Magnetic and structural transitions in La1−x Sr x MnO3: T-x phase diagram

The electrical conductivity, magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, and submillimeter (v=5∓20 cm⁻¹) permittivity and dynamic conductivity of La_1−x Sr _x MnO₃ (0≤x≤ 0.45) single crystals are investigated. The anomalies in the temperature dependences of these quantities are identified with diverse magnetic and structural phase transformations, including antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic ordering, structural transitions between strongly distorted (Jahn-Teller) and weakly distorted (pseudocubic) orthorhombic phases, structural transitions to a rhombohedral phase and unusual transitions to a polaron-ordering state. As a result, the complete T-x phase diagram of the system La_1−2x Sr _x MnO₃ is constructed in a wide interval of temperatures T=4.2∓1050 K and concentrations x=0−0.45. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 68, No. 4, 331–336 (25 August 1998)     

On the Role of Physics in the Growth and Pattern Formation of Multi-Cellular Systems: What can we Learn from Individual-Cell Based Models?

We demonstrate that many collective phenomena in multi-cellular systems can be explained by models in which cells, despite their complexity, are represented as simple particles which are parameterized mainly by their physical properties. We mainly focus on two examples that nevertheless span a wide range of biological sub-disciplines: Unstructured cell populations growing in cell culture and growing cell layers in early animal development. While cultured unstructured cell populations would apriori been classified as particularly suited for a biophysical approach since the degree to which they are committed to a genetic program is expected to be modest, early animal development would be expected to mark the other extreme—here the degree of determinism according to a genetic program would be expected to be very high. We consider a number of phenomena such as the growth kinetics and spatial structure formation of monolayers and multicellular spheroids, the effect of the presence of another cell type surrounding the growing cell population, the effect of mutations and the critical surface dynamics of monolayers. Different from unstructured cell populations, cells in early development and at tissue interfaces usually form highly organized structures. An example are tissue layers. Under certain circumstances such layers are observed to fold. We show that folding pattern again can largely be explained by physical mechanisms either by a buckling instability or active cell shape changes. The paper combines new and published material and aims at an overview of a wide range of physical aspects in unstructured populations and growing tissue layers.     

Optical Magnus effect in metamaterials fabricated from ferromagnetic microwires

In homogeneous negative phase velocity media, the Doppler and Cherenkov-Vavilov effects and the refraction and pressure of light are anomalous: they are inverse with respect to the corresponding effects in conventional media. Using the geometrical optics approximation, it is shown that the optical Magnus effect in inhomogeneous negative phase velocity media is also anomalous. The effect is demonstrated by considering a metamaterial consisting of parallel amorphous ferromagnetic microwires in a magnetic field. The metamaterial proves to be a left-handed one in the realistic region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The optical properties of such a left-handed medium can be controlled by the external magnetic field.     

Diffractive vector meson production at HERA: From soft to hard QCD

Experimental results from HERA on diffractive vector meson production and their theoretical interpretation within microscopic QCD are reviewed with an emphasis on the BFKL color dipole and k _T -factorization approaches. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Poly(ortho‐phenylene ethynylene)s: Synthetic accessibility and optical properties

Poly(ortho‐phenylene ethynylene)s (PoPEs) have been synthesized via an in situ activation/coupling AB′ polycondensation protocol. The resulting polymers have been characterized by several analytical methods and are shown to have no structural defects. Although the Sonogashira–Hagihara polycondensation reaction is less efficient than for the preparation of the corresponding meta‐ and para‐linked polymers, presumably because of steric hindrance caused by the ortho substituents, the process can be accelerated by the use of microwave irradiation. Optical spectroscopy indicates solvent‐dependent conformational changes between extended transoid and helical cisoid conformations, providing the first experimental evidence for solvophobically driven folding of the PoPE backbone. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1619–1627, 2006