Valence fluctuations in ternary europium compounds

We outline the possibility to study europium valence fluctuations with the μSR method and report on μSR experiments on the intermetallic compounds EuPdAs and NdPdAs. Above a magnetic transition at 15 K the temperature dependence of the relaxation rate in the trivalent neodymium system behaves like a typical localized moment system. In the valence fluctuating europium compound the zero field relaxation rate levels off at 1.0\ μs^-1 above 40 K. Furthermore, the relaxation enhancement in transverse field experiments is much smaller than expected for a pure dipolar coupling. Therefore an isotropic hyperfine coupling of typical strength is assumed and a valence fluctuation rate of 0.8 μs^-1 at 200 K is derived. Below the magnetic transition at 5 K a disordered spin freezing is concluded in EuPdAs. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Gas,liquid and solid state studies of muon spin relaxation in organic radicals

A distinctive field dependence of longitudinal muon spin relaxation in acetone liquid and vapour suggests that modulation of the isotropic hyperfine coupling of the (CH₃)₂COMu radical is the dominant relaxation mechanism. The temperature dependent correlation time extracted from the data then corresponds to the lifetime of the states of internal libration of the molecule. The variation of relaxation rate may also be followed into the solid phase, peaking at the freezing transition.     

Critical dynamics of magnets

We review our current understanding of the critical dynamics of magnets above and below the transition temperature with focus on the effects due to the dipole-dipole interaction present in all real magnets. Significant progress in our understanding of real ferromagnets in the vicinity of the critical point has been made in the last decade through improved experimental techniques and theoretical advances in taking into account realistic spin-spin interactions. We start our review with a discussion of the theoretical results for the critical dynamics based on recent renormalization group, mode coupling and spin-wave theories. A detailed comparison is made of the theory with experimental results obtained by different measuring techniques, such as neutron scattering, hyperfine interaction, muon spin resonance, electron spin resonance, and magnetic relaxation, in various materials. Furthermore we discuss the effects of dipolar interaction on the critical dynamics of three-dimensional isotropic antiferromagnets and uniaxial ferromagnets. Special attention is also paid to a discussion of the consequences of dipolar anisotropies on the existence of magnetic order and the spin-wave spectrum in two-dimensional ferromagnets and antiferromagnets. We close our review with a formulation of critical dynamics in terms of nonlinear Langevin equations.     

Frequency dependence of electron spin-lattice relaxation rate at 5–450 MHz in pristine trans-polyacetylene --- new evidence of one dimensional diffusive motion of electron spin (neutral soliton) ---

Electron spin-lattice relaxation rate T_l^?1 has been measured at low frequencies 5–450 MHz in pristine trans-polyacetylene. Frequency dependence of T_l^?1 gave dimensionality of diffusive motion of electron spins (neutral soliton). Relaxation mechanism was identified as dipolar and hyperfine origin based on an electron spin concentration dependence of T_l^?1.     

Frequency (250 MHz to 9.2 GHz) and viscosity dependence of electron spin relaxation of triarylmethyl radicals at room temperature

Electron spin relaxation times for four triarylmethyl (trityl) radicals at room temperature were measured by long-pulse saturation recovery, inversion recovery, and electron spin echo at 250 MHz, 1.5, 3.1, and 9.2 GHz in mixtures of water and glycerol. At 250 MHz T(1) is shorter than at X-band and more strongly dependent on viscosity. The enhanced relaxation at 250 MHz is attributed to modulation of electron-proton dipolar coupling by tumbling of the trityl radicals at rates that are comparable to the reciprocal of the resonance frequency. Deuteration of the solvent was used to distinguish relaxation due to solvent protons from the relaxation due to intra-molecular electron-proton interactions at 250 MHz. For trityl-CD(3), which contains no protons, modulation of dipolar interaction with solvent protons dominates T(1). For proton-containing radicals the relative importance of modulation of intra- and inter-molecular proton interactions varies with solution viscosity. The viscosity and frequency dependence of T(1) was modeled based on dipolar interaction with a defined number of protons at specified distances from the unpaired electron. At each of the frequencies examined T(2) decreases with increasing viscosity consistent with contributions from T(1) and from incomplete motional averaging of anisotropic hyperfine interaction.     

Hyperfine contribution to the F NMR lineshift in the planar antiferromagnet K2MnF4

NMR experiments on F¹⁹ nuclei in K₂MnF₄ single crystal are performed in the temperature region 20–300 K. In particular the angular dependence of the line shift has been found substantially due to the magnetic dipolar interaction with the Mn electron spins.

The values of the measured transferred hyperfine interaction (THI) tensor components indicate the isotropic nature of the Mn---F bond. Good agreement has been found between the lineshift values and the available susceptibility data in the temperature region 20–300 K.     

Relating PAC damping to EFG fluctuation rates through the PAC relaxation peak

A perturbed angular correlation (PAC) experiment that measures dynamic damping also needs information about the fundamental quadrupole frequency to relate the damping as a function of temperature to the EFG fluctuation rate. When the experiment is unable to access slow electric field gradient (EFG) fluctuations that show the fundamental quadrupole frequency directly, one needs additional information to determine the hyperfine field parameters and thereby the connection between observed damping and EFG fluctuation rates. One way to solve this problem is to estimate the hyperfine parameters from the fluctuation rate for maximum damping (i.e. at the relaxation peak) or from the rate of maximum damping. This work relates both the maximum damping rate and the fluctuation rate at the relaxation peak to EFG magnitudes (or quadrupole frequencies) for five dynamic N-state symmetric models of fluctuating EFGs.     

13C relaxation studies: dipolar versus spin rotation mechanisms for camphor

The dipolar and the spin-rotation mechanism are both involved in the relaxation of the ¹³C nuclei. Their respective contributions are evaluated from the nuclear Overhauser effect in the presence and absence of Cr(acac)₃, and confirmed through the study of the temperature dependence of T ₁. The molecular rotation appears to be isotropic, and to proceed according to the Debye diffusion mechanism at 296 K.     

Non-linear spin fluctuations and phase transitions in itinerant electron magnets: CMR manganites

We present a review analyzing the effects of coupling of transverse magnons with longitudinal spin fluctuations in isotropic itinerant ferro- and antiferromagnets. It is shown that this coupling essentially changes the spectrum of longitudinal fluctuations. At low-temperatures their spectrum is dominated by the linear Landau relaxation, is purely quasielastic and described by a broad central peak of a paramagnon type. On approaching the critical temperature non-linear magnetic relaxation due to mode–mode couplings can dominate and lead to a rapid increase of the central peak and to a new mechanism of magnetic phase transitions governed by non-linear spin fluctuations. The formalism is applied to the CMR manganites where the observed quasielastic fluctuations can be viewed as non-linear spin-lattice fluctuations strongly affected by magnons.     

An NMR study of the origin of dioxygen-induced spin-lattice relaxation enhancement and chemical shift perturbation

Due to its depth-dependent solubility, oxygen exerts paramagnetic effects which become progressively greater toward the hydrophobic interior of micelles, and lipid bilayer membranes. This paramagnetic gradient, which is manifested as contact shift perturbations (19F and 13C NMR) and spin-lattice relaxation enhancement (19F and 1H NMR), has been shown to be useful for precisely determining immersion depth, membrane protein secondary structure, and overall topology of membrane proteins. We have investigated the influence of oxygen on 19F and 13C NMR spectra and spin-lattice relaxation rates of a semiperfluorinated detergent, (8,8,8)-trifluoro (3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7)-difluoro octylmaltoside (TFOM) in a model membrane system, to determine the dominant paramagnetic spin-lattice relaxation and shift-perturbation mechanism. Based on the ratio of paramagnetic spin-lattice relaxation rates of 19F and directly bonded 13C nuclei, we conclude that the dominant relaxation mechanism must be dipolar. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of oxygen-induced chemical shift perturbations in 9F NMR spectra suggests a contact interaction is the dominant shift mechanism. The respective hyperfine coupling constants for 19F and 13C nuclei can then be estimated from the contact shifts <(deltav/v0)19F> and <(deltav/v0)13C>, allowing us to estimate the relative contribution of scalar and dipolar relaxation to 19F and 13C nuclei. We conclude that the contribution to spin-lattice relaxation from the oxygen induced paramagnetic scalar mechanism is negligible.     

Dynamical critical slowing down in CsNiF3

Dynamical critical slowing down in CsNiF₃ is studied using the a.c. susceptibility measurements at 9.5 GHz in zero external static magnetic field. The dynamical critical exponent for the relaxation time of the in-plane spin fluctuations is obtained for the temperature interval 6 K < T < 20 K. For this temperature interval where one-dimensional spin fluctuations are dominant, very good qualitative and quantitative agreement with the spinwave calculation of the dynamical response is obtained at long wavelength and low frequency. The dynamical critical exponent for the relaxation time is measured to be 0.96 ± 0.6. At higher temperature, a gradual crossover to an isotropic Heisenberg chain behaviour is observed. For temperatures close to the 3-d antiferromagnetic ordering temperature T_N, a crossover to 3-d fluctuation regime gives rise to a speeding-up of the spin relaxation rate.     

Features of low-frequency spin dynamics in manganite LaMnO3 according to 139La NMR data

The spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation times of ¹³⁹La are measured in manganite LaMnO₃. Analysis of the frequency dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation rate in the paramagnetic temperature range shows that this quantity is determined by magnetic fluctuations. The magnitude of the fluctuating field is estimated. It is shown that the correlation time for spin fluctuations varies with temperature in accordance with the Arrhenius law. The high value of the spin-spin relaxation rate in the paramagnetic region can be due to strong anisotropy of fluctuating magnetic fields at La nuclei.     

Effect of local molecular ordering on the temperature behavior of the relaxation time of order-parameter fluctuations in the isotropic phase of PAA nematic liquid crystal

The behavior of the relaxation time of order-parameter fluctuations in the isotropic phase of PAA nematic liquid crystal was investigated on the basis of the spectra of depolarized (inelastic) light scattering in a wide temperature range including the immediate vicinity to the temperature of the nematic phase transition. The experimental data were analyzed within the Landau—de Gennes theory. The temperature limits of applicability of the Landau—de Gennes theory to the isotropic-phase dynamic properties are obtained. The minimum correlation length is determined, at which the effect of local ordering on the dynamics of slow orientational motion of isotropic-phase molecules is dominant.     

The temperature dependence of the hyperfine parameters of YIG below the Curie point

The temperature dependence of the hyperfine parameters of the ⁵⁷Fe nuclei in yttrium iron garnet Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ (YIG) between room temperature and the Curie point was studied by means of conventional Mößbauer transmission spectroscopy. The critical exponent β, which describes the temperature dependence of the magnetic hyperfine field of ⁵⁷Fe in YIG, was found to be 0.29(1) and 0.33(1) in the [a]- and (d)-sublattice, respectively. In the temperature region just below the Curie point relaxation of the internal hyperfine fields could be observed. The phase transition at the Curie point shows a distinct dependence on the grain size in the sample.     

Anomalous behaviour of the proton spin-lattice relaxation time near the phase transition of the layered antiferroelectric squaric acid

The temperature dependence of the proton spin-lattice relaxation time has been measured at 51, 70 and 300 MHz by different pulse sequences. Besides a strongly frequency dependent background relaxation rate, a frequency independent critical relaxation rate could be resolved particularly in a broad temperature interval above T_c. The temperature dependence of the critical relaxation rate could not be represented by a power law with a single exponent. Rather it most favourably could be fitted by a logarithmic law. The results are discussed with respect to the phase transition mechanism of squaric acid.     

Critical surface wave velocity near phase transitions

The temperature dependent Rayleigh wave velocity is discussed for crystals with a surface layer of depth equal to the correlation length, ξ, with special reference to a critical region near phase transitions. For finite qξ the Rayleigh wave velocity reflects the specific critical properties of the surface layer. Under such conditions the temperature dependence of Rayleigh waves cannot be predicted on the temperature dependence of constants. A phenomenological analysis is made for qξ ≦? 1. Experimental results on SrTiO₃ show bulk-dominated critical Rayleigh wave velocities due to the short correlation length in this material.     

13C- and 1H-NMR Relaxation Investigation of a Polyciclic Nitrogen Compound: 3,3-Dimethyl-1,5-diphenyl-9-hydroxy-bispidinium Iodide

The rigid polycyclic nitrogen compound was considered as a test for the reliability of internuclear distances calculated by ¹H-NMR spin-lattice relaxation rates. The ‘isotropic’ motional correlation time was calculated from ¹³C relaxation rates (τ_C = 0.11 ns at 298 K). Dipolar cross-relaxation rates were calculated by measuring non-, mono- and double-selective proton spin-lattice relaxation rates. All the experimental relaxation rates were thoroughly accounted for by dipolar pairwise interactions. Only at high temperatures a certain contribution from the spin rotational mechanism was apparent.     

Asymmetric metal-insulator transition in disordered ferromagnetic films

We present experimental data and a theoretical interpretation of the conductance near the metal-insulator transition in thin ferromagnetic Gd films of thickness b ≈ 2-10 nm. A large phase relaxation rate caused by scattering of quasiparticles off spin-wave excitations renders the dephasing length L(?) ? b in the range of sheet resistances considered, so that the effective dimension is d = 3. The conductivity data at different stages of disorder obey a fractional power-law temperature dependence and collapse onto two scaling curves for the metallic and insulating regimes, indicating an asymmetric metal-insulator transition with two distinctly different critical exponents; the best fit is obtained for a dynamical exponent z ≈ 2.5 and a correlation (localization) length critical exponent ν- ≈ 1.4 (ν+ ≈ 0.8) on the metallic (insulating) side.