Multiferroicity in an organic charge-transfer salt that is suggestive of electric-dipole-driven magnetism

Multiferroics, showing simultaneous ordering of electrical and magnetic degrees of freedom, are remarkable materials as seen from both the academic and technological points of view. A prominent mechanism of multiferroicity is the spin-driven ferroelectricity, often found in frustrated antiferromagnets with helical spin order. There, as for conventional ferroelectrics, the electrical dipoles arise from an off-centre displacement of ions. However, recently a different mechanism, namely purely electronic ferroelectricity, where charge order breaks inversion symmetry, has attracted considerable interest. Here we provide evidence for ferroelectricity, accompanied by antiferromagnetic spin order, in a two-dimensional organic charge-transfer salt, thus representing a new class of multiferroics. We propose a charge-order-driven mechanism leading to electronic ferroelectricity in this material. Quite unexpectedly for electronic ferroelectrics, dipolar and spin order arise nearly simultaneously. This can be ascribed to the loss of spin frustration induced by the ferroelectric ordering. Hence, here the spin order is driven by the ferroelectricity, in marked contrast to the spin-driven ferroelectricity in helical magnets. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Measurement of the semileptonic charge asymmetry in B0 meson mixing with the D0 detector

We present a measurement of the semileptonic mixing asymmetry for B0 mesons, asld, using two independent decay channels: B0→μ +D -X, with D -→K +π -π -; and B0→μ +D *-X, with D * -→D ̄0π -, D ̄0→ K +π - (and charge conjugate processes). We use a data sample corresponding to 10.4fb -1 of pp̄ collisions at √s=1.96TeV, collected with the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. We extract the charge asymmetries in these two channels as a function of the visible proper decay length of the B0 meson, correct for detector-related asymmetries using data-driven methods, and account for dilution from charge-symmetric processes using Monte Carlo simulation. The final measurement combines four signal visible proper decay length regions for each channel, yielding asld=[0.68±0.45(stat)±0.14(syst)]%. This is the single most precise measurement of this parameter, with uncertainties smaller than the current world average of B factory measurements. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Eumelanin thin films: Solution-processing, growth, and charge transport properties

Eumelanin pigments show hydration-dependent conductivity, broad-band UV-vis absorption, and chelation of metal ions. Solution-processing of synthetic eumelanins opens new possibilities for the characterization of eumelanin in thin film form and its integration into bioelectronic devices. We investigate the effect of different synthesis routes and processing solvents on the growth, the morphology, and the chemical composition of eumelanin thin films using atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We further characterize the films by transient electrical current measurements obtained at 50% to 90% relative humidity, relevant for bioelectronic applications. We show that the use of dimethyl sulfoxide is preferable over ammonia solution as processing solvent, yielding homogeneous films with surface roughnesses below 0.5 nm and a chemical composition in agreement with the eumelanin molecular structure. These eumelanin films grow in a quasi layer-by-layer mode, each layer being composed of nanoaggregates, 1-2 nm high, 10-30 nm large. The transient electrical measurements using a planar two-electrode device suggest that there are two contributions to the current, electronic and ionic, the latter being increasingly dominant at higher hydration, and point to the importance of time-dependent electrical characterization of eumelanin films. This journal is © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Charge-ordering transition in (TMTTF)2X explored via dilatometry

Charge-ordering phenomena have been highly topical over the past few years. A phase transition towards a charge-ordered state has been observed experimentally in several classes of materials. Among them, many studies have been devoted to the family of quasi-one-dimensional organic charge-transfer salts (TMTTF)2X, where (TMTTF) stands for tetramethyltetrathiafulvalene and X for a monovalent anion (X = PF6, AsF6 and SbF6). However, the relationship between the electron localization phenomena and the role of the lattice distortion in stabilizing the charge-ordering pattern is poorly documented in the literature. Here we present a brief overview of selected literature results, with emphasis placed on recent thermal expansion experiments probing the charge-ordering transition of these salts. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Influence of filler charge on gloss of composite materials before and after in vitro toothbrushing

Objectives: This study evaluated the gloss behaviour of experimental resin composites loaded with different filler percentages, immediately after polishing and after toothbrushing simulation. Methods: Sixteen disc-shaped specimens were fabricated for each different-charged composite (40%, 50%, 60%, 70% and 75%) and polished with SiC abrasive papers. Gloss measurements were made prior to simulated toothbrushing. The specimens were subjected to the simulation for 5, 15, 30 and 60 min using an electrical toothbrush with a standardized pressure while being immersed in a toothpaste/artificial saliva slurry. Results: Baseline composite gloss values ranged from 69.7 (40%) to 81.3 (75%) GU (gloss units) and from 18.1 (40%) to 32.3 (75%) GU after 1 h of brushing. Highest gloss values were obtained by 75%-charged resin, while the lowest values were obtained by the 40%-charged one. Conclusions: All tested materials showed a gloss decrease. However, the higher filler load a composite resin has, the higher gloss it can achieve. Clinical significance: Gloss of resin composite materials is an important factor in determining aesthetic success of anterior restorations, and this property may vary according to the filler charge of the restorative material. Higher filler load of a composite resin results in higher gloss values. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sudden change of quantum discord for a system of two qubits

It is known that quantum discord might experience a sudden transition in its dynamics when calculated for certain Bell-diagonal states (BDS) that are in interaction with their surroundings. We examine this phenomenon, known as the sudden change of quantum discord, considering the case of two qubits independently interacting with dephasing reservoirs. We first demonstrate that, for a class of initial states which can be chosen arbitrarily close to BDS, the transition is in fact not sudden, although it might numerically appear so if not studied carefully. Then, we provide an extension of this discussion covering the X-shaped density matrices. Our findings suggest that the transition of quantum discord might be sudden only for an highly idealized zero-measure subset of states within the set of all possible initial conditions of two qubits. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Inclusive search for a vector-like T quark with charge 2/3 in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Measurements of the t(t)Overbar charge asymmetry using the dilepton decay channel in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Search for Top-Quark Partners with Charge 5/3 in the Same-Sign Dilepton Final State

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Measurement of the muon charge asymmetry in inclusive pp -> W plus X production at root s=7 TeV and an improved determination of light parton distribution functions

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Maximally genuine multipartite entangled mixed X-states of N-qubits

For every possible spectrum of 2(N)-dimensional density operators, we construct an N-qubit X-state of the same spectrum and maximal genuine multipartite (GM-) concurrence, hence characterizing a global unitary transformation that -constrained to output X-states-maximizes the GM-concurrence of an arbitrary input mixed state of N qubits. We also apply semidefinite programming methods to obtain N-qubit X-states with maximal GM-concurrence for a given purity and to provide an alternative proof of optimality of a recently proposed set of density matrices for the purpose, the so-called X-MEMS. Furthermore, we introduce a numerical strategy to tailor a quantum operation that converts between any two given density matrices using a relatively small number of Kraus operators. We apply our strategy to design short operator-sum representations for the transformation between any given N-qubit mixed state and a corresponding X-MEMS of the same purity.

Capacitive DNA detection driven by electronic charge fluctuations in a graphene nanopore

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Hopping-tunneling model to describe electric charge injection at metal/organic semiconductor heterojunctions

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

A comparison of charge-transfer mechanisms at rotated disk electrode for biomimetic binuclear and tetranuclear oxo-manganese complex in aqueous solution

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)