Conductance and EPR study of the endohedral fullerene Li@C60

Thin films and bulk samples of endohedral fullerenes Li@C₆₀ are studied using current-voltage (I-V) measurements and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Electrical measurements show a linear behaviour for the I-V curves and give an average resistivity of ca. 1.5 kΩcm for thin Li@C₆₀ films deposited in vacuum, four orders of magnitude lower than C₆₀ samples. A drastic effect on the conductance, lowering it to the values typical for C₆₀, is observed when the Li@C₆₀ samples are exposed to ambient atmosphere. No additional paramagnetic centres (PCs) are found for the Li@C₆₀ compared to C₆₀ that can be related to the formation of dimers or trimers of the endohedral fullerene molecules. However, the presence of the Li atoms in the fullerene cages contributes to a change of the spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation times. The spin-lattice relaxation time becomes four orders of magnitude longer compared to the spin-spin relaxation time.     

Magnetic properties of an anti-ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic mixed spin-1/2 and spin-5/2 Ising model in the longitudinal magnetic field within the effective-field approximation

The magnetic properties of an anti-ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic mixed spin-1/2 and spin-5/2 Ising model with a crystal field in a longitudinal magnetic field on the honeycomb (z=3) and square lattice (z=4) are studied by using the effective-field theory with correlations. The ground state phase diagram of the model is obtained in the longitudinal magnetic field (h) and a single-ion potential or crystal-field interaction (Δ) plane. We also investigate the thermal variations of the sublattice and total magnetizations, and present the phase diagrams in the (Δ/|J|, ) plane. The phase diagrams have one, two or even three compensation temperatures depending on the values of the crystal-field interaction. Moreover, the susceptibility, internal energy and specific heat of the system are numerically examined, and some interesting phenomena in these quantities are found due to the applied longitudinal magnetic field.     

Effect of the Bloch-Siegert shift on the frequency responses of Rabi oscillations in the case of nutation resonance

The dynamics of a two-level spin system dressed by bichromatic radiation is studied under the conditions of double resonance when the frequency of one (microwave) field is equal to the Larmor frequency of the spin system and the frequency of the other (radio-frequency) field ω_rf is close to the Rabi frequency ω₁ in a microwave field. It is shown theoretically that Rabi oscillations between dressed-spin states with the frequency ? are accompanied by higher-frequency oscillations at frequencies nω_rf and nω_rf ± ?, where n = 1, 2,.... The most intense among these are the signals corresponding to n = 1. The counter-rotating (antiresonance) components of the RF field give rise to a shift of the dressed-state energy, i.e., to a frequency shift similar to the Bloch-Siegert shift. In particular, this shift is manifested as the dependence of the Rabi-oscillation frequency ? on the sign of the detuning ω₁ ? ω_rf from resonance. In the case of double resonance, the oscillation amplitude is asymmetric; i.e., the amplitude at the sum frequency ω_rf + ? increases, while the amplitude at the difference frequency ω_rf ? ? decreases. The predicted effects are confirmed by observations of the nutation signals of the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) of E′₁ centers in quartz and should be taken into account to realize qubits with a low Rabi frequency in solids.     

Magnetic phase evolution in Fe substituted GdBaCo2O5.5

Magnetization and magneto-resistance experiments have been carried out on well characterized samples of the GdBaCo_2−xFe_xO_5.5 series. Zero field cooled magnetization measurements in the low concentration Fe samples suggest, that the low temperature anti-ferromagnetic phase transforms sequentially to several ferromagnetic phases, before transforming to a paramagnetic state with increase in temperature. The anti-ferromagnetic to the first ferromagnetic phase transition is associated with a large negative magneto-resistance for Fe fractions upto x=0.075. Isothermal magnetization measurements in the ferromagnetic like region of the samples, suggests the presence of mixtures of two ferromagnetic phases. Similar measurements performed at low temperatures where anti-ferromagnetic-like phase is stabilised suggest the presence of a mixture of anti-ferromagnetic and ferromagnetic phases. Magnetization and magneto-resistance are seen to collapse for Fe fractions, x>0.1. Based on these studies a plausible scenario of the evolution of magnetism with Fe substitution in GdBaCo₂O_5.5, is suggested.     

Longitudinal response of the spin system of a metal to modulated EPR saturation at arbitrary modulation frequency and detuning of the saturating field

The theory of the longitudinal (with respect to an external magnetic field) response of a combined spin system of localized paramagnetic centers (s subsystem) and free charge carriers (e subsystem) of a solid semiconductor to modulated saturation of EPR is developed. In contrast to relevant studies made earlier, the general case is considered of an arbitrary modulation frequency and arbitrary detuning of the saturating microwave field with respect to the central EPR frequency. A theoretical approach is used in which normal modes are considered in analyzing coupled oscillations of the spin magnetizations of the s and e subsystems. It is shown that, in the case of relaxation coupling between the subsystems, the longitudinal response recorded at the modulation frequency can be represented as the sum of the responses of the normal modes, each of which is described by a universal resonance lineshape that is different, in general, from the Lorentzian lineshape characteristic of EPR signals. In the extreme cases of weak and strong coupling, simple analytical formulas are derived. The results presented form a theoretical basis for applying the method of modulated longitudinal response for measuring very short longitudinal spin relaxation times in semiconductors with paramagnetic impurities. As an example, experimental data are presented for activated carbon containing stable free radicals.     

Magnetic characterization of vanadium oxide/polyaniline nanotubes

We present a magnetic study of vanadium oxide nanotubes (VO_x-NTs) with polyaniline (PAni). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows the tubular shape and the multi-wall structure of the nanotubes. The static magnetic susceptibility measured at different magnetic fields shows a Curie behavior, while the magnetization versus magnetic field presents a non-linear dependence at low temperatures. Both experiments can be explained by the presence of paramagnetic ions with S = 1/2. Using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance technique, we identified as V⁴⁺(3d¹) the paramagnetic ions present in the nanostructures. All the experimental results can be explained by a fraction between 14% and 18% of V⁴⁺ with respect to the total V atoms in the system.     

A Brillouin study of the temperature-dependence of the acoustic modes across the insulator-metal transitions in V2O3 and Cr-doped V2O3

Brillouin scattering studies have been carried out on high-quality single crystals of undoped and 0.9% Cr-doped V₂O₃. The observed modes in both the samples at ∼12 and ∼60 GHz are associated with the surface Rayleigh wave (SRW) and bulk acoustic wave (BAW), respectively. In the undoped sample, the mode frequencies of the SRW and BAW modes decrease as the temperature is lowered from room temperature to the insulator-metal transition temperature (T_IM=T_N=∼130 K). Below the transition, the modes show hardening. In the doped sample, the SRW mode shows a similar temperature-dependence as the undoped one, but the BAW mode shows hardening from room temperature down to the lowest temperature (50 K). This is the first measurement of the sound velocity below T_IM in the V₂O₃ system. The softening of the SRW frequency from 330 K to T_IM can be qualitatively understood on the basis of the temperature-dependence of C₄₄, which, in turn, is related to the orbital fluctuations in the paramagnetic metallic phase. The hardening of the mode frequencies below T_IM suggests that C₄₄ must increase in the antiferromagnetic insulating phase, possibly due to the orbital ordering.     

Resonances of orientation and alignment of atoms in the case of inclined optical pumping

It is shown that, with pumping inclined relative to a constant magnetic field H₀, the radio-frequency (RF) magnetic field rotating at frequency Ω induces new resonances ω₀ = γ H ₀ and 2Ω for the Fourier components of orientation and ω₀ = ?Ω, Ω/2, 3Ω/2, 2Ω, and 3Ω for the components of alignment. New resonances excited by the oscillating RF field are also considered.     

Magnetostrictions and Curie temperature measurements of (Fe–Co)91−xMo8Cu1Bx alloys with varying Co/Fe ratio

Amorphous rapidly quenched ribbons of (Fe–Co)₇₉Mo₈Cu₁B₁₂ and (Fe–Co)₇₆Mo₈Cu₁B₁₅ with the ratio of Co/Fe from 0 to 1 and 0 to 2, respectively, were prepared by planar flow casting. The dependence of Curie temperature T_C on Co/Fe ratio was determined from temperature dependencies of sample dilatation measured using a special dilatometer designed for these materials. Due to the presence of the invar effect, it was possible to measure the spontaneous volume magnetostriction in the temperature interval between 300 K and T_C, which is of the order of 10⁻³. Using special disc-shaped samples field dependencies of magnetostriction in parallel and perpendicular directions of the applied magnetic field were obtained by direct measurement. Subsequently, saturation magnetostriction and volume magnetostriction as well as forced magnetostriction were computed. Saturation magnetostriction λ_S increases with increasing Co/Fe ratio from 0 up to 15 and from 0 up to 17 ppm for both alloy systems, respectively, depending both on the Co/Fe ratio and on the shift of T_C with composition. After attaining the maximal value and further increase of the Co/Fe ratio the saturation magnetostriction decreases. Both alloy systems with ratio Co/Fe=0 exhibit T_C near room temperature and the system passes into paramagnetic state. T_C for higher Co/Fe ratios approaches the glass transition region. In paramagnetic state the field dependencies of magnetostriction are practically linear functions of applied field and approach saturation only for high-field values.     

A theoretical analysis on coherent double resonant absorptive lineshape in closely spaced transitions for λ − type five level system

Under Doppler free double resonant condition, an open five level system with three closely spaced upper levels and a pair of closely spaced lower levels, is allowed to interact with two electromagnetic fields. In the domain of semiclassical formulation of atom-field interaction, the optical Bloch equations involving the density matrix elements are constructed. These coupled optical Bloch equations are unsolvable in closed analytical form. We use the perturbation method for getting the approximate analytical solutions to the coupled optical Bloch equations. The absorptive signal lineshape corresponding to pump frequency Ω₁ and signal frequency Ω₂ is obtained. We also obtain the absorptive signal line shape by interchanging the pump and signal (i.e., the pump frequency is Ω₂ and the signal frequency is Ω₁) mutually. The interferences between the probability amplitudes for different energy levels involving the dipole allowed and the dipole forbidden transitions give rise to the field dependent and field independent quantum coherence respectively. With the suitable manipulation of the coherence between the two lower levels, the signal lineshapes for on-resonance and off-resonance pump positions are explored in a great detail. The off-resonance pump leads to the two-photon absorption and hence the signature of the nonlinear resonances. On the other hand, the on-resonance pump positions lead to the Rabi splitting. The shifts of the resonance peak positions are explored as a function of pump intensity and the level spacings of the closely spaced levels.     

Effects of low frequency near metal-insulator transition temperatures on polycrystalline La0.65Ca0.35Mn1−yFeyO3 (where y=0.05-0.10) ceramic oxides

The ac electrical properties of 5-10% Fe doped polycrystalline sample have been investigated by complex impedance analysis over the frequency and temperature ranges of 1-100 kHz and 77-300 K, respectively. The average normalized change (ΔZ′/Δf)/Z₀ has been deduced for these Fe doped CMR samples which shows an increasing trend with iron doping. The most pronounced effect of frequencies is at T_c, with the increase of Fe doping it is observed that not only T_c is lowered substantially but also the height of the peaks of real part of impedance (Z′) is increased which in turn decreases considerably with the increase of the ac field. An equivalent circuit model, R_g(R_gbC_gb), i.e. a resistor-capacitor network, has been proposed to explain the impedance results at different temperatures. The plot between τ and 1/T gives a straight line from where relaxation time (τ₀) has been deduced. The correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model has been employed and the binding energy of the defect states is estimated to be between 0.39 and 0.25 eV while the minimum hoping distance varies within the range of 2.93-5.21 Å for these 5-10% Fe doped LCM samples.     

Wide-band magnetoelectric characterization of a ferrite-piezoelectric multilayer using a pulsed magnetic field

The use of a pulsed magnetic field for studies on frequency characteristics of the magnetoelectric (ME) effect in multilayer composite structures is described. The method is based on the excitation of a ferrite-lead zirconate titanate multilayer with short magnetic field pulses, followed by the measurement and Fourier analysis of the ME response signal. It is shown that the ME voltage coefficient α_E generally decreases as the frequency increases from 1 kHz to 1 MHz except (i) at some discrete frequencies where the coefficient increases by an order of magnitude due to electromechanical resonance in the structure and (ii) a local maximum at 2-4 kHz in α_E vs. frequency due to relaxation processes caused by the conductivity of individual layers.     

Nonequilibrium phase transition in the kinetic Ising model on a two-layer square lattice under the presence of an oscillating field

The nonequilibrium or dynamic phase transitions are studied, within a mean-field approach, in the kinetic Ising model on a two-layer square lattice consisting of spin- 1/2 ions in the presence of a time varying (sinusoidal) magnetic field has been studied by using Glauber-type stochastic dynamics. The dynamic equations of motion are obtained in terms of the intralayer coupling constants J₁ and J₂ for the first and second layer, respectively, and interlayer coupling constant J₃ between these two layers. The nature (first- or second-order) of the transitions is characterized by investigating the behavior of the thermal variations of the dynamic order parameters. The dynamic phase transitions are obtained and the dynamic phase diagrams are constructed in the plane of the reduced temperature versus the amplitude of the magnetic field and found fourteen fundamental types of phase diagrams. Phase diagrams exhibit one, two or three dynamic tricritical points for various values of J₂/|J₁| and J₃/|J₁|. Besides the paramagnetic (p), ferromagnetic (f) and compensated (c) phases, there were the f+c,f+sf,c+sf,af+p,m+p,f+m and c+af, where the af, sf and m are the antiferromagnetic, surface ferromagnetic and mixed phases respectively. Coexistence phase regions also exist in the system.     

Dynamic compensation temperature in the kinetic spin-1 Ising model in an oscillating external magnetic field on alternate layers of a hexagonal lattice

The dynamic behavior of a two-sublattice spin-1 Ising model with a crystal-field interaction (D) in the presence of a time-varying magnetic field on a hexagonal lattice is studied by using the Glauber-type stochastic dynamics. The lattice is formed by alternate layers of spins σ=1 and S=1. For this spin arrangement, any spin at one lattice site has two nearest-neighbor spins on the same sublattice, and four on the other sublattice. The intersublattice interaction is antiferromagnetic. We employ the Glauber transition rates to construct the mean-field dynamical equations. Firstly, we study time variations of the average magnetizations in order to find the phases in the system, and the temperature dependence of the average magnetizations in a period, which is also called the dynamic magnetizations, to obtain the dynamic phase transition (DPT) points as well as to characterize the nature (continuous and discontinuous) of transitions. Then, the behavior of the total dynamic magnetization as a function of the temperature is investigated to find the types of the compensation behavior. Dynamic phase diagrams are calculated for both DPT points and dynamic compensation effect. Phase diagrams contain the paramagnetic (p) and antiferromagnetic (af) phases, the p+af and nm+p mixed phases, nm is the non-magnetic phase, and the compensation temperature or the L-type behavior that strongly depend on the interaction parameters. For D<2.835 and H₀>3.8275, H₀ is the magnetic field amplitude, the compensation effect does not appear in the system.     

Relaxationsphänomene in Mössbauerspektren von magnetisierten paramagnetischen Substanzen

The Mössbauer spectra of partly magnetized FeNH₄(SO₄)₂·12 H₂O show a broadening and a shift of the hyperfine structure lines, reflecting the paramagnetic spin fluctuations. These fluctuations and their influence on the γ-spectrum may be treated in a spin wave model without introducing phenomenological parameters. By means of a simple diagram technique we get a line broadening γ and line shift δ, proportional to second and third order polynomials of the magnetization and to ∫g ² dΩ and ∫g ³ dΩ, respectively.g(Ω) is the frequency spectrum of spin waves. The values of the two frequency integrals, as deduced from the measured Mössbauer data γ and δ of ferric alum, are in reasonable agreement with the results obtained from the calculated spin wave spectrum, assuming pure magnetic dipole-dipole coupling (long wave length approximation of Holstein-Primakoff). A small contribution of non-magnetic dipole-dipole interaction (van Vleck) cannot be excluded.     

Heating in the MRI environment due to superparamagnetic fluid suspensions in a rotating magnetic field

In the presence of alternating-sinusoidal or rotating magnetic fields, magnetic nanoparticles will act to realign their magnetic moment with the applied magnetic field. The realignment is characterized by the nanoparticle's time constant, τ. As the magnetic field frequency is increased, the nanoparticle's magnetic moment lags the applied magnetic field at a constant angle for a given frequency, Ω, in rad/s. Associated with this misalignment is a power dissipation that increases the bulk magnetic fluid's temperature which has been utilized as a method of magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia, particularly suited for cancer in low-perfusion tissue (e.g., breast) where temperature increases of between 4 and 7 degree Centigrade above the ambient in vivo temperature cause tumor hyperthermia. This work examines the rise in the magnetic fluid's temperature in the MRI environment which is characterized by a large DC field, B₀. Theoretical analysis and simulation is used to predict the effect of both alternating-sinusoidal and rotating magnetic fields transverse to B₀. Results are presented for the expected temperature increase in small tumors (approximately 1 cm radius) over an appropriate range of magnetic fluid concentrations (0.002-0.01 solid volume fraction) and nanoparticle radii (1-10 nm). The results indicate that significant heating can take place, even in low-field MRI systems where magnetic fluid saturation is not significant, with careful selection of the rotating or sinusoidal field parameters (field frequency and amplitude). The work indicates that it may be feasible to combine low-field MRI with a magnetic hyperthermia system using superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.     

Simulating magnetic nanoparticle behavior in low-field MRI under transverse rotating fields and imposed fluid flow

In the presence of alternating-sinusoidal or rotating magnetic fields, magnetic nanoparticles will act to realign their magnetic moment with the applied magnetic field. The realignment is characterized by the nanoparticle's time constant, τ. As the magnetic field frequency is increased, the nanoparticle's magnetic moment lags the applied magnetic field at a constant angle for a given frequency, Ω, in rad s⁻¹. Associated with this misalignment is a power dissipation that increases the bulk magnetic fluid's temperature which has been utilized as a method of magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia, particularly suited for cancer in low-perfusion tissue (e.g., breast) where temperature increases of between 4 and 7 °C above the ambient in vivo temperature cause tumor hyperthermia. This work examines the rise in the magnetic fluid's temperature in the MRI environment which is characterized by a large DC field, B₀. Theoretical analysis and simulation is used to predict the effect of both alternating-sinusoidal and rotating magnetic fields transverse to B₀. Results are presented for the expected temperature increase in small tumors ( radius) over an appropriate range of magnetic fluid concentrations (0.002-0.01 solid volume fraction) and nanoparticle radii (1-10 nm). The results indicate that significant heating can take place, even in low-field MRI systems where magnetic fluid saturation is not significant, with careful the goal of this work is to examine, by means of analysis and simulation, the concept of interactive fluid magnetization using the dynamic behavior of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle suspensions in the MRI environment. In addition to the usual magnetic fields associated with MRI, a rotating magnetic field is applied transverse to the main B₀ field of the MRI. Additional or modified magnetic fields have been previously proposed for hyperthermia and targeted drug delivery within MRI. Analytical predictions and numerical simulations of the transverse rotating magnetic field in the presence of B₀ are investigated to demonstrate the effect of Ω, the rotating field frequency, and the magnetic field amplitude on the fluid suspension magnetization. The transverse magnetization due to the rotating transverse field shows strong dependence on the characteristic time constant of the fluid suspension, τ. The analysis shows that as the rotating field frequency increases so that Ωτ approaches unity, the transverse fluid magnetization vector is significantly non-aligned with the applied rotating field and the magnetization's magnitude is a strong function of the field frequency. In this frequency range, the fluid's transverse magnetization is controlled by the applied field which is determined by the operator. The phenomenon, which is due to the physical rotation of the magnetic nanoparticles in the suspension, is demonstrated analytically when the nanoparticles are present in high concentrations (1-3% solid volume fractions) more typical of hyperthermia rather than in clinical imaging applications, and in low MRI field strengths (such as open MRI systems), where the magnetic nanoparticles are not magnetically saturated. The effect of imposed Poiseuille flow in a planar channel geometry and changing nanoparticle concentration is examined. The work represents the first known attempt to analyze the dynamic behavior of magnetic nanoparticles in the MRI environment including the effects of the magnetic nanoparticle spin-velocity. It is shown that the magnitude of the transverse magnetization is a strong function of the rotating transverse field frequency. Interactive fluid magnetization effects are predicted due to non-uniform fluid magnetization in planar Poiseuille flow with high nanoparticle concentrations.     

Excitation of ion cyclotron waves at the difference frequency of two microwave beams in a semiconductor

This paper presents an investigation of the resonant excitation of the electrostatic ion cyclotron wave at the difference frequency of two microwave beams propagating in a magnetoactive solid state plasma, viz. n InSb. The resonant excitation of the electrostatic ion cyclotron wave occurs when the difference frequency of the two microwave beams and the difference of their propagation vectors satisfy the dispersion relation corresponding to the electrostatic ion cyclotron wave. For typical plasma parameters of n InSb and microwave beams of power densities 1 MW cm^?2, the power density of the excited ion cyclotron wave is 0.40 kW cm^?2 when external magnetic field is $\text{1.46 kG (}\text{Ω}{}_{\mathrm{c}}\text{ω}\text{) = 0.1)}$. The power density of the excited ion cyclotron wave increases with the magnetic field. This study may provide new means for the characterisation and diagnostic of semiconductors.     

Effects of the velocity dependence of the collision frequency on the Dicke line narrowing

The effect of the velocity (v) dependence of the transport collision frequency ν_trv on the Dicke line narrowing is analyzed in terms of the strong-collision model generalized to velocity-dependent collision frequencies (the so-called kangaroo model). This effect has been found to depend on the mass ratio of the resonance (M) and buffer (M _b) particles, β = M _b/M: it is at a minimum for β ? 1 and reaches a maximum for β ? 3. A power-law particle interaction potential, U(r) ∝ r ^?n , is used as an example to show that, compared to ν_trv (v) = const (n = 4), the line narrows if ν_trv (v) decreases with increasing v (n < 4) and broadens if ν _trv (v) increases with v(n > 4). At β ? 3, the line width can increase [compared to ν_trv (v) = const] by 5 and 12% for the potentials with n = 6 and n ? 10, respectively; for the potentials with n = 1 (Coulomb potential) and n = 3, it can decrease by more than half and 6%, respectively. The line profile I(Ω) has been found to be weakly sensitive to ν_trv (v) at some detuning Ω_c of the radiation frequency Ω. Dicke line narrowing is used as an example to analyze the collisional transport of nonequilibrium in the resonance-particle velocity distribution in a laser field. The transport effect is numerically shown to be weak. This allows simpler approximate one-dimensional quantum kinetic equations to be used instead of the three-dimensional ones to solve spectroscopic problems in which it is important to take into account the velocity dependence of the collision frequency when the phase memory is preserved during collisions.