Top-loading Small-sample Calorimeters for Measurements as a Function of Magnetic Field Angle

In quasi-low-dimensional systems, the existence of a particular physical state and the temperature and magnetic-field-dependence of its phase boundary often strongly depends on magnetic field orientation. To investigate magnetic field orientation dependent phase transitions in these materials, we have developed rotatable miniature and sub-miniature sample-in-vacuum calorimeters that operate in dc magnetic fields up to 18 and 45 tesla. The calorimeters cover the temperature range from below 0.1 K to above 10 K; they are able rotate a full 360 degrees relative to the applied magnetic field while remaining at base temperature. Samples are typically ontheorderof1mginmassandupto2mm2 x0.5mminvolume

Calorimetric Measurements of Magnetic-Field-Induced Inhomogeneous Superconductivity Above The Paramagnetic Limit

We report the first magneto-caloric and calorimetric observations of a magnetic-field-induced phase transition within a superconducting state to the long-sought exotic "FFLO" superconducting state first predicted over 50 years ago. Through the combination of bulk thermodynamic calorimetric and magnetocaloric measurements in the organic superconductor $\kappa$ - (BEDT-TTF)$_2$Cu(NCS)$_2$, as a function of temperature, magnetic field strength, and magnetic field orientation, we establish for the first time that this field-induced first-order phase transition at the paramagnetic limit $H_p$ for traditional superconductivity is to a higher entropy superconducting phase uniquely characteristic of the FFLO state. We also establish that this high-field superconducting state displays the bulk paramagnetic ordering of spin domains required of the FFLO state. These results rule out the alternate possibility of spin-density wave (SDW) ordering in the high field superconducting phase. The phase diagram determined from our measurements --- including the observation of a phase transition into the FFLO phase at $H_p$ --- is in good agreement with recent NMR results and our own earlier tunnel-diode magnetic penetration depth experiments, but is in disagreement with the only previous calorimetric report.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Calorimetric Measurements of Magnetic-Field-Induced Inhomogeneous Superconductivity Above The Paramagnetic Limit

We report the first magnetocaloric and calorimetric observations of a magnetic-field-induced phase transition within a superconducting state to the long-sought exotic Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) superconducting state, first predicted over 50 years ago. Through the combination of bulk thermodynamic calorimetric and magnetocaloric measurements in the organic superconductor κ−(BEDT−TTF)2Cu(NCS)2 as a function of temperature, magnetic field strength, and magnetic field orientation, we establish for the first time that this field-induced first-order phase transition at the paramagnetic limit Hp is a transition to a higher-entropy superconducting phase, uniquely characteristic of the FFLO state. We also establish that this high-field superconducting state displays the bulk paramagnetic ordering of spin domains required of the FFLO state. These results rule out the alternate possibility of spin-density wave ordering in the high-field superconducting phase. The phase diagram determined from our measurements—including the observation of a phase transition into the FFLO phase at Hp—is in good agreement with recent NMR results and our own earlier tunnel-diode magnetic penetration depth experiments but is in disagreement with the only previous calorimetric report

Evolution of magnetic field induced ordering in the layered quantum Heisenberg triangular-lattice antiferromagnet Ba\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3e CoSb\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e O\u3csub\u3e9\u3c/sub\u3e

Quantum fluctuations in the effective spin- 1/2 layered triangular-lattice quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet Ba3CoSb2O9 lift the classical degeneracy of the antiferromagnetic ground state in magnetic field, producing a series of novel spin structures for magnetic fields applied within the crystallographic ab plane, including a celebrated collinear “up-up-down” spin ordering with magnetization equal to 1/3 of the saturation magnetization over an extended field range. Theoretically unresolved, however, are the effects of interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling and transverse magnetic fields on the ground states of this system. Additional magnetic field induced phase transitions are theoretically expected and in some cases have been experimentally observed, but details regarding their number, location, and physical character appear inconsistent with the predictions of existing models. Conversely, an absence of experimental measurements as a function of magnetic-field orientation has left other key predictions of these models untested. To address these issues, we have used specific heat, neutron diffraction, thermal conductivity, and magnetic torque measurements to map out the phase diagram as a function of magnetic field intensity and orientation relative to the crystallographic ab plane. For H||ab, we have discovered an additional magnetic field induced phase transition at low temperature and an unexpected tetracritical point in the high-field phase diagram, which coupled with the apparent second-order nature of the phase transitions eliminates several theoretically proposed spin structures for the high-field phases. Our calorimetric measurements as a function of magnetic field orientation are in general agreement with theory for field-orientation angles close to plane parallel (H||a) but diverge at angles near plane perpendicular; a predicted convergence of two phase boundaries at finite angle and a corresponding change in the order of the field induced phase transition are not observed experimentally. Our results emphasize the role of interlayer coupling in selecting and stabilizing field induced phases, provide guidance on the nature of the magnetic order in each phase, and reveal the need for new physics to account for the nature of magnetic ordering in this archetypal two-dimensional spin- 1/2 triangular-lattice quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet

Cascade of Magnetic-Field-Induced Quantum Phase Transitions in a Spin- 12 Triangular-Lattice Antiferromagnet

We report magnetocaloric and magnetic-torque evidence that in Cs2CuBr4—a geometrically frustrated Heisenberg S 1⁄4 12 triangular-lattice antiferromagnet—quantum fluctuations stabilize a series of spin states at simple increasing fractions of the saturation magnetization Ms. Only the first of these states—at M 1⁄4 13 Ms—has been theoretically predicted. We discuss how the higher fraction quantum states might arise and propose model spin arrangements. We argue that the first-order nature of the transitions into those states is due to strong lowering of the energies by quantum fluctuations, with implications for the general character of quantum phase transitions in geometrically frustrated systems

Magnetic-field-induced Heisenberg to XY Crossover in a Quasi-2D Quantum Antiferromagnet

The magnetic-field-dependent ordering temperature of the quasi-2D quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet (QHAF) Cu(pz)2(ClO4)2 was determined by calorimetric measurement in applied dc fields up to 33 tesla. The magnetic phase diagram shows a round maximum at 5.95 K and 17.5 T (at ≈ 1/3 of its saturation field), a 40 percent enhancement of the ordering temperature above the zero field value of 4.25 K. The enhancement and reentrance are consistent with predictions of a field-induced Heisenberg to XY crossover behavior for an ideal 2D QHAF system

Field-induced Quantum Phase Transitions in the Spin-1/2 Triangular-lattice Antiferromagnet Cs2CuBr4

In classical magnetic spin systems, geometric frustration leads to a large number of states of identical energy. We report here evidence from magnetocaloric and related measurements that in Cs2CuBr4 — a geometrically frustrated Heisenberg S= 1/2 triangular antiferromagnet — quantum fluctuations stabilize a series of gapped collinear spin states bounded by first-order transitions at simple increasing fractions of the saturation magnetization for fields directed along the c axis. Only the first of these quantum phase transitions has been theoretically predicted, suggesting that quantum effects continue to dominate at fields much higher than previously considered

Nonlinear transport in semiconducting polymers at high carrier densities

Conducting and semiconducting polymers are important materials in the development of printed, flexible, large-area electronics such as flat-panel displays and photovoltaic cells. There has been rapid progress in developing conjugated polymers with high transport mobility required for high-performance field-effect transistors (FETs), beginning(1) with mobilities around 10(-4) cm(2) V-1 s(-1) to a recent report(2) of 1 cm(2) V-1 s(-1) for poly(2,5-bis(3-tetradecylthiophen-2-yl) thieno[3,2-b] thiophene) (PBTTT). Here, the electrical properties of PBTTT are studied at high charge densities both as the semiconductor layer in FETs and in electrochemically doped films to determine the transport mechanism. We show that data obtained using a wide range of parameters (temperature, gate-induced carrier density, source-drain voltage and doping level) scale onto the universal curve predicted for transport in the Luttinger liquid description of the one-dimensional `metal'

Magnetic-Field Induced Quantum Phase Transitions in Triangular-Lattice Antiferromagnets

Cs2 CuBr4 and Ba3 NiSb2 O9 are magnetically described as quasi-two-dimensional triangular-lattice antiferromagnets with spin-1 and 1, respectively. We show that both systems 2 exhibit a magnetization plateau at one-third of the saturation magnetization Ms due to the interplay of spin frustration and quantum fluctuation. In Cs2CuBr4 that has a spatially anisotropic triangular lattice, successive magnetic-field induced quantum phase transitions including a magnetization plateau 2 Ms were observed. For Ba3 NiSb2 O9 , we performed exact 3 diagonalization for rhombic spin clusters with up to 21-sites to analyze the magnetization process. The calculated results are in agreement with experimental observations