Effects of random biquadratic couplings in a spin-1 spin-glass model

A spin-1 model, appropriated to study the competition between bilinear (J _ij S _i S _j ) and biquadratic (K _ij S _i ² S _j ²) random interactions, both of them with zero mean, is investigated. The interactions are infinite-ranged and the replica method is employed. Within the replica-symmetric assumption, the system presents two phases, namely, paramagnetic and spin-glass, separated by a continuous transition line. The stability analysis of the replica-symmetric solution yields, besides the usual instability associated with the spin-glass ordering, a new phase due to the random biquadratic couplings between the spins. Received 18 May 1999 and Received in final form 20 October 1999     

An NMR approach to the superconducting regime of the spin ladder compound Sr2Ca12Cu24O41

⁶³Cu-NMR experiments of Knight shift and relaxation time T₁ have been performed on the two-leg spin ladders of a Sr₂Ca₁₂Cu₂₄O₄₁ single crystal at several pressures up to the critical pressure for the stabilization of a superconducting ground state. The data confirm the onset of low-lying spin excitations at observed previously [Science 279, 345 (1998)] and reveal a marked decrease of the spin gap under pressures above 20 kbar although a significant fraction of the spin excitations remains gapped at kbar. A comparison between NMR and transport data under pressure suggests that the depression of the spin gap can be ascribed to an increase in the interladder exchange coupling, possibly mediated by the ladder-chain interaction along the b-direction. Received 21 October 1999     

Spin glass behavior upon diluting frustrated magnets and spin liquids: a Bethe-Peierls treatment

A Bethe-Peierls treatment to dilution in frustrated magnets and spin liquids is given. A spin glass phase is present at low temperatures and close to the percolation point as soon as frustration takes a finite value in the dilute magnet model; the spin glass phase is reentrant inside the ferromagnetic phase. An extension of the model is given, in which the spin glass/ferromagnet phase boundary is shown not to reenter inside the ferromagnetic phase asymptotically close to the tricritical point whereas it has a turning point at lower temperatures. We conjecture similar phase diagrams to exist in finite dimensional models not constraint by a Nishimori's line. We increase frustration to study the effect of dilution in a spin liquid state. This provides a “minimal” ordering by disorder from an Ising paramagnet to an Ising spin glass. Received 9 April 1999 and Received in final form 27 September 1999     

First and second order ferromagnetic transition at in a 1D itinerant system

We consider a modified version of the one-dimensional Hubbard model, the t ₁ - t ₂ Hubbard chain, which includes an additional next-nearest-neighbor hopping. It has been shown that at weak coupling this model has a Luttinger liquid phase or a spin liquid phase depending upon the ratio of t₂ to t₁. Additionally if the on-site interaction U is large enough, the ground state is fully polarized. Using exact diagonalization and the density-matrix renormalization group, we show that the transition to the ferromagnetic phase is either of first or second order depending on whether the Luttinger liquid or spin liquid is being destabilized. Since we work at T =0, the second order transition is a quantum magnetic critical point. Received 21 July 1999     

Cooperativity in a spin transition ferrous polymer: Interacting domain model, thermodynamic, optical and EPR study

A new thermodynamic model is proposed in order to account for the high spin low spin conversion in metal-organic polymers. The model, based on the idea that the spin conversion occurs in interacting domains of like-spin metal ions, allows to explain most of the important features of various types of spin conversion. The sine qua non condition of the existence of spin transitions with hysteresis is obtained. In the case of very large cooperativity, the model predicts unusual behaviour of the spin conversion system due to a low-temperature metastable high spin state. Existence of such a state is interesting in the context of the light induced excited spin state trapping recently observed in some ferrous compounds. The model is applied to interpret the spin transition in polycrystalline ferrous polymer [Fe _1-y Cu _y (Htrz)₂ trz] (BF ₄) with y = 0.00, 0.01 and 0.10, detected by differential scanning calorimetry, optical reflectivity and electron paramagnetic resonance. The domain size and the interaction energy between the domains are estimated as, respectively, n = 11 and for the y = 0 compound. As the copper content is growing, n and tend to decrease, resulting in transformations of the shape of hysteresis loop which becomes less steep, narrows and shifts to lower temperatures. The electron paramagnetic resonance gives further evidence of the presence of like-spin domains. Received 27 November 1998 and Received in final form 19 April 1999     

Model glasses coupled to two different heat baths

In a p-spin interaction spherical spin-glass model both the spins and the couplings are allowed to change with time. The spins are coupled to a heat bath with temperature T, while the coupling constants are coupled to a bath having temperature T_J. In an adiabatic limit (where relaxation time of the couplings is much larger that of the spins) we construct a generalized two-temperature thermodynamics. It involves entropies of the spins and the coupling constants. The application for spin-glass systems leads to a standard replica theory with a non-vanishing number of replicas, n=T/T _J . For p>2 there occur at low temperatures two different glassy phases, depending on the value of n. The obtained first-order transitions have positive latent heat, and positive discontinuity of the total entropy. This is an essentially non-equilibrium effect. The dynamical phase transition exists only for n<1. For p=2 correlation of the disorder (leading to a non-zero n) removes the known marginal stability of the spin glass phase. If the observation time is very large there occurs no finite-temperature spin glass phase. In this case there are analogies with the non-equilibrium (aging) dynamics. A generalized fluctuation-dissipation relation is derived. Received 12 July 1999 and Received in final form 8 December 1999     

Ab initio cluster calculations of Co3+ spin states in RBaCo2O5.5 (R=Ho, Gd)

Two types of oxygen-deficient perovskites RBaCo₂O_5.5(R=Ho,Gd) related to the “122” type structure (a _p × 2a _p × 2a _p ) have been studied on the basis of ab initio cluster calculations. We consider the peculiar behavior of the trivalent ions Co³⁺(3d ⁶) in either octahedral or pyramidal oxygen coordinations, which is related to a structural first-order phase transition in both compounds. Relative energy positions of low spin (LS, S = 0), intermediate spin (IS, S = 1) and high spin (HS, S = 2) electron configurations are calculated for the low-and high-temperature lattice structures of RBaCo₂O_5.5. A combined analysis of the calculated results and experimental structural data leads to a simple model that captures the most prominent features of the phase transition common to both compounds.     

Short-time behavior of the kinetic spherical model with long-ranged interactions

The kinetic spherical model with long-ranged interactions and an arbitrary initial order m₀ quenched from a very high temperature to T is solved. In the short-time regime, the bulk order increases with a power law in both the critical and phase-ordering dynamics. To the latter dynamics, a power law for the relative order is found in the intermediate time-regime. The short-time scaling relations of small m₀ are generalized to an arbitrary m₀ and all the time larger than . The characteristic functions for the scaling of m₀ and for are obtained. The crossover between scaling regimes is discussed in detail. Received 17 September 1999     

Analysis of the first electron-removal states of using polarization dependent angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy

The first electron-removal states of the layered cuprate Ba₂Cu₃O₄Cl₂ were measured using angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. The symmetry and energy-momentum relations of the lowest-lying states were determined and interpreted in terms of the motion of a single hole in the two different planar Cu-O subsystems of the Cu₃O₄ plane. One subsystem is antiferromagnetic as in the undoped parent compounds of the high-temperature superconductors and the other is paramagnetic and corresponds to the strongly overdoped case. The data are compared to theoretical results on hole dynamics in two-dimensional antiferromagnetic or paramagnetic spin backgrounds. The lineshape, symmetry and dispersion of the first electron-removal states of Ba₂Cu₃O₄Cl₂ can be described in terms of Zhang-Rice singlets within a single band model. The photohole lifetime in the paramagnetic subsystem of the Cu₃O₄ plane is much smaller than with an antiferromagnetic spin background. Received 19 March 1999 and Received in final form 15 August 1999     

The potts glass in uniform and random fields: a monte carlo investigation

As a simple model of an anisotropic orientational glass with short range forces, the 3-state Potts model on the simple cubic lattice with nearest neighbor interactions drawn from a Gaussian distribution is considered. With Monte Carlo methods we study the response of the system to a uniform “field” which favors one of the states. This is motivated by experiments which apply stress that favors one molecular orientation of the quadrupolar glass. The responsem to that fieldh=H/k _BT is analyzed in terms of an expansionm= χ₁ h+χ₁ h ²+χ₁ h ³+..., where χ₁ is the linear susceptibility, and χ₂,χ₁₃ are nonlinear susceptibilities. Unlike the case of spin glasses, where the spin inversion symmetry of the system in the absence of fields implies χ₂≡0,χ₂ is nonzero here and diverges to −∞ at the zero temperature transition of the model, while χ₃ diverges to +∞ as in spin glasses. At inifinite temperature, however, χ₁=1/3, χ₂=1/18 and χ₃=-1/54, i.e. the nonlinear susceptibilities have a different sign as at low temperature. In contrast, a random field does not induce a uniform order parameterm but only a glass order parameterq. The temperature dependence of this glass order parameterq(T) shows for intermediate field strength order parameterq(T) shows for intermediate field strength a maximum of the slopedq(T)/dT very similar to corresponding experiments.     

Lamellar-to-nematic phase transition in a lipid-surfactant mixture

A lyotropic system, consisting of a lecithin (DMPC) and a non-ionic surfactant (C₁₂E₅) in water was studied. The system exhibits a lamellar-to-nematic phase transition. The nematic phase appears as the temperature is decreased and only exists in a very limited temperature and concentration range, for specific lipid-to-surfactant ratios. While a lamellar phase is found at higher temperatures in both mixed and pure C₁₂E₅ systems, the transition to the nematic phase at lower temperatures coincides with a micellar phase in the pure C₁₂E₅ system. The transition appears to be driven by the strong temperature dependence of the surfactant film spontaneous curvature. The structural properties of the lamellar phase close to the lamellar-to-nematic boundary have been studied by polarised light microscopy and small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering experiments. The signature of a helical defect with Burgers vector of magnitude 2 is apparent in our data, close to the lamellar-to-nematic phase transition. The proliferation of screw dislocations in the lamellar phase might be a plausible mechanism for driving this transition. Received 6 July 1999 and Received in final form 17 April 2000     

Spin-ordering in S = 1 anisotropic Heisenberg models with nondiagonal spin exchange

The properties of S = 1 anisotropic Heisenberg models with nondiagonal exchange between axial and planar spin components are investigated using Monte Carlo techniques. The quantum nature is taken into account in a semi-classical approximation. The ordering of the spins when applying an external field with axial and planar components is discussed. It is argued that the quantum nature of the spins and the nondiagonal exchange may explain the peculiar shape of the magnetic specific heat of FeBr₂ as well as the weakly first-order phase transition observed in the same compound when a tilted field is applied. Received 24 January 1999     

Critical fluctuations of a binary fluid mixture confined in a porous medium

We have performed small angle neutron scattering experiments on the binary fluid mixture n-C₆H₁₄+n-C₈F₁₈ imbibed inside porous Vycor glass in the thermodynamic region corresponding to the bulk critical one. The resulting structure can be represented as the sum of a temperature dependent Lorentzian term and a term describing the interference between the porous matrix, a shell part richer in one component coating the glass surface, and a core part richer in the other component. We observe critical fluctuations extending over distances markedly larger than the mean pore size. Received 20 May 1999     

Ising-like model study of size dependence relaxation in spin crossover complexes

In this paper we present a theoretical study of size effects during relaxation in spin transition solids. The systems are described using an Ising-like model consisting of molecules having two energy levels and fictitious spin values of +1, (HS) and −1 (LS). We compare relaxation in various 2D or 3D systems (rectangular, hexagonal or cubic) and we realise an exhaustive analysis of the parameters that influence the relaxation in small size samples. The differences between homogenous and inhomogeneous systems reflected on the shapes of relaxation curves are discussed and analysed.     

Quantum fluctuations in a scale-free network-connected Ising system

We study the effect of quantum fluctuations in an Ising spin system on a scale-free network of degree exponent γ>5 using a quantum Monte Carlo simulation technique. In our model, one can adjust the magnitude of the magnetic field perpendicular to the Ising spin direction and can therefore control the strength of quantum fluctuations for each spin. Our numerical analysis shows that quantum fluctuations reduce the transition temperature T_c of the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition. However, the phase transition belongs to the same mean-field type universality class both with and without the quantum fluctuations. We also study the role of hubs by turning on the quantum fluctuations exclusively at the nodes with the most links. When only a small number of hub spins fluctuate quantum mechanically, T_c decreases with increasing magnetic field until it saturates at high fields. This effect becomes stronger as the number of hub spins increases. In contrast, quantum fluctuations at the same number of “non-hub” spins do not affect T_c. This implies that the hubs play an important role in maintaining order in the whole network.     

Nuclear spin conversion in CH F induced by an alternating electric field

The nuclear spin conversion in CH₃F molecules subjected to an alternating electric field was investigated experimentally. The conversion rate was found to be almost unaffected by low electric fields ( V/cm) but sharply increased tenfold when the electric field amplitude exceeds the values ( V/cm) sufficiently high to produce crossings of the ortho and para states of the molecule. A theoretical model for the molecular conversion in alternating electric field was developed. The results of the experiment were found to be in a good agreement with the theory. Received 23 July 1999 and Received in final form 7 September 1999     

Pressure,temperature and light influence on spin transition solids

Abstract

Present paper is an overview of our efforts during the past few years to understand complicated corelations of physical phenomena related to pressure in Fe(I1) solid state spin transition systems. Some principal results concerning p, T, λ-experiments are extracted. In the context of correlation of the crystallographic phase transition with simultaneous HS → LS relaxation and LS → HS photopopulation, we show the latest results: Brillouin and magnetic measurements on the crystal [Fe(pt₆](BF₆)₂.     

Magnetic properties of the low dimensional spin system (VO)PO:ESR and susceptibility

Experimental results on magnetic resonance (ESR) and magnetic susceptibility are given for single crystalline (VO)₂P₂O₇. The crystal growth procedure is briefly discussed. The susceptibility is interpreted numerically using a model with alternating spin chains. We determine J =51 K and . Furthermore we find a spin gap of meV from our ESR measurements. Using elastic constants no indication of a phase transition forcing the dimerization is seen below 300 K. Received: 22 December 1997 / Accepted: 17 March 1998     

A variational description of the ground state structure in random satisfiability problems

A variational approach to finite connectivity spin-glass-like models is developed and applied to describe the structure of optimal solutions in random satisfiability problems. Our variational scheme accurately reproduces the known replica symmetric results and also allows for the inclusion of replica symmetry breaking effects. For the 3-SAT problem, we find two transitions as the ratio of logical clauses per Boolean variables increases. At the first one , a non-trivial organization of the solution space in geometrically separated clusters emerges. The multiplicity of these clusters as well as the typical distances between different solutions are calculated. At the second threshold , satisfying assignments disappear and a finite fraction of variables are overconstrained and take the same values in all optimal (though unsatisfying) assignments. These values have to be compared to , obtained from numerical experiments on small instances. Within the present variational approach, the SAT-UNSAT transition naturally appears as a mixture of a first and a second order transition. For the mixed 2+p-SAT with p<2/5, the behavior is as expected much simpler: a unique smooth transition from SAT to UNSAT takes place at . Received 12 July 1999     

High spin state of Mn in an ideal monolayer on Ag(001)

We studied the magnetic properties of ultra-thin Mn films deposited on Ag (001) held at 80 K with soft X-ray absorption and magnetic circular dichroism. The observed shape and branching ratio of the Mn 2p absorption edge as a function of Mn coverage demonstrate that, up to , the Mn adopts a stable high spin state similar to the Mn atom Hund's rule ⁶ S _5/2 ground state. Above this coverage a rapid transition from localized high spin to itinerant low spin behavior of the Mn 3d electrons is evidenced. Magnetic circular dichroism shows no sign of long range ferromagnetic order in these films at 80 K. The data, first confirm the large atomic-like local magnetic moment, and second are in line with the in-plane antiferromagnetic order, reported recently (Phys. Rev. B 57, 1141 (1998)), for Mn in the nearly ideal on-top Mn monolayer formed by 0.9 ML deposited at 80 K. Received: 4 May 1998