Coercivity of homogenized ensembles of anisotropic γ-Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanoparticles

The influence of interaction between anisotropic γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles on their coercive force H _c is studied. In samples where the degree of homogenization of anisotropic γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles is high owing to mechanical, ultrasonic, and magnetic dispersion with subsequent filtering of resulting suspensions, H _c is almost independent of volume concentration η of the particles when η varies between 4 × 10⁻⁴ and 10⁻¹. In samples homogenized only mechanically, the H _c versus logη dependence is linear.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance of 55Mn in the antiferromagnet CsMnBr3 in a variable longitudinal magnetic field

The spectrum and intensities of NMR lines are investigated experimentally and theoretically for excitation by an alternating magnetic field h‖ parallel to a static field H in the quasi-one-dimensional, six-sublattice antiferromagnet CsMnBr₃. According to theory, two new NMR lines, which are not excited by a transverse magnetic field h _⊥, are observed near the phase transition from triangular to collinear structure (H=H _c ) [JETP 86, 197 (1998)]. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 2228–2241 (June 1999)     

Study of the magnetic state of a highly dispersed BaO · 6Fe2O3 system with near-critical particle size

An investigation was made of the magnetic state of a system of highly anisotropic BaO · 6Fe₂O₃ nanocrystals several lattice parameters thick and having a near-critical volume (∼10⁻¹⁸ cm³), obtained using cryochemical technology. It is observed that the particles are transformed to the superparamagnetic state and it is shown that the external magnetic field plays a role in its formation. An H-T diagram was obtained for the temperature range 300 K-T _c, which shows various regions uncharacteristic of the macro-object, which are specifically attributed to the distribution over the anisotropy fields in the system and the impaired magnetic structure in the surface zone of the particles. Relatively large regions of magnetic fields and temperatures were observed where reversible rotation of the magnetization vector of particles with near-critical volume plays an important role. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1294–1297 (July 1998)     

Antiferromagnetic conical refraction of elastic waves in hematite

Conical refraction, which is due to the renormalization of the elastic moduli by the effective magnetoelastic interaction and depends on the static magnetic field, has been experimentally observed in an α-Fe₂O₃ trigonal easy-plane antiferromagnet in addition to the usual internal conical refraction of transverse elastic waves propagating along the trigonal C ₃ axis. It has been shown that the deviation angle θ_η of the energy flux from the C ₃ axis at the internal conical refraction is independent of the magnetic field applied in the basal plane (H ⊥ C ₃) and is a constant determined by the ratio of the elastic moduli C ₁₄ and C ₄₄. The deviation angle of the energy flux at the antiferromagnetic conical refraction increases with the magnetic field and approaches the value θ_η at large H values. The results are well described by the theory of this phenomenon developed by E.A. Turov and confirm its basic conclusions.     

Strong coupling in the Kondo problem in the low-temperature region

The magnetic field dependence of the average spin of a localized electron coupled to conduction electrons with an antiferromangetic exchange interaction is found for the ground state. In the magnetic field range μH∼0.5T _c (T _c is the Kondo temperature) there is an inflection point, and in the strong magnetic field range μH≫T _c , the correction to the average spin is proportional to (T _c /μ H)². In zero magnetic field, the interaction with conduction electrons also leads to the splitting of doubly degenerate spin impurity states. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 1263–1284 (April 1999) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Reproduced here with stylistic changes by the Translation Editor     

Effect of magnetic field on the sound velocity of a dilute Kramers-ion glass at low temperature

Recent results on the effect of magnetic field on the sound velocity V in aluminosilicate glasses doped with dysprosium are analyzed on the basis of a minimal model for the ground state of Dy³⁺ (Kramers ion with J=15/2) described by a wave function ϕ _± = ϕ _± J _m + ηϕ _{± 1/2}. The first term represents a state with a large J projection on the local crystal field axis and the random parameter η(〈η〉=0, 〈η ²〉≪1) introduces a small admixture of the state ϕ _±1/2 into the ground state. The relative variation of V due to the resonance interaction of sound waves with this state split by H is determined as a function of H and T. It possesses a universal asymptotic behavior. Our results are in reasonable agreement with the experiment. A possible structure of the crystal fields that can induce this state is discussed. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 4, 341–346 (25 February 1997) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

Magnetoplastic effect and spin-lattice relaxation in a dislocation-paramagnetic-center system

A magnetic induction threshold B _c above which the magnetoplastic effect — depinning of dislocations from paramagnetic pinning centers — can be observed in samples placed in a magnetic field is predicted and observed in Al, NaCl, and LiF crystals. The existence of a threshold is associated with the fact that for B<B _c the spin-lattice relaxation time τ_sl in a dislocation-paramagnetic-center system is less than the time required for spin evolution in a magnetic field resulting in the removal of the spin forbiddenness of an electronic transition that “switches off” the dislocation-pinning-center interaction. It is shown that the threshold field B _c is sensitive to temperature and x-ray irradiation of the samples. A new method for measuring the spin-lattice relaxation time in paramagnetic centers on dislocations is proposed on the basis of the data obtained. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 8, 628–633 (25 April 1996)     

Critical current of an inhomogeneous Josephson junction at an intergrain boundary with a random distribution of dislocations

The critical current J _c(θ) of an intergrain boundary is calculated as a function of the contact misorientation angle θ of the granules. It is assumed that the ordering parameter is suppressed in regions near boundaries with an enhanced mechanical stress induced by randomly distributed surface dislocations. The stress distribution function is determined using a probabilistic approach. Assuming that the weak coupling at the boundary is Josephson coupling, an analytic expression is found for the angular dependence J _c(θ) (for tilt and twist boundaries). The magnitude of the residual critical current of a boundary in a strong magnetic field is estimated. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 393–402 (March 1998)     

Breakdown of the linear current regime in periodic structures

We study the effect of a weak nonlinearity in media on the linear regime of current flow in two-dimensional periodic structures with two equal component concentrations. We find that the asymptotic behavior of the electric field and current as functions of the distance between the angles in heterogeneous media is determined by the parameter h=σ ₂/σ ₁ (here σ ₁ and σ ₂ are the linear conductivities of the cells) and the external magnetic field B. This dependence leads to divergence of the higher-order moments of field and current at certain critical values h _c and B _c and to divergence of the response functions related to the higher-order moments. For square cells the effective nonlinear conductivity diverges at h⩽h _c, with . For structures of general shape we find the dependence of h _c on the angles and the external magnetic field. We show that for a given structure the linear regime of current flow in the system can be reversibly transformed into a nonlinear one by varying the magnetic field strength. The critical field B _c is approximately determined from the condition ω _c τ∼1, where ω _c and τ ⁻¹ are, respectively, the cyclotron frequency and the collision rate. Finally, we discuss the feasibility of detecting these effects experimentally. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 643–660 (August 1997)     

A Way To Discover Maxwell's Equations Theoretically

The Coulomb force, established in the rest frame of a source-charge Q, when transformed to a new frame moving with a velocity V has a form F = q E + q v × B, where E = E′_∥ + γE′_⊥ and B = (1/c ²)v × E and E′ is the electric field in the rest frame of the source. The quantities E and B are then manifestly interdependent. We prove that they are determined by Maxwell's equations, so they represent the electric and magnetic fields in the new frame and the force F is the well known from experiments Lorentz force. In this way Maxwell's equations may be discovered theoretically for this particular situation of uniformly moving sources. The general solutions of the discovered Maxwell's equations lead us to fields produced by accelerating sources.     

Anisotropy inc-axis oriented YBa2Cu3O7−δ

Muon spin relaxation (μSR) data taken at LAMPF on ac-axis oriented fine powder sample of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ (YBCO) embedded in epoxy are analyzed for relaxation rate anisotropy. Clear differences beyond simple magnetic field penetration depth anisotropy are observed forB‖c andB c. The low-temperature anisotropy ratio is consistent with oriented ceramic data. Small crystallite size and anisotropic flux pinning characteristics are suggested as the fundamental cause of the additional effects.     

Magnetic field dependence ofT c and temperature dependence ofH c2 in layered superconductors with open normal state Fermi surface

A theoretical framework for treating the effects of magnetic fieldH on the pairing theory of superconductivity is considered, where the field is taken in an arbitrary direction with respect to crystal axes. This is applicable to closed, as well as open normal state Fermi surface (FS), including simple layered metals. The orbital effects of the magnetic field are treated semiclassically while retaining the full anisotropic paramagnetic contribution. Explicit calculations are presented in the limits |H| → |H _c2(T)|,T ∼ 0 andT →T _c(|H|), |H| ∼ 0. Effects of weak nonmagnetic impurity scattering, without vertex corrections, have also been taken into account in a phenomenological way. The final results for the case of open FS and layered materials are found to differ considerably from those of the closed FS. For example, an important parameter,h(T=0)=|H_c2(0)|/[-Tδ|H _c2 T|δT]_T{s0} for the case of a FS open ink _z-direction with thek _z-bandwidth, 4t ₃, very small compared to the Fermi energy,E _F, is close to 0.5906, compared to 0.7273 for the closed FS, in the clean limit. Analytical results are given for the magnetic field dependence ofT _c and the temperature dependence of H _c2 for a model of layered superconductors with widely open FS. For a set of band structure parameters for YBa₂Cu₃O₇ used elsewhere, we find reasonable values for the upper critical fieldH _c2(0), the slope (dH _c2/dT)_{T c0}, anisotropic coherence lengths ζ_i(T=0),i=x, y, z, and (dT _c/d|H|)_{|H| → 0}.     

Magnetostriction and thermal expansion anomalies near the Curie point of the compound La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 with the perovskite structure

It is found that the bulk part ω of the magnetostriction near the Curie temperature T _c in a La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ single crystal with the perovskite structure is negative and that the temperature dependence of |ω| has a maximum near T _c . The quantity |ω| at the maximum increases rapidly with increasing magnetic field. The thermal expansion coefficient near T c increases with temperature much faster than linearly. The paramagnetic Curie temperature determined from the Curie-Weiss law, which the paramagnetic susceptibility of this crystal satifies, was found to be lower than T _c . These anomalies and also the near-T _c metal-insulator transition which is characteristic for this material are explained by the existence of a magnetically two-phase state consisting of a conducting ferromagnetic matrix containing antiferromagnetic insulating microregions occupying not more than 5% of the sample volume. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 6, 449–453 (25 March 1997)     

New phase transition in an easy-axis “triangular” antiferromagnet

The NMR of ⁵⁵Mn in the quasi-one-dimensional noncollinear anti-ferromagnet CsMnI₃ is investigated at T=1.3 K in magnetic fields up to ∼80 kOe and angles between the field and C ₆ axis ϕ≈ 0.5° and ϕ=7°. A new reorientational magnetic phase transition is observed in a field H _c1≈39.0 kOe. The magnetic structure for H>H _c1 is determined. The average Mn²⁺ spins of the magnetic sublattices in the new phase are determined from an analysis of the NMR spectrum to be 〈 S _C 〉=1.63 and 〈S _D 〉=1.72. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 12, 988–993 (25 June 1998)     

Pinning of pancake vortices in a three-dimensional Josephson medium and structure of the vortex lattice in the “critical” state

A system of pancake vortices formed near the boundary of a sample in a monotonically increasing external magnetic field is calculated with allowance for pinning due to the cellular structure of the medium for various values of the pinning parameter I, which is proportional to the critical current of the junction and the cell diameter. The shortest distance from the outermost vortex to the nearest neighbor is proportional to I ⁻¹¹. It is shown that the pinning parameter has a critical value I _c separating two regimes with different types of critical states. For I<I _c the external magnetic field has a threshold value H _t(I), above which the field immediately penetrates the interior of the junction to an infinite distance. For I>I _c the magnetic field decays linearly from the boundary into the interior of the junction. The value obtained in the study, I _c=3.369, differs from the value of 0.9716 postulated by other authors. The dependence of the slope of the magnetic field profile near the boundary on I is determined. It is shown that the slope is independent of I in intervals 2πk<I<2πk+π. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1958–1963 (November 1997)     

Pinning by twin boundaries and peak effect in YBaCuO high-T c superconductors

Measurements of the imaginary part of the ac magnetic susceptibility of single crystals and melt-textured samples of YBa₂Cu₃O_x (YBCO) at T=77 K in a magnetic field ranging between 1 and 20 kOe are reported. If the dc magnetic field H _dc is rotated in the ab plane of the sample, the magnetic susceptibility and critical current density j _c have peaks corresponding to the magnetic field aligned with twin boundaries. Peaks in the curve of j _c versus magnetic field are observed at angles corresponding to these peaks, where AH _dc in a wide range of magnetic fields. The results have been interpreted in terms of the theory describing twin boundaries as a system of quasi-planar pinning sites. The pinning is strong if the elastic displacements of flux lines are of the order of the vortex lattice constant d _f. These displacements decrease with the magnetic field because of the decrease in d _f, and the contribution of the elastic energy to the Gibbs potential is reduced accordingly, which is the cause of the peak effect. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 111, 2158–2174 (June 1997)     

NMR in 55Mn2+ nuclei in the quasi-one-dimensional antiferromagnetic CsMnBr3

The NMR spectrum of the quasi-one-dimensional easy-plane antiferromagnetic CsMnBr₃, which has trigonal spin lattice, is investigated in detail. The measurements were performed on a wide-band NMR decimeter microwave-band spectrometer over a wide range of magnetic fields at temperatures 1.3–4.2 K. All three branches of the NMR spectrum previously found by us [JETP Lett. 64, 225 (1996)] are severely distorted because of the dynamic interaction with the Goldstone mode in the antiferromagnetic resonance spectrum. The experimental results in fields up to 40 kOe are described satisfactorily by an equation obtained by Zaliznyak et al. [JETP Lett. 64, 473 (1996)]. Formulas are obtained in our work that agree very well with experiment at all fields up to the “collapse” field H _c of all sublattices. The unbiased NMR frequency in CsMnBr₃ is determined to be v _n0=416 MHz (T=1.3 K) in zero external magnetic field, and in this way the reduction in the spontaneous moment due to the quasi-one-dimensional nature of the system of Mn²⁺ spins, which according to our data amounts to 28%, is determined more accurately. The field dependences of the directions of the magnetic sublattices with respect to the magnetic field are obtained from the NMR spectra, confirming the equations of Chubukov [J. Phys. Condens. Matter 21, 441 (1988)]. The results on the field dependence of the width and intensities of the NMR lines are discussed, along with three observed anomalies: 1) a strong increase in the NMR frequency for nuclei in sublattices that are perpendicular to the magnetic field; 2) the nonmonotonic temperature dependence of the resonance field for the lower branch of the spectrum; 3) the presence of two branches of the NMR spectrum in large H _c fields, in which the CsMnBr₃ must be a quasi-one-dimensional antiferromagnetic. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 352–368 (January 1998) Deceased.     

Analysis of the decays ψ′ → J/ψπ+π? and η′c → ηcπ+π? with the heavy-quark symmetry

In this article, we study the decays ψ′ → J/ψπ ⁺ π ⁻ and η′_c → η _c π ⁺ π ⁻ by taking into account the chiral symmetry breaking effects, the final-state interactions and the heavy-quark symmetry. We can confront the predictions of the η′_c → η _c π ⁺ π ⁻ decay width and differential decay width with the experimental data in the future, and obtain powerful constraints on the chiral breaking effects and the final-state interactions, and test the heavy-quark symmetry.     

Contribution of superconducting grains and grain boundaries to the magnetoresistance of ceramic YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>7 − δ</Subscript> high-temperature superconductors in weak magnetic fields

The current-voltage characteristics of granular YBa₂Cu₃O_6.95 high-temperature superconductor samples have been measured at a temperature of 77.3 K in external transverse magnetic fields H _ext with a strength of up to H _ext ≈ 500 Oe for low transport current densities (0.1 A/cm² ≤ j ≤ 0.6 A/cm²). The current-voltage characteristics obtained have been used to construct dependences of the magnetoresistance ρ on the quantities j (ρ(j) _Hext=const) and H _ext(ρ(H _ext) _{j = const}). It has been revealed that the current and field dependences of the magnetoresistance exhibit anomalies at H _ext ≥ H _c1g , where H _c1g is the lower critical field of superconducting grains. A comparative analysis of the dependences ρ(j)H _{ext = const} and ρ(H _ext) _{j = const} has made it possible to develop concepts regarding the influence of the processes of redistribution of the magnetic field between grain boundaries and superconducting grains on the transport and galvanomagnetic properties of granular high-temperature superconductors. It has been established that the field dependences of the magnetoresistance exhibit specific features associated with the beginning of penetration of Josephson vortices into grain boundaries in the magnetic field H _c1J and with the breaking of a continuous chain of Josephson junctions in the magnetic field H _c2J .