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Polarized Raman scattering measurements have been performed on Na0.5CoO2 single crystal from 8 to 305 K. Both the A1g and E1g phonon modes show a softening below Tc1 ~ 83 K. Additionally, the A1g phonon mode, which is forbidden in the scattering geometry of cross polarization for the triangular CoO2 layers, appears below Tc1. In contrast, the metal-insulator transition at Tc2 ~ 46 K has only secondary effect on the Raman spectra. The phonon softening and the ``forbidden Raman intensity follow closely magnetic order parameter and the gap function at the Fermi surface, indicating that the distortion of CoO6 octahedra at Tc1, instead of the Na ordering at ~350 K, is the relevant structural component of the 83 K phase transition.
We report neutron inelastic scattering measurements on the stoichiometric iron-based superconductor LiFeAs. We find evidence for (i) magnetic scattering consistent with strong antiferromagnetic fluctuations, and (ii) an increase in intensity in the superconducting state at low energies, similar to the resonant magnetic excitation observed in other iron-based superconductors. The results do not support a recent theoretical prediction of spin-triplet p-wave superconductivity in LiFeAs, and instead suggest that the mechanism of superconductivity is similar to that in the other iron-based superconductors.
We present neutron scattering spectra taken from a single crystal of Na0.75CoO2, the precursor to a novel cobalt-oxide superconductor. The data contain a prominent inelastic signal at low energies (~10 meV), which is localized in wavevector about the origin of two-dimensional reciprocal space. The signal is highly dispersive, and decreases in intensity with increasing temperature. We interpret these observations as direct evidence for the existence of ferromagnetic spin fluctuations within the cobalt-oxygen layers.
We measured the optical signature of the charge density waves (CDWs) in the multiband conductor TTF[Ni(dmit)2]2 by electronic Raman scattering. At low energies, a hump develops below 60 K. This hump is associated to the amplitude mode of the CDW with an energy around 9 meV. Raman symmetry-resolved measurements show that the CDW amplitude mode is anisotropic and that the CDW can be associated to the band nesting of Ni(dmit)2 chains.
Although the parent iron-based pnictides and chalcogenides are itinerant antiferromagnets, the use of local moment picture to understand their magnetic properties is still widespread. We study magnetic Raman scattering from a local moment perspective for various quantum spin models proposed for this new class of superconductors. These models vary greatly in the level of magnetic frustration and show a vastly different two-magnon Raman response. Light scattering by two-magnon excitations thus provides a robust and independent measure of the underlying spin interactions. In accord with other recent experiments, our results indicate that the amount of magnetic frustration in these systems may be small.
Co and Na NMR are used to probe the local susceptibility and charge state of the two Co sites of the Na-ordered orthorhombic Na0.5CoO2. Above T_N=86K, both sites display a similar T-dependence of the spin shift, suggesting that there is no charge segregation into Co3+ and Co4+ sites. Below T_N, the magnetic long range commensurate order found is only slightly affected by the metal-insulator transition (MIT) at T_MIT=51K. Furthermore, the electric field gradient at the Co site does not change at these transitions, indicating the absence of charge ordering. All these observations can be explained by successive SDW induced by two nestings of the Fermi Surface specific to the x=0.5 Na-ordering.