paper

The possible origin of the higher magnetic phase transition in RuSr2Eu1.5Ce0.5Cu2O10 (Ru-1222)

arXiv:cond-mat/0501486 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.71.064510

Abstract

Two magnetic transitions are observed in the magneto-superconducting RuEu2-xCexSr2Cu2O10 (Ru-1222), at TM 160 K and TM2~80 K. Below TM2 the Ru moments are weak-ferromagnetically ordered and wide ferromagnetic hysteresis loops are observed, they become narrow and disappear at ~ 60-70 K. Above TM2, (i) small antiferromagnetic-like hysteresis loops reappear with a peak in the coercive fields around 120 K. (ii) A small peak at ~120 K is also observed in the dc and ac susceptibility curves. The two phenomena are absent in the non-SC x=1 samples. For x<1, the decrease of the Ce4+ content, is compensated by non-homogeneous oxygen depletion, which may induce a reduction of Ru5+ ions to Ru4+. The higher ordering temperature, TM, which does not change with x, may result from Ru4+ rich clusters, in which the Ru4+-Ru4+ exchange interactions are stronger than the Ru5+-Ru5+ interactions. In the superconducting Ru1-xMoxSr2Eu1.5Ce0.5Cu2O10 (x=0-0.4) system, TM2 shifts to low temperature with x (14 K for x=0.4), whereas TM is not affected by the Mo content, indicating again that TM may not correspond to the main phase. Two scenarios are suggested to explain the magnetic phenomena at TM2<T< TM. (i) They are due to a small fraction of nano-size islands inside the crystal grains, in which the Ru4+ concentration is high and are magnetically ordered below TM. (ii) The presence of nanoparticles of a foreign minor extra Ru4+ magnetic phase of Sr-Cu-Ru-O3, which orders at TM, in which Cu is distributed inhomogeneously in both the Ru and Sr sites

arXiv comment11 pages, 10 figures

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