146 research outputs found
Transport properties of moderately disordered UCuPd
We present a detailed study on the (magneto)transport properties of as-cast
and heat treated material UCuPd. We find a pronounced sample dependence of
the resistivity of as-cast samples, and reproduce the annealing
dependence of . In our study of the Hall effect we determine a metallic
carrier density for all samples, and a temperature dependence of the Hall
constant which is inconsistent with the Skew scattering prediction. The
magnetoresistive response is very small and characteristic for spin disorder
scattering, suggesting that overall the resistivity is controlled mostly by
nonmagnetic scattering processes. We discuss possible sources for the
temperature and field dependence of the transport properties, in particular
with respect to quantum criticality and electronic localization effects.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, submitted PR
Effect of the strong metal-support interaction on hydrogen sorption kinetics of Pd-capped switchable mirrors
The morphology and electronic structure of Pd clusters grown on oxidized yttrium surfaces are investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. The hydrogen sorption mediated by the Pd clusters is determined from the optically monitored switching kinetics of the underlying yttrium film. A strong thickness dependence of the hydrogen uptake is found. The electronic structure of the as-grown Pd clusters depends only weakly on their size. Strong changes of the photoemission spectra are found after hydrogenation, in particular the oxide peak shifts and the Pd peaks vanish. Both phenomena are due to a strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) state, characterized by a complete encapsulation of the clusters by a reduced yttrium oxide layer. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy confirms the SMSI state of small Pd clusters after hydrogen exposure. The SMSI effect is less important with increasing Pd thickness. This explains the critical thickness for the catalyzed hydrogen uptake by the Pd/Y
Sharp lines in the absorption edge of EuTe and PbEuTe in high magnetic fields
The optical absorption spectra in the region of the \fd transition energies
of epitaxial layers of of EuTe and \PbEuTe, grown by molecular beam epitaxy,
were studied using circularly polarized light, in the Faraday configuration.
Under \sigmam polarization a sharp symmetric absorption line (full width at
half-maximum 0.041 eV) emerges at the low energy side of the band-edge
absorption, for magnetic fields intensities greater than 6 T. The absorption
line shows a huge red shift (35 meV/T) with increasing magnetic fields. The
peak position of the absorption line as a function of magnetic field is
dominated by the {\em d-f} exchange interaction of the excited electron and the
\Euion spins in the lattice. The {\em d-f} exchange interaction energy was
estimated to be eV. In \PbEuTe the same absorption line
is detected, but it is broader, due to alloy disorder, indicating that the
excitation is localized within a finite radius. From a comparison of the
absorption spectra in EuTe and \PbEuTe the characteristic radius of the
excitation is estimated to be \AA.Comment: Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter (2004, at press
The dual nature of 5f electrons and origin of heavy fermions in U compounds
We develop a theory for the electronic excitations in UPt which is based
on the localization of two of the electrons. The remaining electron is
delocalized and acquires a large effective mass by inducing intra-atomic
excitations of the localized ones. The measured deHaas-vanAlphen frequencies of
the heavy quasiparticles are explained as well as their anisotropic heavy mass.
A model calculation for a small cluster reveals why only the largest of the
different hopping matrix elements is operative causing the electrons in
other orbitals to localize.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Magneto-optical Kerr effect in
We have measured the magneto-optical Kerr rotation of ferromagnetic
with x=0.2 and 0.4, as well as of serving as
the non-magnetic reference material. As previously for , we could
identify a feature at 1 in the Kerr response which is related with
electronic transitions involving the localized 4f electron states. The absence
of this feature in the data for confirms the relevance of the
partially occupied 4f states in shaping the magneto-optical features of
-based hexaborides. Disorder by -doping broadens the itinerant charge
carrier contribution to the magneto-optical spectra
Band-theoretical prediction of magnetic anisotropy in uranium monochalcogenides
Magnetic anisotropy of uranium monochalcogenides, US, USe and UTe, is studied
by means of fully-relativistic spin-polarized band structure calculations
within the local spin-density approximation. It is found that the size of the
magnetic anisotropy is fairly large (about 10 meV/unit formula), which is
comparable with experiment. This strong anisotropy is discussed in view of a
pseudo-gap formation, of which crucial ingredients are the exchange splitting
of U 5f states and their hybridization with chalcogen p states (f-p
hybridization). An anomalous trend in the anisotropy is found in the series
(US>>USe<UTe) and interpreted in terms of competition between localization of
the U 5f states and the f-p hybridization. It is the spin-orbit interaction on
the chalcogen p states that plays an essential role in enlarging the strength
of the f-p hybridization in UTe, leading to an anomalous systematic trend in
the magnetic anisotropy.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Field Reentrance of the Hidden Order State of URu2Si2 under Pressure
Combination of neutron scattering and thermal expansion measurements under
pressure shows that the so-called hidden order phase of URu2Si2 reenters in
magnetic field when antiferromagnetism (AF) collapses at H_AF (T). Macroscopic
pressure studies of the HO-AF boundaries were realized at different pressures
via thermal expansion measurements under magnetic field using a strain gauge.
Microscopic proof at a given pressure is the reappearance of the resonance at
Q_0=(1,0,0) under field which is correlated with the collapse of the AF Bragg
reflections at Q_0.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Soc. Jp
Magneto-optical properties of MnBiAl thin films
Mn-Bi-Al thin films. were produced by sequential evaporation of the constituents, followed by an anneal at 300 °C. The temperature and composition dependencies of the Kerr rotation angle, absolute reflectivity, and magnetic anisotropy were measured. The results show that, up to 30 at. % Al concentration, the thin films retain the pure MnBi hexagonal structure. Further, for suitable Al content, the films have the same large Kerr rotation as MnBi. Pure MnBi films exhibit perpendicular anisotropy at room temperature and in-plane anisotropy for temperatures below 142 K. In contrast,. the Al-doped films prepared here have perpendicular anisotropy down to at least 85 K. The increased coercivities of the Al-doped films are attributed to the occupation of grain-boundary and interstitial sites of the NiAs-type hexagonal structure by the Al-atoms
Carrier-Induced Magnetic Circular Dichloism in the Magnetoresistive Pyrochlore Tl2Mn2O7
Infrared magnetic circular dichloism (MCD), or equivalently magneto-optical
Kerr effect, has been measured on the Tl2Mn2O7 pyrochlore, which is well known
for exhibiting a large magnetoresistance around the Curie temperature T_C ~ 120
K. A circularly polarized, infrared synchrotron radiation is used as the light
source. A pronounced MCD signal is observed exactly at the plasma edge of the
reflectivity near and below T_c. However, contrary to the conventional behavior
of MCD for ferromagnets, the observed MCD of Tl2Mn2O7 grows with the applied
magnetic field, and not scaled with the internal magnetization. It is shown
that these results can be basically understood in terms of a classical
magnetoplasma resonance. The absence of a magnetization-scaled MCD indicates a
weak spin-orbit coupling of the carriers in Tl2Mn2O7. We discuss the present
results in terms of the microscopic electronic structures of Tl2Mn2O7.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp
Approximative treatment of 5f-systems with partial localization due to intra-atomic correlations
Increasing experimental and theoretical evidence points towards a dual nature
of the 5 electrons in actinide-based strongly correlated metallic compounds,
with some 5 electrons being localized and others delocalized. In a recent
paper (PRB xxx, 2004), we suggested the interplay of intra-atomic correlations
as described by Hund's rules and a weakly anisotropic hopping (hybridization)
as a possible mechanism. The purpose of the present work is to provide a first
step towards a microscopic description of partial localization in solids by
analyzing how well various approximation schemes perform when applied to small
clusters. It is found that many aspects of partial localization are described
appropriately both by a variational wavefunction of Gutzwiller type and by a
treatment which keeps only those interactions which are present in LDA+U
calculations. In contrast, the energies and phase diagram calculated within the
Hartree Fock approximation show little resemblence with the exact results.
Enhancement of hopping anisotropy by Hund's rule correlations are found in all
approximations.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure
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