175 research outputs found
Magnetic domain fluctuations in an antiferromagnetic film observed with coherent resonant soft x-ray scattering
We report the direct observation of slow fluctuations of helical
antiferromagnetic domains in an ultra-thin holmium film using coherent resonant
magnetic x-ray scattering. We observe a gradual increase of the fluctuations in
the speckle pattern with increasing temperature, while at the same time a
static contribution to the speckle pattern remains. This finding indicates that
domain-wall fluctuations occur over a large range of time scales. We ascribe
this non-ergodic behavior to the strong dependence of the fluctuation rate on
the local thickness of the film.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Electronic structure, magnetic and dielectric properties of the edge-sharing copper-oxide chain compound NaCuO
We report an experimental study of \nco, a Mott insulator containing chains
of edge-sharing CuO plaquettes, by polarized x-ray absorption spectroscopy
(XAS), resonant magnetic x-ray scattering (RMXS), magnetic susceptibility, and
pyroelectric current measurements. The XAS data show that the valence holes
reside exclusively on the Cu sites within the copper-oxide spin chains
and populate a -orbital polarized within the CuO plaquettes. The RMXS
measurements confirm the presence of incommensurate magnetic order below a
N\'eel temperature of K, which was previously inferred from
neutron powder diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance data. In conjunction
with the magnetic susceptibility and XAS data, they also demonstrate a new
"orbital" selection rule for RMXS that is of general relevance for magnetic
structure determinations by this technique. Dielectric property measurements
reveal the absence of significant ferroelectric polarization below , which
is in striking contrast to corresponding observations on the isostructural
compound \lco. The results are discussed in the context of current theories of
multiferroicity.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Tunable Charge and Spin Order in PrNiO Thin Films and Superlattices
We have used polarized Raman scattering to probe lattice vibrations and
charge ordering in 12 nm thick, epitaxially strained PrNiO films, and in
superlattices of PrNiO with the band-insulator PrAlO. A carefully
adjusted confocal geometry was used to eliminate the substrate contribution to
the Raman spectra. In films and superlattices under tensile strain, which
undergo a metal-insulator transition upon cooling, the Raman spectra reveal
phonon modes characteristic of charge ordering. These anomalous phonons do not
appear in compressively strained films, which remain metallic at all
temperatures. For superlattices under compressive strain, the Raman spectra
show no evidence of anomalous phonons indicative of charge ordering, while
complementary resonant x-ray scattering experiments reveal antiferromagnetic
order associated with a modest increase in resistivity upon cooling. This
confirms theoretical predictions of a spin density wave phase driven by spatial
confinement of the conduction electrons.Comment: PRL, in pres
Momentum-dependent charge correlations in YBaCuO superconductors probed by resonant x-ray scattering: Evidence for three competing phases
We have used resonant x-ray scattering to determine the momentum dependent
charge correlations in YBaCuO samples with highly ordered
chain arrays of oxygen acceptors (ortho-II structure). The results reveal
nearly critical, biaxial charge density wave (CDW) correlations at in-plane
wave vectors (0.315, 0) and (0, 0.325). The corresponding scattering intensity
exhibits a strong uniaxial anisotropy. The CDW amplitude and correlation length
are enhanced as superconductivity is weakened by an external magnetic field.
Analogous experiments were carried out on a YBaCuO crystal with
a dilute concentration of spinless (Zn) impurities, which had earlier been
shown to nucleate incommensurate magnetic order. Compared to pristine crystals
with the same doping level, the CDW amplitude and correlation length were found
to be strongly reduced. These results indicate a three-phase competition
between spin-modulated, charge-modulated, and superconducting states in
underdoped YBaCuO.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures revised version, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Iron porphyrin molecules on Cu(001): Influence of adlayers and ligands on the magnetic properties
The structural and magnetic properties of Fe octaethylporphyrin (OEP)
molecules on Cu(001) have been investigated by means of density functional
theory (DFT) methods and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The molecules have been
adsorbed on the bare metal surface and on an oxygen-covered surface, which
shows a reconstruction. In order to allow
for a direct comparison between magnetic moments obtained from sum-rule
analysis and DFT we calculate the dipolar term , which is also
important in view of the magnetic anisotropy of the molecule. The measured
X-ray magnetic circular dichroism shows a strong dependence on the photon
incidence angle, which we could relate to a huge value of , e.g. on
Cu(001) amounts to -2.07\,\mbo{} for normal incidence leading to a
reduction of the effective spin moment . Calculations have also
been performed to study the influence of possible ligands such as Cl and O
atoms on the magnetic properties of the molecule and the interaction between
molecule and surface, because the experimental spectra display a clear
dependence on the ligand, which is used to stabilize the molecule in the gas
phase. Both types of ligands weaken the hybridization between surface and
porphyrin molecule and change the magnetic spin state of the molecule, but the
changes in the X-ray absorption are clearly related to residual Cl ligands.Comment: 17 figures, full articl
A Comparison of Stripe Modulations in LaBaCuO and LaNdSrCuO
We report combined soft and hard x-ray scattering studies of the electronic
and lattice modulations associated with stripe order in
LaBaCuO and LaNdSrCuO. We
find that the amplitude of both the electronic modulation of the hole density
and the strain modulation of the lattice is significantly larger in
LaBaCuO than in LaNdSrCuO
and is also better correlated. The in-plane correlation lengths are isotropic
in each case; for LaBaCuO, \AA\
whereas for LaNdSrCuOF,
\AA. We find that the modulations are temperature independent in
LaBaCuO in the low temperature tetragonal phase. In
contrast, in LaNdSrCuO, the amplitude grows
smoothly from zero, beginning 13 K below the LTT phase transition. We speculate
that the reduced average tilt angle in LaBaCuO results
in reduced charge localization and incoherent pinning, leading to the longer
correlation length and enhanced periodic modulation amplitude.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Stripe order of La1.64Eu0.2Sr0.16CuO4 in magnetic fields studied by resonant soft x ray scattering
We present results on the magnetic field dependence of the stripe order in La1.64Eu0.2Sr0.16CuO4 LESCO . Using resonant soft x ray scattering at the oxygen K edge to probe the 0.259,0,0.648 superlattice reflection, which is commonly associated to charge stripes, we found no pronounced difference in the wave vector, peak widths, and integrated intensity for magnetic fields up to B 6 T. This is in strong contrast to the behavior observed for La1.875Sr0.125CuO4, where a stabilization of the charge modulation in high magnetic fields has been demonstrate
Doping dependent charge order correlations in electron-doped cuprates
Understanding the interplay between charge order (CO) and other phenomena
(e.g. pseudogap, antiferromagnetism, and superconductivity) is one of the
central questions in the cuprate high-temperature superconductors. The
discovery that similar forms of CO exist in both hole- and electron-doped
cuprates opened a path to determine what subset of the CO phenomenology is
universal to all the cuprates. Here, we use resonant x-ray scattering to
measure the charge order correlations in electron-doped cuprates (La2-xCexCuO4
and Nd2-xCexCuO4) and their relationship to antiferromagnetism, pseudogap, and
superconductivity. Detailed measurements of Nd2-xCexCuO4 show that CO is
present in the x = 0.059 to 0.166 range, and that its doping dependent
wavevector is consistent with the separation between straight segments of the
Fermi surface. The CO onset temperature is highest between x = 0.106 and 0.166,
but decreases at lower doping levels, indicating that it is not tied to the
appearance of antiferromagnetic correlations or the pseudogap. Near optimal
doping, where the CO wavevector is also consistent with a previously observed
phonon anomaly, measurements of the CO below and above the superconducting
transition temperature, or in a magnetic field, show that the CO is insensitive
to superconductivity. Overall these findings indicate that, while verified in
the electron-doped cuprates, material-dependent details determine whether the
CO correlations acquire sufficient strength to compete for the ground state of
the cuprates.Comment: Supplementary information available upon reques
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