Evidence for magnetic field induced changes of the phase of tunneling states: spontaneous echoes in (KBr)(1-x)(KCN)(x) in magnetic fields

Recently it was discovered that, in contrast to expectations, the low-temperature dielectric properties of some multicomponent glasses depend strongly on magnetic fields. The low-temperature dielectric response of these materials is governed by atomic tunneling systems. We now have investigated the influence of magnetic fields on the coherent properties of atomic tunneling states in a crystalline host in two-pulse echo experiments. As in glasses, we observe a very strong magnetic field dependence of the echo amplitude. Moreover, for the first time we have direct evidence that the magnetic fields change the phase of coherent tunneling systems.     

Novel isotope effects observed in polarization echo experiments in glasses

In recent years unexpected magnetic field effects have been observed in dielectric measurements on insulating glasses at very low temperatures. Polarization echo experiments have indicated that atomic tunneling systems are responsible for these effects and that the nuclear properties of the tunneling particles are of importance. Subsequently, it was suggested that the magnetic field effects are caused by tunneling systems carrying a nuclear quadrupole moment. Now we have studied the isotope effect in echo experiments on fully deuterated and ordinary glycerol clearly showing the crucial role of the nuclear quadrupole moments for the magnetic field effects. In addition, we have observed a new effect in the decay of spontaneous echoes in zero magnetic field for the deuterated samples which can be explained in terms of a quantum beating involving the quadrupole levels.     

Quantum phenomena in glasses at low temperatures

Glasses exhibit surprising low-temperature properties caused by the tunneling motion of small atomic clusters. We report here on recent dielectric measurements on a glass with the components BaO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂. In contrast to expectation, below 100 mK the dielectric properties become sensitive to weak magnetic fields. In this temperature range dielectric constant and dielectric loss show an oscillatory behavior with increasing magnetic field. Below 6 mK a phase transition within the ensemble of tunneling systems is observed.     

Pressure induced quantum critical point and non-fermi-liquid behavior in BaVS3

We report on experiments giving evidence for quantum effects of electromagnetic flux in barium alumosilicate glass. In contrast to expectation, below 100 mK the dielectric response becomes sensitive to magnetic fields. The experimental findings include both lifting of the dielectric saturation by weak magnetic fields and oscillations of the dielectric response in the low temperature resonant regime. As the origin of these effects we suggest that the magnetic induction field violates the time reversal invariance leading to a flux periodicity in the energy levels of tunneling systems. At low temperatures, this effect is strongly enhanced by the interaction between tunneling systems and thus becomes measurable.     

Mössbauer studies of iron-rich metallic glasses

Iron-based metallic glasses have recently become an important class of ferromagnetic materials exhibiting excellent soft magnetic properties coupled with good mechanical properties. These glasses are usually prepared by rapid quenching techniques and are produced in thin long ribbon form with widths ranging from a few mm to 150 mm or more.⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy has been extensively used to study hyperfine interaction parameters in these metallic glasses to understand ferromagnetism in amorphous structure. In particular, Mössbauer spectra have been carefully analyzed to reveal information about the distribution of hyperfine fields resulting from the randomness of the atomic arrangement and to understand the temperature dependence of hyperfine fields, spin-wave excitations, magnetic structure, thermal stability and crystallization, the quenched-in magnetization axis, the Curie temperature and its dependence on compositions, the effect of stress and pressure on the magnetic properties, corrosion behaviour, local order and atomic arrangement, phase transformation, etc. This paper reviews the application of⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy to magnetic studies on metallic glasses mainly based on the iron-boron alloy system, and some of the significant results obtained which are characteristic of the glassy/amorphous state.     

Low frequency acoustic and dielectric measurements on glasses

The acoustic and dielectric properties of different glasses at audio frequencies and temperatures below 1 K have been investigated with the vibrating reed and a capacitance bridge technique. We found the temperature dependence of the absorption of vitreous silica (Suprasil W) to agree with the predictions of the tunneling model which is commonly used to explain the low temperature behaviour of amorphous materials. The variation of the sound velocity and of the dielectric constant, however, shows significant deviations from the expected behaviour which cannot be accounted for by a simple modification of the model. Instead, it seems to be necessary to introduce a temperature dependence of some relevant model parameters. Moreover, at very low temperatures (T < 0.1 K) the sound velocity strongly depends on the excitation levels. The absence of this effect at higher temperatures proves that it can be ascribed to a nonlinear response of tunneling systems. Similar results were found in sound velocity measurements on a cover glass and on a superconducting metallic glass (Pd₃₀Zr₇₀, T_c = 2.6 K), which indicates that these features are a general aspect of the dynamics of tunneling states in glasses. In contrast to the insulating glasses we found that in Pd₃₀Zr₇₀ also the internal friction is strain dependent.     

Effect of magnetic field on tunneling systems in glasses

The effect of a magnetic field on two-level tunneling systems in dielectric glasses originates from the magnetic-field-induced rotation of nuclear spins and the ensuing rearrangement of ordered regions (clusters) in the glass structure. This process accounts for the observed variation of both the spontaneous-polarization echo amplitude and the dielectric constant in a magnetic field at low temperatures. The proposed theory is compared with experiment.     

Ring currents effect on the dielectric function of cylindrical nano‐organic materials

We review recent results on the behaviour of the dielectric function of cylindrical nano‐organic materials at very low frequencies in a magnetic field. For cylindrical structures — such as carbon nanotubes — the polarisability is shown to be a discontinuous function of a longitudinal magnetic field where plateau‐like regions are separated by sudden jumps or peaks. A relation is pointed out between each discontinuity in the polarisability and the cross‐over between ground and first excited states induced by the magnetic field. This one to one correspondence suggests to use measurements of the dielectric function in an applied magnetic field in order to obtain informations about the electronic structures of cylindrical nanostructures. In addition, it is shown, by studying finite graphene layers, that the measurement of the polarisability in a magnetic field could be a powerful way for detecting possible edge‐states in amorphous carbon materials such as activated carbon fibres. Finally, the importance of the electron‐electron interaction is emphasised by discussing examples of strongly interacting electrons on rings or cylinders, in the limit of infinite interaction.     

Multiscale structures and phase transitions in metallic glasses:A scattering perspective

Amorphous materials are ubiquitous and widely used in human society, yet their structures are far from being fully understood. Metallic glasses, a new class of amorphous materials, have attracted a great deal of interests due to their exceptional properties. In recent years, our understanding of metallic glasses increases dramatically, thanks to the development of advanced instrumentation, such as in situ x-ray and neutron scattering. In this article, we provide a brief review of recent progress in study of the structure of metallic glasses. In particular, we will emphasize, from the scattering perspective, the multiscale structures of metallic glasses, i.e., short-to-medium range atomic packing, and phase transitions in the supercooled liquid region, e.g., crystallization and liquid-to-liquid phase transition. We will also discuss, based on the understanding of their structures and phase stability, the mechanical and magnetic properties of metallic glasses.     

Effect of nuclear quadrupole interactions on the dynamics of two-level systems in glasses

The standard tunneling model describes quite satisfactorily the properties of amorphous solids at temperatures T < 1K in terms of an ensemble of two-level systems including the logarithmic temperature dependence of the dielectric constant. Yet, experiments have shown that at ultralow temperatures T< 5 mK such a temperature behavior breaks down and the dielectric constant becomes temperature independent (plateau effect). In this Letter we suggest an explanation of this behavior exploiting the effect of the nuclear quadrupole interaction on tunneling. We also predict that the application of a sufficiently large magnetic field B> 10T should restore the logarithmic dependence because of the suppression of the nuclear quadrupole interaction.     

Cyclotron dynamics of a Bose–Einstein condensate in a quadruple-well potential with synthetic gauge fields

We investigate the cyclotron dynamics of Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) in a quadruple-well potential with synthetic gauge fields. We use laser-assisted tunneling to generate large tunable effective magnetic fields for BEC. The mean position of BEC follows an orbit that simulated the cyclotron orbits of charged particles in a magnetic field. In the absence of atomic interaction, atom dynamics may exhibit periodic or quasi-periodic cyclotron orbits. In the presence of atomic interaction, the system may exhibit self-trapping, which depends on synthetic gauge fields and atomic interaction strength. In particular, the competition between synthetic gauge fields and atomic interaction leads to the generation of several discontinuous parameter windows for the transition to self-trapping, which is obviously different from that without synthetic gauge fields.     

Ultrathin oxide films and interfaces for electronics and spintronics

Oxides have become a key ingredient for new concepts of electronic devices. To a large extent, this is due to the profusion of new physics and novel functionalities arising from ultrathin oxide films and at oxide interfaces. We present here a perspective on selected topics within this vast field and focus on two main issues. The first part of this review is dedicated to the use of ultrathin films of insulating oxides as barriers for tunnel junctions. In addition to dielectric non-magnetic epitaxial barriers, which can produce tunneling magnetoresistances in excess of a few hundred percent, we pay special attention to the possibility of exploiting the multifunctional character of some oxides in order to realize ‘active’ tunnel barriers. In these, the conductance across the barrier is not only controlled by the bias voltage and/or the electrodes magnetic state, but also depends on the barrier ferroic state. Some examples include spin-filtering effects using ferro- and ferrimagnetic oxides, and the possibility of realizing hysteretic, multi-state junctions using ferroelectric barriers. The second part of this review is devoted to novel states appearing at oxide interfaces. Often completely different from those of the corresponding bulk materials, they bring about novel functionalities to be exploited in spintronics and electronics architectures. We review the main mechanisms responsible for these new properties (such as magnetic coupling, charge transfer and proximity effects) and summarize some of the most paradigmatic phenomena. These include the formation of high-mobility two-dimensional electron gases at the interface between insulators, the emergence of superconductivity (or ferromagnetism) at the interface between non-superconducting (or non-ferromagnetic) materials, the observation of magnetoelectric effects at magnetic/ferroelectric interfaces or the effects of the interplay and competing interactions at all-oxide ferromagnetic/superconducting interfaces. Finally, we link up the two reviewed research fields and emphasize that the tunneling geometry is particularly suited to probe novel interface effects at oxide barrier/electrode interfaces. We close by giving some directions toward tunneling devices exploiting novel oxide interfacial phenomena.     

Atomic tunneling states in low-temperature dielectric and elastic losses of diamagnetic glassy semiconductors

A mechanism of low-temperature dielectric and elastic losses in some diamagnetic amorphous structures (e.g. glassy semiconductors) is presented. The mechanism is associated with atomic tunneling states which (as earlier stated) cause also the low-temperature anomalies of thermal properties of such systems. Some related questions are also discussed.     

Low frequency elastic properties of glasses at low temperatures—implications on the tunneling model

We have measured the low frequency elastic properties of dielectric, normal conducting and superconducting metallic glasses at audio-frequencies (f1 kHz) and temperatures down to 10 mK. Our results are discussed in the framework of the tunneling model of glasses. The major assumption of the tunneling model regarding the tunneling states with long relaxation time has been verified, but discrepancies to high frequency measurements have been found. In addition, our experiments on superconducting metallic glasses seem to indicate that the present treatment of the electron-tunneling state interaction is not sufficient.     

Direct coupling of magnetic fields to tunneling systems in glasses

We report on investigations of spontaneous polarization echoes in the nonmagnetic multicomponent glass BaO-Al2O3-SiO2 in static magnetic fields. While the echo decay is only marginally influenced, the echo amplitude depends strongly on magnetic fields. It seems that the intrinsic magnetic moment of tunneling systems causes dephasing effects which are detected in our echo experiments. In addition we find a strong increase of the echo amplitude with magnetic fields. This result shows that the coupling of the tunneling systems to magnetic fields is surprisingly strong and cannot be understood on the basis of current theories.     

Atom optics with hollow optical systems

Recent theoretical as well as experimental progress in atom optics using optical means—in particular, hollow optical systems such as pyramidal hollow mirror, conical hollow mirror, and hollow-core optical fiber—are presented. These hollow optical systems provide the dark hollow region where atoms can be manipulated in a way so as to minimize the external perturbations due to the optical fields once the atoms are cooled and trapped. Therefore, such systems provide very simple and reliable ways of preparing precooled atoms for further elaborate atom optics experiments and also for introducing them efficiently into low-dimensional space, such as the 2D atomic channel or the 1D atomic wire.     

非晶材料与物理近期研究进展

由于结合了金属和玻璃的特性,非晶合金表现出许多新奇和优异的力学和物理性质,在很多领域具有广泛的应用前景.非晶合金具有连续可调的成分、简单无序的原子结构、丰富多变的材料性质,为研究非晶态物理中的许多共性科学问题提供了理想的模型材料.块体非晶合金的发展更是将玻璃和液体及其相关科学问题的研究推进到凝聚态物理和材料科学的研究前沿.中国科学院物理研究所极端条件物理重点实验室亚稳材料合成、结构及性能研究组(EX4组)近二十年来一直致力于非晶材料和物理的研究,在新型非晶合金的制备、物性以及相关机理的研究上取得了许多重要成果.本文介绍团队最近在非晶材料和物理机理方面取得的研究成果,包括非晶合金的动力学行为和调控、非晶合金的表面动力学、功能应用以及材料探索新方法等.     

Partial ordered homogeneous magnetic moments in the Hubbard-model

In this contribution, we study the behaviour of magnetically disordered electron systems. In a model with localized magnetic fields at the atomic sites, a CPA-like method, which has regard for the vector character of the fields, is used to examine the case where the localized fields, which correspond to atomic magnetic moments, are distributed statistically. In an example for a non-isotropic distribution of the fields, we construct a system state with partial homogeneous order of the localized fields (or moments). The ordering behaviour of the system and the comparison of the new magnetic state with pure magnetic and non-magnetic band states and with the non-magnetic state of (isotropic) stochastic distribution of the localized fields is discussed. With this paper we are able to introduce typical properties of localized models into a band model.Work supported in part by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

NMR signature of evolution of ductile-to-brittle transition in bulk metallic glasses

The mechanical properties of monolithic metallic glasses depend on the structures at atomic or subnanometer scales, while a clear correlation between mechanical behavior and structures has not been well established in such amorphous materials. In this work, we find a clear correlation of (27)Al NMR isotropic shifts with a microalloying induced ductile-to-brittle transition at ambient temperature in bulk metallic glasses, which indicates that the (27)Al NMR isotropic shift can be regarded as a structural signature to characterize plasticity for this metallic glass system. The study provides a compelling approach for investigating and understanding the mechanical properties of metallic glasses from the point of view of electronic structure.     

Addendum

The magnetic properties of ferrimagnetic fine particles in rocks have many parallels with those of spin glasses, magnetic recording media, ferrofluids and biomagnetic systems. The present brief review touches on some recent developments in rock magnetism that may be of interest to workers in these other fields.