Structural, electronic, and magneto-optical properties of YVO3_3

Optical and magneto-optical properties of YVO$_3$ single crystal were studied in FIR, visible, and UV regions. Two structural phase transitions at 75 K and 200 K were observed and established to be of the first and second order, respectively. The lattice has an orthorhombic $Pbnm$ symmetry both above 200 K as well as below 75 K, and is found to be dimerized monoclinic $Pb11$ in between. We identify YVO$_3$ as a Mott-Hubbard insulator with the optical gap of 1.6 eV. The electronic excitations in the visible spectrum are determined by three $d$-bands at 1.8, 2.4, and 3.3 eV, followed by the charge-transfer transitions at about 4 eV. The observed structure is in good agreement with LSDA+$U$ band structure calculations. By using ligand field considerations, we assigned these bands to the transitions to the $^4A_{2g}$, $^2E_{g} + ^2T_{1g}$, and $^2T_{2g}$ states. The strong temperature dependence of these bands is in agreement with the formation of orbital order. Despite the small net magnetic moment of 0.01 $\mu_B$ per vanadium, the Kerr effect of the order of $0.01^\circ$ was observed for all three $d$-bands in the magnetically ordered phase $T_{\text{N\'eel}}<116 K$. A surprisingly strong enhancement of the Kerr effect was found below 75 K, reaching a maximum of $0.1^\circ$. The effect is ascribed to the non-vanishing net orbital magnetic moment.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Evidence for LineLike Vortex Liquid Phase in Tl2_2Ba2_2CaCu2_2O8_8 Probed by the Josephson Plasma Resonance

We measured the Josephson plasma resonance (JPR) in optimally doped Tl$_2$Ba$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ thin films using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in transmission. The temperature and magnetic field dependence of the JPR frequency shows that the c-axis correlations of pancake vortices remain intact at the transition from the vortex solid to the liquid phase. In this respect Tl$_2$Ba$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ films, withanisotropy parameter $\gamma\approx 150$, are similar to the less anisotropic YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ $(\gamma\approx 8)$ rather than to the most anisotropic Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ single crystals $\gamma\geq 500$).Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letter