Influence of unstable valence of cerium ions on the crystal field in ReNi compounds

To examine the effect of hybridization of 4f electrons with conduction electrons on the crystal field potential using neutron spectroscopy, we studied the effects of the crystal electric field (CEF) in intermetallic compounds of the type ReNi, in which chemical substitution is followed by a transition of the cerium ions from an intermediate valence state to the Kondo state. Measurements were performed both on cerium ions in the compounds Ce_1−x La_xNi (x=0.5, 0.8), where they have a whole-number population of the 4f shell, and on the paramagnetic impurity ion Nd in the series of compounds Re_1−x Nd_xNi (Re=Ce, La, Y), in which the cerium ions are found either in an intermediate valence state or in the Kondo state. From the neutron inelastic magnetic scattering spectra on Nd ions, we have reconstructed the crystal field parameters in ReNi compounds and calculated the CEF level diagram of Ce ions in these compounds as functions of the interion distances Re-Ni. The results of our calculations are in good agreement with the experimentally determined splitting diagram of the ground-state multiplet of the Ce ions. We have determined that as the degree of hybridization with the conduction electrons grows the CEF potential varies considerably and the effective splitting of the 4f shell of the cerium ions increases. The estimated energy scale of the splitting of the ground-state multiplet of the Ce³⁺ ions in the ReNi CEF (Δ_CEF∼15 meV) turns out to be commensurate with the Kondo temperature (T _K ;140 K for CeNi. Analysis indicates that the CEF potential has a substantial effect on the formation of the valence-unstable ground state of the f shell in this compound. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 1731–1747 (May 1998)     

Noncollinear orientation of external magnetic field and flux lines penetrating an isotropic hard superconductor

Penetration by Abrikosov flux lines of an isotropic hard superconductor in the critical state induced by changes in the orientation of external magnetic field has been theoretically investigated. The analysis has been based on the microscopic nonlocal model taking into account forces of bulk and surface pinning, alongside magnetic forces of interaction of the row of penetrating vortices with existing flux lines, Meissner currents, and vortex images. New vortices penetrate a superconductor only when the angle through which the field is rotated is larger than a certain critical value. It has been determined that the alignment of entering vortices is essentially different from that of the applied magnetic field. The feasibility of detecting noncollinearity effects is discussed. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 1804–1816 (November 1998)     

Features of the spin fluctuations and superconductivity of Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8−δ according to 63Cu and 17O NMR data

Data on the NMR line shifts, the spin-lattice relaxation rate of ⁶³Cu and ¹⁷O nuclei, and the spin-spin relaxation rate of ⁶³Cu are obtained for Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O_8−δ (T _c =112 K) in the normal and superconducting states. The hyperfine constants at the copper and oxygen atoms in a CuO₂ plane are estimated from an analysis of the temperature dependence of the Knight shift. The temperature-dependent behavior of the long-and short-wavelength parts of the dynamic spin susceptibility is discussed by modeling an antiferromagnetic Fermi liquid. The possible relation between the characteristics of the spin-fluctuation spectrum and the superconducting transition temperature is analyzed for the oxide investigated. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 991–1001 (March 1999)     

Structure of the mixed state induced in thin YBaCuO superconducting films by the field of a small ferromagnetic particle

The temperature dependence of the local energy barrier to formation of the mixed state in YBaCuO thin-film superconducting samples has been determined. The measurement technique is based on use of a small ferromagnetic particle as the magnetic field source. It is found that the energy barrier to creation of vortices (for the field oriented parallel to the CuO planes) is anomalously small while the dependence of the corresponding threshold current j _c(T) differs substantially from the temperature dependence of the pair-breaking current. The experimental results are interpreted in terms of the model of a Josephson medium. The observed temperature dependence of j _c points to a strong suppression of the superconducting order parameter at the intergrain boundaries, which for the most probable type of boundaries: superconductor-insulator-superconductor, is evidence of anisotropic pairing. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 116, 1735–1749 (November 1999)     

Instability of a charged spherical drop moving relative to a medium

It is shown that the critical self-charge for the onset of instability of a charged drop in a flow of an ideal fluid decreases as the flow velocity of the fluid past the drop increases, i.e., a complex instability arises which is a superposition of the instabilities of the free surface of the drop with respect to the tangential discontinuity of the velocity field at the free surface of the drop and with respect to the self-charge. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 7–14 (May 1999)     

White,green, and yellow photoluminescence in the (CaO · Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> · SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>): Eu system

It is shown that nitrogen-laser excited (2CaO · m(Al₂O₃) · SiO₂): Eu photoluminescent phosphors obtained by direct solid-state synthesis at 1350°C emit white, green, and yellow lights when Al₂O₃ content m in the system decreases from 0.40 to 0.05. The coordinates of these colors correspond to the coordinates of light warning systems according to International Commission on Illumination (CIE) and are close to the coordinates of primary colors in the EBU and NTSC TV standards.     

Using magnetic resonance characteristics to model the structure of multilayer composite nanosystems

The magnetic resonance characteristics of multilayer composite nanosystems with dielectric, semiconductor, and metal nonmagnetic interlayers are investigated. Analysis of the experimental data shows that the dominant factor determining the magnetic resonance characteristics of multilayer composite nanosystems is the shape of their magnetic granules.     

Searching for the process e+e- → K+K-π0 in experiments with the spherical neutral detector at VEPP-2M

We have searched for the process e⁺e^- → K⁺K^-π⁰ at energies up to 1.38 GeVin an experiment with the spherical neutral detector at the VEPP-2M e⁺e^- collider. The upper limits of the cross sections for the processes σ(e⁺e →; φπ: → K⁺K^-π⁰) < 0.023 nb and σ(e⁺e^- → KK*(892) → K⁺K^-π⁰) < 0.059 nb have been established at a 95% confidence level.     

Tamm plasmon-polaritons: First experimental observation

We report on the first experimental observation of Tamm plasmon-polaritons (TPP) formed at the interface between a metal and a dielectric Bragg reflector (DBR). Contrary to conventional surface plasmons, TPPs have an in-plane wave vector less than the wave vector of light in vacuum, which allows for their direct optical excitation, and can be formed in both the TE and TM polarizations. The angular resolved reflectivity and transmission spectra of a GaAs/AlAs DBR covered by Au films of various thicknesses show the resonances associated with the TPP at low temperatures and at room temperature. The in-plane dispersion of TTPs is parabolic with an effective mass 4×10⁻⁵$4\times 10^{-5}$ of the free electron mass.