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A search for weakly interacting massive dark matter particles produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and missing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb(-1) of proton proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at root s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are interpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour-neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross-section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour-charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements.
Jet substructure observables have significantly extended the search program for physics beyond the standard model at the Large Hadron Collider. The state-of-the-art tools have been motivated by theoretical calculations, but there has never been a direct comparison between data and calculations of jet substructure observables that are accurate beyond leading-logarithm approximation. Such observables are significant not only for probing the collinear regime of QCD that is largely unexplored at a hadron collider, but also for improving the understanding of jet substructure properties that are used in many studies at the Large Hadron Collider. This Letter documents a measurement of the first jet substructure quantity at a hadron collider to be calculated at next-to-next-to-leading-logarithm accuracy. The normalized, differential cross section is measured as a function of log(10)rho(2), where rho is the ratio of the soft-drop mass to the ungroomed jet transverse momentum. This quantity is measured in dijet events from 32.9 fb(-1) of root s = 13 TeV proton-proton collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector. The data are unfolded to correct for detector effects and compared to precise QCD calculations and leading-logarithm particle-level Monte Carlo simulations.
Thin films of transition metal oxides open up a gateway to nanoscale electronic devices beyond silicon characterized by novel electronic functionalities. While such films are commonly prepared in an oxygen atmosphere, they are typically considered to be ideally terminated with the stoichiometric composition. Using the prototypical correlated metal SrVO\(_{3}\) as an example, it is demonstrated that this idealized description overlooks an essential ingredient: oxygen adsorbing at the surface apical sites. The oxygen adatoms, which are present even if the films are kept in an ultrahigh vacuum environment and not explicitly exposed to air, are shown to severely affect the intrinsic electronic structure of a transition metal oxide film. Their presence leads to the formation of an electronically dead surface layer but also alters the band filling and the electron correlations in the thin films. These findings highlight that it is important to take into account surface apical oxygen or—mutatis mutandis—the specific oxygen configuration imposed by a capping layer to predict the behavior of ultrathin films of transition metal oxides near the single unit-cell limit.
Thermoelectric materials utilizing ionic transport open-up entirely new possibilities for the recuperation of waste heat. Remarkably, solid state electrolytes which have entered the focus of battery research in recent years turn-out to be promising candidates also for ionic thermoelectrics. Here, the dynamics of ionic transport and thermoelectric properties of a methacrylate based polymer blend in combination with a lithium salt is analyzed. Impedance spectroscopy data indicates the presence of just one transport mechanism irrespective of lithium salt concentration. In contrast, the temperature dependent ionic conductivity increases with salt concentration and can be ascribed to a Vogel–Fulcher–Tammann (VFT) behavior. The obtained Seebeck coefficients of 2 mV K\(^{−1}\) allow for high power outputs while the polymer matrix maintains the temperature gradient by its low thermal conductivity. Adding multi-walled carbon nanotubes to the polymer matrix allows for variation of the Seebeck coefficient as well as the ionic and electronic conductivities. As a result, a transition between a high temperature VFT regime and a low temperature Arrhenius regime appears at a critical temperature, T\(_{c}\), shifting upon addition of salt. The observed polarity change in Seebeck voltage at T\(_{c}\) suggests a new mode of thermoelectric operation, which is demonstrated by a proof-of-concept mixed electronic-ionic-thermoelectric generator.
Results from a search for supersymmetry in events with four or more charged leptons (electrons, muons and taus) are presented. The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to 36.1 fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions delivered by the Large Hadron Collider at root s = 13 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Four-lepton signal regions with up to two hadronically decaying taus are designed to target a range of supersymmetric scenarios that can be either enriched in or depleted of events involving the production and decay of a Z boson. Data yields are consistent with Standard Model expectations and results are used to set upper limits on the event yields from processes beyond the Standard Model. Exclusion limits are set at the 95% confidence level in simplified models of general gauge mediated supersymmetry, where Higgsino masses are excluded up to 295 GeV. In R-parity-violating simplified models with decays of the lightest supersymmetric particle to charged leptons, lower limits of 1.46, 1.06, and 2.25 TeV are placed on wino, slepton and gluino masses, respectively.
A search for the supersymmetric partners of quarks and gluons (squarks and gluinos) in final states containing hadronic jets and missing transverse momentum, but no electrons or muons, is presented. The data used in this search were recorded in 2015 and 2016 by the ATLAS experiment in root s = 13 TeV proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1). The results are interpreted in the context of various models where squarks and gluinos are pair produced and the neutralino is the lightest supersymmetric particle. An exclusion limit at the 95% confidence level on the mass of the gluino is set at 2.03 TeV for a simplified model incorporating only a gluino and the lightest neutralino, assuming the lightest neutralino is massless. For a simplified model involving the strong production of mass-degenerate first-and second-generation squarks, squark masses below 1.55 TeVare excluded if the lightest neutralino is massless. These limits substantially extend the region of supersymmetric parameter space previously excluded by searches with the ATLAS detector.
A search for long-lived, massive particles predicted by many theories beyond the Standard Model is presented. The search targets final states with large missing transverse momentum and at least one highmass displaced vertex with five or more tracks, and uses 32.8 fb(-1) of root s = 13 TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The observed yield is consistent with the expected background. The results are used to extract 95% C.L. exclusion limits on the production of long-lived gluinos with masses up to 2.37 TeV and lifetimes of O(10(-2)) - O(10) ns in a simplified model inspired by split supersymmetry.
Measurements of ZZ production in the l(+)l(-)l'(+)l'(-) channel in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV center-of-mass energy at the Large Hadron Collider are presented. The data correspond to 36.1 fb(-1) of collisions collected by the ATLAS experiment in 2015 and 2016. Here l and l ' stand for electrons or muons. Integrated and differential ZZ -> l(+)l(-)l'(+)l'(-) cross sections with Z -> l(+)l(-) candidate masses in the range of 66 GeV to 116 GeV are measured in a fiducial phase space corresponding to the detector acceptance and corrected for detector effects. The differential cross sections are presented in bins of twenty observables, including several that describe the jet activity. The integrated cross section is also extrapolated to a total phase space and to all standard model decays of Z bosons with mass between 66 GeV and 116 GeV, resulting in a value of 17.3 +/- 0.9 [+/- 0.6(start) +/- 0.5 (syst) +/- 0.6 (lumi)] pb. The measurements are found to be in good agreement with the standard model. A search for neutral triple gauge couplings is performed using the transverse momentum distribution of the leading Z boson candidate. No evidence for such couplings is found and exclusion limits are set on their parameters.
A search is presented for the direct pair production of the stop, the supersymmetric partner of the top quark, that decays through an R-parity-violating coupling to a final state with two leptons and two jets, at least one of which is identified as a b-jet. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV, collected in 2015 and 2016 by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. No significant excess is observed over the Standard Model background, and exclusion limits are set on stop pair production at a 95% confidence level. Lower limits on the stop mass are set between 600 GeV and 1.5 TeV for branching ratios above 10% for decays to an electron or muon and a b-quark.
A detailed study of multiparticle azimuthal correlations is presented using pp data at root s = 5.02 and 13 TeV, and p+Pb data at root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The azimuthal correlations are probed using four-particle cumulants c(n){4} and flow coefficients v(n){4} = (-c(n){4})(1/4) for n = 2 and 3, with the goal of extracting long-range multiparticle azimuthal correlation signals and suppressing the short-range correlations. The values of c(n){4} are obtained as a function of the average number of charged particles per event, < N-ch >, using the recently proposed two-subevent and three-subevent cumulant methods, and compared with results obtained with the standard cumulant method. The standard method is found to be strongly biased by short-range correlations, which originate mostly from jetswith a positive contribution to c(n){4}. The threesubevent method, on the other hand, is found to be least sensitive to short-range correlations. The three-subevent method gives a negative c(2){4}, and therefore a well-defined v(2){4}, nearly independent of < N-ch >, which implies that the long-range multiparticle azimuthal correlations persist to events with low multiplicity. Furthermore, v(2){4} is found to be smaller than the v(2){2} measured using the two-particle correlation method, as expected for long-range collective behavior. Finally, the measured values of v(2){4} and v(2){2} are used to estimate the number of sources relevant for the initial eccentricity in the collision geometry. The results based on the subevent cumulant technique provide direct evidence, in small collision systems, for a long-range collectivity involving many particles distributed across a broad rapidity interval.
This Letter presents a search for new light resonances decaying to pairs of quarks and produced in association with a high-p(T) photon or jet. The dataset consists of proton-proton collisions with an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1) at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Resonance candidates are identified as massive large-radius jets with substructure consistent with a particle decaying into a quark pair. The mass spectrum of the candidates is examined for local excesses above background. No evidence of a new resonance is observed in the data, which are used to exclude the production of a lepto-phobic axial-vector Z' boson. (C) 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
The dynamics of isolated-photon production in association with a jet in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV are studied with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using a dataset with an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb(-1). Photons are required to have transverse energies above 125 GeV. Jets are identified using the anti-k(t) algorithm with radius parameter R = 0.4 and required to have transverse momenta above 100 GeV. Measurements of isolated-photon plus jet cross sections are presented as functions of the leading-photon transverse energy, the leading-jet transverse momentum, the azimuthal angular separation between the photon and the jet, the photon-jet invariant mass and the scattering angle in the photon-jet centre-of-mass system. Tree-level plus parton-shower predictions from SHERPA and PYTHIA as well as next-to-leading-order QCD predictions from JETPHOX and SHERPA are compared to the measurements. (C) 2018 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V.
The production of a top quark in association with a Z boson is investigated. The proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015 and 2016 at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV are used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1). Events containing three identified leptons (electrons and/or muons) and two jets, one of which is identified as a b-quark jet are selected. The major backgrounds are diboson, tt($)over-bar and Z + jets production. A neural network is used to improve the background rejection and extract the signal. The resulting significance is 4.2 sigma in the data and the expected significance is 5.4 sigma. The measured cross-section for tZq production is 600 +/- 170(stat.)+/- 140(syst.)fb. (C) 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
A search for heavy resonances decaying into a Higgs boson (H) and a new particle (X) is reported, utilizing 36.1 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at root s = 13 TeV collected during 2015 and 2016 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The particle Xis assumed to decay to a pair of light quarks, and the fully hadronic final state XH -> q (q) over bar 'b (b) over bar is analysed. The search considers the regime of high XH resonance masses, where the X and H bosons are both highly Lorentz-boosted and are each reconstructed using a single jet with large radius parameter. A two-dimensional phase space of XH mass versus X mass is scanned for evidence of a signal, over a range of XH resonance mass values between 1 TeV and 4 TeV, and for X particles with masses from 50 GeV to 1000 GeV. All search results are consistent with the expectations for the background due to Standard Model processes, and 95% CL upper limits are set, as a function of XH and X masses, on the production cross-section of the XH -> q (q) over bar 'b (b) over bar resonance. (c) 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
The production of exclusive gamma gamma -> mu(+)mu(-) events in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV is measured with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb(-1). The measurement is performed for a dimuon invariant mass of 12 GeV < m(mu+mu-) < 70 GeV. The integrated cross-section is determined within a fiducial acceptance region of the ATLAS detector and differential cross-sections are measured as a function of the dimuon invariant mass. The results are compared to theoretical predictions both with and without corrections for absorptive effects. (c) 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
To evaluate an iterative learning approach for enhanced performance of robust artificial‐neural‐networks for k‐space interpolation (RAKI), when only a limited amount of training data (auto‐calibration signals [ACS]) are available for accelerated standard 2D imaging.
Methods
In a first step, the RAKI model was tailored for the case of limited training data amount. In the iterative learning approach (termed iterative RAKI [iRAKI]), the tailored RAKI model is initially trained using original and augmented ACS obtained from a linear parallel imaging reconstruction. Subsequently, the RAKI convolution filters are refined iteratively using original and augmented ACS extracted from the previous RAKI reconstruction. Evaluation was carried out on 200 retrospectively undersampled in vivo datasets from the fastMRI neuro database with different contrast settings.
Results
For limited training data (18 and 22 ACS lines for R = 4 and R = 5, respectively), iRAKI outperforms standard RAKI by reducing residual artifacts and yields better noise suppression when compared to standard parallel imaging, underlined by quantitative reconstruction quality metrics. Additionally, iRAKI shows better performance than both GRAPPA and standard RAKI in case of pre‐scan calibration with varying contrast between training‐ and undersampled data.
Conclusion
RAKI benefits from the iterative learning approach, which preserves the noise suppression feature, but requires less original training data for the accurate reconstruction of standard 2D images thereby improving net acceleration.
Narrow resonances decaying into WW, WZ or ZZ boson pairs are searched for in 36.7 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. The diboson system is reconstructed using pairs of large-radius jets with high transverse momentum and tagged as compatible with the hadronic decay of high-momentum Wor Zbosons, using jet mass and substructure properties. The search is sensitive to diboson resonances with masses in the range 1.2-5.0 TeV. No significant excess is observed in any signal region. Exclusion limits are set at the 95% confidence level on the production cross section times branching ratio to dibosons for a range of theories beyond the Standard Model. Model-dependent lower limits on the mass of new gauge bosons are set, with the highest limit set at 3.5 TeV in the context of mass-degenerate resonances that couple predominantly to bosons. (c) 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
A search for an invisibly decaying Higgs boson or dark matter candidates produced in association with a leptonically decaying Z boson in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV is presented. This search uses 36.1 fb(-1) of data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. No significant deviation from the expectation of the Standard Model backgrounds is observed. Assuming the Standard Model ZH production cross-section, an observed (expected) upper limit of 67% (39%) at the 95% confidence level is set on the branching ratio of invisible decays of the Higgs boson with mass m(H) = 125 GeV. The corresponding limits on the production cross-section of the ZH process with the invisible Higgs boson decays are also presented. Furthermore, exclusion limits on the dark matter candidate and mediator masses are reported in the framework of simplified dark matter models. (c) 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
An angular analysis of the decay B-d(0) -> K*mu(+)mu(-) is presented, based on proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The study is using 20.3 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected during 2012 at centre-of-mass energy of root s = 8TeV. Measurements of the K* longitudinal polarisation fraction and a set of angular parameters obtained for this decay are presented. The results are compatible with the Standard Model predictions.
Search for exclusive Higgs and Z boson decays to phi gamma and rho gamma with the ATLAS detector
(2018)
A search for the exclusive decays of the Higgs and Z bosons to a phi or rho meson and a photon is performed with a pp collision data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of up to 35.6 fb(-1) collected at root s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. These decays have been suggested as a probe of the Higgs boson couplings to light quarks. No significant excess of events is observed above the background, as expected from the Standard Model. Upper limits at 95% confidence level were obtained on the branching fractions of the Higgs boson decays to phi gamma and rho gamma of 4.8 x 10(-4) and 8.8 x 10(-4), respectively. The corresponding 95% confidence level upper limits for the Z boson decays are 0.9 x 10(-6) and 25 x 10(-6) for phi gamma and rho gamma, respectively.
A search is conducted for a beyond-the-Standard-Model boson using events where a Higgs boson with mass 125 GeV decays to four leptons (l = e or mu). This decay is presumed to occur via an intermediate state which contains one or two on-shell, promptly decaying bosons: H -> ZX/XX -> 4l , where X is a new vector boson Z(d) or pseudoscalar a with mass between 1 and 60 GeV. The search uses pp collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC with an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1) at a centre-of-mass energy root s = 13TeV. No significant excess of events above Standard Model background predictions is observed; therefore, upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on model-independent fiducial cross-sections, and on the Higgs boson decay branching ratios to vector and pseudoscalar bosons in two benchmark models.
The results of a search for the direct pair production of top squarks, the supersymmetric partner of the top quark, in final states with one isolated electron or muon, several energetic jets, and missing transverse momentum are reported. The analysis also targets spin-0 mediator models, where the mediator decays into a pair of dark-matter particles and is produced in association with a pair of top quarks. The search uses data from proton-proton collisions delivered by the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016 at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36 fb(-1). A wide range of signal scenarios with different mass-splittings between the top squark, the lightest neutralino and possible intermediate supersymmetric particles are considered, including cases where the W bosons or the top quarks produced in the decay chain are off-shell. No significant excess over the Standard Model prediction is observed. The null results are used to set exclusion limits at 95% confidence level in several supersymmetry benchmark models. For pair-produced top-squarks decaying into top quarks, top-squark masses up to 940 GeV are excluded. Stringent exclusion limits are also derived for all other considered top-squark decay scenarios. For the spin-0 mediator models, upper limits are set on the visible cross-section.
A search for supersymmetry involving the pair production of gluinos decaying via third-generation squarks into the lightest neutralino ((chi) over tilde (0)(1)) is reported. It uses LHC proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy root s = 13TeV with an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1) collected with the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016. The search is performed in events containing large missing transverse momentum and several energetic jets, at least three of which must be identified as originating from b-quarks. To increase the sensitivity, the sample is divided into subsamples based on the presence or absence of electrons or muons. No excess is found above the predicted background. For (chi) over tilde (0)(1) masses below approximately 300 GeV, gluino masses of less than 1.97 (1.92) TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level in simplified models involving the pair production of gluinos that decay via top (bottom) squarks. An interpretation of the limits in terms of the branching ratios of the gluinos into third-generation squarks is also provided. These results improve upon the exclusion limits obtained with the 3.2 fb(-1) of data collected in 2015.
This paper presents a search for direct electroweak gaugino or gluino pair production with a chargino nearly mass-degenerate with a stable neutralino. It is based on an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1) of pp collisions at root s = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The final state of interest is a disappearing track accompanied by at least one jet with high transverse momentum from initial-state radiation or by four jets from the gluino decay chain. The use of short track segments reconstructed from the innermost tracking layers significantly improves the sensitivity to short chargino lifetimes. The results are found to be consistent with Standard Model predictions. Exclusion limits are set at 95% confidence level on the mass of charginos and gluinos for different chargino lifetimes. For a pure wino with a lifetime of about 0.2 ns, chargino masses up to 460 GeV are excluded. For the strong production channel, gluino masses up to 1.65 TeV are excluded assuming a chargino mass of 460 GeV and lifetime of 0.2 ns.
The great progress in organic photovoltaics (OPV) over the past few years has been largely achieved by the development of non‐fullerene acceptors (NFAs), with power conversion efficiencies now approaching 20%. To further improve device performance, loss mechanisms must be identified and minimized. Triplet states are known to adversely affect device performance, since they can form energetically trapped excitons on low‐lying states that are responsible for non‐radiative losses or even device degradation. Halogenation of OPV materials has long been employed to tailor energy levels and to enhance open circuit voltage. Yet, the influence on recombination to triplet excitons has been largely unexplored. Using the complementary spin‐sensitive methods of photoluminescence detected magnetic resonance and transient electron paramagnetic resonance corroborated by transient absorption and quantum‐chemical calculations, exciton pathways in OPV blends are unravelled employing the polymer donors PBDB‐T, PM6, and PM7 together with NFAs Y6 and Y7. All blends reveal triplet excitons on the NFA populated via non‐geminate hole back transfer and, in blends with halogenated donors, also by spin‐orbit coupling driven intersystem crossing. Identifying these triplet formation pathways in all tested solar cell absorber films highlights the untapped potential for improved charge generation to further increase plateauing OPV efficiencies.
Inclusive jet and dijet cross-sections are measured in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The measurement uses a dataset with an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb(-1) recorded in 2015 with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Jets are identified using the anti-lit algorithm with a radius parameter value of R = 0.4. The inclusive jet cross-sections are measured double-differentially as a function of the jet transverse momentum, covering the range from 100 GeV to 3.5 TeV, and the absolute jet rapidity up to vertical bar y vertical bar = 3. The double-differential dijet production cross-sections are presented as a function of the dijet mass, covering the range from 300 GeV to 9 TeV, and the half absolute rapidity separation between the two leading jets within vertical bar y vertical bar < 3, y*, up to y* = 3. Next-to-leading-order, and next-to-next-to-leading-order for the inclusive jet measurement, perturbative QCD calculations corrected for non-perturbative and electroweak effects are compared to the measured cross-sections.
This paper presents a measurement of the W boson production cross section and the W+/W- cross-section ratio, both in association with jets, in proton-proton collisions at root s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is performed in final states containing one electron and missing transverse momentum using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb(-1). Differential cross sections for events with at least one or two jets are presented for a range of observables, including jet transverse momenta and rapidities, the scalar sum of transverse momenta of the visible particles and the missing transverse momentum in the event, and the transverse momentum of the W boson. For a subset of the observables, the differential cross sections of positively and negatively charged W bosons are measured separately. In the cross-section ratio of W+/W- the dominant systematic uncertainties cancel out, improving the measurement precision by up to a factor of nine. The observables and ratios selected for this paper provide valuable input for the up quark, down quark, and gluon parton distribution functions of the proton.
A search is conducted for new resonances decaying into a W or Z boson and a 125 GeV Higgs boson in the nu(nu) over barb (b) over bar, l(+/-)nu b (b) over bar, and l(+)l(-)b (b) over bar final states, where l(+/-) = e(+/-) or mu(+/-), in pp collisions at root s = 13 TeV. The data used correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb(-1) collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider during the 2015 and 2016 data-taking periods. The search is conducted by examining the reconstructed invariant or transverse mass distributions of Wh and Zh candidates for evidence of a localised excess in the mass range of 220 GeV up to 5 TeV. No significant excess is observed and the results are interpreted in terms of constraints on the production cross-section times branching fraction of heavy W' and Z' resonances in heavy-vector-triplet models and the CP-odd scalar boson A in two-Higgs-doublet models. Upper limits are placed at the 95% confidence level and range between 9.0 x 10(-4) pb and 7.3 x 10(-1) pb depending on the model and mass of the resonance.
We present the optical characterization of GaAs-based InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a digitally alloyed InGaAs metamorphic buffer layer (MBL) with gradual composition ensuring a redshift of the QD emission up to the second telecom window. Based on the photoluminescence (PL) measurements and numerical calculations, we analyzed the factors influencing the energies of optical transitions in QDs, among which the QD height seems to be dominating. In addition, polarization anisotropy of the QD emission was observed, which is a fingerprint of significant valence states mixing enhanced by the QD confinement potential asymmetry, driven by the decreased strain with increasing In content in the MBL. The barrier-related transitions were probed by photoreflectance, which combined with photoluminescence data and the PL temperature dependence, allowed for the determination of the carrier activation energies and the main channels of carrier loss, identified as the carrier escape to the MBL barrier. Eventually, the zero-dimensional character of the emission was confirmed by detecting the photoluminescence from single QDs with identified features of the confined neutral exciton and biexciton complexes via the excitation power and polarization dependences.
X-ray full-field microscopy at laboratory sources for photon energies above 10 keV suffers from either long exposure times or low resolution. The photon flux is mainly limited by the objectives used, having a limited numerical aperture NA. We show that this can be overcome by making use of the cone-beam illumination of laboratory sources by imaging the same field of view (FoV) several times under slightly different angles using an array of X-ray lenses. Using this technique, the exposure time can be reduced drastically without any loss in terms of resolution. A proof-of-principle is given using an existing laboratory metal-jet source at the 9.25 keV Ga K\(_α\)-line and compared to a ray-tracing simulation of the setup.
Optical quantum information science and technologies require the capability to generate, control, and detect single or multiple quanta of light. The need to detect individual photons has motivated the development of a variety of novel and refined single-photon detectors (SPDs) with enhanced detector performance. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) and single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) are the top-performer in this field, but alternative promising and innovative devices are emerging. In this review article, we discuss the current state-of-the-art of one such alternative device capable of single-photon counting: the resonant tunneling diode (RTD) single-photon detector. Due to their peculiar photodetection mechanism and current-voltage characteristic with a region of negative differential conductance, RTD single-photon detectors provide, theoretically, several advantages over conventional SPDs, such as an inherently deadtime-free photon-number resolution at elevated temperatures, while offering low dark counts, a low timing jitter, and multiple photon detection modes. This review article brings together our previous studies and current experimental results. We focus on the current limitations of RTD-SPDs and provide detailed design and parameter variations to be potentially employed in next-generation RTD-SPD to improve the figure of merits of these alternative single-photon counting devices. The single-photon detection capability of RTDs without quantum dots is shown.
Resonant tunneling diode photodetectors appear to be promising architectures with a simple design for mid-infrared sensing operations at room temperature. We fabricated resonant tunneling devices with GaInAsSb absorbers that allow operation in the 2–4 μm range with significant electrical responsivity of 0.97 A/W at 2004 nm to optical readout. This paper characterizes the photosensor response contrasting different operational regimes and offering a comprehensive theoretical analysis of the main physical ingredients that rule the sensor functionalities and affect its performance. We demonstrate how the drift, accumulation, and escape efficiencies of photogenerated carriers influence the electrostatic modulation of the sensor's electrical response and how they allow controlling the device's sensing abilities.
Background
To investigate the effects of B\(_1\)-shimming and radiofrequency (RF) parallel transmission (pTX) on the visualization and quantification of the degree of stenosis in a coronary artery phantom using 7 Tesla (7 T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Methods
Stenosis phantoms with different grades of stenosis (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%; 5 mm inner vessel diameter) were produced using 3D printing (clear resin). Phantoms were imaged with four different concentrations of diluted Gd-DOTA representing established arterial concentrations after intravenous injection in humans. Samples were centrally positioned in a thorax phantom of 30 cm diameter filled with a custom-made liquid featuring dielectric properties of muscle tissue. MRI was performed on a 7 T whole-body system. 2D-gradient-echo sequences were acquired with an 8-channel transmit 16-channel receive (8 Tx / 16 Rx) cardiac array prototype coil with and without pTX mode. Measurements were compared to those obtained with identical scan parameters using a commercially available 1 Tx / 16 Rx single transmit coil (sTX). To assess reproducibility, measurements (n = 15) were repeated at different horizontal angles with respect to the B0-field.
Results
B\(_1\)-shimming and pTX markedly improved flip angle homogeneity across the thorax phantom yielding a distinctly increased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) averaged over a whole slice relative to non-manipulated RF fields. Images without B\(_1\)-shimming showed shading artifacts due to local B\(_1\)\(^+\)-field inhomogeneities, which hampered stenosis quantification in severe cases. In contrast, B\(_1\)-shimming and pTX provided superior image homogeneity. Compared with a conventional sTX coil higher grade stenoses (60% and 80%) were graded significantly (p<0.01) more precise. Mild to moderate grade stenoses did not show significant differences. Overall, SNR was distinctly higher with B\(_1\)-shimming and pTX than with the conventional sTX coil (inside the stenosis phantoms 14%, outside the phantoms 32%). Both full and half concentration (10.2 mM and 5.1 mM) of a conventional Gd-DOTA dose for humans were equally suitable for stenosis evaluation in this phantom study.
Conclusions
B\(_1\)-shimming and pTX at 7 T can distinctly improve image homogeneity and therefore provide considerably more accurate MR image analysis, which is beneficial for imaging of small vessel structures.
Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been adapted for many applications, e.g., bioassays for the detection of biomarkers such as antibodies, by controlled engineering of specific surface properties. Specific measurement of such binding states is of high interest but currently limited to highly sensitive techniques such as ELISA or flow cytometry, which are relatively inflexible, difficult to handle, expensive and time-consuming. Here we report a method named COMPASS (Critical-Offset-Magnetic-Particle-SpectroScopy), which is based on a critical offset magnetic field, enabling sensitive detection to minimal changes in mobility of MNP ensembles, e.g., resulting from SARS-CoV-2 antibodies binding to the S antigen on the surface of functionalized MNPs. With a sensitivity of 0.33 fmole/50 µl (≙7 pM) for SARS-CoV-2-S1 antibodies, measured with a low-cost portable COMPASS device, the proposed technique is competitive with respect to sensitivity while providing flexibility, robustness, and a measurement time of seconds per sample. In addition, initial results with blood serum demonstrate high specificity.
Effective lifting of the topological protection of quantum spin Hall edge states by edge coupling
(2022)
The scientific interest in two-dimensional topological insulators (2D TIs) is currently shifting from a more fundamental perspective to the exploration and design of novel functionalities. Key concepts for the use of 2D TIs in spintronics are based on the topological protection and spin-momentum locking of their helical edge states. In this study we present experimental evidence that topological protection can be (partially) lifted by pairwise coupling of 2D TI edges in close proximity. Using direct wave function mapping via scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) we compare isolated and coupled topological edges in the 2D TI bismuthene. The latter situation is realized by natural lattice line defects and reveals distinct quasi-particle interference (QPI) patterns, identified as electronic Fabry-Pérot resonator modes. In contrast, free edges show no sign of any single-particle backscattering. These results pave the way for novel device concepts based on active control of topological protection through inter-edge hybridization for, e.g., electronic Fabry-Pérot interferometry.
Improved radiological examinations with newly developed 3D models may increase understanding of Meniere's disease (MD). The morphology and course of the vestibular aqueduct (VA) in the temporal bone might be related to the severity of MD. The presented study explored, if the VA of MD and non-MD patients can be grouped relative to its angle to the semicircular canals (SCC) and length using a 3D model. Scans of temporal bone specimens (TBS) were performed using micro-CT and micro flat panel volume computed tomography (mfpVCT). Furthermore, scans were carried out in patients and TBS by computed tomography (CT). The angle between the VA and the three SCC, as well as the length of the VA were measured. From these data, a 3D model was constructed to develop the vestibular aqueduct score (VAS). Using different imaging modalities it was demonstrated that angle measurements of the VA are reliable and can be effectively used for detailed diagnostic investigation. To test the clinical relevance, the VAS was applied on MD and on non-MD patients. Length and angle values from MD patients differed from non-MD patients. In MD patients, significantly higher numbers of VAs could be assigned to a distinct group of the VAS. In addition, it was tested, whether the outcome of a treatment option for MD can be correlated to the VAS.
Masers as telecommunication amplifiers have been known for decades, yet their application is strongly limited due to extreme operating conditions requiring vacuum techniques and cryogenic temperatures. Recently, a new generation of masers has been invented based on optically pumped spin states in pentacene and diamond. In this study, we pave the way for masers based on spin S = 3/2 silicon vacancy (V\(_{Si}\)) defects in silicon carbide (SiC) to overcome the microwave generation threshold and discuss the advantages of this highly developed spin hosting material. To achieve population inversion, we optically pump the V\(_{Si}\) into their m\(_S\) = ±1/2 spin sub-states and additionally tune the Zeeman energy splitting by applying an external magnetic field. In this way, the prerequisites for stimulated emission by means of resonant microwaves in the 10 GHz range are fulfilled. On the way to realising a maser, we were able to systematically solve a series of subtasks that improved the underlying relevant physical parameters of the SiC samples. Among others, we investigated the pump efficiency as a function of the optical excitation wavelength and the angle between the magnetic field and the defect symmetry axis in order to boost the population inversion factor, a key figure of merit for the targeted microwave oscillator. Furthermore, we developed a high-Q sapphire microwave resonator (Q ≈ 10\(^4\)–10\(^5\)) with which we find superradiant stimulated microwave emission. In summary, SiC with optimized spin defect density and thus spin relaxation rates is well on its way of becoming a suitable maser gain material with wide-ranging applications.
The odd parity nature of 4f states characterized by strong spin–orbit coupling and electronic correlations has led to a search for novel topological phases among rare earth compounds, such as Kondo systems, heavy Fermions, and homogeneous mixed-valent materials. Our target system is thulium telluride thin films whose bandgap is expected to be tuned as a function of lattice parameter. We systematically investigate the growth conditions of TmxTey thin films on SrF\(_{2}\) (111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The ratio between Te and Tm supply was precisely tuned, resulting in two different crystalline phases, which were confirmed by x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. By investigating the crystalline quality as a function of the substrate temperature, the optimal growth conditions were identified for the desired Tm1Te1 phase. Additional low energy electron diffraction and reflective high energy electron diffraction measurements confirm the epitaxial growth of TmTe layers. X-ray reflectivity measurements demonstrate that homogeneous samples with sharp interfaces can be obtained for varied thicknesses. Our results provide a reliable guidance to prepare homogeneous high-quality TmTe thin films and thus serve as a basis for further electronic investigations.
Background
Fast and accurate T1ρ mapping in myocardium is still a major challenge, particularly in small animal models. The complex sequence design owing to electrocardiogram and respiratory gating leads to quantification errors in in vivo experiments, due to variations of the T\(_{1p}\) relaxation pathway. In this study, we present an improved quantification method for T\(_{1p}\) using a newly derived formalism of a T\(_{1p}\)\(^{*}\) relaxation pathway.
Methods
The new signal equation was derived by solving a recursion problem for spin-lock prepared fast gradient echo readouts. Based on Bloch simulations, we compared quantification errors using the common monoexponential model and our corrected model. The method was validated in phantom experiments and tested in vivo for myocardial T\(_{1p}\) mapping in mice. Here, the impact of the breath dependent spin recovery time T\(_{rec}\) on the quantification results was examined in detail.
Results
Simulations indicate that a correction is necessary, since systematically underestimated values are measured under in vivo conditions. In the phantom study, the mean quantification error could be reduced from − 7.4% to − 0.97%. In vivo, a correlation of uncorrected T\(_{1p}\) with the respiratory cycle was observed. Using the newly derived correction method, this correlation was significantly reduced from r = 0.708 (p < 0.001) to r = 0.204 and the standard deviation of left ventricular T\(_{1p}\) values in different animals was reduced by at least 39%.
Conclusion
The suggested quantification formalism enables fast and precise myocardial T\(_{1p}\) quantification for small animals during free breathing and can improve the comparability of study results. Our new technique offers a reasonable tool for assessing myocardial diseases, since pathologies that cause a change in heart or breathing rates do not lead to systematic misinterpretations. Besides, the derived signal equation can be used for sequence optimization or for subsequent correction of prior study results.
Spin-lock based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has the potential for direct spatially-resolved detection of neuronal activity and thus may represent an important step for basic research in neuroscience. In this work, the corresponding fundamental effect of Rotary EXcitation (REX) is investigated both in simulations as well as in phantom and in vivo experiments. An empirical law for predicting optimal spin-lock pulse durations for maximum magnetic field sensitivity was found. Experimental conditions were established that allow robust detection of ultra-weak magnetic field oscillations with simultaneous compensation of static field inhomogeneities. Furthermore, this work presents a novel concept for the emulation of brain activity utilizing the built-in MRI gradient system, which allows REX sequences to be validated in vivo under controlled and reproducible conditions. Via transmission of Rotary EXcitation (tREX), we successfully detected magnetic field oscillations in the lower nano-Tesla range in brain tissue. Moreover, tREX paves the way for the quantification of biomagnetic fields.
In this study we characterize the tautomerization of HPc on Cu(111) as a charge-carrier-induced reversible one-electron process. An analysis of the bias-dependent tautomerization rate finds an energy threshold that corresponds to the energy of the N-H stretching mode. By using the tautomerization of the molecule as a detector for charge carrier transport in the so-called molecular nanoprobe (MONA) technique, we provide evidence for an inhomogeneous coupling between the fourfold-symmetric molecule and sixfold-symmetric surface. We conclude the study by comparing the energy dependence of charge carrier transport on the Cu(111) to the Ag(111) surface. While the MONA technique is limited to the detection of hot-electron transport for Ag(111), our data reveal that the lower onset energy of the Cu surface state also allows for the detection of hot-hole transport. The influence of surface and bulk transport on the MONA technique is discussed.
Phylogenetically related groups of species contain lineage-specific genes that exhibit no sequence similarity to any genes outside the lineage. We describe here that the Jekyll gene, required for sexual reproduction, exists in two much diverged allelic variants, Jek1 and Jek3. Despite low similarity, the Jek1 and Jek3 proteins share identical signal peptides, conserved cysteine positions and direct repeats. The Jek1/Jek3 sequences are located at the same chromosomal locus and inherited in a monogenic Mendelian fashion. Jek3 has a similar expression as Jek1 and complements the Jek1 function in Jek1-deficient plants. Jek1 and Jek3 allelic variants were almost equally distributed in a collection of 485 wild and domesticated barley accessions. All domesticated barleys harboring the Jek1 allele belong to single haplotype J1-H1 indicating a genetic bottleneck during domestication. Domesticated barleys harboring the Jek3 allele consisted of three haplotypes. Jekyll-like sequences were found only in species of the closely related tribes Bromeae and Triticeae but not in other Poaceae. Non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging revealed intrinsic grain structure in Triticeae and Bromeae, associated with the Jekyll function. The emergence of Jekyll suggests its role in the separation of the Bromeae and Triticeae lineages within the Poaceae and identifies the Jekyll genes as lineage-specific.
Mutual coupling and injection locking of semiconductor lasers is of great interest in non-linear dynamics and its applications for instance in secure data communication and photonic reservoir computing. Despite its importance, it has hardly been studied in microlasers operating at mu W light levels. In this context, vertically emitting quantum dot micropillar lasers are of high interest. Usually, their light emission is bimodal, and the gain competition of the associated linearly polarized fundamental emission modes results in complex switching dynamics. We report on selective optical injection into either one of the two fundamental mode components of a bimodal micropillar laser. Both modes can lock to the master laser and influence the non-injected mode by reducing the available gain. We demonstrate that the switching dynamics can be tailored externally via optical injection in very good agreement with our theory based on semi-classical rate equations. (C) 2019 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement
Organic dyes offer unique properties for their application as room temperature single photon emitters. By means of photon‐correlation, the emission characteristics of macrocyclic para‐xylylene linked perylene bisimide (PBI) trimers and tetramers dispersed in polymethyl methacrylate matrices are analyzed. The optical data indicate that, despite of the strong emission enhancement of PBI trimers and tetramers according to their larger number of chromophores, the photon‐correlation statistics still obeys that of single photon emitters. Moreover, driving PBI trimers and tetramers at higher excitation powers, saturated emission behavior for monomers is found while macrocycle emission is still far‐off saturation but shows enhanced fluctuations. This observation is attributed to fast singlet–singlet annihilation, i.e., faster than the radiative lifetime of the excited S1 state, and the enlarged number of conformational arrangements of multichromophores in the polymeric host. Finally, embedding trimeric PBI macrocycles in active organic light‐emitting diode matrices, electrically driven bright fluorescence together with an indication for antibunching at room temperature can be detected. This, so far, has only been observed for phosphorescent emitters that feature much longer lifetimes of the excited states and, thus, smaller radiative recombination rates. The results are discussed in the context of possible effects on the g(2) behavior of molecular emitters.
The issue of quantum mechanical coupling between a semiconductor quantum dot and a quantum well is studied in two families of GaAs- and InP- based structures at cryogenic temperatures. It is shown that by tuning the quantum well parameters one can strongly disturb the 0D-character of the coupled system ground state, initially located in a dot. The out-coupling of either an electron or a hole state from the quantum dot confining potential is viewed by a significant elongation of the photoluminescence decay time constant. Band structure calculations show that in the GaAs-based coupled system at its ground state a hole remains isolated in the dot, whereas an electron gets delocalized towards the quantum well. The opposite picture is built for the ground state of a coupled system based on InP.
Studies of the fragmentation of jets into charged particles in heavy-ion collisions can help in understanding the mechanism of jet quenching by the hot and dense QCD matter created in such collisions, the quark-gluon plasma. These proceedings present a measurement of the angular distribution of charged particles around the jet axis in root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV Pb+Pb and pp collisions, done using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurement is performed inside jets reconstructed with the anti-k(t) algorithm with radius parameter R = 0.4, and is extended to regions outside the jet cone. Results are presented as a function of Pb+Pb collision centrality, and both jet and charged-particle transverse momenta.
The future of water-derived hydrogen as the “sustainable energy source” straightaway bets on the success of the sluggish oxygen-generating half-reaction. The endeavor to emulate the natural photosystem II for efficient water oxidation has been extended across the spectrum of organic and inorganic combinations. However, the achievement has so far been restricted to homogeneous catalysts rather than their pristine heterogeneous forms. The poor structural understanding and control over the mechanistic pathway often impede the overall development. Herein, we have synthesized a highly crystalline covalent organic framework (COF) for chemical and photochemical water oxidation. The interpenetrated structure assures the catalyst stability, as the catalyst’s performance remains unaltered after several cycles. This COF exhibits the highest ever accomplished catalytic activity for such an organometallic crystalline solid-state material where the rate of oxygen evolution is as high as ∼26,000 μmol L\(^{–1}\) s\(^{–1}\) (second-order rate constant k ≈ 1650 μmol L s\(^{–1}\) g\(^{–2}\)). The catalyst also proves its exceptional activity (k ≈ 1600 μmol L s\(^{–1}\) g\(^{–2}\)) during light-driven water oxidation under very dilute conditions. The cooperative interaction between metal centers in the crystalline network offers 20–30-fold superior activity during chemical as well as photocatalytic water oxidation as compared to its amorphous polymeric counterpart.
Charge transfer in ternary solar cells employing two fullerene derivatives: where do electrons go?
(2022)
Earlier reports demonstrated that ternary organic solar cells (OSC) made of donor polymers (D) blended with different mixtures of fullerene acceptors (A : A) performed very similarly. This finding is surprising, as the corresponding fullerene LUMO levels are slightly different, which might result in decisive differences in the charge transfer step. We investigate ternary OSC (D : A : A) made of the donor polymer P3HT with stoichiometric mixtures of different fullerene derivatives, PC\(_{60}\)BM : PC\(_{70}\)BM and PC\(_{70}\)BM : IC\(_{60}\)BA, respectively. Using quantitative electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) we can distinguish between positive and negative polarons, localized on the specific molecules. We found that after the initial charge transfer step, the electrons are re-distributed over two nearby acceptors in agreement with their stoichiometry and their relative LUMO energy difference. Remarkably, the measured ΔLUMO differences in fullerene mixtures are reduced by an order of magnitude compared to that of the pristine materials, i. e., below 1 meV for PC\(_{60}\)BM : PC\(_{70}\)BM and (20±5) meV for PC\(_{70}\)BM : IC\(_{60}\)BA. Furthermore, we found that this reduced ΔLUMO explains the shift in open circuit voltage for D : A : A organic solar cells. We attribute these findings to hybridization, leading to an effective fullerene LUMO. Consequently, multi-acceptor blends are indeed a viable option for photodetectors and solar cells, as they combine the best electron acceptor and light absorbing properties.
Objectives
Vessel wall enhancement (VWE) may be commonly seen on MRI images of asymptomatic subjects. This study aimed to characterize the VWE of the proximal internal carotid (ICA) and vertebral arteries (VA) in a non-vasculitic elderly patient cohort.
Methods
Cranial MRI scans at 3 Tesla were performed in 43 patients (aged ≥ 50 years) with known malignancy for exclusion of cerebral metastases. For vessel wall imaging (VWI), a high-resolution compressed-sensing black-blood 3D T1-weighted fast (turbo) spin echo sequence (T1 CS-SPACE prototype) was applied post gadolinium with an isotropic resolution of 0.55 mm. Bilateral proximal intradural ICA and VA segments were evaluated for presence, morphology, and longitudinal extension of VWE.
Results
Concentric VWE of the proximal intradural ICA was found in 13 (30%) patients, and of the proximal intradural VA in 39 (91%) patients. Mean longitudinal extension of VWE after dural entry was 13 mm in the VA and 2 mm in the ICA. In 14 of 39 patients (36%) with proximal intradural VWE, morphology of VWE was suggestive of the mere presence of vasa vasorum. In 25 patients (64 %), morphology indicated atherosclerotic lesions in addition to vasa vasorum.
Conclusions
Vasa vasorum may account for concentric VWE within the proximal 2 mm of the ICA and 13 mm of the VA after dural entry in elderly subjects. Concentric VWE in these locations should not be confused with large artery vasculitis. Distal to these segments, VWE may be more likely related to pathologic conditions such as vasculitis.
Purpose
T\(_{1P}\) dispersion quantification can potentially be used as a cardiac magnetic resonance index for sensitive detection of myocardial fibrosis without the need of contrast agents. However, dispersion quantification is still a major challenge, because T\(_{1P}\) mapping for different spin lock amplitudes is a very time consuming process. This study aims to develop a fast and accurate T\(_{1P}\) mapping sequence, which paves the way to cardiac T1ρ dispersion quantification within the limited measurement time of an in vivo study in small animals.
Methods
A radial spin lock sequence was developed using a Bloch simulation-optimized sampling pattern and a view-sharing method for image reconstruction. For validation, phantom measurements with a conventional sampling pattern and a gold standard sequence were compared to examine T\(_{1P}\) quantification accuracy. The in vivo validation of T\(_{1P}\) mapping was performed in N = 10 mice and in a reproduction study in a single animal, in which ten maps were acquired in direct succession. Finally, the feasibility of myocardial dispersion quantification was tested in one animal.
Results
The Bloch simulation-based sampling shows considerably higher image quality as well as improved T\(_{1P}\) quantification accuracy (+ 56%) and precision (+ 49%) compared to conventional sampling. Compared to the gold standard sequence, a mean deviation of - 0.46 ± 1.84% was observed. The in vivo measurements proved high reproducibility of myocardial T\(_{1P}\) mapping. The mean T\(_{1P}\) in the left ventricle was 39.5 ± 1.2 ms for different animals and the maximum deviation was 2.1% in the successive measurements. The myocardial T\(_{1P}\) dispersion slope, which was measured for the first time in one animal, could be determined to be 4.76 ± 0.23 ms/kHz.
Conclusion
This new and fast T\(_{1P}\) quantification technique enables high-resolution myocardial T\(_{1P}\) mapping and even dispersion quantification within the limited time of an in vivo study and could, therefore, be a reliable tool for improved tissue characterization.
Coupling N identical emitters to the same field mode is a well-established method to enhance light-matter interaction. However, the resulting √N boost of the coupling strength comes at the cost of a “linearized” (effectively semiclassical) dynamics. Here, we instead demonstrate a new approach for enhancing the coupling constant of a single quantum emitter, while retaining the nonlinear character of the light-matter interaction. We consider a single quantum emitter with N nearly degenerate transitions that are collectively coupled to the same field mode. We show that in such conditions an effective Jaynes-Cummings model emerges with a boosted coupling constant of order √N. The validity and consequences of our general conclusions are analytically demonstrated for the instructive case N=2. We further observe that our system can closely match the spectral line shapes and photon autocorrelation functions typical of Jaynes-Cummings physics, proving that quantum optical nonlinearities are retained. Our findings match up very well with recent broadband plasmonic nanoresonator strong-coupling experiments and will, therefore, facilitate the control and detection of single-photon nonlinearities at ambient conditions.
Spin-spin interactions in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) are pivotal because radiative recombination is largely determined by triplet-to-singlet conversion, also called reverse intersystem crossing (RISC). To explore the underlying process, we apply a spin-resonance spectral hole-burning technique to probe electroluminescence. We find that the triplet exciplex states in OLEDs are highly spin-polarized and show that these states can be decoupled from the heterogeneous nuclear environment as a source of spin dephasing and can even be coherently manipulated on a spin-spin relaxation time scale T-2* of 30 ns. Crucially, we obtain the characteristic triplet exciplex spin-lattice relaxation time T-1 in the range of 50 mu s, which far exceeds the RISC time. We conclude that slow spin relaxation rather than RISC is an efficiency-limiting step for intermolecular donor:acceptor systems. Finding TADF emitters with faster spin relaxation will benefit this type of TADF OLEDs.
Tensor tomography is fundamentally based on the assumption of a both anisotropic and linear contrast mechanism. While the X-ray or neutron dark-field contrast obtained with Talbot(-Lau) interferometers features the required anisotropy, a preceding detailed study of dark-field signal origination however found its specific orientation dependence to be a non-linear function of the underlying anisotropic mass distribution and its orientation, especially challenging the common assumption that dark-field signals are describable by a function over the unit sphere. Here, two approximative linear tensor models with reduced orientation dependence are investigated in a simulation study with regard to their applicability to grating based X-ray or neutron dark-field tensor tomography. By systematically simulating and reconstructing a large sample of isolated volume elements covering the full range of feasible anisotropies and orientations, direct correspondences are drawn between the respective tensors characterizing the physically based dark-field model used for signal synthesization and the mathematically motivated simplified models used for reconstruction. The anisotropy of freely rotating volume elements is thereby confirmed to be, for practical reconstruction purposes, approximable both as a function of the optical axis' orientation or as a function of the interferometer's grating orientation. The eigenvalues of the surrogate models' tensors are found to exhibit fuzzy, yet almost linear relations to those of the synthesization model. Dominant orientations are found to be recoverable with a margin of error on the order of magnitude of 1 degrees. Although the input data must adequately address the full orientation dependence of dark-field anisotropy, the present results clearly support the general feasibility of quantitative X-ray dark-field tensor tomography within an inherent yet acceptable statistical margin of uncertainty.
Spin defects in solid-state materials are strong candidate systems for quantum information technology and sensing applications. Here we explore in details the recently discovered negatively charged boron vacancies (V\(_B\)\(^−\)) in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and demonstrate their use as atomic scale sensors for temperature, magnetic fields and externally applied pressure. These applications are possible due to the high-spin triplet ground state and bright spin-dependent photoluminescence of the V\(_B\)\(^−\). Specifically, we find that the frequency shift in optically detected magnetic resonance measurements is not only sensitive to static magnetic fields, but also to temperature and pressure changes which we relate to crystal lattice parameters. We show that spin-rich hBN films are potentially applicable as intrinsic sensors in heterostructures made of functionalized 2D materials.
Since the early days of Dirac flux quantization, magnetic monopoles have been sought after as a potential corollary of quantized electric charge. As opposed to magnetic monopoles embedded into the theory of electromagnetism, Weyl semimetals (WSM) exhibit Berry flux monopoles in reciprocal parameter space. As a function of crystal momentum, such monopoles locate at the crossing point of spin-polarized bands forming the Weyl cone. Here, we report momentum-resolved spectroscopic signatures of Berry flux monopoles in TaAs as a paradigmatic WSM. We carried out angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy at bulk-sensitive soft X-ray energies (SX-ARPES) combined with photoelectron spin detection and circular dichroism. The experiments reveal large spin- and orbital-angular-momentum (SAM and OAM) polarizations of the Weyl-fermion states, resulting from the broken crystalline inversion symmetry in TaAs. Supported by first-principles calculations, our measurements image signatures of a topologically non-trivial winding of the OAM at the Weyl nodes and unveil a chirality-dependent SAM of the Weyl bands. Our results provide directly bulk-sensitive spectroscopic support for the non-trivial band topology in the WSM TaAs, promising to have profound implications for the study of quantum-geometric effects in solids. Weyl semimetals exhibit Berry flux monopoles in momentum-space, but direct experimental evidence has remained elusive. Here, the authors reveal topologically non-trivial winding of the orbital-angular-momentum at the Weyl nodes and a chirality-dependent spin-angular-momentum of the Weyl bands, as a direct signature of the Berry flux monopoles in TaAs.
Simultaneous measurements of 3D wall shear stress and pulse wave velocity in the murine aortic arch
(2021)
Purpose
Wall shear stress (WSS) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) are important parameters to characterize blood flow in the vessel wall. Their quantification with flow-sensitive phase-contrast (PC) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), however, is time-consuming. Furthermore, the measurement of WSS requires high spatial resolution, whereas high temporal resolution is necessary for PWV measurements. For these reasons, PWV and WSS are challenging to measure in one CMR session, making it difficult to directly compare these parameters. By using a retrospective approach with a flexible reconstruction framework, we here aimed to simultaneously assess both PWV and WSS in the murine aortic arch from the same 4D flow measurement.
Methods
Flow was measured in the aortic arch of 18-week-old wildtype (n = 5) and ApoE\(^{−/−}\) mice (n = 5) with a self-navigated radial 4D-PC-CMR sequence. Retrospective data analysis was used to reconstruct the same dataset either at low spatial and high temporal resolution (PWV analysis) or high spatial and low temporal resolution (WSS analysis). To assess WSS, the aortic lumen was labeled by semi-automatically segmenting the reconstruction with high spatial resolution. WSS was determined from the spatial velocity gradients at the lumen surface. For calculation of the PWV, segmentation data was interpolated along the temporal dimension. Subsequently, PWV was quantified from the through-plane flow data using the multiple-points transit-time method. Reconstructions with varying frame rates and spatial resolutions were performed to investigate the influence of spatiotemporal resolution on the PWV and WSS quantification.
Results
4D flow measurements were conducted in an acquisition time of only 35 min. Increased peak flow and peak WSS values and lower errors in PWV estimation were observed in the reconstructions with high temporal resolution. Aortic PWV was significantly increased in ApoE\(^{−/−}\) mice compared to the control group (1.7 ± 0.2 versus 2.6 ± 0.2 m/s, p < 0.001). Mean WSS magnitude values averaged over the aortic arch were (1.17 ± 0.07) N/m\(^2\) in wildtype mice and (1.27 ± 0.10) N/m\(^2\) in ApoE\(^{−/−}\) mice.
Conclusion
The post processing algorithm using the flexible reconstruction framework developed in this study permitted quantification of global PWV and 3D-WSS in a single acquisition. The possibility to assess both parameters in only 35 min will markedly improve the analyses and information content of in vivo measurements.
Reduced Recombination Losses in Evaporated Perovskite Solar Cells by Postfabrication Treatment
(2021)
The photovoltaic perovskite research community has now developed a large set of tools and techniques to improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE). One such arcane trick is to allow the finished devices to dwell in time, and the PCE often improves. Herein, a mild postannealing procedure is implemented on coevaporated perovskite solar cells confirming a substantial PCE improvement, mainly attributed to an increased open-circuit voltage (V\(_{OC}\)). From a V\(_{OC}\) of around 1.11 V directly after preparation, the voltage improves to more than 1.18 V by temporal and thermal annealing. To clarify the origin of this annealing effect, an in-depth device experimental and simulation characterization is conducted. A simultaneous reduction of the dark saturation current, the ideality factor (n\(_{id}\)), and the leakage current is revealed, signifying a substantial impact of the postannealing procedure on recombination losses. To investigate the carrier dynamics in more detail, a set of transient optoelectrical methods is first evaluated, ascertaining that the bulk carrier lifetime is increased with device annealing. Second, a drift-diffusion simulation is used, confirming that the beneficial effect of the annealing has its origin in effective bulk trap passivation that accordingly leads to a reduction of Shockley–Read–Hall recombination rates.
Growth, ageing and atherosclerotic plaque development alter the biomechanical forces acting on the vessel wall. However, monitoring the detailed local changes in wall shear stress (WSS) at distinct sites of the murine aortic arch over time has been challenging. Here, we studied the temporal and spatial changes in flow, WSS, oscillatory shear index (OSI) and elastic properties of healthy wildtype (WT, n = 5) and atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E-deficient (Apoe\(^{−/−}\), n = 6) mice during ageing and atherosclerosis using high-resolution 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Spatially resolved 2D projection maps of WSS and OSI of the complete aortic arch were generated, allowing the pixel-wise statistical analysis of inter- and intragroup hemodynamic changes over time and local correlations between WSS, pulse wave velocity (PWV), plaque and vessel wall characteristics. The study revealed converse differences of local hemodynamic profiles in healthy WT and atherosclerotic Apoe\(^{−/−}\) mice, and we identified the circumferential WSS as potential marker of plaque size and composition in advanced atherosclerosis and the radial strain as a potential marker for vascular elasticity. Two-dimensional (2D) projection maps of WSS and OSI, including statistical analysis provide a powerful tool to monitor local aortic hemodynamics during ageing and atherosclerosis. The correlation of spatially resolved hemodynamics and plaque characteristics could significantly improve our understanding of the impact of hemodynamics on atherosclerosis, which may be key to understand plaque progression towards vulnerability.
Bloch oscillations are a phenomenon well known from quantum mechanics where electrons in a lattice experience an oscillatory motion in the presence of an electric field gradient. Here, the authors report on Bloch oscillations of hybrid light−matter particles, called exciton‐polaritons (polaritons), being confined in an array of coupled microcavity waveguides. To this end, the waveguide widths and their mutual couplings are carefully designed such that a constant energy gradient is induced perpendicular to the direction of motion of the propagating polaritons. This technique allows us to directly observe and study Bloch oscillations in real‐ and momentum‐space. Furthermore, the experimental findings are supported by numerical simulations based on a modified Gross–Pitaevskii approach. This work provides an important transfer of basic concepts of quantum mechanics to integrated solid state devices, using quantum fluids of light.
We demonstrate single-photon emission with a low probability of multiphoton events of 5% in the C-band of telecommunication spectral range of standard silica fibers from molecular beam epitaxy grown (100)-GaAs-based structure with InAs quantum dots (QDs) on a metamorphic buffer layer. For this purpose, we propose and implement graded In content digitally alloyed InGaAs metamorphic buffer layer with maximal In content of 42% and GaAs/AlAs distributed Bragg reflector underneath to enhance the extraction efficiency of QD emission. The fundamental limit of the emission rate for the investigated structures is 0.5 GHz based on an emission lifetime of 1.95 ns determined from time-resolved photoluminescence. We prove the relevance of a proposed technology platform for the realization of non-classical light sources in the context of fiber-based quantum communication applications.
In a comprehensive study, we demonstrate the performance and typical application scenarios for laboratory-based nano-computed tomography in materials research on various samples. Specifically, we focus on a projection magnification system with a nano focus source. The imaging resolution is quantified with common 2D test structures and validated in 3D applications by means of the Fourier Shell Correlation. As representative application examples from nowadays material research, we show metallization processes in multilayer integrated circuits, aging in lithium battery electrodes, and volumetric of metallic sub-micrometer fillers of composites. Thus, the laboratory system provides the unique possibility to image non-destructively structures in the range of 170–190 nanometers, even for high-density materials.
Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) utilize molecular systems with a small energy splitting between singlet and triplet states. This can either be realized in intramolecular charge transfer states of molecules with near‐orthogonal donor and acceptor moieties or in intermolecular exciplex states formed between a suitable combination of individual donor and acceptor materials. Here, 4,4′‐(9H,9′H‐[3,3′‐bicarbazole]‐9,9′‐diyl)bis(3‐(trifluoromethyl) benzonitrile) (pCNBCzoCF\(_{3}\)) is investigated, which shows intramolecular TADF but can also form exciplex states in combination with 4,4′,4′′‐tris[phenyl(m‐tolyl)amino]triphenylamine (m‐MTDATA). Orange emitting exciplex‐based OLEDs additionally generate a sky‐blue emission from the intramolecular emitter with an intensity that can be voltage‐controlled. Electroluminescence detected magnetic resonance (ELDMR) is applied to study the thermally activated spin‐dependent triplet to singlet up‐conversion in operating devices. Thereby, intermediate excited states involved in OLED operation can be investigated and the corresponding activation energy for both, intra‐ and intermolecular based TADF can be derived. Furthermore, a lower estimate is given for the extent of the triplet wavefunction to be ≥ 1.2 nm. Photoluminescence detected magnetic resonance (PLDMR) reveals the population of molecular triplets in optically excited thin films. Overall, the findings allow to draw a comprehensive picture of the spin‐dependent emission from intra‐ and intermolecular TADF OLEDs.
Measurements of top quark spin observables in \(t\overline{t}\) events are presented based on 20.2 fb\(^{−1}\) of \(\sqrt{s}\) = 8 TeV proton-proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The analysis is performed in the dilepton final state, characterised by the presence of two isolated leptons (electrons or muons). There are 15 observables, each sensitive to a different coefficient of the spin density matrix of \(t\overline{t}\) production, which are measured independently. Ten of these observables are measured for the first time. All of them are corrected for detector resolution and acceptance effects back to the parton and stable-particle levels. The measured values of the observables at parton level are compared to Standard Model predictions at next-to-leading order in QCD. The corrected distributions at stable-particle level are presented and the means of the distributions are compared to Monte Carlo predictions. No significant deviation from the Standard Model is observed for any observable.
We present charged-particle distributions sensitive to the underlying event, measured by the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, in low-luminosity Large Hadron Collider fills corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.6 nb\(^{−1}\). The distributions were constructed using charged particles with absolute pseudorapidity less than 2.5 and with transverse momentum greater than 500 MeV, in events with at least one such charged particle with transverse momentum above 1 GeV. These distributions characterise the angular distribution of energy and particle flows with respect to the charged particle with highest transverse momentum, as a function of both that momentum and of charged-particle multiplicity. The results have been corrected for detector effects and are compared to the predictions of various Monte Carlo event generators, experimentally establishing the level of underlying-event activity at LHC Run 2 energies and providing inputs for the development of event generator modelling. The current models in use for UE modelling typically describe this data to 5% accuracy, compared with data uncertainties of less than 1%.
A measurement of the \(t\)-channel single-top-quark and single-top-antiquark production cross-sections in the lepton+jets channel is presented, using 3.2 fb\(^{−1}\) of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2015. Events are selected by requiring one charged lepton (electron or muon), missing transverse momentum, and two jets with high transverse momentum, exactly one of which is required to be \(b\)-tagged. Using a binned maximum-likelihood fit to the discriminant distribution of a neural network, the cross-sections are determined to be \({σ(tq)}\) = 156 ± 5 (stat.) ± 27 (syst.) ± 3 (lumi.) pb for single top-quark production and \(σ(\overline{t}q)\) = 91 ± 4 (stat.) ± 18 (syst.) ± 2 (lumi.) pb for single top-antiquark production, assuming a top-quark mass of 172.5 GeV. The cross-section ratio is measured to be \(R_{t}\) = \(σ(tq)/σ(\overline{t}q)\) = 1.72 ± 0.09 (stat.) ± 0.18 (syst.). All results are in agreement with Standard Model predictions.
Coherent two-dimensional (2D) optical spectroscopy has revolutionized our ability to probe many types of couplings and ultrafast dynamics in complex quantum systems. The dynamics and function of any quantum system strongly depend on couplings to the environment. Thus, studying coherent interactions for different environments remains a topic of tremendous interest. Here we introduce coherent 2D electronic mass spectrometry that allows 2D measurements on effusive molecular beams and thus on quantum systems with minimum system-bath interaction and employ this to identify the major ionization pathway of 3d Rydberg states in NO2. Furthermore, we present 2D spectra of multiphoton ionization, disclosing distinct differences in the nonlinear response functions leading to the ionization products. We also realize the equivalent of spectrally resolved transient-absorption measurements without the necessity for acquiring weak absorption changes. Using time-of-flight detection introduces cations as an observable, enabling the 2D spectroscopic study on isolated systems of photophysical and photochemical reactions.
Elementary building blocks for quantum repeaters based on fiber channels and memory stations are analyzed. Implementations are considered for three different physical platforms, for which suitable components are available: quantum dots, trapped atoms and ions, and color centers in diamond. The performances of basic quantum repeater links for these platforms are evaluated and compared, both for present‐day, state‐of‐the‐art experimental parameters as well as for parameters that can in principle be reached in the future. The ultimate goal is to experimentally explore regimes at intermediate distances—up to a few 100 km—in which the repeater‐assisted secret key transmission rates exceed the maximal rate achievable via direct transmission. Two different protocols are considered, one of which is better adapted to the higher source clock rate and lower memory coherence time of the quantum dot platform, while the other circumvents the need of writing photonic quantum states into the memories in a heralded, nondestructive fashion. The elementary building blocks and protocols can be connected in a modular form to construct a quantum repeater system that is potentially scalable to large distances.
Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of large and medium-sized arteries, characterized by the growth of atherosclerotic lesions (plaques). These plaques often develop at inner curvatures of arteries, branchpoints, and bifurcations, where the endothelial wall shear stress is low and oscillatory. In conjunction with other processes such as lipid deposition, biomechanical factors lead to local vascular inflammation and plaque growth. There is also evidence that low and oscillatory shear stress contribute to arterial remodeling, entailing a loss in arterial elasticity and, therefore, an increased pulse-wave velocity. Although altered shear stress profiles, elasticity and inflammation are closely intertwined and critical for plaque growth, preclinical and clinical investigations for atherosclerosis mostly focus on the investigation of one of these parameters only due to the experimental limitations. However, cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been demonstrated to be a potent tool which can be used to provide insights into a large range of biological parameters in one experimental session. It enables the evaluation of the dynamic process of atherosclerotic lesion formation without the need for harmful radiation. Flow-sensitive MRI provides the assessment of hemodynamic parameters such as wall shear stress and pulse wave velocity which may replace invasive and radiation-based techniques for imaging of the vascular
function and the characterization of early plaque development. In combination with inflammation imaging, the analyses and correlations of these parameters could not only significantly advance basic preclinical investigations of atherosclerotic lesion formation and progression, but also the diagnostic clinical evaluation for early identification of high-risk plaques, which are prone to rupture. In this review, we summarize the key applications of magnetic resonance imaging for the evaluation of plaque characteristics through flow sensitive and morphological measurements. The simultaneous measurements of functional and structural parameters will further preclinical research on atherosclerosis and has the potential to fundamentally improve the detection of inflammation and vulnerable plaques in patients.
Unlike the conventional p‐doping of organic semiconductors (OSCs) using acceptors, here, an efficient doping concept for diketopyrrolopyrrole‐based polymer PDPP[T]\(_{2}\)‐EDOT (OSC‐1) is presented using an oxidized p‐type semiconductor, Spiro‐OMeTAD(TFSI)\(_{2}\) (OSC‐2), exploiting electron transfer from HOMO\(_{OSC-1}\) to HOMO\(_{OSC-2}\). A shift of work function toward the HOMO\(_{OSC-1}\) upon doping is confirmed by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). Detailed X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–vis–NIR absorption studies confirm HOMO\(_{OSC-1}\) to HOMO\(_{OSC-2}\) electron transfer. The reduction products of Spiro‐OMeTAD(TFSI)\(_{2}\) to Spiro‐OMeTAD(TFSI) and Spiro‐OMeTAD is also confirmed and their relative amounts in doped samples is determined. Mott–Schottky analysis shows two orders of magnitude increase in free charge carrier density and one order of magnitude increase in the charge carrier mobility. The conductivity increases considerably by four orders of magnitude to a maximum of 10 S m\(^{-1}\) for a very low doping ratio of 8 mol%. The doped polymer films exhibit high thermal and ambient stability resulting in a maximum power factor of 0.07 µW m\(^{-1}\) K\(^{-2}\) at a Seebeck coefficient of 140 µV K\(^{-1}\) for a very low doping ratio of 4 mol%. Also, the concept of HOMO\(_{OSC-1}\) to HOMO\(_{OSC-2}\) electron transfer is a highly efficient, stable and generic way to p‐dope other conjugated polymers.
Exciton-polaritons in semiconductor microcavities form a highly nonlinear platform to study a variety of effects interfacing optical, condensed matter, quantum and statistical physics. We show that the complex polariton patterns generated by picosecond pulses in microcavity wire waveguides can be understood as the Cherenkov radiation emitted by bright polariton solitons, which is enabled by the unique microcavity polariton dispersion, which has momentum intervals with positive and negative group velocities. Unlike in optical fibres and semiconductor waveguides, we observe that the microcavity wire Cherenkov radiation is predominantly emitted with negative group velocity and therefore propagates backwards relative to the propagation direction of the emitting soliton. We have developed a theory of the microcavity wire polariton solitons and of their Cherenkov radiation and conducted a series of experiments, where we have measured polariton-soliton pulse compression, pulse breaking and emission of the backward Cherenkov radiation.
We theoretically investigate the propagation of heat currents in a three-terminal quantum dot engine. Electron–electron interactions introduce state-dependent processes which can be resolved by energy-dependent tunneling rates. We identify the relevant transitions which define the operation of the system as a thermal transistor or a thermal diode. In the former case, thermal-induced charge fluctuations in the gate dot modify the thermal currents in the conductor with suppressed heat injection, resulting in huge amplification factors and the possible gating with arbitrarily low energy cost. In the latter case, enhanced correlations of the state-selective tunneling transitions redistribute heat flows giving high rectification coefficients and the unexpected cooling of one conductor terminal by heating the other one. We propose quantum dot arrays as a possible way to achieve the extreme tunneling asymmetries required for the different operations.
A search for new phenomena in final states characterized by high jet multiplicity, an isolated lepton (electron or muon) and either zero or at least three \(b\)-tagged jets is presented. The search uses 36.1 fb\(^{−1}\) of \(\sqrt{s}=13\) TeV proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. The dominant sources of background are estimated using parameterized extrapolations, based on observables at medium jet multiplicity, to predict the \(b\)-tagged jet multiplicity distribution at the higher jet multiplicities used in the search. No significant excess over the Standard Model expectation is observed and 95% confidence-level limits are extracted constraining four simplified models of \(R\)-parity-violating supersymmetry that feature either gluino or top-squark pair production. The exclusion limits reach as high as 2.1 TeV in gluino mass and 1.2 TeV in top-squark mass in the models considered. In addition, an upper limit is set on the cross-section for Standard Model \(t\overline{t}t\overline{t}\) production of 60 fb (6.5 × the Standard Model prediction) at 95% confidence level. Finally, model-independent limits are set on the contribution from new phenomena to the signal-region yields.
The top-quark mass is measured in the all-hadronic top-antitop quark decay channel using proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of \(\sqrt{s}=8\) TeV with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The data set used in the analysis corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb\(^{−1}\). The large multi-jet background is modelled using a data-driven method. The top-quark mass is obtained from template fits to the ratio of the three-jet to the dijet mass. The three-jet mass is obtained from the three jets assigned to the top quark decay. From these three jets the dijet mass is obtained using the two jets assigned to the W boson decay. The top-quark mass is measured to be 173.72 ± 0.55 (stat.) ± 1.01 (syst.) GeV.
Spinning black holes in the centres of galaxies can release powerful magnetised jets. When the jets are observed at angles of less than a few degrees to the line-of-sight, they are called blazars, showing variable non-thermal emission across the electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma rays. It is commonly believed that shock waves are responsible for this dissipation of jet energy. Here we show that gamma-ray observations of the blazar 3C 279 with the space-borne telescope Fermi-LAT reveal a characteristic peak-in-peak variability pattern on time scales of minutes expected if the particle acceleration is instead due to relativistic magnetic reconnection. The absence of gamma-ray pair attenuation shows that particle acceleration takes place at a distance of ten thousand gravitational radii from the black hole where the fluid dynamical kink instability drives plasma turbulence.
Since the discovery of the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect in the magnetically doped topological insulators (MTI) Cr:(Bi,Sb)\(_2\)Te\(_3\) and V:(Bi,Sb)\(_2\)Te\(_3\), the search for the magnetic coupling mechanisms underlying the onset of ferromagnetism has been a central issue, and a variety of different scenarios have been put forward. By combining resonant photoemission, X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and density functional theory, we determine the local electronic and magnetic configurations of V and Cr impurities in (Bi,Sb)\(_2\)Te\(_3\). State-of-the-art first-principles calculations find pronounced differences in their 3d densities of states, and show how these impurity states mediate characteristic short-range pd exchange interactions, whose strength sensitively varies with the position of the 3d states relative to the Fermi level. Measurements on films with varying host stoichiometry support this trend. Our results explain, in an unified picture, the origins of the observed magnetic properties, and establish the essential role of impurity-state-mediated exchange interactions in the magnetism of MTI.
A current challenge in condensed matter physics is the realization of strongly correlated, viscous electron fluids. These fluids can be described by holography, that is, by mapping them onto a weakly curved gravitational theory via gauge/gravity duality. The canonical system considered for realizations has been graphene. In this work, we show that Kagome systems with electron fillings adjusted to the Dirac nodes provide a much more compelling platform for realizations of viscous electron fluids, including non-linear effects such as turbulence. In particular, we find that in Scandium Herbertsmithite, the fine-structure constant, which measures the effective Coulomb interaction, is enhanced by a factor of about 3.2 as compared to graphene. We employ holography to estimate the ratio of the shear viscosity over the entropy density in Sc-Herbertsmithite, and find it about three times smaller than in graphene. These findings put the turbulent flow regime described by holography within the reach of experiments. Viscous electron fluids are predicted in strongly correlated systems but remain challenging to realize. Here, the authors predict enhanced effective Coulomb interaction and reduced ratio of the shear viscosity over entropy density in a Kagome metal, inferring turbulent flow of viscous electron fluids.
Magnetic particle imaging is an emerging tomographic method used for evaluation of the spatial distribution of iron‐oxide nanoparticles. In this work, the effect of the polymer coating on the response of particles was studied. Particles with covalently crosslinked coating showed improved signal and image resolution.
In organic thin‐film transistors (TFTs) fabricated in the inverted (bottom‐gate) device structure, the surface roughness of the gate dielectric onto which the organic‐semiconductor layer is deposited is expected to have a significant effect on the TFT characteristics. To quantitatively evaluate this effect, a method to tune the surface roughness of a gate dielectric consisting of a thin layer of aluminum oxide and an alkylphosphonic acid self‐assembled monolayer over a wide range by controlling a single process parameter, namely the substrate temperature during the deposition of the aluminum gate electrodes, is developed. All other process parameters remain constant in the experiments, so that any differences observed in the TFT performance can be confidently ascribed to effects related to the difference in the gate‐dielectric surface roughness. It is found that an increase in surface roughness leads to a significant decrease in the effective charge‐carrier mobility and an increase in the subthreshold swing. It is shown that a larger gate‐dielectric surface roughness leads to a larger density of grain boundaries in the semiconductor layer, which in turn produces a larger density of localized trap states in the semiconductor.
This longitudinal study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of detecting the interaction between wall shear stress (WSS) and plaque development. 20 ApoE\(^{-/-}\)mice were separated in 12 mice with Western Diet and 8 mice with Chow Diet. Magnetic resonance (MR) scans at 17.6 Tesla and histological analysis were performed after one week, eight and twelve weeks. Allin vivoMR measurements were acquired using a flow sensitive phase contrast method for determining vectorial flow. Histological sections were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin, Elastica van Gieson and CD68 staining. Data analysis was performed using Ensight and a Matlab-based "Flow Tool". The body weight of ApoE\(^{-/-}\)mice increased significantly over 12 weeks. WSS values increased in the Western Diet group over the time period; in contrast, in the Chow Diet group the values decreased from the first to the second measurement point. Western Diet mice showed small plaque formations with elastin fragmentations after 8 weeks and big plaque formations after 12 weeks; Chow Diet mice showed a few elastin fragmentations after 8 weeks and small plaque formations after 12 weeks. Favored by high-fat diet, plaque formation results in higher values of WSS. With wall shear stress being a known predictor for atherosclerotic plaque development, ultra highfield MRI can serve as a tool for studying the causes and beginnings of atherosclerosis.
Purpose
To test quantitative functional lung MRI techniques in young adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) compared to healthy volunteers and to monitor immediate treatment effects of a single inhalation of hypertonic saline in comparison to clinical routine pulmonary function tests.
Materials and methods
Sixteen clinically stable CF patients and 12 healthy volunteers prospectively underwent two functional lung MRI scans and pulmonary function tests before and 2h after a single treatment of inhaled hypertonic saline or without any treatment. MRI-derived oxygen enhanced T1 relaxation measurements, fractional ventilation, first-pass perfusion parameters and a morpho-functional CF-MRI score were acquired.
Results
Compared to healthy controls functional lung MRI detected and quantified significantly increased ventilation heterogeneity in CF patients. Regional functional lung MRI measures of ventilation and perfusion as well as the CF-MRI score and pulmonary function tests could not detect a significant treatment effect two hours after a single treatment with hypertonic saline in young adults with CF (p>0.05).
Conclusion
This study shows the feasibility of functional lung MRI as a non-invasive, radiation-free tool for monitoring patients with CF.
The cross section of a top-quark pair produced in association with a photon is measured in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of \(\sqrt{s} = 8\) TeV with 20.2 fb\(^{−1}\) of data collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2012. The measurement is performed by selecting events that contain a photon with transverse momentum \(p_T\) > 15 GeV, an isolated lepton with large transverse momentum, large missing transverse momentum, and at least four jets, where at least one is identified as originating from a \(b\)-quark. The production cross section is measured in a fiducial region close to the selection requirements. It is found to be 139 ± 7 (stat.) ± 17 (syst.) fb, in good agreement with the theoretical prediction at next-to-leading order of 151 ± 24 fb. In addition, differential cross sections in the fiducial region are measured as a function of the transverse momentum and pseudorapidity of the photon.
Measurements of differential cross-sections of top-quark pair production in fiducial phase-spaces are presented as a function of top-quark and \(t\overline{t}\) system kinematic observables in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of \(\sqrt{s}\) = 13 TeV. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb\(^{−1}\), recorded in 2015 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Events with exactly one electron or muon and at least two jets in the final state are used for the measurement. Two separate selections are applied that each focus on different top-quark momentum regions, referred to as resolved and boosted topologies of the \(t\overline{t}\) final state. The measured spectra are corrected for detector effects and are compared to several Monte Carlo simulations by means of calculated \(χ^2\) and \(p\)-values.
A search for the supersymmetric partners of the Standard Model bottom and top quarks is presented. The search uses 36.1 fb\(^{−1}\) of \(pp\) collision data at \(\sqrt{s}\) = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Direct production of pairs of bottom and top squarks (\(\overline{b}_1\) and \(\overline{t}_1\)) is searched for in final states with \(b\)-tagged jets and missing transverse momentum. Distinctive selections are defined with either no charged leptons (electrons or muons) in the final state, or one charged lepton. The zero-lepton selection targets models in which the \(\overline{b}_1\) is the lightest squark and decays via \(\overline{b}_1\) → \(b\overline{χ}^0_1\), where \(\overline{χ}^0_1\) is the lightest neutralino. The one-lepton final state targets models where bottom or top squarks are produced and can decay into multiple channels, \(\overline{b}_1\) → \(b\overline{χ}^0_1\) and \(\overline{b}_1\) → \(t\overline{χ}^±_1\), or \(\overline{t}_1\) → \(t\overline{χ}^0_1\) and \(\overline{t}_1\) → \(b\overline{χ}^±_1\), where \(\overline{χ}^±_1\) is the lightest chargino and the mass difference \(m_{\overline{χ}^±_1}\) − \(m_{\overline{χ}^0_1}\) is set to 1 GeV. No excess above the expected Standard Model background is observed. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level on the mass of third-generation squarks are derived in various supersymmetry-inspired simplified models.
Semiconductors with strong spin–orbit interaction as the underlying mechanism for the generation of spin-polarized electrons are showing potential for applications in spintronic devices. Unveiling the full spin texture in momentum space for such materials and its relation to the microscopic structure of the electronic wave functions is experimentally challenging and yet essential for exploiting spin–orbit effects for spin manipulation. Here we employ a state-of-the-art photoelectron momentum microscope with a multichannel spin filter to directly image the spin texture of the layered polar semiconductor BiTeI within the full two-dimensional momentum plane. Our experimental results, supported by relativistic ab initio calculations, demonstrate that the valence and conduction band electrons in BiTeI have spin textures of opposite chirality and of pronounced orbital dependence beyond the standard Rashba model, the latter giving rise to strong optical selection-rule effects on the photoelectron spin polarization. These observations open avenues for spin-texture manipulation by atomic-layer and charge carrier control in polar semiconductors.
Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles: Synthesis, X-Ray Line Analysis and Chemical Composition Study
(2016)
TiO2 nanoparticleshave been synthesized by the sol-gel method using titanium alkoxide and isopropanolas a precursor. The structural properties and chemical composition of the TiO2 nanoparticles were studied usingX-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The X-ray powder diffraction pattern confirms that the particles are mainly composed of the anatase phase with the preferential orientation along [101] direction. The physical parameters such as strain, stress and energy density were investigated from the Williamson- Hall (W-H) plot assuming a uniform deformation model (UDM), and uniform deformation energy density model (UDEDM). The W-H analysis shows an anisotropic nature of the strain in nanopowders. The scanning electron microscopy image shows clear TiO2 nanoparticles with particle sizes varying from 60 to 80nm. The results of mean particle size of TiO2 nanoparticles show an inter correlation with the W-H analysis and SEM results. Our X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra show that nearly a complete amount of titanium has reacted to TiO2
A search is presented for particles that decay producing a large jet multiplicity and invisible particles. The event selection applies a veto on the presence of isolated electrons or muons and additional requirements on the number of \(b\)-tagged jets and the scalar sum of masses of large-radius jets. Having explored the full ATLAS 2015-2016 dataset of LHC proton-proton collisions at \(\sqrt{s}\) = 13 TeV, which corresponds to 36.1 fb\(^{−1}\) of integrated luminosity, no evidence is found for physics beyond the Standard Model. The results are interpreted in the context of simplified models inspired by R-parity-conserving and R-parity-violating supersymmetry, where gluinos are pair-produced. More generic models within the phenomenological minimal supersymmetric Standard Model are also considered.
This paper presents a measurement of the triple-differential cross section for the Drell-Yan process \({Z/γ^*}\) → ℓ\(^+\)ℓ\(^-\) where ℓ is an electron or a muon. The measurement is performed for invariant masses of the lepton pairs, \(m_{ℓℓ}\) , between 46 and 200 GeV using a sample of 20.2 fb\(^{−1}\) of \(pp\) collisions data at a centre-of-mass energy of \(\sqrt{s}\) = 8 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2012. The data are presented in bins of invariant mass, absolute dilepton rapidity, |\(y_{ℓℓ}\)|, and the angular variable cos \(θ^*\) between the outgoing lepton and the incoming quark in the Collins-Soper frame. The measurements are performed in the range |\(y_{ℓℓ}\)| < 2.4 in the muon channel, and extended to |\(y_{ℓℓ}\)| < 3.6 in the electron channel. The cross sections are used to determine the \(Z\) boson forward-backward asymmetry as a function of |\(y_{ℓℓ}\)| and \(m_{ℓℓ}\) . The measurements achieve high-precision, below the percent level in the pole region, excluding the uncertainty in the integrated luminosity, and are in agreement with predictions. These precision data are sensitive to the parton distribution functions and the effective weak mixing angle.
The electroweak production and subsequent decay of single top quarks in the \(t\)-channel is determined by the properties of the \({Wtb}\) vertex, which can be described by the complex parameters of an effective Lagrangian. An analysis of a triple-differential decay rate in \(t\)-channel production is used to simultaneously determine five generalised helicity fractions and phases, as well as the polarisation of the produced top quark. The complex parameters are then constrained. This analysis is based on 20.2 fb\(^{−1}\) of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The fraction of decays containing transversely polarised \(W\) bosons is measured to be \(f_1\) = 0.30 ± 0.05. The phase between amplitudes for transversely and longitudinally polarised \(W\) bosons recoiling against left-handed \(b\)-quarks is measured to be \(\delta\)_ = 0.002\(\pi^{+0.016\pi}_{+0.017\pi}\), giving no indication of CP violation. The fractions of longitudinal or transverse \(W\) bosons accompanied by right-handed \(b\)-quarks are also constrained. Based on these measurements, limits are placed at 95% CL on the ratio of the complex coupling parameters Re [\({g_R/V_L}\) \(\in\) [−0.12, 0.17] and Im [\({g_R/V_L}\) \(\in\) [−0.07, 0.06]. Constraints are also placed on the ratios |\({V_R}/{V_L}\)| and |\({g_L}/{V_L}\)|. In addition, the polarisation of single top quarks in the \(t\)-channel is constrained to be \(P\) > 0.72 (95% CL). None of the above measurements make assumptions about the value of any of the other parameters or couplings and all of them are in agreement with the Standard Model.
The orthorhombic rare-earth manganite compounds \(R\)MnO\(_3\) show a global magnetic order for \(T\) < \(T\)\(_N\), and several representatives are multiferroic with a cycloidal spin ground state order for \(T\) < \(T\)\(_c\)\(_y\)\(_c\)\(_l\) < \(T\)\(_N\) \(\approx\) 40 K. We deduce from the temperature dependence of spin–phonon coupling in Raman spectroscopy for a series of \(R\)MnO\(_3\) compounds that their spin order locally persists up to about twice \(T\)\(_N\). Along the same line, our observation of the persistence of the electromagnon in GdMnO\(_3\) up to \(T\) \(\approx\) 100 K is attributed to a local cycloidal spin order for \(T\) > \(T\)\(_c\)\(_y\)\(_c\)\(_l\), in contrast to the hitherto assumed incommensurate sinusoidal phase in the intermediate temperature range. The development of the magnetization pattern can be described in terms of an order–disorder transition at \(T\)\(_c\)\(_y\)\(_c\)\(_l\) within a pseudospin model of localized spin cycloids with opposite chirality.
Conventional kiln drying of wood operates by the evaporation of water at elevated temperature. In the initial stage of drying, mobile water in the wood cell lumen evaporates. More slowly, water bound in the wood cell walls evaporates, requiring the breaking of hydrogen bonds between water molecules and cellulose and hemicellulose polymers in the cell wall. An alternative for wood kiln drying is a patented process for green wood dewatering through the molecular interaction of supercritical carbon dioxide with water of wood cell sap. When the system pressure is reduced to below the critical point, phase change from supercritical fluid to gas occurs with a consequent large change in CO2 volume. This results in the efficient, rapid, mechanical expulsion of liquid sap from wood. The end-point of this cyclical phase-change process is wood dewatered to the cell wall fibre saturation point. This paper describes dewatering over a range of green wood specimen sizes, from laboratory physical chemistry studies to pilot-plant trials. Magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were applied to study the fundamental mechanisms of the process, which were contrasted with similar studies of conventional thermal wood drying. In conclusion, opportunities and impediments towards the commercialisation of the green wood dewatering process are discussed.
Self-organization is a promising method within the framework of bottom-up architectures to generate nanostructures in an efficient way. The present work demonstrates that self- organization on the length scale of a few to several tens of nanometers can be achieved by a proper combination of a large (organic) molecule and a vicinal metal surface if the local bonding of the molecule on steps is significantly stronger than that on low-index surfaces. In this case thermal annealing may lead to large mass transport of the subjacent substrate atoms such that nanometer-wide and micrometer-long molecular stripes or other patterns are being formed on high-index planes. The formation of these patterns can be controlled by the initial surface orientation and adsorbate coverage. The patterns arrange self-organized in regular arrays by repulsive mechanical interactions over long distances accompanied by a significant enhancement of surface stress. We demonstrate this effect using the planar organic molecule PTCDA as adsorbate and Ag(10 8 7) and Ag(775)surfaces as substrate. The patterns are directly observed by STM, the formation of vicinal surfaces is monitored by highresolution electron diffraction, the microscopic surface morphology changes are followed by spectromicroscopy, and the macroscopic changes of surface stress are measured by a cantilever bending method. The in situ combination of these complementary techniques provides compelling evidence for elastic interaction and a significant stress contribution to long-range order and nanopattern formation.
Reproducibility and comparison of oxygen-enhanced T\(_1\) quantification in COPD and asthma patients
(2017)
T\(_1\) maps have been shown to yield useful diagnostic information on lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, both for native T\(_1\) and ΔT\(_1\), the relative reduction while breathing pure oxygen. As parameter quantification is particularly interesting for longitudinal studies, the purpose of this work was both to examine the reproducibility of lung T\(_1\) mapping and to compare T\(_1\) found in COPD and asthma patients using IRSnapShotFLASH embedded in a full MRI protocol. 12 asthma and 12 COPD patients (site 1) and further 15 COPD patients (site 2) were examined on two consecutive days. In each patient, T\(_1\) maps were acquired in 8 single breath-hold slices, breathing first room air, then pure oxygen. Maps were partitioned into 12 regions each to calculate average values. In asthma patients, the average T\(_{1,RA}\) = 1206ms (room air) was reduced to T\(_{1,O2}\) = 1141ms under oxygen conditions (ΔT\(_1\) = 5.3%, p < 5⋅10\(^{−4})\), while in COPD patients both native T\(_{1,RA}\) = 1125ms was significantly shorter (p < 10\(^{−3})\) and the relative reduction to T\(_{1,O2}\) = 1081ms on average ΔT\(_1\) = 4.2%(p < 10\(^{−5}\)). On the second day, with T\(_{1,RA}\) = 1186ms in asthma and T\(_{1,RA}\) = 1097ms in COPD, observed values were slightly shorter on average in all patient groups. ΔT\(_1\) reduction was the least repeatable parameter and varied from day to day by up to 23% in individual asthma and 30% in COPD patients. While for both patient groups T\(_1\) was below the values reported for healthy subjects, the T\(_1\) and ΔT\(_1\) found in asthmatics lies between that of the COPD group and reported values for healthy subjects, suggesting a higher blood volume fraction and better ventilation. However, it could be demonstrated that lung T\(_1\) quantification is subject to notable inter-examination variability, which here can be attributed both to remaining contrast agent from the previous day and the increased dependency of lung T\(_1\) on perfusion and thus current lung state.
Increased aortic stiffness is known to be associated with atherosclerosis and has a predictive value for cardiovascular events. This study aims to investigate the local distribution of early arterial stiffening due to initial atherosclerotic lesions. Therefore, global and local pulse wave velocity (PWV) were measured in ApoE\(^{-/-}\) and wild type (WT) mice using ultrahigh field MRI. For quantification of global aortic stiffness, a new multi-point transit-time (TT) method was implemented and validated to determine the global PWV in the murine aorta. Local aortic stiffness was measured by assessing the local PWV in the upper abdominal aorta, using the flow/area (QA) method. Significant differences between age matched ApoE\(^{-/-}\) and WT mice were determined for global and local PWV measurements (global PWV: ApoE\(^{-/-}\): 2.7 ±0.2m/s vs WT: 2.1±0.2m/s, P<0.03; local PWV: ApoE\(^{-/-}\): 2.9±0.2m/s vs WT: 2.2±0.2m/s, P<0.03). Within the WT mouse group, the global PWV correlated well with the local PWV in the upper abdominal aorta (R\(^2\) = 0.75, P<0.01), implying a widely uniform arterial elasticity.
In ApoE\(^{-/-}\) animals, however, no significant correlation between individual local and global PWV was present (R\(^2\) = 0.07, P = 0.53), implying a heterogeneous distribution of vascular stiffening in early atherosclerosis. The assessment of global PWV using the new multi-point TT measurement technique was validated against a pressure wire measurement in a vessel
phantom and showed excellent agreement. The experimental results demonstrate that vascular stiffening caused by early atherosclerosis is unequally distributed over the length of large vessels. This finding implies that assessing heterogeneity of arterial stiffness by multiple local measurements of PWV might be more sensitive than global PWV to identify early atherosclerotic lesions.
Optical properties of modified type II W-shaped quantum wells have been investigated with the aim to be utilized in interband cascade lasers. The results show that introducing a tensely strained GaAsSb layer, instead of a commonly used compressively strained GaInSb, allows employing the active transition involving valence band states with a significant admixture of the light holes. Theoretical predictions of multiband k.p theory have been experimentally verified by using photoluminescence and polarization dependent photoreflectance measurements. These results open a pathway for practical realization of mid-infrared lasing devices with uncommon polarization properties including, for instance, polarization-independent midinfrared light emitters.
The Josephson effect describes the generic appearance of a supercurrent in a weak link between two superconductors. Its exact physical nature deeply influences the properties of the supercurrent. In recent years, considerable efforts have focused on the coupling of superconductors to the surface states of a three-dimensional topological insulator. In such a material, an unconventional induced p-wave superconductivity should occur, with a doublet of topologically protected gapless Andreev bound states, whose energies vary 4π-periodically with the superconducting phase difference across the junction. In this article, we report the observation of an anomalous response to rf irradiation in a Josephson junction made of a HgTe weak link. The response is understood as due to a 4π-periodic contribution to the supercurrent, and its amplitude is compatible with the expected contribution of a gapless Andreev doublet. Our work opens the way to more elaborate experiments to investigate the induced superconductivity in a three-dimensional insulator.
Phase coexistence phenomena have been intensively studied in strongly correlated materials where several ordered states simultaneously occur or compete. Material properties critically depend on external parameters and boundary conditions, where tiny changes result in qualitatively different ground states. However, up to date, phase coexistence phenomena have exclusively been reported for complex compounds composed of multiple elements. Here we show that charge- and magnetically ordered states coexist in double-layer Fe/Rh(001). Scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy measurements reveal periodic charge-order stripes below a temperature of 130 K. Close to liquid helium temperature, they are superimposed by ferromagnetic domains as observed by spin-polarized scanning tunnelling microscopy. Temperature-dependent measurements reveal a pronounced cross-talk between charge and spin order at the ferromagnetic ordering temperature about 70 K, which is successfully modelled within an effective Ginzburg–Landau ansatz including sixth-order terms. Our results show that subtle balance between structural modifications can lead to competing ordering phenomena.
Topological insulators interacting with magnetic impurities have been reported to host several unconventional effects. These phenomena are described within the framework of gapping Dirac quasiparticles due to broken time-reversal symmetry. However, the overwhelming majority of studies demonstrate the presence of a finite density of states near the Dirac point even once topological insulators become magnetic. Here, we map the response of topological states to magnetic impurities at the atomic scale. We demonstrate that magnetic order and gapless states can coexist. We show how this is the result of the delicate balance between two opposite trends, that is, gap opening and emergence of a Dirac node impurity band, both induced by the magnetic dopants. Our results evidence a more intricate and rich scenario with respect to the once generally assumed, showing how different electronic and magnetic states may be generated and controlled in this fascinating class of materials.
Solid-state cavity quantum electrodynamics is a rapidly advancing field, which explores the frontiers of light–matter coupling. Metal-based approaches are of particular interest in this field, as they carry the potential to squeeze optical modes to spaces significantly below the diffraction limit. Transition metal dichalcogenides are ideally suited as the active material in cavity quantum electrodynamics, as they interact strongly with light at the ultimate monolayer limit. Here, we implement a Tamm-plasmon-polariton structure and study the coupling to a monolayer of WSe\(_{2}\), hosting highly stable excitons. Exciton-polariton formation at room temperature is manifested in the characteristic energy–momentum dispersion relation studied in photoluminescence, featuring an anti-crossing between the exciton and photon modes with a Rabi-splitting of 23.5 meV. Creating polaritonic quasiparticles in monolithic, compact architectures with atomic monolayers under ambient conditions is a crucial step towards the exploration of nonlinearities, macroscopic coherence and advanced spinor physics with novel, low-mass bosons.
Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenide materials emerged as a new material class to study excitonic effects in solid state, as they benefit from enormous Coulomb correlations between electrons and holes. Especially in WSe\(_{2}\), sharp emission features have been observed at cryogenic temperatures, which act as single photon sources. Tight exciton localization has been assumed to induce an anharmonic excitation spectrum; however, the evidence of the hypothesis, namely the demonstration of a localized biexciton, is elusive. Here we unambiguously demonstrate the existence of a localized biexciton in a monolayer of WSe\(_{2}\), which triggers an emission cascade of single photons. The biexciton is identified by its time-resolved photoluminescence, superlinearity and distinct polarization in micro-photoluminescence experiments. We evidence the cascaded nature of the emission process in a cross-correlation experiment, which yields a strong bunching behaviour. Our work paves the way to a new generation of quantum optics experiments with two-dimensional semiconductors.
In biological tissue, an accumulation of similarly shaped objects with a susceptibility difference to the surrounding tissue generates a local distortion of the external magnetic field in magnetic resonance imaging. It induces stochastic field fluctuations that characteristically influence proton spin dephasing in the vicinity of these magnetic perturbers. The magnetic field correlation that is associated with such local magnetic field inhomogeneities can be expressed in the form of a dynamic frequency autocorrelation function that is related to the time evolution of the measured magnetization. Here, an eigenfunction expansion for two simple magnetic perturber shapes, that of spheres and cylinders, is considered for restricted spin diffusion in a simple model geometry. Then, the concept of generalized moment analysis, an approximation technique that is applied in the study of (non-)reactive processes that involve Brownian motion, allows deriving analytical expressions of the correlation function for different exponential decay forms. Results for the biexponential decay for both spherical and cylindrical magnetized objects are derived and compared with the frequently used (less accurate) monoexponential decay forms. They are in asymptotic agreement with the numerically exact value of the correlation function for long and short times.