A μSR Study of Er Spin Dynamics in (Y1−x Er x )Ni2B2C Superconductors

Zero field μSR has been used to probe rare earth spin dynamics in the magnetic superconductors, Y_1−x Er _x Ni₂B₂C. The muon spin relaxation function is stretched exponential, exp (−(λt)^β), in form, as usually found for spin glass systems above the glass temperature. However, the Y_1−x Er _x Ni₂B₂C compounds show no evidence of coexisting superconducting and static spin glass ground states even at concentrations below the critical value (x=0.6) for long range antiferromagnetic order. The temperature dependence of both the muon spin relaxation rate λ and the exponent β suggests that Er spin dynamics change significantly at the superconducting transition temperature. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Study of spin–phonon coupling in LiFe1 − xMnxPO4olivines

LiFe_{1 − x}Mn_xPO₄ olivines are promising material for improved performance of Li‐ion batteries. Spin–phonon coupling of LiFe_{1 − x}Mn_xPO₄ (x = 0, 0.3, 0.5) olivines is studied through temperature‐dependent Raman spectroscopy. Among the observed phonon modes, the external mode at ~263 cm⁻¹ is directly correlated with the motions of magnetic Fe²⁺/Mn²⁺ ions. This mode displays anomalous temperature‐dependent behavior near the Néel temperature, indicating a coupling of this mode with spin ordering. As Mn doping increases, the anomalous behavior becomes clearly weaker, indicating the spin–phonon coupling quickly decreases. Our analyses show that the quick decrease of spin–phonon coupling is due to decrease of the strength of spin–phonon coupling, but not change of spin‐ordering feature with Mn doping. Importantly, we suggest that the low electrochemical activity of LiMnPO₄ is correlated with the weak spin–phonon coupling strength, but not with the weak ferromagnetic ground state. Our work would play an important role as a guide in improving the performances of future Li‐ion batteries. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Temperature dependence of muonium spin exchange with O2 in the range 88 K to 478 K

Our group at TRIUMF reported earlier a study of the spin exchange reactions of Mu with O₂ and NO in the range 295 K to 478 K. We have extended the measurement with O₂ to a low temperature region down to 88 K. From 135 K to 296 K, the spin depolarization rate constantk _d(T) was found to vary according to the relative velocity of the colliding species,T ^1/2, which indicates that the spin exchange cross section of Mu-O₂ is temperature independent in this temperature range. The value ofk _d(T) at 296 K is in good agreement with our earlier study. However, it was found that below 105 K and above 400 K,k _d(T) tends to have stronger temperature dependences (T ⁿ , withn>1/2). This deviation fromT ^1/2-behavior can be attributed to the velocity (energy) dependence of the spin exchange cross section.     

Phonon-assisted spin diffusion in solids

The spin flip-flop transition rate is calculated for the case of spectral spin diffusion within a system of dipolarly coupled spins in a solid where the lattice vibrations are present. Long-wavelength acoustic phonons time-modulate the interspin distance r_ij and enhance the transition rate via the change of the 1/r³_ij term in the coupling dipolar Hamiltonian. The phonon-assisted spin diffusion rate is calculated by the golden rule in the Debye approximation of the phonon density of states. The coupling of the spins to the phonons introduces temperature dependence into the transition rate, in contrast to the spin diffusion in a rigid lattice, where the rate is temperature-independent. The direct (one-phonon absorption or emission) processes introduce a linear temperature dependence into the rate at temperatures not too close to T = 0. Two-phonon processes introduce a more complicated temperature dependence that again becomes simple analytical for temperatures higher than the Debye temperature, where the rate is proportional to T², and in the limit T → 0, where the rate varies as T⁷. Raman processes (one-phonon absorption and another phonon emission) dominate by far the phonon-assisted spin flip-flop transitions.     

Temperature dependence of spin injection efficiency in an epitaxially grown Fe/GaAs hybrid structure

The electrical spin injection from Fe into an n-doped GaAs channel through Schottky-tunnel-barrier is observed from 1.8 K to room temperature. The magnitude of local spin valve signal (ΔR/R₀) decreases as the temperature increases. In each temperature, we calculated the injected polarization (η) considering the spin drift effect induced by the electric field. The interfacial polarizations of 19.3% and 12.6% are acquired for Fe/GaAs junction at T=1.8 and 300 K, respectively. The temperature dependence of spin injection efficiency is matched with interface resistance variation. As the temperature increases, Schottky-tunnel-barrier property is diminished so that the spin injection efficiency would be reduced.     

Spin Hall magnetoresistance in Nb/Y3Fe5O12 hybrids

We investigate the spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) in niobium (Nb) attached to Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ near the superconducting critical temperature (T_c) of Nb. The SMR vanishes after cooling the sample below T_c, and recovers if the temperature is raised. When a magnetic field larger than the critical field of Nb is applied, the SMR re‐emerges with an enhanced magnitude even if the temperature is below T_c. The experimental results demonstrate that the SMR could be completely suppressed by the coupling between superconducting condensation and spin–orbit interaction in superconductors. In addition to the fundamental physics on the charge–spin interactions in superconductors, our work adds a different dimension to superconducting spintronics. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Hebel-Slichter peak and superconducting energy gap in Rb3C60 observed by muon spin relaxation

Muon spin relaxation has been observed in both the normal and superconducting states of Rb₃C₆₀ (T _c=29.3K). The field dependence of theT ₁ spin relaxation rate is due to muonium undergoing spin-exchange scattering with conduction electrons, making this the first observation of muonium in a metal. The temperature dependence ofT ₁ ^–1 shows a Hebel-Slichter coherence peak just belowT _c which is not seen in¹³C spin relaxation. The peak can be fit assuming spin relaxation due to interaction with the quasiparticle excitations of a BCS superconductor provided the density of states is broadened relative to that of BCS. Such fits yield a value for the zero temperature energy gap, ₀/k _B , of 53(4)K, consistent with weak-coupling BCS.     

Low-energy Ce spin excitations in CeFeAsO and CeFeAsO0.84F0.16

We use inelastic neutron scattering to study the low-energy spin excitations of polycrystalline samples of nonsuperconducting CeFeAsO and superconducting CeFeAsO_0.84F_0.16. Two sharp dispersionless modes are found at 0.85 and 1.16 meV in CeFeAsO below the Ce antiferromagnetic (AF) ordering temperature of T _N ^Ce ˜ 4 K. On warming to above T _N ^Ce ˜ 4 K, these two modes become one broad dispersionless mode that disappears just above the Fe ordering temperature T _N ^Fe ˜ 140 K. For superconducting CeFeAsO_0.84F_0.16, where Fe static AF order is suppressed, we find a weakly dispersive mode center at 0.4 meV that may arise from short-range Ce-Ce exchange interactions. Using a Heisenberg model, we simulate powder-averaged Ce spin wave excitations. Our results show that we need both Ce spin wave and crystal electric field excitations to account for the whole spectra of low-energy spin excitations.     

Shot noises of spin and charge currents in a ferromagnet-quantum-dot-ferromagnet system

We have investigated the shot noises of charge and spin current by considering the spin polarized electron tunneling through a ferromagnet-quantum-dot-ferromagnet system. We have derived the spin polarized current noise matrix, from which we can derive general expressions of shot noises associated with charge and spin currents. The spin and charge currents are intimately related to the polarization angles, and they behave quite differently from each other. The shot noise of charge current is symmetric about the gate voltage whose structure is modified by the Zeeman field considerably. There exists oscillations in spin current shot noise in the absence of source-drain bias at zero temperature, and it is asymmetric in the positive and negative regimes of sourcedrain voltage. The shot noise of spin current behaves quite differently from the shot noise of charge current, since the spin current components I _x ^s , I _y ^s oscillate sinusoidally with the frequency ω_γ in the γth lead, while the I _z ^s component of spin current is independent of time.      

Soft phonon behavior and magnetism at the low temperature structural phase transition of La1.65Nd0.35CuO4

We report a neutron scattering investigation of a La_1.65Nd_0.35CuO₄ single crystal which undergoes a second order structural transition with decreasing temperature from a high temperature orthorhombic phase (space group Bmab) to a distinct low temperature orthorhombic phase (space group Pccn) atT _s =76 K. The transition is induced by the softening of the phonon mode that involves rotations of the tilt axis of the CuO₆ octahedra. Antiferromagnetic long range order is established belowT _N =316 K, and a hysteretic reorientation to a noncollinear spin structure occurs belowT _s . The low energy spin dynamics of La_1.65Nd_0.35CuO₄ aboveT _s are closely similar to those of stoichiometric La₂CuO₄; at 100 K the gaps for in-plane and out-of-plane polarized spin waves are 2.3 meV and 5 meV, respectively. Out-of-plane polarized magnons are little affected by the structural transition, but the gap for in-plane polarized magnons increases markedly belowT _s .     

Spin Glass Behavior in a Decagonal Quasicrystal Al-Mn-Fe-Ge System

The magnetic behavior of a decagonal quasicrystal Al₄₀Mn₂₅Fe₁₅Ge₂₀ system has been investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy, magnetization and AC susceptibility measurements. Magnetization measured at low fields as a function of temperature shows a cusp-like peak around 41K. AC susceptibility also shows a sharp cusp, and the cusp shifts to a higher temperature as the frequency increases. These results strongly suggested that Al₄₀Mn₂₅Fe₁₅Ge₂₀ is a spin glass system with T _g =41K. From the temperature dependence of the Mössbauer spectrum, we observed the appearance of a hyperfine field below around 50K. The temperature is a little higher than the cusp temperature, which is rather usual in spin glass systems.     

μSR Study of the Unusual Magnetic Ordering in the Frustrated Antiferromagnet Zn(Cr x Ga1−x )2O4

μSR spectra on the spin frustrating spinel antiferromagnet Zn(Cr _x Ga_1−x )₂O₄ (x=0.9,1.0) have been measured. For x=1.0 compound, both the relaxation rate and the initial asymmetry showed distinct anomalies at the Néel temperature. The magnetic susceptibility for the x=0.9 compound was known to have a faint peak at around 12 K, whose origin was not clear so far. Our μSR study revealed that this temperature is the onset temperature of development of the magnetic correlation accompanied by appreciable spin fluctuations. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Correlation between Curie temperature and system dimension

Curie temperature T_C of spin arrangement with arbitrary dimension was considered. We assumed that interaction of a spin with all other spins vary with a power-law decay rate in exchange integral on Heisenberg model. As a result, we found that T_C, which was obtained from T_C=λC (λ: mean-field coefficient and C: Curie constant), significantly depends on fractal dimension of spin arrangements D, the exchange integral and the decay constant. This semi-quantitatively explains how T_C depends on D (1≤D≤3) in a universal way and also the finite size effect on T_C in low-dimensional spin systems.     

Spin triplet pairing in high temperature superconductors

Various superconductivity mechanisms show that the electron pair is in spin singlet (S=0) belowTc. In contrast with these, our EPR measurements show that the electron pair is in spin triplet (S=1) rather than the spin singlet. Since an intense zero field absorption was observed in the high temperature superconductors of YBa₂Cu₃O_7–y , and YBa₂Cu₃O_7–y F₁, which violated various spin-pairing singlet superconductivity mechanisms.     

自旋为1/2的XY模型亚铁磁棱型链的物性和有序-无序竞争

利用不变本征算符法, 计算低温下自旋为1/2的XY模型一维亚铁磁棱型链系统的元激发谱, 讨论在此系统中不同的特殊情形下的元激发能量, 从而给出体系的三个临界磁场强度的解析解H_C1, H_C2, H_peak. 分析不同外磁场下 体系的磁化强度随温度的变化规律, 发现三个临界磁场强度的解析解H_C1, H_C2, H_peak是正确的, 并从三个元激发对磁化强度的贡献进行了说明. 低温下磁化强度随外磁场的变化呈现1/3磁化平台. 体系的磁化率随温度或者外磁场的变化都出现了双峰现象. 这说明双峰源于二聚体分子内电子自旋平行排列的铁磁交换作 用能和二聚体与单基体分子间电子自旋反平行排列的反铁磁交换作用能, 热无序能, 外磁场强度相关的自旋磁矩势能之间的竞争.     

Raman scattering in the magnetically frustrated double perovskite Sr2YRuO6

The spin correlations and excitations of the Sr₂YRuO₆ double perovskite are investigated by means of Raman scattering, complemented by synchrotron X‐ray diffraction measurements. Anomalous softening of a breathing mode of the oxygen octahedra is observed below ~200 K, much above the long‐range antiferromagnetic ordering temperature, T_N1 = 32 K, due to a spin‐phonon coupling mechanism in the presence of magnetic correlations. A diffusive Raman signal is also observed, possibly associated with spin excitations within magnetically correlated regions. Our results point to a characteristic energy and temperature scale of ~25 meV/200 K below which unusual behavior associated with magnetic correlations is observed in this material. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Elementary spin excitations in a Heisenberg S=1/2 antiferromagnet with Skyrmions

The elementary spin excitations in two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnets with spin S=1/2 in a metastable, spatially inhomogeneous state are investigated. The energy spectrum of the excitations, the local order parameter, and the temperature dependence of the spin correlation length are found. It is shown that the results obtained can be used to explain the experimental data on neutron scattering in La₂CuO₄ at temperatures T>T _N. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 656–659 (April 1997)     

Spin dynamics in a site diluted finite spin cluster system probed by positive muons

The site diluted finite spin cluster system Rb₂CO _x Mg_1–x F₄ (x=0.15, 0.4, 0.5) has been investigated by the ⁺SR technique. Muon spin relaxation was observed in these diluted magnetic systems in a weak longitudinal field of 100 G. By reducing temperature below 100 K, the experimental data show features of slowing down phenomena of the Co electron moments in the finite spin clusters.     

Muon spin relaxation measurements in kagomé lattice system SrCr8Ga4O19

Dynamical spin fluctuations in SrCr_8–xGa_4+xO₁₉ a frustrated spin system on a kagomé lattice, is examined by the longitudinal field muon spin relaxation technique. This system shows a spin-glass (SG)-like cusp in the susceptibility atT _g=3.5(2) K. The slowing down of Cr spin fluctuations is found to occur over a very wide temperature rangeT _g<T<30T _g. AsT/T _g 0 these fluctuations remain without static polarization (order parameter). Such strong fluctuations belowT _g have not been observed before in a conventional SG system.     

Anomalous pressure dependence of the Lamb-Mössbauer factor in a spin crossover system

The dependence of the f-factor on temperature and on pressure up to 1500 bar has been measured in the spin crossover compound [Fe(2-pic-ND ₂ ) ₃ ]cl ₂ ·EtOD. In the transition region around T _c =146.7 K the pressure dependence of f shows an anomalous increase, which can be explained on the basis of a theoretical model for spin transitions developed by us.