From quantum disorder to magnetic order in an s=1/2 kagome lattice: a structural and magnetic study of herbertsmithite at high pressure

The structural and magnetic properties of deuterated herbertsmithite have been studied by means of neutron powder diffraction and magnetic susceptibility measurements in a wide range of temperatures and pressures. The experimental data demonstrate that a phase transition from the quantum-disordered spin-liquid phase to the long-range ordered antiferromagnetic phase with the Néel temperature T(N)=6 K is induced at P=2.5 GPa. The observed decrease of T(N) upon compression correlates with the anomalies in pressure behavior of Cu-O bond length and Cu-O-Cu bond angles. The reasons for the observed spin-freezing transition are discussed within the framework of the available theoretical models and the recent observation of the field-induced spin freezing.     

Template-Free Self-Assembly of Artificial De Novo Viral Coat Proteins into Nanorods: Effects of Sequence,Concentration, and Temperature

The self-assembly of protein polymers is a promising route to prepare sophisticated functional nanostructures. However, the interplay between protein self-assembly by itself and its co-assembly with a template is not well understood. Silk-based protein polymers that co-assemble with DNA to form rod-like artificial viruses are herein developed and the effects of silk block length, concentration, and temperature in the self-assembly of the proteins alone are characterized by using a combination of bulk dynamic light scattering (DLS) and single-molecule atomic force microscopy (AFM). Protein nanorods were slowly formed (up to hours) through the interaction of the silk-like blocks. The proteins present a silk-length dependent critical elongation concentration, and above it the amount and size of nanorods rapidly increase. Temperature-dependent light scattering data was adequately fitted into a cooperative model of nucleation–elongation. These results are also important to understand the self-assembly of designed viral coat proteins with DNA templates to form artificial virus-like particles and help us to define general guidelines to design proteins with the ability to precisely organize matter at the nanoscale.     

Über mehrstufige Involutionen in der complexen Ebene

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

A comparative study of ADI splitting methods for parabolic equations in two space dimensions

The main purpose of the paper is a numerical comparison of three integration methods for semi-discrete parabolic partial differential equations in two space variables. Linear as well as nonlinear,equations are considered. The integration methods are the well-known ADI method of Peaceman and Rachford, a global extrapolation scheme of the classical ADI method to order four and a fourth order, four-step ADI splitting method.     

Simulation of two and three-dimensional disordered systems: Lifshitz tails and localization properties

Very large two and three-dimensional realizations of the Anderson model for localization are studied by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. The density of states is calculated and Lifshitz tails extracted. Eigenstates at various energies are computed and analyzed. The localization length is determined as a function of the strength of the disorder and energy. For moderate disorder substantial deviations from results obtained by the strip-and-rod technique are found.     

Über gewisse ebene Configurationen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Dynamics of a stochastically driven running sandpile

Summary We analyze in detail a one-dimensional sandpile with spatially stochastic driving at a finite rate. The dynamics shows three different phases, depending on the on-site relaxation rate and the stochastic driving rate. Two phases are characterized by the presence of traveling waves. The third phase shows algebraic relaxation.