Magnetic properties of the compounds N(CH3)4MnIIMIII(CN)6 ·8 H2O(MIII = Mn,Fe)

In the isostructural cyanobridged chain compounds N(CH₃)₄Mn^IIM^III(CN)₆ · 8H₂O high spin Mn(II) ions couple antiferromagnetically to low spin Mn(III) of Fe(III) ions. The Mn^II–Mn^III compound orders ferrimagnetically below T_N = 28.5 ± 1 K. The tetragonal a and b axes are easy ones for the magnetic moments. In the Mn^II–Fe^III compound antiferromagnetic order occurs below T_N = 9.3 K, with spins aligned along the tetragonal c axis. The compound undergoes a meta-magnetic transition from the antiferromagnetic to a ferrimagnetic phase. This occurs at 2 K for a field H_crit ≈ 1.2 T. The temperature dependence of H_crit, which vanishes at T_N, is followed. The tricritical temperature T¹ is ～ 5 K.     

Frozen photoconductivity in PbTe films

We have studied PbTe films of thicknessd=200/10000 A made with telluride vapour deposition on glass substrate at room temperature. The estimate of the donor concentration ～10¹⁹ cm^?3 of the fresh-deposited film compared with the impurity content in the bulk raw material ～10¹⁷ cm^?3 shows that the donors were mainly film defects or nonstoichiometric Pb atoms. Electrical conductivity of the freshly deposited film increased with lowering of the temperature. After deposition the donors were compensated with an oxidation in the laboratory air. Transition to the thermally activated conductivity resulted from oxidation. At temperatures belowT≈100 K the resistance of the compensated films followed Mott’s ruleR=R ₀ exp(T ₀/T)^1/3. The square film value 1 Mohm andT ₀≈100 K ford=1000 A. At low temperatures an exposure to light resulted in sharp decrease of the film resistance. At liquid helium temperatures the resistance dropped 10³–10⁶ times and stayed at the low value for an indeterminate time. The heating of the film aboveT=100 K gave rise to an initial high resistive state. The critical temperatureT _c, when the frozen photoconductivity became negligible, varied with samples in the temperature region 90–120 K. Near the critical temperature we could measure the time dependence of the film resistance after the light exposure, which followed the equationR=A+B.lnt fort>1 sec with the empirical constantsA andB. After a time intervalτ the resistance gained the initial “dark” value and remained stationary. The value lnτ≈α.(T _c?T), where the factorα approximately wasα≈0.5 K^?1. Some results of these experiments were published earlier (Krylov and Nadgorny 1982; Krylov and Pojarkov 1984).     

High temperature x-ray powder diffractometric studies of the superconducting compound YBa2Cu3O7-x from room temperature to 1300 K in air

At room temperature, the compound YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x is orthorhombic, distorted perovskite, deficient in oxygen. X-ray powder diffractograms obtained for this compound over a range of temperatures between room temperature (298 K) and 1300 K in air reveal no change in X-ray diffraction pattern up to 1200 K except for slight shift in peak positions and variations in peak intensities because of thermal expansion and stoichiometry changes in oxygen or metal ion sub-lattices. At temperatures above ∼ 1250 K, the compund undergoes an irreversible transition to a new phase analogous to Y₂BaCuO₅ green phase which is an insulator. Temperature variation of lattice parameters shows an anisotropic expansion. Expansion along c-axis being maximum. Coefficients of linear thermal expansion along a and b axes are almost the same (δ_a≈δ_b≈7×10⁻⁶.K⁻¹) while along c-axis it is double (δ_c≈15×10^-6. K⁻¹) than that of a or b. Coefficient of volume thermal expansion of the unit cell (δ_v≈29×10⁻⁶.K⁻¹) obeys the relation δ_v≈δ_a+δ_b+δ_c for an orthorhombic symmetry in the range 298–1200K in air.     

Pressure and field dependence of the magnetic transition in GdBa2Cu3O7-x

The influence of hydrostatic pressure and of magnetic field strenght is presented for the low temperature antiferromagnetic ordering temperature (T_N=2.3 K) of GdBa₂Cu₃O_7-x. Data are presented for both superconducting and normal samples, the superconducting sample having a sharp 95 K transition and the oxygen-depleted normal sample being a semiconductor. For both systems the Néel temperatures, extrapolated to zero measuring field, are identical: T_N = (2.33±0.03) K. The effect of pressure is to raise the transition temperature slightly for both samples, dT_N/dP=+0.03 K/kbar for the superconducting sample and +0.04 K/kbar for the normal sample. The temperature dependence of the heat capacity made in several fixed external magnetic fields and the isothermal magnetization for T<T_N provide a measure of the antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase boundary, which shows T_N approaching T=0 K at about 2.5 T.     

Uniaxial piezoresistance measurements on magnetite

The dependence of the Verwey temperature T_v on the uniaxial pressure P was determined. It was found that along the [111] axis dT_v/dP ≈ 10K/kbar while along the [110] and the [001] axes, dT_v/dP ≈ 1 K/kbar. The results emphasize the important role played by the rhombohedral distortion in the Verwey transition.     

Anomalous frequency dependence of giant quantum attenuation in Bismuth below 1 K

Giant quantum attenuation of longitudinal sound waves in Bi has been measured at temperatures down to 8 mK for the case that the electron (n = 0, s = + 1) and hole (n = 1, s = ? 1) Landau levels cross simultaneously Fermi level at a field of about 90 kOe. The temperature and frequency dependences of the peak attenuation due to these two levels are expressed by α_p ∝ T^-μω^ν with $\text{μ ? 1}$ and $\text{ν ? 1}$ at T > 1 K. When T ? 1 K the value of μ decreases by decreasing temperature and below 0.1 K, α_p takes almost constant value. At T ? 0.5 K, ν becomes larger than 1 and maximum value of ν observed is 2 at T ～ 0.05 K. These features of the attenuation peak at very low temperatures are consistent with what are expected in the fluctuation region of the gas-liquid type transition of the electron-hole system.     

Ultrasound attenuation in solid CH4

We have studied the attentuation of 4 and 12 MHz longitudinal sound in polycrystalline solid CH₄ from 4 to 77°K. Just above 20·48°K, the temperature of the known upper lambda transition, a broad attenuation maximum with significant structure is observed. A sharp peak at the transition temperature is attributable to anomalous thermal conduction in small crystallites; the remainder of the absorption is described by a simple relaxation process with characteristic time τ = τ₀ exp (180/T). No attenuation anomaly was observed near the temperature of a suspected lower transition, 8°K.     

Ultrasonic studies of the high Tc superconductor (La1−xSrx)2CuO4−δ

We synthesized (La_1−xSr_x)₂CuO_4−δ crystals with 0 ≦ x ≦ 0.4 by the sintering method, and obtained several samples with good homogeneity, high onset superconducting transition temperature T_c ≲ 38 K and narrow transition width ΔT_c. For the sample with the maximum T_c among them, ultrasonic measurements were performed. In the curve of the sound velocity change ΔV_s(T) versus temperature T, there was observed an anomalously large decrease of sound velocity as T decreases in the range 150 K < T < 240 K. Furthermore, in the plots of the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient α(T) as a function of T, there were observed a broad and large peak located at T ∼ 100 K and a small peak located at T ∼ 200 K. These results show the existence of an optical mode of the energy ℏω_op/k_B ∼ 100 K and, probably, also of that of ∼ 200 K. On the basis of these experimental results of elastic properties, we suggest the origin of high T_c of this material.     

Magnetostriction and the two-spin correlation function in MnF2

The longitudinal magnetostriction along the [001] axis of MnF₂ was measured at temperatures 64 < T < 300 K in magnetic fields, H, up to 130 kOe. This magnetostriction is proportional to H² at low H, exhibits a λ anomaly near the Néel temperature T_N, and shows the field-induced transition from the antiferromagnetic phase to the paramagnetic phase for T just below T_N. The results are well described by a model which relates the magnetostriction to the two-spin correlation function.     

Ultrasonic attenuation determination of Hc1 and Hc2 for ErRh4B4 at 1.5 K

The attenuation coefficient of longitudinal sound waves propagating in ErRh₄B₄ has been measured as a function of applied magnetic field where the propagation direction (q) of the sound waves was oriented either parallel or perpendicular to H_applied. For both orientations there is evidence of a type II-1 superconducting transition at H_c1 for T ≈ 1.5 K. In addition, when q ⊥ H an increase in attenuation is evident at H_c2, which does not appear when q 6 H, consistent with theories developed by Tachiki et al. utilizing supercurrent screening of the internal magnetic fields.     

Magnetotransport properties of ferromagnetic LaMnO3+δ nano-sized crystals

Transport and magnetic properties of LaMnO_3+δ nanoparticles with average size of 18 nm have been investigated. The ensemble of nanoparticles exhibits a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic (FM) transition at T_C～246 K, while the spontaneous magnetization disappears at T≈270 K. It was found that the blocking temperature lies slightly below T_C. The temperature dependence of the resistivity shows a metal–insulator transition at T≈192 K and low-temperature upturn at T<50 K. The transport at low temperatures is controlled by the charging energy and spin-dependent tunnelling through grain boundaries. The low temperature I–V characteristics are well described by indirect tunnelling model while at higher temperatures both direct and resonant tunnelling dominates.     

Specific features of magnetic phase diagram of an MnSi helimagnet

Magnetization curves of MnSi single crystals have been measured in a range of temperatures T = 5.5–35 K and magnetic field strengths H ≤ 11 kOe for H ∥ [1 1 1], [0 0 1], and [1 1 0]. Special attention has been paid to the temperature interval near T _N = 28.8 K, where MnSi exhibits a transition to the state with a long-period helical magnetic structure. Some new features in the magnetic behavior of MnSi have been found. In particular, in an intermediate temperature region above the transition (28.8 K = T _N ≤ T < 31.5 K), the dM(H)/dH curves exhibit anomalies that are not characteristic of the typical paramagnetic state. It is established that the line of the characteristic field H*(T) of this anomaly is a natural extrapolation of the temperature dependence of the field of the transition from a conical phase to an induced ferromagnetic phase observed at T < T _N. It is concluded that the properties of MnSi in the indicated intermediate region are related to and governed by those of the conical phase (rather than of the A phase). Based on these data, magnetic phase diagrams of MnSi for H ∥ [1 1 1], [0 0 1], and [1 1 0] are plotted and compared to diagrams obtained earlier by other methods.     

Anomalous reduced sound velocity of multiferroic TbMn2O5

The anomalous reduced sound velocity of multiferroic TbMn₂O₅ (TMO) has been studied using Green's function technique. To achieve this aim, the anharmonic phonon-phonon interaction and the spin-phonon interaction were used. It was shown that the reduced velocity of sound of TMO exhibits a kink at the ferroelectric phase transition temperature T_C. This can be explained as an effect of vanishing ferroelectric ordering above T_C. It was found that the reduced sound velocity increases with increasing V⁽³⁾ (the third-order atomic force constants of the anharmonic phonons) in the interval T?<?T_C, whereas the reduced sound velocity remains unchanged in the interval T_C?<?T?<?T_N. It was also found that the reduced sound velocity increases with the increase of V⁽⁴⁾ (the fourth-order atomic force constants of the anharmonic phonons) in the interval T?<?T_N. In addition, the ferroelectric phase transition temperature T_C decreases when V⁽⁴⁾ increases in the interval T?<?T_N. Those theoretical results are in agreement with the experimental data.     

Heat capacity and magnetic properties of pyrochlore Hg2Os2O7

Hg₂Os₂O₇, which has the cubic pyrochlore structure, remains metallic down to the liquid helium temperature unlike its isostructural counterpart Cd₂Os₂O₇, which shows metal-insulator transition at 226 K. Magnetization and heat capacity data for Hg₂Os₂O₇ are presented. The magnetic anomaly at T_N=88 K shares many characteristics in common with the metal-insulator transition in Cd₂Os₂O₇, though Hg₂Os₂O₇ remains metallic below T_N. The heat capacity C_p shows no or very little change in the magnetic entropy around T_N, supporting the view that there is no long-range ordering of localized spins. The measured value of electronic heat-capacity coefficient γ=21 mJ K⁻²mol⁻¹ is comparable to the value obtained from band-structure calculation on Cd₂Os₂O₇, suggesting that mass-enhancement is small in Hg₂Os₂O₇. There is a pronounced peak in C_p/T³ at 13.1 K, which corresponds to a peak in the phonon density of states at 40 cm⁻¹.     

Magnetic-field-induced slowing-down of molecular rotation in C<Subscript>60</Subscript> crystals

The molecular dynamics of C₆₀ crystals was studied by inelastic neutron scattering at T=290 K, i.e., above the first-order phase transition temperature (T_C≈260 K), in the region of free C₆₀-spheroid rotation in the lattice. The energy broadening of the original neutron spectrum 2Γ₀≈0.1 meV for a momentum transfer q=2 Å^?1 is in agreement with NMR data on the rotational relaxation time of the molecule τ～10^?11 s～ ?Γ₀. This effect was observed to decrease in magnetic fields H=2.5–4.5 kOe applied along the scattering vector: Γ_H=0.7Γ₀. The slowing-down of the molecular rotation is discussed in connection with the interaction of a magnetic field with the molecular currents, which fluctuate when the C₆₀ cage rotates.     

Ultrasonic studies of attenuation and dispersion in NH4Br near the order-disorder transition

Velocity and attenuation of sound wave propagation along the [100] direction in NH₄Br were measured near its transition temperature T_c = 234.5 K at frequencies of 30–150 MHz. The experimental results for the high-frequency attenuation and the dispersive velocity shifts are found to be in good agreement with the model of a single critical relaxation time.     

Etude d'un nouveau type de fluorure antiferromagnetique a caractere bidimensionnel: NaFeF4

A new type of two-dimensional antiferromagnetic structure has been investigated by magnetic susceptibility measurements, neutron diffraction and Mössbauer resonance. The magnetic cell of NaFeF₄ is doubled along the a axis and the spins lie along the b axis. The κ^-1 vs T curve shows a sharp minimum at about 105 K close to the three-dimensional transition temperature determined by Mössbauer spectrometry (111.5 K). A calculation of z. snfc;J/kz. snfc; has been performed using a high temperature series expansions technique (J/k = -23 K). The variation of the hyperfine field in the range 0.6 ?T/T_N? 1 gave the value of the critical exponant β = 0.25.     

Observation of the antiferromagnetic transition in the linear chain compound KFeS2 by magnetic susceptibility and heat capacity measurements

Magnetic susceptibility (ξ) measurements and the first heat capacity measurements on KFeS₂ are reported. The data were obtained on a specially purified sample over the temperature ranges 10–360 K and 225–296 K, respectively. Both measurements revealed small but distinct singularities at the Néel temperature T_N≈253 K; extensive short range ordering above T_N was also evident from these data. The present work shows that the intrinsic ξ(T) of KFeS₂ was largely masked by that from magnetic impurities in previous ξ studies of this compound.     

Lineare optische anisotropie von antiferromagnetischem NiO im äusseren magnetfeld

Single crystals of NiO exhibit an optical anisotropy below their Néel temperature T_N = 523.7 K even without external magnetic fields. Linear dichroism and birefringence increase in proportion to the square of the antiferromagnetic long range order parameter. The spectra of both effects show detailed structures in the visible range: the dichroism exhibits a large peak at 2.12 eV and some smaller ones below and above; the birefringence increases steadily towards the fundamental absorption edge (3.75 eV); and, some structures are superposed in the visible range of the small 3d⁸-absorption bands. In external magnetic fields a large rise of the Néel temperature is detected by optical anisotropy. It is proportional to the square of the field strength: T_N(H) = T_N(O) + 0.585 K/Tesla². Below T_N optical anisotropy shows a slight magnetic field dependence. Our results are discussed by means of a microscopic model of the magneto-optical anisotropy in NiO.     

Specific heat and magnetic susceptibility of single-crystalline ZnCr2−xAlxSe4 (x=0.15, 0.23)

A correlation between the second critical field H_c2 of the helix to paramagnetic transition and the magnetic specific heat C-peak was found in ZnCr_2−xAl_xSe₄ spinel single crystals with x=0.15, 0.23. The specific heat peak is anomalously sharp for all finite magnetic fields used here and this points to a first order magneto-structural transition (from cubic to tetragonal symmetry). The C(T)-peak is increasingly suppressed as the external field increases. Approaching the Neel temperature T_N, a broad ac-magnetic susceptibility peak is observed for zero dc-magnetic field. That peak does not show an energy loss and thus points towards a return to a second order type of transition. The magnetic contribution to the specific heat displays a sharp peak at T_N and is maximal at the spin fluctuation temperature T_sf=34 K. T_sf is related to the maximum of the magnetic susceptibility at T_m=40 K (at 50 kOe) in the spin fluctuation region, as evidenced by the entropy exceeding 90% of the entropy calculated classically for the complete alignment of the Cr spins, (2−x)R ln(2S+1). The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data indicate that Al-substitution does not affect Cr³⁺ 3d³ electronic configuration.