arXiv subjects

L. Balicas

Publications and source records attributed to L. Balicas.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2007

Gapped itinerant spin excitations account for missing entropy in the hidden order state of URu$_2$Si$_2$

One of the primary goals of modern condensed matter physics is to elucidate the nature of the ground state in various electronic systems. Many correlated electron materials, such as high temperature superconductors, geometrically frustrated oxides, and low-dimensional magnets are still the objects of fruitful study because of the unique properties which arise due to poorly understood many-body effects. Heavy fermion metals - materials which have high effective electron masses due to these effects - represent a class of materials with exotic properties, such as unusual magnetism, unconventional superconductivity, and "hidden order" parameters. The heavy fermion superconductor URu2Si2 has held the attention of physicists for the last two decades due to the presence of a "hidden order" phase below 17.5 K. Neutron scattering measurements indicate that the ordered moment is 0.03 $μ_{B}$, much too small to account for the large heat capacity anomaly at 17.5 K. We present recent neutron scattering experiments which unveil a new piece of this puzzle - the spin excitation spectrum above 17.5 K exhibits well-correlated, itinerant-like spin excitations up to at least 10 meV emanating from incommensurate wavevectors. The gapping of these excitations corresponds to a large entropy release and explains the reduction in the electronic specific heat through the transition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2007

Correlation between $T_c$ and anisotropic scattering in Tl$_2$Ba$_2$CuO$_{6+δ}$

Angle-dependent magnetoresistance measurements are used to determine the isotropic and anisotropic components of the transport scattering rate in overdoped Tl$_2$Ba$_2$CuO$_{6+δ}$ for a range of $T_c$ values between 15K and 35K. The size of the anisotropic scattering term is found to scale linearly with $T_c$, establishing a link between the superconducting and normal state physics. Comparison with results from angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy indicates that the transport and quasiparticle lifetimes are distinct.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2007

Angle dependent magnetoresistance measurements in Tl$_2$Ba$_2$CuO$_{6+δ}$ and the need for anisotropic scattering

The angle-dependent interlayer magnetoresistance of overdoped Tl$_2$Ba$_2$CuO$_{6+δ}$ has been measured in high magnetic fields up to 45 Tesla. A conventional Boltzmann transport analysis with no basal-plane anisotropy in the cyclotron frequency $ω_c$ or transport lifetime $τ$ is shown to be inadequate for explaining the data. We describe in detail how the analysis can be modified to incorporate in-plane anisotropy in these two key quantities and extract the degree of anisotropy for each by assuming a simple four-fold symmetry. While anisotropy in $ω_c$ and other Fermi surface parameters may improve the fit, we demonstrate that the most important anisotropy is that in the transport lifetime, thus confirming its role in the physics of overdoped superconducting cuprates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2007

$^{1}$H-NMR spin-echo measurements of the static and dynamic spin properties in $λ$-(BETS)$_{2}$FeCl$_{4}$

$^{1}$H-NMR spin-echo measurements of the spin-echo decay $M(2τ)$ with a decay rate 1/$T_{2}$ and the frequency shift $Δν/ν_{0}$ under applied magnetic field $\mathbf{B}$$_{0}$ = 9 T along the a-axis over a temperature range 2.0$-$180 K are reported for a single crystal of the organic conductor $λ$-(BETS)$_{2}$FeCl$_{4}$. It provides the spin dynamic and static properties in the paramagnetic metal (PM) and antiferromagnetic insulator (AFI) states as well as across the PM$-$AFI phase transition. A large slow beat structure in the spin-echo decay is observed with a typical beat frequency of $f$ $\sim$ 7 kHz and it varies across the spectrum. Its origin is attributed to the $^{1}$H$-$$^{1}$H dipole interactions rather than to the much larger dipolar field contribution from the Fe$^{3+}$ electrons (spin $S$ = 5/2). A simple phenomenological model provides an excellent fit to the data. The dominant $^{1}$H-NMR frequency shift comes from the dipolar field from the 3d Fe$^{3+}$ ions, and the Fe$^{3+}$ $-$ Fe$^{3+}$ exchange interactions ($J_{0}$) ($J_{0} $ includes the d$-$d exchange interactions through the $π-$electrons) have a substantial effect to the local field at the proton sites expecially at low temperatures. A good fit is obtained with $J_{0}$ = - 1.7 K. The data of the spin-echo decay rate 1/$T_{2}$ indicates that there is a significant change in the slow fluctuations of the local magnetic field at the $^{1}$H-sites on traversing the PM to AFI phase. This evidence supports earlier reports that the PM$-$AFI phase transition in $λ$-(BETS)$_{2}% $FeCl$_{4} $ is driven magnetically and first order.

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arXiv2007

Orbital-dependent metamagnetic response in Sr4Ru3O10

We show that the metamagnetic transition in Sr$_4$Ru$_3$O$_{10}$ bifurcates into two transitions as the field is rotated away from the conducting planes. This two-step process comprises partial or total alignment of moments in ferromagnetic bands followed by an itinerant metamagnetic transition whose critical field increases with rotation. Evidence for itinerant metamagnetism is provided by the Shubnikov-de Hass effect which shows a non-trivial evolution of the geometry of the Fermi surface and an enhancement of the quasiparticles effective-mass across the transition. The metamagnetic response of Sr$_4$Ru$_3$O$_{10}$ is orbital-dependent and involves ferromagnetic and metamagnetic bands.

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arXiv2006

Anisotropic Scattering and Anomalous Transport in a High Temperature Superconductor

The metallic state of high temperature cuprate superconductors is markedly different from that of textbook metals. The origin of this unconventional state, characterized by unusual and distinct temperature dependences in the transport properties, remains unresolved despite intense theoretical efforts. Our understanding is impaired by our inability to determine experimentally the temperature and momentum dependence of the transport scattering rate. Here we use a novel magnetotransport probe to show that the unusual temperature dependences of the resistivity and the Hall coefficient in highly doped Tl$_2$Ba$_2$CuO$_{6+δ}$ originate from two distinct inelastic scattering channels. One channel is due to conventional electron-electron scattering whilst the other is highly anisotropic, has the same symmetry as the superconducting gap and a magnitude that grows approximately linearly with temperature. The observed form and anisotropy put tight constraints on theories of the metallic state. Moreover, in heavily doped non-superconducting cuprates, this anisotropic scattering term appears to be absent, suggesting an intimate connection between the origin of this scattering and superconductivity itself.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Proton NMR measurements of the local magnetic field in the paramagnetic metal and antiferromagnetic insulator phases of $λ$-(BETS)$_{2}$FeCl$_{4}$

Measurements of the $^{1}$H-NMR spectrum of a small ($\sim$ 4 $μ$g) single crystal of the organic conductor $λ$-(BETS)$_{2}$FeCl$_{4}$ are reported with an applied magnetic field $\bf{B}$$_{0}$ = 9 T parallel to the a-axis in the $ac$-plane over a temperature $(T)$ range 2.0 $-$ 180 K. They provide the distribution of the static local magnetic field at the proton sites in the paramagnetic metal (PM) and antiferromagnetic insulator (AFI) phases, along with the changes that occur at the PM$-$AFI phase transition. The spectra have six main peaks that are significantly broadened and shifted at low $T$. The origin of these features is attributed to the large dipolar field from the 3d Fe$^{3+}$ ion moments (spin $S_{\rm{d}}$ = 5/2). Their amplitude and $T-$dependence are modeled using a modified Brillouin function that includes a mean field approximation for the total exchange interaction ($J_{0}$) between one Fe$^{3+}$ ion and its two nearest neighbors. A good fit is obtained using $J_{0}$ = $-$ 1.7 K. At temperatures below the PM$-$AFI transition temperature $T_{MI}$ = 3.5 K, an extra peak appears on the high frequency side of the spectrum and the details of the spectrum become smeared. Also, the rms linewidth and the frequency shift of the spectral distribution are discontinuous, consistent with the transition being first-order. These measurements verify that the dominant local magnetic field contribution is from the Fe$^{3+}$ ions and indicate that there is a significant change in the static local magnetic field distribution at the proton sites on traversing the PM to AFI phase transition.

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arXiv2006

Dimensional reduction at a quantum critical point

Competition between electronic ground states near a quantum critical point (QCP) - the location of a zero-temperature phase transition driven solely by quantum-mechanical fluctuations - is expected to lead to unconventional behaviour in low-dimensional systems. New electronic phases of matter have been predicted to occur in the vicinity of a QCP by two-dimensional theories, and explanations based on these ideas have been proposed for significant unsolved problems in condensed-matter physics, such as non-Fermi-liquid behaviour and high-temperature superconductivity. But the real materials to which these ideas have been applied are usually rendered three-dimensional by a finite electronic coupling between their component layers; a two-dimensional QCP has not been experimentally observed in any bulk three-dimensional system, and mechanisms for dimensional reduction have remained the subject of theoretical conjecture. Here we show evidence that the Bose-Einstein condensate of spin triplets in the three-dimensional Mott insulator BaCuSi2O6 provides an experimentally verifiable example of dimensional reduction at a QCP. The interplay of correlations on a geometrically frustrated lattice causes the individual two-dimensional layers of spin-1/2 Cu2+ pairs (spin dimers) to become decoupled at the QCP, giving rise to a two-dimensional QCP characterized by power law scaling distinctly different from that of its three-dimensional counterpart. Thus the very notion of dimensionality can be said to acquire an 'emergent' nature: although the individual particles move on a three-dimensional lattice, their collective behaviour occurs in lower-dimensional space.

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arXiv2006

Shubnikov de Haas effect in the metallic state of Na$_{0.3}$CoO$_2$

Shubnikov de Haas oscillations for two well defined frequencies, corresponding respectively to areas of 0.8 and 1.36% of the first Brillouin zone (FBZ), were observed in single crystals of Na$_{0.3}$CoO$_2$. The existence of Na superstructures in Na$_{0.3}$CoO$_2$, coupled with this observation, suggests the possibility that the periods are due to the reconstruction of the large Fermi surface around the $Γ$ point. An alternative interpretation in terms of the long sought-after $ε_g^\prime$ pockets is also considered but found to be incompatible with existing specific heat data.

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arXiv2006

Quasi-2D superconductivity and Fermi-liquid behavior in bulk CaC$_6$

The intercalated graphite superconductor CaC6 with Tc ~ 11.5 K has been synthesized and characterized with magnetoresistance measurements. Above the transition, the resistivity follows a T^2 dependence up to 50 K, which suggests Fermi liquid behavior. Above 50 K, the data can be fit to the Bloch-Gruneisen model providing a Debye temperature of theta = 263 K. By using McMillan formula, we estimate the electron-phonon coupling constant of lambda = 0.85 which places this material in the intermediate-coupling regime. The upper critical field is determined parallel and perpendicular to the superconducting planes, and the dependence of the upper critical field as a function of angle suggests that this is a quasi-2D superconductivity. All of these measurements are consistent with BCS-like superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2005

Irreversible dynamics of the phase boundary in U(Ru0.9)Rh0.04)2Si2 and implications for ordering

We report measurements and analysis of the specific heat and magnetocaloric effect at the phase boundary into the single magnetic field-induced phase (phase II) of U(Ru{0.96}Rh{0.04})2Si2, which yield striking similarities to the valence transition of Yb{1-x}YxInCu4. To explain these similarities, we propose a bootstrap mechanism by which a structural distortion causes an electric quadrupolar order parameter within phase II to become coupled to the 5f-electron hybridization, giving rise to a valence change at the transition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

Severe Fermi Surface Reconstruction at a Metamagnetic-Transition in Ca$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$RuO$_4$ (for $0.2 \leq x \leq 0.5$)

We report an electrical transport study in Ca$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$RuO$_4$ single crystals at high magnetic fields ($B$). For $x =0.2$, the Hall constant $R_{xy}$ decreases sharply at an anisotropic metamagnetic (MM) transition reaching its value for Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ at high fields. A sharp decrease in the $A$ coefficient of the resistivity $T^2$-term and a change in the structure of the angular magnetoresistance oscillations (AMRO) for $B$ rotating in the planes, confirms the reconstruction of the Fermi surface (FS). Our observations and LDA calculations indicate a strong dependence of the FS on the Ca concentration and suggest the coexistence of itinerant and localized electronic states in single layered ruthenates.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

de Haas-van Alphen effect investigation of the electronic structure of Al substituted MgB_2

We report a de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) study of the electronic structure of Al doped crystals of MgB$_2$. We have measured crystals with $\sim 7.5$% Al which have a $T_c$ of 33.6 K, ($\sim 14$% lower than pure MgB$_2$). dHvA frequencies for the $σ$ tube orbits in the doped samples are lower than in pure MgB$_2$, implying a $16\pm2%$ reduction in the number of holes in this sheet of Fermi surface. The mass of the quasiparticles on the larger $σ$ orbit is lighter than the pure case indicating a reduction in electron-phonon coupling constant $λ$. These observations are compared with band structure calculations, and found to be in excellent agreement.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2005

Characteristic BEC scaling close to Quantum Critical Point in BaCuSi2O6

We report an experimental determination of the phase boundary between a quantum paramagnetic state and the proposed spin Bose-Einstein condensate of triplons in the spin gap compound BaCuSi2O6. The ordering temperature is related to the proximity to a quantum critical point at the lower critical magnetic field H_c1 = 23.52 +/- 0.03T by a power law parameterized by critical exponent nu. We obtain an experimental estimate of nu = 0.63 +/- 0.03 which is in good agreement with the mean field prediction of nu = 2/3 for the 3D XY model, used to describe the Bose condensation of a 3D dilute interacting Bose gas.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Magnetic field-tuned quantum critical point in CeAuSb_2

Transport, magnetic and thermal properties at high magnetic fields (H) and low temperatures (T) of the heavy fermion compound CeAuSb_2 are reported. At H=0 this layered system exhibits antiferromagnetic order below T_N = 6 K. Applying B along the inter-plane direction, leads to a continuous suppression of T_N and a quantum critical point at H_c ~ 5.4 T. Although it exhibits Fermi liquid behavior within the Neel phase, in the paramagnetic state the fluctuations associated with H_c give rise to unconventional behavior in the resistivity (sub-linear in T) and to a TlnT dependence in the magnetic contribution to the specific heat. For H > H_c and low T the electrical resistivity exhibits an unusual T^3-dependence.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Magnetic-field-induced Fermi surface reconstruction in Na$_{0.5}$CoO$_2$

We have performed electrical transport measurements at low temperatures and high magnetic fields in Na$_{0.5}$CoO$_2$ single crystals. Shubnikov de Haas oscillations were observed for two frequencies F_1 150 and F_2 40 T corresponding respectively to 1 and .25% of the area of the orthorhombic Brillouin zone. These small Fermi surface (FS) pockets indicate that most of the original FS vanishes at the charge ordering (CO) transition. Furthermore, in-plane magnetic fields strongly suppress the CO state. For fields rotating within the conducting planes we observe angular magnetoresistance oscillations (AMRO), whose periodicity changes from two- to six-fold at the transition, suggesting that a reconstructed hexagonal FS emerges at a field of about 40 T.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Orbitally-driven Behavior: Mott Transition, Quantum Oscillations and Colossal Magnetoresistance in Bilayered Ca3Ru2O7

We report recent transport and thermodynamic experiments over a wide range of temperatures for the Mott-like system Ca3Ru2O7 at high magnetic fields, B, up to 30 T. This work reveals a rich and highly anisotropic phase diagram, where applying B along the a-, b-, and c-axis leads to vastly different behavior. A fully spin-polarized state via a first order metamagnetic transition is obtained for B||a, and colossal magnetoresistance is seen for B||b, and quantum oscillations in the resistivity are observed for B||c, respectively. The interplay of the lattice, orbital and spin degrees of freedom are believed to give rise to this strongly anisotropic behavior.

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arXiv2004

Suppression of the $γ-α$ structural phase transition in $Ce_{0.8} La_{0.1} Th_{0.1}$ by large magnetic fields

The $γ-α$ transition in Ce$_{0.8}$La$_{0.1}$Th$_{0.1}$ is measured as a function of applied magnetic field using both resistivity and magnetization. The $γ- α$ transition temperature decreases with increasing magnetic field, reaching zero temperature at around 56 T. The magnetic-field dependence of the transition temperature may be fitted using a model that invokes the field and temperature dependence of the entropy of the $4f$-electron moments of the $γ$ phase, suggesting that the volume collapse in Ce and its alloys is primarily driven by entropic considerations.

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