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Observation of power-Law scaling for phase transitions in linear trapped ion crystals

We report an experimental confirmation of the power-law relationship between the critical anisotropy parameter and ion number for the linear-to-zigzag phase transition in an ionic crystal. Our experiment uses laser cooled calcium ions confined in a linear radio-frequency trap. Measurements for up to ten ions are in good agreement with theoretical and numeric predictions. Implications on an upper limit to the size of data registers in ion trap quantum computers are discussed.

Journal Article↗

Direct observations of structural phase transitions in planar crystallized ion plasmas

Laser-cooled 9Be+ ions confined in two-dimensionally extended lattice planes were directly observed, and the images were used to characterize the structural phases of the ions. Five different stable crystalline phases were observed, and the energetically favored structure could be sensitively tuned by changing the areal density of the confined ions. The experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions for the planar (infinite in two dimensions) one-component plasma. Qualitatively similar structural phase transitions occur, or are predicted to occur, in other experimentally realizable planar systems.

Journal Article↗

Quantum phase transitions of magnetic rotons.

Because of weak spin-orbit coupling and broken inversion symmetry the paramagnons of an itinerant, almost ferromagnetic system become magnetic rotons. Using self-consistent Hartree and renormalization group calculations, we study weak fluctuation-driven first-order quantum phase transitions, a quantum tricritical point controlled by anisotropy, and non-Fermi liquid behavior associated with the large phase volume of magnetic rotons. We propose that magnetic rotons are essential for the description of the anomalous high-pressure behavior of the itinerant helical ferromagnet MnSi.

Journal Article↗

Probing local and long-range structure simultaneously: an in situ study of the high-temperature phase transition of alpha-AlF3.

We show in this Communication that the combination of Rietveld and pair distribution function (PDF) analyses allows unique insight into the nature and driving force of the phase transition of alpha-AlF3, which was not available from conventional structural analysis methods alone. The use of image plate technology allows structural changes to be followed in "real time" and reduces the time required to collect high-resolution PDF data from hours (with a conventional solid state detector) to seconds. This methodology produces raw data that can simultaneously be analyzed by both Rietveld and PDF analysis.

Journal Article↗

Graft copolymers that exhibit temperature-induced phase transitions over a wide range of pH.

There are many potential applications of 'intelligent' aqueous polymer systems in medicine, biotechnology, industry and in environmental problems. Many of these polymer systems undergo reversible phase transitions--for example, abrupt changes in volume--in response to external stimuli such as temperature, pH or the nature of the solvent. Most of the polymers studied previously are responsive to only one kind of stimulus. But for some applications, independent responsiveness to several factors, such as temperature and pH, may be required. Here we describe a polymer that undergoes marked solubility changes in water in response to temperature and/or pH changes. The polymer is prepared by grafting temperature-sensitive side chains onto a pH-sensitive backbone. We also find that block copolymers, in which the temperature- and pH-sensitive units alternate along the chain, show similar behaviour.

Acrylamides↗

Liquid-crystal-solid interface structure at the antiferroelectric-ferroelectric phase transition.

Total internal reflection is used to probe the molecular organization at the surface of a tilted chiral smectic liquid crystal at temperatures in the vicinity of the bulk antiferroelectric-ferroelectric phase transition. Data are interpreted using an exact analytical solution of a real model for ferroelectric order at the surface. In the mixture T3, ferroelectric surface order is expelled with the bulk ferroelectric-antiferroelectric transition. The conditions for ferroelectric order at the surface of an antiferroelectric bulk are presented.

Journal Article↗

In situ X-Ray study of thermal expansion and phase transition of iron at multimegabar pressure

The density of varepsilon-iron has been calculated at pressures and temperatures up to 300 GPa and 1300 K, respectively. We observe varepsilon to beta phase transition at pressures between 135 and 300 GPa and temperature above 1350 K; the pattern can be interpreted in terms of double hexagonal close-packed structure. The density calculated at high pressure and temperature (330-360 GPa and 5000-7000 K) closely matches with preliminary reference Earth model density, thereby imposing constraint on the composition of the Earth's inner core.

Journal Article↗

CUL-2 is required for the G1-to-S-phase transition and mitotic chromosome condensation in Caenorhabditis elegans.

The human cullin protein CUL-2 functions in a ubiquitin-ligase complex with the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumour suppressor protein. Here we show that, in Caenorhabditis elegans, cul-2 is expressed in proliferating cells and is required at two distinct points in the cell cycle, the G1-to-S-phase transition and mitosis. cul-2 mutant germ cells undergo a G1-phase arrest that correlates with accumulation of CKI-1, a member of the CIP/KIP family of cyclin-dependent-kinase inhibitors. In cul-2 mutant embryos, mitotic chromosomes are unable to condense, leading to unequal DNA segregation, chromosome bridging and the formation of multiple nuclei.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structural phase transition and hydrogen ordering of TlH2PO4 at low temperature.

The crystal structure of TlH(2)PO(4) (TDP) has been studied at low temperature. The lattice parameters were derived from high-resolution X-ray powder diffraction in the temperature range between 8 and 300 K. A detailed crystal structure analysis of the antiferroelectric low-temperature phase TDP-III has been performed based on neutron diffraction data measured at 210 K on a twinned crystal consisting of two domain states. The structure model in the triclinic space group P\bar 1 is characterized by a complete ordering of all the H atoms in the asymmetric O-H...O hydrogen bonds. The phase transition from the ferroelastic TDP-II to the antiferroelectric TDP-III phase at 229.5 +/- 0.5 K is only slightly of first order and shows no detectable hysteresis effects. Its mechanism is driven by the hydrogen ordering between the partially ordered TDP-II state and the completely ordered TDP-III state. The polymorphism of TDP and the fully deuterated TlD(2)PO(4) (DTDP) is presented in the form of group-subgroup relations between the different space groups.

Journal Article↗

Relation between growth temperature of E. coli and phase transition temperatures of its cytoplasmic and outer membranes.

Cells of wild-type E. coli B were grown at 17, 27 and 38 degrees C, and their cell membranes were fractionated into the cytoplasmic and the outer membranes. Chemical assay proved that the molar ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids increases in phospholipids extracted from each membrane as the growth temperature increases. The transition temperature at which the solid phase disappears was determined by X-ray diffraction in these biomembranes and also membranes of extracted phospholipids and of extracted lipopolysaccharide. The transition temperatures of the cytoplasmic membrane and of the membranes of phospholipids extracted from the cytoplasmic and the outer membranes increased with the growth temperature in good parallelism to the molar ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids. The transition temperature of the outer membrane was less sensitive to the growth temperature, presumably due to the presence of lipopolysaccharide. The transition temperature of the membranes of lipopolysaccharide extracted from the outer membrane was 25 degrees C, for the cells grown at 27 and 37 degrees C. For the cells grown at 17 degrees C, the extracted lipopolysaccharide gave a broad diffraction peak and did not exhibit a solid-fluid phase transition between --5 and 40 degrees C.

Cell Membrane↗

Photocontrol of dynamic phase transition in the charge-density wave material K(0.3)MoO(3).

A photoinduced effect has been studied in the quasi-one-dimensional conductor K(0.3)MoO(3). A weak photoexcitation of the sample can drastically affect the dynamic phase transition of the charge-density wave (CDW) motion from slide to creep. The origin of the photoeffect is attributed to a local destruction of the CDW which leads to the photoinduced phase slip and the redistribution of the CDW phase.

Journal Article↗

A large thermal hysteresis loop produced by a charge-transfer phase transition in a rubidium manganese hexacyanoferrate.

In a rubidium manganese hexacyanoferrate, RbMn[Fe(CN)(6)], the magnetic susceptibility (chi(M)) decreased at 225 K (=T(1/2)decreasing) and abruptly increased at 300 K (=T(1/2)increasing) in the cooling and warming processes, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy indicated that the high-temperature (HT) and low-temperature (LT) phases were composed of Mn(II)-NC-Fe(III) and Mn(III)-NC-Fe(II), respectively. A structural change from cubic (F43m, a = 10.533 A) to tetragonal (I4m2, a = b = 7.090 A, c = 10.520 A) accompanied the phase transition, and, on the basis of these results, the HT and LT phases were assigned to Mn(II)(t(2g)(3)e(g)(2), (6)A(1g); S = (5)/(2))-NC-Fe(III) (t(2g)(5), (2)T(2g); S = (1)/(2)) and Mn(III)(e(g)(2)b(2g)(1)a(1g)(1), (5)B(1g); S = 2)-NC-Fe(II) (b(2g)(2)e(g)(4), (1)A(1g); S = 0), respectively. This phenomenon is caused by a metal-to-metal charge transfer from Mn(II) to Fe(III) and a Jahn-Teller distortion of the produced Mn(III) ion. The reaction mechanism is discussed, considering the entropy difference between the HT and LT phases.

Journal Article↗

Capacitive and ionic currents in BLM from phosphatidic acid in Ca2+-induced phase transition.

The development of electric current with time in a bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) formed from dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid on introducing Ca2+ ions into the medium was studied at constant temperature and pH. The phase transition in the Ca2+-induced BLM is accompanied by the initial capacitive current followed by the occurrence of single ionic channels. The amount of transported charges in the capacitive current is 5 C/ microF. The conductivity of the single ionic channels ranges from 50 to 100 pSm.

Calcium↗

Phase transition of a single lipid bilayer measured by sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy.

In this communication, we demonstrate the first use of sum-frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy to measure directly the phase transition temperature (Tm) of a single planar supported lipid bilayer (PSLB). Three saturated phospholipids, 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC), 1,2-diheptadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC), and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC), were studied. Lipid bilayer films were prepared by the the Langmuir-Blodgett method at a surface pressure of 30 nN/m. The symmetric nature of the bilayer was used to determine the Tm of bilayers by measuring the intensity of the symmetric methyl stretch at 2875 cm-1 from the lipid fatty acid chains as a function of temperature. A maximum in the CH3 symmetric stretch transition was observed at the Tm of the lipid film due to the reduction of symmetry in the bilayer. The SFG measured Tm for DPPC, DHPC, and DSPC were 41.0 +/- 0.4, 52.4 +/- 0.7, and 57.9 +/- 0.5 degrees C, respectively. These values correlate well with the literature values of 41.3 +/- 1.8, 49 +/- 3, and 54.5 +/- 1.5 degrees C for DPPC, DHPC, and DSPC, respectively obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of lipid vesicles in solution. The high degree of correlation between the SFG spectroscopic measurements and the DSC results suggests the Tm of these lipids is not significantly altered upon immobilization on a surface.

1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine↗

Temporal oscillations and phase transitions in the evolutionary minority game.

The study of societies of adaptive agents seeking minority status is an active area of research. Recently, it has been demonstrated that such systems display an intriguing phase transition: agents tend to self-segregate or to cluster according to the value of the prize-to-fine ratio R. We show that such systems do not establish a true stationary distribution. The winning probabilities of the agents display temporal oscillations. The amplitude and frequency of the oscillations depend on the value of R. The temporal oscillations that characterize the system explain the transition in the global behavior from self-segregation to clustering in the R<1 case.

Journal Article↗

[Conductivity of bilayer lipid membranes of phosphatidic acid at phase transitions, induced by temperature and pH].

Conductivity of bilayer lipid membranes formed from synthetic phosphatic acid and its thioanalogs was studied. Conductivity of bilayer lipid membranes was shown to change spasmodically in the phase transition region. The temperature of conductivity jump decreased with pH shift from acid to alkaline region. The amplitude of conductivity jump attained 1.5-2 orders. The jump can be also obtained at constant temperature by changing the medium pH. The observed conductivity jumps are suggested to determine the phenomena of thermo- and chemoreception in biological membranes.

Electric Conductivity↗