Anomalous ferromagnetism in manganites by finite block spin phenomenology

We investigate the relation between ferromagnetism and spin glasses which have been observed in manganese oxides.We want to explain the spin-glass phase on the basis of finite-sized block spin concepts.Then the phase of colossal ferromagnetism in manganites may be considered as the ferromagnetic ordering between block spins comprised of many random spins with respective majority spin directions. Using the Curie law for block spins, the magnetization and susceptibility are obtained in the lower-temperature and higher-temperature approximations of Brillouin function. The resistivity is also obtained from the electric susceptibility.     

Reentrant spin glass behaviour in Nd0.84K0.12MnO3

Polycrystalline Nd_0.84K_0.12MnO₃ was prepared in single phase form with Pbnm space group. The magnetic properties are studied from magnetization, linear and non-linear susceptibility, and thermoremanent magnetization measurements. The sample exhibits paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition followed by low temperature spin glass like transition. From frequency variation of ac susceptibility measurements, the spin glass transition temperature is found to be 97.6±0.1 K with critical exponents zυ=1.13±0.06. The critical exponent γ corresponding to spin glass transition has been determined from the third harmonic susceptibility analysis and it is found to be 3.09±0.05. The effective number of spins blocked under frustration and their correlation length are determined from the analysis of thermoremanent magnetization.     

On the behavior of static susceptibilities in spin glasses

Linear and nonlinear susceptibilities of spin glasses in thermal equilibrium are qualitatively discussed in terms of magnetic short-range order. The apparent discrepancy between theoretical results, implying lack of Edwards-Anderson order and hence a divergence of the susceptibility at zero temperature, and experiments showing a susceptibility saturating at finite values, is considered. It is suggested that the susceptibility must indeed have a static maximum if the system exhibits a (frustrated) ferromagnetic phase with a reentrant phase boundary. At the reentrancy point, some exponents of the ferromagnet take twice their normal value, and hence a crossover near this point occurs similar to multicritical points. These observations are used to interpret a number of recent experiments, and it is shown that neither of them proves the existence of a static spin glass phase. As a quantitative example of gradual onset of order without a phase transition in three-dimensional systems, numerical results for susceptibility and specific heat of the fully frustrated Ising fcc antiferromagnet at its critical field are given.Finally the possible coexistence of spin-glass behavior and ferromagnetic long-range order in vector spin glasses with short-range interactions is discussed. Speculative arguments suggest that even for time-scales for which the spins are frozen such a coexistence should not occur, if interactions off-diagonal in the spin components (such as of dipolar origin) are included.     

Cluster phase transition in insulating spin glass Ga0.4Fe0.6NiAlO4

Mössbauer effect, a.c. susceptibility and magnetisation studies (4.2≦T≦350 K, ?20≦H≦20 kOe) show that in the mixed spined ferrite Ga_0.4Fe_0.6NiAlO₄, spin freezing occurs via cluster formation. As in some other insulating spin glasses, the spin glass phase diagram transitions occur not for individual spins but for clusters whose effective spins’ transverse and longitudinal components successively freeze. The presence of entropic spins and the centre shift of the field cooled hysteresis loop confirm the system’s frustrated nature.     

On the dynamic nature of the freezing process in Ising spin glasses

The distribution of local moments in a two dimensional Ising spin glass with short range Gaussian interactions is investigated by Monte Carlo simulations. Below the freezing temperatureT _f , this distribution has a sharp peak at the saturated moment. The spins can clearly be characterized by a fractionq of frozen spins and 1-q of fast spins which are in thermal equilibrium. Just belowT _f the frozen spins appear in small clusters; the spin glass transition isnot a percolation process. Our results support the local and nonequilibrium character of the spin glass transition.q is related to the remanent magnetization (TRM), the linear response and the field cooled susceptibility. As a consequence magnetic resonance experiments should see, in addition to a broad background, a sharp line splitting whose position does not shift with temperature.     

Some recent developments in spin glasses

I give some experimental and theoretical background to spin glasses, and then discuss the nature of the phase transition in spin glasses withvector spins. Results of Monte Carlo simulations of the Heisenberg spin glass model in three dimensions are presented. A finite-size scaling analysis of the correlation length of the spins and chiralities shows that there is a single, finite-temperature transition at which both spins and chiralities order.     

Differential susceptibility of spin glass - ferromagnetic systems

The differential susceptibility of double transition spin glass - ferromagnets is calculated as a function of temperature and external field based upon the theory by Sherrington and Kirkpatrick. Good agreement with experiments on the $\text{Pd}$FeMn system has been obtained.     

Thermodynamics of a quasi-one-dimensional spin system for molecule-based ferrimagnets

A physical picture of electron spin alignments in organic molecule-based ferrimagnets is given from numerical calculations of magnetic specific heat (C) and magnetic susceptibility (χ) as functions of temperature and static magnetic field (B) in terms of an Ising Hamiltonian for an alternating spin chain. The double-peak structure of specific heat appears for different parameter ratios and different magnetic field B, indicating that one peak originates from the ferromagnetic nature and the other from the antiferromagnetic nature. Meanwhile, we study successively the influence of intermolecular and intramolecular interaction on the magnetic susceptibility, showing that the ferromagnetic spin alignment in the alternating molecular chains of biradicals and monoradicals is equivalent to the ferromagnetic alignment of the effective S=1/2 spins. Our results are consistent with those of the Quantum Monte Carlo simulations and the exact diagonalization method and in qualitative agreement with the experimental ones.     

Cluster spin glass behaviour of mixed spinel ferrite Ga0.8Fe0.2NiCrO4

Mössbauer effect, d. c. magnetisation and a. c. susceptibility measurements in disordered spinel ferrite Ga_0.8Fe_0.2NiCrO₄ (0.3≦T≦300 K, ?12≦H (external field) ≦12 kOe) show it to be a cluster spin glass where Gabay-Toulouse phase diagram transitions occur not for individual spins but for groups of correlated spins (clusters) whose effective spin's transverse and longitudinal components successively freeze.     

Low energy excitations in spin glasses

We discuss the nature of excitations that govern the low temperature thermodynamic behaviour of spin glasses and propose that the spin glass state is a space-time dependent ground state of a system of interacting spins wherein rotational invariance is broken spontaneously.     

Quantum HeisenbergS=1/2 spin glass with ferromagnetic coupling and random Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions

By means of the generalized static replica symmetric spin glass theory, a quantum HeisenbergS=1/2 spin glass model with the infinite-ranged random Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction and ferromagnetic coupling is investigated. The dependence of entropy, specific heat, susceptibility and the corresponding order parameters on temperature is studied numerically for different ferromagnetic interactions and fixed anisotropy. Two spin glass phases has been found including transverse and mixed spin glass phases. It has been shown that the local susceptibility exhibits double-cusp features for different ferromagnetic coupling (J ₀). Phase transition poins are found in the specific heat-temperature plane at various ferromagnetic coupling values. Additionally, the dependence of the spontaneous moment on temperature is calculated.     

Antiferromagnetic Ising spin glass competing with BCS pairing interaction in a transverse field

The competition among spin glass (SG), antiferromagnetism (AF) and local pairing superconductivity (PAIR) is studied in a two-sublattice fermionic Ising spin glass model with a local BCS pairing interaction in the presence of an applied magnetic transverse field Γ. In the present approach, spins in different sublattices interact with a Gaussian random coupling with an antiferromagnetic mean J₀ and standard deviation J. The problem is formulated in the path integral formalism in which spin operators are represented by bilinear combinations of Grassmann variables. The saddle-point Grand Canonical potential is obtained within the static approximation and the replica symmetric ansatz. The results are analysed in phase diagrams in which the AF and the SG phases can occur for small g (g is the strength of the local superconductor coupling written in units of J), while the PAIR phase appears as unique solution for large g. However, there is a complex line transition separating the PAIR phase from the others. It is second order at high temperature that ends in a tricritical point. The quantum fluctuations affect deeply the transition lines and the tricritical point due to the presence of Γ.     

Signature of the ground-state topology in the low-temperature dynamics of spin glasses

We numerically address the issue of how the ground-state topology is reflected in the finite temperature dynamics of the +/-J Edwards-Anderson spin glass model. In this system a careful study of the ground-state configurations allows us to classify spins into two sets: solidary and nonsolidary spins. We show that these sets quantitatively account for the dynamical heterogeneities found in the mean flipping time distribution at finite low temperatures. The results highlight the relevance of taking into account the ground-state topology in the analysis of the finite temperature dynamics of spin glasses.     

Extended scaling in the magnetic critical phenomenology of the σ-phase Fe0.53-Cr0.47 and Fe0.52-V0.48 alloys

The magnetization of the sigma-phase Fe(0.53)Cr(0.47) and Fe(0.52)V(0.48) alloys was studied as a function of temperature and field. The experiments show that both materials behave magnetically as re-entrant spin glass systems. Field versus temperature diagrams were obtained where the locations of the paramagnetic phase, the intermediate ferromagnetic-like phase and the spin glass fundamental state were displayed. These diagrams are in qualitative agreement with the predictions of the mean field theory for the interplay between the ferromagnetic and spin glass orderings. The critical phenomenology near the para-ferromagnetic transition could be investigated. It was found that the paramagnetic susceptibility is quite well described by the extended scaling scheme, where the reduced temperature is written as τ = (T - T(c))/T. The value obtained for the susceptibility critical exponent γ is intermediate between the prediction of the 3D Heisenberg universality class and the large values observed in spin glasses, as previously found in other re-entrant systems. The data do not confirm the validity of the extended scaling in the ferromagnetic-like phase. Using either the conventional or extended scaling protocols, the exponents β and δ were found to have values close to those reported for spin glass transitions. Despite the relevance of disorder and the anomalous values determined for β, γ and δ, the Widom scaling relation holds as an equality.     

The simplest spin glass

We study a system of Ising spins with quenched random infinite ranged p-spin interactions. For p → ∞, we can solve this model exactly either by a direct microcanonical argument, or through the introduction of replicas and Parisi's ultrametric ansatz for replica symmetry breaking, or by means of TAP mean field equations. Although the model is extremely simple it retains the characteristic features of a spin glass. We use it to confirm the methods that have been applied in more complicated situations and to explicitlu exhibit the structure of the spin glass phase.     

Domain-wall spin dynamics in kagome antiferromagnets

We report magnetization and neutron scattering measurements down to 60 mK on a new family of Fe based kagome antiferromagnets, in which a strong local spin anisotropy combined with a low exchange path network connectivity lead to domain walls intersecting the kagome planes through strings of free spins. These produce unfamiliar slow spin dynamics in the ordered phase, evolving from exchange-released spin flips towards a cooperative behavior on decreasing the temperature, probably due to the onset of long-range dipolar interaction. A domain structure of independent magnetic grains is obtained that could be generic to other frustrated magnets.     

Evolution of spin clusters from the spin glass region inAuFe

Zero field Mössbauer spectra (4.2–40 K) have been obtained onAuFe alloys containing 5 and 10 at %Fe in differing metallurgical states. Graphs of the reduced magnetic hyperfine field versus reduced temperature have been compared With Brillouin curves. This comparison shows that the heat treated 5 at %Fe sample is essentially a homogeneous spin glass whereas the behaviour of the heat treated 10 at %Fe sample and alloys in an as rolled (atomically clustered) state can be better described by the additional presence of magnetic clusters of spins.     

Helical nuclear spin order in a strip of stripes in the quantum Hall regime

We investigate nuclear spin effects in a two-dimensional electron gas in the quantum Hall regime modeled by a weakly coupled array of interacting quantum wires. We show that the presence of hyperfine interaction between electron and nuclear spins in such wires can induce a phase transition, ordering electrons and nuclear spins into a helix in each wire. Electron-electron interaction effects, pronounced within the one-dimensional stripes, boost the transition temperature up to tens to hundreds of millikelvins in GaAs. We predict specific experimental signatures of the existence of nuclear spin order, for instance for the resistivity of the system at transitions between different quantum Hall plateaus.     

Non-equilibrium dynamics in 3d spin glasses

The random spin structure of a quenched spin glass experiences a continuous re-structuring in the low-temperature spin glass phase; the spin glass ages. Some recent experimental studies of relaxation and temperature dependence of the low-frequency AC-susceptibility and DC-magnetisation have given essential new information on which are the governing physical parameters for the spontaneous re-construction of the spin configuration. These results are briefly reviewed and put into the context of a phenomenological real space picture of the spin glass phase. This picture includes: domains of spin glass ordered regions that use spontaneous droplet excitations as the only mechanism for their growth at constant temperature, chaos with temperature and overlap on short length scales between the equilibrium states at two different temperatures.     

Superconductivity of spin glasses

The coexistence of superconducting and spin glass phases is investigated. The dependence of the phase transition temperature in the spin glass state both on the impurity concentration and the superconductivity state is given. The influence of the spin glass phase on the renormalized frequency and the order parameter of the conduction electrons is determined.