Low-temperature heat capacity of ErxY1−xRh4B4

Resistivity and specific heat data have been used to establish the presence of antiferromagnetic transitions in the Er_xY_1−xRh₄B₄ system for concentrations x=0.1 and 0.3. The relationship of these transitions to the general magnetic and superconducting phase diagram for this pseudoternary system is discussed.     

Low temperature electrical transport in La1−xNdxNiO3−δ

We have investigated low temperature electrical transport in La_1−xNd_xNiO_3−δ perovskite oxide samples. Samples were prepared by a sol–gel method and were characterized by X-ray diffraction and chemical methods. High precision electrical resistivity, magnetoresistance (MR) and electron tunneling conductance measurements were performed. Crystal structure investigations showed a phase transition from rhombohedral to orthorhombic phase at x=0.4. In the orthorhombic phase Ni–O–Ni bond angle was found to depend very sensitively on the value of x; as the value of x increases Ni–O–Ni bond angle decreases resulting in the tilting of NiO₆ octahedra. A Correlation between the Ni–O–Ni bond angle and electrical transport has been observed. The analysis of the electrical resistivity data showed the presence of disorder driven quantum correction effects, namely e–e interactions and weak localization, in the system. A dip in the tunneling density of states and negative MR also suggest the presence of e–e interaction and weak localization effects in the system.     

Magnetic properties and specific heat of Tm1−xLuxCu2Si2

The tetragonal TmCu₂Si₂ compound is the only magnetically ordered material of the RECu₂Si₂ group for which crystal field parameters were determined. Quadrupole splitting measured by means of Mössbauer spectroscopy showed that two lowest lying states are nonmagnetic singlets. Therefore, this material is likely to have an induced magnetic moment, mainly due to mixing of the two lowest states. We performed specific heat and magnetic susceptibility measurements of Tm_1−xLu_xCu₂Si₂ (x = 0, 0.025, 0.050, 0.10, 0.25, 0.50 and 1) alloys to determine the crystal field level scheme and compare it with the Mössbauer data. The saturation magnetization of the antiferromagnetic phase was calculated to be 3.2 μ_B and the moment is directed along the tetragonal c axis. No direct experimental evidence is known to support this prediction.     

Low temperature acoustic properties in YBa2Cu3O7−δ

Temperature dependencies of acoustic lossesQ ^–1 and of relative sound velocity change v/v in YBa₂Cu₃O_7– up to 60 K are calculated by the tunneling model theory. The tunneling systems are related to the off-centered positions of the apical oxygen atoms O(A) and are described through the pseudo-Jahn-Teller effect. Tunneling systems' parameters are distributed in narrow range of values and are in correspondence with the experimentally observed infrared phonon spectra and thermal ellipsoids of O(A). Respective relaxation times are calculated by the adapted reaction rate method. The calculatedQ ^–1(T) and v(T)/v dependencies are in good agreement with the experimental data, which is an additional support to the conclusion about the existence of tunneling systems in YBa₂Cu₃O_7– due to the pseudo Jahn-Teller effect.     

Critical temperature and orthorhombicity of Y2Ba4Cu7O15−δ

Superconducting properties have been systematically studied for oxygen content controlled Y₂Ba₄O₇O_15?δ (Y247) polycrystalline bulks sintered under various conditions, 940–975 °C and P(O₂) = 4–16 atm. T_c of oxygen annealed Y247 samples at 400 °C varied largely depending on the sintering conditions from ～60 to ～90 K. Samples sintered under higher P(O₂) exhibited lower T_c, whereas they were confirmed to be of Y247 single phase by powder X-ray analyses. Strong relationship between orthorhombicity defined as 1000(b ? a)/(a + b) and T_c was found in Y247 as in the cases of REBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ with light rare-earth elements, such as La, Nd, Sm, Eu and Gd. In addition, T_c‘s of samples with nominal compositions of Y_2+xBa_4?xO₇O_15?δ systematically decreased with an increase of x. These results indicated that partial substitution of Y for Ba occurred in the Y247 compounds possibly due to high occupancy ratio of oxygen at the Cu–O_1-δ chain during the sintering process.     

Specific heat of Na1−x V2O5 single crystals

Temperature dependences of the specific heat C and the magnetic susceptibility χ of Na_1?x V₂O₅ single crystals (x=0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, and 0.04) are studied. In NaV₂O₅, the transition to the spin-gap state (T _c =34 K) is accompanied by a sharp decrease in χ, while C exhibits a λ-shaped anomaly. At low temperatures, the specific heat of NaV₂O₅ is approximated by the sum of phonon ～T ³ and magnon ～exp(?Δ/T) contributions, which makes it possible to estimate the Debye temperature Θ_D=336 K and the gap in the magnetic excitation spectrum Δ=112 K. With the departure from stoichiometry, the anomalies observed in the behavior of χ and C are spread and shifted to lower temperatures. The low-temperature specific heat of nonstoichiometric samples is determined by the sum of phonon and magnon components and the contribution due to the presence of defects. The values of magnetic entropy characterizing the phase transitions in Na_1?x V₂O₅ are calculated.     

Specific heat of Eu x Sr1−x Te

In this paper, we report on measurements of the specific heatC of single-crystalline Eu _x Sr_1–x Te at temperatures between 60 mK and 15 K and in magnetic fields up to 6 T. Pure antiferromagnetic EuTe shows unusual critical behavior in the vicinity of the Néel temperatureT _N=9.8 K with a positive critical exponent instead of the 3d-Heisenberg exponent =–0.12. Possible reasons for this discrepancy between theory and experiment include magnetic anisotropy effects due to magnetic dipole-dipole interactions, which may give rise to a cross-over of the critical behavior very close toT _N. This anisotropy is also seen in the specific heat below 1 K where an exponential decay ofC is observed, and in the dependence of the magnetic susceptibility on the direction of the applied field. With increasing dilution of EuTe with nonmagnetic Sr, the critical behavior changes: becomes negative and decreases continuously towards –1 atxx _c. This concentration dependence of was previously observed in the diluted ferromagnetic system Eu _x Sr_1–x S. Our data thus support that the apparent change in the critical behavior depends on the degree of disorder. Samples with concentrationx lower than the critical concentrationx _c reveal spin-glass behavior in the specific heat. In addition, the dependence ofT _N on magnetic fields is discussed. The data yield a normalized magnetic phase boundaryB _c(T)/B_c(T=0) vs.T _N(B)/T_N(B=0) which is independent of concentration.     

Low temperature photoluminescence properties of p- and n-type Al x Ga1−x As withx>0.42

The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of n- and p-type Al _x Ga_1−x As (x>0.42) grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) and liquid phase epitaxy show typically a broad PL band (BB) centered about 300meV below the near band-gap PL lines. In the MOVPE grown samples the BB is composed out of four lines. The BB intensity increases with the doping level and dominates the spectrum at concentrations > 10¹⁷ cm⁻³. The temperature dependence of the BB intensity shows two distinct maxima at ≈ 19K and ≈ 80K. Hydrogenation of MOVPE grown samples at 170°C reveal an effective passivation of the shallow acceptors and the centers associated with the BB line. On the contrary hydrogenation at temperatures >250°C leads to an increase in the BB intensity which is related with the evaporation of As from the surface and the generation of V_As in the layers at these temperatures. Our results suggest that the BB is related with isoelectronic centers formed when V_As and C_As or Si_As associate to form next nearest neighbor ion pairs. The PL is then due to a recombination of excitons in analogy to the case of (Zn, O) isoelectronic complexes in GaP. Presented at the 1st Czech-Chinese Workshop “Advanced Materials for Optoelectronics”, Prague, Czech Republic, June 13–17, 1998. This work was supported by the DFG under the contract AZ 436 TSE 113/22/0 in the framework of the cooperation between the DFG and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.     

Approximate formulas of temperature and stress distributions and thermal induced effects in a heat capacity slab laser

Approximate formulas of transient temperature and stress distributions in the slab of a two-side pumped heat capacity laser are attained by solving the heat diffusion equation. Based on the formulas, the distributions of temperature and stress during the pump period of a two-sided symmetrically laser diode array (LDA) pumped Nd:GGG slab laser with 5-kW average output power are numerically simulated. The results show that the temperature in the slab will averagely increase by more than 70 ℃ after operating for 10 seconds; the stress and maximum of the temperature difference in the slab are about 30 MPa and 24 ℃, respectively. The thermal induced effects are discussed also.     

High-Moment-Low-Moment Description of Magnetovolume Effects in Y(Mn x Al 1− x ) 2 and Y x Sc 1− x Mn 2

Based on the assumption of a high-moment-low-moment instability of the Mn atom, we construct a simple spin model with coupled magnetic and spatial degrees of freedom to describe the Laves phase systems Y(Mn x Al 1 m x ) 2 and Y x Sc 1 m x Mn 2 . Monte Carlo simulations of this model qualitatively reproduce anomalies observed in these materials like a discontinuous giant volume change and anomalous thermal expansion behavior.     

Effect of temperature on the band structure of MnxHg1−xSe

The band structure of the solid solutions Mn_xHg_1–xSe is constructed on the basis of the band parameters obtained from the electrophysical and optical investigations of these solid solutions. It is shown that the band structure of Mn_xHg_1–xSe and the dynamics of the bands as a function of the composition and temperature are analogous to those for Cd_xHg_1–xTe. It is shown that the variation of the nonparabolicity of the band spectrum of Mn_xHg_1–xSe as a function of the temperature greatly affects the temperature coefficient of the change of the width of the optical forbidden band (d_gop/dT).Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 4, pp. 40–44, April, 1991.     

Low temperature structure of FeSr2YCu2O6+δ magnetic superconductor

FeSr₂YCu₂O_6+δ with the tetragonal Ba₂YCu₃O_6+δ-type structure exhibits superconductivity around 60 K, when it is properly annealed in N₂ and subsequently in O₂. This compound also exhibits antiferromagnetic order of Fe around 20 K. We have performed neutron powder diffraction of the FeSr₂YCu₂O_6+δ system at low temperature to investigate the relation between the crystal structure and the physical properties. Neutron diffraction study indicates that this compound does not have the structure phase transition due to the tilt of the FeO₆ octahedron differently from the RuSr₂GdCu₂O₈ magnetic superconductor with the same structure, and that the magnetic order in FeSr₂YCu₂O_6+δ is not long-range order, because we can observe no extra reflection due to the crystal and magnetic superstructure.     

Specific heat of EuxSr1−xO near the ferromagnetic phase transition

High-resolution measurements of the specific heat,C, near the ferromagnetic phase transition of the diluted ferromagnetic system Eu_xSr_1–xO are reported. Samples with four different concentrations (x=1,x=0.9,x=0.7 andx=0.5) have been studied and the expected phase diagram, i.e. the linear decrease ofT _c with decreasingx, is confirmed. Our specific-heat data of the pure EuO samples yield a critical exponent =–0.12±0.02 in contrast to literature results, but in agreement with the value expected theoretically for this three-dimensional Heisenberg system. The origin of the discrepancies is traced down to differences in data analysis.     

Low temperature vibrational relaxation of OD in the A2Σ, state

The vibrational relaxation of the A ²Σ state of OD has been studied in the low translational temperature environment of an argon free-jet (T_trans near 5 K). Using laser induced fluorescence (LIF), the absolute vibrational relaxation rate coefficients were measured for OD A²Σ (ν′) to be 7.1 ± 2.6 × 10^?11, 5.9 ± 1.4 × 10^?11, and 2.7 ± 1.1 × 10^?11 cm³ s^?1 for the ν = 3, 2 and 1 states, respectively. State-to-state relaxation rate coefficients were also obtained for the ν= 1, ? = 1 level going to ν= 0, ? levels in the A²Σ manifold. The rotational relaxation rate coefficient for ν= 1, ?= 1 in the A state of OD was found to be 9.6 ± 1.0 × 10^?11cm³s^?1. These values are consistent with values measured for OH A²Σ, and the total loss rates are near the capture rate coefficient value. The vibrational relaxation rate coefficients k_ν appear to be governed by the vibrational energy of the molecule rather then by interaction with nearby dissociative states such as the a⁴Σ state. The relative Einstein A factors for the A²σ (ν = 3) state of OD were determined and compared with the available calculated value.     

Transport properties of YBa2−xLayCu3On high temperature superconductors

The lattice parameters of the defect and La(III) substituted YBa_2–xLa_yCu₃O_n (0.05 x0.4,0y0.2) superconductors prepared in presence of the K₂CO₃ flux indicate substitution of La(III) on Ba(II) sites and intercalation of oxygen on 0(5) sites. This is manifested by a lowering ofT _c values. The presence of metastable phases with a sharp drop in resistivity around 200 K, which have been reported by Suzuki et al. (1989) for samples of similar composition, was not confirmed. The conductivity measurements show an increase of resistivity above 673 K, which is a consequence of gradual deoxygenation and the loss of metallic character. The full reversibility of this process in the bulk sample is modified by the oxygen diffusion into the sample.     

Heat capacity of high-purity isotope-enriched germanium-76 in the temperature range of 2–15 K

The heat capacity of high-purity isotopically-enriched germanium Ge-76 has been measured in the range of 2.5–15 K. In this range, the heat capacity of Ge-76 is 6–15% higher than the heat capacity of germanium of the natural isotopic composition, which is determined by a change in the average mass.     

High temperature electrical properties and defect structure of Co1−xMgxO

The electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power of Co_1−xMg_xO solid solutions with x ⩽ 0.85 were investigated in the range 700–1100°C and for oxygen partial pressures in the range 1–10⁻¹⁶ atm. The experimental results show that an ideal point defect model of isolated cobalt vacancies cannot explain nonstoichiometry of Co_1−xMg_xO materials with x, at least, less than 0.3. Furthermore, the hole mobility in Co_1−xMg_xO with x < 0.6 was found to be nonactivated suggesting that holes in these materials are itinerant carriers. For x > 0.6, the mobility is thermally activated indicating a change to small polaron conduction. The experimental evidence for complex defect structure and bandlike conduction in CoO is in agreement with the conclusions of recent theoretical studies of 3-D transition metal monoxides.     

Calculation of the temperature dependence of the thermal emf in amorphous alloys CaxAl1−x and AuxNi1−x

The temperature dependence of the thermal emf of Ca_xAl_1–x and Au_xNi_1–x for four different concentrations of the components of the alloys is calculated on the basis of the concept of dynamic concentrated excitations in amorphous metal systems. It is shown that increasing x from 0.15 to 0.50 in Au_xNi_1–x raises the thermal emf, and a further increase in the Au concentration from 0.50 to 0.80 lowers S(T). For Ca_xAl_1–x the dependence S(T) is calculated in the interval of Ca concentrations from 0.55 to 0.75. In this concentration interval the thermal emf decreases as x is increased. It is shown that for both types of alloys the S(T) curve bends abruptly at a temperature near 10T₀ (where T₀ is the concentration-dependent characteristic temperature of amorphous alloys separating the ranges of strong and weak scattering of electrons by dynamic concentration excitations). The so-called S(T) knee shifts toward lower temperatures when the thermal emf increases with increasing x and toward higher temperatures when S(T) decreases with increasing x. The results agree with experimental data.Institute of Physics of Strength and Materials Science, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences. State University, Tomsk. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 8, pp. 43–48, August, 1994.