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The energy levels of hydrogen-like atomic systems can be calculated with great precision. Starting from their quantum mechanical solution, they have been refined over the years to include the electron spin, the relativistic and quantum field effects, and tiny energy shifts related to the complex structure of the nucleus. These energy shifts caused by the nuclear structure are vastly magnified in hydrogen-like systems formed by a negative muon and a nucleus, so spectroscopy of these muonic ions can be used to investigate the nuclear structure with high precision. Here we present the measurement of two 2S–2P transitions in the muonic helium-4 ion that yields a precise determination of the root-mean-square charge radius of the α particle of 1.67824(83) femtometres. This determination from atomic spectroscopy is in excellent agreement with the value from electron scattering1, but a factor of 4.8 more precise, providing a benchmark for few-nucleon theories, lattice quantum chromodynamics and electron scattering. This agreement also constrains several beyond-standard-model theories proposed to explain the proton-radius puzzle2,3,4,5, in line with recent determinations of the proton charge radius6,7,8,9, and establishes spectroscopy of light muonic atoms and ions as a precise tool for studies of nuclear properties., Nature, 589 (7843), ISSN:0028-0836, ISSN:1476-4687

International audience; Nowadays metamaterials are at the focus of an intense research as promising for thermal and acoustic engineering. However, the computational cost associated to the large system size required for correctly simulating them imposes the use of finite-elements simulations, developing continuum models, able to grasp the physics at play without entering in the atomistic details. Still, a correct description should be able to reproduce not only the extrinsic scattering sources on waves propagation, as introduced by the metamaterial microstructure, but also the intrinsic wave attenuation of the material itself. This becomes dramatically important when the metamaterial is made out of a glass, which is intrinsically highly dissipative and with a wave attenuation strongly dependent on frequency. Here we propose a continuum mechanical model for a viscoelastic medium, able to bridge atomic and macroscopic scale in amorphous materials and describe phonon attenuation due to atomistic mechanisms, characterized by a defined frequency dependence. This represents a first decisive step for investigating the effect of a complex nano- or microstructure on acoustic attenuation, while including the atomistic contribution as well.

Neuromorphic computing uses basic principles inspired by the brain to design circuits that perform artificial intelligence tasks with superior energy efficiency. Traditional approaches have been limited by the energy area of artificial neurons and synapses realized with conventional electronic devices. In recent years, multiple groups have demonstrated that spintronic nanodevices, which exploit the magnetic as well as electrical properties of electrons, can increase the energy efficiency and decrease the area of these circuits. Among the variety of spintronic devices that have been used, magnetic tunnel junctions play a prominent role because of their established compatibility with standard integrated circuits and their multifunctionality. Magnetic tunnel junctions can serve as synapses, storing connection weights, functioning as local, nonvolatile digital memory or as continuously varying resistances. As nano-oscillators, they can serve as neurons, emulating the oscillatory behavior of sets of biological neurons. As superparamagnets, they can do so by emulating the random spiking of biological neurons. Magnetic textures like domain walls or skyrmions can be configured to function as neurons through their non-linear dynamics. Several implementations of neuromorphic computing with spintronic devices demonstrate their promise in this context. Used as variable resistance synapses, magnetic tunnel junctions perform pattern recognition in an associative memory. As oscillators, they perform spoken digit recognition in reservoir computing and when coupled together, classification of signals. As superparamagnets, they perform population coding and probabilistic computing. Simulations demonstrate that arrays of nanomagnets and films of skyrmions can operate as components of neuromorphic computers. While these examples show the unique promise of spintronics in this field, there are several challenges to scaling up, including the efficiency of coupling between devices and the relatively low ratio of maximum to minimum resistances in the individual devices.

Identifying materials with an efficient spin-to-charge conversion is crucial for future spintronic applications. In this respect, the spin Hall effect is a central mechanism as it allows for the interconversion of spin and charge currents. Spintronic material research aims at maximizing its efficiency, quantified by the spin Hall angle and the spin-current relaxation length . We develop an all-optical contact-free method with large sample throughput that allows us to extract and . Employing terahertz spectroscopy and an analytical model, magnetic metallic heterostructures involving Pt, W and Cu80Ir20 are characterized in terms of their optical and spintronic properties. The validity of our analytical model is confirmed by the good agreement with literature DC values. For the samples considered here, we find indications that the interface plays a minor role for the spin-current transmission. Our findings establish terahertz emission spectroscopy as a reliable tool complementing the spintronics workbench., Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 51 (36), ISSN:0022-3727, ISSN:1361-6463

We consider multi-component quantum mixtures (bosonic, fermionic, or mixed) with strongly repulsive contact interactions in a one-dimensional harmonic trap. In the limit of infinitely strong repulsion and zero temperature, using the class-sum method, we study the symmetries of the spatial wave function of the mixture. We find that the ground state of the system has the most symmetric spatial wave function allowed by the type of mixture. This provides an example of the generalized Lieb-Mattis theorem. Furthermore, we show that the symmetry properties of the mixture are embedded in the large-momentum tails of the momentum distribution, which we evaluate both at infinite repulsion by an exact solution and at finite interactions using a numerical DMRG approach. This implies that an experimental measurement of the Tan's contact would allow to unambiguously determine the symmetry of any kind of multi-component mixture., 19 pages, 6 figures

International audience; Sub-100-nm skyrmions are stabilized in magnetic metallic multilayers and observed using transmission electron microscopy, magnetic force microscopy, scanning transmission X-ray microscopy and X-ray resonant magnetic scattering. All these advanced imaging techniques demonstrate the presence of "pure" Néel skyrmion textures with a determined chirality. Combining these observations with electrical measurements allows us to demonstrate reproducible skyrmion nucleation using current pulses, and measure their contribution to the transverse resistivity to detect them electrically. Once nucleated, skyrmions can be moved using charge currents. We find predominantly a creep-like regime, characterized by disordered skyrmion motion, as observed by atomic force microscopy and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy. These observations are explained qualitatively and to some extent quantitatively by the presence of crystalline grains of about 20 nm lateral size with a distribution of magnetic properties.

By calculating all terms of the high-density expansion of the euclidean random matrix theory (up to second-order in the inverse density) for the vibrational spectrum of a topologically disordered system we show that the low-frequency behavior of the self energy is given by $\Sigma(k,z)\propto k^2z^{d/2}$ and not $\Sigma(k,z)\propto k^2z^{(d-2)/2}$, as claimed previously. This implies the presence of Rayleigh scattering and long-time tails of the velocity autocorrelation function of the analogous diffusion problem of the form $Z(t)\propto t^{(d+2)/2}$., Comment: 27 pages

This article reviews recent experimental and theoretical progress on many-body phenomena in dilute, ultracold gases. Its focus are effects beyond standard weak-coupling descriptions, like the Mott-Hubbard-transition in optical lattices, strongly interacting gases in one and two dimensions or lowest Landau level physics in quasi two-dimensional gases in fast rotation. Strong correlations in fermionic gases are discussed in optical lattices or near Feshbach resonances in the BCS-BEC crossover., revised version, accepted for publication in Rev. Mod. Phys

The recent discovery that magnetic domain walls can be moved under a small current without any magnetic field opens a perspective for a paradigm shift in mass storage design. However, several fundamental questions must be answered before the technology can be considered feasible. This review covers the current understanding of domain wall (DW) propagation in CoFeB–MgO structures with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. These films exhibit a very low density of pinning centers and can be integrated in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions, making them very promising for manipulating multiple domain walls in ultra-high-density spintronic devices. Several important issues are addressed: the physics of magnetic field, current and electric field driven domain wall motion, the characterization of the pinning potential on the nanoscale, the demonstration of artificial storing pinning sites, and the evaluation of domain wall propagation for logic and memory design integrated into complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology.

We perform numerical simulations of the lattice-animal problem at the upper critical dimension d=8 on hypercubic lattices in order to investigate logarithmic corrections to scaling there. Our stochastic sampling method is based on the pruned-enriched Rosenbluth method (PERM), appropriate to linear polymers, and yields high statistics with animals comprised of up to 8000 sites. We estimate both the partition sums (number of different animals) and the radii of gyration. We re-verify the Parisi-Sourlas prediction for the leading exponents and compare the logarithmic-correction exponents to two partially differing sets of predictions from the literature. Finally, we propose, and test, a new Parisi-Sourlas-type scaling relation appropriate for the logarithmic-correction exponents., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures

International audience; The depopulation of excited states in beams of negatively charged carbon and silicon ions was demonstrated using collisional detachment and laser photodetachment in a radio frequency quadrupole ion guide filled with helium. The high lying, loosely bound 2 D excited state in C − was completely depleted through collisional detachment alone, which was quantitatively determined within 6%. For Si − the combined signal from the population in the 2 P and 2 D excited states was only partly depleted through collisions in the cooler. The loosely bound 2 P state was likely to be completely depopulated and the more tightly bound 2 D state was partly depopulated through collisions. 98(2)% of the remaining 2 D population was removed by photodetachment in the cooler using less than 2 W laser power. The total reduction of the excited population in Si −, including collisional detachment and photodetachment, was estimated to be 99(1)%. Employing this novel technique to produce a pure ground state negative ion beam offers possibilities to enhance selectivity, as well as accuracy, in high precision experiments on atomic as well as molecular negative ions.

9 pages; International audience; Molecular dynamics simulations of a dense melt of short bead-spring polymer chains containing N = 5, 10, or 25 effective monomers are presented and analyzed. Parts of our simulations include also a single dumbbell (N = 2) of the same type, which is interpreted to represent a coarse-grained model for a fluorescent probe molecule as used in corresponding experiments. We obtain the mean-square displacements of monomers and chains center of mass, and intermediate incoherent scattering functions of both monomers in the chains and particles in the dumbbells as function of time for a broad regime of temperatures above the critical temperature Tc of mode-coupling theory. For both the chains and the dumbbell, also orientational autocorrelation functions are calculated and for the dumbbell time series for the time evolution of linear dichroism and its autocorrelation function are studied. From both sets of data we find that both the mode-coupling critical temperature Tc (representing the “cage effect”) and the Vogel–Fulcher temperature T0 (representing the caloric glass transition temperature) systematically increase with chain length. Furthermore, the dumbbell dynamics yields detailed information on the differences in the matrix dynamics that are caused by the chain length variation. Deviations from the Stokes–Einstein relation are discussed, and an outlook to related experiments is given.

We probe the energy landscape of the 3D Edwards-Anderson spin glass in a magnetic field to test for a spin glass ordering. We find that the spin glass susceptibility is anomalously large on the lattice sizes we can reach. Our data suggest that a transition from the spin glass to the paramagnetic phase takes place at ${B}_{c}\ensuremath{\approx}0.65$, though the possibility ${B}_{c}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0$ cannot be excluded. We also discuss the question of the nature of the putative frozen phase.

We describe a numerical algorithm for computing spin glass ground states with a high level of reliability. The method uses a population based search and applies optimization on multiple scales. Benchmarks are given leading to estimates of the performance on large lattices., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, RevTex format

The band structures of the Heusler compounds Co2Cr0.6Fe0.4Al and Co2FeAl were investigated in situ by angle-resolved ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy. The samples were prepared by a sputtering process optimized for tunnelling junction preparation, the photoemission process in the normal direction of the (0 0 1)-oriented thin films was excited by a helium gas discharge lamp (hν = 21.2 eV and hν = 40.8 eV). The spectra of clean samples are compared with calculations of the total and partial bulk density of states and are evaluated within the three-step model of photoemission. Basic agreement with theoretical predictions of the bulk band structure is concluded. At oxygen exposures of the thin films of only 1 Langmuir a chemisorption phase with significant changes in the valence-band spectrum near the Fermi energy is observed. At 10 L oxygen the spectra are indicative of an oxide within the UPS probing depth.

International audience; Complementary studies of 191 Pb have been made in the β decay of 191 Bi at LISOL (CRC) and in the α decay of 195 Po at ISOLDE (CERN). Fine structures in the α decay of the low-spin and high-spin isomers of 195 Po have been fully resolved. Identification of the parent state is made possible via isomer selection based on narrowband laser frequency scanning. The α-particle and γ-ray energies have been determined with greater precision. New α-particle and γ-ray energies are identified. Branching ratios in the decay of 195 Po and 191 Pb have been examined. Structure of 191 Pb from α- and β-decay spectroscopy 2 PACS numbers: 23.20.Nx Internal conversion, 23.60.+e α decay, 27.80.+w 190 ≤ A ≤ 219, 29.38.-c Radioactive beams, 32.10.Fn Fine and hyperfine structure Structure of 191 Pb from α- and β-decay spectroscopy 3

International audience; shift measurements in the 2s 1/2 → 2p 3/2 transition of Be + and extraction of the nuclear charge radii for 7, 10, 11 Be Abstract. We have performed isotope shift measurements in the 2s 1/2 → 2p 3/2 transition of Be + ions using advanced collinear laser spectroscopy with two counterpropagating laser beams. Measurements involving a frequency comb for laser stabilization and absolute frequency determination allowed us to determine the isotope shifts with an accuracy of 2 MHz. From the isotope shifts between 9 Be and 7, 10, 11 Be, high-accuracy mass shift calculations and the charge radius of the reference isotope 9 Be we determined nuclear charge radii for the isotopes 7, 10 Be and the one-neutron halo nucleus 11 Be. The results are compared to nuclear-structure calculations using the Fermionic Molecular Dynamics model which reproduce well the general trend of the radii. Decreasing charge radii from 7 Be to 10 Be are explained by the cluster structure of the nuclei. The increase from 10 Be to 11 Be is mainly caused by the halo neutron by which the 10 Be core moves relative to the center of mass. Polarization of the 10 Be core has only a small influence on the charge radius.

International audience; The magnetic dipolar coupling of head-to-head domain walls is studied in 350 nm wide NiFe and Co nanostructures by high resolution magnetic imaging. We map the stray field of a domain wall directly with sub-10-nm resolution using off-axis electron holography and find that the field intensity decreases as 1/r with distance. By using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism photoemission electron microscopy, we observe that the spin structures of interacting domain walls change from vortex to transverse walls, when the distance between the walls is reduced to below (77±5) nm for 27 nm thick NiFe and (224±65) nm for 30 nm thick Co elements. Using measured stray field values, the energy barrier height distribution for the nucleation of a vortex core is obtained.

Strongly correlated quantum systems are among the most intriguing and fundamental systems in physics. One such example is the Tonks−Girardeau gas1, 2, proposed about 40 years ago, but until now lacking experimental realization; in such a gas, the repulsive interactions between bosonic particles confined to one dimension dominate the physics of the system. In order to minimize their mutual repulsion, the bosons are prevented from occupying the same position in space. This mimics the Pauli exclusion principle for fermions, causing the bosonic particles to exhibit fermionic properties1, 2. However, such bosons do not exhibit completely ideal fermionic (or bosonic) quantum behaviour; for example, this is reflected in their characteristic momentum distribution3. Here we report the preparation of a Tonks−Girardeau gas of ultracold rubidium atoms held in a two-dimensional optical lattice formed by two orthogonal standing waves. The addition of a third, shallower lattice potential along the long axis of the quantum gases allows us to enter the Tonks−Girardeau regime by increasing the atoms' effective mass and thereby enhancing the role of interactions. We make a theoretical prediction of the momentum distribution based on an approach in which trapped bosons acquire fermionic properties, finding that it agrees closely with the measured distribution.

During ultrafast demagnetization of a magnetically ordered solid, angular momentum has to be transferred between the spins, electrons, and phonons in the system on femto- and picosecond timescales. Although the intrinsic spin-transfer mechanisms are intensely debated, additional extrinsic mechanisms arising due to nanoscale heterogeneity have only recently entered the discussion. Here we use femtosecond X-ray pulses from a free-electron laser to study thin film samples with magnetic domain patterns. We observe an infrared-pump-induced change of the spin structure within the domain walls on the sub-picosecond timescale. This domain-topography-dependent contribution connects the intrinsic demagnetization process in each domain with spin-transport processes across the domain walls, demonstrating the importance of spin-dependent electron transport between differently magnetized regions as an ultrafast demagnetization channel. This pathway exists independent from structural inhomogeneities such as chemical interfaces, and gives rise to an ultrafast spatially varying response to optical pump pulses., Ultrafast demagnetization occurs when magnetically ordered solids are exposed to femtosecond light pulses, yet the exact spin-transfer mechanism is still debated. Combining ultrashort X-rays and infrared laser pulses, Pfau et al. show the importance of spin transport between domains in thin magnetic films.