Electric field gradients in MgB2_2 synthesized at high pressure: 111^111Cd TDPAC study and ab initio calculation

We report the high-pressure synthesis of novel superconductor MgB$_2$ and some related compounds. The superconducting transition temperature of our samples of MgB$_2$ is equal to 36.6 K. The MgB$_2$ lattice parameters determined via X-ray diffraction are in excellent agreement with results of our ab initio calculations. The time-differential perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC) experiments demonstrate a small increase in quadrupole frequency of $^111$Cd probe with decreasing temperature from 293 to 4.2 K. The electric field gradient (EFG) at the B site calculated from first principles is in fair agreement with EFG obtained from $^11$B NMR spectra of MgB$_2$ reported in the literature. It is also very close to EFG found in our $^111$Cd TDPAC measurements, which suggests that the $^111$Cd probe substitutes for boron in the MgB$_2$ lattice.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Split of the magnetic and crystallographic states in Fe1−Rh Ge

International audienceWe report on a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of the Fe 1−x Rh x Ge compounds, within the entire concentration range x ∈ [0.0 − 1.0], using X-Ray diffraction, small-angle neutron scattering, magnetometry and theoretical calculations. While FeGe and RhGe are single phase helimagnet and unconventional superconductor, respectively, an internal splitting of the crystallographic and magnetic states is found for intermediate compositions x ∈ [0.2 − 0.9]. A theoretical analysis of the stability of the two detected phases, together with the experimental data, indicate that this splitting preserves a common space group and occurs within single crystallites. Despite their apparent similarity, these two phases however display different magnetic structures, with distinct ferro-and helimagnetic character