Muons and magnets

Abstract:

The magnetoresistance of α-(BEDT-TTF)2MHg(SCN)4 (where BEDT-TTF is bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene and M = NH4 or K) has been studied under pressures of up to 14.8 kbar and for temperatures down to 0.7 K. The ≃671 T (α) and ≃4270 T (β) Shubinkov-de Haas oscillations observed in the ambient pressure magentoresistence of α-(BEDT-TTF)2KHg(SCN)4 persist to the highest pressure while the other quantum oscillatory frequencies are removed under pressure. A strong second-harmonic component of the α-frequency oscillations is observed on the raw data at 1 bar and is initially suppressed by pressure but returns above ≃9 kbar. Furthermore, in the salt α-(BEDT-TTF)2NH4Hg(SCN)4 a similar pronounced second harmonic of the quantum oscillations has been observed at the highest pressures. The origins of these features of the data are discussed in the context of current models of the Fermi surfaces of these materials.

Abstract:

In undoped pure single crystals of the mixed valence compound SmB6 anomalous ESR absorption is observed in the frequency range v=40-120 GHz at temperatures of 1.8-4.2 K. The ESR for the case of the coherent ground state consists of two components corresponding to g-factors g1=1.907±0.003 and g2=1.890±0.003. The amplitude of both ESR lines strongly depends on temperature in the temperature range studied: the amplitude of the first line with g=gt increases and the amplitude of the second line decreases with temperature. A model based on consideration of intrinsic defects in the SmB6 crystalline lattice, with a density ∼1015-1016 cm-3, is suggested as an explanation for the anomalous ESR-behavior. In the frequency range v>70 GHz at T=4.2 K, in addition to the main ESR lines, a new magnetic resonance with a hysteretic field dependence is discovered. © 1996 American Institute of Physics.

Abstract:

Angle-dependent magnetoresistance oscillations (AMROs) have been studied in the isostructural charge-transfer salts α-(BEDT-TTF)2KHg(SCN)4 and α-(BEDT-TTF)2NH4Hg(SCN)4 (where BEDT-TTF is bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene) in steady fields of up to 30 T. The shapes of the approximately elliptical quasi-two-dimensional (Q2D) Fermi surfaces that these organic metals possess have been determined at 30 T and are found to be in broad agreement with recent band-structure calculations. The Fermi surface of the salt α-(BEDT-TTF)2KHg(SCN)4 undergoes a reconstruction at low fields and temperatures, resulting in a change in the dimensionality of the AMROs from Q2D character to quasi-one-dimensional character. This change is associated with the kink transition that is observed in magnetic field sweeps and is attributed to the formation of a spin-density wave ground state. The phase boundary of the change in the AMRO dimensionality has been followed to both the low-temperature high-field (about 23 T) and low-field high-temperature (about 8 K) extremes. The data are compared with recently proposed models of the AMROs and Fermi surfaces for these materials.

Abstract:

The magnetoresistance of single crystals of the quasi-two-dimensional (Q2D) organic conductor (BEDT-TTF)3Cl2 2H2O has been studied at temperatures between 700 mK and 300 K in magnetic fields of up to 15 T and hydrostatic pressures of up to 20 kbar . Measurements of the resistivity using a direct-current van der Pauw technique at ambient pressure show that the material undergoes a metal-to-insulator transition at ̃150 K; below this temperature the resistivity increases by more than five orders of magnitude as the samples are cooled to 4.2 K. If the current exceeds a critical value, the sample resistivity undergoes irreversible changes, and exhibits non-ohmic behaviour over a wide temperature range. Below 30 K, either an abrupt increase of the resistivity by two orders of magnitude or bistable behaviour is observed, depending on the size and/or direction of the measurement current and the sample history. These experimental data strongly suggest that the metal-insulator transition and complex resistivity behaviour are due to the formation of a charge-density wave (CDW) with a welldeveloped domain structure. The magnetotransport data recorded under hydrostatic pressure indicate that pressure has the effect of gradually reducing the CDW ordering temperature. At higher pressures, there is a pressure-induced transition from the CDW state to a metallic, superconducting state which occurs in two distinct stages. Firstly, a relatively small number of Q2D carriers are induced, evidence for which is seen in the form of the magnetoresistance and the presence of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations; in spite of the low carrier density, the material then superconducts below a temperature of ̃2-3 K. Subsequently, at higher pressures, the CDW state collapses, resulting in QID behaviour of the magnetoresistance, and eventual suppression of the superconductivity.