Browsing by Author "Thomas, Andy"

Using the Mainz 48 cm 0 x 64 cm NaI(Tl) detector and the segmented Gottingen recoil detector SENECA in coincidence, Compton scattering by the proton at theta(gamma)(lab) = 136degrees has been measured at MAMI (Mainz) in the energy range from 200 to 470 MeV. The new data confirm the previous observation that there is a systematic discrepancy between MAMI and LEGS (Brookhaven) data leading to different spin polarizabilities gamma(pi) = -38.7 +/- 1.8 and -27.2 +/- 3.1 (x10(-4) fm(4)), respectively.

Background: The goal of the present study was to investigate the changes in concentration of the important lymph-angiogenesis factors vascular endothelium-derived growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF-D under adjuvant chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: The blood plasma of a total of 142 patients with breast carcinoma and with 1 to 3 affected lymph nodes was investigated, using the quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique, prior to and following chemotherapy, within the framework of a randomized phase III study: the patients received either conventional or dose-intensified chemotherapy. Results: In general, there was a significant reduction in VEGF levels after chemotherapy only in patients with large tumors (T3) (p = 0.043). There was also an almost significant reduction in patients with an overexpression of c-erbB-2 (Dako Score +3, p=0.052). In contrast, the clearest reduction in VEGF-D occurred inpatients with a positive hormone receptor status (p=0.04) or in patients with a low expression of c-erbB-2 (Dako Score +1, p=0.05). A significant effect of chemotherapy on VEGF-D was determined only in patients who had a baseline level that was above the normal (conventionel treatment p=0.005; dose-intensified treatment p=0.004). Conclusion: Both VEGF and VEGF-D levels changed after chemotherapy, depending on the patient and tumor characteristics. With respect to changes in the plasma levels of VEGF and VEGF-D, there were no significant differences between dose-intensified and conventional chemotherapy.

MgO based magnetic tunnel junctions are prepared to investigate the dielectric breakdown of the barrier. The breakdown is visualized by transmission electron microscopy measurements. The broken tunnel junctions are prepared for the microscopy measurements by focused ion beam out of the junctions characterized by transport investigations. A direct comparison of transport behavior and structure of the intact and broken junctions is obtained. The MgO barrier shows many microscopic pinholes after breakdown. This can be explained within a model assuming a relationship between the current density at the breakdown and the rate of pinhole formation. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3001934]

Optically induced spin transfer (OISTR) is a pathway to control magnetization dynamics in complex materials on femto- to attosecond timescales. The direct interaction of the laser field with the material creates transient nonequilibrium states, which can exhibit an efficient spin transfer between different magnetic subsystems. How far this spin manipulation via OISTR is a general phenomenon or restricted to a subset of materials with specific properties is an open experimental and theoretical question. Using time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr measurements and time-dependent density functional theory we investigate OISTR in Heusler compounds. We show that the half-Heusler materials NiMnSb and CoMnSb exhibit strong signatures of OISTR, whereas this is less pronounced in the full-Heusler compounds Co2MnSi, Co2FeSi, and Co2FeAl in agreement with ab initio calculations. Our work opens up a systematic path for coherent manipulation of spin dynamics by direct light-matter interaction.

Magnetic tunnel junctions for spin-transfer torque (STT) switching are prepared to investigate the dielectric breakdown. Intact and broken tunnel junctions are characterized by transport measurements prior to transmission electron microscopy analysis. The comparison to our previous model for thicker MgO tunnel barriers reveals a different breakdown mechanism arising from the high current densities in a STT device: instead of local pinhole formation at a constant rate, massive electromigration and heating leads to displacement of the junction material and voids are appearing. This is determined by element resolved energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and three dimensional tomographic reconstruction. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3272268]

For the first time we checked the fundamental Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn (GDH) sum rule for the proton experimentally in the photon energy range from 0.2-2.9 GeV with the tagged photon facilities at MAMI (Mainz) and ELSA (Bonn). New data of the doubly polarized total cross section difference are presented in the energy range from 1.6 to 2.9 GeV. The contribution to the GDH integral from 0.2-2.9 GeV yields [254+/-5(stat)+/-12(syst)] mub with negative contributions in the Regge regime at photon energies above 2.1 GeV. This trend supports the validity of the GDH sum rule.

A direct measurement of the helicity dependence of the total photoabsorption cross section an the proton was carried out at MAMI (Mainz) in the energy range 200 < E- < 800 MeV. The experiment used a 4 detection system, a circularly polarized. tagged photon beam, and a frozen spin target. The contributions to the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn sum rule and to the forward spin polarizability gamma (0) determined from the data are 226 +/- 5(stat) +/- 12(syst) mub and -187 +/- 8(stat) +/- 10(syst) x 10(-6) fm(4), respectively, for 200 < E- < 800 MeV.

To verify the fundamental Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn (GDH) sum rule for the first time experimentally, we measured the helicity dependent total photoabsorption cross section with circularly polarized real photons and longitudinally polarized nucleons in the photon energy range 0.68-1.82 GeV with the tagged photon facility at ELSA. The experiment was carried out with a 4pi detection system, a circularly polarized tagged photon beam, and a frozen spin polarized proton target. The contribution to the GDH sum rule in this photon energy range is [49.9+/-2.4(stat)+/-2.2(syst)] mub.

The helicity dependence of the total cross-section and the invariant-mass distributions in the (p pi(+/-)) and (pi(+) pi(-)) final states for the gamma p -> p pi(+)pi(-) reaction have been measured for the first time at incident photon energies from 400 to 800MeV. The measurement was performed with the large-acceptance detector DAPHNE at the tagged photon beam facility of the MAMI accelerator in Mainz. Although this channel is found to be predominantly excited by the intermediate production of a Delta pi state, both the measured unpolarized and the helicity-dependent observables are generally not well described by the existing theoretical models.

The helicity dependence of the (gamma) over right arrow(p) over right arrow -+ peta reaction has been measured for the first time at a center-of-mass angle theta(eta) = 70degrees in the photon energy range from 780 MeV to 790 MeV. The experiment, performed at the Mainz microtron MAMI, used a 4pi-detector system, a circularly polarized, tagged photon beam. and a longitudinally polarized frozen-spin target. The helicity 3/2 cross-section is found to be small and the results for helicity 1/2 agree with predictions from the MAID analysis.

The helicity dependence of the (γ) over right arrow(p) over right arrow -->ppi(0) reaction has been measured for the first time in the photon-energy range from 550 to 790 MeV. The experiment, performed at the Mainz microtron MAMI, used a 4pi -detector system, a circularly polarized, tagged photon beam, and a longitudinally polarized frozen-spin target. These data are predominantly sensitive to the D-13(1520) resonance and are used to determine its helicity amplitudes.

The helicity dependence of the single pion photoproduction on the proton has been measured in the energy range from 200 to 450 MeV for the first time. The experiment, performed at the Mainz microtron MAMI, used a 4 pi-detector system, a circularly polarized, tagged photon beam, and a frozen-spin target. The data obtained provide new information for multipole analyses of pion photoproduction and determine the main contributions to the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn sum rule and the forward spin polarizability gamma(0).

The helicity dependence of the total cross section for the (γ) over right arrow(p) over right arrownpi(+) pi(0) reaction has been measured for the first time at incident photon energies from 400 to 800 MeV The measurement was performed with the large acceptance detector DAPHNE at the tagged photon beam facility of the MAMI accelerator in Mainz. This channel is found to be excited predominantly when the photon and proton have a parallel spin orientation, due to the intermediate production of the D-13 resonance. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

A high-quality double-polarization data set for the helicity dependence of the total and differential cross-sections for both gammap --> Npi channels in the Delta region has been obtained in the framework of the GDH experiment. The experiment, performed at the Mainz microtron MAMI, used a 4pi detection system, a circularly polarized photon beam, and a longitudinally polarized frozen-spin target. These data are included in the database to perform a multipole analysis to determine the properties of the Delta(1232)-resonance. For the resonant Delta(1232) multipoles we find a very good agreement with previous analyses, while the nonresonant ones show significant deviations.

The in-medium properties of the omega meson were investigated at the MAMI-C electron accelerator using the Crystal Ball/TAPS detector system to identify omega mesons through their omega -> pi(0)gamma decay channel. Two solid targets (C, Nb) and a LH2 target as a reference have been used. In the energy range 900 to 1300 MeV the omega lineshapes for the different nuclei are compared and a broadening of the omega signal for the niobium target is observed in comparison to the liquid-hydrogen target. In a second analysis the omega momentum distributions for the solid targets are determined for 50 MeV/c wide bins. For both analyses a comparison to transport calculations shows that the data are consistent with an in-medium modification by collisional broadening, as observed by transparency ratio measurements.

Interest in femtosecond demagnetization dynamics was sparked by Bigot's experiment in 1996, which unveiled the elementary mechanisms that relate the electrons' temperature to their spin order. Simultaneously, the application of fast demagnetization experiments has been demonstrated to provide key insight into technologically important systems such as high-spin-polarization metals, and consequently there is broad interest in further understanding the physics of these phenomena. To gain new and relevant insights, we performed ultrafast optical pump-probe experiments to characterize the demagnetization processes of highly spin-polarized magnetic thin films on a femtosecond time scale. Full spin polarization is obtained in half-metallic ferro- or ferrimagnets, where only one spin channel is populated at the Fermi level, whereas the other one exhibits a gap. In these materials, the spin-scattering processes is controlled via the electronic structure, and thus their ultrafast demagnetization is solely related to the spin polarization via a Fermi golden-rule model. Accordingly, a long demagnetization time correlates with a high spin polarization due to the suppression of the spin-flip scattering at around the Fermi level. Here we show that isoelectronic Heusler compounds (Co2MnSi, Co2MnGe, and Co2FeAl) exhibit a degree of spin polarization between 59% and 86%. We explain this behavior by considering the robustness of the gap against structural disorder. Moreover, we observe that CoFe-based pseudogap materials, such as partially ordered Co-Fe-Ge and Co-Fe-B alloys, can reach similar values of the spin polarization. By using the unique features of these metals we vary the number of possible spin-flip channels, which allows us to pinpoint and control the half-metals' electronic structure and its influence on the elementary mechanisms of ultrafast demagnetization.

The helicity dependence of the total cross section for the (gamma) over right arrow(p) over right arrow -> p pi(0)pi(0) reaction has been measured for the first time at incident photon energies from 400 to 800 MeV. The measurement, performed at the tagged photon beam facility of the MAMI accelerator in Mainz, used the large acceptance detector DAPHNE and a longitudinally polarized frozen-spin target. This channel is found to be excited predominantly when the photon and proton have a parallel spin orientation, most likely due to the intermediate production of the D-13(1520) resonance. However, the contribution of the antiparallel spin configuration, arising from other reaction mechanisms, is also not negligible. This result gives important new information to resolve the existing model discrepancies in the identification of the nucleon resonances contributing to this channel. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The amorphous (a-) CoFeB/crystalline (c-) MgO based tunneling system interface has been studied by means of quantitative high resolution transmission electron microscopy from atomic to micrometer length scales with increasing annealing temperatures. On the micron scale an irregular nucleation is found. On the atomic scale a long-range order is induced by the MgO interface, explaining the high tunnel magnetoresistance values > 100% even for not fully crystallized CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB tunnel junctions. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI:10.1063/1.3100044]