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F. M. Araujo-Moreira

Publications and source records attributed to F. M. Araujo-Moreira.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Comparative study on magnetoresistance of carbon-cobalt nanocomposite thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition

We present a comparative study on the influence of applied magnetic field on the resistance of $C_{1-x}Co_x$ thin films (with $x=0.1$, $0.15$ and $0.2$) grown on $Si$ substrate by pulsed laser deposition technique. It is found that the behavior of magnetoresistance (MR) drastically depends on the temperature. Namely, at low temperatures MR is positive and its behavior is governed by the field mediated weak localization scenario. While at high temperatures MR turns negative and its behavior is dominated by electron scattering on ferromagnetic cobalt atoms.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Influence of substrate on structural and transport properties of LaNiO3 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

We report the structural and transport properties of LaNiO3 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition technique. To understand the effects of film thickness, lattice mismatch and grain size on transport properties, various oriented substrates were used for deposition, including single-crystalline SrLaAlO4 (001), SrTiO3 (100) and LaAlO3 (100). To achieve a high quality LaNiO3 thin films, the vital parameters (such as laser fluence, substrate temperature, oxygen pressure, and deposition time) were optimized. The best quality films are found to be well textured samples with good crystalline properties.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Deciphering M-T diagram of shape memory Heusler alloys: reentrance, plateau and beyond

We present our recent results on temperature behaviour of magnetization observed in Ni_47Mn_39In_14 Heusler alloys. Three regions can be distinguished in the M-T diagram: (I) low temperature martensitic phase (with the Curie temperature T_CM = 140 K), (II) intermediate mixed phase (with the critical temperature T_MS = 230 K) exhibiting a reentrant like behavior (between T_CM and T_MS) and (III) high temperature austenitic phase (with the Curie temperature T_CA = 320 K) exhibiting a rather wide plateau region (between T_MS and T_CA). By arguing that powerful structural transformations, causing drastic modifications of the domain structure in alloys, would also trigger strong fluctuations of the order parameters throughout the entire M-T diagram, we were able to successfully fit all the data by incorporating Gaussian fluctuations (both above and below the above three critical temperatures) into the Ginzburg-Landau scenario.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Evidence for resonant scattering of electrons by spin fluctuations in $LaNiO_3/LaAlO_3$ heterostructures grown by pulsed laser deposition

We present measurements of resistivity $ρ$ in highly oriented $LaNiO_3$ films grown on $LaAlO_3$ substrates by using a pulsed laser deposition technique. The experimental data are found to follow a universal $ρ(T) \propto T^{3/2}$ dependence for the entire temperature interval ($20K<T<300K$). The observed behavior has been attributed to a resonant scattering of electrons on antiferromagnetic fluctuations (with a characteristic energy $\hbar ω_{sf}\simeq 2.1meV$) triggered by spin-density wave propagating through the interface boundary of $LaNiO_3/LaAlO_3$ sandwich.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Analog of Fishtail Anomaly in Plastically Deformed Graphene

By introducing a strain rate generated pseudo-electric field, we discuss a magnetic response of a plastically deformed graphene. Our results demonstrate the appearance of dislocation induced paramagnetic moment in a zero applied magnetic field. More interestingly, it is shown that in the presence of the magnetoplastic effect, the resulting magnetization exhibits typical features of the so-called fishtail anomaly (previously observed in superconductors). The estimates of the model parameters suggest quite an optimistic possibility to experimentally realize the predicted phenomena in plastically deformed graphene.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

On Field Induced Diaelastic Effect in a Small Josephson Contact

An analog of the diaelastic effect is predicted to occur in a small Josephson contact with Josephson vortices manifesting itself as magnetic field induced softening of the contact shear modulus C(T,H). In addition to Fraunhofer type field oscillations, C(T,H) is found to exhibit pronounced flux driven temperature oscillations near T_C.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Pinning of spiral fluxons by giant screw dislocations in YBa_2Cu_3O_7 single crystals: Josephson analog of the fishtail effect

By using a highly sensitive homemade AC magnetic susceptibility technique, the magnetic flux penetration has been measured in YBa_2Cu_3O_7 single crystals with giant screw dislocations (having the structure of the Archimedean spirals) exhibiting a=3 spiral turnings, the pitch b=18.7 microns and the step height c=1.2nm (the last parameter is responsible for creation of extended weak-link structure around the giant defects). The magnetic field applied parallel to the surface enters winding around the weak-link regions of the screw in the form of the so-called spiral Josephson fluxons characterized by the temperature dependent pitch b_f(T). For a given temperature, a stabilization of the fluxon structure occurs when b_f(T) matches b (meaning an optimal pinning by the screw dislocations) and manifests itself as a pronounced low-field peak in the dependence of the susceptibility on magnetic field (applied normally to the surface) in the form resembling the high-field (Abrikosov) fishtail effect.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Universal R-C crossover in current-voltage characteristics for unshunted array of overdamped Nb-AlO_x-Nb Josephson junctions

We report on some unusual behavior of the measured current-voltage characteristics (CVC) in artificially prepared two-dimensional unshunted array of overdamped Nb-AlO_x-Nb Josephson junctions. The obtained nonlinear CVC are found to exhibit a pronounced (and practically temperature independent) crossover at some current I_{cr}=\left(\frac{1}{2β_C}-1\right)I_C from a resistance R dominated state with V_R=R\sqrt{I^2-I_C^2} below I_{cr} to a capacitance C dominated state with V_C=\sqrt{\frac{\hbar}{4eC}} \sqrt{I-I_C} above I_{cr}. The origin of the observed behavior is discussed within a single-plaquette approximation assuming the conventional RSJ model with a finite capacitance and the Ambegaokar-Baratoff relation for the critical current of the single junction.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Manifestation of geometric resonance in current dependence of AC susceptibility for unshunted array of Nb-AlOx-Nb Josephson junctions

A pronounced resonance-like structure has been observed in the current dependence of AC susceptibility for two-dimensional array of unshunted Nb-AlOx-Nb Josephson junctions. Using a single-plaquette approximation, we were able to successfully fit our data assuming that resonance structure is related to the geometric (inductive) properties of the array.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Manifestation of finite temperature size effects in nanogranular magnetic graphite

In addition to the double phase transition (with the Curie temperatures T_C=300K and T_{Ct}=144K), a low-temperature anomaly in the dependence of the magnetization is observed in the bulk magnetic graphite (with an average granular size of L=10nm), which is attributed to manifestation of the size effects below the quantum temperature. The best fits of the high-temperature data (using the mean-field Curie-Weiss and Bloch expressions) produced reasonable estimates for the model parameters, such as defects mediated effective spin exchange energy J=12meV (which defines the intragranular Curie temperature T_C) and proximity mediated interactions between neighboring grains (through potential barriers created by thin layers of non-magnetic graphite) with energy J_t=exp(-d/s)J=5.8meV (which defines the intergranular Curie temperature T_{Ct}) with d=1.5nm and s=2nm being the intergranular distance and characteristic length, respectively.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Synthesis, characterization and magnetic properties of room-temperature nanofluid ferromagnetic graphite

We report the chemical synthesis route, structural characterization, and physical properties of nanofluid magnetic graphite (NFMG) obtained from the previously synthesized bulk organic magnetic graphite (MG) by stabilizing the aqueous ferrofluid suspension with an addition of active cationic surfactant. The measured magnetization-field hysteresis curves along with the temperature dependence of magnetization confirmed room-temperature ferromagnetism in both MG and NFMG samples.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Temperature oscillations of magnetization observed in nanofluid ferromagnetic graphite

We report on unusual magnetic properties observed in the nanofluid room-temperature ferromagnetic graphite (with an average particle size of l=10nm). More precisely, the measured magnetization exhibits a low-temperature anomaly (attributed to manifestation of finite size effects below the quantum temperature) as well as pronounced temperature oscillations above T=50K (attributed to manifestation of the hard-sphere type pair correlations between ferromagnetic particles in the nanofluid).

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Unusually strong coherent response from grain-boundary Josephson network in polycrystalline Pr_{x}Y_{1-x}Ba_2Cu_3O_7

By applying a highly sensitive homemade AC susceptibility technique to Pr_{x}Y_{1-x}Ba_2Cu_3O_7 polycrystals (with x=0.0, 0.1 and 0.3), we observed very sharp Fraunhofer type low-field periodic oscillations of the real part of the AC susceptibility which were attributed to Josephson vortices penetrating intergranular regions of grain-boundary Josephson network in our samples. Assuming the Lorentz type distribution of single-junction contact areas, we were able to successfully fit the experimental data.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Manifestation of vortex depinning transition in nonlinear current-voltage characteristics of polycrystalline superconductor Y_{1-x}Pr_{x}Ba_2Cu_3O_7

We present our recent results on the temperature dependence of current-voltage characteristics for polycrystalline Y_{1-x}Pr_{x}Ba_2Cu_3O_7 superconductors with x = 0.0, 0.1 and 0.3. The experimental results are found to be reasonably well fitted for all samples by a power like law. According to the theoretical interpretation of the obtained results, nonlinear deviation of our current-voltage characteristics curves from Ohmic behavior below Tc is attributed to the manifestation of dissipation processes related to the current induced depinning of Abrikosov vortices.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Magnetic and transport properties of electron-doped superconducting thin films: Pairing symmetry, pinning and spin fluctuations

In this Chapter we review our latest results on magnetic (AC susceptibility) and transport (resistivity) properties of Pr1.85Ce0.15CuO4 (PCCO) and Sm1.85Ce0.15CuO4 (SCCO) thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition technique. Three main topics of our studies will be covered. We start with a thorough discussion of the pairing symmetry mechanisms in optimally-doped SCCO thin films based on the extracted with high accuracy temperature profiles of penetration depth. In particular, we found that above and below a crossover temperature T*=0.22T_C, our films are best-fitted by a linear and quadratic dependencies, respectively, with physically reasonable values of d-wave node gap parameter and paramagnetic impurity scattering rate. Our next topic is related to the flux distribution in our films. More precisely, we present a comparative study on their pinning ability at low magnetic fields extracted from their AC susceptibilities. Depending on the level of homogeneity of our films, two different types of the irreversibility line have been found. The obtained results are described via the critical-state model taking into account the low-field grain-boundary pinning. And finally, we demonstrate our recent results on the normal state temperature behavior of resistivity R(T) for the high-quality optimally-doped SCCO thin films. In addition to the expected contributions from the electron-phonon and electron-electron scattering processes, we also observed an unusual step-like behavior of R(T) around T=87K which we attributed the to the manifestation of thermal excitations due to spin fluctuations induced by Sm3+ moments through Cu2+-Sm3+ interaction.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Possible manifestation of spin fluctuations in the temperature behavior of resistivity in Sm_{1.85}Ce_{0.15}CuO_4 thin films

A pronounced step-like (kink) behavior in the temperature dependence of resistivity $ρ(T)$ is observed in the optimally-doped $Sm_{1.85}Ce_{0.15}CuO_4$ thin films around $T_{sf}=87K$ and attributed to manifestation of strong spin fluctuations induced by $Sm^{3+}$ moments with the energy $\hbar ω_{sf}=k_BT_{sf}\simeq 7meV$. In addition to fluctuation induced contribution $ρ_{sf}(T)$ due to thermal broadening effects (of the width $ω_{sf}$), the experimental data are found to be well fitted accounting for residual (zero-temperature) $ρ_{res}$, electron-phonon $ρ_{e-ph}(T)=AT$ and electron-electron $ρ_{e-e}(T)=BT^2$ contributions. The best fits produced $ω_p=2.1meV$, $τ_0^{-1}=9.5\times 10^{-14}s^{-1}$, $λ=1.2$, and $E_F=0.2eV$ for estimates of the plasmon frequency, the impurity scattering rate, electron-phonon coupling constant, and the Fermi energy, respectively.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Irreversibility line and low-field grain-boundary pinning in electron-doped superconducting thin films

AC magnetic susceptibilities of electron-doped Pr_{1.85}Ce_{0.15}CuO_4 (PCCO) and Sm_{1.85}Ce_{0.15}CuO_4 (SCCO) granular thin films have been measured as a function of temperature and magnetic-field strength. Depending on the level of homogeneity of our films, two different types of the irreversibility line (IL) defined as the intergrain-loss peak temperature in the imaginary part of susceptibility have been found. The obtained results are described via the critical-state model taking into account the low-field grain-boundary pinning. The extracted pinning-force densities in more granular SCCO films turn out to be four times larger than their counterparts in less granular PCCO films.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Influence of structural disorder on low-temperature behavior of penetration depth in electron-doped high-T_C thin films

To probe the influence of structural disorder on low-temperature behavior of magnetic penetration depth in electron-doped high-T_C superconductors, a comparative study of high-quality Pr_{1.85}Ce_{0.15}CuO_4 (PCCO) and Sm_{1.85}Ce_{0.15}CuO_4 (SCCO) thin films is presented. The obtained results confirm a d-wave pairing mechanism in both samples, substantially modified by impurity scattering (which is more noticeable in less homogeneous SCCO films) at the lowest temperatures. The value of the extracted impurity scattering rate correlates with the quality of our samples and is found to be much higher in less homogeneous films with lower T_C.

cond-mat.supr-con↗