Local structure and magnetic properties of Mn substituted manganites studied by EXAFS and Dc magnetic measurements

We report extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements at the Mn K edge and magnetic measurements performed on (La_1−xCa_x)(Mn_1−yM_y)O₃ samples (M=Cr or Ni; x=0.37 and 0.75 and y=0.03 or 0.08). The Mn substitution produces important effects on both the sides of the LaMnO₃-CaMnO₃ phase diagram. For x<0.5 the ferromagnetic-metallic phase maintains its main character even after Mn substitution, but both the doping species (Ni or Cr) lower T_C and broaden the magnetic transition, and the EXAFS study evidences two Mn-O distances, suggesting the presence of zones of distorted insulating phase. For x>0.5, after the doping with Cr, the charge ordered phase persists but on a shorter scale, whereas the Jahn-Teller distortion is weakened as indicated by EXAFS measurements, and the formation of ferromagnetic clusters is evidenced by magnetic measurements.EXAFS and magnetic measurements are in mutual agreement, thus confirming the correlation between the local disorder determined by charge localization and magnetic degrees of freedom.     

Nuclear and magnetic order in Y(Ni,Mn)O3 manganites by neutron powder diffraction

Neutron powder diffraction experiments performed on two selected compositions of the yttrium-based solid solution YNi_xMn_1−xO₃ clearly reveal a nuclear order between the Ni²⁺ and Mn⁴⁺ ions in the half-substituted compound YNi_0.50Mn_0.50O₃, so that the crystal structure is no longer described in the conventional orthorhombic Pbnm space group, but in the monoclinic P2₁/n, all over the investigated temperature range (1.5-300 K). However, both X-rays diagrams and neutron patterns of the YNi_0.25Mn_0.75O₃ phase are indexed in the Pbnm orthorhombic-like symmetry, indicating that the Mn and Ni ions are randomly distributed on the octahedral sites.In addition, neutron diffraction points out that the nature of the magnetic ordering is strongly connected to the structural properties. Whereas no long-range 3D-magnetic ordering was detected for the Pbnm YNi_0.25Mn_0.75O₃ phase, the YNi_0.50Mn_0.50O₃ compound exhibits a magnetic transition at The magnetic structure consists of two collinear Mn⁴⁺ and Ni²⁺ ferromagnetic layers (F_x0F_z magnetic configurations) with saturated magnetic moment values of 2.25(2) and 1.57(2) μ_B for Mn⁴⁺ and Ni²⁺, respectively, at 1.5 K.     

Structural dependence of the efficiency of functionalization of silica-coated FeOx magnetic nanoparticles studied by ATR-IR

The efficiency of propylamino functionalization of magnetic silica-coated FeO_x nanoparticles prepared by different methods, including coprecipitation and flame aerosol synthesis, has been evaluated by attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) combined with a specific surface reaction, thus revealing the availability of the grafted functional groups. Large differences in the population of reactive groups were observed for the investigated materials, underlining the tight relation between the structure of nanoparticles and their suitability for organic functionalization. The materials possessed different core structure, surface area, and porosity, as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. Grafting of aminopropyl groups using a standard procedure based on reaction with (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane as source of the propylamino groups was performed, followed by classical dry analysis methods to determine the specific concentration of the organic functional groups (in mmol g⁻¹ of material). ATR-IR spectroscopy in a specially constructed reactor cell was applied as wet methodology to determine the chemically available amount of such functional groups, showing that the materials possess largely different loading capacity, with a variability of up to 70% in the chemical availability of the organic functional group. The amount of (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane used for functionalization was optimized, thus reaching a saturation limit characteristic of the material.     

Field cooling-induced magnetic anisotropy in exchange biased CoO/Fe bilayer studied by ferromagneticresonance

Exchange-biased CoO/Fe bilayer grown on MgO (0 0 1) substrate by sputtering, studied by variable angle and temperature ferromagnetic resonance. Room temperature in-plane measurements reveal that the Fe layer was epitaxially grown on MgO substrate with a fourfold cubic symmetry. The data also show that the easy axis of magnetization is in the film plane and makes an angle of 45° with the [1 0 0] crystallographic direction of MgO substrate. The low temperature data exhibit a sudden onset of a field cooling-induced and shifted cubic anisotropy below the Néel temperature of CoO. This results in a twofold uniaxial or fourfold cubic symmetry for in-plane magnetic anisotropy depending on a field cooling direction. Low temperature measurements also present a reduction in the resonance fields due to the antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic coupling. The developed theoretical model perfectly simulates the experimental data of coupled CoO/Fe bilayer.     

Surface modification of exchange-coupled Co/NiOx magnetic bilayer by bias sputtering

We have investigated the effect of bias voltage on sheet resistance, surface roughness and surface coverage of Co/NiO_x magnetic bilayer. In addition, interface topography and corrosion resistance of the Ta/Co/Cu/Co/NiO_x/Si(1 0 0) system have been studied for Co layers deposited at an optimum bias voltage. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and four point probe sheet resistance (R_s) measurement have been used to determine surface and electrical properties of the sputtered Co layer at different bias voltages ranging from 0 to −80 V. The Co/NiO_x bilayer exhibits a minimum surface roughness and low sheet resistance value with a maximum surface coverage at V_b=−60 V resulted in a slight increase of magnetic resistance and its sensitivity for the Co/Cu/Co/NiO_x/Si(1 0 0) magnetic multilayers, as compared with the same magnetic multilayers containing unbiased Co layers. The presence of Ta protection layer improves the corrosion resistance of the multilayers by three orders of magnitude in a humid environment.     

Thickness dependence of magnetic domain formation in La0.6Sr0.4MnO3 epitaxial thin films studied by XMCD-PEEM

We have used photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) to study the effect of thin film thickness on the magnetic domain formation in La_0.6Sr_0.4MnO₃ samples that were epitaxially grown on stepped SrTiO₃ (0 0 1) substrates. The magnetic image exhibited a stripe structure elongated along the step direction, irrespective of film thickness, suggesting that uniaxial magnetic anisotropy induced by step-and-terrace structures plays an important role in the magnetic domain formation. Additional domains evolved gradually with increasing film thickness. In these domains, the direction of magnetization differed from the step direction due to biaxial magneto-crystalline anisotropy. The evolution of additional magnetic domains with increasing film thickness implies that a competition exists between the two anisotropies in LSMO films.     

The dependence of EPR linewidth on concentration in Mn/MgO single crystals

The EPR spectra of Mn/MgO single crystals grown by electrofusion have been examined at 9 GHz for manganese concentration of between 840 and 2900 ppm. The values of the spin Hamiltonian parameters deduced agreed well with those previously reported by Low (1957, 1958) and by Matarrese and Kikuchi (1956). The variation of linewidth with manganese concentration was also examined and compared with the predictions of the de Biasi and Fernandes theory of dipolar broadening in magnetically dilute systems; the peak-to-peak linewidth is concentration dependent and is of the right order of magnitude to be explained adequately in terms of this model. The results indicate that clustering, effects are absent in these Mn/MgO single crystals.     

Change in the magnetic ground state of LaFe11.4Al1.6 compound by the substitution of Mn for Fe

The structure and magnetic properties of La(Fe_{1-x}Mn_x)_{11.4}Al_{1.6} (0≤x≤0.25)compounds have been studied. The NaZn_{13}-type structure is preserved and the lattice parameter increases linearly with increasing the Mn concentration. The magnetic ground state changes from the antiferromagnetic to the spin-glass or the cluster-glass state by the substitution of Mn for Fe. Furthermore, a field-induced transition from cluster glass to ferromagnet is found for the samples with x=0.05 and 0.10.     

Field dependence of spin and orbital moments of Fe in L10 FePt magnetic thin films

The field dependence of spin and orbital magnetic moments of Fe in L1₀ FePt magnetic thin films was investigated using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). The spin and orbital moments were calculated using the sum rules; it was found that the spin and orbital moment of Fe in L1₀ FePt films are ∼2.5 and 0.2 μ_B, respectively. The relative XMCD asymmetry at Fe L₃ peak on the dependence of applied field suggested that the majority magnetic moment of L1₀ FePt films resulted from Fe.     

Electron state in TiO studied by measurements of compton profile and scattering factors

Compton profileswere measured on TiO_1.25 and TiO_0.82 with an SSD and γ-ray source. The results were compared with the profiles calculated from isolated ions and also with the scattering factor values obtained with the critical voltage effect.     

Squeeze-swapping by Bell measurement studied in terms of the entangled state representation

By virtue of the entangled state representation(Hong-Yi Fan and J R Klauder 1994 Phys.Rev.A 49 704) and the two-mode squeezing operator’s natural representation(Hong-Yi Fan and Yue Fan 1996 Phys.Rev.A 54 958) we propose the squeeze-swapping mechanism which can generate quantum entanglement and new squeezed states of continuum variables.     

Local trimer orbital ordering in LiNiO2 studied by quantitative convergent beam electron diffraction technique

A local trimer orbital ordering model of LiNiO₂ was studied by means of theoretical calculation and experimental measurement of electron structure factors. Based on the trimer model, the electron structure factors were calculated by using the scattering factor of non-spherical Ni³⁺ ion. From these results, it is found that the effect of local orbital ordering on the electron structure factors of several subtle reflections, such as (202) and (107), is very large. The electron structure factors of these subtle reflections were measured by quantitative convergent beam electron diffraction method. The experimentally measured electron structure factor values of these reflections indicate that the trimer orbital ordering model is more close to the true structure of LiNiO₂.     

The motion of hydrogen in Mg2NiHx studied by proton magnetic resonance

Proton magnetic resonance in the α- and β-phases of Mg₂NiH_x was observed between 210 K and 480 K. The experimental results support that the motional narrowing due to a reorientation process occurs above 250 K in Mg₂NiH₄.     

Ion dependence of magnetic anisotropy in MFe2O4 (MFe,Co, Mn) nanoparticles synthesized by high-temperature reaction

The influence of different M²⁺ cations on the effective magnetic anisotropy of systems composed of MFe₂O₄ (M=Fe, Co and Mn) nanoparticles was investigated. Samples were prepared by the high-temperature (538 K) solution phase reaction of Fe (acac)₃, Co (acac)₂ and Mn (acac)₂ with 1,2 octanodiol in the presence of oleic acid and oleylamine. The final particles are coated by an organic layer of oleic acid that prevents agglomeration. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show that particles present near spherical form and a narrow grain size distribution, with mean diameters in the range of 4.5–7.6 nm. Powder samples were analyzed by ac susceptibility and Mössbauer measurements, and K_eff for all samples was evaluated using both techniques, showing a strong dependence on the nature of the divalent cation.     

Observation of ordered orbital of YTIO3 by the X-ray magnetic diffraction experiments

X-ray magnetic diffraction (XMD) experiments of ferromagnetic YTiO₃ were performed. The orbital-magnetic form factor (L) and the spin-magnetic form factor (S) were individually measured by utilizing the LS separation method of the XMD. The experiments consisted of two parts. The first was the measurement of the orbital-magnetic form factor to examine whether the orbital moment of this compound was quenched or not. The second was the measurement of the spin-magnetic form factor to examine whether the ordered orbital of Ti-3d electrons was observed by the XMD. The result of the first experiment suggested quenching of the orbital moment. In the second experiment, the spin-magnetic form factor was observed for the total 22 reciprocal-lattice points. Calculated spin-magnetic form factor with a model wave function of the ordered orbital reproduced the observed one well. This result shows that the ordered orbital of Ti-3d electrons can be observed by the XMD.     

Effects of endohedral element in B24N24 clusters on hydrogenation studied by molecular orbital calculations

Possibility of hydrogen gas storage in boron nitride (BN) clusters was investigated by molecular orbital calculations. Chemisorption calculation was carried out for B₂₄N₂₄ with changing endohedral elements in BN cluster to compare the bonding energy at nitrogen and boron, which showed that Li is a suitable element for hydrogenation to B₂₄N₂₄.     

Nature of magnetic coupling between Mn ions in As-grown Ga1-xMnxAs studied by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism

The magnetic properties of as-grown Ga1-xMnxAs have been investigated by the systematic measurements of temperature and magnetic field dependent soft x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). The intrinsic XMCD intensity at high temperatures obeys the Curie-Weiss law, but a residual spin magnetic moment appears already around 100 K, significantly above the Curie temperature (T_{C}), suggesting that short-range ferromagnetic correlations are developed above T_{C}. The present results also suggest that the antiferromagnetic interaction between the substitutional and interstitial Mn (Mn_{int}) ions exists and that the amount of the Mn_{int} affects T_{C}.     

Hole mass measurement in p-type InP and GaP by submillimetre cyclotron resonance in pulsed magnetic fields

The first observation of cyclotron resonance in p-type InP is reported. The holes were thermally excited at 110 K and the resonance was observed at 337μm wavelength (HCN laser) using a pulsed magnetic field of 0–350 kG. The effective masses of the light and heavy holes in the 〈111〉 direction were found to be $\text{m}{}^1{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>L</mtext>}}\text{= 0.12 ± 0.01 m}{}_0$, and in the 〈100〉 direction $\text{m}{}^1{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>L</mtext>}}\text{= 0.12 ± 0.01 m}{}_0$, $\text{m}{}^1{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>H</mtext>}}\text{= 0.56 ± 0.02 m}{}_0$. We obtain an estimate of the Dresselhaus parameters A = ?5.04, |B| = 3.12, C² = 6.57. We also report the effective masses for p-type GaP in the 〈111〉 direction as $\text{m}{}^1{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>L</mtext>}}\text{= 0.18 ± 0.02 m}{}_0$, $\text{m}{}^1{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>H</mtext>}}\text{= 0.56 ± 0.04 m}{}_0$.     

Characteristics of SRS inversion for measurement of temperature and CO2 concentration profile of a combustion gas layer

The spectral remote sensing (SRS) inversion technique to determine the complex, line-of-sight temperature distribution from gas emission data at is analytically investigated with two proposed algorithms. The modified constrained inversion method (MCIM) and the base function based inversion method (BFIM) are extensively tested to evaluate their convergence characteristics for practical applications. The MCIM shows good applicability only to relatively simple profiles, while the BFIM gives reasonable estimations even for multi-peak profiles provided that appropriate base functions are selected. Further, simultaneous inversion of temperature and concentration is tried and it is found to be accurately achieved when there is an inter-correlation between them.