No Arabic abstract
Muon spin rotation technique is used to study magnetic ordering in ultra-pure samples of SrCu$_{1-x}$Ni$_x$O$_2$, an archetypical $S=1/2$ antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain system with a small amount of $S=1$ defects. The ordered state in the parent compound is shown to be highly homogeneous, contrary to previous report [M. Matsuda et al., Phys. Rev. B textbf{55}, R11953 (1997)]. Even minute amount of Ni impurities result in inhomogeneous order and a decrease of the transition temperature. At as little as $0.5$~% Ni concentration, magnetic ordering is entirely suppressed. The results are compared to previous theoretical studies of weakly coupled spin chains with site-defects.
In frustrated spinel antiferromagnets, dilution with non-magnetic ions can be a powerful strategy for probing unconventional spin states or uncovering interesting phenomena. Here, we present X-ray, neutron scattering and thermodynamic studies of the effects of magnetic dilution of the tetragonally-distorted A-site spinel antiferromagnet, CuRh$_2$O$_4$, with non-magnetic Zn$^{2+}$ ions. Our data confirm the helical spin order recently identified at low-temperatures in this material, and further demonstrate a systematic suppression of the associated Neel temperature with increasing site dilution towards a continuous transition with critical doping of $x_{spin} sim 0.44$. Interestingly, this critical doping is demonstrably distinct from a second structural critical point at $x_{JT} sim 0.6$, which is consistent with the suppression of orbital order on the A-site through a classical percolative mechanism. This anomalously low value for $x_{spin}$ is confirmed via multiple measurements, and is inconsistent with predictions of classical percolation theory, suggesting that the spin transition in this material is driven by an enhancement of pre-existing spin fluctuations with weak dilution.
Ab initio calculations have been performed to unravel the origin of the recently found superlattice peaks in the trilayer nickelate La$_4$Ni$_3$O$_8$. These peaks arise from static charge ordering of Ni$^{2+}$/ Ni$^{1+}$ stripes oriented at 45$^{circ}$ to the Ni-O bonds. An insulating state originates from a combination of structural distortions and magnetic order, with the gap being formed solely within the d$_{x^2-y^2}$ manifold of states. When doped, electrons or holes would go into these states, in a similar fashion to what occurs in the cuprates. Analogous calculations suggest that checkerboard charge order should occur in the bilayer nickelate La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_6$. These results reveal a close connection between La$_4$Ni$_3$O$_8$ and La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_6$ with La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$NiO$_4$ for x=1/3 and x=1/2, respectively.
We report measurements and analyses of resistivity, thermopower, and thermal conductivity of polycrystalline samples of perovskite LaRh$_{1-x}$Ni$_x$O$_3$. The thermopower is found to be large at 800 K (185 $mu$V/K for $x=$0.3), which is ascribed to the high-temperature stability of the low-spin state of Rh$^{3+}$/Rh$^{4+}$ ions. This clearly contrasts with the thermopower of the isostructural oxide LaCoO$_3$, which rapidly decreases above 500 K owing to the spin-state transition. The spin state of the transition-metal ions is one of the most important parameters in oxide thermoelectrics.
Structural, magnetization and heat capacity studies were performed on Ce$_2$(Pd$_{1-x}$Ni$_x$)$_2$Sn ($0 leq x leq 1$) alloys. The substitution of Pd atoms by isoelectronic Ni leads to a change in the crystallographic structure from tetragonal (for $x leq 0.3$) to centered orthorhombic lattice (for $x geq 0.4$). The volume contraction thorough the series is comparable to the expected from the atomic size ratio between transition metal components. The consequent weak increase of the Kondo temperature drives the two transitions observed in Ce$_2$Pd$_2$Sn to merge at $x = 0.25$. After about a 1% of volume collapse at the structural modification, the system behaves as a weakly magnetic heavy fermion with an enhanced degenerate ground state. Notably, an incipient magnetic transition arises on the Ni-rich size. This unexpected behavior is discussed in terms of an enhancement of the density of states driven by the increase of the $4f$-conduction band hybridization and the incipient contribution of the first excited crystal field doublet on the ground state properties.
We use neutron scattering to investigate spin excitations in Sr(Co$_{1-x}$Ni$_{x})_2$As$_2$, which has a $c$-axis incommensurate helical structure of the two-dimensional (2D) in-plane ferromagnetic (FM) ordered layers for $0.013leq x leq 0.25$. By comparing the wave vector and energy dependent spin excitations in helical ordered Sr(Co$_{0.9}$Ni$_{0.1}$)$_2$As$_2$ and paramagnetic SrCo$_2$As$_2$, we find that Ni-doping, while increasing lattice disorder in Sr(Co$_{1-x}$Ni$_{x})_2$As$_2$, enhances quasi-2D FM spin fluctuations. However, our band structure calculations within the combined density functional theory and dynamic mean field theory (DFT+DMFT) failed to generate a correct incommensurate wave vector for the observed helical order from nested Fermi surfaces. Since transport measurements reveal increased in-plane and $c$-axis electrical resistivity with increasing Ni-doping and associated lattice disorder, we conclude that the helical magnetic order in Sr(Co$_{1-x}$Ni$_{x})_2$As$_2$ may arise from a quantum order-by-disorder mechanism through the itinerant electron mediated Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interactions.