High-pressure effects on the crystal and magnetic structure of managanites

Nuetron diffraction studies of high-pressure effects on the crystal and magnetic structure of A_1-x A _x ^′ MnO₃ manganites (A = Pr, La; A′ = Sr, Ca, Na) are reviewed. High pressure leads to various changes in the magnetic structure of manganites: the appearance of a new A-type antiferromagnetic (AFM) state in compounds with the initial ferromagnetic (FM) or pseudo-CE type AFM state, such as La_{1 ? x} Ca _x MnO₃ (x = 0.25, 0.33), Pr_{1 ? x} Sr _x MnO₃ (x = 0.48), Pr_0.7Ca_0.3Mn_{1 ? y} Fe _y O₃ (y = 0, 0.1), Pr_{1 ? x} Na _x MnO₃ (x = 0.2, 0.25); and the appearance of a new C-type AFM state in the Pr_0.44Sr_0.56MnO₃ compound with the initial A-type AFM state. The observed changes in the magnetic structure and the behavior of the transition temperature to the FM state under high pressure are discussed in the framework of the current theoretical concepts.     

Specific heat of La(Fe<Subscript>0.873</Subscript>Co<Subscript>0.007</Subscript>Al<Subscript>0.12</Subscript>)<Subscript>13</Subscript> compound in antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic states

The low-temperature specific heat C _p of La(Fe_0.873Co_0.007Al_0.12)₁₃ compound has been measured in two states: (i) antiferromagnetic (AFM) with a Néel temperature of T _N = 192 K and (ii) ferromagnetic (FM). The FM order appears at T = 4.2 K in a sample exposed to an external magnetic field with induction B _C ≥ 2.5 T and is retained for a long time in a zero field at temperatures up to T*_C = 23 K. The coefficient γ_FM in the low-temperature specific heat C = γT + βT ³ in the FM state differs quite insignificantly from that (γ_AFM) in the AFM state. Contributions to the low-temperature specific heat, which are related to a change in the elastic and magnetoelastic energy caused by magnetostrictive deformations, are considered.     

Anomalous thermopower in heavy-fermion compounds CeB<Subscript>6</Subscript>, CeAl<Subscript>3</Subscript>, and CeCu<Subscript>6 − <Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Au<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>

High-precision measurements of thermopower have been performed in a wide temperature range (2–300 K) for a series of cerium-based heavy-fermion compounds, including CeB₆, CeAl₃, CeCu₆, and substitutional solid solutions of the CeCu_{6 ? x} Au _x system (x = 0.1, 0.2). All compounds exhibit an unusual (logarithmic) asymptotic behavior of the temperature dependence of the Seebeck coefficient: S ∝ ?lnT. In the case of cerium hexaboride, this anomalous behavior of S(T) is accompanied by the appearance of weak-carrier-localization-mode asymptotics in the conductivity (σ(T) ∝ T ^0.39), while the paramagnetic susceptibility χ(T) and the effective mass of charge carriers m _eff(T) vary according to a power law (χ(T), m _eff(T) ∝ T ^?0.8) in the temperature interval T = 10–80 K. This behavior corresponds to renormalization of the density of states at the Fermi level. The observed anomalous behavior of thermopower in CeB₆ and other cerium-based intermetallic compounds is attributed to the formation of heavy fermions (many-body states in the metal matrix) at low temperatures.     

Specific Heat of the Spin-1/2 Dimerized Antiferromagnetic Chains at Low Temperatures

A spin linear chain with antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor interaction is considered. The coupling constants of each spin with the right and left neighbors are different. Within the Bulaevskii model, the magnetic specific heat is calculated as a function of temperature for different alternation parameters. It is shown that the temperature dependence of the specific heat has two regimes. In the first one, the temperature is lower than half the band gap; in this case, in the low-temperature limit, C ∝ T^-1 exp(?Δ/k_BT). In the second regime, the temperature exceeds half the band gap; in this case, we approximately have C ∝ T.     

Peculiarities of the magnetic,galvanomagnetic, elastic,and magnetoelastic properties of Sm<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Sr<Subscript>x</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> manganites

Manganites of the Sm1?xSr_xMnO₃ system (x=0.33, 0.4, and 0.45) possess giant negative values of the magnetoresistance Δρ/ρ and the volume magnetostriction ω near the Curie temperature T_C. In the compound with x=0.33, the isotherms of Δρ/ρ, ω, and magnetization σ exhibit smooth variation and do not reach saturation up to maximum magnetic field strengths (120 kOe) studied (according to the neutron diffraction data, this substance comprises a ferromagnetic (FM) matrix with distributed clusters of a layered antiferromagnetic (AFM) structure of the A type). In the compounds with x=0.4 and 0.45 containing, besides the FM matrix and A-type AFM phase, a charge-ordered AFM phase of the CE type (thermally stable to higher temperatures as compared to the A-type AFM and the FM phases), the same isotherms measured at T ≥ T_C show a jumplike increase in the interval of field strengths between H_c1 and H_c2 and then reach saturation. In the interval H_c1 > H > H_c2, the σ, ω, and Δρ/ρ values exhibit a metastable behavior. At temperatures above T_C, the anisotropic magnetostriction changes sign, which is indicative of rearrangements in the crystal structure. The giant values of ω and Δρ/ρ observed at T ≥ T_C for all compounds, together with excess (relative to the linear) thermal expansion and a maximum on the ρ(T) curve, are explained by the phenomenon of electron phase separation caused by a strong s-d exchange. The giant values of magnetoresistance and volume magnetostriction (with ω reaching ～10^?3) are attributed to an increase in the volume of the FM phase induced by the applied magnetic field. In the compound with x=0.33, this increase proceeds smoothly as the FM phase grows through the FM layers in the A-type AFM phase. In the compounds with x=0.4 and 0.45, the FM phase volume increases at the expense of the charge-ordered CE-type AFM structure (in which spins of the neighboring manganese ions possess an AFM order). The jumps observed on the σ(H) curves, whereby the magnetization σ reaches ～70% of the value at T=1.5 K, are indicative of a threshold character of the charge-ordered phase transition to the FM state. Thus, the giant values of ω and Δρ/ρ are inherent in the FM state, appearing as a result of the magnetic-field-induced transition of the charge-ordered phase to the FM state, rather than being caused by melting of this phase.     

Energy spectra of developed superfluid turbulence

Turbulence spectra in superfluids are modified by the nonlinear energy dissipation caused by the mutual friction between quantized vortices and the normal component of the liquid. We have found a new state of fully developed turbulence, which occurs in some range of two Reynolds parameters characterizing the superfluid flow. This state displays both the Kolmogorov-Obukhov 5/3-scaling law E_k ∝ k^?5/3 and a new “3-scaling law” E_k ∝ k^?3, each in a well-separated range of k.     

Doping induced spin state transition in Li<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>CoO<Subscript>2</Subscript> as studied by the GGA + DMFT calculations

The magnetic properties of Li _x CoO₂ for x = 0.94, 0.75, 0.66, and 0.51 are investigated within the method combining the generalized gradient approximation with dynamical mean field theory (GGA + DMFT). A delicate interplay between Hund’s exchange energy and t _2g ?e _g crystal field splitting is found to be responsible for the high-spin to low-spin state transition for Co⁴⁺ ions. The GGA + DMFT calculations show that the Co⁴⁺ ions at a small doping level adopt the high-spin state, while delithiation leads to an increase in the crystal field splitting and low-spin state becomes preferable. The Co³⁺ ions are found to stay in the low-spin configuration for any x values.     

Dependence of the heat capacity of La<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ag<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> manganites on the Ag content

The heat capacity of La_1?x Ag _x MnO₃ manganites with x = 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2 is measured in the temperature range 77–350 K. An analogy between the effect of doping and the effect of a magnetic field on the temperature dependence of heat capacity of the La_1?x Ag _x MnO₃ system is revealed. As lanthanum is replaced by silver, the volume fraction of the ferromagnetic phase increases, while, in the paramagnetic state, the Jahn-Teller distortions are eliminated. The results of the aforementioned measurements suggest that the phase transition near the Curie point is caused by the competition between the Coulomb and exchange electrostatic interactions. The comparison of the concentration dependences of T _C for La_1?x Sr _x MnO₃ and La_1?x Ag _x MnO₃ points to good potentialities of the latter system from the viewpoint of applications.     

Magnetoresistance of a highly correlated electron liquid

The behavior in a magnetic field of a highly correlated electron liquid approaching the fermion condensation quantum phase transition from the disordered phase is considered. We show that, at sufficiently high temperatures T≥T*(x), the effective mass starts to depend on T, M* ∝T^?1/2. This T^?1/2 dependence of the effective mass at elevated temperatures leads to the non-Fermi liquid behavior of the resistivity, σ(T) ∝ T and at higher temperatures σ(T) ∝ T^3/2. The application of a magnetic field B restores the common T² behavior of the resistivity. The effective mass depends on the magnetic field, M*(B) ∝ B^?2/3, being approximately independent of the temperature at T≤T*(B) ∝ B^4/3. At T≥T*(B), the T^?1/2 dependence of the effective mass is reestablished. We demonstrate that this B-T phase diagram has a strong impact on the magnetoresistance (MR) of the highly correlated electron liquid. The MR as a function of the temperature exhibits a transition from negative values of MR at T→0 to positive values at T ∝ B^4/3. Thus, at T≥T*(B), MR as a function of the temperature possesses a node at T ∝ B^4/3.     

Random time averaged diffusivities for Lévy walks

We investigate a Lévy walk alternating between velocities ±v ₀ with opposite sign. The sojourn time probability distribution at large times is a power law lacking its mean or second moment. The first case corresponds to a ballistic regime where the ensemble averaged mean squared displacement (MSD) at large times is ?x ²? ∝ t ², the latter to enhanced diffusion with ?x ²? ∝ t ^ν, 1 < ν < 2. The correlation function and the time averaged MSD are calculated. In the ballistic case, the deviations of the time averaged MSD from a purely ballistic behavior are shown to be distributed according to a Mittag-Leffler density function. In the enhanced diffusion regime, the fluctuations of the time averages MSD vanish at large times, yet very slowly. In both cases we quantify the discrepancy between the time averaged and ensemble averaged MSDs.     

Self-similar magnetic structures and magnetic flux “Giant” creep

The penetration of a magnetic flux into a type-II high-T _c superconductor occupying the half-space x > 0 is considered. At the superconductor surface, the magnetic field amplitude increases in accordance with the law b(0, t) = b ₀(1 + t)^m (in dimensionless coordinates), where m > 0. The velocity of penetration of vortices is determined in the regime of thermally activated magnetic flux flow: v = v ₀exp?ub;?(U _0/T )(1-b?b/?x)?ub;, where U ₀ is the effective pinning energy and T is the thermal energy of excited vortex filaments (or their bundles). magnetic flux “Giant” creep (for which U ₀/T? 1) is considered. The model Navier-Stokes equation is derived with nonlinear “viscosity” v ∝ U ₀/T and convection velocity v _f ∝ (1 ? U ₀/T). It is shown that motion of vortices is of the diffusion type for j → 0 (j is the current density). For finite current densities 0 < j < j _c, magnetic flux convection takes place, leading to an increase in the amplitude and depth of penetration of the magnetic field into the superconductor. It is shown that the solution to the model equation is finite at each instant (i.e., the magnetic flux penetrates to a finite depth). The penetration depth x _eff ^A (t) ∝ (1 + t)^{(1 + m/2)/2} of the magnetic field in the superconductor and the velocity of the wavefront, which increases linearly in exponent m, exponentially in temperature T, and decreases upon an increase in the effective pinning barrier, are determined. A distinguishing feature of the solutions is their self-similarity; i.e., dissipative magnetic structures emerging in the case of giant creep are invariant to transformations b(x, t) = β^m b(t/β, x/β^{(1 + m/2)/2}), where β > 0.     

Topological Scenario for High-Temperature Superconductivity in Cuprates

The structure of the joint phase diagram of high-temperature superconducting cuprates has been studied within the theory of fermion condensation. Prerequisites of the topological rearrangement of the Landau state with the formation of a flat band adjacent to the nominal Fermi surface have been established. The related non-Fermi-liquid behavior of cuprates in the normal phase has been studied with focus on the non-Fermi-liquid behavior of the resistivity ρ(T), including the observed crossover from the linear temperature behavior ρ(T, x) = A₁(x)T at doping levels x below the critical value x _c ^h corresponding to the boundary of the superconducting region to the quadratic temperature behavior at x > x _c ^h , which is incompatible with predictions of the conventional quantum-critical-point scenario. It has been demonstrated that the slope of the coefficient A₁(x) is universal and is the same on both boundaries of the joint phase diagram of cuprates in agreement with available experimental data. It has also been shown that the fermion condensate is responsible for pairing in the D-wave state in cuprates. The effective Coulomb repulsion in the Cooper channel, which prevents the existence of superconductivity in normal metals in the S channel, leads to high-temperature superconductivity in the D channel.     

<Superscript>14</Superscript>N Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Relaxation in the Paramagnetic Region of Uranium Mononitride

The spin susceptibility of a polycrystalline sample of uranium mononitride UN is studied by measuring the ¹⁴N NMR line shift, spin–lattice relaxation rates of the nuclear spin, and static magnetic susceptibility in the temperature region of 1.5T_N < T < 7T_N A joint analysis of the results obtained has revealed the temperature dependence of the characteristic energy of spin fluctuations of the uranium 5f electrons: Γ_nmr(T) ∝ T^0.54(4) close to the dependence Γ(T) ∝ T^0.5 characteristic of concentrated Kondo systems above the coherent state formation temperature.     

Half-metallicity and magnetism of the quaternary inverse full-Heusler alloy Ti<Subscript>2-x</Subscript>M<Subscript>x</Subscript>CoAl (M = Nb,V) from the first-principles calculations

Using the first-principles calculations based on density functional theory, we investigate the more d-electrons doping effects on the electronic structure and magnetism of the parent inverse Heusler alloy Ti₂CoAl by the substitution of Nb and V atoms for Ti(A) and Ti(B) atoms locating at the two inequivalent sublattices. The Ti₂CoAl is half-metallic with Fermi level near the top of the minority-spin valence band and hence its spin-polarization is easily reduced by the spin-flip excitation. Our total energy calculations show that the V/Nb doping at the Ti(A)/Ti(B) site is energetically favorable compared with the Ti(B)/T(A) site due to the lower total energy. Our band structure calculations indicate that for the V doped compounds, half-metallicity can be well retained regardless of doping sites and percentages except for the case of Ti(A)-site doping with x = 1, while for Nb doped compounds, the half-metallicity persists only in Ti(B)-site doping with different percentages. For the doped compounds with half-metallicity, the Fermi level shifts from the top of minority-spin valence band to the bottom of minority-spin conduction band with increasing content of x, and typically, the doped compounds (V in Ti(A) and Ti(B) sites at x = 0.75 and 0.5, respectively; Nb in Ti(B) site at x = 0.5), whose Fermi levels are adjusted to the expected positions to effectively inhibit the spin-flip excitation are promising candidates for spintronics applications.     

Synthesis,microstructure, the complex nature of the magnetic state of lanthanum manganite weakly doped by bismuth

Structural, magnetic, and resonance studies of Bi _x La_1–x MnO₃ are performed. Nanopowders of weakly doped compounds (x = 0.0–0.1) with particle sizes of ≤40 nm are prepared using the sol–gel technique. Nanopowder sintering under the same conditions leads to a sharp increase in the mean granule size with increasing Bi concentration. The 55Mn NMR signal of manganites prepared via solid synthesis corresponds to rapid exchange Mn⁴⁺ ? Mn³⁺. Measurements of the magnetic susceptibility reveal an inhomogeneity in the ferromagnetic state of the Bi _x La_1–x MnO₃ system.     

Magnetic Structures and Magnetic Phase Transitions in Rare-Earth <Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>Mn<Subscript>2</Subscript>Si<Subscript>2</Subscript> Intermetallic Compounds (<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis> = Sm,Tb)

The magnetic structures that form in La_1–xR_xMn₂Si₂ (R = Sm, Tb) layered compounds with various concentrations x have been determined by magnetic neutron diffraction and magnetic measurements, and the magnetic phase diagrams have been built. It is shown that the formation of the magnetic structures is dependent not only on exchange interactions, but also on the type of the magnetic anisotropy of a rare-earth atom. It is found that, in La_1–xTb_xMn₂Si₂ compounds with 0.2 < x < 0.5, the competition of the Tb–Mn and Mn–Mn interlayer exchange interactions and the existence of a strong uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in the Mn and Tb sublattices leads to the frustrated magnetic state and prevents the formation of the long-range magnetic order in the Tb sublattice.     

Thermodynamic study of compounds of the Nd-Ba-Cu-O system

Standard enthalpies of formation for solid solutions of composition Nd_{1 + x} Ba_{2 ? x} Cu₃O _y (x = 0–0.8, y = 6.65–7.24) from oxides were determined by solution calorimetry. The heat capacity of NdBa₂Cu₃O_6.87 phase was measured in the range 5–320 K by low-temperature adiabatic calorimetry. The absolute entropy S ^o(T), the difference of enthalpies H ^o(T)-H ^o(0 K), and the reduced Gibbs energy Φ^o(T) = S ^o(T)–[H ^o(T)–H ^o(0)]/T were calculated on the basis of smoothed dependence C _p (T) in the 0–320 K range. An assessment was made for the heat capacities and the absolute entropies of solid solutions Nd_1+x Ba_2?x Cu₃O _y . The obtained set of thermodynamic parameters can be used for the calculation of phase equilibria in the Nd-Ba-Cu-O system.     

The magnetic field dependence of the low temperature (0.1K to 3K) residual specific heat of Pr<Subscript>2−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ce<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>CuO<Subscript>4−δ</Subscript>

Measurements are presented of the low temperature specific heat of three polycrystalline samples of Pr_2?x Ce _x CuO₄ in magnetic fields of 0, 2 and 4 Tesla. The residual specific heat contribution in zero field seems to have a form αT ⁿ (n<1) for all of the samples, whether superconducting or non-superconducting. The behaviour in magnetic fields is similar to that reported for other high Tc superconductors where a change in exponent of the residual term occurs at some crossover temperature in magnetic fields.     

Role of the Cluster Structure of Amorphous Fe<Subscript>67</Subscript>Cr<Subscript>18</Subscript>B<Subscript>15</Subscript> Alloy in Magnetism and in the Changing of Electron Scattering Mechanisms under the Influence of Ion (Ar<Superscript>+</Superscript>) Irradiation

The contribution of clusters of different sizes to magnetism and the switching of electron scattering mechanisms in amorphous Fe₆₇Cr₁₈B₁₅ alloy during ion Ar⁺ irradiation is studied. The cluster magnetism is found to be related to the presence of clusters of the following two types: large α-(Fe, Cr) clusters of size D = 150–250 Å and small (D = 40–80 Å) clusters in a random intercluster medium. The generation of small ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic clusters during ion irradiation leads to the formation of cluster glass, which affects the electrical properties of the alloy and causes a magnetic frustration. The temperature dependence of the barrier height is shown to characterize the magnetic state of the alloy in low fields. On the whole, the temperature dependence of the order parameter is a universal characteristic of the system. The temperature dependence of resistivity of initial alloys in the temperature range 98–300 K (ρ(T) ∝ T²) is determined by electron scattering by quantum defects, and the transition into a ferromagnetic state is revealed when the derivative ?ρ/?T ∝ T is analyzed. The increase in resistivity and the relation ρ ∝ T^1/2 in strongly inhomogeneous samples after irradiation at a dose Φ = 1.5 × 10¹⁸ ions/cm² are caused by weak localization effects, and the transition to a ferromagnetic state becomes obvious when the derivative ?ρ/?T ∝ T^–1/2 is considered. Irradiation by fluence Φ = 3 × 10¹⁸ ions/cm2 induces a giant (twofold) increase in the alloy density, restores the ferromagnetism of large clusters, decreases the resistivity by 37%, and restores the relation ρ(T) ∝ T², which results from the overlapping of the irradiation-induced small clusters when their concentration increases and from an increase in the alloy density. The overlapping of clusters lowers the barrier height and decreases the sensitivity of the alloy to an applied field. The relation ρ(T) ∝ T² is valid for the entire temperature range T = 2–300 K because of the partial screening of the magnetic moments of large clusters by a medium having the properties of cluster glass.     

Long-range spin correlations in a honeycomb spin model with a magnetic field

We consider the spin-1/2 model on the honeycomb lattice [A. Kitaev, Ann. Phys. 321, 2 (2006)] in the presence of a weak magnetic field h _α ? J. Such a perturbation treated in the lowest nonvanishing order over h _α leads [K.S. Tikhonov, M.V. Feigel’man, and A.Yu. Kitaev, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 067203 (2011)] to a powerlaw decay of irreducible spin correlations 《s ^z (t, r)s ^z (0, 0)》 ∝ h _z ² f(t, r), where f(t, r) ∝ [max(t, Jr)]^–4. We have studied the effects of the next order of perturbation in h _z and found an additional term of the order h _z ⁴ in the correlation function 《s ^z (t, r)s ^z (0, 0)》 which scales as h _z ⁴ cosγ/r ³ at Jt? r, where γ is the polar angle in the 2D plane. We demonstrate that such a contribution can be understood as a result of a perturbation of the effective Majorana Hamiltonian by the weak imaginary vector potential A _x ∝ i h _z ² .