arXiv subjects

D. P. Belanger

Publications and source records attributed to D. P. Belanger.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Geometric influence on the net magnetic moment in LaCoO$_3$ thin films

The different magnetic behaviors of LaCoO$_3$ films grown on LaAlO$_3$ and SrTiO$_3$ are related to the Co-O-Co bond angles and the constraints imposed on the Co-O bond lengths by the substrate geometries. Long-range magnetic order occurs below T ~ 90 K when the Co-O-Co bond angle is greater than 163 degrees, consistent with the behavior of bulk and nanoparticles forms of LaCoO$_3$. A LaAlO$_3$ substrate prevents magnetic long-range order at low temperatures near the film-substrate interface and collinear antiferromagnetic sublattices away from the interface. At low temperatures, the antiferromagnetically ordered sublattices are non-collinear in films grown on SrTiO$_3$ substrates, leading to a significant net moment.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Structure and magnetism in $\rm LaCoO_3$

The temperature dependence of the hexagonal lattice parameter $c$ of single crystal $\rm LaCoO_3$ (LCO) with $H=0$ and $800$Oe, as well as LCO bulk powders with $H=0$, was measured using high-resolution x-ray scattering near the transition temperature $T_o\approx 35$K. The change of $c(T)$ is well characterized by a power law in $T-T_o$ for $T>T_o$ and by a temperature independent constant for $T<T_o$ when convoluted with a Gaussian function of width $8.5$K. This behavior is discussed in the context of the unusual magnetic behavior observed in LCO as well as recent generalized gradient approximation calculations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

The effects of Co3O4 on the Structure and Unusual Magnetism of LaCoO3

Bulk La_wCoO3 particles with w=1.1, 1.0, 0.9, 0.8, and 0.7 were synthesized using starting materials with varying molar ratios of La2O3 and Co3O4. The resulting particles are characterized as LaCoO3 crystals interfaced with a crystalline Co3O4 phase. X-ray and neutron scattering data show little effect on the average structure and lattice parameters of the LaCoO3 phase resulting from the Co3O4 content, but magnetization data indicate that the amount of Co3O4 strongly affects the ferromagnetic ordering at the interfaces below T_C ~89K. In addition to ferromagnetic long-range order, LaCoO3 exhibits antiferromagnetic behavior with an unusual temperature dependence. The magnetization for fields 20 Oe < H < 5 kOe is fit to a combination of a power law ((T-T_C)/T_C)^beta behavior representing the ferromagnetic long-range order and sigmoid-convoluted Curie-Weiss-like behavior representing the antiferromagnetic behavior. The critical exponent beta=0.63 +- 0.02 is consistent with 2D (surface) ordering. Increased Co3O4 correlates well to increased ferromagnetism. The weakening of the antiferromagnetism below T ~ 40K is a consequence of the lattice reaching a critical rhombahedral distortion as T is decreased for core regions far from the Co3O4 interfaces. We introduce a model that describes the ferromagnetic behavior of the interface regions and the unusual antiferromagnetism of the core regions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

The unusual magnetism of nanoparticle LaCoO3

Bulk and nanoparticle powders of LaCoO3 (LCO) were synthesized, and their magnetic and structural properties were studied using SQUID magnetometry and neutron diffraction. The bulk and large nanoparticles exhibit weak ferromagnetism (FM) below T ~ 85K and a crossover from strong to weak antiferromagnetic (AFM) correlations near a transition expressed in the lattice parameters, To ~ 40K. This crossover does not occur in the smallest nanoparticles; instead, the magnetic behavior is predominantly ferromagnetic. The amount of FM in the nanoparticles depends on the amount of Co3O4 impurity phase, which induces tensile strain on the LCO lattice. A core-interface model is introduced, with the core region exhibiting the AFM crossover and with FM in the interface region near surfaces and impurity phases.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Magnetism in nanoparticle LaCoO3

LaCoO3 (LCO) nanoparticles were synthesized and their magnetic and structural properties were examined using SQUID magnetometery and neutron diffraction. The nanoparticles exhibit ferromagnetic long-range order beginning at T_C approximately 87K that persists to low temperatures. This behavior is contrasted with the ferromagnetism of bulk LCO, which also starts at T_C approximately 87K but is suppressed below a second transition at T_o approximately 37K, due to a structural phase transition. The ferromagnetism in both systems is attributed to the tensile stress from particle surfaces and impurity phase interfaces. This stress locally increases the Co-O-Co bond angle gamma, and competes with the thermal contraction of the lattice. It has recently been shown that LCO loses long-range ferromagnetic order when gamma decreases below the critical value gamma_c = 162.8 degrees. Consistent with this model, we show that gamma in nanoparticles remains larger than gamma_c at low temperatures, likely a consequence of all spins being in close proximity to surfaces or interfaces.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Neutron scattering experiments and simulations near the magnetic percolation threshold of Fe_x Zn_{1-x} F_2

The low temperature excitations in the anisotropic antiferromagnetic Fe_{1-x} Zn_x F_2 for x=0.25 and 0.31, at and just above the magnetic percolation threshold concentration x_p=0.25, were measured using inelastic neutron scattering. The excitations were simulated for x=0.31 using a localized, classical excitation model, which accounts well for the energies and relative intensities of the excitations observed in the scattering experiments.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

Local Structure of La1-xSrxCoO3 determined from EXAFS and neutron PDF studies

The combined local structure techniques, extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and neutron pair distribution function analysis, have been used for temperatures 4 <= T <= 330 K to rule out a large Jahn-Teller (JT) distortion of the Co-O bond in La1-xSrxCoO3 for a significant fraction of Co sites (x <= 0.35), indicating few, if any, JT-active, singly occupied e_g Co sites exist.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Quasi-stationary criticality of the Order-Parameter of the d=3 Random-Field Ising Antiferromagnet Fe(0.85)Zn(0.15)F2: A Synchrotron X-ray Scattering Study

The critical exponent beta =0.17(1) for the three-dimensional random-field Ising model (RFIM) order parameter upon zero-field cooling (ZFC) has been determined using extinction-free magnetic x-ray scattering techniques for Fe(0.85)Zn(0.15)F2. This result is consistent with other exponents determined for the RFIM in that Rushbrooke scaling is satisfied. Nevertheless, there is poor agreement with equilibrium computer simulations, and the ZFC results do not agree with field-cooling (FC) results. We present details of hysteresis in Bragg scattering amplitudes and line shapes that help elucidate the effects of thermal cycling in the RFIM, as realized in dilute antiferromagnets in an applied field. We show that the ZFC critical-like behavior is consistent with a second-order phase transitions, albeit quasi-stationary rather than truly equilibrium in nature, as evident from the large thermal hysteresis observed near the transition.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2002

Magnetic Vacancy Percolation in Dilute Antiferromagnets

Neutron scattering experiments at the magnetic vacancy percolation threshold concentration, x_v, using the random-field Ising crystal Fe(0.76)Zn(0.24)F2, show stability of the transition to long-range order up to fields H=6.5 T. The observation of the stable long-range order corroborates the sharp boundary observed in computer simulations at x_v separating equilibrium critical scattering behavior at high magnetic concentration from low concentration hysteretic behavior. Low temperature H>0 scattering line shapes exhibit the dependence on the scattering wavevector expected for percolation threshold fractal structures.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2002

Order Parameter Criticality of the d=3 Random-Field Ising Antiferromagnet Fe(0.85)Zn(0.15)F2

The critical exponent beta =0.16 +- 0.02 for the random-field Ising model order parameter is determined using extinction-free magnetic x-ray scattering for Fe(0.85)Zn(0.15)F2 in magnetic fields of 10 and 11 T. The observed value is consistent with other experimental random-field critical exponents, but disagrees sharply with Monte Carlo and exact ground state calculations on finite-sized systems.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2001

Far infrared spectroscopy on the three-dimensional dilute antiferromagnet Fe(x)Zn(1-x)F2

Fourier-transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy measurements have been performed on the three-dimensional dilute antiferromagnet Fe(x)Zn(1-x)F2 with x=0.99 ~ 0.58 in far infrared (FIR) region. The FIR spectra are analyzed taking into account the ligand field and the local exchange interaction probability with J1 ~ J3; |J1|,|J3|<<|J2|, where J1, J2 and J3 are the nearest neighbor, second nearest neighbor and third nearest neighbor exchange interaction constants, respectively. The concentration dependence of the FIR spectra at low temperature is qualitatively well reproduced by our analysis, though some detailed structure remains unexplained.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2000

Scaling properties of the critical behavior in the dilute antiferromagnet Fe(0.93)Zn(0.07)F2

Critical scattering analyses for dilute antiferromagnets are made difficult by the lack of predicted theoretical line shapes beyond mean-field models. Nevertheless, with the use of some general scaling assumptions we have developed a procedure by which we can analyze the equilibrium critical scattering in these systems for H=0, the random-exchange Ising model, and, more importantly, for H>0, the random-field Ising model. Our new fitting approach, as opposed to the more conventional techniques, allows us to obtain the universal critical behavior exponents and amplitude ratios as well as the critical line shapes. We discuss the technique as applied to Fe(0.93)Zn(0.07)F2. The general technique, however, should be applicable to other problems where the scattering line shapes are not well understood but scaling is expected to hold.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2000

Monte Carlo Simulations of the Random-Field Ising Model

Ising Monte Carlo simulations of the random-field Ising system Fe(0.80)Zn(0.20)F2 are presented for H=10T. The specific heat critical behavior is consistent with alpha approximately 0 and the staggered magnetization with beta approximately 0.25 +- 0.03.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2000

d=3 random field behavior near percolation

The highly diluted antiferromagnet Mn(0.35)Zn(0.65)F2 has been investigated by neutron scattering for H>0. A low-temperature (T<11K), low-field (H<1T) pseudophase transition boundary separates a partially antiferromagnetically ordered phase from the paramagnetic one. For 1<H<7T at low temperatures, a region of antiferromagnetic order is field induced but is not enclosed within a transition boundary.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2000

The specific heat and optical birefringence of Fe(0.25)Zn(0.75)F2

The specific heat (Cm) and optical birefringence (Δn) for the magnetic percolation threshold system Fe(0.25)Zn(0.75)F2 are analyzed with the aid of Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Both Δn and the magnetic energy (Um) are governed by a linear combination of near-neighbor spin-spin correlations, which we have determined for Δn using MC simulations modeled closely after the real system. Near a phase transition or when only one interaction dominates, the temperature derivative of the birefringence [{d(Δn)}/{dT}] is expected to be proportional Cm since all relevant correlations necessarily have the same temperature dependence. Such a proportionality does not hold for Fe(0.25)Zn(0.75)F2 at low temperatures, however, indicating that neither condition above holds. MC results for this percolation system demonstrate that the shape of the temperature derivative of correlations associated with the frustrating third-nearest-neighbor interaction differs from that of the dominant second-nearest-neighbor interaction, accurately explaining the experimentally observed behavior quantitatively.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2000

The random field critical concentration in dilute antiferromagnets

Monte Carlo techniques are used to investigate the equilibrium threshold concentration, xe, in the dilute anisotropic antiferromagnet Fe(x)Zn(1-x)F2 in an applied magnetic field, considered to be an ideal random-field Ising model system. Above xe equilibrium behavior is observed whereas below xe metastability and domain formation dominate. Monte Carlo results agree very well with experimental data obtained using this system.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2000

Experimental Characterization of the Ising Model in Disordered Antiferromagnets

The current status of experiments on the d=2 and d=3 random-exchange and random-field Ising models, as realized in dilute anisotropic antiferromagnets, is discussed. Two areas of current investigation are emphasized. For d=3, the large random field limit is being investigated and equilibrium critical behavior is being characterized at high magnetic concentrations.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv1999

Ordering in the dilute weakly-anisotropic antiferromagnet Mn(0.35)Zn(0.65)F2

The highly diluted antiferromagnet Mn(0.35)Zn(0.65)F2 has been investigated by neutron scattering in zero field. The Bragg peaks observed below the Neel temperature TN (approximately 10.9 K) indicate stable antiferromagnetic long-range ordering at low temperature. The critical behavior is governed by random-exchange Ising model critical exponents (nu approximately 0.69 and gamma approximately 1.31), as reported for Mn(x)Zn(1-x)F2 with higher x and for the isostructural compound Fe(x)Zn(1-x)F2. However, in addition to the Bragg peaks, unusual scattering behavior appears for |q|>0 below a glassy temperature Tg approximately 7.0 K. The glassy region T<Tg corresponds to that of noticeable frequency dependence in earlier zero-field ac susceptibility measurements on this sample. These results indicate that long-range order coexists with short-range nonequilibrium clusters in this highly diluted magnet.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗