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In order to identify the mechanism responsible for the formation of charge-density waves (CDW) in cuprate superconductors, it is important to understand which aspects of the CDW's microscopic structure are generic and which are material-dependent. Here, we show that, at the local scale probed by NMR, long-range CDW order in YBa 2 Cu 3 O y is unidirectional with a commensurate period of three unit cells (λ = 3b), implying that the incommensurability found in X-ray scattering is ensured by phase slips (discommensurations). Furthermore, NMR spectra reveal a predominant oxygen character of the CDW with an out-of-phase relationship between certain lattice sites but no specific signature of a secondary CDW with λ = 6b associated with a putative pair-density wave. These results shed light on universal aspects of the cuprate CDW. In particular, its spatial profile appears to generically result from the interplay between an incommensurate tendency at long length scales, possibly related to properties of the Fermi surface, and local commensuration effects, due to electron-electron interactions or lock-in to the lattice.

We present a detailed study of the temperature (T) and magnetic field (H) dependence of the electronic density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level, as deduced from specific heat and Knight shift measurements in underdoped YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{y}. We find that the DOS becomes field independent above a characteristic field H_{DOS}, and that the H_{DOS}(T) line displays an unusual inflection near the onset of the long-range 3D charge-density wave order. The unusual S shape of H_{DOS}(T) is suggestive of two mutually exclusive orders that eventually establish a form of cooperation in order to coexist at low T. On theoretical grounds, such a collaboration could result from the stabilization of a pair-density wave state, which calls for further investigation in this region of the phase diagram.

The value of the upper critical field H c 2 , a fundamental characteristic of the superconducting state, has been subject to strong controversy in high- T c copper oxides. Since the issue has been tackled almost exclusively by macroscopic techniques so far, there is a clear need for local-probe measurements. Here, we use 17 O NMR to measure the spin susceptibility [Formula: see text] of the CuO 2 planes at low temperature in charge-ordered YBa 2 Cu 3 O y We find that [Formula: see text] increases (most likely linearly) with magnetic field H and saturates above field values ranging from 20 T to 40 T. This result is consistent with the lowest H c 2 values claimed previously and with the interpretation that the charge density wave (CDW) reduces H c 2 in underdoped YBa 2 Cu 3 O y Furthermore, the absence of marked deviation in [Formula: see text] at the onset of long-range CDW order indicates that this [Formula: see text] reduction and the Fermi-surface reconstruction are primarily rooted in the short-range CDW order already present in zero field, not in the field-induced long-range CDW order. Above [Formula: see text], the relatively low values of [Formula: see text] at [Formula: see text] K show that the pseudogap is a ground-state property, independent of the superconducting gap., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

We report the NMR observation of a skewed distribution of ^{17}O Knight shifts when a magnetic field quenches superconductivity and induces long-range charge-density-wave (CDW) order in YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{y}. This distribution is explained by an inhomogeneous pattern of the local density of states N(E_{F}) arising from quasiparticle scattering off, yet unidentified, defects in the CDW state. We argue that the effect is most likely related to the formation of quasiparticle bound states, as is known to occur, under specific circumstances, in some metals and superconductors (but not in the CDW state, in general, except for very few cases in 1D materials). These observations should provide insight into the microscopic nature of the CDW, especially regarding the reconstructed band structure and the sensitivity to disorder.

Our measurements of the ^{59}Co NMR spin-spin relaxation in URh_{0.9}Co_{0.1}Ge reveal a divergence of electronic spin fluctuations in the vicinity of the field-induced quantum critical point at H_{R}≈13  T, around which reentrant superconductivity (RSC) occurs in the ferromagnetic heavy fermion compound URhGe. We map out the strength of spin fluctuations in the (H_{b},H_{c}) plane of magnetic field components and show that critical fluctuations develop in the same limited region near the field H_{R} as that where RSC is observed. This strongly suggests these quantum fluctuations as the pairing glue responsible for the RSC. The fluctuations observed are characteristic of a tricritical point, followed by a phase bifurcation toward quantum critical end points.

The pseudogap regime of high-temperature cuprates harbours diverse manifestations of electronic ordering whose exact nature and universality remain debated. Here, we show that the short-ranged charge order recently reported in the normal state of YBa2Cu3Oy corresponds to a truly static modulation of the charge density. We also show that this modulation impacts on most electronic properties, that it appears jointly with intra-unit-cell nematic, but not magnetic, order, and that it exhibits differences with the charge density wave observed at lower temperatures in high magnetic fields. These observations prove mostly universal, they place new constraints on the origin of the charge density wave and they reveal that the charge modulation is pinned by native defects. Similarities with results in layered metals such as NbSe2, in which defects nucleate halos of incipient charge density wave at temperatures above the ordering transition, raise the possibility that order-parameter fluctuations, but no static order, would be observed in the normal state of most cuprates if disorder were absent.

The continuous reduction in size of spintronic devices requires the development of structures, which are insensitive to parasitic external magnetic fields, while preserving the magnetoresistive signals of existing systems based on giant or tunnel magnetoresistance. This could be obtained in tunnel anisotropic magnetoresistance structures incorporating an antiferromagnetic, instead of a ferromagnetic, material. To turn this promising concept into real devices, new magnetic materials with large spin-orbit effects must be identified. Here we demonstrate that Mn2Au is not a Pauli paramagnet as hitherto believed but an antiferromagnet with Mn moments of ~4 μB. The particularly large strength of the exchange interactions leads to an extrapolated Néel temperature well above 1,000 K, so that ground-state magnetic properties are essentially preserved up to room temperature and above. Combined with the existence of a significant in-plane anisotropy, this makes Mn2Au the most promising material for antiferromagnetic spintronics identified so far.

Evidence is mounting that charge order competes with superconductivity in high Tc cuprates. Whether this has any relationship to the pairing mechanism is unknown as neither the universality of the competition nor its microscopic nature has been established. Here, we show using nuclear magnetic resonance that charge order in YBa2Cu3Oy has maximum strength inside the superconducting dome, similar to compounds of the La2-x(Sr,Ba)xCuO4 family. In YBa2Cu3Oy, this occurs at doping levels of p=0.11-0.12. We further show that the overlap of halos of incipient charge order around vortex cores, similar to those visualised in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ, can explain the threshold magnetic field at which long-range charge order emerges. These results reveal universal features of a competition in which charge order and superconductivity appear as joint instabilities of the same normal state, whose relative balance can be field-tuned in the vortex state.

Electronic charges introduced in copper-oxide (CuO(2)) planes generate high-transition-temperature (T(c)) superconductivity but, under special circumstances, they can also order into filaments called stripes. Whether an underlying tendency towards charge order is present in all copper oxides and whether this has any relationship with superconductivity are, however, two highly controversial issues. To uncover underlying electronic order, magnetic fields strong enough to destabilize superconductivity can be used. Such experiments, including quantum oscillations in YBa(2)Cu(3)O(y) (an extremely clean copper oxide in which charge order has not until now been observed) have suggested that superconductivity competes with spin, rather than charge, order. Here we report nuclear magnetic resonance measurements showing that high magnetic fields actually induce charge order, without spin order, in the CuO(2) planes of YBa(2)Cu(3)O(y). The observed static, unidirectional, modulation of the charge density breaks translational symmetry, thus explaining quantum oscillation results, and we argue that it is most probably the same 4a-periodic modulation as in stripe-ordered copper oxides. That it develops only when superconductivity fades away and near the same 1/8 hole doping as in La(2-x)Ba(x)CuO(4) (ref. 1) suggests that charge order, although visibly pinned by CuO chains in YBa(2)Cu(3)O(y), is an intrinsic propensity of the superconducting planes of high-T(c) copper oxides.

Suppression of the invasive plant Salvinia molesta by the salvinia weevil is an iconic example of successful biological control. However, in the billabongs (oxbow lakes) of Kakadu National Park, Australia, control is fitful and incomplete. By fitting a process-based nonlinear model to thirteen-year data sets from four billabongs, here we show that incomplete control can be explained by alternative stable states--one state in which salvinia is suppressed and the other in which salvinia escapes weevil control. The shifts between states are associated with annual flooding events. In some years, high water flow reduces weevil populations, allowing the shift from a controlled to an uncontrolled state; in other years, benign conditions for weevils promote the return shift to the controlled state. In most described ecological examples, transitions between alternative stable states are relatively rare, facilitated by slow-moving environmental changes, such as accumulated nutrient loading or climate change. The billabongs of Kakadu give a different manifestation of alternative stable states that generate complex and seemingly unpredictable dynamics. Because shifts between alternative stable states are stochastic, they present a potential management strategy to maximize effective biological control: when the domain of attraction to the state of salvinia control is approached, augmentation of the weevil population or reduction of the salvinia biomass may allow the lower state to trap the system.

Rapid adaptive evolution has been advocated as a mechanism that promotes invasion. Demonstrating adaptive evolution in invasive species requires rigorous analysis of phenotypic shifts driven by selection. Here, we document selection-driven evolution of Phyla canescens, an Argentine weed, in two invaded regions (Australia and France). Invasive populations possessed similar or higher diversity than native populations, and displayed mixed lineages from different sources, suggesting that genetic bottlenecks in both countries might have been alleviated by multiple introductions. Compared to native populations, Australian populations displayed more investment in sexual reproduction, whereas French populations possessed enhanced vegetative reproduction and growth. We partitioned evolutionary forces (selection vs. stochastic events) using two independent methods. Results of both analyses suggest that the pattern of molecular and phenotypic variability among regions was consistent with selection-driven evolution, rather than stochastic events. Our findings indicate that selection has shaped the evolution of P. canescens in two different invaded regions.

From 59Co and 23Na NMR, we demonstrate the impact of the Na+ vacancy ordering on the cobalt electronic states in Na0.75CoO2: at long time scales, there is neither a disproportionation into 75% Co3+ and 25% Co4+ states, nor a mixed-valence metal with a uniform Co3.25+ state. Instead, the system adopts an intermediate configuration in which 30% of the lattice sites form an ordered pattern of localized Co3+ states. Above 180 K, an anomalous mobility of specific Na+ sites is found to coexist with this electronic texture, suggesting that the formation of the latter may contribute to stabilizing the Na+ ordering. Control of the ion doping in these materials thus appears to be crucial for fine-tuning of their thermoelectric properties.

A 59Co NMR study of CoO2, the x=0 end member of AxCoO2 (A=Na,Li,...) cobaltates, reveals a metallic ground state, though with clear signs of strong electron correlations: low-energy spin fluctuations develop at wave vectors q not equal to 0 and a crossover to a Fermi-liquid regime occurs below a characteristic temperature T* approximately 7 K. Despite some uncertainty over the exact cobalt oxidation state in this material, the results show that electronic correlations are revealed as x is reduced below 0.3. The data are consistent with NaxCoO2 being close to the Mott transition in the x-->0 limit.

17O NMR is used to probe the local influence of nonmagnetic Zn and magnetic Ni impurities in the superconducting state of optimally doped high TC YBa2Cu3O7. Zn and Ni induce a staggered paramagnetic polarization, similar to that evidenced above TC, with a typical extension xi=3 cell units for Zn and xi>or=3 for Ni. In addition, Zn is observed to induce a local density of states near the Fermi energy in its neighborhood, which also decays over about 3 cell units. Its magnitude decreases sharply with increasing temperature. This allows direct comparison with the STM observations done in BiSCCO.

Crystallographic, magnetic, and NMR properties of a Na1CoO2 single crystal with x approximately = 1 are presented. We identify the stoichiometric Na1CoO2 phase, which is shown to be a nonmagnetic insulator, as expected for homogeneous planes of Co3+ ions with S = 0. In addition, we present evidence that, because of slight average Na deficiency, chemical and electronic phase separation leads to a segregation of Na vacancies into the well-defined, magnetic, Na0.8CoO2 phase. The importance of phase separation is discussed in the context of magnetic order for x approximately = 0.8 and the occurrence of a metal-insulator transition for x --> 1.

Heat capacity (C), magnetic torque, and proton NMR relaxation rate (1/T(1)) measurements were performed on Fe6:Li single crystals in order to study the crossings between S = 0 and S = 1 and between S = 1 and S = 2 magnetic states of the molecular rings, at magnetic fields B(c1) = 11.7 T and B(c2) = 22.4 T, respectively. C vs B data at 0.78 K show that the energy gap between two states remains finite at B(c)'s (Delta(1)/k(B) = 0.86 K and Delta(2)/k(B) = 2.36 K) thus proving that levels repel each other. The large Delta(1) value may also explain the anomalously large width of the peak in 1/T(1) vs B, around B(c1). This anticrossing, unexpected in a centrosymmetric system, requires a revision of the Hamiltonian.

The magnetic-field-induced 3D ordered phase of the two-leg spin ladder Cu2(C5H12N2)2Cl4 has been probed through measurements of 1H NMR spectra and 1/T1 in the temperature range 70 mK-1.2 K. The second order transition line T(c)(H) has been determined between H(c1) = 7.52 T and H(c2) = 13.5 T and varies as (H-H(c1))(2/3) close to H(c1). From the observation of anomalous shifts and a crossover in 1/T1 above T(c), the mechanism of the 3D transition is argued to be magnetoelastic as in spin-Peierls chains, here involving a displacement of the protons along the longitudinal exchange ( J( parallel)) path.

Secondary side branching in Salvinia molesta plants grown in nutrient solution was dependent on the availability of nitrogen. The compensatory response of S. molesta to damage by complete manual disbudding was the production of extensive secondary side branching at nitrogen levels below those required for this type of branching in undamaged plants. After 28 days damaged plants had the same number of ramets as undamaged plants but the dry weight was considerably reduced.After 7 days there was no change in dry weight with partial or complete disbudding. However completely disbudded plants had no new ramets and plants with all terminal buds removed had numbers of ramets significantly reduced. The concentration of nitrogen in the tissue of new growth was higher in damaged than undamaged plants. The results are discussed in relation to the biological control of S. molesta by the bud-eating weevil, Cyrtobagous salviniae.