arXiv subjects

K. Conder

Publications and source records attributed to K. Conder.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2007

Crystal and magnetic structures of the spin-trimer compounds Ca3 Cu3xNix (PO4)4 (x=0,1,2)

Crystal and magnetic structures of a series of novel quantum spin trimer system Ca3Cu3xNix(PO4)4 (x=0,1,2) were studied by neutron powder diffraction at the temperatures 1.5-290 K. The composition with one Ni per trimer (x=1) has a monoclinic structure (space group P 21 /a, no. 14) with the unit cell parameters a = 17.71 A, b = 4.89 A, c = 8.85 A and = 123.84 deg at T=290 K. The (x=2) composition crystallizes in the C 2/c space group (no. 15) with the doubled unit cell along c-axis. Each trimer is formed by two crystallographic positions: one in the middle and the second one at the ends of the trimer. We have found that the middle position is occupied by the Cu2+, whereas the end positions are equally populated with the Cu2+ and Ni2+ for (x=1) while in the (x=2) the trimers were found to be of only one type Ni-Cu-Ni. Below TN = 20 K the (x=2) compound shows an antiferromagnetic ordering with propagation vector star {[1/2,1/2, 0], [-1/2,1/2, 0]} The magnetic structure is very well described with the irreducible representation tau22 using both arms of the star {k} with the magnetic moments 1.89(1) muB and 0.62(2) muB for Ni2+ and Cu2+ ions, respectively. We note that our powder diffraction data cannot be fitted by a model containing only one arm of the propagation vector star. The Cu/Ni-spins form both parallel and antiparallel configurations in the different trimers, implying substantial effect of the inter-trimer interaction on the overall magnetic structure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Magnetic excitations in the spin-trimer compounds Ca3Cu3-xNix(PO4)4 (x=0,1,2)

Inelastic neutron scattering experiments were performed for the spin-trimer compounds Ca3Cu3-xNix(PO4)4 (x=0,1,2) in order to study the dynamic magnetic properties. The observed excitations can be associated with transitions between the low-lying electronic states of linear Cu-Cu-Cu, Cu-Cu-Ni, and Ni-Cu-Ni trimers which are the basic constituents of the title compounds. The exchange interactions within the trimers are well described by the Heisenberg model with dominant antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor interactions J. For x=0 we find JCu-Cu=-4.74(2) meV which is enhanced for x=1 to JCu-Cu=-4.92(6) meV. For x=1 and x=2 we find JCu-Ni=-0.85(10) meV and an axial single-ion anisotropy parameter DNi=-0.7(1) meV. While the x=0 and x=1 compounds do not exhibit long-range magnetic ordering down to 1 K, the x=2 compound shows antiferromagnetic ordering below TN=20 K, which is compatible with the molecular-field parameter 0.63(12) meV derived by neutron spectroscopy.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2007

Spontaneous ferromagnetic spin ordering at the surface of La$_2$CuO$_4$

Magnetic properties of high purity stoichiometric La$_2$CuO$_4$ nanoparticles are systematically investigated as a function of particle size. Ferromagnetic single-domain spin clusters are shown to spontaneously form at the surface of fine grains as well as paramagnetic defects. Hysteresis loops and thermomagnetic irreversibility are observed in a wide temperature range $5 - 350$ K with the remnant moment and coercivity gradually decreasing with increasing temperature. Possible origins of the spontaneous surface ferromagnetic clusters and the relation of our data to the appearance of unusual magnetic phenomena and phase separation of doped cuprates are discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2007

Magnetism in Geometrically Frustrated YMnO3 Under Hydrostatic Pressure Studied with Implanted Muons

The rare-earth ferroelectromagnet YMnO3 consists of weakly coupled triangular layers of S=2 spins. Below T_N ~ 70 K muon-spin relaxation data show two oscillatory relaxing signals due to magnetic order, with no relaxing signal resolvable (which would be expected for different coexisting spin distributions). The transition temperature T_N increases with applied hydrostatic pressure, even though the ordered moment decreases. These results suggest that pressure increases both the exchange coupling between the layers and the frustration within the layers.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2007

Effect of oxygen isotope substitution and crystal micro-structure on magnetic ordering and phase separation in {$\rm (La_{1-y}Pr_{y})_{0.7}Ca_{0.3}MnO_3$}

The crystal and magnetic structures of the specified CMR manganite system have been studied as a function of $y=(0.2-1)$ across the metal-insulator (MI) transition, and of the oxygen mass ($^{16}$O, $^{18}$O). We quantitatively show how the polaronic narrowing of the carrier bandwidth and the crystal lattice micro-strains control the volume fractions of the mesoscopic ferro- and antiferromagnetic clusters. A well-defined dip in the transition temperatures and the suppression of all the types of long range ordering seen near the MI-transition at $y\simeq0.9$ indicate a key role of the quenched disorder for the formation of the long-scale phase separated state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Magnetic field dependence of the oxygen isotope effect on the magnetic penetration depth in hole-doped cuprate superconductors

The magnetic field dependence of the oxygen-isotope (^{16}O/^{18}O) effect (OIE) on the in-plane magnetic field penetration depth λ_{ab} was studied in the hole-doped high-temperature cuprate superconductors YBa_2Cu_4O_8, Y_0.8Pr_0.2Ba_2Cu_3O_7-δ, and Y_0.7Pr_0.3Ba_2Cu_3O_7-δ. It was found that λ_ab for the ^{16}O substituted samples increases stronger with increasing magnetic field than for the ^{18}O ones. The OIE on λ_ab decreases by more than a factor of two with increasing magnetic field from μ_0H=0.2 T to μ_0H=0.6 T. This effect can be explained by the isotope dependence of the in-plane charge carrier mass m^\ast_{ab}.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Effect of light Sr doping on the spin-state transition in LaCoO_3

We present an inelastic neutron scattering study of the low energy crystal-field excitations in the lightly doped cobalt perovskite La_0.998Sr_0.002CoO_3. In contrast to the parent compound LaCoO_3 an inelastic peak at energy transfer ~0.75 meV was found at temperatures below 30 K. This excitation apparently corresponds to a transition between a ground state orbital singlet and a higher excited orbital doublet, originating from a high-spin triplet split by a small trigonal crystal field. Another inelastic peak at an energy transfer ~0.6 meV was found at intermediate temperatures starting from T > 30 K. This confirms the presence of a thermally induced spin-state transition from the low-spin Co^3+ to a magnetic high-spin state in the non-disturbed LaCoO_3 matrix. We suggest that hole doping of LaCoO_3 leads to the creation of a magnetic polaron and hence to the low-to-high spin state transition on the relevant Co sites.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Correlation between oxygen isotope effects on the transition temperature and the magnetic penetration depth in high-temperature superconductors close to optimal doping

The oxygen-isotope (^{16}O/^{18}O) effect (OIE) on the in-plane magnetic penetration depth λ_{ab}(0) in optimally-doped YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-δ} and La_{1.85}Sr_{0.15}CuO_4, and in slightly underdoped YBa_2Cu_4O_8 and Y_{0.8}Pr_{0.2}Ba_2Cu_3O_{7-δ} was studied by means of muon-spin rotation. A substantial OIE on λ_{ab}(0) with an OIE exponent β_O=-d\lnλ_{ab}(0)/d\ln M_O\approx - 0.2 (M_O is the mass of the oxygen isotope), and a small OIE on the transition temperature T_c with an OIE exponent α_O=-d\ln T_{c}/d \ln M_O\simeq0.02 to 0.1 were observed. The observation of a substantial isotope effect on λ_{ab}(0), even in cuprates where the OIE on T_c is small, indicates that lattice effects play an important role in cuprate HTS.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2005

Reduction of the ordered magnetic moment in YMnO3 with hydrostatic pressure

YMnO3 exhibits a ferroelectric transition at high temperature (~ 900 K) and magnetic ordering at T_N ~ 70 K where the dielectric constant shows an anomaly indicative of the magneto-dielectric effect. Here we report powder neutron diffraction experiments in this compound that show that the magnetic moment at saturation is reduced by application of hydrostatic pressure. Our results yield further insight about the nature of the spin-lattice interaction in ferroic materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

Spin-state transition in LaCoO3: direct neutron spectroscopic evidence of excited magnetic states

A gradual spin-state transition occurs in LaCoO3 around T~80-120 K, whose detailed nature remains controversial. We studied this transition by means of inelastic neutron scattering (INS), and found that with increasing temperature an excitation at ~0.6 meV appears, whose intensity increases with temperature, following the bulk magnetization. Within a model including crystal field interaction and spin-orbit coupling we interpret this excitation as originating from a transition between thermally excited states located about 120 K above the ground state. We further discuss the nature of the magnetic excited state in terms of intermediate-spin (IS, S=1) vs. high-spin (HS, S=2) states. Since the g-factor obtained from the field dependence of the INS is g~3, the second interpretation looks more plausible.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

Spin fluctuations in the stacked-triangular antiferromagnet YMnO3

The spectrum of spin fluctuations in the stacked-triangular antiferromagnet YMnO3 was studied above the Neel temperature using both unpolarized and polarized inelastic neutron scattering. We find an in-plane and an out-of-plane excitation. The in-plane mode has two components just above TN, a resolution-limited central peak and a Debye-like contribution. The quasi-elastic fluctuations have a line-width that increases with q like Dq^z and the dynamical exponent z=2.3. The out-of-plane fluctuations have a gap at the magnetic zone center and do not show any appreciable q-dependence at small wave-vectors.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Evidence for charged critical fluctuations in underdoped Y-123

We report and analyze in-plane penetration depth measurements in YBa2Cu3O7-x taken close to the critical temperature Tc. In underdoped YBa2Cu3O6:59 we find consistent evidence for charged critical behavior. Noting that the effective dimensionless charge scales as 1/sqrt(Tc), this new critical behavior should be generically observable in suitably underdoped cuprates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Oxygen-isotope effect on the in-plane penetration depth in cuprate superconductors

Muon-spin rotation (muSR) studies of the oxygen isotope (^{16}O/^{18}O) effect (OIE) on the in-plane magnetic field penetration depth lambda_{ab} in cuprate high-temperature superconductors (HTS) are presented. First, the doping dependence of the OIE on the transition temperature T_c in various HTS is briefly discussed. It is observed that different cuprate families show a similar doping dependence of the OIE on T_c. Then, bulk muSR, low-energy muSR, and magnetization studies of the total and site-selective OIE on lambda_{ab} are described in some detail. A substantial OIE on lambda_{ab} was observed in various cuprate families at all doping levels, suggesting that cuprate HTS are non-adiabatic superconductors. The experiments clearly demonstrate that the total OIE on T_c and lambda_{ab} arise from the oxygen sites within the superconducting CuO_2 planes, demonstrating that the phonon modes involving the movement of planar oxygen are dominantly coupled to the supercarriers. Finally, it is shown that the OIE on T_c and lambda_{ab} exhibit a relation that appears to be generic for different families of cuprate HTS. The observation of these unusual isotope effects implies that lattice effects play an essential role in cuprate HTS and have to be considered in any realistic model of high-temperature superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Absence of a boron isotope effect in the magnetic penetration depth of MgB$_{2}$

The magnetic penetration depth $λ(0)$ in polycrystalline MgB$_{2}$ for different boron isotopes ($^{10}$B/$^{11}$B) was investigated by transverse field muon spin rotation. No boron isotope effect on the penetration depth $λ(0)$ was found within experimental error: $Δλ(0)/λ(0) = -0.8(8)%$, suggesting that MgB$_{2}$ is an adiabatic superconductor. This is in contrast to the substantial oxygen isotope effect on $λ(0)$ observed in cuprate high-temperature superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

A metallic phase in lightly doped La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$ observed by electron paramagnetic resonance

In the low doping range of $x$ from 0.01 to 0.06 in La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$, a narrow electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) line has been investigated. This line is distinct from the known broad line, both due to probing Mn$^{2+}$ ions. The narrow line is ascribed to metallic regions in the material, and its intensity increases exponentially upon cooling below $\sim$ 150 K. The activation energy deduced $Δ$ = 460(50) K is nearly the same as that found in the doped superconducting regime by Raman and neutron scattering. The intensity of the narrow EPR line follows the same temperature dependence as the resistivity anisotropy in lightly doped La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$ single crystals.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Site-selective oxygen isotope effect on the magnetic field penetration depth in underdoped Y$_{0.6}$Pr$_{0.4}$Ba$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$

We report site-selective oxygen isotope ($^{16}$O/$^{18}$O) effect (OIE) measurements on the in-plane penetration depth $λ_{ab} $ in underdoped Y$_{0.6}$Pr$_{0.4}$Ba$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$, using the muon-spin rotation ($μ$SR) technique. A pronounced OIE on the transition temperature $T_c$ as well as on $λ_{ab}^{-2}(0)$ was observed, which mainly arises from the oxygen sites within the superconducting CuO$_2$ planes (100 % within error bar). The values of the corresponding relative isotope shifts were found to be $T_c/T_c= -3.7(4)%$ and $Δλ^{-2}_{ab}(0)/λ^{-2}_{ab}(0)= -6.2(1.0)%$. Our results imply that in this compound the phonon modes involving the movement of planar oxygen are dominantly coupled to the electrons.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Direct observation of the oxygen isotope effect on the in-plane magnetic field penetration depth in optimally doped YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$

We report the first direct observation of the oxygen-isotope ($^{16}$O/$^{18}$O) effect on the in-plane penetration depth $λ_{ab}$ in a nearly optimally doped YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-δ}$ film using the novel low-energy muon-spin rotation technique. Spin polarized low energy muons are implanted in the film at a known depth $z$ beneath the surface and precess in the local magnetic field $B(z)$. This feature allows us to measure directly the profile $B(z)$ of the magnetic field inside the superconducting film in the Meissner state and to make a model independent determination of $λ_{ab}$. A substantial isotope shift $Δλ_{ab}/λ_{ab}=2.8(7)$% at 4 K is observed, implying that the in-plane effective supercarrier mass $m_{ab}^\ast$ is oxygen-isotope dependent with $Δm_{ab}^\ast/m_{ab}^\ast = 5.5(1.4)%$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Relevance of electron-lattice coupling in cuprates superconductors

We study the oxygen isotope (^{16}O,^{18}O) and finite size effects in Y_{1-x}Pr_{x}Ba_{2}Cu_{3}O_{7-δ} by in-plane penetration depth (λ_{ab}) measurements. A significant change of the length L_{c} of the superconducting domains along the c-axis and λ_{ab}^{2} is deduced, yielding the relative isotope shift ΔL_{c}/L_{c}\approx Δλ_{ab}^{2}/λ_{ab}^{2}\approx -0.14 for x=0, 0.2 and 0.3. This uncovers the existence and relevance of the coupling between the superfluid, lattice distortions and anharmonic phonons which involve the oxygen lattice degrees of freedom.

cond-mat.supr-con↗