Yu. I. Kuzmin

Electronic structure, magnetic, and optical properties of the intermetallic compounds R2Fe17 (R=Pr,Gd)

In this paper we report comprehensive experimental and theoretical investigation of magnetic and electronic properties of the intermetallic compounds Pr2Fe17 and Gd2Fe17. For the first time electronic structure of these two systems was probed by optical measurements in the spectral range of 0.22-15 micrometers. On top of that charge carriers parameters (plasma frequency and relaxation frequency) and optical conductivity s(w) were determined. Self-consistent spin-resolved bandstructure calculations within the conventional LSDA+U method were performed. Theoretical interpetation of the experimental s(w) dispersions indicates transitions between 3d and 4p states of Fe ions to be the biggest ones. Qualitatively the line shape of the theoretical optical conductivity coincides well with our experimental data. Calculated by LSDA+U method magnetic moments per formula unit are found to be in good agreement with observed experimental values of saturation magnetization.

The magnetic, electronic and optical properties of HoRhGe

Magnetoresistance and magnetocaloric properties of polycrystalline HoRhGe have been studied. This compound orders antiferromagnetically with a Neel temperature (TN) of 5.5 K and undergoes a first order metamagnetic transition at 2 K. It shows a large negative magnetoresistance of 25% at TN, for a field of 50 kOe. However, at 2 K and in lower fields, the magnetoresistance is found to be positive with a magnitude of about 12%, which is attributed to the first order metamagnetic transition. The compound also shows large magnetocaloric effect near its Neel temperature. Field dependence of magnetic entropy change also reflects the change in the nature of magnetic transition as the field is increased. The value of magnetic entropy change (-{\Delta}SM) is found to be 11.1 J/kg K for a field change of 50 kOe. Field dependence of magnetoresistance and magnetocaloric effect clearly shows the change in the order of the metamagnetic transition with increase in field.

Current-voltage characteristics of a foamed Bi1.8Pb0.3Sr2Ca2Cu3O x high-temperature superconductor with fractal cluster structure

The influence of the structure of foamed polycrystalline bismuth-based superconductors on their critical currents and current-voltage characteristics is studied. It is found that superconducting foams have a fractal structure, and the fractal dimension of the boundary between the normal and superconducting phases is estimated. The magnetic and transport properties of superconducting foams are investigated, and the current-voltage characteristics are obtained in a wide range of currents. The effect of percolation phenomena on vortex pinning in a foamed superconductor is considered. The current-voltage characteristics of the superconducting foams at the beginning of the resistive transition are found to be in good agreement with a model in which a magnetic flux is assumed to be trapped in the fractal clusters of a normal phase.

Spectroellipsometric study of phase transitions in d and f metals in ultrahigh vacuum

Abstract The temperature behaviour of the optical properties of iron and nickel single crystals and of polycrystalline cerium has been studied in the spectral range from 0.2 to 5.2 eV by an ellipsometric method in vacuum of p ≈10 −9 −10 −11 Torr. The influence of ferromagnetic (Fe, Ni) and isostructural (Ce) phase transitions on the optical conductivity σ are discussed in detail. From the analysis of experimental results a conclusion is made about the character of change of the electronic structure during phase transitions.

Electronic structure and optical properties of TbNi5−xCux

In this paper we present theoretical investigation of optical conductivity for intermetallic TbNi_{5-x}Cu_x series. In the frame of LSDA+U calculations electronic structure for x=0,1,2 and on top of that optical conductivities were calculated. Disorder effects of Ni for Cu substitution on a level of LSDA+U densities of states (DOS) were taken into account via averaging over all possible Cu ion positions for given doping level x. Gradual suppression and loosing of structure of optical conductivity at 2 eV together with simultaneous intensity growth at 4 eV correspond to increase of Cu and decrease of Ni content. As reported before [Knyazev et al., Optics and Spectroscopy 104, 360 (2008)] plasma frequency has non monotonic doping behaviour with maximum at x=1. This behaviour is explained as competition between lowering of total density of states on the Fermi level N(E_F) and growing of number of carriers. Our theoretical results agree well with variety of recent experiments.

Vortex glass state in superconductors with fractal clusters of normal phase

The influence of fractal clusters of a normal phase on the dynamics of vortices in a percolation superconductor is considered. It is established that a vortex glass state is formed in superconductors with a fractal cluster structure. The vortex glass phase can be identified by the initial part of its current-voltage characteristic. The dependence of the glassy exponent on the fractal dimension of normal phase cluster boundaries is found.

Experimental and theoretical investigations on magnetic and related properties of ErRuSi

We report experimental and theoretical studies of magnetic and related properties of ErRuSi compound. Various experimental techniques such as neutron diffraction, magnetization, magneto-thermal, magneto-transport, optical have been used to study the compound. Neutron diffraction shows ferromagnetic ordering at low temperatures with moments aligned in ab plane. Neutron diffraction and magnetization data show reduction in magnetic moment, which may be due to crystalline electric field effects at low temperatures. The compound shows good magnetocaloric properties with a low field adiabatic temperature change of 4.7 K, which is larger than that of many proposed materials for magnetic refrigeration at low temperatures. Magnetoresistance shows large negative value at 8 K, which changes its sign and increases in magnitude, with decrease in temperature and/or increase in field. The positive MR at low temperatures attributed to the Lorentz force effect. The electronic structure calculations accounting for electronic correlations of the 4f electrons of Er reproduces the ferromagnetic ordering and effective magnetic moment. Interband transitions between the Ru and Er d states and Er f states in one spin projection are found to form the main features of the measured optical conductivity in this compound.

Investigation of composite structure of magnetically ordered material-semiconductor composite based on cobalt and porous silicon

Preliminary data are reported concerning the character of magnetically ordered material particles formed in porous silicon matrix using a special chemical incorporation technology. According to this, the internal volume of a porous silicon matrix is filled with cobalt chloride, which is subsequently reduced to a magnetic phase by means of a chemical reaction with sodium tetraborohydride. The obtained composite samples have been studied by the methods of electron microscopy and magnetometry.

Electric field induced by collective vortex creep in superconductors with fractal clusters of normal phase

The influence of the collective creep of magnetic flux on the electric field induced in a superconducting composite with fractal cluster structure is considered. Current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of these superconductors are determined with allowance for the influence of the fractal dimensionality of boundaries of the normal phase clusters and the height of pinning barriers on the nonlinearity of I–V characteristics at small transport currents. A relationship is established between the collective pinning and vortex glass state that is formed in superconductors with a fractal cluster structure. It is shown that the intensity of an electric field induced in the case of collective creep is smaller than that for Anderson–Kim creep.

Copper-doping effects in electronic structure and spectral properties of SmNi5

The electronic structure and optical properties of the SmNi5–xCux (x = 0, 1, 2) compounds are studied. The band spectra of the studied intermetallics were calculated with LDA + U + SO method supplementing the local density approximation with a correction for strong electron interaction on the shell of the rare-earth element. Optical properties were studied by ellipsometry method in the wide wavelength range. It was found that the substitution of copper for nickel leads to local changes in the optical conductivity spectra. Both the spectroscopic measurements and theoretical calculations demonstrate the presence of a broad absorption band around 4 eV associated with the Cu 3d → Ni 3d electron transitions and increasing with the grown of copper content. The experimental dispersion curves of optical conductivity in the interband absorption region were interpreted using the results of the calculations.