Kondo effect and impurity-impurity interaction in (La,Ce)B6 alloys

Measurements of the magnetic susceptibility between 0.03 and 300 K and of the magnetization between 0.05 and 10K for magnetic fields up to 60kOe have been used to investigate effects from the interaction between the conduction electrons and local magnetic moments in (La_1–x Ce _x )B₆ alloys (0.0007x0.10). For Ce concentrationsx<0.006 the data show Kondo-type single impurity behavior at low temperatures with a transition from a magnetic to a non-magnetic regime of the Ce ions. In the magnetic regime the impurity susceptibility follows a Curie-Weiss law, and in the non-magnetic regime it varies withT ². An external magnetic field gradually restores the free-ion behavior of the Ce impurities. For more concentrated alloys interactions between the impurities are observed. The RKKY interaction strength derived is more than two orders of magnitude smaller than in the Kondo systemCuFe. Values of thes–f exchange integral,J, estimated from both the Kondo effect and the RKKY interactions are in good agreement. The relatively high Kondo temperature, in spite of a smallJ, can be explained by a density-of-states argument. The influence of crystal field excitation on the susceptibility is also discussed.     

Low temperature specific heats of very dilute alloys of Ce in Al

Measurements of the specific heat of two alloys of Ce (0.00275 and 0.0121 at % Ce) in Al have been made in the region 0.3<T<3.8 K. Within the limits of detection (<1 ppm), the alloys contained no metallic impurities other than Ce and their homogeneity was checked by neutron activation analysis. For the alloys in their normal electronic states, the change/c was found to be 6±3 and 3.5±1.5mJ/at% K². The behavior of the alloys in their superconducting states (e.g.: the shift ofT _c with the concentration of Ce; the correlation betweenT _C/T_C0 andC/C ₀) indicates the existence of short-lived local moments associated with the Ce impurities.     

Hall effect in CeAl3

We have studied temperature dependences of the Hall coefficient R_H(T) and resistivity ?(T) in substitutional solid solutions Ce_xLa_1?xAl₃ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) which realize the transition from Kondo impurity regime (X?1) to Kondo lattice (X = 1). Lowering temperature results in the anomalous increase of R_H(T). The ratio r = R_H(3 K)/R_H(100 K) has been found to increase with cerium content up to the r ? 15 in the marginal compound CeAl₃. The specific features of R_H(T) behaviour in Ce_xLa_1?xAl₃ alloys seem to be related to the existence at low temperatures of heavy fermions due to the formation of the narrow Abrikosov-Suhl resonance at the Fermi level.     

Approach to saturation of the magnetization of dilute AuFe alloys

We present a reinterpretation of our recent measurements of the magnetic properties of some dilute AuFe alloys. We find that the observed approach to saturation of the magnetization for these AuFe alloys can be understood if both single-impurity (Kondo) effects and effects due to interactions between impurities via the Rudeman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction, V(r) = (V₀ cos 2k_Fr)/r³, are properly included in the analysis. The analysis yields for the strength of the RKKY interaction V₀ = (1.1 ± 0.3) × 10^-36ergcm³, for the s-d exchange parameter |J| = (1.9 ± 0.3) eV, and for the Kondo temperature T_K = (0.8 ± 0.1) K. We conclude that mean free path effects do not significantly influence the observed approach to saturation of the magnetization for the AuFe alloys studied.     

Magnetoresistivity of the Kondo-system (La,Ce)B6

The electrical resistivity of the Kondo system (La, Ce)B₆ has been measured in longitudinal and transversal magnetic fields up to 6 Tesla in the temperature range 0.04–20K. Corresponding to the strong increase of the resistivity with decreasing temperature the alloys show a very large negative magnetoresistivity with a Kondo temperatureT _K =1.05K and a Kondo magnetic fieldB _K =1.1 Tesla. The observed anisotropy of the resistivity due to the magnetic field direction cannot be explained well by existing theories.     

A correlation between the two ratios γ/χ(0) and |Jm|/TK in Kondo system

Using the approach based on molecular field calculations for resonant level model; a close relationship between the two ratios γ/χ(0) and |J_m|/T_K is obtained. Where γ represents the electronic contribution in the specific heat, χ(0) is the susceptibility at zero temperature, J_m is the molecular field parameter and T_K is the Kondo temperature.     

Magnetic susceptibility of (La,Ce) Al2 alloys

The low-field magnetic susceptibility of (La, Ce)Al₂ alloys with 1–20 at-% Ce was measured between 0.04 and 4 K. Up to 1.5 at-% Ce the impurity contribution to the susceptibility exhibits features which can be described in terms of a combined influence of the crystalline electric field and the Kondo effect. At very low temperatures the onset of interactions between the Ce impurities is indicated. The impurity coupling interactions determine the dependence on temperature and concentration of the more concentrated alloys. For the dilute alloys the impurity magnetization was determined from measurements of the susceptibility in magnetic fields up to 10 kOe. The magnetization as a function of temperature and field shows a typical anomaly which has been observed also in other Kondo systems.     

Specific heat of a Kondo superconductor: (La, Ce) Al2

The specific heat of LaAl₂ and (La_1-xCe_x)Al₂ (x ? 0.0064) has been measured between 0.3 and 5 K, both in the superconducting and in the normal state. For all samples the same values for the Debye temperature as well as for the electronic specific heat coefficient have been determined. LaAl₂ shows an excellent BCS behavior. A remarkable excess specific heat at low temperatures due to the Kondo effect has been observed for all superconducting as well as for the normal conducting (La_1-xCe_x) Al₂ alloys. The specific heat jump ΔC at T_c depressed rapidly with increasing Ce concentration, allows the Kondo temperature T_K ? 1 K to be determined. ΔC vanishes at finite temperatures.     

Low-temperature properties of the Ce(Pd1−xNix) system

The influence of substituting Pd by Ni is described in Ce(Pd_1-xNi_x)₃ alloys with x taken up to about 0.25. Thermal and magnetization measurements point out a transition from a non-magnetic state (CePd₃) to a ferromagnetic state for x > 0.05, with a Curie temperature K. The Ce-L_2,3 absorption edges and magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) study reveals the coexistence of strong 4f hybridization and ferromagnetic order. The Ce-L_2,3 XMCD signal measured in CePd₃ demonstrates that in the Ce-based dense Kondo materials only the 4f¹ channel gives a magnetic response.Received: 2 September 2003, Published online: 15 March 2004PACS: 75.20.Hr Local moment in compounds and alloys; Kondo effect, valence fluctuations, heavy fermions - 75.30.Mb Valence fluctuation, Kondo lattice, and heavy-fermion phenomena - 71.10.Hf Non-Fermi-liquid ground states, electron phase diagrams and phase transitions in model systems     

Quantum entanglement in elliptical quantum corrals

Quantum corrals present interesting properties due to the combination of confinement and, in the case of elliptical corrals, to their focalizing properties. We study the case when two magnetic impurities are added to the non-interacting corral, where they interact via a superexchange AF interaction J with the surface electrons in the ellipse. Previous results showed that, when both impurities are located at the foci of the system, they experience an enhanced magnetic interaction, as compared to the one they would have in an open surface. For small J and even filling, they are locked in a singlet state, which weakens for larger values of this parameter. When J is much larger than the hopping parameter of the electrons in the ellipse, both spins decorrelate while forming a local singlet with the electrons of the ellipse, thus presenting a confined RKKY–Kondo transition.We interpret this behaviour by means of the von Neumann entropy between the localized impurities and the itinerant electrons of the ellipse: for small J the entropy is nearly zero while for large J it is maximum. In addition, the local density of states provides us with a concrete experimental tool for detecting the Kondo regime.     

Values of adsorption and surface concentrations of the components in Na-K-Cs alloys

The values of adsorption Γ _i ^(N) and surface concentration X _i ^ω of all the components in alloys of the Na-K-Cs system were determined. The adsorption of cesium Γ_Cs^(N) was found to be > 0, while that for sodium Γ_Na^(N) was < 0 in all ternary alloys. The adsorption of potassium was found to undergo inversion when passing from Γ_K^(N) > 0 in ternary alloys (the ratios being X _Na: X _Cs > 14.4 and X _Cs < 6.5 at %) to the negative value of adsorption Γ_K^(N) in the alloys with X _Na: X _Cs < 14.4 and any cesium concentrations. Using the Na-K-Cs system, it was demonstrated for the first time that conditions ΣΓ _i ^(N) = 0 and ΣX _i ^ω = 1 and are fulfilled in ternary alloys.     

Giant kondo resistivity in (La, Ce) B6

The electrical resistivity of the system $\text{(}\text{La}\text{, Ce)B}{}_6$ has been measured in the temperature range 0.04–300 K. The alloys show a Kondo minimum at about 20 K and a strong increase of the resistivity with decreasing temperature. The low temperature increase of the resistivity due to the Kondo effect of a sample containing 1, 2 at.% is about half as large as the room temperature resistivity of LaB₆. The Kondo temperature T_K of $\text{(}\text{La}\text{, Ce)B}{}_6$ was found to be 1.1 ± 0.2 K by comparison of the experimental results with theoretical predictions of the resistance anomaly associated with the formation of the spin-compensated state.     

Measurement of C2 and CH temperatures in argon‐acetylene low‐pressure microwave‐induced plasma

The emission spectra of C₂(d³Π_g–a³Π_u), CH(A²Δ–X²Π), and CH(B²Σ–X²Π) bands are analysed to measure rotational T_rot, vibrational T_vib, and gas temperature T_g from Ar/C₂H₂ (5–20% C₂H₂) microwave‐induced plasma (MIP). In case when helium and hydrogen are used in the gas mixture instead of argon, no significant change in T_rot is noticed. Both studied temperatures are insensitive in terms of the C₂H₂ percentage. From CH(0–0, A²Δ–X²Π) band R₂ branch lines, two T_rot (T_rot ～ 520–580 K for J′ = 3–9 and T_rot ～ 1,700–1,800 K for J′ = 10–17) are determined. The lower T_rot equals the T_g (500–700 K) measured from C₂ bands in this study. The H₂ Fulcher‐α diagonal bands are recorded as well in the H₂/C₂H₂ mixtures and T_rot～750–900 K of the H₂ ground state measured. T_vib ～ 6,000 K in Ar/C₂H₂ MIP is calculated from the integral intensity ratio of C₂(2,1) and C₂(3,2) bands.     

EPR study on star-shaped copolymers containing C60 core

A series of novel star-shaped copolymers containing C₆₀ core [C₆₀(PPMS)_X(CH₃)_X, C₆₀(PMS)_X(CH₃)_X, C₆₀(PVK)_XH_X and C₆₀(PAN)_X(CH₃)_X] were prepared by reaction of C₆₀ with the livingn-butyl-terminated vinyl polymer which was synthesized via anionic polymerization reaction of a vinyl compound in the presence ofn-butyllithium. The results of the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experiment indicated that the spectroscopic properties of the copolymers are different from their parent polymers and pure C₆₀. The star-shaped copolymers exhibited two kinds of paramagnetic species. The temperature dependence of the EPR spectra of the C₆₀(PAN)_X(CH₃)_X copolymer has also been investigated, and a pyrolytic mechanism of the formation of a new conjugated system for this copolymer is suggested.     

The effect of pressure on the resistivity of a gold-chromium Kondo alloy and on the low temperature phonon resistivity of pure gold

The electrical resistivity of the Kondo alloy Au (20ppm Cr) and of pure gold has been determined in the temperature range 1.3 – 20 K at pressures up to 80 kbar. For pure gold the pressure dependence of the temperature dependent part of the lattice resistivity can be explained fairly well by the Bloch-Grüneisen theory. Expressions for the volume dependence of the ideal lattice resistivity and of the Debye-temperature for gold are derived. — The Kondo temperatureT _K of Au(Cr) is found to increase with pressure to more than twice the value atp=0 kbar.Therefrom the volume dependence of the effective exchange constantJ is calculated. The results are similar as in other Kondo alloys described previously.     

Spin glass and ferromagnetism in Kondo lattice compounds

The Kondo lattice model has been analyzed in the presence of a random inter-site interaction among localized spins with non zero mean J₀ and standard deviation J. Following the same framework previously introduced by us, the problem is formulated in the path integral formalism where the spin operators are expressed as bilinear combinations of Grassmann fields. The static approximation and the replica symmetry ansatz have allowed us to solve the problem at a mean field level. The resulting phase diagram displays several phase transitions among a ferromagnetically ordered region,a spin glass one, a mixed phase and a Kondo state depending on J₀, J and its relation with the Kondo interaction coupling J_K. These results could be used to address part of the experimental data for the CeNi _{1 - x} Cu _x compound, when x ⩽ 0.8. Received 24 June 2002 Published online 31 December 2002     

On the behaviour of the new Kondo lattice CeCuAl3

The temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity, thermopower, specific heat, susceptibility and magnetization of CeCuAl₃ are presented. CeCuAl₃ behaves as a Kondo lattice system with antiferromagnetic ground state properties (T _N 2.8 K). The valency of Ce in this tetragonal compound is close to 3 and the overall crystal field splitting found from our results is about 150 K. The Kondo temperatureT _K in the crystal field ground state, estimated from the magnetic susceptibility and the specific heat, is of the order of 8 K.     

Pressure dependence of the electrical resistivity of Ag(Mn), both in the dilute limit and in the spin glass regime

The electrical resistivity of the dilute spin glass alloys Ag(1,540 ppm Mn) and Ag(1,015 ppm Mn) has been measured from 1.3–30 K at pressures up to 70 kbars. The temperature of the resistance maximum,T _m , is found to shift to higher temperatures, this shift being stronger for the more concentrated alloys.Additionally an Ag(20 ppm Mn) Kondo-alloy has been investigated. Application of pressure causes an increase of the Kondo temperatureT _K from which the volume dependence of the effective exchange constantJ is derived.With this information theT _m -shift in the spin glass alloys can be understood in a qualitative and quantitative manner within Larsen's model.     

Die elektrischen Eigenschaften des Kondo-Supraleiters (La,Ce)Al2

In the ternary alloy (La, Ce)Al₂ the Kondo anomalies due to the Cerium impurities are studied in the normal and superconducting state. A vanishing of superconductivity in certain (La, Ce)Al₂ alloys below a second transition temperature has been observed for the narrow range of 0.6–0.7 at% Ce-additions. The transition back into the normal state has been observed by means of dc-conductivity and low frequency mutual inductance measurements down to 30 mK. Curves of the upper critical field versus temperature show a maximum at finite temperatures even for lower Ce-concentrations. The temperature dependence of the pair-breaking parameter has been deduced empirically from the upper critical field curves, assuming additive pair breaking theory. In contradiction to the theory no decrease of the pair-breaking parameter forT → 0 can be observed. Therefore the reentrance of superconductivity at ultra low temperatures cannot be expected.     

Superconductivity in amorphous thin films of tin–copper

The properties of the superconducting state in the amorphous Sn_1?xCu_x thin films were characterized. The concentration of copper changes in the range from 0.08 to 0.41. The calculations were conducted in the framework of the strong-coupling formalism, wherein the Eliashberg functions determined in the tunnel experiment were used. The value of the Coulomb pseudopotential equal to 0.1 was adopted. It will be shown that the critical temperature (T_C) decreases from 7 to 3.9 K. The ratio, R_Δ = 2Δ(0)/k_BT_C, differs from the BCS value: R_Δ ∈ <4.4, 3.95>, where Δ(0) represents the order parameter. Similarly behave the ratios: R_C = ΔC(T_C)/C^N(T_C) ∈ <2.2, 1.75> and R_H = T_CC^N(T_C)/H²_C(0) ∈ <0.141, 0.154>. The parameter ΔC(T_C) is the specific heat jump, C^N(T_C) denotes the specific heat of the normal state and H_C(0) is the thermodynamic critical field.