Spin fluctuations and magnetic order in the heavy fermion compound CePt2Sn2

We present zero and longitudinal field μ SR measurements of single crystal and polycrystalline specimens of the heavy fermion compound CePt₂Sn₂. Above 1 K the behaviour of the two samples is indistinguishable; the muon 1/T_1 increases with decreasing temperature until 25 K when it plateaus. The 1/T_1 relaxation rate differs strongly for the two cases below \sim\,0.8\ K. At 0.1 K a rate of about 20 μ s^-1 is seen in the polycrystal while in the single crystal it is only about 5 μ s^-1. Even more revealing is the fact that longitudinal field decoupling spectra at very low temperatures demonstrate an essentially static spin system to be present in the polycrystalline material while the single crystal shows definite dynamic spin properties. We conclude that, in the presence of the distortion, long range magnetic order occurs below 0.9 K while in tetragonal symmetry long range order is suppressed (probably due to frustration) and spin fluctuations remain for T\rightarrow0. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Local moment ferromagnetism in CeRu2Ga2B

Magnetization, specific heat, and electrical resistivity measurements for polycrystalline specimens of CeRu(2)Ga(2)B reveal local moment ferromagnetic order at a Curie temperature T(C) = 16.3 K. Specific heat measurements show that the phase transition is second order and the low temperature behavior indicates that the Ce f-electron states do not hybridize strongly with the conduction electron states. Electrical resistivity measurements demonstrate large spin disorder scattering of conduction electrons for T ≥ T(C). Results for a single crystal are also reported, where T(C) = 15.4 K. While results for the polycrystal and single crystal specimens are qualitatively similar, the differences between them suggest that crystalline disorder plays a role in how the magnetism develops.     

YbRh(2)Si(2): pronounced non-fermi-liquid effects above a low-lyingmagnetic phase transition

We report the first observation of non-Fermi-liquid (NFL) effects in a clean Yb compound at ambient pressure and zero magnetic field. The electrical resistivity and the specific-heat coefficient of high-quality single crystals of YbRh(2)Si(2) present a linear and a logarithmic temperature dependence, respectively, in more than a decade in temperature. We ascribe this NFL behavior to the presence of (presumably) quasi-2D antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations related to a very weak magnetic phase transition at T(N) approximately 65 mK. Application of hydrostatic pressure induces anomalies in the electrical resistivity, indicating the stabilization of magnetic order.     

Spin chirality of polycrystalline MnSi, or, difficult way from rumours to the solid ground

Six different polycrystalline samples of MnSi were produced as a rapidly frozen melt after the single crystal growth in the Czochralski process. With the help of small-angle scattering of polarized neutrons we show that the magnetic spin chirality being scanned along the sample length oscillates strongly on a scale of 2-3 mm, revealing the volumes of the samples with high degree of an enantiomeric excess. The average chirality of the samples deviates from zero value.     

Tunable magnetic orders in UAu_(1-x)Sb_2

Two nonstoichiometric UAu_(1-x)Sb_2(x = 0.25, 0.1) single crystals are successfully synthesized using a flux method,and their physical properties are comprehensively studied by measuring the dc-magnetization and electrical resistivity. Evidence for at least three magnetic phases is found in these samples. In zero field, both samples undergo an antiferromagnetic transition at a relatively high temperature, and with further cooling they pass through another antiferromagnetic phase,before reaching a ferromagnetic ground state. Furthermore, the magnetic order can be tuned by varying the site occupation of Au. Such a tunable magnetic order may provide an opportunity for exploring the potential quantum critical behavior in this system.     

Superconductivity in niobium triselenide

Sensitive magnetic susceptibility measurements on NbSe₃ reveal a large temperature dependent diamagnetism and flux trapping below about 2K. Flux exclusion is enhanced by etching and compacting the polycrystalline samples, as expected for a weakly coupled assembly of superconducting crystallites. Single crystal resistivity measurements reveal an anomaly at 2K, which is depressed in temperature by applied magnetic fields. However, the temperature and field dependence of the resistivity, especially the fact that it does not vanish, are not explained.     

Interplay between chains of S = 5/2 localised spins and two-dimensional sheets of organic donors in the synthetically built magnetic multilayer λ ‒ (BETS)2FeCl4

In order to understand the magnetic field-induced restoration of a highly conductive state in , static (SQUID) and dynamic (ESR and AFR) magnetization measurements were performed on polycrystalline samples and single crystals, respectively. In addition, cantilever and resistivity measurements under steady fields were performed. While the metal-insulator transition curve of the () phase diagram exhibits a first order character, a “spin-flop” transition line divides the insulating state when the magnetic field is applied along the easy axis of magnetization. The effects of a RKKY-type indirect exchange and of applied magnetic field are described within the framework of a generalized Kondo lattice, namely two chains of localised spins coupled through the itinerant spins of the 2D sheets of BETS. The calculations, which can incorporate intramolecular electron correlations within a mean field theory, are in qualitative agreement with the field induced transition from the antiferromagnetic insulating ground state to a canted one, i.e. a not fully oriented paramagnetic, but metallic state. Received: 6 August 1997 / Received: 5 November 1997 / Accepted: 10 November 1997     

Measurements of the anisotropic in-plane resistivity of underdoped FeAs-based pnictide superconductors

We systematically investigated the in-plane resistivity anisotropy of electron-underdoped EuFe(2-x)Co(x)As(2) and BaFe(2-x)Co(x)As(2) and hole-underdoped Ba(1-x)K(x)Fe(2)As(2). Large in-plane resistivity anisotropy was found in the former samples, while tiny in-plane resistivity anisotropy was detected in the latter ones. When it is detected, the anisotropy starts above the structural transition temperature and increases smoothly through it. As the temperature is lowered further, the anisotropy takes a dramatic enhancement through the magnetic transition temperature. We found that the anisotropy is universally tied to the presence of T-linear behavior of resistivity. Our results demonstrate that the nematic state is caused by electronic degrees of freedom, and the microscopic orbital involvement in the magnetically ordered state must be fundamentally different between the hole- and electron-doped materials.     

Concentration of charge carriers and anomalous gap parameter in the normal state of high-Tc superconductors

Fermi–Dirac statistics has been utilized by introducing the average ionization energy (E_I) as an additional anomalous energy gap in order to derive the two-dimensional concentration of charge carriers and the phenomenological resistivity model for the superconducting polycrystalline materials. The best fitted values of E_I and the charge carriers' concentration ranges in the vicinity of 4 to 9 meV and 10¹⁶ m⁻², respectively, for the superconducting single crystal samples and polycrystalline compounds synthesized with various compositions via solid-state reactions. The phenomenological resistivity model is further redefined here based on the gapless nature of charge-carriers' dynamics within the Cu---O₂ planes that corresponds to anomalous Fermi liquid behavior, which is in accordance with the nested Fermi liquid theory.     

Intergrain and intragrain superconductivity in Sn- and Sb-doped Bi1.7Pb0.3Sr2Cu3Oy

Measurements of the resistivity and current dependent resistivity for small current densities ranging from 0.03 A/cm² to 3.0 A/cm² were performed with two Sn-doped and two Sb-doped polycrystalline Bi_1.7Pb_0.3Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O_y samples in magnetic fields up to 1.7 T. Features in the temperature derivative of the resistivity curves were associated with the presence of a superconducting transition between superconducting grains, coupled by weak links with a distribution of critical currents and critical temperatures, and the superconducting transition within grains. The transition between grains was more strongly suppressed in temperature with the application of a magnetic field in samples with weaker coupling between grains. The presence of a transition in a magnetic field due to weak links between grains was verified at 77 K by the observation of a current dependent resistivity in a magnetic field.     

Mg0.3Fe2.7GeTe2 单晶的磁性及霍尔效应研究

Fe3GeTe2 是一种具有稳定长程磁有序的准二维范德瓦尔斯磁性材料, 范德瓦尔斯材料的稳定性和可调性使其在自旋电子器件的应用方面具有巨大潜力. 本文用助熔剂法生长了 Mg 原子掺杂Fe2 位的 Mg0.3Fe2.7GeTe2单晶样品, 并对 Mg 掺杂Fe3GeTe2 的结构、磁性和输运性质的影响进行了研究. 磁性数据表明 Mg 掺杂后铁磁转变温度不变, 但样品的饱和磁矩减小. 输运性质的测量中观察到各向异性的反常霍尔效应, 与Fe3GeTe2 相比, Mg掺杂后的反常霍尔电阻率减小, 同时各向异性发生了变化.     

Effects of oxygen vacancies on the room-temperature ferromagnetism of Co-doped polycrystalline CeO2

Pure and Co-doped single-phase CeO₂ crystals were synthesized by a solid-state reaction method. Samples of different oxygen vacancy concentration were studied, including (1) as-sintered crystals, (2) powders ground from the same crystal, and (3) a cold-pressed pellet from the ground powder that was unannealed and annealed at 800 °C. By analyzing the magnetic behaviors, surface/volume ratio and O vacancy concentration, the effects of oxygen vacancies on the room-temperature ferromagnetism (RT-FM) of Co-doped CeO₂ were systematically investigated. The results confirm that the RT-FM observed in Co-doped CeO₂ has a direct relationship with the oxygen vacancy concentration, and support the oxygen vacancy mediated FM mechanism.     

Impurity spin magnetization of thin Fe doped Au films

In order to probe the influence of the surface-induced anisotropy on the impurity spin magnetization, we measure the anomalous Hall effect in thin AuFe films at magnetic fields up to 15 T. The observed suppression of the anomalous Hall resistivity at low fields as well as the appearance of a minimum in the differential Hall resistivity at higher fields can be explained by our theoretical model, which takes into account the influence of a polycrystalline film structure on the surface-induced anisotropy. Our results imply that the apparent discrepancy between different experimental results for the size effects in dilute magnetic alloys can be linked to a different microstructure of the samples.     

The contribution of grain boundary and defects to the resistivity in the ferromagnetic state of polycrystalline manganites

In the present study we report the precise resistivity measurements for the polycrystalline bulk sample as well as highly oriented thin-films of La_0.8Ca_0.2MnO₃. The poly crystalline sample was prepared by standard solid-state reaction route and the oriented thin film was prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The phase purity of these samples was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and the back-scattered electron imaging using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The oxygen stoichiometry analysis was done by iodimetry titration. The resistivities of these samples were carried out with four-probe resistivity measurement setup. The observed temperature dependence of resistivity data for both the samples was fitted using the polaron model. We have found that polaronic model fits well with the experimental data of both polycrystalline and single crystal samples. A new phenomenological model is proposed and used to estimate contribution to the resistivity due to grain boundary in the ferromagnetic state of polycrystalline manganites and it has been shown that the scattering of electrons from the grain boundary (grain surface) is a function of temperature and controlled by the effective grain resistance at that temperature.     

Competing ferromagnetism and superconductivity on FeAs layers in EuFe2(As0.73P0.27)2

We have measured the spin-polarized electron momentum density distributions of EuFe2(As0.73P0.27)2 by magnetic Compton scattering (MCS) measurements. For the first time, we show direct evidence of competing ferromagnetism and superconductivity (SC) on FeAs layers in this iron pnictide system. The MCS orbitalwise decomposition of the density distributions reveals that between 16 and 19 K, the spin-polarized Fe-3d character is enhanced (as the ferromagnetic character supersedes superconducting character), where the resistivity shows a maximum, reentrant SC-like peak, at 18 K. The spin polarization of the Fe-3d orbital, enhanced by ferromagnetic Eu ions, suppresses the SC around 18 K, while at other temperatures the system indeed exhibits SC where the Fe-3d spin polarization is suppressed or collapses.     

Ultrafast momentum-dependent response of electrons in antiferromagnetic EuFe2As2 driven by optical excitation

Employing the momentum sensitivity of time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy we demonstrate the analysis of ultrafast single- and many-particle dynamics in antiferromagnetic EuFe(2)As(2). Their separation is based on a temperature-dependent difference of photoexcited hole and electron relaxation times probing the single-particle band and the spin density wave gap, respectively. Reformation of the magnetic order occurs at 800 fs, which is 4 times slower compared to electron-phonon equilibration due to a smaller spin-dependent relaxation phase space.     

掺钴氧化锌稀磁半导体的SEM及X射线能谱微分析研究

采用水热法,以CoCl₂·6H₂O为前驱物,KOH作为矿化剂合成了掺钴氧化锌稀磁半导体晶体。利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)及X射线能谱仪(XREDS)对合成晶体的微观形貌、表面及内部掺杂元素Co的相对含量和分布的均匀性进行了研究。研究结果表明：水热法合成的掺Co氧化锌晶体具有多种微观形貌,较大的晶体具有极性生长特性。随晶体形貌不同,显露面也发生了相应改变。不同微观形貌的晶体其Co含量有所差异,较大的晶体掺杂Co元素相对含量大于较小的晶体,+c(1011)显露面Co元素的含量比+c(1010)面高,锥柱状晶体其区别尤为明显。大的晶体内部存在着少量的氧化钴团簇,晶体表面与晶体内部Co元素分布相对均匀。由于Co2+具有磁性,因此,氧化钴团簇的存在将对氧化锌稀磁半导体晶体的磁性产生一定的影响。     

Magnetization study of UFe2

Bulk magnetization measurements have been performed between 4 and 400 K on oriented samples cut from a single crystal of UFe₂ (cubic C15-type Laves phase) used in an earlier neutron-diffraction study. The easy axis of magnetization was determined to be 〈111〉 in all cases, but the samples differed from each other in bulk magnetic properties (particularly Curie temperatures, which varied from 147 to 162 K). These variations apparently reflect small differences in stoichiometry. The upper temperature limit of the measurements was determined by the increasing presence of an “impurity” magnetization presumably arising from the precipitation of small amounts (≈0.01%) of free iron. This result implies that samples of UFe₂ quenched from elevated temperatures are not stable, under equilibrium conditions, near room temperature. Subsequent measurements on polycrystalline samples deliberately prepared with excess uranium (UFe_2?x) showed that the C15-type structure persists to at least UFe_1.7 and that the magnetic properties vary regularly with changes in stoichiometry. The bulk magnetic moment (1.09 μ_B/mol) determined from a 〈111〉 oriented single crystal is significantly larger than the total moment obtained in the neutron-diffraction study on the same sample.     

Resistivity superconducting transition in single-crystalline Cd0.95Ni0.05Sb system consisting of non-superconducting CdSb and NiSb phases

Resistivity superconducting transition has been for the first time found in single crystal of two-component 0.95(CdSb)–0.05(NiSb) system. End members of the system are not superconductors under normal conditions. Insulating behavior in temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity, which is due to hopping conductivity, precedes the transition. The resistivity superconducting transition is rather broad, since at cooling down the electrical resistivity starts to fall at 10.5 K, whereas zero resistivity is reached only at ~2.3 K. Longitudinal magnetic field gradually depresses superconductivity and shifts the superconducting transition to lower temperatures. Under magnetic field above 0.5 T, superconductivity is totally destroyed. Main features observed in the resistivity superconducting transition, including its unusually big width and insulating electrical behavior above the transition, can be related to inhomogeneity of the single crystal studied. According to XRD and SEM examinations, the single crystal consists of major CdSb phase and minor NiSb phase. The NiSb phase forms inhomogeneities in the CdSb matrix. Micro-sized needle-like NiSb crystals and nano-sized Ni_1-xSb_x clusters can be considered as typical inhomogeneities.     

Magnetic and transport properties of Pr2Pt3Si5

We have investigated the magnetic and transport properties of a polycrystalline Pr₂Pt₃Si₅ sample through the dc and ac magnetic susceptibilities, electrical resistivity, and specific heat measurements. The Rietveld refinement of the powder X-ray diffraction data reveals that Pr₂Pt₃Si₅ crystallizes in the U₂Co₃Si₅-type orthorhombic structure (space group Ibam). Both the dc and ac magnetic susceptibility data measured at low fields exhibit sharp anomaly near 15 K. In contrast, the specific heat data exhibit only a broad anomaly implying no long range magnetic order down to 2 K. The broad Schottky-type anomaly in low temperature specific heat data is interpreted in terms of crystal electric field (CEF) effect, and a CEF-split singlet ground state is inferred. The absence of the long range order is attributed to the presence of nonmagnetic singlet ground state of the Pr³⁺ ion. The electrical resistivity data exhibit metallic behavior and are well described by the Bloch–Grüniesen–Mott relation.