Search Results
The spin-flip scattering effect in the spin transport in silicon doped with bismuth
2017, Ezhevskii, A.A., Detochenko, A.P., Soukhorukov, A.V., Guseinov, D.V., Kudrin, A.V., Abrosimov, N.V., Riemann, H.
Spin transport of conduction electrons in silicon samples doped with bismuth in the 1.1•1013 - 7.7•1015 cm-3 concentration range was studied by the Hall effect measurements. The dependence of the Hall voltage magnitude on the magnetic field is the sum of the normal and spin Hall effects. The electrons are partially polarized by an external magnetic field and are scattered by the bismuth spin-orbit potential. Spin-flip scattering results in the additional electromotive force which compensates the normal Hall effect in strong magnetic fields.
Micromotor-mediated sperm constrictions for improved swimming performance
2021, Striggow, Friedrich, Nadporozhskaia, Lidiia, Friedrich, Benjamin M., Schmidt, Oliver G., Medina-Sánchez, Mariana
Sperm-driven micromotors, consisting of a single sperm cell captured in a microcap, utilize the strong propulsion generated by the flagellar beat of motile spermatozoa for locomotion. It enables the movement of such micromotors in biological media, while being steered remotely by means of an external magnetic field. The substantial decrease in swimming speed, caused by the additional hydrodynamic load of the microcap, limits the applicability of sperm-based micromotors. Therefore, to improve the performance of such micromotors, we first investigate the effects of additional cargo on the flagellar beat of spermatozoa. We designed two different kinds of microcaps, which each result in different load responses of the flagellar beat. As an additional design feature, we constrain rotational degrees of freedom of the cell’s motion by modifying the inner cavity of the cap. Particularly, cell rolling is substantially reduced by tightly locking the sperm head inside the microcap. Likewise, cell yawing is decreased by aligning the micromotors under an external static magnetic field. The observed differences in swimming speed of different micromotors are not so much a direct consequence of hydrodynamic effects, but rather stem from changes in flagellar bending waves, hence are an indirect effect. Our work serves as proof-of-principle that the optimal design of microcaps is key for the development of efficient sperm-driven micromotors.
Pentacene in 1,3,5-Tri(1-naphtyl)benzene: A Novel Standard for Transient EPR Spectroscopy at Room Temperature
2021, Schröder, Mirjam, Rauber, Daniel, Matt, Clemens, Kay, Christopher W. M.
Testing and calibrating an experimental setup with standard samples is an essential aspect of scientific research. Single crystals of pentacene in p-terphenyl are widely used for this purpose in transient electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. However, this sample is not without downsides: the crystals need to be grown and the EPR transitions only appear at particular orientations of the crystal with respect to the external magnetic field. An alternative host for pentacene is the glass-forming 1,3,5-tri(1-naphtyl)benzene (TNB). Due to the high glass transition point of TNB, an amorphous glass containing randomly oriented pentacene molecules is obtained at room temperature. Here we demonstrate that pentacene dissolved in TNB gives a typical “powder-like” transient EPR spectrum of the triplet state following pulsed laser excitation. From the two-dimensional data set, it is straightforward to obtain the zero-field splitting parameters and relative populations by spectral simulation as well as the B1 field in the microwave resonator. Due to the simplicity of preparation, handling and stability, this system is ideal for adjusting the laser beam with respect to the microwave resonator and for introducing students to transient EPR spectroscopy. © 2021, The Author(s).
Magnetoelastic coupling and ferromagnetic-type in-gap spin excitations in multiferroic α-Cu2V2O7
2018, Wang, L., Werner, J., Ottmann, A., Weis, R., Abdel-Hafiez, M., Sannigrahi, J., Majumdar, S., Koo, C., Klingeler, R.
We investigate magnetoelectric coupling and low-energy magnetic excitations in multiferroic α-Cu2V2O7 by detailed thermal expansion, magnetostriction, specific heat and magnetization measurements in magnetic fields up to 15 T and by high-field/high-frequency electron spin resonance studies. Our data show negative thermal expansion in the temperature range ≤200 K under study. Well-developed anomalies associated with the onset of multiferroic order (canted antiferromagnetism with a significant magnetic moment and ferroelectricity) imply pronounced coupling to the structure. We detect anomalous entropy changes in the temperature regime up to ∼80 K which significantly exceed the spin entropy. Failure of Grüneisen scaling further confirms that several dominant ordering phenomena are concomitantly driving the multiferroic order. By applying external magnetic fields, anomalies in the thermal expansion and in the magnetization are separated. Noteworthy, the data clearly imply the development of a canted magnetic moment at temperatures above the structural anomaly. Low-field magnetostriction supports the scenario of exchange-striction driven multiferroicity. We observe low-energy magnetic excitations well below the antiferromagnetic gap, i.e., a ferromagnetic-type resonance branch associated with the canted magnetic moment arising from Dzyaloshinsii-Moriya (DM) interactions. The anisotropy parameter meV indicates a sizeable ratio of DM- and isotropic magnetic exchange.