Strong coupling between local moments and superconducting 'heavy' electrons in UPd2Al3

The electronic structure of heavy-fermion compounds arises from the interaction of nearly localized 4f- or 5f-shell electrons (with atomic magnetic moments) with the free-electron-like itinerant conduction-band electrons. In actinide or rare-earth heavy-fermion materials, this interaction yields itinerant electrons having an effective mass about 100 times (or more) the bare electron mass. Moreover, the itinerant electrons in UPd2Al3 are found to be superconducting well below the magnetic ordering temperature of this compound, whereas magnetism generally suppresses superconductivity in conventional metals. Here we report the detection of a dispersive excitation of the ordered f-electron moments, which shows a strong interaction with the heavy superconducting electrons. This 'magnetic exciton' is a localized excitation which moves through the lattice as a result of exchange forces between the magnetic moments. By combining this observation with previous tunnelling measurements on this material, we argue that these magnetic excitons may produce effective interactions between the itinerant electrons, and so be responsible for superconductivity in a manner analogous to the role played by phonons in conventional superconductors.     

面心立方和亚稳液相Cu的电子结构和物理性质

根据SGTE数据库的晶格稳定参数和Debye-Gruneisen模型,运用纯金属单原子(OA)理论研究了面心立方和亚稳液相Cu的原子状态、原子势能、原子动能、原子体积、体弹性模量和热膨胀系数等物理参数随温度的变化关系。研究结果表明:电子结构计算结果与采用第一原理方法所得的结果一致;单键半径,原子动能和原子势能随温度上升而增加;线热膨胀系数计算值与实验值较吻合;固液相变时,Liquid-Cu的自由电子和共价电子均向非键电子转移,共价d电子向共价s电子转移,电子结构的转变降低液相的导电性,削弱液相原子配位的方向性,引起原子单键半径和体积增大。     

新稀土金属间化合物晶体结构及高温晶格热膨胀性能研究

[目的]研究稀土-过渡族金属合金体系中的新稀土金属间化合物,挖掘稀土合金与化合物的新应用。[方法]利用扫描电子显微镜和能谱仪分析合金样品及其组成物相的成分,采用X射线粉末衍射技术研究和测定新金属间化合物的晶体结构及高温晶格热膨胀性能,并对所研究的新金属间化合物的高温热膨胀性能进行总结分析。[结果]不同的合金元素可以形成结构类型相同的晶体结构,得到了部分新金属间化合物的晶格热膨胀系数,这些新稀土金属间化合物的平均晶格热膨胀系数在10~(-6)到10~(-5)数量级之间,它们的平均单胞体积热膨胀系数也在同一数量级。[结论]化学性质相近的合金元素可以相互替代形成同构型金属间化合物。利用X射线粉末衍射同构法可测定新化合物的晶体结构,该法适用于解析二元、三元乃至多元新化合物的晶体结构。所研究的新稀土金属间化合物的热膨胀系数分别满足其各自所属晶系的热膨胀关系。     

稀土Fe基3：29和1：12型化合物的磁性研究

稀土Fe基3：29和1：12型磁性合金化合物显示硬磁性特征,具有发展成为新型永磁材料的可能性.研究其磁性机理有助于理解其磁性的本质.本文发展了传统的磁价模型,并将其适用性由强磁合金拓展到亚铁磁性的弱磁性合金.利用发展的磁价模型系统研究RFe12xMx,R3Fe29xMx和R2Fe17xMx（R=稀土元素,M=第三掺杂金属元素）稀土合金化合物及其渗碳和吸氮化合物的磁性.理论与实验相符.研究表明：稀土Fe基3：29和1：12型合金化合物的磁性与稀土磁矩相关.合金的弱磁性源于合金内部存在的亚铁磁性.渗碳或吸氮处理,导致合金内部亚铁性-铁磁性转变.导带中的sp电子对于磁性的贡献与重稀土的极化、碳和氮原子的俘获密切相关.发展的磁价模型甚至可以根据稀土化合物的结构式对其磁性进行预测.     

Effect of rare earth elements on the structures and mechanical properties of magnesium alloys

By means of first-principles calculations,we have investigated the effects of rare earth elements (REEs) on the structures and mechanical properties of magnesium.The lattice parameters,elastic constants,bulk moduli,shear moduli,Young’s moduli and anisotropic parameter of these solid solutions have been calculated and analyzed.The nearest-neighbor distance between Mg and the REEs is also analyzed to explore the correlation with the bulk moduli.The results show that the 4f-electrons and atomic radii play an important role in the strengthening process.The anomalies of the lattice parameters and mechanical properties at Eu and Yb are due to the half-filled and full-filled 4f-electron orbital states.Finally,the increase of directional bonding character near the alloying elements may account for the anisotropy and brittleness of these magnesium alloys.     

Visualizing heavy fermions emerging in a quantum critical Kondo lattice

In solids containing elements with f orbitals, the interaction between f-electron spins and those of itinerant electrons leads to the development of low-energy fermionic excitations with a heavy effective mass. These excitations are fundamental to the appearance of unconventional superconductivity and non-Fermi-liquid behaviour observed in actinide- and lanthanide-based compounds. Here we use spectroscopic mapping with the scanning tunnelling microscope to detect the emergence of heavy excitations with lowering of temperature in a prototypical family of cerium-based heavy-fermion compounds. We demonstrate the sensitivity of the tunnelling process to the composite nature of these heavy quasiparticles, which arises from quantum entanglement of itinerant conduction and f electrons. Scattering and interference of the composite quasiparticles is used to resolve their energy-momentum structure and to extract their mass enhancement, which develops with decreasing temperature. The lifetime of the emergent heavy quasiparticles reveals signatures of enhanced scattering and their spectral lineshape shows evidence of energy-temperature scaling. These findings demonstrate that proximity to a quantum critical point results in critical damping of the emergent heavy excitation of our Kondo lattice system.     

Scaling the Kondo lattice

The origin of magnetic order in metals has two extremes: an instability in a liquid of local magnetic moments interacting through conduction electrons, and a spin-density wave instability in a Fermi liquid of itinerant electrons. This dichotomy between 'local-moment' magnetism and 'itinerant-electron' magnetism is reminiscent of the valence bond/molecular orbital dichotomy present in studies of chemical bonding. The class of heavy-electron intermetallic compounds of cerium, ytterbium and various 5f elements bridges the extremes, with itinerant-electron magnetic characteristics at low temperatures that grow out of a high-temperature local-moment state. Describing this transition quantitatively has proved difficult, and one of the main unsolved problems is finding what determines the temperature scale for the evolution of this behaviour. Here we present a simple, semi-quantitative solution to this problem that provides a basic framework for interpreting the physics of heavy-electron materials and offers the prospect of a quantitative determination of the physical origin of their magnetic ordering and superconductivity. It also reveals the difference between the temperature scales that distinguish the conduction electrons' response to a single magnetic impurity and their response to a lattice of local moments, and provides an updated version of the well-known Doniach diagram.     

金属间化合物RFe8Mn4的结构和磁性

通过X射线衍射和磁测量研究了金属间化合物RFe8Mn4（R＝Y,Gd,Ho和Er)的结构和磁性。所有这些化合物都具有单相ThMn12型结构,其晶格常数a,c和单胞体积V随原子序数增加而减小。HoFe8Mn4和ErFe8Mn4化合物的热磁曲线上出现了补偿点,补偿点温度分别为95K和70K左右。本文还给出了这些化合物的居里温度和饱和磁化强度。     

非稀土金属及合金化合物改性烧结NdFeB磁体的研究进展

研究发现,烧结钕铁硼(NdFeB)磁体的矫顽力(H_C)、腐蚀性与晶界相成分、微观结构息息相关.传统熔炼添加重稀土元素虽可改善晶界相提高磁体的H_C及抗蚀性,但同时也使添加物均匀地分布于主相,引起稀磁效应并使成本增加.通过晶界添加非稀土物质调控磁体晶界相,可优化晶界相微观结构,提高其电极电位及润湿性,从而在磁体H_C和耐蚀性得以改善的同时,降低磁体中重稀土元素的用量及成本.对近些年晶界添加非稀土金属及合金化合物调控烧结NdFeB晶界相成分、微观结构及其对磁体H_C、抗蚀性影响的部分研究进行了归纳.     

应用锆石研究铀成矿流体的地球化学特征:以粤北棉花坑铀矿床为例

铀矿中锆石富集Li、P、Ti、Nb、Hf、U、Th、Ta、Y、Rare earth elements(REE)等微量元素,Th/U比值较低,在以大陆上地壳为标准化的模式图上呈现明显的重稀土富集、Ce、Y正异常和Eu负异常的特征。根据锆石/热液间微量元素的分配系数估算了成矿流体的微量元素质量分数。铀成矿流体具有富U,低Th/U比值,高稀土元素质量分数,轻、重稀土分异不明显,显著的Ce、Eu负异常和Y正异常,低Ce~(4+)/Ce~(3+)比值等特征。成矿流体主要来源于岩浆期后热液,并得到流体/岩石反应的改造,流体上升减压导致流体沸腾、气体溢出、碱性增高和还原环境,最终导致铀矿物的沉淀和铀矿床的形成。     

Selected multiferroic perovskite oxides containing rare earth and transition metal elements

Multiferroic materials are currently the subject of intensive research worldwide, because of both their fundamental scientific problems and also possible technological applications. Among a number of candidates in the laboratories, compounds consisting of rare earth and transition metal perovskite oxides have very unusual structural and physical properties. In contrast to the so-called type I multiferroics, ferroelectricity may be induced by magnetic ordering or by applying external fields. In this review, the recent progress on the experimental and theoretical studies of some selected type II multiferroics is presented, with a focus on the perovskite oxides containing rare earth and transition metal elements. The rare earth orthoferrite crystals, rare earth titanate strained film, and rare earthbased superlattices are systematically reviewed to provide a broad overview on their promising electric, magnetic, and structural properties. The recent experimental advances in single-crystal growth by optical floating zone method are also presented. First-principles investigations, either supported by experimental results or awaiting for experimental verifications, are shown to offer useful guidance for the future applications of unconventional multiferroics.     

Emerging local Kondo screening and spatial coherence in the heavy-fermion metal YbRh2Si2

The entanglement of quantum states is both a central concept in fundamental physics and a potential tool for realizing advanced materials and applications. The quantum superpositions underlying entanglement are at the heart of the intricate interplay of localized spin states and itinerant electronic states that gives rise to the Kondo effect in certain dilute magnetic alloys. In systems where the density of localized spin states is sufficiently high, they can no longer be treated as non-interacting; if they form a dense periodic array, a Kondo lattice may be established. Such a Kondo lattice gives rise to the emergence of charge carriers with enhanced effective masses, but the precise nature of the coherent Kondo state responsible for the generation of these heavy fermions remains highly debated. Here we use atomic-resolution tunnelling spectroscopy to investigate the low-energy excitations of a generic Kondo lattice system, YbRh(2)Si(2). We find that the hybridization of the conduction electrons with the localized 4f electrons results in a decrease in the tunnelling conductance at the Fermi energy. In addition, we observe unambiguously the crystal-field excitations of the Yb(3+) ions. A strongly temperature-dependent peak in the tunnelling conductance is attributed to the Fano resonance resulting from tunnelling into the coherent heavy-fermion states that emerge at low temperature. Taken together, these features reveal how quantum coherence develops in heavy 4f-electron Kondo lattices. Our results demonstrate the efficiency of real-space electronic structure imaging for the investigation of strong electronic correlations, specifically with respect to coherence phenomena, phase coexistence and quantum criticality.     

稀土纳米粒子作为磁共振成像造影剂的研究进展

镧系元素拥有独特的4f外层电子结构,从而使其具有独特的光学和磁学性质.利用具有磁学性质的镧系元素合成的稀土纳米粒子被广泛用作磁共振成像造影剂.主要总结了近年来磁性稀土纳米粒子的种类、合成方法及不同系列(T_1,T_2)的磁共振成像造影剂的应用现状,并展望了其前景.     

稀土元素La、Nd和Eu对化学镀镍层结构与性能的影响

研究了三种稀土元素La、Nd和Eu对化学沉积镍镀层结构的影响,结果表明,各稀土元素使合金镀层中各物相的晶格常数与它们各自的标准样品的晶格常数相比均有所降低。根据Cauchy-Gauss规则,用X—衍射分析结果对合金镀层的晶格常数和显微应变进行计算,结果显示,稀土元素均使合金镀层中各物相的晶格常数降低,显微应变增加,但稀土元素浓度对不同物相的影响不同。     

低熔点元素及合金改性HDDR钕铁硼磁粉的研究进展

氢化-歧化-脱氢-再复合(HDDR)工艺是制备各向异性钕铁硼(NdFeB)磁粉的主要方法.但HDDR磁粉实际矫顽力(H_C)较低,重稀土元素Dy的引入可以显著提高其H_C,经研究发现引入的Dy主要分布于磁体晶界,起调控晶界相的作用:增加晶界厚度,提高磁粉的各向异性场(H_A).但重稀土元素Dy自然资源匮乏且价格昂贵,限制了HDDR磁粉的发展.为减少磁粉中重稀土元素用量、降低成本,研究人员通过晶界扩散低熔点元素及合金来替代重稀土元素Dy,因低熔点物质在扩散过程中呈液相,提高了扩散介质与晶界相的接触面积及扩散系数,有利于其沿晶界扩散并调控晶界相,使磁粉H_C提高.对近些年晶界扩散低熔点元素及合金提高HDDR-NdFeB磁粉H_C的部分研究成果进行了归纳.     

双六方密堆积结构稀土元素热膨胀的电子理论

理论确定双六方密堆积结构的La,Ce,Pr和Nd的点阵常数与温度间的函数关系,比较了298K时线膨胀系数的理论值与实验值,并指出热膨胀对微观结构是敏感的。     

一类钴基化合物的分子场理论分析

根据两格点分子场理论，在考虑重稀土与钴的磁矩偏离反平行倾角的基础上，分析了钴基化合物RCo5(R=Y，Pr，Nd，Gd，Tb，Dy)的磁化与温度的关系，采用数值拟合的方法得到了描述3种磁作用的分子场系数n(CoCo)，n(RCo)和n(RR)，计算出了Tc，结果表明，RCo5中的磁作用主要由钴3d电子问的交换所决定。     

薄层层析法分离重稀土元素

本文研究的薄层层析法分离重稀土元素的固定相为硅胶H/硝酸铵/CMC/H_2O(W/W33∶4∶1∶110),展开剂为:1.二-2-乙基己基磷酸-异丙醚-乙醚-硝酸,2.单-2-乙基己基磷酸-异丙醚-乙醚-硝酸。本文测定了各重稀土元素的R_f值,研究了改变展开剂中各组分比例对各稀土元素色谱行为及分离效果的影响。当二-2-乙基己基磷酸-异丙醚-乙醚-硝酸体积比为1∶10∶6:∶.1,单-2-乙基己基磷酸-异丙醚-乙醚-硝酸体积比为1∶8∶8∶1.1时,各相邻重稀土元素间均能表现出较明显的R_f值差异。分离上述稀土标准混合液,各元素的分离情况可达到定量测定要求,结果令人满意。