arXiv subjects

J. Robert

Publications and source records attributed to J. Robert.

39 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Easy-Axis Kagomé Antiferromagnet: Local-Probe Study of Nd$_3$Ga$_5$SiO$_{14}$

We report a local-probe investigation of the magnetically anisotropic kagomé compound Nd$_3$Ga$_5$SiO$_{14}$. Our zero-field $μ$SR results provide a direct evidence of a fluctuating collective paramagnetic state down to 60 mK, supported by a wipe-out of the Ga nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal below 25 K. At 60 mK a dynamics crossover to a much more static state is observed by $μ$SR in magnetic fields above 0.5 T. Accordingly, the NMR signal is recovered at low $T$ above a threshold field, revealing a rapid temperature and field variation of the magnetic fluctuations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Magnetic Frustration on a Kagomé Lattice in R$\_{3}$Ga$\_{5}$SiO$\_{14}$ Langasites with R = Nd, Pr

In the R$\_{3}$Ga$\_{5}$SiO$\_{14}$ compounds, the network R of rare earth cations form well separated planes of corner sharing triangles topologically equivalent to a kagomé lattice. Powder samples and single crystals with R = Nd and Pr were prepared and magnetostatic measurements were performed under magnetic field up to 10 T in the temperature range from 1.6 K to 400 K. Analysis of the magnetic susceptibility at the high temperatures where only the quadrupolar term of the crystal electric field prevails, suggests that the Nd and Pr magnetic moments can be modeled as coplanar elliptic rotators perpendicular to the three fold axis of the crystal structure that interact antiferromagnetically. Nonetheless, a disordered phase that can be ascribed to geometric frustration persists down to the lowest temperature which is about 25 times smaller than the energy scale for the exchange interactions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2003

Probing complex RNA structures by mechanical force

RNA secondary structures of increasing complexity are probed combining single molecule stretching experiments and stochastic unfolding/refolding simulations. We find that force-induced unfolding pathways cannot usually be interpretated by solely invoking successive openings of native helices. Indeed, typical force-extension responses of complex RNA molecules are largely shaped by stretching-induced, long-lived intermediates including non-native helices. This is first shown for a set of generic structural motifs found in larger RNA structures, and then for Escherichia coli's 1540-base long 16S ribosomal RNA, which exhibits a surprisingly well-structured and reproducible unfolding pathway under mechanical stretching. Using out-of-equilibrium stochastic simulations, we demonstrate that these experimental results reflect the slow relaxation of RNA structural rearrangements. Hence, micromanipulations of single RNA molecules probe both their native structures and long-lived intermediates, so-called "kinetic traps", thereby capturing -at the single molecular level- the hallmark of RNA folding/unfolding dynamics.

physics.bio-ph↗