Electronic and magnetic properties of SmCrSb3 and GdCrSb3: A first principles study

The density of states (DOS) and the magnetic moments of SmCrSb₃ and GdCrSb₃ have been studied by first principles full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method based on density functional theory (DFT). For the exchange-correlation potential, the local-spin density approximations with correlation energy (LSDA+U) method have been used. Total and partial DOS have been computed using the WIEN2k code. DOS result shows the exchange-splittings of Cr-3d and rare-earth (R) 4f states electrons, which are responsible for the ground state ferromagnetic (FM) behavior of the systems. The FM behavior of these systems is strongly influenced by the average number of Cr-3d and Sm (Gd) 4f-electrons. The effective moment of SmCrSb₃ is found to be 7.07 μ_B while for GdCrSb₃ it is 8.27 μ_B. The Cr atom plays a significant role on the magnetic properties due to the hybridization between Cr-3d and Sb-5p states.     

XPS study of U,UNi5, UCu5 and UNi0.5Cu4.5

Core and valence band spectra of U metal and the intermetallic compounds UNi₅, UCu₅ and UNi_0.5Cu_4.5 have been measured by X-ray excited photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The data indicate that in UNi₅ the configuration is 5f³, and in UCu₅ and Uni_0.5Cu_4.5 a mixed valence configuration with fewer 5f electrons than in UNi₅ is present.     

Luminescence study of the 4f5d configuration of Nd in LiYF4, LiLuF4 and BaY2F8 crystals

Ultraviolet fluorescence of Nd³⁺ ions induced by triphotonic excitation process was studied in Nd-doped LiYF₄, LiLuF₄ and BaY₂F₈ crystals using a technique of time-resolved spectroscopy. The observed ultraviolet luminescence was due to transitions between the bottom of 4f²5d configuration and 4f³ states of Nd³⁺ ions. Narrow emission lines superposed to the broadband emissions were observed. A detailed analysis of luminescence spectrum revealed that the narrow emissions are due to parity and spin allowed radiative transitions from the Stark levels of ⁴K_11/2(5d) state created by the electrostatic interaction between the 5d electron and the two electrons of the 4f² configuration. The narrow emissions are related to the high spin state (S=3/2) which gives f-f characteristics to the f-d broadband emissions. The narrow emissions superposed to the wide emission correspond to 18%, 34% and 43% of the integrated broadband emission at 262 nm observed in LiYF₄, LiLuF₄ and BaY₂F₈ crystals, respectively. Although the 5d-4f² interaction is observed to be weaker than 5d-crystal field interaction, it is stronger enough to select only the radiative transitions from 4f²5d configuration to 4f³ states that preserves the total spin S=3/2.     

Vacuum ultraviolet reflectivity of crystalline LaF3 and PrF3

The reflectivity of single crystals of LaF₃ and PrF₃ has been measured using synchrotron radiation. Transitions of the types Pr 4f-5d, fluorine 2p-conduction band and lanthanide 5p-conduction band have been identified. The latter give rise to a number of sharp peaks in the 20–25 eV region which may be excitonic in origin.     

Effect of Bi2O3 content on physical and optical properties of 15Li2O-15K2O-xBi2O3-(65−x) B2O3: 5V2O5 glass system

Multi-component bismuth borate glasses doped with vanadium ions 15Li₂O-15K₂O-xBi₂O₃-(65−x) B₂O₃: 5V₂O_5, (x=3, 5, 7, 10, 12 and 15) have been prepared using conventional melt quench technique. Characterization of the prepared glasses has been done using X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and density measurements. The effect of Bi₂O₃ content on the optical properties of the present glass system is studied from the optical absorption spectra recorded in the wavelength range 200-800 nm. The fundamental absorption edge has been identified from the optical absorption spectra. The values of optical band gap for indirect allowed transitions have been determined using available theories. The origin of the Urbach energy is associated with the phonon-assisted indirect transitions. The density and molar volume studies indicate that Bi₂O₃ in these glasses is acting partly as network modifier and partly as network former. The variations in the optical band gap energies, density and molar volume with Bi₂O₃ content have been discussed in terms of changes in the glass structure. Values of the theoretical optical basicity, average crosslink density and the average electronic polarizability are also reported.     

AC susceptibility and intergranular critical current density study in pure and Ag doped (La1−xYx)2Ba2CaCu5Oz superconductors

The temperature and AC field amplitude variations of AC susceptibility have been measured on pure and 5 wt% Ag doped (La_1−xY_x)₂Ba₂CaCu₅O_z superconductors. The AC susceptibility as a function of field have been analyzed using Kim's critical state model. The temperature dependence of intergranular critical current density and the effective volume fractions of the grains have been estimated. The Ag doped samples show relatively large critical current density due to the improved intergranular coupling. The exponent of temperature variation of critical current density suggests that the weak links form superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) type of junctions for all the samples.     

Effect of aggregation on the radiative (T1 → S0) and nonradiative (T1⇝S0 and S1⇝T1) transitions in xanthene dyes

The measurement of triplet decay time (τ_p) and the relative yields of phosphorescence to fluorescence (φ_p/φ_f) have been made in solutions of xanthene dyes. The value of φ_p/φ_f increases while that of τ_p decreases as the concentration of the solution is increased. The rate constants k_p, k_qp and k_is have been estimated. It is found that the values of k_qp and k_is increase while that of k_p remains substantially constant for the entire range of concentration. The deuterium solvent effect is observed in τ_p and φ_p.     

Magnetic dynamics of charge ordered Nd0.80Na0.20MnO3 compound

The magnetic dynamics of charge ordered Nd_0.8Na_0.2MnO₃ compound was studied by measuring the temperature variation of magnetization for different magnetic fields up to 7 T and, the field variation of magnetization at different temperatures down to 5 K. This sample exhibits a charge-ordering transition at 180 K, followed by a weak ferromagnetic (FM) transition at around 100 K and a spin glass like transition below 40 K. Suppression of charge-ordering and spin glass like transition and increase in FM T_C were observed with an increase in magnetic field. A reversible metamagnetic transition above a threshold field (H_f) of 4.5 T was observed at 130 K, followed by a saturation magnetization of 3.2 μ_B/f.u. However at 5 K, an irreversible field induced first order phase transition from charge ordered state to FM state was observed at H_f=5 T. For comparison, the temperature and field variations of magnetization were studied on a FM compound from the same series with the composition Nd_0.90Na_0.10MnO₃. A clear FM transition with a T_C of 113 K and a saturation magnetization of 4.3 μ_B/f.u was observed.     

D3d distortion in CsUF6

A slight D_3d distortion on the octahedral UF₆^? complex splits the Γ^'₈ and Γ₈ octahedral levels into four doublets. These doublets and other electronic levels of the CsUF₆ ground configuration have been identified according to their vibronic side-bands. In the calculation of the crystal field Hamiltonian, the amount of D_3d distortion on the UF₆^? octahedron is treated as the parameter, Δ. The interactions of the 5f electron of the UF₆^? complex contains five parameters: ξ_5f, B₂⁰, B₄⁰, B₆⁰ and Δ. The calculated energy spectrum and the g-tensor of the ground state show good agreement with the experimental measurements.     

ESR and x-ray analysis of the ternary semiconductors CuAlS2, CuInS2 and AgGaS2

The electron spin resonance (ESR) of Fe³⁺-impurity ions in CuAlS₂, CuInS₂ and AgGaS₂ has been analysed. In addition, the crystallographic parameters a, c and x_f were determined by X-ray diffraction techniques.     

One-dimensional magnetism in N2H6FeF5,

A new Fe(III) fluoride N₂H₆FeF₅ has been investigated by magnetic susceptibility measurements and Mössbauer resonance. It has a one-dimensional magnetic behaviour. The intrachain exchange integral ($\text{J}\text{k}\text{= -10.2}\text{K}$) has been determined by fitting the χ^-1 = f(T) curve and the ratio between the inter- and intrachain exchange integrals evaluated with Oguchi's formula. Below T_N = 9 K, N₂H₆FeF₅ shows a long range three-dimensional anti-ferromagnetic ordering.     

Infrared and laser Raman gas spectra of SnH4

In the present work the ν₃(f₂) Raman band and the 2ν₃ infrared band of SnH₄ are reported. Analyses have been performed for the ν₃(f₂) Raman band and the ν₂(e), ν₃(f₂), ν₄(f₂) and 2ν₃ infrared bands. The interatomic distance in the ground state has been found to be 1.7108 ± 0.0010 Å.     

Inelastic light scattering and photoluminescence in the mixed valence systems Eu3O4, Eu3S4 and Sm3S4

The thermally activated valence fluctuations of Eu₃S₄ and Sm₃S₄ have been studied using light scattering and photoluminescence techniques and are compared with measurements on the non-fluctuating compound Eu₃O₄, Eu₃S₄ exhibits an anomalous vibrational mode which is associated with the frequency factor of hopping, ν₂=1.3×10¹³ sec^?1. In Sm₃S₄ electronic Raman scattering is observed within the ⁷F₉ multiplet of the Sm²⁺ ion. An anomalous frequency shift of the5d-4f photoluminescence emission band in Eu₃S₄ is related to the temperature dependent fluctuation rate which passes through the reference time scale of the photoluminescence. Intra-4f photoluminescence has also been observed in Eu₃S₄ and Sm₃S₄.     

Microstructures and microwave dielectric properties of La1-xBx(Mg0.5Sn0.5)O3 ceramics

The microwave dielectric properties of La_1-xB_x(Mg_0.5Sn_0.5)O₃ ceramics were examined with a view to their exploitation for mobile communication. The La_1-xB_x(Mg_0.5Sn_0.5)O₃ ceramics were prepared by the conventional solid-state method with various sintering temperatures. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the La_0.995B_0.005(Mg_0.5Sn_0.5)O₃ ceramics revealed no significant variation of phase with sintering temperatures. A maximum apparent density of 6.58 g/cm³, a dielectric constant (ε_r) of 19.8, a quality factor (Q × f) of 41,800 GHz, and a temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τ_f) of −86 ppm/°C were obtained for La_0.995B_0.005(Mg_0.5Sn_0.5)O₃ ceramics that were sintered at 1500 °C for 4 h.     

Anisotropy of the electrical conductivity in W-type hexagonal ferrites BaFe18O27 and BaCo2Fe16O27 from first principles

The electronic ground structure and the anisotropy of the electrical conductivity in W-type hexagonal ferrite BaFe₁₈O₂₇ and BaCo₂Fe₁₆O₂₇ have been investigated using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) plus Hubbard U (GGA+U) calculation. In BaFe₁₈O₂₇, because of the presence of mixed valence states at Fe 6g sites, a half metallic peak appears in energy gap and it results in an “electrical conductive layer”. Using a model in which Fe at 6g sites is assumed to be partially replaced by Co, the electronic ground structure of BaCo₂Fe₁₆O₂₇ and the origin of the electrical conductive anisotropy have been studied. Replacement of Fe at 6g site of BaFe₁₈O₂₇ by Co causes the mixed valence states of Fe cations at 6g sites to vanish and the carrier density to lower. Also, it is shown that effective mass of carrier along c axis is much heavier than that perpendicular to c axis in both of materials from electronic energy band calculation. This is the reason why the electrical resistivities of both materials along c axis are much higher than that perpendicular to axis.     

Infrared and laser Raman gas spectra of SiH4 and SiD4

The ν₂(e) and ν₃(f₂) Raman spectra have been examined. For ²⁸SiH₄ the ν₂(e) and ν₄(f₂) infrared bands are partly analyzed and compared with a computed band-contour; the ν₁ + ν₃ combination infrared band has been presented. For ²⁸SiH₄ the 2ν₃ overtone infrared band has been observed and analyzed. The new data are combined with those of the ν₃(f₂) infrared bands to derive an improved set of rovibrational constants of ²⁸SiH₄ and ²⁸SiD₄. The analyses yield $\text{r}{}_0\text{= 1.4806 ± 0.0008}\text{A}\text{?}$ for ²⁸SiH₄ and $\text{r}{}_0\text{= 1.4784 ± 0.0006}\text{A}\text{?}$ for ²⁸SiD₄ in agreement with the Laurie-Herschbach theorem.     

The ν1 and ν1 + ν2 − ν2 infrared absorption bands of H12CP

The vibration-rotation spectrum of HCP was recorded in the region of the ν₁ band with a resolution of about 0.035 cm^?1. All the data available were combined to calculate spectroscopic constants for the 00⁰0, 10⁰0, 01^1e0, 01^1f0, 11^1e0, and 11^1f0 states.     

Electronic structure and magnetism of CeCoGe3

The electronic band structure of CeCoGe₃ has been calculated using the self-consistent full potential nonorthogonal local orbital minimum basis scheme based on density functional theory. We investigated the electronic structure with the spin-orbit interaction and on-site Coulomb potential for the Ce-derived 4f orbitals to obtain the correct ground state of CeCoGe₃. The exchange interaction between local f electrons and conduction electrons play an important role in their heavy fermion characters. The fully relativistic band structure scheme shows that spin-orbit coupling splits the 4f states into two manifolds, the 4f_7/2 and the 4f_5/2 multiplets.     

Crystallization kinetics of Li2O-PbO-V2O5 glasses

Lead vanadate glasses of the system 5Li₂O−(45−x) PbO−(50+x) V₂O₅, with x=0, 5, 10, and 15 mol% have been prepared and studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The crystallization kinetics of the glasses were investigated under non-isothermal conditions applying the formal theory of transformations for heterogeneous nucleation to the experimental data obtained by DSC using continuous-heating techniques. In addition, from dependence of the glass-transition temperature (T_g) on the heating rate, the activation energy for the glass transition was derived. Similarly the activation energy of the crystallization process was determined and the crystallization mechanism was characterized. The results reveal the increase of the activation energy for glass transition which was attributed to the increase in the rigidity, the cross-link density and the packing density of these glasses. The phases into which the glass crystallizes have been identified by X-ray diffraction. Diffractograms of the transformed material indicate the presence of microcrystallites of Li_0.30V₂O₅, Li_0.67O₅V₂, LiV₆O₁₅, Li₄O₄Pb, and O₇Pb₂V₂ in a remaining amorphous matrix.     

Esca studies of Ga,As, GaAs,Ga2O3, As2O3 and As2O5

The binding energies of Ga 3d, As 3d, Ga L₃M₄,₅M₄,₅ and O 1s in Ga, As, GaAs, Ga₂O₃, As₂O₃ and As₂O₅ are reevaluated by means of ESCA. The calibration lines of the C 1s and the Au 4f_{$\text{7}\text{2}$} gave different binding energies for the compound materials. In order to determine the absolute binding energies, the chemical shifts in Auger and photoelectron lines from a layered structure composed of thin layer oxide and substrate of a defined material were used. An energy calibration curve, E(Ga 3d) vs. ΔE(GA LMM - Ga 3d), was found to be useful for determination of binding energies in the material which contains gallium. In the case of the GaAs sample, both the chemical etching and the ion bombardment effects on the chemical structure of the GaAs surface are also discussed.