Muons and magnets

Abstract:

KAgF₃ is a quasi-one-dimensional quantum antiferromagnet hosting a series of intriguing structural and magnetic transitions. Here we use powder neutron diffraction, μSR spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations to elucidate the low-temperature magnetic phases. Below T_N1 = 29 K we find that the material orders as an A-type antiferromagnet with an ordered moment of 0.52 μ B . Both neutrons and muons provide evidence for an intermediate phase at temperatures T_N1 < T < T_N2 with T_N2 ≈ 66 K from a previous magnetometry study. However, the evidence is at the limit of detection and its nature remains an open problem.

Abstract:

A software extension to the Windows Muon Data Analysis software package WiMDA has been developed for the analysis of µ⁻SR data, which has been dubbed Negative-WiMDA. In designing Negative-WiMDA, some key features were considered: it should be easily accessed from the main analysis window of WiMDA; it should be able to account for multiple elements in a sample; it should be able to subtract signals treated as unwanted background, allowing the user to focus on a particular element of interest; it should be able to handle transverse-field (TF) data, and perhaps most importantly, it should be intuitive to use. The main features of Negative-WiMDA are presented here with a few examples of their use.

Abstract:

Molecular magnets are one of the key research themes of µSR, but locating the muon stopping site in these compounds using density functional theory is often very challenging as their unit cells tend to contain a very large number of atoms. Nevertheless, many molecular magnets contain the [PF₆]⁻ and [BF₄]⁻ molecular ions, which, due to their fluorine nuclei, produce a distinctive µSR spectrum, which can give information about the muon stopping site. This paper details the calculation of the muon sites in the much simpler materials KPF₆ and KBF₄, providing insights which can be applied to situations where these molecular ions are found in complicated molecular magnets.

Abstract:

The fluorinated ionomer Nafion, first discovered by the Du Pont company, is a material that provides efficient proton conducting membranes for application in important technological areas such as hydrogen fuel cells. Although many aspects of the polymer have been studied in relation to these applications, the microscopic mechanisms for proton transport in this polymer are still only poorly understood. We have therefore applied implanted muon techniques to the study of Nafion, aiming to gain information about these mechanisms via the muon acting as a local spin probe. Our results indicate that the muon is highly sensitive to the hydration state of the polymer and to the dynamical processes of the various sub-phases within the material. A three component model is found to describe the data well. This model has one F-µ-F component, reflecting muons in the PTFE-like polymer matrix, a second component representing quasi-static environments dominated by a single close proton and a third component encompassing highly dynamic proton-coupled environments. The properties have been studied within this modelling framework as a function of temperature for both dehydrated and fully hydrated samples.

Abstract:

LF-µSR studies have previously been used to study the diffusive 1D motion of solitons and polarons in conducting polymers. This type of study was also applied to investigating the diffusive motion of spinons in spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic chains. Recently the method has been extended to examples of 2D layered triangular spin lattices which can support quantum spin liquid states, such as 1T-TaS₂ and YbZnGaO₄. These systems are found to show spin dynamics that matches well to 2D spin diffusion, such a model being found to provide a much better fit to the data than previously proposed models for spin correlations in such systems. In YbZnGaO₄ the diffusion rate shows a clear crossover between classical and quantum regimes as T falls below the exchange coupling J. That the spin diffusion approach works well in the high T classical region might be expected, but it is found that it also works equally well in the low T quantum region where quantum entanglement controls the spin dynamics. Measurement of the diffusion rate allows a T dependent length scale to be derived from the data that can be assigned to a quantum entanglement length ξ_E. Another entanglement measure, the Quantum Fisher Information F_Q can also be obtained from the data and its T dependence is compared to that of ξ_E.