Absence of critical exponents in ferroelectrics: experiments of Hilczer and theory of Levanyuk and Sigov

The pioneering breakthrough of Bozena Hilczer and her coworkers showed that the so-called critical phenomena in many ferroelectric crystals are entirely produced by defects. She studied gadolinium aluminum sulphate hexahydrate (GASH), lithium ammonium sulphate, lithium hydrazinium sulphate, PZT, barium titanate, and especially TGS, via neutron irradiation, X-ray irradiation, and e-beam electron irradiation, which showed that the divergences in specific heat or dielectric constant near the Curie temperature T_c are not caused by ‘critical’ fluctuations but by static defects, which can be annealed out and subsequently reproduced by irradiation. This work is rarely cited (modern physicists often feel that literature searches are optional), leading to frequent rediscovery and generally spurious claims of true ‘critical’ phenomena near T_c.     

Specific heat and thermal expansion of the Bi and Tl high temperature superconductors nearT c

We present measurements of the specific heat and of the thermal expansion of the most prominent phases of the Bi and Tl high temperature superconductors (Bi-2212, Bi-2223, Tl-2212, Tl-2223) in the neighbourhood ofT _c . In all these systems we observe small but sharp anomalies which have very little similarity with the mean field jump found in the conventional superconductors. The analysis of these anomalies shows clear evidence for the presence of strong fluctuations of the order parameter. For temperatures more than 5 K away fromT _c ,2D Gaussian fluctuations are found, while within ±5 K ofT _c the fluctuation contribution is best fitted by critical fluctuations. The shape of the thermal expansion anomalies is similar to that of the specific heat. Combination of both measurements predicts dT _c /dp+0.2 K/kbar for Bi- and Tl-2223 systems.     

Approximate calculations for the two-dimensional Ising model

A self-consistent molecular field approximation for the two-dimensional, square-lattice Ising model is used to calculate the energy and magnetization. Agreement with the exact calculations is good except near the critical temperature, which differs from the exact critical temperature by 4%. The specific heat has no anomalous behavior asT approachesT _c from above, and the magnetization follows the incorrect Weiss (T _c-T)^1/2 law asT approachesT _c from below.     

Characteristic features of the magnetic ordering of Dy3+ ions in a monoclinic RbDy(WO4)2 single crystal

The investigation of the specific heat of a RbDy(WO₄)₂ single crystal at temperatures 0.2–2.5 K and in magnetic fields up to 2 T are reported. The temperature dependence of the specific heat near T _N=0.818 K is compared with the predictions for different models. The 2D Ising model describes satisfactorily C(T) below T _N, while for T>T _N none of the theoretical models agree with the behavior of C(T) of RbDy(WO₄)₂. The H-T phase diagram for H∥c is complicated and possesses a triple point, where regions of existence of three magnetic phases converge. The magnetic ordering is analyzed from the standpoint of the Jahn-Teller nature of the structural phase transitions occurring in RbDy(WO₄)₂ at higher temperatures. It is shown that the form of the phase diagram depends on the direction of the vector H, for the general case of an arbitrary direction of H, two phase transitions can occur with increasing field. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 491–496 (March 1999)     

Specific heat of the electronic superconductor Pr1.85Ce0.15CuO4

We have investigated the specific heat of the ceramic Pr_1.85Ce_0.15CuO₄ in the temperature range 2–800K in magnetic fields up to 8 T. We have determined the magnitude of the specific-heat discontinuity at the superconducting transition ΔC/T _c and estimate the coefficient of the electronic specific heat. In the temperature interval 5–800K we have separated out the phonon contribution to the specific heat, determined the temperature dependence of the characteristic Debye temperature Θ, and calculated the mean frequencies (moments) of the phonon spectrum. We compare the parameter values obtained in this way with data for the compound La_1.85Sr_0.15CuO₄ having similar crystal structure, but hole conductivity. The magnitude of the specific-heat discontinuity and consequently the effective electron mass in the “electronic” superconductor Pr_1.85Ce_0.15CuO₄ is several times smaller than in the “hole” superconductor La_1.85Sr_0.15CuO₄. The phonon spectrum in Pr_1.85Ce_0.15CuO₄ in the low-energy region is somewhat “more rigid,” and in the high-energy region somewhat “softer” than in La_1.85Sr_0.15CuO₄. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 1154–1159 (July 1999)     

Theory and experimental evidence for superconductors with short coherence length

We sketch the theory of London superconductors with a complex order parameter undergoing a phase transition dominated by thermal fluctuations. This theory is essentially that of superfluid helium, appropriately modified. We derive relations between the transition temperatureT _c , the London penetration depth, the phase correlation length, the fall ofT _c with reduced thickness in thin slabs and the associated appearance of Kosterlitz-Thouless behavior. AtH _c2 thermal fluctuations drive the transition first order. Accordingly, magnetic properties will exhibit hysteresis phenomena and glassy behavior. Our analysis of recent specific heat and SR measurements and of experiments on ultrathin slabs as well as the experimental evidence for hysteresis phenomena and glassy behavior in magnetic properties reveal that this theory describes a large class of superconductors that encompasses the cuprates, bismuthates and fullerenes.     

Specific heat and electrical conductivity of deuterated triglycine selenate single crystals

Measurements of the specific heat were carried out on deuterated trigylcine selenate (DTGSe) single crystals to clarify its critical nature near the ferroelectric transition point (T_c ). The results obtained have indicated that DTGSe crystals deuterated by 90% exhibit a first-order phase transition.

This paper presents also the electrical conductivity (δ) of DTGSe crystals. The deuterium substitution induces an increase in the Curie point T_c , and a decrease in the conductivity in the para- and ferroelectric phases accompanied by an increase in the activation energy (W) in both phases.     

The temperature dependence of nanocrystal heat capacity

The temperature dependence of the specific (per atom) entropy and heat capacity of a nanocrystal is studied using a nanocrystal model in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped with variable surface shape. Accounting for the temperature dependence of the surface energy showed that the temperature dependence of the surface contribution to specific entropy is described by the same function that determines the temperature dependence of the isochoric heat capacity of a macrocrystal. Thus, at T → 0 K at T/Θ > 2 the surface contribution to the specific heat is zero. The maximal surface contribution to specific heat is reached at T/Θ = 0.2026 and is equal to c _st/k _B = 1.0115 (where k _B is the Boltzmann constant, Θ is the characteristic temperature depending both on the size and the shape of the nanocrystal). The applicability of the Grüneisen rule for a nanocrystal both at low and high temperatures is studied. It has been found that a case when the surface contribution to specific heat would be negative c(N) < c(∞), i.e. c _st(N) < 0 can occur for nanocrystals with a noncubic habitus.     

Thermodynamics of textures in superfluid 3He

The contribution of the textures in the B-phase of superfluid ³He to the specific heat has been calculated. The specific heat is found to be divergent near T_c.     

Spatially-resolved characterization of HTSC-films near T c by laser raster microscopy with thermal excitation

A method (laser raster microscopy with thermal excitation, LRMTE) for characterizing high-T _c thin-film superconductors (HTSC) with microscopic resolution is described. By means of spatially resolved laser excitation and subsequent monitoring of the time dependence of the film resistivity at a base temperature near the transition temperature T _c, spatial variations of the transition temperature (T _c), of the temperature coefficient of the resistivity (dQ/dT), of the heat conductivity and heat capacity of the film and of the heat conductivity between film and substrate can be detected with high spatial resolution (15 m have been achieved so far).     

聚丁二烯中的等待时间效应

测量了高聚物材料聚丁二烯的比热,发现在温度T_g=178K出现玻璃转变且转变点附近的比热与降温过程有关。在降温过程中,若控制样品在某一温度T_wg等待时间t_w,则升温比热测量表明,T_g处的比热跃变△c_p存在明显的等待时间效应,即△c_p随t_w的增大而增大。在T_w=169K条件下,△c_p(t< 关键词：     

Specific heat of the two dimensional antiferroelectric squaric acid

The heat capacity of a single crystal of the two dimensional antiferroelectric squaric acid was measured particularly near the phase transition. In a wide temperature range belowT _c a strong temperature dependence of the anomaleous specific heat is found which can be described by a critical exponent=0.5. The behaviour close toT _c is determined by a latent heat thus indicating the phase transition to be of the first order. Near the phase transition the thermal behaviour can be described by a Landau type theory. The smallness of the transition entropy detected may be ascribed possibly to proton tunneling.     

Low temperature properties of (La,Nd)Sn3 alloys

Dilute (La_1–x Nd _x )Sn₃ alloys with 0.01<x<0.15 are characterized by determination of the superconducting transition temperatureT _c as well as low temperature measurements of the specific heat and inelastic neutron scattering. As an important result of these experiments we found that the Nd impurities in LaSn₃ exist as stable trivalent ions, in contrast to all other light rare earths. In addition, specific heat and neutron scattering results revealed the scheme of crystal field (CF) levels of Nd³⁺.Using this level scheme, the concentration dependence of the superconducting transition temperature,T _c (x), could be quantitatively fitted up tox9 at % by the theory of Keller and Fulde [J. Low. Temp. Phys.4, 289 (1971)]. From the relatively high initial slope ofT _c (x) we inferred that — besides isotropic spin exchange — other pair-breaking processes are important.In contrast toT _c (x), the reduced specific heat jumpsC/C ₀ as a function ofT _c /T _c0 (whereT _c0 andC ₀ refer to LaSn₃) were found to lie considerably below the theoretical curve for isolated Nd³⁺ ions. This is explained by Nd—Nd interactions resulting in a mean Zeeman splitting (<k _B T _c ) of the CF ground state, which could be directly observed in the form of broadened Schottky humps in the normal state specific heats.     

Linebroadening in DF-ODMR spectra of triplet excitons in the anthracene-1, 2, 4, 5-tetracyanobenzene single crystal near its structural phase transition

The temperature evolution of the DF-ODMR spectra of triplet excitons in the A-TCNB crystal has been studied in the vicinity of its order-disorder phase transition at T_c=204 K. Linewidth measurements were carried out for two selected orientations of the magnetic field in which the two crystal sites of the ordered phase appear as magnetically inequivalent and equivalent, respectively. In the former case the linebroadening observed near T_c was attributed to changes in the long-range order parameter and to the short-range clustering formation along the slacks. In the second case the sharp increase in the linewidth near T_c was interpreted and briefly discussed in terms of the critical slowing down of the fluctuations in the order parameter associated with the phase transition.     

Sondenmessung der Plasmaparameter und deren Fluktuation in Argon-Niederdruck-Schwachstrom-Säulen im transversalen Magnetfeld

This paper reports on measurements of probe noise and double probe characteristics in argon-low-pressure low-current discharges under the influence of a local transversal magnetic field. Above a critical value of magnetic field intensity B_c there are no moving striations but partially correlated fluctuations. The space distribution of probe noise (ion saturation current and floating potential) and the measured values of electron temperature and density are discussed. At B_c a characteristic value of electron temperature T_e,c ≈ 1,4 eV independent of filling pressure has been found. A first opinion on the character of the fluctuations is given.     

Transition temperature model based on specific heat data of an FeAs-based superconductor

In this article, we studied the specific heat data of iron-based superconductors LaO_{1? x} F _x FeAs (x?=?0.1) and SmO_{1? x} F _x FeAs (x?=?0.13,?0.12, and 0.1). (i) The contribution of phonons in specific heat above T_c depends exponentially on temperature. (ii) The specific heat has different contributions, and they change differently at T_c . This change must be the effect of a physical function on heat capacity. Therefore, transition temperature is defined by thermal parameters. For LaO_0.9F_0.1FeAs and SmO_0.87F_0.13FeAs, a transition point was evaluated at 22.11 and 26.32?K, respectively. This is in close agreement with the midpoint transition temperatures obtained from dc resistivity and magnetization experiments, where the modified electronic heat capacity led to the approximate value of the transition point in two samples. The jump, ΔC/γT _c, and the electronic and lattice heat capacity coefficients, γ and β, respectively, were evaluated.     

Superconductivity and calorimetric studies of Pr1.85Ce0.15CuO4+δ under different annealing conditions

Polycrystalline samples of electron-doped Pr_1.85Ce_0.15CuO_4+δ have been prepared under different annealing conditions and investigated by means of X-ray-diffraction, oxygen content analysis, electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and low temperature specific heat measurements. X-ray-diffraction patterns show that samples contain a single T′ phase. The superconducting transition temperatures T_cm taken with the onset of diamagnetism in magnetic-susceptibility measurements are 20 and 19.5 K for sample annealed in flowing Ar gas and in vacuum (∼10⁻³ torr), respectively. The data of the samples, which are annealed in flowing Ar gas, show clear evidence for an αT² term at zero magnetic field in superconducting electronic specific heat, and are consistent with d-wave superconductivity. However, this behavior is not observed in the other sample, which is annealed in vacuum. These results indicate that different heat treatments affect the oxygen content, homogeneity, superconducting transition temperature T_c, superconducting volume fraction, and the superconducting pairing symmetry of Pr_1.85Ce_0.15CuO_4+δ.     

Simultaneous measurement of thethermal diffusivity and specific heat near phase transitions

A technique for measuring the absolute thermal diffusivity along with the relative specific heat is introduced which is readily adaptable to a wide variety of applications. The thermal diffusivity and specific heat of CoO, near the antiferromagnetic transition; of SrTiO₃, near the structural phase transition; of Cr, near the first-order SDW-paramagnetic transition; and of EuO, near the ferromagnetic Curie point were measured. Except for SrTiO₃, the thermal diffusivities are found to mirror the specific heats, with no evidence for anomalies in the thermal conductivities, contrary to some earlier reports. A step increase in the thermal conductivity is observed on passing through the structural transition of SrTiO₃ from below which is of the same relative size as the step decrease of specific heat at T_c.