96 research outputs found
Non-equilibrium hysteresis and spin relaxation in the mixed-anisotropy dipolar coupled spin-glass LiHoErF
We present a study of the model spin-glass LiHoErF using
simultaneous AC susceptibility, magnetization and magnetocaloric effect
measurements along with small angle neutron scattering (SANS) at sub-Kelvin
temperatures. All measured bulk quantities reveal hysteretic behavior when the
field is applied along the crystallographic c axis. Furthermore avalanche-like
relaxation is observed in a static field after ramping from the
zero-field-cooled state up to Oe. SANS measurements are employed to
track the microscopic spin reconfiguration throughout both the hysteresis loop
and the related relaxation. Comparing the SANS data to inhomogeneous mean-field
calculations performed on a box of one million unit cells provides a real-space
picture of the spin configuration. We discover that the avalanche is being
driven by released Zeeman energy, which heats the sample and creates positive
feedback, continuing the avalanche. The combination of SANS and mean-field
simulations reveal that the conventional distribution of cluster sizes is
replaced by one with a depletion of intermediate cluster sizes for much of the
hysteresis loop.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Staggered-flux state for rectangular-lattice spin 1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet
We investigate the spin-1/2 Heisenberg model on a rectangular lattice, using
the Gutzwiller projected variational wave function known as the staggered flux
state. Using Monte Carlo techniques, the variational parameters and static
spin-structure factor for different coupling anisotropies are
calculated. We observe a gradual evolution of the ground state energy towards a
value which is very close to the 1D estimate provided by the Bethe ansatz and a
good agreement between the finite size scaling of the energies. The spin-spin
correlation functions exhibit a power-law decay with varying exponents for
different anisotropies. Though the lack of N\'eel order makes the staggered
flux state energetically unfavorable in the symmetric case , it
appears to capture the essence of the system close to 1D. Hence we believe that
the staggered flux state provides an interesting starting point to explore the
crossover from quantum disordered chains to the N\'eel ordered 2D square
lattices
Magnetic hour-glass dispersion and its relation to high-temperature superconductivity in iron-tuned FeTeSe
High-temperature superconductivity remains arguably the largest outstanding
enigma of condensed matter physics. The discovery of iron-based
high-temperature superconductors has renewed the importance of understanding
superconductivity in materials susceptible to magnetic order and fluctuations.
Intriguingly they show magnetic fluctuations reminiscent of the superconducting
(SC) cuprates, including a 'resonance' and an 'hour-glass' shaped dispersion,
which provide an opportunity to new insight to the coupling between spin
fluctuations and superconductivity. Here we report inelastic neutron scattering
data on FeTeSe using excess iron concentration to tune
between a SC () and a non-SC () ground states. We find
incommensurate spectra in both samples but discover that in the one that
becomes SC, a constriction towards a commensurate hourglass shape develop well
above . Conversely a spin-gap and concomitant spectral weight shift happen
below . Our results imply that the hourglass shaped dispersion is most
likely a pre-requisite for superconductivity, whereas the spin-gap and shift of
spectral weight are consequences of superconductivity. We explain this
observation by pointing out that an inwards dispersion towards the commensurate
wave-vector is needed for the opening of a spin gap to lower the magnetic
exchange energy and hence provide the necessary condensation energy for the SC
state to emerge
The electronic structure of the high-symmetry perovskite iridate Ba2IrO4
We report angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) measurements, density
functional and model tight-binding calculations on BaIrO (Ba-214), an
antiferromagnetic ( K) insulator. Ba-214 does not exhibit the
rotational distortion of the IrO octahedra that is present in its sister
compound SrIrO (Sr-214), and is therefore an attractive reference
material to study the electronic structure of layered iridates. We find that
the band structures of Ba-214 and Sr-214 are qualitatively similar, hinting at
the predominant role of the spin-orbit interaction in these materials.
Temperature-dependent ARPES data show that the energy gap persists well above
, and favour a Mott over a Slater scenario for this compound.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure
Spin excitations in a single LaCuO layer
The dynamics of S=1/2 quantum spins on a 2D square lattice lie at the heart
of the mystery of the cuprates
\cite{Hayden2004,Vignolle2007,Li2010,LeTacon2011,Coldea2001,Headings2010,Braicovich2010}.
In bulk cuprates such as \LCO{}, the presence of a weak interlayer coupling
stabilizes 3D N\'{e}el order up to high temperatures. In a truly 2D system
however, thermal spin fluctuations melt long range order at any finite
temperature \cite{Mermin1966}. Further, quantum spin fluctuations transfer
magnetic spectral weight out of a well-defined magnon excitation into a
magnetic continuum, the nature of which remains controversial
\cite{Sandvik2001,Ho2001,Christensen2007,Headings2010}. Here, we measure the
spin response of \emph{isolated one-unit-cell thick layers} of \LCO{}. We show
that coherent magnons persist even in a single layer of \LCO{} despite the loss
of magnetic order, with no evidence for resonating valence bond (RVB)-like spin
correlations \cite{Anderson1987,Hsu1990,Christensen2007}. Thus these
excitations are well described by linear spin wave theory (LSWT). We also
observe a high-energy magnetic continuum in the isotropic magnetic response.
This high-energy continuum is not well described by 2 magnon LSWT, or indeed
any existing theories.Comment: Revised version to appear in Nature Materials; 6 pages,4 figure
Spin-Orbit-Induced Orbital Excitations in Sr2RuO4 and Ca2RuO4: A Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering Study
High-resolution resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) at the oxygen
K-edge has been used to study the orbital excitations of Ca2RuO4 and Sr2RuO4.
In combination with linear dichroism X-ray absorption spectroscopy, the
ruthenium 4d-orbital occupation and excitations were probed through their
hybridization with the oxygen p-orbitals. These results are described within a
minimal model, taking into account crystal field splitting and a spin-orbit
coupling \lambda_{so}=200~meV. The effects of spin-orbit interaction on the
electronic structure and implications for the Mott and superconducting ground
states of (Ca,Sr)2RuO4 are discussed.Comment: accepted in PRB 201
Measurement of magnetic excitations in the two-dimensional antiferromagnetic Sr2CuO2Cl2 insulator using resonant x-ray scattering:Evidence for extended interactions
Using high-resolution resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS), we
performed a momentum-resolved study of magnetic excitations in the model
spin-1/2 2D antiferromagnetic insulator Sr_2CuCl_2O_2. We identify both a
single-spin-wave feature and a multi-magnon continuum, and show that the X-ray
polarization can be used to distinguish these two contributions in the
cross-section. The spin-waves display a large (70 meV) dispersion between the
zone-boundary points (,0) and (/2,/2). Employing an extended
--- one-band Hubbard model, we find significant electronic
hopping beyond nearest-neighbor Cu ions. We conclude that sizeable extended
magnetic interactions are present in \scoc{} and probably important in all
undoped cuprates.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Quantum and thermal ionic motion, oxygen isotope effect, and superexchange distribution in La<sub>2</sub>CuO<sub>4</sub>
We study the zero-point and thermal ionic motion in LaCuO by means of
high-resolution neutron diffraction experiments. Our results demonstrate
anisotropic motion of O and to a lesser extent of Cu ions, both consistent with
the structure of coupled CuO octahedra, and quantify the relative effects
of zero-point and thermal contributions to ionic motion. By substitution of
O, we find that the oxygen isotope effect on the lattice dimensions is
small and negative (), while the isotope effect on the ionic
displacement parameters is significant ( to ). We use our results as
input for theoretical estimates of the distribution of magnetic interaction
parameters, , in an effective one-band model for the cuprate plane. We find
that ionic motion causes only small () effects on the average value
, which vary with temperature and O isotope, but results in
dramatic (-) fluctuations in values that are subject to
significant (-) isotope effects. We demonstrate that this motional
broadening of can have substantial effects on certain electronic and
magnetic properties in cuprates.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure
Phase diagram with an enhanced spin-glass region of the mixed Ising-<em>XY</em> magnet LiHo<sub><em>x</em></sub>Er<sub>1<em>-x</em></sub>F<sub>4</sub>
We present the experimental phase diagram of LiHoxEr1 xF4, a dilution series of dipolar coupled model magnets. The phase diagram was determined using a combination of ac susceptibility and neutron scattering. Three unique phases in addition to the Ising ferromagnet LiHoF4 and the XY antiferromagnet LiErF4 have been identified. Below x 0.86, an embedded spin glass phase is observed, where a spin glass exists within the ferromagnetic structure. Below x 0.57, an Ising spin glass is observed consisting of frozen needlelike clusters. For x amp; 8764; 0.3 0.1, an antiferromagnetically coupled spin glass occurs. A reduction of TC x for the ferromagnet is observed which disobeys the mean field predictions that worked for LiHoxY1 xF4
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