Nodal to nodeless superconducting energy-gap structure change concomitant with fermi-surface reconstruction in the heavy-fermion compound CeCoIn(5).

The London penetration depth λ(T) was measured in single crystals of Ce_{1-x}R_{x}CoIn_{5}, R=La, Nd, and Yb down to T_{min}≈50 mK (T_{c}/T_{min}∼50) using a tunnel-diode resonator. In the cleanest samples Δλ(T) is best described by the power law Δλ(T)∝T^{n}, with n∼1, consistent with the existence of line nodes in the superconducting gap. Substitutions of Ce with La, Nd, and Yb lead to similar monotonic suppressions of T_{c}; however, the effects on Δλ(T) differ. While La and Nd substitution leads to an increase in the exponent n and saturation at n∼2, as expected for a dirty nodal superconductor, Yb substitution leads to n>3, suggesting a change from nodal to nodeless superconductivity. This superconducting gap structure change happens in the same doping range where changes of the Fermi-surface topology were reported, implying that the nodal structure and Fermi-surface topology are closely linked.

A simple but reliable method for measuring 3D Achilles tendon moment arm geometry from a single, static magnetic resonance scan.

Current methods for measuring in vivo 3D muscle-tendon moment arms generally rely on the acquisition of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans at multiple joint angles. However, for patients with musculoskeletal pathologies such as fixed contractures, moving a joint through its full range of motion is not always feasible. The purpose of this research was to develop a simple, but reliable in vivo 3D Achilles tendon moment arm (ATMA) technique from a single static MRI scan. To accomplish this, for nine healthy adults (5 males, 4 females), the geometry of a cylinder was fit to the 3D form of the talus dome, which was used to estimate the talocrural flexion/extension axis, and a fifth-order polynomial fit to the line of action of the Achilles tendon. The single static scan in vivo 3D ATMA estimates were compared to estimates obtained from the same subjects at the same ankle joint angles using a previously validated 3D dynamic MRI based in vivo ATMA measurement technique. The ATMA estimates from the single scan in vivo 3D method (52.5mm±5.6) were in excellent agreement (ICC=0.912) to the validated in vivo 3D method (51.5mm±5.1). These data show reliable in vivo 3D ATMA can be obtained from a single MRI scan for healthy adult populations. The single scan, in vivo 3D ATMA technique provides researchers with a simple, but reliable method for obtaining subject-specific ATMAs for musculoskeletal modelling purposes.

Robust upward dispersion of the neutron spin resonance in the heavy fermion superconductor Ce1-xYbxCoIn5.

The neutron spin resonance is a collective magnetic excitation that appears in the unconventional copper oxide, iron pnictide and heavy fermion superconductors. Although the resonance is commonly associated with a spin-exciton due to the d(s±)-wave symmetry of the superconducting order parameter, it has also been proposed to be a magnon-like excitation appearing in the superconducting state. Here we use inelastic neutron scattering to demonstrate that the resonance in the heavy fermion superconductor Ce1-xYbxCoIn5 with x=0, 0.05 and 0.3 has a ring-like upward dispersion that is robust against Yb-doping. By comparing our experimental data with a random phase approximation calculation using the electronic structure and the momentum dependence of the -wave superconducting gap determined from scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) for CeCoIn5, we conclude that the robust upward-dispersing resonance mode in Ce1-xYbxCoIn5 is inconsistent with the downward dispersion predicted within the spin-exciton scenario.

Magnetic, thermal, and transport properties of the actinide based noncentrosymmetric compounds Th2Fe12P7 and U2Fe12P7.

Magnetization, specific heat, and electrical resistivity measurements on single crystals of the noncentrosymmetric actinide based compounds U2Fe12P7 and Th2Fe12P7 are reported. The measurements reveal that U2Fe12P7 displays antiferromagnetic order at a Néel temperature T(N) ≈ 14 K, while Th2Fe12P7 is a metal which exhibits Pauli paramagnetism with no evidence for superconductivity for T ≥ 1.1 K. Magnetization measurements on U2Fe12P7 show complicated magnetic behavior involving the U and, possibly, Fe ions, as well; e.g., hysteretic temperature and field dependences and metamagnetism. Electrical resistivity measurements on U2Fe12P7 also indicate large spin disorder scattering of conduction electrons for T ≥ T(N).

The non-centrosymmetric heavy fermion ferromagnet Sm2Fe12P7.

We report measurements of the electrical resistivity, magnetization and specific heat on single crystals of the non-centrosymmetric compound Sm2Fe12P7. The magnetization measurements demonstrate that Sm2Fe12P7 exhibits ferromagnetic order below TM, 1 = 6.3 K. The ratio of the effective magnetic moment obtained from a Curie-Weiss fit to the magnetic susceptibility in the paramagnetic state, to the saturation magnetic moment in the ordered state indicates that the ordered state is associated with itinerant electrons. The specific heat measurements reveal an enhanced value for the coefficient of the electronic specific heat γ ∼ 450 mJ mol (-1) K (-2) that is accompanied by a large coefficient A of the T(2) term in the electrical resistivity at low temperatures, suggesting a heavy fermion ground state. Several consecutive magnetic phase transitions indicative of competing magnetic energy scales and the observation of a metamagnetic transition in the magnetization data additionally suggest proximity to a quantum critical point.