Mixed-valence state in the dilute-impurity regime of La-substituted SmB.

Homogeneous mixed-valence (MV) behaviour is one of the most intriguing phenomena of f-electron systems. Despite extensive efforts, a fundamental aspect which remains unsettled is the experimental determination of the limiting cases for which MV emerges. Here we address this question for SmB, a prototypical MV system characterized by two nearly-degenerate Sm and Sm configurations.

A topographical atlas of α-synuclein dosage and cell type-specific expression in adult mouse brain and peripheral organs.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide and presents pathologically with Lewy pathology and dopaminergic neurodegeneration. Lewy pathology contains aggregated α-synuclein (αSyn), a protein encoded by the SNCA gene which is also mutated or duplicated in a subset of familial PD cases. Due to its predominant presynaptic localization, immunostaining for the protein results in a diffuse reactivity pattern, providing little insight into the types of cells expressing αSyn.

Characterizing the differential distribution and targets of Sumo1 and Sumo2 in the mouse brain.

SUMOylation is an evolutionarily conserved eukaryotic posttranslational protein modification with broad biological relevance. Differentiating between the major small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) paralogs and uncovering paralog-specific functions has long been very difficult. To overcome this problem, we generated His-HA-Sumo2 and HA-Sumo2 knockin mouse lines, expanding upon our existing His-HA-Sumo1 mouse line, to establish a "toolbox" for Sumo1-Sumo2 comparisons Leveraging the specificity of the HA epitope, we performed whole-brain imaging and uncovered regional differences between Sumo1 and Sumo2 expression.

Probing FeSi, a -electron topological Kondo insulator candidate, with magnetic field, pressure, and microwaves.

Recently, evidence for a conducting surface state (CSS) below 19 K was reported for the correlated -electron small gap semiconductor FeSi. In the work reported herein, the CSS and the bulk phase of FeSi were probed via electrical resistivity ρ measurements as a function of temperature , magnetic field to 60 T, and pressure to 7.6 GPa, and by means of a magnetic field-modulated microwave spectroscopy (MFMMS) technique.

Crystal Chemistry and Physics of UCd.

In the phase diagram U-Cd, only one compound has been identified so far─UCd (space group 3̅). Since the discovery of this material, the physical properties of UCd have attracted a considerable amount of attention. In particular, its complex magnetic phase diagram─as a result of tuning with magnetic field or pressure─is not well-understood.

Synaptic location is a determinant of the detrimental effects of α-synuclein pathology to glutamatergic transmission in the basolateral amygdala.

The presynaptic protein α-synuclein (αSyn) has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). In PD, the amygdala is prone to develop insoluble αSyn aggregates, and it has been suggested that circuit dysfunction involving the amygdala contributes to the psychiatric symptoms. Yet, how αSyn aggregates affect amygdala function is unknown.

Constitutive nuclear accumulation of endogenous alpha-synuclein in mice causes motor impairment and cortical dysfunction, independent of protein aggregation.

A growing body of evidence suggests that nuclear alpha-synuclein (αSyn) plays a role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, this question has been difficult to address as controlling the localization of αSyn in experimental systems often requires protein overexpression, which affects its aggregation propensity. To overcome this, we engineered SncaNLS mice, which localize endogenous αSyn to the nucleus.

Exploring itinerant states in divalent hexaborides using rare-earth L edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering.

We present a study of resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectra collected at the rare-earth L edges of divalent hexaborides YbB and EuB. In both systems, RIXS-active features are observed at two distinct resonances separated by [Formula: see text] eV in incident energy, with angle-dependence suggestive of distinct photon scattering processes. RIXS spectra collected at the divalent absorption peak resemble the unoccupied 5d density of states calculated using density functional theory.

Transport gap in SmB protected against disorder.

The inverted resistance method was used in this study to extend the bulk resistivity of [Formula: see text] to a regime where the surface conduction overwhelms the bulk. Remarkably, regardless of the large off-stoichiometric growth conditions (inducing disorder by samarium vacancies, boron interstitials, etc.), the bulk resistivity shows an intrinsic thermally activated behavior that changes ∼7-10 orders of magnitude, suggesting that [Formula: see text] is an ideal insulator that is immune to disorder.

Quantum Oscillations in Flux-Grown SmB_{6} with Embedded Aluminum.

SmB_{6} is a candidate topological Kondo insulator that displays surface conduction at low temperatures. Here, we perform torque magnetization measurements as a means to detect de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) oscillations in SmB_{6} crystals grown by aluminum flux. We find that dHvA oscillations occur in single crystals containing embedded aluminum, originating from the flux used to synthesize SmB_{6}.

Evidence of a Nodal Line in the Superconducting Gap Symmetry of Noncentrosymmetric ThCoC_{2}.

The newly discovered noncentrosymmetric superconductor ThCoC_{2} exhibits numerous types of unconventional behavior in the field dependent heat capacity data. Here we present the first measurement of the gap symmetry of ThCoC_{2} by muon spin rotation and relaxation (μSR) measurements. The temperature dependence of the magnetic penetration depth measured using the transverse field μSR experiment reveals the evidence of a nodal pairing symmetry.

Spin rotation induced by applied pressure in the Cd-doped CeRhIn intermetallic compound.

The pressure evolution of the magnetic properties of the CeRhInCd heavy fermion compound was investigated by single crystal neutron magnetic diffraction and electrical resistivity experiments under applied pressure. From the neutron magnetic diffraction data, up to = 0.6 GPa, we found no changes in the magnetic structure or in the ordering temperature = 4.

Localized magnetic moments in metallic SrB single crystals.

The specific heat [Formula: see text] of metallic SrB single crystals shows an anomalous behavior for [Formula: see text] K which varies strongly with an applied magnetic field. This is consistent with a two-level Schottky system. We ascribe the excess of [Formula: see text] in this temperature range to localized magnetic moments.

Magnetic and defect probes of the SmB surface state.

The impact of nonmagnetic and magnetic impurities on topological insulators is a central focus concerning their fundamental physics and possible spintronics and quantum computing applications. Combining scanning tunneling spectroscopy with transport measurements, we investigate, both locally and globally, the effect of nonmagnetic and magnetic substituents in SmB, a predicted topological Kondo insulator. Around the so-introduced substitutents and in accord with theoretical predictions, the surface states are locally suppressed with different length scales depending on the substituent's magnetic properties.

Evidence for Ferromagnetic Clusters in the Colossal-Magnetoresistance Material EuB_{6}.

We combined scanning tunneling microscopy and locally resolved magnetic stray field measurements on the ferromagnetic semimetal EuB_{6}, which exhibits a complex ferromagnetic order and a colossal magnetoresistance effect. In a zero magnetic field, scanning tunneling spectroscopy visualizes the existence of local inhomogeneities in the electronic density of states, which we interpret as the localization of charge carriers due to the formation of magnetic polarons. Micro-Hall magnetometry measurements of the total stray field emanating from the end of a rectangular-shaped platelike sample reveals evidence for magnetic clusters also in finite magnetic fields.

Multi-q Mesoscale Magnetism in CeAuSb_{2}.

We report the discovery of a field driven transition from a single-q to multi-q spin density wave (SDW) in the tetragonal heavy fermion compound CeAuSb_{2}. Polarized along c, the sinusoidal SDW amplitude is 1.8(2)μ_{B}/Ce for T≪T_{N}=6.

4f Crystal Field Ground State of the Strongly Correlated Topological Insulator SmB_{6}.

We investigated the crystal-electric field ground state of the 4f manifold in the strongly correlated topological insulator SmB_{6} using core-level nonresonant inelastic x-ray scattering. The directional dependence of the scattering function that arises from higher multipole transitions establishes unambiguously that the Γ_{8} quartet state of the Sm f^{5}  J=5/2 configuration governs the ground-state symmetry and, hence, the topological properties of SmB_{6}. Our findings contradict the results of density functional calculations reported so far.

Quantum phase transition and destruction of Kondo effect in pressurized SmB.

SmB has been a well-known Kondo insulator for decades, but recently attracts extensive new attention as a candidate topological system. Studying SmB under pressure provides an opportunity to acquire the much-needed understanding about the effect of electron correlations on both the metallic surface state and bulk insulating state. Here we do so by studying the evolution of two transport gaps (low temperature gap E and high temperature gap E) associated with the Kondo effect by measuring the electrical resistivity under high pressure and low temperature (0.

Atomic-scale visualization of surface-assisted orbital order.

Orbital-related physics attracts growing interest in condensed matter research, but direct real-space access of the orbital degree of freedom is challenging. We report a first, real-space, imaging of a surface-assisted orbital ordered structure on a cobalt-terminated surface of the well-studied heavy fermion compound CeCoIn. Within small tip-sample distances, the cobalt atoms on a cleaved (001) surface take on dumbbell shapes alternatingly aligned in the [100] and [010] directions in scanning tunneling microscopy topographies.

Competing magnetic orders in the superconducting state of heavy-fermion CeRhIn.

Applied pressure drives the heavy-fermion antiferromagnet CeRhIn toward a quantum critical point that becomes hidden by a dome of unconventional superconductivity. Magnetic fields suppress this superconducting dome, unveiling the quantum phase transition of local character. Here, we show that [Formula: see text] magnetic substitution at the Ce site in CeRhIn, either by Nd or Gd, induces a zero-field magnetic instability inside the superconducting state.

Surface-dominated conduction up to 240 K in the Kondo insulator SmB under strain.

SmB is a strongly correlated mixed-valence Kondo insulator with a newly discovered surface state, proposed to be of non-trivial topological origin. However, the surface state dominates electrical conduction only below T ≈ 4 K (ref. ), limiting its scientific investigation and device application.

Additional energy scale in SmB at low-temperature.

Topological insulators give rise to exquisite electronic properties because of their spin-momentum locked Dirac-cone-like band structure. Recently, it has been suggested that the required opposite parities between valence and conduction band along with strong spin-orbit coupling can be realized in correlated materials. Particularly, SmB has been proposed as candidate material for a topological Kondo insulator.

Quasi-particle interference of heavy fermions in resonant x-ray scattering.

Resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) has recently become an increasingly important tool for the study of ordering phenomena in correlated electron systems. Yet, the interpretation of RXS experiments remains theoretically challenging because of the complexity of the RXS cross section. Central to this debate is the recent proposal that impurity-induced Friedel oscillations, akin to quasi-particle interference signals observed with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), can lead to scattering peaks in RXS experiments.

Topological surface states interacting with bulk excitations in the Kondo insulator SmB6 revealed via planar tunneling spectroscopy.

Samarium hexaboride (SmB6), a well-known Kondo insulator in which the insulating bulk arises from strong electron correlations, has recently attracted great attention owing to increasing evidence for its topological nature, thereby harboring protected surface states. However, corroborative spectroscopic evidence is still lacking, unlike in the weakly correlated counterparts, including Bi2Se3 Here, we report results from planar tunneling that unveil the detailed spectroscopic properties of SmB6 The tunneling conductance obtained on the (001) and (011) single crystal surfaces reveals linear density of states as expected for two and one Dirac cone(s), respectively. Quite remarkably, it is found that these topological states are not protected completely within the bulk hybridization gap.

Radio Frequency Tunable Oscillator Device Based on a SmB_{6} Microcrystal.

Radio frequency tunable oscillators are vital electronic components for signal generation, characterization, and processing. They are often constructed with a resonant circuit and a "negative" resistor, such as a Gunn diode, involving complex structure and large footprints. Here we report that a piece of SmB_{6}, 100  μm in size, works as a current-controlled oscillator in the 30 MHz frequency range.