Introduction of bismuth into the highT c superconductor La2−x Sr x CuO4−y

Novel high-T _c superconductors La_2–x Bi _x Sr _x–x CuO_4–y have been isolated and studied. The influence of the experimental conditions of synthesis on the superconductivity has been especially studied for the composition La_1.7Bi_0.1Sr_0.2CuO_4–y ; it is shown thatT _c decreases as oxygen is introduced into the matrix, likely due to the partial oxidation of Bi(III) to Bi(V). The highT _c value observed for one sample (T _c 42 K), as compared withT _c 38 K of La_1.8Sr_0.2CuO_4–y suggests that bismuth is also a potential candidate for improving the superconducting properties in these oxides.     

Mössbauer Study of La1−x Ca x Mn1−y 57Fe y O3 with x=0,0.25; y=0.01

Temperature dependent Mössbauer measurements are done on the samples of La_1–x Ca _x Mn_1–y ⁵⁷Fe _y O₃ with x=0 and 0.25, and y=0.01. With decreasing temperature, the specimen with x=0.25 shows a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition around 175 K. In the specimen x=0.0, the temperature dependence of both the center shift () and the recoilless fraction (f) can be fitted very well with the Debye theory with a _D=320±50 K. But for the specimens with x=0.25, f and show distinct deviations from the Debye behavior in the temperature range in which the resistivity shows a sharp decrease. Dips observed in both the f and around the transition temperature suggest that the Jahn–Teller distortion observed in these systems is dynamic in nature.     

Pressure Effects in the Raman Spectra of La 2−x Sr x CuO 4

Micro-Raman measurements under hydrostatic pressures up to 6 GPa have been carried out on high-quality La 2 m x Sr x CuO 4 polycrystalline compounds with Sr concentration up to x =0.45. The zz scattering polarization has been investigated, where two strong modes due to La/Sr and the apex oxygen, and (in the low Sr concentrations) the soft mode at ～100 cm m 1 are observed. The frequency of the strong modes increases almost linearly with pressure for the Sr concentrations studied. Modifications in the increment rate d y /d p and the phonon width have been detected depending on the amount of doping. For x =0.45 a considerable increase in the width of both strong phonons with pressure was found, which must reflect a separation into phases, since this concentration is close to the solubility limit. The relative intensity of the strong phonons was investigated in connection with its correlation to the transition temperature.     

Observation of magnetic order of Cu-moment aroundx=0.12 in La2−x Ba x CuO4 and La2−x sr x CuO4 by μ+SR

Zero field positive muon spin rotation method ( ⁺SR) is applied on La_2–x Sr _x CuO₄ around forx=0.12 at which the high-T _c superconductivity (SC) is suppressed. The magnetically ordered state of Cu-moments, which is not a spin glass state but an antiferromagnetic like state, appears below 15 K for 0.105x0.120. The magnetic phase boundary is very similar to the one of the La_2–x Ba _x CuO₄ in which the structural transition from the low temperature orthorhombic (LTO) phase to the low temperature tetragonal (LTT) phase is observed aroundx=0.12. The present study suggests that there is no big difference of the electronic state of the CuO₂ plane between the La-Ba system and the La-Sr system and that the magnetic ordering of Cu-moments plays an important role for the suppression of the high-T _c SC aroundx=0.12 in both of the systems, although the LTO-LTT structural transition has not been observed yet in the La-Sr system.     

Magnetic order in Sr x Ca1−x Cu0.99 57Fe0.01O2

Sr _x Ca_1–x Cu_0.99 ⁵⁷Fe_0.01O₂ was studied forx=0.13, 0.15, and 0.17. Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetization measurements indicate magnetic ordering characteristic of spin glass systems withT _f70K forx=0.15 and 0.13.     

Thermoelectric properties of the Nd2−x Ce x CuO4−y system

The temperature dependence of the Seebeck coefficient (in region 300–900 K) and the lattice constants of Nd_2–x Ce_xCuO_4–y (x=0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) with different oxygen content were measured. The value of S is always negative and it decreases with both Ce content and oxygen non-stoichiometry. At a certain concentration of Ce and oxygen in the material, the Seebeck coefficient becomes temperature-independent.The authors would like to thank Professor J. Horák of University of Chemical Technology, Pardubice for helpful discussions.     

μSR and NMR investigations on electronic and magnetic state aroundx=0.12 in La2−x Sr x CuO4 and La2−x Ba x ;CuO4

The muon spin rotation ( ⁺SR) and NMR measurements provides clear evidences of the antiferromagnetic order of Cu-moment below 35 K for La_2–x Ba _x CuO₄ and below 15 K for La_2–x Sr _x CuO₄ in the narrow range ofx where the high-T _c superconductivity (SC) is suppressed remarkably. The results suggest that the freezing of spin fluctuations of Cu-moment is relevant to the local suppression of SC under an change of the electronic state coupled with the lattice instability.     

Behavior of positive muons in highT c superconductors La2−x Sr x CuO4

An unambiguous determination of the ⁺ location in the highT _c LaSrCuO superconductor is made through zero-field spin relaxation in the paramagnetic phase and its crystal axis dependence by using single crystalline samples. The temperature dependence of the relaxation rates has a maximum between 80 and 150 K, indicating the existence of the onset of quantum diffusion at low temperature.     

Fermi surface evolution in the ensemble of spin-polarized quasiparticles in La2 − x Sr x CuO4

For the spin-fermion model, it has been shown that the concept of spin polarons makes it possible to reproduce fine details of the Fermi surface evolution in the nodal direction of La_{2 ? x} Sr _x CuO₄ occurring with changes in the doping level x. The physics here is determined by the spin-correlated hopping of charge carriers and by the doping dependence of the inverse magnetic correlation length.     

Martensitic transformation in La1−x Yb x Ag1−y In y

The structural phase transformation of La_1–x Yb _x Ag_1–y In _y has been studied on single crystals by low temperature Laue-technique. The martensitic transformation in this pseudobinary intermetallic alloy has to be characterized as a weak orthorhtombic distortion of a single I centered unit cell (c/a1.04;a/b1.006) and a collective slipping or twinning of these cells that gives a fixed orientation between the remaining cubic room temperature structure and the martensitic phase. Above room temperature exists an order-disorder transformation from the CsCl-B2 structure to an at room temperature metastable W-A2 structure. There is no dramatic change in the physical properties of this alloy by substituting La by Yb, so we may approximate our results to LaAg_1–y In _y .This paper is dedicated to Prof. Dr. S. Methfessel on the occasion of his 60^th birthday     

NQR study of spin-freezing in superconducting La2−x Sr x CuO4: the example ofx = 0.06

Nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR)¹³⁹La and⁶³Cu spin-lattice relaxation rateT ₁ ^t-1 measurements in a La_1.94Sr_0.06CuO₄ single crystal are described. Slowing-down of Cu²⁺ spin fluctuations is evidenced through a dramatic increase of¹³⁹ T ₁ ^?1 on cooling. While the onset of diamagnetism occurs atT _c = 8 K,¹³⁹ T ₁ ^?1 has a peak atT _g ? 5 K, when the characteristic frequency of magnetic fluctuations reaches the NQR frequencyv _Q ? 9 MHz. In agreement with a number of previous studies, these results show that the so-called “cluster spin-glass” phase persists in the superconducting regime. Issues concerning the coexistence of the two phases are discussed.     

Phase transitions in HfV2HxD4−x: Isotope effects

The order-disorder phase transitions in HfV₂H_xD_4−x (x = 0, 1.5, 3 and 4) are studied by X-ray diffraction and NMR. In the mixed-isotope compounds two phase transitions at T₀₁ ⋍ 290 K and T₀₂ ⋍ 260 K are observed, T₀₁ and T₀₂ being close to the ordering temperatures in HfV₂H₄ and HfV₂D₄, respectively. We suggest a qualitative explanation of the isotope effect in the ordering temperature based on a model of two-sublattice interstitial site occupation with intersite “blocking”.     

Doping dependence of correlation effects in K1 − x Fe2 − y Se2 superconductors: LDA’ + DMFT investigation

We present a detailed LDA’ + DMFT investigation of the doping dependence of correlation effects in the novel K_{1 ? x} Fe_{2 ? y} Se₂ superconductor. Calculations are performed at four different hole doping levels, starting from a hypothetical stoichiometric composition with the total number of electrons equal to 29 per unit cell through 28 and 27.2 electrons toward the case of 26.52, which corresponds to the chemical composition K_0.76Fe_1.72Se₂ studied in recent ARPES experiments. In the general case, the increase in hole doping leads to quasiparticle bands in a wide energy window ±2 eV around the Fermi level becoming more broadened by lifetime effects, while correlation-induced compression of Fe-3d LDA’ bandwidths stays almost the same, of the order of 1.3 for all hole concentrations. However, close to the Fermi level, the situation is more complicated. In the energy interval from ?1.0 eV to 0.4 eV, the bare Fe-3d LDA’ bands are compressed by significantly larger renormalization factors up to 5 with increased hole doping, while the value of Coulomb interaction remains the same. This fact manifests the increase in correlation effects with hole doping in the K_{1 ? x} Fe_{2 ? y} Se₂ system. Moreover, in contrast to typical pnictides, K_{1 ? x} Fe_{2 ? y} Se₂ does not have well-defined quasiparticle bands on the Fermi levels, but has a “pseudogap”-like dark region instead. We also find that with the growth of hole doping, Fe-3d orbitals of various symmetries are affected by correlations differently in different parts of the Brillouin zone. To illustrate this, we determine the quasiparticle mass renormalization factors and energy shifts that transform the bare Fe-3d LDA’ bands of various symmetries into LDA’ + DMFT quasiparticle bands. These renormalization factors effectively mimic more complicated energy-dependent self-energy effects and can be used to analyze the available ARPES data.     

The ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition in La1−x Y x Mn2Si2(57Fe) compounds

A set of La_1–xY_xMn₂Si₂(⁵⁷Fe) samples withx=0, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 have been prepared with the tetragonal ThCr₂Si₂ structure.⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra have been collected at 4.2 K for all samples. The spectra can be well fitted by two sextets, the predominant one (90% of the spectral area) being associated with⁵⁷Fe atoms in the Mn 4d site, with the remainder located in the Si 4e site. The analysis shows that there are distinct changes in the hyperfine interaction parameters for samples above and below the critical concentrationx _c 0.15, at which a transition from ferromagnetism to antiferromagnetism occurs. This transition is a result of a change in the exchange interactions linked with changes in the interatomic distances, due to the smaller atomic volume of Y compared to that of La.On leave from Applied Acoustics Institute, Shaanxi Teachers University, Xian, PR China.     

Electron paramagnetic resonance of Gd3+ ions in Ca1 − x − y Y x Gd y F2 + x + y crystals

Electron paramagnetic resonance of Ca_{1 ? x ? y} Y _x Gd _y F_{2 + x + y} single crystals has revealed spectra that are not typical of gadolinium-doped CaF₂ crystals. These spectra have a nearly tetragonal symmetry and are most probably caused by Gd³⁺ ions localized in yttrium clusters. Weak spectra of tetragonal Gd³⁺ centers, whose parameters are close to those of a cubic gadolinium center caused by an isolated Gd³⁺ ion, have been also detected. These centers are attributed to isolated Gd³⁺ ions localized near octahedral rare-earth clusters or their associations.     

Specific features of the structural transformations in La1 − x Ca x Mn0.98 57Fe0.02O3 + δ (x = 0.05−0.50)

The specific features of the structural transformations in La_{1 ? x} Ca _x Mn_0.98 ⁵⁷Fe_0.02O_{3 + δ} (x = 0.05?0.50) at different Ca concentrations have been studied using Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Variations of the heat treatment conditions (annealing in vacuum and in air) cause reversible phase transitions. For calcium concentrations to 20%, a whole set of phases with reversible structural transitions, such as PnmaII ? PnmaI ? $R\bar 3c$ , can be obtained using the corresponding heat treatment. The phases are successively suppressed with increasing calcium concentration. The rhombohedral phase is suppressed for x = 0.20. When the Ca concentration exceeds 20%, the PnmaII phase is suppressed; as a result, the PnmaI phase with equal concentrations of Mn⁴⁺ and calcium stable during any heat treatments remains. The specific features of phase formation in the La_{1 ? x} Ca _x Mn_0.98 ⁵⁷Fe_0.02O_{3 + δ} compound doped with calcium and in the basis LaMnO_{3 + δ} compound have been compared.     

Ferromagnetic resonance study of Y3−z Ca z Fe5−x−y Co x Ge y O12 films

Conclusions It has been found that the character of the magnetic anisotropy changes markedly when the Co + Ge YIG films are doped with calcium. For the induced uniaxial and in-plane anisotropy we observe an increasing departure from the predictions based on the two-parameter model and for the cubic anisotropy the constantK ₁ becomes dependent on the growth direction. As a source for the latter effect the octahedral or tetrahedral preference of Co ions depending on the growth direction may be considered. The measured linewidth proportional to frequency indicates the presence of a relaxation mechanism which is, probably, connected with octahedral Co³⁺ ions.The authors express their thanks to Dr. P. Görnert and M. Neviva for preparation of the LPE films and to Dr. P. Novák for valuable discussions.Dedicated to Jan Kaczér DrSc on the occasion of his 65th birthday.     

Structural and magnetic characterisation of the perovskite oxides La0.7Ca0.3−x Na x MnO3

X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and magnetic measurements were performed in order to investigate the effect of Na⁺ ion substitution for Ca²⁺ ions on the crystallographic structure, the character of magnetic ordering, and the effect of transition temperature in La_0.7Ca_0.3−x Na _x MnO₃ manganites series (0 ⩽ × ⩽ 0.2). All samples crystallise in an orthorhombic structure with the Pnma space group. We have found a strong dependence of structural and magnetic properties on the cation-size disorder parameter σ ². The temperature dependence of magnetization of all samples obeys the Bloch T ^3/2 law. The values of the spin wave constant at low temperature B increase with the increase of x and the Curie temperature decreases. It is concluded that the substitution of Ca by Na⁺ ions causes a decrease in total exchange integral Aof the samples.      

Effect of doping with iron on the charge ordering in La0.33Ca0.67Mn1−y Fe y O3 (y = 0, 0.05) manganites

The formation and specific features of the superstructure in La_0.33Ca_0.67Mn_1?y Fe _y O₃ (y = 0, 0.05) manganites doped with iron are investigated using transmission electron microscopy. The electron diffraction patterns of the manganites are studied in the temperature range 90–300 K, and the high-resolution electron microscope images recorded at temperatures of 91–92 K are analyzed. In both manganites, the structural transition that is accompanied by the formation of the superstructure and which is directly observed from the appearance of additional peaks in the electron diffraction patterns occurs at a temperature that is in close agreement with the charge ordering temperature T _CO determined from the temperature dependences of the magnetization M(T). In the temperature range 90 < T < 200 K, the undoped compound has a commensurate superstructure characterized by the vector q = 1/3a* and triple the unit cell «3a × b × c» (where a ≈ b ≈ √2a _c , c ≈ 2a _c , and a _c ～ 3.9 Å is the lattice parameter of a simple perovskite). The doping with iron (5 at. %) brings about a decrease in the charge ordering temperature T _CO by 50 K and the formation of an incommensurate structure for which the magnitude of the vector q is smaller by approximately 15%. The unit cell of the superstructure in the iron-doped compound is not triple the unit cell but involves defects of ordering, such as quadrupling of the unit cell, numerous translations by a _c √2 along the a direction, and dislocation-type defects in the stripe structure of the charge ordering. These pseudoperiodic defects lead to a decrease in the magnitude of the vector q and are responsible for the incommensurability of the structure. A decrease in the charge ordering temperature T _CO due to the doping with iron and the incommensurability of the superstructure correlate with the change in the concentration of Mn³⁺ Jahn-Teller ions as a result of their replacement by Fe³⁺ non-Jahn-Teller ions.     

Structural and magnetic size effects in nanodisperse Zn x Fe3 − x O4 ferrite systems

The technology of producing highly disperse ferrite Zn _x Fe_{3 ? x} O₄ (x = 0–0.5) powders has provided a high biochemical purity, a specified dispersion, and a required level of functional magnetic parameters. The average particle sizes indicating their belonging to the lower limit of the nanometer range have been determined by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. Based on the X-ray diffraction patterns, the crystal lattice parameters have been determined as functions of the zinc ion concentration. The magnetic measurements performed at 300 K have revealed an increase in the magnetization due to the substitution, as well as the existence of the size effect, namely, the superparamagnetic state of powder particles.