Magnetic linear dichroism of an antiferromagnetic MnF<Subscript>2</Subscript> crystal: Oddness in two different antiferromagnetic states

Dichroism of linearly polarized light propagating along the tetragonal C ₄ axis, induced by a longitudinal magnetic field, has been revealed in a tetragonal antiferromagnetic manganese fluoride crystal in the region of optical transitions. The magnetic linear dichroism observed is proportional to the magnetic field strength and odd with respect to the field sign. The value of the effect is sufficient for optical observation of antiferromagnetic domains in MnF₂ crystals.     

On the possibility of direct measurement of the magnetic field-induced phase transition in hematite by means of magnetooptical method

It is shown that a rotation ? and a deformation κ of the optical indicatrix appear during the transverse magnetic field-induced phase transition in hematite. Analytic expressions for ? and κ are deduced from the magnetization-dependent electromagnetic energy in the crystal. It is shown that during the phase transition, induced by increasing the temperature, the electromagnetic energy in the crystal. It is shown that during the phase transition, induced by increasing the temperature, the antiferromagnetic vector L = M₁ - M₂ is rotating from the three-fold C₃ axis toward the basal plane, which implies that the main axis of the optical indicatrix is not aligned in a general case with the magnetic field or the crystallographic axis although the magnetic moment (M₁ + M₂) is always parallel to the field. The linear magnetic birefringence is very sensitive to the magnetic phase in hematite, as described in previous experimental work, but the present analysis shows that a direct determination of the transverse field-induced phase transition can be obtained in hematite, by means of a magnetooptical method, only when large and non-uniform rotation (up to ninety degrees) and variation of the shape of the indicatrix are taken into account.     

Weak magnetic field behavior of photon echo in a LuLiF4:Er3+ crystal

We report the first observation and study of the photon echo in Er³⁺:LuLiF₄. The energy transition is ⁴ I _15/2 → ⁴ F _9/2 (λ = 6536 Å). The density of ErF₃ is 0.025 wt %. The operation temperature is 1.9 K. Measurements were made at low (up to 1200 Oe) and even zero external magnetic fields. We studied the behavior of the photon echo intensity vs. the magnetic field magnitude and direction about the crystal axis C and vs. the laser pulse separation t ₁₂ and observed an exponential growth and then, after a certain plateau, an exponential decrease in the photon echo intensity as a function of magnetic field upon increasing the magnetic field from zero. The parameters describing the exponential growth and decrease are independent of the direction of magnetic field. The value of the magnetic field (～20–200 Oe) at which the echo intensity is maximal and the value of the maximum itself decrease with increasing pulse separation t ₁₂ and the angle Θ between the magnetic field and crystal axis. The echo intensity decreases exponentially with increasing Θ. The parameter describing the exponential decrease is independent of the magnitude of the field. The echo intensity as a function of pulse separation shows exponential decay. The phase relaxation time depends on the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field. T ₂ is equal to 202 ± 16 ns at zero magnetic field. A phenomenological formula is suggested, which qualitatively presents the mentioned dependences, and the polarization properties of the backward photon echo in this crystal are studied. Because the ion of trivalent erbium is an optimum data carrier, the above results show that fine control of the multichannel transfer of processed optical information may be achieved by weak magnetic fields.     

Incoherent interaction between bright–bright photovoltaic soliton in an unbiased series two-photon photorefractive crystal circuit

We have investigated incoherent interaction between photovoltaic bright–bright soliton pairs in photorefractive crystals under steady-state condition in an unbiased series two-photon photorefractive crystal circuit in one dimension. The numerical scheme according to the Crank-Nicholson and Runge-kutta methods are applied to simulate the propagation of incoherent interaction for different normalized separation distances and different E₀. Results show that in the case of one-dimensional interaction between these photovoltaic solitons, attraction occurs and width of beams decreases with increasing biased field E₀ and two soliton interact in longer distance for smaller E₀. The result can be used for design optical switches that controlled by biased field.     

Magnetic-field dependent phonon states in paramagnetic CeF3

Raman scattering experiments in paramagnetic uniaxial CeF₃ at helium temperature demonstrate a splitting of some degenerate (E_g)-phonon states in an external magnetic field parallel to the crystal axis. A linear splitting is observed in low fields, followed by a field independent (saturation) splitting in high fields. In addition, changes in the Raman scattering efficiencies and a reduction of the line width of phonon transitions are observed with increasing magnetic fields. No such effects are observed for magnetic fields perpendicular to the crystal axis. The splittings of degenerate phonon modes are related to the paramagnetic saturation 〈S_z〉.     

Self-adaptive, narrowband tuning of a pulsed optical parametric oscillator and a continuous-wave diode laser via phase-conjugate photorefractive cavity reflectors: verification by high-resolution spectroscopy

A dynamic self-adaptive Bragg grating formed in a photorefractive crystal is shown to be a convenient way to attain single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) operation and narrowband tuning both in a pulsed, injection-seeded optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and in a continuous-wave (cw) extended-cavity diode laser. The pulsed OPO cavity comprises a Rh:BaTiO₃ photorefractive (PR) crystal, a periodically poled KTiOPO₄ nonlinear-optical crystal, and a dielectrically-coated end mirror. A continuous-wave seed beam at 820–850 nm from a tunable SLM diode laser traverses firstly the Rh:BaTiO₃ crystal and then is retro-reflected by the end mirror; this creates a wavelength-selective Bragg grating reflector in the PR crystal, thereby completing the OPO cavity. The cavity stays automatically resonant with the seed radiation, with no need to actively control its length or to make any other mechanical adjustment. One form of injection seeder comprises a novel extended-cavity diode laser (ECDL) design incorporating a self-pumped photorefractive phase-conjugate reflector and a compact, high-finesse tunable intracavity ring filter. This combination facilitates robust tunable single-frequency operation with narrow optical bandwidth. The performance characteristics of the OPO and the ECDL are evaluated by recording high-resolution atomic and molecular spectra. Notably, fluorescence-detected sub-Doppler two-photon excitation at 822 nm, of the 8S ←6S transition in atomic Cs, provides a crucial linewidth test.     

Photorefractive properties of paraelectric potassium lithium tantalate niobate crystal doped with iron

We report the successful growth of paraelectric potassium lithium tantalate niobate (KLTN) single crystal doped with iron. Detailed investigations have been made on the photorefractive properties of the as-grown crystal. The key parameters such as space-charge field, grating response time, photorefractive sensitivity and sign of the dominant charge carrier were obtained by two-wave mixing technique. 1.7 mm thick sample exhibits a high diffraction efficiency of 78% at the external field of 3.3 kV/cm and a sensitivity of 1.49 × 10⁻¹⁰E₀ cm²/J. The two-wave mixing gain coefficient increases linearly with external field, and reaches a large value of 19.4 cm⁻¹ at 4 kV/cm. Based on experimental results, iron is an effective dopant to KLTN which shows high diffraction efficiency and two-wave mixing gain coefficient.     

Propagation properties of anomalous hollow beam in uniaxial crystals orthogonal to the optical axis

The analytical formulae for anomalous hollow beam propagating in uniaxial crystals orthogonal to the optical axis are derived. The numerical results show that the anomalous hollow beam spreads at different rates in the directions along and orthogonal to the optical axis. The beam spreads more rapidly in the direction along the optical axis than orthogonal to the optical axis in positive crystal (n_e/n_o>1), and the beam spreads more rapidly in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis than along the optical axis in negative crystal (n_e/n_o<1).     

Modulated magnetic structure of a nonuniformly stressed FeBO3 single crystal

The magnetization of a nonuniformly stressed FeBO₃ crystal along any of the two specific directions in the basal plane (the easy plane) at a temperature of T < 140 K in a magnetic field exceeding the threshold value H ₀ is found to lead to a transition of the crystal from the uniform magnetic state to the spatially modulated one. The modulated magnetic phase arising under these conditions exists in a certain temperature-dependent field range H ₀ ≤ H ≤ H _c and is representable in the form of a static spin wave that is linearly polarized in the easy plane of the crystal and has a wave vector k oriented at an angle of ～30° to the magnetization axis. The field, temperature, and orientation dependences of k are investigated. A physical mechanism is proposed to explain the modulation of the magnetic order parameter of the crystal under study. The results obtained are discussed in terms of the magnetic ripple theory.     

Crossover effects in scheelite DyLiF4

The Zeeman effect, magnetization, and differential susceptibility of a DyLiF₄ crystal in a pulsed magnetic field are studied experimentally and theoretically. It is found that Dy³⁺ ion levels in DyLiF₄ approach each other and a crossover occurs in a magnetic field H ‖ [001], which leads to a smearing of peaks in the differential magnetic susceptibility dM/dH and to inflection points in the magnetization curves M(H) at low temperatures. It is demonstrated that magnetic anomalies that accompany the crossover in DyLiF₄ in a field H ‖[001] are sensitive to the electronic structure of the Dy³⁺ ion. Therefore, these anomalies can be used to refine the crystal-field parameters. The effects of variations in the crystal field and temperature and of a deviation of the direction of the magnetic field from the symmetry axis on the magnitude and character of the magnetic anomalies associated with the crossover are investigated. The crystal field and crossover effects in the scheelite structure are compared with those in the zircon structure.     

Control of sensitivity to hologram storage in LiNbO3 using an accessory photovoltaic crystal

Enhancement of sensitivity to hologram storage in a LiNbO₃ crystal is reported by using an accessory photovoltaic LiNbO₃ crystal, highly iron doped and reduced. With an illumination of 600 mW/cm² at λ=0.48 μm of the photovoltaic crystal the photogenerated electric field is about 10 kV/cm. This field is applied to a storage crystal having a higher resistivity and improves substantially the photorefractive sensitivity and saturation of the diffraction efficiency.     

Antiferromagnetic resonance spectrum in LaMnO3: Interrelation of the orbital structure and the magnetic properties

The relation between the orbital ordering and magnetic structure of the crystal LaMnO₃ is investigated. The dependence of the exchange parameters on the angle Φ of the orbital structure is determined. When the isotropic exchange interaction and the single-ion anisotropy, which depends on the angle Φ and the rotational distortions, are introduced into the spin Hamiltonian, a four-sublattice structure (A _X, F _Y, G _Z) is obtained with orientation of the magnetic moments of the sublattices near the long axis of the orthorhombic cell of the crystal in the basal plane of the crystal (A _X ? G _Z, F _Y). The effect of a magnetic field on the magnetic structure and the antiferromagnetic resonance spectrum are investigated taking account of the nonequivalent, anisotropic, orbitally-dependent g tensors. The spin-flop and spin-flip transition fields are calculated.     

Optical nuclear polarization for sensitivity enhancement of2H NMR single-crystal studies

A gain in detection sensitivity of more than three orders of magnitude is achieved in high-resolution solid-state²H nuclear magnetic resonance of monocrystalline fluorene-d₁₀ by applying optical nuclear polarization via excited triplet states of acridine-h₉ guest molecules. The sensitivity gain is utilized to measure the angular dependence (rotation pattern) of the²H nuclear magnetic resonance lines. In this way the principal values and orientations of all²H quadrupolar tensors are determined. Except for the methylene deuterons, all tensors belonging to the same molecule have one principal axis in common, namely the axis perpendicular to the molecular plane, showing that in the crystal lattice the fluorene molecule is in a planar configuration.     

First-order phase transition in potassium dysprosium tungstate induced by the field renormalization and softening of the elastic moduli in the vicinity of a structural Jahn-Teller-type transition

The magnetostriction of KDy(WO₄)₂ single crystals is measured in an external magnetic field at temperatures below the temperature of a structural phase transition of the Jahn-Teller type. A steplike irreversible variation in the elastic strain is observed to occur with an increase in the magnetic field applied along the a or b axis of the monoclinic cell of the crystal. The residual change in the strain is retained after changing the sign of the magnetic field. The return to the initial state characterized by field-induced jumps in the strain is possible only after thermal cycling well above the structural phase transition temperature. The theory of this phenomenon is developed using a phenomenologically derived thermodynamic potential of the elastic sub-system that takes into account the crystal symmetry and the field renormalization of the elastic moduli. The jumplike transitions are interpreted as being due to the magnetic softening of the elastic moduli in the vicinity of the structural phase transition temperature.     

The Mössbauer effect and magnetic phase transitions

The Mössbauer effect provides a direct method for identifying the spin axis in magnetic crystals and observing magnetic phase transitions. The order of the transition may be inferred from the Mössbauer spectrum. Phase changes can occur as a function of temperature (e.g. when the anisotropy fieldB _A changes sign) or as a function of applied magnetic field. In an antiferromagnet a field ?(2B _E B _A)^1/2 along the spin axis whereB _E is the exchange field causes the spin-flop transition which is normally first order (sharp) whereas the transition to the paramagnetic phase which occurs at higher fields?2B _E is second order (continuous). In quasi-one-dimensional crystals Mössbauer spectra show that the spin-flop transition is first order locally but occurs over a range of fields throughout the crystal, so that the first order character is masked in a conventional magnetization measurement. In fields applied at a finite angle>B _A/2B _E to the spin axis the transition becomes second order, i.e. a continuous rotation of the spins occurs. In canted antiferromagnets (or weak ferromagnets) the spin-flop transition is also continuous; in addition a “screw” re-orientation may be induced by fields applied perpendicular to the spin axis and arises from antisymmetric exchange. For crystals with lowT _N the hyperfine field changes when a magnetic field is applied and has a minimum at a phase transition; this may be used to map out the magnetic phase diagram.     

Nuclear hyperfine effects in Dy(OH)3

A crystal field analysis of the experimental data on magnetic, optical and thermal properties of Dy(OH)₃ single crystals have been published The nuclear hyperfine properties of Dy³⁺ in Dy(OH)₃ were studied using a crystal field thus obtained. The hyperfine spectra were computed from 4–20 K with a minimum number of approximations. Under a weak crystal field, the lowest electronic level is a Kramers' doublet For this highly anisotropic crystal, the magnetic hyperfine and the quadrupole interactions are both prominent The quadrupole interaction energy is temperature dependent The value of the magnetic Sternheimer factor R_hf/R is determined to be 0 14 The observed specific heat $\text{C}{}_{\mathrm{hf}}\text{R}$ arising from hyperfine interactions have been explained satisfactorily A maxima is expected at 21 mK.     

Photorefractive centers in LiNbO3, studied by optical-, Mössbauer- and EPR-methods

The photorefractive properties of LiNbO₃∶Fe and LiNbO₃∶Cu have been studied in combination with optical absorption-, Mössbauer- and EPR-measurements. The charge states of Fe in successively reduced LiNbO₃∶Fe have been investigated with respect to the influence on the photorefractive sensitivity and saturation value of the refractive index change. The results of this experiment demonstrate clearly the close correlation between the concentration of Fe²⁺ impurities and the optical absorption band around 2.6 eV in LiNbO₃∶Fe, which is known to give rise to an anisotropic charge transport upon optical excitation. The resulting photocurrents determine the photorefractive sensitivity mainly in the initial state of halographic exposure. With increasing conversion from Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺ the photorefractive sensitivity saturates and the saturation value of the refractive index change decreases remarkably. In the case of LiNbO₃∶Cu a similar behaviour of the photorefractive storage parameters after successive reduction treatments has been observed qualitatively. However, in contradiction to LiNbO₃∶Fe the Cu²⁺ centers cannot be related to the photorefractive sensitivity of LiNbO₃∶Cu. These results are discussed with respect to the predictions of two models concerning the microscopic nature of the photorefractive process in doped LiNbO₃.     

Magnetic properties of the Nd0.95Dy0.05Fe3(BO3)4 ferroborate with small substitution in the rare-earth element subsystem

The magnetic properties of a substituted Nd_0.95Dy_0.05Fe₃(BO₃)₄ ferroborate single crystal with competing Nd-Fe and Dy-Fe exchange interactions are studied experimentally and theoretically. A spontaneous spin-reorientation transition is detected near T = 4.3 K, and anomalies are observed in the low-temperature magnetization curves along trigonal axis c and in basal plane ab. The measured properties and the detected effects are interpreted in terms of a general theoretical approach, which is based on the molecular field approximation and crystal field calculations for a rare-earth ion. The experimental temperature dependences of the initial magnetic susceptibility in the range 2–300 K, the anomalies in the magnetization curves for B ‖ c and B ⊥ c in fields up to 1.5 T, and the field and temperature dependences of magnetization in fields up to 9 T are described. The effect of small substitution in the rare-earth subsystem on the magnetic properties is analyzed. The crystal field parameters and the parameters of the R-Fe and Fe-Fe exchange interactions are determined from the experimental data.     

Negative refraction at various crystal interfaces

In an anisotropic positive index media the tangential components of Poynting vector S and that of wavevector k can have the opposite signs under certain conditions. The phenomenon is called as the anomalous negative refraction. The negative refraction phenomenon at planar interfaces between isotropic medium-crystal and crystal-crystal media has been analyzed. The crystals can be both uniaxial axis and biaxial axis and the azimuth of optical axis can be arbitrary. The negative refraction phenomenon under various azimuth of optical axis is analyzed. The phenomena can be very evident if the optical axis angle is arranged appropriately. The optimal conditions are obtained. For strong anisotropy crystal, the maximum incident angle that yields the negative refraction and the bending angle could be very large. For the interface of biaxial crystal the anisotropy parameter of crystal u₁ = n_z/n_x plays a dominant role in effect on negative refraction.     

Photorefractive polymer composites for the IR region based on carbon nanotubes

The photorefractive properties of polymer composites based on aromatic polyimide and single-wall carbon nanotubes are studied using radiation at a wavelength of 1064 nm. It is found that the nanotubes possess photoelectric sensitivity in this spectral region and that the kinetic photorefractive characteristics of the polymer composites are entirely determined by the photogeneration and charge transport characteristics of the layers. The two-beam gain coefficient of the signal beam measured for a composite consisting of aromatic polyimide and 0.25 wt % of single-wall carbon nanotubes in a constant electric field E₀ = 79 V/μm is equal to 84 cm^?1 and exceeds the optical absorption coefficient by 59 cm^?1. The refractive index modulation is equal to Δn = 0.004 at E₀ = 54 V/μm.