arXiv subjects

P. Giura

Publications and source records attributed to P. Giura.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Structural and Microscopic Relaxation Processes in Liquid Hydrogen Fluoride

The high frequency collective dynamics of liquid hydrogen fluoride is studied by inelastic x-ray scattering on the coexistence curve at T = 239 K. The comparison with existing molecular dynamics simulations shows the existence of two active relaxation processes with characteristic time scales in the subpicosecond range. The observed scenario is very similar to that found in liquid water. This suggests that hydrogen bonded liquids behave similarly to other very different systems as simple and glass forming liquids, thus indicating that these two relaxation processes are universal features of the liquid state.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2017

The crystal structure of Rb2Ti2O5

Recent results have demonstrated an exceptionally high dielectric constant in the range 200 K-330 K in a crystalline tianium oxide : Rb2Ti2O5. In this article, the possibility of a structural transition giving rise to ferroelectricity is carefully inspected. In particular X-Ray diffraction, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy are performed. The crystal structure is shown to remain invariant and centrosymmetric at all temperatures between 90 K and 450 K. The stability of the C2/m structure is confirmed by DFT calculations. These important findings allow to discard the existence of a conventional ferroelectric phase transition as a possible mechanism for the unusual dielectric constant observed in this material.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Electron localization and possible phase separation in the absence of a charge density wave in single-phase 1T-VS$_2$

We report on a systematic study of the structural, magnetic and transport properties of high-purity 1T-VS$_2$ powder samples prepared under high pressure. The results differ notably from those previously obtained by de-intercalating Li from LiVS$_2$. First, no Charge Density Wave (CDW) is found by transmission electron microscopy down to 94 K. Though, \textit{ab initio} phonon calculations unveil a latent CDW instability driven by an acoustic phonon softening at the wave vector ${\bf q}_{CDW} \approx$ (0.21,0.21,0) previously reported in de-intercalated samples. A further indication of latent lattice instability is given by an anomalous expansion of the V-S bond distance at low temperature. Second, infrared optical absorption and electrical resistivity measurements give evidence of non metallic properties, consistent with the observation of no CDW phase. On the other hand, magnetic susceptibility and NMR data suggest the coexistence of localized moments with metallic carriers, in agreement with \textit{ab initio} band structure calculations. This discrepancy is reconciled by a picture of electron localization induced by disorder or electronic correlations leading to a phase separation of metallic and non-metallic domains in the nm scale. We conclude that 1T-VS$_2$ is at the verge of a CDW transition and suggest that residual electronic doping in Li de-intercalated samples stabilizes a uniform CDW phase with metallic properties.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2012

Temperature evolution of infrared- and Raman-active phonons in graphite

We perform a comparative experimental and theoretical study of the temperature dependence up to 700 K of the frequency and linewidths of the graphite E1u and E2g optical phonons (~1590 and 1580 cm-1) by infra-red (IR) and Raman spectroscopy. Despite their similar character, the temperature dependence of the two modes is quite different, being, e.g., the frequency shift of the IR-active E1u mode is almost twice as big as that of the Raman active E2g mode. Ab initio calculations of the anharmonic properties are in remarkable agreement with measurements and explain the observed behavior.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2004

Microscopic dynamics and relaxation processes in liquid Hydrogen Fluoride

Inelastic x-ray scattering and Brillouin light scattering measurements of the dynamic structure factor of liquid hydrogen fluoride have been performed in the temperature range$ T=214÷283 K$. The data, analysed using a viscoelastic model with a two timescale memory function, show a positive dispersion of the sound velocity $c(Q)$ between the low frequency value $c_0(Q)$ and the high frequency value $c_{\infty α}(Q)$. This finding confirms the existence of a structural ($α$) relaxation directly related to the dynamical organization of the hydrogen bonds network of the system. The activation energy $E_a$ of the process has been extracted by the analysis of the temperature behavior of the relaxation time $τ_α(T)$ that follows an Arrhenius law. The obtained value for $E_a$, when compared with that observed in another hydrogen bond liquid as water, suggests that the main parameter governing the $α$-relaxation process is the number of the hydrogen bonds per molecule.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2004

Evidence of anomalous dispersion of the generalized sound velocity in glasses

The dynamic structure factor, S(Q,w), of vitreous silica, has been measured by inelastic X-ray scattering in the exchanged wavevector (Q) region Q=4-16.5 nm-1 and up to energies hw=115 meV in the Stokes side. The unprecedented statistical accuracy in such an extended energy range allows to accurately determine the longitudinal current spectra, and the energies of the vibrational excitations. The simultaneous observation of two excitations in the acoustic region, and the persistence of propagating sound waves up to Q values comparable with the (pseudo-)Brillouin zone edge, allow to observe a positive dispersion in the generalized sound velocity that, around Q=5 nm-1, varies from 6500 to 9000 m/s: this phenomenon was never experimentally observed in a glass.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2003

Electron correlation effects on the dielectric function of liquid metals

The acoustic excitations of the expanded metal solutions Li-NH$_3$ have been measured by inelastic X-ray scattering as a function of the electron density by changing the Li concentration. The dielectric functions of these model metals with very low electron density have been derived from the high frequency sound velocity using the one component plasma approach corrected for screening. Their values, when combined with those from other metals, suggest that the electron correlation induced departure of the dielectric function from the random phase approximation follows a universal behavior whose main parameter is the electron density.

cond-mat↗

arXiv2002

Electron-phonon interaction in n-doped cuprates: an Inelastic X-ray Scattering study

Inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) with very high (meV) energy resolution has become a valuable spectroscopic tool, complementing the well established coherent inelastic neutron scattering (INS) technique for phonon dispersion investigations. In the study of crystalline systems IXS is a viable alternative to INS, especially in cases where only small samples are available. Using IXS, we have measured the phonon dispersion of Nd_{1.86}Ce_{0.14}CuO_{4+δ} along the [x,0,0] and [x,x,0] in-plane directions. Compared to the undoped parent compound, the two highest longitudinal optical (LO) phonon branches are shifted to lower energies because of Coulomb-screening effects brought about by the doped charge carriers. An additional anomalous softening of the highest branch is observed around q=(0.2,0,0). This anomalous softening, akin to what has been observed in other compounds, provides evidence for a strong electron-phonon coupling in the electron-doped high-temperature superconductors.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2002

Infrared signatures of charge stripes in La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO(4)

The in-plane optical conductivity of seven La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO(4) single crystals with x between 0 and 0.15 has been studied from 30 to 295 K. All doped samples exhibit strong peaks in the far-infrared, which closely resemble those observed in Cu-O "ladders" with one-dimensional charge-ordering. The behavior with doping and temperature of the peak energy, width, and intensity allows us to conclude that we are observing charge stripes dynamics in La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO(4) on the fast time scale of infrared spectroscopy.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Anomalous Dispersion of Longitudinal Optical Phonons in $\mathrm{\mathbf{Nd_{1.86}Ce_{0.14}CuO_{4+\bmδ}}}$ Determined by Inelastic X-ray Scattering

The phonon dispersions of $\mathrm{Nd_{1.86}Ce_{0.14}CuO_{4+δ}}$ along the $[ξ,0,0]$ direction have been determined by inelastic x-ray scattering. Compared to the undoped parent compound, the two highest longitudinal phonon branches, associated with the Cu-O bond-stretching and out-of-plane oxygen vibration, are shifted to lower energies. Moreover, an anomalous softening of the bond-stretching band is observed around $\mathbf{q}=(0.2,0,0)$. These signatures provide evidence for strong electron-phonon coupling in this electron-doped high-temperature superconductor.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv1999

Evolution of a polaron band through the phase diagram of Nd[2-x]Ce[x]CuO[4-y]

The evolution with doping and temperature of the polaronic absorption in a family of high-T$_c$ superconductors is first followed here across the whole phase diagram. The polaron band softens with increasing doping, is still present in the superconducting phase, and vanishes in the overdoped metallic phase. These results point toward the existence of polaron aggregates at low temperature and may provide an experimental ground for the increasing number of theoretical descriptions of many-polaron systems.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv1997

Small and large polarons in nickelates, manganites, and cuprates

By comparing the optical conductivities of La_{1.67}Sr_{0.33}NiO_{4} (LSNO), Sr_{1.5}La_{0.5}MnO_4 (SLMO), Nd_2CuO_{4-y} (NCO), and Nd_{1.96}Ce_{0.04}CuO_{4} (NCCO), we have identified a peculiar behavior of polarons in this cuprate family. While in LSNO and SLMO small polarons localize into ordered structures below a transition temperature, in those cuprates the polarons appear to be large, and at low T their binding energy decreases. This reflects into an increase of the polaron radius, which may trigger coherent transport.

cond-mat.supr-con↗