Anomalous low-temperature behavior of the thermal characteristics of MgB<Subscript>2</Subscript>

We have studied the behavior of the thermal expansion coefficient α(T) (in a zero magnetic field and at H≈4 T), the heat capacity C(T), and the thermal conductivity κ(T) of magnesium boride (MgB₂) in the vicinity of T_c and at lower temperatures. It was established that MgB₂, like oxide-based high-temperature superconductors, exhibits a negative thermal expansion coefficient at low temperatures. The anomaly of α(T) in MgB₂ is significantly affected by the magnetic field. It was established that, in addition to the well-known superconducting transition at T_c≈40 K, MgB₂ exhibits an anomalous behavior of both heat capacity and thermal conductivity in the region of T≈10–12 K. The anomalies of C(T) and κ(T) take place in the same temperature interval where the thermal expansion coefficient of MgB₂ becomes negative. The low-temperature anomalies are related to the presence of a second group of charge carriers in MgB₂ and to an increase in the density of the Bose condensate corresponding to these carriers at T_c2≈10–12 K.     

Low-temperature properties of CePd2In

We report measurements of the specific heatC _p(T), electrical resistivity ϱ(T) and magnetic susceptibility ξ(T) of hexagonal CePd₂In, at low temperatures. Anomalies inC _p(T), χ(T) and ϱ(T) atT=1.23 K, indicate a phase transition, most likely to an antiferromagnetically-ordered phase. The electronic entropy reachesR ln2 per mole Ce at 9.2K, suggesting that the phase transition involves a doublet state. The ordered phase coexists with moderately correlated itinerant electrons.     

Dielectric properties of (NH4)2SO4 crystals in the range of electronic excitations

Spectra of the real and imaginary parts of the pseudo‐dielectric permittivity, 〈?₁〉(E) and 〈?₂〉(E), of ferroelectric ammonium sulfate crystals, (NH₄)₂SO₄, have been measured in the range of electronic excitations 4.0 to 9.5 eV by ellipsometry using synchrotron radiation. Temperature dependences of the corresponding susceptibilities, 〈χ₁〉(T) and 〈χ₂〉(T), obtained for the photon energy E = 8.5 eV, related to excitations of oxygen p‐electrons, reveal sharp peak‐like temperature changes near the Curie point T_C = 223 K. The large temperature‐dependent increase of the imaginary part of the susceptibility χ₂(T), together with a simultaneous decrease of the real part of the susceptibility χ₁(T), take place at the phase transition. These anomalies have been ascribed mainly to the SO₄ group of the crystal structure.     

Thermal and magnetic properties of DyB62 at low temperatures

Temperature dependences of heat capacity C_P(T) and magnetization M(T) of an icosahedral dysprosium boride (DyB₆₂) single crystal have been experimentally investigated in the temperature range of 2-300 K. The magnetic susceptibility χ(T) of DyB₆₂ follows Curie-Weiss law with a paramagnetic Curie temperature of −3.7 K, which implies that the antiferromagnetic interactions are dominant in this material and suggests the possibility of magnetic ordering at low temperatures. This conjecture is supported by the temperature dependence of heat capacity C_P(T), which decreases upon heating from 2 to 7 K. The heat capacity of DyB₆₂ at 2 K is analyzed as a sum of magnetic, Debye, two-level system and soft atomic potential components.     

Thermal and physical properties of sodium niobate ceramics over a wide temperature range

The temperature dependences of the heat capacity C _p (T) and thermal expansion coefficient α(T) of NaNbO₃ ceramic samples have been investigated in the temperature range from 2 to 800 K. In addition to the anomalies associated with the known phase transitions at temperatures T ₆ ≈ 265 K, T ₅ ≈ 638 K, T ₄ ≈ 760 K, and T ₃ ≈ 793 K, anomalies in the behavior of C _p (T) and α(T) have been observed near T _5″ ≈ 500 K and T _5′ ≈ 600 K. It has been found that all the observed structural transformations, according to the values of the entropy change, are not related to the ordering of structural elements. It has been shown that, with an increase in the temperature, the unit cell volume during the phase transitions near 265, 515, 604, and 638 K decreases. The specific features of the transition to the phase R3c have been examined. Two possible scenarios of the sequence of phase transformations in the temperature range between T ₅ and T ₆ have been analyzed.     

Low-temperature behavior of specific heat curves in ruthenocuprate RuSr<Subscript>2</Subscript>Gd<Subscript>1.5</Subscript>Ge<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>10 − δ</Subscript>: Superconducting,magnetic and crossing-point effects

Magnetic and superconducting properties of polycrystalline samples of RuSr₂Gd_1.5Ce_0.5Cu₂O_{(10 − δ)}, asprepared (by solid-state reaction) and annealed in pure oxygen at different pressure are presented. Specific heat and magnetization were investigated in the temperature range 1.8–300 K with a magnetic field up to 8 T. Specific heat, C (T), shows a jump at the superconducting transition (with onset at T ≈ 37.5 K) and a Schottky-type anomaly below 20 K. It is found that curves C(T) taken for different values of magnetic field have the same crossing point (at T _* ≈ 2.7 K) for all samples studied. At the same time, C(H) curves taken for different temperatures have a crossing point at a characteristic field H _* ≈ 3.7 T. These effects are manifestations of the crossing-point phenomenon, which is supposed to be inherent for strongly correlated electron systems.     

Effect of hydrogenation on the magnetic and magnetoelastic properties of R 2Fe14B compounds (R = Nd, Gd, Er, Lu)

The temperature dependences of the magnetization σ(T), magnetostriction λ(T), and linear thermal expansion coefficient α(T) of R ₂Fe₁₄B intermetallic compounds (R = Nd, Gd, Er, Lu) and of their hydrides R ₂Fe₁₄BH_2.5 are studied. The magnetization was measured with a pendulum magnetometer within the temperature interval 77–700 K in a magnetic field H = 500 Oe. Magnetostriction and thermal expansion were measured using the tensometric technique in the temperature interval 77–420 K. It was established that Gd₂Fe₁₄BH_2.5 undergoes a spin-reorientational (SR) transition at T _SR = 235 K. In compounds with Nd and Er, anomalies associated with the SR transition were found in the σ(T), λ(T), and α(T) curves. The SR transition temperatures were refined and magnetic phase diagrams were constructed for the compounds studied. The α(T) curves of the R ₂Fe₁₄BH_2.5 hydrides (R = Nd, Er) revealed anomalies of a nonmagnetic origin associated with hydrogen ordering in the crystal lattice of these compounds.     

Mechanisms of direct microwave absorption in Y1Ba2Cu3O7−x

Direct microwave absorption was studied as a function of magnetic field up to 8 kG and in a temperature range between 10 K and 150 K in Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7−x. Large microwave absorption was observed below T_c over a wide magnetic field range. The microwave power absorption is approximately described by I=A(T) H+C(T), where A(T) and C(T) are temperature dependent constants. A(T) is proportional to the square root of the microwave power, while C(T) shows a different behaviour. We propose different origins for A(T) and C(T), namely fluxons in grains and weak Josephson links. Moreover, also flux trapping was observed in the superconducting state. Possible mechanisms for the absorption are discussed.     

Magnetic and thermal properties of CuFeS<Subscript>2</Subscript> at low temperatures

The magnetic moment M, the magnetic susceptibility χ, and the thermal conductivity of chalcopyrite CuFeS₂, which is a zero-gap semiconductor with antiferromagnetic ordering, have been measured in the temperature range 10–310 K. It has been revealed that the quantities χ(T) and M(T) increase anomalously strongly at temperatures below ∼100 K. The temperature dependence M(T) is affected by the magnetic prehistory of the sample. An analysis has demonstrated that the magnetic anomalies are associated with the presence of a system of noninteracting magnetic clusters in the CuFeS₂ sample under investigation. The formation of the clusters is most likely caused by the disturbance of the ordered arrangement of Fe and Cu atoms in the metal sublattice of the chalcopyrite, which is also responsible for the phase inhomogeneity of the crystal lattice. The inhomogeneity brings about strong phonon scattering, and, as a result, the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity coefficient exhibits a behavior characteristic of partially disordered crystals.     

Magnetization anomalies in melt-spun Ni–Mn–Ga ribbons

Temperature and field dependencies of the magnetization of melt-spun ribbons of Ni_45.7Mn_37.2Ga_17.1 (T_C<T_A) and Ni_54.3Mn_20.5Ga_25.2 (T_C>T_A), where T_A and T_C are the reverse martensitic transformation and Curie temperatures, respectively, have been studied in broad ranges of magnetic fields (±30 kOe) and temperatures (10–350 K). It was found that the magnetic and thermomagnetic properties have a number of peculiarities and anomalies. Particularly, the magnetization values measured at both low and high magnetic fields increase significantly after annealing. Low-temperature anomalies of magnetization suggest the presence of the superparamagnetic behavior and/or phenomena related to the concurrent exchange interactions in the as-spun state. The obtained results can be explained by the influence of concentration inhomogeneities and atomic disordering in the rapidly quenched ribbons, which can be reduced by annealing.     

Study of the critical current density and the thermodynamic critical field in deuterated κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br organic superconductor

ABSTRACT

We have studied the reversible and irreversible part of the hysteresis loops as a function of slow cooling rate through the order–disorder transformation near 80?K for the deuterated (κ-D₈-Br) κ-(BEDT-TTF)₂Cu[N(CN)₂]Br organic superconductor. We estimated the critical current density J_C and the thermodynamic critical field H_C from the magnetic hysteresis loops. Temperature dependence of the critical current density derived from the irreversible part using Bean’s model. The thermodynamic critical field H_C has been obtained from the reversible part of the hysteresis loops.     

Low-temperature thermal conductivity of terbium-gallium garnet

Thermal conductivity of paramagnetic Tb₃Ga₅O₁₂ (TbGG) terbium-gallium garnet single crystals is investigated at temperatures from 0.4 to 300 K in magnetic fields up to 3.25 T. A minimum is observed in the temperature dependence κ(T) of thermal conductivity at T _min = 0.52 K. This and other singularities on the κ(T) dependence are associated with scattering of phonons from terbium ions. The thermal conductivity at T = 5.1 K strongly depends on the magnetic field direction relative to the crystallographic axes of the crystal. Experimental data are considered using the Debye theory of thermal conductivity taking into account resonance scattering of phonons from Tb³⁺ ions. Analysis of the temperature and field dependences of the thermal conductivity indicates the existence of a strong spin-phonon interaction in TbGG. The low-temperature behavior of the thermal conductivity (field and angular dependences) is mainly determined by resonance scattering of phonons at the first quasi-doublet of the electron spectrum of Tb³⁺ ion.     

Thermal expansion of ScxTi1−x Fe2 itinerant magnets

A study of the thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of the Sc_xTi_1−x Fe₂ itinerant magnets has been made within the 5–1200 K range at the transition from the TiFe₂ antiferromagnet (T _N=270 K) to the ScFe₂ ferromagnet (T _C=540 K). A negative TEC magnetic contribution α _m(T) has been found, which is associated with the formation of spin-fluctuation-induced local magnetic moments in both the magnetically ordered and the paramagnetic state. The specific features in the α _m(T) dependence are shown to be due to the shape of the density-of-states function near the Fermi level. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 2174–2178 (December 1999)     

Proton magnetic relaxation in ethylene oxide,tetrahydrofuran, and triethylene diamine as clathrate deuterates

Proton spin-lattice relaxation times (T ₁) have been measured for triethylene diamine, ethylene oxide, and tetrahydrofuran as clathrate deuterates. The results are interpreted in terms of anisotropic rotation of the guest molecules. Triethylene diamine is thought to be undergoing rotation about its C ₃ axis with a correlation time given by τ_c/s = 4·87 × 10^-14 exp (1680 K/T) at temperatures between 120 K and the decomposition point (308 K). Between 77 K and 120 K, T ₁ is dominated by conformational distortions of the guest molecule. Ethylene oxide and tetrahydrofuran rotate about at least two axes in the deuterate at rates sufficient to produce some motional narrowing. At high temperatures the relaxation is caused in both cases by rotation about an axis perpendicular to the C ₂ axis, and at lower temperatures by rotation about the C ₂ axis itself. The correlation times are for ethylene oxide τ_c/s = 6·76 × 10^-14 exp (450 K/T), T < 160 K; and for tetrahydrofuran τ_c/s = 4·79 × 10^-14 exp (470 K/T), T < 140 K.

The free induction decay shapes indicate that, in each case, low frequency motion is occurring about all axes throughout the temperature range studied (77 K to the decomposition temperature in each case). From the lack of an observable signal from the clathrate deuterates of hexamethylene tetramine and dioxan, it is deduced that there is no reorientational motion of these guests at frequencies greater than their rigid-lattice linewidths.     

Temperature of the superconducting transition in the TiV alloy at pressures up to 60.8 GPa

The dependence of the temperature of the transition to the superconducting state T _c on the pressure up to 60.8 GPa is measured for the TiV alloy. The dependence T _c (P) is increasing except for an anomaly in the form of a local minimum near P = 10 GPa. At the maximum pressure of 60.8 GPa, the superconducting transition temperature T _c reaches 18.2 K. The obtained curve T _c (P) is compared with the known dependences for pure vanadium, for which T _c (P) increases to 17.2 K at P = 120 GPa, and for pure niobium and the ZrNb alloy, for which the dependences T _c (P) also have anomalies in the form of local maxima at pressures of 5–10 GPa.     

Galvanomagnetic properties of La0.7Sr0.3Mn0.9Cu0.1O3

La_0.7Sr_0.3Mn_0.9Cu_0.1O₃ ceramic samples have been obtained by the conventional method of the solid-phase reaction, and their resistivity ρ has been investigated in a temperature range from 50 to 300 K in magnetic fields B = 0–20 T. Dependences are typical of perovskite manganites with a maximum at T _max = 140–150 K and an increase in ρ near T _max with increasing external magnetic field B. It has been established that the behavior of resistivity is caused by the variable range hopping conduction mechanism ρ(T) = ρ₀(T)exp[(T ₀/T)^1/4], where ρ₀(T) ～ T ^25/4. The Mott variable range hopping conduction has been observed below the Curie temperature for La_0.7Sr_0.3Mn_0.9Cu_0.1O₃ samples (T _C ～ 300 K) in a temperature range from 300 to 200 K. The influence of Cu doping on the properties of La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ samples is apparently caused by an additional distortion introduced into the crystal lattice of the material and by a weakening of the double-exchange mechanism.     

Helimagnetism of CuxZn1−xCr2Se4 (for 0.0 ≤ × ≤ 0.1)

Abstract

The magnetization, the susceptibility and the magnetic anisotropy field of Cu _x Zn_1?xCr₂Se₄ compounds have been studied at low temperatures (down to 2.9 K) in: high magnetic stationary fields (up to 14 T), high pulsed magnetic fields (up to 25 T), medium magnetic stationary fields (up to 0.6 T). The magnetic structure of these spinels was studied by neutron powder diffraction.

The magnetic properties of Cu_xZn_1?xCr₂Se₄ are explained in terms of the molecular field approximation assuming the existence of 90° exchange interactions, ferromagnetic for Cr-Se-Cr between the nearest Cr ions and antiferromagnetic for Cr-Se-Se-Cr between the second-nearest Cr ions. The exchange parameters and integrals for the whole series under consideration are calculated. Taking into account the three magnetic phase transitions observed in these spinels (Juszczyk, Krok, Okońska-Koz?owska, Broda, Warczewski, Byszewski, 1981) and the neutron diffraction studies a modification of the simple spin spiral forced by a strong magnetic field is described.     

Magnetic and transport properties of UBi2 and USb2 single crystals

The thermoelectric power, S(T), of USb₂ and UBi₂, which are tetragonal, uniaxial antiferromagnets below T _N?=?202?K and 180.8?K, respectively, have been examined between 0.4?K and 300?K. The values of S(T), up to now known above 70?K for USb₂ and unknown for UBi₂, are positive along the a-axis for both compounds in the whole examined temperature range. The S(T) data for the c-axis (the easy magnetization axis) are positive near room temperature for USb₂ and UBi₂ but becomes negative below 120?K and 170?K, respectively, with two very deep minima in S(T) dependence for USb₂. In the latter compound the Fermi surface, known from literature, is composed of the only cylindrical sheets that are slightly corrugated and parallel to the c-axis. UBi₂, the Fermi surface of which is composed of one spherical and two cylindrical sheets, shows corresponding minima although less pronounced than those in USb₂. Having at disposal the highest purity single crystals in comparison to those for which the resistivity, ρ(T), has been reported in literature, the ρ(T) anisotropy was re-examined for these two systems. Magnon and phonon contributions to their total electrical resistivity have been determined and the critical fluctuation behaviour of the resistivity near T _N for both dipnictides has been analysed. Although the magnetic susceptibilities of UBi₂ and USb₂ reveal a similarity, their transport properties are significantly different due to the difference in the Fermi surface topology.     

Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect of Sr-doped Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3 compounds

In this work, we pointed out that Sr substitution for Ca leads to modify the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Pr_0.7Ca_0.3-xSr_xMnO₃ compounds. Analyzing temperature dependence of magnetization, M(T), proves that the Curie temperature (T_C) increased with increasing Sr content (x); T_C value is found to be 130–260 K for x = 0.0–0.3, respectively. Using the phenomenological model and M(T,H) data measured at several applied magnetic field, the magnetocaloric effect of Pr_0.7Ca_0.3-xSr_xMnO₃ compounds has been investigated through their temperature and magnetic field dependences of magnetic entropy change ΔS_m(T,H) and the change of the specific heat change ΔC_P(T,H). Under an applied magnetic field change of 10 kOe, the maximum value of -ΔS_m is found to be about 3 J/kg·K, and the maximum and minimum values of ΔC_P(T) calculated to be about ±60 J/kg·K for x = 0.3 sample. Additionally, the critical behaviors of Pr_0.7Ca_0.3-xSr_xMnO₃ compounds around their T_C have been also analyzed. Results suggested a coexistence of the ferromagnetic short- and long-range interactions in samples. Moreover, Sr-doping favors establishing the short-range interactions.