Stark structure of the Yb3+ ion levels in (YbxY1?x)2Ti2O7 and the crystal field in rare-earth titanates with a pyrochlore structure

The absorption spectra of Yb₂Ti₂O₇ single crystals and the luminescence and luminescence excitation spectra of Y₂Ti₂O₇: Yb (1%) polycrystals were studied in the temperature range 4.2–300 K. The spectra were analyzed in terms of the crystal-field theory and the exchange-charge model. Based on the set of crystal-field parameters found for Yb₂Ti₂O₇, analogous sets of parameters were determined for other rare-earth titanates and proved to be in reasonable agreement with all available experimental data. __________ Translated from Fizika Tverdogo Tela, Vol. 47, No. 8, 2005, pp. 1376–1380. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2005 by Klimin, Popova, Chukalina, Malkin, Zakirov, Antic-Fidancev, Goldner, Aschehoug, Dhalenne.     

Influence of the X-Ray Spectrum on the Tomographic Reconstruction of Porous Ceramic Membranes

Crystallography Reports - X-ray microtomography is used for non-destructive reconstruction of the internal morphological structure of objects. The influence of the tomographic experiment conditions...     

X-Ray Tomography in Polychromatic Case: Utilizing the Multicomponent Object Structure in the Reconstruction Method

Crystallography Reports - A new approach is proposed to solve the problem of tomographic reconstruction when scanning objects by polychromatic radiation. The application of algebraic reconstruction...     

Spectroscopic study of magnetic phase transitions in Nd<Subscript>x</Subscript>Gd<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>(BO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>4</Subscript>

Magnetic ordering and spin reorientation in iron borates Nd_xGd_1?xFe₃(BO₃)₄ (x = 0.01, 0.04, 0.25, 1.0) are studied using a rare-earth spectroscopic probe.     

Spectroscopic investigation of rare-earth chromium borates RCr3(BO3)4 (R = Nd, Sm)

The optical absorption spectra of single crystals of neodymium and samarium chromium borates are studied. A magnetic phase transition in NdCr₃(BO₃)₄ (at T _c = 8 ± 1 K) and SmCr₃(BO₃)₄ (at T _c = 5 ± 1 K) is observed. The effective magnetic field acting on the Nd³⁺ ion from the side of the ordered magnetic subsystem of chromium is estimated.     

Effect of the Excitation Radiation Coherence on Oscillations of the Photon Echo Intensity

The physical reasons for observing the splitting of optical lines several orders of magnitude smaller than the spectral width of a laser pulse are investigated. A theory of coherent and incoherent photon echo (PE) in an external static magnetic field and in the presence of a pulsed magnetic field, which causes oscillations of the PE intensity, is elaborated. It is shown that the periods of oscillations in the echo intensity, the echo duration, and the dimensions of the regions in the inhomogeneous line, where the excited ions are coherent, do not depend on the degree of coherence of the laser pulse and on the external static magnetic field. As follows from the theory, in the case of the coherent excitation of the echo, the amplitude of the intensity oscillations is independent of the external static magnetic field if the inhomogeneous line is symmetric. It is shown that the amplitude of the oscillations at the incoherent excitation of the echo is equal to the autocorrelation function of the distribution function of the transition frequency along the inhomogeneous line with the argument equal to the Zeeman splitting of the optical line in the external magnetic field. In this case, the experimental values of the oscillation amplitude are in good agreement with the calculated values of the autocorrelation function for the total inhomogeneous line in LuLiF₄:Er³⁺ (⁴I_15/2?F_9/2 transition). In the same way, the autocorrelation function has been obtained for YLiF₄:Er³⁺ on the same transition.     

Crystal field and exchange interactions in the SmFe3(BO3)4 multiferroic

The optical spectra of oriented SmFe₃(BO₃)₄ single crystals are studied in the region of the f-f transitions in the Sm³⁺ ion by Fourier spectroscopy. The energies, the symmetry properties, and the exchange splittings of the Stark sublevels of the ground and 17 excited multiplets of the Sm³⁺ ion in a crystal field of symmetry D ₃ are determined from the measured temperature dependences of polarized-radiation absorption spectra. The parameters of the crystal field acting on samarium ions and the parameters of the exchange interaction between Sm³⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions are found. The anisotropy of the effective exchange interaction is shown to be substantially stronger than the magnetic anisotropy, due to a strong crystal-field-induced mixing of the ground and excited multiplets.     

Laboratory Microtomographs: Design and Data Processing Algorithms

Crystallography Reports - The design of a new automatic X-ray microtomograph is described. The parameters of optical schemes and X-ray detectors in use are presented. Methods for automating...     

Isotope shifts in the spectra of LiLuF<Subscript>4</Subscript>:Ho<Superscript>3+</Superscript> crystals due to the isotopic disorder in the lithium sublattice

The isotope shifts of lines in the spectra of the LiLuF₄:Ho³⁺ crystal in the range of the transitions ⁵ I ₈→⁵ I ₇, ⁵ I ₆, and ⁵ I ₅ caused by the isotopic disorder with respect to lithium are measured. The shifts of different lines amount to 0.01–0.036 cm^?1. A comparison with the previously measured isotope shifts in the spectra of the LiYF₄:Ho³⁺ crystal is made.     

Investigation of the iron borates DyFe3(BO3)4 and HoFe3(BO3)4 by the method of Er spectroscopic probe

Temperature-dependent high-resolution optical spectra of the Er³⁺ probe ion in DyFe₃(BO₃)₄ and HoFe₃(BO₃)₄ are reported. The data provide the temperature of magnetic ordering and direction of the Fe³⁺ magnetic moments. Both compounds order magnetically at TN=39±1 K$T_{\mathrm{N}}=39\pm 1\text{ K}$. The magnetic structure of DyFe₃(BO₃)₄ is of the easy-axis type, while that of HoFe₃(BO₃)₄ is of the easy-plane type. The role of anisotropic interactions between the iron and the rare-earth subsystems is discussed.