Temperature dependence of the Knight shift for cadmium in palladium

The Knight shift and its temperature dependence for a Cd impurity in palladium metal were measured by means of DPAD- and DPAC-methods utilizing the well known 5/2⁺, 247-keV state in¹¹¹Cd. The shift at 80 K was found to be KS (CdPd, 80 K)=?0.8(2)%. The observed variation of the KS in the temperature range from 80 K up to 1400 K is 0.5%. For calibration purposes an accurate remeasurement of the magnetic moment of the 5/2⁺ state in¹¹¹Cd was necessary and yieldedμ(¹¹¹Cd, 5/2⁺, 247 keV)=?0.7697(20) n.m.     

Electric field gradients of acceptor–donor pairs in semiconductors

The interaction between substitutional and interstitial donors and single or double acceptors in Si, GaAs, InP, and InAs has been studied by perturbed angular correlation spectroscopy (PAC). For the case of Si, complex formation between substitutional donors (As, P) and different radioactive acceptors (¹¹¹In, ¹¹¹Cd, ¹¹⁷Cd) has been observed. The formation of Cd–hydrogen pairs using either ¹¹¹Cd or ¹¹⁷Cd is discussed for GaAs, InP, and InAs. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Semiconductors with structurally determined vacancies – PAC studies

Ternary semiconductors of type □A^IIB ₂ ^III C ₄ ^VI with an ordered array of vacancies were investigated by PAC. Thereby the six probes ¹¹¹Cd, ¹¹⁷Cd(¹¹⁷In), ¹¹¹In(¹¹¹Cd), ¹¹¹Ag(¹¹¹Cd), ⁷⁷Br(⁷⁷Se) and ⁷⁷Kr(⁷⁷Br) were applied. The positions of the different probes are determined and the corresponding electric field gradients by the WIEN 95 code calculated. By ¹¹¹Ag(¹¹¹Cd)-probes the vacancies could be substituted. The electronic charge density distributions are discussed. At elevated temperatures the substances show order–disorder transitions. As compared to the X-ray diffraction patterns the beginning of disorder is observed by PAC at distinctly lower temperatures. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Nuclear orientation of111m Cd in Zn and Be and the quadrupole moment of the 245keV state

The 48.7 m^111m Cd activity was implanted in Zn and Be single crystals which were soldered to the cold finger of a dilution refrigerator and kept below 0.2 K during implantation. Subsequent nuclear orientation experiments allowed the determination of the quadrupole interaction frequencyv _Q of the 11/2^? isomeric state of¹¹¹Cd in Zn and Be as ?139 (15) MHz and +43(16) MHz respectively. With these results we derive the quadrupole moment of the 5/2⁺ 245 keV level of¹¹¹Cd including sign asQ = +0.83(13) b and the sign of the electric field gradient for Cd in Be. The half-life of^111m Cd was redetermined as 48.67 (6) m.     

Interaction of repulsive impurity pairs in silver

Probe-impurity interactions of In–Cd and In–Zn pairs in silver matrix have been studied using ¹¹¹In-TDPAC measurements. The interactions are repulsive for both the pairs. For 3% alloys, the interaction energy of In–Cd pairs in Ag is 51± 2 meV and that of In–Zn pairs is 19± 1 meV. The Electric Field Gradient (EFG) at ¹¹¹Cd due to a single Cd nn impurity to the In probe is found to be 0.83± 0.04× 10²¹ V/m² while for a Zn impurity is 1.50± 0.05× 10²¹ V/m². Cd–Cd contact interaction in silver is also found to be repulsive. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Lattice Location of 181Ta and 111Cd Probes in Hafnium and Zirconium Aluminides Studied by Perturbed Angular Correlation

The perturbed angular correlation technique was applied to study the lattice location of the ¹¹¹In/¹¹¹Cd and ¹⁸¹Hf/¹⁸¹Ta probe atoms in hafnium and zirconium aluminides. Compounds of different stoichiometries and crystallographic structures were the subject of investigation. According to the expectation, in all investigated compounds ¹⁸¹Hf/¹⁸¹Ta probes occupy the Hf(Zr) crystallographic sites. The ¹¹¹In/¹¹¹Cd probes are placed at the sites of all constituent metals—aluminum, hafnium and zirconium, depending on the crystallographic structure of compound, concentration of the constituent metals and temperature of the sample.     

Hf3Al2 and Zr3Al2 Isostructural Aluminides Studied by PAC with 181Ta and 111Cd Probes

The electric quadrupole hyperfine interactions for ¹⁸¹Hf/¹⁸¹Ta and for ¹¹¹In/¹¹¹Cd probes in polycrystalline Zr₃Al₂ and Hf₃Al₂ compounds were measured in the temperature range 24–1100 K. The hyperfine quadrupole interaction parameters were determined after different doping techniques and heat treatments of the samples.¹⁸¹Hf/¹⁸¹Ta was found to substitute the Hf/Zr sites and the ¹¹¹In/¹¹¹Cd impurities appear to substitute both the 8(j) Al sites and the three nonequivalent Hf/Zr sites.     

Sign of the electric field gradient at111Cd in Zr and Sb

The Β-γ TDPAC technique was applied to¹¹¹Ag implanted in Zr and Sb metal single crystals in order to determine sign and magnitude of the quadrupole interaction at the site of¹¹¹Cd in these metals. An analysis of the data taken at 293K yielded Ν_Q=+15.4(6) MHz for¹¹¹Cd in Zr and Ν_Q=?107.5(20) MHz for¹¹¹Cd in Sb. From these values electric field gradients of +7.3(8)×10¹⁶ V/cm² and ?5.56(62)×10¹⁷ V/cm² for Cd in Zr and Sb are derived respectively.     

The nuclear quadrupole interaction at 111Cd and 181Ta sites in anatase and rutile TiO2: A TDPAC study

The nuclear quadrupole interaction of the I=5/2 state of the nuclear probes ¹¹¹Cd and ¹⁸¹Ta in the anatase and rutile polymorphs of bulk TiO₂ was studied using the time differential perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC) method. The fast–slow coincidence setup is based on CAMAC electronics. For anatase, the asymmetry parameter of the electric field gradient was η=0.22(1) and a quadrupole interaction frequency of ω_Q=44.01(3) Mrad/s was obtained for ¹⁸¹Ta. For rutile, the respective values are η=0.56(1) and ω_Q=130.07(9) Mrad/s. The values for rutile match closely with the literature values. In case of the ¹¹¹Cd probe produced from the beta decay of ¹¹¹Ag, the quadrupole interaction frequency for anatase was negligibly small as indicated by an unperturbed angular correlation in anatase. On the other hand for rutile the quadrupole frequency is ω_Q=61.74(2) Mrad/s and the asymmetry parameter η=0.23(1) for the ¹¹¹Cd probe. The results are interpreted in terms of the surrounding atom positions in the lattice and the charge state of the probe nucleus.     

Hyperfine interactions at R and In sites in RNiIn (R = Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho) compounds measured by perturbed angular correlation spectroscopy

Perturbed gamma–gamma angular correlation (PAC) technique was used to measure the magnetic hyperfine field (mhf) in RNiIn (R = Gd, Dy, Tb, Ho) intermetallic compounds using the ¹¹¹In→¹¹¹Cd and ¹⁴⁰La→¹⁴⁰Ce probe nuclei. The PAC spectra for ¹¹¹Cd measured above magnetic transition temperature show a major fraction with a well defined quadrupole interaction for all compounds except GdNiIn where a single frequency was observed. PAC measurements below T _C showed a combined electric quadrupole plus magnetic dipole interaction for ¹¹¹Cd probe at In sites, and a pure magnetic interaction for ¹⁴⁰Ce at R sites. The temperature dependence of mhf measured with ¹⁴⁰Ce at R sites shows that the values of fields drop to zero at temperatures around the expected T _C for each compound. However, in the measurements with ¹¹¹Cd at In sites, the mhf values become zero at temperatures which are smaller than T _C . The difference between the temperatures at which mhf is zero for ¹⁴⁰Ce and ¹¹¹Cd probes correlates with T _C . For each compound this difference decreases with T _C . The results are discussed in terms of the RKKY model for magnetic interactions and the existence of two magnetic systems, with distinct exchange interaction energies due to different types of atomic layers in these compounds.     

Supertransferred hyperfine magnetic fields at111Cd(←111In) in ferrimagnetic oxides with the spinel structure

The supertransferred hyperfine magnetic fields,H _STHF, at¹¹¹Cd(¹¹¹In) on the tetrahedral sites of the spinel oxides Fe_3-xM_xO₄ (M = Ni or Co) were measured by means of the time differential perturbed angular correlation. The observedH _STHF were analyzed as the sum of the fields transferred from individual B site magnetic ions: 11 kOe/Fe³⁺, 8 kOe/Fe²⁺, 4 kOe/Ni²⁺ and 4 kOe/Co²⁺. A brief discussion is presented on these results in comparison with previous ones onH _STHF at¹¹¹Cd(^111mCd) in rocksalt-type oxides and the one at¹¹¹in in NiFe₂O₄.     

The electric field gradient of111Cd in an α-Al2O3 single crystal

Radioactive¹¹¹In⁺ ions were implanted into an α-Al₂O₃ single crystal. The hyperfine parameters of¹¹¹Cd at substitutional Al lattice sites were identified by measuring the perturbed angular correlation for different sample orientations. The electric field gradientV _zz =1.04(17)·10²²V/m² was obtained from the quadrupole coupling constant. This result is compared with the efg values of²⁷Al in α-alumina and¹¹¹Cd in α-Fe₂O₃, which also has the corundum structure. Two additional fractions with broad frequency distributions were observed, one of which is attributed to¹¹¹Cd atoms in a strongly distorted Al₂O₃-lattice.     

Neutrino recoil experiments in metals

Using nuclear recoil due to neutrino emission during the electron-capture decay of¹¹¹Sn to¹¹¹ In in combination with¹¹¹In/¹¹¹Cd PAC we were able to obtain microscopic information about isolated low energy recoil processes in otherwise undamaged copper, silver, gold, aluminium, and lead.     

Ferromagnetic Semiconductors Studied by Hyperfine Interaction of Nuclear Probes

The ferromagnetic spinels CdCr₂Se₄ and CuCr₂Se₄ were investigated by PAC (perturbed angular correlations) after implantation of the probes ¹¹¹In(¹¹¹Cd), ^111mCd, ¹¹¹Ag(¹¹¹Cd) and ⁷⁷Br(⁷⁷Se). The site occupation of different probes was determined by magnetic and electric hyperfine interactions. Theoretical calculations of hyperfine parameters by the WIEN97 code gave satisfactory efg (electric field gradients) but the magnetic hyperfine fields are inconsistent with the experiments. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Temperature dependence of the electric field gradient for111Cd in antimony

For the temperature dependence of the electric field gradient of¹¹¹Cd in the semimetal antimony the well knownT ^3/2 relationship is valid over a wide temperature range. The slope parameterB differs from that for^{121, 123}Sb in antimony by a factor of about 2.3.     

Doping of sapphire single crystals with 111In and 111Cd detected by perturbed angular correlation

The electric hyperfine interaction of ion beam implanted ¹¹¹In and ¹¹¹Cd probe atoms in sapphire (Al₂O₃) single crystals has been investigated using perturbed angular correlation spectroscopy. For both probe atoms the same distinctive electric field gradient was found, indicating that nearly all the implanted probe atoms form a stable substitutional configuration in the temperature range between 77 K and 873 K on the aluminum sublattice. A comparative study between ¹¹¹In and ¹¹¹Cd-measurements points to a dynamic interaction initiated by the electron-capture of ¹¹¹In(EC)¹¹¹Cd similar to In₂O₃ and La₂O₃. Size and orientation of the EFG are discussed in comparison to experimental results in Cr₂O₃ single crystals. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Temperature dependence of electric field gradient in TbCoO3

The temperature dependence of the electric field gradient (efg) in TbCoO₃ perovskite was measured by perturbed angular correlation (PAC) technique using ¹¹¹Cd and¹⁸¹Ta nuclear probes. The radioactive parent nuclei ¹¹¹In and ¹⁸¹Hf were introduced into the compound through a chemical process during sample preparation. The electric quadrupole interactions at ¹¹¹Cd show two different sites, assigned to probe substituting Tb and Co atoms. The temperature dependence of quadrupole frequencies show sharp discontinuities which have been interpreted as thermally activated spin state transitions from low-spin ground state configuration to the intermediate-spin state and from intermediate-spin to high-spin state of Co^3?+? ion. For ¹⁸¹Ta only one interaction was observed, which was assigned to probe at Co site. Indication of a Jahn–Teller distortion, which stabilizes the intermediate-spin state with orbital ordering, is also pointed out. No magnetic order was observed till 77 K.     

The Electric Field Gradients in (Zr/Hf)Al3 and (Zr/Hf)2Al3 Intermetallic Compounds Studied by 181Ta- and 111Cd-PAC Spectroscopy

The electric quadrupole hyperfine interactions for ¹⁸¹Hf/¹⁸¹Ta and for ¹¹¹In/¹¹¹Cd probes in polycrystalline ZrAl₃ and Zr₂Al₃ compounds were measured in the temperature range 30–1100 K and compared with the results for isostructural hafnium aluminides. On the basis of the similarities of the numbers, sizes and asymmetries of electric field gradients, lattice site allocations were made. In all matrices, ¹⁸¹Hf/¹⁸¹Ta was found to substitute the Hf/Zr site. The ¹¹¹In/¹¹¹Cd impurities were also assigned to the Hf/Zr site in the compounds (Zr/Hf)Al₃, but appear to substitute the two non-equivalent Al sites in the Zr₂Al₃ and Hf₂Al₃ phases. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

NMR detected by Mössbauer-effect,applied to the system57CoFe

The ratio of the Larmor frequencies of¹¹¹Cd and²H has been measured in an aqueous solution of CdSO₄ with high accuracy.¹¹¹Cd chemical shifts have been investigated in aqueous solutions of CdCl₂, Cd(NO₃)₂, CdSO₄, and Cd(ClO₄)₂ as a function of concentration. Using these, the ratio of the Larmor frequencies of the¹¹¹Cd nuclei for infinite dilution relative to²H in pure D₂O is given. From this ag _I -factor for¹¹¹Cd has been derived and has been compared with theg _I -factor of an optical pumping experiment. The resulting shielding constant is σ^*(hydrated¹¹¹Cd versus¹¹¹Cd atom)=?1.106(4) · 10^?3. This yields an atomic reference scale for all measured NMR line shifts in the liquid and solid state and the possibility of comparing experimental and theoretical shielding constants. As a consequence, the amount of the Knight shift of metallic cadmium becomes 20% larger.