Professor Stephen Blundell

Abstract:

mu SR has been used to study a variety of polymers with very different electronic properties. In conducting polymers, the muon-generated radical states take the form of highly mobile polarons. Muon spin relaxation has been used to study the mobility of these polarons and to measure the temperature dependence of their intra-chain and inter-chain diffusion rates. it is found that the transport properties are strongly influenced by the librational ring modes of the phenylene rings in these polymers. In contrast, the muon-generated radical states in non-conducting polymers such as polybutadiene remain localised near the site of the muon. High field muon spin rotation, avoided level crossing resonance and longitudinal relaxation studies have been made, using the muon radical state as a probe of the dynamical properties of the polymer. Dramatic changes in the mu SR signals are seen on going through the glass-rubber transition, as various dynamical degrees of freedom become frozen out. Additional information about the stability of the muon radical states on the microsecond timescale has also been obtained using RF muon spin rotation techniques. Using time-delayed RF resonance of the diamagnetic state at the RIKEN-RAL muon facility, the transition rate between paramagnetic and diamagnetic states could be studied as a function of temperature. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract:

Muon-spin relaxation measurements have been carried out on NaV2O5 in the temperature range from 6 up to 300 K, through the spin-Peierls transition temperature at T-SP = 33 K. The relaxation is fitted throughout to a stretched exponential, exp( - (lambda(T)t)(beta(T))). The parameter beta is greater than 1 above the transition, but falls surprisingly to below 1/3 at 6 K, as usually observed in frustrated magnetic systems. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract:

Depolarization measurements of muons have been carried out on NaV2O5 in the temperature range from 6 K up to 150 It. through the spin-Peierls transition at T-sp = 33 K. Surprisingly. the relaxation is fitted throughout to a stretched eponential, exp( - (lambda( T)t)(beta(T))). We observe a dramatic rise in the relaxation rate lambda below T-sp. On the other hand, the exponent beta is greater than 1 above the transition temperature but falls to below 1/3 at 6 K, as in frustrated systems. Furthermore, the fit of the data shows that a fraction of muons is rapidly dc polarized when implanted in the sample. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract:

Colossal magnetoresistance manganites have been synthesised by the microwave dielectric heating of metal nitrates, which act both as effective microwave susceptors, and a ready source of oxidizing NO2 to induce mixed valency.

Abstract:

Muon-spin rotation (μSR) measurements have been used to study the superconducting vortex properties of the organic superconductors κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu(SCN)2, α-(BEDT-TTF)2NH4Hg(SCN)4 and β-(BEDT-TTF)2IBr2. These materials all have highly anisotropic structures consisting of metallic layers of BEDT-TTF molecules alternating with less well conducting anion layers. Varying the anion gives rise to a change in the anisotropy of the superconductivity and also to changes in the superconducting transition temperature. We have used both transverse and longitudinal magnetic fields to study the three-dimensional flux line lattice that is present at low temperatures and fields and to study also the loss of flux lattice order that occurs on increasing the temperature and field.