Even though abundant research has focused on metamagnetic critical end points in itinerant magnets, this critical phenomenon for magnetic insulators is still to be explored extensively. DyVO4, a magnetic insulator exhibits a field induced first order metamagnetic transition (MMT), which has previously been investigated via thermodynamic measurements. In this work, we extend our investigations down to mK temperatures and probe the metamagnetic tricritical point (TCP) directly via the magnetocaloric effect (MCE). Heat capacity reveals an inimitable phase diagram where the second order antiferromagnetic phase transition terminates at the TCP, beyond which it continues as a line of first order MMT as the temperature is lowered towards 0 K. The sample temperature and magnetic Grüneisen parameter (Γ𝑚) evaluated from MCE data show direct evidence of critical fluctuations and enhanced entropy in the vicinity of the TCP. These fluctuations are also supported by diverging susceptibility observed near the TCP. Critical analysis of magnetization suggests that the metamagnetic TCP in DyVO4 does not belong to any universal class. However, the extracted exponents agree with another insulating metamagnet, HoMnO3 [Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 157202 (2013)], suggesting the presence of a unique universality class for metamagnetic critical systems.
Dheeraj Ranaut et. al, Phys. Rev. B 111, 104409 (2025)
Magnetic cooling based on many-body effects has recently gained significant interest as a cost-efficient and user-friendly alternative to 3He-based refrigeration techniques. Adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration (ADR) using frustrated magnetic materials is essential for modern cooling applications. This requires finding alternative materials with improved magnetic frustrations. This article examines the thermodynamic properties and ADR performance in GdCrTiO5, a material characterized by competing exchange interactions. Magnetization and specific heat measurements identified magnetic ordering at a Néel temperature of 1.05 K. Magnetization measurements under external fields showed a decrease in the ordering temperature with increasing field strength, establishing a phase boundary for the antiferromagnetic ordered phase. Entropy calculations from specific heat data revealed accumulation around a field value of 1.2 T. To confirm this, ADR tests were conducted at base temperatures of 1.8, 2.7, and 3.7 K using a home-built setup, achieving minimum temperatures of 0.4, 0.67, and 0.88 K, respectively. These minima appeared at field values at which enhanced entropy observed in specific heat data. Furthermore, GdCrTiO5 demonstrated a hold time exceeding an hour, suggesting it as a possible future intermediate stage of a continuous ADR system.
Sharath Kumar Channarayappa et. al, Phys. Rev. Applied 23, 014041 (2025)
In this work, we describe the spinon spectrum obtained in deuterated singlecrystals of the spin 1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet [Cu(μ-C2O4)(4-aminopyridine)2(H2O)]nwhose ground state is a Tomonaga−Luttinger liquid (TLL). High-resolution mass spectroscopyindicated at least 99.9% deuteration achieved in [Cu(μ-C2O4)(4-aminopyridine)2(H2O)]n thatresulted in minimal background noise arising due to an incoherent scattering cross-section ofresidual H atoms in inelastic neutron-scattering measurements. The deuteration of startingreagents was performed by employing the method of H/D exchange using D2O as a solvent andPd/C as a catalyst. From single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) measurements, the crystalstructure was found to be monoclinic with a C2 space group, unchanged from its undeuteratedversion. Calculated bond lengths and bond angles from density functional theory using dualbasis were found to match very well with those obtained from ScXRD data. The 3500 cm−1Infrared and Raman frequencies of the undeuterated crystals were found to be shifted in thelower range of 2000−3000 cm−1 in the deuterated crystals due to the C−H bonds of 4-aminopyridine. Magnetization measurements yielded the ground state of deuterated [Cu(μ-C2O4)(4-aminopyridine)2(H2O)]n to bethat of a spin 1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain TLL, which was confirmed by the observation of a spinon spectrum that arecharacteristic excitations of the TLL state.
Athira Suresh et. al, ACS Omega https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsomega.4c08525)
The Jeff = ½ state: a result of interplay of strong electronic correlations (U) with spin–orbit coupling (SOC) and crystal field splitting, offers a platform in the research of quantum materials. In this context, 4f rare-earth based materials offer a fertile playground. Here, strong experimental and theoretical evidences for a Jeff = ½ state is established in a three-dimensional spin system NdVO4. Magnetic measurements show the signatures of a SOC driven Jeff = ½ state along with the presence of antiferromagnetic (AFM) interaction between Nd3+ moments, whereas, heat capacity reveals the presence of an AFM ordering around 0.8 K, within this state. An entropy of Rln2 (equivalent to J = ½) is released around 4 K which implies the presence of Jeff = ½ state at low temperatures. Total energy calculations within the density functional theory (DFT) framework reflect the central role of SOC in driving the Nd3+ ions to host such a state with AFM correlations between them, which is in agreement with experimental results. Further, DFT + SOC calculations with and without the inclusion of U, points that electron–electron correlations give rise to the insulating state making NdVO4 a potential candidate for U-driven correlated Mott insulator.
Dheeraj Ranaut et. al, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 36, 505808 (2024)
The ground state of a one-dimensional spin- 1 2 uniform antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain (AfHc) is a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid which is quantum-critical with respect to applied magnetic fields upto a saturation field µ0Hs beyond which it transforms to a fully polarised state. Wilson ratio has been predicted to be a good indicator for demarcating these phases [Phys. Rev. B 96, 220401 (2017)]. From detailed temperature and magnetic field dependent magnetisation, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements in a metalorganic complex and comparisons with field theory and quantum transfer matrix method calculations, the complex was found to be a very good realisation of a spin- 1 2 AfHc. Wilson ratio obtained from experimentally obtained magnetic susceptibility and magnetic contribution of specific heat values was used to map the magnetic phase diagram of the uniform spin- 1 2 AfHc over large regions of phase space demarcating Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid, saturation field quantum critical, and fully polarised states. Luttinger parameter and spinon velocity were found to match very well with the values predicted from conformal field theory.
Sharath Kumar Channarayappa et. al, PNAS Nexus 3, 363 (2024)
Sensing and quantification of gas at low concentrations is of paramount importance, especially with highly flammable and explosive gases such as hydrogen. Standard gas sensing setups have a limit of measuring ultra-low concentrations of few parts per billion unless the external gas cylinders are changed to ones with low concentrations. In this work, we describe a home-built resistance based gas sensing setup that can sense across a wide concentration range, from parts per billion to parts per million, accurately. This was achieved using two dilution chambers: a process chamber and a feedback assembly where a part of the output gas from the dilution chamber is fed back to the inlet mass flow controller, enabling enhanced dilutions without increasing the number of mass flow controllers. In addition, the gas-sensing setup can measure across a large temperature range of 77–900 K. The developed setup was then calibrated using palladium thin films and ZnO nanoparticle thin films. The setup was tested for reproducibility, concentration response, temperature response, etc. Corresponding sensitivity values were calculated and found to be in good agreement with published values, validating our setup design.
Abin Tom et. al, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 95, 085003 (2024)
In this paper, we used a theoretical measure known as distance between the states, E(ρe), to determine the bipartite entanglement of a one dimensional magnetic dimer system. The calculation was compared with the well-known entanglement measure, concurrence, and found to be the same. E(ρe) was, then, expressed in terms of two thermodynamic quantities, namely, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat. Experimental verification of temperature variation of the bipartite entanglement measure in terms of magnetic susceptibility and specific heat was done on single crystals of copper acetate-an excellent one dimensional dimer system. The results showed the existence of bipartite entanglement till temperatures as high as room temperature! Large sized single crystals of copper acetate were grown by a new evaporation technique and characterised by TGA, IR and Raman spectroscopy measurements. Density functional theory calculations were done to calculate the delocalisation index which showed much lower values of δ(Cu, Cu) than other bonds, implying that the probability of direct Cu-Cu exchange in copper acetate is very small. Band structure calculations revealed the presence of flat bands at the Fermi level implying very weak intermolecular interactions in copper acetate.
Athira S. et. al, New J. Physics 25, 103002 (2023).
Although there is no complete theory of high temperature superconductivity, the importance of CuO2 planes in cuprate superconductors is confirmed from both theory and experiments. Strong Coulomb repulsion between electrons on the CuO2 plane makes the resultant electron system highly correlated and a difficult problem to solve since exact solutions of many-body Hamiltonian in two dimensions do not exist. If however, superconductivity can arise in structures having chains rather than planes and having a high critical temperature, then the high temperature superconductivity problem could become more tractable since exact solutions in one dimension do exist. In this paper, we report the observation of bulk superconductivity in single crystals of a cuprate SrxCa1−xCuO2 at very high critical temperature, Tc, of ∼ 90 K whose structure reveals the presence of infinite double chains of Cu-O-Cu-O instead of CuO2 planes, thus, ensuring quasi-one dimensional superconductivity. Bulk superconducting behaviour was observed in dc magnetisation, ac susceptibility as well as resistance measurements. The observation of bulk superconductivity in SrxCa1−xCuO2 having chains of Cu-O-Cu-O rather than planes of CuO2 at a high Tc of 90 K is expected to profoundly impact our understanding of high temperature superconductivity.
This work reports the synthesis, structure and magnetic properties of a facile spin 1/2 one dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet bis(4-aminopyridinium) bis(oxalato)cuprate(II) dihydrate, (C5H7N2)2ijCuIJC2O4)2] ·2H2O. Single crystals of large sizes of the title compound were obtained using the technique liquid– liquid diffusion or layer diffusion with 100% yield. Single crystal X-ray diffraction measurements revealed the very good quality of the grown single crystals with a small value of goodness of fit R obtained (1.058). Powder X-ray diffraction showed the presence of peaks of the main phase with no impurity peaks, confirming the good quality of the crystals. The structure comprises corner sharing CuO6 octahedra resulting in Cu–Cu chains in the a-direction that are very well isolated in the b and c directions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations with three different basis sets (B3LYP/6-311++G(d, p); B3LYP/LanL2DZ and B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p), B3LYP/LanL2DZ) generated the optimized geometry of a monomeric unit as well as its vibrational spectra. A vibrational frequency corresponding to the CuO6 octahedron was found in the experimentally obtained FTIR spectrum that matched very well with the theoretically obtained IR spectra incorporating the mixed basis. Temperature dependent dc magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed a low temperature peak, suggesting the presence of low dimensional magnetism in the system. Bonner–Fisher fit confirmed the one dimensional nature of the magnetic interaction with an exchange coupling constant of 1.23 K. Magnetisation measurements along with quantum Monte Carlo simulations confirm this metal–organic crystal to be a very good spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet with a low saturation field Hs of 1.75 T.
Quantum entanglement is a quantum-mechanical phenomenon where the quantum state of a many-body system with many degrees of freedom cannot be described independently of the state of each body with a given degree of freedom, no matter how far apart in space each body is. Entanglement is not only considered a resource in quantum information but is also believed to affect complex condensed-matter systems. Detecting and quantifying multiparticle entanglement in a many-body system is thus of fundamental significance for both quantum information science and condensed-matter physics. Here, we detect and quantify multipartite entanglement in a spin- 1 2 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain in a bulk solid. Multipartite entanglement was detected by using quantum Fisher information which was obtained using dynamic susceptibility measured via inelastic neutron scattering. The scaling behavior of quantum Fisher information was found to identify the spin- 1 2 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain to belong to a class of strongly entangled quantum phase transitions with divergent multipartite entanglement.
We present high resolution thermal expansion measurement data obtained with high relative sensitivity of ΔL/L = 10−9 and accuracy of ± 2 % using closed cycle refrigerators employing two different dilatometers. Experimental details of the set-up utilizing the multi-function probe integrated with the cold head of two kinds of closed cycle refrigerators, namely, pulse tube and GiffordMcMahon cryocoolers, has been described in detail. The design consists of decoupling the bottom sample puck and taking connections from the top of the multi-function probe to mitigate the vibrational noise arising from the cold heads, using which smooth and high quality thermal expansion data could be obtained. It was found that dilatometer#2 performs a better noise mitigation than dilatometer#1 due to the constrained movement of the spring in dilatometer#2. This was confirmed by finite element method simulations that were performed for understanding the spring movement in each dilatometer using which the effect of different forces/pressures and vibrations on the displacement of the spring was studied. Linear thermal expansion coefficient α obtained using both dilatometers was evaluated using derivative of a polynomial fit. The resultant α obtained using dilatometer#2 and either of the closed cycle cryostats on standard metals silver and aluminium showed excellent match with published values obtained using wet cryostats. Finally, thermal expansion measurements is reported on single crystals of two high temperature superconductors YBa2Cu3−xAlxO6+δ and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x along the c-axis with very good match found with published data obtained earlier using wet liquid helium based cryostats.
Single crystal x-ray diffraction measurements on both as-grown as well as oxygenated single crystals of an aluminum doped high temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3−xAlxO6+δ revealed the crystal structure to be orthorhombic with space group Pmmm, in contrast to, tetragonal crystal structures corresponding to space group P4/mmm, previously reported for as-grown YBa2Cu3−xAlxO6+δ, and conflicting structures on oxygenated YBa2Cu3−xAlxO6+δ. The orthorhombic crystal structure was confirmed by powder x-ray diffraction that showed the presence of two peaks corresponding to (020) and (200) refection's associated with orthorhombic structures of space group Pmmm, instead of a single (200) refection corresponding to tetragonal crystal structures with space group P4/mmm. All the as-grown crystals were found to be superconducting. An oxygen-vacancy cluster distribution model is proposed to explain the differences in the obtained magnetization hysteresis loop and the broad superconducting transition temperature. The model proposes the existence of two oxygen deficient clusters of (Al-..-Cu-O-Cu)n and (Cu-O-Cu-..)n juxtaposed with each other whose number and size vary as the as-grown single crystals of YBa2Cu3−xAlxO6+δ are subjected to oxygenation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements showed the existence of two distinct peaks in each of the spectrum of O, Cu, Y and Ba in YBa2Cu3−xAlxO6+δ crystals corresponding to the two deferent types of clusters. The relative intensities of each XPS peak was found to decrease in the oxygenated crystals as compared to the as-grown ones confirming the change in the number and size of clusters in the as-grown crystals after oxygenation.