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Magnetic, optical, and magneto-optical properties have been examined for aluminoborosilicate glasses with high concentration of divalent europium ions. An analysis on temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility yields positive Weiss temperatures, indicating that magnetic moments of 4f electrons of Eu2+ interact ferromagnetically with each other in the glasses. The glasses show large Faraday rotation angles in the visible range; glass with a composition of 58.0EuO·12.0Al2O3·20.0B2O3·10.0SiO2 (mol%) has a Verdet constant of −1.03min/Oecm (−300rad/Tm) at 633nm. Wavelength dependence of the Verdet constant is interpreted in terms of Eu2+ 4f 7 to 4f 65d 1 electronic transitions based on the Van Vleck–Hebb theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lattice volume expansion or amorphization renders EuTiO3 ferromagnetic, although the stable phase of crystalline EuTiO3 is an antiferromagnet. The lattice volume expansion is induced into the crystalline EuTiO3 thin film by utilizing the lattice mismatch between the thin film and a substrate. The magnetization at low temperatures monotonically increases with an increase in lattice volume for the crystalline EuTiO3 thin film, coincident with the results of calculations based on the hybrid Hartree–Fock density functional approach. The ferromagnetic interaction between Eu2+ ions is enhanced by the amorphization as well; the amorphous EuTiO3 thin film becomes a ferromagnet, and the Curie temperature is higher for amorphous Eu2TiO4 than for its crystalline counterpart. The phenomenon, that is, the volume expansion- and amophization-induced ferromagnetism, is explained in terms of the competition between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions among Eu2+ ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A superexchange mechanism between Eu2+ 4f spins via the 3d states of nonmagnetic Ti4+ ions is proposed through first-principles calculations based on a hybrid Hartree-Fock density functional approach to explain G-type antiferromagnetism in EuTiO3. This mechanism is supported by systematic calculations for related Eu2+-based perovskite oxides. In EuTiO3, the competition between the antiferromagnetic superexchange and an indirect ferromagnetic exchange via the Eu 5d states leads to a delicate balance between antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic phases. The superexchange mechanism involving the Ti 3d states hints at the microscopic origin of the strong spin-lattice coupling in EuTiO3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amorphous Eu2TiO4 and EuTiO3 have been studied by a combination of the Faraday effect in the visible region and polarization-dependent x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Eu M4,5 and L2,3 edges to examine the role of Eu 4f-5d exchange interactions on the ferromagnetic behavior. The bulk-sensitive x-ray absorption spectra (XAS) for Eu L2,3 edges show that most of the europium ions are present as the divalent state in the amorphous Eu2TiO4 and EuTiO3. The Eu M4,5 edge x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) signals, measured for the amorphous Eu2TiO4, dramatically increase upon cooling through the Curie temperature (16 K) determined by a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. Sum-rule analysis of the XMCD at Eu M4,5 edges measured at 10 K yields a 4f spin magnetic moment of 6.6μB per Eu2+ ion. These results confirm that the ferromagnetic properties exclusively arise from 4f spins of Eu2+ In addition, for both the amorphous Eu2TiO4 and EuTiO3, the temperature and magnetic-field dependence of Eu L2,3 edge XMCD signals can be scaled with the corresponding magnetization measured by SQUID, indicating that the 5d magnetic polarization of Eu2+ is involved in the process to cause the ferromagnetic interaction between Eu2+ ions. We further discuss the origin of ferromagnetism in the amorphous system on the basis of the energy diagram of Eu 4f and 5d levels deduced from the Faraday effect in the visible region. From the wavelength dependence of Faraday rotation angles of the amorphous EuO-TiO2 system in comparison with those of the divalent Eu chalcogenides as reported previously, it is found that the magnitude of crystal-field splitting of Eu 5d levels in the former is on the same order as that in the latter, which explains an enhanced ferromagnetic exchange interaction between Eu 4f and 5d states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]