Critical behaviour of two slightly uniaxial ferromagnets: Evidence for crossover with anisotropy

The critical exponents β, γ, δ and the scaling function of ferromagnetic Cu(NH₄)₂Br₄, 2H₂O and CuRb₂Br₄, 2H₂O have been determined. The experimental scaling function is close to the theoretical one of three-dimensional Heisenberg model and the scaling laws are approximately fullfilled. The measured susceptibilities agree well with theoretical results for slightly anisotropic Heisenberg ferromagnet. The predicted cross-over effect, well observed on the perpendicular susceptibility, allows to explain the low experimental value of γ.     

Distribution of magnon modes in disordered two dimensional Heisenberg ferro and antiferromagnets

The numerical evaluation of the distribution of magnon modes in disordered two dimensional Heisenberg ferro and antiferromagnets is outlined. Calculations are carried out for 30 × 30 arrays using techniques developed by Dean and Bacon. Detailed results are reported for an amorphous ferromagnet having a Gaussian distribution of exchange integrals and for a substitutionally disordered antiferromagnet resembling K₂Mn_0.5Ni_0.5F₄.     

The possibility of a screw spin ordered state through dipole-dipole interaction

The possibility of a screw spin ordered state of new type is explained. It occurs in a two-dimensional antiferromagnet (ferromagnet) with XY-like anisotropy, by the energy competition of dipole-dipole interaction and inter-plane exchange interaction. The two-dimensional nearly-Heisenberg antiferromagnet CaCu(CH₃COO)₄·6H₂O may be the best fitting case for this model.     

Some applications of polarized inelastic neutron scattering in magnetism

A brief account of applications of polarized inelastic neutron scattering in condensed matter research is given. We show that full polarization analysis is the only tool allowing to discriminate unambiguously between different magnetic modes in various magnetic materials. We show by means of recent results in the Heisenberg ferromagnet EuS that the effects of dipolar interactions can be studied on a microscopic scale. Moreover, we have found for the first time indications for the divergence of the longitudinal fluctuations belowT _c. In the itinerant antiferromagnet chromium we demonstrate that the dynamics of the longitudinal and transverse excitations are very different, resolving a long standing puzzle concerning the slope of their dispersion. Finally, we show that a measurement of the polarization-dependent part of the cross section of non-centrosymmetric MnSi proves directly that the chirality of the magnetic fluctuations is left-handed.     

A theoretical study of the long-range-disorder mixed-spin antiferromagnet L2BaNiO5

In this paper, we introduce a quasi-one-dimensional S = 1 antiferromagnet Heisenberg model, and some physical properties of antiferromagnet L₂BaNiO₅ without antiferromagnet long-range-order above the Néel temperature are analyzed based on the frame of two-time Green’s function theory. In a high temperature region, we calculate the correlation functions, and obtain excitation spectrum along Ni chains and the Haldane gap in this spectrum versus temperature. We find that the short-range correlation still exists at high temperature, which leads to the existence of Haldane gap in excitation spectrum. The increment of excitation energy in the spectrum along the Ni chain is found to be induced by the AF interaction between spins of rare-earth and Ni ions. Additionally, we also find that Haldane gap goes up with temperature increasing.     

Specific heat studies of randomly diluted magnets evidence for fractal properties of the infinite percolation cluster

We present specific heat data on the system Fe_pZn_1-pL₆(ClO₄)₂, which is an experimental realization of the sc, $\text{S =}\text{1}\text{2}$, diluted Ising antiferromagnet. Here L = C₅H₅NO. The results are compared with earlier data on the diluted sc, $\text{S =}\text{1}\text{2}$, XY antiferromagnet Co_pZn_1-pL₆(Cl)₄)₂ and the diluted bcc, $\text{S =}\text{1}\text{2}$, Ising antiferromagnet Co_pZn_1-pCs₃Cl₅. The specific heat behaviour of the diluted Ising systems is found to be completely different from that of the diluted XY magnet, for which very strong short-range order effects have been observed. An explanation is given in terms of the fractal properties of the infinite percolation cluster in the temperature range above T_c(p). It is shown that there exists a strong analogy between the specific heat behaviour of a diluted magnet and that of a system of weakly coupled magnetic chains. In this picture a decrease of p corresponds with a decrease of the coupling between the chains. The differences in behaviour observed between the Ising systems on the one hand, and the (isotropic) XY or Heisenberg systems on the other, can then be explained by the fact that the intrachain correlation length depends exponentially on temperature for the Ising chain, whereas it depends much less strongly on temperature (∝ 1/T) for the XY and Heisenberg chains.     

Hyperfine interaction in a quantum spin chain

From an electron spin resonance measurement on a single crystal sample of theS=1 linear chain Heisenberg antiferromagnet Ni(C₃H₁₀N₂)₂NO₂ClO₄ (NINO) containing a small amount of Cu impurity atoms, we have observed two sets of four hyperfine lines, one of which has almost three times larger field splitting than the other. The hyperfine lines are well explained as arising from the hyperfine interaction between the Cu nuclear spin andthe Cu electron spin which interact with theS=1/2 degrees of freedom induced at the Ni sites by the quantum effect. A large anisotropy in the hyperfine constant is observed andanalyzed using a ligand field theory with covalency effects.     

Magnetic field effect on the susceptibility of a Heisenberg ferromagnet CuK2Cl4.2H2O near the critical point

The results on the investigation of the susceptibility for the Heisenberg ferromagnet CuK₂Cl₄.2H₂O in the magnetic field are reported. The susceptibility divergence at the critical temperature in the magnetic field is shown to transform into susceptibility anomalies of two types, their shifts being approximated by the power functions with indices ω = 2.6 and ? = 0.58. The experimental data support the assumption about the complex critical temperature. The regions for the existence of phases with uniform and non-uniform magnetizations are determined.     

Quasi-one-dimensional spin chains in CuSiO3: an EPR study

Temperature-dependent electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies were performed on CuSiO₃. This recently discovered compound is isostructural with the spin-Peierls compound CuGeO₃. The EPR signals show characteristics different from those of CuGeO₃ and are due to Cu²⁺ spins located along quasi one-dimensional chains. ForT>8.2 K the spin susceptibility closely follows the predictions of anS=1/2 one-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet withJ/k _B=21 K. BelowT=8.2 K the spin susceptibility immediately drops to zero indicating long-range magnetic order.     

On the Threshold of Long-Range Magnetic Order: UNi2/3Rh1/3Al and UCoAl Study

We present a comparative study of magnetism in UCoAl and UNi_2/3Rh_1/3Al single crystals. UCoAl is commonly believed to be an itinerant 5 f-electron metamagnet with B _c < 1 T with uniaxial anisotropy. Pressure and alloying effects on the ground state point to competing ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions to be responsible for the non-magnetic ground state. UNi_2/3Rh_1/3Al is a solid solution between an antiferromagnet (UNiAl) and a ferromagnet (URhAl) and may have a similar underlying microscopic mechanism of the non-magnetic ground state. Possible analogies between the two compounds are discussed.     

NDMAP: the best material to study the Haldane's prediction

As predicted by Haldane, spin, S=1 one-dimensional (1D) Heisenberg antiferromagnet (HAF) has an energy gap between the singlet ground state and first excited triplet. On application of magnetic field, the triplet state Zeeman splits and the energy of one of the triplet state becomes zero at a critical field, H_c. Above H_c the system recovers magnetism. Then, we expect that a quasi-1D HAF will show a magnetic long-range ordering (LRO) at low temperatures due to the inter-chain coupling. This field-induced LRO has not been observed before due to complication of the crystal structure in the materials studied so far and/or technical difficulty.From a heat capacity measurement on a single crystal of an S=1 quasi-Q1D HAF, Ni(C₅H₁₄N₂)₂N₃(PF₆), we found an anomaly at a temperature in finite fields indicating a field-induced phase transition. A magnetic LRO is confirmed by a neutron diffraction measurement on the same sample. The temperature versus magnetic field phase diagram of this compound is constructed and discussed.     

Spin-waves in Heisenberg ferro- and antiferromagnet

We report the result of the spin-wave spectrum, magnetic susceptibility, specific heat and short range correlation for one and two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet and ferromagnet by using the variational theory at finite temperatures. The spin-wave spectrum in one-dimensional antiferromagnet at T = 0, is in good agreement with the exact theory of Cloizeaux and Pearson.     

Magnetism,exchange and crystal field parameters in the orbitally unquenched Ising antiferromagnet FePS3

FePS₃ is a layered antiferromagnet (T _N=123 K) with a marked Ising anisotropy in magnetic properties. The anisotropy arises from the combined effect of the trigonal distortion from octahedral symmetry and spin-orbit coupling on the orbitally degenerate⁵ T _2g ground state of the Fe²⁺ ion. The anisotropic paramagnetic susceptibilities are interpreted in terms of the zero field Hamiltonian, ℋ=Σ_i [δ(L _iz ² −2)+|λ|L _i .S _i ]−Σ _ij J _ij S _i .S _j . The crystal field trigonal distortion parameter Δ, the spin-orbit coupling λ and the isotropic Heisenberg exchange,J _ij, were evaluated from an analysis of the high temperature paramagnetic susceptibility data using the Correlated Effective Field (CEF) theory for many-body magnetism developed by Lines. Good agreement with experiment were obtained for Δ/k=215.5 K; λ/k=166.5 K;J _nn k=27.7 K; andJ _nnn k=−2.3 K. Using these values of the crystal field and exchange parameters the CEF predicts aT _N=122 K for FePS₃, which is remarkably close to the observed value of theT _N. The accuracy of the CEF approximation was also ascertained by comparing the calculated susceptibilities in the CEF with the experimental susceptibility for the isotropic Heisenberg layered antiferromagnet MnPS₃, for which the high temperature series expansion susceptibility is available.     

Spin correlations in the two-dimensional spin-5/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet

We report a neutron scattering study of the instantaneous spin correlations in the two-dimensional spin S =5/2 square-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet Rb₂MnF₄. The measured correlation lengths are quantitatively described, with no adjustable parameters, by high-temperature series expansion results and by a theory based on the quantum self-consistent harmonic approximation. Conversely, we find that the data, which cover the range from about 1 to 50 lattice constants, are outside of the regime corresponding to renormalized classical behavior of the quantum non-linear model. In addition, we observe a crossover from Heisenberg to Ising critical behavior near the Néel temperature; this crossover is well described by a mean-field model with no adjustable parameters. Received: 3 March 1998 / Received in final form: 4 May 1998 / Accepted: 19 May 1998     

Spin dynamics for 2d Heisenberg antiferromagnets with combined easy-plane and Dzyaloshinsky interactions

We investigate the spin dynamics of the classical two-dimensional easy-plane Heisenberg antiferromagnet with an additional Dzyaloshinsky interaction, which serves as a simple model for Langmuir-Blodgett films of Mn (C₁₈H₃₅O₂)₂. By mapping the system onto a pure easy-plane model we discuss the corresponding spin wave and vortex dynamics. The additional Dzyaloshinsky interaction forces all spins to cant in a certain direction, which is the same for neighboring spins on different sublattices. This canting causes the presence of a second spin wave peak in the dynamical in-plane correlation function below the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition temperature T_KT and a second vortex central peak above T_KT. Using a vortex gas approach we explicitly calculate the contribution of the free vortices to several dynamical correlation functions. These results are compared to a combined Monte Carlo-Molecular Dynamics simulation on square lattices with different sizes. We also discuss the relevance of this simple model for describing the spin dynamics of Mn (C₁₈H₃₅O₂)₂.     

Quantum anisotropic Heisenberg triangular antiferromagnet: application to CsCuCl3

Triangular anisotropic Heisenberg antiferromagnet shares with the triangular planar antiferromagnet the rich phenomenology found in presence of an external magnetic field. The physical interest in the triangular Heisenberg model is obvious because the planar model has not the quantum analogous one and, more seriously, it does not allow out-of-plane fluctuations so that it provides a very rough representation of actual magnetic insulators. Indeed, we show that magnetic resonance data on CsCuCl₃ are satisfactorily understood on the basis of the properties of the quantum triangular Heisenberg antiferromagnet with easy-plane exchange anisotropy.     

Multiple antiferromagnet/ferromagnet interfaces as a probe of grain-size-dependent exchange bias in polycrystalline Co/Fe50Mn50

We have used ferromagnet/antiferromagnet/ferromagnet trilayers and ferromagnet/antiferromagnet multilayers to probe the grain size dependence of exchange bias in polycrystalline Co/Fe₅₀Mn₅₀. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy show that the Fe₅₀Mn₅₀ (FeMn) grain size increases with increasing FeMn thickness in the Co (30 Å)/FeMn system. Hence, in Co(30 Å)/FeMn(t_AF Å)/Co(30 Å) trilayers the two Co layers sample different FeMn grain sizes at the two antiferromagnet/ferromagnet interfaces. For FeMn thicknesses above 100 Å, where simple bilayers have a thickness-independent exchange bias, we are therefore able to deduce the influence of FeMn grain size on the exchange bias and coercivity (and their temperature dependence) simply by measuring trilayer and multilayer samples with varying FeMn thicknesses. This can be done while maintaining the (1 1 1) orientation, and with little variation in interface roughness. Increasing the average grain size from 90 to 135 Å results in a fourfold decrease in exchange bias, following an inverse grain size dependence. We interpret the results as being due to a decrease in uncompensated spin density with increasing antiferromagnet grain size, further evidence for the importance of defect-generated uncompensated spins.