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R. Mahendiran

Publications and source records attributed to R. Mahendiran.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Magnetically tunable rf wave absorption in polycrystalline La0.67Ba0.33MnO3

We investigated temperature and magnetic field dependent radio-frequency electromagnetic absorption in La0.67Ba0.33MnO3 by monitoring changes in resonance frequency (fr) and current (II) through a LC resonant circuit powered by an integrated chip oscillator. The ferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition at Tc in zero external magnetic field is accompanied by an abrupt increase in fr and I and they are tunable by small external magnetic field. We observed fractional changes as much as 46% in delfr/fr and 23% in delI/I around Tc under H = 0.1 T that can be exploited for low magnetic field sensors and other applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Unusual field dependence of radio frequency magnetoimpedance in La0.67Ba0.33MnO3

We have investigated magnetic field dependence of the ac magnetoresitance and the magnetoreactance in La0.67Ba0.33MnO3 over a wide frequency range from f = 0 to 30 MHz. A huge ac magnetoresistance of 55 % at f = 15 MHz in a small magnetic field of H = 100 mT and magnetoreactance of 80 % at 2 MHz are reported. We show distinct field dependence of the magnetoreactance and the magnetoresistance with increasing frequency. It is shown that while the ac magnetoresistance is negative and shows a single peak at the origin for all frequencies except f = 30 MHz, the single peak in the magnetoreactance transforms into a valley at the origin and simultaneously a double peak develops . The position of the double peak increases in field with increasing frequency. Eventually, the sign of the magnetoreactance changes from negative to positive. Our results indicate possible occurrence of the ferromagneic resonance in MHz range in unsaturated manganite.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Composition dependence of magnetocaloric effect in Sm1-xSrxMnO3 (x = 0.3-0.5)

We investigated magnetic and magnetocaloric properties in Sm1-xSrxMnO3 (x = 0.30-0.5). We report a magnetic field driven first-order metamagnetic transition in the paramagnetic state in x = 0.4 and 0.5 and a second-order transition in x = 0.3. The highest magnetic entropy (-Sm = 6.2 J/kgK for H = 5 T at T = 125 K) that occurs in x = 0.4 is associated with the metamagnetic transition resulting from the field-induced growth and coalescence of ferromagnetic nano clusters preexisting in the paramagnetic state. Our results suggest that manganites with intrinsic nanoscale phase separation can be exploited for magnetic refrigeration.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Negative differential resistance and pulsed current induced multi-level resistivity switching in charge ordered and disordered manganites

We have investigated direct and pulsed current induced electroresistance in two manganites with different electronic and magnetic ground states: charge-orbital ordered 50 % Ca doped NdMnO3 and 50 % Mn doped LaNiO3. It has been shown that negative differential resistance observed at high current density in these compounds is related to Joule heating. However, bi-level and multi-level resistivity switching induced by variations in pulse width and pulse period at low current density can not be attributable to Joule heating alone. We discuss possible origins.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Field-induced avalanche to the ferromagnetic state in the phase-separated ground state of manganites

Perovskite manganite compounds such as Pr_(1-x)(Ca_(1-y)Sr_y)_xMn3 can be tuned to exhibit a metastable ground state where two magnetic/crystallographic phases coexist in zero magnetic field. Field-dependent neutron diffraction measurements on both poly- and single-crystal samples with a range of Pr, Ca, and Sr dopings(0.3<x<0.35 and y<0.30) reveal that the charge-ordered, antiferromagnetic phase of the ground state suddenly and irreversibly jumps to the ferromagnetic state. The transition occurs spontaneously at some time after the field is set above a threshold field, indicating that once the transition is initiated an avalanche occurs that drives it to completion.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Large positive magnetocaloric effect in a perovskite manganite

We investigate the magnetothermodynamic properties of the perovskite manganite Pr0.46Sr0.54MnO3. Our data imply that the paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition at TN = 210 K is first order with an abrupt decrease of volume (~ 0.14 % in zero magnetic field) and is accompanied by a sharp anomaly in specific heat. Upon application of a sufficiently large magnetic field, the antiferromagnetic phase transforms into a ferromagnetic phase with a sharp increase in sample volume. This field induced transition results in a large positive magnetocaloric effect just below TN (∆Sm = 10.4 Jkg-1K-1 at H = 5.5 T), which is associated with the increasing stability of the antiferromagnetic state with decreasing temperature.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Giant frequency dependence of dynamic freezing in nanocrystalline ferromagnetic LaCo0.5Mn0.5O3

We have investigated the magnetic properties of nanocrystalline LaCo0.5Mn0.5O3. The temperature dependence of the imaginary part of the a.c. susceptibility shows a strongly frequency dependent maximum at a temperature, Tf, which is well below the ferromagnetic transition temperature (TC ~ 230 K). The frequency dependence of Tf obeys the Arrhenius relation, f = foexp(-Ea/kBT), with physically reasonable values of fo = 109 Hz and Ea/kB = 1518 K. The frequency shift of Tf per decade of frequency is one of the highest values observed in any magnetic system, and a similarly large value is also found in LaCo0.4Mg0.1Mn0.5O3, suggesting that such behavior is intrinsic despite the apparent presence of long range ferromagnetic order.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Double Magnetic Transition in Pr0.5Sr0.5CoO3

We report studies of polycrystalline samples of the metallic ferromagnet Pr0.5Sr0.5CoO3 through measurements of the magnetization, a.c. magnetic susceptibility, resistivity, and specific heat. We find an unusual anomaly around TA = 120 K, much below the ferromagnetic transition (TC = 226 K). The anomaly is manifested in field cooled magnetization as a downward step in low fields (H less than or equal to 0.01 T) but is transformed into an upward step for H greater than or equal to 0.05 T. The anomaly cannot be easily attributed to antiferromagnetic ordering, but may correspond to a second ferromagnetic transition or an alteration of the ferromagnetic state associated with orbital ordering.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Relaxor ferromagnetic behavior below the antiferromagnetic transition in La0.5Ca0.5MnO3

A detailed reinvestigation of magnetization in La0.5Ca0.5MnO3 reveals that although a field of H = 7 T applied at T = 5 K after zero field cooling is insufficient to convert the low temperature charge ordered antiferromagnetic phase into ferromagnetic, annealing in a magnetic field as small as H = 1 T induces ferromagnetic clusters in the charge ordered matrix. The volume phase fraction of the ferromagnetic clusters increases nearly linearly with the annealing field until Han = 4 T and then changes dramatically from about 11 % at 5 T to 60 % at Han = 7 T. This is analogous to the field-induced micro to macro polar domains in relaxor ferroelectrics. It is suggested that charge ordered clusters coexist with ferromagnetic phase above the Neel temperature (TN) and these clusters which transform into ferromagnetic by external magnetic fields are supercooled below TN. Our results will be relevant to the observation of many orders of decrease in the resistivity found for H << HC, where HC is the critical field for metamagnetic transition.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Ultra-sharp magnetization steps in perovskite manganites

We report a detailed study of step-like metamagnetic transitions in the magnetization and resistivity of polycrystalline Pr0.5Ca0.5Mn0.95Co0.05O3. The steps have a sudden onset below a critical temperature, are extremely sharp (width < 0.2 mT), and occur at critical fields which are linearly dependent on the absolute value of the cooling field in which the sample is prepared. Similar transitions are also observed at low temperature in non-Co doped manganites, including single crystal samples. These data show that the steps are an intrinsic property, qualitatively different from either previously observed higher temperature metamagnetic transitions in the manganites or metamagnetic transitions observed in other materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Saturated Ferromagnetism and Magnetization Deficit in Optimally Annealed (Ga,Mn)As Epilayers

We examine the Mn concentration dependence of the electronic and magnetic properties of optimally annealed Ga1-xMnxAs epilayers for 1.35% < x < 8.3%. The Curie temperature (Tc), conductivity, and exchange energy increase with Mn concentration up to x ~ 0.05, but are almost constant for larger x, with Tc ~ 110 K. The ferromagnetic moment per Mn ion decreases monotonically with increasing x, implying that an increasing fraction of the Mn spins do not participate in the ferromagnetism. By contrast, the derived domain wall thickness, an important parameter for device design, remains surprisingly constant.

cond-mat↗

Giant anisotropic magnetostriction in Pr$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$

Magnetic, linear thermal expansion (LTE), anisotropic ($λ_t$) and volume ($ω$) magnetostriction properties of Pr$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$ were investigated. The LTE decreases smoothly from 300 K without a clear anomaly either around the Curie (T$_C$ = 270 K) or the Neel temperature (T$_N$ = 100 K) and it exhibits hysteresis over a wide temperature range (60 K-270 K) upon warming. Isothermal magnetization study suggests that 13 % of the ferromagnetic phase coexists with 87 % of the antiferromagnetic phase at 25 K. The parallel and perpendicular magnetostrictions undergo rapid changes during the metamagnetic transition. Contrary to the isotropic giant volume magnetostriction reported in manganites so far, this compound exhibits a giant anisotropic magnetostriction ($λ_t \approx 10^{-3}$) and smaller volume ($ω\approx 10^{-4}$) magnetostrictions below T$_N$. We suggest that the field induced antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic transition is accompanied by a structural transition from the d$_{x^2-y^2}$ orbital ordered antiferromagnetic (orthorhombic) to the orbital disordered ferromagnetic (tetragonal) phase. The metamagnetic transition proceeds through nucleation and growth of the ferromagnetic domains at the expense of the antiferromagnetic phase. The preferential orientation of the ferromagnetic (tetragonal) domains along the field direction increases the linear dimension of the sample in the field direction and decreases in the orthogonal direction leading to the observed giant anisotropic magnetostriction effect. Our study also suggests that nanodomains of the low temperature antiferromagnetic phase possibly exist in the temperature region T$_N$ < T < T$_C$.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Lattice coupled first order magnetoresistance transition in an A-type antiferromagnet: Pr$_{0.46}$Sr$_{0.54}$MnO$_3$

We investigated magnetic, magnetotransport and magnetostriction properties of the A-type antiferromagnet Pr$_{0.46}$Sr$_{0.54}$MnO$_3$ which undergoes a first order paramagnetic-antiferromagnetic transition below T$_N$ = 210 K while cooling and T$_N$ = 215 K while warming. The zero field ($μ_0$H = 0 T) resistivity shows a sudden jump at T$_N$ and a small bump around T$_{max}$ = 220 K (\TEXTsymbol{>} T$_N$). T$_N$ shifts down and T$_{max}$ shifts up with increasing $μ_0$H. Magnetoresistance as high as -45-57 % at 7 T is found in the temperature range 180 K-230 K. Isothermal measurements indicate that the field induced antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic transition below T$_N$ is accompanied by a rapid decrease of the resistivity but increase of volume ($Δ$V/V = +0.25 % at 180 K and 13.7 T). This lattice coupled magnetoresistance transition is suggested due to the field induced structural transition from the low volume orthorhombic to the high volume tetragonal structure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Instability of metal-insulator transition against thermal cycling in phase separated Cr-doped manganites

We show that metal-insulator transition in Pr0.5Ca0.5Mn1-xCrxO3 (x = 0.015-0.025) is unstable against thermal cycling. Insulator-metal transition shifts down and low temperature resistivity increases each time when the sample is cycled between a starting temperature TS and a final temperature TF. The effect is dramatic lower is x. Insulator-metal transition in x = 0.015 can be completely destroyed by thermal cycling in absence of magnetic field as well as under H = 2 T. Magnetic measurements suggest that ferromagnetic phase fraction decreases with thermal cycling. We suggest that increase in strains in ferromagnetic- charge ordered interface could be a possible origin of the observed effect.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Distinct origins of magnetic -field -induced resistivity irreversibility in two manganites with similar ground states : Pr$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.41}$Ca$_{0.09}$MnO$_{3}$ and La$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_{3}$

Our investigation of the magnetotransport in two charge ordered manganites with similar magnetic ground states reveals that the origin of magnetoresistance can not be concluded from the isofield resistivity, $ρ$(T, constant H), measurements alone. Both Pr$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.41}$Ca$_{0.09}$MnO$_{3}$ (PrSrCa) and La$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_{3}$ (LaCa) show a ferromagnetic transition (T$_{C}$ = 260 K for PrSrCa, 230 K for LaCa) followed by an antiferromagnetic transition (T$_{N}$ = 170 K for PrSrCa, 140 K for LaCa). These compounds show qualitatively similar magnetotransport : Below the irreversibility temperature T$_{IR}$, field cooled (FC) resistivity is lower than zero field cooled (ZFC) and decreases continuously with T, whereas the ZFC $ρ$(T, H) resembles $\ $the behavior of $ρ$(T, H = 0 T). The value of $ρ$(ZFC)/$ρ$(FC) is $\approx $ 10$^{4}$ at 5 K and $μ_{0}$H = 7 T in both compounds. However, isothermal magnetic measurements suggest distinct origins of magnetoresistance : Field cooling enhances ferromagnetic phase fraction in LaCa whereas it drives PrSrCa into a metastable state with high magnetization. The distinct origins of magnetotransport is also reflected in other magnetic history dependent properties.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Magnetic-field -induced structural changes in the electron doped manganites: CaxSm1-xMnO3 (x = 0.8, 0.85)

We studied the correlation between magnetic, electrical, structural, and magnetostriction properties of the electron doped manganites Ca$_x$Sm$_{1-x}$MnO$_3$ (x = 0.85, 0.8). The paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition in both the compounds while cooling is accompanied by an abrupt increase of the spontaneous volume thermal expansion ($Δ$V/V = 0.07 % for x = 0.85 and 0.25 % for x = 0.2). The x = 0.15 exhibits multiple phase separation at 5 K: G-type, and C-type antiferromagnetic phases in orthorhombic (\QTR{it}{Pnma}) and monoclinic (\QTR{it}{P2}$_1$\QTR{it}{/m}) structures respectively. Magnetic study on x = 0.85 also suggest ferromagnetic regions possibly in $Pnma$ structure coexist with the antiferromagnetic phases. The magnetization (M = 1.2 $μ_B$) of x = 0.85 does not reach the value expected for the complete alignment of Mn spins even at 12 T and at 12 K. Metamagnetic transitions (C-type to Ferromagnetic) in both compounds are accompanied by contraction of volumes under high magnetic fields. We suggest that a high magnetic field induces \QTR{it}{P2}$_1$\QTR{it}{/m} (high volume) to \QTR{it}{Pnma} (low volume) structural transition. This is also supported by the neutron diffraction study.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Magnetic-history-dependent nanostructural and resistivity changes in Pr0.5Ca0.5Mn0.98Cr0.02O3

We show that nanostructure and resistivity of Pr0.5Ca0.5Mn0.98Cr0.02O3 are sensitive to whether the sample is zero-field-cooled (ZFC) of field-cooled (FC) either in the 'self magnetic field (H = 2 T)' of the electron microscope or under the external magnetic field of 2 T. FC resistivity at H = 2 T is lower than ZFC values below 140 K. The average value of the chare-orbital modulation vector (q = 0.44) of the FC crystallites is lower than that of the ZFC cystallites (q = 0.48) and the FC crystallites exhibit numerous defects like discommensuration, dislocations and regios with loss of superstructures compared to the ZFC crystallites.

cond-mat.str-el↗