The Optical Conductivity of La2?xSrxCuO4 in Connection with a Charge Stripe Scenario

The in-plane optical conductivity of La_2–xSr_xCuO₄ with 0.07 x 0.19 exhibits strong peaks in the far infrared. These features, which depend both on doping and temperature, can be associated with excitations of charge stripes, basing on results of different techniques on the same system and on recent theoretical calculations.     

Raman scattering investigation of the superconducting gap anisotropy in La2?xSrxCuO4

The low energy electronic Raman continua of a La_1.83Sr_0.17CuO₄ single crystal have been obtained in several different scattering geometries, and for temperatures above and below Tc. Based upon the polarization dependence of the spectra obtained for T Tc it is concluded that the superconducting gap is anisotropic with nodes located near the (±1,±1) directions in reciprocal space and maxima close to the kx and ky axes. The results are compared to spectra obtained from other high-Tc compounds and the possible compatibility of the results with particular gap functions is discussed.     

A review of the linear term in the low-temperature specific heat of La2CuO4 and La2?xMxCuO4 (M = Ba, Ca, Sr)

In this report I will summarize the results of an extensive review of the low-temperature specific heat of the La-based high-temperature superconductors, withT _c between 30 and 40 K, and the related nonsuperconducting compound La₂CuO₄. There have been two previous studies by Fisheret al. [1] and Fischeret al. [2] which also reviewed the low-temperature specific heat of these materials. This work was undertaken to extend a similar study of the 90 K superconductor YBa₂Cu₃O_7– which we recently completed [3]. This review will focus exclusively on the low-temperature specific heat and will update the previous studies by including recent results.     

Room-temperature oxidation of La2?xSrxCuO4

A series of oxidized La_2–x Sr _x CuO_4+y compounds has been prepared by treating the starting materials with a solution of Br₂ in NaOH at room temperature. The structural modifications due to the oxidation of the materials have been studied by X-ray diffraction. Some of the observed changes are: (i) a large increase in the long parameter of the unit cell for samples with Sr content and (ii) a slight decrease in a along the whole range ofx. Interesting features have been observed regarding the critical temperatures of these materials: transition temperatures are higher for those containing lower Sr amounts (some of them were even nonsuperconducting before the oxidation treatment) in contrast to materials with x0.15, whoseT _c's do not change very much. The influence of both oxygen and strontium contents on the structural modifications and the superconducting properties of the oxidized materials will be discussed.     

On the high-temperature superconductivity of SrxLa2?xCuO4?δ

The superconducting properties of Sr_xLa_2–xCuO_4– are analyzed by employing the model of interaction between charge carriers and the oxygen-displacive modes of the lattice. The role played by the hole concentration, as related to the Sr content x and oxygen deficiency, is thoroughly emphasized. The critical temperature, the ratio of twice the superconducting gap to the critical temperature, and the isotope shift are estimated as functions of the hole concentration and compared with the experimental data.     

Microscopic State of Low Doped Manganites La1 ? xSrxMnO3 Probed by ESR

The electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements were performed in single crystals of La_{1 – x} Sr _x MnO₃ (0.05 x 0.125) in order to study the interplay of crystal field, Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya interaction, Jahn–Teller (JT) effect, and orbital order. The angular dependence of the ESR linewidth of an untwinned La_0.95Sr_0.05MnO₃ single crystal has been analyzed in the high-temperature approximation, which takes into account the microscopic geometry of the four nonequivalent Mn positions in the orthorhombic unit cell. A strong mixing of the |3z ² – r ²> and |x ² – y ²> states for the real orbital configuration was found. Magnetic inhomogeneities observed in the ESR spectra across the composition range 0.075 x 0.125 can be attributed to the presence of ferromagnetic clusters (magnetic spin polarons) in the paramagnetic state. New polaronic models are proposed.     

Synthesis and Structure of Hg1?xCrxSr2CuO4+δ Mercurocuprates

We report preliminary results concerning the synthesis and structural characterisation of the chromium stabilised 1201 phases: Hg_1–xCr_xSr₂CuO₄₊. A systematic study of the formation of phases in this system has been undertaken, together with a combined powder neutron and synchrotron x-ray diffraction study, to address the issue of chromium clustering and ordering in this system.     

Magnetic susceptibility and specific heat of Pr2?xCexCuO4?y

We report here the measurements of magnetic susceptibility of Pr_2–xCe_xCuO_4–y (x=0, 0.05 and 0.15) from 2K to 300K and the specific heat of Pr_1.85Ce_0.15CuO₄ between 6K and 60K. Fitting of the magnetic susceptibility data to a Curie-Weiss law gave effective magnetic moment (p_eff) values close to the free ion value of 3.58_B for Pr³⁺. p_eff was found to decrease with increase in cerium concentration. The site symmetry of Pr³⁺ in Pr_2–xCe_xCuO_4–y (PCCO) host is D_4h and a crystal field (CF) Hamiltonian appropriate to tetragonal symmetry was used to analyze the magnetic susceptibility data. J-mixing of all the thirteen multiplets of Pr³⁺ and intermediate coupled wave functions have been included. A best set of CF parameters obtained not only explains the magnetic susceptibility but also the inelastic neutron scattering spectra (INS) reasonably well. The Schottky component together with Debye and Einstein contributions successfully accounts for the measured specific heat.     

The spin susceptibility of singlet correlated oxygen band in La2?xSrxCuO4

We have shown that the unconventional temperature dependence of the static susceptibility(T) of the perovskite high-T _c superconductors above the superconducting transition temperatureT _c can be explained in terms of two relevant band models containing the singlet-correlated oxygen band and the copper character band. The usual copper-oxygen Hamiltonian containing hopping and Coulomb repulsion terms has been reduced to an effective Hubbard-liket-t-t-U _eff model to describe the low-energy properties. The unusual behaviour of the susceptibility is due to thermally activated oxygen holes coming into the hybridization singularity peak in the density of states. A possible physical origin ofT _max in the temperature dependence of the susceptibility is discussed.     

Magnetic order and evolution of the electronic state aroundx=0.12 in La2?xBaxCuO4 and La2?xSrxCuO4

Muon spin rotation ( ⁺SR) measurement provides clear evidence of the antiferromagnetic order of Cu moments below 35 K for La_2–x Ba _x CuO₄ and below 15 K for La_2–x Sr _x CuO₄ in the narrow range ofx where the high-T _c superconductivity (SC) is suppressed remarkably. The results suggest that the change of the electronic state coupled with the lattice instability is relevant to the local suppression of SC and freezing of spin fluctuations of the Cu moment.     

Experimental determination of the spatial distribution of electron defects in La2 ? xSrxCuO4 and Nd2 ? xCexCuO4 crystal lattices

The data of M?ssbauer emission spectroscopy on ⁶⁷Cu(⁶⁷Zn) and ⁶⁷Ga(⁶⁷Zn) isotopes show that holes appearing as a result of the Sr²⁺ substitution for La³⁺ in the La_{2 − x} Sr _x CuO₄ crystal lattice are localized predominantly at oxygen atoms occurring in the same atomic plane as the copper atoms. In contrast, electrons appearing as a result of the Ce⁴⁺ substitution for Nd³⁺ in the Nd_{2 − x} Ce _x CuO₄ crystal lattice are localized in the copper sublattice. These results are consistent with the model assuming that a mechanism responsible for the high-temperature superconductivity in La_{2 − x} Sr _x CuO₄ and Nd_{2 − x} Ce _x CuO₄ crystal lattices is based on the interaction of electrons with two-site two-electron centers possessing negative correlation energies (negative-U centers).     

Stability of the low-temperature tetragonal phase in La2?xBaxCuO4 and related compounds

In La_2–xBa_xCuO₄ (LBCO), the structural transition to a low-temperature tetragonal phase below 60 K and suppression of superconductivity are observed when the carrier density isp 1 /8 per copper. The replacement by divalent ions smaller than Ba²⁺ suppresses the static deformation of the lattice. We have found that the variationsT_d2 and superconducting transition temperatureT_c are quantitatively characterized by the averaged ionic radius at the La site or lattice parameters. This aspect of substitution could be regarded as the effect of chemical pressure, since similar variations have been reported on applying hydrostatic pressure. In La_2–x–yNd_y(Ba, Sr)_xCuO₄,T_d2 increases with increasingy in a wide range ofp whileT_c is suppressed only at p l /8. The structural transition atT_d2 here should be ascribed mainly to the crystallochemical origin.     

Electronic Properties and Superconductivity of Electron-Doped La1?x/2Pr1?x/2CexCuO4

La_1−x/2Pr_1−x/2Ce _x CuO _y (LPCCO) samples with doping level up to 20% have been synthesized and their electronic and superconductive properties are studied. X-ray diffraction revealed that the LPCCO system is a pure phase system with a T’214 structure. Magnetic and resistive measurements show that the system is superconducting at 0.08≤x<0.20 with T _cmax=25 K at x=0.12. An anti-ferromagnetism transition was also observed in under-doped PLCCO (x=0.05) with the window width of the anti-ferromagnetism phase being significantly narrower than that NCCO and PCCO systems. The behavior of the Ce doping is compared with Sr doping in this system, and the mechanism is discussed.     

Thermo-mechanical properties of La2NiO4+δ

Elastic and fracture behavior of La₂NiO_4+δ have been assessed. Fracture stress and elastic modulus of porous La₂NiO_4+δ were evaluated from room temperature (RT) up to 900 °C on the basis of 4-point bending tests. Both parameters increase slightly from RT to 700 °C. However, at higher temperatures the elastic modulus decreases, whereas the fracture stress increases. In addition, elastic modulus and damping/internal friction of dense specimens were measured by a resonance method. A strong change of elastic modulus and internal friction between RT and 100 °C appears to be related to an orthorhombic-tetragonal phase transition. No indications of phase transition can be observed at higher temperatures. Although thermogravimetric measurements suggest that oxygen was continuously released from the lattice up to 1000 °C with increasing temperature, the thermal expansion coefficient showed a rather stable value from RT up to 1000 °C.     

不同溶剂对溶胶-凝胶法制备La2CuO4晶体的影响

以硝酸镧和硝酸铜为起始原料,柠檬酸为络合剂,分别以蒸馏水、乙醇、乙二醇和乙二醇甲醚为溶剂,采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了La2CuO4纳米晶。通过X射线衍射(XRD)、红外光谱(IR)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和紫外-可见-近红外光谱(UV-Vis-NIR)等方法对La2CuO4粉体进行了测试和表征;研究了不同溶剂对La2CuO4相组成、官能团、显微结构以及光学性能的影响。结果表明,以蒸馏水、乙醇和乙二醇为溶剂,600℃煅烧保温2h,均能获得单一La2CuO4物相,而以乙二醇甲醚为溶剂时,产物含有杂质相,所得粉体的形貌依次为网片状、蜂窝状、网状和块状。根据UV-Vis-NIR分析,所得La2CuO4的光学带隙分别为1.37、1.30、1.33和1.32eV。     

Phase Separation in La2CuO4+δ by electrical transport measurements

The dc conductivity and the high-frequency capacitance of a La₂CuO₄₊ single crystal are determined by impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range 20 Hz to 1 MHz at liquid helium temperature. Using isochronal annealing, the effect of the phase separation on these quantitites is studied for E parallel and perpendicular to the CuO₂ planes as well as for different oxygen doping levels,, of the sample. The results are consistent with the model of a diffusion-controlled formation of a metallic—and belowT _c superconducting—percolation network in an insulating background.     

The penetration depth of HgBa2CuO4+δ with 0.07 ≤ δ ≤ 0.35

The magnetic penetration depth (T) of three HgBa₂CuO₄₊ samples with 0.16 < 0.27 has been determined from the reversible magnetization. The obtained follows a BCS-like correlation of 1/² 1–(T/T_c)² over whole measured temperature range in an underdoped sample with T_c 90 K, but deviates significantly from similar fits in an overdoped sample with the same T_c and an optimum doped sample, whose 1/² 's depends on T nearly linearly below T_c/2. This asymmetry between the underdoped and overdoped samples suggests that the T-dependence of 1/² is affected by doping in a complicated way.     

Neutron and Raman Scattering Studies of Hgba2CuO4+δ

The HgBa₂CuO₄₊ sample was characterized by Neutron diffraction and magnetic measurements. Both of the measurements indicate a high purity of the sample. Raman measurement was performed on a HgBa₂CuO₄₊ compound of T_c = 96 K. The apical oxygen vibration at 592 cm^–1 was found to show (a) an above T_c anomaly, and (b) frequency hardening and linewidth broadening below the superconducting phase transition. The latter is attributed to the coupling of the phonon to the electronic excitation and related to the opening of the superconducting gap below the phonon frequency.     

Constraints on Models of Electrical Transport in Optimally Doped La2?xSrxCuO4 from Measurements of Radiation-Induced Defect Resistance

Precise measurements of the temperature dependence of additional resistivity caused by defect scattering were used to constrain models of carrier transport in La_1.84Sr_0.16CuO₄. Where previous magnetotransport studies have delineated two distinct scattering processes, proportional to T and T ², respectively, the new defect scattering results suggest strongly that the two processes act as parallel conductance channels.     

Microscopic Scenario for x = 1/8 Anomaly in La2 ? xSrxCuO4

We adopt a t ₁-t ₂-t ₃-J-G model for explanation of x = 1/8 anomaly in La_{2 – x} Sr _x CuO₄ family compound. The calculated charge susceptibility shows a maximum near Q = (, ) at intermediate temperatures and near (, /2) as temperature approaches zero, in agreement with neutron scattering experiments. Coulomb repulsion G between the first neighbors turns out to be the source of Charge Density Waves (CDW) in narrow band t ^eff ₁, t ^eff ₂, t ^eff ₃ < G. For physically realistic hopping values we obtain the CDW amplitude e _Q = x. The in-phase domain structure as a candidate for stripe picture is proposed.