NMR studies of the incommensurate helical antiferromagnet EuCo2P2 : determination of the antiferromagnetic propagation vector

Recently Ding et al. [Phys. Rev. B 95, 184404 (2017)] reported that their nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study on EuCo$_2$As$_2$ successfully characterized the antiferromagnetic (AFM) propagation vector of the incommensurate helix AFM state, showing that NMR is a unique tool for determination of the spin structures in incommensurate helical AFMs. Motivated by this work, we have carried out $^{153}$Eu, $^{31}$P and $^{59}$Co NMR measurements on the helical antiferromagnet EuCo$_2$P$_2$ with an AFM ordering temperature $T_{\rm N}$ = 66.5 K. An incommensurate helical AFM structure was clearly confirmed by $^{153}$Eu and $^{31}$P NMR spectra on single crystalline EuCo$_2$P$_2$ in zero magnetic field at 1.6 K and its external magnetic field dependence. Furthermore, based on $^{59}$Co NMR data in both the paramagnetic and the incommensurate AFM states, we have determined the model-independent value of the AFM propagation vector k = (0, 0, 0.73 $\pm$ 0.09)2$\pi$/$c$ where $c$ is the $c$-axis lattice parameter. The temperature dependence of k is also discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1704.0629

Physical properties of a new cuprate superconductor Pr_2Ba_4Cu_7O_{15-\delta}

We present studies of the thermal, magnetic and electrical transport properties of reduced polycrystalline Pr_2Ba_4Cu_7O_{15-\delta} (Pr247) showing a superconducting transition at Tc = 10 - 16 K and compare them with those of as-sintered non-superconducting Pr247. The electrical resistivity in the normal state exhibited T2 dependence up to approximately 150 K. A clear specific heat anomaly was observed at Tc for Pr247 reduced in a vacuum for 24 hrs, proving the bulk nature of the superconducting state. By the reduction treatment, the magnetic ordering temperature TN of Pr moments decreased from 16 to 11 K, and the entropy associated with the ordering increased, while the effective paramagnetic moments obtained from the DC magnetic susceptibility varied from 2.72 to 3.13 mB. The sign of Hall coefficient changed from positive to negative with decreasing temperature in the normal state of a superconducting Pr247, while that of as-sintered one was positive down to 5 K. The electrical resistivity under high magnetic fields was found to exhibit T^a dependence (a = 0.08 - 0.4) at low temperatures. A possibility of superconductivity in the so-called CuO double chains is discussed.Comment: Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (in press

Helicity Selection of the Cycloidal Order in Noncentrosymmetric EuIrGe3_3

The magnetic helicities of the cycloidal ordering in EuIrGe$_3$, with a noncentrosymmetric tetragonal structure, have been studied by circularly polarized resonant X-ray diffraction. It is shown that the helicity of each cycloidal domain is uniquely determined and satisfies the symmetry relations of the $C_{4v}$ point group of the crystal structure. The result shows that the cycloidal helicity is determined by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya type antisymmetric exchange interaction. The domain selection and the phase transition by the external magnetic field along [100] and [110] have also been studied. It is shown that the cycloidal plane prefers to be perpendicular to the field and the transverse conical state is realized.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 5 figures in the supplemental material, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Soc. Jp