Dr Dharmalingam Prabhakaran

Abstract:

Large, high-quality crystals of undoped and Zn-doped CuO have been prepared successfully by the floating-zone technique. Formation Of Cu2O during the crystal growth of CuO has been eliminated under optimal growth conditions for the first time. The size of the grown crystals is typically 5-7 cm length and 8-9 turn in diameter, although with Zn doping the single crystal grains are found to form less readily. The Neel temperature is found to decrease with increasing Zn doping. Magnetic hysteresis measurements did not show any irreversible behaviour in either high purity ZnxCu1-xO crystals or polycrystalline CuO. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract:

We report a series of muSR measurements performed on single crystals of La1-x,SrxMnO3, (0 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 0.125) and on a polycrystalline bilayer manganite La2-2x Sr1+2xMn2O7 (v = 0.52). We find that the temperature dependence of the spinlattice relaxation rate is strongl, dependent on the hole doping and the associated changes in the magnetic structure. Y The systems have competing, anisotropic interactions, leading to a complex interplay of charge, spin and orbital order. This has a significant influence on the spin dynamics, both for perovskite and layered manganites. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract:

We report measurements and analysis of the magnetic critical phenomena in a single crystal of La0.875Sr0.125MnO3. The critical exponents associated with the ferromagnetic transition have been determined from ac susceptibility and dc magnetization data. Techniques like the Kouvel-Fischer plots, the modified Arrots plots, and the critical isotherm analysis were used for this purpose. The values of the exponents γ, β, and δ obtained are found to match very well with those predicted for the three-dimensional Heisenberg model. Our results are consistent with recent numerical calculations and suggest that though the double exchange interaction is driven by the motion of conduction electrons, the effective magnetic interaction near the transition is renormalized to a short range one. © 2003 The American Physical Society.

Abstract:

The spin ordering of La3/2Sr1/2NiO4 was investigated by magnetization measurements and by unpolarized and polarized-neutron diffraction. Spin ordering with an incommensurability ε≈0.445 is observed below TSO∼80 K. On cooling, a spin reorientation is observed at 57±1 K, with the spin axes rotating from 52° ±4° to 780°±3°.

Abstract:

We report the growth of single crystals of La1-xSrxMnO3 (x = 0.0-0.3) by the floating-zone technique in an image furnace under high argon pressure (6-8 atm). Ail excess of Mn in the polycrystalline starting material was used to compensate for the evaporation during growth. single crystals of diameter 8 mm and length 70 mm have been obtained. The phase purity, composition and quality of the crystals were analysed by X-ray diffraction and electron probe microanalysis. We discuss the effect on the crystal growth of varying the amount of Mn excess and of the composition of the growth atmosphere. We also present magnetization and resistivity data for a few of the samples. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.