Orbital glass and spin glass states of <Superscript>3</Superscript>He-A in aerogel

Glass states of superfluid A-like phase of ³He in aerogel induced by random orientations of aerogel strands are investigated theoretically and experimentally. In anisotropic aerogel with stretching deformation two glass phases are observed. Both phases represent the anisotropic glass of the orbital ferromagnetic vector Ηthe orbital glass (OG). The phases differ by the spin structure: the spin nematic vector \(\hat d\) can be either in the ordered spin nematic (SN) state or in the disordered spin-glass (SG) state. The first phase (OG-SN) is formed under conventional cooling from normal ³He. The second phase (OG-SG) is metastable, being obtained by cooling through the superfluid transition temperature, when large enough resonant continuous radio-frequency excitation is applied. NMR signature of different phases allows us to measure the parameter of the global anisotropy of the orbital glass induced by deformation.     

Phase diagram of superfluid 3He in 99.3% porosity aerogel

We report on continuous-wave NMR measurements of the energy gaps of the A-like and B-like superfluid phases of 3He at 28.4 mT confined to a 99.3% porosity silica aerogel. The gaps are suppressed by the presence of the aerogel in a temperature-independent manner, but the suppression is considerably stronger than expected from the suppression of T(c). We then use our measurements to calculate the free energy ratio between the A-like and B-like phases. The equilibrium AB transition temperature, derived from where this ratio reaches unity, is consistent with previous measurements of the initial displacement of the pinned AB interface on warming. On this basis, we present for the first time the equilibrium phase diagram of the A-like and B-like phases of superfluid 3He in aerogel.     

Metastability and superfluid fraction of the A-like and B phases of <Superscript>3</Superscript>He in aerogel in zero magnetic field

We report the low-frequency sound measurements of the metastable A-like (A*) phase of superfluid ³He confined within a 98% open aerogel matrix in zero magnetic field. The second soundlike (slow) mode provides an accurate determination of the superfluid fraction of (and the transition between) the A* and B phases. The A* and B phases exhibit stable coexistence in the presence of disorder, the ratio of their superfluid fractions (ρ _a ^A* /ρ _s ^B ) is much smaller than that of the bulk A and B phases, and argues that the A* and bulk A phases are distinct.     

Longitudinal NMR and spin states in the A-like phase of 3He in aerogel

It was found that two different spin states of the A-like phase can be obtained in an aerogel sample. In one of these states, we have observed the signal of the longitudinal NMR, while, in the other state, no trace of such a signal was found. The states also have different properties in transverse NMR experiments. A longitudinal NMR signal was also observed in the B-like phase of ³He in aerogel. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Recent results on hyperpolarized<Superscript>3</Superscript>He−<Superscript>4</Superscript>He liquid mixtures

Laser optical pumping in low magnetic field provides very high nuclear polarizations in gaseous helium mixtures, and is used to prepare polarized liquid. Wall relaxation in glass cells is effiently reduced using cesium coatings, and bulk longitudinal relaxation times are measured. In highly magnetized samples, dipolar fields control the spin dynamics in anisotropic volumes and weak external magnetic field inhomogeneities. Long lived magnetostatic modes are observed by pulsed NMR. Detailed analysis of their frequency and damping gives information on magnetization density and spin diffusion coefficient in polarized mixtures. Experiments are performed above 0.2 K on mixtures with³He concentrations of order a few percents or larger. When phase separation occurs, the³He-rich phase retains a high polarization.     

Nonlinear NMR in a superfluid B phase of <Superscript>3</Superscript>He in aerogel

The properties of liquid ³He in a low-density aerogel preliminarily covered with a few monolayers of ⁴He were studied by pulsed and nonlinear CW NMR techniques. It was found that an NMR frequency shift from the Larmor value exhibits a sharp increase at a magnetization tilting angle exceeding 104°. Nonlinear CW NMR signals related to the formation of a macroscopic region featuring homogeneous precession of the magnetization (homogeneous precession domain) were observed. The experimental results confirm that the low-temperature superfluid ³He phase in the aerogel is analogous to the B-phase in bulk ³He and indicate that the spin supercurrents play an important role in the spin dynamics of superfluid ³He in aerogel.     

Interaction of two magnetic resonance modes in the polar phase of superfluid <Superscript>3</Superscript>He

We report results of low frequency nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments in the superfluid polar phase of ³He, which is stabilized by a new type of “nematic” aerogel—nafen. We have found that an interaction between transverse and longitudinal NMR modes may essentially influence the spin dynamics. Theoretical formulas for NMR resonant frequencies are derived and applied for interpretation of the experimental results.     

Interfacial pinning in the superfluid 3He A-B transition in aerogel

Continuous-wave NMR studies of 3He in the presence of 99.3% porosity silica aerogel at 34.0 bars and in a magnetic field of 28.4 mT reveal a first-order phase transition between A-like and B-like superfluid phases on both warming and cooling. NMR spectra show that the phases on warming are the same as the phases on cooling, and the interface between them is found to be strongly pinned, even close to T(c,aero). The observed behavior is consistent with spatial variation of pinning strengths within the aerogel.     

<Superscript>53</Superscript>Cr NMR study of CuCrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> multiferroic

The magnetically ordered phase of the CuCrO₂ single crystal has been studied by the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method on ⁵³Cr nuclei in the absence of an external magnetic field. The ⁵³Cr NMR spectrum is observed in the frequency range ν_res = 61–66 MHz. The shape of the spectrum depends on the delay tdel between pulses in the pulse sequence τ_π/2–t _del–τ_π–t _del–echo. The spin–spin and spin–lattice relaxation times have been measured. Components of the electric field gradient, hyperfine fields, and the magnetic moment on chromium atoms have been estimated.     

Crystal structure and magnetic properties of Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanoparticles by <Superscript>27</Superscript>Al NMR data

The magnetization of a series of Al₂O₃ with different particle sizes and their ²⁷Al NMR spectra have been studied at room temperature. The field dependence of the magnetization demonstrated the existence of a long-range ferromagnetic order in a small part of the sample at room temperature; however, the relative volume of this contribution was very small (less than 1%), and this seems likely due to an impurity phase. The NMR spectra did not contain any lines of metallic aluminum the existence of which in these nanooxides was assumed before in a surface layer of the nanoparticles, according to the data of other techniques. The data on the phase composition and the charge distribution in different phases of the Al₂O₃ nanoparticles have been obtained. The change in the mean particle size (by a factor of almost three) only insignificantly changed their phase composition.     

Magnetization studies of the nuclear spin ordered phases of solid <Superscript>3</Superscript>He in silver sinters

Solid ³He, in the bcc lattice between 34 and 100 bar, exhibits two nuclear magnetic ordered phases in the sub-mK temperature range, the so called U2D2 low (magnetic) field phase and the “high field phase” above 0.4 T. To determine the exact spin structure of these phases we started a project of neutron scattering from the ordered solid in collaboration with the Hahn-Meitner Institute, Berlin, and other European and US groups. For this experiment it is crucial to grow a single crystal within the sinter needed for cooling the solid to temperatures of the order of 500 μK (or even twenty times lower in the case of the hcp lattice which is formed above 100 bar) and to keep it there long enough to measure a magnetic neutron reflection. We studied the growth of crystals in Ag sinters of different pore size and with different growth speeds to find an optimal way to obtain single crystalline samples. As a first diagnostic step we performed pulsed NMR measurements in the ordered phases of solid ³He in a sinter of 2700 Å particle size down to temperatures of 450 μK at various molar volumes. We could keep the samples in the ordered state for as long as 140 h. The second method we used was SQUID magnetometry. For the low field phase T_N was indicated by a drop of the intensity, both in the NMR signal and in the dc magnetization, whereas in the high field phase an increase of about 30% was observed below the ordering temperature. For the fabrication of the sinters a packing fraction of 50% and subsequent annealing proved to be very favorable to obtain cold ordered solid. Furthermore, we find that a paramagnetic surface contribution from a few monolayers of ³He exists down to 500 μK in addition to the bulk magnetization.     

<Superscript>57</Superscript>Fe NMR study of amorphous and rapidly quenched crystalline Fe-B alloys

Amorphous and crystalline Fe-B alloys (5–25 at % B) were studied using pulsed ⁵⁷Fe nuclear magneticr esonance at 4.2 K. The alloy samples were prepared from a mixture of the ⁵⁷Fe and ¹⁰B isotopes by rapid quenching from the melt. In the microcrystalline Fe-(5–12 at %) B alloys, the resonance frequencies were measured for local states of ⁵⁷Fe nuclei in the tetragonal and orthorhombic Fe₃B phases and also in α-Fe. The resonance frequencies characteristic of ⁵⁷Fe nuclei in α-Fe crystallites with substitutional impurity boron atoms in the nearest neighborhood were also revealed. In the resonance frequency distribution P(f) in the amorphous Fe-(18–25) at % B alloys, there are frequencies corresponding to local Fe atom states with short-range order of the tetragonal and orthorhombic Fe₃B phases. As the boron content decreases below 18 at %, the P(f) distributions are shifted to higher frequencies corresponding to ⁵⁷Fe NMR for atoms exhibiting a short-range order of the α-Fe type. The local magnetic structure of the amorphous Fe-B alloys is also considered.     

<Superscript>29</Superscript>Si, <Superscript>27</Superscript>Al, <Superscript>1</Superscript>H and <Superscript>23</Superscript>Na MAS NMR Study of the Bonding Character in Aluminosilicate Inorganic Polymers

²⁹Si, ²⁷Al, ¹H and ²³Na solid-state magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has been used to relate nominal composition, bonding character and compressive strength properties in aluminosilicate inorganic polymers (AIPs). The ²⁹Si chemical shift varies systematically with Si-to-Al ratio, indicating that the immediate structural environment of Si is altering with nominal composition. Fast ¹H MAS and ²⁹Si T _SiH/T _1ρ relaxation measurements demonstrated that occluded pore H₂O mobility within the disordered cavities is slow in comparison with H₂O mobility characteristics observed within the ordered channel structures of zeolites. The ²⁷Al MAS NMR data show that the Al coordination remains predominantly 4-coordinate. In comparison with the ²⁹Si MAS data, the corresponding ²⁷Al MAS line shapes are relatively narrow, suggesting that the AlO₄ tetrahedral geometry is largely unperturbed and the dominant source of structural disorder is propagated by large distributions of Si–O bond angles and bond lengths. Corresponding ²³Na MAS and multiple-quantum MAS NMR data indicate that Na speciation is dominated by distributions of hydration states; however, more highly resolved ²³Na resonances observed in some preparations supported the existence of short-range order. New structural elements are proposed to account for the existence of these Na resonances and an improved model for the structure of AIPs has also been proposed. Authors' address: John V. Hanna, NMR Facility, Institute of Materials and Engineering Science, Lucas Heights Research Laboratories, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Private Mail Bag 1, Menai, NSW 2234, Australia     

Spin Kinetics of Liquid <Superscript>3</Superscript>He in Contact with a DyF<Subscript>3</Subscript> Micropowder at Ferromagnetic Ordering of Dy<Superscript>3+</Superscript> Ions

The spin kinetics of liquid ³He in contact with a mixture of LaF₃ (99.67%) and DyF₃ (0.33%) micropowders at temperatures of 1.5–3 K has been studied by pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The DyF3 is a dipolar dielectric ferromagnet with the phase transition temperature T_c= 2.55 K, whereas the diamagnetic fluoride LaF₃ is a diluting substance for the optimal observation conditions of ³Не NMR in powder pores. The magnetic phase transition in DyF₃ is accompanied by a considerable change in the character of fluctuations of the magnetic moments of dysprosium ions, which affect the spin kinetics of ³Не in contact with the substrate. Significant changes in the relaxations rates of the longitudinal and transverse magnetizations of 3Не have been discovered in the region of magnetic ordering of the solid matrix. The technique of studying the static and fluctuating magnetic fields of a solid matrix at low temperatures using liquid ³He as a probe has been proposed.     

<Superscript>23</Superscript>Na spin-lattice relaxation in powder Rochelle salt

The temperature dependence of ²³Na spin-lattice relaxation in the polycrystalline Rochelle salt was studied by NMR within the range from 235 to 320 K covering both Curie points. The spin-relaxation time t ₁ versus temperature curve showed noticeable dips near the phase transitions against the background of the regular decrease in the relaxation time upon increasing temperature. The dips observed were ascribed to critical contributions to sodium spin-lattice relaxation caused by the slowdown of the correlation time for one of two relaxation modes in the Rochelle salt. The ²³Na NMR parameters were also measured for the melted Rochelle salt. This article was submitted by the authors in English.     

Depth-resolved X-ray determination of surface strain in free-standing films of HVPE-grown GaN and <Superscript>71</Superscript>Ga NMR characterization

Free-standing GaN films grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) on c-plane sapphire have been studied for in-plane anisotropic strain. Lattice parameters are obtained from high-resolution X-ray diffraction data and the film quality is determined by measuring the rocking curves and by ⁷¹Ga nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The in-plane strain was determined using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and conventional X-ray measurements. It is found that the in-plane lattice parameter varies with depth and has estimated surface strain anisotropy of 4.0791×10^-3 up to a thickness of 0.3 μm. The ⁷¹Ga NMR experiments reveal different degrees of inhomogeneity amongst the three samples. This is shown by the appearance of an additional broad central-transition peak shifted to higher frequency by a Knight shift from conduction electrons in sample regions having high carrier concentrations. PACS 72.80.Ey; 61.10.-i; 61.72.Hh     

NMR on superfluid<Superscript>3</Superscript>He in aerogel

The transition to superfluidity of³He in high porosity (98.2%) acrogel has been observed by nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. The onset of the transition at all pressures above 13 bar is marked by a sharp increase in NMR frequency similar to that observed in bulk³He-A. This suggests that the aerogel/superfluid phase is highly homogeneous although both the transition temperature, T_c, and the amplitude of the order parameter are substantially suppressed. The acrogel strands are ≈ 50Å in diameter, much smaller than the superfluid coherence length. Consequently, we have attempted to interpret our observations as an impurity scattering problem. Based on our measurements of the magnetic field dependence of T_c it appears that both magnetic and potential scattering play important roles where the magnetic scattering can be associated with solid³He on the aerogel surface. This is determined by isotopic exchange with⁴He, a process which appears to stabilize a new superfluid state similar to the bulk B-phase.     

Linear NMR in the Polar Phase of <Superscript>3</Superscript>He in Aerogel

³He is an example of the system with non-trivial Cooper paring. A few different superfluid phases are known in this system. Recently the new one, the polar phase, have been observed in ³He confined in nematically ordered aerogel. A number of various topological defects including half-quantum vortices can exist the polar phase. In this work, we present theoretical and numerical studies of linear nuclear magnetic resonance in the polar phase both in the uniform order-parameter texture and in the presence of half-quantum vortices.     

Nuclear spin dynamics of nuclear-ordered solid<Superscript>3</Superscript>He in the low field phase

Pulsed NMR was used to investigate nuclear spin dynamics of nuclear-ordered solid³He in the low field phase. The nuclear spin motion became unstable under certain conditions. Under stable conditions the spin motion can be described by the OCF equations. The tipping-angle-dependent frequency shift and multiple spin echoes were observed, which are similar to the case of superfluid³He. The onset of the instability of spin motion is attributed to the stimulated emission mechanism through the three-magnon relaxation process, which is similar to the Suhl instability in electronic magnetism. We derived the magnon life time from the analysis of the instability. During the instability, a largenegative frequency shift was observed. This negative shift is explained by the extension of Fomin-Ohmi's theory to include the state of decayed magnon and this explanation is consistent with the instability model.