SearcharxivSearch

arXiv subjects

C. Marin

Publications and source records attributed to C. Marin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Magnetocaloric Effect of Pure and Diluted Quantum Magnet Yb$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$

The magnetocaloric effect in the quantum dipolar magnet Yb$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$ is studied both for pure material and with non-magnetic substitution: (Yb$_{1-x}$Y$_x$)$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$. Magnetization measurements have been performed on a single crystal, $x=0$, and on powder samples with $x = 0.2$ and 0.4 in the temperature range between 70 mK to 300 K and in magnetic fields up to 8 T. The magnetic entropy change $\Delta S_m$, a key figure of merit for adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration, has been derived from the magnetization data. The $x=0.2$ sample exhibits the volumetric entropy variation comparable to, and at low fields even enhanced relative to, the pure compound. In contrast, the 40\%\ diluted sample shows a reduced effect, consistent with the conventional dilution picture. The Curie-Weiss law fits reveal positive Curie temperatures in both diluted samples, indicating the persistence of ferromagnetic correlations. The robustness of the magnetocaloric response upon moderate dilution highlights the potential of YbGG-based materials for low-temperature magnetic cooling applications, particularly in addressing thermal conductivity challenges through the chemical substitution without compromising cooling power.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Nuclear level density of ${}^{128}$Te from $(\mathrm{p},\mathrm{p}'\gamma)$ scattering and complementary photonuclear data

We have extracted the nuclear level density of ${}^{128}$Te from a $(\mathrm{p},\mathrm{p} '\gamma)$ scattering experiment using the large-volume \labr\ and \cebr\ detectors from ELI-NP at the 9~MV Tandem facilities at IFIN-HH. The decay data were normalised using photonuclear data, resulting in nuclear level densities without intrinsic model dependencies from the constant temperature or Fermi gas models. The deduced nuclear level density follows in between the expectations from these two models, but we observe a clear divergence from a microscopic model based on the Skyrme force.

nucl-ex

Modeling a frustrated Ising square lattice with the D-Wave Quantum Annealer

The Ising model with nearest-neighbor interactions on a two-dimensional (2D) square lattice is one of the simplest models for studying ferro-magnetic to para-magnetic transitions. Extensive results are available in the literature for this model, which has become a paradigm for the study of magnetic phase transitions in materials, both theoretically and numerically. After a brief review of the main results obtained with a classical computer, we show how to implement on the D- Wave quantum annealer a more complex Ising model with the addition of competing antiferromagnetic interactions between the diagonal next-to-nearest neighbors with two coupling constants J1 and J2. The dynamics of this system, owing to frustration, are richer than those of the simple Ising model and exhibit a third striped (or antiferromagnetic) phase in addition to the ferro- and para-magnetic phases. In this work, we observed all three phases on the D-Wave hardware, studied the behavior of the solution with different annealing parameters, such as the chain strength and annealing time, and showed how to identify the phase transition by varying the ratio between the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic couplings. The same system is studied on a classical computer, with the possibility of taking into account the temperature (fixed on D-Wave) as a free parameter and to explore the full phase diagram: some comparative conclusions with D-Wave are drawn.

physics.comp-ph

Uncommon magnetic ordering in the quantum magnet Yb$_{3}$Ga$_{5}$O$_{12}$

The antiferromagnetic structure of Yb$_{3}$Ga$_{5}$O$_{12}$ is identified by neutron diffraction experiments below the previously-known transition at $T_{\lambda}=54$ mK. The magnetic propagation vector is found to be ${\bf k}=(1/2, 1/2, 0)$, an unusual wave-vector in the garnet structure. The associated complex magnetic structure highlights the role of exchange interactions in a nearly isotropic system dominated by dipolar interactions and finds echos with exotic structures theoretically proposed. Reduced values of the ordered moments may indicate significant quantum fluctuations in this effective spin-1/2 geometrically frustrated magnet.

cond-mat.str-el

Spin dynamics of the quantum dipolar magnet Yb$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$ in an external field

We investigate ytterbium gallium garnet Yb$_{3}$Ga$_{5}$O$_{12}$ in the paramagnetic phase above the supposed magnetic transition at $T_{\lambda} \approx 54$ mK. Our study combines susceptibility and specific heat measurements with neutron scattering experiments and theoretical calculations. Below 500 mK, the elastic neutron response is strongly peaked in the momentum space. Along with that the inelastic spectrum develops flat excitation modes. In magnetic field, the lowest energy branch follows a Zeeman shift in accordance with the field-dependent specific heat data. An intermediate state with spin canting away from the field direction is evidenced in small magnetic fields. In the field of 2 T, the total magnetization almost saturates and the measured excitation spectrum is well reproduced by the spin-wave calculations taking into account solely the dipole-dipole interactions. The small positive Curie-Weiss temperature derived from the susceptibility measurements is also accounted for by the dipole spin model. Altogether, our results suggest that Yb$_{3}$Ga$_{5}$O$_{12}$ is a quantum dipolar magnet.

cond-mat.str-el

Long-range dynamical magnetic order and spin tunneling in the cooperative paramagnetic states of the pyrochlore analogous spinel antiferromagnets CdYb2X4 (X = S, Se)

Magnetic systems with spins sitting on a lattice of corner sharing regular tetrahedra have been particularly prolific for the discovery of new magnetic states for the last two decades. The pyrochlore compounds have offered the playground for these studies, while little attention has been comparatively devoted to other compounds where the rare earth R occupies the same sub-lattice, e.g. the spinel chalcogenides CdR2X4 (X = S, Se). Here we report measurements performed on powder samples of this series with R = Yb using specific heat, magnetic susceptibility, neutron diffraction and muon-spin-relaxation measurements. The two compounds are found to be magnetically similar. They long-range order into structures described by the Γ_5 irreducible representation. The magnitude of the magnetic moment at low temperature is 0.77 (1) and 0.62 (1) mu_B for X = S and Se, respectively. Persistent spin dynamics is present in the ordered states. The spontaneous field at the muon site is anomalously small, suggesting magnetic moment fragmentation. A double spin-flip tunneling relaxation mechanism is suggested in the cooperative paramagnetic state up to 10 K. The magnetic space groups into which magnetic moments of systems of corner-sharing regular tetrahedra order are provided for a number of insulating compounds characterized by null propagation wavevectors.

cond-mat.str-el

Field induced phase diagram of the XY pyrochlore antiferromagnet Er$_2$Ti$_2$O$_7$

We explore the field-temperature phase diagram of the XY pyrochlore antiferromagnet Er$_2$Ti$_2$O$_7$, by means of magnetization and neutron diffraction experiments. Depending on the field strength and direction relative to the high symmetry cubic directions $[001], [1\bar{1}0]$ and $[111]$, the refined field induced magnetic structures are derived from the zero field $ψ_2$ and $ψ_3$ states of the $Γ_5$ irreducible representation which describes the ground state of XY pyrochlore antiferromagnets. At low field, domain selection effects are systematically at play. In addition, for $[001]$, a phase transition is reported towards a $ψ_3$ structure at a characteristic field $H_c^{001}=$ 43 mT. For $[1\bar{1}0]$ and $[111]$, the spins are continuously tilted by the field from the $ψ_2$ state, and no phase transition is found while domain selection gives rise to sharp anomalies in the field dependence of the Bragg peaks intensity. For $[1\bar{1}0]$, these results are confirmed by high resolution inelastic neutron scattering experiments, which in addition allow us to determine the field dependence of the spin gap. This study agrees qualitatively with the scenario proposed theoretically by Maryasin {\it et al.} [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 93}, 100406(R) (2016)], yet the strength of the field induced anisotropies is significantly different from theory.

cond-mat.str-el

Nd2Sn2O7: an all-in-all-out pyrochlore magnet with no divergence-free field and anomalously slow paramagnetic spin dynamics

We report measurements performed on a polycrystalline sample of the pyrochlore compound Nd2Sn2O7. It undergoes a second order magnetic phase transition at Tc ~ 0.91 K to a noncoplanar all-in-all-out magnetic structure of the Nd3+ magnetic moments. The thermal behavior of the low temperature specific heat fingerprints excitations with linear dispersion in a three-dimensional lattice. The temperature independent spin-lattice relaxation rate measured below Tc and the anomalously slow paramagnetic spin dynamics detected up to ~ 30 Tc are suggested to be due to magnetic short-range correlations in unidimensional spin clusters, i.e., spin loops. The observation of a spontaneous field in muon spin relaxation measurements is associated with the absence of a divergence-free field for the ground state of an all-in-all-out pyrochlore magnet as predicted recently.

cond-mat.str-el

Evidence for unidimensional low-energy excitations as the origin of persistent spin dynamics in geometrically frustrated magnets

We report specific heat, magnetic, and muon spin relaxation measurements performed on a polycrystalline sample of the normal spinel CdHo2S4. The rare-earth ions sit on a lattice of corner-sharing regular tetrahedra as in pyrochlore compounds. Magnetic ordering is detected at Tc ~ 0.87 K. From spin-lattice relaxation rate measurements on both sides of Tc we uncover similar magnetic excitation modes driving the so-called persistent spin dynamics at T < Tc. Unidimensional excitations are argued to be at its origin. Often observed spin loop structures are suggested to support these excitations. The possibility of a generic mechanism for their existence is discussed.

cond-mat.str-el

Magnetic order, spin waves and fluctuations in the triangular antiferromagnet La2Ca2MnO7

We report magnetic susceptibility, specific heat and muon spin relaxation (muSR) experiments on the triangular antiferromagnet La2Ca2MnO7 which develops a genuine two-dimensional, three-sublattice \sqrt{3} \times \sqrt{3} magnetic order below T_N = 2.8 K. From the susceptibility and specific heat data an estimate of the exchange interaction is derived. A value for the spin-wave gap is obtained from the latter data. The analysis of a previously reported inelastic neutron scattering study yields values for the exchange and spin-wave gap compatible with the results obtained from macroscopic measurements. An appreciable entropy is still missing at 10 K that may be ascribed to intense short-range correlations. The critical paramagnetic fluctuations extend far above T_N, and can be partly understood in terms of two-dimensional spin-wave excitations. While no spontaneous muSR field is observed below T_N, persistent spin dynamics is found. Short-range correlations are detected in this temperature range. Their relation to a possible molecular spin substructure and the observed exotic spin fluctuations is discussed.

cond-mat.str-el

Low temperature crystal structure and local magnetometry for the geometrically frustrated pyrochlore Tb2Ti2O7

We report synchrotron radiation diffraction and muon spin rotation (muSR) measurements on the frustrated pyrochlore magnet Tb2Ti2O7. The powder diffraction study of a crushed crystal fragment does not reveal any structural change down to 4 K. The muSR measurements performed at 20 mK on a mosaic of single crystals with an external magnetic field applied along a three-fold axis are consistent with published a.c. magnetic-susceptibility measurements at 16 mK. While an inflection point could be present around an internal field intensity slightly above 0.3 T, the data barely support the presence of a magnetization plateau.

cond-mat.str-el

Magnetic order, magnetic correlations and spin dynamics in the pyrochlore antiferromagnet Er2Ti2O7

Er2Ti2O7 is believed to be a realization of an XY antiferromagnet on a frustrated lattice of corner-sharing regular tetrahedra. It is presented as an example of the order-by-disorder mechanism in which fluctuations lift the degeneracy of the ground state, leading to an ordered state. Here we report detailed measurements of the low temperature magnetic properties of Er2Ti2O7, which displays a second-order phase transition at T_N \simeq 1.2 K with coexisting short- and long-range orders. Magnetic-susceptibility studies show that there is no spin-glass-like irreversible effect. Heat-capacity measurements reveal that the paramagnetic critical exponent is typical of a 3-dimensional XY magnet while the low-temperature specific heat sets an upper limit on the possible spin-gap value and provides an estimate for the spin-wave velocity. Muon spin relaxation measurements show the presence of spin dynamics in the nanosecond time scale down to 21 mK. This time range is intermediate between the shorter time characterizing the spin dynamics in Tb2Sn2O7, which also displays long- and short-range magnetic order, and the time scale typical of conventional magnets. Hence the ground state is characterized by exotic spin dynamics. We determine the parameters of a symmetry-dictated Hamiltonian restricted to the spins in a tetrahedron, by fitting the paramagnetic diffuse neutron scattering intensity for two reciprocal lattice planes. These data are recorded in a temperature region where the assumption that the correlations are limited to nearest neighbors is fair.

cond-mat.str-el

Low-temperature magnetization in geometrically frustrated Tb2Ti2O7

The nature of the low temperature ground state of the pyrochlore compound Tb2Ti2O7 remains a puzzling issue. Dynamic fluctuations and short-range correlations persist down to 50 mK, as evidenced by microscopic probes. In parallel, magnetization measurements show irreversibilities and glassy behavior below 200 mK. We have performed magnetization and AC susceptibility measurements on four single crystals down to 57 mK. We did not observe a clear plateau in the magnetization as a function of field along the [111] direction, as suggested by the quantum spin ice model. In addition to a freezing around 200 mK, slow dynamics are observed in the AC susceptibility up to 4 K. The overall frequency dependence cannot be described by a canonical spin-glass behavior.

cond-mat.str-el

Evidence for an exotic magnetic transition in the triangular spin system FeGa2S4

We report positive muon spin relaxation measurements on the triangular lattice magnetic system FeGa2S4. A magnetic transition not previously detected by specific heat and magnetic susceptibility measurements is found in zero field at T^* \simeq 30 K. It is observed through the temperature dependencies of the signal amplitude and the spin-lattice relaxation rate. This transition is therefore not a conventional magnetic phase transition. Since persistent spin dynamics is observed down to 0.1 K, the ground state cannot be of the canonical spin-glass type, which could be suggested from hysteresis effects in the bulk susceptibility below T_f \simeq 16 K. These results are compared to those found for the isomorph NiGa2S4. It is argued that the fate of the transition, which has been interpreted in terms of the Z_2 topological transition in this latter system, is probably different in FeGa2S4.

cond-mat.str-el

Phononic gaps in the charged incommensurate planes of Sr14Cu24O41

The terahertz (THz) excitations in the quantum spin-ladder system Sr14Cu24O41 have been determined along the c-axis using THz time-domain, Raman and infrared spectroscopy. Low-frequency infrared and Raman active modes are observed above and below the charge-ordering temperature T_{co} ~ 200 K over a narrow interval of 1 - 2 meV . A new infrared mode around 1 meV develops below ~ 100 K. The temperature dependence of these modes shows that they are coupled to the charge- and spin-density-wave correlations in this system. These low-energy features are conjectured to originate in the gapped sliding-motion of the chain and ladder sub-systems, which are both incommensurate and charged.

cond-mat.str-el

Collective spin excitations in a quantum spin ladder probed by high-resolution Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering

We investigate magnetic excitations in the spin-ladder compound Sr$_{14}$Cu$_{24}$O$_{41}$ using high-resolution Cu $L_3$-edge Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering (RIXS). Our findings demonstrate that RIXS couples to collective spin excitations from a quantum spin-liquid ground state. In contrast to Inelastic Neutron Scattering (INS), the RIXS cross section changes only moderately over the entire Brillouin Zone (BZ), revealing a high sensitivity also at small momentum transfers. The two-triplon energy gap is found to be $100\pm 30$ meV. Our results are supported by calculations within an effective Hubbard model for a finite-size cluster.

cond-mat.str-el

Short-range magnetic ordering process for the triangular lattice compound NiGa2S4: a positive muon spin rotation and relaxation study

We report a study of the triangular lattice Heisenberg magnet NiGa2S4 by the positive muon spin rotation and relaxation technique. We unravel three temperature regimes: (i) below T_c = 9.2(2) K a spontaneous static magnetic field at the muon site is observed and the spin dynamics is appreciable: the time scale of the modes we probe is ~ 7 ns; (ii) an unconventional stretched exponential relaxation function is found for T_c < T < T_{cross} where T_{cross} = 12.6 K, which is a signature of a multichannel relaxation for this temperature range; (iii) above T_{cross}, the relaxation is exponential as expected for a conventional compound. The transition at T_c is of the continuous type. It occurs at a temperature slightly smaller than the temperature at which the specific heat displays a maximum at low temperature. This is reminiscent of the behavior expected for the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition. We argue that these results reflect the presence of topological defects above T_c.

cond-mat.str-el

Resonant X-ray diffraction studies on the charge ordering in magnetite

Here we show that the low temperature phase of magnetite is associated with an effective, although fractional, ordering of the charge. Evidence and a quantitative evaluation of the atomic charges are achieved by using resonant x-ray diffraction (RXD) experiments whose results are further analyzed with the help of ab initio calculations of the scattering factors involved. By confirming the results obtained from X-ray crystallography we have shown that RXD is able to probe quantitatively the electronic structure in very complex oxides, whose importance covers a wide domain of applications.

cond-mat.str-el