Specific features of magnetoresistance during the antiferromagnet—paramagnet transition in Tm1 − x Yb x B12

The transverse magnetoresistance Δρ/ρ(H, T) of Tm_{1 ? x} Yb _x B₁₂ single crystals is studied in the ytterbium concentration range corresponding to the antiferromagnet-paramagnet transition in a magnetic field up to 80 kOe at low temperatures. A magnetic H-T phase diagram is constructed for the antiferromagnetic state of substitutional Tm_{1 ? x} Yb _x B₁₂ solid solutions with x ≤ 0.1. The contributions to the magnetoresistance in the antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases of the dodecaborides under study are separated. Along with negative quadratic magnetoresistance -Δρ/ρ ∝ H ₂, the magnetically ordered phase of these compounds is found to have component Δρ/ρ ∝ H that linearly changes in a magnetic field. The negative contribution to the magnetoresistance of Tm_{1 ? x} Yb _x B₁₂ is analyzed in terms of the Yosida model for a local magnetic susceptibility.     

Thermopower of <Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>B<Subscript>12</Subscript> dodecaborides (<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis> = Ho,Er, Tm,Lu)

Detailed measurements of the Seebeck coefficient S(T) in a broad range of temperatures (T = 2–300 K) have been performed for the first time for RB₁₂ dodecaborides (R = Ho, Er, Tm, Lu) in paramagnetic (diamagnetic for LuB₁₂) and antiferromagnetic states. At intermediate temperatures (10–300 K), the thermopower is determined by the interaction of carriers with phonon modes, which are related to the oscillations of rare-earth atoms in the framework of atomic clusters B₁₂. A comparative analysis of the parameters determining photon drag the thermopower related to the phonon drag and the results of galvanomagnetic measurements shows evidence for a significant effect of spin fluctuations on the behavior of charge transport characteristics in RB₁₂ compounds with strong electron correlations.     

Spin glass and glass-like lattice behaviour in HoB66 at low temperatures

The low-temperature specific heat, magnetic susceptibility, and thermal expansion are studied experimentally in the fcc boride HoB₆₆ and compared to similar quantities in non-magnetic LuB₆₆. The anomalous behaviour observed in HoB₆₆ is explained within a glass-like picture together with magnetic subsystem ordering processes. The character of the observed anomalies suggests the existence of a spin-glass phase transition in HoB₆₆ below a characteristic temperature of T _s ?≈?0.98?K.     

Large negative magnetoresistance in thiospinel CuCrZrS4

We report on large negative magnetoresistance observed in ferromagnetic thiospinel compound CuCrZrS₄. The electrical resistivity increased with decreasing temperature according to the exp(T₀/T)^1/2, an expression derived from variable range hopping with strong electron-electron interaction. The resistivity under a magnetic field was expressed by the same form with the characteristic temperature T₀ decreasing with increasing magnetic field. Magnetoresistance ratio ρ(T,0)/ρ(T,H) is 1.5 for H=90 kOe at 100 K and increases divergently with decreasing temperature reaching 80 at 16 K. Results of magnetization measurements are also presented. A possible mechanism of the large magnetoresistance is discussed.     

Effect of the substrate crystalline structure on the magnetic, electrical, and crystallographic characteristics of La0.35Nd0.35Sr0.3MnO3 epitaxial films

A study has been made of the electrical resistivity ρ, magnetoresistance Δρ/ρ, and magnetization of La_0.35Nd_0.35Sr_0.3MnO₃ epitaxial films on ZrO₂(Y₂O₃), SrTiO₃, LaAlO₃, and MgO substrates. The first film can exist in four equivalent crystallographic orientations in the sample plane, while the other three have only one orientation. The maxima of ρ and Δρ/ρ of the first film are broadened considerably in the vicinity of the Curie point T _C compared to the three others, the magnitude of ρ itself being larger by 1.5 orders of magnitude, and a large negative magnetoresistance (|Δρ/ρ| ～ 10% in a field of 8.4 kOe) is observed at temperatures 80≤T≤200 K. In all films, the magnetic moment per molecule at 5 K is ～46% smaller than the pure spin value, due to the existence of magnetically disordered regions. The larger value of ρ of the film deposited on ZrO₂(Y₂O₃) is due to the electrical resistance of the boundaries separating regions with different crystallographic orientations, and the magnetoresistance is associated with polarized carriers tunneling through the boundaries coinciding with domain walls. The low-temperature magnetoresistance in fields above technical saturation is caused by the strong p-d exchange coupling within spin-ordered regions.     

Effects of disorder and isotopic substitution in the specific heat and Raman scattering in LuB12

Precision measurements of the specific heat and spectral intensity I(ω) of Raman scattering for Lu ^N B₁₂ single crystal samples with various boron isotopes (N = 10, 11, nat) have been performed at low and intermediate temperatures. A boson peak in the low-frequency part of the I(ω) spectrum has been observed for the first time for lutetium dodecaboride at liquid nitrogen temperatures. It has been shown that low-temperature anomalies in the specific heat, along with the features of Raman spectra, can be interpreted in terms of the transition to a cageglass state at T* = 50?70 K, which appears when Lu³⁺ ions are displaced from the centrosymmetric position in cavities of a rigid covalent boron sublattice towards the randomly located boron vacancies. The concentrations of various two-level systems that correspond to two types of vibrational clusters with correlation lengths of 12–15 and 18–22 Å, respectively, have been estimated. The vibrational density of states of LuB₁₂ has been calculated from Raman spectra in the model of soft atomic potentials. An approach has been proposed to explain the dielectrization of the properties of the YbB₁₂ compound at T < T*, as well as the features of the formation of magnetic structures in RB₁₂ antiferromagnets (R = Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm) and the suppression of superconductivity in LuB₁₂.     

Magnetic and transport properties of colossal magnetoresistance compound EuB<Subscript>6</Subscript>

The galvanomagnetic and magnetic properties of EuB₆ single crystal have been measured over wide temperature (1.8–300 K) and magnetic-field (up to 70 kOe) ranges, and the parameters of charge carriers and the characteristics of the magnetic subsystem are estimated in the paramagnetic and ferromagnetic (T < T _C ≈ 13.9 K) phases of this compound with strong electron correlations. In the temperature range T < T* ≈ 80 K, a magnetoresistance hysteresis Δρ(H)/ρ(0) is detected; it reaches a maximum amplitude of about 5% at T ≈ 12 K. The anomalies of charge transport observed in the temperature range T _C < T < T* are shown to be related to the magnetic scattering of charge carriers (m _eff = (15–30)m ₀, where m ₀ is the free-electron mass) that results from a short-range magnetic order appearing upon the formation of ferromagnetic nanoregions (ferrons).     

Peculiarities of magnetic,galvanomagnetic, elastic,and magnetoelastic properties of Eu<Subscript>0.55</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.45</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

Magnetic, elastic, magnetoelastic, transport, and magnetotransport properties of the Eu_0.55Sr_0.45MnO₃ ceramics have been studied. A break was detected in the temperature dependence of electrical resistivity ρ(T) near the temperature of the magnetic phase transformation (41 K), with the material remaining an insulator down to the lowest measurement temperature reached (ρ=10⁶ Ω cm at 4.2 K). In the interval 4.2≤T≤50 K, the isotherms of the magnetization, volume magnetostriction, and ρ were observed to undergo jumps at the critical field H_C1, which decreases with increasing T. For 50≤T≤120 K, the jumps in the above curves persist, but the pattern of the curves changes and H_C1 grows with increasing T. The magnetoresistance Δρ/ρ = (ρ _H ?ρ_H=0)/ρ _H is positive for H<H_C1 and passes through a maximum at 41 K, where Δρ/ρ = 6%. For H>H_C1, the magnetoresistance is negative, passes through a minimum near 41 K, and reaches a colossal value of 3×10⁵ % at H=45 kOe. The volume magnetostriction is negative and attains a giant value of 4.5×10^?4atH=45 kOe. The observed properties are assigned to the existence of three phases in Eu_0.55Sr_0.45MnO₃, namely, a ferromagnetic (FM) phase, in which carriers are concentrated because of the gain in s-d exchange energy, and two antiferromagnetic (AFM) phases of the A and CE types. Their fractional volumes at low temperatures were estimated to be as follows: ～3% of the sample volume is occupied by the FM phase; ～67%, by the CE-type AFM phase; and ～30%, by the A-type AFM phase.     

Magnetic, magnetocaloric, and magnetotransport properties of RCo1.8Mn0.2 (R=Er, Ho, Dy, and Tb) compounds

The magnetic, magnetocaloric, and magnetotransport properties of RCo_1.8Mn_0.2 (R=Er, Ho, Dy, and Tb) were studied by room temperature X-ray diffraction, magnetization, and resistivity measurements at a temperature interval of 5-400 K and magnetic fields up to 5 T. The Curie temperature of RCo₂ was found to increase significantly when 10% Mn was substituted for Co. The effective paramagnetic moments were found to be in reasonable agreement with their theoretical values. A large magnetoresistance (MR) of Δρ/ρ_o≈−13.5% for R=Ho at T≈153 K for ΔH=5 T has been observed. The maximum relative cooling capacities vary from 467 J/kg at low temperature for R=Er to 202 J/kg at the near room temperature for R=Tb.     

Giant magnetoresistance in the Ge-rich magnetocaloric compound,Gd5(Si0.1Ge0.9)4

We have measured the zero-field electrical resistivity in the temperature range 5–295 K and magnetoresistance in magnetic fields of up to 12 T of Gd₅(Si_0.1Ge_0.9)₄. The resistivity changes drastically at the magnetostructural first-order transition (T_C≅80 K on heating). This transition can be induced reversibly by the application of an external magnetic field above T_C, producing a concomitant giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect, Δρ/ρ≅−50%. This study demonstrates that (in addition to giant magnetocaloric and magnetoelastic effects) GMR can be tuned between ∼20 and ∼290 K in Gd₅(Si_xGe_1−x)₄ with x⩽0.5 by simply adjusting the Si : Ge ratio.     

Hole transport anomaly in high-TC ferromagnet (Zn,Mn)GeP2

Anomalous Hall effect and a large negative magnetoresistance (up to −8.5%) have been found in the high-T_C ferromagnetic chalcopyrite (Zn,Mn)GeP₂. The elevated manganese concentration in the top diffusion layer grown on ZnGeP₂ isolated substrate gives rise to the increased hole conductivity and the temperature dependence of electric resistance ρ(T) typical of a metallic trace which indicate the charge carrier degeneration in combination with ferromagnetism. Additionally, we found a hysteresis of magnetoresistance Δρ/ρ₀ vs. H is associated with change in a magnetic order at low temperatures, T<50 K. The effect accompanies the reversal sign of Δρ/ρ₀ and is consistent with a singularity of magnetization vs. temperature. These anomalies observed for the first time in the high-T_C ferromagnetic chalcopyrites II-IV-V₂:Mn are explained by the phenomenological cluster model for ferromagnets.     

The effect of annealing process on the physical properties of La1−xNaxMnOy

The effect of Na doping and annealing time on the structure, electrical properties, magnetoresistance and thermopower properties has been investigated in perovskite La_1−xNa_xMnO_y (x=0.025, 0.075 and 0.1) systems. La_1−xNa_xMnO_y crystallizes in a single-phase rhombohedral structure. It is observed a simultaneous occurrence of the ferromagnetic to paramagnetic state and metallic to insulating state. In the meanwhile, a large negative magnetoresistance with low applied magnetic field is observed. In addition, ρ(T) curves for Na-doped samples exhibit another broad transition T_ms2 below T_ms. Such double peak behavior in the ρ(T) curve interpreted by the electronic inhomogeneity in the samples. The sign of S changes from positive to negative depending on composition. The values of Seebeck coefficient are small (in the microvolt range).     

The giant volume magnetostriction and colossal magnetoresistance in Eu<Subscript>0.55</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.45</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> manganite

A doped manganite with the composition Eu_0.55Sr_0.45MnO₃ exhibits giant negative magnetostriction and colossal negative magnetoresistance at temperatures in the vicinity of the magnetic phase transformation (T～41 K). In the temperature interval 4.2 K≤T ≤40 K, the isotherms of magnetization, volume magnetostriction, and resistivity exhibit jumps at the critical field strength H_c1, which decreases with increasing temperature. At 70 K ≤T ≤120 K, the jumps on the isotherms are retained, but the shapes of these curves change and the H_c1 value increases with the temperature. At H<H_c1, the magnetoresistance is positive and exhibits a maximum at 41 K; at H>H_c1, the magnetoresistance becomes negative, passes through a minimum near 41 K and then reaches a colossal value. The observed behavior is explained by the existence of three phases in Eu_0.55Sr_0.45MnO₃, including a ferromagnetic (in which the charge carriers concentrate due to a gain in the s-d exchange energy) and two antiferromagnetic phases (of the A and CE types). The volumes of these phases at low temperatures are evaluated. It is shown that the colossal magnetoresistance and the giant volume magnetostriction are related to the ferromagnetic phase formed as a result of the magnetic-field-induced transition of the CE-type antiferromagnetic phase to the ferromagnetic state.     

Giant volume magnetostriction and colossal magnetoresistance in La0.7Ba0.3MnO3 at room temperature

In single-crystal La_0.7Ba_0.3MnO₃, giant volume magnetostriction was observed for the first time to reach 2.54 × 10^?4 at room temperature and a still larger level of 4 × 10^?4 at the Curie point T _C = 310 K in a magnetic field of 8.2 kOe. At the same temperatures and magnetic field, this effect is complemented by a colossal magnetoresistance of 15.2 and 22.7%, respectively. The volume magnetostriction ω and magnetoresistance Δρ/ρ follow similar patterns in the proximity of T _C; namely, ω and Δρ/ρ are negative, maxima are observed in the |ω|(T) and |Δρ/ρ|(T) curves, and the ω and Δρ/ρ isotherms do not saturate in the highest fields applied. These phenomena are assigned to the fact that, in the above composition, there exists a two-phase magnetic (ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic) state induced by strong s–d exchange.     

1H NMR study of the α phase of Mg2NiHx system

Hydrogen behavior in the α phase of Mg₂NiH_x system was studied by ¹H NMR. ¹H NMR spectra and spin-lattice relaxation times, T₁ and T_1ρ, of Mg₂NiH_0.22 were measured in the temperature range between 100 and 480 K. The drastic change in the linewidth is observed between 170 and 340 K, and ¹H rigid lattice is observed below 170 K, from which it is deduced that the hydrogen atoms are randomly distributed in α-Mg₂NiH_x. The relaxation mechanism for t₁ is the paramagnetic one, while the T_1ρ value is determined partially by hydrogen diffusion. The hydrogen diffusion rate has been determined from the linewidth and the T_1ρ value. The paramagnetic relaxations observed in T₁ and T_1ρ have been discussed relating to the hydrogen diffusion.     

Study of magnetotransport in double-layered La1.4Ca1.6Mn2O7 manganite: Presence of nano-ferromagnetic domains in paramagnetic matrix

Double-layered manganite La_1.4Ca_1.6Mn₂O₇ has been synthesized using the solid-state reaction method. It had a metal-to-insulator transition at temperature T_M1≈127 K. The temperature dependence of ac susceptibility showed a broad ferromagnetic transition. The two-dimensional (2D)-ferromagnetic ordering temperature (T_C2) was observed as ≈245 K. The temperature dependence of its low-field magnetoresistance has been studied. The low-field magnetoresistance of double-layered manganite, in the temperature regions between T_M1 and T_C2, has been found to follow 1/T⁵. The observed behaviour of temperature dependence of resistivity and low-field magnetoresistance has been explained in terms of two-phase model where ferromagnetic domains exist in the matrix of paramagnetic regions in which spin-dependent tunneling of charge carriers occurs between the ferromagnetic correlated regions. Based on the two-phase model, the dimension of these ferromagnetic domains inside the paramagnetic matrix has been estimated as ∼12 Å.     

High-field magnetoresistance and Hall effect in Bi2Sr2CuO x single crystals

We investigated the in-plane magnetoresistance and the Hall effect of high-quality Bi₂Sr₂CuO_x single crystals with T _c (midpoint) = 3.7–9.6 K in dc magnetic fields up to 23 T. For T < 10 K, the crystals show the classical positive magnetoresistance. Starting at T ≈ 14 K, an anomalous negative magnetoresistance appears at low magnetic fields; for T ≥ 40 K, the magnetoresistance is negative in the whole studied range of magnetic fields. Temperature and magnetic field dependences of the negative-magnetoresistance single crystals are qualitatively consistent with the electron interaction theory developed for simple semiconductors and disordered metals. As is observed in other cuprate superconductors, the Hall resistivity is negative in the mixed state and changes its sign with increasing field. The linear T-dependence of cotθ_H for the Hall angle in the normal state closely resembles that of the normal-state resistivity as expected for a Fermi liquid picture.     

Magnetic polarons,clusters, and their effect on the electric properties of weakly doped lanthanum manganites

The resistivity, magnetoresistance, thermopower, and magnetic susceptibility of La_1?xA_xMnO₃(A≡Ca,Sr;x=0.07–0.1) single crystals are investigated in the temperature range from 77 to 400 K. Sharp changes in the properties (the resistivity activation energy ΔEρ, its temperature coefficient γ, the thermopower activation energy ΔE _S , the magnetoresistance, and the appearance of spontaneous magnetization) of these crystals occur near a temperature of 275±25 K, which is approximately twice as high as their Curie point T_C and approximately half of the structural transition temperature. The results are explained by the phase separation: the formation of ferromagnetic clusters. The phase separation occurs through the coalescence of small-radius unsaturated magnetic polarons, in which only two or three magnetic moments of Mn are polarized, into a large-radius ferromagnetic polaron (a cluster about 10–12 Å in size) with several charge carriers. As a result, the short-range order occurs in the cluster at a temperature of about 275 K, which is close to T _C of conducting doped manganites. The results of the experimental studies of the resistivity and the magnetoresistance as functions of temperature and magnetic field and the estimates agree well with the cluster model.     

Low-temperature magnetic ordering in the perovskites Pr1−xAxCoO3 (A=Ca,Sr)

The magnetic and electrical properties of polycrystalline Pr_1?xA_xCoO₃ cobaltites with A=Ca, Sr and 0≤x≤0.5 were studied in the temperature range 4 K≤T≤1000 K and field up to 7 T. The X-ray analyses show the presence of only one phase having monoclinic or orthorhombic symmetry. The magnetic measurements indicate that the Ca-doped samples have at low temperatures, similar properties to the frustrated magnetic materials. PrCoO₃ is a paramagnetic insulator in the range from 4 to 1000 K. The Sr-doped cobaltites exhibit two phase transitions: a paramagnetic–ferromagnetic (or magnetic phase separated state) phase transition at about 240 K and a second one at about 100 K. The magnetic measurements suggest the presence of magnetic clusters and a change in the nature of magnetic coupling between Co ions at low temperatures. A semiconducting type behavior and high negative magnetoresistance was found for the Ca-doped samples, while the Sr-doped ones were metallic and with negligible magnetoresistance. The results are analyzed in the frame of a phase separation scenario in the presence of the spin-state transitions of Co ions.     

Magnetoresistance and magnetic phase transitions in a Pr11B6 antiferromagnet

In isotopically pure praseodymium hexaboride (Pr¹¹B₆) single-crystal samples, the transverse magnetoresistance Δρ/ρ has been measured in a temperature range of 2–20 K in magnetic fields up to 80 kOe. The field and angular dependences Δρ/ρ(H, ?, T ₀) reveal a new magnetic phase in the AFM state of Pr¹¹B₆ which is observable only for the external magnetic field orientation in a narrow angular range near H ‖ 〈110〉. The data remove the previous contradictions in the Pr11B6 magnetic phase diagram representation and can be explained under the assumption that the spin-polarized regions (ferrons) are involved in the formation of the complex magnetic structure in the Pr¹¹B₆ AFM state in the 5d band in the vicinity of the rare-earth ions.