Glassy low-energy spin fluctuations and anisotropy gap in La1.88Sr0.12CuO4

We present high-resolution triple-axis neutron scattering studies of the high-temperature superconductor La1.88Sr0.12CuO4 (Tc=27 K). The temperature dependence of the low-energy incommensurate magnetic fluctuations reveals distinctly glassy features. The glassiness is confirmed by the difference between the ordering temperature TN≃Tc inferred from elastic neutron scattering and the freezing temperature Tf≃11 K obtained from muon spin rotation studies. The magnetic field independence of the observed excitation spectrum as well as the observation of a partial suppression of magnetic spectral weight below 0.75 meV for temperatures smaller than Tf, indicate that the stripe frozen state is capable of supporting a spin anisotropy gap, of a magnitude similar to that observed in the spin and charge stripe-ordered ground state of La1.875Ba0.125CuO4. The difference between TN and Tf implies that the significant enhancement in a magnetic field of nominally elastic incommensurate scattering is caused by strictly inelastic scattering—at least in the temperature range between Tf and Tc—which is not resolved in the present experiment. Combining the results obtained from our study of La1.88Sr0.12CuO4 with a critical reappraisal of published neutron scattering work on samples with chemical composition close to p=0.12, where local probes indicate a sharp maximum in Tf(p), we arrive at the view that the low-energy fluctuations are strongly dependent on composition in this regime, with anisotropy gaps dominating only sufficiently close to p=0.12 and superconducting spin gaps dominating elsewhere.

Glassy low-energy spin fluctuations and anisotropy gap in La_{1.88}Sr_{0.12}CuO_{4}

Johan Juul Chang, Joël Mesot, Christopher Werner Matthias Robeller

We present high-resolution triple-axis neutron scattering studies of the high-temperature superconductor La1.88Sr0.12CuO4 (T-c = 27 K). The temperature dependence of the low-energy incommensurate magnetic fluctuations reveals distinctly glassy features. The glassiness is confirmed by the difference between the ordering temperature T-N similar or equal to T-c inferred from elastic neutron scattering and the freezing temperature T-f similar or equal to 11 K obtained from muon spin rotation studies. The magnetic field independence of the observed excitation spectrum as well as the observation of a partial suppression of magnetic spectral weight below 0.75 meV for temperatures smaller than T-f, indicate that the stripe frozen state is capable of supporting a spin anisotropy gap, of a magnitude similar to that observed in the spin and charge stripe-ordered ground state of La1.875Ba0.125CuO4. The difference between T-N and T-f implies that the significant enhancement in a magnetic field of nominally elastic incommensurate scattering is caused by strictly inelastic scattering-at least in the temperature range between T-f and T-c-which is not resolved in the present experiment. Combining the results obtained from our study of La1.88Sr0.12CuO4 with a critical reappraisal of published neutron scattering work on samples with chemical composition close to p = 0.12, where local probes indicate a sharp maximum in T-f (p), we arrive at the view that the low-energy fluctuations are strongly dependent on composition in this regime, with anisotropy gaps dominating only sufficiently close to p = 0.12 and superconducting spin gaps dominating elsewhere. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.144513

Amer Physical Soc2013

Neutron spectroscopy in the layered quantum magnet SrCu₂(BO₃)₂ and in transition metal phosphorus trisulfides (MPS₃)

Diane Virginie Marie Lançon

Collective magnetic excitations are a fascinating aspect of condensed matter physics, where neutron scattering can provide valuable insight into the magnetic properties of physical realisations of model systems. This thesis focuses on the excitation spectra of layered quantum magnets in the case of the frustrated quantum magnet SrCu

_2

(BO

_3

)

_2

and the family of quasi-2D antiferromagnets MPS

_3

, with M a transition metal. \begin{itemize}[topsep=2pt,itemsep=-0.7ex] \item SrCu

_2

(BO

_3

)

_2

is a physical realisation of the two-dimensional Shastry-Sutherland theoretical model, constructed as orthogonal dimers with the product of singlets on the strong antiferromagnetic

J

bond as an exact ground state. The spin interactions for such a particular geometry induces strong frustration which leads to unconventional magnetism and exotic phases of matter. This work is concerned with a series of aspects of the magnetic excitations in this compound. The excitation spectra as a function of field, temperature and pressure are measured using neutron time-of-flight spectroscopy. The experimental results show that correlations, bound magnons and finite temperature properties are highly unconventional and these results are compared with existing theories on frustrated model systems. In addition, predicted topological properties of SrCu

_2

(BO

_3

)

_2

in an applied field are confirmed experimentally. \item The transition metal phosphorus trisulfides (MPS

_3

) are a family of quasi two-dimensional materials on a honeycomb lattice with weakly bound magnetic planes. This work focuses mainly on the exchange interactions and critical properties of FePS

_3

, which is largely anisotropic with the S=2 Fe

^{2+}

moments pointing normal to the

(a,b)

plane. Inelastic neutron scattering on single crystals is used to measure the spin wave dispersion, providing new insight on the strength of the coupling interactions and anisotropies and showing that FePS

_3

is a good two-dimensional model antiferromagnet. Similar experiments on powdered samples of NiPS

_3

show low-Q dispersive spin waves with a small spin-gap. Critical properties of FePS

_3

close to the Néel temperature are further discussed, as the magnetic nature of the measured quasi-elastic scattering is confirmed. Based on magnetization measurements in high pulsed fields, a possible tricritical point in the 40-50T range is proposed. \end{itemize} The work presented in this thesis has been carried out in a collaboration between the Institut Laue Langevin in Grenoble and the Laboratory for Quantum Magnetism of the EPFL.

EPFL2017

Optimization of the Beam Screen for the FCC Injection Kicker Magnets

Agnieszka Chmielinska

The Future Circular Collider for hadrons (FCC-hh) is a proposed high-energy frontier particle accelerator, which would be built in a new ~100 km circumference tunnel and would enable proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 100 TeV. The baseline injection energy is 3.3 TeV. The FCC-hh will require a fast injection kicker system that is highly reliable and does not limit accelerator performance. To achieve low ripple and fast rise and fall time field pulses, the injection system will use ferrite loaded transmission line type magnets. The FCC-hh will operate at high beam intensity: hence, the beam coupling impedance will be an issue. The problems are twofold: longitudinal and transverse impedance may drive beam instabilities, while the real part of the longitudinal impedance gives rise to beam induced heating. The power deposition in the kicker magnet can cause a temperature increase of the ferrite yoke above its Curie point: this would affect the ability to inject beam. For a high beam current and a short bunch length, a high power deposition would occur in unshielded FCC-hh injection kicker magnets: hence, a beam screen is a critical feature. Amongst the most challenging requirements for the beam screen are: low broadband beam coupling impedance, fast field rise and fall time, low field ripple during the flat-top field and good high voltage behaviour. In this thesis, we propose and develop a novel concept of a spiral beam screen. The fundamental advantage of the new design, in comparison to the conventional straight screen conductors used for example in the LHC injection kickers, is a significant reduction of the maximum voltage induced on the conductors, thus a greatly reduced probability of an electrical breakdown of the beam screen. Also, the spiral screen design allows a reduction of the maximum transverse beam coupling impedance of the kicker system. Both the conventional and spiral designs are studied from a theoretical, a numerical, and an experimental point of view. Important new contributions brought to the field of kicker magnets include: real-time data analysis of the output waveform of the LHC kicker magnet to ensure the ferrite yoke is below its Curie point; a new CST and PSpice model of the FCC-hh injection kicker magnets; proposal and development of new calculation and measurement methods for determining power loss distribution in the ferrite of a kicker magnet; and novel measurements of the electromagnetic properties of ferrites as a function of frequency and temperature.

EPFL2019