arXiv subjects

T. Herrmannsdörfer

Publications and source records attributed to T. Herrmannsdörfer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Magnetic anisotropy and dipolar interactions in the frustrated triangular-lattice magnet NaGdS_2

In this comprehensive study, we present results of bulk measurements (magnetization, specific heat, ac susceptibility, thermal expansion, and magnetostriction) combined with local methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance (^23Na NMR) and electron spin resonance (ESR) and simulations (McPhase) on polycrystalline and single-crystalline NaGdS_2 samples. The rare-earth delafossite NaGdS_2 is a triangular-lattice magnet with S = 7/2 spin-only Gd^3+ moments with suppressed single-ion anisotropy. In our study, we estimate that NaGdS_2 has a weak antiferromagnetic exchange (J_H/k_B is about 52mK) and signs of long-range magnetic order are absent down to lowest temperature. However, indications of short range magnetic order are found below 180 mK in the ac susceptibility and thermal expansion. Our results indicate an interplay of Heisenberg-type and dipolar exchange. Due to the large moment of the Gd^3+ ions, one expects a strong impact of the dipolar coupling in NaGdS_2, in contrast to the related NaYbS_2. ESR and ^23Na NMR measurements, indeed, indicate the formation of short-range ferromagnetic correlations. NaGdS_2 appears to be a rare system, in which magnetic order is suppressed by a competition between Heisenberg and dipolar interactions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Mode Conversion and Period Doubling at Plasma-$β$ Unity in an Alfvén-Wave Experiment with Liquid Rubidium

We report Alfvén-wave experiments with liquid rubidium at the Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory (HLD). Reaching up to 63 T, the pulsed magnetic field exceeds the critical value of 54 T at which the Alfvén speed becomes equal to the sound speed (plasma-$β$ unity). At this threshold we observe a period doubling of an applied 8 kHz CW excitation, a clear footprint for a parametric resonance between magnetosonic waves and Alfvén waves.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2020

Crystal Growth of Spin-Frustrated Ba4Nb0.8Ir3.2O12: A Possible Spin Liquid Material

Polycrystalline Ba4NbIr3O12 has recently been shown to be a promising spin liquid candidate. We report an easy and reliable method to grow millimeter-sized single crystals of this trimer based spin liquid candidate material with the actual stoichiometry of Ba4Nb0.8Ir3.2O12. The growth of large crystals is achieved using BaCl2 as flux. The crystals show hexagonal plate-like habit with edges up to 3 mm in length. The structure is confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction and is found to be the same as of previously reported phase Ba12Nb2.4Ir9.6O36 [Ba4Nb0.8Ir3.2O12], indeed with a mixed occupancy of Nb/Ir at 3a site. The magnetic and calorimetric study on the individual single crystals confirms the possibility of a spin liquid state consistent with a recent report on a polycrystalline sample

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Pronounced 2/3 magnetization plateau in a frustrated $S$ = 1 isolated spin-triangle compound: Interplay between Heisenberg and biquadratic exchange interactions

We report the synthesis and characterization of a new quantum magnet [2-[Bis(2-hydroxybenzyl)aminomethyl]pyridine]Ni(II)-trimer (BHAP-Ni3) in single-crystalline form. Our combined experimental and theoretical investigations reveal an exotic spin state that stabilizes a robust 2/3 magnetization plateau between 7 and 20 T in an external magnetic field. AC-susceptibility measurements show the absence of any magnetic order/glassy state down to 60 mK. The magnetic ground state is disordered and specific-heat measurements reveal the gapped nature of the spin excitations. Most interestingly, our theoretical modeling suggests that the 2/3 magnetization plateau emerges due to the interplay between antiferromagnetic Heisenberg and biquadratic exchange interactions within nearly isolated spin $S$ = 1 triangles.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Tuning interactions in the spin-ice materials Dy$_2$Ge$_{2-x}$Si$_x$O$_7$ by silicon substitution

We report that the lattice constant of Dy$_2$Ge$_{2-x}$Si$_x$O$_7$ ($x=0, 0.02, 0.08, 0.125$) can be systematically reduced by substituting the non-magnetic germanium ion in the cubic pyrochlore oxide with silicon. A multi-anvil high-pressure synthesis was performed up to 16 GPa and 1100 $^\circ$C to obtain polycrystalline samples in a solid-state reaction. Measurements of magnetization, ac susceptibility, and heat capacity reveal the typical signatures of a spin-ice phase. From the temperature shift of the peaks, observed in the temperature-dependent heat capacity, we deduce an increase of the strength of the exchange interaction. In conclusion, the reduced lattice constant leads to a changed ratio of the competing exchange and dipolar interaction. This puts the new spin-ice compounds closer towards the phase boundary of short-range spin-ice arrangement and antiferromagnetic long-range order consistent with an observed reduction of the monopole energy scale.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Magnetic interactions and spin dynamics in the bond-disordered pyrochlore fluoride NaCaCo$_2$F$_7$

We report high-frequency/high-field electron spin resonance (ESR) and high-field magnetization studies on single crystals of the bond-disordered pyrochlore NaCaCo$_2$F$_7$. Frequency- and temperature-dependent ESR investigations above the freezing temperature $T_f \sim 2.4$ K reveal the coexistence of two distinct magnetic phases. A cooperative paramagnetic phase, evidenced by a gapless excitation mode, is found as well as a spin-glass phase developing below 20 K which is associated with a gapped low-energy excitation. Effective $g$-factors close to 2 are obtained for both modes in line with pulsed high-field magnetization measurements which show an unsaturated isotropic behavior up to 58 T at 2 K. In order to describe the field-dependent magnetization in high magnetic fields, we propose an empirical model accounting for highly anisotropic ionic $g$-tensors expected for this material and taking into account the strongly competing interactions between the spins which lead to a frustrated ground state. As a detailed quantitative relation between effective $g$-factors as determined from ESR and the local $g$-tensors obtained by neutron scattering [Ross et al., Phys. Rev. B 93, 014433 (2016)] is still sought after, our work motivates further theoretical investigations of the low-energy excitations in bond-disordered pyrochlores.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Magnetization beyond the Ising limit of Ho$_2$Ti$_2$O$_7$

We report that the local Ising anisotropy in pyrochlore oxides - the crucial requirement for realizing the spin-ice state - can be broken by means of high magnetic fields. For the case of the well-established classical spin-ice compound Ho$_2$Ti$_2$O$_7$ the magnetization exceeds the angle-dependent saturation value of the Ising limit using ultra-high fields up to 120 T. However, even under such extreme magnetic fields full saturation cannot be achieved. Crystal-electric-field calculations reveal that a level crossing for two of the four ion positions leads to magnetization steps at 55 and 100 T. In addition, we show that by using a field sweep rate in the range of the spin-relaxation time the dynamics of the spin system can be probed. Exclusively at 25 ns/T a new peak of the susceptibility appears around 2 T. We argue, this signals the cross-over between spin-ice and polarized correlations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Electrical and optical properties of MoS$_{2}$,MoO$_{x=2,3}$(MoSO)/RGO heterostructure

We report on transport properties of the controllable large area MoSO/Reduced graphene oxide(RGO) heterostructures electrodeposited on FTO substrates and its comparision with theoretical calculations on MoSo/Gr. I-V characteristics of the heterostructure made by P or n-type MoSO, exhibit Schottkey behavior in the interface similar to the MoS$_{2}$/Gr ones. Theoretical calculations show significant effects of lateral layer size as well as layer number in the electronic properties. In monolayer MoS$_{2}$/Gr by increasing the lateral size the energy gap disappears and the Fermi level shifts towards valence band. In the case of bilayer MoS$_{2}$ on bilayer Gr structure, the Fermi level shift is again towards valence band but, the gap is slightly higher than the monolayer structure. We found that the experimentally obtained results for n-type MoSO/RGO results are qualitatively in agreement with theoretical calculations of the MoS$_{2}$/Gr heterostructure. These results are beneficial to understand and design the high quality and low cost MoSO/RGO based electronic, optoelectronic and energy storage devices or cocatalysts.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Evidence for a dynamical ground state in a frustrated pyrohafnate Tb2Hf2O7

We report the physical properties of Tb2Hf2O7 based on ac magnetic susceptibility χ_ac(T), dc magnetic susceptibility χ(T), isothermal magnetization M(H), and heat capacity C_p(T) measurements combined with muon spin relaxation (\muSR) and neutron powder diffraction measurements. No evidence for long-range magnetic order is found down to 0.1 K. However, χ_ac(T) data present a frequency-dependent broad peak (near 0.9 K at 16 Hz) indicating slow spin dynamics. The slow spin dynamics is further evidenced from the \muSR data (characterized by a stretched exponential behavior) which show persistent spin fluctuations down to 0.3 K. The neutron powder diffraction data collected at 0.1 K show a broad peak of magnetic origin (diffuse scattering) but no magnetic Bragg peaks. The analysis of the diffuse scattering data reveals a dominant antiferromagnetic interaction in agreement with the negative Weiss temperature. The absence of long-range magnetic order and the presence of slow spin dynamics and persistent spin fluctuations together reflect a dynamical ground state in Tb2Hf2O7.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Inverted hysteresis and negative remanence in a homogeneous antiferromagnet

Magnetic remanence - found in bar magnets or magnetic storage devices - is probably the oldest and most ubiquitous phenomenon underpinning technological applications of magnetism. It is a macroscopic non-equilibrium phenomenon: a remanent magnetisation appears when a magnetic field is applied to an initially unmagnetised ferromagnet, and then taken away. Here, we present an inverted magnetic hysteresis loop in the pyrochlore compound Nd$_2$Hf$_2$O$_7$: the remanent magnetisation points in a direction opposite to the applied field. This phenomenon is exquisitely tunable as a function of the protocol in field and temperature, and it is reproducible as in a quasi-equilibrium setting. We account for this phenomenon in considerable detail in terms of the properties of non-equilibrium population of domain walls which exhibit a magnetic moment between domains of an ordered antiferromagnetic state which itself has zero net magnetisation. Properties and (non-equilibrium) dynamics of topological defects play an important role in modern spintronics, and our study adds an instance where a uniform field couples selectively to domain walls rather than the bulk.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Evolution of antiferromagnetic domains in the all-in-all-out ordered pyrochlore Nd$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$

We report the observation of magnetic domains in the exotic, antiferromagnetically ordered all-in-all-out state of Nd$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$, induced by spin canting. The all-in-all-out state can be realized by Ising-like spins on a pyrochlore lattice and is established in Nd$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$ below 0.31 K for external magnetic fields up to 0.14 T. Two different spin arrangements can fulfill this configuration which leads to the possibility of magnetic domains. The all-in-all-out domain structure can be controlled by an external magnetic field applied parallel to the [111] direction. This is a result of different spin canting mechanism for the two all-in-all-out configurations for such a direction of the magnetic field. The change of the domain structure is observed through a hysteresis in the magnetic susceptibility. No hysteresis occurs, however, in case the external magnetic field is applied along [100].

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Physical properties of a candidate quantum spin-ice system Pr2Hf2O7

Physical properties of a pyrohafnate compound Pr2Hf2O7 have been investigated by ac magnetic susceptibility χ_ ac(T), dc magnetic susceptibility χ(T), isothermal magnetization M(H) and heat capacity C_p(T) measurements on polycrystalline as well as single crystal samples combined with high-resolution synchrotron x-ray diffraction (XRD) for structural characterization and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) to determine the crystal field energy level scheme and wave functions. Synchrotron XRD data confirm the ordered cubic pyrochlore (Fd-3m) structure without any noticeable site mixing or oxygen deficiency. No clear evidence of long range magnetic ordering is observed down to 90 mK, however the χ_ac(T) evinces slow spin dynamics revealed by a frequency dependent broad peak associated with spin freezing. The INS data reveal the expected five well defined magnetic excitations due to crystal field splitting of the J = 4 ground state multiplet of the Pr^3+. The crystal field parameters and ground state wavefunction of Pr^3+ have been determined. The Ising anisotropic nature of magnetic ground state is inferred from the INS as well as χ(T) and M(H) data. Together these properties make Pr2Hf2O7 a candidate compound for quantum spin-ice behavior.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Observation of long range magnetic ordering in pyrohafnate Nd2Hf2O7: A neutron diffraction study

We have investigated the physical properties of a pyrochlore hafnate Nd2Hf2O7 using ac magnetic susceptibility χ_ac(T), dc magnetic susceptibility χ(T), isothermal magnetization M(H) and heat capacity C_p(T) measurements, and determined the magnetic ground state by neutron powder diffraction study. An upturn is observed below 6 K in C_p(T)/T, however both C_p(T) and χ(T) do not show any clear anomaly down to 2 K. The χ_ac(T) shows a well pronounced anomaly indicating an antiferromagnetic transition at T_N = 0.55 K. The long range antiferromagnetic ordering is confirmed by neutron diffraction. The refinement of neutron diffraction pattern reveals an all-in/all-out antiferromagnetic structure, where for successive tetrahedra, the four Nd3+ magnetic moments point alternatively all-into or all-out-of the tetrahedron, with an ordering wavevector k = (0, 0, 0) and an ordered state magnetic moment of m = 0.62(1) μ_B/Nd at 0.1 K. The ordered moment is strongly reduced reflecting strong quantum fluctuations in ordered state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Electron-doping dependence of the anisotropic superconductivity in BaFe$_{2-x}$Ni$_{x}$As$_2$

The upper critical field ($H_{c2}$) in superconducting BaFe$_{2-x}$Ni$_{x}$As$_2$ single crystals has been determined by magnetotransport measurements down to 0.6 K over the whole superconducting dome with $0.065 \leqslant x \leqslant 0.22$, both for the inter-plane ($H \parallel c$, $H_{c2}^{c}$) and in-plane ($H \parallel ab$, $H_{c2}^{ab}$) field directions in static magnetic fields up to 16 T and pulsed magnetic fields up to 60 T. The temperature dependence of $H_{c2}^{ab}$ follows the Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg (WHH) model incorporating orbital and spin paramagnetic effects, while $H_{c2}^{c}(T)$ can only be described by the effective two-band model with unbalanced diffusivity. The anisotropy of the upper critical fields, $γ(T)=H_{c2}^{ab}/H_{c2}^{c}$ monotonically increases with increasing temperature for all dopings, and its zero-temperature limit, $γ(0)$, has an asymmetric doping dependence with a significant enhancement in the overdoped regime, where the optimally doped compound has the most isotropic superconductivity. Our results suggest that the anisotropy in the superconductivity of iron pnictides is determined by the topology of the Fermi surfaces together with the doping-induced impurity scattering.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Critical exponents and intrinsic broadening of the field-induced transition in NiCl$_2$$\cdot$4SC(NH$_2$)$_2$

The field-induced ordering transition in the quantum spin system NiCl$_2$$\cdot$4SC(NH$_2$)$_2$ is studied by means of neutron diffraction, AC magnetometry and relaxation calorimetry. The interpretation of the data is strongly influenced by a finite distribution of transition fields in the samples, which was present but disregarded in previous studies. Taking this effect into account, we find that the order-parameter critical exponent is inconsistent with the BEC universality class even at temperatures below 100 mK. All results are discussed in comparison with previous measurements and with recent similar studies of disordered Ni(Cl$_{1-x}$Br$_x$)$_2$$\cdot$4SC(NH$_2$)$_2$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

On the low-field Hall coefficient of graphite

We have measured the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the Hall coefficient ($R_{\rm H}$) in three, several micrometer long multigraphene samples of thickness between $\sim 9~$to $\sim 30$~nm in the temperature range 0.1 to 200~K and up to 0.2~T field. The temperature dependence of the longitudinal resistance of two of the samples indicates the contribution from embedded interfaces running parallel to the graphene layers. At low enough temperatures and fields $R_{\rm H}$ is positive in all samples, showing a crossover to negative values at high enough fields and/or temperatures in samples with interfaces contribution. The overall results are compatible with the reported superconducting behavior of embedded interfaces in the graphite structure and indicate that the negative low magnetic field Hall coefficient is not intrinsic of the ideal graphite structure.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Optical study of superconducting Ga-rich layers in silicon

We performed phase-sensitive terahertz (0.12 - 1.2 THz) transmission measurements of Ga-enriched layers in silicon. Below the superconducting transition, T_{c} = 6.7 K, we find clear signatures of the formation of a superconducting condensate and of the opening of an energy gap in the optical spectra. The London penetration depth, λ(T), and the condensate density, n_{s} = λ^{2} 0)/λ^{2}(T), as functions of temperature demonstrate behavior, typical for conventional superconductors with λ(0) = 1.8 μm. The terahertz spectra can be well described within the framework of Eliashberg theory with strong electron-phonon coupling: the zero-temperature energy gap is 2Δ(0) = 2.64 meV and 2Δ(0)/k_{B}T_{c} = 4.6 \pm 0.1, consistent with the amorphous state of Ga. At temperatures just above T_{c}, the optical spectra demonstrate Drude behavior.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

THz-range free-electron laser ESR spectroscopy: techniques and applications in high magnetic fields

The successful use of picosecond-pulse free-electron-laser (FEL) radiation for the continuous-wave THz-range electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy has been demonstrated. The combination of two linac-based FELs (covering the wavelength range of 4 - 250 $μ$m) with pulsed magnetic fields up to 70 T allows for multi-frequency ESR spectroscopy in a frequency range of 1.2 - 75 THz with a spectral resolution better than 1%. The performance of the spectrometer is illustrated with ESR spectra obtained in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the low-dimensional organic material (C$_6$H$_9$N$_2$)CuCl$_3$.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗