Skyrmion-(Anti)Vortex Coupling in a Chiral Magnet-Superconductor Heterostructure.

We report experimental coupling of chiral magnetism and superconductivity in [IrFeCoPt]/Nb heterostructures. The stray field of skyrmions with radius ≈50 nm is sufficient to nucleate antivortices in a 25 nm Nb film, with unique signatures in the magnetization, critical current, and flux dynamics, corroborated via simulations. We also detect a thermally tunable Rashba-Edelstein exchange coupling in the isolated skyrmion phase. This realization of a strongly interacting skyrmion-(anti)vortex system opens a path toward controllable topological hybrid materials, unattainable to date.

Insight into the Charge Density Wave Gap from Contrast Inversion in Topographic STM Images.

Charge density waves (CDWs) are understood in great detail in one dimension, but they remain largely enigmatic in two-dimensional systems. In particular, numerous aspects of the associated energy gap and the formation mechanism are not fully understood. Two long-standing riddles are the amplitude and position of the CDW gap with respect to the Fermi level (E_{F}) and the frequent absence of CDW contrast inversion (CI) between opposite bias scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images. Here, we find compelling evidence that these two issues are intimately related. Combining density functional theory and STM to analyze the CDW pattern and modulation amplitude in 1T-TiSe_{2}, we find that CI takes place at an unexpected negative sample bias because the CDW gap opens away from E_{F}, deep inside the valence band. This bias becomes increasingly negative as the CDW gap shifts to higher binding energy with electron doping. This study shows the importance of CI in STM images to identify periodic modulations with a CDW and to gain valuable insight into the CDW gap, whose measurement is notoriously controversial.

Note: Mechanical in situ exfoliation of van der Waals materials.

Exfoliation, namely, the peeling of layered materials down to a single unit-cell thin foil, opens promising avenues to fabricate novel electronic materials. New properties and original functionalities emerge in the single and few layer configurations of a number of layered compounds, in particular in transition metal dichalcogenides. However, many of these thin exfoliated materials are very sensitive to ambient conditions impeding the exploration of this new and fascinating parameter space. Here we describe a method of mechanical exfoliation in ultra-high vacuum (UHV). This technique is easily adaptable to any UHV system and allows preparing and studying air sensitive nanoflakes in situ. We present the basic design and proof-of-concept scanning tunneling microscopy imaging of VSe2 nanoflakes.

Stripe and Short Range Order in the Charge Density Wave of 1T-Cu_{x}TiSe_{2}.

We study the impact of Cu intercalation on the charge density wave (CDW) in 1T-Cu_{x}TiSe_{2} by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. Cu atoms, identified through density functional theory modeling, are found to intercalate randomly on the octahedral site in the van der Waals gap and to dope delocalized electrons near the Fermi level. While the CDW modulation period does not depend on Cu content, we observe the formation of charge stripe domains at low Cu content (x<0.02) and a breaking up of the commensurate order into 2×2 domains at higher Cu content. The latter shrink with increasing Cu concentration and tend to be phase shifted. These findings invalidate a proposed excitonic pairing as the primary CDW formation mechanism in this material.

Structure of Self-Assembled Mn Atom Chains on Si(001).

Mn has been found to self-assemble into atomic chains running perpendicular to the surface dimer reconstruction on Si(001). They differ from other atomic chains by a striking asymmetric appearance in filled state scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images. This has prompted complicated structural models involving up to three Mn atoms per chain unit. Combining STM, atomic force microscopy, and density functional theory we find that a simple necklacelike chain of single Mn atoms reproduces all their prominent features, including their asymmetry not captured by current models. The upshot is a remarkably simpler structure for modeling the electronic and magnetic properties of Mn atom chains on Si(001).

Piezoresistance in silicon at uniaxial compressive stresses up to 3 GPa.

The room-temperature longitudinal piezoresistance of n-type and p-type crystalline silicon along selected crystal axes is investigated under uniaxial compressive stresses up to 3 GPa. While the conductance (G) of n-type silicon eventually saturates at ≈ 45% of its zero-stress value (G(0)) in accordance with the charge transfer model, in p-type material G/G(0) increases above a predicted limit of ≈ 4.5 without any significant saturation, even at 3 GPa. Calculation of G/G(0) using ab initio density functional theory reveals that neither G nor the mobility, when properly averaged over the hole distribution, saturate at stresses lower than 3 GPa. The lack of saturation has important consequences for strained-silicon technologies.

Charge density waves in the graphene sheets of the superconductor CaC(6).

Graphitic systems have an electronic structure that can be readily manipulated through electrostatic or chemical doping, resulting in a rich variety of electronic ground states. Here we report the first observation and characterization of electronic stripes in the highly electron-doped graphitic superconductor, CaC(6), by scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy. The stripes correspond to a charge density wave with a period three times that of the Ca superlattice. Although the positions of the Ca intercalants are modulated, no displacements of the carbon lattice are detected, indicating that the graphene sheets host the ideal charge density wave. This provides an exceptionally simple material-graphene-as a starting point for understanding the relation between stripes and superconductivity. Furthermore, our experiments suggest a strategy to search for superconductivity in graphene, namely in the vicinity of striped 'Wigner crystal' phases, where some of the electrons crystallize to form a superlattice.

Manganese silicide nanowires on Si(001).

A method for promoting the growth of manganese silicide nanowires on Si(001) at 450 °C is described. The anisotropic surface stress generated by bismuth nanolines blocks the formation of embedded structures and stabilizes the nucleation of manganese silicide islands which grow in a preferred direction, forming nanowires with a band gap of approximately 0.6 eV, matching the reported band gap of MnSi(1.7). This method may also provide a means to form silicide nanowires of other metals where they do not otherwise form.

Imaging oxygen defects and their motion at a manganite surface.

Manganites are technologically important materials, used widely as solid oxide fuel cell cathodes; they have also been shown to exhibit electroresistance. Oxygen bulk diffusion and surface exchange processes are critical for catalytic action, and numerous studies of manganites have linked electroresistance to electrochemical oxygen migration. Direct imaging of individual oxygen defects is needed to underpin understanding of these important processes. Currently, it is not possible to collect the required images in bulk, but scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) could provide such data for surfaces. Here, we report the first atomic resolution images of oxygen defects at a manganite surface. Our experiments also reveal defect dynamics, including oxygen adatom migration, vacancy-adatom recombination and adatom bistability. Beyond providing an experimental basis for testing models describing the microscopics of oxygen migration at transition-metal oxide interfaces, our work resolves the long-standing puzzle of why STM is more challenging for layered manganites than for cuprates.

Giant piezoresistance effects in silicon nanowires and microwires.

The giant piezoresistance (PZR) previously reported in silicon nanowires is experimentally investigated in a large number of depleted silicon nano- and microstructures. The resistance is shown to vary strongly with time due to electron and hole trapping at the sample surfaces independent of the applied stress. Importantly, this time-varying resistance manifests itself as an apparent giant PZR identical to that reported elsewhere. By modulating the applied stress in time, the true PZR of the structures is found to be comparable with that of bulk silicon.

Giant room-temperature piezoresistance in a metal-silicon hybrid structure.

Metal-semiconductor hybrids are artificially created structures presenting novel properties not exhibited by either of the component materials alone. Here we present a giant piezoresistance effect in a hybrid formed from silicon and aluminum. The maximum piezoresistive gage factor of 843, measured at room temperature, compares with a gage factor of -93 measured in the bulk homogeneous silicon. This piezoresistance boost is not due to the silicon-aluminum interface, but results from a stress induced anisotropy in the silicon conductivity that acts to switch current away from the highly conductive aluminum for uniaxial tensile strains. Its magnitude is shown, via the calculation of hybrid resistivity weighting functions, to depend only on the geometrical arrangement of the component parts of the hybrid.

[Cancer immunotherapy--current status]. / Krebs-Immuntherapie--wo stehen wir?

Cancer immunotherapy includes passive and active strategies. Passive immunotherapy such as the use of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, and in a broader sense also of other immunological effector molecules, such as interferon-alpha is clinically established. The efficacy of passive immunotherapy attests to the fact that the immune system can successfully fight cancer. The logical next step is therefore to develop strategies for active immunotherapy, i.e. "vaccines against cancer". This review focuses on the current status of active immunotherapy with respect to clinical application. Although active immunotherapy is still in the experimental stage, the data are highly encouraging and it is expected that vaccination will soon become part of cancer management.

Polarons and confinement of electronic motion to two dimensions in a layered manganite.

A remarkable feature of layered transition--metal oxides-most famously, the high-temperature superconductors--is that they can display hugely anisotropic electrical and optical properties (for example, seeming to be insulating perpendicular to the layers and metallic within them), even when prepared as bulk three-dimensional single crystals. This is the phenomenon of 'confinement', a concept at odds with the conventional theory of solids, and recognized as due to magnetic and electron-lattice interactions within the layers that must be overcome at a substantial energy cost if electrons are to be transferred between layers. The associated energy gap, or 'pseudogap', is particularly obvious in experiments where charge is moved perpendicular to the planes, most notably scanning tunnelling microscopy and polarized infrared spectroscopy. Here, using the same experimental tools, we show that there is a second family of transition-metal oxides--the layered manganites La(2-2x)Sr(1+2x)Mn2O7--with even more extreme confinement and pseudogap effects. The data demonstrate quantitatively that because the charge carriers are attached to polarons (lattice- and spin-textures within the planes), it is as difficult to remove them from the planes through vacuum-tunnelling into a conventional metallic tip, as it is for them to move between Mn-rich layers within the material itself.

Diagnostic procedures after completion of oral immunisation against classical swine fever in wild boar.

The purpose of this paper is to define diagnostic procedures for wild boar after the completion of oral immunisation against classical swine fever (CSF). Epidemiological analysis of CSF in wild boar in Germany demonstrated that it is vital to carry out virological investigations on all animals found dead, sick or involved in traffic accidents. In principle, this should ensure an effective and prompt diagnosis of CSF. In addition, a defined number of wild boar, especially young animals < or = 6 months old, should also be tested for CSF virus to guarantee a high confidence level in the virological monitoring. Which animals should be examined serologically depends on the age class investigated, the season in which vaccination was stopped and the period of time since completion of vaccination. Therefore, different serological procedures have been defined for different situations during the first three years after completion of oral immunisation.

Universality of small scale turbulence.

The proposed universality of small scale turbulence is investigated for a set of measurements in a cryogenic free jet with a variation of the Reynolds number (Re) from 8500 to 10(6) (max(R(lambda) approximately 1200). The traditional analysis of the statistics of velocity increments by means of structure functions or probability density functions is replaced by a new method which is based on the theory of Markov processes. It gives access to a more complete characterization by means of joint probabilities of finding velocity increments at several scales. Based on this more comprehensive method, our results are very far from a possible universal state, even for R(lambda) above 1000.

Atomic-scale images of charge ordering in a mixed-valence manganite.

Transition-metal perovskite oxides exhibit a wide range of extraordinary but imperfectly understood phenomena. The best known examples are high-temperature superconductivity in copper oxides, and colossal magnetoresistance in manganese oxides ('manganites'). All of these materials undergo a range of order-disorder transitions associated with changes in charge, spin, orbital and lattice degrees of freedom. Measurements of such order are usually made by diffraction techniques, which detect the ionic cores and the spins of the conduction electrons. Unfortunately, because such techniques are only weakly sensitive to valence electrons and yield superpositions of signals from distinct submicrometre-scale phases, they cannot directly image phase coexistence and charge ordering, two key features of the manganites. Here we present scanning tunnelling microscope measurements of the manganite Bi1-xCaxMnO3. We show that charge ordering and phase separation can be resolved in real space with atomic-scale resolution. By taking together images and current-voltage spectroscopy data we find that charge order correlates with both structural order and the local conductive state (either metallic or insulating). These experiments provide an atomic-scale basis for descriptions of manganites as mixtures of electronically and structurally distinct phases.