Crossing of specific heat curves in some correlated fermion systems

Specific heat versus temperature curves for various pressures, or magnetic fields (or some other external control parameter) have been seen to cross at a point or in a very small range of temperatures in many correlated fermion systems. We show that this behavior is related to the possibility of existence of a quantum critical point. Vicinity to a quantum critical point in these systems leads to a crossover from quantum to classical fluctuation regime at some temperature . The temperature at which the curves cross turns out to be near this crossover temperature. We have discussed the case of the normal phase of liquid Helium three and the heavy fermion systems CeAl₃ and UBe₁₃ in detail within the spin fluctuation theory, a theory which inherently contains a low energy scale which can be identified with . When the crossover scale is a homogeneous function of these control parameters there is always crossing at a point. We also mention other theories exhibiting a low energy scale near a quantum critical point and discuss this phenomenon in those theories. Received 25 June 1999     

Thermal expansion of amorphous Zr Al Cu Ni in the vicinity of the glass transition

The thermal expansion of non-crystalline Zr₆₅Al_7.5Cu_17.5 Ni₁₀ has been studied in the range of the glass transition and in the undercooled liquid using a dilatometric device. The measuring technique used permits reliable experimental results up to 40 K above the glass transition temperature. The linear thermal expansion coefficient obtained is almost constant in the glassy state with a value of . It discontinuously increases at the glass transition temperature yielding a value of in the undercooled liquid. The results are compared with specific heat measurements of the amorphous material in this temperature range and are interpreted in the framework of a cluster model. Received 5 March 1999 and received in final form 11 June 1999     

Dynamic triggering of a spin-transition by a pulsed magnetic field

We report the first study of the effect of a high pulsed magnetic field on a spin transition complex in the solid state. The high spin fraction was determined by optical reflectivity. Sizeable effects are observed for the well-known spin transition solid Fe(Phen)₂(NCS)₂. In the hysteresis loop temperature range, an increase in the HS fraction is obtained, with an irreversible (reversible) character in the ascending (descending) branch of the loop. The time dependence of the HS fraction provides information on the kinetics of the spin-crossover process at the spin transition. Received 23 February 1999 and Received in final form 8 June 1999     

Ordering phenomena in C<Subscript>60</Subscript>-tetraphenylphosphonium bromide

The fulleride salt C₆₀-tetraphenylphosphonium bromide is investigated as a function of temperature by single crystal X-ray diffuse scattering and diffraction. At room temperature, the C₆₀ orientational disorder is found to be more complex than previously expected. Moreover, a structural phase transition, due to the C₆₀ orientational ordering, is evidenced around 120 K. Its relation with the stabilization of a static Jahn-Teller effect is discussed. Received 3 November 1999     

Photo-excitation from dia- to ferri-magnetism in a Rb-Co-hexacyanoferrate Prussian blue analogue

We studied the photo-excitation process, the relaxation of the photo-excited state towards the stable state, and the photo-induced magnetic properties of the Prussian blue analogue Rb_0.52Co [Fe(CN)₆]_0.84, 2.3 H₂O. Magnetic, M?ssbauer and reflectivity measurements have been performed during and after illumination. The efficiency of the photo-excitation device is maximum at nm. The process, however, is severely hindered by bulk absorption of the light; it is rapidly completed at the surface of the sample and then proceeds slowly in the bulk. Under the effect of photo-excitation the system turns from a dia- to a ferri- magnet, with a value K, indicative of the transformation of the material due to the following optical electron transfer: Thermal relaxation towards the stable electronic state is observed in the 95-110 K temperature interval, obeying a self-accelerated kinetics. At low temperature, a weak, non-exponential, relaxation is detected. These features are discussed in terms of co-operative effects in the frontal process of photo- excitation. The peculiarities of a photo-excited state created below the magnetic ordering temperature are discussed. A metastable magnetic state has been observed in low fields, denoted “Raw Photo-Induced State" (RPI), with a magnetization curve in-between the field-cooled and zero-field-cooled curves. Received 12 March 1999 and Received in final form 11 December 1999     

The interplay between the surface band structure and possible surface reconstructions of Mo(112)

The experimental band structure of Mo(112) and the effects by temperature and adsorbate are presented. A surface resonance, identified as crossing the Fermi level at about 1/3 from to of surface Brillouin zone, was observed to be very sensitive to both contamination and temperature. We find evidence of adsorbate and temperature induced reconstruction of the Mo(112) surface. Examination of low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) data provides evidence for an adsorbate induced reconstruction of the Mo(112) surface with periodicities consistent with the Fermi level crossing of the surface resonance. The reconstruction is found to occur at coverages as low as 0.03 Langmuirs of oxygen or carbon. The reconstruction and/or adsorbate affects the density of states and bands near the Fermi level of a ₁ symmetry. Received 3 March 1999 and Received in final form 1 October 1999     

Charge-carrier density collapse in La0.67Ca0.33MnO3and La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 epitaxial thin films

We measured the temperature dependence of the linear high field Hall resistivity of ( K) and ( K) thin films in the temperature range from 4 K up to 360 K in magnetic fields up to 20 T. At low temperatures we find a charge-carrier density of 1.3 and 1.4 holes per unit cell for the Ca- and Sr-doped compound, respectively. In this temperature range electron-magnon scattering contributes to the longitudinal resistivity. At the ferromagnetic transition temperature a dramatic drop in the number of charge-carriers n down to 0.6 holes per unit cell, accompanied by an increase in unit cell volume, is observed. Corrections of the Hall data due to a non saturated magnetic state will lead a more pronounced charge-carrier density collapse. Received 22 July 1999 and Received in final form 7 October 1999     

Magnetic anisotropy and low-frequency dielectric response of weak ferromagnetic phase in κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Cl, where BEDT-TTF is Bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene

We report a detailed characterization of the magnetism and AC transport in single crystals of the organic conductor -(BEDT-TTF)₂Cu[N(CN)₂]Cl by means of magnetic anisotropy measurements and low-frequency dielectric spectroscopy. Magnetic anisotropy obeys Curie-Weiss law with negative Curie-Weiss temperature in the temperature range 300 K-70 K. An antiferromagnetic transition with concomitant canted antiferromagnetic state is established at 22 K. A large hysteresis in the spin-flop transition and magnetic field reversal of the weak ferromagnetic magnetization are documented for the first time. A broad dielectric relaxation mode of moderate strength () emerges at 32 K, and weakens with temperature. The mean relaxation time, much larger than that expected for single-particle excitations, is thermally activated in a manner similar to the DC conductivity and saturates below 22 K. These features suggest the origin of the broad relaxation as an intrinsic property of the weak ferromagnetic ground state. We propose a charged domain wall in a random ferromagnetic domain structure as the relaxation entity. We argue that the observed features might be well described if Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction is taken into account. A Debye relaxation with similar temperature dependence was also observed and seems to be related to an additional ferromagnetic-like, most probably, field-induced phase. We tentatively associate this phase, whose tiny contribution was sample dependent, with a Cu²⁺ magnetic subsystem. Received 15 June 1998 and Received in final form 1 February 1999     

Exciton condensation in coupled quantum wells

Bound electron-hole pairs—excitons—are Bose particles with small mass. Exciton Bose-Einstein condensation is expected to occur at a few degrees Kelvin—a temperature many orders of magnitude higher than for atoms. Experimentally, an exciton temperature well below 1 K is achieved in coupled quantum well (CQW) semiconductor nanostructures. In this contribution, we review briefly experiments that signal exciton condensation in CQWs: a strong enhancement of the indirect exciton mobility consistent with the onset of exciton superfluidity, a strong enhancement of the radiative decay rate of the indirect excitons consistent with exciton condensate superradiance, strong fluctuations of the indirect exciton emission consistent with critical fluctuations near the phase transition, and a strong enhancement of the exciton scattering rate with increasing concentration of the indirect excitons revealing bosonic stimulation of exciton scattering. Novel experiments with exciton condensation in potential traps, pattern formation in exciton system and macroscopically ordered exciton state will also be reviewed briefly.     

Excitonic absorption and Urbach's tail in bismuth sulfide single crystals

The absorption coefficient of bismuth sulfide single crystals has been measured through more than four orders of magnitude and in the range of energies from 1.25 to 1.70 eV. A detailed study as a function of temperature has been carried out from 29 to 300 K. An Urbach tail for low values of absorption has been found. This tail and its temperature evolution fit the expression for ionic materials. An excitonic region appears at low temperature and the shape of the exciton peak is Gaussian, which corresponds to a strong exciton-phonon coupling. The exciton binding energy is estimated (28±3 meV) and then the energy gap at 29 K is obtained (E _g =1.523±0.003 eV). The fundamental electronic transition has been found to be a strongly anisotropic allowed direct transition. From reflectivity measurements a localized level at 1.361 eV at 29 K has been found. The change of the gap with temperature is interpreted through an electron-phonon mechanism.     

Perylene hexafluoroantimonate: Suppression of the Peierls transition by anion-chain disorder

Crystal growth and X-ray structural analysis are reported for the new quasi-one-dimensional organic conductor perylene hexafluoroantimonate. Due to deviation from exact 4:3 stoichiometry and anion-chain disorder the three-dimensional Peierls transition is suppressed to temperatures below 30 K in spite of a molecular field transition temperature of 330 K. Anisotropy of the microwave conductivity exceeds 3000:1 at room temperature. Curie paramagnetic defects with comparatively small electron spin resonance line width predominate at low temperature. Thermally activated paramagnetic defects, giving rise to pronounced Overhauser shift, are separated in the 30-100 K range. They are explained by neutral Perylene intra-stack defects, whose concentration can be reduced by both aging and annealing. The angular and temperature dependence of the conduction electron spin resonance line is analysed in detail, exhibiting the influence of intra-stack dipole interaction growing with temperature. Restricted diffusion of the conduction electron spins with diffusion coefficient of about 6 cm²/s parallel to the stacking direction is detected by fixed gradient pulsed electron spin resonance at room temperature. Received 17 July 1998     

Influence of atomic order on TA1[110] phonon softening [4] and displacive phase transition in Fe72Pt28 Invar alloys

The acoustic phonon dispersions of two Invar crystals , one ordered with the () structure, the other disordered fcc, have been investigated between 3.4 K and 470 K by inelastic and elastic neutron scattering. For the ordered crystal, pronounced softening of the whole phonon branch is observed on cooling below the Curie temperature. Particularly strong phonon softening at the M-point zone boundary of the structure leads to a displacive, antiferrodistortive phase transition at low temperatures. For the disordered crystal, much weaker softening of the phonons is observed and restricted to the region near the Brillouin zone center, where increasing elastic scattering with decreasing temperature indicates the growth of local tetragonal strain. This strain is considered as a typical precursor of the transformation to bct martensite. Specific heat measurements, performed at low temperatures on both crystals confirm the neutron scattering results and reveal considerable enhancement of the low energy phonon density of states in the ordered crystal. Received 18 January 1999     

Lead diffusion in α-Zr

Pb diffusion in α-Zr matrix between 823 and 1123 K was measured using heavy ion Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (HIRBS) technique. A deviation from the Arrhenius law was observed, with two different regions. At low temperatures the activation energy Q is close to the expected value for a substitutional diffuser but the pre-exponential factor D₀ is higher than expected. Close to the phase transition temperature the opposite occurs, with a low Q value. This behavior is similar to the one observed for Hf and self-diffusion in α-Zr. Received: 29 September 1998 / Accepted: 29 January 1999 / Published online: 28 April 1999     

Antiferromagnetic resonance and high magnetic field properties of NaNiO2

Magnetisation measurements up to 23 T and submillimeter wave ESR in the frequency region 48-380 GHz have been performed on NaNiO₂ powders at low temperature. Also typical spectra above the Néel temperature are shown. At 4 K the magnetisation shows a spin-flop transition at 1.8 T and saturation at 10 T. /Ni confirms the low spin state of the Ni³⁺ ions. The susceptibility exhibits a maximum at K with and K. NaNiO₂ is an A-type antiferromagnet: we derive K and K for the interactions between Ni ions within and between adjacent layers, respectively. The AFMR spectra yield an energy gap of 52.5 GHz, in agreement with the spin-flop value derived from the magnetisation. The anisotropy of the g factor observed at 100 K with can be attributed to the Jahn-Teller effect for Ni³⁺ ions in the low spin state, which stabilises the occupation. We finally comment on the isomorphic controversial Li_1-xNi_1+xO₂ compound. Received 9 March 2000 and Received in final form 13 July 2000.     

TA1[110] phonon dispersion and martensitic phase transition in ordered alloys Fe3Pt

In a previous neutron scattering study, we had observed that the TA phonon softening in L1₂-ordered ferromagnetic Fe₇₂Pt₂₈ Invar is pronounced at the zone boundary M-point and leads to an antiferrodistortive phase transition at low temperatures. Here, we report on similar neutron scattering investigations on two ordered crystals with higher Fe content to investigate the relation between the TA phonon softening and the martensitic transformation, which occurs in Fe-rich ordered Fe-Pt. We find that the TA phonon softening, especially at the M-point zone boundary, does not depend on the composition of the investigated crystals. In Fe_74.5Pt_25.5, however, the antiferrodistortive phase transition temperature is enhanced due to tetragonal strain preceding the martensitic transition. In Fe₇₇Pt₂₃ a precursor driven premartensitic phase transition is not observed. The structure of the martensite is, however, influenced by the soft mode lattice instability of the austenite. This would explain the origin of structural details found previously for Fe₃Pt thermoelastic martensite. Received 18 January 1999 and Received in final form 11 March 1999     

Phase diagram of magnetic polymers

We consider polymers made of magnetic monomers (Ising or Heisenberg-like) in a good solvent. These polymers are modeled as self-avoiding walks on a cubic lattice, and the ferromagnetic interaction between the spins carried by the monomers is short-ranged in space. At low temperature, these polymers undergo a magnetic induced first order collapse transition, that we study at the mean field level. Contrasting with an ordinary point, there is a strong jump in the polymer density, as well as in its magnetization. In the presence of a magnetic field, the collapse temperature increases, while the discontinuities decrease. Beyond a multicritical point, the transition becomes second order and -like. Monte Carlo simulations for the Ising case are in qualitative agreement with these results. Received 11 February 1999     

Chain length dependence of anomalous swelling in multilamellar lipid vesicles

Using small-angle X-ray scattering, the repeat distance vs. temperature is measured for a homologous series of multilamellar vesicles of lecithins with varying acyl chain length in excess water condition around the lipid main transition. A systematic chain length dependence is found which is in accordance with a bending rigidity renormalization and critical unbinding of the lamellae close to the transition, as previously suggested in H?nger et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 3911 (1994)]. Received 13 January 1999 and Received in final form 6 September 1999     

Structural instability and superconductivity in B{a_{1 - x}}{K_x}Bi{o_3}

We report results of the ultrasonic investigation of Ba_1-xK_xBiO₃ superconducting (SC) single crystals for two potassium concentrations and in a wide temperature range including the normal and the SC states. An instability of the crystal lattice that develops above the superconducting phase transition leads to a softening of both the transverse c₄₄ and the longitudinal c₁₁ modes at temperatures between 200 K and 50 K. In the case of Ba_0.65K_0.35BiO₃ a pronounced hysteresis was discovered. Low temperature X-ray powder diffraction analysis does not reveal any change of the cubic structure in the samples within a resolution of our X-ray technique. The softening of the elastic moduli, the hysteresis, the maximum in the attenuation of sound along with the possible short- (or long-) range structural distortion can be explained qualitatively in a simple model by assuming a coupling of the acoustic modes with the anharmonic oscillations of BiO₆ octahedra. Some weak anomalies are discovered in the velocity of the longitudinal sound in the vicinity of the superconducting phase transition. Received 25 June 1999 and Received in final form 14 February 2000