Magnetic phase diagram of anisotropic layered superconductors via magnetization measurements forH‖c in Bi2212

The Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈ system is viewed as an archetypal of superconductors modelled as Josephson coupled CuO₂ bilayers. The isothermal and temperature dependent DC and AC magnetization measurements forH‖c in a single crystal of Bi2212 have been performed. Qualitative changes are observed to occur over a narrow range of temperature values before reaching the superconducting-normal transition. The observed behaviour can be ascribed to the rapid variation in the strength of the coupling between the superconducting CuO₂ planes (i.e., bilayers in the case of Bi2212). Strongly coupled planes behave like a 3D superconductor, whereas weakly coupled planes have a two component response attributable to 2D planes and interplanar couplings. We believe that this paper is a plethora of new findings. Our observations imply that resistivity across the planes becomes zero earlier than that within the planes. A new line (designated asH _2D(T)) above which the change in the electromagnetic response is dominated by quasi 2D-planes has been determined for the first time. This paper also contains the first observation of Differential Diamagnetic Effect (DDE) in the In-phase AC susceptibility data which signals the onset (atT _2D(H)) of dominance of response from 2D-planes. In addition to a host of interesting thermomagnetic history effects which are a consequence of interplay between the diamagnetic responses from the two components, a comparison of irreversibility lines (of the 3D state) determined by different methods on the same specimen of a HTSC is also being presented for the first time. We have come across Paramagnetic Meissner Effect (PME), first recognized in ceramic samples of Bi2212, in the temperature region of dimensional crossover in our single crystal sample, whichinter-alia confirms our labelling of the two component behaviour. A schematic phase diagram summarizing the various transformations that can occur nearT _c in the electromagnetic response of an anisotropic layered system has been drawn.     

The depth of molecular recognition: voltage-sensitive blockage of synthetic multifunctional pores with refined architecture

Voltage-sensitive blockage by ADP, ATP and phytate (IP6) demonstrates that active-site contraction toward the middle of newly synthesized rigid-rod beta-barrels provides a general strategy to rationally create and modulate the voltage sensitivity (and to increase the efficiency) of molecular recognition by synthetic multifunctional pores.     

Microscopic magnetic properties of nonstoichiometric V2O3+x—NMR and inelastic spin-flip neutron scattering measurements

The local magnetic properties of the V sites in the nonstoichiometric V₂O_3+x (0 ? x <0.08) have been examined by nuclear magnetic resonance and inelastic spin-flip neutron scattering techniques. The samples with x = 0.01 and 0.02 show a paramagnetic metal (PM)-antiferromagnetic insulator (AFI) transition. In the AFI phase, two distinct ⁵¹V NMR signals with hyperfine fields H_n = 184.9±0.5 kOe and 71±1 kOe were observed at 1.8 K, which were assigned as due to V³⁺ and V³⁺ sites, respectively. On the other hand, the samples with x = 0.04 and 0.06 were metallic down to 1.4K, and showed a paramagnetic (PM)-antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition at about 10 K. In these samples, a ⁵¹V NMR signal with H_n = 58±2 k0e and one with 〈H_n〉 = 9kOe were observed at 1.8 K, which were assigned as due to V³⁺-like sites and the matrix V sites, respectively. These results are entirely consistent with those obtained from the neutron experiment. We propose that in the metallic phase (0.04 ? x < 0.08) the minority V⁴⁺-like sites are magnetically localized in the delocalized V matrix and may be responsible for the antiferromagnetic long range order below 10 K.     

Non-linear laws of echoic memory and auditory change detection in humans

Background  

The detection of any abrupt change in the environment is important to survival. Since memory of preceding sensory conditions is necessary for detecting changes, such a change-detection system relates closely to the memory system. Here we used an auditory change-related N1 subcomponent (change-N1) of event-related brain potentials to investigate cortical mechanisms underlying change detection and echoic memory.     

Asymptotic profile of solutions to nonlinear dissipative evolution system with ellipticity

We consider the Cauchy problem for the nonlinear dissipative evolution system with ellipticity on one dimensional space

New mechanism of the formation of the nanorelief on a surface irradiated by a femtosecond laser pulse

The kinetics of fast processes induced by an ultrashort laser pulse is considered. The reliefs remaining after the action of a series of ultrashort laser pulses {S. A. Akhmanov, V. I. Emelyanov, N. I. Koroteev, et al., Usp. Fiz. Nauk 147, 675 (1985) [Sov. Phys. Usp. 28, 1084 (1985)]; F. Costache, S. Kouteva-Arguirova, and J. Reif, Appl. Phys. A 79, 1429 (2004)} have been studied. A new mechanism of perturbing the surface of the initially ideal crystal face is described. First, the formation of a relief is induced by a single pulse. Second, the relief scale along the target surface is about the heating depth d _T ～ 10–100 nm rather than the pump-pulse wavelength λ_pump ～ 1 μm. Third, the formation of the relief is not attributed to the modulation of the electromagnetic field near the surface due to the interference of the incident light wave with the electromagnetic surface waves on the initial perturbations of the boundary. These three conditions are satisfied for a known instability induced by the interference of the incident and surface waves (see the works cited above [1]). In our case, the nanorelief is formed due to the deformation of the spalled layer by cavitation bubbles owing to the inhomogeneity of the drag force in the target plane. Cavitation is caused by the tension of the substance in the process of the expansion of a heated target. It is similar to the known phenomenon of the cavitation “spallation” in a liquid despite the large difference between the space-time scales of the usual spallation facility and the femtosecond heating. Owing to this difference, usual cavitation does not leave any morphological trace on the outer free surface of the spalled layer.     

Interaction of short laser pulses with metals at moderate intensities

The developed model including hydrodynamics with electron heat conduction and electron–ion energy exchange, and cavitation breakup of stretched metastable liquid aluminum (Al) is compared with our laser experiments. For the first time the measured and calculated ablation thresholds agree well in both crater depth and fluence.     

Expansion of Photostable Luminescent Radicals by Meta-Substitution

Polychlorinated pyridyldiphenylmethyl radicals having substituents meta to the position bearing the carbon-centered radical (α-carbon) are synthesized. All of them are stable in ambient conditions in solutions and fluorescent in cyclohexane. The fluorescence of the radicals with bromo, phenyl, 4-chlorophenyl, or 2-pyridyl substituents are enhanced in chloroform, while the emission of the radicals with 2-thienyl or 2-furyl substituents are quenched in chloroform. DFT and TD-DFT calculations indicate that the first doublet excited states of the former are locally excited, while the first doublet excited states of the latter are charge transfer states from the π-electron-donating substituent to the accepting radical. The latter also show much higher photostability under 370-nm light irradiation compared with the first reported photostable fluorescent radical, (3,5-dichloro-4-pyridyl)bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)methyl radical (PyBTM), with pronounced bathochromic shifts of the fluorescence.     

Giant Hysteretic Single‐Molecule Electric Polarisation Switching above Room Temperature

Continual progress has been achieved in information technology through unrelenting miniaturisation of the single memory bit in integrated ferromagnetic, ferroelectric, optical, and related circuits. However, as miniaturisation approaches its theoretical limit, new memory materials are being sought. Herein, we report a unique material exhibiting single‐molecule electric polarisation switching that can operate above room temperature. The phenomenon occurs in a Preyssler‐type polyoxometalate (POM) cluster we call a single‐molecule electret (SME). It exhibits all the characteristics of ferroelectricity but without long‐range dipole ordering. The SME affords bi‐stability as a result of the two potential positions of localisation of a Tb³⁺ ion trapped in the POM, resulting in extremely slow relaxation of the polarisation and electric hysteresis with high spontaneous polarisation and coercive electric fields. Our findings suggest that SMEs can potentially be applied to ultrahigh‐density memory 1 and other molecular‐level electronic devices operating above room temperature. 2