Professor Stephen Blundell

Abstract:

We synthesized and structurally and magnetically characterized the novel 3D coordination polymer Cu(HCO2)2(pym) (pym = pyrimidine). The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with a = 14.4639(8) A, b = 7.7209(4) A, c = 8.5172(5) A, beta = 126.076(2) degrees, and V= 768.76(7) A3. In the structure buckled layers of Cu(HCO2)2 are interconnected by pym ligands to afford 1D Cu-pym-Cu chains. Bulk magnetic susceptibility measurements show a broad maximum at 25 K that is indicative of short-range magnetic ordering. Between 12 and 300 K a least-squares fit of the chi(T) data to a mean-field-corrected antiferromagnetic chain model yielded excellent agreement for g = 2.224(3), J/kB = -26.9(2) K, and zJ'/kB = -1.1(3) K. Below approximately 3 K a transition to long-range magnetic ordering is observed, as suggested by a sharp and sudden decrease in chi(T). This result is corroborated by muon spin relaxation measurements that show oscillations in the muon asymmetry below T(N) = 2.802(1) K and rapidly fluctuating moments above T(N).

Abstract:

Spin dynamics in Er2 and 2Sn2O7 have been probed by means of muonspin relaxation (μ+SR) in the temperature range 0.02 ≤ T ≤ 300 K. Both compounds are thought to constitute experimental realizations of the highly frustrated XY antiferromagnet on the pyrochlore lattice, for which theory predicts fluctuation-induced magnetic order. Our results for Er2Ti2O7 are consistent with a transition into an ordered state at TN ∼ 1.1 K, in agreement with previous neutron measurements. Below this temperature, the muon relaxation rate λ(T) remains large (∼2 MHz) and temperature independent, in contrast to the behaviour in conventional magnets. The thermal evolution of λ(T) for Er2Sn2O7 is somewhat similar to that of the Ti material. However, the depolarization curves remain exponential over the entire temperature range, suggesting a dense distribution of rapidly fluctuating magnetic moments, and, thus, are compatible with the absence of long-range order at least for T > 0.02 K.

Abstract:

We report millimeter-wave magneto-optical measurements on the high-spin molecule, Cr10 (OMe) 20 (O2 CCMe3) 10. The dependence of the electron paramagnetic resonance as a function of orientation and temperature demonstrates that this compound behaves as a single molecule magnet, and exhibits one of the smallest zero-field splittings (D=-0.045±0.004 K) yet reported for such a system. © 2005 American Institute of Physics.

Abstract:

We describe the results of an inelastic neutron scattering measurement of the magnetic excitations in SrCaGaMnO(5+δ), a quasi-two-dimensional compound whose structure consists of layers of MnO(6) octahedra separated by layers of GaO(4) tetrahedra (the brownmillerite structure), and Ca(2.5)Sr(0.5)Mn(2)GaO(8), a bilayered brownmillerite. In both materials, a band of magnetic scattering appears below the magnetic ordering temperature which can be associated with magnon excitations. Our measurements allow us to provide an estimate for the intraplane exchange constant in both materials, which we find to be 3.4(4) meV for SrCaGaMnO(5+δ) and 2.2(4) meV for Ca(2.5)Sr(0.5)Mn(2)GaO(8).