Liuqi Yu

Effects of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction on low-energy magnetic excitations in copper benzoate

We have investigated the physical effects of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction in copper benzoate. In the low-field limit, the spin gap is found to vary as H(2/3)ln((1/6)(J/mu(B)H(s)) (H(s): an effective staggered field induced by the external field H) in agreement with the prediction of conformal field theory, while the staggered magnetization varies as H(1/3) and the ln((1/3)(J/mu(B)H(s)) correction predicted by conformal field theory is not confirmed. The linear scaling relation between the momentum shift and the magnetization is broken. We have determined the coupling constant of the DM interaction and have given a complete quantitative account for the field dependence of the spin gaps along all three principal axes, without resorting to additional interactions such as interchain coupling. A crossover to strong applied field behavior is predicted for further experimental verification.

Nonlinear Hall Effect as a Signature of Electronic Phase Separation in the Semimetallic Ferromagnet EuB6

This work reports a study of the nonlinear Hall effect (HE) in the semimetallic ferromagnet EuB(6). A distinct switch in its Hall resistivity slope is observed in the paramagnetic phase, which occurs at a single critical magnetization over a wide temperature range. The observation is interpreted as the point of percolation for entities of a more conducting and magnetically ordered phase in a less ordered background. With an increasing applied magnetic field, the conducting regions either increase in number or expand beyond the percolation limit, hence increasing the global conductivity and effective carrier density. An empirical two-component model provides excellent scaling and a quantitative fit to the HE data and may be applicable to other correlated electron systems.

Reply to "Comment on 'Fano resonance for Anderson Impurity Systems' "

In a recent Comment, Kolf et al. (cond-mat/0503669) state that our analysis of the Fano resonance for Anderson impurity systems [Luo et al., Phys. Rev. Lett 92, 256602 (2004)] is incorrect. Here we want to point out that their comments are not based on firm physical results and their criticisms are unjustified and invalid.

Signatures of electronic phase separation in the Hall effect of anisotropically strained La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 films

Systematic transport measurements have been performed on a series of La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 thin films with varying degrees of anisotropic strain. The strain is induced via epitaxial growth on NdGaO3(001) substrates and varied by controlling the thermal annealing time. An antiferromagnetic insulating (AFI) state, possibly associated with charge ordering, emerges upon thermal annealing. The Hall effect in these materials exhibits features that are indicative of a percolative phase transition and correlate closely with the emergence of the AFI state. In the paramagnetic phase, the Hall resistivity takes on two slopes in all samples: a decreasing negative slope with increasing temperature at low fields, which is attributed to the carrier hopping motion, and an almost temperature independent positive slope at high fields due to diffusive transport of holes. Significantly, the crossover fields of the Hall resistivity slope at different temperatures correspond to the same magnetization, which is interpreted as the critical point of a magnetic field-driven percolative phase transition. At lower temperatures near the zero-field metal–insulator transition, pronounced enhancement of the Hall coefficient with the development of the AFI state is observed. The enhancement peaks near the magnetic field-driven percolation; its magnitude correlates with the strength of the AFI state and is suppressed with the melting of the AFI state by an in-plane magnetic field. The observations resemble many features of the enhancement of the Hall coefficient in granular metal films near the composition-driven percolation.