K Yagasaki

Effect of pressure on thermopower of EuNi2Ge2

EuNi2Ge2 is antiferromagnetic below TN ≍ 30 K with an effective moment µeff ≍ 7.7 μB, indicating the 4f7 electron configuration (Eu2+) in the ground state. In order to investigate the electronic state of EuNi2Ge2, we have simultaneously measured thermopower S and electrical resistivity ρ at the temperature range between 2 K and 300 K and under pressures up to 3.5 GPa. In the pressure region of P 2.3 GPa, ρ increases with increasing temperature, and shows an anomaly in the form of a kink at the Neel temperature TN. S(T) also reveals a kink at TN. Both ρ(T) and S(T) indicate a small pressure dependence at the low pressure range. However, ρ(T) and S(T) curves in the low temperature region suddenly change their features at P ≍ 2.3 GPa, where the magnetic ordering disappears. ρ linearly decreases with decreasing temperature, and shows a sudden drop at the valence transition temperature Tv ≍ 30 K. S(T) reveals a drastic increase at Tv, changing its sign from negative to positive around 35 K, and takes maximum at T ≍ 7 K. The thermal hysteresis was clearly observed in both ρ(T) and S(T) curves around Tv.

Thermopower measurement under high pressure using "seesaw heating method"

We have developed a set-up with modified seesaw heating method for the thermopower measurement under pressures P up to 3 GPa at the temperature range between 2 K and 300 K. By using this set-up, the thermopower and electrical resistivity of the single crystalline YbMn2Ge2 under high pressure were measured with enough accuracy. S(T) curve shows the characteristic feature at the magnetic transition in all pressure range, while no evidence of the magnetic phase transition is observed in ρ(T) at P > 1.25 GPa. The measurement results indicate that the simultaneous measurement of the thermopower and electrical resistivity is a useful tool to study the pressure-induced phase transitions.

Effect of pressure on thermopower and resistivity of EuCo2P2

The measurements of electrical resistivity ρ and thermopower S of the single-crystalline EuCo2P2 have been performed at temperatures from 2 K to 300 K under hydrostatic pressures up to 3 GPa. The temperature dependence of ρ and S show drastic changes at the critical pressure Pc, indicating a large modification of electronic structure around the Fermi level due to a pressure-induced structural and magnetic phase transition. The magnetic phase transition temperature increases linearly with increasing pressure, and shows a sudden increase at the critical pressure Pc, which correspond to the change of magnetic state from the localized Eu(4f) sub-lattice magnetism into the itinerant Co(3d) sub-lattice magnetism.

Transport properties of Y1-xNdxCo2 compounds

Electrical resistivity ρ and thermopower S of light rare earth-based pseudo-binary Y1–xNdxCo2 alloys have been measured at temperatures from 2 K to 300 K and under pressures up to 3.5 GPa. The Curie temperature of the alloys, TC, determined from characteristic features in the temperature dependences of the transport properties, decreases with decreasing Nd concentration x and vanishes around xc = 0.3. The residual resistivity has a pronounced maximum at x = xc. The temperature coefficient of thermopower dS/dT at low temperature limit shows a complex dependence on alloy composition: it changes its sign from negative to positive at x 0.2, having a maximum at x = xc, and is nearly composition independent at x > 0.5. The pressure dependences of TC and ρ0 of Yo.6Ndo.4Co2 reveal the behavior similar to that observed in the Y1-xRxHCo2 (RH = heavy rare earth) alloy systems, which implies that the magnetic state of the Co-3d electron subsystem is responsible for the transport properties in the Y1-xNdxCo2 alloys.

Pressure effect on transport and magnetic properties of Nd1-xTbxCo2

The electrical resistivity and magnetization of Laves phase Nd1−xTbxCo2 compounds have been investigated at temperatures from 2 K to 300 K in magnetic fields up to 10 T under pressures up to 8 GPa. The magnetic transition temperature TC increases linearly with increasing Tb concentration x, which indicates that the 4f-3d exchange interaction energy increases linearly with increasing x. The spontaneous magnetization MS at small x decrease linearly, vanishes around x ≈ 0.35 and then increases linearly with increasing x. This behavior suggests that the Tb magnetic moment is antiparallel to that of Nd, while Co moment is almost independent of x.

NMR studies of metal-insulator transition in the spinel-type Cu(Ir1−xVx)2S4

In order to investigate the physical properties of a metal-insulator transition (MIT) on Ir rich side in Cu(Ir1-xVx)2S4 from a microscopic point of view, 63Cu NMR measurements for Cu(Ir1-xVx)2S4 (x = 0.00, 0.03 and 0.05) have been carried out from 4.2 to 300 K. The temperature dependences of the line width, Knight shift and spin-lattice relaxation time (T1) have been measured for these samples. A sudden decreases of the 1/T1T and the negative contribution to the Knight shift from the core polarization of Cu conduction electrons for x = 0.00 and 0.03 samples show clearly the existence of the MIT at TMI = 226 and 175 K, respectively, being attributed to the opening of a band gap below TMI. However, the temperature dependences of the 1/T1T and the Knight shift for x = 0.05 sample change continuously as the band gap is remarkably suppressed below TMI. The density of states at Fermi level in the insulating phase is reduced to about 20 % of that in the metallic phase.

Electronic Transport in Itinerant Metamagnets with Strong Static Disorder

We report on electronic transport in nearly magnetic conductors with strong structural disorder. The initial motivation for this work was a large positive magnetoresistance (MR) found in magnetically ordered ground state of (Y1-xGdx)Co2 alloys. This was a surprising result since a large positive MR is not expected in a system with strong static magnetic or structural disorder. Contemporary theory of magnetotransport and common sense agree that an external magnetic field should suppress magnetic fluctuations, resulting in a negative MR. On the contrary; a positive MR suggests that an external magnetic field enhances static magnetic disorder. It was shown that unusual MR of (Y1-xGdx)Co2 alloys is related to a combination of structural disorder and metamagnetic instability of itinerant Co-3d electrons. The new mechanism of MR is common of a broad class of materials featuring a static magnetic disorder and itinerant metamagnetism. Such systems display a number of unusual properties, among them strong pressure and magnetic field dependencies of resistivity and thermopower, Non-Fermi-Liquid (NFL) behavior of resistivity and, possibly, of thermopower. We review the relevant experimental data, mostly the properties of RCo2-based alloys, and discuss the theoretical model developed for the interpretation of the experimental results. This model includes new mechanism of magnetoresistivity in structurally disordered itinerant magnetic alloys.

Electrical resistivity and thermopower of Nd1?xTbxCo2 compounds

Electrical resistivity ρ and thermopower S of Nd1−xTbxCo2 Laves phase quasibinary alloys (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) are investigated at temperatures from 2 K to 300 K. The magnetic transition temperature TC, determined from resistivity magnetic anomaly, increases linearly with increasing x. The low temperature thermopower changes its sign from negative to positive at the critical composition where the relative orientation of total magnetization and cobalt 3d moment is changed. We propose that this change is related to the dependence of s-d scattering rate on relative polarization of conduction electrons and cobalt 3d band.

Effects of pressure and magnetic field on transport properties of Y1−xRxCo2 alloys (R=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er)

Electrical resistivity ? and thermopower S of Y1?xRxCo2 (R=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er) Laves phase alloy systems were measured at temperatures from 1.5 K to 300 K in magnetic fields up to 15 T and under hydrostatic pressure up to 2 GPa. We show that there is a universal linear relation between the pressure and magnetic field derivatives of the resistivity, d?/dP and d?/dB, with gradient, determined by pressure derivative of the critical metamagnetic field of the cobalt 3d electron system. A similar scaling behavior was found for the thermopower dependencies on pressure and alloy composition.