Joseph Prestigiacomo

The comparison of direct and indirect methods for determining the magnetocaloric parameters in the Heusler alloy Ni50Mn34.8In14.2B

The magnetocaloric properties of the Ni50Mn34.8In14.2B Heusler alloy have been studied by direct measurements of the adiabatic temperature change (ΔTAD(T,H)) and indirectly by magnetization (M(T,H)), differential scanning calorimetry, and specific heat (C(T,H)) measurements. The presence of a first-order ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition has been detected for Ni50Mn34.8In14.2B at 320 K. The magnetocaloric parameters, i.e., the magnetic entropy change (ΔSM = (2.9-3.2) J/kgK) and the adiabatic temperature change (ΔTAD = (1.3-1.52) K), have been evaluated for ΔH = 1.8 T from CP(T,H) and M(T,H) data and from direct ΔTAD(T,H) measurements. The extracted magnetocaloric parameters are comparable to those of Gd.

Mn1-xFexCoGe: A strongly correlated metal in the proximity of a noncollinear ferromagnetic state

An unusually large Kadowaki–Woods ratio of A/γ2 ∼ 43 μΩ·cm·mol2·K2·J−2 has been observed for intermetallic Mn1-xFexCoGe compounds in the proximity of x = 0.2 where the magnetic state of itinerant electrons system changes. The ratio is approximately four times larger than observed for heavy fermion systems. The manifestation of the strong electron correlations can be realized from the anisotropic origin of the effect through the substantial reduction of interlayer transport of heavy quasiparticles with comparable mean-free path and interlayer spacing in the proximity of a noncollinear ferromagnetic state associated with a large density of states at the Fermi level.

Using metamaterial nanoengineering to triple the superconducting critical temperature of bulk aluminum.

Recent experiments have shown the viability of the metamaterial approach to dielectric response engineering for enhancing the transition temperature, Tc, of a superconductor. In this report, we demonstrate the use of Al2O3-coated aluminium nanoparticles to form the recently proposed epsilon near zero (ENZ) core-shell metamaterial superconductor with a Tc that is three times that of pure aluminium. IR reflectivity measurements confirm the predicted metamaterial modification of the dielectric function thus demonstrating the efficacy of the ENZ metamaterial approach to Tc engineering. The developed technology enables efficient nanofabrication of bulk aluminium-based metamaterial superconductors. These results open up numerous new possibilities of considerable Tc increase in other simple superconductors.

Hall effect and the magnetotransport properties of Co2MnSi1-xAlx Heusler alloys

We have investigated the transport properties of the quaternary Heusler alloys Co2MnSi1-xAlx (0≤x≤1), which have been theoretically predicted to develop a half-metallic band structure as x→0. Resistivity versus temperature measurements as a function of Al concentration (x) revealed a systematic reduction in the residual resistivity ratio as well as a transition from weakly localized to half-metallic conduction as x→0. From measurements of the ordinary and anomalous Hall effects, the charge carrier concentration was found to increase, while the anomalous Hall coefficient decreased by nearly an order of magnitude with each sample as x→0 (Δx=0.25.). Scaling of the anomalous Hall effect with longitudinal resistivity reveals that both the skew-scattering and intrinsic contributions grow quickly as x→1, indicating that disorder and band-structure effects cause the large anomalous Hall effect magnitudes observed for Co2MnAl.

Structural complexity meets transport and magnetic anisotropy in single crystalline Ln30Ru4Sn31 (Ln = Gd, Dy).

We present the structure of Ln(30)Ru(4+x)Sn(31-y) (Ln = Gd, Dy) and the anisotropic resistivity, magnetization, thermopower, and thermal conductivity of single crystal Ln(30)Ru(4+x)Sn(31-y) (Ln = Gd, Tb). Gd(30)Ru(4.92)Sn(30.54) crystallizes in a new structure-type with space group Pnnm and dimensions of a = 11.784(1) Å, b = 24.717(1) Å, and c = 11.651(2) Å, and V = 3394(1) Å(3). Magnetic anisotropy and highly anisotropic electrical transport behavior were observed in the single crystals of Gd(30)Ru(4.92)Sn(30.54) and Tb(30)Ru(6)Sn(29.5). Additionally, the lattice thermal conductivity of Tb(30)Ru(6)Sn(29.5) is quite low, and a comparison is made to other Sn-containing compounds.

Magnetic, thermodynamic, and electrical transport properties of the noncentrosymmetric B20 germanides MnGe and CoGe

We present magnetization, specific heat, resistivity, and Hall effect measurements on the cubic B20 phase of MnGe and CoGe and compare to measurements of isostructural FeGe and electronic-structure calculations. In MnGe, we observe a transition to a magnetic state at Tc = 275 K as identified by a sharp peak in the ac magnetic susceptibility, as well as second phase transition at lower temperature that becomes apparent only at finite magnetic field. We discover two phase transitions in the specific heat at temperatures much below the Curie temperature, one of which we associate with changes to the magnetic structure. A magnetic field reduces the temperatureofthistransitionwhichcorrespondscloselytothesharppeakobservedintheacsusceptibilityatfields above 5 kOe. The second of these transitions is not affected by the application of field and has no signature in the magnetic properties or our crystal-structure parameters. Transport measurements indicate that MnGe is metallic with a negative magnetoresistance similar to that seen in isostructural FeGe and MnSi. Hall effect measurements reveal a carrier concentration of about 0.5 carriers per formula unit, also similar to that found in FeGe and MnSi. CoGe is shown to be a low carrier density metal with a very small, nearly temperature-independent diamagnetic susceptibility.

Field-pulse memory in a spin-glass

We report a magnetic field-pulse memory effect in the temperature-dependent magnetization of Tb30Ru6.0Sn29.5, a spin-glass material having a newly identified structure type. Tb30Ru6.0Sn29.5 exhibits a glassy magnetization component of ∼2290 emu/mol-Tb, which represents over 84% of its total saturation magnetization. We show that when a magnetic field pulse of a few hundred gauss is applied to the sample as it is cooling, the system retains a memory of the temperature at which the pulse was applied. Upon warming, the imprinted memory is observed as a precipitous drop in magnetization at the pulse temperature.

Structures and phase transitions of CePd3+xGa8-x: new variants of the BaHg11 structure type.

New distorted variants of the cubic BaHg11 structure type have been synthesized in Ga flux. Multiple phases of CePd3+xGa8-x, which include an orthorhombic Pmmn structure (x = 3.21(2)), a rhombohedral R3m structure (x = 3.13(4)), and a cubic Fm3m superstructure (x = 2.69(6)), form preferentially depending on reaction cooling rate and isolation temperature. Differential thermal analysis and in situ temperature-dependent powder X-ray diffraction patterns show a reversible phase transition at approximately 640 °C between the low temperature orthorhombic and rhombohedral structures and the high temperature cubic superstructure. Single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments indicate that the general structure of BaHg11, including the intersecting planes of a kagomé-type arrangement of Ce atoms, is only slightly distorted in the low temperature phases. A combination of Kondo, crystal electric field, and magnetic frustration effects may be present, resulting in low temperature anomalies in magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, and heat capacity measurements. In addition to CePd3+xGa8-x, the rare earth analogues REPd3+xGa8-x, RE = La, Nd, Sm, Tm, and Yb, were successfully synthesized and also crystallize in one of the lower symmetry space groups.

Enhanced superconductivity in aluminum-based hyperbolic metamaterials

One of the most important goals of condensed matter physics is materials by design, i.e. the ability to reliably predict and design materials with a set of desired properties. A striking example is the deterministic enhancement of the superconducting properties of materials. Recent experiments have demonstrated that the metamaterial approach is capable of achieving this goal, such as tripling the critical temperature TC in Al-Al2O3 epsilon near zero (ENZ) core-shell metamaterial superconductors. Here, we demonstrate that an Al/Al2O3 hyperbolic metamaterial geometry is capable of a similar TC enhancement, while having superior transport and magnetic properties compared to the core-shell metamaterial superconductors.

The Adiabatic Temperature Changes in the Vicinity of the First-Order Paramagnetic-Ferromagnetic Transition in the Ni-Mn-In-B Heusler Alloy

The magnetocaloric properties of Ni-Mn-In-B Heusler alloy have been studied using direct measurements of the adiabatic temperature change (Δ<i>T</i>_AD(<i>T</i>,<i>H</i>)) , and indirectly by magnetization (<i>M</i>(<i>T</i>,<i>H</i>)), differential scanning calorimetry, and specific heat (<i>C</i>_P(<i>T</i>,<i>H</i>)) measurements. The presence of a first-order ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition has been detected for Ni₅₀Mn_34.8In_14.2B at 320 K. The magnetocaloric parameters, i.e., the magnetic entropy change, Δ<i>S</i>_M = (2.9-3.2) J/kgK, and the adiabatic temperature change, Δ<i>T</i>_AD = (1.3-1.52) K, have been evaluated for Δμ₀<i>H</i> = 1.8 T from <i>C</i>_P(<i>T</i>,<i>H</i>) and M(T,H), and from <i>C</i>_P(<i>T</i>,<i>H</i>) and direct Δ<i>T</i>_AD(<i>T</i>,<i>H</i>) measurements, respectively, in the vicinity of the first-order transition temperature. The extracted magnetocaloric parameters are comparable to that of Gd.