arXiv subjects

Chris Baines

Publications and source records attributed to Chris Baines.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Pressure-induced magnetism in iron-based superconductors $A$Fe$_2$As$_2$ ($A=$ K, Cs, Rb)

The magnetic properties of iron-based superconductors $A$Fe$_2$As$_2$ ($A=$K, Cs, and Rb), which are characterized by the V-shaped dependence of the critical temperature ($T_{\rm c}$) on pressure ($P$) were studied by means of the muon spin rotation/relaxation technique. In all three systems studied the magnetism was found to appear for pressures slightly below the critical one ($P_{\rm c}$), i.e. at pressure where $T_{\rm c}(P)$ changes the slope. Rather than competing, magnetism and superconductivity in $A$Fe$_2$As$_2$ are coexisting at $P\gtrsim P_{\rm c}$ pressure region. Our results support the scenario of a transition from one pairing state to another, with different symmetries on either side of $P_{\rm c}$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Observation of a crossover from nodal to gapped superconductivity in Lu$_x$Zr$_{1-x}$B$_{12}$

We have determined the superconducting and magnetic properties of four samples of Lu$_x$Zr$_{1-x}$B$_{12}$ ($x=0.04$, $0.07$, $0.17$, and $0.8$) using muon spin rotation ($μ$SR) and magnetometry measurements. We observed a strong magnetic signal in both the $μ$SR and magnetometry data in one sample ($x=0.07$), likely caused by the formation of static moments of size $\approx 1\,μ_{\rm B}$ due to a clustering effect of the Lu$^{3+}$ ions. In all other samples, we find only a small magnetic signal in the $μ$SR data thought to originate from boron nuclei in the B$_{12}$ cages. The superconductivity is found to evolve with $x$, with a decrease in $x$ resulting in an increase in critical temperature and a decrease of the penetration depth. Most remarkably, we find the formation of nodes in the superconducting gap for $x \leq 0.17$, providing a new example of an $s$-to-$d$-wave crossover in a superconductor.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Coulomb spin liquid in anion-disordered pyrochlore Tb$_2$Hf$_2$O$_7$

The charge ordered structure of ions and vacancies characterizing rare-earth pyrochlore oxides serves as a model for the study of geometrically frustrated magnetism. The organization of magnetic ions into networks of corner-sharing tetrahedra gives rise to highly correlated magnetic phases with strong fluctuations, including spin liquids and spin ices. It is an open question how these ground states governed by local rules are affected by disorder. In the pyrochlore Tb$_2$Hf$_2$O$_7$, we demonstrate that the vicinity of the disordering transition towards a defective fluorite structure translates into a tunable density of anion Frenkel disorder while cations remain ordered. Quenched random crystal fields and disordered exchange interactions can therefore be introduced into otherwise perfect pyrochlore lattices of magnetic ions. We show that disorder can play a crucial role in preventing long-range magnetic order at low temperatures, and instead induces a strongly-fluctuating Coulomb spin liquid with defect-induced frozen magnetic degrees of freedom.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Candidate Quantum Spin Liquid in the Ce\textsuperscript{3+} Pyrochlore Stannate Ce$_2$Sn$_2$O$_7$

We report the low temperature magnetic properties of Ce$_2$Sn$_2$O$_7$, a rare-earth pyrochlore. Our susceptibility and magnetization measurements show that due to the thermal isolation of a Kramers doublet ground state, Ce$_2$Sn$_2$O$_7$ has Ising-like magnetic moments of $\sim1.18$ $μ_\mathrm{B}$. The magnetic moments are confined to the local trigonal axes, as in a spin ice, but the exchange interactions are antiferromagnetic. Below 1 K the system enters a regime with antiferromagnetic correlations. In contrast to predictions for classical $\langle 111 \rangle$-Ising spins on the pyrochlore lattice, there is no sign of long-range ordering down to 0.02 K. Our results suggest that Ce$_2$Sn$_2$O$_7$ features an antiferromagnetic liquid ground state with strong quantum fluctuations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Physical realization of a quantum spin liquid based on a novel frustration mechanism

Unlike conventional magnets where the magnetic moments are partially or completely static in the ground state, in a quantum spin liquid they remain in collective motion down to the lowest temperatures. The importance of this state is that it is coherent and highly entangled without breaking local symmetries. Such phenomena is usually sought in simple lattices where antiferromagnetic interactions and/or anisotropies that favor specific alignments of the magnetic moments are "frustrated" by lattice geometries incompatible with such order e.g. triangular structures. Despite an extensive search among such compounds, experimental realizations remain very few. Here we describe the investigation of a novel, unexplored magnetic system consisting of strong ferromagnetic and weaker antiferromagnetic isotropic interactions as realized by the compound Ca$_{10}$Cr$_7$O$_{28}$. Despite its exotic structure we show both experimentally and theoretically that it displays all the features expected of a quantum spin liquid including coherent spin dynamics in the ground state and the complete absence of static magnetism.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Short-range correlations in the magnetic ground state of Na4Ir3O8

The magnetic ground state of the hyper-kagome lattice in Na4Ir3O8 is explored via combined bulk magnetization, muon spin relaxation, and neutron scattering measurements. A short-range, frozen, state comprised of quasi-static moments develops below a characteristic temperature of T_F=6 K, revealing an inhomogeneous distribution of spins occupying the entirety of the sample volume. Quasi-static, short-range, spin correlations persist until at least 20 mK and differ substantially from the nominally dynamic response of a quantum spin liquid. Our data demonstrate that an inhomogeneous magnetic ground state arises in Na4Ir3O8 driven either by disorder inherent to the creation of the hyper-kagome lattice itself or stabilized via quantum fluctuations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Conventional superconductivity and charge-density-wave ordering in Ba1-xNaxTi2Sb2O

We have investigated the low temperature physical properties of BaTi2Sb2O and Ba1-xNaxTi2Sb2O (x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3) by means of muon spin rotation (muSR) and SQUID magnetometry. Our measurements reveal the absence of magnetic ordering below TDW = 58 K in the parent compound. Therefore the phase transition at this temperature observed by magnetometry is most likely due to the formation of a charge density wave (CDW). Upon substitution of barium by sodium in Ba1-xNaxTi2Sb2O we find for x = 0.25 superconductivity with a maximum T_{c} = 5.1 K in the magnetization and a bulk T_{c,bulk} = 4.5 K in the muSR measurements. The temperature dependency of the London penetration depth lambda^-2(T) of the optimally doped compound can be well explained within a conventional weak-coupling scenario in the clean limit.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Structural and electronic phase diagrams of CeFeAsO1-xFx and SmFeAsO1-xFx

We have studied the structural and electronic phase diagrams of CeFeAsO1-xFx and SmFeAsO1-xFx by a detailed analysis of muon spin relaxation experiments, synchrotron X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, electrical resistivity, specific heat, and magnetic susceptibility measurements (Full abstract in the main document).

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2011

Magnetic order in quasi-two-dimensional molecular magnets investigated with muon-spin relaxation

We present the results of a muon-spin relaxation (muSR) investigation into magnetic ordering in several families of layered quasi-two-dimensional molecular antiferromagnets based on transition metal ions such as S=1/2 Cu2+ bridged with organic ligands such as pyrazine. In many of these materials magnetic ordering is difficult to detect with conventional magnetic probes. In contrast, muSR allows us to identify ordering temperatures and study the critical behavior close to T_N . Combining this with measurements of in-plane magnetic exchange J and predictions from quantum Monte Carlo simulations we may assess the degree of isolation of the 2D layers through estimates of the effective inter-layer exchange coupling and in-layer correlation lengths at T_N . We also identify the likely metal-ion moment sizes and muon stopping sites in these materials, based on probabilistic analysis of the magnetic structures and of muon-fluorine dipole-dipole coupling in fluorinated materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Possible evidence for two-gap superconductivity in TiSe_2Cu_x

We report a comprehensive TF-muSR study of TiSe_2Cu_2. The magnetic penetration depth was found to saturate at low temperature as expected in an s-wave SC. As x is increased we find that the superfluid density increases and the size of the superconducting gap, calculated from the temperature dependence of the superfluid density, is approaching the BCS value. However, for low values of x, the gap is smaller than the weak-coupling BCS prediction suggesting that two superconducting gaps are present in the sample.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Muon-Spin Spectroscopy of the organometallic spin 1/2 kagome-lattice compound Cu(1,3-benzenedicarboxylate)

Using muon spin resonance we examine the organometallic hybrid compound Cu(1,3-benzenedicarboxylate) [Cu(1,3-bdc)], which has structurally perfect spin 1/2 copper kagome planes separated by pure organic linkers. This compound has antiferromagnetic interactions with Curie-Weiss temperature of -33 K. We found slowing down of spin fluctuations starting at T=1.8 K, and that the state at T->0 is quasi-static with no long-range order and extremely slow spin fluctuations at a rate of 3.6 1/usec. This indicates that Cu(1,3-bdc) behaves as expected from a kagome magnet and could serve as a model kagome compound.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2007

Muon spin rotation study of the ternary noncentrosymmetric superconductors Li$_2$Pd$_x$Pt$_{3-x}$B

We investigated the superconducting state of the noncentrosymmetric superconductors Li$_2$Pd$_x$Pt$_{3-x}$B with superconducting transition temperature $T_c$= 5.16(8) K ($x$=2.25), 3.56(8) K ($x=1.5$) and 2.60 K ($x=0$) by means of muon-spin rotation ($μ$SR) and specific heat experiments. The $μ$SR relaxation rate $σ_{sc}$ was found to be constant at low temperatures for all the compounds. Data taken at different magnetic fields show that the magnetic penetration depth $λ$ is field-independent for Li$_2$Pd$_{2.25}$Pt$_{0.75}$B and Li$_2$Pt$_{3}$B. The electronic contribution to the specific heat measured in Li$_2$Pd$_{1.5}$Pt$_{1.5}$B and Li$_2$Pt$_{3}$B increases exponentially at the lowest temperatures. These features suggest that the {\it whole family} of Li$_2$Pd$_x$Pt$_{3-x}$B are single-gap s-wave superconductors across the entire doping regime.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Ground state and excitation properties of the quantum kagomé system ZnCu$_{3}$(OH)$_{6}$Cl$_{2}$ investigated by local probes

We characterize the ground state and excitation spectrum of the $S=1/2$, nominally pure and perfect kagomé system ZnCu$_{3}$(OH)$_{6}$Cl$_{2}$ using the following measurements: magnetization, muon spin rotation frequency shift $K$, transverse relaxation time $T_{2}^{\ast}$, and zero field relaxation, and Cl nuclear spin-lattice relaxation $T_{1}$. We found no sign of singlet formation, no long range order or spin freezing, and no sign of spin-Peierls transition even at temperatures as low as 60 mK. The density of states has $E^{1/4}$ energy dependence with a negligible gap to excitation.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Lack of static lattice distortion in $Tb_2 Ti_2 O_7$

We investigated the possibility of temperature dependent lattice distortions in the pyrochlore compound Tb$_{2}$Ti$_{2}$O$_{7}$ by measuring the internal magnetic field distribution, using muon spin resonance, and comparing it to the susceptibility. The measurements are done at temperatures as low as 70 mK and external fields up to 6 kG. We find that the evolution of the width of the field distribution can be explained by spin susceptibility only, thus ruling out a temperature dependent hyperfine coupling. We conclude that lattice deformations are absent in Tb$_{2}$Ti$_{2}$O$_{7}$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

Demonstrating Multi-bit Magnetic Memory in the Fe8 High Spin Molecule by Muon Spin Rotation

We developed a method to detect the quantum nature of high spin molecules using muon spin rotation, and a three-step field cycle ending always with the same field. We use this method to demonstrate that the Fe8 molecule can remember 6 (possibly 8) different histories (bits). A wide range of fields can be used to write a particular bit, and the information is stored in discrete states. Therefore, Fe8 can be used as a model compound for Multi-bit Magnetic Memory. Our experiment also paves the way for magnetic quantum tunneling detection in films.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2002

Dynamics at T -> 0 in the half-integer isotropic high spin molecules

We investigate the dynamical spin-spin auto-correlation function of the isotropic high spin molecules CrCu$_{6}$ (S=9/2), CrNi$_{6}$ (S=15/2) and CrMn$_{6}$ (S=27/2), using magnetization, $μ$SR and NMR measurements. We find that the field autocorrelation time $τ$ of the molecule's spin at zero and low fields is nearly temperature independent as $T\to 50$ mK. The high temperatures $τ$ is very different between the molecules. Surprisingly, it is identical ($\sim$ 10 nsec) at low temperature. This suggests that $τ$ is governed by hyperfine interactions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗