Circular dichroism in hard X-ray photoelectron diffraction observed by time-of-flight momentum microscopy.

X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) is a powerful technique that yields detailed structural information of solids and thin films that complements electronic structure measurements. Among the strongholds of XPD we can identify dopant sites, track structural phase transitions, and perform holographic reconstruction. High-resolution imaging of kll-distributions (momentum microscopy) presents a new approach to core-level photoemission. It yields full-field kx-ky XPD patterns with unprecedented acquisition speed and richness in details. Here, we show that beyond the pure diffraction information, XPD patterns exhibit pronounced circular dichroism in the angular distribution (CDAD) with asymmetries up to 80%, alongside with rapid variations on a small kll-scale (0.1 Å-1). Measurements with circularly-polarized hard X-rays (hν = 6 keV) for a number of core levels, including Si, Ge, Mo and W, prove that core-level CDAD is a general phenomenon that is independent of atomic number. The fine structure in CDAD is more pronounced compared to the corresponding intensity patterns. Additionally, they obey the same symmetry rules as found for atomic and molecular species, and valence bands. The CD is antisymmetric with respect to the mirror planes of the crystal, whose signatures are sharp zero lines. Calculations using both the Bloch-wave approach and one-step photoemission reveal the origin of the fine structure that represents the signature of Kikuchi diffraction. To disentangle the roles of photoexcitation and diffraction, XPD has been implemented into the Munich SPRKKR package to unify the one-step model of photoemission and multiple scattering theory.

Layer-resolved electronic behavior in a Kondo lattice system, CeAgAs2.

We investigate the electronic structure of an antiferromagnetic Kondo lattice system CeAgAs2employing hardx-ray photoemission spectroscopy. CeAgAs2, an orthorhombic variant of HfCuSi2structure, exhibits antiferromagnetic ground state, Kondo like resistivity upturn and compensation of magnetic moments at low temperatures. The photoemission spectra obtained at different photon energies suggest termination of the cleaved surface at cis-trans-As layers. The depth-resolved data show significant surface-bulk differences in the As and Ce core level spectra. The As 2pbulk spectrum shows distinct two peaks corresponding to two different As layers. The peak at higher binding energy correspond to cis-trans-As layers and is weakly hybridized with the adjacent Ce layers. The As layers between Ce and Ag-layers possess close to trivalent configuration due to strong hybridization with the neighboring atoms and the corresponding feature appear at lower binding energy. Ce 3dcore level spectra show multiple features reflecting strong Ce-As hybridization and strong correlation. Intensef0peak is observed in the surface spectrum while it is insignificant in the bulk. In addition, we observe a features at binding energy lower than the well-screened feature indicating the presence of additional interactions. This feature becomes more intense in the bulk spectra suggesting it to be a bulk property. Increase in temperature leads to a spectral weight transfer to higher binding energies in the core level spectra and a depletion of spectral intensity at the Fermi level as expected in a Kondo material. These results reveal interesting surface-bulk differences, complex interplay of intra- and inter-layer covalency, and electron correlation in the electronic structure of this novel Kondo lattice system.

Suppression of the vacuum space-charge effect in fs-photoemission by a retarding electrostatic front lens.

The performance of time-resolved photoemission experiments at fs-pulsed photon sources is ultimately limited by the e-e Coulomb interaction, downgrading energy and momentum resolution. Here, we present an approach to effectively suppress space-charge artifacts in momentum microscopes and photoemission microscopes. A retarding electrostatic field generated by a special objective lens repels slow electrons, retaining the k-image of the fast photoelectrons. The suppression of space-charge effects scales with the ratio of the photoelectron velocities of fast and slow electrons. Fields in the range from -20 to -1100 V/mm for Ekin = 100 eV to 4 keV direct secondaries and pump-induced slow electrons back to the sample surface. Ray tracing simulations reveal that this happens within the first 40 to 3 µm above the sample surface for Ekin = 100 eV to 4 keV. An optimized front-lens design allows switching between the conventional accelerating and the new retarding mode. Time-resolved experiments at Ekin = 107 eV using fs extreme ultraviolet probe pulses from the free-electron laser FLASH reveal that the width of the Fermi edge increases by just 30 meV at an incident pump fluence of 22 mJ/cm2 (retarding field -21 V/mm). For an accelerating field of +2 kV/mm and a pump fluence of only 5 mJ/cm2, it increases by 0.5 eV (pump wavelength 1030 nm). At the given conditions, the suppression mode permits increasing the slow-electron yield by three to four orders of magnitude. The feasibility of the method at high energies is demonstrated without a pump beam at Ekin = 3830 eV using hard x rays from the storage ring PETRA III. The approach opens up a previously inaccessible regime of pump fluences for photoemission experiments.

Temperature-dependent change of the electronic structure in the Kondo lattice system YbRh2Si2.

The heavy-fermion behavior in intermetallic compounds manifests itself in a quenching of local magnetic moments by developing Kondo spin-singlet many-body states combined with a drastic increase of the effective mass of conduction electrons, which occurs below the lattice Kondo temperatureTK. This behavior is caused by interactions between the strongly localized 4felectrons and itinerant electrons. A controversially discussed question in this context is how the localized electronic states contribute to the Fermi surface upon changing the temperature. One expects that hybridization between the local moments and the itinerant electrons leads to a transition from a small Fermi surface in a non-coherent regime at high temperatures to a large Fermi surface once the coherent Kondo lattice regime is realized belowTK. We demonstrate, using hard x-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy that the electronic structure of the prototypical heavy fermion compound YbRh2Si2changes with temperature between 100 and 200 K, i.e. far above the Kondo temperature,TK= 25 K, of this system. Our results suggest a transition from a small to a large Fermi surface with decreasing temperature. This result is inconsistent with the prediction of the dynamical mean-field periodic Anderson model and supports the idea of an independent energy scale governing the change of band dispersion.

Néel Vector Induced Manipulation of Valence States in the Collinear Antiferromagnet Mn2Au.

The coupling of real and momentum space is utilized to tailor electronic properties of the collinear metallic antiferromagnet Mn2Au by aligning the real space Néel vector indicating the direction of the staggered magnetization. Pulsed magnetic fields of 60 T were used to orient the sublattice magnetizations of capped epitaxial Mn2Au(001) thin films perpendicular to the applied field direction by a spin-flop transition. The electronic structure and its corresponding changes were investigated by angular-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with photon energies in the vacuum-ultraviolet, soft, and hard X-ray range. The results reveal an energetic rearrangement of conduction electrons propagating perpendicular to the Néel vector. They confirm previous predictions on the origin of the Néel spin-orbit torque and anisotropic magnetoresistance in Mn2Au and reflect the combined antiferromagnetic and spin-orbit interaction in this compound leading to inversion symmetry breaking.

Progress in HAXPES performance combining full-field k-imaging with time-of-flight recording.

An alternative approach to hard-X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) has been established. The instrumental key feature is an increase of the dimensionality of the recording scheme from 2D to 3D. A high-energy momentum microscope detects electrons with initial kinetic energies up to 8 keV with a k-resolution of 0.025 Å-1, equivalent to an angular resolution of 0.034°. A special objective lens with k-space acceptance up to 25 Å-1 allows for simultaneous full-field imaging of many Brillouin zones. Combined with time-of-flight (ToF) parallel energy recording this yields maximum parallelization. Thanks to the high brilliance (1013 hν s-1 in a spot of <20 µm diameter) of beamline P22 at PETRA III (Hamburg, Germany), the microscope set a benchmark in HAXPES recording speed, i.e. several million counts per second for core-level signals and one million for d-bands of transition metals. The concept of tomographic k-space mapping established using soft X-rays works equally well in the hard X-ray range. Sharp valence band k-patterns of Re, collected at an excitation energy of 6 keV, correspond to direct transitions to the 28th repeated Brillouin zone. Measured total energy resolutions (photon bandwidth plus ToF-resolution) are 62 meV and 180 meV FWHM at 5.977 keV for monochromator crystals Si(333) and Si(311) and 450 meV at 4.0 keV for Si(111). Hard X-ray photoelectron diffraction (hXPD) patterns with rich fine structure are recorded within minutes. The short photoelectron wavelength (10% of the interatomic distance) `amplifies' phase differences, making full-field hXPD a sensitive structural tool.

Quantifying the critical thickness of electron hybridization in spintronics materials.

In the rapidly growing field of spintronics, simultaneous control of electronic and magnetic properties is essential, and the perspective of building novel phases is directly linked to the control of tuning parameters, for example, thickness and doping. Looking at the relevant effects in interface-driven spintronics, the reduced symmetry at a surface and interface corresponds to a severe modification of the overlap of electron orbitals, that is, to a change of electron hybridization. Here we report a chemically and magnetically sensitive depth-dependent analysis of two paradigmatic systems, namely La1-xSrxMnO3 and (Ga,Mn)As. Supported by cluster calculations, we find a crossover between surface and bulk in the electron hybridization/correlation and we identify a spectroscopic fingerprint of bulk metallic character and ferromagnetism versus depth. The critical thickness and the gradient of hybridization are measured, setting an intrinsic limit of 3 and 10 unit cells from the surface, respectively, for (Ga,Mn)As and La1-xSrxMnO3, for fully restoring bulk properties.

Tuning the structure of ultrathin BaTiO3 films on Me(001) (Me=Fe, Pd, Pt) surfaces.

Using surface x-ray diffraction in combination with ab initio calculations, we demonstrate that the atomic structure of ultrathin BaTiO3 (BTO) films grown on Me(001) surfaces (Me=Fe, Pd, Pt) depends on subtle modifications of the interface chemical composition. A complete reversal of the surface termination from a BaO- [BTO on Fe(001)] to a TiO2-terminated film [BTO on Pt(001)] is observed which goes in parallel with the adsorption of submonolayer amounts of oxygen at metal hollow sites of the interface. Our results may suggest a new route to an overall control of both the surface and the interface geometry in BaTiO3/metal contacts.

Alanine scanning mutagenesis of an alphabeta T cell receptor: mapping the energy of antigen recognition.

The T cell receptor (TCR) from the alloreactive T lymphocyte 2C recognizes a nonamer peptide QL9 complexed with the MHC class I molecule H2-Ld. Forty-two single-site alanine substitutions of the 2C TCR were analyzed for binding to QL9/Ld and anti-TCR antibodies. The results provided a detailed energy map of T cell antigen recognition and indicated that the pMHC and clonotypic antibody epitopes on the TCR were similar. Although residues in each Valpha and Vbeta CDR are important in binding pMHC, the most significant energy for the TCR/QL9/Ld interaction was contributed by CDRs 1 and 2 of both alpha and beta chains. The extent to which the individual energy contributions are directed at class I helices or peptide was also assessed.

Transgene expression in Xenopus rods.

The photoreceptors of the vertebrate retina express a large number of proteins that are involved in the process of light transduction. These genes appear to be coordinately regulated at the level of transcription, with rod- and cone-specific isoforms (J. Hurley (1992) J. Bioenerg. Biomembr. 24, 219-226). The mechanisms that regulate gene expression in a rod/cone-specific fashion have been difficult to address using traditional approaches and remain unknown. Regulation of the phototransduction proteins is medically important, since mutations in several of them cause retinal degeneration (P. Rosenfeld and T. Dryja (1995) in: Molecular Genetics of Ocular Disease (J.L. Wiggs, Ed.), pp. 99-126, Wiley-Liss Inc.). An experimental system for rapidly producing retinas expressing a desired mutant would greatly facilitate investigations of retinal degeneration. We report here that transgenic frog embryos (K. Kroll and E. Amaya (1996) Development 122, 3173-3183) can be used to study cell-specific expression in the retina. We have used a 5.5 kb 5' upstream fragment from the Xenopus principal rod opsin gene (S. Batni et al. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 3179-3186) controlling a reporter gene, green fluorescent protein (GFP), to produce numerous independent transgenic Xenopus. We find that this construct drives expression only in the retina and pineal, which is apparent by 4 days post-nuclear injection. These are the first results using transgenic Xenopus for retinal promoter analysis and the potential for the expression in rod photoreceptors of proteins with dominant phenotypes.

A residue in the center of peptide QL9 affects binding to both Ld and the T cell receptor.

The TCR from the alloreactive clone 2C recognizes p2C (LSPFPFDL)/Ld and QL9 (QLSPFPFDL)/Ld complexes with affinities of 2 x 10(6) and 10(7) M(-1). Recently, it was proposed that the Phe at position 4 of p2C is critical for recognition by the 2C TCR. To further characterize the role of this peptide position in binding to Ld and in recognition by the 2C TCR, we changed the corresponding peptide position in QL9 (position 5) to other amino acids. Binding affinities of these peptides for Ld and of the peptide/Ld complexes for a soluble single chain TCR were determined. Unexpectedly, it was shown that this peptide position has a significant effect on Ld binding (100-fold), with positively charged and hydrophobic residues having a beneficial effect and negatively charged residues having a detrimental effect. Measurements of the binding affinities of these peptide/Ld complexes for the 2C TCR showed that at 4 degrees C only a Tyr substitution at this position retained high affinity for the TCR. However, significant differences in TCR binding were observed among QL9 peptide variants at 4 degrees C compared with that at 37 degrees C. The influence of this peptide position on both Ld binding and TCR binding may suggest that the 2C TCR recognizes an Ld conformational determinant that is altered by interactions with the residue at position 5 of QL9. A strong correlation was also observed between peptide-Ld affinity and the ability of peptides to sensitize Ld target cells for lysis by CTL 2C. The results are considered in view of recent models on the relationship between T cell activity and TCR-peptide-MHC binding properties.

Binding properties and solubility of single-chain T cell receptors expressed in E. coli.

The diversity and domain structure of alpha beta T cell receptors (TCR) are similar to immunoglobulins based on sequence homologies, but the three-dimensional structure of the alpha beta-heterodimer has not been solved. To begin structure/function studies, we have compared the properties of a soluble single-chain V alpha V beta TCR (scTCR) expressed in three E. coli systems. The V alpha and V beta regions were expressed with pelB or ompA signal sequences or as a thioredoxin fusion protein. The scTCRs were detected only in the insoluble fraction of the cells and could be solubilized in guanidine and renatured to obtain properly folded scTCR from each system. Only a small fraction (1-5%) of the ompA and pelB scTCRs folded properly. In contrast, the thioredoxin fusion protein exhibited high total yields and a solubility that was ten times higher than the other scTCRs. The thioredoxin fusion protein also bound specifically to the peptide/MHC ligand with a KD of approximately 0.7 microM, as shown by a competitive inhibition assay with Fab fragments that recognize the MHC complex. Furthermore, estimates from saturation binding with antibodies that react with the native TCR indicated that up to 80% of the thioredoxin fusion protein was in the properly folded form. The improved yield, solubility, and binding activity of the thioredoxin-scTCR should make it useful for various structure/ function studies.

Specificity and binding properties of a single-chain T cell receptor.

The specificity of a T cell is dictated by an alpha beta T cell receptor (TCR) that recognizes a complex of peptide and a product of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Recent studies have begun to characterize the affinities and kinetics of these interactions, but details of the alpha beta TCR structure and function are not known. To examine some of these issues we focus in this report on a TCR derived from the T cell clone 2C. This TCR binds to a complex of the nonapeptide QL9 and the class I MHC product Ld with the highest affinity of any known TCR/ligand interaction (KD approximately 10 (-7) M). Circular dichroism showed that a single-chain TCR (scTCR) containing linked V alpha and V beta regions from T cell 2C and refolded from Escherichia coli inclusion bodies exhibited the characteristic beta-sheet structure of immunoglobulins. A sensitive assay that is capable of detecting the interaction of soluble scTCR with peptide /MHC ligand on the surface of target cells was used to demonstrate that the peptide specificity of this scTCR reflects that of the TCR found on the surface of 2C. Analysis of several scTCR V alpha region mutants confirmed that the V alpha domain is critical for the specificity of scTCR binding. Finally, we identified some notable differences in the complementarity determining regions (CDR) of the 2C TCR compared to the CDR of previously characterized, cytochrome- specific TCR. These differences are discussed in the light of what is known about antibody binding sites, the high affinity of the 2C TCR, and the nature of the residues on QL9 that are predicted to interact with the TCR.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging of iron oxide-labeled neural transplants.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging in vivo of adult rat brains was used to observe the fate of iron oxide-labeled intracerebral neural grafts. The host animals received grafts of fetal (E17-E18) rat tissue prepared as cell suspensions and labeled by incubation with reconstituted Sendai viral envelopes containing iron oxide particles. Control studies were performed in animals following surgical trauma alone or transplantation of unlabeled cell suspensions. In vivo NMR imaging (either two-dimensional Fourier transform or three-dimensional Fourier transform) was performed once on each animal between 5 and 60 days postsurgery. The NMR images of the host brains containing the labeled cells showed sufficient anatomical detail for the identification of the major brain structures. The graft sites were seen in the T2-weighted NMR images as dark regions (low-intensity signal) in the cortex. Histochemical staining for ferric iron (prussian blue stain) demonstrated the presence of numerous prussian blue-positive cells in tissue sections corresponding to the dark regions in the NMR images. Surviving prussian blue-positive cells with neuron-like morphology were relatively more numerous 10 days after transplantation than at 1-2 months postgrafting. The NMR images and immunohistochemical and histochemical staining of hosts containing labeled cells suggest cell migration of astrocytes and macrophages up to 2 mm away from the graft sites. The migrating cells were primarily along fiber tracts in the host white matter. Prussian blue deposits were also present within the brains of the control animals, but the NMR images from the same animals did not contain distinct dark regions like those in the images of brains which had received labeled cell transplants. These results demonstrate that NMR imaging can be used to study cell survival and migration following neural grafting procedures.

Sequence diversity of T cell receptor alpha chain transcripts from BALB/c thymus.

Most of the diversity in T cell receptor subunits resides in the region that is the equivalent of the CDR3 of immunoglobulins. In order to learn more about the relative contributions of the various mechanisms that generate this diversity we have analyzed the sequences of alpha chain transcripts from BALB/c thymus. The J alpha repertoire of BALB/c mice was examined by comparison of new J alpha sequences and previously published sequences. Among the 41 J alpha genes examined, most of the diversity is located at the 5' end, consistent with the notion that this region contacts the antigen. VJ junctional diversity was examined by sequencing various V alpha J alpha combinations derived from different stages of development. Deletion of bases from the ends of V and J genes does not occur with equal frequency. A greater number of bases were deleted on average from the ends of J genes. Bases were added at junctions frequently in isolates from adult animals, consistent with the presence of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase. However, there were short stretches of sequences at junctions which were also present at the 5' end of J genes. These findings extend recent observations that alpha chain genes use multiple mechanisms for generating diversity.

Immunobiochemical and molecular biologic characterization of the cell proliferation-associated nuclear antigen that is defined by monoclonal antibody Ki-67.

The monoclonal antibody Ki-67 detects a human nuclear antigen that is present in proliferating cells, but absent in quiescent cells. The aim of this study was to characterize the Ki-67 antigen by means of immunobiochemical and molecular biology techniques. Enzymatic digestion experiments showed that this antigen is highly susceptible to protease treatment, and the antigen cannot be extracted by 0.1 normal HCl, indicating that Ki-67 antigen is a nonhistone protein. Immunoblot analysis of cell lysates with Ki-67 showed a double band with apparent molecular weights of 395 kd and 345 kd, regardless of whether the gels were run under reducing or nonreducing conditions. It is noteworthy that these bands were exclusively detectable in lysates prepared from proliferating cells, whereas they were absent in lysates obtained from quiescent cells. These immunobiochemical data are further substantiated by our molecular cloning approaches. By means of immunocloning with Ki-67, the authors isolated and sequenced several cDNA fragments from lambda gt11 libraries. A 1095-bp fragment gave a strong hybridization signal at 7.5 to 9.5 kb in Northern blot analysis with RNA prepared from proliferating cells, whereas it was negative with RNA prepared from quiescent cells. This cDNA fragment could be bacterially expressed, and in subsequent immunoblot analysis Ki-67 reacted exclusively with those fusion proteins that were derived from bacteria containing the insert in the right reading frame.