Constituents of the quasiparticle spectrum along the nodal direction of high-Tc cuprates

Applying the Kramers-Kronig consistent procedure, developed earlier, we investigate in detail the formation of the quasiparticle spectrum along the nodal direction of high-Tc cuprates. The heavily discussed "70 meV kink" on the renormalized dispersion exhibits a strong temperature and doping dependence when purified from structural effects such as bilayer splitting, diffraction replicas, etc. This dependence is well understood in terms of fermionic and bosonic constituents of the self-energy. The latter follows the evolution of the spin-fluctuation spectrum, emerging below some doping dependent temperature and sharpening below Tc, and is mainly responsible for the formation of the kink in question.

Kinks, nodal bilayer splitting, and interband scattering in YBa2Cu3O(6+x)

We apply the new-generation angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy methodology to the most widely studied cuprate superconductor YBa2Cu3O(6+x). Considering the nodal direction, we found noticeable renormalization effects known as kinks both in the quasiparticle dispersion and scattering rate, the bilayer splitting, and evidence for strong interband scattering--all the characteristic features of the nodal quasiparticles detected earlier in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(8+delta). The typical energy scale and the doping dependence of the kinks clearly point to their intimate relation with the spin-1 resonance seen in the neutron scattering experiments. Our findings strongly suggest a universality of the electron dynamics in the bilayer superconducting cuprates and a dominating role of the spin fluctuations in the formation of the quasiparticles along the nodal direction.

Parity of the pairing bosons in a high-temperature Pb-Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 bilayer superconductor by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

We report the observation of a novel effect in the bilayer Pb-Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 (Pb-Bi2212) high-T(c) superconductor by means of angle-resolved photoemission with circularly polarized excitation. Different scattering rates, determined as a function of energy separately for the bonding and antibonding copper-oxygen bands, strongly imply that the dominating scattering channel is odd with respect to layer exchange within a bilayer. This is inconsistent with a phonon-mediated scattering and favors the participation of the odd collective spin excitations in the scattering mechanism in near-nodal regions of the k space, suggesting a magnetic nature of the pairing mediator.

Effect of Zn and Ni impurities on the quasiparticle renormalization of superconducting Bi-2212

The Cu substitution by Zn and Ni impurities and its influence on the mass renormalization effects in angle-resolved photoelectron spectra (ARPES) of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8-delta is addressed. We show that the nonmagnetic Zn atoms have a much stronger effect in both the nodal and antinodal parts of the Brillouin zone than magnetic Ni. The observed changes are consistent with the behavior of the spin resonance mode as seen by inelastic neutron scattering in YBCO. This strongly suggests that the "peak-dip-hump" and the kink in ARPES on the one side and neutron resonance on the other are closely related features.

Refining the perfusion-diffusion mismatch hypothesis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Echoplanar Imaging Thrombolysis Evaluation Trial (EPITHET) tests the hypothesis that perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI)-diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) mismatch predicts the response to thrombolysis. There is no accepted standardized definition of PWI-DWI mismatch. We compared common mismatch definitions in the initial 40 EPITHET patients.

METHODS

Raw perfusion images were used to generate maps of time to peak (TTP), mean transit time (MTT), time to peak of the impulse response (Tmax) and first moment transit time (FMT). DWI, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and PWI volumes were measured with planimetric and thresholding techniques. Correlations between mismatch volume (PWIvol-DWIvol) and DWI expansion (T2(Day 90-vol)-DWI(Acute-vol)) were also assessed.

RESULTS

Mean age was 68+/-11, time to MRI 4.5+/-0.7 hours, and median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score 11 (range 4 to 23). Tmax and MTT hypoperfusion volumes were significantly lower than those calculated with TTP and FMT maps (P<0.001). Mismatch > or =20% was observed in 89% (Tmax) to 92% (TTP/FMT/MTT) of patients. Application of a +4s (relative to the contralateral hemisphere) PWI threshold reduced the frequency of positive mismatch volumes (TTP 73%/FMT 68%/Tmax 54%/MTT 43%). Mismatch was not significantly different when assessed with ADC maps. Mismatch volume, calculated with all parameters and thresholds, was not significantly correlated with DWI expansion. In contrast, reperfusion was correlated inversely with infarct growth (R=-0.51; P=0.009).

CONCLUSIONS

Deconvolution and application of PWI thresholds provide more conservative estimates of tissue at risk and decrease the frequency of mismatch accordingly. The precise definition may not be critical; however, because reperfusion alters tissue fate irrespective of mismatch.

One-dimensional and three-dimensional models of cerebrovascular flow

The Circle of Willis is a ring-like structure of blood vessels found beneath the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. Its main function is to distribute oxygen-rich arterial blood to the cerebral mass. One-dimensional (1D) and three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of the Circle of Willis have been created to provide a simulation tool which can potentially be used to identify at-risk cerebral arterial geometries and conditions and replicate clinical scenarios, such as occlusions in afferent arteries and absent circulus vessels. Both models capture cerebral haemodynamic autoregulation using a proportional-integral (PI) controller to modify efferent artery resistances to maintain optimal efferent flow rates for a given circle geometry and afferent blood pressure. The models can be used to identify at-risk cerebral arterial geometries and conditions prior to surgery or other clinical procedures. The 1D model is particularly relevant in this instance, with its fast solution time suitable for real-time clinical decisions. Results show the excellent correlation between models for the transient efferent flux profile. The assumption of strictly Poiseuille flow in the 1D model allows more flow through the geometrically extreme communicating arteries than the 3D model. This discrepancy was overcome by increasing the resistance to flow in the anterior communicating artery in the 1D model to better match the resistance seen in the 3D results.

3D models of blood flow in the cerebral vasculature

The circle of Willis (CoW) is a ring-like arterial structure located in the base of the brain and is responsible for the distribution of oxygenated blood throughout the cerebral mass. To investigate the effects of the complex 3D geometry and anatomical variability of the CoW on the cerebral hemodynamics, a technique for generating physiologically accurate models of the CoW has been created using a combination of magnetic resonance data and computer-aided design software. A mathematical model of the body's cerebral autoregulation mechanism has been developed and numerous computational fluid dynamics simulations performed to model the hemodynamics in response to changes in afferent blood pressure. Three pathological conditions were explored, namely a complete CoW, a fetal P1 and a missing A1. The methodology of the cerebral hemodynamic modelling is proposed with the potential for future clinical application in mind, as a diagnostic tool.

Transition from a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid to a fermi liquid in potassium-intercalated bundles of single-wall carbon nanotubes

We report on the first direct observation of a transition from a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid to a Fermi-liquid behavior in potassium-intercalated mats of single-wall carbon nanotubes. Using high resolution photoemission spectroscopy, an analysis of the spectral shape near the Fermi level reveals a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid power law scaling in the density of states for the pristine sample and for low dopant concentration. As soon as the doping is high enough to achieve a filling of the conduction bands of the semiconducting tubes, a distinct transition to metallic single-wall carbon nanotube bundles with the scaling behavior of a normal Fermi liquid occurs.

Manifestation of the magnetic resonance mode in the nodal quasiparticle lifetime of the superconducting cuprates

Studying the nodal quasiparticles in superconducting cuprates by photoemission with highly improved momentum resolution, we show that a new "kink" feature in the scattering rate is a key to uncover the nature of electron correlations in these compounds. Our data provide evidence that the main doping independent contribution to the scattering can be well understood in terms of the conventional Fermi liquid model, while the additional doping dependent contribution has a magnetic origin. This sheds doubt on applicability of a phonon-mediated pairing mechanism to high-temperature superconductors.

Circular dichroism in angle-resolved photoemission spectra of under- and overdoped Pb-Bi2212

We use angle-resolved photoemission with circularly polarized excitation to demonstrate that in the 5 x 1 superstructure-free (Pb,Bi)(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+delta) (Pb-Bi2212) material there are no signatures of time-reversal symmetry breaking in the sense of the criteria developed earlier [Nature (London) 416, 610 (2002)]]. The dichroic signal retains reflection antisymmetry as a function of temperature and doping and in all mirror planes, precisely defined by the experimental dispersion at low energies. The obtained results demonstrate that the signatures of time-reversal symmetry violation in pristine Bi2212, as determined by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, are not a universal feature of all cuprate superconductors.

The effect of silica nanoparticulate coatings on cellular response

The current techniques used to create patterned materials at the nanometer scale such as electron beam lithography are restricted to patterning small areas, which can be expensive and time consuming. A simple, cost-effective approach has been developed to create a reproducible surface topography to influence the cellular response. In this study, the cellular response of murine fibroblasts to 7, 14 and 21 nm colloidal silica particles were investigated over one, three and seven days and up to seven weeks. The surface topography and wettability of the surfaces were also studied. The results confirmed that silica particles create a nanoscale topography, which initiates a distinctive cellular response affecting the morphology, adhesion and proliferation of the fibroblasts. The effect was evident up to seven weeks with no adverse effects on cell viability.

Doping dependence of the mass enhancement in (Pb,Bi)2Sr2CaCu2O8 at the antinodal point in the superconducting and normal states

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy is used to study the mass renormalization of the charge carriers in the high-T(c) superconductor (Pb,Bi)2Sr2CaCu2O8 in the vicinity of the (pi,0) point in the superconducting and the normal states. Using matrix element effects at different photon energies and due to a high momentum and energy resolution the bonding and the antibonding bands could be separated in the whole dopant range. A huge coupling to a bosonic collective mode is observed below T(c) for both bands, in particular, for the underdoped case. Above T(c), a weaker coupling to a continuous spectrum of modes is detected.

Evidence for two types of low-energy charge transfer excitations in Sr2CuO3

A comparative analysis of electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) spectra for the 1D insulating cuprate Sr2CuO3 with transferred momentum q--> axially and radially to the chain axis allows one to elucidate the structure of the charge transfer gap in in-chain response. It is determined by the superposition of two types of excitations with different magnitudes of dispersion. The low-energy response with q--> radially to the chain direction, but yet within the plane of CuO4 plaquettes, exhibits also a dispersionless peak near 2 eV. The theoretical simulation of the EELS data using exact diagonalizations of an appropriate extended Hubbard Hamiltonian for relevant clusters requires the explicit consideration of low-lying oxygen 2p pi states within the CuO4 plaquette plane beyond the standard pd sigma extended Hubbard model widely used for cuprates with corner-shared CuO4 plaquettes.

Anomalous enhancement of the coupling to the magnetic resonance mode in underdoped Pb-Bi2212

High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission with variable excitation energies is used to disentangle bilayer splitting effects and intrinsic (self-energy) effects in the electronic spectral function near the (pi,0) point of differently doped (Pb,Bi)(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+delta). In contrast to overdoped samples, where intrinsic effects at the (pi,0) point are virtually absent, we find in underdoped samples intrinsic effects in the superconducting-state (pi,0) spectra of the antibonding band. This intrinsic effect is present only below the critical temperature and weakens considerably with doping. Our results give strong support for models which involve a strong coupling of electronic excitations with the resonance mode seen in inelastic neutron scattering experiments.

Infrared response of multiwalled boron nitride nanotubes

We report the infrared (IR) response of bulk samples of multiwalled boron nitride nanotubes, produced by a substitution reaction from single walled carbon nanotubes, which is dominated by two characteristic BN-vibrations at 800 and 1372 cm-1.