Energy spectrum of excitations in quasi-one-dimensional conductors with a charge-density wave

A well-formed energy gap Δ is observed in the energy spectrum of the quasi-one-dimensional orthorhombic conductor TaS₃ at temperatures much lower than the Peierls transition temperature T _P . As the temperature increases, in the region T>T _P /2 there is a growth of the density of states in the gap and a relative decrease of the density at energies greater than Δ. In addition, absorption lines which probably correspond to soliton states in a charge-density wave are observed in the gap. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 4, 246–250 (25 February 1996)     

Two-valley model for studying the low temperature phases inn-type inversion layers of semiconductors

The low temperature phases of a two-valley model forn-type inversion layers are studied. If the coupling constants are in a certain range charge-density waves exist below a transition temperatureT _c. For reasonable values of the coupling constantsT _c is around 30 °K.     

Quantum crystallization of two-dimensional dipole systems

An analysis is made of the region of existence of crystalline order in a system of spatially separated electrons (e) and holes (h) in two coupled quantum wells for various concentrations n, temperatures T, and distances D between the layers. A study is also made of crystallization in a system of electrons in semiconductor structures near a metal electrode for various distances d between the semiconductor and the metal. Calculations of the crystalline phase were made using variational calculations of the ground-state energy of the system allowing for pairing of quasiparticles with nonzero momentum. For a system of two coupled quantum wells, regions in (T,n,D) space are determined in which electron (or hole) charge-density waves exist in each layer and regions where these charge-density waves are in phase, in other words, indirect excitons (or pairs with spatially separated electrons and holes) interacting as electric dipoles, become crystallized. In the electron system in semiconductor structures near a metal electrode, regions of existence of an electron crystal are also obtained in (T,n,D) space, where over large distances the electrons interact as electric dipoles because of image forces. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1350–1355 (July 1998)     

Cascade processes in a plasma oscillator

A theoretical and numerical analysis is made of the dynamics of nonlinear electron-beam scattering of a wave reflected by the emitting device of a plasma oscillator. It is shown that a counterpropagating plasma wave can interact nonlinearly with other waveguide modes of the system and with charge-density beam waves, leading to changes in the operation of the oscillator. It is established by means of a numerical simulation that the generation efficiency is reduced as a result of scattering of the counterpropagating wave and stimulated emission of a strong-potential plasma wave with phase velocity v _ph=ω/k _z≪c. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 1299–1311 (October 1997)     

Effect of interlayer single-particle hoppings on the superconducting transition temperature

It is well known that the superconducting transition temperature of high-T _c cuprates depends on the number of CuO₂ planes in the unit cell. The multilayer structure implies the possibility of interlayer hopping. Under the assumption that the interlayer hopping can be specified by the parameter t _⊥(k) = t _⊥(cos(k _x ) − cos(k _y ))², the quasiparticle excitation spectrum for the bilayer cuprate in the superconducting state has been determined in the framework of the t − t′ − t″ − t _⊥ − J* model using the generalized mean-field approximation. It turns out that the interlayer hoppings does not create any additional mechanism of the Cooper paring and does not lead to an increase in T _c . The splitting of the upper Hubbard quasiparticle band attributed to the interlayer hoppings is manifested as two peaks in the doping dependence of the superconducting transition temperature at temperatures below the maximum T _c value for a single-layer cuprate. It has been found that antiferromagnetic interlayer correlations suppress the interlayer splitting. This probably leads to the common doping dependence of T _c for both single-layer and bilayer cuprates.     

Interplay between hybridisation gaps and unusual magnetic orders in Kondo semiconductors CeT2Al10 (T = Ru and Os)

ABSTRACT

Kondo semiconductors based on rare-earth elements possess a narrow gap in the renormalised density of states near the Fermi level. Their ground states remain nonmagnetic due to strong hybridisation of the 4f state with conduction bands. However, in the orthorhombic compounds CeT₂Al₁₀ (T?=?Ru, Os), opening of a hybridisation gap is followed by an antiferromagnetic (AFM) order at a rather high temperature T_N???28?K. Our systematic studies of the effects of electron/hole doping on the magnetic and transport properties, electron tunnelling, and spin-gap formation revealed that the hybridisation gap is indispensable for the unusual AFM order. Under uniaxial pressure, T_N increases linearly as the orthorhombic b-axis parameter is decreased. Our findings support the model that a kind of charge-density wave developing along the b axis in the presence of the hybridisation gap induces the AFM order in these systems.     

Theory of the electronic structure and spin susceptibility of La2−x SrxCuO4

We solve the problem of the effect of strong electron correlations on the homogeneous spin susceptibility of current carriers in CuO₂ planes. We show that the dependence of the spin susceptibility χ(T) of high-T _c superconductors of the La_2−x Sr_xCuO₄ type on temperature and the doping index x can be explained fairly well by the two-band model suggested earlier (the singlet-correlated oxygen band plus the lower Hubbard band of copper). The model has features in common with the phenomenological t-J model but cannot be reduced to the latter completely. In contrast to the t-J model, the density of states of the oxygen holes has a peak near the bottom of the band. It is the presence of this peak together with the non-Fermi-liquid properties that explain the unusual behavior of the spin susceptibility of La_2−x Sr_xCuO₄. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 1763–1777 (November 1997)     

Electrically active defects in BiSiO crystals undoped and doped with Cr and Mn ions

The influence of doping of Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ (BSO) with chromium and manganese ions on the thermal depolarization currents (TDCs) is investigated. Measurements are performed in the temperature interval 300–800 K as the preliminary polarization temperature is varied in the range T _p=300–523 K. It is shown that doping significantly alters the structure of the TDC spectra. The Cr and Mn ions produce a set of new peaks over the entire investigated temperature range. The thermal activation energies are 0.85–1.98 eV (BSO:Cr) and 0.58–1.72 eV (BSO:Mn). Another consequence of doping is an increase in the amplitudes of the peaks and the charge accumulated during preliminary polarization. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 472–474 (March 1998)     

Slow relaxation experiments in disordered charge and spin density waves: collective dynamics of randomly distributed solitons

We show that the dynamics of disordered charge density waves (CDWs) and spin density waves (SDWs) is a collective phenomenon. The very low temperature specific heat relaxation experiments are characterized by: (i) “interrupted” ageing (meaning that there is a maximal relaxation time); and (ii) a broad power-law spectrum of relaxation times which is the signature of a collective phenomenon. We propose a random energy model that can reproduce these two observations and from which it is possible to obtain an estimate of the glass cross-over temperature (typically T _g≃ 100-200 mK). The broad relaxation time spectrum can also be obtained from the solutions of two microscopic models involving randomly distributed solitons. The collective behavior is similar to domain growth dynamics in the presence of disorder and can be described by the dynamical renormalization group that was proposed recently for the one dimensional random field Ising model [D.S. Fisher, P. Le Doussal, C. Monthus, Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 3539 (1998)]. The typical relaxation time scales like ∼τexp(T _g/T). The glass cross-over temperature T_g related to correlations among solitons is equal to the average energy barrier and scales like T _g∼ 2xξΔ. x is the concentration of defects, ξ the correlation length of the CDW or SDW and Δ the charge or spin gap. Received 12 December 2001     

Electron Raman scattering in Tl2Ba2CuO6+x crystals

It is inferred from the position of the 2Δ peak in the electron light scattering spectra that in a sample with high T _c ≈90 K the ratio 2Δ/T _c is approximately equal to 6 and 7 for different polarizations, while in overdoped samples with T _c ≈40 and 35 K the 2Δ peak is observed only in x′y′ polarization with a substantially lower ratio 2Δ/T _c ≈3.2. With decreasing T _c in Tl₂Ba₂CuO_6+x crystals, a transition occurs from strong to weak coupling; the superconducting gap remains anisotropic at different doping levels. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 64, No. 11, 760–765 (10 December 1996)     

Sound propagation anomalies and phase diagram of chromium alloys

Calculations of the complex elastic moduli Ĉ(T) in dilute Cr alloys are compared to measurements of the velocity and damping of sound near T _N and at high temperatures T>T _N (T _N — Néel temperature). The thermodynamic calculation is based on the covalent bond model of 3d ions in a state with different numbers n of covalent electrons. The parameters A _ij ⁽ⁿ⁾ of indirect exchange between the ions of the i and j sublattices are expressed in terms of the covalent bond energy Γ _ij ⁽ⁿ⁾ . The stability of the charge and spin density waves (CDWs and SDWs) is found by a variational method and is determined by the dispersion of Γ _ij ⁽ⁿ⁾ and by the Coulomb parameters U _n. For a small structural vector Q the phase diagram contains a superantiferromagnetic phase (SAFM) at temperatures T _N<T≲2T _N. The peak of the defect |ΔE(T)| of the modulus and of the sound damping Δ_h(T _N) near the first-order SDW-SAFM transition is determined by the structure of the transitional domain. Measurements of the anomalous growth of E(T) at temperatures T>T _N make it possible to determine the magnetostriction constants λ(T) of Ce alloys in the SAFM phase on the basis of the SAFM theory. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 1467–1472 (August 1999)     

Thermopower in quasi-two-dimensional (BEDT-TTF) m X n organic conductors

Thermopower of (BEDT-TTF) _m X _n organic conductors has been studied using a dedicated measurement technique in the temperature range of 4.2 to 300 K. It turned out that some features of the thermopower in quasi-two-dimensional metals, namely the presence of a peak in the thermopower of α-(BEDT-TTF)₂MHg(SCN)₄ and a plateau in κ-(BEDT-TTF)₂Cu(NCS)₂ in the temperature interval between 10 and 50 K, are probably due to the phonon drag effect. Similar temperature dependences of the Seebeck coefficient can be satisfactorily interpreted in terms of a simple model taking into account the real experimental curve of the phonon heat capacity versus temperature, C ∝ T ², which is not described by the Debye formula. One feature distinguishing organic superconductors from magnetically ordered metals is a stronger temperature dependence of the characteristic electron-phonon scattering time τ _e-ph(T). Phonon drag effects also determine the behavior of the thermopower in the (BEDT-TTF)₃Cl₂·2H₂O organic conductor, which is characterized by a metal-insulator transition at T∼150 K. An analysis of measurements of the conductivity and thermopower vs. temperature taken together indicates that the transition in this compound has a complex nature: first (at T∼150 K) a metal-insulator transition occurs, which produces an energy gap in the band spectrum, then at a lower temperature (T∼20 K) a transition to a charge-density wave state takes place. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 323–338 (January 1998)     

Manifestation of ferromagnetism in lightly oxygen-doped La2CuO4 single crystals in magnetic fields H<50 Oe

The temperature and field dependences χ(T,H) in La₂CuO_4+δ single crystals with δ<0.015 have been investigated in magnetic fields 0.1<H<450 Oe by the differential magnetic susceptibility method. It was found that under oxygen doping conditions ferromagnetic regions are formed. These regions produce a characteristic curve of the magnetic susceptibility χ(T,H), which is observed only in magnetic fields of less than 50 Oe. This can be explained by the formation of ferrons [A. Aharony et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 60, 1330 (1988); L. I. Glazman and A. S. Ioselevich, Z. Phys. B 80, 268 (1990)] in an antiferromagnetic matrix. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 64, No. 3, 152–155 (10 August 1996)     

Resistive transition and upper critical field in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x single crystals

A superconducting transition in the temperature dependence of the ab-plane resistivity of underdoped YBa₂Cu₃O_6+x crystals in the range T _c≲30 K has been investigated. Unlike the case of samples with the optimal level of doping, the transition width increased insignificantly with magnetic field, and in the range T≲13 K it decreased with increasing magnetic field. The transition point T _c(B) was determined by analyzing the fluctuation conductivity. The curves of B _c2(T) measured in the region T/T _c≳0.1 did not show a tendency to saturation and had a positive second derivative everywhere, including the immediate neighborhood of T _c. The only difference among the curves of B _c2(T) for different crystal states is the scales of Tand B, so they can be described in terms of a universal function, which fairly closely follows Alexandrov’s model of boson superconductivity. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 268–284 (January 1999)     

Effect of doping on the magnetic properties of the low-dimensional antiferromagnet CuO

The effect of doping with Li⁺, Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Ga³⁺ ions on the magnetic susceptibility of the low-dimensional antiferromagnet CuO (T _N=230 K) has been studied within a broad temperature range of 77–600 K. The solubility of impurity ions in the CuO lattice is low, ⩽3%. Impurity ions, similar to intrinsic defects, distort antiferromagnetic coupling and can shift the long-and short-range magnetic-order regions toward lower T. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1876–1880 (October 1998)     

Hall effect in La0.67−x CexSr0.33MnO3

An experimental study of the Hall effect and of magnetoresistance in polycrystalline La_0.67−x Ce_xSr_0.33MnO₃ samples (x=0, 0.07) is reported. It is shown that the normal Hall coefficient reverses sign at T ₀=360 K in both samples and that metallic conduction occurs for T<T ₀, while for T>T ₀ the conduction is by mechanisms operative in disordered materials. It has been established that doping with cerium brings about an increase in the metallic phase of the normal and anomalous Hall coefficients. A qualitative interpretation of the observed features is given. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 2085–2088 (November 1998)     

Electronic properties of C60 single crystals doped with lithium by electrodiffusion

Diffusion of lithium cations in C₆₀ single crystals driven by electric field has been detected and studied. A novel technique for fullerene crystal doping based on injection of ions through a “superionic crystal/C₆₀ single crystal” heterojunction has been suggested. It has been found that lithium doping of C₆₀ single crystals brings about an ESR signal, and this signal as a function of time has been investigated. The electronic conductivity in Li_xC₆₀ crystals has a nonmetallic nature. Reflection spectra measured in the IR band have shown that the reflectivity due to free electrons gradually decreases with time, which correlates with the evolution of signals due to ESR and microwave conductivity. Lithium doping of crystals increases the oscillator strength of the T _1u (4) vibrational mode and shifts it to lower frequencies (from 1429 cm⁻¹ to 1413 cm⁻¹), which indicates that one electron is present at the C₆₀ molecule, and this fact may be treated as evidence that the LiC₆₀ phase is generated in a C₆₀ crystal. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 116, 1706–1722 (November 1999)     

Absorption of volume spin waves in magnet-superconductor structures

This paper describes the first experimental investigation of the temperature dependence of the absorption of volume spin waves in composite structures consisting of a ferrite layer and a thin layer of YBaCuO. The magnitude of the absorption is observed to be nonmonotonic, with a sharp maximum at T≈130 K. It is established that this behavior is related to a change in the ratio of the wavelength to the effective screening length, which depends on temperature. The absorption is not discontinuous in the vicinity of T≅T _c and decreases rapidly and monotonically below this temperature. This is explained by the strong influence of weak links between superconducting granules. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1628–1630 (September 1997)     

On the role of the Coulomb interaction in the mechanism of d-wave Cooper pairing of charge carriers in high-T c superconductors

The question of the effect of the structure of the anisotropic quasi-two-dimensional electron spectrum of high-T _c superconductors on the character of the screening of the Coulomb interaction and the symmetry of the superconducting order parameter is studied. Calculations of the polarization operator of electrons are performed on the basis of the single-particle band spectrum extracted from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy data. It is shown that the static screened Coulomb repulsion has a minimum at small momentum transfers. This corresponds to an effective electron-electron attraction in the -wave channel of Cooper pairing of the charge carriers on account of their interaction with the long-wavelength charge-density fluctuations. This attraction together with the anisotropic electron-phonon interaction increase the critical superconducting transition temperature T _c with increasing hole density and can give quite high values of T _c while at the same time suppressing the isotope effect, in qualitative agreement with the experimental data for underdoped hole-type cuprate metal-oxide compounds. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 69, No. 10, 703–710 (25 May 1999)     

Magnetic field dependence ofT c and temperature dependence ofH c2 in layered superconductors with open normal state Fermi surface

A theoretical framework for treating the effects of magnetic fieldH on the pairing theory of superconductivity is considered, where the field is taken in an arbitrary direction with respect to crystal axes. This is applicable to closed, as well as open normal state Fermi surface (FS), including simple layered metals. The orbital effects of the magnetic field are treated semiclassically while retaining the full anisotropic paramagnetic contribution. Explicit calculations are presented in the limits |H| → |H _c2(T)|,T ∼ 0 andT →T _c(|H|), |H| ∼ 0. Effects of weak nonmagnetic impurity scattering, without vertex corrections, have also been taken into account in a phenomenological way. The final results for the case of open FS and layered materials are found to differ considerably from those of the closed FS. For example, an important parameter,h(T=0)=|H_c2(0)|/[-Tδ|H _c2 T|δT]_T{s0} for the case of a FS open ink _z-direction with thek _z-bandwidth, 4t ₃, very small compared to the Fermi energy,E _F, is close to 0.5906, compared to 0.7273 for the closed FS, in the clean limit. Analytical results are given for the magnetic field dependence ofT _c and the temperature dependence of H _c2 for a model of layered superconductors with widely open FS. For a set of band structure parameters for YBa₂Cu₃O₇ used elsewhere, we find reasonable values for the upper critical fieldH _c2(0), the slope (dH _c2/dT)_{T c0}, anisotropic coherence lengths ζ_i(T=0),i=x, y, z, and (dT _c/d|H|)_{|H| → 0}.