Influence of quantum fluctuations on the Néel temperature of a dilute two-dimensional anisotropic antiferromagnet

A quantum Monte Carlo procedure is used to calculate the energy, sublattice magnetization, Néel temperature, and the slopes of the S=[1/T _N(x=0)]dT _N(x)/dx curves as functions of the hole concentration and the exchange anisotropy Δ=1−J _x,y/J _z in the Heisenberg model with anisotropic negative interactions between nearest neighbors in a square lattice with dilution among the lattice sites. The slope diverges in the limit Δ→0: S∼ln(6.5/Δ). Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 898–900 (May 1997)     

Pyroelectric properties of β-BaB2O4 in the temperature range from 2.5 to 90 K

Results are presented of experimental studies of how the spontaneous polarization of β-BaB₂O₄ (BBO) varies with temperature in the range from 2.5 to 90 K. Values of the pyroelectric coefficient γ _s are calculated, and effective values of the Debye temperature (Θ=112 K) and the Einstein temperature (Θ_E=28 K) are estimated. It is shown that the dominant contribution to γ _s comes from acoustic lattice modes. A mechanism is proposed to explain why the temperature dependence of the pyroelectric effect in linear pyroelectric materials is different from that in ferroelectrics. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1631–1633 (September 1997)     

Existence of an incommensurate phase in a Li2B4O7 crystal

The x-ray diffraction spectra of Li₂B₄O₇ single crystals are investigated in the temperature range 80–300 K, and the lattice parameter c is determined in the same temperature range in the presence of a periodically varying temperature field. An incommensurate phase is not observed anywhere in the temperature range investigated, regardless of whether the crystals are subjected to a periodic temperature field. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1461–1463 (August 1997)     

Features of the melting dynamics of a vortex lattice in a high-T c superconductor in the presence of pinning centers

The phase transition “triangular lattice-vortex liquid” in layered high-T _c superconductors in the presence of pinning centers is studied. A two-dimensional system of vortices simulating the superconducting layers in a high-T _c Shubnikov phase is calculated by the Monte Carlo method. It was found that in the presence of defects the melting of the vortex lattice proceeds in two stages: First, the ideal triangular lattice transforms at low temperature (≃3 K)into islands which are pinned to the pinning centers and rotate around them and then, at a higher temperature (≃8 K for T _c 584 K), the boundaries of the “islands” become smeared and the system transforms into a vortex liquid. As the pinning force increases, the temperatures of both phase transitions shift: The temperature of the point “triangular lattice-rotating lattice” decreases slightly (to ≃2 K)and the temperature of the phase transition “rotating lattice-vortex liquid” increases substantially (≃70 K). Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 66, No. 4, 269–274 (25 August 1997)     

Electronic structure and superconductivity of κ-(BEDT-TTF)2X salts

We have analyzed the electronic structure and superconducting properties of layered crystals based on BEDT-TTF salts (hereafter denoted as ET), in which intramolecular interaction among electrons is important. For the case of realistic κ-packing of ET-molecules in a plane of ET₂ dimers we have calculated the electron density of states. Using the calculated electronic structure, we have analyzed the symmetry of the anisotropic superconducting pairing. The critical value of the effective attraction between electrons for formation of a bound pair in an empty lattice has been estimated. The relation between the nodes of the d-type order parameter on the anisotropic Fermi surface and superconducting properties of the condensate is discussed in the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) model. The results are in agreement with the known band parameters of the normal phase and measurements of the magnetic field penetration depth, heat capacity as a function of temperature in the low-temperature range, and NMR in κ-ET₂X superconducting salts. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 715–733 (February 1998)     

Specific features in the thermal conductivity of synthetic opals

Data on the thermal conductivity ϰ _ph of the cluster lattice of synthetic opals are analyzed. All opals are divided into two groups according to the temperature dependence of their ϰ _ph. These are opals-1, whose thermal conductivity behaves like ϰ _ph(T) of quasi-crystalline materials, and opals-2, with a ϰ _ph(T) dependence typical of classical amorphous solids. Possible reasons for this difference are considered. An attempt is made to explain the complex temperature hysteresis in ϰ _ph(T) observed earlier in opals-2. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 392–398 (February 1997)     

Low-frequency lattice dynamics in Ba1−x KxBiO3 oxides according to 39K NMR data

The spin-lattice relaxation times T ₁ in Ba_1−x K_xBiO₃ (x=0.3, 0.4, 0.5) were measured in the normal temperature range (20–300 K).A substantial contribution to the spin-lattice relaxation rate from dynamic local distortions of the crystal lattice near potassium atoms is found. The activation energy of this process increases with decreasing potassium concentration, and the frequency of lattice excitations decreases. The nature of the low-frequency lattice dynamics is discussed. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 70, No. 5, 344–349 (10 September 1999)     

Spin liquid in an almost ferromagnetic Kondo lattice

A theory of stabilization of a spin liquid in a Kondo lattice at temperatures close to the temperature of antiferromagnetic instability has been developed. Kondo exchange scattering of conduction electrons leads to emergence of a state of the spin liquid of the resonating valence bonds (RVB) type at T>T _K. Owing to this stabilization, low-energy processes of Kondo scattering with energies below T _K are frozen so that the “singlet” state of the Kondo lattice is not realized; instead a strongly correlated spin liquid with developed antiferromagnetic fluctuations occurs. A new version of the Feynman diagram technique has been developed to describe interaction between spin fluctuations and resonant valence bonds in a self-consistent manner. Emergence of a strongly anisotropic RVB spin liquid is discussed. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 729–759 (August 1997)     

Features of magnetic phase transitions in iron-manganese arsenides of the type Fe a−x MnxAs (a≈1.6)

This paper discusses how temperature/pressure processing affects the cascade of magnetic phase transitions in the alloy Fe_0.5Mn_1.1As with a C38 tetragonal crystal lattice. It shows that after various temperature/pressure treatment regimes (quenching of the sample from 800 °C under pressures of 30–60 kbar) no transition to the low-temperature phase is observed, as a result of which the ferrimagnetic phase extends to liquid-nitrogen temperatures. These results are analyzed on the basis of a qualitative model that takes into account the competition of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions within and between nonequivalent crystallographic subsystems. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 889–893 (May 1997)     

X-ray diffraction investigations of the crystallographic parameters and thermal expansion of β-BaB2O4 crystals

The lattice parameters a and c of β-BaB₂O₄ crystals have been measured in the temperature range 80–300 K by the x-ray diffraction method. The thermal expansion coefficients α are calculated from the measured values of the parameters. A substantial anisotropy of the thermal expansion is found. It is shown that the thermal expansion coefficient α _c along the c axis is an order of magnitude greater than the thermal expansion coefficient α _a in a plane perpendicular to this axis. It is established that α _a becomes negative in the temperature range 80–190 K. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1038–1040 (June 1997)     

Modification of several physicochemical properties of a high-temperature superconducting yttrium ceramic upon doping with gold

The influence of additions of gold (5 and 10 at. %) on the lattice parameters, the superconducting transition temperature, and the diamagnetic susceptibility of the high-temperature superconducting ceramic YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ is investigated. The influence of gold on the kinetics of the release of weakly bound oxygen during heating of the ceramic in a vacuum is also studied. It is shown that doping the ceramic with gold causes uniaxial expansion of the lattice of the material, a significant decrease in the diamagnetic susceptibility, and nonmonotonic variation of the kinetic parameters of the oxygen release, while the superconducting transition temperature remains nearly unchanged. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 31–34 (February 1997)     

Effect of thermal expansion on the elastic moduli and Debye temperature of paramagnetic lutetium

The temperature dependence of the Young’s modulus E of paramagnetic lutetium has been studied. It has been shown that an important reason for the dependence E(T) is thermal expansion of the crystal lattice, which also leads to a change in the Debye temperature Θ. The effect of this factor is also revealed in the thermodynamic properties of metals. In particular, we have shown that there is another contribution to variation of the total specific heat of lutetium, associated with the Θ(T) dependence and comparable with the electronic contribution. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1581–1584 (September 1998)     

Microwave absorption in a Y1Ba2Cu3O7−x single crystal near the superconducting transition

Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7−x single crystals are investigated near T _c ≈92 K in fields 0<H⩽9 kOe using a modified ESR spectrometer. The temperature modulation method is used for the first time, together with the traditional magnetic modulation method, to detect microwave responses in single crystals. Superconducting-transition peaks shifted relative to one another in temperature and differing in shape are observed in the temperature dependence of the corresponding signals ∂R/∂H and ∂R/∂T (R — microwave absorption). The evolution of these peaks as a function of the field and the angle π between H and the c axis of the single crystal is traced. It is shown that the difference in the temperature dependences of the derivatives ∂R/∂H and ∂R/∂T is due to the broadening of the superconducting transition characteristic of HTSCs. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 14–17 (January 1999)     

Electronic superconductor Pr2CuO4−x Fx: Magnetic correlations at high temperatures (150<T<600 K) according to 19F NMR data

The longitudinal and transverse relaxation rates of ¹⁹F nuclei in Pr₂CuO_4−x F_x (x=0.20) samples are measured at high temperatures (150 K<T<600 K). A feature is found in the temperature dependence of the relaxation rates at temperature T′≅300 K. The magnetic properties of the electronic superconductor Pr₂CuO_4−x F_x as a possible system with a stripe ordering of carriers and spins are discussed. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 4, 328–332 (25 February 1997)     

Effect of the degree of ordering of structural vacancies on the fine structure of the valence-band top in cubic boron nitride

The electronic energy structure of the defect system of c-BN_x with ZnS-type structure is calculated in the multiple-scattering theory by the local coherent potential method. The cluster version of the MT approximation is used to calculate the crystal potential. The effect of the relaxation of the crystal lattice on the electronic structure of nonstoichiometric boron nitride c-BN_0.75 is studied and a comparison is made with the electronic energy structure of c-BN in the same approximation. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1064–1065 (June 1997)     

Physical properties of n-CdGeAs2 single crystals prepared by low-temperature crystallization

The first results obtained in studies of the temperature dependences of electrical conductivity and Hall constant of n-CdGeAs₂ single crystals prepared by low-temperature crystallization are reported. It has been established that the method developed permits growing single crystals with a free-electron concentration ⋍(1−2)×10¹⁸ cm⁻³ and a Hall mobility ⋍10000 cm²/(Vs) at T=300 K. It is shown that the temperature dependence of Hall mobility exhibits a behavior characteristic of electron scattering by lattice vibrations, whereas below 150 K a deviation from this law is observed to occur evidencing an increasing contribution of static lattice defects to scattering. The Hall mobility in the crystals prepared was found to reach ⋍36000 cm²/(Vs) at 77 K. Photosensitive heterojunctions based on n-CdGeAs₂ single crystals were prepared. The spectral response of the photosensitivity of these structures is analyzed. It is concluded that this method is promising for preparation of perfect CdGeAs₂ crystals. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 1190–1193 (July 1999)     

X-ray studies of magnetic phase transitions in the intermetallic compounds RMn2Ge2 (R=La, Sm, Gd, Nd, Tb, and Y)

The lattice parameters a and c of the tetragonal intermetallic compounds RMn₂Ge₂ (R=La, Sm, Gd, Nd, Tb, and Y) have been measured by x-ray diffraction in the temperature interval 10–800 K. Anomalies are observed in the temperature dependence of a and c due to phase transitions from the paramagnetic to the magnetically ordered state in the Mn subsystem, transitions between various magnetically ordered phases due to a change in the magnitude and sign of the Mn-Mn exchange interaction, and magnetic transitions caused by ordering of the rare-earth subsystem leading to a rearrangement of the magnetic structure of the Mn subsystem. It is concluded that, along with the lattice parameter a, the lattice parameter c also has an influence on the Mn-Mn exchange interaction. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 2053–2058 (November 1999)     

Evolution of the structure of Rb2ZnCl4 over the temperature range 4.2–310 K

X-ray diffraction is used to study the temperature dependence of the lattice parameters and the sequence of structural realignments in crystalline Rb₂ZnCl₄ over temperatures of 4.2–310 K. The appearance of and changes in the system of satellite reflexes indicative of structural ordering are studied. Below 74 K, on going into the monoclinic phase (space group A11a), anomalies are observed in the behavior of the lattice parameters, and superstructural reflexes develop with wave vectors q=a ^*/3+b ^*/2+c ^*/2 corresponding to an increase by a large factor in initial parameters a, b, and c of the Pnma-phase. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 1084–1090 (June 1999)     

Phase diagrams of (d x 2−y 2+id xy) superconductors on a square lattice

A model of strongly coupled electrons on a square lattice with attraction of the electrons to nearest-neighbor and next-nearest neighbor lattice sites is studied. For this model, the phase diagrams containing d _x ²−y ², d _xy, and (d _x ²−y ²+id _xy) states are constructed in the variables temperature versus chemical potential for different ratios of the corresponding potentials. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 5, 356–360 (10 March 1998)     

Commensurability oscillations and a new phase transition in YBa2Cu3Oy single crystals

Magnetization oscillations due to the commensurability of the vortex and crystal lattice periods in YBa₂Cu₃O_y (y=6.97±0.02) single crystals are investigated using a high angular resolution magnetometer. A sharp peak in the temperature dependence of the oscillation amplitude as well as other features in the behavior of the oscillation amplitude and of the irreversible magnetization are observed at T _f ∼60 K. It is inferred that T _f is the temperature of a transition of the solid vortex state to a smectic phase. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 69, No. 11, 832–837 (10 June 1999)