207Pb and 17O NMR Study of the Electron Density Distribution in Metal Phase of BaPb_{1-x}Bi_xO_3

The 17O and 207Pb NMR spectra were measured in ceramic samples in the metallic phase of BaPb_{1-x}Bi_{x}O_3 oxides (0<x< 0.33). The inhomogeneous magnetic broadening which appears due to a distribution of the Knight shifts was analyzed in detail. It is shown that Bi atoms, which are randomly incorporated in BaPbO_3 parent compound give rise to an increased conduction electron spin density within an area which is delimited by its two first cation shells. According to NMR data the percolative overlap of these areas occurs in superconducting compositions and it is accompanied by a sharp growth of the average Knight shift . The decrease of with temperature revealed for x=0.33 evidences for an opening of the energy gap near E_F near the metal-semiconductor transition (x=0.35).Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.

The charge ordered state in half-doped Bi-based manganites studied by 17^{17}O and 209^{209}Bi NMR

We present a $^{209}$Bi and $^{17}$O NMR study of the Mn electron spin correlations developed in the charge ordered state of Bi$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$MnO$_{3}$ and Bi$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_{3}$. The unusually large local magnetic field $^{209}H_{loc}$ indicates the dominant $6s^{2}$ character of the lone electron pair of Bi$^{3+}$-ions in both compounds. The mechanism connecting the $s$ character of the lone pairs to the high temperature of charge ordering $T_{CO}$ is still not clarified. The observed difference in $^{209}H_{loc}$ for Bi$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$MnO$_{3}$ to Bi$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_{3}$ is probably due to a decrease in the canting of the staggered magnetic moments of Mn$^{3+}$-ions from. The modification of the $^{17}$O spectra below $T_{CO}$ demonstrates that the line due to the apical oxygens is a unique local tool to study the development of the Mn spin correlations. In the AF state the analysis of the $^{17}$O spectrum of Pr$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_{3}$ and Bi$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$MnO$_{3}$ prompts us to try two different theoretical descriptions of the charge-ordered state, a site-centered model for the first manganite and a bond-centered model for the second one.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Isotopic disorder in Ge single crystals probed with 73Ge NMR

NMR spectra of 73Ge (nuclear spin I=9/2) in germanium single crystals with different isotopic compositions have been measured at the frequency of 17.4 MHz at room temperature. Due to the small concentration (∼0.1%) of the magnetic (73Ge) isotope, the magnetic dipole-dipole interaction is negligible in the samples studied, and the observed specific features of the resonance line shapes (a narrow central peak and a wide plateau) are determined mainly by the quadrupole interaction of magnetic nuclei with the random electric-field gradient (EFG) induced by the isotopic disorder. The second and fourth moments of the distribution function of the EFG are calculated taking into account local lattice deformations due to mass defects in the close neighborhood of the magnetic nuclei, as well as charge-density redistributions and lattice strains induced by distant impurity isotopes. The simulated line shapes, represented by a superposition of Gaussians corresponding to individual transitions between nuclear Zeeman sublevels, agree reasonably well with the measured spectra

Charge and Orbital Ordering in Pr_{0.5} Ca_{0.5} MnO_3 Studied by ^{17}O NMR

The charge and orbital ordering in Pr_{0.5} Ca_{0.5} MnO_3 is studied for the first time by ^{17}O NMR. This local probe is sensitive to spin, charge and orbital correlations. Two transitions exist in this system: the charge and orbital ordering at T_{CO} = 225 K and the antiferromagnetic (AF) transition at T_N = 170 K. Both are clearly seen in the NMR spectra measured in a magnetic field of 7T. Above T_{CO} there exists only one NMR line with a large isotropic shift, whose temperature dependence is in accordance with the presence of ferromagnetic (FM) correlations. This line splits into two parts below T_{CO}, which are attributed to different types of oxygen in the charge/orbital ordered state. The interplay of FM and AF spin correlations of Mn ions in the charge ordered state of Pr_{0.5} Ca_{0.5} MnO_3 is considered in terms of the hole hopping motion that is slowed down with decreasing temperature. The developing fine structure of the spectra evidences, that there still exist charge-disordered regions at T_{CO} > T > T_N and that the static (t > 10^{-6}s) orbital order is established only on approaching T_N. The CE-type magnetic correlations develop gradually below T_{CO}, so that at first the AF correlations between checkerboard ab-layers appear, and only at lower temperature - CE correlations within the ab-planes

Spin Susceptibility of Ga-Stabilized delta-Pu Probed by {69}^Ga NMR

Spin susceptibility of stabilized \delta phase in the Pu-Ga alloy is studied by measuring {69,71}^Ga NMR spectra and nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate {69}T_{1}^{-1} in the temperature range 5 - 350 K. The shift ({69}^K) of the {69,71}^Ga NMR line and {69}^T_{1}^{-1} are controlled correspondingly by the static and the fluctuating in time parts of local magnetic field arisen at nonmagnetic gallium due to transferred hyperfine coupling with the nearest f electron environment of the more magnetic Pu. The nonmonotonic with a maximum around 150 K behavior of {69}^K(T) \chi_{s,5f}(T) is attributed to the peculiarities in temperature dependence of the f electron spin susceptibility \chi_{s,5f}(T) in \delta phase of plutonium. The temperature reversibility being observed in {69}^K(T) data provides strong evidence for an electronic instability developed with T in f electron bands near the Fermi energy and accompanied with a pseudogap-like decrease of \chi_{s,5f}(T) at T<150 K. The NMR data at high temperature are in favor of the mainly localized character of 5f electrons in \delta phase of the alloy with characteristic spin-fluctuation energy \Gamma(T) T^{0.35(5)}, which is close to $\Gamma(T) T^{0.5} predicted by Cox et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 57, 3166 (1985)] for 3D Kondo-system above T_Kondo}. The dynamic spin correlations of 5f electrons become essential to consider for {69}^T_{1}^{-1}(T) only at T<100 K. However, no NMR evidences favoring formation of the static magnetic order in \delta-Pu were revealed down to 5K .Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure