Giant spin canting in the S = 1/2 antiferromagnetic chain [CuPM(NO3)2(H2O)2]n observed by 13C-NMR

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study on copper pyrimidine dinitrate [CuPM(NO3)2(H2O)2]n, a one-dimensional S = 1/2 antiferromagnet with alternating local symmetry. From the local susceptibility measured by NMR at the three inequivalent carbon sites in the pyrimidine molecule we deduce a giant spin canting, i.e., an additional staggered magnetization perpendicular to the applied external field at low temperatures. The magnitude of the transverse magnetization, the spin canting of 52 degrees at 10 K and 9.3 T and its temperature dependence are in excellent agreement with exact diagonalization calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 6 Postscript figure

High-field magnetization study of the S = 1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain [PM Cu(NO3_3)2_2(H2_2O)2_2]n_n with a field-induced gap

We present a high-field magnetization study of the $S$ = 1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain [PM Cu(NO$_3$)$_2$(H$_2$O)$_2$]$_n$. For this material, as result of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and a staggered $g$ tensor, the ground state is characterized by an anisotropic field-induced spin excitation gap and a staggered magnetization. Our data reveal the qualitatively different behavior in the directions of maximum and zero spin excitation gap. The data are analyzed via exact diagonalization of a linear spin chain with up to 20 sites and on basis of the Bethe ansatz equations, respectively. For both directions we find very good agreement between experimental data and theoretical calculations. We extract the magnetic coupling strength $J/k_B$ along the chain direction to 36.3(5) K and determine the field dependence of the staggered magnetization component $m_s$.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures (minor changes to manuscript and figures

Origin of the reduced exchange bias in epitaxial FeNi(111)/CoO(111) bilayer

We have employed Soft and Hard X-ray Resonant Magnetic Scattering and Polarised Neutron Diffraction to study the magnetic interface and the bulk antiferromagnetic domain state of the archetypal epitaxial Ni$_{81}$Fe$_{19}$(111)/CoO(111) exchange biased bilayer. The combination of these scattering tools provides unprecedented detailed insights into the still incomplete understanding of some key manifestations of the exchange bias effect. We show that the several orders of magnitude difference between the expected and measured value of exchange bias field is caused by an almost anisotropic in-plane orientation of antiferromagnetic domains. Irreversible changes of their configuration lead to a training effect. This is directly seen as a change in the magnetic half order Bragg peaks after magnetization reversal. A 30 nm size of antiferromagnetic domains is extracted from the width the (1/2 1/2 1/2) antiferromagnetic magnetic peak measured both by neutron and x-ray scattering. A reduced blocking temperature as compared to the measured antiferromagnetic ordering temperature clearly corresponds to the blocking of antiferromagnetic domains. Moreover, an excellent correlation between the size of the antiferromagnetic domains, exchange bias field and frozen-in spin ratio is found, providing a comprehensive understanding of the origin of exchange bias in epitaxial systems.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, submitte

Magnetoelectric effect due to local noncentrosymmetry

Magnetoelectrics often possess ions located in noncentrosymmetric surroundings. Based on this fact we suggest a microscopic model of magnetoelectric interaction and show that the spin-orbit coupling leads to spin-dependent electric dipole moments of the electron orbitals of these ions, which results in non-vanishing polarization for certain spin configurations. The approach accounts for the macroscopic symmetry of the unit cell and is valid both for commensurate and complex incommensurate magnetic structures. The model is illustrated by the examples of MnWO4, MnPS3 and LiNiPO4. Application to other magnetoelectrics is discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, 2 table

Weak ferromagnetism with very large canting in a chiral lattice: (pyrimidine)2FeCl2

The transition metal coordination compound (pyrimidine)2FeCl2 crystallizes in a chiral lattice, space group I 4_1 2 2 (or I4_3 2 2). Combined magnetization, Mossbauer spectroscopy and powder neutron diffraction studies reveal that it is a canted antiferromagnet below T_N = 6.4 K with an unusually large canting of the magnetic moments of 14 deg. from their general antiferromagnetic alignment, one of the largest reported to date. This results in weak ferromagnetism with a ferromagnetic component of 1 mu_B. The large canting is due to the interplay between the antiferromagnetic exchange interaction and the local single-ion anisotropy in the chiral lattice. The magnetically ordered structure of (pyrimidine)2FeCl2, however, is not chiral. The implications of these findings for the search of molecule based materials exhibiting chiral magnetic ordering is discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Study of Field-Induced Magnetic Order in Singlet-Ground-State Magnet CsFeCl3_3

The field-induced magnetic order in the singlet-ground-state system CsFeCl$_3$ has been studied by measuring magnetization and neutron diffraction. The field dependence of intensity for the neutron magnetic reflection has clearly demonstrated that the field-induced ordered phase is described by the order parameter $$. A condensate growth of magnons is investigated through the temperature dependence of $M_z$ and $M_{\perp}$, and this ordering is discussed in the context of a magnon Bose-Einstein condensation. Development of the coherent state and the static correlation length has been observed in the incommensurate phase in the field region of $5 H_{\rm c}$, a satellite peak was found in coexistence with the commensurate peak at the phase boundary around 10 T, which indicates that the tilt of the c-axis would be less than $\sim 0.5^{\circ}$ in the whole experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Quasiparticle spin susceptibility in heavy-fermion superconductors : An NMR study compared with specific heat results

Quasi-particle spin susceptibility ($\chi^{qp}$) for various heavy-fermion (HF) superconductors are discussed on the basis of the experimental results of electronic specific heat ($\gamma_{el}$), NMR Knight shift ($K$) and NMR relaxation rate ($1/T_1$) within the framework of the Fermi liquid model for a Kramers doublet crystal electric field (CEF) ground state. $\chi^{qp}_{\gamma}$ is calculated from the enhanced Sommerfeld coefficient $\gamma_{el}$ and $\chi^{qp}_{T_1}$ from the quasi-particle Korringa relation $T_1T(K^{qp}_{T_1})^2=const.$ via the relation of $\chi^{qp}_{T_1}=(N_A\mu_B/A_{hf})K^{qp}_{T_1}$ where $A_{hf}$ is the hyperfine coupling constant, $N_A$ the Abogadoro's number and $\mu_B$ the Bohr magneton. For the even-parity (spin-singlet) superconductors CeCu$_2$Si$_2$, CeCoIn$_5$ and UPd$_2$Al$_3$, the fractional decrease in the Knight shift, $\delta K^{obs}$, below the superconducting transition temperature ($T_c$) is due to the decrease of the spin susceptibility of heavy quasi-particle estimated consistently from $\chi^{qp}_{\gamma}$ and $\chi^{qp}_{T_1}$. This result allows us to conclude that the heavy quasi-particles form the spin-singlet Cooper pairs in CeCu$_2$Si$_2$, CeCoIn$_5$ and UPd$_2$Al$_3$. On the other hand, no reduction in the Knight shift is observed in UPt$_3$ and UNi$_2$Al$_3$, nevertheless the estimated values of $\chi^{qp}_{\gamma}$ and $\chi^{qp}_{T_1}$ are large enough to be probed experimentally. The odd-parity superconductivity is therefore concluded in these compounds. The NMR result provides a convincing way to classify the HF superconductors into either even- or odd- parity paring together with the identification for the gap structure, as long as the system has Kramers degeneracy.Comment: 11 pages, 3 tables, 5 figures, RevTex4(LaTex2e

Local Moment Formation in the Periodic Anderson Model with Superconducting Correlations

We study local moment formation in the presence of superconducting correlations among the f-electrons in the periodic Anderson model. Local moments form if the Coulomb interaction U>U_cr. We find that U_cr is considerably stronger in the presence of superconducting correlations than in the non-superconducting system. Our study is done for various values of the f-level energy and electronic density. The smallest critical U_cr values occur for the case where the number of f- electrons per site is equal to one. In the presence of d-wave superconducting correlations we find that local moment formation presents a quantum phase transition as function of pressure. This quantum phase transition separates a region where local moments and d-wave superconductivity coexist from another region characterized by a superconducting ground state with no local moments. We discuss the possible relevance of these results to experimental studies of the competition between magnetic order and superconductivity in CeCu_2Si_2.Comment: 4 pages. accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Coexistence of antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in the Anderson lattice

We study the interplay between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in a generalized infinite-$U$ Anderson lattice, where both superconductivity and antiferromagnetic order are introduced phenomenologically in mean field theory. In a certain regime, a quantum phase transition is found which is characterized by an abrupt expulsion of magnetic order by d-wave superconductivity, as externally applied pressure increases. This transition takes place when the d-wave superconducting critical temperature, $T_c$, intercepts the magnetic critical temperature, $T_m$, under increasing pressure. Calculations of the quasiparticle bands and density of states in the ordered phases are presented. We calculate the optical conductivity $\sigma(\omega)$ in the clean limit. It is shown that when the temperature drops below $T_m$ a double peak structure develops in $\sigma(\omega)$.Comment: 18 pages, 13 figure

Electron Spin Resonance in S=1/2 antiferromagnetic chains

A systematic field-theory approach to Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) in the $S=1/2$ quantum antiferromagnetic chain at low temperature $T$ (compared to the exchange coupling $J$) is developed. In particular, effects of a transverse staggered field $h$ and an exchange anisotropy (including a dipolar interaction) $\delta$ on the ESR lineshape are discussed. In the lowest order of perturbation theory, the linewidth is given as $\propto Jh^2/T^2$ and $\propto (\delta/J)^2 T$, respectively. In the case of a transverse staggered field, the perturbative expansion diverges at lower temperature; non-perturbative effects at very low temperature are discussed using exact results on the sine-Gordon field theory. We also compare our field-theory results with the predictions of Kubo-Tomita theory for the high-temperature regime, and discuss the crossover between the two regimes. It is argued that a naive application of the standard Kubo-Tomita theory to the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction gives an incorrect result. A rigorous and exact identity on the polarization dependence is derived for certain class of anisotropy, and compared with the field-theory results.Comment: 53 pages in REVTEX, 7 figures in EPS included; revised version with missing references and correction