Showing papers on "Phase transition published in 2012"

Phase transitions in the assembly of multivalent signalling proteins

Abstract: Cells are organized on length scales ranging from angstrom to micrometres. However, the mechanisms by which angstrom-scale molecular properties are translated to micrometre-scale macroscopic properties are not well understood. Here we show that interactions between diverse synthetic, multivalent macromolecules (including multi-domain proteins and RNA) produce sharp liquid-liquid-demixing phase separations, generating micrometre-sized liquid droplets in aqueous solution. This macroscopic transition corresponds to a molecular transition between small complexes and large, dynamic supramolecular polymers. The concentrations needed for phase transition are directly related to the valency of the interacting species. In the case of the actin-regulatory protein called neural Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP) interacting with its established biological partners NCK and phosphorylated nephrin, the phase transition corresponds to a sharp increase in activity towards an actin nucleation factor, the Arp2/3 complex. The transition is governed by the degree of phosphorylation of nephrin, explaining how this property of the system can be controlled to regulatory effect by kinases. The widespread occurrence of multivalent systems suggests that phase transitions may be used to spatially organize and biochemically regulate information throughout biology.

Dirac semimetal and topological phase transitions in A 3 Bi ( A = Na , K, Rb)

Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) Dirac point, where two Weyl points overlap in momentum space, is usually unstable and hard to realize. Here we show, based on the first-principles calculations and effective model analysis, that crystalline A(3)Bi (A = Na, K, Rb) are Dirac semimetals with bulk 3D Dirac points protected by crystal symmetry. They possess nontrivial Fermi arcs on the surfaces and can be driven into various topologically distinct phases by explicit breaking of symmetries. Giant diamagnetism, linear quantum magnetoresistance, and quantum spin Hall effect will be expected for such compounds.

Ferroelectricity in Simple Binary ZrO2 and HfO2

Abstract: The transition metal oxides ZrO2 and HfO2 as well as their solid solution are widely researched and, like most binary oxides, are expected to exhibit centrosymmetric crystal structure and therewith linear dielectric characteristics. For this reason, those oxides, even though successfully introduced into microelectronics, were never considered to be more than simple dielectrics possessing limited functionality. Here we report the discovery of a field-driven ferroelectric phase transition in pure, sub 10 nm ZrO2 thin films and a composition- and temperature-dependent transition to a stable ferroelectric phase in the HfO2–ZrO2 mixed oxide. These unusual findings are attributed to a size-driven tetragonal to orthorhombic phase transition that in thin films, similar to the anticipated tetragonal to monoclinic transition, is lowered to room temperature. A structural investigation revealed the orthorhombic phase to be of space group Pbc21, whose noncentrosymmetric nature is deemed responsible for the spontaneous...

Terahertz-field-induced insulator-to-metal transition in vanadium dioxide metamaterial

Abstract: An innovative technique uses ultrafast below-bandgap electric-field pulses to induce and probe an insulator–metal transition in an oxide thin film on which a metamaterial structure has been deposited. The transition from insulating to metallic behaviour and the microscopic interactions that accompany the transition are important phenomena in electronic materials. Until now it has not been possible to observe the transition directly in a time-resolved manner. Here, Richard Averitt and colleagues use ultrafast terahertz pulses to induce a phase transition in a prototypical insulator–metal transition material (vanadium dioxide) on which a metamaterial structure has been deposited. The metamaterial serves to amplify the local terahertz field, as well as to detect macroscopic changes in vanadium dioxide. Through direct, time-resolved observations, the authors establish a detailed microscopic picture of the structural and electronic changes underlying the insulator–metal transition. They conclude that their technique is versatile and could even be used to study phase transitions in superconductors. Electron–electron interactions can render an otherwise conducting material insulating1, with the insulator–metal phase transition in correlated-electron materials being the canonical macroscopic manifestation of the competition between charge-carrier itinerancy and localization. The transition can arise from underlying microscopic interactions among the charge, lattice, orbital and spin degrees of freedom, the complexity of which leads to multiple phase-transition pathways. For example, in many transition metal oxides, the insulator–metal transition has been achieved with external stimuli, including temperature, light, electric field, mechanical strain or magnetic field2,3,4,5,6,7. Vanadium dioxide is particularly intriguing because both the lattice and on-site Coulomb repulsion contribute to the insulator-to-metal transition at 340 K (ref. 8). Thus, although the precise microscopic origin of the phase transition remains elusive, vanadium dioxide serves as a testbed for correlated-electron phase-transition dynamics. Here we report the observation of an insulator–metal transition in vanadium dioxide induced by a terahertz electric field. This is achieved using metamaterial-enhanced picosecond, high-field terahertz pulses to reduce the Coulomb-induced potential barrier for carrier transport9. A nonlinear metamaterial response is observed through the phase transition, demonstrating that high-field terahertz pulses provide alternative pathways to induce collective electronic and structural rearrangements. The metamaterial resonators play a dual role, providing sub-wavelength field enhancement that locally drives the nonlinear response, and global sensitivity to the local changes, thereby enabling macroscopic observation of the dynamics10,11. This methodology provides a powerful platform to investigate low-energy dynamics in condensed matter and, further, demonstrates that integration of metamaterials with complex matter is a viable pathway to realize functional nonlinear electromagnetic composites.

CsSnI3: Semiconductor or Metal? High Electrical Conductivity and Strong Near-Infrared Photoluminescence from a Single Material. High Hole Mobility and Phase-Transitions

Abstract: CsSnI3 is an unusual perovskite that undergoes complex displacive and reconstructive phase transitions and exhibits near-infrared emission at room temperature. Experimental and theoretical studies of CsSnI3 have been limited by the lack of detailed crystal structure characterization and chemical instability. Here we describe the synthesis of pure polymorphic crystals, the preparation of large crack-/bubble-free ingots, the refined single-crystal structures, and temperature-dependent charge transport and optical properties of CsSnI3, coupled with ab initio first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In situ temperature-dependent single-crystal and synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction studies reveal the origin of polymorphous phase transitions of CsSnI3. The black orthorhombic form of CsSnI3 demonstrates one of the largest volumetric thermal expansion coefficients for inorganic solids. Electrical conductivity, Hall effect, and thermopower measurements on it show p-type metallic behavior w...

Topological crystalline insulator states in Pb1-xSnxSe

Abstract: Topological insulators are a class of quantum materials in which time-reversal symmetry, relativistic effects and an inverted band structure result in the occurrence of electronic metallic states on the surfaces of insulating bulk crystals. These helical states exhibit a Dirac-like energy dispersion across the bulk bandgap, and they are topologically protected. Recent theoretical results have suggested the existence of topological crystalline insulators (TCIs), a class of topological insulators in which crystalline symmetry replaces the role of time-reversal symmetry in ensuring topological protection. In this study we show that the narrow-gap semiconductor Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Se is a TCI for x = 0.23. Temperature-dependent angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrates that the material undergoes a temperature-driven topological phase transition from a trivial insulator to a TCI. These experimental findings add a new class to the family of topological insulators, and we anticipate that they will lead to a considerable body of further research as well as detailed studies of topological phase transitions.

Revealing the Superfluid Lambda Transition in the Universal Thermodynamics of a Unitary Fermi Gas

Abstract: Fermi gases, collections of fermions such as neutrons and electrons, are found throughout nature, from solids to neutron stars. Interacting Fermi gases can form a superfluid or, for charged fermions, a superconductor. We have observed the superfluid phase transition in a strongly interacting Fermi gas by high-precision measurements of the local compressibility, density, and pressure. Our data completely determine the universal thermodynamics of these gases without any fit or external thermometer. The onset of superfluidity is observed in the compressibility, the chemical potential, the entropy, and the heat capacity, which displays a characteristic lambda-like feature at the critical temperature T(c)/T(F) = 0.167(13). The ground-state energy is 3/5ξN E(F) with ξ = 0.376(4). Our measurements provide a benchmark for many-body theories of strongly interacting fermions.

The Physics of the Colloidal Glass Transition

Abstract: As one increases the concentration of a colloidal suspension, the system exhibits a dramatic increase in viscosity. Beyond a certain concentration, the system is said to be a colloidal glass; structurally, the system resembles a liquid, yet motions within the suspension are slow enough that it can be considered essentially frozen. For several decades, colloids have served as a valuable model system for understanding the glass transition in molecular systems. The spatial and temporal scales involved allow these systems to be studied by a wide variety of experimental techniques. The focus of this review is the current state of understanding of the colloidal glass transition, with an emphasis on experimental observations. A brief introduction is given to important experimental techniques used to study the glass transition in colloids. We describe features of colloidal systems near and in glassy states, including increases in viscosity and relaxation times, dynamical heterogeneity and ageing, among others. We also compare and contrast the glass transition in colloids to that in molecular liquids. Other glassy systems are briefly discussed, as well as recently developed synthesis techniques that will keep these systems rich with interesting physics for years to come.

Observation of a topological crystalline insulator phase and topological phase transition in Pb 1−x Sn x Te

Abstract: A topological insulator protected by time-reversal symmetry is realized via spin-orbit interaction-driven band inversion. The topological phase in the Bi(1-x)Sb(x) system is due to an odd number of band inversions. A related spin-orbit system, the Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Te, has long been known to contain an even number of inversions based on band theory. Here we experimentally investigate the possibility of a mirror symmetry-protected topological crystalline insulator phase in the Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Te class of materials that has been theoretically predicted to exist in its end compound SnTe. Our experimental results show that at a finite Pb composition above the topological inversion phase transition, the surface exhibits even number of spin-polarized Dirac cone states revealing mirror-protected topological order distinct from that observed in Bi(1-x)Sb(x). Our observation of the spin-polarized Dirac surface states in the inverted Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Te and their absence in the non-inverted compounds related via a topological phase transition provide the experimental groundwork for opening the research on novel topological order in quantum devices.

Topological crystalline insulator states in Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Se

Abstract: Topological insulators are a novel class of quantum materials in which time-reversal symmetry, relativistic (spin-orbit) effects and an inverted band structure result in electronic metallic states on the surfaces of bulk crystals. These helical states exhibit a Dirac-like energy dispersion across the bulk bandgap, and they are topologically protected. Recent theoretical proposals have suggested the existence of topological crystalline insulators, a novel class of topological insulators in which crystalline symmetry replaces the role of time-reversal symmetry in topological protection [1,2]. In this study, we show that the narrow-gap semiconductor Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Se is a topological crystalline insulator for x=0.23. Temperature-dependent magnetotransport measurements and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrate that the material undergoes a temperature-driven topological phase transition from a trivial insulator to a topological crystalline insulator. These experimental findings add a new class to the family of topological insulators. We expect these results to be the beginning of both a considerable body of additional research on topological crystalline insulators as well as detailed studies of topological phase transitions.

Stabilization of Leidenfrost vapour layer by textured superhydrophobic surfaces

Abstract: Textured superhydrophobic surfaces—well known for their water-repelling properties—can be used to control the boiling state of a liquid in contact with a hot surface, suppressing the unwanted nucleation of bubbles. Textured superhydrophobic surfaces are well known and suitably named for their water-repelling properties. Ivan Vakarelski et al. show here that such surfaces can be used to control a very different property — the boiling state of a liquid in contact with a hot surface. They find that the hot surface can be engineered such that the system remains in the 'Leidenfrost' regime, whereby boiling takes place only in a continuous vapour film at the hot surface, rather than going through the familiar 'nucleate boiling' bubbling phase. The complete suppression of nucleate boiling could be advantageous in industrial situations in which vapour explosions are best avoided — in nuclear power plants, for instance. Textured, water-repelling surfaces might also be used to control or prevent other phase transitions, such as ice or frost formation. In 1756, Leidenfrost1 observed that water drops skittered on a sufficiently hot skillet, owing to levitation by an evaporative vapour film. Such films are stable only when the hot surface is above a critical temperature, and are a central phenomenon in boiling2. In this so-called Leidenfrost regime, the low thermal conductivity of the vapour layer inhibits heat transfer between the hot surface and the liquid. When the temperature of the cooling surface drops below the critical temperature, the vapour film collapses and the system enters a nucleate-boiling regime, which can result in vapour explosions that are particularly detrimental in certain contexts, such as in nuclear power plants3. The presence of these vapour films can also reduce liquid–solid drag4,5,6. Here we show how vapour film collapse can be completely suppressed at textured superhydrophobic surfaces. At a smooth hydrophobic surface, the vapour film still collapses on cooling, albeit at a reduced critical temperature, and the system switches explosively to nucleate boiling. In contrast, at textured, superhydrophobic surfaces, the vapour layer gradually relaxes until the surface is completely cooled, without exhibiting a nucleate-boiling phase. This result demonstrates that topological texture on superhydrophobic materials is critical in stabilizing the vapour layer and thus in controlling—by heat transfer—the liquid–gas phase transition at hot surfaces. This concept can potentially be applied to control other phase transitions, such as ice or frost formation7,8,9, and to the design of low-drag surfaces at which the vapour phase is stabilized in the grooves of textures without heating10.

Divergent Nematic Susceptibility in an Iron Arsenide Superconductor

Abstract: Within the Landau paradigm of continuous phase transitions, ordered states of matter are characterized by a broken symmetry. Although the broken symmetry is usually evident, determining the driving force behind the phase transition can be complicated by coupling between distinct order parameters. We show how measurement of the divergent nematic susceptibility of the iron pnictide superconductor Ba(Fe(1-x)Co(x))(2)As(2) distinguishes an electronic nematic phase transition from a simple ferroelastic distortion. These measurements also indicate an electronic nematic quantum phase transition near the composition with optimal superconducting transition temperature.

Universal critical dynamics in high resolution neuronal avalanche data.

Abstract: The tasks of neural computation are remarkably diverse. To function optimally, neuronal networks have been hypothesized to operate near a nonequilibrium critical point. However, experimental evidence for critical dynamics has been inconclusive. Here, we show that the dynamics of cultured cortical networks are critical. We analyze neuronal network data collected at the individual neuron level using the framework of nonequilibrium phase transitions. Among the most striking predictions confirmed is that the mean temporal profiles of avalanches of widely varying durations are quantitatively described by a single universal scaling function. We also show that the data have three additional features predicted by critical phenomena: approximate power law distributions of avalanche sizes and durations, samples in subcritical and supercritical phases, and scaling laws between anomalous exponents.

Electronic nematicity above the structural and superconducting transition in BaFe2(As1-xPx)2

Abstract: Electronic nematicity, a unidirectional self-organized state that breaks the rotational symmetry of the underlying lattice, has been observed in an iron-based superconductor, BaFe2(As1−xP x )2, over a wide range of phosphorus concentration, resulting in a phase diagram similar to the pseudogap phase diagram of the copper oxides. Electron nematicity, a unidirectional self-organized state that breaks the rotational symmetry of the underlying lattice, has been observed in the iron pnictide and copper oxide high-temperature superconductors, but whether it can exist above the structural transition temperature (Ts) without an external driving force was not known. Kasahara et al. report magnetic torque measurements in the iron pnictide superconductor BaFe2(As1–xPx)2 showing that the nematicity develops well above Ts and persists to the nonmagnetic superconducting regime, resulting in a phase diagram similar to the pseudogap phase diagram of the copper oxides. The authors identify two distinct temperatures — one at T*, signifying a true nematic transition, and the other at Ts (less than T*) — which they show is not a true phase transition, but rather a 'meta-nematic' transition. Electronic nematicity, a unidirectional self-organized state that breaks the rotational symmetry of the underlying lattice1,2, has been observed in the iron pnictide3,4,5,6,7 and copper oxide8,9,10,11 high-temperature superconductors. Whether nematicity plays an equally important role in these two systems is highly controversial. In iron pnictides, the nematicity has usually been associated with the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural transition at temperature Ts. Although recent experiments3,4,5,6,7 have provided hints of nematicity, they were performed either in the low-temperature orthorhombic phase3,5 or in the tetragonal phase under uniaxial strain4,6,7, both of which break the 90° rotational C4 symmetry. Therefore, the question remains open whether the nematicity can exist above Ts without an external driving force. Here we report magnetic torque measurements of the isovalent-doping system BaFe2(As1−xP x )2, showing that the nematicity develops well above Ts and, moreover, persists to the non-magnetic superconducting regime, resulting in a phase diagram similar to the pseudogap phase diagram of the copper oxides8,12. By combining these results with synchrotron X-ray measurements, we identify two distinct temperatures—one at T*, signifying a true nematic transition, and the other at Ts (

Creation and Destruction of Morphotropic Phase Boundaries through Electrical Poling: A Case Study of Lead-Free (Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3-BaTiO3 Piezoelectrics

Abstract: We report the first direct evidence that the morphotropic phase boundary in ferroelectric materials, along with the associated strong piezoelectricity, can be created, destroyed, or even replaced by another morphotropic phase boundary through phase transitions during electrical poling. The real-time evolution of crystal structure and domain morphology during the poling-induced phase transitions in (Bi(1/2)Na(1/2))TiO3}BaTiO3 is observed with in situ transmission electron microscopy. These observations elucidate the microstructural origin of the macroscopic piezoelectricity's dependence on the poling field and previously unexplained strain behaviors. This study demonstrates that the ferroelectric-to-ferroelectric transitions during the poling process can completely alter the morphotropic phase boundaries and, hence, must be comprehensively investigated when interpreting the microscopic mechanism of macroscopic piezoelectric behaviors.

Revealing the Superfluid Lambda Transition in the Universal Thermodynamics of a Unitary Fermi Gas

Abstract: Fermi gases, collections of fermions such as neutrons and electrons, are found throughout nature, from solids to neutron stars. Interacting Fermi gases can form a superfluid or, for charged fermions, a superconductor. We have observed the superfluid phase transition in a strongly interacting Fermi gas by high-precision measurements of the local compressibility, density, and pressure. Our data completely determine the universal thermodynamics of these gases without any fit or external thermometer. The onset of superfluidity is observed in the compressibility, the chemical potential, the entropy, and the heat capacity, which displays a characteristic lambda-like feature at the critical temperature T(c)/T(F) = 0.167(13). The ground-state energy is 3/5ξN E(F) with ξ = 0.376(4). Our measurements provide a benchmark for many-body theories of strongly interacting fermions.

Quantum Tricriticality and Phase Transitions in Spin-Orbit Coupled Bose-Einstein Condensates

Abstract: We consider a spin-orbit coupled configuration of spin-$1/2$ interacting bosons with equal Rashba and Dresselhaus couplings. The phase diagram of the system at $T=0$ is discussed with special emphasis on the role of the interaction treated in the mean-field approximation. For a critical value of the density and of the Raman coupling we predict the occurrence of a characteristic tricritical point separating the spin mixed, the phase separated, and the zero momentum states of the Bose gas. The corresponding quantum phases are investigated analyzing the momentum distribution, the longitudinal and transverse spin polarization, and the emergence of density fringes. The effect of harmonic trapping as well as the role of the breaking of spin symmetry in the interaction Hamiltonian are also discussed.

Bond orientational order in liquids: Towards a unified description of water-like anomalies, liquid-liquid transition, glass transition, and crystallization: Bond orientational order in liquids.

Abstract: There are at least three fundamental states of matter, depending upon temperature and pressure: gas, liquid, and solid (crystal). These states are separated by first-order phase transitions between them. In both gas and liquid phases a complete translational and rotational symmetry exist, whereas in a solid phase both symmetries are broken. In intermediate phases between liquid and solid, which include liquid crystal and plastic crystal phases, only one of the two symmetries is preserved. Among the fundamental states of matter, the liquid state is the most poorly understood. We argue that it is crucial for a better understanding of liquids to recognize that a liquid generally has the tendency to have a local structural order and its presence is intrinsic and universal to any liquid. Such structural ordering is a consequence of many-body correlations, more specifically, bond angle correlations, which we believe are crucial for the description of the liquid state. We show that this physical picture may naturally explain difficult unsolved problems associated with the liquid state, such as anomalies of water-type liquids (water, Si, Ge, ...), liquid-liquid transition, liquid-glass transition, crystallization and quasicrystal formation, in a unified manner. In other words, we need a new order parameter representing a low local free-energy configuration, which is a bond orientational order parameter in many cases, in addition to a density order parameter for the physical description of these phenomena. Here we review our two-order-parameter model of liquid and consider how transient local structural ordering is linked to all of the above-mentioned phenomena. The relationship between these phenomena is also discussed.

Stability analysis for solitons in PT-symmetric optical lattices

Abstract: Stability of solitons in parity-time (PT)-symmetric periodic potentials (optical lattices) is analyzed in both one- and two-dimensional systems First we show analytically that when the strength of the gain-loss component in the PT lattice rises above a certain threshold (phase transition point), an infinite number of linear Bloch bands turn complex simultaneously Second, we show that while stable families of solitons can exist in PT lattices, increasing the gain-loss component has an overall destabilizing effect on soliton propagation Specifically, when the gain-loss component increases, the parameter range of stable solitons shrinks as new regions of instability appear Third, we investigate the nonlinear evolution of unstable PT solitons under perturbations, and show that the energy of perturbed solitons can grow unbounded even though the PT lattice is below the phase transition point

Avalanche collapse of interdependent networks.

Abstract: We reveal the nature of the avalanche collapse of the giant viable component in multiplex networks under perturbations such as random damage. Specifically, we identify latent critical clusters associated with the avalanches of random damage. Divergence of their mean size signals the approach to the hybrid phase transition from one side, while there are no critical precursors on the other side. We find that this discontinuous transition occurs in scale-free multiplex networks whenever the mean degree of at least one of the interdependent networks does not diverge.

Dissipative phase transition in a central spin system

Abstract: We investigate dissipative phase transitions in an open central spin system. In our model the central spin interacts coherently with the surrounding many-particle spin environment and is subject to coherent driving and dissipation. We develop analytical tools based on a self-consistent Holstein-Primakoff approximation that enable us to determine the complete phase diagram associated with the steady states of this system. It includes first- and second-order phase transitions, as well as regions of bistability, spin squeezing, and altered spin-pumping dynamics. Prospects of observing these phenomena in systems such as electron spins in quantum dots or nitrogen-vacancy centers coupled to lattice nuclear spins are briefly discussed.

The puzzle of the $ \gamma\to\alpha$ and other phase transitions in cerium

Abstract: We discuss recent research on phase transitions in cerium under pressure, including new experiments on the transition, which indicate that it is a hidden structural phase transition. We also discuss some models of relevance to the field, both theoretical and computational.

In situ TEM investigation of congruent phase transition and structural evolution of nanostructured silicon/carbon anode for lithium ion batteries.

Abstract: It is well-known that upon lithiation, both crystalline and amorphous Si transform to an armorphous LixSi phase, which subsequently crystallizes to a (Li, Si) crystalline compound, either Li15Si4 or Li22Si5. Presently, the detailed atomistic mechanism of this phase transformation and the degradation process in nanostructured Si are not fully understood. Here, we report the phase transformation characteristic and microstructural evolution of a specially designed amorphous silicon (a-Si) coated carbon nanofiber (CNF) composite during the charge/discharge process using in situ transmission electron microscopy and density function theory molecular dynamic calculation. We found the crystallization of Li15Si4 from amorphous LixSi is a spontaneous, congruent phase transition process without phase separation or large-scale atomic motion, which is drastically different from what is expected from a classic nucleation and growth process. The a-Si layer is strongly bonded to the CNF and no spallation or cracking is o...

Roton-Type Mode Softening in a Quantum Gas with Cavity-Mediated Long-Range Interactions

Abstract: Long-range interactions in quantum gases are predicted to give rise to an excitation spectrum of roton character, similar to that observed in superfluid helium. We investigated the excitation spectrum of a Bose-Einstein condensate with cavity-mediated long-range interactions, which couple all particles to each other. Increasing the strength of the interaction leads to a softening of an excitation mode at a finite momentum, preceding a superfluid-to-supersolid phase transition. We used a variant of Bragg spectroscopy to study the mode softening across the phase transition. The measured spectrum was in very good agreement with ab initio calculations and, at the phase transition, a diverging susceptibility was observed. The work paves the way toward quantum simulation of long-range interacting many-body systems.

Tuning Magnetism and Electronic Phase Transitions by Strain and Electric Field in Zigzag MoS2 Nanoribbons.

Abstract: Effective modulation of physical properties via external control may open various potential nanoelectronic applications of single-layer MoS2 nanoribbons (MoS2NRs). We show by first-principles calculations that the magnetic and electronic properties of zigzag MoS2NRs exhibit sensitive response to applied strain and electric field. Tensile strain in the zigzag direction produces reversible modulation of magnetic moments and electronic phase transitions among metallic, half-metallic, and semiconducting states, which stem from the energy-level shifts induced by an internal electric polarization and the competing covalent/ionic interactions. A simultaneously applied electric field further enhances or suppresses the strain-induced modulations depending on the direction of the electric field relative to the internal polarization. These findings suggest a robust and efficient approach to modulating the properties of MoS2NRs by a combination of strain engineering and electric field tuning.

Unraveling Metal-insulator Transition Mechanism of VO2 Triggered by Tungsten Doping

Abstract: Understanding the mechanism of W-doping induced reduction of critical temperature (T(C)) for VO(2) metal-insulator transition (MIT) is crucial for both fundamental study and technological application. Here, using synchrotron radiation X-ray absorption spectroscopy combined with first-principles calculations, we unveil the atomic structure evolutions of W dopant and its role in tailoring the T(C) of VO(2) MIT. We find that the local structure around W atom is intrinsically symmetric with a tetragonal-like structure, exhibiting a concentration-dependent evolution involving the initial distortion, further repulsion, and final stabilization due to the strong interaction between doped W atoms and VO(2) lattices across the MIT. These results directly give the experimental evidence that the symmetric W core drives the detwisting of the nearby asymmetric monoclinic VO(2) lattice to form rutile-like VO(2) nuclei, and the propagations of these W-encampassed nuclei through the matrix lower the thermal energy barrier for phase transition.

Precision SU(3) lattice thermodynamics for a large temperature range

Abstract: We present the equation of state (pressure, trace anomaly, energy density and entropy density) of the SU(3) gauge theory from lattice field theory in an unprecedented precision and temperature range. We control both finite size and cut-off effects. The studied temperature window (0.7...1000 T_c) stretches from the glueball dominated system into the perturbative regime, which allows us to discuss the range of validity of these approaches. We also determine the preferred renormalization scale of the Hard Thermal Loop scheme and we fit the unknown g^6 order perturbative coefficient at extreme high temperatures T>100 T_c. We furthermore quantify the nonperturbative contribution to the trace anomaly using a simple functional form. Our high precision data allows one to have a complete theoretical description of the equation of state from T=0 all the way to the phase transition, through the transition region into the perturbative regime up to the Stefan-Boltzmann limit. We will discuss this description, too.

Finite-size scaling at the jamming transition.

Abstract: We present an analysis of finite-size effects in jammed packings of $N$ soft, frictionless spheres at zero temperature. There is a $\frac{1}{N}$ correction to the discrete jump in the contact number at the transition so that jammed packings exist only above isostaticity. As a result, the canonical power-law scalings of the contact number and elastic moduli break down at low pressure. These quantities exhibit scaling collapse with a nontrivial scaling function, demonstrating that the jamming transition can be considered a phase transition. Scaling is achieved as a function of $N$ in both two and three dimensions, indicating an upper critical dimension of 2.

Role of defects in the phase transition of VO2 nanoparticles probed by plasmon resonance spectroscopy.

Abstract: Defects are known to affect nanoscale phase transitions, but their specific role in the metal-to-insulator transition in VO2 has remained elusive. By combining plasmon resonance nanospectroscopy with density functional calculations, we correlate decreased phase-transition energy with oxygen vacancies created by strain at grain boundaries. By measuring the degree of metallization in the lithographically defined VO2 nanoparticles, we find that hysteresis width narrows with increasing size, thus illustrating the potential for domain boundary engineering in phase-changing nanostructures.