arXiv subjects

P. Lejay

Publications and source records attributed to P. Lejay.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2010

Low energy magnetic excitation spectrum of the unconventional ferromagnet CeRh$_{3}$B$_{2}$

The magnetic excitation spectrum of the unconventional ferromagnet CeRh$_{3}$B$_{2}$ was measured by inelastic neutron scattering on single crystal sample in the magnetically ordered and paramagnetic phases. The spin-wave excitation spectrum evidences high exchange interaction along the c-axis about two orders of magnitude higher than the ones in the basal plane of the hexagonal structure. Both strong out of plane and small in plane anisotropies are found. This latter point confirms that considering the $J$=5/2 multiplet alone is not adequate for describing the ground state of CeRh$_{3}$B$_{2}$. Quasielastic scattering measured above $T_{Curie}$ is also strongly anisotropic between the basal plane and the c-axis and suggests localized magnetism.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

Quantum criticality of Ce$_{1-x}$La$_{x}$Ru$_{2}$Si$_{2}$ : the magnetically ordered phase

We report specific heat and neutron scattering experiments performed on the system Ce$_{1-x}$La$_{x}$Ru$_{2}$Si$_{2}$ on the magnetic side of its quantum critical phase diagram. The Kondo temperature does not vanish at the quantum phase transition and elastic scattering indicates a gradual localisation of the magnetism when $x$ increases in the ordered phase.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

High temperature superconductivity (Tc onset at 34K) in the high pressure orthorhombic phase of FeSe

We have studied the structural and superconducting properties of tetragonal FeSe under pressures up to 26GPa using synchrotron radiation and diamond anvil cells. The bulk modulus of the tetragonal phase is 28.5(3)GPa, much smaller than the rest of Fe based superconductors. At 12GPa we observe a phase transition from the tetragonal to an orthorhombic symmetry. The high pressure orthorhombic phase has a higher Tc reaching 34K at 22GPa.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

On the destruction of the hidden order in URu$_2$Si$_2$ by a strong magnetic field

We present a study of transport properties of the heavy fermion URu$_2$Si$_2$ in pulsed magnetic field. The large Nernst response of the hidden order state is found to be suppressed when the magnetic field exceeds 35 T. The combination of resistivity, Hall and Nernst data outlines the reconstruction of the Fermi surface in the temperature-field phase diagram. The zero-field ground state is a compensated heavy-electron semi-metal, which is destroyed by magnetic field through a cascade of field-induced transitions. Above 40 T, URu$_2$Si$_2$ appears to be a polarized heavy fermions metal with a large density of carriers whose effective mass rapidly decreases with increasing magnetic polarization.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

Crystal growth, structure and ferromagnetic properties of a Ce3Pt23Si11 single crystal

A high-quality single crystal of Ce3Pt23Si11 has been grown using the Czochralski method. The crystal structure is presented and the chemical composition has been checked using an electron microprobe analyzer. Measurements of the electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility performed at low temperature show a ferromagnetic transition at Tc = 0.44 K.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

Fermi surface instability at the hidden-order transition of URu2Si2

Solids with strong electron correlations generally develop exotic phases of electron matter at low temperatures. Among such systems, the heavy-fermion semi-metal URu2Si2 presents an enigmatic transition at To = 17.5 K to a `hidden order' state whose order parameter remains unknown after 23 years of intense research. Various experiments point to the reconstruction and partial gapping of the Fermi surface when the hidden-order establishes. However, up to now, the question of how this transition affects the electronic spectrum at the Fermi surface has not been directly addressed by a spectroscopic probe. Here we show, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, that a band of heavy quasi-particles drops below the Fermi level upon the transition to the hidden-order state. Our data provide the first direct evidence of a large reorganization of the electronic structure across the Fermi surface of URu2Si2 occurring during this transition, and unveil a new kind of Fermi-surface instability in correlated electron systems

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Nodeless spin triplet superconducting gap in Sr2RuO4

We report on tunneling spectroscopy measurements using a Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) on the spin triplet superconductor Sr2RuO4. We find a negligible density of states close to the Fermi level and a fully opened gap with a value of $Δ$=0.28 meV, which disappears at T$_c$ = 1.5 K. $Δ$ is close to the result expected from weak coupling BCS theory ($Δ_0$=1.76kBT$_c$ = 0.229 meV). Odd parity superconductivity is associated with a fully isotropic gap without nodes over a significant part of the Fermi surface.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Easy-Axis Kagomé Antiferromagnet: Local-Probe Study of Nd$_3$Ga$_5$SiO$_{14}$

We report a local-probe investigation of the magnetically anisotropic kagomé compound Nd$_3$Ga$_5$SiO$_{14}$. Our zero-field $μ$SR results provide a direct evidence of a fluctuating collective paramagnetic state down to 60 mK, supported by a wipe-out of the Ga nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal below 25 K. At 60 mK a dynamics crossover to a much more static state is observed by $μ$SR in magnetic fields above 0.5 T. Accordingly, the NMR signal is recovered at low $T$ above a threshold field, revealing a rapid temperature and field variation of the magnetic fluctuations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Electronic texture of the thermoelectric oxide Na0.75CoO2

From 59Co and 23Na NMR, we demonstrate the impact of the Na+ vacancy ordering on the cobalt electronic states in Na0.75CoO2: at long time scales, there is neither a disproportionation into 75 % Co3+ and 25 % Co4+ states, nor a mixed-valence metal with a uniform Co3.25+ state. Instead, the system adopts an intermediate configuration in which 30 % of the lattice sites form an ordered pattern of localized Co3+ states. Above 180 K, an anomalous mobility of specific Na+ sites is found to coexist with this electronic texture, suggesting that the formation of the latter may contribute to stabilizing the Na+ ordering. Control of the ion doping in these materials thus appears to be crucial for fine-tuning of their thermoelectric properties.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2007

Determining the crystal-field ground state in rare earth Heavy Fermion materials using soft-x-ray absorption spectroscopy

We infer that soft-x-ray absorption spectroscopy is a versatile method for the determination of the crystal-field ground state symmetry of rare earth Heavy Fermion systems, complementing neutron scattering. Using realistic and universal parameters, we provide a theoretical mapping between the polarization dependence of Ce $M_{4,5}$ spectra and the charge distribution of the Ce $4f$ states. The experimental resolution can be orders of magnitude larger than the $4f$ crystal field splitting itself. To demonstrate the experimental feasibility of the method, we investigated CePd$_2$Si$_2$, thereby settling an existing disagreement about its crystal-field ground state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Further analysis of the quantum critical point of Ce$_{1-x}$La$_{x}$Ru$_{2}$Si$_{2}$

New data on the spin dynamics and the magnetic order of Ce$_{1-x}$La$_{x}$Ru$_{2}$Si$_{2}$ are presented. The importance of the Kondo effect at the quantum critical point of this system is emphasized from the behaviour of the relaxation rate at high temperature and from the variation of the ordered moment with respect to the one of the Néel temperature for various $x$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Total suppression of superconductivity by high magnetic fields in YBa2 Cu3O6.6

We have studied in fields up to 60T the variation of the transverse magnetoresistance (MR) of underdoped YBCO6.6 crystals either pure or with Tc reduced down to 3.5K by electron irradiation. We evidence that the normal state MR is restored above a threshold field H'c(T), which is found to vanish at T'c>>Tc. In the pure YBCO6.6 sample a 50 Tesla field is already required to completely suppress the superconducting fluctuations at Tc. While disorder does not depress the pseudogap temperature, it reduces drastically the phase coherence established at Tc and weakly H'c(0), T'c and the onset Tnu of the Nernst signal which are more characteristic of the 2D local pairing.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Observation of Vortex Coalescence, Vortex Chains and Crossing Vortices in the Anisotropic Spin-Triplet Superconductor $Sr_2 Ru O_4$

Scanning $μ$SQUID force microscopy is used to study magnetic flux structures in single crystals of the layered spin triplet superconductor Sr$\_{2}$RuO$\_{4}$. Images of the magnetic flux configuration above the $\vec{a}\vec{b}$-face of the cleaved crystal are acquired, mostly after field-cooling the sample. For low applied magnetic fields, individual vortices are observed, each carrying a single quantum of flux. Above 1 gauss, coalescence of vortices is discovered. The coalescing vortices may indicate the presence of domains of a chiral order parameter. When the applied field is tilted from the $\vec{c}$-axis, we observe a gradual transition from vortex domains to vortex chains. The in-plane component of the applied magnetic field transforms the vortex domains to vortex chains by aligning them along the field direction.This behavior and the inter-chain distance varies in qualitative agreement with the Ginzburg Landau theory of anisotropic 3D superconductors. The effective mass anisotropy of Sr$\_{2}$RuO$\_{4}$, $γ$=20, is the highest observed in three dimensional superconductors. When the applied field is closely in plane, the vortex form flux channels confined between the crystal-layers. Residual Abrikosov vortices are pinned preferentially on these channels. Thus the in-plane vortices are decorated by crossing Abrikosov vortices: two vortex orientations are apparent simultaneously, one along the layers and the other perpendicular to the layers.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Observation of two species of vortices in the anisotropic spin-triplet superconductor $Sr_2 Ru O_4$

Magnetic flux structures in single crystals of the layered spin triplet superconductor Sr$\_{2}$RuO$\_{4}$ are studied by scanning micro SQUID Force microscopy. Vortex chains appear as the applied field is tilted along the in-plane direction of the superconductor. The vortex chains align along the direction of the in-plane component of the applied magnetic field. The decoration of in-plane vortices by crossing Abrikosov vortices is observed: two vortex orientations are apparent simultaneously, one along the layers and the other perpendicular to the layers. The crossing vortices appear preferentially on the in-plane vortices.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Magnetic Frustration on a Kagomé Lattice in R$\_{3}$Ga$\_{5}$SiO$\_{14}$ Langasites with R = Nd, Pr

In the R$\_{3}$Ga$\_{5}$SiO$\_{14}$ compounds, the network R of rare earth cations form well separated planes of corner sharing triangles topologically equivalent to a kagomé lattice. Powder samples and single crystals with R = Nd and Pr were prepared and magnetostatic measurements were performed under magnetic field up to 10 T in the temperature range from 1.6 K to 400 K. Analysis of the magnetic susceptibility at the high temperatures where only the quadrupolar term of the crystal electric field prevails, suggests that the Nd and Pr magnetic moments can be modeled as coplanar elliptic rotators perpendicular to the three fold axis of the crystal structure that interact antiferromagnetically. Nonetheless, a disordered phase that can be ascribed to geometric frustration persists down to the lowest temperature which is about 25 times smaller than the energy scale for the exchange interactions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Nernst effect and disorder in the normal state of high-T_{c} cuprates

We have studied the influence of disorder induced by electron irradiation on the Nernst effect in optimally and underdoped YBa2Cu3O(7-d) single crystals. The fluctuation regime above T_{c} expands significantly with disorder, indicating that the T_{c} decrease is partly due to the induced loss of phase coherence. In pure crystals the temperature extension of the Nernst signal is found to be narrow whatever the hole doping, contrary to data reported in the low-T_{c} cuprates families. Our results show that the presence of "intrinsic" disorder can explain the enhanced range of Nernst signal found in the pseudogap phase of the latter compounds.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2005

Thermal transport in the hidden-order state of URu$_{2}$Si$_{2}$

We present a study of thermal conductivity in the normal state of the heavy-fermion superconductor URu$_{2}$Si$_{2}$. Ordering at 18K leads to a steep increase in thermal conductivity and (in contrast with all other cases of magnetic ordering in heavy-fermion compounds) to an enhancement of the Lorenz number. By linking this observation to several other previously reported features, we conclude that most of the carriers disappear in the ordered state and this leads to a drastic increase in both phononic and electronic mean-free-path.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

Low energy spin fluctuations in the heavy fermion compound Ce$_{0.925}$La$_{0.075}$Ru$_{2}$Si$_{2}$

We report inelastic neutron scattering measurements performed on a single crystal of the heavy fermion compound Ce$_{0.925}$La$_{0.075}$Ru$_{2}$Si$_{2}$, which is at the borderline between an antiferromagnetically ordered and a paramagnetic ground state. Intensity maps as a function of wavevector and energy ($0.1<E<1.2$ meV) were obtained at temperatures $T=0.1$ and 2 K, using the time-of-flight spectrometer IRIS. An unexpected saturation of the relaxation rate and static susceptibility of the spin fluctuations is found at low temperatures.

cond-mat.str-el↗