On the detection of nuclear spin waves by inelastic neutron scattering

The possibility of measuring nuclear spin waves (NSW) by inelastic neutron scattering is discussed. The differential cross section and scattered state polarization for the scattering of thermal neutrons from systems described by the Suhl-Nakamura Hamiltonian are developed in the Van Hove correlation function formalism; the relevant correlation functions for the Suhl-Nakamura system are computed. The implications of these calculations for the feasibility of detecting nuclear spin wave modes in neutron scattering experiments are discussed.     

Neutron multiwave spin echo

The neutron multiwave interference mode is investigated using the spin echo technique. In this mode a neutron wave repeatedly splits in the magnetic field of resonance coils, which results in the appearance of additional maxima of a constructive interference being absent in the well-known classical and resonance neutron spin echo modes. Simple analytical expressions well describing the experimental data are presented. It is demonstrated that the multiwave part of a spin echo signal appears when the spin flip probability in radiofrequency coils of a resonance spin echo device is ρ < 1. The possibility to use the neutron multiwave spin echo mode for investigation of high-order correlation functions, spatial and time correlations of three and more particles, is discussed.     

Dynamic spin susceptibility of hole-doped high-temperature superconductors in a singlet-correlated conduction band model

We have derived an expression for the dynamical spin susceptibility of a hole-doped high-temperature superconductor taking into account a strong correlation between the magnetization of spins of the localized and itinerant electrons. This formula has been used to calculate the imaginary part of the susceptibility as a function of the frequency and wave vector. The results are compared to experimental data on the inelastic neutron scattering in compounds of the YBa₂Cu₃O_6+y type. A peak in the scattering intensity observed at an energy of about 40 meV in the region of wave vectors Q = (π, π) and an arc-shaped dispersion relief are interpreted as manifestations of the collective spin excitations in the system, the energy of which falls within a superconducting gap (spin exciton). The U-shaped divergent relief observed in the neutron scattering intensity is assigned to collective short-rage-order spin oscillations.     

Estimation of the cross section of neutron scattering by spin waves in thin ferromagnetic layers

Inelastic neutron scattering by magnetic excitations in thin ferromagnetic films has not been observed so far owing to the small cross section of the interaction of neutrons with spin waves. To increase the probability of inelastic magnetic scattering, it has been proposed to implement three-layer structures in which the neutron wave functions exhibit resonant enhancement in a ferromagnetic layer. The cross section of neutron scattering by spin waves in the regime of the resonant enhancement of the neutron wave function has been estimated.     

Ramsey resonance for a pulsed beam

An experiment on a Ramsey resonance for pulsed neutrons is discussed. The separated oscillatory fields for nuclear magnetic resonance were synchronized with a neutron pulse, and then the Ramsey resonance was observed as a function of the neutron velocity. The neutron spin was manipulated as a function of the neutron velocity. The phase of one of the oscillatory fields was modulated as a function of the neutron time of flight for a neutron velocity measurement.     

Iron above the curie temperature

A quantitative discussion is given of recent paramagnetic diffuse neutron scattering data on bcc Fe above T_c. It is found that although the spatial spin correlation function has a weak tail of fairly long range the correlation between nearest neighbour spin directions is very small at 1.24T_c. It is concluded that the data are inconsistent with the giant short-range order hypothesis of Prange and Korenman, Capellmann and Sokoloff and another interpretation is given.     

Neutron spin echo: A new concept in polarized thermal neutron techniques

A simple method to change and keep track of neutron beam polarization non-parallel to the magnetic field is described. It makes possible the establishment of a new focusing effect we call neutron spin echo. The technique developed and tested experimentally can be applied in several novel ways, e. g. for neutron spin flipper of superior characteristics, for a very high resolution spectrometer for direct determination of the Fourier transform of the scattering function, for generalised polarization analysis and for the measurement of neutron particle properties with significantly improved precision.     

On interlay between the magnetic susceptibilities of localized and itinerant electrons in hole-doped HTSCs

In the framework of the singlet-correlated motion of holes over oxygen sites in CuO₂ layers, a formula for the dynamic spin susceptibility has been derived taking into account the strong correlation between the magnetizations of the spins of the collective holes and localized moments on copper sites. The calculated behavior of the imaginary part of the susceptibility as a function of the frequency and wave vector is consistent with the available experimental data on the inelastic neutron scattering. The plot of the dispersion of the collective spin modes over the entire Brillouin zone is proposed.     

Measurement of the neutrino asymmetry parameter B in neutron decay

A new measurement of the neutrino asymmetry parameter B in neutron decay, the angular correlation between neutron spin and antineutrino momentum, is presented. The result, B=0.9802(50), confirms earlier measurements but features considerably smaller corrections. It agrees with the standard model expectation and permits updated tests on "new physics" in neutron decay.     

Resonating valence bond wave function for the two-dimensional fractional spin liquid

The unconventional low-lying spin excitations, recently observed in neutron scattering experiments on Cs2CuCl4, are explained with a spin liquid wave function. The dispersion relation as well as the wave vector of the incommensurate spin correlations are well reproduced within a projected BCS wave function with gapless and fractionalized spin-1/2 excitations around the nodes of the BCS gap function. The proposed wave function is shown to be very accurate for one-dimensional spin-1/2 systems and remains similarly accurate in the two-dimensional model corresponding to Cs2CuCl4, thus representing a good ansatz for describing spin fractionalization in two dimensions.     

Low-frequency velocity correlation spectrum of fluid in a porous media by modulated gradient spin echo.

In addition to the fast correlation for local stochastic motion, the molecular velocity correlation function in a fluid enclosed within the pore boundaries features a slow long time-tail decay. Here we present its study by the NMR modulated gradient spin-echo method (MGSE) [1] on a system of water trapped in the space between the closely packed polystyrene beads. With MGSE pulse sequence, a repetitive train of RF pulses with interspersed gradient pulses periodically modulates the spin phase. It gives the spin echo attenuation proportional to a value of the molecular velocity correlation spectrum at the modulation frequency. Covering the frequency range between Hz and MHz, it is a complement to the quasi-elastic neutron scattering, and so a suitable technique for the investigation of low frequency molecular dynamics in fluids. In our experiment, it enables to extract the low frequency correlation spectrum of water molecules confined in porous media. The function exhibits a negative long time-tail characteristic (a low frequency decay of the spectrum), which can be interpreted as a molecular back scattering on boundaries. The results can be well fitted with the spectrum calculated from the solution of the Langevin equation for restricted diffusion (which exhibits an exponential decay) [2] as well as with the spectrum obtained when simulating the hydrodynamics of molecular motion constrained by capillary walls (which gives an algebraic decay) [3]. Despite much work on theories and simulation, which predict slow negative long time tail of molecular velocity correlation dynamics in confined fluids, the obtained velocity correlation spectrum is the first experimental evidence to confirm these effects. The obtained dependence of spin echo attenuation on time, gradient strength and modulation frequency is also the first experimental verification of the recently developed approach to the spin echo in porous media, that uses the spin phase average with the cumulant expansion to get the attenuation as a discord of spin spatial coherence [4].     

Measurement of the proton asymmetry parameter in neutron beta decay

The proton asymmetry parameter C in neutron decay describes the angular correlation between neutron spin and proton momentum. In this Letter, the first measurement of this quantity is presented. The result C= -0.2377(26) agrees with the standard model expectation. The coefficient C provides an additional parameter for new and improved standard model tests.     

Optimised adiabatic fast passage spin flipping for He neutron spin filters

We describe here a method of performing adiabatic fast passage (AFP) spin flipping of polarized ³He used as a neutron spin filter (NSF) to polarize neutron beams. By reversing the spin states of the ³He nuclei the polarization of a neutron beam can be efficiently reversed allowing for the transmission of a neutron beam polarized in either spin state. Using an amplitude modulated frequency sweep lasting 500 ms we can spin flip a polarized ³He neutron spin filter with only 1.8×10⁻⁵ loss in ³He polarization. The small magnetic fields (10-15 G) used to house neutron spin filters mean the ³He resonant frequencies are low enough to be generated using a computer with a digital I/O card. The versatility of this systems allows AFP to be performed on any beamline or in any laboratory using ³He neutron spin filters and polarization losses can be minimised by adjusting sweep parameters.     

Neutron spin quantum plasmas – Ferromagnetism as a relaxed state

It is shown that a ferromagnetic “minimum energy relaxed state” is accessible to a neutron fluid. We model the neutron fluid as a spin quantum plasma where the electromagnetic interaction is trough the magnetic moment of the neutron. The neutron ferromagnetism results from the macroscopic spin alignment that occurs due to a profound interplay between the classical and spin quantum vorticities carried by the charge-less neutron fluid. The simplest manifestation of a neutron superfluidity comes about by an exact cancellation of the quantum and classical vorticities to create a helicity free system.     

A relation between the resonance neutron peak and ARPES data in cuprates

We argue that the resonant peak observed in neutron scattering experiments on superconducting cuprates and the peak/dip/hump features observed in ARPES measurements are byproducts of the same physical phenomenon: both are due to feedback effects on the damping of spin fluctuations in a d-wave superconductor. We argue that in the superconducting phase, the dynamical spin susceptibility possesses the resonance peak at Ω_res∝ξ⁻¹ where ξ is the magnetic correlation length. The scattering of the resonant magnetic excitations by electrons gives rise to a peak/dip/hump behavior of the electronic spectral function, the peak-dip separation is exactly Ω_res.     

Neutron spectra coincident with discrete gamma rays in π− capture on 165Ho and 181Ta

Neutron spectra from π^?-capture in medium-heavy nuclei are presented in coincidence with discrete nuclear gamma rays to exhibit possible correlations of the spectra to neutron multiplicity and residual nuclear states. A discrete component in the pre-compound neutron spectra is resolved for the first time, and its correlation to the population of high spin nuclear states is observed.     

Neutron polarization for P- and T-violation experiments

The polarization of neutron spin, target nucleus spin and He nuclear spin was developed at KEK for measuring the T-odd term in polarized neutron transmission through a polarized nuclear target. A method to measure the neutron spin rotation was developed for the T-violation experiment. This apparatus has been found to be quite useful for the P-violating neutron spin rotation experiment. The angular distribution of neutron-capture -rays was measured for the study of the enhancement mechanism of the P-violation. The results are also discussed.On leave from Tohoku University.     

Pseudogap and spin fluctuations in the normal state of the electron-doped cuprates

We present reliable many-body calculations for the t-t(')-t(')-U Hubbard model that explain in detail the results of recent angle-resolved photoemission experiments on electron-doped high-temperature superconductors. The origin of the pseudogap is traced to two-dimensional antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations whose calculated temperature-dependent correlation length also agrees with recent neutron scattering measurements. We make specific predictions for photoemission, for neutron scattering, and for the phase diagram.     

Spin-correlation function of the fully frustrated Ising model and ±J Ising spin glass on a square lattice

In this work we study the correlation function of the ground state of a two-dimensional fully frustrated Ising model as well as spin glass. The Pfaffian method is used to calculate free energy and entropy as well as the correlation function. We estimate the exponent of spin correlation function for the fully frustrated model and spin glass. In this paper an overview of the latest results on the spin correlation function is presented.     

Hydrodynamic interactions in the structural fluctuation of a ternary amphiphilic system C12E5/water/ n-octane

Dynamical fluctuations of microemulsion and lamellar structures in a ternary amphiphilic system C₁₂E ₅/water/n-octane are studied by means of neutron spin echo spectrometry. The decay rate of the time correlation of the concentration was analyzed in terms of a theory (M. Nonomura, T. Ohta, J. Chem. Phys. 110, 7516 (1999)), in which both van Hove and hydrodynamic interactions are considered. The result shows that the time correlation function is expressed mostly by a single exponential determined exclusively by hydrodynamic interactions. Received 1 December 1999 and Received in final form 12 March 2001