviate from the cubic crystal field required to provide an unmixed canonical J_eff=1/2 state, impacting the development of a robust model of this novel insulating and magnetic state. We present experimental and theoretical results that not only show Ca4IrO6 hosts the state, but furthermore uniquely resides in the limit required for a canonical unmixed J_eff=1/2 state.

Calder, Stuart A↗

Structural and magnetic characterization of the one-dimensional S = 5/2 antiferromagnetic chain system SrMn(VO 4 )(OH)

The descloizite-type compound, SrMn(VO 4 )(OH), was synthesized as large single crystals (1-2mm) using a high-temperature high-pressure hydrothermal technique. X-ray single crystal structure analysis reveals that the material crystallizes in the acentric orthorhombic space group of P2 1 2 1 2 1 (no. 19), Z = 4. The structure exhibits a one-dimensional feature, with [MnO 4 ] chains propagating along the a-axis which are interconnected by VO 4 tetrahedra. Raman and infrared spectra were obtained to identify the fundamental vanadate and hydroxide vibrational modes. Magnetization data reveal a broad maximum at approximately 80 K, arising from one-dimensional magnetic correlations with intrachain exchange constant of J/k B = 9.97(3) K between nearest Mn neighbors and a canted antiferromagnetic behavior below T N = 30 K. Single crystal neutron diffraction at 4 K yielded a magnetic structure solution in the lower symmetry of the magnetic space group P2 1 with two unique chains displaying antiferromagnetically ordered Mn moments oriented nearly perpendicular to the chain axis. Lastly, the presence of the Dzyaloshinskii Moriya antisymmetric exchange interaction leads to a slight canting of the spins and gives rise to a weak ferromagnetic component along the chain direction.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Fluctuations and noise signatures of driven magnetic skyrmions

Magnetic skyrmions are particlelike objects with topologically protected stability which can be set into motion with an applied current. Using a particle-based model we simulate current-driven magnetic skyrmions interacting with random quenched disorder and examine the skyrmion velocity fluctuations parallel and perpendicular to the direction of motion as a function of increasing drive. We show that the Magnus force contribution to skyrmion dynamics combined with the random pinning produces an isotropic effective shaking temperature. As a result, the skyrmions form a moving crystal at large drives instead of the moving smectic state observed in systems with a negligible Magnus force where the effective shaking temperature is anisotropic. Here, we demonstrate that spectral analysis of the velocity noise fluctuations can be used to identify dynamical phase transitions and to extract information about the different dynamic phases, and show how the velocity noise fluctuations are correlated with changes in the skyrmion Hall angle, transport features, and skyrmion lattice structure.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Hall Effect Study of the kappa-(ET) 2 X Family: Evidence for Mott-Anderson Localization.

We investigate the dc resistivity and Hall effect of the quasi-two-dimensional organic materials κ-(ET) 2 X, where X = Ag 2 (CN) 3 and B(CN) 4 and compare them with the results for X = Cu-2(CN) 3 . All three compounds are considered to be quantum-spin-disordered Mott insulators. Despite high similarities in chemical composition and crystal structure, large differences in the dc resistivity and Hall coefficient are found. While around room temperature the dc transport properties are dominantly determined by the strength of the electron correlations, upon reducing the temperature, dc transport happens by hopping due to inherent disorder. The most disordered compound with X = Cu 2 (CN) 3 turns out to have the lowest dc resistivity and the highest charge carrier density, i.e., in the phase diagram it is located closest to the metal-insulator transition. The least disordered compound with X = B(CN) 4 shows the highest resistivity and the lowest carrier density, i.e., lies farthest from the metal-insulator transition. We explain such counterintuitive behavior within the theory of Mott-Anderson localization as a consequence of disorder-induced localized states within the correlation gap.

Culo, M.↗

Electron-phonon coupling and superconductivity-induced distortion of the phonon lineshape in V 3 Si

Phonon measurements in the A15-type superconductors were complicated in the past because of the unavailability of large single crystals for inelastic neutron scattering, e.g., in the case of Nb 3 Sn, or unfavorable neutron scattering properties in the case of V 3 Si. Hence, only few studies of the lattice dynamical properties with momentum resolved methods were published, in particular below the superconducting transition temperature T c . Here, we overcome these problems by employing inelastic x-ray scattering and report a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of lattice dynamics in V 3 Si with the focus on the temperature-dependent properties of low-energy acoustic phonon modes in several high-symmetry directions. We paid particular attention to the evolution of the soft phonon mode of the structural phase transition observed in our sample at T s = 18.9 K, i.e., just above the measured superconducting phase transition at T c = 16.8 K. Theoretically, we predict lattice dynamics including electron-phonon coupling based on density-functional-perturbation theory and discuss the relevance of the soft phonon mode with regard to the value of T c . Furthermore, we explain superconductivity-induced anomalies in the lineshape of several acoustic phonon modes using a model proposed by Allen et al., [Phys. Rev. B 56, 5552 (19 7)].

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Peak effect and dynamics of stripe- and pattern-forming systems on a periodic one-dimensional substrate

Here we examine the ordering, pinning, and dynamics of two-dimensional pattern-forming systems interacting with a periodic one-dimensional substrate. In the absence of the substrate, particles with competing long-range repulsion and short-range attraction form anisotropic crystal, stripe, and bubble states. When the system is tuned across the stripe transition in the presence of a substrate, we find that there is a peak effect in the critical depinning force when the stripes align and become commensurate with the substrate. Under an applied drive, the anisotropic crystal and stripe states can exhibit soliton depinning and plastic flow. When the stripes depin plastically, they dynamically reorder into a moving stripe state that is perpendicular to the substrate trough direction. We also find that when the substrate spacing is smaller than the widths of the bubbles or stripes, the system forms pinned stripe states that are perpendicular to the substrate trough direction. The system exhibits multiple reentrant pinning effects as a function of increasing attraction, with the anisotropic crystal and large bubble states experiencing weak pinning but the stripe and smaller bubble states showing stronger pinning. We map out the different dynamic phases as a function of filling, the strength of the attractive interaction term, the substrate strength, and the drive, and demonstrate that the different phases produce identifiable features in the transport curves and particle orderings.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Serial crystallography using automated drop dispensing

Automated, pulsed liquid-phase sample delivery has the potential to greatly improve the efficiency of both sample and photon use at pulsed X-ray facilities. In this work, an automated drop on demand (DOD) system that accelerates sample exchange for serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) is demonstrated. Four different protein crystal slurries were tested, and this technique is further improved here with an automatic sample-cycling system whose effectiveness was verified by the indexing results. Here, high-throughput SFX screening is shown to be possible at free-electron laser facilities with very low risk of cross contamination and minimal downtime. The development of this technique will significantly reduce sample consumption and enable structure determination of proteins that are difficult to crystallize in large quantities. This work also lays the foundation for automating sample delivery.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Serial femtosecond X-ray diffraction of 30S ribosomal subunit microcrystals in liquid suspension at ambient temperature using an X-ray free-electron laser

High-resolution ribosome structures determined by X-ray crystallography have provided important insights into the mechanism of translation. Such studies have thus far relied on large ribosome crystals kept at cryogenic temperatures to reduce radiation damage. Here, the application of serial femtosecond X-ray crystallography (SFX) using an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) to obtain diffraction data from ribosome microcrystals in liquid suspension at ambient temperature is described. 30S ribosomal subunit microcrystals diffracted to beyond 6 Å resolution, demonstrating the feasibility of using SFX for ribosome structural studies. The ability to collect diffraction data at near-physiological temperatures promises to provide fundamental insights into the structural dynamics of the ribosome and its functional complexes.

30S ribosomal subunit↗

A fixed-target platform for serial femtosecond crystallography in a hydrated environment

For serial femtosecond crystallography at X-ray free-electron lasers, which entails collection of single-pulse diffraction patterns from a constantly refreshed supply of microcrystalline sample, delivery of the sample into the X-ray beam path while maintaining low background remains a technical challenge for some experiments, especially where this methodology is applied to relatively low-ordered samples or those difficult to purify and crystallize in large quantities. This work demonstrates a scheme to encapsulate biological samples using polymer thin films and graphene to maintain sample hydration in vacuum conditions. The encapsulated sample is delivered into the X-ray beam on fixed targets for rapid scanning using the Roadrunner fixed-target system towards a long-term goal of low-background measurements on weakly diffracting samples. As a proof of principle, we used microcrystals of the 24 kDa rapid encystment protein (REP24) to provide a benchmark for polymer/graphene sandwich performance. The REP24 microcrystal unit cell obtained from our sandwiched in-vacuum sample was consistent with previously established unit-cell parameters and with those measured by us without encapsulation in humidified helium, indicating that the platform is robust against evaporative losses. While significant scattering from water was observed because of the sample-deposition method, the polymer/graphene sandwich itself was shown to contribute minimally to background scattering.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Room-temperature neutron and X-ray data collection of 3CL M pro from SARS-CoV-2

The replication of SARS-CoV-2 produces two large polyproteins, pp1a and pp1ab, that are inactive until cleavage by the viral chymotrypsin-like cysteine protease enzyme (3CL M pro ) into a series of smaller functional proteins. At the heart of 3CL M pro is an unusual catalytic dyad formed by the side chains of His41 and Cys145 and a coordinated water molecule. The catalytic mechanism by which the enzyme operates is still unknown, as crucial information on the protonation states within the active site is unclear. To experimentally determine the protonation states of the catalytic site and of the other residues in the substrate-binding cavity, and to visualize the hydrogen-bonding networks throughout the enzyme, room-temperature neutron and X-ray data were collected from a large H/D-exchanged crystal of ligand-free (apo) 3CL M pro .

3CL Mpro↗

Diffuse scattering from correlated electron systems

The role of inhomegeneity in determining the properties of correlated electron systems is poorly understood because of the dearth of structural probes of disorder at the nanoscale. Advances in both neutron and x-ray scattering instrumentation now allow comprehensive measurements of diffuse scattering in single crystals over large volumes of reciprocal space, enabling structural correlations to be characterized over a range of length scales from 5 to 200 angstroms or more. When combined with new analysis tools, such as three-dimensional difference pair-distribution functions, these advanced capabilities have produced fresh insights into the interplay of structural fluctuations and electronic properties in a broad range of correlated electron materials. This review describes recent investigations that have demonstrated the importance of understanding structural inhomogeneity pertaining to phenomena as diverse as superconductivity, charge density wave modulations, metal-insulator transitions, and multipolar interactions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Design of higher valency in covalent organic frameworks

The valency (connectivity) of building units in covalent organic frameworks (COFs) has been primarily 3 and 4, corresponding to triangles and squares or tetrahedrons, respectively. We report a strategy for making COFs with valency 8 (cubes) and “infinity” (rods). The linker 1,4-boronophenylphosphonic acid—designed to have boron and phosphorus as an isoelectronic combination of carbon-group elements—was condensed into a porous, polycubane structure (BP-COF- 1 ) formulated as (–B 4 P 4 O 12 –)(–C 6 H 4 –) 4 . It was characterized by x-ray powder diffraction techniques, which revealed cubes linked with phenyls. The isoreticular forms (BP-COF- 2 to 5 ) were similarly prepared and characterized. Large single crystals of a constitutionally isomeric COF (BP-COF- 6 ), composed of rod units, were also synthesized using the same strategy, thus propelling COF chemistry into a new valency regime.

Gropp, Cornelius↗

Production of complex rubidium and cesium hydrogen sulfate‒phosphates

The solubility in the CsH{sub 2}PO{sub 4}‒CsHSO{sub 4}‒H{sub 2}O system at different temperatures (25, 50, and 75°C) is studied and the phase equilibria in the Rb{sub 3}H(SO{sub 4}){sub 2}‒RbH{sub 2}PO{sub 4}‒H{sub 2}O system under isothermal conditions (at 25°C) are analyzed. The temperature and concentration conditions for forming Rb{sub 2}(HSO{sub 4})(H{sub 2}PO{sub 4}), Rb{sub 4}(HSO{sub 4}){sub 3}(H{sub 2}PO{sub 4}), Cs{sub 4}(HSO{sub 4}){sub 3}(H{sub 2}PO{sub 4}), Cs{sub 3}(HSO{sub 4}){sub 2}(H{sub 2}PO{sub 4}), Cs{sub 2}(HSO{sub 4})(H{sub 2}PO{sub 4}), and Cs{sub 6}H(HSO{sub 4}){sub 3}(H{sub 2}PO{sub 4}){sub 4} compounds (the latter has been obtained for the first time) are determined. The conditions for growing large single crystals of complex acid rubidium and cesium salts are found.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗