Reply to Comment by S. Friedemann et al. on "Zeeman-Driven Lifshitz Transition: A Model for the Experimentally Observed Fermi-Surface Reconstruction in YbRh2Si2"

A reply to the comment by S. Friedemann et al. [arXiv:1207.0536] on our article [Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 137002 (2011), arXiv:1012.0303].Comment: 2 pages, 1 fi

Zeeman-Driven Lifshitz Transition: A Model for the Experimentally Observed Fermi-Surface Reconstruction in YbRh_2Si_2

The heavy-fermion metal YbRh_2Si_2 displays a field-driven quantum phase transition where signatures of a Fermi-surface reconstruction have been identified, often interpreted as a breakdown of the Kondo effect. We argue that instead many properties of the material can be consistently described by assuming a Zeeman-driven Lifshitz transition of narrow heavy-fermion bands. Using a suitable quasiparticle model, we find a smeared jump in the Hall constant and lines of maxima in susceptibility and specific heat, very similar to experimental data. An intermediate non-Fermi-liquid regime emerges due to the small effective Fermi energy near the transition. Further experiments to discriminate the different scenarios are proposed

Quasiparticle Nernst effect in stripe-ordered cuprates

Experiments on underdoped cuprate superconductors suggest an intricate relation between the normal-state Nernst effect and stripe order: The Nernst signal appears enhanced near 1/8 hole doping and its onset temperature scales with the stripe-ordering temperature over some range of doping. Here, we employ a phenomenological quasiparticle model to calculate the normal state Nernst signal in the presence of stripe order. We find that Fermi pockets caused by translational symmetry breaking lead to a strongly enhanced Nernst signal with a sign depending on the modulation period of the ordered state and other details of the Fermi surface. This implies differences between antiferromagnetic and charge-only stripes We compare our findings with recent data from Nd-LSCO and YBCO.Comment: 16 pages, 14 figures, discussion of signal anisotropy included now; some clarifications added to formulas and experimental implication

Magnetic excitations and amplitude fluctuations in insulating cuprates

We present results from light scattering experiments on three insulating antiferromagnetic cuprates, YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.05}$, Bi$_2$Sr$_2$YCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$, and La$_2$CuO$_4$ as a function of polarization and excitation energy {using samples of the latest generation. From the raw data we derive symmetry-resolved spectra.} The spectral shape in $B_{1g}$ symmetry is found to be nearly universal and independent of the excitation energy. The spectra agree quantitatively with predictions by field theory [\onlinecite{Weidinger:2015}] facilitating the precise extraction of the Heisenberg coupling $J$. {In addition, the asymmetric line shape on the high-energy side is found to be related to amplitude fluctuations of the magnetization. In La$_2$CuO$_4$ alone minor contributions from resonance effects may be identified.} The spectra in the other symmetries are not universal. The variations may be traced back to weak resonance effects and extrinsic contributions. For all three compounds we find support for the existence of chiral excitations appearing as a continuum in $A_{2g}$ symmetry having an onset slightly below $3J$. In La$_2$CuO$_4$ an additional isolated excitation appears on top of the $A_{2g}$ continuum.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Reply to Comment by V. R. Shaginyan et al. on "Zeeman-Driven Lifshitz Transition: A Model for the Experimentally Observed Fermi-Surface Reconstruction in YbRh2Si2"

A reply to the comment by V. R. Shaginyan et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 279701 (2011), arXiv:1206.5372] on our article [Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 137002 (2011), arXiv:1012.0303].Comment: 2 page

Stripe order and quasiparticle Nernst effect in cuprate superconductors

After a brief review of current ideas on stripe order in cuprate high-temperature superconductors, we discuss the quasiparticle Nernst effect in the cuprates, with focus on its evolution in non-superconducting stripe and related nematic states. In general, we find the Nernst signal to be strongly enhanced by nearby van-Hove singularities and Lifshitz transitions in the band structure, implying that phases with translation symmetry breaking often lead to a large quasiparticle Nernst effect due to the presence of multiple small Fermi pockets. Open orbits may contribute to the Nernst signal as well, but do so in a strongly anisotropic fashion. We discuss our results in the light of recent proposals for a specific Lifshitz transition in underdoped YBCO and make predictions for the doping dependence of the Nernst signal.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figs, article prepared for a special issue of New J Phy

GPS analysis

Satellitengestützte geodätische Messmethoden, insbesondere GPS (Global Positioning System), sind von zunehmender Bedeutung in den Geowissenschaften und erlauben neue Einblicke in verschiedenste geophysikalische Prozesse. Zeitreihen hochpräziser Positionsmessungen von Punkten auf der Erdoberfläche ermöglichen unter anderem die Bestimmung von Relativgeschwindigkeiten tektonischer Einheiten, die Messung von Verformungsraten der Kruste an aktiven Störungen und Vulkanen und erlauben es Rückschlüsse auf die rheologischen Parameter der Lithosphäre und der Asthenosphäre zu ziehen. Mit zunehmender Länge und Genauigkeit der Zeitreihen ist es möglich, auch zeitabhängige dynamische tektonische Prozesse in GPS Zeitreihen zu identifizieren. Die Schwierigkeiten in der Interpretation der Messungen bestehen unter anderem darin, von Punktmessungen auf kontinuierliche Deformationsmuster zu schließen, zeitlich korreliertes Rauschen zu quantifizieren, um realistische Fehlergrenzen anzugeben, und schließlich zeitabhängige tektonische Signale von zeitabhängigem Rauschen zu trennen. In dieser Arbeit werden Lösungsansätze zu diesen Punkten erarbeitet. Zunächst wird ein Algorithmus entwickelt, durch den aus einem diskreten Geschwindigkeitsfeld, ohne Vorgabe weiterer Randbedingungen (Geometrie der Störungen etc.), der kontinuierliche zweidimensionale Tensor der Verformungsraten abgeleitet werden kann. Aus der Tensoranalysis erhält man Informationen zur maximalen Scher- und Rotationsverformungsrate, sowie zur Dilatationsrate. Die Anwendung dieses Algorithmus auf verschiedene Datensätze in Südkalifornien und Island zeigt, dass hiermit sowohl aktive Störungen identifiziert, als auch Informationen uber Bruchflächen von Erdbeben aus ko- bzw. postseismischen GPS Messungen abgeleitet werden können. Außerdem wurden zeitabhängige Signale in den GPS Geschwindigkeitsfeldern ersichtlich. Im zweiten Teil dieser Arbeit wird ein weiterer Algorithmus eingeführt, der unter Berücksichtigung der Effekte zeitabhängigen Rauschens die Berechnung der Varianz innerhalb von GPS Geschwindigkeitsfeldern ermöglicht. Somit wird außerdem der Notwendigkeit Rechnung getragen, realistische Fehlergrenzen als Grundlage zur Konfidenzabschätzung von Modellen zu definieren. Dieser Algorithmus basiert auf der Allan Varianz, die bei der Messung der Stabilität von Oszillatoren Verwendung findet und ausschließlich im Zeitbereich berechnet wird. Er wird ausführlich mit verschiedenen synthetischen Zeitreihen und Fehlermodellen getestet und auf einen südafrikanischen Datensatz angewandt. Der Vergleich mit Methoden, die auf einer Spektralanalyse oder einem Maximum Likelihood Estimator beruhen zeigt, dass der relativ schnelle Algorithmus stabile und verlässliche Angaben liefert. Zuletzt wird der entwickelte Algorithmus erweitert, um die Kovarianz der Geschwindigkeit zu erhalten. Die Anwendung auf verschiedene Datensätze an konvergenten Plattengrenzen, wo regelmäßig Kriechereignisse in Form von Slow Slip Events auftreten, zeigt für einige Stationen stark richtungsabhängige und räumlich korrelierte Geschwindigkeitsfehler. Des Weiteren konnte eine Zeitkorrelation beobachtet werden, die auf einen tektonischen Ursprung der Ereignisse hinweist. Die korrigierten Zeitreihen, von denen die modellierten Ereignisse subtrahiert wurden, haben dagegen richtungsunabhängig eine Zeitkorrelation, die etwa dem 1/f Rauschen entspricht, und weisen keine räumlich korrelierten stark exzentrischen Fehlerellipsen auf. Die Analyse ermöglicht somit eine qualitative Bewertung der Modelle zeitabhängiger Signale in GPS Zeitreihen

Identification of microRNA-mRNA functional interactions in UVB-induced senescence of human diploid fibroblasts

BACKGROUND: Cellular senescence can be induced by a variety of extrinsic stimuli, and sustained exposure to sunlight is a key factor in photoaging of the skin. Accordingly, irradiation of skin fibroblasts by UVB light triggers cellular senescence, which is thought to contribute to extrinsic skin aging, although molecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. Here, we addressed molecular mechanisms underlying UVB induced senescence of human diploid fibroblasts. RESULTS: We observed a parallel activation of the p53/p21(WAF1) and p16(INK4a)/pRb pathways. Using genome-wide transcriptome analysis, we identified a transcriptional signature of UVB-induced senescence that was conserved in three independent strains of human diploid fibroblasts (HDF) from skin. In parallel, a comprehensive screen for microRNAs regulated during UVB-induced senescence was performed which identified five microRNAs that are significantly regulated during the process. Bioinformatic analysis of miRNA-mRNA networks was performed to identify new functional mRNA targets with high confidence for miR-15a, miR-20a, miR-20b, miR-93, and miR-101. Already known targets of these miRNAs were identified in each case, validating the approach. Several new targets were identified for all of these miRNAs, with the potential to provide new insight in the process of UVB-induced senescence at a genome-wide level. Subsequent analysis was focused on miR-101 and its putative target gene Ezh2. We confirmed that Ezh2 is regulated by miR-101 in human fibroblasts, and found that both overexpression of miR-101 and downregulation of Ezh2 independently induce senescence in the absence of UVB irradiation. However, the downregulation of miR-101 was not sufficient to block the phenotype of UVB-induced senescence, suggesting that other UVB-induced processes induce the senescence response in a pathway redundant with upregulation of miR-101. CONCLUSION: We performed a comprehensive screen for UVB-regulated microRNAs in human diploid fibroblasts, and identified a network of miRNA-mRNA interactions mediating UVB-induced senescence. In addition, miR-101 and Ezh2 were identified as key players in UVB-induced senescence of HDF

Nernst effect anisotropy as a sensitive probe of Fermi surface distortions from electron-nematic order

We analyze the thermoelectric response in layered metals with spontaneously broken rotation symmetry. We identify the anisotropy of the quasiparticle Nernst signal as an extremely sensitive probe of Fermi surface distortions characteristic of the ordered state. This is due to a subtle interplay of different transport anisotropies which become additionally enhanced near van-Hove singularities. Applied to recent experiments, our results reinforce the proposal that the underdoped cuprate superconductor YBCO displays such ``electron-nematic'' order in the pseudogap regime.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figs; (v2) slight changes and clarification