Scaling of the microwave magneto-impedance in Tl2_2Ba2_2CaCu2_2O8+δ_{8+\delta} thin films

We present measurements of the magnetic field-induced microwave complex resistivity changes at 47 GHz in Tl$_2$Ba$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ (TBCCO) thin films, in the ranges 58 K$<T<T_{c}$ and 0$<\mu_{0}H<$0.8 T. The large imaginary part $\Delta\rho_{2}(H)$ points to strong elastic response, but the data are not easily reconciled with a rigid vortex model. We find that, over a wide range of temperatures, all the pairs of curves $\Delta\rho_{1}(H)$ and $\Delta\rho_{2}(H)$ can be collapsed on a pair of scaling curves $\Delta\rho_{1}[H/H^{*}(T)]$, $\Delta\rho_{2}[H/H^{*}(T)]$, with the same scaling field $H^{*}(T)$. We argue that $H^{*}(T)$ is related to the loss of vortex rigidity due to a vortex transformation.Comment: Two printed pages, Proceedings of M2S (Dresden, 2006), to appear in Physica

Vortex state microwave resistivity in Tl-2212 thin films

We present measurements of the field induced changes in the 47 GHz complex resistivity, $\Delta \tilde \rho(H,T)$, in Tl$_{2}$Ba$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+x}$ (TBCCO) thin films with $T_{c}\simeq$ 105 K, prepared on CeO$_{2}$ buffered sapphire substrates. At low fields ($\mu_{0}H<$10 mT) a very small irreversible feature is present, suggesting a little role of intergranular phenomena. Above that level $\Delta \tilde \rho(H,T)$ exhibits a superlinear dependence with the field, as opposed to the expected (at high frequencies) quasilinear behaviour. We observe a crossover between predominantly imaginary to predominantly real (dissipative) response with increasing temperature and/or field. In addition, we find the clear scaling property $\Delta \tilde \rho(H,T)=\Delta \tilde \rho[H/H^{*}(T)]$, where the scaling field $H^{*}(T)$ maps closely the melting field measured in single crystals. We discuss our microwave results in terms of loss of flux lines rigidity.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, proceedings of 9th HTSHFF, accepted for publication on J. Supercon

Theoretical spin-wave dispersions in the antiferromagnetic phase AF1 of MnWO4_4 based on the polar atomistic model in P2

The spin wave dispersions of the low temperature antiferromagnetic phase (AF1) MnWO$_4$ have been numerically calculated based on the recently reported non-collinear spin configuration with two different canting angles. A Heisenberg model with competing magnetic exchange couplings and single-ion anisotropy terms could properly describe the spin wave excitations, including the newly observed low-lying energy excitation mode $\omega_2$=0.45 meV appearing at the magnetic zone centre. The spin wave dispersion and intensities are highly sensitive to two differently aligned spin-canting sublattices in the AF1 model. Thus this study reinsures the otherwise hardly provable hidden polar character in MnWO$_4$.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Spin reorientation in Na-doped BaFe2_2As2_2 studied by neutron diffraction

We have studied the magnetic ordering in Na doped BaFe$_2$As$_2$ by unpolarized and polarized neutron diffraction using single crystals. Unlike previously studied FeAs-based compounds that magnetically order, Ba$_{1-x}$Na$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ exhibits two successive magnetic transitions: For x=0.35 upon cooling magnetic order occurs at $\sim$70\ K with in-plane magnetic moments being arranged as in pure or Ni, Co and K-doped BaFe$_2$As$_2$ samples. At a temperature of $\sim$46\ K a second phase transition occurs, which the single-crystal neutron diffraction experiments can unambiguously identify as a spin reorientation. At low temperatures, the ordered magnetic moments in Ba$_{0.65}$Na$_{0.35}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ point along the $c$ direction. Magnetic correlations in these materials cannot be considered as Ising like, and spin-orbit coupling must be included in a quantitative theory.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Spin-Wave and Electromagnon Dispersions in Multiferroic MnWO4 as Observed by Neutron Spectroscopy: Isotropic Heisenberg Exchange versus Anisotropic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction

High resolution inelastic neutron scattering reveals that the elementary magnetic excitations in multiferroic MnWO4 consist of low energy dispersive electromagnons in addition to the well-known spin-wave excitations. The latter can well be modeled by a Heisenberg Hamiltonian with magnetic exchange coupling extending to the 12th nearest neighbor. They exhibit a spin-wave gap of 0.61(1) meV. Two electromagnon branches appear at lower energies of 0.07(1) meV and 0.45(1) meV at the zone center. They reflect the dynamic magnetoelectric coupling and persist in both, the collinear magnetic and paraelectric AF1 phase, and the spin spiral ferroelectric AF2 phase. These excitations are associated with the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya exchange interaction, which is significant due to the rather large spin-orbit coupling.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review

Magnetic-field and doping dependence of low-energy spin fluctuations in the antiferroquadrupolar compound Ce(1-x)La(x)B(6)

CeB(6) is a model compound exhibiting antiferroquadrupolar (AFQ) order, its magnetic properties being typically interpreted within localized models. More recently, the observation of strong and sharp magnetic exciton modes forming in its antiferromagnetic (AFM) state at both ferromagnetic and AFQ wave vectors suggested a significant contribution of itinerant electrons to the spin dynamics. Here we investigate the evolution of the AFQ excitation upon the application of an external magnetic field and the substitution of Ce with non-magnetic La, both parameters known to suppress the AFM phase. We find that the exciton energy decreases proportionally to T_N upon doping. In field, its intensity is suppressed, while its energy remains constant. Its disappearance above the critical field of the AFM phase is preceded by the formation of two modes, whose energies grow linearly with magnetic field upon entering the AFQ phase. These findings suggest a crossover from itinerant to localized spin dynamics between the two phases, the coupling to heavy-fermion quasiparticles being crucial for a comprehensive description of the magnon spectrum.Comment: Extended version with a longer introduction and an additional figure. 6 pages and 5 figure

Neutron scattering study of commensurate magnetic ordering in single crystal CeSb2_2

Temperature and field-dependent magnetization $M(H,T)$ measurements and neutron scattering study of a single crystal CeSb$_2$ are presented. Several anomalies in the magnetization curves have been confirmed at low magnetic field, i.e., 15.6 K, 12 K, and 9.8 K. These three transitions are all metamagnetic transitions (MMT), which shift to lower temperatures as the magnetic field increases. The anomaly at 15.6 K has been suggested as paramagnetic (PM) to ferromagnetic (FM) phase transition. The anomaly located at around 12 K is antiferromagnetic-like transition, and this turning point will clearly split into two when the magnetic field $H\geq0.2$ T. Neutron scattering study reveals that the low temperature ground state of CeSb$_2$ orders antiferromagnetically with commensurate propagation wave vectors $\textbf{k}=(-1,\pm1/6,0)$ and $\textbf{k}=(\pm1/6,-1,0)$, with N\'eel temperature $T_N\sim9.8$ K. This transition is of first-order, as shown in the hysteresis loop observed by the field cooled cooling (FCC) and field cooled warming (FCW) processes.Comment: 7 pages,9 figure

Improved treatment of the T2T_2 molecular final-states uncertainties for the KATRIN neutrino-mass measurement

The KArlsruhe TRItium Neutrino experiment (KATRIN) aims to determine the effective mass of the electron antineutrino via a high-precision measurement of the tritium beta-decay spectrum in its end-point region. The target neutrino-mass sensitivity of 0.2 eV / c^2 at 90% C.L. can only be achieved in the case of high statistics and a good control of the systematic uncertainties. One key systematic effect originates from the calculation of the molecular final states of T_2 beta decay. In the first neutrino-mass analyses of KATRIN the contribution of the uncertainty of the molecular final-states distribution (FSD) was estimated via a conservative phenomenological approach to be 0.02 eV^2 / c^4. In this paper a new procedure is presented for estimating the FSD-related uncertainties by considering the details of the final-states calculation, i.e. the uncertainties of constants, parameters, and functions used in the calculation as well as its convergence itself as a function of the basis-set size used in expanding the molecular wave functions. The calculated uncertainties are directly propagated into the experimental observable, the squared neutrino mass m_nu^2. With the new procedure the FSD-related uncertainty is constrained to 0.0013 eV^2 / c^4, for the experimental conditions of the first KATRIN measurement campaign

Consequences of critical interchain couplings and anisotropy on a Haldane chain

Effects of interchain couplings and anisotropy on a Haldane chain have been investigated by single crystal inelastic neutron scattering and density functional theory (DFT) calculations on the model compound SrNi$_2$V$_2$O$_8$. Significant effects on low energy excitation spectra are found where the Haldane gap ($\Delta_0 \approx 0.41J$; where $J$ is the intrachain exchange interaction) is replaced by three energy minima at different antiferromagnetic zone centers due to the complex interchain couplings. Further, the triplet states are split into two branches by single-ion anisotropy. Quantitative information on the intrachain and interchain interactions as well as on the single-ion anisotropy are obtained from the analyses of the neutron scattering spectra by the random phase approximation (RPA) method. The presence of multiple competing interchain interactions is found from the analysis of the experimental spectra and is also confirmed by the DFT calculations. The interchain interactions are two orders of magnitude weaker than the nearest-neighbour intrachain interaction $J$ = 8.7~meV. The DFT calculations reveal that the dominant intrachain nearest-neighbor interaction occurs via nontrivial extended superexchange pathways Ni--O--V--O--Ni involving the empty $d$ orbital of V ions. The present single crystal study also allows us to correctly position SrNi$_2$V$_2$O$_8$ in the theoretical $D$-$J_{\perp}$ phase diagram [T. Sakai and M. Takahashi, Phys. Rev. B 42, 4537 (1990)] showing where it lies within the spin-liquid phase.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables PRB (accepted). in Phys. Rev. B (2015

Revisiting the ground state of CoAl2_2O4_4: comparison to the conventional antiferromagnet MnAl2_2O4_4

The A-site spinel material, CoAl2O4, is a physical realization of the frustrated diamond-lattice antiferromagnet, a model in which is predicted to contain unique incommensurate or `spin-spiral liquid' ground states. Our previous single-crystal neutron scattering study instead classified it as a `kinetically-inhibited' antiferromagnet, where the long ranged correlations of a collinear Neel ground state are blocked by the freezing of domain wall motion below a first-order phase transition at T* = 6.5 K. The current paper expands on our original results in several important ways. New elastic and inelastic neutron measurements are presented that show our initial conclusions are affected by neither the sample measured nor the instrument resolution, while measurements to temperatures as low as T = 250 mK limit the possible role being played by low-lying thermal excitations. Polarized diffuse neutron measurements confirm reports of short-range antiferromagnetic correlations and diffuse streaks of scattering, but major diffuse features are explained as signatures of overlapping critical correlations between neighboring Brillouin zones. Finally, and critically, this paper presents detailed elastic and inelastic measurements of magnetic correlations in a single-crystal of MnAl2O4, which acts as an unfrustrated analogue to CoAl2O4. The unfrustrated material is shown to have a classical continuous phase transition to Neel order at T_N = 39 K, with collective spinwave excitations and Lorentzian-like critical correlations which diverge at the transition. Direct comparison between the two compounds indicates that CoAl2O4 is unique, not in the nature of high-temperature diffuse correlations, but rather in the nature of the frozen state below T*. The higher level of cation inversion in the MnAl2O4 sample indicates that this novel behavior is primarily an effect of greater next-nearest-neighbor exchange.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, acccepted for publication in Physical Review