Structural and Magnetic Instabilities of La2−x_{2-x}Srx_xCaCu2_2O6_6

A neutron scattering study of nonsuperconducting La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CaCu$_2$O$_6$ (x=0 and 0.2), a bilayer copper oxide without CuO chains, has revealed an unexpected tetragonal-to-orthorhombic transition with a doping dependent transition temperature. The predominant structural modification below the transition is an in-plane shift of the apical oxygen. In the doped sample, the orthorhombic superstructure is strongly disordered, and a glassy state involving both magnetic and structural degrees of freedom develops at low temperature. The spin correlations are commensurate.Comment: published versio

Thermodynamic properties of excess-oxygen-doped La2CuO4.11 near a simultaneous transition to superconductivity and long-range magnetic order

We have measured the specific heat and magnetization {\it versus} temperature in a single crystal sample of superconducting La$_{2}$CuO$_{4.11}$ and in a sample of the same material after removing the excess oxygen, in magnetic fields up to 15 T. Using the deoxygenated sample to subtract the phonon contribution, we find a broad peak in the specific heat, centered at 50 K. This excess specific heat is attributed to fluctuations of the Cu spins possibly enhanced by an interplay with the charge degrees of freedom, and appears to be independent of magnetic field, up to 15 T. Near the superconducting transition $T_{c}$($H$=0)= 43 K, we find a sharp feature that is strongly suppressed when the magnetic field is applied parallel to the crystallographic c-axis. A model for 3D vortex fluctuations is used to scale magnetization measured at several magnetic fields. When the magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the c-axis, the only observed effect is a slight shift in the superconducting transition temperature.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Interplay of structural and electronic phase separation in single crystalline La(2)CuO(4.05) studied by neutron and Raman scattering

We report a neutron and Raman scattering study of a single-crystal of La(2)CuO(4.05) prepared by high temperature electrochemical oxidation. Elastic neutron scattering measurements show the presence of two phases, corresponding to the two edges of the first miscibility gap, all the way up to 300 K. An additional oxygen redistribution, driven by electronic energies, is identified at 250 K in Raman scattering (RS) experiments by the simultaneous onset of two-phonon and two-magnon scattering, which are fingerprints of the insulating phase. Elastic neutron scattering measurements show directly an antiferromagnetic ordering below a N\'eel temperature of T_N =210K. The opening of the superconducting gap manifests itself as a redistribution of electronic Raman scattering below the superconducting transition temperature, T_c = 24K. A pronounced temperature-dependent suppression of the intensity of the (100) magnetic Bragg peak has been detected below T_c. We ascribe this phenomenon to a change of relative volume fraction of superconducting and antiferromagnetic phases with decreasing temperature caused by a form of a superconducting proximity effect.Comment: 9 pages, including 9 eps figures, submitted to PR

A μ SR magnetic study of UNiGe

We have carried out SR spectroscopy on polycrystalline UNiGe between 2 K and 100 K. The existence of two magnetic transitions at TN=51 K and T1=41.5 K is confirmed. The SR spectra clearly reveal that the magnetic state between 51 K and 41.5 K is an incommensurate spin structure ruling out a spin-slip structure which had been considered an alternative. Below 41.5 K the spectra are compatible with simple antiferromagnetic order. The local field for T→0 is Bμ=170 mT, a comparatively low value, indicating a rather small uranium ordered moment. When going from the commensurate to the incommensurate structures at T1 a sudden reduction in local field by 23% occurs reflecting an equal change in ordered moment. The transition at T1 is sharp, but TN extends over roughly 5 K. The antiferromagnetic spin structure exhibits persistent spin fluctuations in the limit T→0, implying the presence of some additional spin interactions which tries to suppress long-range magnetic order

Texture effect on vortex-state TF-µ+SR in Bi-2223 high-Tc materials

International audienceThe influence of texture in Bi‐2223 ingots on the temperature dependence of the μ+ spin relaxation rate has been investigated. Texture was induced during cold‐isostatic‐pressing by applying an additional uniaxial load which tends to align single grain c axes along the stress direction, ž. Small plates were cut with faces either ‖ or ⊥ ž and μSR was measured in a 15 mT transverse field (TF) during cooling from room temperature to 6 K. While for highly‐textured material, low‐temperature limits are substantially smaller than expected, the large shift (55%) observed when switching from ž⊥TF to ž‖TF clearly indicates that anisotropy has developed. Relaxation rates for the weakly‐textured sample lie in between. To a lesser extent, sintering also enhanced the low‐temperature relaxation, but did not affect TC significantly. All samples showed a weak onset of depolarization between 60 K and 90 K, most likely due to the presence of a Bi‐2212 impurity phase. This impurity phase might cause the transition‐temperature smearing in the 100–110 K range in the weakly textured (and less compacted) material. Thus the sharpness of the relaxation drop might be relevant for assessment of material quality and be used as a criterion in the improvement of the production process

m/sup +/SR studies on pure MnF/sub 2/ and site-diluted (Mn/sub 0. 5/Zn/sub 0. 5/)F/sub 2/

Positive muon spin rotation and relaxation measurements have been carried out on the antiferromagnets, pure MnF/sub 2/ and site-diluted (Mn/sub 0.5/Zn/sub 0.5/)F/sub 2/, above and below the Neel temperature T/sub N/ using single-crystal specimens. Two different muon signals have been found in the pure MnF/sub 2/; with the precession frequency nu/sub A/ = 1.3 GHz for the site A and nu/sub B/ = 152 MHz for the site B measured in zero external magnetic field at T = 5 K. We propose a picture that the signal from the A site represents the ''muonium'' state, and discuss the characteristic features of muonium in magnetic materials. The spin relaxation rate 1/T/sub 1/, measured in zero external field, decreases rapidly with decreasing temperature below T/sub N/. The mechanism of the spin relaxation above T/sub N/ is explained by the exchange fluctuations of the Mn moments, while below T/sub N/ by the Raman scattering of spin waves. At the same normalized temperature T/T/sub N/, 1/T/sub 1/ observed in the diluted (Mn/sub 0.5/Zn/sub 0.5/)F/sub 2/ is significantly larger than that in the pure MnF/sub 2/ below T/sub N/. The difference between the pure and diluted systems is related to the large spectral weight of low-energy magnons in (Mn/sub 0.5/Zn/sub 0.5/)F/sub 2/ found by neutron scattering

Determination of very slow. mu. /sup +/ hop rates in Cu by LLF-. mu. SR

Muon spin relaxation in low (weak) longitudinal magnetic field (LLF-..mu..SR) provides a means of independently determining the static dipolar width ..delta.. characterizing the ..mu../sup +/ lattice site and the correlation time tau/sub c/ for ..mu../sup +/ hopping, in a manner that is nearly model-independent for tau/sub c/ and especially accurate in the near-static limit (tau/sub c/ > tau/sub ..mu../). The advantages of this method are illustrated by its application to muon hopping in Cu near the tau/sub c/ maximum around 50/sup 0/K