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The magnetic glassy state is a fascinating phenomenon, which results from the kinetic arrest of the first order magnetic phase transition. Interesting properties, such as metastable magnetization and nonequilibrium magnetic phases, are naturally developed in the magnetic glassy state. Here, we report magnetic glass property in the low spin state of Co3+ in EuBaCo2O5+�� (�� = 0.47) cobaltite at low temperature (T < 60 K). The measurements of magnetization under the cooling and heating in unequal fields, magnetization relaxation and thermal cycling of magnetization show the kinetic arrest of low magnetization state below 60 K. The kinetically arrested low temperature magnetic phase is further supported through the study of isothermal magnetic entropy, which shows the significant entropy change. The present results will open a new window to search the microscopic relation between the spin state transitions and the kinetic arrest induced magnetic glassy phenomena in complex materials.

Weak antilocalization (WAL) effects in Bi2Te3 single crystals have been investigated at high and low bulk charge carrier concentrations. At low charge carrier density the WAL curves scale with the normal component of the magnetic field, demonstrating the dominance of topological surface states in magnetoconductivity. At high charge carrier density the WAL curves scale with neither the applied field nor its normal component, implying a mixture of bulk and surface conduction. WAL due to topological surface states shows no dependence on the nature (electrons or holes) of the bulk charge carriers. The observations of an extremely large, non-saturating magnetoresistance, and ultrahigh mobility in the samples with lower carrier density further support the presence of surface states. The physical parameters characterizing the WAL effects are calculated using the Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka formula. At high charge carrier concentrations, there is a greater number of conduction channels and a decrease in the phase coherence length compared to low charge carrier concentrations. The extremely large magnetoresistance and high mobility of topological insulators have great technological value and can be exploited in magneto-electric sensors and memory devices., Comment: 5 figures, 6 pages

Doping at the rare-earth site by divalent alkaline-earth ions in perovskite lattice has witnessed a variety of magnetic and electronic orders with spatially correlated charge, spin and orbital degrees of freedom. Here, we report an antisite disorder driven spontaneous exchange bias effect as a result of hole carrier (Sr2+) doping in La2-xSrxCoMnO6 (0 < x < 1) double perovskites. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy have evidenced an increase in disorder with the increase of Sr content up to x = 0.5 and thereby decreases from x = 0.5 to 1. X-ray absorption spectroscopy has revealed that only Co is present in mixed valent Co2+ and Co3+ states with Sr doping to compensate the charge neutrality. Magnetotransport is strongly correlated with the increase of antisite disorder. The antisite disorder at the B-site interrupts the long-range ferromagnetic order by introducing various magnetic interactions and instigates reentrant glassy dynamics, phase separation and canted type antiferromagnetic behavior with the decrease of temperature. This leads to novel magnetic microstructure with unidirectional anisotropy that causes spontaneous exchange bias effect that can be tuned with the amount of antisite disorder., 22 pages, 9 figs

The magnetic field dependence of low temperature specific heat in YNi2B2C was measured and analyzed using various pairing order parameters. At zero magnetic field, the two-gap model which has been successfully applied to MgB2 and the point-node model, appear to describe the superconducting gap function of YNi2B2C better than other models based on the isotropic s-wave, the d-wave line nodes, or the s+g wave. The two energy gaps, delta_L=2.67 meV and delta_S=1.19 meV are obtained. The observed nonlinear field dependence of electronic specific heat coefficient, gamma(H)~H0.47, is quantitatively close to gamma(H)~H0.5 expected for nodal superconductivity or can be qualitatively explained using two-gap scenario. Furthermore, the positive curvature in Hc2(T) near Tc is qualitatively similar to that in the other two-gap superconductor MgB2., Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, to be published in Physical Review B

To shed light on the symmetry of the superconducting order parameter in Na_xCoO_2-yH_2O, the Mn doping effects are studied. X-ray absorption spectroscopy verifies that the doped Mn impurities occupy the Co sites and are with a valance close to +4. Impurity scattering by Mn is in the unitary limit that, however, does not lead to strong Tc suppression. This absence of the strong impurity effects on T_c is not consistent with the simple picture of a sign-changing order parameter. Coexistence of the s-wave and unconventional order parameters is proposed to reconcile all existing experiments and has been directly observed by the specific heat experiments., Comment: 5 pages; 5 figures; evidence of two phases in Na_xCoO_2-yH2O from the specific heat experiments

The high-field magnetization, M(H), of Ni-5(TeO3)(4)X-2 (X = Br, Cl) was measured by using a pulse magnet. These compounds have a two-dimensional crystal structure and a distorted Kagome spin frustrated system which is built from the Ni2+ ions (S = 1). The Neel transition temperatures are T-N similar to 28 and 23 K for X = Br and Cl, respectively. When T < T-N, we observe step-like transitions, at H-c similar to 11 and 10 T for X = Br and Cl, respectively. On the other hand, for T > T-N, the field-dependent magnetization curves behave like a monotonically increasing straight line up to 55 T. The H-c value is close to those obtained in previous spin resonance studies in which a model of a spin-flop scenario was proposed to explain the field-dependent resonance spectra. With the earlier model a further transition at around 23 T was predicted; however, our observations did not show any plateau behaviors, saturation or other anomalies up to 55 T, suggesting that the further transition possibly exists in a much higher field region.

Phonon dynamics in Bi, Bi2Se2, and CuxBi2Se3 (x=0, 0.1, 0.125) single crystals was investigated using femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. Two damped oscillations in measured transient reflectivity changes were observed, respectively, attributed to coherent optical and acoustic phonons. The frequency shift of the phonon modes in Bi-rich Bi2Se2 crystals indicates the intercalation of the additional Bi atoms into the Bi2Se3 matrix and formation of the Bi-2 layer between the quintuple layers (QLs). The deformation of QLs in CuxBi2Se3 crystals was also found. These phonon dynamics results suggest that Cu atoms in CuxBi2Se3 crystals are predominantly intercalated between pair of QLs. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4754005]

dc and ac magnetization measurements were performed on single-crystal Cu2OSeO3 under magnetic field (H) and hydrostatic pressure (P) conditions. Increasing H shifts the ferrimagnetic transition observed at T-C similar to 60 K to a higher-temperature region. Moreover, the T-C increases linearly and magnetization is enhanced with P. Features of the ladder in the M-vs-H curve or the peak in the dM/dH-vs-H curve are observed at H-SF similar to 0.5 kOe, suggesting a competing ordered state under magnetic fields below T-C. Remarkably, a second shoulder is observed at similar to 1 kOe in the dM/dH-vs-H curve, revealing another metastable spin-ordered state in Cu2OSeO3. This state is retained and enhanced by applying pressure. As H rises to 55 T, no further slope changes in the M-H curve are observed. These magnetic properties indicate a complex spin orientation in the geometrically spin-frustrated system Cu2OSeO3.

The anisotropic spin-flip-induced multiferroic property of the Kagome single-crystal Cu3Bi(SeO3)(2)O2Cl was recently investigated. The doping effects on the structural and magnetic properties of Cu3Bi(Se1-xTexO3)(2)O2Cl (0

The effects of external (hydrostatic) compression and internal (chemical) expansion on the skyrmion phase have been investigated in Cu2OSeO3 single crystal and Cu2OSe1-xTexO3 (0

To resolve the discrepancies of the superconducting order parameter in quasi-two-dimensional NbSe2, comprehensive specific-heat measurements have been carried out. By analyzing both the zero-field and mixed-state data with magnetic fields perpendicular (H perpendicular to c) to and parallel (H parallel to c) to the c axis of the crystal and using the two-gap model, we conclude that (1) more than one energy scale of the order parameter is required for superconducting NbSe2 due to the thermodynamic consistency; (2) Delta(L)=1.26 meV and Delta(S)=0.73 meV are obtained; (3) N-S(0)/N(0)=11%-20%; (4) the observation of the kink in gamma(H) curve suggests that the two-gap scenario is more favorable than the anisotropic s-wave model to describe the gap structure of NbSe2; and (5) Delta(S) is more isotropic and has a three-dimensional-like feature and is located either on the Se or the bonding Nb Fermi sheets.

Compared to the previous report on Cu3Bi(SeO3)(2)O2X (X = Cl, Br) [V. Gnezdilov et al., (arXiv: 1604.04249)], where no dielectric anomaly was observed without magnetic field near T-N similar to 25.6K, we further present the dielectric behaviors without and with magnetic field in Cu3Bi(SeO3)(2)O2Cl. At zero field H = 0, an antiferromagnetic transition from magnetization and specific heat measurements is clearly established at T-N, while no dielectric anomaly was observed. Those results are similar to the previous report [V. Gnezdilov et al., (arXiv: 1604.04249)]. Above the critical field H-c similar to 0.8 T, a metamagnetic spin-flip transition from antiferromagnetic to ferrimagnetic order at T similar to T-N is induced anisotropically only for H broken vertical bar broken vertical bar c. Meanwhile, a ferroelectric behavior from dielectric and pyroelectric current measurements is observed below T similar to T-N; then a corresponding type-II multiferroics emerges above H-c. The key mechanism of the anisotropic spin-flip-induced multiferroicity in Cu3Bi(SeO3)(2)O2Cl can be ascribed to the breaking of magnetic twofold symmetry in the bc plane above H-c.

We report that Cu9O2(SeO3)(4)Cl-6 is a new multiferroic compound. Comprehensive studies of this compound have been carried out on single crystals as well as polycrystalline samples. Magnetic susceptibility chi and specific heat C with H parallel to c axis both reveal an anomaly at T-N = 37 K associated with the long-range antiferromagnetic order. However, no signature of this phase transition is seen with the H parallel to b axis, providing evidence of the anisotropic nature of its magnetic properties. The results of chi measurements are consistent with the temperature evolution of the intensity of magnetic reflections from the neutron diffraction experiments. The magnetic structure derived from neutron scattering measurements shows that half of the Cu(5) ions carry no moments. Furthermore, an anomaly in the dielectric constant near T-N and observable magnetoelectric coupling below T-N are found. At high temperatures, a dielectric peak at T-E = 267 K is identified with no measurable spontaneous polarization below T-E, thereby suggesting an antiferroelectric order. A steplike anomaly seen in chi(T) at T-E hints the weak spin-lattice coupling. Concomitantly, high-resolution temperature-dependent synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiments elucidate a local structural distortion at T-E.

Detailed band structure calculations have been performed for Cd2Re2O7 in high-, middle- and low-temperature (T) phases. The calculations are based on the observed lattice structures from x-ray diffraction measurements. The spin-orbit interaction is incorporated self-consistently in both the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and the GGA plus Hubbard U (GGA + U) approaches. It is found that the on-site U has negligible effects on the Re 5d band structures; therefore both the GGA and GGA + U Re 5d band energies agree well with the observed O K-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) spectrum, whereas the Cd 4d band energy observed from photoemission spectroscopy can only be correctly reproduced by GGA + U calculations, indicating the relatively itinerant Re 5d and localized Cd 4d electrons. On the other hand, the spin-orbit coupling gives rise to nontrivial spin and orbital magnetic moments for the middle-T phase. Most unexpectedly, we found that the low-T phase exhibits quasi-two-dimensional Fermi surfaces. The calculated carrier numbers for the three phases are, at least qualitatively, consistent with the measured Hall coefficient.

Based on the results of field-dependent dielectric and magnetic measurements, we observe several interesting behaviors and phase transitions in this geometrically frustrated spinel system CdCr2S4. (1) A glassy dipolar state occurs near T-C similar to 85 K, which is induced by the onset of ferromagnetic ordering. (2) A ferroelectric ordering occurs near T-p similar to 56 K, which is enhanced by externally applying electric field. (3) Both the magnitude and step-up temperature of dielectric constant (epsilon(')) near T-C are suppressed by an electric field yet are increased by the magnetic field. (4) Both electric and magnetic fields colossally enhance the magnitude of dielectric constant (epsilon(')) near T-p. (5) A clear dip of magnetization under various electric fields is observed near T-p indicating the different spin-dipole interactions near T-C and T-p. Attempts are made to analyze these field-dependent properties by considering the strong spin-lattice coupling and exchange striction effect in this novel multiferroic material.

In this study, we measured the temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility [chi(T)], ac magnetic susceptibility [chi(ac)(T)], specific heat [C-p(T)], and high-field magnetization [M(H)] of a newly synthesized single-crystalline material, Co3TeO6. Two transitions were observed in chi(T) and C-p(T) curves at values of T-N1 and T-N2 of approximately 26 and 18 K (H = 0), respectively. The high-field M(H) curves exhibited strong magnetic anisotropy and several field-induced transitions, suggesting that the magnetic ground state was complicated. Large spin-lattice coupling was evident by the large hysteresis in the M(H) curves and through analysis of the specific heat data. We propose herein an H-T phase diagram that is consistent with our experimental findings.

Very recently, multiferroic behavior close to the boiling temperature of liquid nitrogen was reported in oxohalide-based Cu2OCl2. In this study, we have established yet another novel mechanism for the origin of charge ordering in multiferroic Cu2OCl2. The direct current (DC) magnetization, specific heat, and neutron diffraction measurements confirm the antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering (T-N) of Cu2OCl2 near 70 K. The collinear AFM spin structure in Cu(2)OCl(2)was obtained from neutron powder diffraction experiments based on the fitting to the combination of two irreducible representations-Gamma(1)circle plus Gamma(2). Electrical properties, such as dielectric constant, pyroelectric current, and polarization-electric field hysteresis-loop measurements, together suggest a long-range antiferroelectric ordering near T-E approximate to 75 K. The charge transfer from Cl to O along the c-axis was found to induce antiferroelectricity near TE and is supported from ab initio calculations. This finding largely reduces the possibility of well-known Dzyaloshinskii -Moriya interaction in the observed multiferroic behaviors and provides insight into the various origins of high-T-c multiferroics. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.