arXiv subjects

Ekaterina Pomjakushina

Publications and source records attributed to Ekaterina Pomjakushina.

51 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Laue three dimensional neutron diffraction

This article presents a measurement technique and data analysis tool to perform 3D grain distribution mapping and indexing of oligocrystalline samples using neutrons: Laue three-dimensional neutron diffraction (Laue3DND). The approach builds on forward modelling used for correlation and multiple fitting of the measured diffraction spots relative to individual grains.This enables not only to identify individual grains, but also their position and orientation in the sample. The feasibility and performance of the Laue3DND approach are tested using multi-grain synthetic datasets from cubic (α-Fe) and tetragonal(YBaCuFeO5) symmetries. Next, experimental results from two data sets measured at the FALCON instrument of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin are presented: A cylindrical alpha iron (α-Fe) reference sample with 5 mm diameter and 5 mm height, as well as a 2 mm3 layered perovskite (YBaCuFeO5). Using Laue3DND, we were able to retrieve the position and orientation of 97 out of 100 grains from a syntheticα-Fe data set, as well as 24 and 9 grains respectively from theα-Fe and YBaCuFeO5 sample measured at FALCON. Results from the synthetic tests also indicate that Laue3DND is capable of indexing 10 out of 10 grains for both symmetries in two extreme scenarios: using only 6 Laue projections and using 360 projections with extremely noisy data. The precision achieved in terms of spatial and orientation resolution for the current version of the method is 430μm and 1 degree respectively. Based on these results obtained, we are confident to present a tool that expands the capabilities of standard Laue diffraction, providing the number, position, orientation and relative size of grains in oligocrystalline samples.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Spin dynamics of edge-sharing spin chains in SrCa13Cu24O41

The low-energy magnetic excitation from the highly Ca-doped quasi-one-dimensional magnet SrCa13Cu24O41 was studied in the magnetic ordered state by using inelastic neutron scattering. We observed the gapless spin-wave excitation, dispersive along the a and c axes but nondispersive along the b axis. Such excitations are attributed to the spin wave from the spin-chain sublattice. Model fitting to the experimental data gives the nearest-neighbour interaction Jc as 5.4 meV and the interchain interaction Ja = 4.4 meV. Jc is antiferromagnetic and its value is close to the nearest-neighbour interactions of the similar edge-sharing spin-chain systems such as CuGeO3. Comparing with the hole-doped spin chains in Sr14Cu24O41, which shows a spin gap due to spin dimers formed around Zhang-Rice singlets, the chains in SrCa13Cu24O41 show a gapless excitation in this study. We ascribe such a change from gapped to gapless excitations to holes transferring away from the chain sublattice into the ladder sublattice upon Ca doping.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Design of magnetic spirals in layered perovskites: extending the stability range far beyond room temperature

In insulating materials with ordered magnetic spiral phases, ferroelectricity can emerge due to the breaking of inversion symmetry. This property is of both fundamental and practical interest, in particular with a view to exploiting it in low-power electronic devices. Advances towards technological applications have been hindered, however, by the relatively low ordering temperatures $T_\mathrm{spiral}$ of most magnetic spiral phases, which rarely exceed 100 K. We have recently established that the ordering temperature of a magnetic spiral can be increased up to 310 K by the introduction of chemical disorder. Here we explore the design space opened up by this novel mechanism by combining it with a targeted lattice control of some magnetic interactions. In Cu-Fe layered perovskites we obtain $T_\mathrm{spiral}$ values close to 400 K, comfortably far from room temperature and almost 100 K higher than using chemical disorder alone. Moreover, we reveal a linear, universal relationship between the spiral's wave vector and the onset temperature of the spiral phase. This linear law ends at a paramagnetic-collinear-spiral triple point, which defines the highest spiral ordering temperature that can be achieved in this class of materials. Based on these findings, we propose a general set of rules for designing magnetic spirals in layered perovskites using external pressure, chemical substitutions and/or epitaxial strain, which should guide future efforts to engineer magnetic spiral phases with ordering temperatures suitable for technological applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Superconducting properties of Cu intercalated Bi$_2$Se$_3$ studied by Muon Spin Spectroscopy

We present muon spin rotation measurements on superconducting Cu intercalated Bi$_2$Se$_3$, which was suggested as a realization of a topological superconductor. We observe a clear evidence of the superconducting transition below 4 K, where the width of magnetic field distribution increases as the temperature is decreased. The measured broadening at mK temperatures suggests a large London penetration depth in the $ab$ plane ($λ_{\mathrm{eff}}\sim 1.6$ $\mathrmμ$m). We show that the temperature dependence of this broadening follows the BCS prediction, but could be consistent with several gap symmetries.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Tuning magnetic spirals beyond room temperature with chemical disorder

In the past years, magnetism-driven ferroelectricity and gigantic magnetoelectric effects have been reported for a number of frustrated magnets with spiral magnetic orders. Such materials are of high current interest due to their potential for spintronics and low-power magnetoelectric devices. However, their low magnetic order temperatures (typically <100K) greatly restrict their fields of application. Here we demonstrate that the stability domain of the spiral phase in the perovskite YBaCuFeO5 can be enlarged by more than 150K through a controlled manipulation of the Fe/Cu chemical disorder. Moreover we show that this novel mechanism can stabilize the magnetic spiral state of YBaCuFeO5 above the symbolic value of 25°C at zero magnetic field. Our findings demonstrate that the properties of a magnetic spiral, including its wavelength and stability range, can be engineered through the control of chemical disorder, offering a great potential for the design of materials with magnetoelectric properties beyond room temperature.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Observation of a 4-spin Plaquette Singlet State in the Shastry-Sutherland compound SrCu2(BO3)2

The study of interacting spin systems is of fundamental importance for modern condensed matter physics. On frustrated lattices, magnetic exchange interactions cannot be simultaneously satisfied, and often give rise to competing exotic ground states. The frustrated 2D Shastry-Sutherland lattice realized by SrCu2(BO3)2 is an important test to our understanding of quantum magnetism. It was constructed to have an exactly solvable 2-spin dimer singlet ground state within a certain range of exchange parameters and frustration. While the exact dimer state and the antiferromagnetic order at both ends of the phase diagram are well known, the ground state and spin correlations in the intermediate frustration range have been widely debated. We report here the first experimental identification of the conjectured plaquette singlet intermediate phase in SrCu2(BO3)2. It is observed by inelastic neutron scattering after pressure tuning at 21.5 kbar. This gapped plaquette singlet state with strong 4-spin correlations leads to a transition to an ordered Neel state above 40 kbar, which can realize a deconfined quantum critical point.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Novel synthesis method of nonstoichiometric Na2-xIrO3. Crystal structure, transport and magnetic properties

Transition metal oxides with 4d or 5d metals are of great interest due to the competing interactions, of the Coulomb repulsion and the itineracy of the d-electrons, opening a possibility of building new quantum ground states. Particularly the 5d metal oxides containing Iridium have received significant attention within the last years, due to their unexpected physical properties, caused by a strong spin orbit coupling observed in Ir(IV). A prominent example is the Mott-insulator Sr2IrO4. Another member of this family, the honeycomb lattice compound Na2IrO3, also being a Mott-insulator having, most probably, a Kitaev spin liquid ground state. By deintercalating sodium from Na2IrO3, we were able to synthesize a new honeycomb lattice compound with more than 50% reduced sodium content. The reduction of the sodium content in this layered compound leads to a change of the oxidation state of iridium from +IV to +V/+VI and a symmetry change from C2/c to P-3. This goes along with significant changes of the physical properties. Besides the vanishing magnetic ordering at 15K, also the transport properties changes and instead insulating semiconducting properties are observed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

New synthesis route and magnetic structure of Tm2Mn2O7 - pyrochlore

In this work we present a new chemical route to synthesize Tm2Mn2O7 pyrochlore, a compound which is thermodynamically unstable at ambient pressure. Differently from the reported in the past high pressure synthesis of the same compound applying oxides as starting materials, we have obtained a pure phase Tm2Mn2O7 by a converting TmMnO3 at 1100 C and 1300 bar oxygen pressure. The studies of Tm2Mn2O7 performed by a high resolution neutron powder diffraction have shown, that a pure pyrochlore cubic phase Tm2Mn2O7 (space group Fd-3m) have been obtained. On cooling below 25K there is a transition to a ferromagnetically (FM) ordered phase observed with an additional antiferromagnetic (AFM) canting suggesting a lowering of the initial cubic crystal symmetry. The magnetic transition is accompanied by small but well visible magnetostrsiction effect. Using symmetry analysis we have found a solution for the AFM structure in the maximal Shubnikov subgroup I41/am'd'.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Probing the electron-phonon interaction in correlated systems with coherent lattice fluctuation spectroscopy

Tailoring the properties of correlated oxides is accomplished by chemical doping, pressure, temperature or magnetic field. Photoexcitation is a valid alternative to reach out-of-equilibrium states otherwise inaccessible. Here, we quantitatively estimate the coupling between a lattice distortion and the charge-transfer excitation in (La$_2$CuO$_{4+δ}$). We photoinduce a coherent La ion vibration and monitor the response of the optical constants in a broad energy range, providing quantitative information on the electron-phonon matrix element that can be compared to theoretical models. We propose the same methodology to probe electron-electron interactions in other materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Spin-Polarized Quantum Well States on Bi$_{2-x}$Fe$_x$Se$_3$

Low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy is used to image the doped topological insulator Bi$_{2-x}$Fe$_x$Se$_3$. Interstitial Fe defects allow the detection of quasiparticle interference (QPI), and the reconstruction of the empty state band structure. Quantitative comparison between measured data and density functional theory calculations reveals the unexpected coexistence of quantum well states (QWS) with topological surface states (TSS) on the atomically clean surface of Bi$_{2-x}$Fe$_x$Se$_3$. Spectroscopic measurements quantify the breakdown of linear dispersion due to hexagonal warping. Nonetheless, both QWS and TSS remain spin-polarized and protected from backscattering to almost 1 eV above the Dirac point, suggesting their utility for spin-based applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Oxygen isotope effect on structural parameters and on the thermal motion in La$_2$CuO$_4$

We studied the oxygen isotope effect (OIE) on the zero point motion and the thermal motion as well as on structural parameters in La$_2$CuO$_4$ by means of high-resolution neutron diffraction experiments. We found a negative OIE on the lattice parameters (-0.01%). The OIE on the isotropic thermal parameters turned out to be positive for lanthanum, copper and negative for the oxygen atoms, respectively. The Rietvield refinement of the anisotropic thermal parameters of the different directions yielded the same sign of the OIE for each ion. Our analysis shows that the OIE on isotropic thermal parameters is most pronounced for La at 15 K (up to 100%) which we found to be originating mainly from the thermal motion in x-direction as determined from the refinement of the anisotropic thermal parameters.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

Microscopic studies of the normal and superconducting state of Ca3Ir4Sn13

We report on muon spin rotation (muSR) studies of the superconducting and magnetic properties of the ternary intermetallic stannide Ca3Ir4Sn13. This material has recently been the focus of intense research activity due to a proposed interplay of ferromagnetic spin fluctuations and superconductivity. In the temperature range T=1.6-200 K, we find that the zero-field muon relaxation rate is very low and does not provide evidence for spin fluctuations on the muSR time scale. The field-induced magnetization cannot be attributed to localized magnetic moments. In particular, our muSR data reveal that the anomaly observed in thermal and transport properties at T*~38 K is not of magnetic origin. Results for the transverse-field muon relaxation rate at T=0.02-12 K, suggest that superconductivity emerges out of a normal state that is not of a Fermi-liquid type. This is unusual for an electronic system lacking partially filled f-electron shells. The superconducting state is dominated by a nodeless order parameter with a London penetration depth of lambda=385(1) nm and the electron-phonon pairing interaction is in the strong-coupling limit.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Magnetothermoelectric effects in Fe{1+d}Te{1-x}Se{x}

We report resistivity as well as the Hall, Seebeck and Nernst coefficients data for Fe{1+d}Te{1-x}Se{x} single crystals with x = 0, 0.38, and 0.40. In the parent compound Fe{1.04}Te we observe at Tn = 61 K a sudden change of all quantities studied, which can be ascribed to the Fermi surface reconstruction due to onset of the antiferromagnetic order. Two very closely doped samples: Fe{1.01}Te{0.62}Se{0.38} (Se38) and Fe{1.01}Te{0.60}Se{0.40} (Se40) are superconductors with Tc = 13.4 K and 13.9 K, respectively. There are no evident magnetic transitions in either Se38 or Se40. Properties of these two single crystals are almost identical at high temperatures, but start to diverge below T ~ 80 K. Perhaps we see the onset of scattering that might be a related to changes in short range magnetic correlations caused by selenium doping.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2011

Structural Evolution of One-dimensional Spin Ladder Compounds Sr14-xCaxCu24O41 with Ca doping and Related Hole Redistribution Evidence

Incommensurate crystal structures of spin ladder series Sr14-xCaxCu24O41 (x=3, 7, 11, 12.2) were characterized by powder neutron scattering method and refined using the superspace group Xmmm(00γ)ss0 (equivalent to superspace group Fmmm(0,0,1+γ)ss0); X stands for non-standard centering (0,0,0,0), (0,1/2,1/2,1/2), (1/2,1/2,0,0), (1/2,0,1/2,1/2)) with a modulated structure model. The Ca doping effects on the lattice parameters, atomic displacement, Cu-O distances, Cu-O bond angles and Cu bond valence sum were characterized. The refined results show that the CuO4 planar units in both chain and ladder sublattices become closer to square shape with an increase of Ca doping. The Cu bond valence sum calculation provided new evidence for the charge transfer from the chains to ladders (approximately 0.16 holes per Cu from x=0 to 12.2). The charge transfer was attributed to two different mechanisms: (a) the Cu-O bond distance shrinkage on the ladder; (b) increase of the interaction between two sublattices, resulting in Cu-O bonding between the chains and ladders. The low temperature structural refinement resulted in the similar conclusion, with a slight charge backflow to the chains.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Synthesis, crystal structure and chemical stability of the superconductor FeSe_{1-x}

We report on a comparative study of the crystal structure and the magnetic properties of FeSe1-x (x= 0.00 - 0.15) superconducting samples by neutron powder diffraction and magnetization measurements. The samples were synthesized by two different methods: a 'low-temperature' one using powders as a starting material at T =700 C and a "high-temperature' method using solid pieces of Fe and Se at T= 1070 C. The effect of a starting (nominal) stoichiometry on the phase purity of the obtained samples, the superconducting transition temperature Tc, as well as the chemical instability of FeSe1-x at ambient conditions were investigated. It was found that in the Fe-Se system a stable phase exhibiting superconductivity at Tc~8K exists in a narrow range of selenium concentration (FeSe0.974(2)).

cond-mat.supr-con↗