The effect of superstructural ordering on the properties of high-temperature oxide superconductor systems

The effect of superstructural ordering in the oxygen sublattice (in addition to the influence of the antiferromagnetic interaction of copper ions) on the electron and phonon characteristics of oxide high-temperature superconductor (HTSC) systems has been studied. Taking into account this ordering effect, it is possible to explain a wide range of experimental data, including doping-induced changes in shape of the Fermi surface, features of the phonon spectra, the existence of stripes, the presence of a pseudogap and its coexistence with the superconducting gap, and some peculiarities in the phase diagrams of HTSCs.     

Magnetostriction of the high-temperature non-cuprate superconductor BaBiKO

Measurements of the magnetostriction of the isotropic high-temperature superconductor Ba_0.66K_0.34BiO₃ revealed an effect of the order of 10⁻⁶ which exceeds that for conventional superconductors but is not as high as the giant magnetostriction of cuprate high-temperature superconductors. A thermodynamic analysis of the results enables comparison with the results of numerical calculations of effects induced by magnetic flux pinning. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1199–1203 (July 1998)     

Temperature evolution of the hysteresis in the current-voltage characteristic of a polycrystalline high-temperature superconductor with 1-2-3 structure

The temperature evolution of the current-voltage (I-U) characteristic of a contact of the break-junction type with direct conduction is investigated on a polycrystalline HTSC of the Y-Ba-Cu-O system. The experimental I-U characteristics possessing a hysteresis are correctly described in the framework of the Kümmel-Nicolsky theory for an S-N-S contact (S stands for a superconductor; N, for a normal metal) in which the Andreev reflection of quasiparticles from the N-S interface is considered. It is shown that the shape of the I-U curve, as well as the existence of a hysteresis, is determined by the ratio of the number of “long” and “short” intergranular boundaries in the polycrystal under investigation. The coincidence of the calculated and experimental I-U curves made it possible to estimate the effective length of “natural” intergranular boundaries in polycrystalline HTSC materials. The estimate is obtained from the experimental temperature dependence of the critical current in the sample under investigation.     

Direct observation of high-temperature polaronic behavior in colossal magnetoresistive manganites

The temperature dependence of the electronic and atomic structure of the colossal magnetoresistive oxides La1-xSrxMnO3 (x=0.3, 0.4) has been studied using core and valence level photoemission, x-ray absorption and emission, and extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. A dramatic and reversible change of the electronic structure is observed on crossing the Curie temperature, including charge localization on and spin-moment increase of Mn, together with Jahn-Teller distortions, both signatures of polaron formation. Our data are also consistent with a phase-separation scenario.     

Theoretical model of giant magnetoresistive sandwiches with polycrystalline and amorphous ferromagnetic layer

The Camley–Barnas semiclassical model has been extended for magnetic sandwiches by considering the existing of inter-diffused region between the ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic layer. The giant magnetoresistance (GMR) curves of magnetic sandwiches with polycrystalline and amorphous magnetic layer were calculated respectively with this model. The calculations reproduce the experimental results well for both kinds of sandwiches, indicating that this new model is more effective than the original one.     

Microstructure and spin wave scattering in polycrystalline yttrium iron garnet

Polycrystalline ceramic YIG has been synthesized with submicron microstructure. The log-log plot of FMR linewidth versus average grain size gives a power law dependence α^-1₀ where α₀ is the average grain size. The instability threshold h_crit for increasing magnetic field vector of the microwave parallel pump shows a linear log-log dependence with average grain size.     

Dispersive excitations in the high-temperature superconductor La2-xSrxCuO4

High-resolution neutron scattering experiments on optimally doped La2-xSrxCuO4 (x=0.16) reveal that the magnetic excitations are dispersive. The dispersion is the same as in YBa2Cu3O6.85, and is quantitatively related to that observed with charge sensitive probes. The associated velocity in La2-xSrxCuO4 is only weakly dependent on doping with a value close to the spin-wave velocity of the insulating (x=0) parent compound. In contrast with the insulator, the excitations broaden rapidly with increasing energy, forming a continuum at higher energy and bear a remarkable resemblance to multiparticle excitations observed in 1D S=1/2 antiferromagnets. The magnetic correlations are 2D, and so rule out the simplest scenarios where the copper oxide planes are subdivided into weakly interacting 1D magnets.     

Luminescence centers in ceramics of yttrium, scandium, and bismuth oxytungstates

An investigation is made of the luminescence spectra of Me₂WO₆ ceramics (Me=Y, Sc, Bi). The spectra were decomposed into elementary components by the Alentsev—Fock method. Radiation hands with a maximum at 3.02 eV in the Y₂WO₆ luminescence spectrum, at 2.8 eV in the ScWO₆ spectrum, and at 2.93 eV in the Bi₂WO₆ spectrum are assigned to the light emission of self-localized Frenkel excitons. The bands with maxima at 2.25 and 1.75 eV in the Y₂WO₆ spectrum, at 2.36 and 1.9 eV in the Sc₂WO₆ spectrum, and at 2.35 and 1.9 eV in the Bi₂WO₆ spectrum are related to oxygen vacancies. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol 67, No. 2, pp. 273–275, March–April, 2000.     

1/f conduction noise in the high-temperature superconductor Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system

Conduction noise was investigated in the normal state of the 2212 phase of the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system for polycrystals, highly oriented thin films, and single crystals. It was found that large noise with 1/f spectrum in this material is generated as a bulk effect. The magnitude of the noise power is 7–10 orders of magnitude larger than in normal metals even in single crystals. Several possible origins are discussed.     

Growth and magnetic behavior of bismuth substituted yttrium iron garnet nanoparticles

Crystal growth and the magnetic properties of bismuth substituted yttrium iron garnet (Bi-YIG) nanoparticles were studied with particular focus on the bismuth composition dependence of the magnetic properties of the particles and the effects of annealing on the garnet phase formation. The Bi-YIG nanoparticles of 47–67 nm in size can be chemically synthesized when they are annealed at 650–850 °C. Both the lattice constant and the magnetization of the garnet nanoparticles linearly increase when the bismuth composition in the Bi-YIG particles increases. We have found that chemically synthesized nanoparticles transform from the amorphous to the garnet phase when annealed at temperatures below 650 °C, while the onset of magnetic moment of iron in the garnet nanoparticles is observed slightly above 650 °C. According to Mössbauer effect measurements, the hyperfine fields of ⁵⁷Fe at the tetrahedral and octahedral sites in the garnet are 39 and 48 T, respectively.     

Saturating and linear magnetoresistive effects in sodium and potassium

The theoretically predicted and long-sought intrinsic saturation of the transverse magnetoresistance of the alkali metals has finally been observed after sufficiently reducing the masking effect of the large superimposed linear magnetoresistance which is attributed to such classical considerations as geometry, Hall angle and non-uniform current distribution. The observed saturation values were about 100 times smaller than those observed previously in complicated metals but were still much too large to be explained only by Fermi surface anisotropy. The saturation phenomena contradict Kohler's rule but can be plausibly explained by mean free path anisotropy due predominantly to electron-phonon scattering mechanisms.     

Effect of Bi-substitution on the dielectric properties of polycrystalline yttrium iron garnet

The effect of Bi-substitution on the dielectric properties of yttrium iron garnet (YIG) was studied in this paper. The Bi-substituted YIG (YIG:Bi) polycrystalline samples, having composition of Y_3−xBi_xFe₅O₁₂, were prepared by the solid-state reaction method. x varied from 0 to 1.2. The phase formation and microstructure were performed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Ions valency was identified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The impedance analyzers are used to measure the frequency dependence and the temperature dependence of relative dielectric constant (_r) and loss tangent (tan δ). The experimental results show that the Bi-substitution lowers the phase formation and sintering temperature. Electronic carrier concentration drops dramatically due to limitation of ferric valency variation. Hence, _r and tan δ decrease with addition of Bi. Dispersion characteristic indicates non-Debye-type dispersion. A maximum of _r appears as the temperature rises.