Kondo lattice with heavy fermions: peculiarities of spin kinetics

A model of spin relaxation of Kondo lattices is proposed to explain the angular dependence of the electron spin resonance (ESR) parameters in the heavy fermion compounds Y bIr(2)Si(2) and Y bRh(2)Si(2). A perturbational scaling approach reveals a collective spin motion of Yb?ions with conduction electrons in the bottleneck regime. A common energy scale due to the Kondo effect regulates the temperature dependence of different kinetic coefficients to result in a mutual cancelation of all divergent parts in a collective spin mode. The angular dependence of the ESR intensity, linewidth and resonant frequency is shown to be in good agreement with experimental data on Y bIr(2)Si(2) and Y bRh(2)Si(2). In particular, the unexpectedly weak dependence of the ESR intensity on the orientation of the microwave magnetic field agrees with the properties of the discussed model.     

Low temperature electron spin resonance of the Kondo ion in a heavy fermion metal: YbRh2Si2

We report an electron spin resonance (ESR) study on single crystals of the heavy fermion metal YbRh2Si2 which shows pronounced non-Fermi liquid behavior related to a close antiferromagnetic quantum critical point. It is shown that the observed ESR spectra can be ascribed to a bulk Yb3+ resonance. This is the first observation of ESR of the Kondo ion itself in a dense Kondo lattice system. The ESR signal occurs below the Kondo temperature (T(K)) which thus indicates the existence of large unscreened Yb3+ moments below T(K). We observe the spin dynamics as well as the static magnetic properties of the Yb3+ spins to be consistent with the results of nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic susceptibility.     

Quantum critical Kondo quasiparticles probed by ESR in β-YbAlB₄

Electron spin resonance (ESR) can probe conduction electrons (CE) and local moment (LM) spin systems in different materials. A CE spin resonance (CESR) is observed in metallic systems based on light elements or with enhanced Pauli susceptibility. LM ESR can be seen in compounds with paramagnetic ions and localized d or f electrons. Here we report a remarkable and unprecedented ESR signal in the heavy-fermion superconductor β-YbAlB? [S. Nakatsuji et al., Nature Phys. 4, 603 (2008)] which behaves as a CESR at high temperatures and acquires characteristics of the Yb3? LM ESR at low temperature. This dual behavior strikes as an in situ unique observation of the Kondo quasiparticles in a quantum critical regime. The proximity to a quantum critical point may favor the appearance of this dual character of the ESR signal in β-YbAlB?.     

Investigation of Paramagnetic Centers in Fullerides A2MC60 and AM2C60 (A = K, Rb, M = Mg, Be)

Paramagnetic centers in heterofullerides with the composition A₂MC₆₀ and AM₂C₆₀ (A = K, Rb, M = Mg, Be) were investigated by the electron spin resonance (ESR) method. It was found that the ESR signal can be interpreted as a composition of two lines with different temperature dependence of ESR absorption magnitude. This gives an evidence of the presence of at least two different types of paramagnetic centers. Centers of the first type behave as localized spins, while the rest can be interpreted as conduction electrons. Authors' address: Vladimir A. Kulbachinskii, Physics Faculty, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation     

Why could electron spin resonance be observed in a heavy fermion Kondo lattice?

We develop a theoretical basis for understanding the spin relaxation processes in Kondo lattice systems with heavy fermions as experimentally observed by electron spin resonance (ESR). The Kondo effect leads to a common energy scale that regulates a logarithmic divergence of different spin kinetic coefficients and supports a collective spin motion of the Kondo ions with conduction electrons. We find that the relaxation rate of a collective spin mode is greatly reduced due to a mutual cancellation of all the divergent contributions even in the case of the strongly anisotropic Kondo interaction. The contribution to the ESR linewidth caused by the local magnetic field distribution is subject to motional narrowing supported by ferromagnetic correlations. The developed theoretical model successfully explains the ESR data of YbRh₂Si₂ in terms of their dependence on temperature and magnetic field.     

Theory of ferromagnetism in doped excitonic condensates

Nesting in a semimetal can lead to an excitonic-insulator state with spontaneous coherence between conduction and valence bands and a gap for charged excitations. We present a theory of the ferromagnetic state that occurs when the density of electrons in the conduction band and holes in the valence band differ. We find an unexpectedly rich doping-field phase diagram and an unusual collective excitation spectrum that includes two gapless collective modes. We predict regions of doping and external field in which phase-separated condensates of electrons and holes with parallel spins and opposing spins coexist.     

Electron spin resonance investigation of ultra-small double walled carbon nanotubes embedded in zeolite nanochannels

We report on the low temperature electron spin resonance (ESR) properties of ultra-small (0.45?nm) double walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) embedded in zeolite nanochannels. An isotropic ESR signal is observed at g(c)?=?2.002?77 with the spin density (S?=?1/2)?～?10(19)?g(-1), which is suggested to originate from the carbon related point defects in the DWCNTs. Measurements of the ESR line width and signal intensity as a function of temperature indicate that the spins are of a localized nature as opposed to the conduction type electrons observed in large diameter CNTs. The results are consistent with the suggestion that electrons are trapped at interstitial defects. The observed linear frequency dependence of the ESR line width of embedded DWCNTs points to 'strain' as the prime source of broadening. By contrast, the study of free standing DWCNTs shows the presence of a distinctly superlinear frequency dependence of the signal width at low temperatures. The possible origin of the frequency dependence is discussed.     

Exchange interaction between single magnetic adatoms

The magnetic coupling between single Co atoms adsorbed on a copper surface is determined by probing the Kondo resonance using low-temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The Kondo resonance, which is due to magnetic correlation effects between the spin of a magnetic adatom and the conduction electrons of the substrate, is modified in a characteristic way by the coupling of the neighboring adatom spins. Increasing the interatomic distance of a Cobalt dimer from 2.56 to 8.1 A we follow the oscillatory transition from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic coupling. Adding a third atom to the antiferromagnetically coupled dimer results in the formation of a collective correlated state.     

Electron spin resonance in the Heusler alloy YbRh2Pb

An electron spin resonance (ESR) signal was observed in a concentrated Kondo lattice, Heusler alloy YbRh₂Pb. It is attributed to the combined effect of the 4f local magnetic moments of Yb³⁺ and conduction electrons. It is shown that the significant broadening and disappearance of the ESR line at temperatures above 20 K is caused by the processes of the spin-lattice relaxation of the Yb³⁺ ions through the first excited Stark doublet with an activation energy Δ ≈ 73.5 K. A comparison of the ESR data for YbRh₂Pb and some other undoped intermetallic compounds based on ytterbium, cerium, and europium indicates that hybridized electronic states occurring as the result of hybridization between the localized 4f electrons and the collectivized conduction electrons constitute a fundamentally new source of ESR.     

Spatial extent of wave functions of gate-induced hole carriers in pentacene field-effect devices as investigated by electron spin resonance

An electron spin resonance (ESR) method is applied to a pentacene field-effect device to investigate gate-induced hole carriers in such devices. Clear field-induced ESR signals are observed, demonstrating that all of the field-injected carriers have S = 1/2 spins. Anisotropic ESR signals due to unpaired pi electrons show the molecular orientation at the interface in the devices. The spatial extent of the spin density distribution (wave function) of the carriers is evaluated from the ESR linewidth, accounting for the hyperfine structure, to be of the order of 10 molecules.     

Resonant polarization transfer from electron spins to nuclear spins-or to muon spins-in semiconductors

A review is given of newly developed pulsed Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) methods for dynamic polarization of nuclear spins. The application of two of these methods, Nuclear Orientation Via Electron spin Locking (NOVEL) and the Integrated Solid Effect (ISE), for the polarization of nuclear spins in semiconductors is discussed in more detail. It is proposed to use these methods to study the ESR spectrum of unpaired electrons in the vicinity of muons that are bound in a solid. Thus, ESR would be observed with a sensitivity which is enhanced by about ten orders of magnitude compared to conventional ESR.     

Creation of entanglement between two electron spins induced by many spin ensemble excitations

We theoretically explore the possibility of creating spin entanglement by simultaneously coupling two electronic spins to a nuclear ensemble. By microscopically modeling the spin ensemble as a single mode boson field, we use the time-dependent Fr?hlich transformation (TDFT) method developed recently [Y. Li, C. Bruder, C.P. Sun, Phys. Rev. A 75, 032302 (2007)] to calculate the effective coupling between the two spins. Our investigation shows that the total system realizes a solid state based architecture for cavity QED. Exchanging such kind of effective boson in a virtual process can result in an effective interaction between two spins. It is discovered that a maximum entangled state can be obtained when the velocity of the electrons matches the initial distance between them in a suitable way. Moreover, we also study how the number of collective excitations influences the entanglement. It is shown that the larger the number of excitation is, the less the two spins entangle each other.     

储锂硅材料的ESR谱研究

采用了电化学方法制备储锂硅材料,并用电子自旋共振(ESR)方法进行研究. 实验结果表明, 储锂前的硅ESR行为符合居里自旋的ESR特征, ESR信号主要来源于硅材料中的晶格缺陷、 表面悬空键等局域化自旋中心. 储锂后硅材料中产生了泡利自旋,居里自旋的强度比储锂前增大2～3倍. 此外,对硅和储锂硅ESR谱线的g因子和ΔH_pp随温度的变化情况也进行了分析. 硅材料电化学储锂时,与锂离子中和的电子主要参与形成Li-Si共价键,对ESR信号贡献很小.     

Microscopic description of the collective states in N = 70 isotones on the IBM basis

Low-lying collective quadrupole states in four N = 70 isotones are analyzed within interacting boson model (IBM1) using parameters calculated on the basis of a microscopic quasiparticle theory that considers variation of the superconducting and collective quadrupole properties with increasing excitation energies and spins.     

Hysteresis and memory of the magnetic resonance of conduction electrons in solids. From bistability to stochastic resonance

The magnetic resonance line of conduction electrons in solids may exhibit bistable hysteresis if several conditions are fulfilled. Its mechanism is presented and the manifestation of bistability in the ESR of conduction electrons in single crystal and polycrystalline samples is discussed. The characteristics of the dynamics of the bistability show that bistable resonance can be assimilated to one-dimensional overdamped motion of the spin system in the nuclear field space, driven by a bistable potential. It is shown for the first time that noise acting on this bistable resonance can create order, by the phenomenon of stochastic resonance.     

Critical dynamics of a localized moment system coupled to conduction electrons

We discuss the critical dynamics of a system of localized spins interacting with conduction electrons via an isotropic exchange coupling between the respective spin densities. It is shown that the elimination of the conduction electrons by an adiabatic approximation is not allowed for small wave vectors. The quantum mechanical Fokker-Planck equation derived in a previous paper is used to investigate the renormalization of the kinetic coefficients due to nonlinear mode coupling contributions.     

银纳米棒光学性质的离散偶极近似计算

利用离散偶极近似 (Discretedipoleapproximation ,简称DDA)的方法 ,从理论上对粒子的形状、尺寸及周围介质等因素对银纳米粒子 ,特别是银纳米棒的光学性质的影响进行了较系统的研究 .计算表明 ,置于空气中的棒状银纳米粒子的光学性质与其形状密切相关 ,纵向表面等离子体共振吸收峰的位置随纳米棒长径比的增加呈现线性红移关系 .给出了空气中银纳米棒纵向表面等离子体共振吸收峰的位置随长径比变化的DDA拟合公式 .如果将金属纳米粒子置于折射率更高的介电环境中 ,其纵向等离子体共振吸收峰的位置进一步呈现线性红移关系 .合成的银纳米粒子的TEM图像及相关的UV VIS消光光谱显示DDA计算结果与实验值相当一致 .DDA算法与Mie′s理论在计算球状银纳米粒子的消光系数时给出很接近的结果 ,这表明用DDA的方法来分析银的光学性质是准确可靠的 ;而DDA算法对银纳米棒消光特性的成功拟合则表明 ,该算法相对Gans′理论而言 ,在研究纳米粒子的光学性质时具有更广的适用性及更高的准确性 .     

Theory of the transition at 0.2 K in Ni-doped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8

A theory is put forward that the electronic phase transition at 0.2 K in Ni-doped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 is a result of the formation of a spin density wave in the system of Ni impurities. The driving force for the transition is the exchange interaction between the impurity spins and the spins of the conduction electrons. This creates a small gap at two of the four nodes of the superconducting gap. The effect is to reduce the thermal conductivity by a factor of 2, as observed.     

Coupling Distant Spins of Surface-State Electrons by Manipulating Their Collective Vibrations

The system of electrons on liquid helium is an interesting candidate to implement quantum computation, due to the long coherence times of the qubits encoded by the electronic spins. In order to implement the quantum logic operations between the spins, we propose here a configuration, similarly to the cooled ions in a trap, to couple the distant electrons via manipulating their center of mass （CM） vibrations. First, we show that the electrons could be confined in a common harmonic oscillator potential by using an electrostatic field. Then, with a single current pulse （applied on the micro-electrode below the liquid helium） the distant electronic spins can be coupled simultaneously to the CM mode. Finally, by adiabatically eliminating the CM mode, effective interaction between the distant spins is induced for implementing the desired quantum computing.     

ESR and conductivity studies of doped polyacetylene

Low temperature ESR spectra of cis-rich and trans-rich polyacetylene, lightly doped with pentafluorides (AsF₅, SbF₅) exhibit two clearly distinguishable ESR lines. Detailed studies of these two lines as a function of temperature, doping concentration and microwave power indicate that one of these lines originates from localized spins, the other from conduction electrons. The concentration of the localized spins, generally speaking, decreases with doping. The Pauli-like susceptibility associated with the conduction electrons changes from 1.5×10^–7 to 15×10^–7 emu·cm³/mole for various doping levels and correlates with the conductivity of the same samples. The longitudinal relaxation time of the localized spins in doped trans-rich was found to beT ₁100 s at low temperatures, consistent with values of others in undoped trans rich. The temperature dependence of the homogeneous transverse relaxationT ₂ of the localized spins in doped trans-rich polyacetylene is similar to that of undoped trans polyacetylene. These facts show that the localized spins originate from undoped regions of the doped polyacetylene, perhaps due to inhomogenous doping. Our results are consistent with either formation of metallic islands, or, probably more, with impurity band conduction in strongly disordered semiconductors.