Controlled evolution of three-dimensional magnetic states in strongly coupled cylindrical nanowire pairs.

Cylindrical magnetic nanowires are promising systems for the development of three-dimensional spintronic devices. Here, we simulate the evolution of magnetic states during fabrication of strongly-coupled cylindrical nanowires with varying degrees of overlap. By varying the separation between wires, the relative strength of exchange and magnetostatic coupling can be tuned. Hence, we observe the formation of six fundamental states as a function of both inter-wire separation and wire height. In particular, two complex three-dimensional magnetic states, a 3D Landau Pattern and a Helical domain wall, are observed to emerge for intermediate overlap. These two emergent states show complex spin configurations, including a modulated domain wall with both Néel and Bloch character. The competition of magnetic interactions and the parallel growth scheme we follow (growing both wires at the same time) favours the formation of these anti-parallel metastable states. This works shows how the engineering of strongly coupled 3D nanostructures with competing interactions can be used to create complex spin textures.

Correction of EELS dispersion non-uniformities for improved chemical shift analysis.

We outline a simple routine to correct for non-uniformities in the energy dispersion of a post-column electron energy-loss spectrometer for use in scanning transmission electron microscopy. We directly measure the dispersion and its variations by sweeping a spectral feature across the full camera to produce a calibration that can be used to linearize datasets post-acquisition, without the need for reference materials. The improvements are illustrated using core excitation electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) spectra collected from NiO and diamond samples. The calibration is rapid and will be of use in all EELS analysis, particularly in assessments of the chemical states of materials via the chemical shift of core-loss excitations.

An in-situ approach for preparing atom probe tomography specimens by xenon plasma-focussed ion beam.

A method for the rapid preparation of atom probe tomography (APT) needles using a xenon plasma-focussed ion beam (FIB) instrument is presented and demonstrated on a test sample of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The method requires significantly less operator input than the standard lift-out protocol, is site-specific and produces needles with minimal ion-beam damage; electron microscopy indicated the needle's surface amorphised/oxidised region to be less than 2 nm thick. The resulting needles were routinely analysable by APT, confirming the expected microstructure and showing negligible Xe contamination.

Evaluation of crystallographic strain, rotation and defects in functional oxides by the moiré effect in scanning transmission electron microscopy.

Moiré patterns in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images of epitaxial perovskite oxides are used to assess strain and defect densities over fields of view extending over several hundred nanometers. The patterns arise from the geometric overlap of the rastered STEM electron beam and the samples' crystal periodicities and we explore the emergence and application of these moiré fringes for rapid strain analysis. Using the epitaxial functional oxide perovskites BiFeO3 and Pr1-x Ca x MnO3, we discuss the impact of large degrees of strain on the quantification of STEM moiré patterns, identify defects in the fringe patterns and quantify strain and lattice rotation. Such a wide-area analysis of crystallographic strain and defects is crucial for developing structure-function relations of functional oxides and we find the STEM moiré technique to be an attractive means of structural assessment that can be readily applied to low dose studies of damage sensitive crystalline materials.

Seed layer technique for high quality epitaxial manganite films.

We introduce an innovative approach to the simultaneous control of growth mode and magnetotransport properties of manganite thin films, based on an easy-to-implement film/substrate interface engineering. The deposition of a manganite seed layer and the optimization of the substrate temperature allows a persistent bi-dimensional epitaxy and robust ferromagnetic properties at the same time. Structural measurements confirm that in such interface-engineered films, the optimal properties are related to improved epitaxy. A new growth scenario is envisaged, compatible with a shift from heteroepitaxy towards pseudo-homoepitaxy. Relevant growth parameters such as formation energy, roughening temperature, strain profile and chemical states are derived.

Aberration corrected Lorentz scanning transmission electron microscopy.

We present results from an aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscope which has been customised for high resolution quantitative Lorentz microscopy with the sample located in a magnetic field free or low field environment. We discuss the innovations in microscope instrumentation and additional hardware that underpin the imaging improvements in resolution and detection with a focus on developments in differential phase contrast microscopy. Examples from materials possessing nanometre scale variations in magnetisation illustrate the potential for aberration corrected Lorentz imaging as a tool to further our understanding of magnetism on this lengthscale.

Intra-ventral tegmental area microinjections of urotensin II modulate the effects of cocaine.

Although the peptide urotensin II (UII) has well studied direct actions on the cardiovascular system, the UII receptor (UIIR) is expressed by neurons of the hindbrain. Specifically, the UIIR is expressed by the cholinergic neurons of the laterodorsal tegmentum (LDTg) and the pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPTg). These neurons send axons to the ventral tegmental area (VTA), for which the PPTg and LDTg are the sole source of acetylcholine. Therefore, it was hypothesized that UIIR activation within the VTA would modulate reward-related behaviors, such as cocaine-induced drug seeking. Intra-VTA microinjections of UII at high concentrations (1 nmole) established conditioned place preference (CPP), but also blocked cocaine-mediated CPP (10 mg/kg). When rats received systemic sub-effectual doses of cocaine (7.5 mg/kg) with intra-VTA injections of 1 or 10 pmole of UII CPP was formed. Furthermore, the second endogenous ligand for the UIIR, urotensin II-related peptide, had the same effect at the 10 pmole dose. The effects of low doses of UII were blocked by pretreatment with the UIIR antagonist SB657510. Furthermore, it was found that intra-VTA UII (10 pmole) further increased cocaine-mediated (7.5 mg/kg) rises in electrically evoked dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. Our study has found that activation of VTA-resident UIIR produces observable behavioral changes in rats, and that UIIR is able to modulate the effects of cocaine. In addition, it was found that UIIR activation within the VTA can potentiate cocaine-mediated neurochemical effects. Therefore, the coincident activation of the UII-system and cocaine administration may increase the liability for drug taking behavior.

Enhanced consumption of salient solutions following pedunculopontine tegmental lesions.

Rats with lesions of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) reliably overconsume high concentration sucrose solution. This effect is thought to be indicative of response-perseveration or loss of behavioral control in conditions of high excitement. While these theories have anatomical and behavioral support, they have never been explicitly tested. Here, we used a contact lickometer to examine the microstructure of drinking behavior to gain insight into the behavioral changes during overconsumption. Rats received either excitotoxic (ibotenic acid) damage to all PPTg neuronal subpopulations or selective depletion of the cholinergic neuronal sub-population (diphtheria toxin-urotensin II (Dtx-UII) lesions). We offered rats a variety of pleasant, neutral and aversive tastants to assess the generalizability and specificity of the overconsumption effect. Ibotenic-lesioned rats consumed significantly more 20% sucrose than sham controls, and did so through licking significantly more times. However, the behavioral microstructure during overconsumption was unaffected by the lesion and showed no indications of response-perseveration. Furthermore, the overconsumption effect did not generalize to highly consumed saccharin. In contrast, while only consuming small amounts of quinine solution, ibotenic-lesioned rats had significantly more licks and bursts for this tastant. Selective depletion of cholinergic PPTg neurons had no effect on consumption of any tastant. We then assessed whether it is the salience of the solution which determines overconsumption by ibotenic-lesioned rats. While maintained on free-food, ibotenic-lesioned rats had normal consumption of sucrose and hypertonic saline. After mild food deprivation ibotenic PPTg-lesioned rats overconsumed 20% sucrose. Subsequently, after dietary-induced sodium deficiency, lesioned rats consumed significantly more saline than controls. These results establish that it is the salience of the solution which is the determining factor leading to overconsumption following excitotoxic PPTg lesion. They also find no support for response-perseveration contributing to this effect. Results are discussed in terms of altered dopamine (DA) and salience signaling.

Fabrication of high quality plan-view TEM specimens using the focused ion beam.

We describe a technique using a focused ion beam instrument to fabricate high quality plan-view specimens for transmission electron microscopy studies. The technique is simple, site-specific and is capable of fabricating multiple large, >100 µm(2) electron transparent windows within epitaxially grown thin films. A film of La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 is used to demonstrate the technique and its structural and functional properties are surveyed by high resolution imaging, electron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and Lorentz electron microscopy. The window is demonstrated to have good thickness uniformity and a low defect density that does not impair the film's Curie temperature. The technique will enable the study of in-plane structural and functional properties of a variety of epitaxial thin film systems.

Enhanced thermoelectric performance in TiNiSn-based half-Heuslers.

Thermoelectric figures of merit, ZT > 0.5, have been obtained in arc-melted TiNiSn-based ingots. This promising conversion efficiency is due to a low lattice thermal conductivity, which is attributed to excess nickel in the half-Heusler structure.

Probing the chemical and electronic properties of the core-shell architecture of transition metal trisulfide nanoribbons.

Ultraviolet and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies are used to probe the chemical and electronic structure of an amorphous, 2-20 nm-thick shell that encases the crystalline core in core-shell nanoribbons of TaS(3). The shell is chemically heterogeneous, containing elemental sulfur and a with a notable (S(2))(2-) deficiency over the crystalline TaS(3) core. We find nanoribbon stability to be substrate-dependent; whilst the ribbons are stable on the native oxide of a silicon surface, mass transport of sulfur species between the amorphous shell and a gold substrate leads to a significant change in the electronic properties of the nanomaterials. Our observations may have general implications for the incorporation of nanostructured transition metal chalcogenides into electronic devices.

The surface phase diagram of Li/Cu(001) explored by helium atom scattering.

We use helium atom scattering to investigate the structures formed by Li adsorption onto Cu(001) in the 0-2 ML regime. Submonolayer growth at 180 K proceeds through a sequence of ordered overlayers, including a c(2 × 2) structure at 0.5 ML and a series of 'ladder' superlattices around 0.6 ML. Beyond 1 ML, incommensurate, three-dimensional Li islands develop. A quantum close-coupled scattering analysis is performed to study the empirical He-surface potential of the structurally heterogeneous ladder structures. Good agreement with the measured distribution of diffracted intensity is obtained by describing the He-ladder interaction potential as the summation of only six one-dimensional Fourier components. The fitted potential indicates a remarkably flat surface that is punctuated by substantial, striped protrusions in the electron density. The result is consistent with the formation of one-dimensional Li wires, indicating an inhomogeneous metallization process.

Co-Pt nanoparticles encapsulated in carbon cages prepared by sonoelectrodeposition.

Co-Pt nanoparticles encapsulated in carbon cages have been prepared by sonoelectrodeposition followed by annealing in a CO atmosphere. Sonoelectrodeposition is a useful technique to make metallic nanoparticles, using ultrasound during electrodeposition to remove nanoparticles as they grow on the cathode surface. We used an electrolyte containing chloroplatinic acid and cobalt chloride and found that the atomic ratio of Co:Pt in the as-formed materials varied from 0.2 to 0.8 as the deposition current density was changed from 15 to 35 mA cm(-2). However, the as-deposited materials were inhomogeneous, comprising a mixture of Pt-rich and Co-rich nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction indicated that subsequent heat treatment (700 °C for 1 h) under CO gas created an ordered CoPt alloy phase that exhibited hard magnetic properties. Transmission electron microscopy showed many of the resulting nanoparticles to be encapsulated in carbon cages, which we ascribe to Co-catalyzed decomposition of CO during annealing. The thickness of the carbon cages was about ten layers, which may have helped reduce sintering during annealing. The size of the resultant nanoparticles was about 100 nm diameter, larger than the typical 5-10 nm diameter of as-deposited nanoparticles.

Asymmetric photoelectron transmission through chirally-sculpted, polycrystalline gold.

Strong circular dichroism is observed in core-level photoelectron transmission through a chirally-etched polycrystalline Au surface, consistent with a chiral dependence on the electron's orbital angular momentum.

Linewidths in bound state resonances for helium scattering from Si(111)-(1 × 1)H.

Helium-3 spin-echo measurements of resonant scattering from the Si(111)-(1 × 1)H surface, in the energy range 4-14 meV, are presented. The measurements have high energy resolution yet they reveal bound state resonance features with uniformly broad linewidths. We show that exact quantum mechanical calculations of the elastic scattering, using the existing potential for the helium/Si(111)-(1 × 1)H interaction, cannot reproduce the linewidths seen in the experiment. Further calculations rule out inelastic and other mechanisms that might give rise to losses from the elastic scattering channels. We show that corrugation in the attractive part of the atom-surface potential is the most likely origin of the experimental lineshapes.

Quantum scattering of neon from a nanotextured surface.

Phonon exchange is the usual cause of decoherence in atom-surface scattering. By including quantum effects in the treatment of Debye-Waller scattering, we show that phonon exchange becomes ineffective when the relevant phonon frequencies are high. The result explains the surprising observation of strong elastic scattering of Ne from a Cu(100) surface nanotextured with a c(2 × 2) Li adsorbate structure. We extend a previous model to describe the phonon spectra by an Einstein oscillator component with an admixture of a Debye spectrum. The Einstein oscillator represents the dominant, high frequency vibration of the adsorbate, normal to the surface, while the Debye spectrum represents the substrate contribution. Neon scattering is so slow that exciting the adsorbate mode has a low probability and is impossible if the incident energy is below the threshold. Thus, adsorbate vibrations are averaged out. A theoretical discussion and calculation shows that under such circumstances the vibrations of a light adsorbate do not contribute to the Debye-Waller effect, with the result that Ne scattering at thermal energies is quantum mechanical and largely elastic, explaining the high reflectivity and the diffraction peaks observed experimentally.

Coverage-dependent quantum versus classical scattering of thermal neon atoms from Li/Cu(100).

We show that subtle variations in surface structure can enhance quantum scattering and quench atom-surface energy transfer. The scattering of thermal energy neon atoms from a lithium overlayer on a copper substrate switches between a classical regime, dominated by multiphonon interactions, and a quantum regime, dominated by elastic diffraction. The transition is achieved by simple tailoring of the lithium coverage and quantum scattering dominates only in the narrow coverage range of theta=0.3-0.6 ML. The results are described qualitatively using a modified Debye-Waller model that incorporates an approximate quantum treatment of the adsorbate-substrate vibration.

Simulation and analysis of solenoidal ion sources.

We present a detailed analysis and simulation of solenoidal, magnetically confined electron bombardment ion sources, aimed at molecular beam detection. The aim is to achieve high efficiency for singly ionized species while minimizing multiple ionization. Electron space charge plays a major role and we apply combined ray tracing and finite element simulations to determine the properties of a realistic geometry. The factors controlling electron injection and ion extraction are discussed. The results from simulations are benchmarked against experimental measurements on a prototype source.

Experimental determination of the helium-metal interaction potential by interferometry of nanostructured surfaces.

We present a direct experimental comparison of the helium-surface interaction potential for two unreconstructed metal surfaces. We analyze phase shifts in helium atom scattering from a nanostructured bimetallic surface to yield the relative shape and position of an adsorbate's potential with respect to the reference defined by the substrate. In our prototype system, submonolayer growth of Ni on Cu(100), the He-Ni/Cu(100) potential has an attractive well that is 1.6+/-0.4 meV shallower, and a repulsive wall 0.11+/-0.03 A closer to the ion cores, compared to the He-Cu(100) potential. Our observations provide a ready test of state-of-the-art theoretical calculations.