arXiv subjects

Surjeet Singh

Publications and source records attributed to Surjeet Singh.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Insulator-to-metal transition in the pyrochlore iridates series (Eu_1-xBi_x)2Ir2O7 probed using Hard X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy

Eu2Ir2O7, a candidate Weyl semimetal, shows an insulator-to-metal transition as a function of Bi substitution at the Eu site. In this work, we investigate the (Eu_1-xBi_x)2Ir2O7 series via Hard X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (HAXPES), where substitution of larger Bi3+ for Eu3+ is reported to result in an anomalous lattice contraction (20 %) for low Bi doping (3.5 %). Using HAXPES, we confirm that all the cations retain their nominal valence state throughout the series. The asymmetric nature of Bi core-level spectra for compositions in the metallic region indicates that Bi contributes to the density of states at the Fermi energy in this doping range. The valence band spectra shows that the Bi 6s peak is unaltered throughout the series and is situated deep within the valence band. based on these observations we argue that Bi 6p - Ir 5d hybridization drives the insulator-to-metal transition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Structural and physical properties of trilayer nickelates $R_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$ ($R =$ La, Pr and Nd)

We investigate the low temperature structural and physical properties of the trilayer nickelates R4Ni3O10 (R = La, Pr and Nd) using resistivity, thermopower, thermal conductivity, specific heat, high-resolution synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction and thermal expansion experiments. We show that all three compounds crystallize with a monoclinic symmetry, and undergo a metal-to-metal (MMT) transition at 135 K (La), 156 K (Pr) and 160 K (Nd). At MMT, the lattice parameters show distinct anomalies; however, without any lowering of the lattice symmetry. Unambiguous signatures of MMT are also seen in magnetic and thermal measurements, which suggest a strong coupling between the electronic, magnetic and structural degrees of freedom in these nickelates. Analysis of thermal expansion yields hydrostatic pressure dependence of MMT in close agreement with experiments. We show that the 9-fold coordinated Pr ions in the rocksalt (RS) layers have a crystal field (CF) split doublet ground state with possible antiferromagnetic ordering at 5 K. The Pr ions located in the perovskite block (PB) layers with 12-fold coordination, however, exhibit a non-magnetic singlet ground state. The CF ground state of Nd in both RS and PB layers is a Kramers doublet. Heat capacity of R = Nd shows a Schottky-like anomaly near35 K, and an upturn below T = 10 K suggesting the presence of short-range correlations between the Nd moments. However, no signs of long-range ordering could be found down to 2 K despite a sizeable theta_p ~ -40 K. The strongly suppressed magnetic long-range ordering in both R = Pr and Nd suggests the presence of strong magnetic frustration in these compounds. The low-temperature resistivity shows a T^0.5 dependence. No evidence for the heavy fermion behavior could be found in any of the three compounds.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Giant orbital polarization of Ni$^{2+}$ in square planar environment

Understanding the electronic behavior of Ni$^{2+}$ in a square planar environment of oxygen is the key to unravel the origin of the recently discovered superconductivity in the hole doped nickelate Nd$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_2$. To identify the major similarities/dissimilarities between nickelate and cuprate superconductivity, the study of the electronic structure of Ni$^{2+}$ and Cu$^{2+}$ in an identical square planar environment is essential. In order to address these questions, we investigate the electronic structure of Sr$_2$CuO$_3$ and Ni doped Sr$_2$CuO$_3$ single crystals containing (Cu/Ni)O$_4$ square planar units. Our polarization dependent X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments for Ni in Sr$_2$Cu$_{0.9}$Ni$_{0.1}$O$_3$ have revealed very large orbital polarization, which is a characteristic feature of high $T_c$ cuprate. This arises due to the low spin $S$=0 configuration with two holes in Ni 3$d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals - in contrast to the expected high spin $S$=1 state from Hund's first rule. The presence of such $S$=0 Ni$^{2+}$ in hole doped nickelate would be analogous to the Zhang Rice singlet. However, the Mott Hubbard insulating nature of the NiO$_4$ unit would point towards a different electronic phase space of nickelates, compared to high $T_c$ cuprates.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Monopole-limited nucleation of magnetism in Eu$_{2}$Ir$_{2}$O$_{7}$

We present an in-depth analysis of muon-spin spectroscopy measurements of Eu$_{2}$Ir$_{2}$O$_{7}$ under the effect of the Eu$_{1-x}$Bi$_{x}$ isovalent and diamagnetic substitution as well as of external pressure. Our results evidence an anomalously slow increase of the magnetic volume fraction upon decreasing temperature only for stoichiometric Eu$_{2}$Ir$_{2}$O$_{7}$, pointing towards highly unconventional properties of the magnetic phase developing therein. We argue that magnetism in Eu$_{2}$Ir$_{2}$O$_{7}$ develops based on the nucleation of magnetic droplets at $T_{N}$, whose successive growth is limited by the need of a continuous generation of magnetic hedgehog monopoles.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Magnetic phase diagram and magneto-elastic coupling of NiTiO3

We report high-resolution dilatometry on high-quality single crystals of NiTiO3 grown by means of the optical floating-zone technique. The anisotropic magnetic phase diagram is constructed from thermal expansion and magnetostriction studies up to B=15T and magnetization studies in static (15T) and pulsed (60T) magnetic fields. Our data allow to quantitatively study magneto-elastic coupling and to determine uniaxial pressure dependencies. While the entropy changes are found to be of magnetic nature, Grüneisen analysis implies only one relevant energy scale in the whole low-temperature regime. Thereby, our data suggest that the observed structural changes due to magneto-elastic coupling and previously reported magnetodielectric coupling[1] are driven by the same $magnetic$ degrees of freedom that lead to long-range magnetic order in NiTiO3, which in turn, establishes a linear magnetodielectric coupling in this compound.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Highly tunable magnetic spirals and electric polarization in Gd$_{0.5}$Dy$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$

Recent progress in the field of multiferroics led to the discovery of many new materials in which ferroelectricity is induced by cycloidal spiral orders. The direction of the electric polarization is typically constrained by spin anisotropies and magnetic field. Here, we report that the mixed rare-earth manganite, Gd$_{0.5}$Dy$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$, exhibits a spontaneous electric polarization along a general direction in the crystallographic ac-plane, which is suppressed below 10 K but re-emerges in an applied magnetic field. Neutron diffraction measurements show that the polarization direction results from a large tilt of the spiral plane with respect to the crystallographic axes and that the suppression of ferroelectricity is caused by the transformation of a cycloidal spiral into a helical one, a unique property of this rare-earth manganite. The freedom in the orientation of the spiral plane allows for a fine magnetic control of ferroelectricity, i.e. a rotation as well as a strong enhancement of the polarization depending on the magnetic field direction. We show that this unusual behavior originates from the coupling between the transition metal and rare-earth magnetic subsystems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Anomalous lattice contraction and emergent electronic phases in Bi-doped Eu$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$

We study the pyrochlore series (Eu$_{1-x}$Bi$_x$)$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$ for $ 0 \leq x \leq 1$. We show that for small $x$, the lattice undergoes an anomalous contraction but the all-in/all-out and metal-to-insulator transitions remain robust, and the resistivity approaches a $1/T$ dependence at low-T, suggesting proximity to the Weyl semimetallic phase, as previously predicted theoretically. At the boundary between Eu$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$ and Bi$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$ a qualitatively different ground state emerges, which is characterized by its unusual metallic behavior and absence of magnetic ordering at least down to $0.02$ K.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Excess speicific heat of the gapped sliding phonons in the incommensurate composite crystal Sr$_{14}$Cu$_{24}$O$_{41}$

We show that low temperature specific heat (C$_p$) of the incommensurate chain-ladder system Sr$_{14}$Cu$_{24}$O$_{41}$ is enriched by the presence of a rather large excess contribution of non-magnetic origin. Diluted Al doping at the Cu site or annealing the crystal in an O$_2$ atmosphere suppresses this feature considerably. Using the THz time-domain spectroscopy, we show that the occurrence of excess specific heat is associated with the presence of very low-energy ($\sim$ 1 meV) gapped phonon modes that originate due to the sliding motion of oppositely charged mutually incommensurate chain and ladder layers.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Effect of magnetic and non-magnetic impurities on the spin dimers in the spin 1/2 chains of quantum magnet Sr$_{14}$Cu$_{24}$O$_{41}$

We study the effect of impurities on the two types of spin-dimers in the hybrid chain/ladder spin 1/2 quantum magnet Sr$_{14}$Cu$_{24}$O$_{41}$. Four different impurities were used, namely, the non-magnetic Zn (0.0025 and 0.01 per Cu) and Al (0.0025 and 0.01 per Cu), and magnetic Ni (0.0025 and 0.01 per Cu) and Co (0.01, 0.03, 0.05 and 0.1 per Cu). These impurities were doped in high-quality single-crystals synthesized by the floating zone method. The magnetic susceptibility of pristine Sr$_{14}$Cu$_{24}$O$_{41}$ is analyzed rigorously to confirm that at low temperatures (T $<$ 5 K), the "free" spins in the chains undergo a long-distance dimerization as proposed in a recent study [Sahling et al. Nature Phys., \textbf{11}, 255 (2015)]. The effect of impurity on these dimers is analyzed by measuring the specific heat down to T = 0.06 K. We found that even at the lower impurity concentration, the long-distance dimers are significantly severed, but the quantum entangled spin dimerized state of the chains persists. On the other hand, the other type of spin dimers that forms at relatively higher temperatures via an intervening Zhang-Rice singlet are found to be practically unaffected at the lower impurity concentration; but at 1\% doping, even these are found to be considerably severed. The effect of Co impurity turned out to be most unusual displaying a strongly anisotropic response, and with a dimerization gap that suppresses faster along the chain/ladder direction than perpendicular to it as a function of increasing Co concentration.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Dilute stuffing in the pyrochlore iridate $Eu_2Ir_2O_7$

The pyrochlore Eu$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$ has recently attracted significant attention as a candidate Weyl semimetal. The previous reports on this compound unanimously show a thermally induced metal to insulator (MI) transition, concomitant with antiferromagnetic (AFM) long-range ordering of the Ir-moments below T$_\textit{N} \sim $120 K. However, there are contradictory reports concerning the slope d$ρ/$dT of the resistivity plots ($ρ$) in the "metallic" state above the metal-insulator (MI) transition, and the value of $ρ$ in the insulating state, both of which show significant sample dependence. Here, we explore this issue by investigating six different Eu$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$ samples with slightly varying Eu:Ir ratio. High-resolution synchrotron powder diffraction are done to probe minor variations in the cell parameters of the various Eu$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$ samples investigated here. Specific heat (C$ _p $) and magnetic susceptibility of all the samples showed long-range antiferromagnetic ordering upon cooling below T$ _\textit{N} \sim $120 K. The transitions are, however, found to be smeared out for the off-stoichiometric samples. We show that the sign of d$ρ/$dT above the metal-insulator (MI) transition is highly sensitive to the unit cell length, which, in turn, depends on the level of Eu-stuffing at the Ir-site. Samples with composition close to the ideal stoichiometry (Eu : Ir $ = $ 1) showed a change of sign of d$ρ/$dT from negative to positive upon cooling below a certain temperature T $^*$ $>$ T$_\textit{MI}$. With increasing Eu-stuffing T$ ^* $ decreased until a negative d$ρ/$dT persisted without any sign change down to T$_\textit{MI}$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

High temperature linear magnetoresistance and scaling behavior in the Ba(Fe${_{1-x}}$Co${_{x}}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ series

We present magnetotransport studies of the parent, an underdoped and an optimally doped composition of the Ba(Fe${_{1-x}}$Co${_{x}}$)${_{2}}$As${_{2}}$ series. We observe that both the Kohler's and modified Kohler's scaling is typically violated in both the magnetically ordered and paramagnetic regimes. A notable exception is the magnetically ordered state of the underdoped composition where the modified Kohler's scaling is observed, indicating its relative similarity to the cuprates and some heavy fermion systems. This composition also exhibits a feature in the Hall angle, which could signify the opening of a pseudogap before the onset of long range magnetic order. Interestingly, the transverse magnetoresistance is seen to exhibit a linear field dependence in the paramagnetic regimes of all these compositions. We also demonstrate that the $B/T$ scaling proposed recently in the context of quantum critical systems is seen to be valid in all these systems. The implications of our observations are discussed in the context of magnetotransport of metals with incipient magnetic fluctuations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Magnetic disorder and gap symmetry in optimally electron doped Sr(Fe, Co)$_2$As$_2$ superconductor

We investigate the magnetic pair-breaking due to Mn impurities in the optimally electron doped Sr(Fe$_{0.88} $Co$_{0.12} $)$_{2} $As$_2 $ superconductor to deduce the symmetry of the superconducting order parameter. Experiments on the as-grown crystals reveal a T$_c $ suppression rate of $ \sim $30 mK/$μΩcm$, which is in close agreement with similarly slower values of T$_c $ suppression rates reported previously for various transition metal impurities, both, magnetic and non-magnetic, in several structurally analogous iron-based superconductors. However, careful annealing of these crystals at low temperature for longer durations reveals new information crucial to the determination of the pairing symmetry. We found that the crystallographic defects are a significant source of pair-breaking in the as-grown crystals. We first establish that these defects are point-like by showing that their sole effect on electrical transport is to add a temperature independent scattering term that shifts the whole $ ρ$ vs. T curves rigidly up. The T$_c $ suppression rate due to these point-like defects is slow, $ \le$ 35 mK/$μΩcm$. On the other hand, T$_c $ suppression rate due to magnetic pair-breaking is estimated to be faster than 325 mK/$μΩcm$. A slower pair-breaking rate (measured in mK/$μΩcm$) than expected due to non-magnetic crystallographic defects, together with a faster pair-breaking rate due to magnetic impurities disfavors a sign-changing $s_{+-}$-wave and argues in the favor of a non-sign-changing $s_{++}$-wave state in the optimally electron doped SrFe$_2 $As$_2 $ superconductor.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Nanosize effect: Enhanced compensation temperature and existence of magneto-dielectric coupling in SmFeO3

In transition metal oxides, quantum confinement arising from a large surface to volume ratio often gives rise to novel physico-chemical properties at nanoscale. Their size dependent properties have potential applications in diverse areas, including therapeutics, imaging, electronic devices, communication systems, sensors, and catalysis. We have analyzed structural, magnetic, dielectric, and thermal properties of weakly ferromagnetic SmFeO3 nanoparticles of sizes about 55 nm and 500 nm. The nano-size particles exhibit several distinct features that are neither observed in their larger-size variants nor reported previously for the single crystals. In particular, for the 55 nm particle, we observe six-fold enhancement of compensation temperature, an unusual rise in susceptibility in the temperature range 550 to 630 K due to spin pinning, and coupled antiferromagnetic-ferroelectric transition, directly observed in the dielectric constant.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

The effect of different in-chain impurities on the magnetic properties of the spin chain compound SrCuO$_2$ probed by NMR

The S=1/2 Heisenberg spin chain compound SrCuO2 doped with different amounts of nickel (Ni), palladium (Pd), zinc (Zn) and cobalt (Co) has been studied by means of Cu nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Replacing only a few of the S=1/2 Cu ions with Ni, Pd, Zn or Co has a major impact on the magnetic properties of the spin chain system. In the case of Ni, Pd and Zn an unusual line broadening in the low temperature NMR spectra reveals the existence of an impurity-induced local alternating magnetization (LAM), while exponentially decaying spin-lattice relaxation rates $T_1^{-1}$ towards low temperatures indicate the opening of spin gaps. A distribution of gap magnitudes is proven by a stretched spin-lattice relaxation and a variation of $T_1^{-1}$ within the broad resonance lines. These observations depend strongly on the impurity concentration and therefore can be understood using the model of finite segments of the spin 1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain, i.e. pure chain segmentation due to S = 0 impurities. This is surprising for Ni as it was previously assumed to be a magnetic impurity with S = 1 which is screened by the neighboring copper spins. In order to confirm the S = 0 state of the Ni, we performed x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and compared the measurements to simulated XAS spectra based on multiplet ligand-field theory. Furthermore, Zn doping leads to much smaller effects on both the NMR spectra and the spin-lattice relaxation rates, indicating that Zn avoids occupying Cu sites. For magnetic Co impurities, $T_1^{-1}$ does not obey the gap like decrease, and the low-temperature spectra get very broad. This could be related to the increase of the Neel temperature which was observed by recent muSR and susceptibility measurements, and is most likely an effect of the impurity spin $S\neq0$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Impurities in weakly coupled quantum spin chains Sr$_{2}$CuO$_{3}$ and SrCuO$_{2}$

We study the effect of non-magnetic Zn$^{2+}$ (spin-$0$) and magnetic Ni$^{2+}$ (spin-$1$) impurities on the ground state and low-lying excitations of the quasi-one-dimensional spin-$1/2$ Heisenberg antiferromagnet Sr$_{2}$CuO$_{3}$ using inelastic neutron scattering, specific heat and bulk magnetization measurements. We show that 1 \% Ni$^{2+}$ doping in Sr$_2$CuO$_3$ results in a sizable spin gap in the spinon excitations, analogous to the case of Ni-doped SrCuO$_2$ previously reported [ref. 1]. However, a similar level of Zn$^{2+}$ doping in SrCuO$_2$, investigated here for comparison, did not reveal any signs of a spin gap. Magnetic ordering temperature was found to be suppressed in the presence of both Zn$^{2+}$ and Ni$^{2+}$ impurities, however, the rate of suppression due to Ni$^{2+}$ was found to be much more pronounced than for Zn$^{2+}$. Effect of magnetic field on the ordering temperature is investigated. We found that with increasing magnetic field, not only the magnetic ordering temperature gradually increases but the size of specific heat anomaly associated with the magnetic ordering also progressively enhances, which can be qualitatively understood as due to the field induced suppression of quantum fluctuations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Effects of quantum impurity spins on the magnetic properties of zigzag and linear spin chains

We investigated the magnetic ground state and low-energy excitations of the spin chains compounds SrCuO$_{2}$ (zigzag chains) and Sr$_{2}$CuO$_{3}$ (linear chains) in the presence of quantum impurities induced by lightly doping ($\leq 1 \%$) with Zn$^{2+}$ ($S = 0$), Co$^{2+}$ ($S =1/2$) and Ni$^{2+}$ ($S = 1$) impurities at the Cu$^{2+}$ site. We show that the ground states and the nature of low-lying excitations (i.e., gapped or gapless) depend on the spin state and symmetry of the defects. For Ni doped chains a spin gap is observed but for Zn and Co doping the excitations remain gapless. Co-doped chains exhibit magnetic order with critical temperatures significantly enhanced compared to those of the pristine compounds. In the specific case of 1 \% Co impurities, the linear chains exhibit long-range order below 11 K, while the zigzag chain is characterized by a quasi-long range ordered phase below 6 K with correlation lengths of about 12\textit{a} and 40\textit{c} units along the crystal axes \textit{a} and \textit{c}, respectively. The different magnetic behaviours of these two compounds with comparable intra- and interchain couplings underpin the role of spin frustration in the zigzag chains.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Finite-size effects in the quasi-one-dimensional quantum magnets Sr$_{2}$CuO$_{3}$, Sr$_{2}$Cu$_{0.99}$M$_{0.01}$O$_{3}$ (M = Ni, Zn), and SrCuO$_{2}$

We studied the finite-size effects on the magnetic behavior of the quasi-one-dimensional spin S = $\frac{1}{2}$ Heisenberg antiferromagnets Sr$_{2}$CuO$_{3}$, Sr$_{2}$Cu$_{0.99}$M$_{0.01}$O$_{3}$ (M = Zn and Ni), and SrCuO$_{2}$. Magnetic susceptibility data were analyzed to estimate the concentration of chain-breaks due to extrinsically doped defects and/or due to slight oxygen off-stoichiometry. We show that the susceptibility of Sr$_{2}$Cu$_{0.99}$Ni$_{0.01}$O$_{3}$ can be described by considering Ni$^{2+}$ as a scalar defect ($S_{eff}=0$) indicating that the Ni spin is screened. In Sr$_{2}$Cu$_{0.99}$Zn$_{0.01}$O$_{3}$ susceptibility analysis yields a defect concentration smaller than the nominal value which is in good qualitative agreement with crystal growth experiments. Influence of doping on the low-temperature long-range spin ordered state is studied. In the compound SrCuO$_{2}$, consisting of zigzag S = $\frac{1}{2}$ chains, the influence of spin frustration on the magnetic ordering and the defect concentration determined from the susceptibility data is discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Crystal growth of the non-magnetic Zn$^{2+}$ and magnetic Co$^{2+}$ doped quasi one-dimensional spin chain compound SrCuO$_{2}$ using the travelling solvent floating zone method

We report on the crystal growth of the quasi one-dimensional quantum spin chain compound SrCuO$_{2}$ and its doped variants containing magnetic cobalt (0.25%, 0.5%, 1% and 2.5%) and non-magnetic zinc (0.5\% and 1\%) impurities. Crystals are grown using the travelling solvent floating zone (TSFZ) method in a four-mirror optical furnace. Some crucial factors, key to the stability of a TSFZ process, including the choice of solvent composition and its associated melting behavior, are discussed in detail. The grown crystals were characterized using x-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, neutron single crystal diffraction and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Co-doping induces magnetic anisotropy and a corresponding change of magnetic behavior characterized by the presence of a sharp peak in the magnetic susceptibility at low-temperatures (T = 5 K), which is not seen for the pristine compound. The peak position is shown to scale linearly with Co-concentration for low doping levels upto 2.5%.

cond-mat.str-el↗