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We study the magnetic properties of single crystals of rutile TiO2 implanted with cobalt for various fluences. The temperature variation of zero field cooled(ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetization shows a much higher blocking temperature (TB) along [1-10]. Similarly the scaling of magnetization isotherms above TB is seen only when the field is parallel to [1-10] direction. With field along this direction, the magnetization shows near saturation at a much smaller field compared to that of[001] direction. The Co nanoclusters possess an "easy" and "hard axis" of magnetization coupled by the magneto crystalline anisotropy of secondary phases of cobalt with TiO2. In addition, at T=2 K we observe a crossover in the magnetization vs field isotherms between the two field directions in the samples which has been attributed to the anisotropic paramagnetism arising from cobalt present in 2+ ionic state with S = 3/2., Comment: 20 Pages, 7 Figures

The structural, magnetic, and electronic properties of NdFe$_{0.5}$Mn$_{0.5}$O$_3$ have been studied in detail using bulk magnetization, neutron/x-ray diffraction and first principles density functional theory calculations. The material crystallizes in the orthorhombic $Pbnm$ structure, where both Mn and Fe occupy the same crystallographic site ($4b$). Mn/Fe sublattice of the compound orders in to a G-type antiferromagnetic phase close to 250\,K where the magnetic structure belongs to ${\Gamma}_{1}$ irreducible representation with spins aligned along the crystallographic $b$ direction. This is unconventional in the sense that most of the orthoferrites and orthochromites order in the ${\Gamma}_{4}$ representation below the N\'{e}el temperature.This magnetic structure then undergoes a complete spin reorientation transition with temperature in the range 75\,K$\gtrsim$ T $\gtrsim$ 25\,K where the magnetic structure exists as a sum of two irreducible representations (${\Gamma}_{1}$+${\Gamma}_{2}$) as seen from neutron diffraction measurements. At 6\,K, the magnetic structure belongs entirely to ${\Gamma}_{2}$ representation with spins aligned antiferromagnetically along the crystallographic $c$ direction having a small ferromagnetic component ($F_x$). The unusual spin reorientation and correlation between magnetic ground state and electronic structure have been investigated using first principles calculations within GGA+U and GGA+U+SO formalisms.

Present study investigates the photoabsorption properties of single crystal rutile TiO2 (110) surfaces after they have been implanted with low fluence of Cobalt ions. The surfaces, after implantation, demonstrate fabrication of nanostructures and anisotropic nano-ripple patterns. Creation of oxygen vacancies (Ti3+ states) as well as band gap modification for these samples is also observed. Results presented here demonstrate that fabrication of self organized nanostructures and development of oxygen vacancies, upon cobalt implantation, promote the enhancement of photoabsorbance in both UV (2 times) and visible (5 times) regimes. These investigations on nanostructured TiO2 surfaces can be important for photo- catalysis., Comment: 15 pages, 6 Figures

The effect of high pressure (0 - 8 GPa) on the magnetic structure of polycrystalline samples of La0.5Ca0.5-xSrxMnO3 (0.1 -< x -< 0.4) manganites at 5 K is investigated using neutron diffraction technique. Application of pressure is found to modify the previously reported magnetic structure, observed under ambient conditions, in these compounds [I. Dhiman et al., Phys. Rev. B 77, 094440 (2008)]. In x = 0.1 composition, at 4.6(2) GPa and beyond, A-type antiferromagnetic structure is found to coexist with CE-type antiferromagnetic phase, observed at ambient pressure, with TN ~ 150 K. For x = 0.3 sample, as a function of pressure the CE-type phase is fully suppressed at 2.3(1) GPa and A-type antiferromagnetic phase is favored. Further Sr doping at x = 0.4, the A-type antiferromagnetic phase is observed at ambient pressure and for T < TN (~ 250K). This phase is retained in the studied pressure range. However, the magnetic moment progressively reduces with increasing pressure, indicating the suppression of A-type antiferromagnetic phase. The present study brings out the fragile nature of the CE-type antiferromagnetic state in half doped manganites as a function of pressure and disorder \sigma 2. We observe that pressure required for destabilizing the CE-type antiferromagnetic state is reduced with increasing disorder \sigma 2. External pressure and changing A-site ionic radii have analogous effect on the magnetic structure., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, To appear in Physical Review B

We report measurements of the evolution of the diffuse scattering in a single crystal PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3 as a function of hydrostatic pressure. Upon applying pressure the diffuse scattering intensity decreases and is suppressed at about 3 GPa, while no change in the line shape is observed. Correlations between Pb displacements, diffuse scattering and relaxor properties are discussed.

High resolution topographic images obtained by scanning tunneling microscope in the insulating state of Pr0.68Pb0.32MnO3 single crystals showed regular stripe-like or zigzag patterns on a width scale of 0.4 - 0.5 nm confirming a high temperature polaronic state. Spectroscopic studies revealed inhomogeneous maps of zero-bias conductance with small patches of metallic clusters on length scale of 2 - 3 nm only within a narrow temperature range close to the metal-insulator transition. The results give a direct observation of polarons in the insulating state, phase separation of nanometer-scale metallic clusters in the paramagnetic metallic state, and a homogeneous ferromagnetic state.

The critical properties at the ferromagnetic - paramagnetic transition have been analysed from data of static magnetization measurements on single crystals of Pr1-xPbxMnO3, for x = 0.23 and x = 0.30. In Pr1-xPbxMnO3 the ferromagnetic ordering and the metal-insulator transition do not coincide in parts of the phase diagram. The crystal with x = 0.23 is a ferromagnetic insulator with Curie temperature Tc = 173 K, while the crystal with x =0.30 has Tc = 198 K and remains metallic up to a metal-insulator transition temperature Tmi = 235 K. The dc magnetization measurements were carried out in the field range from 0 to 5 T for an interval in the critical temperature range Tc+_10 K corresponding to a reduced temperature interval 0.003 < epsilon < 0.6. The exponents beta for spontaneous magnetization, gamma for the initial susceptibility above Tc and delta for the critical magnetization isotherm at Tc were obtained by static scaling analysis from modified Arrott plots and by the Kouvel Fisher method for the insulating crystal with composition x = 0.23. The data are well described by critical exponents similar to those expected for the Heisenberg universality class relevant for conventional isotropic magnets Systematic deviations from scaling in the data for the metallic crystal with composition x = 0.30 are demonstrated from effective critical exponents near the assumed ordering transition. The unconventional magnetic ordering in this system indicates the presence of frustrated magnetic couplings that suppresses magnetic ordering and lowers the transition temperature., Comment: 9 double column pages, 14 figures. 1 table