arXiv subjects

T. Lorenz

Publications and source records attributed to T. Lorenz.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2005

Pressure-induced insulating state in (La,Sr)CoO$_{3}$

We have investigated the effect of pressure on the electronic, magnetic, and structural properties on a single crystal of conducting, ferromagnet (T$_{C}$=157K) La$_{0.82}$Sr$_{0.18}$CoO$_{3}$ located near the boundary of the metal-insulator transition. Contrary to the results reported on related systems, we find a transition from the conducting state to an insulating state and a decrease of T$_{C}$ with increasing pressure while the lattice structure remains unchanged. We show that this unusual behavior is driven by a gradual change of the spin state of Co$^{3+}$ ions from magnetic intermediate-spin (t$_{2g}^5$e$_{g}^{1}$; S=1) to a nonmagnetic low-spin (t$_{2g}^6$e$_{g}^{0}$; S=0) state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

Zero-field incommensurate spin-Peierls phase with interchain frustration in TiOCl

We report on the magnetic, thermodynamic and optical properties of the quasi-one-dimensional quantum antiferromagnets TiOCl and TiOBr, which have been discussed as spin-Peierls compounds. The observed deviations from canonical spin-Peierls behavior, e.g. the existence of two distinct phase transitions, have been attributed previously to strong orbital fluctuations. This can be ruled out by our optical data of the orbital excitations. We show that the frustration of the interchain interactions in the bilayer structure gives rise to incommensurate order with a subsequent lock-in transition to a commensurate dimerized state. In this way, a single driving force, the spin-Peierls mechanism, induces two separate transitions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

Orbital excitations in titanates

Raman scattering is used to observe pronounced electronic excitations around 230 meV - well above the two-phonon range - in the Mott insulators LaTiO$_3$ and YTiO$_3$. Based on the temperature, polarization, and photon energy dependence, the modes are identified as orbital excitations. The observed profiles bear a striking resemblance to magnetic Raman modes in the insulating parent compounds of the superconducting cuprates, indicating an unanticipated universality of the electronic excitations in transition metal oxides.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

Evidence for a Low-Spin to Intermediate-Spin State Transition in LaCoO3

We present measurements of the magnetic susceptibility and of the thermal expansion of a LaCoO$_3$ single crystal. Both quantities show a strongly anomalous temperature dependence. Our data are consistently described in terms of a spin-state transition of the Co$^{3+}$ ions with increasing temperature from a low-spin ground state to an intermediate-spin state without (100K - 500K) and with (>500K) orbital degeneracy. We attribute the lack of orbital degeneracy up to 500K to (probably local) Jahn-Teller distortions of the CoO$_6$ octahedra. A strong reduction or disappearance of the Jahn-Teller distortions seems to arise from the insulator-to-metal transition around 500 K.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

Spin-State Transition and Metal-Insulator Transition in La$_{1-x}$Eu$_x$CoO$_3$}

We present a study of the structure, the electric resistivity, the magnetic susceptibility, and the thermal expansion of La$_{1-x}$Eu$_x$CoO$_3$. LaCoO$_3$ shows a temperature-induced spin-state transition around 100 K and a metal-insulator transition around 500 K. Partial substitution of La$^{3+}$ by the smaller Eu$^{3+}$ causes chemical pressure and leads to a drastic increase of the spin gap from about 190 K in LaCoO$_3$ to about 2000 K in EuCoO$_3$, so that the spin-state transition is shifted to much higher temperatures. A combined analysis of thermal expansion and susceptibility gives evidence that the spin-state transition has to be attributed to a population of an intermediate-spin state with orbital order for $x<0.5$ and without orbital order for larger $x$. In contrast to the spin-state transition, the metal-insulator transition is shifted only moderately to higher temperatures with increasing Eu content, showing that the metal-insulator transition occurs independently from the spin-state distribution of the Co$^{3+}$ ions. Around the metal-insulator transition the magnetic susceptibility shows a similar increase for all $x$ and approaches a doping-independent value around 1000 K indicating that well above the metal-insulator transition the same spin state is approached for all $x$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Magnetoelastic Coupling in the Spin-Dimer System TlCuCl$_3$

We present high-resolution measurements of the thermal expansion and the magnetostriction of TlCuCl$_{3}$ which shows field-induced antiferromagnetic order. We find pronounced anomalies in the field and temperature dependence of different directions of the lattice signaling a large magnetoelastic coupling. The phase boundary is extremely sensitive to pressure, e.g. the transition field would change by about +/- 185$%/GPa under uniaxial pressure applied along certain directions. This drastic effect can unambiguously be traced back to changes of the intradimer coupling under uniaxial pressure. The interdimer couplings remain essentially unchanged under pressure, but strongly change when Tl is replaced by K.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Determination of the orbital moment and crystal field splitting in LaTiO$_{3}$

Utilizing a sum-rule in a spin-resolved photoelectron spectroscopic experiment with circularly polarized light, we show that the orbital moment in LaTiO$_3$ is strongly reduced both below and above the Néel temperature. Using Ti $L_{2,3}$ x-ray absorption spectroscopy as a local probe, we found that the crystal field splitting in the $t_{2g}$ subshell is about 0.12-0.30 eV. This large splitting does not facilitate the formation of an orbital liquid.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Structural aspects of metamagnetism in Ca_{2-x}Sr_{x}RuO_4 (0.2 < x < 0.5): field tuning of orbital occupation

The crystal structure of Ca_{2-x}Sr_xRuO_4 with 0.2 < x < 1.0 has been studied by diffraction techniques and by high resolution capacitance dilatometry as a function of temperature and magnetic field. Upon cooling in zero magnetic field below about 25 K the structure shrinks along the c-direction and elongates in the a, b planes (0.2 < x < 1.0), whereas the opposite occurs upon cooling at high-field (x = 0.2 and 0.5). These findings indicate an orbital rearrangement driven by temperature and magnetic field, which accompanies the metamagnetic transition in these compounds.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Structure, Magnetization and Resistivity of La$_{1-x}$M$_x$CoO$_3$ (M = Ca, Sr, and Ba)

We present an investigation of the influence of structural distortions in charge-carrier doped \lmco by substituting La$^{3+}$ with alkaline earth metals of strongly different ionic sizes, that is M = Ca$^{2+}$, Sr$^{2+}$, and Ba$^{2+}$, respectively. We find that both, the magnetic properties and the resistivity change non-monotonously as a function of the ionic size of M. Doping \lmco with M = Sr$^{2+}$ yields higher transition temperatures to the ferromagnetically ordered states and lower resistivities than doping with either Ca$^{2+}$ or Ba$^{2+}$ having a smaller or larger ionic size than Sr$^{2+}$, respectively. From this observation we conclude that the different transition temperatures and resistivities of \lmco for different M (of the same concentration $x$) do not only depend on the varying chemical pressures. The local disorder due to the different ionic sizes of La$^{3+}$ and M$^{2+}$ play an important role, too.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2003

A different look at the spin state of Co$^{3+}$ ions in CoO$_{5}$ pyramidal coordination

Using soft-x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Co-$L_{2,3}$ and O-$K$ edges, we demonstrate that the Co$^{3+}$ ions with the CoO$_{5}$ pyramidal coordination in the layered Sr$_2$CoO$_3$Cl compound are unambiguously in the high spin state. Our result questions the reliability of the spin state assignments made so far for the recently synthesized layered cobalt perovskites, and calls for a re-examination of the modeling for the complex and fascinating properties of these new materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2003

Crystal and magnetic structure of LaTiO3 : evidence for non-degenerate $t_{2g}$-orbitals

The crystal and magnetic structure of LaTiO3 ~ has been studied by x-ray and neutron diffraction techniques using nearly stoichiometric samples. We find a strong structural anomaly near the antiferromagnetic ordering, T$_N$=146 K. In addition, the octahedra in LaTiO3 exhibit an intrinsic distortion which implies a splitting of the t2g-levels. Our results indicate that LaTiO3 should be considered as a Jahn-Teller system where the structural distortion and the resulting level splitting are enhanced by the magnetic ordering.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2003

Evidence for orbital ordering in LaCoO3

We present powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction data as evidence for a monoclinic distortion in the low spin (S=0) and intermediate spin state (S=1) of LaCoO3. The alternation of short and long bonds in the ab plane indicates the presence of eg orbital ordering induced by a cooperative Jahn-Teller distortion. We observe an increase of the Jahn-Teller distortion with temperature in agreement with a thermally activated behavior of the Co3+ ions from a low-spin ground state to an intermediate-spin excited state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2003

Evidence for a large magnetic heat current in insulating cuprates

The in-plane thermal conductivity $k$ of the two-dimensional antiferromagnetic monolayer cuprate Sr$_2$CuO$_2$Cl$_2$ is studied. Analysis of the unusual temperature dependence of $k$ reveals that at low temperatures the heat is carried by phonons, whereas at high temperatures magnetic excitations contribute significantly. Comparison with other insulating layered cuprates suggests that a large magnetic contribution to the thermal conductivity is an intrinsic property of these materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2001

Strong damping of phononic heat current by magnetic excitations in SrCu_2(BO_3)_2

Measurements of the thermal conductivity as a function of temperature and magnetic field in the 2D dimer spin system SrCu$_2$(BO$_3$)$_2$ are presented. In zero magnetic field the thermal conductivity along and perpendicular to the magnetic planes shows a pronounced double-peak structure as a function of temperature. The low-temperature maximum is drastically suppressed with increasing magnetic field. Our quantitative analysis reveals that the heat current is due to phonons and that the double-peak structure arises from pronounced resonant scattering of phonons by magnetic excitations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2001

Heat transport in SrCu_2(BO_3)_2 and CuGeO_3

In the low dimensional spin systems $SrCu_2(BO_3)_2$ and $CuGeO_3$ the thermal conductivities along different crystal directions show pronounced double-peak structures and strongly depend on magnetic fields. For $SrCu_2(BO_3)_2$ the experimental data can be described by a purely phononic heat current and resonant scattering of phonons by magnetic excitations. A similar effect seems to be important in $CuGeO_3$, too but, in addition, a magnetic contribution to the heat transport may be present.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv1999

Dependence of Magnetic Anisotropy and Magnetoresistance of Ni81Fe19-Films on Annealing

Permalloy (Py:Ni81Fe19) exhibits an anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) which is very often used to read magnetic signals from storage devices. Py-films of thickness 20nm were prepared by dc-magnetron sputtering in a magnetic field onto thermally oxidized Si-wafers and annealed ex situ at temperatures up to 1000K in order to investigate the dependence of the magnetic anisotropy and the AMR on heat treatments. The films exhibit an uniaxial anisotropy after preparation which changes during annealing above 520K. The AMR along the former magnetically easy axis as well as the corresponding field sensitivity are increased by a heat treatment around 700K reaching maxima of about 8% and a maximum sensitivity of 1.5%/Oe, respectively. We discuss possible sources for the change in anisotropy, i.e. strain effects, inhomogeneities, and changes of the local atomic order.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv1997

Revival of the spin-Peierls transition in Cu_xZn_(1-x)GeO_3 under pressure

Pressure and temperature dependent susceptibility and Raman scattering experiments on single crystalline Cu_xZn_(1-x)GeO_3 have shown an unusually strong increase of the spin-Peierls phase transition temperature upon applying hydrostatic pressure. The large positive pressure coefficient (7.5 K/GPa) - almost twice as large as for the pure compound (4.5 K/GPa) - is interpreted as arising due to an increasing magnetic frustration which decreases the spin-spin correlation length, and thereby weakens the influence of the non-magnetic Zn-substitution.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv1997

Reexamination of the microscopic couplings of the quasi one-dimensional antiferromagnet CuGeO_3

Experimental data for the magnetic susceptibility and magnetostriction of CuGeO_3 are analyzed within a one-dimensional antiferromagnetic model with nearest ({J_1}) and next-nearest neighbour interactions ({J_2}). We show that the ratio of the exchange constants in the antiferromagnetic chains of CuGeO_3 amounts to ${J_2}/{J_1}$ = 0.354(0.01), i.e. it is significantly larger than the critical value for the formation of a spontaneous gap in the magnetic excitation spectrum without lattice dimerization. The susceptibility data are reproduced by our numerical results over the temperature range from 20K to 950K to a high degree of accuracy for ${J_1} = 80.2 (3.0)$ and ${J_2} = 28.4 (1.8)$. The pressure dependence of the exchange constants is estimated from magnetostriction data. Furthermore, the specific heat data are checked on consistency against the calculated entropy of the above model.

cond-mat.str-el↗