Enhanced suppression of superconductivity in amorphous films with nano-scale patterning

We have measured the thickness dependence of the superconducting critical temperature, T_c(d_Bi)$T_c(d_{\text{Bi}})$, in amorphous Bi/Sb films patterned with a regular array of holes as well as nanoscale thickness variations. We find that the mean field T_c$T_c$ is suppressed relative to simultaneously produced unstructured films of the same thickness. Surprisingly, however, the functional form for T_c(d_Bi)$T_c(d_{\text{Bi}})$, remains unaffected. The role of the thickness variations in suppressing T_c$T_c$ is compared to the role of the holes, through parameterization of the surface, as measured through AFM/SEM and a proximity effect calculation. These results suggest that these two nanoscale modifications suppress T_c$T_c$ about equally and are consistent with T_c$T_c$ being determined on a microscopic length scale.     

Monte Carlo study of the spin-1 Blume–Capel Ising film

Using Monte Carlo simulations with the Metropolis algorithm, we have studied the influence of crystal-field interaction on the critical behavior of magnetic spin-1 Ising film on a cubic lattice structure. The phase diagrams in the (_kBTc/J,R=_Js/J)$(k_{\mathrm{B}}{T}_{\mathrm{c}}/J,R=J_{\mathrm{s}}/J)$ plane are obtained for different values of the crystal-field interaction. We found that the special point _Rsp(_Rc)$R_{\mathrm{sp}}(R_{\mathrm{c}})$, at which the critical temperature is independent of the film thickness N, is independent of the crystal-field interaction and that the system may exhibit a tricritical behavior.     

Comparative study between a two-dimensional anisotropic Heisenberg antiferromagnet with easy-axis single-ion anisotropy and one with easy-axis exchange anisotropy

Generally, in literature, easy-axis single ion anisotropy and easy-axis exchange anisotropy was treated in indistinct way. In this work we propose to perform a comparative study of the effects of these two easy-axis anisotropies on the behavior of the magnetization and the critical temperature (_Tc)$(T_{\mathrm{c}})$ in the 2D classical Heisenberg antiferromagnetic model. In order to study the low-temperature thermodynamics of this model, we should consider the contribution of anisotropic spin waves, using a self-consistent harmonic approximation (SCHA) theory. We compare the predictions of SCHA with numerical simulations on L×L$L\times L$ square lattices using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, which include effects due to all thermodynamically allowed excitations. Our SCHA results are in good agreement with our MC simulations results and have shown that the strong K$K$ limit gives two different Ising-like behavior. In the exchange anisotropic case, the dependence of _Tc$T_{\mathrm{c}}$ on anisotropic parameter K$K$ becomes linear and in the single-ion anisotropic case, _Tc$T_{\mathrm{c}}$ becomes independent of K$K$. Also, using MC simulations and finite size scaling, we show that the critical exponents in the two anisotropic case are compatible with the 2D Ising values α=0.125$\alpha =0.125$ and γ=1.75$\gamma =1.75$.     

Analogue surface gravity near the QCD chiral phase transition

Using the formalism of relativistic acoustic geometry we study the expanding chiral fluid in the regime of broken chiral symmetry near the QCD chiral phase transition temperature _Tc$T_{\mathrm{c}}$. The dynamics of pions below _Tc$T_{\mathrm{c}}$ is described by the equation of motion for a massless scalar field propagating in curved spacetime similar to an open FRW universe. The metric tensor depends locally on the soft pion dispersion relation and the four-velocity of the fluid. In the neighbourhood of the critical point an analogue trapped region forms with the analogue trapped horizon as its boundary. We show that the associated surface gravity diverges near the critical point as κ∼(_Tc−T)⁻¹$\kappa \sim {(T_{\mathrm{c}}-T)}^{-1}$. Hence, if the horizon forms close to the critical temperature the analogue Hawking temperature may be comparable with or even larger than the background fluid temperature.     

The Bethe lattice treatment of sound attenuation for a spin- 3/2 Ising model

The sound attenuation phenomena is investigated for a spin- 3/2 Ising model on the Bethe lattice in terms of the recursion relations by using the Onsager theory of irreversible thermodynamics. The dependencies of sound attenuation on the temperature (T$T$), frequency (w$w$), Onsager coefficient (γ$\gamma$) and external magnetic field (H$H$) near the second-order (_Tc)$\left(T_c\right)$ and first-order (_Tt)$\left(T_t\right)$ phase transition temperatures are examined for given coordination numbers q$q$ on the Bethe lattice. It is assumed that the sound wave couples to the order-parameter fluctuations which decay mainly via the order-parameter relaxation process, thus two relaxation times are obtained and which are used to obtain an expression for the sound attenuation coefficient (α)$\left(\alpha \right)$. Our investigations revealed that only one peak is obtained near _Tt$T_t$ and three peaks are found near _Tc$T_c$ when the Onsager coefficient is varied at a given constant frequency for q=3$q=3$. Fixing the Onsager coefficient and varying the frequency always leads to two peaks for q=3,4$q=3,4$ and 6 near _Tc$T_c$. The sound attenuation peaks are observed near _Tt$T_t$ at lower values of external magnetic field, but as it increases the sound attenuation peaks decrease and eventually disappear.     

Damage spreading in a driven lattice gas model

We studied damage spreading in a Driven Lattice Gas (DLG) model as a function of the temperature T$T$, the magnitude of the external driving field E$E$, and the lattice size. The DLG model undergoes an order–disorder second-order phase transition at the critical temperature _Tc(E)$T_c\left(E\right)$, such that the ordered phase is characterized by high-density strips running along the direction of the applied field; while in the disordered phase one has a lattice-gas-like behavior. It is found that the damage always spreads for all the investigated temperatures and reaches a saturation value _Dsat$D_{sat}$ that depends only on T$T$. _Dsat$D_{sat}$ increases for T<_Tc(E=∞)$T<T_c(E=\infty )$, decreases for T>_Tc(E=∞)$T>T_c(E=\infty )$ and is free of finite-size effects. This behavior can be explained as due to the existence of interfaces between the high-density strips and the lattice-gas-like phase whose roughness depends on T$T$. Also, we investigated damage spreading for a range of finite fields as a function of T$T$, finding a behavior similar to that of the case with E=∞$E=\infty$.     

Coercive field of a polycrystalline ferrimagnet with uni-axial anisotropy

Unlike the coercive field _Hc$H_{\mathrm{c}}$ of a bulk ferrimagnet, which diverges at the compensation temperature _Tcomp$T_{\mathrm{comp}}$, the coercive field of a polycrystalline ferrimagnet with uni-axial anisotropy is shown to have a minimum at _Tcomp$T_{\mathrm{comp}}$. Despite this behavior, the field required for domain-wall motion still diverges at the compensation temperature. These ideas are used to treat a ferrimagnetic class of molecule-based magnets, the bimetallic oxalates, that exhibit a minimum coercivity at _Tcomp$T_{\mathrm{comp}}$.     

The role of dipolar interaction in nanocomposite permanent magnets

The effects of dipolar interactions on the magnetization behaviors and magnetic properties of the nanocomposite magnets have been studied by micromagnetic simulations. Numerical results show that the dipolar interaction plays an important role during the demagnetization process, especially in the magnets with large soft-phase content _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$. For the isotropic nanocomposites, the remanence enhancement can be controlled through adjustments of the grain size D   and _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$. However, the appearance of magnetic vortex state leads to a very low remanence in the magnets with large D   and _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$. The dependence of coercivity on D   and _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$ can be attributed to the exchange-induced magnetization reversal near the grain boundaries and the low nucleation field of soft phase, respectively. For the anisotropic nanocomposites, the reduced remanence _mr$m_{\mathrm{r}}$ is equal to 1.0$1.0$ for the magnets with small D   or with low _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$. However, _mr$m_{\mathrm{r}}$ decreases with increasing _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$ for the magnet with large D   due to the influence of dipolar interactions. The difference between the calculated coercivity _Hc$H_{\mathrm{c}}$ with and without considering dipolar interaction shows that the dipolar interaction plays a more important role during the magnetization reversal in the soft phase than that in the hard phase. The maximum calculated energy product of the isotropic nanocomposites is only about 40 MGOe due to the conflicting relation between remanence and coercivity, while that of the anisotropic nanocomposites is 112 MGOe. This reminds us that the alignment of hard grain is important to obtain high performance.     

Magnetic,dielectric and magnetoelectric properties of new family of orthorhombic multiferroic Eu1−xYxMNO3 manganites

Multiferroic ground states with a spatially modulated antiferromagnetic structure and electric polarization have been revealed in Eu_1−xY_xMnO₃ (0.2?x?0.5$0.2?x?0.5$) single crystals. While the slightly substituted (x?0.1$x?0.1$) compounds exhibited a transition from the incommensurate (IC) to the canted antiferromagnetic (CAF) state at _TCA<_TN$T_{\mathrm{CA}}<T_{\mathrm{N}}$, the transitions from IC to commensurate ferroelectric (C/FE) phase were observed at _Tlock<_TN$T_{\mathrm{lock}}<T_{\mathrm{N}}$ for x>0.2$x>0.2$. Various phase transitions were observed in the magnetic fields up to 250 kOe along a, b, c axes by magnetization, magnetostriction and electric polarization measurements which show an existence of a spontaneous electric polarization below T_lock.     

On the theory of the dynamical properties of nematics

The Leslie–Ericksen coefficients of a thermotropic nematic are determined by using an approximate solution of the Fokker–Planck equation for the one-particle distribution function over orientations of the nematic molecules. The results show that the well-known Doi–Edwards theory of the dynamical properties of nematics leads to a qualitatively wrong result for the Leslie angle. The “isotropic medium - nematic” (I–N$I–N$) transition induced by the shear flow is considered. When the temperature decreases, the I–N$I–N$ transition in the shear flowing system takes place at the temperature _T1$T_1$ higher than the temperature _Tc$T_c$ of the equilibrium transition in the motionless system. The interface boundary in this case is parallel to the plane formed by the flow velocity and its gradient. When the shear flowing nematic phase is heated, the N–I$N–I$ transition occurs at another temperature _T2$T_2$, and the following inequalities _T1>_T2>_Tc$T_1>T_2>T_c$ hold. In this case the boundary between the isotropic and nematic phases is perpendicular to the flow velocity. Thus, unlike the equilibrium phase transition, a temperature hysteresis of the phase transition is expected.     

On the propensity of magnetism in 3d transition-metal-MgCNi3 alloys

The effects of disorder and incipient magnetism in MgC(_Ni1-xTx)3$\mathrm{MgC}({\mathrm{Ni}}_{1-x}{\mathrm{T}}_x{)}_3$ (T≡Fe$\mathrm{T}\equiv \mathrm{Fe}$, Co or Cu) alloys are studied using coherent-potential approximation and Ginzburg–Landau coefficients. The first-principles, local-density-functional-based calculations for substitutionally disordered Fe and Co impurities in the Ni sub-lattice of MgCNi₃, in low concentrations, show that incipient magnetism resides in these materials. The overestimation of the calculated magnetic properties points to the limitations of the local-density approximation. However, using a phenomenological approach based on Ginzburg–Landau coefficients and the fixed-spin moment method, we show that MgC(_Ni1-xTx)3$\mathrm{MgC}({\mathrm{Ni}}_{1-x}{\mathrm{T}}_x{)}_3$ alloys remain paramagnetic. At expanded volumes, we also find the possibility of a ferromagnetic state for MgC(_{Ni0.95Fe0.05)3}$\mathrm{MgC}({\mathrm{Ni}}_{0.95}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{0.05}{)}_3$ and MgC(_{Ni0.90Co0.10)3}$\mathrm{MgC}({\mathrm{Ni}}_{0.90}{\mathrm{Co}}_{0.10}{)}_3$ alloys.     

Surface magnetic phase transitions in films

Using a simple Landau model, we discuss the different possibilities of generating magnetic effects at a second-order transition for films. Varying the sample size d$d$ and/or surface coupling γ$\gamma$ one can decrease or increase substantially the surface critical temperature _Ts$T_{\mathrm{s}}$ and the saturation magnetization _Ms$M_{\mathrm{s}}$. In the case of γ>0$\gamma >0$, _Ms$M_{\mathrm{s}}$ and _Ts$T_{\mathrm{s}}$ decrease from the bulk values as the film thickness is reduced. These theoretical results are in nice agreement with the experimental data on superconducting _MgB2${\mathrm{MgB}}_2$ thin films. By contrast, for γ<0$\gamma <0$, an enhancement of both quantities is expected. This extraordinary transition has rarely been observed experimentally and, usually, the situation is far from being clear. We analyze a new experiment on _NiFe2O4${\mathrm{NiFe}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_4$ ultra-thin films, where a very strong enhancement of the saturation magnetization is observed.     

The influence of 3d-impurities on magnetic and transport properties of CoSiB metallic glasses

Temperature dependencies of magnetic susceptibility and electric resistivity of Co-based metallic glasses (MGs) of the general composition _Co(72-x)Mex(Si,B₎₂₈${\mathrm{Co}}_{(72-x)}{\mathrm{Me}}_x(\mathrm{Si},\mathrm{B}{)}_{28}$(Me=Fe,Cr,Si:B=18:10)$(\mathrm{Me}=\mathrm{Fe},\mathrm{Cr},\mathrm{Si}:\mathrm{B}=18:10)$ have been studied up to 950 K. The studied MGs were found to be ferromagnets at the room temperature and their Curie point _TC$T_{\mathrm{C}}$ ranges within 260–560 K depending on the dopant contents. At the temperatures higher than _TC$T_{\mathrm{C}}$, a wide paramagnetic region exists. The regularities of magnetic moment variation upon Cr doping evidence a formation of antiferromagnetic clusters, which determine the anomalous behavior of resistivity.     

Effect of La doping on magnetotransport and magnetic properties of double perovskite Sr2FeMoO6 system

We have investigated the magnetotransport and magnetic properties on polycrystalline samples of Sr_2−xLa_xFeMoO₆ (x=0$x=0$, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0). The magnitude of intergrain tunneling magnetoresistance with low magnetic field of 0.88 T for x=0.2$x=0.2$ and 0.4$0.4$ samples are as large as 5% and 7% at room temperature and 13% and 10% at 10 K, respectively. The increase of coercivity (_Hc$H_{\mathrm{c}}$), ratio of remanent magnetization with respect to saturation magnetization (_Mr/_Ms$M_{\mathrm{r}}/M_{\mathrm{s}}$), high saturation fields, and reduction of the saturation magnetization indicate that random disorder of spin orientation is mainly responsible for enhancement of the low-field magnetoresistance for samples with x?0.4$x?0.4$. Whereas rapid drop of _Hc$H_{\mathrm{c}}$, _Mr/_Ms$M_{\mathrm{r}}/M_{\mathrm{s}}$, _Mr$M_{\mathrm{r}}$, and saturation fields for samples with x>0.4$x>0.4$ signifies the growth of antiphase boundary, which gives rise to lower values of low-field MR.     

Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition in two-dimensional arrays of Josephson coupled Bose–Einstein condensates

We study the phase transition occurring in Bose–Einstein condensates placed in an optical lattice where the system is arranged in a form of a two-dimensional bosonic Josephson junction array. It is shown that the Josephson interaction between adjacent condensates (trapped in the valleys of the periodic lattice potential) can trigger Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition at a finite temperature _TKT$T_{\mathit{KT}}$ to the ordered state composed of bound vortex–antivortex phase-field configurations of individual condensates. Using a lattice model of the bosonic Josephson junction array, we derive the effective phase-only Hamiltonian and calculate the critical temperature _TKT$T_{\mathit{KT}}$. Finally, we discuss the results in the context of system parameters and possible experiments.     

Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition close to the percolation threshold

We use Monte Carlo to investigate the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition close to the site percolation threshold in a square lattice. Several thermodynamic quantities are calculated for lattice sizes L×L$L\times L$, from 16<L<640$16<L<640$. Our results are consistent with an infinite order transition for any value of the concentration of magnetic sites. We found that close to the critical percolation concentration, _pc$p_c$ (0.592746), the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition temperature goes to zero as _TBKT∝(p−_pc)^0.908$T_{\mathit{BKT}}\propto {(p-p_c)}^{0.908}$ and the specific heat behaves as _Tsh∝p^1.133$T_{sh}\propto p^{1.133}$.