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A minor change in the Barcelos-Wotzasek (BW) symplectic algorithm for constrained systems is proposed. The change addresses some criticism that formalism has received, placing it on the same footing as Dirac's algorithm., Comment: A final version article is available at Brazilian Journal of Physics

The structural and electronic properties of the CaMnGe$_2$O$_6$ and SrMnGe$_2$O$_6$ clinopyroxene systems have been investigated by means of perturbed angular correlation (PAC) measurements, performed at ISOLDE, combined with $ab-initio$ electronic structure calculations within the density functional theory (DFT) framework. The partial density of states (PDOS) of the CaMnGe$_2$O$_6$ and SrMnGe$_2$O$_6$ stable compounds has been determined, and it has been observed that the requirement of including an on-site Hubbard-$U$ potential was necessary in order to describe the highly correlated Mn $3d$-states. By considering $U_{eff}$=4 eV, we obtained a band gap width of 1.82 eV and 1.70 eV, for the CaMnGe$_2$O$_6$ and SrMnGe$_2$O$_6$, respectively. Combining electric field gradient (EFG) first principles calculations, using a supercell scheme, with experimental PAC results, we were able to infer that the Cd probe can replace either the $A$ (Ca, Sr) or the Mn sites in the crystalline structures. We also showed that Cd substitution is expected to lead to a reduction in the width of the band gap in these systems, evidencing opportunities for potential band-gap engineering.

The CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) project is a CubeSat mission orbiting the Earth aimed to measure the linear polarization of solar flares in the hard X-ray band by means of a Compton scattering polarimeter. CUSP will allow the study of the magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration in the flaring magnetic structures of our star. CUSP is a project in the framework of the Alcor Program of the Italian Space Agency aimed at developing new CubeSat missions. It is approved for a Phase B study. In this work, we report on the characterization of the Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs) that will be used as readout sensors of the absorption stage of the Compton polarimeter. We assessed the APDs gain and energy resolution as a function of temperature by irradiating the sensor with a \textsuperscript{55}Fe radioactive source. Moreover, the APDs were also characterized as being coupled to a GAGG scintillator., Comment: Proceeding of SPIE Conference "Astronomical Telescopes+ Instrumentation", Yokohama (Japan), 16-21 June 2024

In this work, we explore the intriguing spin-momentum locking phenomenon within the Rashba states of antimony (Sb) films. By combining spin pumping with the flow of an external charge current, we reveal the topological properties of surface states in Sb films. Taking advantage of the well-defined spin polarization of both spin-momentum-locked charge currents and spin-pumped currents, we demonstrate precise manipulation over the direction and magnitude of the resulting charging current, generated through the inverse Rashba-Edelstein effect. This fascinating phenomenon is attributed to the dynamic interaction between the accumulation of out-of-equilibrium pumped spins and the flowing spins, intrinsically locked perpendicular to the direction of the charge current. The results show that Sb as a promising material for basic and applied investigation of spintronics phenomena. We believe that the nanostructures investigated here open the way for the development of low-power logic gates operating in the range of a few tens of microamperes., Comment: 25 pages, 11 figures

In this work, we study the probability distribution for the force and potential energy of a test particle interacting with $N$ point random sources in the limit $N\rightarrow\infty$. The interaction is given by a central potential $V(R)=k/R^{\delta-1}$ in a $ d$-dimensional euclidean space, where $R$ is the random relative distance between the source and the test particle, $\delta$ is the force exponent, and $k$ is the coupling parameter. In order to assure a well-defined limit for the probability distribution of the force and potential energy, we { must} renormalize the coupling parameter and/or the system size as a function of the number $N$ of sources. We show the existence of three non-singular limits, depending on the exponent $\delta$ and the spatial dimension $d$. (i) For $\deltad+1$ the potential energy converges to a random variable and the force to a random vector. This limit is called Thermodynamic Limit. (iii) For $d<\delta

We present an \textit{ab-initio} study of the quasi-2D layered perovskite Sr$_3$Hf$_2$O$_7$ com\-pound, performed within the framework of the Density Functional Theory and lattice dynamics analysis. At high temperatures, this compound takes a \textit{I4/mmm} centrosym\-met\-ric structure (S.G. n. 139); as the temperature is lowered, the symmetry is broken into other intermediate polymorphs before reaching the ground state structure, which is the \textit{Cmc2$_1$} ferroelectric phase (S.G. n. 36). One of these intermediate polymorphs is the \textit{Ccce} structural phase (S.G. n. 68). Additionally, we have probed the \textit{C2/c} system (S.G n. 15), which was obtained by following the atomic displacements corresponding to the eigenvectors of the imaginary frequency mode localized at the $\mathbf{\Gamma}$-point of the \textit{Ccce} phase. By observing the enthalpies at low pressures, we found that the \textit{Cmc2$_1$} phase is thermodynamically the most stable. Our results show that the \textit{I4/mmm} and \textit{C2/c} phases never stabilize in the 0-20 GPa range of pressure values. On the other hand, the \textit{Ccce} phase becomes energetically more stable at around 17 GPa, surpassing the \textit{Cmc2$_1$} structure. By considering the effect of entropy and the constant-volume free energies, we observe that the \textit{Cmc2$_1$} polymorph is energetically the most stable phase at low temperature; however, at 350 K the \textit{Ccce} system becomes the most stable. By probing the volume-dependent free energies at 19 GPa, we see that \textit{Ccce} is always the most stable phase between the two structures and also throughout the studied temperature range. When analyzing the phonon dispersion frequencies, we conclude that the \textit{Ccce} system becomes dynamically stable only around 19-20 GPa, and that the \textit{Cmc2$_1$} phase, is metastable up to 30 GPa., Comment: 32 pages, 11 figures

GaGeTe is a layered material composed of germanene and GaTe sublayers that has been recently predicted to be a basic Z2 topological semimetal. To date, only one polytype of GaGeTe is known with trigonal centrosymmetric structure (alpha phase, space group R-3m, No. 166). Here we show that as-grown samples of GaGeTe show traces of at least another polytype with hexagonal non-centrosymmetric structure (beta phase, space group P63mc, No. 186). Moreover, we suggest that another bulk hexagonal polytype (gamma phase, space group P-3m1, No. 164) could also be found near room conditions. Both alpha and beta polytypes have been identified and characterized by means of X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements with the support of ab initio calculations. We provide the vibrational properties of both polytypes and show that the Raman spectrum reported for GaGeTe almost forty years ago and attributed to the alpha phase, was, in fact, that of the secondary beta phase. Additionally, we show that a Fermi resonance occurs in alpha-GaGeTe under non-resonant excitation conditions, but not under resonant excitation conditions. Theoretical calculations show that bulk beta-GaGeTe is a non-centrosymmetric weak topological semimetal with even smaller lattice thermal conductivity than centrosymmetric bulk alpha-GaGeTe. In perspective, our work paves the way for the control and engineering of GaGeTe polytypes to design and implement complex van der Waals heterostructures formed by a combination of centrosymmetric and non-centrosymmetric layers of up to three different polytypes in a single material, suitable for a number of fundamental studies and technological applications.

We report a comparative theoretical study of the \textit{Pnma} and \textit{R-3m} phases of Sb$_2$S$_3$, Bi$_2$S$_3$, and Sb$_2$Se$_3$ close to ambient pressure. Our enthalpy calculations at 0 K show that at ambient pressure the \textit{R-3m} (tetradymite-like) phase of Sb$_2$Se$_3$ is energetically more stable than the \textit{Pnma} phase, contrary to what is observed for Sb$_2$S$_3$ and Bi$_2$S$_3$, and irrespective of the exchange-correlation functional employed in the calculations. The result for Sb$_2$Se$_3$ is in contradiction to experiments where all three compounds are usually grown in the \textit{Pnma} phase. This result is further confirmed by free-energy calculations taking into account the temperature dependence of the unit-cell volumes and phonon frequencies. Lattice dynamics and elastic tensor calculations further show that both \textit{Pnma} and \textit{R-3m} phases of Sb$_2$Se$_3$ are dynamically and mechanically stable at zero applied pressure. Since these results suggest that the formation of the \textit{R-3m} phase for Sb$_2$Se$_3$ should be feasible at close to ambient conditions, we provide a theoretical crystal structure and simulated Raman and infrared spectra to help in its identification. We also discuss the results of the two published works that have claimed to have synthesized tetradymite-like Sb$_2$Se$_3$. Finally, the stability of the \textit{R-3m} phase across the three group-15 \textit{A$_2$X$_3$} sesquichalcogenides is analysed based on their van der Waals gap and X-X in-plane geometry., Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures

We report two fundamental inequalities in the Stoner-Wohlfarth model. Specifically, we investigate the theoretical limit for the initial magnetic susceptibility in a system described by the Stoner-Wohlfarth approach. We also find analytical solutions for the magnetization in the low-field regime and obtain the borderline value for the uniaxial anisotropy constant in such an ideal Stoner-Wohlfarth system. We go beyond and introduce a general mean-field theory for interacting Stoner-Wohlfarth-like systems, thus estimating how the initial magnetic susceptibility is affected by the dipolar and exchange interactions inside the system. By means of a simple insight from a fundamental inequality for the magnetic susceptibility of an ideal Stoner-Wohlfarth system, we show its violation is a signature of the existence of exchange interactions between nanoparticles in an interacting Stoner-Wohlfarth-like system., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2110.04139

It is established $L^{p}$ estimates for the fractional $\Phi$-Laplacian operator defined in bounded domains where the nonlinearity is subcritical or critical in a suitable sense. Furthermore, using some fine estimates together with the Moser's iteration, we prove that any weak solution for fractional $\Phi$-Laplacian operator defined in bounded domains belongs to $L^\infty(\Omega)$ under appropriate hypotheses on the $N$-function $\Phi$. Using the Orlicz space and taking into account the fractional setting for our problem the main results are stated for a huge class of nonlinear operators and nonlinearities.

We investigate the magnetic nanoparticles (fluid) hyperthermia in non-adiabatic conditions through the calorimetric method. Specifically, we propose a theoretical approach to magnetic hyperthermia from a thermodynamic point of view. To test the robustness of the approach, we perform hyperthermia experiments and analyze the thermal behavior of magnetite and magnesium ferrite magnetic nanoparticles dispersed in water submitted to an alternating magnetic field. From our findings, besides estimating the specific loss power value from a non-adiabatic process, thus enhancing the accuracy in the determination of this quantity, we provide physical meaning to parameters found in literature that still remained not fully understood, and bring to light how they can be obtained experimentally., Comment: 3 figures

In this paper, we show a new relation between phase transition in one-dimensional Statistical Mechanics and the multiplicity of the dimension of the space of harmonic functions for an extension of the classical transfer operator. We accomplish this by extending the classical Ruelle-Perron-Frobenius theory to the realm of low regular potentials. This is done by establishing finer properties of the associated conformal measures and thoroughly developing a method to obtain information on the maximal eigenspace of a suitably constructed family of Markov Processes. Our results are valid in the setting of finite and infinite alphabets. Several new applications are given to illustrate the theory. For example, we determine the support of a large class of equilibrium states associated with low regular potentials, including ones allowing phase transition. Additionally, we prove a version of the Functional Central Limit Theorem for equilibrium states. A remarkable aspect of this result is that it does not require the spectral gap property of the associated transfer operator. It is valid for long-range spins systems that might not be positively correlated and for non-local observables., Comment: 39 pages

We report a theoretical \textit{ab-initio} study of $\beta$-As$_2$Te$_3$ ($R\bar{3}m$ symmetry) at hydrostatic pressures up to 12 GPa. We have systematically characterized the vibrational and electronic changes of the system induced by the pressure variation. The electronic band dispersions calculated at different pressures using \textit{QS}GW show an insulator-metal transition. At room pressure the system is a semiconductor with small band-gap, and the valence and conduction bands present a parabolic conventional dispersion. However around 2 GPa the parabolic shape of the bands become linear and touch at the Fermi level. This means that this compound undergoes a pressure-induced topological phase transition to a 3D analog of graphene, known as a 3D Dirac semi-metal, with gapless electronic excitations. At increasing pressures the gap reopens and variation of the character of the electronic band-gap from direct to indirect is evidenced. At 7 GPa we observe the formation of a negative band-gap character, which persists for pressures up to 12 GPa. Topological insulating features are evidenced from 2 to 12 GPa with a Z$_4$=3 topological index. Moreover by investigating the lattice thermal-conductivity at different pressures, we observe an ultra low value of $\kappa_\textrm{L}$ at 300 K for 0.5 GPa (0.294 and 0.486 Wm$^{-1}$K$^{-1}$ for the $x$-$y$-axis and for the $z$-axis, respectively) which is the result of existing low-frequency optical modes. At 2 GPa $\kappa_\textrm{L}$ increases to 1.170 and 0.669 Wm$^{-1}$K$^{-1}$, for the $x$-$y$-axis and for the $z$-axis, respectively. At 4 GPa the thermal-conductivity values between the two distinct crystallographic axis tend to approximate, with 1.495 and 1.433 Wm$^{-1}$K$^{-1}$, along the $x$-$y$-axis and the $z$-axis, respectively.

This work analyzes the effects of quantization on a Friedmann-Lema\^{\i}tre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) model with positive curvature and material content composed of a Bose-Einstein condensate, a radioactive fluid and a cosmological constant playing the role of the dark energy of the universe. The quantization of the model was performed using the finite difference method in the Crank-Nicolson scheme: solutions of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation are obtained, in the form of finite norm wave packets which are well defined in all space, even if the 3D-sphere is degenerate. The introduction of the Bose-Einstein condensate and cosmological constant preserves the existence of bounce solutions (for certain choices of parameters and initial conditions) with exits for inflation (de Sitter solutions). This occurs after the universe emerges from its quantum phase by a tunneling mechanism., Comment: 30 pages, 15 figures, 3 tables The authors are fully reviewing this article

The early universe is modeled through the quantization of a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker model with positive curvature of the spatial hypersurfaces. In this model, the universe is filled by two fluids: radiation and a generalized Chaplygin gas. The quantization of this model is made following the prescriptions due to J. A. Wheeler and B. DeWitt. Using the Schutz's formalism, the time notion is recovered and the Wheeler-DeWitt equation transforms into a time dependent Schr\"{o}dinger equation, which rules the dynamics of the early universe, under the action of an effective potential $V_{eff}$. That potential, depends on three parameters. Depending on the values of these parameters, $V_{eff}$ may have two different shapes. $V_{eff}(a)$ may have the shape of a barrier or the shape of a well followed by a barrier. We solve, numerically, the appropriate time dependent Schr\"{o}dinger equation and obtain the time evolution of an initial wave function, for both cases. These wave functions satisfy suitable boundary conditions. For both shapes of $V_{eff}$, we compute the tunneling probability, which is a function of the mean kinetic energy associated to the radiation energy $E_m$ and of the three parameters of the generalized Chaplygin gas: $\alpha$, $A$ and $B$. The tunneling probabilities, for both shapes of $V_{eff}$, indicates that the universe should nucleate with the highest possible values of $E_m$, $\alpha$, $A$ and $B$. Finally, we study the classical universe evolution after the wavefunction has tunneled $V_{eff}$. The calculations show that the universe may emerge from the Planck era in an inflationary phase., Comment: In that new version, we removed a section and four figures. It has, now, 30 pages and 13 figures

Anisotropy is an intrinsic factor that dictates the magnetic properties of YBCO, thus with great impact for many applications. Artificial pinning centres are often introduced in an attempt to mitigate its effect, resulting in less anisotropic electrical and magnetic properties. However, the nanoengineering of the superconductor makes the quantification of the anisotropy itself uncertain: the intrinsic anisotropy due to the layered structure, quantified by the anisotropy factor $\gamma$, mixes up with the additional anisotropy due to pinning. As a consequence, there is no consensus on the experimental anisotropy factor $\gamma$ that can result in YBCO when directional (twin planes, nanorods) or isotropic defects are present. We present here measurements of the magnetic field and angular dependent surface impedance in very different nanostructured YBCO films, grown by chemical route and by pulsed laser deposition, with different kind of defects (nanorods, twin planes, nanoparticles). We show that the surface impedance measurements are able to disentangle the intrinsic anisotropy from the directional pinning anisotropy, thanks to the possibility to extract the true anisotropic flux--flow resistivity and by correctly exploiting the angular scaling. We find in all films that the intrinsic anisotropy $\gamma = 5.3\pm0.7$. By contrast, the pinning anisotropy determines a much complex, feature--rich and nonuniversal, sample--dependent angular landscape., Comment: 24 pages, 11 figures, submitted to IOP