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We have investigated the electronic structure of iridates in the double perovskite crystal structure containing either Ir$^{4+}$ or Ir$^{5+}$ using hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The experimental valence band spectra can be well reproduced using tight binding calculations including only the Ir $5d$, O $2p$ and O $2s$ orbitals with parameters based on the downfolding of the density-functional band structure results. We found that regardless of the A and B cations, the A$_2$BIrO$_6$ iridates have essentially zero O $2p$ to Ir $5d$ charge transfer energies. Hence, double perovskite iridates turn out to be extremely covalent systems with the consequence being that the magnetic exchange interactions become very long-ranged, thereby hampering the materialization of the long-sought Kitaev physics. Nevertheless, it still would be possible to realize a spin-liquid system using the iridates with a proper tuning of the various competing exchange interactions., Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Physical Review B

The resistivity of the two dimensional electron gas that forms at the interface of strontium titanate with various oxides is sensitive to irradiation with visible light. In this letter we present data on the interface between the band gap insulators LaAlO$_3$ (LAO) and SrTiO$_3$ (STO). We operate a light emitting diode at temperatures below 1 K and utilize it to irradiate the LAO/STO interface at ultra low temperatures. On irradiation the resistance of this system is lowered continuously by a factor of five and the resistance change is persistent at low temperatures as long as the sample is kept in the dark. This makes a characterization of transport properties in different resistive states over extended time periods possible. Our pristine sample gets superconducting below 265 mK. The transition temperature $T_c$ shifts downwards on the persistent photo-induced lowering of the resistance. The persistent photoconductance can be completely reverted by heating the structure above 10 K in which case $T_c$ as well takes on its original value. Thus very similar to field effect control of electron densities irradiation at low temperatures offers a versatile tuning knob for the superconducting state of STO-based interfaces which in addition has the advantage to be nonvolatile.

Perovskite SrIrO3 (SIO) films epitaxially deposited with a thickness of about 60 nm on various substrate materials display nearly strain-relieved state. Films grown on orthorhombic (110) DyScO3 (DSO) are found to display untwinned bulk-like orthorhombic structure. However, film deposition on cubic (001) SrTiO3 induces a twinned growth of SIO. Resistance measurements on the SIO films reveal only weak temperature dependence, where the resistance R increases with decreasing temperature T. Hall measurements show dominant electron-like transport throughout the temperature range from 2 K to 300 K. At 2 K, the electron concentration and resistivity for SIO on STO amount to ne = 1.4*10^20 cm-3 and 1 mohmcm. Interestingly, the film resistance of untwinned SIO on DSO along the [1-10] and the [001] direction differs by up to 25% indicating pronounced anisotropic electronic transport. The anisotropy of the resistance increases with decreasing T and displays a distinct maximum around 86 K. The specific T-dependence is similar to that of the structural anisotropy sqrt(a2+b2)/c of bulk SIO. Therefore, anisotropic electronic transport in SIO is very likely induced by the orthorhombic distortion. Consequently, for twinned SIO films on STO anisotropy vanishes nearly completely. The experimental results show that structural changes are very likely responsible for the observed anisotropic electronic transport. The strong sensitivity of the electronic transport in SIO films may be explained in terms of the narrow electron-like bands in SIO caused by spin-orbit-coupling and orthorhombic distortion.

The two-dimensional electron system in (110)Al$_2$O$_{3-\delta}$/SrTiO$_3$ heterostructures displays anisotropic electronic transport. Largest and lowest conductivity and electron mobility $\mu$ are observed along the $[001]$ and $[1\bar{1}0]$ direction, respectively. The anisotropy of the sheet resistance and $\mu$ likewise leads to a distinct anisotropic normal magnetotransport (MR) for T < 30K. However, at temperatures T<5K and magnetic field B<2T MR is dominated by weak antilocalization.Despite the rather strong anisotropy of the Fermi surfaces, the in-plane anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) displays two-fold non-crystalline anisotropy. However, the AMR-amplitude is found to be anisotropic with respect to the current direction, leading to a 60% larger AMR amplitude for current I along the $[001]$ direction compared to I parallel to $[1\bar{1}0]$. Tight binding calulations evidence an anisotropic Rashba-induced band splitting with dominant linear k-dependence. In combination with semiclassical Boltzmann theory the non-crystalline AMR is well described, despite the anisotropic Fermi surface., Comment: 11 pages, 11 Figures

We investigated the electronic structure of the vacancy-ordered 4d-transition metal monoxide NbO (Nb3O3) using angle-integrated soft- and hard-x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy as well as ultra-violet angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. We found that density-functional-based band structure calculations can describe the spectral features accurately provided that self-interaction effects are taken into account. In the angle-resolved spectra we were able to identify the so-called vacancy band that characterizes the ordering of the vacancies. This together with the band structure results indicates the important role of the very large inter-Nb-4d hybridization for the formation of the ordered vacancies and the high thermal stability of the ordered structure of niobium monoxide.

Transport measurements on the two dimensional electron system in Al2O3 SrTiO3 heterostructures indicate significant noncrystalline anisotropic behavior below T = 30 K. Lattice dislocations in SrTiO3 and interfacial steps are suggested to be the main sources for electronic anisotropy. Anisotropic defect scattering likewise alters magnetoresistance at low temperature remarkably and influences spin-orbit coupling significantly by the Elliot Yafet mechanism of spin relaxation resulting in anisotropic weak localization. Applying a magnetic field parallel to the interface results in an additional field induced anisotropy of the conductance, which can be attributed to Rashba spin orbit interaction. Compared to LaAlO3 SrTiO3, Rashba coupling seems to be reduced indicating a weaker polarity in Al2O3 SrTiO3 heterostructures.

Two-dimensional electron systems found at the interface of SrTiO3-based oxide heterostructures often display anisotropic electric transport whose origin is currently under debate. To characterize transport along specific crystallographic directions, we developed a hard-mask patterning routine based on an amorphous CeO2 template layer. The technique allows preparing well-defined microbridges by conventional ultraviolet photolithography which, in comparison to standard techniques such as ion- or wet-chemical etching, does not induce any degradation of interfacial conductance. The patterning scheme is described in details and the successful production of microbridges based on amorphous Al2O3-SrTiO3 heterostructures is demonstrated. Significant anisotropic transport is observed for T < 30 K which is mainly related to impurity/defect scattering of charge carriers in these heterostructures.

We present a computer simulation study, via lattice Boltzmann simulations, of a microscopic model for cytoplasmic streaming in algal cells such as those of Chara corallina. We modelled myosin motors tracking along actin lanes as spheres undergoing directed motion along fixed lines. The sphere dimension takes into account the fact that motors drag vesicles or other organelles, and, unlike previous work, we model the boundary close to which the motors move as walls with a finite slip layer. By using realistic parameter values for actin lane and myosin density, as well as for endoplasmic and vacuole viscosity and the slip layer close to the wall, we find that this simplified view, which does not rely on any coupling between motors, cytoplasm and vacuole other than that provided by viscous Stokes flow, is enough to account for the observed magnitude of streaming velocities in intracellular fluid in living plant cells., Comment: 18 pages (incl. appendix), 10 figures, accepted in J R Soc Interface