Low-temperature specific heat of compacted vitreous silica

We present low-temperature specific-heat measurements of two types of irreversibly compacted vitreous silica (Suprasil W and Suprasil I, differing in their OH⁻ content). In the whole temperature range investigated (0.1 K<T<35 K), the specific heatC is reduced by up to 50% compared to that of uncompacted samples but exhibits a similar temperature dependence, with the characteristic maximum inC/T ³ shifted to higher temperatures. This coherent change ofC, which is roughly the same for both types of vitreous silica, gives strong evidence that the low-energy excitations characteristic of amorphous materials have a common structural origin. Possible relations to the microscopic changes upon compaction are discussed, giving support to the coupled-rotation model of SiO₄ tetrahedra. Phenomenologically, the change ofC upon compaction can be understood by the soft-potential model. The relationship between height and position of theC/T ³ maximum observed in normal and compacted states for both types of vitreous silica and, surprisingly, also for α-quartz hints at a correlation between the mechanisms leading to theC/T ³ maximum for amorphous and crystalline materials with similar short-range order.     

The thermal conductivity of disordered and amorphous metal films

The thermal conductivity of quenched condensed polycrystalline and amorphous Pb and Pb_0.9Cu_0.1 films has been measured between 0.5 and 11 K, i.e. in the superconducting (T7 K) and in the normal state (T7 K). Whereas, in agreement with previous results, phonon heat transport is very small for crystalline films, a considerable portion of heat is carried by phonons in amorphous films, owing to the absence of extended lattice defects. Phonon scattering in these latter films is analyzed in terms of scattering from conduction electrons aboveT _c, whereas well belowT _c it is very likely due to low energy excitations inherent in the amorphous structure.Work performed within the research program of the Sonderforschungsbereich 125 — Aachen/Jülich/Köln     

Study of thermal conductivity and specific heat of amorphous and partially crystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate) in relation to its structure

The thermal conductivity k(T) and the specific heat of amorphous and partially crystalline polyethylene terephthalate) were measured in the intervals 1.2–40K and 1.2–10K, respectively. For a quantitative study of the relation between the thermal conductivity and the structure and degree of crystallinity of the samples their small angle X-ray scattering was measured. For T > 20 K, k(T) increases with increasing degree of crystallinity φ, whereas for T < 10 K, k(T) decreases when φ increases. Amorphous PET shows a temperature dependence of k(T) which is typical for all amorphous materials. These results are compared with curves which were computed from experimental small angle structure functions using a model for phonon scattering in vitreous systems obtained by Klemens. It is shown that for T < 10 K the change in conductivity in the partially crystalline samples relative to that of the purely amorphous sample can quantitatively be explained by additional scattering of phonons from static long-range order fluctuations of the sound velocity which are due to the microscopic structure of the polymer. From a measurement of the optical extinction of the samples relative values of their thermal conductivity at 50 mK are estimated. The specific heat obeys a T³-law between 1.2 K and about 7 K and decreases linearly with φ. The Debye specific heat of the amorphous sample was computed from the sound velocities. It is only 85% of the measured value.     

The effect of a magnetic field on Jahn-Teller ordering in the monoclinic crystal RbDy(WO4)2

This paper presents the results of a study of the thermal properties of monoclinic single-crystal RbDy(WO₄)₂ at temperatures of 2–15 K and in magnetic fields up to 6 T. From the results of measurements of the heat capacity and thermograms, two structural phase transitions are detected, at T _c1=4.9 K and T _c2=9.0 K. The transformation from the high-temperature phase to the low-temperature phase occurs via an intermediate phase. The field dependences of the critical temperatures are found for various magnetic-field orientations. H-T phase diagrams are constructed for H‖a and H‖c. An anomalous increase (by almost an order of magnitude) of the relaxation time of the system, associated with structural instability of the crystal lattice, is detected in the region of the structural phase transitions. A symmetry analysis is carried out, and possible crystal structures of the low-temperature phase are indicated. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 2221–2225 (December 1998)     

Low-temperature structural phase transition in a monoclinic KDy(WO4)2 crystal

The low-temperature thermal and magnetic-resonance properties of a monoclinic KDy(WO₄)₂ single crystal are investigated. It is established that a structural phase transition takes place at T _c=6.38 K. The field dependence of the critical temperature is determined for a magnetic field oriented along the crystallographic a and c axes. The initial part of the H-T phase diagram is plotted for H∥a. The prominent features of the structural phase transition are typical of a second-order Jahn-Teller transition, which is not accompanied by any change in the symmetry of the crystal lattice in the low-temperature phase. The behavior of C(T) in a magnetic field shows that the transition goes to an antiferrodistortion phase. An anomalous increase in the relaxation time (by almost an order of magnitude) following a thermal pulse is observed at T>T _c(H), owing to the structural instability of the lattice. A theoretical model is proposed for the structural phase transition in a magnetic field, and the magnetic-field dependence of T _c is investigated for various directions of the field. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 750–758 (April 1998)     

非晶态离子导体Li2B2O4晶化前期的离子导电性

本文研究了非晶态离子导体Li₂B₂O₄的离子电导率与温度的关系,特别着重于晶化前期的离子迁移特性。当温度低于T_K(≈310℃)时,离子电导率遵从Arrhenius关系。当高于晶化温度(≈411℃)时,以晶态中的离子迁移为主。在T_kc时,电导率偏离热激活机制呈反常增高。我们把这一过程称为晶化前期过程。可以用自由体积模型进行描述。晶化前期又可分为两部分:当温度低于、T_p(≈380℃)时,由于自由体积的重新分布,导致了电导率的增高;当T>T_p时,出现了少量微晶,但晶化量小于5%,由于非晶母体与微晶之间的界面效应使得离子导电性显著增强。可以通过室温淬火,把晶化前期非晶态的状态保持到室温,从而有可能制备出离子电导率高于纯非晶态的材料。 关键词：     

Structural features and the microscopic dynamics of the three-component Zr<Subscript>47</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>46</Subscript>Al<Subscript>7</Subscript> system: Equilibrium melt,supercooled melt,and amorphous alloy

The structural and dynamic properties of the three-component Zr₄₇Cu₄₆Al₇ system are subjected to a molecular dynamics simulation in the temperature range T = 250–3000 K at a pressure p = 1.0 bar. The temperature dependences of the Wendt–Abraham parameter and the translation order parameter are used to determine the glass transition temperature in the Zr₄₇Cu₄₆Al₇ system, which is found to be T_c ≈ 750 K. It is found that the bulk amorphous Zr₄₇Cu₄₆Al₇ alloy contains localized regions with an ordered atomic structures. Cluster analysis of configuration simulation data reveals the existence of quasi-icosahedral clusters in amorphous metallic Zr–Cu–Al alloys. The spectral densities of time radial distribution functions of the longitudinal (C?_L(k, ω)) and transverse (C?_T(k, ω)) fluxes are calculated in a wide wavenumber range in order to study the mechanisms of formation of atomic collective excitations in the Zr₄₇Cu₄₆Al₇ system. It was found that a linear combination of three Gaussian functions is sufficient to reproduce the (C?_L(k, ω)) spectra, whereas at least four Gaussian contributions are necessary to exactly describe the (C?_T(k, ω)) spectra of the supercooled melt and the amorphous metallic alloy. It is shown that the collective atomic excitations in the equilibrium melt at T = 3000 K and in the amorphous metallic alloy at T = 250 K are characterized by two dispersion acoustic-like branches related with longitudinal and transverse polarizations.     

Thermodynamics of phonon-stabilized Fermi distributions with application to uranium

Since phonons are built on the free energy of electrons, their frequencies can be altered by thermal electronic excitations, implying that thermal electronic excitations can alter the phonon entropy. The effect of this extra phonon entropy on electronic distribution functions and thermodynamic properties is calculated in the limit of classical vibrations. The phonon entropy stabilizes electrons above the Fermi level by more than the usual k _B T. The thermodynamic coupling of electron and phonon degrees of freedom allows far more heat capacity than in equivalent independent systems. The method developed is used to explain uranium data from the literature.     

非晶态超导体的2△0/(kBTc)和声子谱参量

提出了能够很好地描述非过渡金属无序和非晶态超导体的2Δ₀/(k_BT_c)与声子谱参量之间关系的一个公式:2Δ₀(k_BT_c=4.95[1-(T₀<ω>^1/2)/A(1/(λω₀)+1/(20λ<ω>)+1/(20<ω>))]。计算了大量已知声子谱的非晶和无序超导体的能隙2Δ₀对T_c的比,结果表明在百分之几的范围内与实验值符合。指出了非过渡金属和合金的非晶态超导体,既可以是一个2Δ₀/(k_BT_c)值远大于BCS理论值(3.53)的强耦合超导体,也可以是一个2Δ₀/(k_BT_c)值比BCS理论值还要小得多的弱耦合超导体。 关键词：     

Effect of structural relaxation on low energy excitations in amorphous Zr x Cu1−x

We report on an investigation of the liquid-quenched metallic glass Zr _x Cu_1?x (0.6≦x≦0.74) subjected to heat treatments below the glass transition temperatureT _g. Annealing temperatures up to 200°C (<0.8T _g) were chosen as to achieve topological relaxation only. The superconducting transition temperaturesT _c are lowered, as already observed for other metallic glasses. Low temperature measurements of the thermal conductivity (0.5 K≦T≦15 K) and of the specific heat (0.1 K≦T≦3 K) were carried out in order to determine the effect of structural relaxation on the low energy configurational excitations characteristic of the amorphous state. The annealed samples show no detectable (<20%) change in the specific heat forT?T _c, but an increase of the thermal conductivity by a factor of 2 forT?T _c is observed. Within the tunneling model of two level systems (TLS) for the low energy excitations, this behavior can be qualitatively understood in terms of a change of the TLS relaxation time distribution upon annealing. This distribution differs from that of the commonly used standard tunneling model. The change of the phonon scattering by TLS directly observed forT?T_c is largely responsible for the enhancement of the thermal conductivity found also aboveT _c.     

Low temperature thermal properties and intrinsic defects in vitreous silica

Measurements of the low temperature specific heatC _p (0.04KT2.4K) and thermal conductivityk (0.5KT20K) of high purity vitreous silica (Suprasil W) in the as-received and electron-irradiated states are reported. In the temperature range where the localized excitations inherent in glasses dominateC _p (T0.5K) no change is observed upon electron irradiation of up to 10¹⁹e^– (total dose). An anomalyC around 1.8K is observed inC _p which is reduced by 40% upon irradiation. However, ask is not affected by electron irradiation, localized excitations as origin forC can be ruled out. The density of paramagnetic centers in the most heavily irradiated sample is 510¹⁷cm^–3 as obtained from the ESR signal. It has been suggested that these centers have diamagnetic precursors in the unirradiated glass. Our measurements indicate that those defects are not associated with the localized excitations.     

Hebel-Slichter peak and superconducting energy gap in Rb3C60 observed by muon spin relaxation

Muon spin relaxation has been observed in both the normal and superconducting states of Rb₃C₆₀ (T _c=29.3K). The field dependence of theT ₁ spin relaxation rate is due to muonium undergoing spin-exchange scattering with conduction electrons, making this the first observation of muonium in a metal. The temperature dependence ofT ₁ ^–1 shows a Hebel-Slichter coherence peak just belowT _c which is not seen in¹³C spin relaxation. The peak can be fit assuming spin relaxation due to interaction with the quasiparticle excitations of a BCS superconductor provided the density of states is broadened relative to that of BCS. Such fits yield a value for the zero temperature energy gap, ₀/k _B , of 53(4)K, consistent with weak-coupling BCS.     

Normal-state electrical resistivity and superconducting magnetic penetration depth in Eu<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>K<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>As<Subscript>2</Subscript> polycrystals

We report measurements of the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity, ρ(T), and magnetic pen-etration depth, λ(T), for polycrystalline samples of Eu_0.5K_0.5Fe₂As₂ with T _c = 31 K. ρ(T) follows a linear temperature dependence above T _c and bends over to a weaker temperature dependence around 150 K. The magnetic penetration depth, determined by radio frequency technique displays an unusual minimum around 4 K which is associated with short-range ordering of localized Eu³⁺ moments. The article is published in the original.     

The relation betweenT c and anharmonicity in Sn-base A15 superconductors

The absolute value of the recoil-free fraction was measured accurately at three reference temperatures in the range 300 K down to 4 K, in two Sn-baseA 15 superconductors with disparate superconducting properties. The higher-T _c compound Nb₃Sn (T _c≈18K) exhibits low-temperature anharmonicity; this is in contrast to the lattice-dynamics of the low-T _c isomorph V₃Sn (T _c≈4K) in which it is observed that harmonic binding of the Sn atoms is prevalent down to low temperatures. The difference in the superconducting properties of the two compounds is shown to correlate with the considerable difference in their lattice-dynamics.     

Acoustic properties of amorphous SiO2 and PdSiCu,and of crystalline Ag,NbTi and Ta at very low temperatures

With the vibrating reed and vibrating wire techniques we have investigated the acoustic properties of vitreous silica (SiO₂, Suprasil I) and of amorphous PdSiCu as well as of polycrystalline Ag, NbTi and Ta at frequencies of 100 Hz/2<6 kHz and at temperatures of 0.1 mKT1 K. The relative change of sound velocity v/v of SiO₂ shows saturation effects, strain amplitude dependence, as well as an unexpected temperature dependence below its maximum atT<50 mK. For PdSiCu we observe that below a certain temperature, which depends on the applied strain, the temperature dependence of the sound velocityv deviates from the logarithmic behavior observed at higher temperatures and reaches an almost constant value atT<1 mK. In the same temperature rangeQ ^–1 does not remain constant but steadily decreases. The acoustic properties of the two amorphous materials at finite strain show substantial deviations from the standard tunneling model. Some of the observed anomalies can be explained taking into account the change of population of the tunneling systems energy states and a nonlinear relaxation absorption. For polycrystalline Ag we find v/v lnT andQ ^–1T ^1/3 over three decades inT atT<100 mK; it shows low-temperature acoustic properties which are strikingly similar to those of amorphous materials. The temperature and strain dependencies of the acoustic properties of polycrystalline superconducting NbTi and Ta resemble those obtained for SiO₂. These results indicate that there are basically no differences in the low-temperature acoustic properties of polycrystals and amorphous materials.     

Superconductivity and normal electrical conductivity of amorphous lead films nucleated with molybdenum

Lead films vapor quenched onto nucleating monolayers of Mo or W exhibit strong lattice disorder and can be considered to be amorphous. The amorphous-to-crystalline transformation temperatureT _tr is indicated by a sharp drop of the electrical resistivity in the course of annealing.T _tr is found to be proportional tod ^–2 for Pb thicknessd smaller than 30 nm. The superconducting transition temperatureT _c is by 0.6 to 1 K smaller in the amorphous state than after crystallization. In both states,T _c is proportional tod ^–1. Prenucleation with about half a monolayer of Mo leads to quite the sameT _c depression as observed earlier by Strongin et al. on Pb films vapor quenched onto predeposited films of SiO, Ge or Al₂O₃. For comparison, experiments have been carried out with 2.5 nm Ge predeposits. As with Mo prenucleation, a well defined transformation temperatureT _tr of about the same value has been observed.T _c of bulk amorphous Pb can be extrapolated to be about 6.6 K.     

McMillan Tc公式的解析推导(Ⅰ)——μ*=0情形

作者在μ^*=0情形,从Eliashberg方程解析地导出如下的T_c公式:T_c=αω_logexp{-b((1+cλ)/λ)},式中α=2γ/π,b=c=1;Inγ=C=0.5772是Euler常数。这个T_c公式只有在T_c=0.36/α(k)以下才是正确的,α是个大于1并随材料而异的常数。我们推测,当T_c超过上述范围后,T_c公式的函数结构很可能不同于McMillan T_c公式,至少α,b和c等参量不再是些不依赖于材料的常数了。 关键词：     

Thermal conductivity and thermal Hall effect in Bi- and Y-based high-T c superconductors

Measurements of the thermal conductivity (k_xx) and the thermal Hall effect (k_xy) in high magnetic fields in Y- and Bi-based high-T _c superconductors are presented. We describe the experimental technique and test measurements on a simple metal (niobium). In the high-T _c superconductors k_xx and k_xy increase below T _c and show a maximum in their temperature dependence. k_xx has contributions from phonons and quasiparticle (QP) excitations, whereas k_xy is purely electronic. The strong increase of k_xy below T _c gives direct evidence for a strong enhancement of the QP contribution to the heat current and thus for a strong increase of the QP mean free path. Using k_xy and the magnetic field dependence of k_xx we separate the electronic thermal conductivity ( k _xx ^el ) of the CuO ₂ -planes from the phononic thermal conductivity ( k _xx ^ph ). In YBa₂Cu₃O _{7 - δ} k _xx ^el shows a pronounced maximum in the superconducting state. This maximum is much weaker in Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O _{8 + δ} , due to stronger impurity scattering. The maximum of k _xx ^el is strongly suppressed by a magnetic field, which we attribute to the scattering of QPs on vortices. An additional magnetic field independent contribution to the maximum of k_xx occurs in YBa₂Cu₃O _{7 - δ} , reminiscent of the contribution of the CuO-chains, as determined from the anisotropy in untwined single crystals. Our data analysis reveals that below T _c as in the normal state a transport (τ) and a Hall ( ) relaxation time must be distinguished: The inelastic (i.e. temperature dependent) contribution to τ is strongly enhanced in the superconducting state, whereas displays the same temperature dependence as above T _c . We determine also the electronic thermal conductivity in the normal state from k_xy and the electrical Hall angle. It shows an unusual linear increase with temperature. Received 23 August 2000     

Low-energy Ce spin excitations in CeFeAsO and CeFeAsO0.84F0.16

We use inelastic neutron scattering to study the low-energy spin excitations of polycrystalline samples of nonsuperconducting CeFeAsO and superconducting CeFeAsO_0.84F_0.16. Two sharp dispersionless modes are found at 0.85 and 1.16 meV in CeFeAsO below the Ce antiferromagnetic (AF) ordering temperature of T _N ^Ce ˜ 4 K. On warming to above T _N ^Ce ˜ 4 K, these two modes become one broad dispersionless mode that disappears just above the Fe ordering temperature T _N ^Fe ˜ 140 K. For superconducting CeFeAsO_0.84F_0.16, where Fe static AF order is suppressed, we find a weakly dispersive mode center at 0.4 meV that may arise from short-range Ce-Ce exchange interactions. Using a Heisenberg model, we simulate powder-averaged Ce spin wave excitations. Our results show that we need both Ce spin wave and crystal electric field excitations to account for the whole spectra of low-energy spin excitations.     

Crystalline ferroelectrics with a glassy polarization phase

It is found that, far above the ferroelectric transition temperature, T_c, certain ferroelectric systems show a temperature dependent index of refraction, n(T), that is qualitatively different from ordinary ferroelectrics. We review measurements in these systems and show how some aspects of this n(T) data can be quantitatively understood. This is done by considering the polarization in these materials to arise from very small localized clusters of a few unit cells far above T_c. The strongly broken long range symmetry allows these effects to occur. Furthermore, we find a one-to-one correspondence between ferroelectrics that show this unusual high temperature behavior and those that show glass-like excitations at very low temperatures; this clarifies the ambiguities in the low temperature heat capacity and thermal conductivity results.