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Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature

Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature

Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature

Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature

Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature

Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature

Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature

Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature

Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature

Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature

This thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the author. Researchers can access this thesis by asking their local university, institution or public library to make a request on their behalf. Monash staff and postgraduate students can use the link in the References field.

The dynamics of the air pockets created from dunking something into liquid has applications ranging from the food industry to military operations.

A proposed biosensor aims to help chemists to more accurately assess the material consistency of methyl nonafluorobutyl ether, a chemical commonly found in cosmetics.

The ability to conveniently characterize fluoride salts may help realize the full potential of the material to be used in various nuclear power applications.

A review discusses the history, current status and future strategies for minimizing the energy loss in solar-powered devices caused by hot carrier cooling.

Researchers present an all-digital associated particle imaging device with angular and depth resolution useful for soil carbon studies.

An analytical model for estimating wind farm losses was made less computationally intensive by using linear superposition and improved by considering the upwind induction of the turbines.

Researchers develop a method to suppress photogenerated electrons and holes from losing their energy through phonon-mediated relaxation.

A review provides a roadmap of the accomplished milestones and remaining obstacles for using bioorthogonal chemical reporters for imaging biomolecules.

Researchers present three heavy water models modified from established light water models for simulating experiments that use deuterated water.

The field electron emission performance of a silicon gated field emission array improved by a factor of 10 after a 70-minute exposure to UV light.

The effect, characterized by the periodic revivals of a freely evolving field structure, has been observed spatially and temporally in the same system.

By including a sacrificial layer, researchers developed an improved epitaxial lift-off technique for creating high quality monocrystalline CdTe/MgCdTe thin-films.

The set of mics could detect and track a buzzing drone from almost up to a quarter mile away.

Water droplets of different sizes, some mixed with glycerol for more viscosity, raced down a hydrophobic surface much more slowly when the surface had a few indentations.

By studying the mechanical properties of jujube branches, researchers learned how much to trust computer models when studying microstructures in the natural world.

Multi-pulse events, similar to how we cough, create vortical structures that can carry droplets further than single-pulse events.

An experimental setup using LEGO pieces is proven to be a viable method for studying the general dynamics and topology of metastructures.

Using a 3D-printed generalized Luneburg lens, researchers created an acoustic lens that can generate sound jets twice as long as its competitors.

Researchers use scanning transmission electron microscope data with principal component analysis to observe symmetry breaking at the single-atom level.

Researchers present an ultrasound imaging technique to reveal aberrating structures in a sample that would otherwise be invisible.

Researchers quantify the generation and accumulation of aerosolized droplets in a public restroom from toilet flushing.

Aluminum can replace cesium-coated metal grids for the creation of pair-plasmas, with higher density and less unwanted byproducts.

We report on the spin waves and crystal field excitations in single crystal LiFePO$_4$ by inelastic neutron scattering over a wide range of temperatures, below and above the antiferromagnetic transition of this system. In particular, we find extra excitations below $T_N=50$ K that are nearly dispersionless and are most intense around magnetic zone centers. We show that these excitations correspond to transitions between thermally occupied excited states of Fe$^{2+}$ due to splitting of the $S=2$ levels that arise from crystal field and spin-orbit interaction. These excitations are further amplified by the highly distorted nature of the oxygen octahedron surrounding the iron atoms. Above $T_N$, magnetic fluctuations are observed up to at least 720~K, with additional excitation around 4 meV, likely caused by single-ion splittings through spin-orbit and crystal field interactions. The latter weakens slightly at 720~K compared to 100~K, which is consistent with calculated cross-sections using a single-ion model. Our theoretical analysis, using the MF-RPA model, provides both detailed spectra of the Fe $d-$ shell and estimates of the average ordered magnetic moment and $T_N$. By applying the MF-RPA model to a number of existing spin-wave results from other Li$M$PO$_4$ ($M=$ Mn, Co, and Ni), we are able to obtain reasonable predictions for the moment sizes and transition temperatures., 7 pages, 4 figures

Topological states of matter such as quantum spin liquids (QSLs) are of great interest because of their remarkable predicted properties including protection of quantum information and the emergence of Majorana fermions. Such QSLs, however, have proven difficult to identify experimentally. The most promising approach is to study their exotic nature via the wave-vector and intensity dependence of their dynamical response in neutron scattering. A major search has centered on iridate materials which are proposed to realize the celebrated Kitaev model on a honeycomb lattice - a prototypical topological QSL system in two dimensions (2D). The difficulties of iridium for neutron measurements have, however, impeded progress significantly. Here we provide experimental evidence that a material based on ruthenium, {\alpha}-RuCl$_3$ realizes the same Kitaev physics but is highly amenable to neutron investigation. Our measurements confirm the requisite strong spin-orbit coupling, and a low temperature magnetic order that matches the predicted phase proximate to the QSL. We also show that stacking faults, inherent to the highly 2D nature of the material, readily explain some puzzling results to date. Measurements of the dynamical response functions, especially at energies and temperatures above that where interlayer effects are manifest, are naturally accounted for in terms of deconfinement physics expected for QSLs. Via a comparison to the recently calculated dynamics from gauge flux excitations and Majorana fermions of the pure Kitaev model we propose {\alpha}-RuCl$_3$ as the prime candidate for experimental realization of fractionalized Kitaev physics.

Computer-simulated burn patterns from backscattered light during laser experiments may help mitigate damage in optical assemblies at high-power laser facilities.

Quantum entangled individuals can more efficiently share resources with others than classical ones.Quantum entangled individuals can more efficiently share resources with others than classical ones.

Analysis of the power-generating efficiency for photovoltaic hybrid systems shows the benefits available by coupling arrays with thermally regenerative electrochemical cycles.

A new way to write magnetic skyrmions on the surface of Pt/Co/Ta structures, that are stable at room temperature and zero fields, uses a magnetic force microscope.

A new method for aligning an AFM-tip with a fluorescence excitation beam using a 2-D galvanometer links the capabilities of the two to provide site-specific properties.

We report the synthesis and basic properties of single crystals of a new binary compound, Yb 3 Pt 4 . The Yb ions in this compound are fully trivalent, and heat capacity measurements show that the crystal field scheme involves a doublet ground state, well separated from the excited states, which are fully occupied above ∼ 150 K . The heat capacity displays a large, weakly first order anomaly at 2.4 K, where a cusp is observed in the magnetic susceptibility signalling the onset of antiferromagnetic order. The entropy associated with this order is the full Rln2 of the doublet ground state, however, the magnetic susceptibility in the ordered phase is dominated by a large and temperature independent component below the Neel temperature. The heat capacity in the ordered state originates with ferromagnetic spin waves, giving evidence for the inherently local moment character of the ordered state. The electrical resistivity is unusually large, and becomes quadratic in temperature exactly at the Neel temperature. The absence of analogous Fermi liquid behavior in the heat capacity and the magnetic susceptibility implies that Yb 3 Pt 4 is a low electron density system, where the Fermi surface is further gapped by the onset of magnetic order.

Uniform Mn-doped alkaline-earth metal tungstate—AWO4 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba)—nanorods of reproducible size, shape, and composition have been methodically prepared using a modified template-directed methodology under ambient, room-temperature conditions. The dopant ion distribution within the nanostructures does not appear to adversely affect either the structural or crystalline integrity of our as-prepared compounds, as determined by microscopy and diffraction studies. What is much more important is the fact that the presence of Mn2+ not only substantially increases the photoluminescent potential of a pristine tungstate material but also reinforces its versatility by adding a desirable magnetic component to its repertoire of properties. In so doing, we have created multifunctional one-dimensional nanorods with exciting opto-magnetic behavior, which should become important for the future incorporation of these materials into functional nanoscale devices, with various potential applications in a number of diverse ...

The current report describes the systematic synthesis of polycrystalline, multiferroic MnWO 4 nanowires and nanowire arrays with controllable chemical composition and morphology, using a modified template-directed methodology under ambient room-temperature conditions. We were able to synthesize nanowires measuring 55±10, 100±20, and 260±40 nm in diameter, respectively, with lengths ranging in the microns. Extensive characterization of as-prepared samples has been performed using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Magnetic behavior in these systems was also probed.

Neutron diffraction and muon spin relaxation measurements are used to obtain a detailed phase diagram of ${\mathrm{PrFe}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Ru}}_{x}\mathrm{AsO}$. The isoelectronic substitution of Ru for Fe acts effectively as spin dilution, suppressing both the structural and magnetic phase transitions. The temperature ${T}_{S}$ of the tetragonal-orthorhombic structural phase transition decreases gradually as a function of $x$. Slightly below ${T}_{S}$, coherent precessions of the muon spin are observed corresponding to static magnetism, possibly reflecting a significant magnetoelastic coupling in the FeAs layers. Short-range order in both the Fe and Pr moments persists for higher levels of $x$. The static magnetic moments disappear at a concentration coincident with that expected for percolation of the $J{}_{1}\text{\ensuremath{-}}J{}_{2}$ square-lattice model.

Monte Carlo results confirm the body-centered cubic structure as an unstable phase for hard spheres and identify a mechanically stable amorphous crystalline structure.

Thin film inspired-device exhibits inverse giant magnetoresistance with novel properties that make it a candidate for spintronic applications.

Researchers discover new ferromagnetic material that exhibits the quantum anomalous Hall effect.